Oman's Amir Ali reported for suspect action

The Oman offspinner Amir Ali has been reported for a suspect bowling action

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2009The Oman offspinner Amir Ali has been reported for a suspect bowling action. Marais Erasmus and Niels Bagh, the umpires for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers game between Oman and Scotland in Johannesburg on April 4, said they had concerns over Ali and hence requested the ICC to review his action.In a report submitted to the ICC and the Oman Cricket Board (OCB), the on-field umpires and third umpire Kumar Dharmasena said: “We are of the opinion that during this match some deliveries were bowled with a suspect action. Therefore we felt that Amir Ali should be tested.”Pending the result of the ICC’s assessment, Ali can continue to play and bowl in international cricket. The ICC has requsted the OCB to make arrangements for the assessment of Ali’s bowling action as soon as possible. As soon as the assessment has been completed, the OCB must formally report back to the ICC as to what the results of the tests were and what action has been taken.

Slow death, and the mamba strikes

Michael Hussey ducks into a bouncer © AFP
 

Over rates over-rated
The start of South Africa’s innings was so eventful that in the first22 minutes only 15 balls were bowled. First there was a ridiculouslylong five-minute delay as Steve Bucknor proved that his “slow death”reputation has been transferred to the third umpire’s chair. Hashim Amlawas lbw to Mitchell Johnson and asked for a referral. Although he wasplumb, Bucknor seemed obsessed with detecting if there had been aninside edge and used far too many replays to determine what Hot Spotshowed in one go – there was no bat involved. Then there was anotherlong delay as Graeme Smith was assessed by the physio before he retiredhurt. Ricky Ponting will have a right to complain if there is anyquery over Australia’s slow over rate.Deal or no deal?
Phillip Hughes struck an agreement with his fellow opener Simon Katichbefore the first Test that Hughes would face the first ball of eachinnings if Katich took the short-leg duties. It seems the younger manisn’t keen on getting in harm’s way. But something must have happenedto void the deal. As Mitchell Johnson fired in unplayablebouncers, Hughes was in close under the helmet while Katich kickedback and relaxed at mid-off. Even when Hughes was at leg gully – some15 metres from the bat – he kept his helmet on.Double header
Michael Hussey was a gun squash player as a teenager, as well as beinga star cricketer. If his effort at Kingsmead is anything to go by hemight also have been a handy soccer striker. Hussey ducked into avicious Dale Steyn bouncer and it flew off the top of his helmet andbehind point at such speed that the batsmen were able to run twoleg-byes. It was the kind of header that would have done Ronaldoproud. It also kicked off a fiery Steyn spell that featured some wordsexchanged between him and Hussey.Mamba strikes
The so-called green mamba pitch at Kingsmead has a mysticalreputation. The idea is that because the ground is so close to thesea, at high tide the ball begins to move around so much that itstrikes fear into the batsmen. High tide on the second day was at1.45pm. As that time approached there was such a spate of wickets thatit was hard not to think about the legend. But alas, the exact momentcame and went without a perfectly-timed strike. However, both teamscombined to take 10 for 85 plus two retired-hurts in the first twosessions. The mamba had awoken.

Sehwag wins BCCI's top award for 2007-08

Cheteshwar Pujara has been rewarded for his successful 2007-08 season © Cricinfo Ltd
 

The BCCI has named Virender Sehwag as the recipient of the Polly Umrigar Award, its top annual honour, for outstanding performances in international matches in 2007-08. Others up for honours at the BCCI awards ceremony for 2007-08, to be held on February 18, include Cheteshwar Pujara and Sudeep Tyagi, who win prizes for the best batsman and bowler in domestic cricket. Former India captain Gundappa Viswanath has been chosen for the CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award.Sehwag had made a successful return to the Indian Test team on the 2007-08 tour of Australia after being overlooked for away series in Bangladesh and England, and the home contest against Pakistan. Since then, he has been in prolific form, scoring 1462 in 14 Tests in 2008 at an average of 56.23 and strike-rate of 85.84, including a blistering triple-century in Chennai against South Africa. He was also part of India’s victorious team at the World Twenty20 in South Africa in September 2007. Sehwag will receive Rs 5 lakh for the prize.Pujara and Tyagi will get Rs 1 lakh each win and the Madhavrao Scindia Award. Pujara, who plays for Saurashtra, finished the 2007-08 season as the leading run-getter in the Ranji Trophy Super League, with 807 runs at 73.36. Uttar Pradesh medium-pacer Tyagi took 41 wickets at 21.63 apiece.Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawane, Punjab’s Mandeep Singh, UP’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Delhi’s Rahul Dewan have been awarded the MA Chidambaram Trophy for the best Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-22 cricketer respectively. Former India captain Mithali Raj and legspinner Thirush Kamini were named the best woman cricketers.The BCCI will also hand special awards to the Maharashtra Cricket Association (best overall performance in the season), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (for winning the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest government honour for sportsmen, and the Padma Shri), and Harbhajan Singh (300 Test wickets and receiving the Padma Shri).

County game boosted by record crowds

Unsurprisingly, Twenty20 remains the most-watched domestic tournament © Getty Images
 

Attendances in English domestic cricket rose by 23% last year to a record 1.5 million across the four competitions.The County Championship benefited from the biggest rise, increasing 30% from 2007 in a season that ended with Durham claiming their first title on the final day of the campaign. It was the second successive season that had seen a close finish, following the thrilling end between Sussex and Lancashire in 2007.Total attendance for the County Championship was 558,950, although that only represents an average of just over 2000 people watching each game and the numbers are based on the period since the ECB was formed in 1997.The Twenty20 Cup, which had an increased number of matches, was the most watched domestic tournament with 593,717 people turning out for the group matches, quarter-finals and finals.The Pro40, which finishes after the 2009 season, recorded a rise of 4% and the only competition to see a dip in figures was the Friends Provident Trophy which went down by 7%. That can probably been attributed to being run early in the season when the weather had an impact on a number of matches.”We are delighted to see the county game continue to grow across England and Wales,” said David Collier, the ECB chief executive. “Many counties have invested heavily in their facilities offering a vastly improved spectator experience which coupled with some thrilling cricket in 2008, ensures the fabric of our sport remains strong.”Overall, attendances at domestic and international matches rose by 10%, with 2,243,496 fans attending matches in 2008, the highest figure recorded.In the current financial climate the ECB will be watching attendance figures very carefully over the coming season, especially with the English Premier League (EPL) due to start in 2010.

Journalist expects Adama Traore to stay at Wolves - Exclusive

Journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that Adama Traore’s early-season performance mean that he’s likely to stay at Wolves, amid a report from Football Insider on Tuesday claiming a Tottenham source had told them that Jorge Mendes was negotiating a switch for the Spaniard.

Furthermore, according to The Guardian, Spurs were in talks with the Midlands outfit about bringing the Spaniard to north London on loan for the season.

However, Wolves rejected their approach and are desperate to keep the winger, who’s made a flying start to the season.

Despite missing glorious chances against both Leicester and Tottenham, Traore has been a real threat to opposition defenders in the opening few weeks, although Wolves are yet to score or pick up a point from their three Premier League fixtures.

Traore, who was once again a constant threat against Manchester United on Sunday, now has less than two years left on his current deal but hasn’t been able to agree terms over a new contract.

But with the window closing in less than 24 hours, Hatfield told Football FanCast that he doesn’t expect him to go anywhere:

“I think Lage has looked at his performances and seen that he has been one of the better players for Wolves, and thought we just can’t let a player of his quality leave at this time of the window because it’s just so hard to replace them.”

Derby dealt triple injury blow

Derby County have been dealt a triple injury blow ahead of their upcoming Carabao Cup clash.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Derbyshire Live, Wayne Rooney looks set to be without the trio of Tom Lawrence, Festy Ebosele and Kornell McDonald, in addition to longer-term absentees Colin Kazim-Richards, Jason Knight and Krystian Bielik, for the trip to Sheffield United on Tuesday night.

The 35-year-old revealed that Lawrence, who has been sidelined due to a groin injury, will not be back in time for the Carabao Cup fixture tonight and will be touch-and-go for the Nottingham Forest game at the weekend.

Rooney also claimed that McDonald, who is suffering a hamstring injury, will more than likely return to action after the international break; while Ebosele, who has a knock to his knee, is another major doubt for the trip to Yorkshire.

Rooney will be gutted

Considering just how small Derby’s first team squad currently is, with Rooney having just 15 fit players at his disposal, the fact that none of Lawrence, Ebosele or McDonald look set to be available for the trip to Bramall Lane is sure to have left the 35-year-old gutted.

The continued absence of Lawrence will come as a particularly big blow, as the attacking midfielder impressed for the Rams last season, scoring three goals and providing one assist over his 23 Championship appearances. He averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.88 – ranking the 27-year-old as Derby’s sixth-best performer in the second tier.

However, it appears as if Rooney will have to make do without Lawrence, in addition to Ebosele or McDonald, for the Sheffield United game – a fixture in which the 35-year-old will undoubtedly be hoping for another positive result, in order to continue the Rams’ impressive run of form so far in their 2021/22 campaign.

In other news: Derby dealt big blow over “outstanding” £35k-p/w ace, Rooney will be livid with Morris

Wolves keen on deal for Origi

An update has emerged on Liverpool striker Divock Origi, regarding Wolves’ interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, Wolves are one of three Premier League sides showing an interest in Liverpool striker Divock Origi.

The report claims that Crystal Palace and West Ham are also keen on the Belgian international, although it does not state how receptive to a deal the Reds are at this moment in time.

Fans would be livid

Bruno Lage must avoid his first howler at Molineux by avoiding a deal for Origi. Wolves should not be looking to sign the Belgian forward this summer for multiple reasons.

For starters, his goal record is less than impressive. He has never scored more than eight goals in a league season since coming through at Lille in the 2012/13 campaign and has not scored more than four league goals since the 2017/18 season for Wolfsburg.

Last term, he failed to score a single Premier League goal in nine appearances after managing four in 28 games the previous year. This highlights his struggles in front of goal and why Wolves, from a footballing point-of-view, should not be interested in signing him. He has no proven track record of scoring consistently, which is why fans would be livid if the club brought him to the club.

This is not to say he is a terrible player. Former Belgian international and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany previously hailed Origi as a monster. He said:

“He is very gifted and talented. Technically, he’s a monster. More importantly, he is an outstanding worker in training. I see him working like crazy. If he continues in this way, in a few years he will be among the five or ten best strikers in the world.”

Kompany’s comments suggest that there is potential there for him to develop if given the right game time, but it would be a gamble given his form for Liverpool in the last few seasons. But, why would Wolves take a risk on Origi fulfilling his potential when they already have a player in the building who they could work on?

The £77k-per-week dud is 26 now, whereas Fabio Silva is only 19 and Wanderers invested £36m, plus his wages, in his future. Origi coming through the door could stunt Silva’s development, as it could offer him fewer opportunities to get on the pitch and continue to hone his skills in the Premier League.

It could be more beneficial for Wolves to stick with Silva and allow him to spend the season learning from Raul Jimenez and then stepping onto the pitch when needed. Although he had a difficult first season in England, he still managed four goals and three assists in the league, which is more goal contributions than Origi has managed in a Premier League campaign since 2016/17.

AND in other news, Shi must sanction Wolves swoop for 27 G/A maestro, many fans would be over the moon…

De mãe para filhos: Elas também ensinam a torcer e a amar futebol

MatériaMais Notícias

É comum que os torcedores tenham escolhido pelo time do pai, no entanto, nem todos seguem esse caminho. Às vezes, o time escolhido, pode ser o da mãe. Os motivos que nos fazem escolher um time vão além de qualquer entendimento, afinal, o futebol é muito mais do que um esporte.

O Lance! conversou com duas mães e duas filhas. Uma dupla torce para times arquirrivais e a outra torce para o mesmo time. As histórias dessa relação são a prova de que é possível viver em harmonia, mesmo sendo rivais.

—A história conta que o Fla é o filho e Flu o pai, mas eu digo: o Flu é a mãe Patrícia e o Fla a filha Bárbara — brincou Patrícia, tricolor

— (…) Meu pai achava que eu seria a primeira jornalista de futebol mulher (risos), por conta do meu grande interesse por futebol e conhecimento que detinha do tema, bem pequena. E hoje, minha filha está seguindo o destino que meu pai sonhou para mim. Acho que o destino nos uniu definitivamente pelo futebol. — emendou Patrícia, mãe de Bárbara.

Se o assunto é dia marcante, a filha lembra, com carinho, do fim do Brasileirão de 2009:

— A conquista do Hexacampeonato do Flamengo, em 2009. Pois eu estava ali chorando e comemorando por ter sido campeã e ela por ter se livrado do rebaixamento. A gente se abraçou e chorou juntas. — comentou Bárbara.

Já a palmeirense Larissa, ao contrário de Patrícia, tem em sua filha algo além da ligação materna: a ligação futebolística.

— Lembro de ter dito uma vez que eu a deserdaria e que não teria herança, acho que ela levou a sério (risos) — contou Larissa, ao falar da possibilidade da filha Heloisa amar outro time que não o Palmeiras.

Heloisa, a filha adolescente apaixonada pelo alviverde, ganhou sua primeira camisa quando já tinha por volta de 7 ou 8 anos:

— Quando ela era bebê morávamos no interior da Bahia e lá não existia variedade de produtos com essa temática. Vim em Salvador uma vez e comprei uma camisa modelo feminino tamanho PP pra ela, ainda assim ficou grande, mas ela adorou! — conta a mãe orgulhosa.

Larissa e Heloisa moram em Salvador, mas nasceram no interior da Bahia. As duas nutrem a paixão pelo Palmeiras mesmo de longe. No entanto, Heloisa ainda não teve a oportunidade de ver o Palmeiras no estádio:

— Pretendo levar esse ano, ela sempre teve vontade. — comentou Larissa — Ultimamente não tivemos tantos jogos do Palmeiras aqui em Salvador porque os times locais e o meu tiveram problemas de rebaixamento e não estávamos nos encontrando muito (risos) — brincou a palmeirense, que também vê asegurança como um fator preocupante — Às vezes acontecem brigas entre as organizadas, aí fico com um certo receio. — desabafou a mãe, que aproveita para contar das vezes que levou a filha ao estádio — Ela já foi comigo algumas vezes em estádios, para jogos beneficentes e nas Olimpíadas de 2016. Vimos Nigéria x Dinamarca e Alemanha x China (de futebol feminino) na Arena Fonte Nova.

Nas arquibancadas do Brasil e do mundo mulheres torcem acompanhadas de suas crianças. Nas casas, em frente a TV, mães falam com seus filhos sobre o amor ao futebol. Elas também ensinam a torcer e a amar futebol.

Confira a homenagem de alguns torcedores que se espelharam nas mães para escolher o time!

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Fora do São Paulo, Neilton fica perto de retornar ao Botafogo

MatériaMais Notícias

A passagem do atacante Neilton pelo São Paulo chegou ao fim. Após atuação apagada contra o Defensa y Justicia (ARG), pela Copa Sul-Americana, na última quinta-feira ele não foi relacionado para o duelo deste domingo contra o Cruzeiro pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, e negocia seu retorno ao Botafogo. As tratativas estão em estágio avançado. Certo é que Neilton, fora dos planos, não vestirá mais a camisa do Tricolor.

Neilton está emprestado ao São Paulo justamente pelo Cruzeiro até dezembro deste ano, mas o clube paulista já avisou que não continuará mais com o jogador. Na negociação mais provável, o empréstimo seria repassado ao Botafogo, que conversa para dividir o salário do jogador com o Tricolor paulista. Na entrevista coletiva desta sexta-feira, o técnico Jair Ventura confirmou que buscava um jogador com as característica de Neilton, posição carente no elenco.

-Você ganha jogos com um time, mas competições e classificações tem que se ter um bom elenco, homogêneo. Estamos procurando outras peças, como um atacante de velocidade, para poder mudar no decorrer do jogo – disse Jair.

Confirmada a saída, a passagem de Neilton pelo São Paulo será encerrada sem deixar saudade no torcedor são-paulino. Foram 11 jogos e nenhum gol. As atuações abaixo da média motivaram críticas da arquibancada e acabaram com a paciência do técnico Rogério Ceni, que o escalou como titular na última quinta após 17 dias de treinamento.

Neilton chegou ao Tricolor no começo do ano indicado por Ceni. Foi envolvido na troca com o volante Hudson, que seguiu para o Cruzeiro, dono dos direitos federativos do atacante. Ele chegou após se destacar pelo Botafogo no Brasileiro do ano passado. Agora, fica perto de retornar ao lugar onde jogou melhor nos últimos tempos.

Enxugar o elenco é um dos objetivos do técnico Rogério Ceni e a necessidade de mudança foi reforçada após a queda na Sul-Americana. Neste sentido, o clube já acertou o empréstimo do zagueiro Breno ao Atlético-GO e busca reforços de peso. O meia Everton Ribeiro, do Al Ahli (EAU), voltou à carga.

* Atualizada às 17h25

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Villa learn Cantwell valuation

An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Todd Cantwell, regarding how much Norwich want for his services.

What’s the talk?

Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber has admitted that he is confident of keeping hold of Aston Villa target Todd Cantwell this summer. The ex-Huddersfield chief has said that it will take a fee in excess of the reported £35m Villa paid for Emi Buendia to prize Cantwell or right-back Max Aarons away from Carrow Road.

He told the Pink’Un:

“We’re extremely confident, to be honest, because we’re certainly not in the paranoia camp and we’re definitely not in the mood to be selling late on in the window.

“You never say never. But if someone’s going to ring us up in the last week or two in a window, then they better have extremely, extremely deep pockets and much deeper than what Emi went for.

“Because that could derail our whole sort of summer plan and we’re in a fortunate position that we don’t need to sell.”

This comes after Football Insider reported that Villa are closing in on the signing of the Norfolk-born attacker. Webber has swatted away those claims and made it clear how much the Villans need to pay if they are to land the England under-21 international.

Lange must avoid howler

Villa chief Johan Lange must avoid a major howler following this update from Webber. He must not pay more than £35m to sign Cantwell from Norwich this summer as it would represent a huge overpayment on the club’s part, which could be better spent elsewhere.

The Canaries want more than what they sold Buendia for and Cantwell played alongside him in the Championship last season, which makes comparing their respective talents slightly easier. In the 2020/21 campaign, the Argentine playmaker racked up 15 goals and 16 assists whilst averaging a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.78.

Cantwell, meanwhile, scored six and assisted six as he averaged a score of 7.13. This shows that Villa’s record signing outperformed the current Canary considerably in the Championship, which suggests that the club must avoid paying  more for him than they did the former Getafe magician.

That is not to say Cantwell is a bad player, as his statistics are respectable in their own right. His talent was even described as God-given by Gary Cockaday, speaking to The Athletic in October. “Todd looked at one of them in the eye, put his toe under the ball, flicked it back over his head, turned and he was gone. All without looking at the ball.

“He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given. No one taught it. I always believed if you had someone like that, don’t change them or make them conform.”

However, if Norwich are sticking to their guns and will only accept bids in excess of £35m for the midfielder, then Villa must avoid any potential deal. Lange should exit the negotiations and search Europe for an alternative that could provide better value for money.

AND in other news, Time to go: Lange must ruthlessly axe £34k-p/w flop, Villa fans would be relieved…

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