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Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has said that he wasn’t surprised at being dropped from the WICB’s list of contracted players

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2010Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has said that he wasn’t surprised at being dropped from the WICB’s list of contracted players and that the disappointment would not affect his focus in leading Guyana’s Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa.Sarwan said he had been expecting the setback. “I knew for about three weeks now and even before that I was reading between the lines,” he told CMC. “I am disappointed that it seems I am most times singled out for special attention by the board. At times I get the impression that some people believe that I deliberately get injured and that could be more frustrating than the injury. I continue to be fully committed to representing the West Indies and at this point I am fitter than I was a year ago.”Sarwan’s immediate assignment, is to captain Guyana in the financially-lucrative Champions League, which begins on September 10. “My focus is on ensuring our team represents Guyana and the entire region in the best possible way in South Africa,” he said. “We have a job to do in South Africa and me not getting a contract is not a distraction. They (WICB) made their decision and they must have their reasons.”The WICB announced its list of contracted players on August 31 and later released a statement backing the selection committee’s decision to cut Sarwan. “The team management, selection committee and the WICB are concerned about Sarwan’s extremely indifferent attitude and sporadic approach towards fitness, particularly in recent years,” read the statement. It also said that contracts had not been awarded to fast bowler Jerome Taylor and batsman Narsingh Deonarine because of their fitness issues.

Daniel Marsh, the man who captained Tasmania to their first Pura Cup title, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket

Cricinfo staff10-Mar-2010Daniel Marsh, the man who captained Tasmania to their first Pura Cup title, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket. Marsh, 36, will step down after this week’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG, which will be his 150th first-class appearance in a career spanning 17 seasons.The son of the great wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, he began his career with South Australia in 1993-94 before moving to Tasmania after three summers with the Redbacks. A reliable middle-order batsman and left-arm spinner, Marsh effectively took over the state’s captaincy in 2003-04; the rarely available Ricky Ponting was officially the skipper.He spent four seasons as de facto leader and two summers as the official captain, guiding Tasmania to two domestic one-day titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. Marsh handed the captaincy to George Bailey for this season but he was part of the FR Cup-winning team again, but it is for delivering the 2006-07 Pura Cup triumph that he will be best remembered.The 421-run win in the final against New South Wales gave Tasmania their first domestic four-day title after missing out in three previous deciders. Marsh said he had no doubt that this was the right time for him to depart from the first-class arena.”It has been an amazing time in Tasmanian cricket and I feel very fortunate to have been involved,” Marsh said. “I am very confident that now is the right time to retire and look forward to spending more time with my family. I wish the Tasmanian team all the best for the future and will look forward to watching them play whenever possible.”With one match remaining in his career, Marsh has 8139 first-class runs at 37.68 and 174 wickets at 46.73. In 129 one-day games he has made 3119 runs at 33.53 and collected 61 victims at 49.96. Marsh will depart as Tasmania’s fourth leading all-time first-class run scorer and the most capped player in the state’s one-day history.

James Hopes expects a more aggressive England to turn out in the one-day series starting on Tuesday than the one that was swept aside last year

Cricinfo staff18-Jun-2010James Hopes expects a more aggressive England to turn out in the one-day series starting on Tuesday than the one that was swept aside last year. Australia, who relied on Hopes to escape defeat against Ireland on Thursday, breezed to a 6-1 victory in 2009, but lost the World Twenty20 final to England in the Caribbean in May.The allrounder Hopes said England’s new-look team would be a threat in home conditions, starting with the opening game at the Rose Bowl. “I’m sure they’re backing themselves to beat us,” Hopes said after the 39-run win in Dublin.”If you add Kevin Pietersen back into their team – he wasn’t there last year – I think they are going to be naturally more aggressive. We’re going to have to get better because if we bowl like we did at the start and the English team get into a position like the Irish team did, they probably would have put us away.”Ireland’s openers raced to 80 in 11 overs in their chase of 232 before Hopes stepped in to take 5 for 14 off nine to secure a victory that prevented an embarrassing result. Everyone but Hopes was rusty after a layoff and the side now heads to Lord’s to play Middlesex in their final warm-up before the England series.”It was good to play the Irish because they are a pretty good team,” Hopes said. “We have another practice match on Saturday and we know a five-match series against England is going to be different to the seven-match series we played last year when we beat them 6-1.”The performance of the Ireland team impressed Hopes and he expects more improvement if they can get regular games against the world’s best sides. “Every time they play a Full Member country, they’re not disgracing themselves,” he said. “They’re putting on a good show and giving teams a good run.”

Now that the January transfer window has opened, this will allow Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst to make some changes to his squad which he thinks will improve the team at Ibrox and help them close in on the Premiership title.

One player who has been touted for a move to the reigning Scottish champions is Anderlecht and former Southampton centre-back Wesley Hoedt, who was labelled a “top quality” player upon his arrival at St Mary’s by the club’s then vice-chairman Les Reed.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Rangers journalist Chris Jack had this to say about the possibility of Van Bronckhorst’s side making a move to sign Hoedt: “I think he’d be a good option. Also somebody that Ross Wilson knows well, and I think he’s coming from the type of market that Rangers are going to be shopping in.”

The defender joined Southampton in 2017 from Italian club Lazio but only racked up 45 appearances across all competitions before joining Anderlecht on a permanent basis last summer after loan spells with Celta Vigo, Royal Antwerp and a temporary return to Rome.

His short time with Anderlecht has arguably been more fruitful than his entire spell in the Premier League. The 27-year-old has played every minute of action for the Belgian outfit across all competitions so far this term, showing how important he is for them and why the club may be reluctant to let him go midway through the season if Rangers were to make an approach this month.

In the Belgian league, Hoedt’s performances have earned him an overall season rating of 7.12/10, making him Anderlecht’s fourth-highest rated player this term according to SofaScore. That would make the £3.6m-rated defender Rangers’ sixth-highest rated outfield player, which suggests that he could fit in with Van Bronckhorst’s squad in terms of quality on the pitch, delighting a lot of Gers fans in the process.

With this in mind and the possibility of current Rangers defender Connor Goldson leaving the club when his current deal expires in the summer after it was previously reported that he had rejected the chance to remain at Ibrox, this could pave the way for the Light Blues to launch a move for Hoedt at the end of the current season and see if Anderlecht would be willing to strike a deal.

In other news: Jordan Campbell drops key Rangers transfer claim, Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing…

A number of Wolves supporters have been purring over a video which emerged showing Wanderers’ work on the training ground paying off against West Ham.

Bruno Lage’s side picked up a massive victory on Saturday, winning 1-0 against a Hammers team who had been in outstanding form.

A tight game saw Raul Jimenez score the only goal of the game at Molineux as Wolves went sixth in the Premier League and picked up a fifth win in seven outings.

After a relatively slow start to the season, Wanderers are really clicking into gear now and Lage is looking an excellent managerial appointment.

After Saturday’s match, Wolves’ head of coaching strategy Jhony Conceicao posted a video on Twitter showing Jimenez’s goal coupled with the work done on the training ground which enabled it to happen.

Wolves fans laud brilliant video

These Wolves fans loved the “perfect” footage and provided their reactions on Twitter in response to Conceicao’s post.

“Bruno is a genius”

Credit: @Brunoholic

“Clearly something we have worked on in training which is great to see”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Quality video here showing the goal from yesterday and the work they’re putting in on the training field paying off. Keep it up @Wolves”

Credit: @JamesBarnett1

“Practice makes perfect – imagine if this was a Bielsa vid”

Credit: @grubby27

“Makes the goal even more impressive”

Credit: @LukeTurner7

“Love it when a plan comes together! Straight off the training ground”

Credit: @Carl_Yorke

In other news, some Wolves fans have shown their love for one player’s Twitter post. Find out who it is here.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Newcastle United have now ‘started’ contacts over a potential move for Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Developing story…

The Times claimed last week that the St James’ Park club have offered a record deal to the 28-year-old would make him the highest earner in their history and have duly made the Manchester United midfielder their priority signing next month.

His current contract at Old Trafford is set to expire in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent in just a few months’ time.

As such, January may present the perfect opportunity for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium to pounce, as the Red Devils will surely want to cash in at the risk of losing him for nothing.

The Latest: Contacts have ‘started’

As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Romano, contacts have now ‘started’ with Newcastle over a potential move for Lingard, although ‘nothing’ has been agreed as of yet.

They are ‘seriously interested’ in bringing him to Tyneside, although it is an ‘open race’ for his signature.

The Verdict: Get it done

The fact that Lingard can leave for free in the summer means that the Magpies could get him on the cheap in the winter window, and he could seriously help in their push to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Described in complimentary fashion as a ‘joke’ and a player who ‘has four lungs’ by former United youngster Angel Gomes recently, his energy and work rate would be much appreciated among the Toon Army as they bid to avoid the drop. The 28-year-old has also shown his quality on the ball, with nine goals and a further five assists during a very successful loan spell at West Ham United last season (Transfermarkt).

With Newcastle needing to get out of trouble and Lingard not getting much of a look-in at Old Trafford, failing to start a Premier League game this season, it seems like a move which would suit all parties involved.

In other news, find out which Premier League ‘huge talent’ NUFC are eyeing

Sussex have signed Brendon McCullum for the Twenty20 as a replacement for Tillakaratne Dilshan after he was declined permission to play by the Sri Lanka board

Cricinfo staff08-Apr-2010Sussex have signed Brendon McCullum for the Twenty20 as a replacement for Tillakaratne Dilshan after he was declined permission to play by the Sri Lanka board.Dilshan had been due to join Dwayne Smith as Sussex’s two overseas players for the tournament that starts on June 1, but Sri Lanka have now scheduled tours to USA and Zimbabwe over the same period.However McCullum, who hit an unbeaten 158 in the opening IPL match three years ago, is a more than decent replacement at the top of the order although is unlikely to be needed with the gloves as Sussex have three keepers – Matt Prior, Andrew Hodd and Ben Brown – on the staff.”Brendon was always on our short list for 2010 and once New Zealand’s tour to Zimbabwe was postponed we made our move,” said Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager. “His power at the top of the order can give us the start we need to help us defend our 2009 title success. It is a shame that Sussex supporters will not get to see Dilshan though we hope we can bring him at some point in the future.”Dave Brooks, the chief executive, added: “We are extremely grateful to New Zealand Cricket for their speedy release of Brendon. The international calendar becomes ever more congested, so we understand the difficulties that Cricket Sri Lanka had over Dilshan.”

Harry Kane says there will be “no hiding” at Bayern Munich, with a run of three successive defeats leaving his trophy aspirations hanging by a thread.

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England striker desperate to land silverwareMove to Germany was supposed to end barren runIn danger of ending season empty-handedGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The England captain severed career-long ties with Premier League side Tottenham in 2023 after coming to the conclusion that he needed to leave north London in order to land major silverware. A switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern was expected to deliver the tangible success that the prolific frontman craves.

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Kane did, however, suffer Super Cup heartache on debut for Bayern. He has since seen them slip out of the German Cup and eight points off the pace in the Bundesliga title race. Thomas Tuchel’s side are also trailing 1-0 in their Champions League last-16 encounter with Lazio, as a rare sequence of setbacks threatens to undermine collective efforts.

WHAT KANE SAID

Kane is in danger of ending his debut campaign at the Allianz Arena empty-handed, but he will not be running away from the challenge and is backing himself and a star-studded collection of club colleagues to play their way back into form. Kane has posted on Instagram: “No hiding from a tough week with performances and results not at the level we expect from ourselves. Got to pull together as a group and push forward – big run of important games coming up to turn it round.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

After suffering a costly defeat to table-topping Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern then came unstuck against Lazio in European competition. Another shock reversal was then endured during a trip to Bochum, with Kane left frustrated despite taking his goal tally for the season to 29 in just 30 appearances.

Manchester United are interested in a deal to bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United and Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain have submitted offers worth €65m (£55m) to Lazio for the central midfielder.

However, the report goes on to state that, while it is widely expected that the 27-year-old will leave Rome this summer, Lazio president Claudio Lotito is unlikely to be willing to part with the Serbia international for anything less than a figure of around €80m (£67.5m).

Bye-bye Pogba

Considering that it very much appears as if Paul Pogba has now played his last game for United, it is easy to see why Rangnick and the United board would be interested in a move for Milinkovic-Savic this summer.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has been incredibly impressive throughout his near seven-year spell with Lazio, scoring 56 goals and registering 51 assists over his 290 appearances for the club – helping his side lift the 2018/19 Coppa Italia and two Italian Super Cups along the way.

The £63m-rated dynamo has been in particularly fine form over his 33 Serie A outings this season, scoring nine goals, providing 11 assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

The £95k-per-week central midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, enjoying an average of 79.7 touches per fixture, in addition to making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 2.2 long balls, 1.2 clearances and winning seven duels – at a success rate of 52% – per appearance.

These returns have seen the player who journalist David Amoyal dubbed “unreal” average a rather breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.27, not only ranking him as Maurizio Sarri’s joint best performer in the Italian top flight but also the joint 12th-best player in the league as a whole.

As such, considering his undoubted ability at both ends of the pitch, it would indeed appear as if Milinkovic-Savic would be a perfect replacement for the outbound Pogba – not to mention a signing United could very easily afford if they were to get the Frenchman’s enormous £290k-per-week wages off of their books this summer.

AND in other news: “I’m told…”: Fabrizio Romano drops big MUFC transfer update, supporters will love it

Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Jermain Defoe could be on his way out of Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Frank McAvennie, who suggested in a recent interview with Football Insider that, following his removal from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s coaching staff at Rangers, the 39-year-old’s time at the Premiership side could be coming to an end.

Speaking about the former England international’s future, McAvennie said: “The manager doesn’t know Defoe, so he can’t have any complaints. He’s bringing in his own team and he needs people he can trust. Defoe will know that as well so I can’t imagine he’s too annoyed. I think his time is up at Rangers now.

“He’s got a few months left on his deal so I can see him hanging around Ibrox until the end of the season. He’s always there as an option and what an option to have, he’s still so clinical. We know he’s a popular boy as well, the players all like him by the sounds of it and he’s a fan favourite. Short-term, he can help, but I don’t see a long-term future there.”

Defoe must go

While it is indeed true that Defoe is something of a fan favourite at Ibrox, considering the fact that the veteran striker is currently taking home a whopping £15k-per-week in wages, it would seem a very wise move for Van Bronckhorst to move the 39-year-old onto pastures new in January.

With Defoe now back to being contracted solely as part of the playing staff at Ibrox, his worth to the club is ultimately reflected by his returns on the pitch – something that does not make pretty reading so far this season.

Indeed, the former Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward has played a grand total of nine minutes for Gers in the current campaign, being left out of every single matchday squad, be that in the league, domestic cups or in Europe, apart from the two fixtures in which he has made an appearance.

As such, it simply cannot be argued that Defoe is worth the extremely hefty weekly wage the Light Blues are currently paying him, particularly with it being reported that Rangers’ finances are far from healthy at present.

So, while it may be sad to see him go, the sensible move for Van Bronckhorst would certainly be to thank the 39-year-old for all he has done for the club before allowing him to find a new side in the January transfer window.

In other news: Wilson may repeat his huge 2017 “mistake” by signing £15m flop, Rangers fans will fume