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Doug Bollinger, who arrived from the Champions League two days before the first Test, injured himself on the final day of the Mohali Test

Sidharth Monga in Mohali06-Oct-2010October 24, 2009. Brett Lee joins the Australian team barely 12 hours before the toss for the first ODI of the gruelling seven-match series. Till then, Lee has been occupied in winning New South Wales the Champions League Twenty20. On the day of the match, with Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatening a heist with the bat, Lee pulls up sore. End of series.It’s déjà vu in October 2010 in certain ways. Doug Bollinger, after a successful Champions League, arrives here two days before what turns out to be an all-time great Test, bowls impressively in the defence of a modest total, and when he is on absolute fire, running through the Indian batting with his aggression and hostility, he has to pull out because of abdominal pain. After an over in which he bounces Harbhajan Singh out, Bollinger is not available through the rest of the innings.”I actually had him ready to bowl the next over,” Ricky Ponting said later. “I went to grab his hat off him for the start of his next over and he said he’d felt some pain in one of his abdominals, and being a fast bowler and having that sort of injury I just sent him off the ground straight away.”Ponting, captaining an Australian side not dominant any more and hence in need of every resource it can get hold of, didn’t hide his disappointment last year. He is not hiding it this year.”It would have been nice to have another fast bowler to rotate through when we needed that breakthrough,” Ponting said. “At that stage, Doug had bowled just the one spell as well, so he would have been nice and fresh. When you are bowling at the tail, you need those strike options. That said, we used five other bowling options, but none of them could give us that result.”Ponting – not obligated, unlike many other international players, to always sing praises for the leagues – and the Australian team management haven’t been a fan of the clashes the various leagues create with national duty, the preparation part more than the actual playing part. They have all been concerned about the late arrivals of Bollinger and Michael Hussey.There is nothing to ensure that Bollinger wouldn’t have been injured had he trained with the Australian team for the last 10 days, but it helps a captain to know that his strike bowler has not been away playing in a private league until two days before a Test.”It probably doesn’t help,” said Ponting of Bollinger’s Champions League commitments. “But he’d been bowling, and that’s one positive for Doug that he’d been playing competitive cricket.”He probably hasn’t been bowling the amount of overs in the Champions League that some of the others have had coming over here, but the facts are that he’s been playing, he arrived a couple of days before the game.”I thought his work before that was very good, I thought his spell today was probably the best he’s bowled during the game, so [it was] disappointing for him to go down at the end there, it hurt us a lot.”

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte ‘wants to bring someone in’ over the summer to bolster his options at centre-back, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ defensive issues

After just six minutes on Sunday, Tottenham found themselves 1-0 down to Bruno Lage’s Wolves as Raul Jimenez volleyed home following a poor piece of goalkeeping by captain Hugo Lloris.

With Leandro Dendoncker doubling the lead in the 18th minute, Spurs had a mountain to climb at half-time. Their disappointing performance continued into the second half, and after failing to produce any significant chances, the Lilywhites dropped another three points and suffered their third straight defeat. Not only did this allow Wolves to overtake them in the league table, it was also Antonio Conte’s first time losing three games in a row since 2009.

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The Latest: Conte wants a new centre-back

According to comments made by O’Rourke, Conte unsurprisingly wants to add another centre-back to his defensive ranks in order to implement his preferred three-at-the-back system.

Speaking to GiveMeSport about the centre-back position, the journalist said: “It’s a position that Conte wants to bring someone in, he wants to play with that three-man defence.”

This follows The Telegraph’s report which claimed that Spurs are eyeing Lille’s Sven Botman, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, as Fabio Paratici scouts potential targets ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Verdict: Centre-back evidently needed

Spurs have proved to be leaky at the back this season, having conceded 29 goals in the Premier League (averaging 1.32 per game), the same as bottom club Burnley. Fans would surely have been hoping their defensive issues were going to improve under the Italian, but having conceded seven goals in their last three games, this problem clearly remains.

Spurs don’t appear to be doing too badly at the back compared with other top-six league rivals; West Ham have conceded 33 goals whilst Manchester United have let in 32, but these sides have been able to minimise that damage at the other end of the pitch, with the Hammers netting 44 goals and the Red Devils 38. Spurs, on the other hand, have scored a meagre 28 top-flight goals and have the ignominy of a a negative goal difference.

If Conte’s side are to push on for European qualification, they will need to improve defensively in order to scrape wins, with the Lilywhites’ attacking threat seemingly limited this season. It should come as no surprise that the Italian is eager to bring in some new centre-backs over the summer to remedy one clear issue in his squad.

In other news: Tottenham insider makes Djed Spence claim

According to Spanish source Estadio Deportivo (via Sport Witness), West Ham United may have discovered the price required to sign Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos. 

The lowdown: Ocampos a wanted man

The 27-year-old has previously been linked with a move to Liverpool and Leeds United, having impressed in Spain following a €15m (£12.5m) switch from Marseille in 2019 (Goal).

A recent report from Calciomercato claimed that the Hammers, along with Wolves, are interested in the Argentine winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

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A fresh update from elsewhere in Spain has informed Premier League suitors of the potential fee required to land the 27-year-old…

The latest: GSB eyeing lucrative swoop for Ocampos

As per Estadio Deportivo, as translated by Sport Witness, Sevilla are ‘about to close’ an extension on the Argentina international’s contract to extend his stay for a further year until 2025.

The report claimed that the new deal for the 10-cap forward will include a release clause of €80m (£66m).

Furthermore, despite the mention of West Ham and GSB specifically holding Ocampos as a ‘favourite’ to bolster the attack at the London Stadium, any summer exit is regarded as ‘unfeasible’ under the new terms.

The verdict: Sign him at all costs

Equally adept on either wing, the skilful Argentine – who has been described as ‘electric’ by football journalist Fede Praml – would provide an alternative to Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen and therefore would be a smart piece of business from West Ham, even at the mooted price point.

If the Irons are to continue their improvement, adding players of this calibre to their ranks is a must; and with mooted admiration from GSB, the board should be willing to sanction the fee and allow recruitment chief Rob Newman to pursue a possible deal.

So far this season, Ocampos – who has previously likened himself to Cristiano Ronaldo – has scored eight times and provided four assists in 35 appearances across all competitions this term. With only three West Ham players finding the net more regularly in 2021/22, adding a player of his potency seems a no-brainer for GSB and co.

In other news: Italian source delivers update on West Ham transfer hunt; find out more here

A number of Liverpool fans have reacted negatively to a transfer rumour claiming the Reds are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.

Jurgen Klopp has had a quiet time of things in terms of midfield additions recently, with Thiago the last such player brought into the club back in September 2020.

Liverpool have struggled in the middle of the park at times this season, with the Spaniard one of several players unavailable far too often, along with the likes of Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.

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It would be a big surprise if midfield reinforcements don’t come in during the summer transfer window, and Tielemans could be a potential option.

According to journalist Sacha Tovelieri [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Liverpool are one of the clubs looking at bringing in the Belgium international, who memorably scored Leicester’s winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea last year.

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Liverpool fans react to Tielemans claim

However, some Reds supporters don’t want to see Tielemans at Anfield, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts on a player who they believe would not be an upgrade on Klopp’s current midfield options.

Perhaps some have been put off by the 24-year-old spending time on the treatment table this season, with potential fears of a recurrence in a position where there have been several casualties in recent months.

“Just another crab with no legs”

Credit: @ow_g96

“Every year man”

Credit: @I_Am_Artanis

“Am I the only person not interested in him?”

Credit: @fishtoes22

“Why?”

Credit: @CM__Joshua

“He is not better than what we already have”

Credit: @GidBanda

“Nah”

Credit: @GPottenger

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to a key David Ornstein claim. Read more here.

Australia could one day have separate Twenty20 and Test teams playing simultaneously, according to the chief executive of Cricket Australia James Sutherland

Cricinfo staff02-Jun-2010Australia could one day have separate Twenty20 and Test teams playing simultaneously, according to the chief executive of Cricket Australia James Sutherland. The gap between the formats has grown and only five of the 11 who lost the World Twenty20 final to England are regulars in Australia’s Test outfit.Sutherland believes the separation will continue to grow, with more and more Twenty20 specialists likely to appear. The reported that Sutherland outlined the vision in his keynote speech at a Cricket Australia conference in Queensland on Tuesday.”While hosting Tests here, Australia could have its Twenty20 team touring somewhere else,” Sutherland said. “It is difficult not to see a generation of players coming through with an eye to becoming Twenty20 specialists. As more Twenty20 cricket is played there are clearly opportunities for players to choose to be specialists.”Taking it through to its natural extension, if you have a specialist team then why can’t you have a specialist Twenty20 team and a specialist Test team [playing] at the same time? In rugby union, for example, the ARU has a sevens team and a Wallabies team.”However, while such an idea might suit older players who retire from first-class cricket to pursue a Twenty20 career, such as Dirk Nannes, it could make for some tough choices for younger men. Steven Smith, for example, has made his name as a Twenty20 player but his Test hopes could be scuppered if such a concept was in place.

Jordan Campbell has revealed what he has now been ‘told’ about a potential Glasgow Rangers move for John Souttar on Transfer Deadline Day.

The Lowdown: Pre-contract

As shared earlier this month by the Ibrox club’s official website, the Gers have signed Souttar on a pre-contract agreement from Hearts, as his deal was set to run out in the summer.

However, they have also been strongly linked with signing him in the January transfer window as well, so that he can play for them for the rest of the season.

The Latest: Deadline Day move?

As per The Athletic journalist Campbell, the Light Blues have not yet come in with an offer for Souttar today, after already having not one but two bids rejected for him. The reporter tweeted:

“Told Rangers have yet to come back with a deadline day offer for John Souttar.

“The Hearts centre-back signed a pre-contract deal but I understand Rangers had two bids rejected to bring him in early.

“No further contact in recent days.”

The Verdict: Be a shame

It would be a shame if the Gers miss out on signing Souttar early, as he could have helped push them towards retaining the Premiership title ahead of Celtic.

Former Hibernian striker Tam McManus claims that the defender has been ‘superb’ so far this season, and he is currently ranked as the best centre-back in the Scottish top flight to have made 20 or more appearances in the current campaign (WhoScored).

Comparing his stats to the likes of Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun in the league, Souttar is actually averaging more interceptions, clearances and blocks per match (WhoScored), suggesting that he would walk into Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team straight away.

Nonetheless, given that there is still time left in the transfer window, this is a deal that Rangers should try and get over the line.

In other news, find out what transfer update has had these Gers fans fuming

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

A summary of the second week of Standard Bank Pro20 games

Firdose Moonda13-Feb-2010

The Warriors are wrestling their way through the Pro20 competition like the fighters they are supposed to represent. They’ve won all three of their matches and have secured a place in the semi-finals. In the past week, it’s been the Dolphins and the Lions who have suffered at the hands of the Eastern Cape side.Arno Jacobs’ 54 off 51 balls against the Dolphins in Durban set the tone last Sunday. Jon-Jon Smuts opened the batting with Jacobs and together the pair put on 70 runs in the first half of the innings. Smuts scored 43 off 31 balls. The Warriors middle order all chipped in, with Colin Ingram slamming 32 off 15 balls as they totalled 162 for five.The Dolphins’ reply was punctuated with wickets. Big-hitters Loots Bosman and Andrew Hall both made just 10. Imraan Khan, Ahmed Amla and Dale Benkenstein kept the Dolphins’ heads above water with 45, 31 and 21 respectively. The remaining five who batted scored a miserable 13 runs between them. Rusty Theron, Makhaya Ntini, Lyall Meyer and Nicky Boje each claimed two wickets as the Dolphins ended on 139 for 8, 23 runs short.On the same day, the Titans beat the Cobras by 17 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in a stormy Centurion. Gulam Bodi was the mainstay for the home side with an aggressive 88 off 44 balls. Thirteen boundaries came off Bodi’s bat, including seven fours and six sixes. The Titans faced 12 overs and ran up a total of 136 for one.The Cobras were pegged back early when they lost Andrew Puttick and Henry Davids. Herschelle Gibbs looked set for heroics, making 48 off 28 balls. When he was dismissed by Pierre Joubert for 48 off 28 balls, the Cobras were 84 for 4 with 22 balls remaining. Two wickets from Albie Morkel restricted the Cape side to 122 for 6 in their 12 overs.The Dolphins suffered their second defeat in three days when they lost to the Eagles by 13 runs in Durban. They bowled well to restrict the Eagles to 152 for 9. Morne van Wyk (62 off 43 balls) and Boeta Dippenaar (30 off 25 balls) were the only significant contributors to the Eagles’ total. Johann Louw was the best Dolphins’ bowler, taking 3 for 27.In reply, the Dolphins began well. Bosman smashed 38 off 21 balls, Khan hit 30 off 29 and Amla 43 off 35. The rest of the order, were abysmal – the other seven batsmen scored 25 runs between them. Johan van der Wath took 3 for 27, but it was Dillon du Preez’s three wickets in four balls that sank the Dolphins. They lie at the bottom of the log, with no victories in three matches.Also on Wednesday, the Lions had their first taste of success of in the competition, when they beat the Titans by four wickets in Centurion. Robert Frylinck struck in the first over, getting rid of Blake Snijman for 8. Then, Ethan O’Reilly continued to make early inroads into the Titans batting order removing Faf du Plessis for a duck and Bodi for 7. The Titans found themselves in the unfamiliar position of 26 for 3 in the third over. Jacques Rudolph’s half century and Heino Kuhn’s 32 rescued the Titans and they ended on a defendable 145 for 5.This time though, their bowlers could not defend the total, despite, Ethy Mbhalati’s 4 for 20, which included the wickets of Neil McKenzie and Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Dane Vilas’ 53 off 37 balls, supported by Zander de Bruyn’s 39 off 34 balls, guided the Lions to victory with eight balls to spare.The Johannesburg boys couldn’t follow it up with another win. The Lions lost to the Warriors by five wickets on Friday at the Wanderers. Things didn’t start well for them as McKenzie and Johnathan Vandiar went early but Van Jaarsveld was magnificent, scoring 72 off 51 balls. No one else contributed with the bat against containing bowling from Kruger (2 for 31), Ntini (2 for 31) and Meyer (2 for 23). The Lions racked up 155 for nine.They looked well set to defend that score when Frylinck removed Jacobs and Smuts early on. The Warriors were on a shaky 15 for 2 on the first ball of the third over, but Colin Ingram was on hand. The competition’s top scorer (175 runs at an average of 58.33) was bruising in scoring his 82 off 52 balls. He was eventually bowled by O’Reilly but had already set the Warriors up to win. Captain Davey Jacobs was there at the end, unbeaten on 32.

Warriors 3 30 0 0 12 +0.472 467/59.5440/60.0 Titans 3 1 10 1 6 +0.038 284/32.0 271/30.4 Cape Cobras 2 1 1 00 5 +0.781 301/32.0 276/32.0 Eagles 2 1 1 00 4 +0.250 298/40.0 288/40.0 Lions 3 1 2 00 4 -0.505 441/58.4 480/59.5 Dolphins 3 0 2 01 1 -0.900 278/40.0 314/40.0

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras envia nesta terça-feira o relatório com imagens do jogo contra o Corinthians, contestando a atuação do árbitro Anderson Daronco e dos auxiliares Rafael da Silva Alves e Elio Nepomuceno de Andrade Junior. Na visão do clube, foram cometidos dois erros no jogo em Itaquera: a validação do gol de Romero, que estava impedido, e a não-expulsão de Gabriel, que tinha cartão amarelo e voltou ao campo sem autorização.

O presidente Maurício Galiotte já havia demonstrado o incômodo depois do Dérbi, em entrevista na Arena Corinthians, mas o Palmeiras, quando se sente prejudicado pela arbitragem, costuma fazer uma reclamação formal na CBF, com documento e vídeos. Será a segunda vez em uma semana que o clube adota esta postura, já que também foi à entidade questionar a anulação de um gol legítimo de Borja, no empate em 2 a 2 com o Cruzeiro, na segunda passada.

Não houve entrevistados na reapresentação do grupo na segunda, mas as decisões de Daronco ainda incomodavam na Academia de Futebol. O gol de Romero foi o que abriu o placar na vitória corintiana por 3 a 2 – o rival ampliou o placar dois minutos depois. Já Gabriel recebeu atendimento médico fora do campo e voltou sem a liberação de Daronco, motivo para o segundo amarelo. Houve, porém, um problema de comunicação entre o árbitro e seu assistente no lance, e por isso o volante não foi expulso.

Os jogadores do Palmeiras questionaram a atuação do árbitro logo após o clássico. Enquanto Dudu alegou que Daronco não cumpriu a regra nos dois lances citados, Moisés disse que o time estava preparado para ter problemas com a arbitragem, pois segundo ele em Itaquera, “na dúvida, segue (o jogo)”, enquanto no Allianz Parque, em lances assim a partida é interrompida.

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Thilan Thushara has been ruled out of the ongoing three-Test series against India because of a shoulder injury. He will be replaced by Dilhara Fernando in the squad

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009

Thilan Thushara, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has been ruled out of the ongoing three-Test series in India because of a shoulder injury. He will be replaced by Dilhara Fernando, who is expected to join the team on November 18.”Thilan Thushara will return to Sri Lanka due to a shoulder injury, and he will not be match fit for approximately two to four weeks,” Sri Lankan Cricket said in a statement. “Dilhara Fernando will replace him.”Thushara hurt his shoulder after crashing into Kaushal Silva during training on Sunday and the injury did not heal in time for him to play the first Test in Ahmedabad. The decision to replace Thushara with Chanaka Welegedara was taken five minutes before the toss.The expected duration of Thushara’s recovery will rule him out of the one-dayers and Twenty20 internationals that follow the Test series. Fernando’s call-up meant that he would fly to India earlier than planned for he was part of the limited-overs squads. Nuwan Kulasekera is the other reserve fast bowler currently in the Test squad.