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Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has focused on extracting bounce after receiving the advice from Harbhajan Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2011Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has been one of the most-improved performers in this IPL. Last season, he took just five wickets and went at 8.08 an over in the six matches he played for Deccan Chargers. This year, after switching to Pune Warriors, he has already taken 11 wickets and his economy rate of 5.27 is the best among all bowlers who have bowled more than 10 overs. He attributed some of his success to advice he received from fellow Punjab spinner Harbhajan Singh.”I had a chat with Bhajji when he came to Jalandhar and he told me that my strong point is the bounce I can extract,” Rahul, who is more than six-feet tall, told the . “He told me to keep working on that.”Rahul received similar advice from his Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh. “I have advised him to hit the pitch so that he gets bounce,” Singh said. “He is very similar to Anil Kumble and can be groomed to be a good limited edition bowler.”Apart from extracting bounce, Rahul said what he was also working on was bowling a wicket-to-wicket line, and using as many variations as possible. That strategy worked well for him during Pune’s home game against Mumbai Indians in which he had figures of 4-0-7-2, the most economical by any bowler in this IPL. “I had a strategy to bowl wicket to wicket with variations,” Rahul said of that performance. “You can’t be predictable in Twenty20.”Things did not look good for Rahul after he was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy – a dysfunction of the facial nerve that results in one’s inability to control facial muscles and results in temporary paralysis – during the last IPL. Rahul said it affected his vision.”I was advised complete rest by the doctors,” Rahul told the . “My vision was hazy and I couldn’t move my lips. I knew if I quit, I would miss the opportunity. It was a difficult period of my life. I had to do lots of facial exercises but eventually it was my will power that helped me keep going amid the discomfort.”One of the things that has helped Rahul during this edition of the IPL is the fact that his captain at Pune, Yuvraj Singh, is also from Punjab and had played with Rahul in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy. “Yuvraj played three Ranji matches this season and it was there he got to know me. He has been very supporting and encouraging. So have the coach Geoff Marsh and assistant coach Praveen Amre.”On the eve of every match, Marsh and Yuvi brief me on every player and I bowl accordingly. Sometimes, that doesn’t work and then I have to think on my feet. I vary the pace a lot and rely heavily on my legspinners. My aim is to be accurate as much as I can and the bounce I purchase from the wicket helps me contain runs,”Rahul played only one Ranji match in the 2010-11 season, and has featured in nine games since his debut in 2006.After a few steady performances, Rahul entered the limelight during Pune’s first match against Mumbai, at the Wankhede Stadium, in which he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and went for just 14 runs in his three overs. Rahul said Tendulkar congratulated him after the match. “He told me that I am bowling at my best. It is the best compliment that one can receive.”Pune’s next game is against Kings XI Punjab, in Mohali, on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp is looking to add to the Liverpool squad with a bid for Portuguese forward Rafael Leao this summer.

What’s the word?

FSG are plotting a bid for the 22-year-old AC Milan maestro and, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica (via Milan News), Liverpool are one of the clubs interested in signing him.

Although Newcastle are believed the frontrunners due to their recent takeover and the ability to splash the cash, the Reds could offer much more in terms of potential success.

The £60m-rated gem wont come cheap, and Liverpool will have to spend big in order to secure his signature.

Liverpool’s Thierry Henry

The “extraordinary” player, as described by San Siro legend Zvonimir Boban, has been in wonderful form for AC Milan this season as they are aiming to end an 11-year wait to win the Serie A title.

The left winger has played 39 times so far this term and scored 13 goals whilst supplying seven assists in all competitions, a solid return from the youngster.

Former Juventus midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi believes that Leao is in a similar mould to ex-Arsenal icon Thierry Henry, and those comparisons are accurate, with the 22-year-old sharing the Frenchman’s explosive pace and ability to score and set up goals in almost equal measure.

Henry gradually shifted from the left wing into a more central role, especially when he joined the Gunners, and Klopp may have similar thoughts for Leao, especially when January signing Luis Diaz is performing exceptionally well out wide for the Reds.

The prospective signing of the Portuguese gem could be a masterstroke for Klopp and Liverpool. Also, with Roberto Firmino slowly getting on a bit and his goal return dropping this season, a change could be mooted in the centre of the attacking three.

FSG could be on to something special once more if they seriously pursue a mooted bid for the precocious Leao, who can take great heart from being compared to a Premier League legend in Henry.

AND in other news, Liverpool potting bid to sign “dangerous” £19.8m-rated weapon, he’s Klopp’s new Firmino

أوضح هوجو لوريس، حارس مرمى منتخب فرنسا، السبب وراء إهدار هاري كين، ركلة الجزاء الحاسمة لإنجلترا في مباراتهما مساء أمس الأول في كأس العالم قطر 2022.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في إطار منافسات دور ربع نهائي كأس العالم، حيث فازت فرنسا على إنجلترا بهدفين مقابل هدف.

وكان منتخب إنجلترا قد حصل على ركلتي جزاء، حيث نفذ هاري كين الأولى بنجاح في الدقيقة 51، بينما أهدر الثانية في الدقيقة 74. هاري كين يسجل أمام فرنسا

هاري كين يهدر ركلة جزاء أمام فرنسا

وقال لوريس في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “جول” العالمية: “نحن نعرف بعضنا البعض جيدًا، لذلك ظننت أنه سيغير مكانه في الركلة الأولى، ولكنه نفذها بطريقته المعتادة”.

وأضاف: “في الركلة الثانية ذهبت في الاتجاه الصحيح للكرة، بالتأكيد لا بد أنه كان يشعر بالضغط قليلًا في ذلك الوقت، لذلك رفعها قليلًا، ولكنها جاءت بشكل أكثر قوة، كانت لحظة مهمة في المباراة”.

Leeds United have been dealt a late setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the Yorkshire Evening Post), Patrick Vieira revealed that, despite being withdrawn in Palace’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United last week, Michael Olise could yet feature against Leeds at Selhurst Park tonight – with the winger due to undergo a late fitness test ahead of the clash.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Concerning the winger’s current condition, the Frenchman said: “With Michael Olise – we were off [Thursay and Friday], so we have to wait until [Saturday]. But, yes, we took him off early in the [Newcastle] game as he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent.”

Marsch will be gutted

Considering how impressive the 20-year-old has been for Palace following his £8m move to south London last summer, the news that the Olise could yet play a role against Leeds on Monday evening is sure to have left Jesse Marsch gutted.

Indeed, over his 23 Premier League appearances this term, the £25m-rated talent has been a livewire in the Eagles’ attack, bagging two goals, providing five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.7 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £47.5k-per-week forward average a SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the Vieira’s seventh-best outfielder in the top flight of English football.

As such, should the France U21 international indeed be available for selection tonight, it is clear to see that this would come as a huge blow to Marsch’s hopes of taking something back to Elland Road – with a loss at Selhurst Park being a result that would leave the Whites’ hopes of survival this season very much in the balance.

AND in other news: Marsch must now unleash Leeds’ “next big thing” vs Palace, he’s “banging on the door”

Newcastle enjoyed a busy January transfer window as Eddie Howe made a host of fresh additions to his Magpies squad.

Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood all came through the door as they bolstered their team during PIF’s first chance to show off their spending power.

Attention may now turn to the summer as the club will potentially spend again to compete higher up in the Premier League table if they are able to avoid relegation this term.

La Repubblica (via MilanNews) recently reported that the Toon are one of a number of clubs circling around Franck Kessie heading into the summer, as he is set to become a free agent upon the expiry of his contract with the Serie A side.

Imagine him and Bruno

Newcastle could find their dream upgrade on Jonjo Shelvey and an excellent partner for Bruno Guimaraes by landing Kessie on a free transfer.

In the Serie A last term, he scored 13 goals and provided four assists. He also averaged 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game, proving that he is a player who can have an impact at both ends of the pitch with his ability to change games in the final third and his robustness defensively.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli previously lauded the midfielder, saying: “There was some problem at the beginning, then we understood each other and now he is indispensable for my Milan. Even in difficult moments of the game he is always positive and his teammates recognize this.”

Shelvey, meanwhile, managed one goal and three assists, whilst making 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game. This suggests that Kessie could be a major improvement on him as he is far superior in the attacking third of the pitch and on a similar level heading towards his own goal.

The Ivorian international is also four years younger than the former Liverpool man. This means that the machine could have plenty more years ahead of him to develop as a player and exceed what Shelvey has been able to produce in a Magpies shirt, with Eddie Howe potentially being able to improve him on the training pitch.

Along with being an upgrade on Shelvey, he could also slot in nicely alongside Guimaraes. The Brazilian averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 1.8 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season for Lyon, which suggests that he is a tough-tackling creative midfielder – compared to Kessie’s tough-tackling, goalscoring, style of play.

They could, therefore, complement each other well as they both look to get stuck in defensively and could work well as a pair off the ball to cut out opposition attacks. On the ball, however, Guimaraes could be tasked with the creative side of the game and leave his teammate to make late runs into the box in an attempt to score, which could make them an exciting pair.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Howe suffers major Newcastle setback that’ll leave fans very worried…

Rangers and Ross Wilson have not been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to Ibrox during the recent transfer windows.

However, as tends to happen with a lot of clubs, not every player that gets mentioned with a move to the SPFL side ends up joining.

One player that the Gers were linked with in recent memory is striker Jonson Clarke-Harris.

It was reported by the Daily Record during the previous summer transfer window that the Peterborough United attacker was interested in making a move to Ibrox.

However, as many supporters will be aware, the 27-year-old didn’t end up holding up a Rangers shirt in front of Ibrox either during the previous summer or winter windows.

With a total of 354 club appearances under his belt across all competitions for a range of clubs, the centre-forward has racked up a combined total of 125 goal contributions.

Having found the back of the net 105 times and delivered 20 assists, the Englishman certainly knows how to find the back of the net.

This season has seen the striker score 11 goals and provide three assists in 37 Championship appearances, highlighting how important he is to the side,

Also, his overall performances have earned him a rating of 6.85/10 from WhoScored, making him Peterborough’s highest-rated player for this campaign.

Labelled as being a “real threat” on the pitch by Lee Johnson all the way back in 2013, that’s exactly what he is now in terms of being a regular goalscorer.

Having also been described as looking “really strong” by Grant McCann, it seems likely that the Posh will be desperate to keep hold of their star striker.

However, with the club in danger of being relegated to League One at the end of the season, perhaps a move to Ibrox would be a tempting prospect for the player rather than play in the third division.

With Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side able to offer the chance to win titles and play in Europe, it may not take much effort to convince the attacker to pack his bags.

Moving forward, if a deal for Clarke-Harris is there to be made in the summer, Wilson and Rangers should definitely be in the mix to sign him.

In other news: From £4.5m to £25m: Wilson had huge Rangers howler over “remarkable” 12-goal gem…

Sussex’s Monty Panesar marked his return to first-team action with three wickets before Chris Taylor led Gloucestershire’s fightback on an even first day of their Championship Division Two tussle at Arundel

07-Jul-2010
ScorecardSussex’s Monty Panesar marked his return to first-team action with three wickets before Chris Taylor led Gloucestershire’s fightback on an even first day of their Championship Division Two tussle at Arundel.Panesar was overlooked during Sussex’s Friends Provident t20 campaign and kept himself ticking over instead by playing league cricket for Bexhill. But he relished the slow turn offered by a dry pitch at the Castle Ground to take three for 68 from 29 overs before Gloucestershire, led by former captain Taylor’s 89, recovered from 142 for six to close the first day on 286 for 9.The left-arm spinner was brought into the attack 75 minutes after the start and wheeled away in four productive spells. He briefly switched ends before lunch to claim his first victim and finish a promising innings by 19-year-old left-hander Chris Dent, who edged to slip.After lunch he ended a patient vigil by opener Kadeer Ali, who sliced a drive to mid-on after making 58 in just over three hours, and Panesar claimed his third wicket when Jon Lewis (32) was bowled heaving across the line having added 73 in 17 overs for the seventh wicket with Taylor.It was an important partnership, for Gloucestershire had looked in some trouble when the persevering Corey Collymore picked up two wickets in three balls. Skipper Alex Gidman and then James Franklin were both lbw stuck on the crease, Franklin falling for a duck. Like Panesar, Collymore has not played competitively since Sussex’s last four-day game finished on June 7 but his control of line and length was exemplary.Yasir Arafat was the ideal foil for Collymore as his skiddy pace proved difficult to master and he picked up two wickets. Opener Jon Batty fell in the fifth over, lbw to one which hurried on, and the Pakistani returned after lunch to bowl Hamish Marshall with an off-cutter.Initially, it was not such a productive day for Robin Martin-Jenkins in his last Championship game before retirement. The all-rounder had Kadeer dropped at slip on 31 and a vociferous appeal for leg before against Dent from the next ball turned down. To add to his dismay, Dent struck the next three balls to the boundary – although Martin-Jenkins did return to take two wickets after tea.Taylor produced the most impressive strokeplay of the day, particularly after tea, driving fluently against the seamers and using soft hands to manipulate Panesar and off-spinner Ollie Rayner into the gaps.He looked on course for a hundred when he feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior to give Martin-Jenkins his second wicket just before the close. Taylor’s 89 came from 112 balls and included 12 fours as well as a six off Panesar, but no Gloucestershire batsman has yet scored a Championship hundred this season.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle pulled no punches in his assessment of the team’s failings, after they lost to South Africa by one run in the second Twenty20 international.

Cricinfo staff21-May-2010

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has questioned the batsmen’s mindset following his team’s one-run defeat in the second Twenty20 international against South Africa in Antigua. Gayle said they “have to look into themselves and try and redeem themselves as quickly as possible” after losing the series 2-0.”It is a pressure situation,” Gayle said. “The mindset is just not right. They’re maybe a bit too worried about the position.”South Africa finished with a modest 120 for 7 but West Indies struggled from the start, losing Gayle for a duck, and the rest of the batsmen never quite got going. With 15 needed from the final over, Darren Sammy managed two boundaries, including an all-run four thanks to some loose fielding, but Ryan McLaren held his nerve to leave West Indies a run short.”It’s blatant,” Gayle said. “It’s not right. We need to have discussions on it. The guys need to free up and go out there with a free mind to play some good cricket. We should have won that game…no doubt about it. To chase 120 runs, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get it, but we didn’t get it.”It was the second straight game in which the West Indies batsmen failed to perform. On Wednesday, they lost by 13 runs chasing 137 to win.”It’s very disappointing but credit must go to the bowlers. I thought they bowled well on an on-and-off pitch,” Gayle said. “In the end we allowed the run-rate to climb up a bit too much. We should have tried to take a few more chances.”He denied experience was the problem, saying, “We have quite a few experienced guys in the team, guys who have been in big situations before. Experience is not a problem.”The problem, according to him, lay with individual players, who need to start taking responsibility for their performances. “It’s up to the individual. They have to look into themselves and try and redeem themselves as quickly as possible. I can’t do it for them. I have a lot to think about as well. It is up to the individuals to try and get over these situations as quickly as possible.”In contrast, South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith was full of praise for his team’s ability to keep calm in the clutch, although he couldn’t resist a wry comment on the team’s history of coming up short in high pressure situations.”It was a bit tense at the end so we had to find somebody to remain calm, and Ryan kept a good sensible head, although we had a few guys running all over the place. It was an exciting finish, and nice again to get over the line,” he said. “We have performed well enough in tense situations like this before, although our record in such situations in competition play is quite poor, but we have performed really well again under pressure in a game that we probably shouldn’t have won, so it’s to our credit, and the confidence is definitely growing.”

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.”

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Martin Boyle to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Times (via the Glasgow Evening Times), who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side are keeping a very close eye on the Hibernian winger ahead of a potential swoop this month.

The report goes on to state that Hibs will demand a fee in the region of £3m in order to part with the 28-year-old, with a number of Middle Eastern clubs also reported to be keen on the Australia international.

Speaking about Boyle earlier this season, Postecoglou said: “I know Martin really well. I was pretty pleased when he chose to play for Australia because there was a bit of an arm wrestle when it came to who he was going to play for.

“He’s done really well for the national team so I’m well aware of him. He’s a good player and it’s not easy playing for Australia. Unlike other national teams, he’s got to do long-haul travel and getting back to this part of the world isn’t easy. So he’s handled that really well.”

Postecoglou could repeat Stokes masterclass

Considering just how impressive Boyle has been for Hibs so far this season, it is unsurprising to learn of Postecoglou’s interest in the forward – particularly considering the pair’s link via the Australian national side.

Indeed, over his 19 Premiership outings in the current campaign, the £2.25m-rated man has already scored a very respectable seven goals, registered three assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Neil Lennon dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as Hibs’ best performer in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, considering his impressive eye for goal and the fact he plays his football at Easter Road, Potecoglou could go on to replicate Celtic’s masterclass of the £1.31m signing of Anthony Stokes back in 2010 – a player who went on to score a whopping 76 goals and provide 64 assists over just 192 appearances for the Bhoys.

Indeed, should Celtic manage to prise Boyle away from Hibs this January, we would not bet against the winger having a similar impact to that of the former Republic of Ireland international, with the 28-year-old appearing to be a superb candidate to add further depth to the Bhoys’ wide attacking options ahead of the second half of the season.

In other news: Big twist emerges in Celtic transfer pursuit, Postecoglou will be buzzing