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MS Dhoni has said all the players in India’s squad will get a game before the knockout stages, meaning R Ashwin and Suresh Raina will be in the XI on Sunday, against West Indies

Sharda Ugra in Chennai19-Mar-2011The reception given to MS Dhoni at his pre-match media briefing before India’s final group match at the World Cup reflected none of the heated arguments on in print or television, or even outside the media conference room at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Rather than a barrage of unpleasant questions about captaincy, the Indian team’s batting performance in Nagpur, Ashish Nehra’s 50th over or R Ashwin’s debut, the treatement could be described as cordial. “Happy Holi, Mahi,” a reporter said, referring to the famous festival of colours that will spread across most of India over the weekend. Dhoni wished the reporter back warmly. When the question about the batting did turn up, Dhoni decided to leave the colourful quotes behind and tried splashing some whitewash over Nagpur.Dhoni was asked whether there had been a thorough debrief after India lost their last nine wickets for 29 runs in their defeat to South Africa. He replied: “The beauty of our batting side is that you don’t need to always pinpoint what went wrong or what needs to be done. The amount of experience we have got, the moment you commit a mistake you realise, okay, this is what exactly went wrong.” What happened in Nagpur, he said did not “need to be addressed in a big way. Most of us have played over 100 games. But the better sides are the ones who do not repeat their mistakes in short intervals.”India’s biggest mistakes in its two matches against top-flight teams – England and South Africa – he said, had been to take their foot off the pedal after the best of starts. “It’s not only about how well you have started the game and how long you have dominated, you can’t say you have won a game till it’s over. It is a big learning and hopefully we won’t repeat the same mistakes that have happened so far. We are human beings; we are always supposed to commit mistakes. Hopefully the interval between two will be long.” All of India will be wishing that the interval would at least be longer than the next two weeks.R Ashwin is likely to get a game after cooling his heels for the previous group-stage matches•Associated PressAfter being pretty tight-lipped about team selection through the tournament so far, Dhoni stuck his neck out this time, and said “everyone” on his team “would have played at least one game before the knockout stage.” Translated that means that the two men who have not had a match so far, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin, will be in the XI on Sunday.Dented reputation or not, what India still has is belief within the batting and the fact that the unit as a whole is “due”. Their captain said so with emphasis. “Our seven batsmen have not fired at their best. If we get a really good day on the field with the batting department, we have the capabilities of putting huge totals on the board and it will definitely be a par plus score.”The question that produced the response was one about the batting. But, as if on autopilot, Dhoni produced a spontaneous, unsolicited comment on India’s fielding, just in case anyone would slip the question in. “I do not see plenty of improvement in the fielding department. We are definitely not as good as some of the teams in the present World Cup but on our own we have shown that we are improving. Our good fielders are doing better every game and our safer fielders are getting better in each and every game.”Sunday’s match would be the last game for India with a safety net of any kind – Bangladesh’s loss on Saturday has guaranteed their path to the quarter-finals – yet an unconvincing performance against West Indies is, unlike one of India’s practice sessions, not an option.

Phil Hay has reacted to news of relegation for Leeds United’s under-23s over the weekend.

The Lowdown: Another weekend to forget

Jesse Marsch’s first team dropped into the bottom three for the first time since October following a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday and have just three Premier League matches remaining to pull themselves out of trouble.

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Former Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah scored twice early on at the Emirates before captain Luke Ayling received a straight red card for a terrible tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. It was arguably one of Leeds’ worst first-half displays all season, and things got worse for the club at half-time in that match.

The Latest: Hay’s tweet

At the same time that Leeds’ first team were heading into the dressing room two goals down at Arsenal, Chelsea’s under-23s managed to turn things around against Tottenham, meaning that the Whites have been relegated from the top tier of Premier League 2.

Hay took to Twitter to react to the news, stating: “Sad to report, Leeds U23s have been relegated. Chelsea stay up after beating Spurs.”

The Verdict: When it rains, it pours

It looked as if the under-23s would avoid the drop as Chelsea were trailing with 10 minutes to go in a must-win game, but two goals in the final 10 minutes for the Blues summed up how things have gone at Elland Road this season from top to bottom.

Hopefully Hay won’t have another Leeds relegation to report on over the coming two weeks, but Marsch’s side will need to pick up some points against either Chelsea, Brighton or Brentford to ensure their Premier League safety.

They are also without numerous senior players for the final three games, with Ayling joining that list following his ridiculous sending off, so Leeds will have to do it the hard way if they are to survive.

In other news: Marsch now set to lose Leeds player with ‘incredible engine’ this summer. 

Allrounder James Franklin has been called up to replace the injured Hamish Bennett for the remaining two Tests against India

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2010Allrounder James Franklin has been called up to replace the injured Hamish Bennett for the remaining two Tests against India. Bennett, who injured his groin while bowling on the first day of the Ahmedabad Test, will return to New Zealand for further testing and rehabilitation.Doubts about Jesse Ryder’s ability to bowl in the next game also factored into the selection of Franklin, as the New Zealand selectors wanted someone who could bat and bowl.”It’s an unfortunate injury for Hamish, which will see him miss the remainder of the Test series against India, Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach said. “However, it does create another opportunity for James Franklin to come back into the Blackcaps squad.”Franklin showed good form with bat and ball in Zimbabwe, where he successfully led New Zealand A to a series win.”New Zealand A won two of the three unofficial Tests they played against Zimbabwe, with Franklin making 180 runs at an average of 60, with one century, and taking 10 wickets at an average of 17.2. Franklin hasn’t played Test cricket for over 18 months though. His last Test came, coincidentally, against India in Wellington in April 2009. Over 26 Tests, he has made 644 runs at an average of 21.46, and taken 80 wickets at 32.65, with a best of 6 for 119.Franklin will arrive in Hyderabad on November 10, two days before the start of the second Test.

The appeal of cricket in Nepal has been underlined by the news that national broadcaster Nepal Television has renewed its deal to cover all the country’s international matches

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2011The appeal of cricket in Nepal has been underlined by the news that national broadcaster Nepal Television has renewed its deal to cover all the country’s international matches.The three-year contract, which is only worth US$8000pa, gives the broadcaster the right to cover all matches organised by the Nepal board.It means that Nepal remains the only Associate in Asia to offer national matches on free-to-air television.Cricket in Nepal remains a major sport, with the media carrying extensive reports on major tournament. Crowds for major matches rival those seen in Full member countries.

A major Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that Bruno Guimaraes is not the best player that the club will be able to attract in the market, despite his sensational start to life at St James’ Park this season.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Watching Guimaraes and seeing the scenes when he scored that last-minute winner, they’ve embraced him.

“You’ve seen the banners and heard the songs about him. They love Guimaraes. And the best thing about it is there’s better to come. They will sign better players than him.”

Supporters will be excited

This update will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited, as the prospect of better players than Bruno coming in is a tantalising one.

The Brazilian has been outstanding since arriving at the Tyneside club from Lyon in January and has quickly proven his quality at Premier League level. He has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.25 across 13 appearances in the top flight, scoring four goals and providing one assist from central midfield.

Guimaraes has also made 2.7 tackles and interceptions and won 5.7 duels per game. This shows that he is getting stuck in defensively to help his team at one end of the pitch, in addition to showcasing his quality on the ball at the other end with his goal contributions.

In the Newcastle squad, no player with five or more appearances in the top flight has averaged a higher rating than the Brazil international. Dan Burn’s score of 7.01 is the closest score to the midfielder’s, which shows that he has been a step above his team-mates since he joined in the winter.

Kieran Trippier averaged a score of 7.68 in his four outings before he picked up an injury but, from that sample size, it is difficult to draw conclusive assessments as to whether or not he is better than Guimaraes.

Now, imagine Newcastle signing multiple players who are better than the former Ligue 1 gem! If he is capable of performing to such a high standard on a regular basis in the Premier League, just how good are the players that PIF are now looking to target?

Fans will surely be excited by the club’s plans, as per Jones’ claim, and will be looking forward to the summer transfer window as they await the next star to come through the door at St James’ Park.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Insider reveals deal NUFC are set to complete, supporters will be buzzing…

Marcelo Bielsa is highly unlikely to be fired as Leeds United manager despite the Whites’ current poor form, according to journalist Ian Herbert.

The Lowdown: Bielsa suffering poor spell

The Argentine has enjoyed a largely successful spell at Elland Road, guiding Leeds back into the Premier League and securing a ninth-place finish last season.

Bielsa is going through a rough patch at the moment, though, with no wins since the middle of January and a genuine relegation battle becoming increasingly likely by the week.

With the 66-year-old out of contract in the summer, there is plenty of speculation surrounding his future. Some journalists have gone on record to predict that he will leave at the end of the season, while there are also reports of potential successors being lined up.

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The Latest: Herbert urges Leeds to keep Bielsa

However, Herbert penned a column for The Daily Mail in which he discussed Bielsa’s future, which he subsequently shared on Twitter.

Upon doing so, he posted it with the emphatic caption: “Bielsa will not and should not be shown the door.”

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The Verdict: It’ll be Bielsa’s decision

Ultimately, given his hero status in the city, Bielsa’s future seems likely to be decided by the man himself, with the potential for him to sign another one-year extension, as was the case last summer.

It depends on whether or not the 66-year-old feels he has taken Leeds as far as he can, or if he believes he is still the right man for the job, having been hailed as a ‘genius’ by Mauricio Pochettino in the past.

A spate of injuries have not helped Bielsa in the slightest, so the return of key figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford could save the Whites’ season between now and May, perhaps helping to play a part in him potentially staying put for another year.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a Leeds injury claim. Read more here.

A round-up of the fourth day’s action of Group C matches in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2012
ScorecardGoa’s batsmen proved equal to the challenge of batting out almost the entire day to salvage a draw against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur. The bulk of the scoring was done by their import, Manvinder Bisla, the Man of the Match in this year’s IPL final, who struck a crucial 90. Jharkhand’s performer of the day was also a player who hit the headlines in the play-off phase of the IPL this season, Sunny Gupta, who was surprisingly picked by Delhi Daredevils in a knock-out match against Chennai Super Kings. The offspinner Gupta took six of the eight wickets to fall, with left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who tops the Ranji wicket-charts this season, taking the other two. Their efforts weren’t enough to quell Goa, though, who had five batsmen besides Bisla making more than 20, and by the final hour Goa were safe. Jharkhand are in second place with 10 points after three games, and Goa have four after two.
ScorecardTripura mounted a brave effort in trying to surmount Services’ massive first-innings score of 563, but fell short to concede first-innings points in Agartala. Tripura have never scored 500 before but came mighty close thanks to a battling century from Abhijit Dey, whose previous highest first-class score was 37. He had support from Manisankar Murasingh, with whom he added 79 runs for the seventh wicket and by tea, Tripura still had a chance – 90 runs behind with three wickets in hand. However, quick bowler Shadab Nazar, playing his third first-class game, pretty much killed off Tripura’s chances by getting Dey bowled, and then striking off the next ball as well. Tripura wound up on 484, and had to be content with one point, while Services get three to move up to seven points and a share of the third spot.
ScorecardAmol Muzumdar completed his second century of the match on a dull final day against Himachal Pradesh in Nadaun, where Andhra took three points for the first-innings lead. It was Muzumdar’s 25th Ranji hundred, only behind Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Wasim Jaffer among active players. Andhra batted for nearly half the day before declaring, when the target had already been pushed to 390, leaving Himachal the job of batting out around 50 overs. There was some brief excitement as Himachal lost four early wickets before Varun Sharma and Amit Kumar calmly played out the remaining overs. The bright spot for Himachal on the day was medium-pacer Rishi Dhawan picking up his fifth five-for in 18 matches. Andhra and Himachal both have seven points after three matches.
ScorecardBoth of Kerala’s overnight batsmen, Abhishek Hegde and VA Jagadeesh, went to complete centuries on the final day of the game where there was little at stake against Assam in Malappuram. Kerala, having conceded the first-innings lead, had to force the pace and they scored at nearly four an over, but the 65 overs their bowlers had was not enough to bowl out Assam on what was still a flat track. Opener Pallav Das hit an unbeaten 92, and left-arm spinner K Sreejith took five though there was no real chance of an outright result. Assam continue to top the table with 16 points after three matches, while Kerala have two points from two games.

According to 90min, Paris Saint-Germain midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Julian Draxler are open to being part of a loan swap deal which would involve Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele or Dele Alli heading in the opposite direction.

The Lowdown: Ndombele and Alli exiled at Spurs

According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Spurs and PSG are still in talks over a loan move for club-record signing Ndombele, and the Lilywhites are considering various options as a direct replacement for the midfielder.

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Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte has exiled the 25-year-old at N17, leaving the Frenchman out of the matchday squads for their previous two Premier League games, and he has even forced him into training alone at Hotspur Way.

Dele Alli has also faced a similar situation under the 52-year-old, having been excluded from Spurs’ matchday squad for the London derby against Chelsea and making the starting XI just four times in all competitions during the Italian’s reign at the club.

The Latest: Wijnaldum and Draxler open to Spurs loans

90min editor Sean Walsh reported of Wijnaldum and Draxler’s interest in a possible loan switch to Tottenham, sharing a link to his article via Twitter.

In the tweet, he summarised: “Georginio Wijnaldum and Julian Draxler are open to joining #THFC on loan, potentially as part of deal to send Tanguy Ndombele or Dele Alli to PSG.”

This news arises as the Ligue 1 club have been deciding on which players they could include as part of a swap deal to lure Ndombele or Dele away from Spurs.

Wijnaldum would be open to a return to the Premier League and his representatives have informed Tottenham of his willingness to move back to England. Draxler is said to also be an option for Spurs, as the German has been on the fringe of the PSG squad for several years, so it seems likely that the club would be willing to let him leave on loan.

The Verdict: Good deal for all parties

With the details of the deal yet to be determined, it is hard to determine the plausibility of a complex swap deal. However, looking at the players involved on paper, Spurs are seemingly getting a good deal, especially when you consider that the two potentially outgoing midfielders have both been effectively exiled by Conte.

Having made 217 Premier League appearances and won some of football’s biggest competitions, Wijnaldum is a proven player who could make an instant impact in Spurs’ midfield.

Draxler could also prove to be a shrewd signing who could provide Conte with depth in the attacking positions. He has excelled in the Bundesliga in previous years, and squad rotation may be crucial if Tottenham are to achieve Champions League qualification, so they could do a lot worse than bringing in the Germany international too.

In other news – “Still in talks”: Fabrizio Romano provides the latest on exit-linked Spurs colossus

Kevin Pietersen made a second-ball duck on his first-class Surrey debut as his team-mates otherwise enjoyed a good first day with the bat to reach 324 for 6 in their County Championship match with Glamorgan

Martin Williamson at The Oval07-Sep-2010
ScorecardJason Roy gave every indication he is one of Surrey’s brightest prospects•PA PhotosOn a day when chief executive Chris Adams held an impromptu meeting with several dozen disgruntled members during a rain break, it would have heartened the Surrey faithful that two of their younger players held centre court at an overcast Oval. There would also have been more than a smirk or two in the pavilion when Kevin Pietersen, a far from popular short-term signing, made a second-ball duck on his first-class debut for the county. But despite two wobbles Surrey turned in a more solid display to reach 324 for 6 by the close against promotion-chasing Glamorgan.The first session, split by a two-hour delay caused by a heavy downpour, was dominated by Jason Roy, a 20-year-old from Millfield School who is rapidly making a name for himself as a hard-hitting opener. He played with assurance and unleashed some rasping off-side shots, mainly off the front foot, on his way to 69 off 72 balls in only his second first-class match. On his debut he scored 76, and there have also been some blitzes in limited-overs outings.Roy was joined by Mark Ramprakash after teenager Tom Lancefield poked loosely at a ball he should have left. Ramprakash, who turned 41 on Sunday, is more than twice Roy’s age and it takes him a little while to get things underway these days, but after a subdued hour he suddenly exploded into life with some corking drives.As Surrey threatened to take full control, the introduction of spin in the form of Dean Cosker changed the flow of the game. In his first over Roy skipped down the track and slammed him back over his head, but trying to repeat the shot in the next over he was bowled.Pietersen’s problems against slow left-armers are well documented, and even had Cosker not been on when he strode to the middle he would surely have been summoned straight away. Pietersen pushed forward but not far enough to convince umpire Nick Cook and after a long deliberation was adjudged leg before. Soon after Ramprakash, who was looking set for one of his long stays, was bowled by one from Cosker that turned across him. From 119 for 1 Surrey had slid to 136 for 4 and the muttering had resumed.Glamorgan celebrate after removing Kevin Pietersen for a duck•PA PhotosRory Hamilton-Brown has had a tough season both personally and as captain. But he set out to attack from the off, and did so with a string of powerful drives – two for six over long-off into the Barrington Stand – and pulls. Racing along at more than a run-a-ball he treated a string of bowling changes with equal contempt, his six sixes coming off five different victims. With a far-from-pedestrian Gary Wilson he added 127 in just 21 overs for the fifth wicket.Mark Cosgrove finally removed Wilson for 39 and four balls later the reintroduction of Cosker did for Hamilton-Brown as on 96 he charged down the track to his first delivery, missed and was left high and dry as Mark Wallace completed a simple stumping.As the low, grey clouds rumbled round The Oval Surrey again dug in, as Chris Schofield and Gareth Batty added 61 at a far more sedate rate to see them through to the close without any alarms. It will take many more battling performances like this to placate the members but it is a step in the right direction.

Cricket Kenya has been forced to cancel a short tour to England after a contractual dispute arose between the board and the players on the eve of the trip

Martin Williamson18-Jun-2010Cricket Kenya has been forced to cancel a short tour to England after a contractual dispute arose between the board and the players on the eve of the trip. The players are refusing to travel unless the board agree to their contract demands, and Kenya’s preparations for the World Cricket League Division One tournament in Netherlands have been thrown into turmoil.The trip to Rochdale, Lancashire was meant to have been a warm-up for the competition in Netherlands, and the players’ decision was only relayed to the board hours before they were due to leave. It is believed that the boycott will leave CK around $50,000 out of pocket.The contracts for the 16-man national squad expired at the end of May and had been expected to be renewed without difficulty, CK offering a 10% pay rise despite continuing poor on-field performances from the team.However, last week a four-man deputation claiming to represent the squad met with CK officials and set out new terms which were deemed unacceptable. They included reverting to a number of old terms and conditions which had been set aside a few years ago after the ICC, African Cricket Association and CK decided they stifled new players.Surprisingly, the deputation did not contain any of the current squad but did include Maurice Odumbe, Steve Tikolo and Kennedy Otieno as well as Isaiah Odhiambo. Various demands were made by these “representatives” involving radical changes to the structure of the contract – including huge increases to players’ remuneration. Various other complaints unrelated to the contract – including a complaint against the behaviour of the chairman of selectors – were deferred. They also refused to allow any board member to approach the team directly.On Wednesday, the quartet appeared on television and launched a vicious attack on the board, demanding among other things that several key officials stand down. CK attempted to broker a solution, offering interim contracts with assurances that the issues would be addressed on the team’s return but this was declined.”It’s the same old story,” an insider said. “They are trying to use a tour as blackmail.” The role of the seemingly self-appointed gang of four was also heavily criticised. “We will not be put against a wall to deal with people like this.”An official statement said: “Cricket Kenya regards this conduct by these ‘players’ representatives’ as outrageous and disgraceful. Having regard to the gratuitously offensive nature of the allegations made and the questionable agenda of the former players involved, the Cricket Kenya Board unanimously resolved not to engage with these ‘player representatives’ any further.”The player representatives concerned had no authority whatsoever to go public in this way. They are neither accredited formally by the players nor are they part of a properly registered players association. Their sole function was to negotiate terms with Cricket Kenya on behalf of the players. The players’ contracts specifically forbid any player from engaging with the press and to criticize the national board. It is plain that their real motive was intended solely to undermine and embarrass Cricket Kenya.”Kenya’s cricketers are already highly paid, with senior players earning around $1500 a month, almost ten times the national average, and juniors around $800.Aside from the considerable loss of goodwill among those in England who have bent over backwards to accommodate the Kenyan tour, there is also concern over preparations for the World Cricket League Division One tournament which starts early next month. The squad has already been submitted to the ICC, although CK is believed to be prepared to send a weakened side if the stand-off continues.”Cricket Kenya stands by its decision and is determined not to be held to ransom by the national team – or by its so-called ‘representatives’- in this way,” the statement concluded.The position of Maurice Ouma as captain also appears untenable. He accompanied the four delegates to the original meeting and by refusing to even allow the board to talk to the team it seems likely he will be replaced.