All posts by h716a5.icu

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe will declare open the ICC Champions Trophy Sri Lanka 2002 in a vibrant and colourful opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m

BCCSL12-Sep-2002Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe will declare open the ICC Champions Trophy Sri Lanka 2002 in a vibrant and colourful opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) on Thursday, 12th September at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.The opening, which is scheduled prior to the first match of the tournament where hosts Sri Lanka take on Pakistan, will feature a multi-faceted display of Sri Lankan culture, with colourfully clad elephants, more than a thousand dancers, two hundred drummers, and one hundred flag-bearers.The theme song for the tournament will be sung by the popular Sri Lankan band "Wildfire."Mr. Malcom Gray, President of the International Cricket Council, will hand over the trophy to the Prime Minister, who will then officially declare the tournament open.Media contacts:
Mark Harrison
Media Manager
ICC Champions Trophy Sri Lanka 2002
(94) 77-730337

Niresh Eliatamby
Media Manager
Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka
(94) 77-418848

Liverpool midfielder Thiago has hinted that he is unhappy playing a deep-lying midfield role for the Reds, wanting more freedom in the middle of the park. 

The Lowdown: Thiago key for Reds

The 30-year-old joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich last September in what looked like a hugely exciting signing at the time.

Thiago took time to settle at Anfield, partly due to injuries, but by the end of the campaign, he was arguably one of the Reds’ best players.

The Spaniard was often used in a number six role by Jurgen Klopp, allowing him to sit deep and dictate games with his playmaking brilliance.

The Latest: Superstar hints at unhappiness

It appears as though Thiago wants more attacking freedom, however, after he told L’Equipe [via Sport Witness] that he likes playing as a number 10. He said:

“I would say it (his ability to create) has been more limited because of a positional issue.

“If I play number 6 instead of number 10, I’ll have less room to manoeuvre, less freedom to dribble, because I’ll have to take fewer risks.

“In the history of football, strikers have always been admired more than defenders. Because a defender can’t make a mistake, unlike the striker (who can try harder).

“So, for me, it’s a question of position.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-2/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No major issue

Not too much should be made of Thiago’s remarks, with the Spain international very much a team player who is happy to do what is best for Liverpool.

That being said, it seems fairly clear where he enjoys playing most, and there are occasions when his guile could be most devastating when he is let off the leash.

Thiago’s versatility can only be a good thing for Klopp and Liverpool, though, allowing him to excel across two different positions.

In other news, Liverpool are believed to be interested in signing a prolific attacking player this summer. Read more here. 

The highlight of the 2003 cricket fixture list that has just been published is the first visit of South Africa to Taunton since 1960 for a three day match that gets underway at the County Ground on July 15th

Richard Walsh24-Oct-2002The highlight of the 2003 cricket fixture list that has just been published is the first visit of South Africa to Taunton since 1960 for a three day match that gets underway at the County Ground on July 15th.The Cidermen also entertain Zimbabwe at Taunton in a one day match on June 17th.After a three day friendly against Lougborough University, on April 12th Somerset get their county championship season underway in earnest with an away match against the old enemy Gloucestershire on Friday 18th April.The first championship match at Taunton sees Durham visit the County Ground on Wednesday 23rd April, followed by a one day National League match against the Dynamos on April 27th.This 2003 season sees the introduction of the new 20 over competition with five zonal matches being played between June 13th and June 24th, with a Lord’s final on July 19th.Scotland will also be entering the NCL competition in 2003 and visit Taunton on June 15th.Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me earlier: "We are delighted with the way that the fixtures have worked out for us next season, and especially to be hosting a 3 day match against South Africa, who will be playing here for the first time in forty years and also the one day visit by Zimbabwe."He concluded: "However if we are to retain these high profile tourists matches at Taunton we will be hoping that members will support them better that they did in 2002 when there was a very disappointing turn out."

Alex McLeish has shared some enticing insight on two manager candidates at Tottenham Hotspur – Roberto Martinez and Graham Potter.

The Lowdown: Martinez and Potter linked

Back in May, both Martinez and Potter were strongly linked with the vacant manager job at Spurs, with the former having held as many as three rounds of talks with the North London club.

The Athletic also named Potter as one of four potential candidates in the running for the vacancy, and given that discussions with other managers have since broken down, they are seemingly both still in with a shot.

The Latest: Manager insight

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish, who is now a pundit after being a manager himself, has shared that both Martinez and Potter have been mentioned ‘a few times’ with regards to the Lilywhites job, and thinks that hiring one of them would be the ‘correct choice’:

“I’m sure there’ll be some precocious young coach who will eventually take the job.

“A lot of top coaches will be thinking am I going to get the money? Am I going to be able to improve it?

“As a coach, you can’t walk in and say: ‘I’m going to turn these players into a championship-winning team without adding to the quality.

“That will be the key for the major coaches. Do they take a chance on a good, young coach? I’ve heard from people I know Graham Potter’s name was mentioned a few times and (Roberto) Martinez also.

“I would have thought that those guys, maybe a coach of those two’s magnitude, would be the correct choice for Spurs.”

The Verdict: Both viable candidates

There would certainly be question marks over whether Potter could make the step up from Brighton and Hove Albion, but he plays an open, attacking brand of football which would surely please the THFC faithful, after enduring a more defensively-minded coach in Jose Mourinho.

Martinez has just guided Belgium into the last 16 at Euro 2020 after winning all three of his games in his group, one of only three teams to do so along with Italy and the Netherlands (UEFA).

The Spaniard also has a vast amount of experience of managing in the Premier League with the likes of Everton and Wigan Athletic, and has shown before that he can get his sides to perform in big matches and win trophies, most notably leading the Latics to a famous FA Cup win over Manchester City.

Nonetheless, with the new 2021/22 season drawing ever closer, Tottenham could do a lot worse than appointing one of these two.

In other news, find out which ‘magical’ Euro 2020 ace Spurs have made ‘official contacts’ for here!

Chelsea are thought to be in talks with former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, according to Blues reporter Simon Phillips.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles supporters have been giving their thoughts to the rumour on social media.

According to Phillips, Hennessey is viewed as a possible replacement for Willy Caballero at Stamford Bridge to serve as third-choice under Thomas Tuchel.

The Welshman’s Selhurst Park deal has now expired and he is now a free agent.

The 34-year-old made 132 appearances for Palace after joining in 2014 from Wolves. He only featured once under Roy Hodgson last season, though and wasn’t in the squad for the majority of Premier League fixtures.

It seems as if he could now move across the capital and sign for Chelsea, with Phillips unsure as to how far advanced talks are.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links on Hennessey on Thursday evening, the day he became a free agent.

This is what these Palace fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the news as ‘hilarious’.

“Surely not”Credit: @SianL_”It ain’t April fools again is it?”Credit: @hudders1971″HUH”Credit: @Bunds_”Hilarious”Credit: @audreysprayer”Have they actually seen him play?”Credit: @RomfordRoger”LOL WHAT”Credit: @wakefieldviking

In other news: Many CPFC fans react at enquiry for £14.4m-rated ace ‘like Foden’, find out more here. 

It is a skill that requires a delicate touch only a notch less gentle than brain surgery

Anand Vasu26-Nov-2002It is a skill that requires a delicate touch only a notch less gentle than brain surgery. It is a discipline that needs patience only matched by big-game hunters lying in wait for their quarry to wander into range. Both qualities that have been appplied from time to time to the bowling style that has come to be known as slow left-arm orthodox. Neither a quality that one would apply to Murali Kartik. He is just not the sort of chap who conjures up visions of gentility; he is more the angry young man than the wise practitioner of a difficult art.Just as he was preparing to make the journey to Siliguri to play his next Ranji Trophy game, Kartik heard the news that he would soon be on a plane to New Zealand, picked to play Test matches for India once more. “In some ways I was a bit surprised. Knowing that India would take only two spinners on the tour, I kept my fingers crossed. I had to be prepared either way, whether it was to play for India in Tests or for Railways in the Ranji Trophy,” Kartik told from his residence in Delhi.Only two days before, the young left-arm spinner had ended four successful one-dayers against the West Indies, picking three crucial wickets in one game and destroying the top order in the process. In the games that followed, the Kartik on display was buoyant, confident and unfazed by the carnage around him. On tracks where bowlers’ reputations were being systematically destroyed, one-day batting records routinely smashed and fielders sent running on repetitive leather hunts, Kartik came out unscathed.”It was difficult to even be on the field watching the others bowl. Everything was loaded in the favour of batsmen, and they were killing anything sent at them,” said Kartik. He was right – more or less. Where seamers fed a rampant Chris Gayle outside the off-stump, Kartik restricted him by bowling a leg-and-middle line and cramping him for room. Where his fellow spinners were quick in the air in fear of being thrashed over the infield, Kartik was slower, almost controlling the ball, as one writer said about Bishan Singh Bedi, with the expertise of a kite-flyer.So when Anil Kumble opted out of the New Zealand tour, Kartik became a cinch as replacement, although some would suggest that he should have gotten the nod ahead of Kumble in any case. “I’ve always been thought of more as a Test bowler than a one-day bowler. In the four Tests I played, I felt I bowled consistently well. I was always looking to bowl well – over after over, session after session. For some reason or the other, though, the wickets simply did not come my way,” explained Kartik.In four Tests, Kartik has taken just nine wickets at an average of almost 35, at a strike-rate that is only a touch less than Sir Don Bradman’s batting average. Kartik’s critics, one may be sure, will be carping about these statistics the moment he goes through one session when batsmen take a fancy to his bowling. “You know, it’s strange, in domestic cricket, I’ve never really gotten punished for any length of time. There are three or four matches when I’ve gone wicketless, but there hasn’t been a day when my bowling has been thrashed about. Sure, some days you bowl well and don’t get results, other days you’re not at your best but end up with wickets,” Kartik said.But in domestic cricket, he’s never had a captain who bowled him in seven spells – with none exceeding five overs – in a single innings like Sourav Ganguly did in the inaugural Test against Bangladesh at Dhaka. He might as well have asked Kartik to not bother turning up.Then again, domestic cricket is domestic cricket, an arena where bowlers routinely end up with piles of wickets and batsmen score centuries like it is their birthright to do so. The rites of passage are hardly as easy at the highest level. Every young cricketer, consequently, is told that he must make adjustments and rise to the occasion. “About fast bowling or even batting I might have agreed with you,” said Kartik. “But for spinners, that’s not quite the case. There isn’t such a huge difference between a tough first-class game and an international match. In India, batsmen have always been good at playing spin on our wickets. There’s this aura about them.”His domestic record aside, Kartik has also been extremely successful in ‘A’ tours and in side-games against touring sides. Add to that his 200 first-class wickets at an average of under 25, and the fact that he has played for India just nine times in all is rendered inexplicable. Perhaps more relevantly, how has he managed to keep the shoulders from sagging? “Maninder Singh and Bishan Bedi have been behind me from the time I started playing serious cricket. There’s really no one better than that to have with you if you are learning to bowl left-arm spin,” said Kartik. The Madras-born Railways cricketer was also quick to add, “Laxman and Rahul (Dravid) kept me going with their constant encouragement. At times it felt like they believed in me more than I did!”So is Murali Kartik the left-arm spinner the world has been waiting for? A potent cocktail of Bedi’s guile and control, Bapu Nadkarni’s economy and stamina, Derek Underwood’s unplayability on a sticky dog, Ravi Shastri’s doggedness, Iqbal Qasim’s wiliness…Yeah, and England are going to win the Ashes, the sun rises in the West, and I’m the Prime Minister of India.What Kartik is, however, is a tough-as-nails, street-smart, hard-working bowler. He’s the kind of cricketer that backs himself and will not take rubbish from anyone. He’s not shy to swear a bit when he’s got a raw deal, and he definitely won’t be quiet if an opponent has a few choice words to share.”That’s how I’ve played all my life. Perhaps it’s because I started off as a medium-pacer who could bowl a bit of spin,” chuckled Kartik. “I’m aggressive in my approach on the field and a different guy off it. Being that way has helped kindle the fire in my belly, kept me going,” he adds. It’s also got him where he is, and one suspects it is just the thing that will make sure Kartik slots easily into this resurgent Indian team and make a name for himself.

Pundit Noel Whelan has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur winger Jack Clarke may not have a future at the club, amid suggestions he could be farmed out on loan again in 2021/22.

The Lowdown: Spurs face an intriguing 2021/22 season

Looking towards 2021/22, Spurs fans will be desperate to see how newly appointed Nuno Espirito Santo sculpts his squad, as they look to challenge for qualification to one of Europe’s elite competition this time around.

Acquiring high-profile signings will be important to this, but development of current players will also be a crucial factor in Nuno’s progression at the club.

Despite this, one man who former striker Whelan believes may not be a part of this process is 20-year-old Clarke

The Latest: Whelan questions Clarke as he gets set to depart on loan

Clarke looks set to be sent out on loan for the forthcoming campaign unless he works his way into Nuno’s plans come pre-season [Alasdair Gold, Football London].

Speaking about the prospects of the tricky winger in an interview with Football Insider, Whelan stated: “I’m not sure if he has a future at Tottenham.

“The fact that he keeps getting sent out on loan suggests to me that he doesn’t have a long-term future there. It is a really difficult one.

“He was fantastic for Leeds but you could see that there were a few frailties in his game. The big question was whether he could make that step up to the top flight so early in his career.

“He has loads of talent but sometimes the mental side of the game is more important than a step-over. You need to work tirelessly every day and put yourself in a position where the manager cannot ignore you.

“Another season where the pressure is on. He needs to prove that he is good enough to play for Tottenham.

“Right now is crunch time for him. You cannot keep going out on loan every season.”

The Verdict: Loan move is not the end

Whelan correctly points out the pressures players need to come under in order to succeed at the highest level of football, but that doesn’t mean the youngster is running out of time in north London.

In 2020/21, he made a combined 25 appearances for Spurs, Spurs Under-23’s and Stoke City, who he spent the second half of the campaign on loan with. He registered five goal contributions; two goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

Age is still on his side though and he has lots of time to develop into a top-class asset – every player develops at a different rate.

All things considered, frequent first-team football may suit the Englishman best and if Nuno likes what he sees from afar then another temporary move could be what pushes Clarke into the manager’s plans in 2022.

In other news, Tottenham have opened talks with a 28-year-old defender.

Cairns and Snedden front the media after player contract dispute is settled Normalcy returned to the New Zealand cricket scene today when the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) reached agreement

Lynn McConnell11-Nov-2002
Cairns and Snedden front the media after player contract dispute is settled
Normalcy returned to the New Zealand cricket scene today when the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) reached agreement on the terms by which players could make themselves available for all cricket over the next four years.It has been six days since NZC told the NZCPA that the time for negotiation had ended and withdrew from discussions leaving the season hanging in the balance.But within only a few days, with talk of player pressure mounting on younger players not to make themselves available for warm-up games being played around the country, it became apparent that matters had clearly got out of control.New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and senior player Chris Cairns were among others who had decided that the players’ silence in the negotiations had gone on for long enough.The resolution came $100,000 dearer than the last offer made by NZC which was rejected by the Players’ Association before NZC withdrew from negotiations.There had also been some tweaking within the player payment pool and the number of players to be contracted to the six local associations will be increased from the 10 offered to 11 in each association.”It marks the end of what has been a difficult negotiation process but now we are in a position to move on,” NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said today.Snedden said the $5.1million figure was sustainable but there was a bit of hard work to be done to achieve that over a four-year period but he was confident NZC could do that.He was also confident a good working relationship could be developed between the two parties and there were a number of positions that would emerge as the relationship bedded itself down.Snedden said he was now looking forward to the start of the State domestic season and the arrival of the Indians for the National Bank tour.Snedden said the apparent impasse between the two sides began to crack when the opportunity arose for him to have a chance to talk directly to New Zealand captain Fleming and other senior players.It was something he had hoped to have an opportunity to do earlier.Once talking began a resolution was achieved quite quickly, he said.Snedden said that stories suggesting he and Fleming had not talked for four months were wrong. They had been in contact on issues but not on matters related to the negotiations.Fleming sought contact with Snedden last week for an opportunity to talk. That was arranged and discussions began.Cairns attended today’s press conference and said there had been a lot of issues and a lot of emotive things said but he was happy to see NZC acknowledge the existence and role of the Players’ Association.Cairns said that once the negotiation process stalled the players, “in all of our hearts” wanted a resolution.He became involved when he felt he could make a contribution to the process but said there had been a lot of minds involved in the players’ final stance, including the representatives of all the players in the six associations.The whole process had a benefit in uniting the players and Cairns felt something very special could emerge for the benefit of New Zealand cricket overall, and in the domestic game.The settlement achieved was best put to him by Canterbury captain Gary Stead who said to him that he now had a viable career option that could allow him to play another four or five years.Cairns said the situation was so attractive that some players who had decided to opt out of first-class cricket might well be enticed to come back.The reaction of the general public which came down mainly on the side of NZC in the debate had shown Cairns just how passionate people were about cricket and, whether the opinions they expressed were good or bad, it had shown how much New Zealanders appreciated their summer sport.In a press release, the Players’ Association spokesman Rob Nichol said: “This document will form the basis of a final agreement which will cover the terms and conditions for New Zealand’s first-class domestic and international players”.”It ensures the recognition of the Players’ Association and provides the basis for a positive working relationship with New Zealand Cricket and the Major Associations moving forward.””The players are very pleased with what has been agreed and are looking forward to resuming all cricketing duties as soon as possible.”

Paul Stewart thinks that Tottenham need to replace right-back Serge Aurier, as they’re unable to rely on the Ivorian.

Aurier is heading into his fourth season in north London but has not yet been able to make the right-back spot his own – appearing in just over half of Spurs’ Premier League games.

His first two campaigns at the club he was competing with Kieran Trippier for a starting-place, but since his departure for Atletico Madrid after the Champions League final, £70,000-a-week man Aurier has been seen as Tottenham’s number one right-back.

However, due to his inconsistent form and several high-profile errors, he’s been in and out the side, and was even behind youngster and makeshift right-back Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order at one-point last season.

Aurier has already publicly spoken about wanting to return to PSG this summer, whilst Spurs have been linked with Norwich’s Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey from Brighton as possible replacements.

And Stewart exclusively told Football FanCast that new manager Nuno Espirito Santo needs to move him on:

“For me, we need a replacement for him. He’s not a defender you can rely on week in, week out.

“Some weeks he looks unbeatable, but that’s not often enough, it’s one in 10 or 20 that you think ‘what a good player’.”

Boxing Day has always been an occasion to indulge in cricket, but this year there should be even more on offer

Peter English27-May-2008
Victoria have won the first three versions of Twenty20 in Australia © Getty Images
Boxing Day has always been an occasion to indulge in cricket, but this year there will be even more on offer with a domestic Twenty20 game expected to be added to the public holiday. Cricket Australia is planning a major review of the tournament in Australia as it tries to develop its own version of the Indian Premier League, but it has resisted the urge to tinker immediately and there are only minor changes to the 2008-09 scheduling, which includes the addition of a preliminary final to the fixture list.A revised draft of the season plan shows the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash will begin with a night match between Queensland and New South Wales at the Gabba on Boxing Day and another three games will be held in the same week as the MCG Test. Last season the tournament, which is preparing for its fourth summer in Australia, began on New Year’s Eve and the top two teams after the preliminary rounds went through to the decider. Victoria won the competition for the third year in a row.The period from Boxing Day to the final on January 24 will be blocked off for domestic Twenty20 fixtures, although appearances from Australia’s major players will be prevented by the staging of the Test and limited-overs matches involving South Africa. Twelve of the 17 inter-state contests will be televised on Fox Sports, with each team involved in five rounds before the two finals.Twenty-two of the 50-over FR Cup fixtures will be broadcast, starting with the season opener between Western Australia and New South Wales on October 15. The Pura Cup is due to begin on October 10 with matches between Queensland and Tasmania and the Warriors and the Blues.