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Graeme Aldridge’s incisive spell on the opening day and Kane Williamson’s stroke-filled 170 paved the way for Northern Districts’ nine-wicket win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2010Graeme Aldridge’s incisive spell on the opening day, and Kane Williamson’s stroke-filled 170, paved the way for Northern Districts’ nine-wicket win against Wellington at Basin Reserve.Things went to plan right from the toss for Northern, as Wellington struggled to come to terms with Aldridge after being asked to bat. Openers Neal Parlane and Cameron Merchant fell early in the first morning and the hosts were never recovered. Chris Nevin’s fighting 53 took them close to 200, before Aldridge finished the innings with a six-for.When BJ Watling fell for a duck in Northerns’ reply, Wellington sensed an opportunity to claw back into contention. But their hopes were shattered by Michael Parlane and Williamson, who added 145 runs to give their side the advantage. Parlane fell shortly after reaching 50, but Williamson had his eyes set on a huge score. His attractive innings included 24 fours and came at a brisk pace to put Wellington out of the game. Useful contributions from Hamish Marshall, Daniel Flynn, Peter McGlashan and Aldridge pushed the visitors’ score to 400, a mammoth 203 runs ahead of Wellington.Fighting to make Northern bat a second time, Wellington’s batsmen made a marginal improvement in the second innings. Neal Parlane and Stephen Murdoch hit 70s but could not kick on to make more substantial contributions that may have given the visitors a tricky fourth-innings target. As it transpired, Northern needed only 42 runs and they raced home for the loss of Watling’s wicket.

Shakib is the first Bangladesh player to be signed by a county will join the team in 2010 following the completion of the tour of England, subject to completion of visa arrangements

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009Worcestershire have signed Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan as their overseas player. Shakib is the first Bangladesh player to be signed by a county and will join the team in 2010 following the conclusion of the tour of England, subject to completion of visa arrangements.”I am delighted to be joining Worcestershire in 2010. I followed county cricket as a young player growing up and the opportunity to fulfill one of my ambitions by playing as an overseas player in England is one that excites me greatly,” Shakib said. “I consider it a huge honour to be the first Bangladeshi overseas player in county cricket and can’t wait to give my all for the club on the field.”County cricket has traditionally been the stage for the world’s best players and it is a matter of great pride for me to be associated with a club that has an overwhelming history and had been home to so many legendary cricketers. Particularly as an allrounder, I am thrilled and inspired to be joining the team once graced by Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev.Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, was delighted with the signing of the top-ranked allrounder in ODIs. “I have been following his [Shakib’s] progress for some time and it is clear to me that he is a very good player. His current ICC rankings prove this and I know he is hungry for success. His all-round skills will be a great boost to our young team for the business end of the season.”Shakib captained his country to its first ever overseas Test win earlier this year, against a depleted West Indies side. He filled in after the regular captain Mashrafe Mortaza had to pull out of the tour due to injury. Shakib slammed an unbeaten 96 in the Grenada Test and also picked up the Man-of-the-Series prize for his 13 wickets.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that Emerson Royal looks “lost” after his move from Barcelona.

The club announced that they had secured a deal to sign the right-back in the final week of the summer transfer window.

The deal cost Spurs £25.8m and he has gone on to play twice in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Unfortunately for Emerson, Spurs have lost both games 3-0, leaving Roberts with significant doubts over the ability of the former Barca star.

Indeed, Emerson was perhaps only picked against Chelsea because Japhet Tanganga was sent off against Palace, having enjoyed an impressive start to the season.

Spurs will next be in action against Arsenal in a vital north London derby this weekend, and Roberts has concerns over the Brazilian, brought to the capital by Fabio Paratici.

He said: “I think the right back who’s come in looks lost at the moment, I think Tanganga has to get back in there.”

Emerson only played three times for Barcelona, spending the majority of his Nou Camp career out on loan with fellow La Liga club Real Betis.

Nottingham Forest shared details of two fixture changes during the festive period on their official Twitter page on Monday.

And, as to be expected, a number of Forest fans were quick to flock to the news as a result.

The Reds have been on the march following Steve Cooper’s appointment, with the new boss averaging two points per game in his seven fixtures in charge.

He’ll soon be overseeing the club in what will be a busy Christmas period, and Forest have now had home games against Huddersfield Town and Barnsley rescheduled.

They were due to host Huddersfield on Wednesday 29th December, however, that game has been moved back 24 hours for live Sky Sports coverage on Thursday 30th December.

The club’s next City Ground fixture against Barnsley, initially scheduled for New Year’s Day, has been put back by 48 hours, with a new 3pm kick-off on Monday 3rd January.

Forest fans react

That has ruined several supporters’ plans, with many venting their frustrations on Twitter, with one labelling the changes as ‘infuriating’.

“What an absolute joke!! Some of us work over Christmas and New Year and i had requested my shifts off to go both and now I’m working them again! This happens so often it’s infuriating”

Credit: @Islander151

“Noooooooo! Not the new years day fixture!”

Credit: @JR_Oak7

“No football on New Years Day? Shambles from whoever made that decision”

Credit: @95Redss

“Thanks @EFL. Zero consideration shown to those who attend games yet again.”

Credit: @warrenallsworth

“Do you just nod your heads to these muppets constantly changing fixtures?”

Credit: @NFFCfanatic

“Sick to death of fixtures being dictated by Sky!”

Credit: @JoelN3wbold

Antonio Conte will have plenty to think about in the next ten days with the bulk of his Tottenham Hotspur squad away on international duty.

And the Italian has several issues to solve, notably their problems in the final third, where they are amongst the poorest in the Premier League…

Conte’s tactical dilemma

It’s been touted that the 52-year-old will alter his formation in the coming weeks and this could well be to accommodate a more attacking figure in midfield.

“There’s an expectation within the club that the starting XI and formation will change over the coming weeks,” claimed football.london reporter Alasdair Gold this week.

“I think the width from the wing-backs negates the need for wingers up front as well, so I think we’ll see a shift to a 3-4-1-2 and yes I reckon two or three faces in the team will be different within a month’s time.

“As for converted wing-backs, [Sergio] Reguilon and Emerson (as well as [Ryan] Sessegnon and [Matt] Doherty) have the ability to carry out the role so I’m not sure he needs to convert anyone particularly but who knows what the future holds for Lucas [Moura] and [Steven] Bergwijn if he did go down that route.”

The introduction of a ‘no.10’ or a similar type of role could help Spurs create more chances for Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to feast upon, especially as they have not registered a shot on target in nearly four hours of league football.

Similarly, no team in the Premier League is averaging fewer shots each outing than Spurs (10.1) – not even rock-bottom Norwich or the other two teams in the dropzone.

Harsh on Moura

However, one unfortunate consequence of this change in tactics would see Lucas Moura axed from the starting XI as the need for wingers will no longer be necessary.

There’s an argument to be made that they aren’t anyway as Conte deploys two really advanced wing-backs on either flank.

The Brazilian has arguably been one of the Lilywhites’ standout performers this campaign.

Only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (7.15) has recorded a better average WhoScored rating than Moura (7.04) after 11 matches. And he’s started and played the full 90 in all of them.

The 29-year-old wide man, who is now valued at £18m by CIES Football Observatory, does lead the way for dribbles per game (three) – by quite some margin too, with Tanguy Ndombele (1.6) the next best and Emerson Royal (one) the pick of the wing-backs, as per WhoScored.

Moura is also quite an industrious presence right across the pitch, so perhaps he could stake a claim at right wing-back. It would be familiar territory for Conte, that’s for sure.

Moses-like role?

The Italian converted struggling Chelsea flop Victor Moses into an astute option on the flank and he could well do the same with Moura.

As per WhoScored, the former Paris Saint-Germain star is also averaging 1.1 key passes per game, which is the second-most in the squad, as well as 1.5 shots, 1.3 tackles and 1.2 clearances per outing too.

This shows that he likes to get everywhere on the pitch and does more than just simply attack. He can contribute defensively, to a very good standard, having averaged more tackles than even centre-back Eric Dier (0.2).

It is no wonder the Englishman once dubbed his teammate a “nightmare” to train against, you only have to look at those numbers to see that.

On the above evidence, there is certainly a case to be made for Moura becoming Conte’s next Moses. It would definitely be one way to keep him in the starting XI, just as he deserves.

It would then be unfortunate for Emerson but you won’t be able to keep everyone happy in north London.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals Conte’s potential plans for January…

The prize money for the 2009 Champions Trophy has increased nearly four times

Cricinfo staff20-Jul-2009The prize money for the Champions Trophy has increased nearly four times, with US$4 million on offer for the tournament to be played from September 22 to October 5 in South Africa.The format has also been revamped, with only eight instead of ten teams participating. Unlike in 2006, when the tournament lasted nearly a month, there will be no qualifying round this time. Centurion and Wanderers will host all 15 games between them.The teams have been divided into two groups of four each and the top two from each will qualify for the semi-finals. India and Pakistan find themselves in the same group, along with Australia and West Indies, and the two rivals will meet on the fifth day of the tournament in a day-night game at Centurion. Group B includes South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The hosts will play Sri Lanka in the opening game in Centurion.Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, said the significant increase in prize money was just the first in a series of innovations that the ICC would announce in the run-up to the Champions Trophy. “This short, sharp event, with its new format involving only the top eight sides in the world in nation-versus-nation action, should be a fantastic spectacle to follow on from the others that have already taken place in the ICC’s centenary year,” Lorgat said.”We are extremely grateful to South Africa for stepping in to host the event after it was postponed last year because of security concerns in the original host country, Pakistan, and we are also grateful to our members for finding a slot for it in what is a busy year for the global game.”

Celtic aren’t entirely convinced that defender Liam Scales is at first team level, The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin has reported.

The lowdown

Scales joined Celtic from Irish champions Shamrock Rovers in August for a fee of £540,000. He has only made one senior appearance for the Hoops so far, playing the final 29 minutes of the League Cup win over Championship side Raith Rovers in September.

The 23-year-old recently earned a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for their World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan and friendly against Qatar, but didn’t feature in either game.

Ange Postecoglou has also had Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh at his disposal at centre-back.

The latest

A supporter called for Scales and Osaze Urhoghide to be given more game-time in The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Tuesday.

However, Devlin replied that the former Sheffield Wednesday man is ‘quite far away from the level’ of the first team, and ‘there are doubts over Scales too’.

With the Irish defender, the journalist insisted that ‘it’s not about match fitness’, more about ability.

The verdict

It doesn’t look great for Scales. It would be one thing if he were still a teenager making the step-up to the men’s game, but he is 23 years old now and should really be viewed as a serious first team option at Parkhead.

What’s more, his starting prospects are likely to take another hit, with the recovering Christopher Jullien thought to be less than a couple of weeks away from returning to the fold. Scales’ Celtic career could be facing oblivion only a few short weeks after it begun.

In other news, when will these big players return for Celtic? 

With Sheffield Wednesday having racked up three draws in their previous three League One matches, Darren Moore’s side are back in action this afternoon with a clash against Cheltenham Town to try and secure a win rather than yet another draw or a defeat.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the fixture, one player who we think should be in the starting XI for the Owls is on-loan winger Theo Corbeanu, who Moore has praised in the past for being able to get into “wonderful” positions on the pitch.

Predominantly due to Wednesday’s three previous league results, we feel that Moore could do with shaking up his team in some way. Whether that’s with the personnel he’s using on the pitch or the formation he’s asking them to utilise, they just need something fresh to turn their form around.

Therefore, given how Corbeanu has yet to start a League One game for the Owls since joining the club back in August from Wolves’ under-23 side and has only played eight minutes from one appearance in their past seven league games, we feel that now is a great time for Moore to unleash the winger from the start against Cheltenham to see what sort of impact he has on the team and this game in particular.

Despite having yet to register a goal or assist for Wednesday, we think that starting Corbeanu against Cheltenham could be a gamble worth taking at this point in the season to see if he can change the Owls’ fortunes in terms of results, as well as his own record in his first loan spell away from Wolves.

In the two Papa John’s Trophy matches where he has played 90 minutes for Wednesday, the 19-year-old – who is currently valued at £900k according to Transfermarkt – has had eight shots (five on target) and two key passes, along with an average passing accuracy percentage of 80%. That shows how much of an attacking threat he can be, albeit against lower opposition like Newcastle United’s under-21 side and League Two outfit Mansfield Town.

Looking ahead to the match against Cheltenham, in terms of who Corbeanu could come into the team and replace, we feel that Moore should take Saido Berahino out of the line-up considering that he hasn’t managed to score a goal in his last six league appearances for the Owls.

In other news: Moore must ruthlessly axe Owls disaster with the “wrong mentality” for Cheltenham clash

Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No.4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2009Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No. 4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.Flintoff, who retires from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes, continues to struggle with a chronic knee injury which has threatened to hasten his retirement. But Strauss has been encouraged by Flintoff’s fitness and remains confident that England’s allrounder will be fit enough to once again lead the attack.”All the indications are that Andrew will be fine. We need to see how he goes over the next couple of days during practice,” Strauss said at The Oval, where England announced their new team sponsors, Brit Insurance. “But at this stage we are very confident and obviously he will want to build on his performance at Lord’s.”I spoke to him the day after the second Test at a charity dinner and he said then he was recovering well. That’s encouraging. He won’t have bowled until practice tomorrow but has been in constant contact with our medical team. When you’ve had as many injuries as him you get a good indication of how you’re feeling. Everything we’ve heard so far has been positive.”Flintoff produced a typically talismanic final-day effort at Lord’s last week, taking five wickets for just the third time in his career as England ended a 75-year wait to beat Australia at the home of cricket. But while England can be heartened by Flintoff’s news, another instrumental player, Pietersen, has been ruled out of the series after undergoing Achilles surgery.Strauss confirmed that his replacement, Bell, will bat at No. 4 instead of shuffling the line-up to accommodate him. “Ian Bell will come in for Pietersen at four. We’re very clear on that,” Strauss said. “It causes the least possible disruption to other members of the side.”We’re all very excited for Ian. He was left out of the team and had to work very hard to get his place back. He’s done a huge amount of work on and off the field. He’s very hungry. We’re excited to have him back in the team.”Bell was dropped earlier this year after a string of inconsistent performances, with Ravi Bopara taking his place at No. 3. Bopara may not have set the Ashes alight, yet, but Bell – who himself has struggled against Australia in his two previous Ashes appearances – is confident he is in the right frame of mind, and in good enough form, to make the most of this surprise opportunity.”Of all the countries I’ve played, I’ve played well apart from against Australia. I know that – it’s in the back of my mind,” Bell told Sky Sports News. “This is a different Australian team than I’ve played in the past, but a very fine one as well. But cricket’s a stats game, and I’ve got those stats to put right and to improve on.”Shane Warne reignited an old friendship with Bell today when he wrote in his column that he hoped Bell’s return to England colours “will hopefully be greeted with ‘welcome back, Shermanator’, the nickname I gave him in 2006.”

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed what Dean Smith has told him about his potential tactical plans at Aston Villa.

What’s the story?

The Villa boss has opted to go with a back-three in recent weeks, and it served him very well just last weekend when they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

And now, in a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has explained how Leon Bailey could potentially fit into the fold at Villa Park, and the kind of variety Smith has at his disposal.

He said: “Yes, there’s so much flexibility. Bailey could play behind a striker in a 3-5-1-1 system, for example. Loads of strings to Villa’s bow now. ‘It’ll be horses for different courses,’ Smith has told me.”

Tactical evolution at Villa Park

With Bailey of course out injured at the moment, but one of the club’s marquee signings, Villa fans will be excited at the prospect of how Smith chooses to utilise the Jamaica international in his starting line-up.

The former Bayer Leverkusen star came on for Matt Targett and operated as a more attacking wing-back against Everton last time out, and scored one and essentially made another when his corner was headed into his own net by Lucas Digne.

Whether that position is what would get the best out of Bailey remains to be seen, but as Preece says, the Jamaican could be an intriguing option as someone to operate a lone striker, whether that’s Ollie Watkins or Danny Ings.

Whatever the case, this new tactical shift to a back-three this season in the Premier League could throw up some exciting combinations and line-ups from Smith.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans drops an Aston Villa update on this star…