Middlesex and Hampshire had to settle for a draw, after heavy overnight rain and torrential showers in the morning, meant, despite the excellent efforts of the ground staff, that play would be impossible.With the batsmen on top after three days, the likelyhood of a winning result seemed unlikely. Hampshire led by 85 with all ten wickets outstanding overnight.One interesting factoid from a Hampshire point of view was the open bowling partnership of Chris Tremlett and Alex Morris. A combined height of 12’10” is thought to be by Hampshire scorer Vic Isaacs, Curator Neil Jenkinson and Handbook Editor Andrew Renshaw (all at Southgate), to be the tallest pair ever to open the bowling for Hampshire. Other tall players such as Malcolm Heath etc, have failed to emulate this feat with their partners.The record for Tremlett and Morris could be short lived, with the possibilty in the near future of the young Tremlett teaming up with England star Alan Mullally.
Mominul Haque will lead a strong Bangladesh A team for their tour to India later this month. The 15-member squad consists of 14 internationals including Al-Amin Hossain, who has been out of representative cricket since the World Cup.”Its my first tour abroad as a captain so looking ahead to make it memorable,” Mominul said. “It wont be easy considering we will be playing against the Indians at their own backyard but I am confident that we can put up a good show considering our strength. I think we have got an experienced squad and it will be good for our preparation ahead of the series against Australia.”Saqlain Sajib, the left-arm spinner, is the only uncapped player in the squad and it is learned that he was picked as cover for Taijul Islam, who has been given two weeks’ rest to recover from jaundice.
Bangladesh A tour of India
Sept 16 – 1st one-dayer v India A, Bangalore
Sept 18 – 2nd one-dayer v India A, Bangalore
Sept 20 – 3rd one-dayer v India A, Bangalore
Sept 22-24 – Three-day match v Karnataka, Mysore
Sept 27-29 – Three day match v India A, Bangalore
Al-Amin, who was sent home from Australia in February after a disciplinary breach, is one of four seamers in the team. Taskin Ahmed has been passed fit and will likely play multi-day cricket for the first time in over two years when Bangladesh A meet India A and Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka in Bangalore and Mysore. Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam complete the quartet.Anamul Haque, who lost his place in the senior side after injuring his shoulder in the World Cup, has been included in the A team while Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Sabbir Rahman are some of the other upcoming batsmen who have played international cricket in this team.Nasir Hossain and Mominul are the senior batsmen in the side, and Shuvagata Hom, who last played the solitary Test against India, is one of the batting allrounders in the side.Bangladesh A squad: Anamul Haque, Rony Talukdar, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque (capt), Nasir Hossain, Saqlain Sajib, Arafat Sunny, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shuvagata Hom, Jubair Hossain.
Liverpool look increasingly likely to tie down Mohamed Salah to a new deal at Anfield, according to a significant transfer report which has emerged from Spain.
The Lowdown: Will Salah stay at Liverpool?
The future of the Reds superstar has been a big talking point in recent weeks, arguably affecting his performances on the pitch, with his influence decreasing slightly after a run of no goals in open play since February.
It remains to be seen what Salah’s decision will be regarding his next move, but recent claims have suggested that he could end up extending his stay at Anfield.
Another report is now doing the rounds which lends further weight to the theory that the 29-year-old could stay put.
The Latest: Big update emerges in Salah saga
According to Sport [via Sport Witness], ‘things have taken an unexpected turn’ with Salah’s future, and rumours of him leaving have been ‘turned upside down’.
It is stated that Barcelona have lost faith in signing the 29-year-old this summer and that the player is ‘about to say yes’ to Liverpool, coming just weeks after transfer claims from the same outlet that he had been strongly considering an exit from Merseyside.
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The Verdict: Vital to Liverpool’s future
This is a significant update regarding such a critical saga, with Salah a strong contender for being the world’s best player over the past 12 months, scoring 20 Premier League goals in 2021/22 to date.
Given his incredible level of fitness and dedication, there is no reason why the forward can’t remain in his prime for another four or five years, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema all still going strong well into their 30s.
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Salah signing a new deal would feel like a huge moment in the Reds’ present and future, showing that they are no longer a selling club and standing out as arguably Europe’s most exciting team instead.
In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a move for one top attacking player. Find out who it is here.
Pakistan will try out youngsters for the five one-dayers against Bangladesh next month at home. But though some new players will be given a chance, chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said Pakistan would not take Bangladesh lightly.”They can be a dangerous team on their day,” Salahuddin told the , a Pakistan daily. “For us the most important task would be to win the series and win comfortably.”After Australia decided to postpone their tour of Pakistan, the PCB searched for a team to replace them for a five-match ODI series. The PCB was keen on India to play the matches but the BCCI could not fit another series in to an already jam-packed itinerary.In their recent ODIs against Zimbabwe, Pakistan tried out opener Nasir Jamshed, bowlers Abdur Rauf, Junaid Zia, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Khurram Manzoor and Khalid Latif. They also played wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed for the last two games in place of regular keeper Kamran Akmal.But Salahuddin said Pakistan would not take any chances in playing Bangladesh. “Bangladesh proved they are a good one-day side by reaching the last-eight in the World Cup,” he said. Bangladesh beat India and South Africa in the tournament while Pakistan, along with India, made an exit in the first round.The Pakistan selectors will meet members of the junior national selection committee on March 21 for advice on the young talent available in the country and announce the squad by the end of the month.
Fitness problems has ruled Shoaib Akhtar out of the preparatory camp in Lahore as Pakistan prepare for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi next month. The camp will be held at Gaddafi Stadium from April 28 to May 4, before the national selectors announce the squad two days later.The National Selection Committee have short-listed over 35 players, which includes proven performers in the recently concluded domestic season. Younis Khan, who recently declined the captaincy following Inzamam-ul-Haq’s retirement from ODIs, hasn’t been included as yet as the committee is waiting for him to confirm his availability. Younis was recently granted permission from the Pakistan board to play for Yorkshire in the county season.”We have announced more than 30 players for the camp because it is our first series since taking over the new assignment and we wanted to see maximum number of players before making the selection of the final 15.” said Salahuddin Ahmad, the newly appointed chairman of selectors. “The performance of domestic cricket, junior cricket, A teams and international cricket have been considered in their selection.”A notable exclusion is Danish Kaneria, the legspinner, who is currently representing Essex. In his place is Mansoor Amjad, the promising legspinner who has also been signed by Leicestershire for this season. Azhar Mahmood, the allrounder who was recalled for the World Cup, has also been excluded. Fawad Alam, currently captaining the Pakistan Academy team in Bangladesh, is a strong contender for a middle-order position on the back of a prolific domestic season.The inclusion of Sarfraz Ahmed, the U19 world cup winning wicket-keeper, adds pressure on Kamran Akmal to get his act together with the bat as well as gloves. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, representing Sussex on the county circuit, is another surprise exclusion from the list while Shabbir Ahmed makes a comeback after injury cut short his visit to South Africa.The ODI series begins on May 9.Batsmen Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Khurram Manzoor, Taufeeq Umar, Babar Naeem, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Yousuf, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asim Kamal, Hasan Raza, Naved Latif, Yasir Hameed, Riffatullah Mohmand, Shahid Yousuf, Adnan RazaAllrounders Shoaib Malik (capt), Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad AlamFast bowlers Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Shabbir Ahmad, Abdul Rauf, Mohammad Irshad, Najaf Shah, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad KhalilSpinners Abdur Rahman, Tahir Khan, Atif Maqbool, Mansoor AmjadWicketkeepers Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmad, Zulqarnain Haider
Ricky Ponting has been fined 25% of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong. The offence related to his reaction when Bangladesh batsman Aftab Ahmed was initially given not out following a referral to the third umpire during Sunday’s first day of the Test.Ponting was found guilty of dissent by the match referee, Jeff Crowe, in a hearing after the second day’s play on Monday. He was found to have breached 1.3 of the ICC Code which relates to “Showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse.”In explaining his decision, Crowe said: “Although I have sympathy for Ricky I cannot accept his move towards the on-field umpires as they made a move towards resuming play.”He did not ask for the third umpire to be consulted but when he made that move and spoke to the officials I believe his involvement played a part in prompting the referral. That is a breach of the ICC’s Test match playing conditions, which states that players may not appeal to the umpire to use the replay system.”The two umpires – Aleem Dar and Ian Howell – had not raised the issue and it was Bangladesh who took the matter further. Earlier, Crowe had cleared up how the event unfolded: “I think he [Ponting] indicated that the word that came from the Bangladesh dressing-room was that he was out and he was just inquisitive as to what went on,” he was quoted as saying by Fox Sports. “But it was not a direct ask that the umpires should review the decision or go upstairs.”It was a communication problem really,” Crowe added. “In fairness, what we had to say that with the referral upstairs, it should have been highlighted what they really wanted. The number three umpire […] is not the most fluent in English, although he is a very good man and does communicate well, he wasn’t sure really about what they wanted at that point.”That’s why after what was done, when the decision was first given, the umpires down below weren’t sure he got the right information, or understood what was required. Once they found that information out – that the ball had hit the boot – that’s all they needed to confirm what they thought. That’s why it was reversed.”Meanwhile, Crowe also commented on the Australian team’s interactions with Dar, noting that there were a few issues the team needed to sort with the umpire. Lee had an animated conversation with Dar after the umpire apparently asked him to move away in his follow through, while Stuart MacGill too expressed his displeasure after a couple of lbw appeals had been turned down in an over.”The fact that it has been a long tour for everyone and given the fact there is a bit of cabin fever with Aleem Dar having been involved in Australian matches over the last six months, I think they need to sort it out,” Crowe was quoted as saying in . Dar has seen a lot of the Australian side lately, officiating in 13 Tests since July 2004, and in 12 ODIs over the last six months involving the Australians.
Northamptonshire 149 for 5 (Shafayat 76, Hossain 3-67) v Bangladesh ScorecardBad weather prevented any play on the second day of Bangladesh’s third and final warm-up match, against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, and so left an inexperienced squad dangerously short of match practice ahead of the first Test at Lord’s, which begins next Thursday.”These practice games were vital in my planning for the Test series,” Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, told BBC Sport. “I was keen to check on the form of a few lads but that has not been possible in this game really.”There are still several selection issues yet to be decided for Bangladesh. In this match they have been without their captain, Habibul Bashar, who was felled by a bouncer in the innings defeat against Sussex at Hove, although he is expected to take his place in the middle order. And Whatmore hinted that the pace bowler, Shadahat Hossain, would be making his Test debut, after being rested for this game.”We rested a few players for this game because I was concerned about individual tiredness,” said Whatmore. “Shahadat might get his chance at Lord’s but nothing is decided.” In his absence, the paceman, Anwar Hossain, picked up three Northants wickets to advance his claims, although he is unlikely to feature in the Tests.Northamptonshire 1 Thomas Huggins, 2 Bilal Shafayat, 3 Robert White, 4 Tim Roberts, 5 Usman Afzaal (capt), 6 Riki Wessels (wk), 7 Matt Friedlander, 8 Andrew White, 9 Charl Pietersen, 10 Richard King, 11 John Wolstenholme.Bangladesh 1 Javed Omar, 2 Nafees Iqbal, 3 Rajin Saleh, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Khaled Mashud (capt, wk), 6 Aftab Ahmed, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim, 8 Mohammad Rafique, 9 Enamul Haque jnr, 10 Anwar Hossain, 11 Tapash Baisya.
“What could be better, when the winter months are upon us, than to curl up by the fire and relive all the action from those long, hot summer days?” asks the book’s preface. There is the warm glow occasioned by memories of The Oval fightback and the lump-in-the-throat moment that accompanies a picture of Nasser’s tearful resignation. There is an appropriately sentimental tribute by Hussain to Alec Stewart, the inaugural winner of the C&G Man of the Year award. For those of a statistical bent there is even, for the first time, a scorecard from every Championship match.It is a comforting read, especially for those who like their tradition vacuum-packed from year to year. Apart from the change of sponsor from B&H to C&G, little about the book has changed in either format or content. Agnew’s regular radio chums – Jim Maxwell, Tony Cozier and Bryan Waddle – bring commentary from overseas. The review of the domestic season retains its stubbornly unique chronology of events, which is great if you want to recreate the ebb and flow of the summer, but pretty frustrating if you want to track down Worcestershire v Glamorgan (look for an index and you’ll be disappointed).The book’s only major drawback is that like an overprotective mother, it is so in love with the game that it smothers it. Jonathan Agnew looks back on 2003 as the year that “the future of county cricket was debated with a vigour that we have not seen in a while”. But as there is little or no two-sided discussion from Agnew or his fellow contributors the C&G sometimes comes across as First Class Forum propaganda. Having grudgingly admitted that the two-tier Championship has shown “evidence of improvement” Agnew nevertheless contends that “increased competition does not necessarily improve the ability of a batsman or a bowler”. Hardly a maxim that many sports administrators or coaches will be lining up to defend. Still, it’s a book to cheer many a fanatical heart this Christmas.
When you win there can often be different kinds of emotion.When we beat Australia in the first VB Series game in Melbourne in the beginning of this period of 15 successive one-day matches there was pure euphoria. Beating South Africa in Brisbane was disbelief and huge joy at a surprising victory.When we won the game on Tuesday night the feeling was relief.Sure there was happiness at what we had achieved but we all knew that the season would be judged on what happened in Dunedin.Wrongly or rightly this happens in sport often.Just ask the All Blacks in last year’s Tri-Nations.If they had won that game in Sydney and not lost it in the last second, would there have been as big a public examination resulting in pressure for the coach to stand down?If we had lost on Tuesday night what would have been the headlines?As it is we won the series and have achieved a satisfactory outcome. But are there things that we need to address even though we have won?Yes there are.Too often we win games through an individual performance. While this may sound strange, to be a complete side capable of winning next year’s World Cup we need to put more performances together as a unit, to get everyone chipping in with their efforts.Then we will still have brilliant individual efforts to win games but hopefully in between these times we can lift our winning percentages with team performances.Before the game in Dunedin, the batters focused their efforts into batting, real batting. Not the traditional hitting over the top stuff normally reserved for the one-day game. No balls were hit in the air at net practice and batsmanship was the goal.This was personified in the match by Craig McMillan. He got in and then played a great supporting role to Nathan Astle.And what an innings from Nathan!He loves playing in Dunedin and after getting a few dodgy decisions in two of the one-dayers, the English felt the full brunt of his talent.Nath is a bloke who doesn’t say too much and prefers to let his batting do the talking. I have played a lot of cricket with him and the innings the other night was just awesome and right up there with his best.The game itself revealed to the English that they have areas to work on.One of them is off-the-field where last week Andy Caddick stated that this English team was better man for man than us and that they would win the series.Now, he may have been trying to get some confidence back in his side by saying these things but to do it publicly can often backfire on you.Maybe he should just focus on getting in the England team first.Now to the Test series and to the whites! I am really looking forward to this series as I think we are playing very good Test cricket.It will be important for the guys to get back into Test mode but having a week or so off, and a game before the Test, will definitely help.
Pakistan’s sensational victory at Old Trafford set the nation alightand cricket-crazy supporters heaped praise on the cricketers. Eyewitnesses said scores of fanatics on motorcycles took to the streetscarrying placards of their favourite players. They chanted slogans andhoped that it was not just a one-match wonder.”We are proud of our players, and particularly for Waqar Younis andRashid Latif. The way they played at Old Trafford, it was amazing,”29-year-old Saad Khan, a Navy officer, said. Rashid, staging acomeback after almost three years, scored a priceless 71 in the firstinnings and then contributed 25 in the second but most importantlyadded 59 runs for the eighth wicket with Wasim Akram in quick time.Aftab Ahmad, 54, said he has been following Pakistan for the last 30years. It was such an wonderful performance and one of the best inrecent times. The last was in the 1992 World Cup but that was acompetition.” Nevertheless, Usman Ghani had a word of caution andadvice to the players. “Hopefully, it will end the losing streak. Butthe players need to keep their feet firmly on the ground. The trination series follows and we haven’t forgotten the 1999 World Cuploss,” he said with reference to defeat in the final to Australia whoare one of the three competitors.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials were not available forcomments. But this win would certainly provide them some breathingspace after a string of disappointing performances by the team.