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On a day of inevitabilities, Australia moved within six wickets of completing a clean-sweep against a disappointing Pakistan

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at Bellerive Oval17-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDoug Bollinger picked up the key wicket of Salman Butt as Australia’s bowlers created plenty of trouble on the fourth afternoon•Getty ImagesOn a day of inevitabilities, Australia moved within six wickets of completing a clean-sweep against a disappointing Pakistan. Simon Katich scored his first century of the summer, Ricky Ponting recorded his highest aggregate in a Test and Pakistan’s top order looked shakier than the few yachts brave enough to take to the Derwent River on a gloomy, windy and eventually rainy Hobart day.Since Pakistan’s capitulation in Sydney, it seemed inevitable that they would struggle to lift themselves for the dead rubber at Bellerive Oval. At the start of the fourth day, the most likely scenario was for Australia to add quickly to their overnight score and bat until after lunch, and Pakistan’s batsmen to struggle and rain to play a part as the afternoon wore on. And so it unfolded.Pakistan entered this Test with only two men averaging more than 40 for the series and until Salman Butt’s first-innings century the best score by any of their players was his 71 at the SCG. Australia fancied their chances against the Pakistan order despite the forecast showers, and gave them a victory target of 438 from just under five sessions.A win for Australia would be their 12th consecutive triumph against Pakistan, equalling the record for any team over any other Test side, which is currently held by Sri Lanka over Bangladesh. It came closer when Pakistan lost both openers within the first ten overs, then the captain and best batsman Mohammad Yousuf with the score on 61, and the young star Umar Akmal with the total at 4 for 83.When the rain came an hour before the scheduled close, Pakistan were 4 for 103, needing an extremely unlikely 335 more for victory, with Khurram Manzoor on 23 and Shoaib Malik on 18. Yousuf and Akmal both fell lbw to Shane Watson, both had their decisions reviewed, and neither finished with the result he desired. Earlier, Butt failed to keep out a Doug Bollinger delivery and was bowled for 9, before Peter Siddle drew an edge behind from Imran Farhat (14) to begin Pakistan’s slump.The day had been yet another ugly one for them even before their innings began. Ponting and Katich added 141 in a brutal opening session as Pakistan continued to set defensive fields and waited for a declaration. Katich has had trouble reaching triple-figures this season and had posted scores of 92, 80, 99 and 98.He hadn’t scored a hundred since the Ashes opener in Cardiff and when he moved to 99, Pakistan tried to increase the pressure, but he found an easy single behind square on the leg side to register his century from 137 deliveries. In the next over, Katich holed out to deep midwicket off Danish Kaneria and departed for an even 100, his ninth Test century.Playing with the freedom of having a hefty buffer, Katich took a more aggressive approach than normal and struck 13 fours in his 138 balls. Ponting also went after the bowling during their 191-run stand and was happy to be inventive, driving in the air over fielders and taking balls from outside off to the leg side.Ponting failed to become the seventh batsman in Test history to score a double-century and a century in the same match when he departed for 89 on the fourth ball after lunch. He tried to sweep Malik and was taken down the legside by Sarfraz Ahmed, and the umpire’s not-out decision was overturned on review when Hot Spot showed the ball brushed Ponting’s glove.He did finish with his best aggregate of runs in a Test match, scoring 298 and beating by ten his previous best set against India in Melbourne in 2003-04. After his dismissal, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson came in as pinch-hitters but failed to have any impact and Australia lost 4 for 27 starting with Katich.It didn’t matter. Ponting already felt he had enough and declared at 5 for 219, setting Pakistan 438 to win. Yousuf’s men need either a deluge of rain or runs to save them and only their most ardent fans could expect it to be the latter.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Renato Sanches to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the LOSC Lille midfielder, who has been heavily linked with a switch to Wolves this winter, revealed that he would be open to a move away from the Ligue 1 side in the coming months – as long as the right offer comes in.

Speaking about the interest in his services, the 24-year-old said: “Maybe AC Milan and Arsenal are interested but I don’t know. I spoke with my agent, I know which clubs are calling and which are not, but I can’t tell now. But I know I’m ready. If an offer comes in, I’ll find out what’s best for me.”

Shi must act

Considering just how short Bruno Lage’s Wolves side currently are in the middle of the park, with the 45-year-old manager only being able to call upon the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho or Leander Dendoncker at present, a move to bring a pair of fresh legs into the position during the January transfer window would appear an extremely wise one for Jeff Shi to make.

And, when taking into account just how impressive Renato Sanches has been for Lille in recent seasons, the Portugal international would certainly appear to make a fantastic addition to the Wolves ranks this winter.

Indeed, over his six Ligue 1 appearances so far this term – a number which has been limited by his recovery from a knee injury – the £27m-rated midfielder has provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.5 key passes per game – the most of any of his teammates.

The £51k-per-week man has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 30.8 passes, 0.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and winning 5.7 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the 24-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.26 – ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s best performer in the league.

As such, considering the quite obvious lack of creativity in Wolves’ current crop of players in the middle of the park, with goalkeeper Jose Sa having creating the same amount of big chances as Lage’s highest-ranked midfielders, the signing of Renato Sanches would indeed look to be an excellent piece of business for Shi to get over the line.

And, following his most recent comments, it would appear as if there is very much a deal to be done for his services in January, something which the Wolves chairman simply must act upon.

In other news: Shi must ruthlessly axe Wolves’ £43k-p/w “near miss”, he’s becoming a real liability

A number of Liverpool supporters are furious that Mohamed Salah only finished seventh in the Ballon d’Or voting on Monday evening.

The 29-year-old has arguably been the greatest player of the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield, producing world-class brilliance on a consistent basis.

This season, Salah has been as good as ever, scoring 17 goals already and being called the world’s best player by some.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

From a Liverpool perspective, there was hope that the Egyptian superstar could scoop the prestigious Ballon d’Or on Monday following a memorable year.

As relayed by the club’s official Twitter channel, though, Salah could only finish seventh in the voting, somehow finishing behind sixth-placed Cristiano Ronaldo. The Liverpool star has 18 goal contributions in the Premier League already this term compared to the Manchester United forward’s six, along with netting 15 goals from January to May 2021.

It was Lionel Messi who scooped his seventh Ballon D’Or and the hope is that Salah can take it home this time next year.

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Liverpool fans angry at Salah ranking

These Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted angrily to Salah’s final ranking in the award standings.

“Absolute joke this. If Mo played for Barcelona or Real Madrid he’d be the winner! Sour grapes from the powers that be! Fix! Corrupt! Congratulations though Mo..we love you. You are ours.”

Credit: @Paulieb668

“An absolute disgrace”

Credit: @DoddzyYNWA

“FIFA robbed him, he should have finished ahead of CR7”

Credit: @Tracy_Kesh

“What a joke”

Credit: @emmmmmmmzy

“Best player on the planet rn finishes 7th”

Credit: @Jack8Richards

“Easily the most disrespected player on the planet”

Credit: @Olly_Boulton

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about a Reds transfer rumour. Read more here.

Four-wicket hauls from Aaron O’Brien and Daniel Christian, backed up by opener Michael Klinger’s sixth List A century, boosted South Australia to a comfortable six-wicket win over Western Australia at the Adelaide Oval

Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Klinger’s sixth List A century sealed a comfortable win for the Redbacks•Getty ImagesFour-wicket hauls from Aaron O’Brien and Daniel Christian, backed up by opener Michael Klinger’s sixth List A century, boosted South Australia to a comfortable six-wicket win over Western Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Christian’s was an all-round effort: he smote six fours and two sixes in his quickfire 48 and handed his team a bonus point just in the nick of time, off the final ball of the 40th over. The win propelled the Redbacks to third place after having played eight games, while the Warriors, after squandering a solid start from their top order, find themselves at the bottom.The Redbacks captain Daniel Harris turned to O’Brien’s left-arm spin after the pace attack had failed to break a steady partnership between Wes Robinson and Liam Davis. The pair added 73 before O’Brien bowled Harris through the gate. Robinson marched on, aided by his captain Marcus North, and promised to construct another threatening stand, but an ill-timed slog-sweep ended his knock.The dismissal had a domino-effect, for the middle order crumbled to relentless spells from O’Brien and Christian – they grabbed five wickets for 17 in just a little more than five overs. North, whose innings had seven boundaries, watched helplessly from the other end but a ray of hope emerged in the form of Ashley Noffke, whose 30-ball 26 reignited the possibility of posting a competitive total. O’Brien hit back, grabbing two wickets in an over, but North, taking the bulk of the strike and finding the boundary at the death, offered his bowlers something of a chance.As it turned out, North’s efforts proved inadequate. Klinger’s application at one end ensured a healthy run-rate, despite his opening partner Harris’ slow scoring. The Warriors’ momentary high when Harris and Tom Cooper fell within a space of ten runs dissipated in the wake of a surge in scoring from the batsmen who followed. Cameron Borgas contributed a run-a-ball 38 amid Klinger’s constant efforts to pierce the field, and Christian, thanks to a perfectly-timed Powerplay in the 34th over, launched an unforgiving assault, fetching 57 in five overs to drag his team within reach of the bonus point and a comprehensive victory.Klinger was named Man of the Match for his century. “I made a sort of an effort after the first 15 to get as many ones as I could,” he said. “I knew it would be easier to get boundaries in the first 15, and after that [I would] just try to hold it together with singles as well as I could.” He reserved special praise for Borgas, with whom he added 71 for the third wicket. “Borgy’s been playing that role really well all year and he’s having a great year in both forms [Sheffield Shield and 50-over],” he said. “He came in and ticked [the scoreboard] over straight away, which was exactly what we needed.”

The Indian allrounder has said he sought prior approval from the BCCI

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2010Ravindra Jadeja, the Indian allrounder who was banned from the IPL 2010 season for allegedly trying to negotiate a contract outside of Rajasthan Royals, has said he sought prior approval from the BCCI before taking his decision, the reported.In his letter to the BCCI, reportedly written two weeks before Saturday’s ban, Jadeja said his contract with Rajasthan had expired on December 31, 2009 and that they did not give him any indications they were going to renew his contract.”It is my understanding that my contract with Rajasthan Royals has expired and they have not at any stage offered me a renewal for Season 2010,” Jadeja said in the letter. “In addition, I have never refused until this day to sign such a contract. Hence, I believe I am free to sign a contract with any franchisee.The deadline for announcing the squads was February 12, and it passed without Jadeja signing a fresh contract.”If there is any delay on my part, I regret the same in view of my preoccupation with playing cricket at domestic and international levels,” he wrote. “In view of this, I seek your approval and guidance as to whether I am free to sign with any other franchisee. I seek your guidance in the matter and await your decision.”As per 2009 player regulations, Rajasthan Royals had an option until 7 January, 2009 to sign me for two years commencing from January 1, 2009. Despite this option (clause 35 & 36 of Player Regulations 2009) Royals signed me for one year only from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009. I became an India player in January 2009 and was therefore paid Rs 40 lakhs. However, in my contract, my category continued as a 2008 World Cup Under-19 player and my contract continued at Rs 20 lakh. Even as per IPL Player Regulations 2010 (clause 14) I continue to be in the category of 2008 World Cup U-19 player.”The report quoted IPL sources as saying he could be allowed back into the IPL if he appeals to the governing council.Jadeja, 21, has 19 ODIs and five Twenty20 games under his belt. He was a key member of the team that won the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008, which pitchforked him into the limelight and an IPL contract, worth US$30,000, with Rajasthan. He was one of the key performers in Rajasthan’s victorious campaign in the inaugural IPL, leading Shane Warne, the captain and coach, to single him out as a special talent and a “superstar in the making”.

Celtic are thought to be closing in on a move for Yokohama F. Marinos forward Daizen Maeda, according to reports in Japan, as relayed by Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Maeda profiled

The 24-year-old is under contract with his current employers until 2024, as per Transfermarkt, and has just come off the back of his best goalscoring year.

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Capable of playing as a centre-forward, second striker or as a left winger, the Japan international netted 23 times and registered five assists in 36 J1 League appearances.

He has previously worked under Ange Postecoglou, and it seems as if he could reunite with the 56-year-old, as well as international teammate Kyogo Furuhashi, at Parkhead.

The Latest: ‘Final stages’

The Daily Record cited reports from Japan in a story on Tuesday afternoon, claiming that a move for the 24-year-old is in the ‘final stages’.

The report claimed that Maeda, labelled a ‘tireless worker’ by Kieran Devlin, could join on a permanent deal or a loan-to-buy move.

The Verdict: Ange not hanging around…

Postecoglou will know just what Maeda could bring to Celtic’s attacking ranks, and it seems as if a winter move to Scotland is edging ever closer for the 24-year-old.

Like Furuhashi, the forward will be able to occupy a central role or ply his trade from the left, and his energetic attributes should see him fit right in at Parkhead.

Giorgos Giakoumakis has struggled to get going in Glasgow, whereas Albian Ajeti could be on the way out, so adding another attacker seems to be a shrewd move.

It seems that the Hoops manager isn’t hanging around when it comes to January signings, and Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi could also be jetting over from Japan along with Maeda by the looks of it.

In other news: Sky Sports share more Celtic news with £20k-p/w colossus now ‘open’ to Parkhead exit

Tim May, the chief executive of the international players union FICA, has warned the IPL could suffer from a spate of player withdrawals due to security concerns over playing in India

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, the international players’ union, has warned of a spate of player withdrawals from the IPL due to security concerns over playing in India. He said he had received calls from several players expressing doubt over their participation in the tournament but was yet to arrive at a definitive assessment of the security arrangements in place.”There is an extremely high level of concern from a number of players from a number of countries about the IPL and security,” May told BBC Sport. “I think you’ll find that some players are more risk averse than others and will probably stay at home.”May’s statements came on a day the Jaipur police said they had received intelligence inputs of a terrorist threat relating to the one-day international in the city between India and South Africa on Sunday. “We have received an input. We are on full alert,” BL Soni, the inspector-general of police, was quoted as saying on IBNlive.com. “We are making adequate security arrangements especially after the Pune blast. Everyone who comes to watch the match will be frisked. There is no need to worry.”This followed reported terrorist threats targeting the Commonwealth Games and the Hockey World Cup, both due to be hosted in India this year. Earlier, the Shiv Sena, a right-wing regional political party, had claimed it would not allow Australian cricketers to participate in the competition as a protest against attacks on Indian students in Australia.May referred to these threats. “We had previously been advised by security experts that a high-profile event such as the IPL, leading up to the Commonwealth Games, may represent a significant target for terrorism,” he said. “It’s obviously concerning, though not necessarily surprising, to hear about those specific threats.”It’s up to the individual players whether they go to the IPL. All we can gauge an opinion on is the number of concerned calls we have received in the last few weeks. Let’s just say those calls are increasing by the day.”May said he was awaiting an independent security report over the arrangements made for the IPL. “Until that review is complete I’m not in a position to answer whether the security arrangements are adequate to cover the risks and I haven’t seen any plans.A lot will ride on players’ decisions after the delivery of this independent security report.”Adding to the confusion was an about-turn, within the day, by Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals captain. He was initially quoted as saying he had “second thoughts” over playing in the IPL. “The threats have certainly got me thinking twice and are of deep concern to athletes across a number of sports,” Warne said. Later on Thursday, he wrote on his Twitter feed he was happy to tour India “now that the threats have been removed”.

Celtic could make on-loan winger Jota their fourth and final January addition, according to Football Scotland’s Mark Hendry.

The Lowdown: Japanese trio

The Hoops have already begun working on their January business, with Ange Postecoglou looking to add three Japanese players to his injury-hit squad.

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Terms have reportedly been agreed for midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, whereas Celtic also want to bring in forward Daizen Maeda and are confident of doing so.

The club’s early 2022 business may not stop there, though, with rumours of Jota’s loan possibly becoming permanent surfacing earlier this month.

The Latest: Permanent Jota move?

Football Scotland journalist Hendry shared a Celtic-related transfer update on Wednesday morning, suggesting the Hoops are not interested in Gremio midfielder Fernando Henrique.

Within their report, they reiterated that Celtic want to bring in Hatate, Ideguchi and Maeda before facing Rangers on January 2, with Jota’s permanent Parkhead move possibly their fourth and final winter window addition.

The option to buy fee for Jota, labelled as a ‘game-changer’ by Alex McLeish, stands at £6.5m, which could see him become the club’s most expensive signing under Postecoglou ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m summer switch.

The Verdict: Enough?

Celtic have plenty of attacking injuries to deal with at this moment in time, one of which is Jota, with full-backs Josip Juranovic and Adam Montgomery playing on the wing against Ross County on Wednesday. [SofaScore]

Postecoglou has also relied heavily on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic in the middle of midfield, so two new additions should be enough for the second half of the season.

Four permanent signings in January would continue Postecoglou’s Parkhead rebuild after 12 additions in the summer and should give him plenty of options to choose from as Celtic look to chase down rivals Rangers.

In other news: Devlin shared exit news hours before Ross County; ‘first class’ Celtic gem could now go

Leeds United are back in action this weekend for their Premier League clash against Arsenal at Elland Road after their demoralising 7-0 defeat against Manchester City in midweek.

During the heavy defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side, Leeds midfielder Jamie Shackleton was forced off the pitch with a suspected injury in the 38th minute.

Speaking ahead of their match against Arsenal in his recent press conference, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa shared some details on Shackleton’s issue which will not be what the fans want to hear.

What’s the latest?

Bielsa revealed that not only is Shackleton out for the Arsenal game but also that he “has a problem in his Achilles tendon,” but did not offer any sort of timescale on when the player would be fit again.

Given how Leeds already have the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk and now Dan James out injured, Shackleton’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Yorkshire club and fans will be rightfully fuming.

So far this season, Shackleton has made 11 appearances for Leeds in the Premier League with most of them seeing him play in the right-back position, where he started the game against City but couldn’t make it to halftime.

In those appearances, the 22-year-old has managed to rack up an average of 2.3 tackles per game whilst winning 53% of the duels he’s been involved in, showing how much of a useful defensive option he’s been for Leeds so far this season.

Looking ahead to the Arsenal game, Shackleton will definitely be a big miss for Leeds as an extra body at the back given the absence of Cooper and Struijk through injury and Junior Firpo through suspension.

In terms of who Bielsa could now call upon to replace Shackleton in the team, he could either put Luke Ayling back in his usual right-back position or give Cody Drameh the chance to prove his worth.

However, with Drameh replacing Firpo in the second half against City and the fact that Firpo will not be available for the Arsenal clash, this could force Bielsa into having to play Drameh in the left-back position for this occasion, leaving even less depth to choose from to replace the injured Shackleton.

Either way, given the current situation at Leeds in terms of their personnel being somewhat depleted at the moment, everyone at the club will undoubtedly be hoping that Shackleton and the rest of the injured players at Elland Road will be able to make full recoveries sooner rather than later to help get Leeds’ season back on track.

In other news: Phil Hay has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Durham pair Michael Di Venuto and Kyle Coetzer both scored centuries as bat dominated pink ball on an experimental first day of the season-opening fixture against MCC

29-Mar-2010
ScorecardMichael Di Venuto hit the first century of the English season…in the desert•PA PhotosDurham pair Michael Di Venuto and Kyle Coetzer both scored centuries as bat dominated pink ball on an experimental first day of the season-opening fixture against MCC. The traditional county curtain-raiser has a new look this year, with the game transplanted from Lord’s to Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium, while pink Kookaburra’s and floodlights are also in use.Those developments are part of a wider plan to usher in the era of day/night Test cricket, an agenda which is unlikely to have been either derailed or dramatically advanced by events on day one of this high-profile trial. Di Venuto hit a sprightly 131 and Coetzer, who batted all day, a more stately 123 not out as the champions made mostly serene progress to 329 for 3 after winning the toss.The flat wicket and serene batting conditions, rather than the colour of theball, can take much of the credit for that, though. Gloucestershire seamer Jon Lewis was handed first use of the ball, with Middlesex’s Tim Murtagh starting at the other end.Lewis beat the bat with the fourth delivery of the match but there was littleelse to worry the champion county’s opening pair in the first session. Di Venuto began positively, finding the boundary three times in the first four overs and helping himself to two more in the sixth over as Murtagh strayed.Alex Gidman turned quickly to the spin of James Middlebrook but he was soon despatched for six over long-on as Di Venuto hurtled towards the first fifty of the first-class season, a feat he reached after 89 balls. Coetzer was struggling for the strike at the other end but looked in little trouble when he did face.Lewis and Gidman found hints of swing as the ball aged but not enough tocontain Durham as they eased to 89 for nought at lunch. The lights came on just after the break, perhaps a little early with the natural light still more than adequate.The change certainly made little difference to Di Venuto and Coetzer, the former continuing to take the lion’s share of the bowling and peppering the boundary accordingly. A pair of singles brought him his hundred from 145 balls with 20 fours and a six along the way.MCC looked understandably downcast in the field, with a lively Steve Kirby appeal against Di Venuto the closest anyone got to animation before the batsman was stumped by James Foster going down the track to Middlebrook.At the point of his departure, Di Venuto had 131 of his side’s 181. Coetzer eventually passed fifty, while captain Will Smith came and went for 13 before chipping Middlebrook to Scott Newman, who juggled the catch.Coetzer began to go on the attack as tea loomed, advancing down the wicket ahandful of times to the spinners, once to loft Middlebrook for a straight six. New batsman Dale Benkenstein was busy at the crease, working his way to 41 before being bowled by Dean Cosker.By that time Coetzer, who scored just one first-class century last season, had finally nudged his way to a hundred, a feat which required 194 deliveries. At the close of play he had extended his score to 123, while Ian Blackwell was on 13.