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Shaun Tait is desperate to make his IPL debut next month and hopes the tournament occurs following the terror threats directed at the event

Cricinfo staff19-Feb-2010Shaun Tait is desperate to make his IPL debut next month and hopes the tournament occurs following the terror threats directed at the event. Tait was taking a break from the game during the first Twenty20 extravaganza in India and was prevented from going to the second by Cricket Australia due to his recovery from a hamstring injury.Rajasthan Royals bought Tait for $US375,000 a season last year and Shane Warne will captain him in the upcoming competition. “I’ve been very keen, the last couple of years I haven’t been able to play, so I’ve been looking forward to the IPL this year so I hope it can go ahead,” Tait told AAP.”All the security stuff, that’s out of my league, but I hope it does go ahead and everything’s fine and I can play. I’ve been thinking about the IPL for a while now, so looking forward to playing.”Warne had admitted to “thinking twice” about going to India for the tournament following the threats, but Tait said he would be “very disappointed” if it didn’t go ahead. “I’d play wherever it’s played, obviously they moved it to South Africa last year, and I’ve been there,” he said.”It’s a good place, I’d be happy to play there, but I was looking forward to playing in India this year because the IPL’s obviously based out of India. The crowds over there are unbelievable and I want to go over there and experience that to be honest.”

Paul Condon, the outgoing chief of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), has said there is uncertainty over whether or not there was any match-fixing involved in the first and second editions of the IPL

Cricinfo staff20-May-2010Paul Condon, the outgoing chief of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), has said it worried about the first two IPL seasons not because it suspected match-fixing but because of the lack of infrastructure to prevent it. He said the third edition held this year was a clean event largely due to the heavy involvement of the ACSU.”IPL 1 and 2 we were worried about, not because we think there were huge fixes, but because there was no infrastructure to prevent it,” Condon said at Lord’s on Thursday. “That doesn’t mean to say that matches were fixed in IPL 1 and 2, but nor can I, hand on heart, give it a clean bill of health. I just don’t know .”Our advice was, and remains, that if you are going to have world-class players, international players, who are playing in IPLs and Twenty20s, and if they do anything daft there, sadly they will take that back into the international game. You can’t be a part-time fixer, once the bad guys get into them, and a lot of them are organised criminals, then you are on the hook.”While Condon acknowledged he had heard rumours of spot-fixing in the third IPL season, he said there was no concrete evidence to suggest that was the case. “In IPL 3, the ACSU was heavily involved, there was an education programme, and we’ve got no current intelligence, or information, or ongoing enquiries, which suggest anything other than IPL3 was a clean event in terms of spot-fixing.”IPL 3 from a clean cricket point of view seems to have been a very good event, but you are never more than a phonecall away from someone saying otherwise. There were rumours and vague allegations about IPL3, but no one has come forward either from the Indian board, or IPL, or franchises, or journalists, or players, or team managers, or anyone with specific allegations about match-fixing in IPL. All it’s been is very generic rumour, and we’re still waiting.”Condon said it was essential to prevent any possibility of match-fixing in leagues like the IPL to ensure the problem didn’t spread to the international arena. “To keep the game clean, we’ve got to make sure that events like the IPL and other events like it, don’t contaminate international cricket. So the same regime works for IPL: education, security managers in place.”

Junior Firpo’s struggles at Leeds United continued despite a more encouraging display in their 3-1 win over Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

The victory proved crucial to Marcelo Bielsa and his side as it moved the Yorkshire giants a whopping eight points clear of the relegation zone, leaving plenty of breathing room heading into the second half of the season.

However, the summer signing bore the brunt of the Argentine’s anger once again, according to LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross.

Firpo has struggled to adapt to the Premier League since his £13m move from Barcelona, even drawing criticism from sections of the Elland Road faithful at times and once again, he may have failed to impress his boss.

“Much like [Jack] Harrison, it’s not really been Firpo’s season. But today was again, without being exhilarating and astounding, very, very solid. And it feels like another step forward for him,” explained the journalist before adding some cause for concern:

“And I think you can see he frustrates Bielsa at times with his positioning, and I mean, we joked at one point he was playing like the number nine off [Tyler] Roberts. And from where we’re stood, you have to kind of make some assumptions on what Bielsa is saying and who he’s saying it to, but it looked very clear like he was shouting at Firpo, saying ‘what are you doing up there?’

“We know he loves to roam forward, he can’t help himself. He’s almost like a kid in the playground.”

The former Spain U21 international has been trusted to start the bulk of Leeds’ matches at left-back but that’s mainly because the club saw the departure of both Barry Douglas and Gjanni Alioski during the summer window, so really, he’s the only out-and-out option in the role.

In terms of average performance across the 2021/22 campaign, Firpo ranks as Bielsa’s worst-performing player (of those to start ten or more games), per WhoScored.

He is one of three players to have already amassed five yellow cards, which suggests he has found it difficult to combat the opposition regularly – one particular game against Brighton stands out as a fine example.

Bielsa had to hook the £10.8m-rated dynamo after just one half due to his inability to handle Tariq Lamptey. He was a walking liability, so it’s no wonder he was withdrawn early.

Thought to be earning around £55k-per-week, it may be wise for Bielsa to be ruthless and just axe him from the starting XI for the foreseeable and in a transfer window, an adequate replacement could quite easily be found.

Cross’ comments provide little encouragement to Firpo ever cutting the mustard at Elland Road. A brutal call considering his slightly positive performance but ultimately one that may be required in the long run.

AND in other news, “They’ve been watching him”: Journo teases Leeds transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

Newcastle United host Burnley at St James’ Park in the Premier League on Saturday in a mammoth clash at the bottom of the table.

Three points separate the teams heading into the game, with both sides in the relegation zone after 14 matches in the division. The Magpies were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Norwich last time out, having taken the lead through a penalty from Callum Wilson.

How many changes will Eddie Howe make to his team selection for the match today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four alterations for the game from midweek, with Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez all coming in.

One change will be enforced upon Howe following Ciaran Clark’s red card against the Canaries. Fernandez came on to fill the gap at centre-back and was outstanding to ensure that the Magpies did not lose, and he may have played his way into a start against Burnley.

As per SofaScore, he won both of his ground duels and made two clearances, two blocks, two interceptions and one tackle as he earned a rating of 7.0. This suggests that he was a solid performer at the back and could help Newcastle against the Clarets, as he has shown that he can put in a strong defensive display.

Fabian Schar went down with knocks on a couple of occasions and lost 50% of his ground duels as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.5. This could tempt the 43-year-old into bringing Lascelles back into the team after his suspension. The captain’s leadership at the back could seal his place in the starting XI next to Fernandez.

At right-back, Howe could exclude Javier Manquillo from the team. We published an article explaining why the £40k-per-week dud should be axed from the XI, and the ex-Bournemouth boss could offer Murphy an opportunity to come in and show what he can do at St James’ Park.

We are predicting that the midfield and forward line will only have one change from the starting XI against Norwich. Clark’s red card in the 11th minute forced Ryan Fraser to be sacrificed early, which led to a disjointed attack which was not given a fair chance to shine, and we think that Miguel Almiron for the Scotsman may be the only change that Howe makes in those positions today.

AND in other news, Discussions underway: NUFC must land £100k-p/w beast compared to “Ballack” and “Gazza”…

Andrew McGlashan provides the Plays of the Day from the second day at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford05-Jun-2010Ball of the day
Old Trafford has a decent history of spinners producing some special deliveries. Shane Warne tops the list in 1993, but Ashley Giles’ ball to Damien Martyn in 2005 wasn’t too shabby while Monty Panesar has managed a few good ones as well. However, Shakib Al Hasan’s delivery to remove Ian Bell can stand proud among the best as he turned one from leg stump to take the top of off against a batsman well set on 128. For a moment it was unclear what had happened because Shakib, in complete contrast to when he removed Kevin Pietersen on the first day, barely acknowledged the dismissal after being frustrated by his team’s bowling during the morning.Sequence of the day
Tamim Iqbal was at it again. Not content with his memorable display at Lord’s he again put England’s attack to the sword with another hundred of the highest quality. He probably wishes he could play England all the time because his current sequence stands at six scores over fifty in seven innings. When he passed fifty he became the first Bangladesh batsman to make five half-centuries in consecutive innings. But he wasn’t finished there and when he cut Graeme Swann through point to reach three figures he became the first to hit back-to-back Test hundreds as well. Only two of his countrymen have managed two hundreds in their entire careers.Stand of the day
Century opening stands have been like London buses for Bangladesh.Wait ages for one, then two come along at once. They have only had four in their Test history, but the last couple have been back-to-back (unsurprisingly for the first time) after Tamim and Imrul Kayes followed their 185 at Lord’s with 126 at Old Trafford. They are a highly contrasting pair – but the best opening combinations so often are – with Kayes happy to follow in Tamim’s slipstream.Plan of the day
England, though, are convinced that Kayes doesn’t play the short ball well. The idea was set in their mind when he was bounced out on a shirtfront by Stuart Broad at Chittagong and they continue to bang the ball in. And even though Kayes has been tough to shift, he has fallen to the short-ball plan in all three innings of this series. At Lord’s he fended to slip and short leg and here, against Steven Finn, he picked out long leg with precision as he top-edged a hook. It was again impressive execution from Finn, in the first over of his second spell, and a vital breakthrough for England who were really struggling.Relief of the day
It was a rare wicketless Test for Graeme Swann at Lord’s, but having seen Shakib and Abdur Razzak turn the ball square expectation was squarely on his shoulders this time around. However, his barren spell went on a little longer still as Tamim and Kayes played him well during their opening stand and it was delight mixed with relief when he got one to take Junaid Siddique’s edge through to Matt Prior. Swann was then back in the groove and produced a lovely ball to remove Jahurul Islam. By the close he had another five-wicket haul.Spell of the day
A 12-ball 5 and an opening spell of six overs for 35 meant a quiet start to Ajmal Shahzad’s Test career, but that didn’t last. Recalled late in the day with the ball reverse-swinging he showed what has caught the eye of Andy Flower as he ripped out three wickets in 16 balls as Bangladesh crumbled. His first Test wicket didn’t come from his best ball, as Mohammad Ashraful cut to backward point, but the two deliveries to castle Mahmudullah and Shafiul Islam were high-quality late swingers that would have dismissed many batsmen.

Wolves are back in action this lunchtime with an away Premier League clash against Manchester City after their crushing 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Molineux last weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Bruno Lage could pick to be in his starting XI to take on Pep Guardiola’s side, one man who should not be in the team today is wing-back Nelson Semedo.

His display against Liverpool showed why the Portuguese international isn’t capable of performing against the top teams in the Premier League, such as Manchester City, who have scored 32 goals and conceded just nine in their 15 league games so far this season.

In Semedo’s 90 minutes on the pitch against Jurgen Klopp’s side, he only completed 18 of his 29 passes and found a team-mate with just one of the six long balls he attempted, ultimately losing possession 21 times.

From a defensive point of view, the ex-Barcelona player – who has previously been derided as a “liability” at the back by Tim Spiers – only won three of his 11 duels and failed to make any tackles or block any shots. He was also dribbled past on two occasions, hardly making himself a tough opponent for Liverpool’s attacking players.

This display ultimately earned the 28-year-old an overall match rating of 6.2/10, making him the lowest-rated Wolves player on the day according to SofaScore – even lower than the likes of Joao Moutinho and Francisco Trincao, who came on as late substitutes in the 1-0 defeat.

The Express & Star also picked up on Semedo’s rather worrying display by claiming that he “struggled” in the game and that “defensively he allowed Mane and Robertson to get beyond him too often and he gave the ball away regularly,” as well as saying that he “offered little going forward.”

With this in mind as well as City’s plentiful attacking riches, it could be in Lage’s best interest not to start Semedo – who is currently earning £84k-per-week according to Salary Sport – this afternoon, as City’s attacking stars could target him as Wolves’ defensive weak link.

In other news – Huge relief: Wolves handed double injury boost ahead of City clash which will have many fans buzzing

Kurt Zouma, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio all struggled in West Ham’s 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

The Hammers lost their second Premier League match in a row, with the champions proving to be too strong in the end. Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho found the net for City, while Manuel Lanzini scored a last-gasp consolation for David Moyes’ men.

We have looked at the figures from statistical experts Sofascore to delve into the performances of the three lowest-rated West Ham players among those who featured for at least 45 minutes.

Kurt Zouma – 6.5

Zouma started at the heart of the Hammers’ defence but he didn’t impress in the absence of injured centre-back partner Angelo Ogbonna.

The Frenchman didn’t make a single tackle against City, allowing the hosts’ attackers to get the better of him too often.

Not only that, he also failed to play any key passes out from the back and lost possession three times, which was arguably a factor in West Ham struggling to build attacks.

Said Benrahma – 6.5

Benrahma was another Irons player who failed to stamp his authority on proceedings, eventually being substituted in the second half.

He lost possession 10 times overall as City dominated the ball, and he won just one of his five duels at the Etihad Stadium.

Like Zouma, the Algerian also didn’t make a key pass, which is far from ideal for a player with his attacking quality.

Michail Antonio – 6.3

The hope was that Antonio would regain his excellent form from earlier in the season and bully City’s defence, but that didn’t prove to be the case.

An ineffective showing saw the 31-year-old fail to have a single shot in the game, also completing just seven of his 12 passes (58%) and no key passes.

Possession was lost 16 times when Antonio had the ball, too, on a poor afternoon for the striker, who has netted just once in his last seven Premier League games.

In other news, a journalist has made a claim regarding a potential West Ham signing. Read more here.

Newcastle United should look to sign Wolves centre-back Conor Coady in January, according to former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Coady shines at Wolves

Coady has been a fantastic servant for Wolves, making 286 appearances for the club and fully deserving his role as captain.

The 28-year-old’s leadership has shone through at Molineux and he has been a model of consistency at the heart of the defence, both in the Championship and the Premier League.

The Latest: Captain tipped for January exit

With Newcastle receiving an influx of money after their recent takeover, however, they could be looking at signing various players in January.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed Coady would be an ideal addition to the Magpies’ squad:

“He’s a brilliant defender and consistency is what you will get from him.

“Newcastle have struggled defensively for a number of years now, so getting a defender like him into the spine of that side will be massive.

“That’s the first place I’d be looking. You have Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron in the attack, so you have enough there but the frailties are at the back and at centre-half, for me.

“Conor Coady is a player you would be more than happy with at your football club. He’s got the leadership qualities, he’s an England international now and he is a very consistent performer for Wolves.”

The Verdict: Potential huge blow

Coady might not necessarily be the most athletically gifted footballer around, but he has a huge influence at Wolves, both on and off the pitch.

For that reason, the thought of losing him doesn’t bear thinking about, with the Englishman very much the heart of the squad and almost a second manager on the pitch.

It remains to be seen if Newcastle will make a bid, but Wolves should demand huge money if they do.

In other news, some Wolves fans love a tweet about a Premier League landmark. Read more here.

A final call on Sreesanth and the injured VVS Laxman will be taken on Saturday, according to the Indian team manager Arshad Ayub

Sriram Veera in Dhaka22-Jan-2010A final call on Sreesanth and the injured VVS Laxman will be taken on Saturday, according to the Indian team manager Arshad Ayub.Laxman was supposed to leave for India on Friday but there has been a change of plan. “We will wait till tomorrow before we decide what to do,” Ayub told Cricinfo. Laxman hurt his left hand on Wednesday when he dropped a catch in third slip and had ten stitches to his hand.India had more injury worries during the first Test as Sreesanth suffered a strain on his thigh while bowling in the second innings. He left the field, unable to complete the over. Ayub said that a MRI scan was taken and that a decision on Sreesanth will only be communicated on Saturday.India have already said that there will not be any replacement even if Laxman is sent back home and it is still not known whether Sreesanth’s injury is serious enough for him to ruled out of the second Test.

Thomas Tuchel gave his reasons for stepping down as Bayern Munich manager in the summer as the German boss bemoaned his side's long injury list.

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Tuchel to leave Bayern in the summer Opened up on decision to join German outfit Blamed recurrent injuries for misfortune (C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite his contract running until 2025, Bayern's decision to part ways with Tuchel comes on the heels of a three-game losing streak in all competitions, compounded by their second-place standing in the Bundesliga, trailing eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Reflecting on his tenure at Bayern, Tuchel emphasized the club's unfortunate run of injuries, which hindered their ability to maintain peak performance. He also revealed that his decision to take charge was taken in haste and admitted that he has failed to bring consistency to the team.

AdvertisementWHAT TUCHEL SAID ABOUT LEAVING

When asked by reporters if it was a mistake to join Bayern, Tuchel said: "It makes no sense to look back. There was a call back then and we decided to do it within 48 hours because we were confident and wanted to do it. We got many points, we broke a few records.

"It gets forgotten that we were extremely unlucky with injuries. We are and were self-confident enough in the coaching staff to be convinced of ourselves. However, we were not able to consistently bring the team to a higher level. That's why we're going separate ways in the summer."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Tuchel made it clear that while he may not fully understand or agree with the club's decision to let him go, the clarity on his future brings freedom, allowing him to focus on the remaining matches without the burden of long-term consequences.

"It does not matter if I understand the decision of the club or whether I am happy with it," Tuchel said.

"The only thing that matters now is that there is clarity. Clarity brings freedom and it is good for the matches and the training. More freedom for the coach on how to act. You don't have to think about the long-term consequences of your choices. You can be a bit more reckless."

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WHAT TUCHEL SAID ABOUT BAYERN'S PROBLEMS

Bayern's performance has been erratic as they have failed to maintain their usual dominance in German football. Defeats to lower-tier teams like Saarbruecken in the German Cup and a first-leg defeat in their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Lazio have compounded the team's challenges. The recent 3-2 loss to VfL Bochum forced the team management to decide on his future. However, the manager believes that he is not the "only problem" in the club.

"I never felt that we as coaching staff stopped reaching the team," Tuchel said. "But we have a discrepancy from training to matches and the coach is responsible. I don't think I am the only problem but I accept my responsibility. I am not satisfied with the way we play and have been unhappy for quite some time.

"Now we have a new situation but the situation has been solved and communicated but I don't think I am the only problem."