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Somerset have awarded Andy Caddick a second benefit in 2009, ten years after his first

Cricinfo staff04-Dec-2008
Andy Caddick: still popular after all these years © Martin Williamson
Somerset have awarded Andy Caddick a second benefit in 2009, ten years after his first.Caddick, who turned 40 last month, made his first-team debut in 1991 and in 168 first-class matches he has taken 865 wickets for the county. He also played 62 Tests and 54 ODIs for England.”It’s a real honour to be awarded a benefit,” he said. “My focus of attention is now to make sure that I am fully fit and ready to go for the new season.”My winter training is going right to schedule and I will begin bowling in the New Year. My body is doing well so I feel pretty good about things.”Caddick’s appetite for the game remains strong, and he finished the 2007 season as the leading English wicket-taker, but during an injury-plagued 2008 season, in which he finally admitted that his England days were over, he took only 21 wickets.”Caddy is still going strong and is one of our leading bowlers 10 years after his first benefit,” chief executive Richard Gould said. “He has been a wonderful servant to the club and has been a wonderful example to all of the young cricketers who have grown up sharing a dressing-room with him.”

The League One campaign of Sheffield Wednesday did not get off to the best of starts on Saturday afternoon, as Darren Moore’s side were held to a goalless draw by Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

Much had been discussed prior to kick-off about whether the Owls manager would start either of his recent signings Florian Kamberi or Lee Gregory following Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town in the EFL cup last weekend – a fixture which the club ultimately lost on penalties – however, Kamberi would only make the bench, while Gregory was not included in the matchday squad at all.

Instead, the 47-year-old decided on a front three of Jaden Brown, Callum Paterson and Andre Green, although Paterson would be withdrawn after just 16 minutes due to injury.

And, as the game progressed, it was clear to see exactly why Moore had been so keen to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer, as his Wednesday side mustered just one shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes, from a total of six attempted efforts.

Perhaps the most disappointing of the attacking performances was given by Green, with the 23-year-old struggling to have any real impact on the game whatsoever.

Indeed, over his 64 minutes on the pitch, the £720k-rated man managed no shots – either on or off target – failed with his one attempted dribble and touched the ball a total of 20 times – 11 times fewer than Bailey Peacock-Farrell between the Sheffield Wednesday sticks.

The £6k-per-week winger also completed neither of his two attempted crosses, found his target with a mere seven of his 10 attempted passes and lost possession of the ball a total of nine times.

Furthermore, the former Burnley man won none of his seven duels, was dribbled past by an opponent on three occasions and committed one foul, before he too was forced off due to injury in the second half.

Overall, these metrics saw Green earn a highly disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.3, the worst of any player from either side to feature in the match.

As such, it would be a difficult argument to make for the winger to keep his place in the Sheffield Wednesday starting XI for the visit of Doncaster Rovers next week, with Green undoubtedly needing to up his game should he wish to play any sort of major role in the Owls’ push for promotion this season.

In other news: Chansiri masterclass: SWFC confirm transfer development that will have fans buzzing

According to Sky Sports, West Ham United are said to be the ‘most keen’ club of those being linked with Lille defender Sven Botman, despite the Hammers not making any ‘serious noises’ just yet.

The Lowdown: Moyes in centre-back market?

Strengthening West Ham’s options in central defence had been tipped as a real priority for manager David Moyes this summer, according to club insider Claret & Hugh.

That could be more important than ever given Fabian Balbuena has since departed the club, leaving just Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna as their only real options in that position.

The Latest: West Ham ‘most keen’ on Botman…

Of the Premier League clubs interested in Botman, it is explained by Sky that West Ham are now the ‘most keen’ on signing him, despite failing to make any ‘serious noises’ just yet.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments/” title=”West Ham latest developments…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Crystal Palace and Newcastle are behind the Irons in terms of interest while newly-promoted Norwich have also tracked him for a long time.

West Ham and other interested parties haven’t registered ‘concrete’ interest yet, while ‘top clubs’ like Man City, Man United and Tottenham admire the player but don’t believe he is ready for the top end of the Premier League just yet.

The Verdict: No brainer?

Valued at around £25.2 million by Transfermarkt, a fee of around that range could be a snip for Botman, given his exploits in 2020/2021.

Starting 37 Ligue 1 matches, the 21-year-old has apparently garnered massive praise from ex-West Ham defender Jose Fonte – with journalist Duncan Castles explaining that the centre-back believes Botman is a ‘machine’ (Planet Football).

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 4, only Tomas Soucek and ex-Irons forward Sebastian Haller won more aerial duels on average than Botman last season (WhoScored) – indicating that he is quite the towering presence.

Still young and with plenty of years ahead of him, a move for the Dutchman could be a real no-brainer.

In other news: ‘What a joke’…West Ham fans fume in response to official club post, find out more here.

Kanishkaa Balachandran previews the second Test between India A and Australia A in Hyderabad

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Hyderabad 08-Sep-2008
Amit Mishra is likely to feature in India A’s playing XI considering the Australians’ troubles against the spinners in Bangalore © Cricinfo Ltd.
Three-day games necessarily serve as warm-ups for bigger games. But the fixture at the plush Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium starting on Tuesday is more than just a warm-up. It’s the last chance for the bunch of hopefuls in the Australia A side to raise their hands for selection into a Test line-up which, till recently, was set in stone.The tourists’ face-saving performance in the second innings in Bangalore will be overshadowed by their first-innings collapse of 116 and had it not been for the poor weather on the opening morning, India A would have claimed a deserving victory.The Australians are certainly not accustomed to losing, and their coach, Simon Helmot, reiterated several times in his interaction with the media that positive cricket was the best and probably the only way to shock the Indian side out of their comfort zone and push for a win.An overcautious approach against India’s spinners, he felt, exposed the weaknesses in their batting but their improved display after following-on had set an example. “The Australian way is to win and that’s what we’re here for,” Helmot said. “We’ll play positively and in our team meeting today, we’ll talk only about winning.”They got on top of us in the first innings. We played more positively against them in the second. The important thing is, in Bangalore, we finished on a high and we’d like to take that momentum into the second game.”S Badrinath, the India A captain, shrugged off the disappointment of not being able to finish off the job in Bangalore, but stressed that the momentum was with his side. “We claimed the moral victory in the first game,” Badrinath said. “It’s up to us now to continue with that confidence. I thought we did our best there and I rate it as a tremendous effort.”The teams are, unfortunately, strapped for time to push for a result with only three days at their disposal. It begs the question as to why such an important pre-series build-up (to Australia’s tour of India next month) was restricted to three-day fixtures, while the touring New Zealand A side have the luxury of four-day games. Helmot, who couldn’t hide his disappointment at the scheduling, said it was near impossible to force a result, unless teams adopt an aggressive approach, force early declarations and impose pressure.More than positive cricket, the conditions will play a critical role on the eventual result. Much like Bangalore, the city has been lashed by evening rains but fortunately, it hasn’t interfered too much with the preparation of the pitch. The pitch has a greenish tinge to it but more importantly, the grass will not be shaved off on the morning of the game. The sight of the surface certainly had Helmot gushing, but curiously, the Indians begged to differ.Badrinath reckoned the batsmen would relish the surface, Parthiv Patel described it as a “batting belter” and Piyush Chawla sniggered – in his own lingo – to two of his fast bowling team-mates, which, roughly translated, meant “you guys are going to get hammered.”It can be easily inferred from those views what each captain would do after winning the toss. The Indians practised first on the eve of the match under overcast skies and if those conditions remain as consistent as the evening rainfall, then Badrinath might have to consider inserting the opposition.However, careful not to play into Australia’s strengths, Badrinath stated that the twelve for tomorrow had three specialist spinners but was non committal on whether all would make the final line-up. Australia’s struggles against spin in the first game could pave the way for Amit Mishra, the legspinner, to make his first appearance in the series and his extended session in the nets, under the guidance of coach Dav Whatmore, was an indication.Ashok Dinda, the Bengal seamer, has been drafted in to the squad as a replacement for the injured Sreesanth but his selection isn’t guaranteed. Badrinath hinted at a change at the opening combination, with Sahil Kukreja replacing his Mumbai team-mate Ajinkya Rahane in the twelve.Helmot reacted with surprise when informed of India’s twelve and admitted that India’s spin trio looked better equipped to exploit the conditions than his own. “They all look very good. They all bowl with good pace and variation,” he said. “Chawla and [Mohnish] Parmar worked well in tandem and [Sudeep] Tyagi got a lot of reverse swing in conditions that didn’t seem too conducive. It was a good workout for our guys actually.”Australia’s final line-up doesn’t have a really settled look to it, with a handful of players carrying niggles. Bryce McGain, the legspinner, has a sore shoulder, the seamer Ryan Harris has been ruled out with a chipped finger, and Beau Casson, the left-arm spinner, isn’t up to peak fitness either. Not surprisingly, Helmot said the line-up will be decided on the morning of the match. He indicated that Jason Krejza, the Tasmanian offspinner, will get a chance after sitting out in Bangalore.Both teams predictably spoke of carrying on with the momentum, but the ultimate result could hinge on which side reads the pitch better.Teams
India A (probable) 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Parthiv Patel (wk), 4 S Badrinath, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Piyush Chawla, 8 Vinay Kumar/Amit Mishra, 9 Mohnish Parmar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Sudeep TyagiAustralia A (probable) 1 Phillip Hughes, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Adam Voges, 4 Marcus North, 5 George Bailey, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Beau Casson/Jason Krejza, 8 Ashley Noffke, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Bryce McGain, 11 Doug Bollinger

Burnley have been offered the chance to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who is a target for Tottenham Hotspur, with the Clarets said to have submitted a loan offer for his signature [Sky Sports].

The Lowdown: Weston McKennie profiled

Emerging as one of the brightest talents to come out of the United States, the 23-year-old has excelled in Italy since joining up with the Old Lady in 2020.

Last term, he showed his ability in to mix it at the elite level, registering nine goal contributions in 46 fixtures for his current employers; six goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

In a surprising twist of fate, he could now be set for a move to Turf Moor  after constant links to north London in the last couple of weeks – some reports even suggested he was keen to reject interest from West Ham to join the Lilywhites instead.

The Latest: Burnley offered chance to sign McKennie; loan offer submitted

Burnley are said to have been offered the chance to acquire the USA international, with one source revealing that the Lancashire club have submitted a loan bid for the 6-foot ace [Sky Sports].

Of course, Tottenham have retained an interest in McKennie this window, being linked with a £40 million swoop last week for the anchor man to shore up their midfield ahead of the deadline [The Independent].

The Verdict: Losing out on McKennie to Burnley would be a sore one to take for Tottenham

In the market for a midfielder after the departure of long-serving ace Moussa Sissoko to Watford, the news that McKennie could be going elsewhere in England will come as a body blow to the Spurs hierarchy.

Carrying the requisite qualities to dictate play in central areas, he recorded an impressive pass accuracy average of 85.4% per game during the 2020/21 Serie A season [WhoScored].

McKennie has earned plenty of praise for his talents in the past, once being labelled as ‘outstanding’ by former Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel after scoring his first competitive goal for the club [Schalke 04 Official].

Should McKennie move to Burnley, he may turn out to be one that got away for Tottenham, as they could do with some reinforcements in midfield.

In other news, a Tottenham Hotspur ace has performed a u-turn on leaving the club. Find out more here.

After nearly seven weeks, Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial search is almost over…

What’s the word?

According to The Guardian’s Dave Hytner, Spurs are closing in on the appointment of former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte after positive talks between the two parties.

It’s thought that there is confidence at the club that the 51-year-old will sign on the dotted line, meaning Daniel Levy is very close to sealing a landmark hire.

The Lilywhites also want to recruit a new sporting director in the shape of Fabio Paratici, who has previously worked with Conte during a very successful spell at Juventus, where they won three Serie A titles.

It’s almost over

It certainly seems like Spurs’ quest to find the best successor to Jose Mourinho is finally drawing to a close.

There have been many bumps along the way, with several mooted top targets being ruled out of the running, such as Julian Naglesmann opting for Bayern Munich or Brendan Rodgers choosing to remain at Leicester City.

It’s also believed that Spurs made a big play for former coach Mauricio Pochettino but there was no way Paris Saint-Germain were letting him leave.

After so many setbacks, the north London faithful can finally start to get excited about the prospects of a new era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Levy nears the capture of Conte.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-manager-gossip-transfer-rumours-team-and-injury-updates-and-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, team and injury updates and more!”]

The Athletic claimed that Mourinho “sucked the culture out of the club” whilst many supporters laid into the Portuguese throughout the campaign, with some calling him a “dinosaur” and “washed up.”

Conte helped end an 11-year wait for the title at Inter Milan this season and has won a total of nine major trophies throughout his managerial career, including a Premier League and FA Cup at Chelsea, where he cleaned up Mourinho’s mess.

The 58-year-old left before the Blues went on to record their worst top-flight finish since 1996 but the Italian came in and won the league the very next season.

Hytner also claimed that Conte wants to be backed in the transfer window, so you’d imagine there have been assurances by Levy, as otherwise the club wouldn’t be on the verge of sealing his services.

Therefore, the Spurs fanbase should be buzzing by this latest news as they seemingly prepare to embark on an exciting and fresh start with Conte.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Conte: Levy could seal dream Spurs duo by signing “fearless” £26m titan…

Many Southampton fans have made it clear they do not want Fraser Forster to leave the club after he was linked with another loan move to Celtic.

Forster signed for the Saints in 2014 and has since gone on to make 138 appearances for the club, keeping 51 clean sheets along the way (Transfermarkt). His playing time has been significantly reduced more recently – over the last three seasons, he has made just nine Premier League appearances – and he spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan at Celtic.

It was from the Bhoys where £2.7m-valued Forster (Transfermarkt) was originally signed, and it seems that the Glasgow club would like to take him on a temporary basis once more according to journalist Alan Nixon – he even says that Celtic are in talks with the Saints over a possible loan move.

Forster appeared 13 times in all competitions for Southampton last term, so there is a chance that Ralph Hasenhuttl may want to use him regularly in the upcoming campaign. Also, as per WhoScored, he was the Saints’ best-performing goalkeeper in 2020/21, his 6.70 rating beating Alex McCarthy’s 6.49.

The news was relayed on Twitter by @SaintExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Forster news

“??”

Credit: @FtblBean

“Better be false.”

Credit: @newington13

“Noooo Desperately want to keep hold of Big Fraser”

Credit: @FrankLopezCoach

“What? He’s our best keeper who was excellent last year.”

Credit: @DomMooney1

“Better than McCarthy by far, not great news”

Credit: @BonePhill

“Very disappointing if that goes through, by far the better keeper!!! Not been treated well IMO!!!”

Credit: @paulbowring85

In other news, many Southampton fans want the club to sign this midfielder in the summer.

World Cup thinking was understandable as a distraction for batsmen during the National Bank Series but New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming thought the pressure to be in the side was a greater factor in batsmen’s minds

Lynn McConnell28-Dec-2002World Cup thinking was understandable as a distraction for batsmen during the National Bank Series but New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming thought the pressure to be in the side was a greater factor in batsmen’s minds.New Zealand have only six more games to get themselves into a confident frame of mind for the World Cup, and, in the process, into the sort of batting form that will make them a competitive unit in South Africa.Tomorrow’s match is even more important as it represents the last chance for players on the fringe to solidify their places.Fleming said the World Cup was very important to the players and he was hopeful that some of the diffidence being faced at the moment might be a repeat of the switch that was flicked before the 1992 World Cup. On that occasion, the New Zealanders quickly put behind them the poor form evident in their series with England and switched into some of the most impressive form witnessed in New Zealand.”I don’t think that looking ahead to the World Cup is detracting from this series. If anything, it has created a little more pressure for certain players and how they respond to that is a good test,” he said.Conditions would improve the longer the series went, and Fleming was confident the batsmen would get their opportunity in the remaining games.”As you go down the country, the wickets are pretty good, starting with Napier. Christchurch’s pitch looked very good for the Max International and hopefully as we work our way back up, they will all improve with the sunlight and the weather improving.”It’s too early to say panic because we haven’t got runs. There is a lot more cricket to be played in this series, especially for the batters and hopefully for us it starts tomorrow,” he said.One benefit for New Zealand from the dicey batting conditions had been a genuine sharpening of fielding and, especially, catching standards. That will always be of use going into the game’s major championship when every chance counts.”Every ball you think there is one coming, so you don’t go to sleep. There is always something happening which I think helps concentration,” he said.

Backed by a formidable first-innings total, Mumbai’s fast bowlers destroyed Delhi’s top order as the visitors slumped to 85 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ 500 on the second day at the Brabourne Stadium

The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium04-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Iqbal Abdulla scored his third half-century this year, pushing Mumbai past the 500-mark•ESPNcricinfo LtdBacked by a formidable first-innings total, Mumbai’s fast bowlers destroyed Delhi’s top order as the visitors slumped to 85 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ 500 on the second day at the Brabourne Stadium. It would have been four down had Wasim Jaffer, at second slip, pouched an easy offering from Rajat Bhatia, who played hard at a straighter delivery from Aavishkar Salvi after scoring his first run.But Mumbai, hopefully, would not rue the missed opportunity because for the second straight day they were busy making their own luck. They began the morning in a circumspect manner. Having crossed the 300-mark on the first day their two main goals were to go past 500 and stretch their stay in the middle. Interestingly their hero of the first day, Abhishek Nayar, the overnight centurion, was more subdued. It took him 17 balls to open his account, happily leaving the balls or just defending them.Mumbai had scored just seven runs by the fifth over when Ajit Agarkar, who scored a brisk half-century the previous evening, spooned an easy catch to Mithun Manhas at cover. Next, Ramesh Powar went for an audacious charge against a flighted delivery from left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra, and was clean bowled.Newcomer Iqbal Abdulla though, was more confident and sure about his footwork as he charged Mishra straightaway on his second ball to hit over the bowler’s head for a four. He declared his attacking intent with a strong sweep which raced past the square-leg ropes. Aged 17, and playing only his third match this season, Mishra was used less on the first day as Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya feared he would get exposed against the well-set left-hand pair of Nayar and Onkar Khanvilkar. Obviously, it was a defeatist strategy.Today Mishra did impart more flight but the lack of turn hurt him as the opposition continued to pick him with ease. Abdulla rocked back to cut a short and wide ball for a four as he set about to break the early tedium of the first hour. Though Nayar had started to open up finally after the first 90 minutes, his approach lacked the bold intent prevalent on Sunday. He later stepped out to Mishra, attempting to clear the long-on boundary, but could only loft an easy catch to Ishant Sharma at deep midwicket.Abdulla had found himself in more desperate situations on few occasions earlier this season and understood a balanced mixture of attack and caution would help him lead Mumbai towards 500. He followed that principle successfully and reached his third half-century this year with a strong square cut off medium pacer Parvinder Awana. Along with his Parkophene team-mate (a local Mumbai club) Usman Malvi, Abdulla stitched together a crucial 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket and the Delhi bowlers need to blame themselves as they gave enough space for the pair to take advantage.It was then the turn of the Mumbai’s fast bowlers to carry forward the advantage and they made full use of the customary afternoon breeze from the neighbouring Arabian sea through the West stand. Ajit Agarkar, Malvi and Aavishkar Salvi consistently troubled Delhi’s top order with movement in the air and off the pitch. Having been freshly rolled the pitch was hard, and Mumbai’s speedsters banged in the ball hard and stuck to the off stump line forcing the batsman to play.Mayank Tehlan, who had come in for the injured Aakash Chopra, tried to ground a fuller length, seaming away delivery from Malvi, but offered a straightforward catch to Khanvilkar at third slip. Aditya Jain picked two easy fours but was beaten by a superb outswinger from Agarkar that rapped the front pad and the umpire upheld the appeal instantly. Manhas was deceived by a superb delivery from Salvi next up, which pitched on length, kept moving straight before shaping out a little bit to uproot the off stump.All is not lost for Delhi, who will remain optimistic due to the presence of Shikhar Dhawan and Bhatia, who now will have to play a patient game without taking too many risks. Interestingly, Delhi are in the same precarious position as Mumbai were yesterday (86 for 3) till they were rescued by the heroics of Nayar.

Robert Key is aiming to enjoy his first one-day series in England blues in the hope of upping the scoring tempo for the remaining two Test matches of the Ashes series.

CricInfo04-Dec-2002Robert Key is aiming to enjoy his first one-day series in England blues in the hope of upping the scoring tempo for the remaining two Test matches of the Ashes series.Key believes the less strict format of the triangular series with Australia and Sri Lanka may help to develop a fresh approach for the Tests at Melbourne and Sydney over Christmas and New Year.”I’m going to go out there to enjoy it, try a few things out that you don’t get the chance to do in Test cricket and hopefully if we take them into the Tests it might work,” said Key, who has joined the one-day squad in Sydney while Michael Vaughan rests his sore right knee.”They’re a really good side, but all they do is the basics really well. They don’t run up and bowl magic balls at you, they bowl outside off stump and they don’t let you score a run.”They are good but it’s their discipline that counts. None of their bowlers run up and bowl big outswingers, they know exactly how to bowl and set the fields according to how each of them bowls and their discipline and their basics are what it is all about.”They bowl in a decent place and give themselves a chance of getting you out – they very rarely bowl you a bad ball. There are ways to combat someone bowling outside off stump, leaving it and things like that, because it’s not as if you’re out there wondering how you’re going to survive, you’re just wondering how you’re going to score.”England captain Nasser Hussain tried unsuccessfully to charge Glenn McGrath in the Perth test, while Key was trapped leg before walking across his stumps.Nasser tried it a bit when I was batting with him in the last Test whenMcGrath just wasn’t bowling a bad ball,” explained Key. “He started running at him and I tried walking across a couple of times but I was out lbw – you have to work on a couple of things just to try and break up his rhythm.”I enjoy one-day cricket because it gives you a chance to play your shots a bit more, particularly against these boys when you’re fighting for every run, leaving a lot and deciding whether or not to have a go.”Sometimes you can’t wait for a bad ball out here and you have to try and make something out of nothing. This is a good chance to try a few things and possibly take things into the Test series.”England’s build-up for the first section of the one-day series – matches against Australia in Sydney and Melbourne, and against Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Perth – with day-nighters against strong New South Wales and Australia A sides at the SCG over the next few days.”After being beaten pretty comprehensively in three games it gives us a chance to get out there and get a few wins and get something positive to look at rather than almost drowning your sorrows,” admitted Key.”This will hopefully give us the chance to get a bit of confidence. It’s my first tour, but I just find it a bit bizarre to play a one-day series in the middle of a Test series. I suppose it’s come at quite a good time where we can come away with something positive – if we play well in this series it can only do us good going into the last two Tests.”Admirer of the Australian side though he may be, Key admits to being less impressed by the standards of the sledging dished out to him during the last two Tests.”Steve Waugh called it mental disintegration, but I wouldn’t call it that – they’re just talking rubbish most of the time,” Key said. “I quite enjoy all the banter.”When they start getting at you I try and stare them down or try and come back with something if I’ve got something decent stored up. They’re no different from anyone really. They might be the best team in the world but their sledging’s pretty ordinary.”England will practice under lights tomorrow before Friday’s match against a New South Wales line-up which includes seven players with Test experience for Australia, including McGrath, both Waugh brothers, Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill.