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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.

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.

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.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Nathan Patterson to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Steven Gerrard has informed Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens that the 20-year-old right-back is one of his top transfer targets ahead of the winter market.

The report goes on to state that, while the 41-year-old manager does not want to ruin his relationship with Rangers by raiding his former side of their most promising talents, the former Liverpool captain nevertheless believes that a number of players at Ibrox are capable of making the step up to Premier League football, and will look to offer them a chance to do so at Aston Villa.

NSWE must move

Considering the remarkable talent Patterson developed into under the leadership of Gerrard at Rangers, in addition to the fact that Villa are somewhat short of cover for Matty Cash on the right-hand side of their defence, it would seem highly advisable for NSWE to grant Gerrard’s wish of signing the 20-year-old in January.

Having been handed his debut in professional football by Gerrard back in January 2020, Patterson has since gone on to make 22 appearances for the Gers first team, as well as having already been capped six times by Scotland at international level.

And, while the right-back’s game time has undoubtedly been limited by the fact that club captain James Tavernier is currently ahead of him in the pecking order at Ibrox, the £1.17m-rated youngster has nevertheless impressed when given the opportunity to do so, having already provided one assist and created one big chance over his three Scottish Premiership appearances this season.

The £4.9k-per-week defender has also highly impressed over his four World Cup qualifying fixtures for Scotland, scoring one goal, registering one assist and helping his side keep two clean sheets in their group, with Southampton striker Che Adams stating after Patterson’s goal in Scotland’s 2-0 win over Moldova last Friday: “Nathan’s an amazing player and a great guy off the pitch so I’m delighted for him.

“He’s a good young prospect coming through for the nation and hopefully he can continue and keep adding goals as well. These guys give us hope for the future. To keep getting club minutes is important, to keep building and growing as a player and learn their craft.

“But that’s what they’re doing. They’re delivering on cold nights in Moldova, so there’s no reason why they can’t do it anywhere else.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that Patterson is an exceptionally exciting talent, and one who there would very much appear to be room for in Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad at Villa Park, as the signing of the Everton-linked defender would undoubtedly be a big coup for Aston Villa.

In other news: Lange could transform Gerrard’s AVFC by signing “frightening” £20m gem likened to Mane

Leeds United are reportedly interested in making a move for Reading midfielder John Swift, with a host of other clubs also in the mix.

The Lowdown: Swift impresses for Reading

The 26-year-old has arguably been one of the standout players in the Championship so far this season, despite the Royals sitting 16th in the table. He has scored eight goals and registered seven assists in 17 appearances, bringing a huge amount of end product from the middle of the park.

His performances may soon lead to him getting a move to the Premier League, if a fresh report is to be believed.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Leeds linked with move

According to The Sheffield Star, Leeds are one of the clubs who are ‘considering bids’ for Swift, who won 13 caps for England’s under-21s in the past.

Burnley and Wolves are also credited with interest, but Sheffield United have pulled out of the race, acknowledging that interest from the Premier League trio would make it near-impossible for the Blades to capture him.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-24/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Good squad addition

It can be easy to turn your nose up at the thought of Leeds signing a Championship player, but Swift is in a rich vein of form and he could provide Marcelo Bielsa with greater squad depth.

His aforementioned goal and assist contribution is highly impressive and could give the Whites an added threat in the final third, something they have perhaps lacked this season with 2020/21 top scorer Patrick Bamford being laid low with injury. Also, at the age 26, the Reading maestro still has time to improve even further.

Much like Leeds-linked winger Lewis O’Brien, Swift might not necessarily come in as a key player straight away but he could be a handy addition in January, being described as ‘fantastic’ by Veljko Paunovic recently.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on signing a striker – find out who it is here.

West Brom manager Valerien Ismael hailed teenager Taylor Gardner-Hickman for his performance against Hull City in the week.

And a number of Baggies supporters have been reacting to Ismael’s comments after the club posted them on their official Twitter page on Thursday.

The 19-year-old was handed a first Championship start in the 1-0 win at The Hawthorns and took his opportunity with Darnell Furlong suspended.

Gardner-Hickman played on the right-hand side in a 3-4-2-1 system and made two tackles, one key pass and won six duels. [SofaScore]

He recorded a better match rating than senior professionals Jake Livermore and Matt Phillips, with West Brom sharing a clip of Ismael and Gardner-Hickman online.

Ismael labelled the youngster as man of the match, describing his performance as ‘great’.

West Brom fans react

This is what these Baggies fans had to say in reply to the club’s official post, with a few hoping to see him keep his place against Middlesbrough on Saturday but some taking the chance to hit out at Ismael.

“Klopp without the ability”

Credit: @LukeRowland015

“I am really fond of our manager. It will end in tears as being fond of a manager always does, but it’s great to have a manager who seems to be such a good bloke.”

Credit: @SafiyaOutlines

“Agree Val not brave enough to stand by him cuz his shocking management is putting pressure on him”

Credit: @RobertByron11

“He better start next week”

Credit: @Jakecolclough4

“Don’t drop him for Furlong!”

Credit: @Mickthedec57

“Had a fantastic game. Shame he will more than likely be dropped”

Credit: @daveyg71

If Antonio Conte wanted his first game to sum up everything he will have to work with at Tottenham, then he no doubt saw it all against Vitesse in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.

The Italian witnessed a quite incredible opening game in charge, with the Lilywhites storming into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2 and seeing three red cards dished out in a frantic second half.

The defending would have left him scratching his head at times, but Conte would surely have been very excited by the performance and potential of one of the club’s summer signings in Emerson Royal.

The man signed by Fabio Paratici was deployed in the right wing-back role in Conte’s favoured formation and showed all the signs of industry and dynamism which could make him a real big player for the former Inter boss.

As per Sofascore, he won eight duels on the night (the joint-second most of any player on the pitch behind international compatriot Lucas Moura), made the most tackles with five, and had the second-most touches of any Spurs player with 81.

Whether it was being intense and fully engaged with the way he tried to pressure the ball, or his powerful running going forward, the Brazilian was a superb outlet for Spurs, especially on the counter-attack.

It was the former Betis man’s charging run towards the closing stages of the game which eventually saw Vitesse’s goalkeeper sent off after being adjudged to having handled the ball outside of his box.

Writing in their post-match ratings for Hotspur HQ, they gave Emerson a 7.5, saying: “From an offensive perspective, Emerson Royal is getting better and better. Royal was a consistent outlet on the right and pushed forward early and often. Royal showed stepovers and a willingness to knock the ball into the box.

“As the team went down a man Royal did what he could in the back four, although not a natural fullback. Was right back on the front foot after the Vitesse card. It was Royal beating Markus Schubert to a ball down that wing that led to Vitesse’s second red card. Endless energy and effort.”

If the first game under the new manager was anything to go by, then Emerson could be a game-changing player under Conte with his relentless work down the right flank, and the Italian would surely have been raving with the 22-year-old’s performance on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Spurs must replace this midfielder…

Regardless of the result between Australia and India at Centurion, Pakistan will be aiming to keep their game in working order when they take on the world champions in Centurion on Wednesday

Osman Samiuddin in Johannesburg28-Sep-2009Pakistan’s deal is not quite done yet. Two wins from two, in this tight tournament, at least means onward progress to the semi-final rests in their own hands. Regardless of the result between Australia and India at Centurion, they will be aiming to keep their game in working order when they take on the world champions in Centurion on Wednesday.”Our preparation is going really well at the moment,” Intikhab Alam, Pakistan’s coach, said after an energetic training session at the University of Witwatersrand ground in Johannesburg. “You have to have different strategies against different sides. You can’t go with the same strategy as we did against India. We have to look at their strengths batting and bowling and prepare accordingly to that.”Pakistan will be confident, despite a poor recent record against Australia; they’ve won only three of the last 12 encounters between the sides. “You cannot deny they are the world champions. We lost the series earlier this year (3-2) but I reckon we should’ve won it and we beat them in the T20. We are confident.”It’s always a challenge to play against better sides. This team has so much potential. Everyone has got a role, batsmen, bowlers and fielders and they all know what to do. If plan A doesn’t work the captain is there to implement plan B. We have to take Australia’s key points and work to that.”Though progress has been smooth, Pakistan are not without dilemmas. The first is a pleasant, selectorial one. Mohammad Asif has yet to play a part in the tournament, despite intense speculation before each of the two games. If the game becomes a dead rubber, he may well get a look-in. “It’s a very healthy sign that your bench strength is such that good players have to sit out. The problem is for selectors in picking a team – if a guy is bowling well, how can you drop him? It is a healthy sign.”The other is an age-old one. On Saturday against India, Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer gave away six no-balls – and free hits – between them, most of which were punished. Australia will, like India, not waste such offerings. Work is being done on the issue, but match conditions, said Intikhab, are inevitably different.”We are very strict when we do practice and we always call no-balls in the nets. At times what happens is that pressure builds up and you stretch and strive and that is where you go wrong. It shouldn’t happen at all. I don’t think there will be that much pressure against Australia – we want to keep winning. It’s a crime to bowl a no-ball or wide with free hits.”

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.

Worcestershire are awaiting the results of scans on Simon Jones to find out if he is likely to be able to play again in the near future

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2009Worcestershire are awaiting the results of scans on Simon Jones to find out if he is likely to be able to play again in the near future.Jones, who has been dogged by injury since he was forced to miss the final Test of the 2005 Ashes series, underwent surgery on his knee in April and at the time it was expected he would be able to play the second half of the summer. A comeback in the second team had tentatively been set for June 30, but his knee is still causing concern and so the county have sent him for another scan.”We’ll know more in the week,” Steve Rhodes, the county’s director of cricket, told the Press Association. “We’re waiting for some stuff from the surgeon. We’ve got the results of scans and tests and all sorts of stuff to come and we’ll get the surgeon to tell us what’s going on. Then we’ll know exactly what the plan of attack will be.”