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Sourav Ganguly will represent his home state Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha starting December 12

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2008
Sourav Ganguly’s international career is over, and he’s now keen to play for Bengal against Vidarbha © AFP
Sourav Ganguly will represent his home state Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha starting December 12. Ganguly, the former India captain, retired from international cricket earlier this month but has stated he will play in the IPL and the odd first-class game for Bengal.”We had requested Sourav to play for Bengal in the coming matches of the Ranji Trophy. He agreed, and gave us assurance that he will play in the Vidarbha match, which is good news for Bengal cricket,” said Cricket Association of Bengal joint-secretary Arun Mitra was quoted as saying by the .Ganguly is reportedly yet to decide on whether he will continue playing for Bengal should the side reach the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy. He was at the Eden Gardens to watch day two of Bengal’s match against Services in the Plate group.

Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, has insisted his team cannot use the difficult situation they find themselves in, after resuming their tour of India, as an excuse

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2008
Kevin Pietersen: “There is to be no nonsense said about what has happened. I told the boys this morning” © Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, has insisted his team cannot use the difficult situation they find themselves in, after resuming their tour of India, as an excuse for failing to deliver when the first Test starts in Chennai on Thursday.England only arrived from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, where they spent three days practising while the final decision was made to travel back to India, and have just two days in the build-up to Test. The first of those has already been disrupted by rain, and with more forecast England are going into the match severely undercooked.The squad has been widely applauded for resuming the tour – and have said they will give half their match fees to help the Mumbai victims – leading to the suggestion that the result of the series doesn’t matter. That doesn’t stand with Pietersen, though, who said that once play starts his team need to be fully focused on beating India.”You could say we can’t lose in this situation, but that’s also a way of looking at things negatively and finding excuses – I don’t want any excuses about what has happened,” Pietersen told the . “There is to be no nonsense said about what has happened. I told the boys this morning that it’s a case of coming to this Test match series like it would be in England.”What has happened has happened and we can’t control it, but we’re in a very privileged position to be playing Test match cricket in India and we’ve got to deal with it in a professional manner.”After having such a positive start to his captaincy career against South Africa, Pietersen’s record has come crashing down. First there was the Stanford Super Series where England were thrashed in the final, and off-field events made more news than the cricket, then the one-day side was beaten 5-0 before the Mumbai terror attacks turned Pietersen from a cricketer into a diplomat. At least now he can get back to his main job.”The main focus now is definitely on the Test series,” Pietersen said. “It hasn’t been a great start to the winter, there’s been so much that’s happened in the last six weeks and it’s now a case of getting on and concentrating on the cricket.”We need to chuck everything away that’s happened in that six weeks to make sure that now our primary goal and focus is to try and win this Test match series.”The first of Pietersen’s major decisions will be the composition of the final XI in Chennai. Before the team returned the prospect of fielding two spinners – and handing a debut to Graeme Swann – was gathering speed, but with the damp weather around Chennai the temptation will be there to field an extra fast bowler.Amjad Khan, the Kent fast bowler, is part of the squad in place of the injured Ryan Sidebottom and would be in line for a Test debut as Stuart Broad is ruled out by a hamstring strain.”There are a lot of cricket issues to think through,” Pietersen said. “My head has been given a full working over during the last few days. It’s been emotional trying to work out what players are going to do and what team we were going to bring and now we’ve got a full squad it means we can choose from that. The cricket brain has switched on and decisions have to be made.”

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson must deal with a double injury blow ahead of their League One fixture at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by The Northern Echo, Johnson revealed that both Corry Evans and Ollie Younger are set to miss the Black Cats’ clash with AFC Wimbledon this weekend. The Northern Ireland international is expected to return to action next week after suffering a muscle injury in the win over MK Dons last Saturday, while the centre-back will be rested for three or four days due to a hamstring injury.

The 40-year-old gave this injury update ahead of today’s clash: “We’re in a good space physically. There’s only Corry Evans. Ollie Younger picked up a little knock or a little feeling in his hamstring.

“It’s not a tear, it’s just a little pinch point so he will be rested over the next three or four days. Obviously, you know Denver [Hume’s] situation as he returns back to full fitness. I think, apart from that, everybody is good.”

Johnson will be gutted

While Evans only joined Sunderland in July, it is evident that the central midfielder is already a very important player within Johnson’s side. The Mackems boss made the 31-year-old the club captain soon after his arrival, as well as starting the £360k-rated man in the club’s opening two games of the season.

Indeed, it would appear to be no coincidence that the Black Cats emerged victorious in both fixtures in which Evans has featured, while losing in the absence of the midfielder in their midweek clash at Burton Albion.

Meanwhile, although Younger is yet to feature in the league this season, the 21-year-old turned in a decent performance in the Carabao Cup win over Port Vale last week, with his injury putting further strain on a position in which the club already have Arbenit Xhemajli and Jordan Willis on the treatment table.

As such, the injuries to Evans and Younger will have left the manager gutted, and he will undoubtedly be hoping that his side can return to winning ways against Wimbledon on Saturday despite those two unwelcome absences.

In other news: SAFC in “advanced talks” over “fantastic” £180k-rated dynamo, Johnson will be buzzing

Mohammad Yousuf has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board for being subservient to the Indian board and not raising any objections to the BCCI’s decision to ban the ICL players for life

Cricinfo staff13-Jan-2009
Mohammad Yousuf: “Tell me are we committing some crime going to play in the league? I say there is nothing to stop the board from lifting the ban on us if it wants to” © AFP
Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman who recently signed up to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their subservience to the Indian board, particularly in their ongoing policy of life bans on ICL players.Some hope had emerged for Pakistan players involved with the ICL to have their bans lifted after PCB director general Javed Miandad openly questioned the rationale of the ban. He called on all cricket boards to resolve the issue and restore normalcy, especially in Pakistan, which has lost several cricketers to the ICL.”I just say the Pakistan board should take its own independent decision. It should not toe the line of the Indians,” Yousuf said in an interview on a popular show on Geo Super, a local sports channel. “What have they given us? They even refused to tour the country recently.””There is no such ruling from the ICC on ICL players. Tell me are we committing some crime going to play in the league? I say there is nothing to stop the board from lifting the ban on us if it wants to. Javed Miandad is now director general and he should keep his word.”Yousuf, for the second time in as many months, also launched a stinging attack on the current Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and the selectors for not treating him with enough respect. Yousuf was never considered for the captaincy at any stage and was omitted from Pakistan’s Twenty20 plans. He again called into question Malik’s qualifications for the captaincy.”Tell me on what grounds did they decide I was not fit for Twenty20 cricket? What was the criteria for deciding this?” Yousuf said. “Tell me how did Shoaib Malik deserve to be the captain? How can you make a player a captain who is not certain of a place in the national Test or one-day team.”Ironically, Yousuf is currently ranked No.2 in the ICC Test rankings despite being ineligible to play international cricket and despite Pakistan not playing a single Test last year.

Manchester City fans are unhappy with the news that Harry Kane has confirmed he will be staying at Tottenham Hotspur.

Earlier this summer, Kane dropped a bombshell on Spurs by telling the north-London outfit he wanted to leave the club before the end of the transfer window (Sky Sports).

The Citizens have always been the main team in pursuit of the 28-year-old England captain, and it looked at one point like a deal was possible (The Guardian).

However, Tottenham refused to let their star leave without a fight and, as we approach the final week of the window, Kane has made a decision of his future. On Twitter, he has revealed that he will be staying with the Lilywhites and is 100% committed to helping the north London outfit succeed.

The news was relayed on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kane news below

“This is an outrage”

Credit: @Eddy56230239

“Shambles.”

Credit: @King_Kevin100

“Shock. What a waste of time and resource trying to buy a player that was overvalued with the owner (quite rightly so) no accepting anything less than 150 upfront. Poor business from City.”

Credit: @commando42

“We’ve wasted so much of our time chasing a striker who wasn’t serious about joining our club , if he wanted to he would have forced that move. We cannot afford to go into this season without a striker , not to retain Premier League or even stake a claim on Champions League.”

Credit: @dean41786543

“We’ve been trying to get him since march btw lol. What a waste of time”

Credit: @SilkyCyrus_74

“It’s time for Ronaldo, don’t bottle it”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

In other news, Manchester City fans were livid at these Pep Guardiola comments.

Middlesbrough have reportedly opened talks with Sheffield United winger Oliver Burke over a summer move to the club.

The Lowdown: Burke struggles at Blades

The Scotland international has struggled to make an impression at Bramall Lane, scoring and assisting just once apiece in the Premier League last season.

The Blades are thought to be willing to listen to offers for Burke this summer and he may not be without suitors.

The Latest: Middlesbrough move for winger

According to Football Insider’s Boro source, ‘discussions are underway’ between Middlesbrough and United over a move to the fellow Championship club.

Nottingham Forest, West Brom, Celtic and RB Leipzig are also thought to be interested in signing the 24-year-old, who has won 13 caps for his country.

The Verdict: Time to move on

Burke is a talented attacking player but he has been a disappointing signing for the Blades, so it makes sense for him to move on this summer.

The Scot still has two years remaining on his current deal, meaning United could receive a hefty fee for his services, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £5.4million.

Admittedly, selling Burke to another Championship team could help strengthen a rival, but Slavisa Jokanovic doesn’t appear to see a future for him at Bramall Lane, so there is little point keeping hold of a depreciating asset.

In other news, another Sheffield United player is set for an exit this summer. Find out who it is here.

Oman will meet Bhutan in Wednesday’s final of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai after registering comprehensive wins in their semi-finals

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2009
Sultan Ahmed on his way to 95* as Oman beat Maldives in the semi-finals of the Asian Cricket Council Challenge © ACC
Oman will meet Bhutan in Wednesday’s final of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai after registering comprehensive wins in their semi-finals.Bhutan provided the upset in defeating hosts Thailand by 92 runs in an unexpectedly one-sided game. Bhutan made 164 and in reply Thailand, who won all their group games, were bowled out for 72. Comments by Zeeshan Khan, Thailand’s captain, after the group-stage win over Iran proved depressingly prescient. “We have a habit of just falling short on the big occasions,” he admitted, and so it proved again as Dilip Subba (4 for 13) and Dampo (5 for 29) cut them to shreds.The other semi-final went according to the form book as Oman easily beat Maldives by 102 runs. An unbeaten 95 by Sultan Ahmed formed the backbone of Oman’s 240, his sixth-wicket stand of 100 with Awal Khan rescuing them from a wobbly 90 for 5. Most of the Maldives batsmen got starts but none was able to play the anchor innings and they were dismissed for 138 in the 40th over, Amir Ali polishing off the tail with 3 for 4.

Andrew McGlashan presents the plays of the day from Jamaica

Andrew McGlashan in Jamaica07-Feb-2009
Kevin Pietersen was clean bowled by a beautiful delivery from Jerome Taylor © AFP
A hint of Gordon
Sulieman Benn had a fine game. Not content with taking plenty of wickets he then showed he is no pushover with the bat, in a valuable stand with Brendan Nash. One shot, early on the fourth morning, stood out when he effortlessly flicked Stuart Broad over the square-leg boundary for six. The way he played it, on one leg with rapid bat speed, had more than hint of Gordon Greenidge about it and it got the home supporters jumping.A breakthrough in every sense
Broad needed a haul to settle himself into Test cricket. In his 10 previous Tests he’d never managed more than three wickets in an innings, so it was a key moment for him when he had Benn taken at point off a loose drive. Broad is a work-in-progress, but England are keen to see him develop as swiftly as possible because he brings extra skills to the side with his batting and fielding. With four scalps under his belt he then got his first ‘statistical’ haul when Nash was caught behind, and his first five-fer was in the bag.TV pictures, human error
Another day, another controversial moment for the TV umpire. Daryl Harper will be quite happy to vacate his seat after this Test. This time the issue was that there was evidence that Tony Hill – yes, sadly it was him again – had made an error in giving Daren Powell out, caught down the leg side. Replays showed daylight between bat and ball, yet Harper decided there wasn’t enough evidence to overrule Hill. The consensus around the ground was he hadn’t hit it and the debate rumbles on.In, out, in
West Indies wanted early wickets and the tone was set when Alastair Cook pushed lazily at a full ball from Jerome Taylor. Devon Smith, though, at second slip did his best to drop it, parrying the ball to his right before lunging after it and grabbing the second attempt. He did remarkably well to hold himself together and West Indies set off on what would be the first of many celebration sprints.Pure Caribbean
Jerome Taylor will never forget this day, and he may never bowl a better ball than the late, full outswinger that castled Kevin Pietersen. It was his first delivery after lunch, but there was no thought of a loosener. The ball began on a path to middle and Pietersen shaped to whip it through midwicket. But then, at the last minute, it straightened and beat his closing face to send the off stump cartwheeling back towards the wicketkeeper. It was the type of dismissal that lit up the Caribbean during the 1980s and West Indies were finding a new generation of heroes.Light relief
The Barmy Army resorted to singing Monty Python’s , the old staple of many an England collapse, and one moment of small relief came when Andrew Flintoff thumped Sulieman Benn for a boundary in the 28th over. Such had been England’s struggle that it was the first four of the innings, however it was laced with the forlornness that had enveloped much of the visitors’ effort.Party time
It’s been a decent few months for Chris Gayle; a million-dollar winner in the Stanford tournament and now this memorable victory. He enjoyed himself a little too much at Sabina Park five years ago, but this time he is perfectly entitled to let his hair down. “I went into the party stand and got into a bit of trouble,” he said. “But I’ll be going over there today.” After his efforts over the four days of this Test no one will begrudge him.

Manchester City are enjoying a growing reputation for establishing young players and Cole Palmer could well be the next top talent off the production line at the Etihad.

The 19-year-old was rewarded with his first Premier League appearance in the 5-0 win against Norwich City recently, whilst he also started in the Community Shield against Leicester City, which emphasises that he is definitely in Pep Guardiola’s thoughts.

As an attacking-midfielder, comparisons to Phil Foden are always going to be likely and there seems little reason to suggest that Palmer can’t make it as a regular at Manchester City in the future.

The Englishman followed up his appearance against the Canaries with a dominant performance for Manchester City U21s in the Papa John’s Trophy against League Two side Scunthorpe United, scoring a superb goal in the 3-0 win.

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Academy manager Brian Barry-Murphy was full of praise for the youngster following the game, saying:

“He plays the game on a level I could never dream of. My first impression was how humble he was, how hard-working he was, how respectful of his teammates he was. I know they’re clichés but it’s very refreshing to see.

“His work rate without the ball is very inspiring. The other players will always notice how he is. His ability with the ball is a given, you’re expecting what you expect and what you saw today was some amazing individual skill.”

Barry-Murphy will be in regular contact with Guardiola over the progress of his young players and if Palmer continues to perform like this, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him quickly establish himself as a first-team player.

Like Foden, Palmer will likely be slowly introduced into the first-team with occasional appearances from the bench and starts against inferior opposition but that certainly worked out for the 21-year-old, who became a key player for the Citizens last season on their way to the title.

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Palmer managed 13 goals and six assists in the Premier League 2 last season and has clearly given Guardiola something to think about. With those kinds of numbers under his belt, it’s clear to see why he’s in the mould of Foden, a player who contributed to 26 goals last term.

And, in other news… Txiki should seal swoop for “outstanding” goal-machine after ex-player claim

When Rangers resume after the international break, Steven Gerrard has a big decision to make when it comes to selecting a goalkeeper.

After both Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin were ruled out after testing positive for covid, Gerrard was forced to select McCrorie in between the sticks for the games against Alashkert and Celtic.

The 23-year-old shot-stopper, who had never played for Rangers’ senior side before, impressively kept clean sheets as Rangers drew 0-0 and 1-0 in those respective games, which should surely give Gerrard something to think about ahead of their game against St Johnstone next weekend.

A graduate of the Rangers academy, McCrorie has spent each of the last four seasons out on loan, progressing through the leagues with spells at Berwick Rangers, Greenock Morton, Queen of the South and Livingston.

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Last season saw the ‘keeper make 26 appearances for the Lions, in which he conceded 46 goals and kept four clean sheets, and whilst this isn’t the greatest record, it gave him some much-needed experience in the top-flight, which definitely will have helped him through the recent fixtures.

After he made his debut in the draw against Alashkert, which secured Rangers’ spot in the Europa League group stages, assistant manager Gary McAllister was full of praise for the young goalkeeper, saying:

“We have loads of belief in Robby and he didn’t let us down.”

“I thought he dealt with the ball well and the one awkward shot that came in low and bounced in front of him, I thought he handled that well.

“So it is a very good debut.”

McCrorie is reaching the age where he needs to be playing senior football regularly and although Gerrard has alternated between McLaughlin and McGregor so far this season, they are 33 and 39 respectively, so the 41-year-old manager should definitely consider giving the 23-year-old more first-team opportunities after he proved himself in those aforementioned displays.

And, in other news… Manager drops concerning transfer update on “fantastic” Rangers beast