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Italy have set up an exciting finish to the World Cricket League Division 4 after beating Tanzania by nine wickets

Cricinfo staff09-Oct-2008<!–
Hasti Gul celebrates one of his three wickets © Cricket Europe/ICC
–>Italy have set up an exciting finish to the World Cricket League Division 4 after beating Tanzania by nine wickets.If Italy win their final match against Afghanistan tomorrow, and Hong Kong beat Jersey, both sides will be guaranteed promotion to Division 3 – even though Afghanistan are unbeaten – owing to their superior run-rate.Andy Northcote was again the star for Italy, picking up two cheap wickets before cracking 71. Tanzania’s batsmen struggled, managing 135, and only Rishen Patel (46) offered any resistance. Northcote was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 19 from his ten overs, and was given good support by Gayashan de Silva (2 for 29) and HS Jayasena (2 for 36).Chasing 136 Italy romped home, with Northcote scorching nine fours in his 115-ball 71. He is comfortably the tournament’s top-scorer, averaging 100.50 in the four matches so far, and a strong contender for the Man-of-the-Tournament award.”I can’t tell you how happy I am today,” said Northcote. “The most important thing is we have one game to go and we have to win it. It will be tough tomorrow but we can do it.”The Italy coach and captain, Joe Scuderi, believes tomorrow’s match-up will be an exciting game and admitted he has been impressed by Afghanistan’s side. “Afghanistan has got a fairly solid all-round team. They have some good batters, some quick bowlers and a couple of good spinners as well. We’ll need to be firing on all cylinders,” said Scuderi. “We played against them in a warm-up game when we lost by three runs but we’ve now won three in a row.”It’s basically a grand final. I know they talk of the final being on Saturday but for us the final is tomorrow.”

Afghanistan 4 4 0 0 08 +1.183 683/181.4 469/182.0 Italy 4 3 1 0 0 6+1.724 768/163.1 528/177.0 Hong Kong 43 1 0 0 6 +1.586902/191.0 598/190.4 Jersey 4 13 0 0 2 -0.602 538/176.0644/176.0 Tanzania 4 1 30 0 2 -0.803 528/196.0 637/182.1 Fiji 4 0 4 00 0 -3.085 369/176.0 912/176.0

Journalist Luke Hatfield believes that West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could stay at the club this summer and potentially leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The goalkeeper has been at the centre of a transfer saga throughout the transfer window, as he has been heavily linked with a potential move to West Ham United.

They have signed Alphonse Areola on loan from PSG instead, though, leaving Johnstone’s future up in the air.

Both Arsenal and Leeds United have also been linked but Hatfield is of the opinion that clubs may decide to wait until next summer, when they may be able to lure him away from The Hawthorns for nothing.

However, he admits that may be a risky strategy, as interest will surely increase given the affordability of a deal.

Johnstone impressed last season as the Baggies were relegated and actually made the most saves in the Premier League of any goalkeeper.

Hatfield said: “Yeah, there is always that opportunity because clubs will look at it and say ‘why should we pay money for you now when in a year’s time, you’re out of contract and we can sign you for free?’

“The risk that they play then, of course, is that the summer comes and then there are six or seven clubs interested in Sam Johnstone and all of a sudden, you’ve got to offer improved terms over all of those.

“You’ll maybe end up paying more wages than you’d hope to for him and a signing-on fee as well. Although you don’t pay a transfer fee, you’ll probably shell out a pretty hefty signing-on fee for him.”

Italian football expert Conor Clancy believes highly-rated teenager Aaron Hickey would be interested in sealing a return to Celtic this summer.

Hickey, who enjoyed time in the Scottish giants’ academy, is currently plying his trade at Serie A club Bologna having joined from Hearts last September.

The Glasgow-born left-back’s first season overseas did not go to plan as extended periods on the sidelines, thanks to injuries and contracting coronavirus, resulted in him being restricted to just 12 appearances.

Celtic and their manager Ange Postecoglou, along with Italian outfit Fiorentina, are courting the 19-year-old according to Italian media outlet La Nazione, via the Scottish Sun.

Italian newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, via the Daily Record, claim Bologna are seeking a minimum of £8million for Hickey as they want to see the hot prospect remain on their books.

Clancy, the editor of Forza Italian Football, feels being involved in European football could sway Hickey in favour of heading back to Parkhead rather than remaining in Italy.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “He seems content enough in Italy. But if Celtic come knocking, as a Scottish person, that is a big draw. Obviously, Celtic have more of a possibility of offering European football than Bologna.”

The multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League appears to have netted another big name with Dilip Vengsarkar, the former Indian captain and current chairman of selectors, reportedly set to join them as the Director of Operations

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2008
Is Dilip Vengsarkar set to join the IPL bandwagon? © Getty Images
The multi-billion-dollar Indian Premier League appears to have netted another big name with Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain and current chairman of selectors, reportedly set to join the league as its Director of Operations.Reports suggest Vengsarkar, whose tenure ends in September, will join the IPL for a two-year period and is expected to be paid an annual salary of around US$ 235,000.The move will come as a major step in the Indian board’s relationship with Vengsarkar, one that has been strained in the past. Vengsarkar had his share of run-ins with the BCCI, including one over writing columns in newspapers. He even demanded a hefty compensation for having to stop writing.Now Vengsarkar is set to join two other former India captains in the IPL roster – Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri are already part of the IPL governing council.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has described the exits of Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw as “horrendous”.

Both players officially joined Celtic this summer after their contracts at Hillsborough expired, with the former’s transfer confirmed at the start of the month.

Urhoghide was offered a new contract by Wednesday at the end of last season before deciding to move to Celtic, while Shaw had already agreed to join the Scottish giants back in March.

For Palmer, to lose both players for nothing is ridiculous. On the two departures, the ex-Wednesday star exclusively told TT:

“It’s horrendous what happened with him and Shaw, both young players who are at the club and have been allowed to basically leave for free.

“I’ve seen a quote from Darren Moore basically saying it’s criminal that these guys were allowed to run their contracts down.

“You’ve got two good young players there who are the future of the club, future money. Surely you don’t let them get down to the last year of their contract?”

Urhoghide, 21, and Shaw, 20, they both certainly did look like the future of Wednesday.

The Celtic duo were already in the Wednesday first team, a Wednesday first team playing in the Championship. In a division lower, you would have expected both to feature, continue developing and perhaps help the Owls win promotion.

Former Premier League Striker Dean Windass believes that players in the Championship need a chance in the Premier League, amid Everton’s reported interest in Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong.

According to Football Insider earlier this month, the Toffees are interested in Armstrong following a string of good performances last season, although it was said they could lose out to Southampton.

The forward managed to score 29 goals in all competitions for Blackburn, including two hat-tricks in the club’s final three Championship matches of the season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was Everton’s top scorer last season with 21 goals in all competitions, with the next closest to him Richarlison on 13 goals, and so new manager Rafa Benitez may look to add to his striking options before the window slams shut on August 31.

On Everton being linked with Armstrong, Windass told Football FanCast: “You’ve got to give these kids who have done well for Championship clubs, you’ve got to give him [Armstrong] a chance.”

Armstrong would also offer Everton versatility as he can play off both the left and right wing, so if Rafa Benitez wants to rotate his system, Armstrong could play anywhere across the front line.

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Acertado com o Atlético-MG, em troca envolvendo a ida de Clayton para o Corinthians, o meia-atacante Marlone enviou uma mensagem em tom de despedida do clube paulista nesta quinta-feira. O jogador pediu respeito e citou “uma covardia muito grande” em relação a alguns profissionais do clube.

– Estou muito chateado com o que algumas pessoas do Corinthians estão passando para a imprensa a meu respeito. É uma covardia muito grande. Quem me conhece sabe como sou extremamente profissional e comprometido. Basta vocês perguntarem a todos os profissionais com os quais trabalhei até hoje, sejam atletas, treinadores e todos os companheiros de clube, duvido que alguém tenha alguma coisa negativa para falar sobre a minha conduta. Eu tenho um carinho muito grande pelo Corinthians, representei o clube com todas as minhas forças, com todo comprometimento, dedicação e profissionalismo, e não admito que digam mentiras a meu respeito. Aproveito a oportunidade para demonstrar o meu eterno reconhecimento a Fiel, aos meus companheiros de time e todos os profissionais do Corinthians com os quais tive a honra de trabalhar neste período – afirmou Marlone, por meio de sua assessoria de imprensa.

A troca envolvendo Marlone e Clayton entre Corinthians e Atlético-MG está confirmada. Os jogadores serão cedidos por empréstimo até o fim desta temporada. Marlone tem contrato com o Timão até o fim de 2019.

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Contratado no fim de 2015, após se destacar pelo Sport, Marlone defendeu o Corinthians em 50 partidas e fez nove gols, mas não conseguiu se firmar como titular. Neste ano, com a contratação de Jadson, ele ficou ainda mais sem espaço no clube. O Atlético-MG tentou a contratação dele em janeiro, por cerca de R$ 10 milhões, mas a diretoria corintiana vetou.

Clayton também é um sonho antigo do Timão. No início de 2016 o clube tentou contratá-lo do Figueirense, mas perdeu a concorrência para o Galo. Ele se encaixa no perfil de atacante que o Corinthians vinha buscando: veloz e que atua pelos lados do campo.

Slavisa Jokanovic has dropped an update on the future of Sheffield United defensive midfielder Sander Berge.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Sheffield Star, the 52-year-old revealed that the reason for the midfielder’s absence from Saturday’s recent friendly with Europa Point was due to a minor injury, rather than the 23-year-old being close to securing a move away from Bramall Lane this summer.

The report went on to mention both Arsenal and Napoli’s interest in a move for the Norway international in the summer transfer window, however, Jokanovic made it clear that his desire is to keep Berge at the club ahead of the Blades’ upcoming Championship campaign.

The Serbian manager said: “I know the situation with Sander. There is a possibility that he will be one guy who leaves, but I hope this doesn’t happen.

“But the club informed me about this for a reason, so that we can be ready if that does happen. If it doesn’t, then of course that will be good for us too.

“Sander has a minor [injury] problem. I stress, a minor one. That is why he wasn’t with us. He is with the medical people but it is nothing serious. That is what he is working on at the moment and he will be okay soon.”

Fans will be buzzing

With the general feeling that Berge’s departure from Sheffield United this summer is practically a forgone conclusion, Jokanovic’s recent show of fight regarding the player’s future, as well as the club reported to be holding firm on their £35m asking price in order to sanction the 23-year-old’s sale, is sure to have left Blades fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League appearances in his first season at Bramall Lane, the £16.2m-rated man highly impressed for United, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and winning 5.5 duels per game.

The £38k-per-week defensive midfielder also chipped in for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes per league appearance.

These returns saw the man Chris Wilder dubbed an “outstanding” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the top flight of English football that season.

As such, while the Norwegian’s second season at the club was heavily impacted by injury, if the club can indeed keep hold of the midfielder this summer, and he subsequently goes on to refind his form from 2019/20 in the Championship next term, it would undoubtedly provide Jokanovic’s side with a significant boost to their chances of going on and securing an immediate return to the Premier League, an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

Either way, the Blades look like they’ll either have a quality player like Berge next summer or they’ll receive a big fee to use on a replacement. That’s great news for the club’s fans.

In other news: Jokanovic drops update on “talented” £1.8m-rated gem, Sheff Utd fans should be worried

A Portuguese news outlet has claimed that Wolves will now sign Vitinha in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Vitinha promise

Upon signing Vitinha on a loan deal from FC Porto at the start of the 2020/21 season, Jeff Shi dubbed him as an ‘exciting’ player and a ‘special young talent’, with an ‘abundance of technique and creativity’ (Wolves).

This was clearly evident by the influence that he had on his teammates, as he recorded the highest pass success percentage (90.3%) out of any Wolves player to have played 10 or more matches in the Premier League last term (Whoscored).

The Latest: Vitinha will be signed

As per Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), the Molineux faithful will complete the signing of Vitinha on a permanent deal for €20m (£17.1m).

He will reportedly sign a contract of ‘four or five’ years, after originally starting pre-season training with FC Porto.

The Verdict: Great news

It is certainly great news to hear that Vitinha will join up with the Wanderers permanently under new manager Bruno Lage.

He became a fans favourite very quickly during his short time at WWFC, with some supporters recently showing their delight at the news.

Nonetheless, at just 21 years of age, Vitinha has a lot of potential, and so £17.1m could turn out to be an absolute bargain if he fulfils it, providing that there are no remaining obstacles in the way to get the deal over the line.

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers gushing here!

MatériaMais Notícias

Bruno Paulista vem treinando em São Januário há uma semana, mas ainda não assinou com o Vasco – consequentemente, também não foi anunciado. No Sporting, de Portugal, até 2021, o volante já está apalavrado com o clube vascaíno, mas as partes ainda precisam resolver questões burocráticas. Há a necessidade de um acerto com o Bahia, como relatou Eurico Brandão, filho do presidente Eurico Miranda, nesta quinta-feira.

– O atleta está apalavrado conosco, mas há uma situação de rescisão de empréstimo com o Bahia a ser resolvida. Acho que vai se resolver, é mais uma coisa de papel do que de vontade dos clubes. Os nossos advogados já aprovaram tudo – afirmou o vice-presidente de futebol em coletiva.

Na noite desta quinta-feira, o “O Jogo”, de Portugal, divulgou 90% dos direitos de Bruno Paulista pertencem ao Recreativo da Caála, de Angola, e que os angolanos que estão dificultando o fim da novela do volante com a consequente transferência ao Vasco.

O restante do percentual é do empresário Carlos Leite, de acordo com a publicação. No Boletim Informativo Diário (Bid) da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), Bruno Paulista ainda pertence ao Bahia, o que faria ser o responsável por assinar acordos envolvendo o atleta no país.

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