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Four greats of West Indies cricket were honoured in a ceremony hosted by the Jamaican Cricket Association and the WICB. George Headley, Everton Weekes, Garry Sobers and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the current No. 1 Test batsman, were honoured at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Monday.The celebration commemorated four unique events – the 100th anniversary of Headley’s birth, the 60th of Weekes’ five consecutive Test centuries, the50th of Sobers’ 365 not out, and Chanderpaulbeing named the ICC’s International Player of the Year 2008.In accepting the award, Weekes thanked the organisers for the “specialhonour”, while Chanderpaul said he was “delighted” and would be looking tocontinue the good work in the upcoming series against England.Headley, who died 25 years ago, was represented by his son Lindie while Sobers was unable to attend.

Surrey have begun to install their permanent floodlighting ahead of the new season and hope to complete the work by May

Cricinfo staff05-Jan-2009Surrey have begun to install their permanent floodlighting ahead of the new season and hope to complete the work by May.The Oval hosts four floodlit matches during the ICC World Twenty20 in June and England play Australia in a day/night one-day international on September 4. The first match under the new lights is set to be the Twenty20 game against Sussex on May 26.There will be four towers rising to 130 feet and they are retractable to half their length to minimise disruption to the local area. The new system will replace the old solution at the ground, where a number of temporary lights and generators were set up at the ground on a day by day basis.Clive Stephens, The Oval’s operations director, said the new floodlights and the recently installed drainage system will help maintain the ground’s international standards.”The new lights we are installing should help safeguard the future of The Oval as a major international ground for years to come. The system will allow us to bid for all international matches we choose,” he said. “With a brand new outfield and drainage system and this new set of floodlights, The Oval will have to be classed as one of the very best international cricket grounds in the world.”

Sheffield United have confirmed that Iliman Ndiaye has put pen to paper on a new deal at Bramall Lane.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the Sheffield United website, the Blades confirmed that the 21-year-old has agreed fresh terms with the Championship side, signing a new deal that will keep the attacking midfielder at the club until the summer of 2024.

Following the Frenchman’s signing, the Blades’ chief executive officer Stephen Bettis said: “The whole club sees Iliman as a very exciting prospect and we have worked hard to ensure he has committed his future to the club.

“We hope that now the deal is signed, he concentrates fully on working hard on his game to ensure he reaches the heights that all inside the club believe he is capable of.”

Jokanovic will be buzzing

Considering how highly rated within the club Ndiaye quite clearly is, in addition to the fact that attacking midfield is an area of Slavisa Jokanovic’s side that does not boast a great amount of depth, the fact that the youngster has put pen to paper on a new deal with the Blades is sure to have left the 53-year-old manager buzzing.

Indeed, having made his first-team debut towards the back end of last season, as well as featuring in the club’s 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Derby County last month, it would very much appear as if Ndiaye is pushing for a regular spot in the Sheffield United starting XI.

And, considering the youngster’s form for the Blades’ U23 side – finishing last season as the youth team’s top goalscorer and bagging two goals in his first appearance for the side this term – it would indeed appear as if the £180k-rated man is an incredibly exciting prospect.

As such, with Jokanovic’s side struggling for both goals and creativity in the Championship so far this season, having scored just once over their opening five fixtures of the campaign, perhaps it is time for the Serbian manager to unleash Ndiaye in a league fixture, as the midfielder’s energy and ability to find the back of the net could well be the spark that the Blades need to finally kickstart their season.

In other news: Report sheds light on Sheffield United deadline day disaster that’ll have fans fuming

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has gushed over the development of Illan Meslier’s new contract at Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Meslier excels for Leeds

Numerous players have shone during the Marcelo Bielsa era at Elland Road and Meslier is undoubtedly one of those, having arrived permanently from Lorient last summer.

The 21-year-old has been a hugely influential performer between the sticks for Leeds, making 47 appearances and looking mature beyond his years, whether it be through his distribution or shot-stopping.

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The Latest: Whelan makes key claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, who actually now works for the club as a community ambassador, claimed Meslier will eventually become France’s No.1, hailing the new deal he recently signed:

“I don’t think any other goalkeeper in the country deserves a new contract more than Meslier. He just grew into the gloves every time he played. He became a leader and more confident.

“Technically he improved as well, his distribution was better and he got braver. He is a top-class goalkeeper, I’m so pleased he’s staying. There were rumours about him leaving.

“That’s natural after such a good season but he loves it at Leeds. Bielsa loves him, the coaches love him and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will become the France number one at some point.”

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The Verdict: Huge player moving forward

Meslier has an enormous future ahead of him and the hope is that he remains at Leeds for as long as possible, helping Bielsa’s side continue to be a force at the highest level.

There is sure to be interest in the youngster over time, however, at which point the Whites may have to accept that he wants a fresh challenge at a club challenging for more trophies.

For now, though, he is one of the first names on the team-sheet at Elland Road and it is hard to see that changing any time soon.

In other news, another Premier League club have reportedly made contact with a Leeds transfer target. Read more here.

A round-up of the last day in the final round of matches in County Championship’s second division

Cricinfo staff27-Sep-2008Warwickshire, the newly crowned second division champions, confirmed their right to promotion with a dismissive 179-run victory over Glamorgan at Edgbaston. After posting a target of 403, Warwickshire had struggled to make inroads on the third evening, with Glamorgan closing on 122 for 1, but the final day was a different story. Chris Woakes removed Tom Maynard and Michael Powell without a run being added, before Neil Carter did the same for Gareth Rees. Mark Wallace had time to score a boundary before he became the fourth wicket of the morning, and by the time Ryan Watkins and Robert Croft had both fallen for ducks, Glamorgan had collapsed to 128 for 8. The remainder of the innings was nothing more than a face-saving exercise, and David Harrison did at least manage that task with a remarkable unbeaten 64 from 51 balls. Carter, however, nipped out the remaining two wickets for figures of 5 for 67.Middlesex signed off their season in style with a comprehensive 93-run victory over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. It was always a question of when, rather than if, following two declarations and a nominal victory target of 461, but Northants did at least put up a fight, with Rob White contributing his third century of the season, and Riki Wessels falling five runs short of his first. Dirk Nannes, however, removed both en route to figures of 4 for 42, though not before Steven Crook had provided Wessels with some late support an entertaining cameo of 59 from 64 balls, including eight fours and a six. Shaun Udal ended his fun before wheedling out the tail for figures of 3 for 96.Gloucestershire’s tail demonstrated impressive resilience to pluck a draw from the jaws of a rout against Essex at Bristol, and provide an upbeat ending to a depressing season in which they failed to win a single Championship fixture and finished a distant bottom of the second division. Having been asked to follow on the third morning, Gloucestershire resumed on 175 for 3 but soon lost the mainstay of their rearguard, Kadeer Ali, who was caught behind shortly after completing his third century of the season, closely followed by Chris Taylor for 60 – both wickets fell to Chris Wright. But instead of capitulating, Gloucestershire knuckled down to bat out the game. David Brown made 48 and Richard Dawson 40, while Steve Snell was unbeaten on 70 from 161 balls when their season finally came to an end.

Get French Football News’ Adam White has hinted Celtic may baulk at Rennes’ £4.25million price tag for Brandon Soppy.

Highly-rated teenage right-back Soppy broke into Rennes’ first-team last season and made 11 appearances for the French outfit.

According to French media outlet L’Equipe, Soppy has entered the final 12 months of his contract and been the subject of interest from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic.

But the report claims Celtic are not Soppy’s only suitors, with newly-promoted Premier League outfit Watford and Udinese, of Serie A, also keen on the talented youngster.

The 19-year-old has won five caps for France’s under-18 side and, with him liking to get forward to create chances, could give new Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou an exciting full-back alternative.

Having made a disastrous start to the new season by already crashing out of the Champions League and losing their opening Scottish Premiership clash of the campaign at Hearts, Celtic have bounced back by beating Jablonec in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier and hitting Dundee for six.

But French football expert White believes Soppy may not be heading to Parkhead as they look to build on their return to form.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “Soppy would be an interesting signing for Celtic. They made a €1.5million bid last summer and lots of clubs are keen.

“Roma and Spartak Moscow were interested in January and Udinese and Watford want him at the moment.

“Rennes want €5million for him, which is probably quite a high fee for Celtic to spend on a young, unproven player like him.”

Hardly 15 minutes after Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the team hotel in Colombo with his fellow one-day recruits, had he faced a barrage of questions

Jamie Alter in Colombo13-Aug-2008
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said Sachin Tendulkar’s absence will be crucial, but wants the youngsters to step up and accept more responsibilities © AFP
Hardly 15 minutes after Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the team hotel in Colombo with his fellow one-day recruits, had he faced a barrage of questions. No surprise that most of them focused around the man who snatched almost half of the Indian wickets in the Test series, Ajantha Mendis.”I’ll just ask Mahela [Jayawardene] if he will lend Mendis for a couple of practice sessions. If not, then…,” Dhoni said with a laugh when asked how India could tackle Mendis. “But seriously, we will have to deal with it in a personal way. We can watch 1000 videos of what he does, but it is up to the individual to play him on the turf. It depends on your frame of mind.”India’s ODI squad includes two uncapped players, Tamil Nadu’s S Badrinath and Delhi’s Virat Kohli, the victorious Under-19 captain. Sachin Tendulkar will not play the five-ODIs after sustaining an injury to his left elbow during the third Test in Colombo. Dhoni admitted that was a major blow, but put faith in the younger players. “It’s not just his contribution with bat and the ball, but he comes up with brilliant suggestions and advice on the field. The impact he has in the dressing room is great.”But cricket goes on. The youngsters will have to prove they are good enough. Whenever this scenario has happened in Indian cricket, somebody has accepted responsibility. Sri Lanka is one of the toughest places to play cricket. You don’t often get loads of runs when batting. It can be crucial.”In the Tests India’s batsmen failed to put up good scores, failing to cross 330, and that cost them the series. Dhoni, however, said it was important for the batsmen to back themselves to score briskly, despite the setbacks.”There are a few things that we need to assess,” said Dhoni. “I’ve always been saying that confidence shouldn’t go up and down with the performance. You have to stay positive always.”India’s recent record in the subcontinent includes losses in the finals of the Kitply and Asia Cup, which Dhoni termed as “crucial games”, and he hoped to rectify that trend. The ODI specialists had two days of practice at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, which Dhoni said was “up to the mark”, and he noted a lot of energy in the side.Jayawardene, Dhoni’s counterpart, was understandably optimistic about the ODIs, having defeated India in the Asia Cup and the Test series. “It is always a different game and we have different game plans [for handling India],” he said. “It’s a young side, and we are grooming a young group of guys to take over. We are looking to the little things well as individuals – that’s been our emphasis and I think that’s what has contributed to our improvement over that period.”Picking up 26 wickets is no mean achievement for a bowler, but when Mendis and Murali operate in tandem is when they’re so difficult. After a long time, Murali has a genuine match-winning spinning partner, and Jayawardene felt it was quite a relief for a captain to have such an option. “We now have good attacking options,” he said. “Murali has got the support he requires and also there is support for [Chaminda] Vaas. We have the likes of Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando. For us it’s always a team and it does not matter what Ajantha Mendis does.”Sri Lanka will welcome back their prolific one-day opener, Sanath Jayasuriya, but Jayawardene was not sure about who would partner him. Sri Lanka’s 15-man squad includes eight batsmen, so they have choices between Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Udawatte, and Kumar Sangakkara to open. Jayawardene said Warnapura’s success in the Tests – he scored 243 runs at 60.75, with a hundred in the first Test at the SSC, and two fifties – gave Sri Lanka a viable option, but Sangakkara’s success in the Asia Cup could see him opening with Jayasuriya.”The way everyone’s talking about Ajantha,” Jayawardene said, “he might take ten wickets even before going on.” The venue for the first two ODIs is Dambulla, a notoriously low-scoring venue which favours spin, so India will need to be on their best guard against Sri Lanka’s two spinners.

Former Leeds United player David Norris believes his ex-club need a bit more quality in depth.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side enjoyed a brilliant first season back in the Premier League, finishing ninth on 59 points and playing some really eye-catching football.

Leeds’ squad has reduced in numbers as Pablo Hernandez, Gaetano Berardi and Ezgjan Alioski have all departed Elland Road this summer, but the club are linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Noni Madueke according to Football Insider.

Leeds have some outstanding players, non-other than England international Kalvin Phillips who was an ever present in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 starting XI.

Whilst Norris recognises the talent of Phillips and the front three at Elland Road, he is fearful for the team if they get injured.

Norris told FFC “It was a dangerous front three or four whenever they played, so they are probably going to need some back-up there or some support. Get two or three of them out or Kalvin Phillips out then it’s a different team and you might be struggling a little bit.  

“I don’t think there’s any positions for me that are desperately needing attention, I think they just need a little bit more quality in depth.”

Leeds have already been active in the summer window completing three deals. Junior Firpo arrived from Barcelona for £13m, whilst Jack Harrison completed a permanent move to Elland Road and Lewis Bate joining from Chelsea, both on undisclosed fees.

Danny Mills has offered his thoughts on Jannik Vestergaard’s future at Southampton amid interest from Tottenham.

What’s the talk?

The former England international has claimed that Southampton “might be ready” to cash in on Jannik Vestergaard this summer as the centre-back only has 12 months left on his contract.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in the ex-Monchengladbach colossus and Mills believes that he would be a good signing for the north London club.

He told Football Insider:

“I think he’s a good player and that’s not just what he’s done at the Euros. He was a good player before that.

“Never just buy a player off the back of four or five games at the European Championship. That’s never a wise move.

“But he’s been a good player long before that. Playing in the Euros has confirmed how good he is. Yes, I think it will be a good move.

“Coming from Southampton it will be a step up. With a year left if they get good money for him, they might just be ready to take it.”

Fans will be fuming

Fans will be fuming with Mills’ comments and hoping that he is incorrect.

Southampton should be trying to avoid selling Vestergaard this summer and, instead, attempt to pin him down to fresh terms as he is an important part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a superb season in the Premier League and then continued his good form into the European Championships for Denmark.

In 36 games for club and country throughout the 2020/21 campaign, Vestergaard averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.9 – highlighting his consistency and quality at the top level.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown once compared the 6 foot 6 Dane to ex-Saints star Virgil van Dijk, in terms of the way he uses the ball in possession.

He told TalkSport:

“It’s his passing. It reminds me of Van Dijk.

“I call it a stationary platform. When you don’t run with the ball you stop and when you look at those two, the way they ping balls, the way he threads things into midfield, the challenges, he’s a big man.”

This emphasises how important keeping the centre-back is to Southampton and why Martin Semmens must not cash in on him this summer.

He must work hard to agree on a contract extension with the £16.2m-rated defender between now and January. If by that point he has not put pen to paper then the club could look into selling him and replacing him before they lose him for nothing.

Supporters would be frustrated if Southampton made no attempts to keep hold of their star centre-back and decided to sell him to Spurs ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. Hopefully, that will not be the case and Mills’ comments will not come to pass.

AND in other news, Semmens could find Mane 2.0 in £35m “exceptional talent”, Saints fans would adore him…

Crystal Palace revealed their new third kit for the upcoming campaign on Monday.

And the Eagles’ brand new strip had a lot of supporters talking on social media, sharing their positive thoughts at the kit.

Palace, who have been busy when it comes to transfers in recent weeks following Patrick Vieira’s arrival, unveiled a special edition third kit.

The club went for a sky blue and white combination, which celebrates the origins of the club. Those colours were worn by Palace’s first ever team 160 years ago, with chairman Steve Parish ‘delighted’ at the 1861 design.

Palace debuted their new kit in Vieira’s first game at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening, with the Eagles playing out a 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Charlton Athletic.

Palace fans react

Palace shared the third kit with their fans on Monday afternoon by posting it on their official Twitter page. These Eagles fans went wild at the new strip by replying to the post, with one describing it as ‘immense’.

“Wow”Credit: @jackstacpfc”that’s actually quality”Credit: @ExhilaratingEZE”OH MY!”Credit: @PGxHachi”Wow! This year’s kits are looking amazing. Thought the yellow one was class but this is immense!”Credit: @PeterHoward01″Now this I do like.”Credit: @RomfordRoger”Kit is utter filth. Absolutely beautiful. Fantastic to keep up the 1861 campaign with this stunning shirt. Love it!!”Credit: @HC15OnTour

In other news: Lots of Palace fans fume as exit rumours emerge.