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South African allrounder Albie Morkel will be replacing fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotobe in the squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2009
Will Albie Morkel finally get his chance in the longer version? © AFP
South African allrounder Albie Morkel will replace fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotobe in the squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia. Tsotsobe, who has injured his right knee, will undergo surgery at the end of the week.”Our medical team has established that Lonwabo Tsotsobe has suffered a torn cartilage injury to his right knee,” Mike Procter, the South African convener of selectors, said. “The medical committee feels that he should have surgery as soon as possible and this will take place towards the end of this week. We certainly could not risk him in a Test match.”Morkel, 27, has played 35 ODIs for South Africa, scoring 432 runs at 24.00 as well as picking up 41 wickets at 30.53, but is yet to feature in a Test match.It was Morkel’s five-wicket haul on Monday in a Supersport Series match against the Dolphins that had earned him the call-up. “Albie showed good form for the Titans at the weekend and is an experienced international cricketer,” Procter said. “He gives us an extra seam bowling option if we want to follow that route.”Morkel gets his chance ahead of Monde Zondeki, who was part of the Test squad which toured Australia recently. “Monde Zondeki, who was in our Test squad in Australia, has also undergone surgery and both players [Tsotsobe and Zondeki] will need about three months off to complete the rehabilitation process,” Procter said.The second Test begins on Friday in Durban, and the third will be played in Cape Town from March 19.

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has lavished praise on Tottenham Hotspur chief Daniel Levy following an exciting development.

The Lowdown: Levy news dropped…

Coming out in the last two days, some big news has emerged in regards to the Spurs chief.

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Indeed, as officially announced, he has now been voted on to the European Club Association board to represent Premier League football – reportedly beating Manchester City executive Ferran Soriano to the post (The Athletic).

The 59-year-old is set to replace Manchester United’s Ed Woodward in the role.

The Latest: Hutton hails Levy…

Speaking to FI, former Lilywhites defender Hutton has had his say and believes the appointment is ‘something that could work’.

The ex-Scotland international also branded Levy a ‘shrewd’ and ‘fantastic’ businessman.

“I think everybody knows Daniel Levy, how shrewd a businessman he is,” explained Hutton.

“Sometimes it can be his way or the highway and he sticks to his guns. That’s always been the way that he is.

“He doesn’t back down for anybody and obviously, they like what they see. I totally understand it. He’s a fantastic businessman and he probably ticks all the boxes.

“Sometimes it’s good for a change, a fresh face in there with new ideas and different opinions.

“So I think that’s something that could work and I’m sure he will relish the task.”

The Verdict: Big moment for Levy?

While he is controversial and a split figure among Spurs supporters, this comes as a big moment for Levy personally just five months after the European Super League scandal.

Now gifted a major new role at the pinnacle of European football, the Tottenham supremo has dealt with club protests, real financial concerns and a rocky few months on the pitch with one of their longest ever searches for a new manager.

Levy must now make the most of his new position of power as he also aims to help Spurs steadily grow into a football powerhouse.

In other news: ‘So excited’, ‘Start him against Palace’…Many Tottenham fans raving over ‘generational’ talent, find out more here.

The Indian government has asked the IPL organisers to reconsider segments of the revised schedule that had been sent to them for approval. The home ministry wants some of the dates to be changed in order to avoid a clash with the general elections.

Cricinfo staff13-Mar-2009The Indian government has asked the IPL organisers to reconsider segments of the revised schedule that had been sent to them for approval. The home ministry wants some of the dates to be changed in order to avoid a clash with the general elections.”The MHA (ministry of home affairs) is advising the IPL organisers that it may not be feasible to hold the matches as per the revised schedule submitted by them on March 7, 2009. The IPL organisers have been advised to accommodate the concerns of various state governments and draw up a revised schedule and submit the same to the MHA,” a ministry statement said.N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary who also owns the IPL team, Chennai Super Kings, said he believed the government had not rejected the revised schedule. “But we will be rescheduling it,” Srinivasan said.Under the revised schedule, there was a minimum gap of up to 48 hours – six to seven days in some cases – before and after the election at any specific venue. This was to ensure the matches still take place inside the original April 10-May 24 window but not clash with the election dates.IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and IPL CEO Sundar Raman are expected to hold discussions with home ministry officials in Delhi in an attempt to salvage the high-profile event.A home ministry release said Delhi, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Rajasthan had either asked for a rescheduling of the IPL dates or demanded more central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) to cope with the elections and the tournament.While Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, home to the Deccan Chargers, said they would be unable to provide security during the entire election period (April 16 to May 13), Karnataka expressed its inability to provide security for the Royal Challengers’ two home matches scheduled in Bangalore on April 11 and May 14.West Bengal and Punjab agreed to provide security as long as they were not required to release state police personnel for election duties. West Bengal have also requested for an additional 30 companies of central paramilitary forces for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ match on May 4.Punjab indicated it would be unable to have security measures in place for the matches in Mohali on May 1 and May 17 and asked for five additional companies of central forces on other match days. Rajasthan and Maharashtra, which would host the Mumbai Indians at Mumbai and Nagpur, said they would be able to provide security only if additional companies of central forces are deployed on match days.But Tamil Nadu, home to the Chennai Super Kings, said it would have adequate security since its matches would take place only after elections are over in the state.Andhra Pradesh, which will host matches at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, heads for polls on April 16 and 23. Delhi goes to elections on May 7, West Bengal on April 30, May 7 and 13 and Punjab on May 7 and 13.”We had submitted a reworked schedule on March 7. Andhra Pradesh only raised their doubts yesterday. But rationally we would be looking at reworking a new schedule,” Dhiraj Malhotra, IPL tournament director, said.

Shoaib Akhtar, who has recovered from his knee injury, has been included in the 15-man Pakistan squad for the five-match ODI series against Australia in the UAE scheduled to begin on April 22

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2009Shoaib Akhtar, who has recovered from his knee injury, has been included in the 15-man Pakistan squad for the five-match ODI series and a Twenty20 against Australia in the UAE, scheduled to begin on April 22. Shoaib was left out of Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh – which was suspended following unrest in the country – as he was declared unfit despite not requiring surgery.Shoaib would be returning to the side after three months; he last played against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series at home, and was dropped for the decider following failures in the first two games. Shoaib, after learning of his inclusion, said he was looking forward to the Australian series.”I can’t wait to take the field against Australia,” Shoaib told . “I am fit and am gaining rhythm, and once I play the first match I will be at my best rhythm. I know this will be an important series for me, both form and fitness wise, so I will do my best to play all the matches and keep fitness.”Abdul Qadir, the PCB’s chief selector, said the decision to select Shoaib was made after the board’s medical panel, including the team trainer David Dwyer, approved of his fitness. “He did well in the fitness tests conducted by the board and appears match fit. He is an experienced bowler and he is a big boost for the team,” Qadir said. “Now it’s up to [Shoaib] Akhtar to not only remain fit but also perform. I have been saying this and I repeat that a fit Akhtar is an asset for Pakistan’s team.”The squad also features batsmen Nasir Jamshed – he’ll be making a return to international cricket after ten months – and Ahmed Shehzad, who averages an impressive 45.18 in 12 List A matches.Australia were expected to tour Pakistan for a Test and ODI tour this year after their scheduled visit in 2008 failed to materialise over security fears. The PCB has sent a two-man security team to the UAE to assess the arrangements for the tour, in the wake of the Lahore attacks last month.Dubai Sports City – which has never hosted an international match before – will be the venue for the first two one-dayers, starting April 22, and the Twenty20 on May 7. The remaining three ODIs will be played in Abu Dhabi between those dates.Pakistan squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal.

The new Champions League season has finally begun for Pep Guardiola’s side and it’s fair to say Manchester City enjoyed a scintillating start on Wednesday evening. 

After coming so close last year, reaching the final whilst playing some devastating football at the top level, City are tasked with reaching those heights yet again but going one step further and winning a competition which has long eluded them.

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It couldn’t have been a more entertaining opener to their 21/22 European campaign as the Sky Blues battered Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium – with nine goals and a red card to boot as City came away 6-3 victors.

Strikers from six different scorers in Nathan Ake, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and a Nordi Mukiele own goal sent Guardiola’s side to the top of the group.

Former player Angelino, making his Eastlands return with Leipzig, was also dismissed after being shown a second yellow card.

However, while the attack enjoyed an amazing afternoon, the same cannot be said for City’s backline which conceded three soft goals.

One of the main culprits, Oleksandr Zinchenko, has been slammed on Twitter for his defensive display.

The Ukraine international was handed City’s lowest SofaScore rating on the night with a 6.0, winning only a third of his ground duels, being dribbled past once and losing the ball 10 times.

Here’s what Sky Blues had to say on the 24-year-old.

Man City fans slam Zinchenko…

“Zinchenko and Ake are liabilities defensively today”

Credit: @BlooMunKy

“Zinchenko has had a shocker today”

Credit: @benmcfc03

“Zinchenko and Ake poor tonight”

Credit: @Sean_MCFC7

“Please sell Zinchenko”

Credit: @ChrisTheCsFan

“Zinchenko has been awful btw”

Credit: @Cancelocityv3

“Zinchenko got rinsed today”

Credit: @mourad_yz

“Zinchenko has to leave, we need top left-back. He is limited.”

Credit: @ManKonsta

“Sorry, Zinchenko is not good enough and we still need clinical striker and someone who recovers well after losing the ball. 3 transfers or”

Credit: @madvillian666

‘Absolutely perfect’…Man City fans rave as Txiki eyes ‘phenomenal signing’, find out more here.

Team wants to build confidence and rhythm during two warm-ups for the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff31-May-2009Brad Haddin wants Australia to build confidence and rhythm during their two warm-ups for the World Twenty20, starting with a hit-out against Bangladesh on Monday. Haddin has led the team twice this year but hands over to Ricky Ponting for the two-week tournament that begins for Australia at The Oval on Saturday.Despite the squad’s traditional strength in the Test and one-day formats, the team is less certain in the shortest genre and it will be important to fine-tune against Bangladesh and New Zealand over the next two days. “The energy the guys have shown and enthusiasm has been quite good, so we’re actually looking forward to getting our teeth into the game,” Haddin told AAP.”With these games you want to get out of it as an individual what you can so you go into the first world game with some confidence and a bit of rhythm under your belt. We haven’t won this tournament before so we’re pretty keen to make our mark … it’s obviously one piece of silverware we don’t have.”Australia have lost three of their six Twenty20 games this year, but Haddin said the beauty of the format was there was “no real form guide”. “Any team on a given day can make a mark in the competition because it only takes five overs to turn the game in your favour,” he said. “There’s no stand-out favourites, so I think it will be an enjoyable tournament and it will be very good viewing for the fans.”

Watford lost for the third time in four games as they were beaten 3-1 by Championship side Stoke City in the League Cup on Tuesday night.

The Hornets came into the game off the back of a 3-1 win over fellow newly-promoted side Norwich at the weekend, but had lost their previous two Premier League matches to Tottenham and Wolves without scoring.

Xisco Munoz made a host of changes to his XI from the win over the Canaries and was let down by some of the players he selected. One player, in particular, who struggled was right-back Jeremy Ngakia.

For the opening goal, Ngakia tried to hold the ball near the corner flag and was ultimately robbed by a Stoke player, who then threaded it across the six-yard box for Nick Powell to convert from close range. He also failed to get close enough to Sam Clucas to block his attempted cross, which inadvertently skewed over Rob Elliott and into the back of the net.

Per SofaScore, he also lost five of his seven ground duels and made one tackle in the 90 minutes, whilst being dribbled past once. He was too lightweight to deal with the physical challenge posed by Stoke, which was highlighted in the opening goal as he was robbed of possession far too easily.

On the ball, his display was just as worrying if not worse. Per SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball a whopping 28 times during the match, whilst completing just one of his nine attempted crosses and 76% of his passes. This shows that he did not have the quality in possession to cause Stoke any problems, handing them the ball back frequently to allow them to attack the Watford goal.

He let Munoz down with his performance as he was not able to impress with or without the ball. As a full-back, Ngakia is required to be a solid defender whilst also offering an outlet in possession down the right and the aforementioned statistics show that he was unable to meet either of those requirements.

If he wants to force his way into the starting XI in the Premier League then he will need to show serious signs of improvement in training as this display may have set him back.

The nature of his mistakes could start to sound the alarm bells in Munoz’s head, because if he makes similar errors against higher-quality players, then he will be punished even more.

Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler, says the ODI series between India and West Indies is not a meaningless encounter but one of “high significance”

Sriram Veera25-Jun-2009Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler, has rubbished suggestions that the ODI series between India and West Indies is a meaningless encounter, saying it’s one of “high significance”. India’s decision to play four ODIs has been criticised because it comes at the end of a long and hard season.Srinath, however, counted the positives. “It’s good India are playing a series as soon as this after their debacle in the World Twenty20,” he told Cricinfo. “It will help them kill the demons, especially those raised by the media. This has been such a good team in recent times. They had set such a high standard; they haven’t lost many ODI series. They stumbled a bit in the World Twenty20 but I am not going to make a big deal of it. I am sure they will do well. On paper, India should win.”India are missing the services of Zaheer Khan and their fast-bowling attack comprises Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, making a comeback after four years, Praveen Kumar and RP Singh. Ishant struggled a touch in IPL and the World Twenty20, Praveen battled with injury problems during the IPL and didn’t get a game in England, and RP Singh was not a regular in the World Twenty20. Srinath, however, believes they will be a potent unit.”Ishant will be the leader of the pack in Zaheer’s absence. Yes, he didn’t have a great time in the IPL and in the World Twenty20 but this is a great platform for him to make amends. And look, he has not done well only in terms of the huge expectations of him. This is 50-over cricket now and I expect him to do well. He will be better off for having played in the IPL and the World Twenty20, more aware of the areas to improve.”India, he said, will miss Zaheer but that’s why he reckons Nehra to be a great pick. “His experience will help fill the gap. I was impressed with how well he bowled in the IPL, even in pressure situations. He showed lots of energy and he has the skill to step in if Ishant doesn’t do too well. His motivation levels must be pretty high; he is making a comeback after four years and I see him delivering from ball one. He is going to be an asset in this one-day team – Nehra is capable of taking that extra responsibility.”The third seamer’s spot, he said, will be tough to pick between RP Singh and Praveen Kumar.West Indies enjoyed some success against India in the World Twenty20 by deploying a bouncer strategy and Srinath reckons they will try to repeat it. “The pitches and the absence of Fidel Edwards will be handicaps and it might not work but it won’t deter them from trying it.”Srinath – currently an ICC match referee – believes the pitches will be on the slower side but there will be a bit of moisture which will make the ball do something early on. “It will be a touch slow and low but I am expecting good batting tracks. There is bound to be some moisture and it might do a bit early on but let’s just wait and see.”

When Bruno Lage signed on the dotted line and became the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, he knew he needed to do something about the club’s injury problems.

It was a major issue for Wolves last season with Nuno Santo having to make do with countless fitness issues.

Raul Jimenez suffered a nasty fractured skull last November while the likes of Daniel Podence and Marcal withstood several injuries.

Jonny suffered back to back ACL problems and then Pedro Neto was ruled out for an extended period of time after breaking his knee cap.

Those two players remain long term absentees but two more individuals have been added to the treatment table at Compton.

Speaking prior to Wolves’ clash with Southampton on Sunday, Lage confirmed the club had suffered two additional blows.

He commented: “Ait-Nouri will be out for seven days. Mosquera has a muscle injury, not in the same area.”

Reporter Liam Keen then cleared up how long the latter might be out for, saying: “He (Lage) has given a timeline of 1-2 months for Mosquera. Expects it to be closer to 2 months.”

With Wolves’ defensive options extremely limited, this will be a gutting piece of news for the manager to receive.

Ait-Nouri will only miss the next week but it’s a shame that he’ll be absent for the clash this weekend after picking up an important assist against Tottenham in midweek.

Mosquera’s injury is more concerning, however. He signed in the summer as Wolves’ only centre-back recruit but his one appearance – the match with Spurs – ended in disaster as he went off on just nine minutes.

The central defender is a promising player but his ability to adapt and integrate himself into the surroundings at Molineux is being extremely hampered, especially as this is not his first fitness problem since arriving.

Wolves have continued to operate a three-man backline under Lage but the fewer options they have, the less he’ll be able to improve their system.

They tried signing Sven Botman and Duje Caleta-Car in the summer window but ultimately failed in their pursuits. Had one of those players joined, it’s unlikely that Mosquera’s injury would be so concerning.

Instead, Lage will be hoping that he doesn’t receive another injury to his defensive line.

AND in other news, Bruno Lage could soon replicate one of Nuno’s big Wolves blunders from last season…

England’s forthcoming winter tour of South Africa will start six days earlier than originally planned

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2009England’s forthcoming winter tour of South Africa will start six days earlier than originally planned, after the two boards agreed to schedule an extra pair of warm-up games ahead of the two T20Is and five ODIs that are already in the itinerary.England’s original plan had been to play a solitary 20-over warm-up match against South Africa A at Bloemfontein on November 10, before their opening Twenty20 international at the Wanderers three days later.Now, they have lined up two 50-over fixtures against a Board President’s XI at Bloemfontein and Kimberley on November 6 and 8, and will arrive in the country on November 1.