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Wasim Akram has expressed doubt over the viability of players’ associations in India and Pakistan

Cricinfo staff13-Sep-2009Wasim Akram has expressed doubt over the viability of players’ associations in India and Pakistan. Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, had announced his intention to form a players’ association and met Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA) chief Tim May in this regard. Akram, however, had his doubts over whether such a concept would work. “Our culture will be the biggest barrier, if a players’ association has to see light of the day and then deliver,” Akram was quoted as saying in the .”A geographical divide hasn’t partitioned our way of thinking,” Akram said. “We have a strange culture in India and Pakistan. Players just can’t trust each other. I think it is the only reason why players’ associations have not worked.”There have been attempts by players in Pakistan to form a representative body, but have largely failed. Majid Khan made an attempt to form Pakistan’s first players’ body in the 1980s but it didn’t work, while the Indians formed their own around the same time and it eventually met a similar fate.Younis’ move is a significant development for Pakistan cricket, given the almost constant cycle of players developing differences with one another, or with board officials. Player management is also a fledgling concept here and until recently, most players were not formally represented by any party.Akram himself was part of Pakistan teams which were riddled with factionalism and cliques in the 90s. His removal from captaincy in 1994, due to a players’ revolt, is a case in point.

The Delhi captain has admitted that a lot will rest on himself and Virender Sehwag to steer the team through to the next stage of the Champions Twenty20 League

Cricinfo staff10-Oct-2009After Delhi Daredevils’ comprehensive defeat at the hands of Victoria at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday, their captain Gautham Gambhir has admitted that a lot will rest on him and Virender Sehwag to steer the team through to the next stage of the Champions Twenty20 League. Delhi managed only 98 for 8 before Victoria coasted home by seven wickets in 17 overs.Delhi, one of the pre-tournament favourites, are without key foreign players like Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers, David Warner and Paul Collingwood.”Obviously, there is responsibility,” Gambhir said. “There is huge responsibility on me and Sehwag when experienced players like Vettori, AB de Villiers and Collingwood are not there and we are ready for that.”The newly laid pitch at the Kotla had come in for criticism from Gambhir, who said it was “not an ideal wicket for a Twenty20 game.” He said his batsmen didn’t plan the innings well based on the conditions.”We just didn’t bat well,” he said. “We were looking for a score around 130-140 and in the end we felt 30-40 runs short.”We always knew there will be low bounce in this wicket but the way we started off, we should have made 130-140 which I feel was a match-winning total in this wicket. We just didn’t have any partnership.”He said the Victoria bowlers set a fine example by keeping the hosts to a below-par score. “I must say they outplayed us today. They bowled really well and we found it difficult to score runs,” he said. “We thought if we could get some early wickets, we are in the game but that didn’t happen. The way [Rob] Quiney batted, he took the game away from us.”Delhi need to win their next match, against Wayamba on Sunday, to stay in the competition.

Crystal Palace secured a famous victory against Manchester City over the weekend to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

The result ended a run of four consecutive draws for Patrick Vieira’s charges and cemented the progress that’s been made during the Frenchman’s short reign.

In just a few months, Vieira has transformed the playing squad and style of play in south London significantly, and now the results are beginning to match their performances on the pitch.

However, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to ensure Palace’s long-term success.

Several experienced campaigners such as Vicente Guaita, Joel Ward and 34-year-old James McArthur are still being heavily relied upon by Palace, but the natural heir to their ageing Scottish midfielder could already be at the club.

Over the summer, Will Hughes was one of many new faces to arrive at the capital club, but unlike many of the latest acquisitions, he’s yet to make his mark for Vieira’s charges.

In fact, the combative 26-year-old hasn’t played a single minute for Palace, leading to questions being asked over his current and future role at the club by supporters.

After being asked for his thoughts on Hughes’ situation by a fan on Twitter, The Athletic’s Palace reporter Matt Woosnam offered his thoughts.

“Thoughts on the Will Hughes situation? @MattWoosie,” wrote @rileyeagles, before another supporter added: “Do you think he’s the replacement for Jimmy Mac, but he’s currently undroppable?”

Woosnam then replied to the two fans, saying: “Basically this. He’s a long-term McArthur replacement. Will write about him at some point.”

And it’s easy to understand why Vieira currently feels McArthur is undroppable from his starting XI at this moment in time.

As per WhoScored, the former Wigan Athletic ace has averaged 2.2 tackles per league game this term, 1.1 interceptions and 1.7 defensive dribbles, placing him in the top-four for each metric when compared to his teammates.

Nevertheless, Hughes is also capable of adding some steal to the middle of the park when called upon and earned some staunch praise from former teammate Adrian Mariappa after impressing at Vicarage Road.

“He’s an outstanding player. To see the quality he’s got, he has so much flair and is a terrific player,” said Mariappa.

During Hughes’ last full season in the Premier League during 2019/20, the former England U21 international put up some impressive figures, averaging 2.5 tackles per game, 1.2 interceptions and 1.4 defensive dribbles, indicating he has the quality to continue McArthur’s good work.

Therefore, Vieira must unleash the £6.3m-rated beast sooner rather than later or risk losing him before he’s had a chance to showcase his credentials in a Palace shirt.

And, in other news…Report shares encouraging Crystal Palace update, fans will surely be delighted

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, has demanded better fielding from his side after their butter-fingered performance in the narrow defeat to New Zealand in the first Test in Dunedin

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2009Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, has demanded better fielding from his side after their butter-fingered performance in the narrow defeat to New Zealand in the first Test in Dunedin.Pakistan spilled four chances, including a costly drop by Imran Farhat when Daniel Vettori was on 1 in the first innings (he went on to make 99), which played a part in extending their winless streak in Tests to 34 months. “We didn’t field well in the first innings and gave away some runs,” Yousuf said. “Credit to New Zealand for the way they bowled in the second innings. We wouldn’t be chasing 250-odd had we not dropped vital catches.”Yousuf was the only specialist batsman in the Pakistan line-up to have more than 30 Test caps, another factor which he attributed the defeat to. “Chasing 250 in the second innings is always difficult and more so for us, as we had an inexperienced batting line-up.”It was a thrilling finale, with all results still possible going into tea, played out in front of a small but vocal crowd at the University Oval. “It’s disappointing that we lost but it’s been a good game for cricket, Test cricket especially. It was an excellent game.”Nineteen-year-old debutant Umar Akmal’s second impressive innings in the match had made Pakistan favourites in the final session before Shane Bond dismissed him caught and bowled to start New Zealand’s fightback. It was Bond’s comeback Test after a two-year spell on the sidelines for his ICL tie-up, and he marked the occasion with a Man-of-the-Match performance, grabbing eight wickets.”Bond bowled superbly, and his performance was the major difference between the teams,” Yousuf said. “I have faced many fast bowlers, and Shane Bond is among the best. He bowls an excellent line and at a pretty good speed.”Pakistan’s middle-order and slip-catching will be bolstered by the return of Misbah-ul-Haq for the second Test in Wellington, which starts on December 3.

Norwich City look set to appoint Frank Lampard as their new manager, according to talkSPORT.

As to be expected, a number of Canaries supporters were quick to react to the news on social media.

Daniel Farke lost his job last Saturday despite a 2-1 win over Brentford, and numerous names have been in the frame for the Carrow Road job since.

The 43-year-old and former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, appear to be the two main contenders, and it seems as if the former Chelsea man will return to management, nearly 10 months on from leaving Stamford Bridge.

talkSPORT shared a story on Thursday afternoon claiming that Lampard is set to be the new man in charge of Norwich, and should that go through, Carrow Road will be his third port of call as a manager after spells with Derby and Chelsea.

Norwich fans react

Talk Norwich City shared the news regarding Lampard on Twitter on Thursday. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with a mixed response and one labelling it as ‘embarrassing’. Another called for the head of Stuart Webber if Lampard, who is relatively inexperienced and left Chelsea a lowly ninth in the Premier League at the time of his sacking.

“Webber out”

Credit: @Follow_Robot1

“Oh god. How uninspired.”

Credit: @iambenstephens

“Embarrassing in my opinion. Will back the team whatever but this reeks of short sighted fan pleasing”

Credit: @TwitchyTerryTV

“Sign him up NOW! Before it’s too late. And he’ll end up going to Rangers.”

Credit: @andrewgwilt089

“Wow”

Credit: @JordyDavidBetts

“Happy with that if rumours are true!”

Credit: @Ncfc65

In other news: Some Norwich fans also made their feeling clear on another reported managerial candidate

An update has emerged in Ibrox chief Ross Wilson’s efforts to bring a new manager to Rangers this week…

What’s the talk?

Go Radio journalist Jo Hendry has claimed that the club’s search for Steven Gerrard is not going to drag on much longer, although they are in no rush to make an immediate appointment.

She has also ruled out the possibility of Ronald Koeman taking over in Glasgow, stating that he has never been in the running.

The Daily Record quote her as saying:

“Talks ongoing today [Tuesday] as Rangers continue the search for a new manager. Former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman never under consideration. I’m told despite being in no rush to appoint, the process isn’t going to drag on too long.”

Pleasing

Whilst Rangers fans may not be over the moon with Koeman being out of the race to land the hot seat, they will surely be buzzing by the rest of Hendry’s claims.

For starters, talks are evidently still ongoing over a deal for someone to replace Gerrard, which means that Wilson is actively working hard to get a move over the line in the coming days.

He is not twiddling his thumbs and waiting for responses from candidates or for other options to become available. Consequently, this should delight fans who want to see the club being proactive and on the front foot in their pursuit of a new head coach.

They will also be buzzing with the comment ‘the process isn’t going to drag on too long’ as it indicates that Rangers may well have a manager in place sooner rather than later. This is a particularly important point given the club face a semi-final clash with Hibernian in the League Cup on Sunday.

The Gers have an opportunity to reach the final of the competition and Rangers fans would love to see a new head coach achieve that in their first game.

Imagine, for example, Gio van Bronckhorst ending his first match in charge of the club by sending them through to the final with a chance of winning their first trophy of the season. This is why supporters will be ecstatic with the news that the appointment will not drag on in the coming days/weeks. It’s pleasing to see Rangers acting so swiftly with proceedings.

AND in other news, Major twist emerges in Rangers manager hunt that should leave fans elated…

For a moment, Paul Collingwood thought he’d made a fatal decision that would cost England the first Test at Centurion

Andrew McGlashan at Centurion20-Dec-2009For a moment, Paul Collingwood thought he’d made a fatal decision that would cost England the first Test at Centurion Park. Off the fourth ball of the penultimate over of the match, he called Graham Onions, the No. 11, through for a single then couldn’t regain the strike for the last over.It left Onions, who holds a first-class batting average of 12.32, to face the final over of the match from Makhaya Ntini and all Collingwood could do was offer advice from the non-striker’s end. Onions responded with excellent judgment and a straight bat, even managing to jab down on a typically scuttling delivery that had done for several more senior batsmen in the course of the match.Throughout the nail-biting final over, Collingwood had visions of a one-day international at Melbourne in 2002-03 where he left the tail on strike and the last two wickets were blown away by Brett Lee to secure a dramatic and traumatic victory.”As Straussy said, ‘all’s well that ends well’,” Collingwood said with relief. “I was hoping I was going to get a single off the last two balls. I was thinking I must face as many balls as I can. But I couldn’t get back to the other end.”When he was stuck down there I was saying: ‘Please, don’t get out, don’t get out – it will be my fault again’. But he was exceptional – very relaxed for a guy who probably hasn’t been in a situation like that. I thought he played that last over excellently.”Paul Collingwood and Graham Onions saw England through to the draw•PA PhotosDespite being county team-mates for Durham, Collingwood admitted he hadn’t seen much of Onions’ batting talents, so he probably didn’t know that his first-class batting average is almost four runs higher than that of Monty Panesar (8.58) who helped England save the opening Ashes Test at Cardiff.”He keeps bragging that he’s got the best bat in the dressing room,” Collingwood said. “So I kept shouting down ‘Remember you’ve got the best bat, just keep using it’. I was trying to keep him as relaxed as possible, and he was happy with that.”Sometimes you can over-complicate things and the nervousness can overtake you. There was one that scuttled along the floor, and he watched it really well and got the bat on it. Once he’d done that I thought he’s going to see through this over. It was a great effort.”Andrew Strauss, whose face grew glummer with every wicket that fell, didn’t sound quite so convinced about Onions’ batting pedigree. “I think hopeful would be the right word,” he said. “I know he’s got a reasonable technique. But in those circumstances, you don’t want the ball that scuttles along the ground or nips back at you.”You need a little bit of fortune on your side – and you need the player himself to stay composed, switched on and on the ball and aware of what the situation is calling for. I think he did that all exceptionally well.”Graeme Smith also expressed his surprise that Collingwood took a single so late in the penultimate over, but was left to rue not being able to dislodge Onions over the 12 deliveries he faced. “In those pressure moments batters choose to do things. He must have had his reasons,” he said. “It offered us six balls at Onions but he was dogged and stood his ground.”

Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has once again been reported for a dubious bowling action less than a year after being suspended for throwing

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2010Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has once again been reported for a dubious bowling action less than a year after being suspended for throwing. Bird was mentioned by the umpires during the Blues’ Twenty20 match at the WACA last Tuesday and must have his action analysed at the AIS in Canberra within three weeks.Although Bird can keep playing for New South Wales until the tests take place, it is a setback after he was banned for an illegal action last February. Not all of his deliveries were within the 15-degree range of allowable elbow extension, although further biomechanical analysis later in 2009 gave Bird the all-clear and he was allowed to resume his career.However, last summer was not the first time Bird’s action had been under the spotlight – he was also reported in December 2006. Stress fractures in his back delayed the testing until the middle of 2007, when he was cleared.

Celtic will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they welcome Aberdeen to Parkhead for their Premiership clash over the weekend.

The Hoops saw their nine-game unbeaten run ended by Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night as they crashed out of the Europa League group stage following a 3-2 defeat in Germany.

However, Ange Postecoglou will have taken plenty of positives from his side’s performance against the Bundesliga outfit. A front three of Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi and James Forrest caused the hosts problems for large periods of the entertaining encounter, while the midfield also held their own and Joe Hart pulled off some magnificent saves.

However, Nir Bitton was forced off the pitch on the 76-minute mark after picking up an injury, which played a part in Leverkusen’s late fightback and potentially rules him out of tomorrow’s crucial clash.

The Israel international has been putting in some improved displays of late after being restored to his more familiar position at the base of the engine room, but the visit of the Dons could be a good chance to give the injury-prone midfielder a break.

In his place, Postecoglou must unleash summer signing James McCarthy. The £14,000-per-week maestro has only featured from the off on three occasions this season after joining from Crystal Palace as a free agent, failing to showcase his true ability on each outing.

A lack of match sharpness and rhythm has heavily contributed to his underwhelming start to life in Scottish football, though, and once the 31-year-old is back up to speed fully, he will surely provide Celtic with a fantastic option in the middle of the park.

Throughout spells at Wigan Athletic, Everton and Palace, McCarthy racked up 272 Premier League appearances, and he could well be crucial in the Bhoys’ bid to reclaim their Premiership crown come next May.