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The elite spin of Graeme Swann could be the difference between England and Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, according to one of Australia’s most successful Test offspinners, Ashley Mallett

Brydon Coverdale14-Oct-2010The elite spin of Graeme Swann could be the difference between England and Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, according to one of Australia’s most successful Test offspinners, Ashley Mallett. He believes the selectors should throw Steven Smith in to the side to help Nathan Hauritz, who took six wickets at 65.00 during his disappointing tour of India.Hauritz was barely a threat against India’s strong batting line-up and on the final day of the series, he bowled to a field so defensive that Shane Warne aired his frustration via Twitter. There were also reports of conflict between Hauritz and the captain Ricky Ponting over the line he should bowl, and in the second innings in Bangalore he conceded more than a run a ball.In Hauritz’s defence, few Australian spinners have thrived in India, where even Warne battled for 34 Test wickets at an average of 43.11. One of the best performers was Mallett, who, in five Tests in India claimed 28 victims, and he said the presence of Swann in England’s attack was one of the factors that would go against Australia in the Ashes.”The way it’s shaping I reckon England are going to win the series pretty easily,” Mallett told ESPNcricinfo. “They’ve got a genuine No. 1 spinner, a pretty good attack and they’ve got a pretty good balance in their batting. They’ve got to be favourites.”[Hauritz] has always had a very good temperament, but whether he’s world-class, that’s another thing. They’re crying out for a spinner that’s genuine Test class at the moment. Steve Smith has got to play. I’d play him as a batsman anyway, in front of [Marcus] North, against England.”Mallett said using Smith as a second slow bowler would be a good way to continue his transition into Test cricket without the pressure of being the lead spinner, after he made his first two appearances against Pakistan in England in July. And Mallett believes Hauritz deserves further opportunities, especially with “not much” high-quality spin on the domestic scene.”I think they should go with Hauritz,” Mallett said. “He’s bowled steadily without being an absolute world-beater. He’s been a good support bowler and has kept it pretty tight. He bowled well in England and bowled well last summer in Australia. Okay, he’s had a few downers in India but we’re not playing India in India, we’re playing England in Australia.”The difference in conditions should lift the spirits of Hauritz, who picked up his first two five-wicket hauls during last summer’s home series against Pakistan. Although India is traditionally regarded as the perfect place to bowl spin due to the favourable pitches it is not always as simple as it seems, as the left-armer Ray Bright found during Australia’s 1986 tour.”It’s not all that easy,” Bright said. “You’ve got the heat and humidity, which make gripping the ball difficult. At times the lack of pace and bounce in the wicket makes your margin of error very minimal, so at times you have to bowl tighter length and lines to get through that.”And traditionally India have been magnificent players of spin bowling. They’re used to playing good quality spin bowling all the time and they’re quick on their feet, whether it be going forward or back, so they make you change your length quite often. That can be a difficult part of bowling in those conditions.”Bright, who sees plenty of Australian domestic cricket in his role as a Victoria selector, described Hauritz’s efforts in Test cricket over the past two years as “outstanding”. However, he also believes the national selectors missed an opportunity in Bangalore to give Smith more exposure at the highest level, given that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was already lost.”He [Smith] needs to bowl a lot more and this is the problem – they take him to India and he doesn’t bowl in matches,” Bright said. “He could have been playing Shield matches but they’ve taken him over there and sat him on the bench. For the development of a spin bowler, you don’t get any better by not bowling.”Both Hauritz and Smith will remain in India over the next couple of weeks for Australia’s one-day series, before they return home to acclimatise back to Australian conditions ahead of the Ashes. England will have just as much opportunity to warm up, with three tour games scheduled before the first Test.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of a left-back, with Atletico Madrid’s Renan Lodi a player of interest.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that the Brazilian full-back is a defender the club are considering a deal for heading into deadline day, although he may also be one they track on a longer-term basis.

He Tweeted: “Understand Renan Lodi is one to watch for Newcastle, who are looking for a left-back. Atletico want 40 euros. Might be one for the summer, though.”

Major upgrade

Lodi could be a major upgrade for Howe in the left-back position and PIF must work hard to ensure that they can get this £33m deal over the line on deadline day, instead of waiting until the summer to bring him in.

He could come in and take Matt Ritchie’s place at left-back, as the Scotsman has been far from good enough this season. In 16 Premier League games, the 32-year-old has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.66 and lost 53% of his duels at the back.

This suggests that he has not been able to turn in good displays at the top level for the Magpies, whilst being weak in his individual battles. Therefore, Howe could benefit from bringing in an upgrade in his position and that is exactly what Lodi could be.

The Brazilian played 23 games for Atletico as they won the La Liga title in the 2020/21 campaign. He averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.00 as he won an impressive 60% of his duels and created four ‘big chances’ from left-back.

In the previous campaign, he averaged a score of 6.90 across 32 league matches – making 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can catch the eye with his attacking and his defending, making him a modern-day full-back who can bomb up and down the flank effectively.

His average ratings also suggest that he will be able to compete in the Premier League as he has been able to perform consistently over two full campaigns in the Spanish top-flight. This is why he could be a major upgrade on Ritchie and a player Howe would love to have in his squad.

It is now down to PIF to work hard and get this deal over the line in time for the deadline tonight, or else they could be missing out on what could be a terrific signing for the Magpies. His statistics suggest that he would be a major upgrade to the starting XI and, therefore, someone who could help them in their bid to avoid relegation to the second tier at the end of the campaign.

AND in other news, “He is one..”: Journo claims NUFC now “really like” ST who is miles better than Wood…

Pakistan’s kit suppliers, BoomBoom, have suspended their relationship with Mohammad Amir and could also choose to sever ties with the team entirely

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2010Pakistan’s kit suppliers, BoomBoom, have suspended their relationship with Mohammad Amir and could also choose to sever ties with the team entirely in the wake of the matchfixing allegations that surfaced in the News of the World last week.BoomBoom are less than halfway through a two-year deal as the official kit supplier to Pakistan cricket, while Amir is one of the highest-profile members of the squad to hold an individual deal. However, a statement from the managing director of the company put the relationship in jeopardy.”Like everyone else in the cricket world, we are truly saddened and shocked by these allegations,” said the managing director, Ali Ehsan. “I sincerely hope they are not true. However, we are huge cricket lovers: pure and simple. We believe in, and encourage players to have, the freedom to play, fairly.”The company were keen to stress that their decision was not intended as a prejudicial judgment on the guilt, or otherwise, of Amir, whose image has yet to be removed from the company website, where he appears alongside one-day captain Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam and Abdul Razzaq.”We cannot allow our brand to be associated with any whiff of corruption or suspicion of foul play. While the suspension of our commercial involvement with Mohammad Amir is not a step we take lightly, we nevertheless feel that it is the right thing to do while a judicial process unfolds and innocence or guilt is established.”BoomBoom is also reviewing its position as official kit supplier to the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

So far in the January transfer window, Wolves have made just one new addition, bringing in Japanese midfielder Hayao Kawabe from Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zurich.

However, with Wolves’ official website stating that the player is expected to return to Switzerland on loan to complete the season with Grasshoppers after spending January in England, it could be worth signing another player who will actually spend the remainder of the current campaign in Bruno Lage’s squad.

With that in mind, one player that Wolves could sign who would not only be unlikely to be loaned back out upon arrival at Molineux but also have a great chance of playing regularly in the team is Renato Sanches.

Having been linked with a move for the Lille midfielder during last summer’s transfer window, this month could give Wolves a great chance of finally securing the 24-year-old.

Since joining Lille back in 2019 from Bayern Munich, the Portuguese maestro has made 76 appearances for the French club across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists in the process.

Imagine him and Neves

Described as a player who has “got a lot of character” by BBC pundit Jermaine Jenas, Sanches has shown what a quality midfield player he can be, averaging 1.4 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season. That is higher than any other Lille player and also exceeds every Wolves player in 2021/22 except Raul Jimenez, who is tied with him on 1.4 but with a much lower passing completion rate according to WhoScored.

This shows that the £27m-rated Portugal gem could provide a big boost for Wolves, particularly in an attacking regard, with only rock-bottom Norwich City having scored fewer goals than Lage’s side in the Premier League this season. Imagine him alongside compatriot Ruben Neves, who is the only Wolves player other than Jimenez to have both scored a goal and provided an assist in the league this season, and how that could greatly bolster the Old Gold’s attacking threat.

Moving forward, Wolves should definitely make another approach to Lille before the end of the month to see if they would be willing to negotiate a deal for Sanches this month or even in next summer’s transfer window.

In other news: Shi could secure the next Jimenez at Wolves with swoop for “quality” £49k-p/w beast – opinion

Tyron Henderson, the South African allrounder, has rejoined Middlesex for the remainder of the Friends Provident t20 campaign

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2010Tyron Henderson, the South African allrounder, has rejoined Middlesex for the remainder of the Friends Provident t20 campaign. Henderson, who had a previous spell with the club in 2008 and 2009, will help cover for an injury-hit bowling attack.Having arrived in London earlier this week, Henderson proved his fitness we two outings for the Middlesex second team which included hitting 80 off 31 balls against Surrey at Beckenham. Henderson was the final-over hero for Middlesex when they won the 2008 Twenty20 Cup against Kent at The Rose Bowl, although he had a limited impact for Rajasthan Royals at IPL3 having been brought for $650,000.”Injury to Iain O’Brien and Shaun Udal, and the ECB’s decision to withdraw Steven Finn from all cricket has given Middlesex’s bowling an inexperienced look,” said Angus Fraser, the managing director of cricket. “The predicament also places a heavy workload on a couple of bowlers who have already bowled a lot of overs this summer.”With this in mind it seemed sensible to bolster our bowling resources, and there are few more experienced and skilful t20 bowlers than Tyron. In 2009 it was reassuring to watch Tyron bowl at crucial stages of matches and we all know how hard and far he can hit a cricket ball. On his day he is a high quality limited over cricketer.”Meanwhile Neil Dexter, the recently appointed captain, and allrounder Gareth Berg have been given new three-year deals by the club. Dexter will take over the leadership following Shaun Udal’s resignation now that Adam Gilchrist’s spell with the county has come to an end.Berg, meanwhile, has been rewarded for some impressive all-round results after averaging 51.18 with the bat in the first half of the Championship season and taking 24 wickets at 34.75 to go with a batting average of 44.66 in the CB40.”That Neil has been appointed captain for the second half of the season highlights how highly he is regarded by everyone at Middlesex,” said Fraser. “He has been in excellent form with the bat and is one of the most elegant and classy players in the country. His bowling in one-day cricket is becoming highly effective too.”When I returned to Middlesex in many people’s eyes the jury was out on Gareth. But over the past season and a half he has become one of the country’s leading all-rounders. He holds a pivotal role in our side and when Gareth plays well we tend to. The most encouraging thing is that Gareth is getting better all the time and there is still plenty more to come.”

Zimbabwe have taken major steps towards regaining their position in the cricketing hierarchy

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2010Zimbabwe have taken major steps towards regaining their position in the cricketing hierarchy, of challengers capable of toppling the best sides on their day, and Brendan Taylor who has been at the forefront of the turnaround, has reaffirmed his loyalty to the Zimbabwean cause.”Zimbabwe is my home and it is good place to be in right now,” Taylor told . “I want to support Zimbabwe cricket as much as I can. We’re training hard and trying to give our best to play against Australia, India and Sri Lanka. Hopefully by next year, we will get our Test status back and things here will be normal soon.”We feel the first class structure in Zimbabwe is heading in the right direction. It’s run professionally and we just hope it continues the same way. We have got five teams at the moment and we’re trying to give exposure to the youngsters,” he said.Zimbabwe’s trough in world cricket coincided with the political upheaval in the country which drove several of their leading players away. Taylor was one of the few white cricketers who stuck with the team through the tough phase and spearheaded a few upsets during his time.”Beating Australia (in the first World Twenty20) was a very special moment. They were the world champions at that stage. The last-ball six against Bangladesh in 2006 which gave us series win. It was the closest game I’ve ever played in,” he said.Taylor top-scored in each of Zimbabwe’s three victories in the ongoing tri-series, getting a century and two fifties in the process. He almost single-handedly derailed India’s campaign – an outcome even he is surprised by. “I love Indian cricketers and follow them closely. The present side is slightly out of form. We’re surprised that they have left their main players out. But the current side has some quality cricketers. I’m really surprised that they are out of the tournament.”India and Sri Lanka may have sent depleted sides for the series, and while Taylor admits it made his side compete better, it would have been a good learning experience for Zimbabwe to face full-strength opposition. “That’s [strength of the other teams] not in our hands but I feel a lot happy that India have not fielded their best team. They would have made our task much harder.”At the same time, I would have liked them to be here. It would have been a good experience for us. I have immense respect for players like Yuvraj, Dhoni and Sachin. But we enjoyed playing against the current team. We learnt a lot,” he said.With his recent exploits, Taylor has his sights set on impressing the IPL talent scouts, and if things go his way, he may follow Tatenda Taibu to the lucrative Twenty20 league. “Certainly, every cricketer’s dream is to be a part of the IPL. I know there are two new teams from this year and I have my aspirations to play in the IPL. A few more good performances and I know I can get an IPL contract. It’s my aim to be part of such a well-established tournament,” Taylor said.

Alastair Cook’s run of poor form continued when he was dismissed for a first ball duck as Essex replied to a Kent total of 474 in their County Championship clash at Chelmsford

11-May-2010Kent 474 v Essex 172 for 4
Scorecard
Alastair Cook’s run of poor form continued when he was dismissed for a first ball duck as Essex replied to a Kent total of 474 in their County Championship clash at Chelmsford.The England opener pushed forward against Makhaya Ntini and edged an easy catch to wicketkeeper James Hockley, who was deputising behind the stumps for Geraint Jones, who was off the field complaining of feeling unwell.Cook has only once reached 50 in his seven championship innings this season and has gathered just 155 runs for an average of just over 22. While Cook was left reflecting on another failure, 21-year-old Tom Westley confirmed his promise by reaching the close within sight of his century with Essex on 172 for 4.The youngster will resume the third day on 84, an innings that has so far brought him a dozen boundaries against bowling far more testing than that of Essex. The most substantial partnership to date involved Westley and opener Billy Godleman who gathered 76 in 26 overs for the third wicket.Godleman survived an amazing escape from the final delivery before tea when he played a ball from Simon Cook into his stumps without dislodging a bail. But he failed to make the most of his good fortune because he was bowled by Azhar Mahmood immediately afterwards without adding to his 45.Mahmood had earlier removed Jaik Mickleburgh while Cook had Mark Pettini neatly taken at second slip by Martin van Jaarsveld to leave Essex on 114 for 4. But that was to be the last of Kent’s successes as James Foster curbed his attacking instincts to stay with Westley until the close with Essex still requiring a further 153 to avoid the follow on.Foster has so far batted for just over an hour and faced 73 deliveries in making 17. Earlier, Darren Stevens recorded his second championship century of the season after Kent had resumed on 355 for 6.Keeping him company for most of that time was Mahmood, the pair adding 134 for the seventh wicket. It was brought to an end when he was bowled by Ryan ten Doeschate for 64, containing eight boundaries.Stevens completed his century from 147 deliveries but departed next ball when he swung widely at leg spinner Danish Kaneria and skied a simple catch to Tim Phillips in the gulley. His effort contained 11 fours and 2 sixes.Ten Doeschate was by far Essex’s more successful bowler. The batsman finished with 4 for 77 while Kaneria’s two wickets came at a cost of 124 from 33 overs in his first appearance of the season.

In less than four months, Doug Bollinger has become the most important bowler in Australia’s Test team but he still hasn’t perfected his celebrations

Brydon Coverdale at the Basin Reserve21-Mar-2010In less than four months, Doug Bollinger has become the most important bowler in Australia’s Test team but he still hasn’t perfected his celebrations. When he completed his second Test five-for, he looked down and kissed his shirt, hesitated for a second as he realised he’d actually got the VB sponsor’s logo, and tried to recover by switching sides and finding the Australian badge.He laughed it off. He’s used to doing that. He did the badge-kissing thing in Perth in December, but joked it was only because he’d seen someone else do it. He was asked in the lead-up to this game how his hairpiece would stand up in the Wellington wind and said: “Next question”.He bugs his team-mates by repeating the same joke over and over in the change-rooms: “Two fish are in a tank and one says to the other ‘how do you drive this thing?'” He would be a fun but exhausting man to be around.Fortunately, there is more to Bollinger than a unique personality. His seven wickets so far in the Wellington Test put Australia firmly in control and it continued his outstanding summer in the five-day game. Since returning to the team at the start of December, he has collected 32 breakthroughs at 18.06, easily the most of any Australian player in that time.Mitchell Johnson keeps finding victims and Nathan Hauritz has discovered his niche but Bollinger has become the spearhead. He is the man to whom Ricky Ponting turns when a change in momentum is required, or to convert a couple of wickets into a collapse. He achieved both those feats on the third day, first running through the New Zealand tail to allow Ponting to enforce the follow-on for the second time this season, then breaking an opening stand that had swelled to 70.His speed and accuracy allow batsmen no respite and that was what upset BJ Watling, who had cautiously worked his way to 33 when he was lbw to a ball that pitched in line and straightened, for the second time in the game. His angle soon accounted for Peter Ingram and he edged behind.The 5 for 28 that he secured in the first innings was fitting reward for his persistence. The same energy that nags good-naturedly at his team-mates causes far more worries for his opponents and even late in the afternoon, after a day and a half of bowling, he was still peppering down bouncers and making the batsmen jump.”I’m trying to [intimidate],” Bollinger said. “That’s just how I bowl, I try to be aggressive and bowl in the batsman’s face and make them as uncomfortable as I can. That’s what a fast bowler’s job is to do. I felt really, really good today. I didn’t try to overdo anything. I just feel like the ball is coming out of my hand really well at the moment and I’m just really, really enjoying my cricket.”Bollinger makes otherwise pedestrian periods of Test cricket compulsory viewing. When he’s sprinting in it is impossible to look away for fear of missing a wicket, an appeal or a moment of mirth.This Test has had the lot: 7 for 58, a laughably optimistic appeal (he was the only man to go up for a bump ball return catch and you could sense his team-mates cringe) and a VB kiss that was replayed over and over. The team’s most important bowler is also its most watchable.

Leeds United remain interested in signing Sampdoria centre-back Omar Colley in the near future, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Colley linked with Leeds move

The 32-time capped Gambia international has been continually linked with a move to Elland Road this year, as Marcelo Bielsa eyes up defensive reinforcements – Victor Orta and co were allegedly interested as far back as June.

Despite summer interest from Elland Road however, Colley ended up staying put at Sampdoria, where he has made 17 Serie A starts this season, continuing to be a key man for the Genoa-based outfit.

With Leeds suffering from a centre-back shortage, it looks as though the 29-year-old is still on their radar ahead of the January transfer window.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Transfer rumour returns

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that the Whites are ‘back on his trail’, with Everton and Newcastle United also seen as potential suitors.

Colley’s current Sampdoria deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2025, so he may not come cheap with his current employers holding a strong negotiating position.

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The Verdict: Strong option

At 29, Colley doesn’t necessarily represent the long-term but he could be an ideal signing in the January transfer window, as Bielsa surely needs to bring in an immediate upgrade at centre-back in the absence of Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk.

He is an experienced international player so he shouldn’t find it too difficult adjusting to life in the Premier League, averaging 1.8 tackles and 3.2 interceptions per game in Serie A – that is far more interceptions than any Leeds player this season.

Robin Koch (2.0) has the most interceptions for Leeds in 2021/22 but his average is still comfortably lower than Colley’s, showing what a savvy and dominant defender he is.

In other news, Phil Hay has made a transfer claim regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

A round-up of the first set of matches in the SLC Inter-Provincial Tournament 2009-10

Sa'adi Thawfeeq22-Mar-2010Jeevantha Kulatunga continued his good run of form with the bat, hitting an unbeaten century off 101 balls to guide Wayamba to a convincing seven-wicket win over Basnahira South in the opening weekend of the Inter-provincial four-day tournament. Wayamba’s victory was achieved inside three days as Basnahira South failed to counter the wily left-arm spin of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath who finished with match figures of 8 for 141.Basnahira South never recovered from their poor first innings total of 120 after choosing to bat first. Their batting was wrecked by Chanaka Welagedera (4 for 37) and Herath (3 for 12). Even though they put up a better display in the second innings to score 352, Wayamba were left to chase 224 to win with plenty of time to spare. Although they lost openers Michael Vandort and Mahela Udawatte cheaply, Kulatunga took control of the bowling from there onwards and figured in two century partnerships with his captain Jehan Mubarak who made 61 and Damitha Hunukumbura, who was unbeaten on 55 to ensure victory.In a high-scoring match at Moors SC grounds, Kandurata established a new domestic record by piling up the highest total – 727 all out – against Basnahira North. The previous highest total was 683 by Colombo Colts CC against Galle CC at the NCC grounds in 2003-04. Sri Lanka middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera, leading Kandurata in the absence of Kumar Sangakkara who is away for the IPL, led the way with a superb double century as his team took up the challenge of overhauling Basnahira North’s first innings total of 530. Samaraweera scored 214 off 355 balls and was involved in a double century partnership of 274 for the fifth wicket with Jeevan Mendis who made 150.Kandurata passed Basnahira North’s total losing only half the side and further frustration followed when Sri Lanka spinner Suraj Randiv added to his four-wicket haul by bolstering the lower order with an entertaining innings of 74 off 89 balls, helping his captain put on 91 runs for the seven th wicket. He picked up a further three wickets in the second innings for matches figures of 7/230. The Kandurata run chase was launched by openers Nadeera Nawala (113) and Kanchana Gunawardena (64) who put on 122. Five half-centuries featured in the Basnahira North first innings.