Former England forward Alan Shearer was pretty scathing in his criticism of West Ham United on Sunday night’s Match of the Day programme.
Indeed, the Hammers were thumped 4-1 by Manchester City at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon to leave themselves still very much in relegation trouble.
Shearer accused a number of West Ham players – namely Javier Hernandez and Cheikhou Kouyate – of lacking effort during the match at the London Stadium.
City are a wonderful football team, but Shearer was keen to stress that the Hammers made it easy for Pep Guardiola’s side by failing to close the space available to the English champions.
The West Ham fans are a very frustrated bunch at the moment, with many taking to social media to blast head coach David Moyes, who faces a battle to keep his job.
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The club’s supporters were in complete agreement with football pundit Shearer on Sunday night, however, following a disappointing performance from their team.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Largely due to the miraculous rise of Francis Coquelin since the turn of 2015, Arsene Wenger seems reluctant to spend big on a holding player this summer.
Indeed, many view a ‘big-‘n-‘burly’ defensive-mid as one of the few intrinsic differences between Arsenal and the Premier League’s other title contenders. But Wenger appears to have conceded Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United, whilst we haven’t heard much about Arsenal’s alleged pursuits of Lars Bender, Grzegorz Krychowiak or William Carvalho for some time.
Perhaps he’s in the right; Coquelin produced equal – if not superior – form to many of the Gunners’ ball-winning targets towards the end of last season and the last thing the north London outfit need is a cumbersome thug disrupting their definitive, possession-based build-up play.
So it’s time to consider some cheaper solutions to Arsenal’s lack of height, power and defensive awareness in the middle of the park; experienced players who could step in for the big games that won’t command a sizable chunk of the club’s summer transfer budget.
With that in mind, here’s FIVE budget anchormen the Gunners should target this summer.
ALEX SONG
Arsene Wenger seems completely adverse to the idea of re-signing former Gunner Alex Song, but I struggle to understand why.
The Cameroon international was one of the top enforcers in the Premier League during his lengthy Emirates tenure and has hardly become a worse player by undertaking two years at Barcelona – the most dominant club side in world football over the last decade.
The 27 year-old spent last year on loan at West Ham, demonstrating the composure, control and quality you’d expect of a Champions League regular – which is the level the 6ft. 1″ midfielder should still be playing at, in my opinion.
Perhaps most importantly of all from Arsenal’s perspective, he’s the only player on this list who has proven himself compatible with the Gunners’ unique style of play before, recording an impressive 13 assists across all competitions during his final campaign in north London.
Furthermore, Barca are set to sell Song for an absolute pittance this summer – some sources even claim he’ll be allowed to leave for free. Currently, however, he’s expected to join the Hammers permanently.
THIAGO MOTTA
PSG’s Thiago Motta is about as proven as it gets. He’s won league titles with Barcelona, Inter Milan and claimed three in three seasons since moving to Parc de Princes in January 2012.
He’s also a regular international for Italy, featuring prominently in the squad that reached the final of the last European championships, and now has 70 appearances in continental tournaments under his belt.
In terms of height, power and defensive quality, the 6ft. 2″ midfielder represents exactly what the Gunners currently lack in midfield. But Motta’s also a smart player who uses the ball well, boasting a pass completion rate of 93% in Ligue 1 alongside one created chance per match.
Motta’s no spring chicken at the age of 32, but with just a year remaining on his contract, the Parisians would probably let him leave for a nominal fee this summer.
ESTEBAN CAMBIASSO
Esteban Cambiasso’s performances for Leicester City last season verged upon talismanic, netting five times as the Foxes staved off relegation with a miraculous great escape.
Admittedly, at 34 years of age the Argentina international doesn’t offer the Gunners much in the way of longevity.
But the midfielder looked more than comfortable at Premier League level during his King Power Stadium tenure, continually demonstrating the pedigree, intelligence and experience you’d expect from a former Champions League winner with 52 caps for Albiceleste under his belt. He averaged an impressive 2.3 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 1.2 created chances per match.
There’s life in the old dog yet and perhaps most appealingly of all, the former Inter Milan star is currently available on a free transfer. He’s yet to extend his one-year deal with Leicester and the shock sacking of Nigel Pearson last week could convince him to consider other opportunities.
STEVEN N’ZONZI
Steven N’Zonzi may not be the most popular of figures outside of the Britannia Stadium but every club needs a gritty, irritating and provocative figure like the Stoke City enforcer.
Furthermore, the Frenchman has shown a clear progression during his Premier League spells with Blackburn and the Potters and is now one of the most formidable characters in their’ starting Xi, blending an imperious 6ft. 3″ frame with consistency, vision and occasional elegance on the ball.
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He was Stoke’s tempo setter last year, averaging the most passes per match of any player in their squad, and has resultantly become an integral component of Mark Hughes’ aesthetic evolution from the Tony Pulis days – suggesting he wouldn’t look awkward and out of place in the Gunners’ technically-demanding engine room.
Likewise, the 26 year-old is an ambitious character, handing in two transfer requests over the last two summers. So with his contract now into its final twelve months, he could easily force a move away before the start of next season.
Currently, however, he’s a priority target for Sevilla.
JOHN OBI MIKEL
A defender’s answer to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, John Obi Mikel has been dubbed ‘the human full time whistle’ for his world-class ability to kill off games after entering the fray from the bench.
Protecting leads is certainly his forte but the Nigerian international’s talents stem far beyond the limited role he repeatedly performs for the Premier League champions. In truth, he’s highly competent in possession, claiming a 91% pass completion rate last season, and has often demonstrated his more progressive qualities when on Super Eagles duty.
Perhaps the 28 year-old’s biggest asset, however, is his vast experience. He’s featured in the most important games English and European football have to offer – including two Champions League finals – and is now verging upon a decade in the Premier League.
The 6ft. 2″ enforcer apparently wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after making just six league starts this season, but whether the Blues would be prepared to further strengthen Arsenal after already surrendering Petr Cech remains to be seen.
PUMA’s latest colourway of the PowerCat 1 FG football boot will be debuted on pitch by Marco Reus in the most important match of the year this weekend. Reus, who has been an instrumental figure in the Borussia Dortmund’s successes on the road to the UEFA Champions League final, will wear his new black and yellow PowerCat boots for the first time at Wembley.
Marco Reus said, “Reaching the Champions League final is the biggest moment of my career so far and I cannot wait to walk out on this great football stage at the weekend. My first season at Borussia Dortmund with the whole Champions League tournament has been extremely exciting, and going to Wembley is really an absolute highlight for me. My new PUMA boots feature a similar colourway to the iconic BVB colours, I think this is a good sign and hope they will help me perform well in London and bring about a great end to a phenomenal season.”
The PUMA PowerCat 1 FG is designed for players who desire power and accuracy when shooting and passing. Featuring a perfect blend of materials, this boot provides increased kicking power, whilst enabling precision through the newest PUMA technology that improves ball grip (3D PST DUO Technology). The boot delivers a bladed stud configuration for better traction, manoeuvrability and accurate pressure distribution and the external heel counter protects and stabilises the heel.
Finishing touches are the soft, premium K-Leather that enhances fit, comfort and touch and a lightweight microfiber material in the lateral quarter to support of the midfoot, which is essential to keep the weight of the boot to a minimum.
The new PowerCat 1 FG products in the black, fluorescent yellow and blue colourway will be on pitch this weekend and available in-store from the 1st of June 2013.
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Qualifier 2 and the final will be played in Ahmedabad
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2023The MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai will host Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on May 23 and Eliminator on May 24. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be the host for Qualifier 2 on May 26 and the final on May 28.Last year too Ahmedabad had hosted Qualifier 2 and the final. In the final, Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals to lift the trophy in their inaugural season. The 2023 season too kicked off in Ahmedabad, where Titans beat Chennai Super Kings.Currently, Royals are at the top of the points table with four wins from six games. Just below them, and separated only by the net run rate, are Lucknow Super Giants. Titans are fourth with six points from five games.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
This year, the competition is being played in the home-and-away format for the first time after a gap of three years. In 2020, the tournament had to be postponed from the March-May window to September-November and moved to the UAE because of the Covid-19 pandemic.In 2021, there was an attempt to play in the Indian summer but a breach of the biosecure bubble led to the season being interrupted midway, and the second half of the season resumed in the UAE in September. In 2022, the tournament was played in the March-May window in India, but the entire league phase was played at venues in Mumbai and Pune, and the playoffs and final in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
Peshawar suffer more final heartache as they fell well short in tall chase
Sreshth Shah24-Jun-2021In the final for the first time, Multan Sultans completed one of the great turnarounds in a franchise cricket season to lift their maiden title by comprehensively defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL 2021 final.Two blistering half-centuries from Sohaib Maqsood and Rilee Rossouw made them favourites at the halfway mark, after which regular wickets at key intervals saw off the Zalmi challenge. Although the tournament’s highest wicket-taker Shahnawaz Dahani finished wicketless, the others stepped up on the final day. Blessing Muzarabani and Imran Khan took two wickets each at economies of under seven, and the ageless Imran Tahir collected three.Sultans started the second leg of the PSL fifth on the points table – having lost four of their first five matches – but led by their captain Mohammad Rizwan, went on to win four of the next five to finish the league stage second. They then swatted the Islamabad United challenge in the first qualifier and the win in the final was the crowning glory in their magnificent UAE leg of the season.For Zalmi, it was the third time in the last four seasons that they faltered in the final. They failed to capitalise after keeping Sultans quiet for the first half of the first innings, and their hero of the two eliminators Hazratullah Zazai faced only five balls. Those factors, coupled with the lack of a big partnership a la Maqsood and Rossouw, resulted in the 47-run defeat for Wahab Riaz’s men.Masood, Rizwan fall after blossoming startSent in to bat, it was a slow start for Sultans. Openers Shan Masood and Rizwan were kept quiet by Sameen Gul and Mohammad Irfan in the opening overs, and it was as late as the fourth over that the acceleration began. It was kickstarted by Rizwan as he drove Irfan for a four and then pulled him for six. Masood then cut and flicked Gul for three fours to take Sultans to 42 after the Powerplay, and it seemed the base was set for both batters to continue their assault.However, Masood, on 37, fell victim to a Mohammad Imran slower ball in the ninth over and saw his off stump shattered and Rizwan soon followed when he chopped a wide ball from the same bowler to the wicketkeeper. From 66 for no loss, Sultans had swiftly fallen to 83 for 2, and only nine overs remained in the innings.Maqsood, Rossouw put on a showIt was just a few hours earlier that Maqsood was added to the Pakistan T20I squad travelling to England following news of Haider Ali’s bio-bubble breach, and the batter showed why he had been called up.He began by hitting Riaz for four and six off the first two balls of the 13th and bookended the over with another boundary. He then showed power and finesse in the 15th by hammering Imran for a six over long-on and playing a reverse pat for four behind square. Off Imran’s next over he got inside the line to place a four behind square, following it up with a powerful six over extra cover. By the time the 17th over was done, he had raced away to a 23-ball fifty – his fifth half-century of the season – and celebrated his return to the national set-up after five years.But while Maqsood’s big shots were a sight to behold, there was another man causing equal damage at the other end. Rossouw started his innings with a first-ball four, and that was the tempo he played with all innings. Sandwiched between Maqsood’s assault of Riaz and Imran, he smacked two sixes and a four in a 20-run 14th over from Amad Butt. He started the over by punching Butt down the ground for four. Next ball, he scooped a six over long leg and a few balls later deposited Butt for six over square leg. Rossouw eventually fell for a 21-ball 50, but by then the 44-ball stand of 98 had demoralised the Zalmi bowlers and had Sultans dreaming of 200.And 200 would be breached in the final over. Maqsood survived a caught after Butt’s waist-high full toss was deemed a no-ball, after which the free hit was deposited over long-on. Then came a fortuitous six, as Sherfane Rutherford failed to take a clean catch at the straight boundary. By the end of the innings Maqsood finished unbeaten on 65 in 35 balls, Sultans had reached 206, and Zalmi needed to pull off a record chase after conceding 116 runs in their last eight overs.Akmal keeps Zazai at the non-striker’sZazai’s back-to-back half-centuries in the two eliminators had dragged Zalmi to the final, but on the night he faced only three balls in the first five overs. While Kamran Akmal kept finding occasional boundaries in the opening salvo of the chase, he struggled to get the singles, starving his in-form partner of the strike. By the time Zalmi had reached 36 in five overs, Akmal had scored all those runs.The first time Zazai faced the first ball of an over was the last over of the Powerplay, delivered by Muzarabani. It started by Zazai swatting a length ball over square leg for six in what seemed like an ominous sign for Sultans but Muzarabani returned with a slower ball, angling away, that Zazai was tempted to cut over the off side. However, all he could get was an as thick edge, and Masood at point gobbled it up. Imran Khan then sent Akmal packing by bowling a length ball on off that stayed a bit low and shattered the batter’s stumps.Malik and Rutherford try their bestWith Malik and half-centurion from Eliminator 2 Jonathan Wells around, Zalmi still had enough in the tank to pull the chase off. But boundaries after the Powerplay dried up, and in an attempt to take a second run against Rossouw’s arm at long-on, Wells was run out at the bowler’s end for a 13-ball 6. In the five overs after the Powerplay, Zalmi could add only 27.But in Zalmi, the four-time finalists, there was still some fight left. Malik pumped Imran for six and four after surviving being caught off a front-foot no-ball and then hammered Tahir for sixes over long-on and long-off in the 14th over that went for 21.However, Malik was caught on 48, and while Rutherford kept scything away at deliveries that were in his arc, it was Tahir – the 42-year-old Tahir – who finally broke Zalmi’s back. The West Indian looked to slog Tahir over deep midwicket, only to top edge it for Rizwan to swallow. That had Tahir running towards the dugout, and he would do that two more times in the over. By the time the 18th over was starting off, the remaining Sultans squad members were already standing shoulder to shoulder to run in for the celebrations.
Batsman reprimanded for Level 1 offence following his dismissal in final T20I against New Zealand
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2019England batsman Jonny Bairstow has been reprimanded and given one demerit point by the ICC after being found guilty of “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”.The Level 1 offence was levelled at Bairstow by the match officials after England’s fifth T20I against New Zealand in Auckland. Bairstow was picked up by the television broadcast swearing loudly after his dismissal by Jimmy Neesham. His 18-ball 47 had kept his side in contention to win the deciding match, and Bairstow subsequently went out to bat in the Super Over as England clinched the series.Bairstow currently has two demerit points on his record, having previously received a reprimand for swinging his bat at the stumps on being dismissed during an ODI against Pakistan in May. Accruing four during any two-year period leads to an automatic suspension.
Two late wickets left Yorkshire facing a mountain to climb to take anything from the match
David Hopps31-Aug-2018 ScorecardThe suspicion is growing that the Championship season is turning sour for Yorkshire and it will take a redoubtable display on the final day at Headingley to challenge the notion. Somerset, playing with a verve that identifies them as Championship contenders, have set them 418 – a victory target they have never achieved – and Lewis Gregory who can currently do no wrong, has already accounted for the openers Harry Brook and Adam Lyth in an eight-over foray before the close.Brook was bowled cheaply by Gregory for the second time in the match – his promotion to opener, at 19, has not brought immediate rewards – and Lyth was caught at the wicket playing defensively in an uplifting finale for Somerset as they attempt to keep Surrey within binocular range.As for Yorkshire, Lancashire’s win at Southport has left then in the bottom two for the moment (that much is clear, although as usual every table is different while the matches are in progress and frankly life’s too short). Next week they go to Trent Bridge to face a Nottinghamshire side expected to give a debut to Ben Duckett, a batsman Yorkshire had also harboured hopes of signing. Such little coincidences don’t always turn out well.Somerset’s declaration at 338 for 7 centred upon a first Championship hundred of the season for Tom Abell, who played with poise throughout, and increasingly with dash for 132 not out from 168 balls, in an innings that culminated in 150 runs in 20.1 overs after tea.Abell’s modesty shines through. His growing confidence means he can reflect back on his struggles last season without embarrassment. His average is top side of 40 this season but it is centuries that really put bristles on your cheeks. “I’m quite happy with my season,” he said. “I’ve been contributing in places, but scoring hundreds for Somerset is what I wanted to do as a kid.”Yorkshire’s attack was flayed as Somerset rushed towards the declaration despite the unexpected presence of Matt Fisher, who had been suggested as unlikely to bowl in the second innings because of the recurrence of a toe injury that needed stitches during an England Lions series a month ago.For Fisher, far from fit, to bowl more overs than the fourth seamer, Josh Shaw, questioned the selection of Shaw ahead of either of Yorkshire’s two new signings, seamer Mathew Pillans and legspinner Josh Poysden. Pillans has a sound first-class record, despite limited opportunities at Surrey, and, as far as spin is concerned, it would be a surprise if Jack Leach did not find purchase on the final day.Abell has had a productive time against the Pennines counties this season, taking 82 off Yorkshire earlier this season, making 99 at Old Trafford when he became becalmed in sight of his goal before being pinned in front by Joe Mennie and now a fourth first-class hundred, only three short of his career-best.There were many good things for Abell to reflect upon, but he might be best advised to remain silent about the two fives he took off David Willey courtesy of overthrows as Yorkshire’s fielding deteriorated under pressure in the afternoon. Willey, who removed both Somerset openers, was the most disciplined of Yorkshire’s attack, but many more overthrows off his bowling and he could make Medusa just resemble an innocent young thing with a jazzy hairstyle.Gregory, who shared a stand of 93 in 13 overs, has had an extraordinary week where just about every delivery has felt like a ball he can hit for four. The dynamism that began with his 60 from 24 balls against Nottinghamshire in the Vitality Blast quarter-final at Taunton on Monday has spilled into his Championship season.Gregory came to Headingley with a grim Championship average around 15 but form can cross formats. Against Yorkshire, in two post-tea sessions, he has punished the old ball so successfully that 122 runs have come from 87 balls, vital in keeping enough time in the game for their rewarding third-evening declaration.He began with a stunning on drive against Jack Brooks, pulled Fisher with such certainty that he might have played the shot in slow motion and reached his fifty with a six over point. He fell at deep mid-on, another uninhibited blow against Willey. “I’ve not been in the game very long but never seen anyone striking it as well and as consistently as he is,” said Abell. Nice enthusiasm from a captain who knows that the history of the game is not written in a week.Abell’s partner for most of the afternoon had been James Hildreth in a fourth-wicket stand of 135 which recovered Somerset from 29 for 3, a tottering start to their second innings which threatened to destabilise their first-innings lead of 79. Hildreth, who posted 81 first time around, fell for 72, dabbing at a nondescript delivery from the fill-in offspinner Lyth.Earlier, Somerset’s Scotland seamer, Josh Davey, returned a career-best five wickets, but there was no farewell hundred (if indeed it is a farewell) for Andrew Hodd, who added only a single to his overnight 84. Presumably he is saving that for the final day?
As Australia arrived in Adelaide for the ODI on Friday, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said that more attention needed to be paid to the way bowlers transitioned between formats
Daniel Brettig24-Jan-2018It is often said by retired players that perspective can be easier to find from outside a cricket team than within it. From his out-of-favour vantage point as surplus to Australia’s ODI team, Glenn Maxwell has a simple answer to questions about what Steven Smith’s team are doing wrong with the bat – they are batting at a tempo the world’s more confident teams have long since deemed too slow.While Maxwell feels he has made the very evolution as a batsman that Smith, the coach Darren Lehmann and the national selectors seem to be asking for, he believes that the team he was once a part of has fallen behind England and others in terms of the cruising speed they employ with the bat.Where Australia had been happy to score around six an over for the first 10 overs and then throttle back to four or five until the closing overs, Maxwell said that England had shown it was better to be more aggressive and then “chill” at a run a ball. “They’re obviously playing the new brand of one-day cricket,” Maxwell said, “which is go as hard as you can for 15 or 16 overs, chill out at 10 but still go at six an over.”I think the Australian one-day team for a while our chill-out time has been four and a half to five an over of just making sure we conserve wickets. I think these days you just can’t afford to do that. You’ve got to be a little tougher and got to be a little more boundary-conscious.”Maxwell’s words provide further impetus to the search for a refreshed approach from the Australian ODI set-up, after the selection chairman Trevor Hohns conceded that a full review of the team’s personnel and tactical approach was required in order to be competitive at next year’s World Cup. In assessing his own development, Maxwell said he was disappointed he had not been given the chance to show his evolution after being shunted up and down the batting order prior to being dropped in India last year.”I feel like I’ve changed a little bit over the last period of time where I’m able to work my way through situations instead of just going ahead and blasting it,” he said. “Looking back at the Indian ODIs, I probably didn’t have the chance to show that. The first game turned into a T20 and I came out and we needed 13 an over, and I think the game before I got dropped I was sent in with six overs to go. So there wasn’t exactly time to rebuild and work through an innings.”As the Australian team, sans Maxwell, arrived in Adelaide ahead of the dead rubber Australia Day ODI on Friday, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said that more attention needed to be paid to the way bowlers transitioned between formats. While much work has been done around their physical preparation and workload management, Hazlewood said the different skill sets required in the shorter forms needed to be better addressed in the future.Getty Images
“We haven’t quite transitioned from Test cricket to one-day cricket as well as we could have,” Hazlewood said. “England have two sets of bowlers in some regard, with only [Chris] Woakes and [Moeen] Ali backing up so they’re really one-day specialists, I guess you could say and they’ve showed us how to play. I think you still want your best bowlers playing…but you do need to work on skills from time to time. Maybe it’s a session here or there around Test cricket, you work on those skills with the white ball.”We can probably learn and do things a bit differently. I guess you have to outline some training sessions for the white-ball stuff and work on your variations even while you’re playing on a Test tour. My role in one-day cricket is a little bit similar to Test cricket, I bowl at the start a lot and a little bit through the middle. But for some guys like [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins, their one-day game is probably closer to a Twenty20 game where they bowl a lot of overs at the end when the [opposing] batters are going.”By contrast, England have been refreshed by the changeover, something Woakes said was as much a matter of mindset as of tactics. “It’s just a different game…different format, different ball,” he said. “It’s more of a mindset thing because you’re constantly trying to hit the ball in one-day cricket whereas, in Test cricket, you’re more wary. People who don’t know the game that well would probably think it’s a red, it’s a white ball – what changes? But it’s amazing how much it does change.”Winning is a habit so we’ll be trying to do that in the last two games to secure a 5-0 whitewash. It is a huge motivation. We’re obviously delighted to win the series…but we won’t be letting up. We’ll still be trying to go out there on a big day for them, Australia Day, and turn them over. You don’t come out to Australia and win too often so, once you’ve got your foot on the throat, you want to keep it down. If the roles were reversed, then Australia would be doing exactly the same thing to us.”
Stuart Heal, interim chief of New Zealand Cricket’s board of directors, said that the 2015 World Cup would be crucial to the New Zealand board and could help the organisation set cricket up across levels financially
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2013Stuart Heal, interim chief of New Zealand Cricket’s board of directors, said that the 2015 World Cup would be crucial to the New Zealand board and could help the organisation set cricket up across levels financially.”It is only 18 months or less away and it is critical from every which way you want to measure it,” Heal told the . “It is critical for us to reconnect with our fans. It is critical to increase our playing numbers and it is critical because it generates us cash. It is a very lumpy revenue line for New Zealand Cricket and if we can get it up to where the current forecasts are, it will set cricket up financially at all levels.”Heal took over as interim chief earlier this week. Former cricketers Richard Hadlee, Geoff Allott and Martin Snedden were elected as directors, along with administrators like Greg Barclay, Neil Craig, Liz Dawson and Don Mackinnon. The eight new directors were voted in by delegates representing all Major Associations and District Associations, a change that was a result of the revamped constitution adopted by the board in July this year. One of the major changes in the constitution adopted this year was the formation of the “appointments panel” to recommend candidates for the eight-member board of directors. The 28 members of the NZC would then vote to endorse – or reject – the candidates.According to Heal, the change has brought balance to the New Zealand board and has also helped bring in former players into administration.”The lobby group that criticised NZC said there were insufficient cricket heads around the table,” Heal said. “We now have Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin Snedden and Geoff Allott. I think that is a fantastic balance in the board and their concerns have been addressed. I think I’ve been appointed as the interim chair to keep some continuity.”On his own position as interim chairman, Heal said the board is likely to finalise the chairman in October and he would decide on putting his name forward next month.Heal also admitted that every decision taken by the board was not likely to be a popular one. “To people who say that New Zealand Cricket is not a business – I completely disagree. It is a $50 million business. About three-quarters of our revenue comes in US dollars,” Heal said. “It is a complex exporting business, to be blunt. If it makes money, then that money filters through to grass-roots cricket.”
Daniel Vettori is expected to make a return to competitive cricket after being named in the Northern Districts squad for the eighth round of the Ford Trophy
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2013Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori is set to make a return to competitive cricket after being named in the Northern Districts squad for the eighth round of the Ford Trophy. Vettori has been out of action since the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year, where he suffered a recurrence of a chronic Achilles tendon injury.The injury kept him out of New Zealand’s tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa, and the current home series against England.Northern Districts coach Grant Bradburn welcomed Vettori’s return to the side. “We’re delighted to welcome a player of Dan’s caliber and experience back into the side as we approach the Ford Trophy Preliminary Finals. It’s been a long road to recovery for Dan this summer and he’s relishing being fit again and ready to play.”Northern Districts take on Wellington on March 20 and have already qualified for the minor preliminary finals.