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Stuart Broad is confident of being ready for the World Cup.and believes his enforced lay-off due to injury will help keep him fresh over the next year

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney31-Jan-2011Stuart Broad has taken the glass-half-full view of the injury lay-off that forced him to miss the last three Ashes Test and current one-day series, believing he will benefit from the rest over the next year. Broad suffered an abdominal strain on the fourth day in Adelaide and is still working his way back towards full fitness, but is confident of being ready for the start of the World Cup.He returned to the squad mid-way through this one-day series to continue his recovery away from the British winter, aware that there is a rapid turnaround to the World Cup with England’s first game against Netherlands on February 22. Broad is eager to get back into action, but even with the current injury crisis in the squad, he won’t be getting a game in Australia.”I don’t think the doctors will even let Straussy ask that question,” he said. “I’m keen to play but I don’t think it will happen. I’ve been unfortunate to miss the last seven weeks but we have got a huge amount of cricket coming up so this little break might just help me fire on all cylinders for the next year or so.”I’m probably a little bit ahead of schedule. I probably bowled at 50-60 percent yesterday and pulled up fine this morning. Hopefully by the end of the Australia tour I’ll have come off near a full run-up, my aim is to try and play the first warm-up game of the World Cup so I’m hopeful of that.”Broad is crucial to England’s World Cup chances because, even though the fringe bowlers have performed well in Australia, his aggressive, in-your-face style, will be important on flat pitches. He is also one of the team’s key Powerplay and death bowlers, while also featuring heavily in the middle overs when breakthroughs are needed.”I’m desperate to get back playing, it’s felt like a long seven and a half weeks,” he said. “I love playing cricket, that’s what I do, so it’s hard when you injured and don’t get to try and improve yourself. I’m certainly looking forward to getting back playing and there’s a lot of cricket coming up.”He was the only injury England suffered during their successful Ashes campaign, but since then bowlers have dropped like flies with the workload catching up with them. Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (back) have flown home to try and recover in time for the World Cup while Ajmal Shahzad limped off during the Brisbane ODI with a hamstring strain and Chris Tremlett, a possible replacement for the squad if needed, has a side strain.”I think the injuries are pretty minor so I don’t think it will affect any balance to the World Cup squad or anything like that,” he said, “but it’s a little frustrating in this series to have lost as many players as we have. It’s been hard to find the right balance that we’ll go into the World Cup with. But you can’t do anything about injuries and after a lot of cricket on this tour I think we’ve done well with the amount of injuries we’ve had.”Despite having to sit out the final three Ashes Tests and miss the moments of glory at Melbourne and Sydney there is no resentment from Broad who, apart from the bitter weather in the UK, enjoyed every moment of the team’s success on television.”It wasn’t difficult, it was brilliant to see. I’m an England fan at the end of the day. It was great to see the lads perform so well. It was difficult because it was freezing cold with snow everywhere. Obviously I was disappointed to miss out on those celebrations and achievements, but I still feel part of the team. It was fantastic to see and enjoyable to watch.”Although the tour is finishing on a sour note with the one-day series loss, Broad doesn’t think it should take the gloss off what has been achieved. “I don’t think England players deserve to have any negative memories about the tour so it’s important we finish this series strongly and look back with great fondness on the last three months.”

Rangers chief executive Ross Wilson made a number of moves in the January transfer window to bolster Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.

He brought in the likes of James Sands, Amad Diallo, Aaron Ramsey and Mateusz Zukowski, but none of them have managed to break into the starting XI on a consistent basis, due to selection decisions or injuries.

The lack of impact they have made on the first team may have Wilson thinking about what he could have done differently in the January window. Perhaps there were players he wanted to sign but couldn’t, or possibly some he looked at but decided against and he now regrets his decisions.

There have been many instances when managers and/or sporting directors at Ibrox may have gone through that trail of thought in the past. One such player on whom the club previously missed out was Greek international attacker Georgios Samaras.

In 2008, Walter Smith reportedly agreed a £2.5m deal to sign him from Manchester City to replace Daniel Cousin but was unable to get the move over the line.

After the Gers failed to get the deal done, Celtic managed to sign him on loan from the Premier League side in January of that year before securing a permanent transfer the following summer.

If Rangers did not regret their failure to land the Greece striker at the time, their fans must surely be looking back on it now and wondering what could have been.

Samaras was certainly one that got away as he went on to establish himself as a major player for Celtic in the Scottish top flight over the years. In six years at Parkhead, he scored 71 goals and provided 49 assists (120 goal contributions) in 243 outings in all competitions, including 85 goals and assists in 171 Premiership outings.

This shows that the 37-year-old, who also scored nine goals in 81 caps for Greece, consistently delivered in the final third over the course of many years on the other side of Glasgow. He proved that he was a top-quality player in Scotland, and Rangers missed out on his attacking talents as a result of their failure to get the £2.5m deal over the line.

Therefore, the Gers had a disaster with the Greece international in 2008. An outlay of £2.5m for 120 goal contributions in 243 matches – a return of approximately one every other game – would seem like a huge bargain in hindsight, and it was their biggest rivals benefitted from this instead of the Light Blues.

AND in other news, Forget Ramsey: GvB must land “massive signing” for Rangers, he’d be “world-class”…

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United will be looking to seal their fourth straight win in the Premier League as they face Norwich at Carrow Road today.

The Magpies come into the match off the back of three wins in succession, against Crystal Palace, Leicester and Wolves, and are currently 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

They come up against a Norwich team sitting bottom of the table and 19 points behind the Toon army as it stands and Howe’s men have a terrific chance to move further clear of 18th-placed Burnley.

The head coach may decide to make a few changes to his side to keep things fresh after the match against Palace in midweek and one player who must be brutally axed from the XI is central midfielder Joelinton.

His revival under Howe has been spectacular and he deserves immense credit for the way he has turned his career at St. James’ Park around. He has gone from being a goal-shy striker who was not justifying his £40m price tag to being a combative, energetic, ball-winning, midfield player.

However, he has not been himself in recent weeks after returning from illness. He was out with an ailment in the early parts of March and has averaged a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.42 in the five games he has played since coming back into the side against Everton.

This comes after he averaged SofaScore ratings of 7.3 and 7.1 in January and February respectively and shows that his form has fallen off a cliff since his fitness issues. He was previously accused of “looking lost” on the pitch by Dion Dublin and his statistics suggest that he is in that position again as he has been struggling badly.

Danny Murphy once dubbed his lapse play in possession as “unacceptable” and those concerns have cropped up again in recent matches. In his last five games, he has lost the ball 48 times and lost 44 of his 68 duels as he failed to demonstrate his quality in the middle of the park.

Therefore, the £80k-per-week passenger must finally be axed from the team after five below-par outings. His performances suggest that he is not 100% after his illness last month and Howe must now give him the time he needs to get back to his best so that he can then return to the team and put in the lung-busting, combative, displays that the fans love to see from him.

AND in other news: Imagine him & Bruno: Howe can seal terrifying NUFC duo with gem who’s a “joy to watch”

Despite being on a sumptuous run of form at the moment, going unbeaten in their last six Premier League outings, things haven’t always been so positive on the pitch for Newcastle United this season.

With 24 league matches played so far in this campaign, the Magpies have only managed to win four of them, drawing ten and losing ten with a total of 45 goals conceded, leaving them in a relegation battle amongst the likes of Watford, Norwich City, Burnley, Everton and Leeds United.

Even though the club’s league results this season may not be what the fans and new owners would want, one player, in particular, has shown just what he is capable of and why he should be considered as an important figure for the Toon.

27-year-old full-back Javier Manquillo has made 15 appearances for Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League this season across both full-back positions and as a right-midfielder, chipping in with one goal and two assists.

As well as showing his versatility by playing in numerous positions when called upon, the Spaniard’s performances have also been rather eye-catching, with WhoScored giving him an overall season rating of 6.61, making him the third-highest rated player that has started more than five league games in this campaign behind Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton.

Having shown with his goal and assists that he is capable going forward, Manquillo has also shown how capable he is defensively by winning 16 aerial duels, completing 35 tackles and making 24 clearances, so while the team as a whole may not have the best defensive record in terms of conceding goals, he has shown what a useful figure he can be at the back.

The former Liverpool figure, who has been praised in the past by former Toon boss Steve Bruce for his “terrific” performances in a Newcastle shirt, could now be seen as Howe’s surprise package for the season in terms of positive performances, especially given how disappointing he was on the whole last season, averaging a shocking WhoScored rating of just 6.37.

Moving forward, if he can keep up the solid performances for the remainder of the campaign and hopefully help keep the club in the Premier League at the same time, he could well be seen as an underrated hero for the Toon, particularly now Kieran Trippier is out injured.

In other news: Ashworth can seal instant masterclass with NUFC swoop for 24y/o “on par with Van Dijk” – opinion

The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued instructions to its players, stipulating that all their agents will have to be approved by the board, failing which the player will be ineligible for selection. The deadline for completing this process is September 30.”No Pakistan cricketer, who is selected for any squad for local and international teams, will be allowed to engage any agent/manager without the prior written approval of the PCB,” the board said in a release. “Failure to comply with these instructions will result in the player being declared ineligible for selection in any of the domestic and international cricketing events under the control of PCB.”According to the board’s instructions, all agents wishing to represent players will have to submit a written application to the PCB furnishing details such as the names of players they want to represent, terms of the contracts and background data. The PCB will then forward the information to the high commissioner of Pakistan in the country to which the agent belongs for verification and approval. In case of Pakistani agents, the country’s law enforcement agency will be responsible for verification.The move comes in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal that broke during the Lord’s Test, after the tabloid released details of a sting operation on Mazhar Majeed, an agent for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. The Pakistan trio were provisionally suspended by the ICC last Thursday and were quizzed by police the next day for their alleged role in bowling deliberate no-balls at Lord’s. The undercover operation by the tabloid apparently revealed that they had done so at the behest of Majeed, who was arrested but released on bail, while the players had their mobile phones confiscated. No charges have been pressed against them yet.Butt, Asif and Amir are set to return to Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik. It does not, however, mean that they are cleared from the ongoing criminal investigation: the government of Pakistan, Malik said, will provide a written assurance that the players be made available if needed for further investigations.

As Ricky Ponting walked through the MCC Museum at Lord’s on Monday, he passed within metres of the Ashes urn

Brydon Coverdale at Lord's12-Jul-2010

As Ricky Ponting walked through the MCC Museum at Lord’s on Monday, he passed within metres of the Ashes urn. He was on his way to face the TV cameras ahead of a neutral series against Pakistan but in an Ashes year, how could he not have one eye on regaining the greatest prize in Australian cricket? The tiny trophy was right there in front of him, taunting him, yet he must wait four months before it is up for grabs.Between now and November, Australia have four Tests to put themselves into an Ashes-winning frame of mind. They have made a good start, having won seven of their eight Tests since leaving England empty-handed last year. Stumbling against Pakistan, who haven’t beaten them in a Test in nearly 15 years, would be a massive snag in their plans.For that reason, Ponting has his sights set firmly on stopping Shahid Afridi, the new Pakistan captain, from having any influence on the game. In a side without Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, Afridi is the undisputed leader of a young group. He claims to have restored the unity of the team but Ponting knows that if Afridi fails on the field, so might his colleagues.”From an outsider’s point of view at the moment it looks as though they’re sort of running a bit off him,” Ponting said. “I think a lot of their younger blokes look up to him and he’s their leader, the bloke they go to when they need something to happen, so it’s pretty much like every captain of every side is. We always talk about trying to nullify the captain and take the captain down early and we’ll try and do that in this series as well, there’s no doubt about that.”Equally, while Australia are keen to shut down a new-look Pakistan, they also want to try some fresh ideas themselves. Steven Smith will audition for an Ashes role, Tim Paine will gain valuable experience in case he is required again in the near future and Michael Clarke will be promoted to No. 4, a shift that will remain in place for the Ashes.The move up the order for Clarke is a significant step for the man most likely to be Australia’s next Test captain, and potentially their No. 3 when Ponting eventually retires. Over the past year, Clarke has been Australia’s leading Test run scorer while Michael Hussey, who is heading down to No. 5, has sometimes looked scratchy when exposed to the new ball.”It’s just about how well he’s played,” Ponting said of Clarke. “I think his game is very well suited to higher up the order against the new ball, probably a bit more than what Hussey’s is right at the moment. That’s the reason. He has been our most consistent player and that’s been in pretty much all conditions around the world.”The last Ashes series over here he showed that at different times and in challenging times when the ball was moving around quite a bit, that he can do the job up the order. He has developed his game nicely over the last couple of years and hence when you have those guys who are playing that well, we all know they need to be batting as soon as possible, so that’s why he’s moved up an extra spot.”It’s a change that was made with the Ashes in mind. In England last year, Clarke was comfortably Australia’s leading scorer and not surprisingly, they want to get the most out of him in the return battle. The two Tests at Lord’s and Headingley, in addition to the two Tests in India in October, will also provide some insight into Australia’s bowling ahead of the Ashes.Ben Hilfenhaus is back after a long bout of knee tendonitis, which kept him out of all but the first Test of Australia’s home summer, while Smith’s ability as a Test-class spinner will be closely monitored. If he shows enough promise in England, and in India if given the chance, he could threaten Nathan Hauritz come the first Test at the Gabba. All in all, Ponting sees the next two weeks as a valuable building block towards Ashes redemption.”It absolutely is,” he said. “But we’re not solely focused on November. We’ve got a lot of cricket to play before then. I see this as a great opportunity for the young guys to gain some more experience about Test cricket. It’s the true form of the game, it’s the game that tests you out the most, so we’re going to be learning a lot about our players in not only this game but every game we play before the start of the Ashes.”Australia should remain too strong for Pakistan but if they cast their gaze too far ahead, their building block could turn into a stumbling block.

Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu is one of the players Newcastle United have considered during the January transfer window, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has revealed. 

The lowdown

Newcastle are reportedly looking at domestic alternatives to their top centre-back target, Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, as the La Liga outfit hold firm in their demands (via The Athletic).

Salisu moved to England relatively recently, joining Saints from Real Valladolid in August 2020 for a fee of £10.8million. The 22-year-old, now valued at £9million by Transfermarkt, signed a contract that runs until the summer of 2024.

Salisu has been a regular under Ralph Hasenhuttl this season, starting 20 of their 23 Premier League matches.

The latest

Edwards tweeted on Monday afternoon that ‘NUFC have looked at’ the Ghanaian defender.

However, he ‘was told last week’ that the move didn’t look ‘possible’ in January.

The verdict

It’s tempting to wonder if Salisu’s sensational performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with league leaders Manchester City has only inflated his price tag.

Salisu made more clearances (14), tackles (seven), interceptions (four) and blocks (three) than anybody else, earning a place in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig called it a ‘monstrous performance’, while The Express’ Charlie Gordon wrote that he deserved a ‘boxing licence’ after taking a ball to the chin and soldiering on.

He’s still young, and on the evidence of that display, it’s hard to dispute BBC journalist Tom Murray’s claim that ‘he has a frightening amount of potential’, so perhaps the Magpies should stump up a big offer and see how the south coast outfit respond.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano dropped a big NUFC transfer update on Monday morning.

MatériaMais Notícias

Revelado no CT de Cotia, o atacante João Paulo está em Santa Catarina para assinar contrato de empréstimo com o Criciúma. O jogador tem vínculo com o São Paulo até o dia 19 de fevereiro de 2019 e não será aproveitado pelo Tricolor no ano que vem. Com isso, o garoto, de apenas 21 anos, fara exames médicos no clube catarinense e deve assinar contrato até o fim da próxima temporada.

O atleta terá como principais desafios a Copa do Brasil, o Campeonato Catarinense e o Brasileirão da Série B – competição onde tentará recolocar a equipe na elite do futebol nacional – para mostrar serviço e retornar ao Tricolor. Neste ano, João Paulo defendeu as cores do Bahia, mas não empolgou no clube nordestino e foi devolvido ao São Paulo. Sem espaço no elenco, o atacante arrumou as malas e viajou para Criciúma.

Defendendo as cores do Tricolor de Aço, João Paulo fez apenas 12 jogos em 2017 e anotou três gols quando teve oportunidade. Sua última partida foi no dia 13 de agosto, quando enfrentou o Atlético-PR, pela 20ª rodada do Brasileirão. Na ocasião, o Bahia venceu por 4 a 1.

O jogador está apalavrado com o Criciúma e, após aprovação nos exames médicos e físicos, deve ser anunciado oficialmente como reforço do Tigre.

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Cricket Australia is waiting for confirmation of Michael Clarke’s travel plans to New Zealand for the two-Test series

Peter English13-Mar-2010

Cricket Australia is waiting for confirmation of Michael Clarke’s travel plans to New Zealand for the two-Test series, but he remains on track to join the team ahead of Friday’s opening game in Wellington. Clarke, the vice-captain, has announced his separation from fiancée Lara Bingle after leaving the one-day tour to sort out his personal issues.Clarke will finalise his departure with Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s deputy, over the weekend and the most likely scenario is he will leave with the other Test specialists. “There is a group leaving Sydney for Wellington on Monday including Phillip Hughes, Steven Smith, Simon Katich and some others,” the Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young told Cricinfo. “Michael Brown will be talking to Michael Clarke today or tomorrow to work things out.”Clarke’s personal life has been the issue of the week in Australia and his management group asked for privacy when revealing the break-up. Cricket Australia have been supportive in giving Clarke time off and Ricky Ponting did not want his deputy to return to the squad until the situation had been sorted out.”He is keen to rejoin the Test side, it’s just a matter of working out when that will be,” Young said. Clarke, who has played 58 Tests, has been in charge of the Twenty20 team since Ponting retired last year, but there is a feeling in cricket circles that he will need to reaffirm his leadership qualities if he is to be the next long-term captain.Clarke arrived late to the West Indies series in 2008 after staying in Australia following the death of Bingle’s father. He stepped straight back into the side for the second match and made 110.The first Test against New Zealand starts at the Basin Reserve on Friday and Smith, the batsman-legspinner, has improved his chances of a debut after starring in New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield win on Friday. Smith collected a career-best 7 for 64 to follow his first-innings century in a performance that will increase the pressure on Marcus North, the incumbent at No. 6, who finished the domestic season with a golden duck.

A fine team performance by Mid West Rhinos brought them a well-earned eight-wicket victory over the powerful Mashonaland Eagles in the third round of matches at Harare Sports Club. As usual, Elton Chigumbura shone for the home team with a swashbuckling half-century, but none of his team-mates came through with significant performances, and the Rhinos found several players whose combined efforts brought them success.Eagles, put in to bat, attacked the bowling with reckless abandon, and in retrospect this probably cost them the match. Doug Marillier looked in good form, but was run out through the frozen immobility of his partner, Forster Mutizwa, who hit a six and was then himself run out by a brilliant throw from Vusi Sibanda as Eagles slipped to 33 for 4.As he has done so often this season, Chigumbura rallied his side after the early setbacks shared a 57-run partnership of calm and steady batting with Greg Lamb before Lamb skied a catch to long off. Chigumbura reached his 50 with a six over long on off Darren Stevens, but was out next ball to a superb catch to become the first of Stevens’ four middle-order wickets as the innings ended on 140.Sibanda drove and cut the first and third balls of the Rhinos’ chase, from Chigumbura, to the boundary, as the score raced to 30 off three overs. His partner Riki Wessels was even more aggressive, and the pair put on 61 in eight overs before Wessels was run out going for a quick single. He was replaced by Brendan Taylor, who batted with equal power and confidence, the 100 coming up in the 12th over. Sibanda was run out with 31 runs needed to temporarily slow the scoring rate but Taylor and Stevens paced their batting well, until three were needed off the final over, bowled by Chigumbura. Tight bowling and fielding saw only two scored off four balls, but Stevens lofted the fifth with superb timing over the bowler’s head for six to clinch a rare victory over the strongest provincial side. Taylor was unbeaten with 45 off 30 balls, and a team effort in all three departments was fully evident for the victors.Matabeleland Tuskers followed a superb victory over the strong Mountaineers with a heavy defeat at the hands of Southern Rocks, supposedly the weakest team, in the second match of the day. Outstanding batting by Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza led the Rocks to a total of 166, and with Tuskers able to muster only 123 for 9 in reply, this means that after three days and six matches, each team has recorded one victory.The start of this match was delayed by just over 30 minutes due to a lunchtime shower, but fortunately it soon stopped – which does not always happen in Zimbabwe in February. The Rocks decided to bat on winning the toss and Chamu Chibhabha cut the first ball of the innings for four – the third successive time today the first ball of an innings had been hit to the boundary – and with his partner, the Pakistan-born Raza, even more aggressive, the Tuskers bowlers were soon on the receiving end of a hiding they did not expect to get.The 50 came up in the sixth over and the 100 – the first century partnership of the tournament – in the 11th. It was left to Sean Williams, the seventh bowler tried, to break the stand. He bowled Raza as the batsman went for a big hit, having scored 53 off 34 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes. Steve Tikolo scored 10 before holing out at long off, and Sean Ervine managed only a single before being caught at the wicket. Chibhabha batted through the innings for an unbeaten 82, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes. Rocks looked a transformed team after ratcheting up a total of 166 for 4, but they still had the Blignaut factor to contend with.Tuskers had no choice but to launch their assault from the first ball, but they were soon reeling with the loss of Gavin Ewing, Mark Vermeulen and Charles Coventry for only 16 runs. Williams and Keith Dabengwa rallied the team, but neither are power hitters and after 10 overs the total was 57 for 3 – meaning the required rate was now 11 an over. Somebody needed to get out to bring in Blignaut – and Dabengwa obliged.Blignaut began steadily, but soon lost Williams, brilliantly caught by Chibhabha at backward point off Ervine for 39 off 38 balls. Ervine then struck the vital blow, causing Blignaut to play a slower ball on to his stumps for just 4. With 15 an over now needed, the result was all but sealed, and Tuskers eventually went down by 43 runs.