All posts by h716a5.icu

The last time Barbados beat Guyana in a regional limited-overs match, Courtney Browne was a wiry, almost baby-faced 20-year-old in his very first appearance for his country

31-Aug-2002The last time Barbados beat Guyana in a regional limited-overs match, Courtney Browne was a wiry, almost baby-faced 20-year-old in his very first appearance for his country. It has been that long – January 9, 1991.Malcolm Marshall was still alive and orchestrating the victory with a cheap five wicket-haul. Captain Peter Short was still the Barbados Cricket Association president. The Red Stripe Bowl had not even been conceived yet. And coloured clothing, white balls and black sightscreens were no where around the Caribbean.In the intervening years, Marshall died; four BCA presidents have been in office since Captain Short and the Red Stripe Bowl has been contested for six years with all the modern innovations for the fast-food version of the game.Barbados have failed to win any of the ten regional limited-overs matches against Guyana. Two were washed away by the elements and the other eight were won by Guyana, some by emphatic margins (see accompanying box).Such history, how bleak it is, does not scare skipper Browne and his men."We know the record, but it doesn’t bother us. The senior guys will probably think about it more, but we have a lot of junior guys who probably won’t," Browne told WEEKENDSPORT on the eve today’s semifinal clash against Guyana."Obviously, it makes you do a lot of planning and it is something we have been doing over the last few days."Barbados are not intimidated by their supposedly under-dog status.On a poll on the West Indies Cricket Board’s website, 62 per cent of the respondents indicated that Guyana were certain to retain the Bowl they won last year by overcoming Barbados in the final.While yesterday’s first semifinal was being played at the Kaiser Sports Club on the north coast of Jamaica, an enthusiastic Barbados took part in a final practice session away from the ground."We are pretty confident and upbeat," said coach Hendy Springer."We’ve taken into consideration that Guyana have had the better of us in recent times, but we have done some serious planning."Springer, too, has taken note of Barbados’ recent failure to beat the men from `the land of many waters’."We respect and appreciate Guyana’s record against us, but we will use it as a motivating factor."To some extent, Springer feels Barbados might go into the match with some edge. It is a comment based on the teams’ contrast in batting fortunes.Barbados have blasted two totals in excess of 300 and two others of more than 280, mainly against sub-standard opposition on tailor-made pitches for batting in Jamaica.While Guyana played unbeaten in the first phase of the competition, their highest total was 231 in a zone in St Lucia where surfaces suited bowlers.It is almost unbelievable except that neither Carl Hooper nor Ramnaresh Sarwan didn’t get a half-century in any of the preliminary matches. Yet, no side challenged them seriously, expect Trinidad and Tobago, whom they defeated by one wicket in a thrilling contest."Guyana have the right attitude. That is why they beat people a lot," Browne said. "But I think we have a good chance of getting to the final."Springer added: "Guyana are always a good unit and they play with a lot of pride."Barbados are almost certain to use the same 11 who played the last two preliminary matches. That’s in spite the presence of recuperating Dale Richards, whose right knee remains a concern.A week ago, it was believed that the in-form Richards might have been heading back home, but after receiving a medical report on Monday, it was decided that he might be able to stand the demands of at least another two matches.Last season Guyana paraded a battery of spinners against Barbados and Browne’s men won’t be surprised if they come back with an attack that comprises just a solitary fast bowler and the slower stuff of Hooper, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell and possibly Narsingh Deonarine.MATCH DETAILSBarbados v GuyanaVenue: Kaiser Sports Club, Discovery BayThe teams:BARBADOS (likely) – Courtney Browne (captain), Philo Wallace, Kurt Wilkinson, Ryan Hinds, Floyd Reifer, Antonio Mayers, Ian Bradshaw, Vasbert Drakes, Sulieman Benn, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore.GUYANA (from) – Carl Hooper (captain), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Lennox Cush, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Travis Dowlin, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell, Vishal Nagamootoo, Reon King, Colin Stuart, Narsingh Deonarine, Andrew Gonsalves, Reon Griffith.Umpires: Basil Morgan (Montserrat), Norman Malcolm (Jamaica). TV replays: Billy Doctrove (Dominica).Playing times (East Caribbean): 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.; 3:15 p.m. to close (scheduled 6:45 p.m)

According to Football Insider, there are a trio of English clubs interested in signing Glasgow Rangers defender Borna Barisic.

The Lowdown: Gers players attracting attention

The past campaign was a magnificent one for all involved at Ibrox as the Gers won the Premiership, their first major trophy in 10 years, without losing a single game in the competition (BBC).

As such, the 55-time Scottish champions’ players are likely to attract plenty of attention from the rest of the continent over the summer.

The Latest: PL trio eye Barisic

Now, it is being reported that three Premier League sides, Arsenal, Wolves and Aston Villa are all interesting in signing Barisic.

The clubs were set to assess the 28-year-old during Croatia’s opening Euro 2020 clash with England, but Barisic was unable to play due to injury.

The Verdict: Deserving of interest

While there were plenty of star performers for Steven Gerrard throughout the 2020/21 campaign, few were as important to the side’s success as Barisic. He made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, and showed his attacking threat by scoring five goals and providing a further 14 assists (Transfermarkt).

Reportedly valued at £12m (The Athletic), Gerrard has been aware of Barisic’s ability for a while – he called him “magic” after a goal the left-back scored in 2019 (via the42.ie). As the Gers target a Champions League run next term, Gerrard will be wanting to hold on to his best players, like Barisic. However, it is likely the interest in his services will continue until the end of the transfer window.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.

Stoke City are considering a move to take Corry Evans to the bet365 Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Michael O’Neill’s side are set to battle Cardiff City for the signing of the Blackburn Rovers defensive midfielder, who will become a free agent upon the expiry of his current contract at Ewood Park at the end of the month.

The report goes on to suggest that the 30-year-old could be a target to replace the club’s potentially outgoing midfielder Sam Clucas, who has been heavily linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion.

O’Neill must move

Despite having missed large spells of last season due to a number of injuries, Evans nevertheless put in a number of solid performances for Blackburn when he did make it out onto the pitch.

Indeed, over his 18 Championship appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side last term, the £360k-rated midfielder registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.1 tackles, one interception and winning 2.3 duels per game – with these returns seeing the Northern Ireland international earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.74.

And, with Clucas appearing to be on his way out of the bet365 Stadium this summer, the £14k-per-week Evans could well be a solid and cost-effective replacement for the 30-year-old midfielder, and one who O’Neill will certainly know how to get the best out of.

Having made 66 appearances for Northern Ireland, a great deal of which came under the current Stoke boss, the previous relationship between the player and manager could well see Corry flourish following a move to Stoke, as well as being a factor that could help the Potters land the midfielder ahead of Cardiff.

So, it would seem as if the 30-year-old – dubbed a “fantastic” player by Mowbray – and Stoke would be something of a match made in heaven, leading us to believe that it would highly advisable for the club to get a deal over the line for the Blackburn man this summer.

In other news: Get him gone: O’Neill must ruthlessly axe “quality” £1.8m-rated Stoke flop this summer

Otago Cricket’s batting stocks will be boosted this season by the appearance of former Pakistan Test player Mohammad Wasim

Steve Davie13-Sep-2002Otago Cricket’s batting stocks will be boosted this season by the appearance of former Pakistan Test player Mohammad Wasim.The 25-year-old will arrive in Dunedin in early-October and will play club cricket before being available for all of the State Otago Volts’ matches this summer.Wasim scored a Test century as a 19-year-old on debut against New Zealand in Lahore during the 1996/97 Black Caps’ tour, becoming the fourth Pakistani player to register a century in his first Test. Having been bowled for a duck by Simon Doull in the first innings, Wasim held the middle-order together in the second innings but couldn’t prevent a Kiwi victory, the first by a New Zealand team in Pakistan since 1969/70.Wasim’s second Test century was a massive 192 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1997/98.In total he played 18 Tests between 1996/97 and 1999/00, scoring 783 runs at an average of 30.11, he has played 25 One-Day Internationals, harvesting 543 runs at 23.60 and is also a useful part-time wicket-keeper.His 4,624 first-class runs, in 98 games, have come at an average of 31.24, including 12 centuries. Wasim is also an occasional right-arm leg-spinner.Described as stylish, if a little slow in the early stages of his innings, Wasim will provide much-needed stability to Otago’s batting, an area where the Volts have struggled in recent seasons.

£20m for Lyon left-back Maxwel Cornet is cheap, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview.

Leeds are in the market for a left-back and have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old.

According to The Sun, the Yorkshire club are keen on Cornet as Marcelo Bielsa looks to strengthen the left side of his defence. However, the same outlet claims there is a reluctance to pay Lyon’s £20m asking price.

For Palmer, though, that is definitely not too much to ask for in this day and age. On Leeds’ reported interest in Cornet, the ex-England international said:

“I think to be honest with you, if you look at the Premier League now, 20 million is cheap, isn’t it? If you look at players moving in the Premier League now, 20 million is considered to be cheap.

“20 million now for a Premier League player would be considered, you know, the norm – quite cheap, really.”

All things considered, £20m for Cornet does not sound like the worst deal. At 24, Cornet already has a lot of experience playing at a high level.

He has been a regular for Lyon in Ligue 1 for years now, has played in the Champions League and is an Ivory Coast international.

Also, as shown on WhoScored, the former Metz man can play in practically every position on the left. Taking all of that into account, his asking price looks more than reasonable.

Zimbabwe ‘A’ players Neil Ferreira and Richard Sims were in stunning form with the bat as they gave Manicaland a flying start on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Matabeleland at Queens Sports Club on Friday

Mehluli Sibanda25-Oct-2002Zimbabwe ‘A’ players Neil Ferreira and Richard Sims were in stunning form with the bat as they gave Manicaland a flying start on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Matabeleland at Queens Sports Club on Friday.They put up 314 for the first wicket, a new record in Zimbabwean first-class cricket, with Sims grabbing a double-century while Ferreira settled for a century as Manicaland closed on 364 for two off 98 overs. Guy Whittall and Stuart Matsikenyeri were unbeaten on 25 and four runs respectively at the close.Manicaland captain Alistair Campbell won the toss and elected to bat first on a good batting pitch. His decision paid dividends as Sims and Ferreira started to generate the runs. The two took advantage of some loose bowling by the Matabeleland bowlers, combined with some poor fielding.Sims, better known as an off-spinner who recently went into the Zimbabwe cricket history books for the wrong reasons, was the more aggressive of the two, smashing the home bowlers all over the park. Ferreira on the other hand kept his head down and played the accurate shots. The visitors went for lunch on the driving seat on 124 without loss off 38 overs, with Sims on 89 runs while Ferreira was on 31.Sims reached his century after facing 131 balls, smashing 18 fours and a six. Ferreira was to achieve the same feat off 245 balls with eight fours. The home side used seven bowlers and none of them seemed to offer any solution as the Manicaland score kept on ticking. What made the situation worse was the dropping of left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa from the team for medium pacer Piet Rinke. This left Gavin Ewing as the only full-time spinner in the bowling attack.Sims was to get his double century off 277 balls, after staying at the crease for 339 minutes with 31 fours and a six. His stay was however brought to an end when young pace bowler Jordane Nicolle finally found the breakthrough. Sims played a powerful on-drive off Nicolle with substitute fielder Dabengwa well positioned to take a brilliant catch, removing Sims for 204 off 282 balls.Ferreira went on to add 45 runs for the second wicket with Guy Whittall before he was the second and last wicket of the day to fall, dismissed by Rinke for 120 when wicketkeeper Wisdom Siziba caught him behind. The Matabeleland bowlers really had a torrid time trying to find ways of removing their opponents with none of them managing to contain the visitors’ batsmen. Charles Coventry, bowling leg-breaks at one stage, gave away 18 runs off one over and finished with 22 off just two overs.Manicaland will now be aiming to get a defendable total and then declare. With Whittall and Stuart Matsikenyeri still batting and Campbell yet to come, the visitors seem on track to pile up a commanding total.

Arsenal appear to not be afraid of splashing the cash this summer so it could be wise for the Gunners to try and recoup some of the money they are looking to spend.

Someone they could sell is Joe Willock to Newcastle United with former defender Steve Howey hoping dialogue has already commenced between Steve Bruce and Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners look a different sort of club this summer compared to previous years where they have had to be frivolous with their spending, compared to other big clubs, as they are reportedly closing in on a deal for Brighton’s Ben White which will set them back a staggering £50 million.

Like many clubs though, they have been hit hard by the pandemic and a lack of revenue so, if they wish to recoup almost half of that money they are spending on White, selling Willock to the Magpies after he thrived there on loan last campaign could be a smart piece of business.

Bruce has publicly admitted his admiration for Willock and how much he would love to keep the 21-year old on Tyneside for next season, so with that accompanied with Arsenal’s potential need to sell after spending heavily, Howey hopes that there are talks going on between Bruce and Arteta over Willock and he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast on the matter:

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens and you would have thought that Bruce will have been speaking to Arteta or speaking to Willock and he will be talking to his manager and agent, but as a player I’d want to know where I was playing next season.”

Willock was a huge success during his time on Tyneside as he helped lift the club away from the threat of relegation with his eight goals but also, on a personal level, he thrived getting game time, equalling Alan Shearer’s record of scoring in consecutive games and also winning May’s player of the month award.

Despite Arteta claiming that Willock’s future was being sorted out at Arsenal for next season, there doesn’t appear to be a clear pathway into the first team regularly for Willock and that is something he needs as a young midfielder so he can continue his development.

The Austrian Union of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (AUCUS) has announced its plans for umpiring seminars and courses leading to umpiring qualifications.

Michael Bailey17-Nov-2002The Austrian Union of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (AUCUS), which was founded in 2001 to help improve the standard of umpiring in Austria as well as organising umpiring seminars and courses for ACA member clubs, has unveiled its plans for umpiring developments within Austria. Prior to the 2003 season, AUCUS is to hold a weekend seminar in Vienna, with will lead to those in attendance gaining the ECC Basic Umpiring Certificate. This weekend course is planned for late January/early February with the course being run in conjunction with the EDP Umpiring Programme.In April there will be a further umpiring and scoring seminar, with candidates taking the ACU&S Level 1 examination, which will allow successful candidates to be eligible for selection for ECC tournaments. At the end of the 2003 season it is then hoped that some umpires will go on to take the Level 2 exam, which should equip umpires fully for umpiring.Umpiring in Austria has developed a long way since the early days of cricket in Austria, with seminars originally conducted by the Powley brothers in the late 1980s. There are regular umpiring seminars organised by AUCUS in conjunction with the ACA, with native Austrian officials having stood at the ECC Representative Festival in 2000, the ECC Indoor Championships (2001), the ECC Trophy (2001) and ECC Youth tournaments.All four of AUCUS’ committee members stood in the ECC Trophy in 2001 (held in Austria) and when the tournament is held in Austria again in August 2003, AUCUS officials will once again form part of the umpires group.

What a weekend of mixed emotions for those who followed the fortunes of South African sport over the past weekend

Pat Symcox14-Nov-2002What a weekend of mixed emotions for those who followed the fortunes of South African sport over the past weekend. The thrashing of the Springboks by France was almost too much to comprehend. It was a bloody nightmare. Thankfully the Proteas more than made up for the rugby failure by giving Sri Lanka such a hiding that I cannot see how they can recover within a week.At a time when all teams are building for the World Cup in South Africa this display by Sri Lanka must certainly be very worrisome for their Coach. Once again the bounce and lateral movement found in South Africa was just too much for them to handle. When one considers that they are often spoken about as serious contenders to the title only then does one realize how much of an advantage South Africa has by playing at home. The inadequacies within their techniques are almost an impossible task to overcome within such a short space of time. Looking towards the second Test, the Sri Lankans management has plenty of homework to do. It was quite obvious that the very basics of the game were ignored by some of their players and this was compounded by them attempting to play certain players out of their regular positions in hope that it would bring success that very rarely happens against top class teams.Russell Arnold at the top of the order has had no form since arriving in South Africa and he is out of his depth. The Captain Jayasuria, has moved himself down the order in an attempt to get away from the seam and bounce that South African bowlers get on good pitches, but this tactic has backfired. He needs to lead from the front and get in there in the heat of battle and take his responsibility. Somehow I don’t think he wants it.As far as the bowling attack is concerned, Perriera will battle to overcome the problem of running on the pitch in a week and Fernando (the no ball man!) must feel like getting on a plane back to Colombo. He probably still keeps hearing someone shouting "no ball" in his ear even after four days. These are basic disciplines and when they are ignored failure is the only guarantee. The only ace they have is Muralli and on pitches that are not made to spin before the Test even starts, he has to perform a duel role of keeping runs down as well as taking wickets and unfortunately this is very foreign to him. It was clear that the Proteas don’t fear his spin or even his straighter delivery and somehow he will need to find a way to counteract that. His display with the bat, albeit at number ten, clearly showed a lack of guts and a willingness to take the Proteas on for his country. Any South African or Australian that displayed his lack of fight would be booted out on his ear so fast that it wouldn’t be funny. Their coach is an Aussie and it must hurt to see this happen and have no control over it. The Test that starts on Friday will be a significant one for the Sri Lankans, as it could further lower their confidence going into the one day matches and if this happens and they get a further hiding, they may have run their World Cup race before it even starts.It is always nice to see the Poms getting a hiding be it in cricket, rugby or soccer and their display in their first Ashes Test was very predictable. They are very good at talking about winning but never seeing it through. Now Hussain is leaving his team to go home on maternity leave and the management believes he needs the break. I wonder if he will go back!The news that Cullinan and the UCB seem to have patched up their differences is good news for cricket in South Africa. The game is always bigger than any organization or player and we now need to move on and put the whole saga to bed. No doubt players like McKenzie, Prince and van Jaarsveld will be disappointed with their performances against Sri Lanka and with the wealth of talent around, will feel the need to make contributions as quickly as possible. Spare a thought for Gibbs, who must have gone through some mental anguish knowing that he has form and just could not get on the park.Kallis was magnificent with both bat and ball and he showed again why he is the most valuable cricketer in the world today.

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz as a transfer update emerged on Ben White.As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park faithful are looking to beat Arsenal to the signature of the Brighton and Hove Albion central defender, and have held talks over a £50m deal, with an extra £5m in add-ons.£20m would be paid up front with an extra £30m spread equally over the four years, and White has been left impressed by the speed at which the Merseyside club are working at.Even though the Toffees currently have four centre-backs at their disposal in Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina, Holgate has been linked with a move away in the summer window, and White’s extra versatility means that he is equally as comfortable at playing at right-back as well as in a defensive midfield role.[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-updates-4/” title=”Everton updates! (4)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] Everton fans on White transfer update

These Blues buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘massive’:

“Him and Godfrey. Be sound that”Credit: @liambannister23″Big fan of any attempts to pair Ben Godfrey with Ben White.”Credit: @CallumChadwick_”White and Godfrey sounds like a great combo”Credit: @ric7hard7″Would be a great signing and shows intent. We cannot play any other way but a low block at present with our current centre halves. White and Godfrey allows us to play a high line and a high press. Could be a key signing to changing the way we play. Then RB, RW and CM”Credit: @JonHughes100″Would be a great signing. Him and Godfrey is the perfect balance and you’ve got your centre halves sorted for the next 10 years”Credit: @https_piercey”Massive that !!! Wouldn’t say it was a priority but”Credit: @stand1878In other news, find out what club update has Evertonians buzzing here!