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Australia’s stand-in coach Troy Cooley has praised Brett Lee for his spirited comeback from injury after he skittled out five England batsmen in Saturday’s Lord’s ODI

Cricinfo staff14-Sep-2009Australia’s stand-in coach Troy Cooley has praised Brett Lee for his spirited comeback from injury after he skittled out five England batsmen in Saturday’s Lord’s ODI, and says there is more to come from him. Lee was forced to sit out all five Ashes Tests with a side strain but made a comeback on the one-day leg of the tour, saving his best performance of 5 for 49 in the series-winning match.”To see what he’s been through, when he broke his foot and came back again, then tear a side and get his fitness up and see him hit that top-end pace which we know he’s got and to sustain that, it’s obviously very pleasing for Brett and all of us,” Cooley told reporters.Lee crossed the 90mph mark regularly at Lord’s and constantly slipped in the inswinging yorker. Four of his five victims were bowled. Lee spoke confidently of crossing the 100mph mark and Cooley – also a fast-bowling coach – has backed him to achieve that feat.”As you can see [from his display at Lord’s], he has got the most ferocious inswinger in the game at the moment,” Cooley said. “He keeps saying it [crossing the 100mph mark], so we’re happy to keep pushing him up there. He is doing all the right things to make sure he is at full tilt whenever he can be, he is a champion.”We still think he’s got a little bit to go, he thinks he has a little bit more to go, so we’re happy to facilitate the development of that.”Lee narrowly missed out on selection for the first Ashes Test at Cardiff, which Australia failed to close out on the fifth day despite having England nine down. Former New South Wales and Australia wicketkeeper, Steve Rixon, believed Australia sorely missed a bowler of Lee’s ability in that game.”I know it was only a one-day game, but if he can produce a five to 10-over spell like that during a Test match, he has the pace and ability to swing the ball that changes the pattern of a game,” Rixon told the . “He can be a dangerous weapon.”There aren’t too many bowlers who can hit the base of the stumps that often. I know he was injured before the first Test in the Ashes [with a side strain], but if you take that game where we have 70-odd balls to get a final wicket, Brett would have been that person who can do that something special at the death.”Cooley is filling in for Tim Nielsen, who decided to head home to be with his family, and said he has no intentions of taking on a full-time coaching role with Australia.”It’s a caretaker role at the moment, I love my role within the fast bowling group. I have a great job back home with the fast-bowling programme, so I’ve got no eyes on taking ‘Vinny’s’ (Nielsen’s) job,” Cooley said. “It’s basically just to be able to make sure he can have a break and come back refreshed.”I’m very happy to be doing what I am at the moment and when Vinny said look after this team I said ‘Okay, only if it’s short-term’.”

Twelve of Dhaka’s best clubs took part in the Big Boss T20 Premier League, with Abahani Limited taking the title with a five-wicket win over Gazi Tank under lights at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur

Kanishkaa Balachandran22-Oct-2009Twelve of Dhaka’s best clubs took part in the glitzy Big Boss T20 Premier League, a week-long tournament in October, with Abahani Limited taking the title with a five-wicket win over Gazi Tank under lights at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. The star of the final was one of Bangladesh cricket’s most dedicated servants, Mohammad Rafique, whose power hitting in the tense, final stages helped Abahani clinch the bragging rights and the Tk 200,000 (US$2890) winners’ cheque.Wednesday’s final seemed to slipping away from Abahani when they needed 42 off 18 balls, chasing 145. But Rafique smashed three consecutive sixes in the 18th over bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, and in the following over took on the opposition captain Alok Kapali for two more sixes to bring the equation down to four off the last over. Another six sealed the game as he rounded off a fine all-round show with figures of 2 for 23 earlier in the evening.The final was well attended, with a live performance by pop singer Mila to add to the glamour. Satellite channel televised seven matches live, including the semi-finals and the final. The games in Mirpur had cheer girls, a DJ, SMS quiz competition and fireworks to keep the fans engaged.The tournament began on October 14 and featured 34 games across three venues, including seven day-night games. Group A featured Mohammadan SC, Bangladesh Biman, Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity, Partex Sporting Club, BKSP and Victoria Sporting. Group B had Gazi Tank Cricketers, Old DOHS Club, Kalabagan Krira Chakra, Abahani Limited, Surjo Turon Club and Cricket Coaching School. There was a bit of controversy with the scheduling after Mohammedan were not allotted a single day-nighter in the initial fixture. After raising the issue, they managed to secure one day-night game.While opener Tamim Iqbal lit up the opening day with 60 for Mohammadan against Victoria, Khelagar emerged the surprise package for the semi-finals, where they faced Gazi Tank. However, there was a three-way tie for a single semi-final spot from Group B. Abahani, Surjo Torun and Kalabagan were tied at four points each before the final round of matches. Abahani comprehensively beat Cricket Coaching School by seven wickets, while Kalabagan beat Surjo Tarun. A better head-to-head record with Kalabagan clinched the spot for Abahani.Imrul Kayes’ 46 helped Abahani chase down 165 in the semi-final against Mohammadan. The other deciding clash was a rather one-sided affair, with Khelagar managing only 95. Gazi’s Mithun Ali smashed an unbeaten 69 to steer his team home comfortably. Gazi were well-placed in the final to take the title, before Rafique crashed their party.

Manchester United confirmed on Wednesday evening that centre-back Raphael Varane will be out for around a month with a hamstring issue.

And, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the injury news on social media.

The 28-year-old only returned from a groin problem on the weekend in the 3-0 win over Tottenham and kept his place in the side against Atalanta on Tuesday.

However, the Frenchman had to be withdrawn in the first half with another muscle issue and was replaced by Mason Greenwood.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went on to draw 2-2 in the Champions League, but they’ll now be without Varane once again for the foreseeable future. The first game Varane will miss will be against rivals Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

This is of course a huge blow for the Red Devils, with Harry Maguire out of form and no one else in the back line boasting the top level of experience of Varane, who has won a ridiculous four Champions League titles and ranks as the squad’s highest-rated centre-back this season, per Whoscored.

United fans react

Well-known page @utdreport shared the news regarding Varane on Twitter on Wednesday.

This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one labelling it as a ‘big blow’ while one believed ‘another’ key player was rushed back too soon following recent reports on Maguire.

“Another key player rushed back from injury when it wasn’t necessary”

Credit: @T4rum_

“We’re finished”

Credit: @ITB0YJUNGKOOK

“Big blow”

Credit: @RasBhullar

“This is all on Ole. Rushed Maguire and now rushed Varane as well.”

Credit: @thathalfcastboy

“Yeah the pain just keeps coming”

Credit: @Mordiajohnson5

“we are so finished i’m in tears”

Credit: @pastaccino

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has claimed that he would love to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Scottish Sun, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that, amid reports suggesting that Michael Nicholson is plotting a move to make the winger’s loan deal a €7.5m (£6.5m) permanent switch in January, hinting he would love to retain the services of the Portugal U21 international beyond the end of the current campaign.

Speaking about the situation surrounding the 22-year-old, Postecoglou said: “He’s doing really well, he’s a young man who knows he’s got a hell of a lot of talent but he also knows he needs the right environment as well.

“He hasn’t had the easiest start to his career, he was out on loan last year and it didn’t work out for him. I think he’s loving life here and my job is to make him the best possible player he can be.

“If he feels that this is the place for his future we’d be more than happy to keep him here but he’s got a pretty good head on his shoulders and he knows that the best way forward for him is to keep playing his football and the rest will take care of itself.”

When questioned if Celtic hold an option to make the Benfica man’s loan a permanent move, the Hoops manager added: “That’s correct.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Jota has been since joining Celtic back in August, the news that Postecoglou is hoping to secure a move to keep the winger at Parkhead beyond the end of his temporary deal is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his nine Scottish Premiership appearances this season, the £3.15m-rated man has already bagged four goals, registered four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.9 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Postecoglou himself dubbed an “unbelievable” talent average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.40, ranking the winger as the sixth-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

However, it is not only in the league that Jota has been impressing, with the loanee scoring one goal, providing two assists and creating four big chances over his four Europa League fixtures for the club – metrics which have seen the £7.1k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.55.

Further still, the forward also scored one goal in his one Scottish League Cup appearance, taking his total haul to six goals and six assists in just 14 games played this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the 22-year-old would make a fantastic permanent addition to the Celtic squad, and for a reported transfer fee of just £6.5m, he could well be the bargain of the season.

In other news: Nicholson makes big decision on £16k-p/w “problem”, it will leave Celtic fans buzzing

An injury to Marcus North added to Western Australia’s woes as they were out-muscled by Victoria

Cricinfo staff14-Nov-2009Victoria 5 for 304 (Hodge 113, Hussey 59) beat Western Australia 213 (Ronchi 58, Hastings 4-38) by 91 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Hodge’s 113 was responsible for setting up Victoria’s huge score at the MCG•Getty ImagesAn injury to Marcus North added to Western Australia’s woes as they were out-muscled by a classy Brad Hodge century and a ferocious burst from Matthew Wade in a 91-run defeat. North, the Test No. 6, hurt his right wrist when struck by a ball in the field and was sent for x-rays that showed bruising but no break.”It hit me in an awkward spot and cracked a vein open and caused a lot of swelling,” he said after the match. “It’s not ideal, but all’s good and hopefully it pulls up okay for Tuesday.”North, who has scored three centuries in his first seven Tests, is due to play for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this week to fine-tune before the opening game against West Indies on November 26. There has been a push for the opener Phillip Hughes to return to the side, possibly leaving Shane Watson to fight for a spot in the middle order with North and Michael Hussey.With his side in trouble, North went in at No. 8 and was the last man out for 19 as the Warriors were dismissed for 213 in 44 overs. Western Australia started solidly in their reply to Victoria’s 5 for 304 as they aimed for a record-breaking chase. The opener Wes Robinson picked up 44 and Luke Ronchi swept to a half-century, but the required rate was more than eight an over when the Warriors took the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over.Both the big hitters, Ronchi and Theo Doropoulos (18), departed in three balls as they tried to force the pace and suffered. Ronchi left with 58 off 73 and the momentum went from the chase, with Bryce McGain earning three wickets and John Hastings finishing off the game with his fourth by picking up North, who was caught behind trying to pull.Victoria maintained their unbeaten start to the competition after Hodge’s 113 and Wade’s brutal 49 from 19 deliveries pushed them to a huge total. Hodge raised his 14th one-day century for his state, having combined in a 126-run stand with David Hussey (59), before Wade made sure the Warriors would have to move at more than a run a ball in their reply.Wade bolted to 43 off 13, with four fours and three sixes, but was slowed by Ashley Noffke in the final over as he narrowly missed the fastest fifty in the history of the competition. The hosts struck 49 in three overs towards the end of the innings when Wade was at his most powerful. Brett Dorey, who grabbed the first two wickets, was the one who suffered most and went for 80 off his nine overs.

With Dara O’Shea suffering a serious injury earlier in the season that will keep him out for the next few months and Kean Bryan suffering a season-ending blow recently, it’s safe to say West Brom will need as many defensive options as possible at their disposal for the time being.

With that in mind, it seems that the Midlands club could be set to lose one of their young defenders currently in their youth ranks.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by All Nigeria Soccer (via Birmingham Live) that Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Aston Villa and Southampton are interested in signing West Brom youth defender Kevin Joshua.

Despite only joining West Brom’s U23 side from Solihull Moors’ U19 side back in March for an undisclosed fee, the 19-year-old centre-back has played in six of their 11 league games, grabbing one assist in the process, showing how impressive he has been given the number of clubs reportedly eyeing up a transfer swoop for the youngster.

Ferguson 2.0

Even though Joshua hasn’t made an appearance for Valerien Ismael’s side this season, there is a possibility that Ismael could be forced into giving the teenager his senior debut for the Baggies given their defensive injury issues, and certainly if any of their other senior defenders get injured between now and the end of the season.

Therefore, it should now be one of Lai Guochuan’s top priorities to keep hold of Joshua and out of the clutches of the numerous clubs reportedly interested in signing him, which could be seen as a disaster if he were to leave the club so soon after joining them. That’s especially when you consider the way they lost a fellow defensive talent in Nathan Ferguson so controversially to the jaws of the Premier League.

Given his young age, there’s no reason why Joshua, who has been described as a player who is “aggressive, quick, and excellent on the ball,” by his agent Arfan Rehman when he joined the club, couldn’t go on to become a regular first-team figure at The Hawthorns in the future, giving the Midlands club even more reason to keep the defender in their ranks.

Moving forward, perhaps giving the teenager some first-team minutes could not only help Ismael’s side in the short term while O’Shea and Bryan are out injured but also in the long-term by proving that they feel Joshua will have a big part to play for the senior team. By doing so, they may also be able to avoid a repeat Ferguson scenario too.

In other news: 60% duels won: WBA’s “dangerous” £18k-p/w beast proved he can be Ismael’s main man – opinion

Chandrakant Pandit, India’s Under-19 coach, has said his team’s biggest challenge at the forthcoming World Cup in New Zealand would be the conditions

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai19-Dec-2009Chandrakant Pandit, India’s Under-19 coach, has said his team’s biggest challenge at the forthcoming World Cup in New Zealand will be the cold conditions. The biennial tournament starts on January 15 with India, the reigning champions, starting their campaign against Afghanistan in Lincoln. The final will be played at the same venue on January 30.”It will be a little more chilly and windy out in New Zealand so the conditions will be different and the biggest challenge,” Pandit said in Mumbai on the eve of the squad’s departure to South Africa, where India will play a tri-series from December 27-January 5 that includes Sri Lanka. “The boys need to get acclimatised as early as possible. We should be ready from the first game to handle the conditions.”The 15-member squad, led by allrounder Ashok Menaria from Rajasthan, was a picture of confidence as it faced the media contingent at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Both captain and coach said the players have bonded well over the last year, when they’ve been together. Most of them were also part of the tour of Australia in April this year, where India won the ODI series 2-1 and drew the Tests 1-1.The Indians finished a 10-day camp in Mumbai on Friday and Pandit said it was a fruitful exercise, with every player made aware of his role. “Our plan was to go step by step,” Pandit said. “To begin with, we placed individual responsibilities in the camp. We want to do well in South Africa and finally come up with our best performance in New Zealand.”The seriousness of India’s campaign can be gauged from the fact that guest speakers like Sachin Tendulkar, former Australian fielding coach Mike Young and sports psychologist Dr Bhimeshwar Bam spent quality time with the youngsters.Pandit, a former team-mate of Tendulkar’s, said the 45-minute conversation Tendulkar had with the players would stand them in good stead. “Tendulkar spoke on how to approach a game. His technical feedback was really valuable,” Pandit said. “For example, he told the fast bowlers that when they run towards the target [batsman] they have to keep their head forward. We would Probably have learnt that after going there,” Pandit said with visible excitement.He said Tendulkar’s most valuable advice was on “trusting the teammate”. “He told them that “if you are going to stand next to each other you need to have the confidence in the other. Only then can the team perform”. The boys seemed to have understood the message as they started looking at the other from there onwards,” Pandit said.As for Young, he managed to instill a more enthusiastic approach to fielding. “He made us enjoy fielding,” Saurabh Netravalkar, one of the fast bowlers in the squad, said. “He started with the basics of fielding, about how to start, how to position yourself, and made fielding easy.”Young just focussed on refining certain basics as he felt that Pandit had been carrying out the right drills and there was no need for him to introduce anything new.Pandit said India haven’t missed anything by way of preparation. “We need to now look at how we are going to implement what we have been working on during the actual games.”Meenaria said the defending champions were not in any way burdened by expectation. “There is no pressure, instead we are more confident now – especially after winning in Australia,” he said. “I’m confident we are favourites to win the World Cup. But for now, our focus is on the South African tour.”India play their first game against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 28.

The fast bowlers Darren and James Pattinson are hoping to play together in a Sheffield Shield game for the first time

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009The fast bowlers Darren and James Pattinson are hoping to play together in a Sheffield Shield game for the first time after being picked in Victoria’s squad to face South Australia at the MCG from Thursday. Clint McKay’s elevation to the Australian XII increased the chances of the brothers making some history.Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd had hoped McKay would be available for at least half the game, but the naming of the national outfit on Wednesday ended that dream. Bryce McGain, the legspinner, holds his spot and once again there is no place for Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner who toured with Australia’s one-day side last month. Rob Quiney has been dropped and been replaced by Lloyd Mash following their loss to Queensland.On Wednesday South Australia welcomed back the legspinner Cullen Bailey into their squad. Bailey, who came in for Matthew Weeks, has played two of the Redbacks’ four games this summer, taking five wickets at 49.80.The Redbacks are sitting in second on eight points, the same number as Queensland, while Victoria have a six-point buffer at the top despite playing only three matches. Life isn’t as easy for South Australia in the one-day competition – they are last.Victoria squad Nick Jewell, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Lloyd Mash, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson, Bryce McGain.South Australia squad Daniel Harris, James Smith, Michael Klinger, Mark Cosgrove, Cameron Borgas, Graham Manou (capt, wk), Aaron O’Brien, Dan Christian, Cullen Bailey, Chris Duval, Jake Haberfield, Peter George.

Celtic are reportedly closing in on the signing of Kawasaki Frontale defender Reo Hatate as the January transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail (as relayed by the Daily Record), the Hoops are expected to bring the 24-year-old to Glasgow on a free transfer at the beginning of 2022.

Hatate’s contract is set to expire in January and he was left in tears as he said farewell to Frontale fans after their most recent title success, indicating that an imminent exit is on the cards.

Talks between Celtic and the attack-minded left-back are said to be “well down the road” as Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou continues his rebuild at Parkhead.

He would be a dream transfer for Ange

Securing Hatate’s signature could be a dream transfer for Postecoglou after the 56-year-old admitted that further reinforcements are needed following Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

He said: “There is no doubt. We are still just four or five months into building a team and it was never going to happen in one transfer window.

“We know that we need more depth and players in certain areas that I think can help us to bridge the gap. You look at the Leverkusen side and they have quality all the way through.

“What we want to do is be able to compete at that level and we need to continue to look to improve our squad and add depth so that we can compete in lots of competitions.”

When taking into account just how impressive Hatate has been for Kawasaki Frontale in recent months, the former Japan under-21 international appears to be an ideal fit for Celtic’s ongoing revolution.

In his 29 J-League appearances throughout 2021, the £720k-rated gem bagged five goals and laid on a further two assists for his teammates, creating three big chances and providing 1.1 key passes per game along the way.

The player who Opta analyst Sacha Pisani claimed “has a rocket of a left foot” also impressed in the defensive aspect of his game, averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per league match, while winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

Therefore, he could be an ideal acquisition over the winter as Celtic seek to reclaim their Premiership crown and end Rangers’ reign as Scottish champions.

In other news… Lost possession 21 times: £4.5m-rated Celtic passenger badly failed his manager v Leverkusen

Eric Simons, the former South Africa coach, has been appointed India’s bowling consultant for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh

Cricinfo staff09-Jan-2010The South African presence in the Indian coaching bench has gained further weight after the BCCI today appointed Eric Simons, the former South Africa coach, as bowling consultant for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, and the Test and ODI series at home against South Africa that follow.It has been learned that Simons spoke to Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, last week and that was the first occasion he learned of the management’s interest in him. Simon’s appointment comes after former South African fast bowler Allan Donald’s name cropped up last Tuesday, as one of the contenders for the vacant bowling coach position.MS Dhoni, India’s captain, recently admitted that the absence of a specialist bowling coach is hurting the team’s performance. It was no understatement, because the inconsistency in the fast bowling department has remained a concern right from the World Twenty20. In England, Zaheer Khan had aggravated the shoulder injury he picked during the IPL in South Africa. His inability to go full throttle exposed the younger lot like Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, and though Ashish Nehra was around he was just finding his own feet, having made a return after a long time. Things did not improve during the Champions Trophy, and India’s problems were exacerbated during the home ODI series against Australia, which they lost 4-2.During the recently concluded Sri Lanka series the Indian fast bowlers were lukewarm even if they improved on their death bowling, and in the current tri-series in Bangladesh they have been disappointing. They failed to defend a total of 279 against Sri Lanka and allowed Bangladesh to post 296.The 47-year-old Simons, who played 23 one-day internationals for South Africa and toured New Zealand in 1995, has a rich pedigree in the coaching profession and was South Africa’s head coach from 2002-2004, a period when Kirsten played under him. Simons spread his first-class career, mostly with Western Province, over 17 seasons as a right-arm medium pacer and a handy lower middle order batsman.He has never had any experience as a bowling coach except for the brief stint in the second IPL in South Africa last year, where he worked as a consultant with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Simons has worked in various capacities at the prestigious High Performance Centre in Pretoria along with the likes of Kepler Wessels.