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Chris Gayle has sounded caution against underestimating the Indians ahead of the four-match series

Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2009West Indies captain Chris Gayle has said he is not underestimating the Indians despite the visitors fielding an understrength team for the four-match ODI series in Jamaica and St Lucia.Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan have opted for rest while Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina failed to make the short tour due to injury concerns. Looking ahead, Gayle said India’s poor showing in the ICC World Twenty20 – they failed to win any of their Super Eight games – would have no bearing on the forthcoming ODIs. West Indies reached the semi-finals before crashing out to the Sri Lankans but Gayle insisted it was too early to jump the gun and pick a favourite.”It is never a walkover against India,” Gayle told PTI. “There are a lot of guys still there to give us a lot of trouble, so we just have to stick to the game plan and make it a successful one.”Gayle’s team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan also agreed. “The Indians are a very good one-day team and while they may be without a couple of their players, they will prove to be a handful for us,” Sarwan said. “But we are in good form and have confidence in our abilities and hopefully, beginning Friday, we can get a good start to the series.”The Indians haven’t had the best of fortunes in the Caribbean over the last few years. In 2006, they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 before crashing out of the World Cup in the first round the following year.West Indies also announced changes to their one-day side for the first two games, the most notable casualty being their in-form bowler Fidel Edwards who’s nursing a back injury.”There are a few changes in the squad, there is Darren Bravo and [Narsingh] Deonarine coming in and it is a good opportunity for them to play an important part against India,” Gayle said.Despite bowing out of the semi-finals, Gayle was happy with his team’s comeback after a lacklustre start to the tour, which included a Test and ODI series defeat to England.”It was a pretty decent performance. We tried our best but in the end it was not to be,” Gayle said. “But I am not disheartened. In fact, I am proud of the guys, as at the championship, not many were expecting us to reach that far.”The aim was to bring home the trophy and make everyone happy, especially the fans. Having said that, however, it was a wonderful experience, one that I think will serve the team well going into the future and one that should serve us well when we host the next World Twenty20 Championship here in the Caribbean.”Meanwhile, three Indian players – M Vijay, S Badrinath and Abhishek Nayar – are yet to depart for the West Indies as they are awaiting their UK transit visas. “They will get their visas today and are set to leave tonight (Monday),” a BCCI source told PTI. “They are scheduled to reach Jamaica by tomorrow evening local time.”The series begins on Friday at Sabina Park.

Mortaza injured his right knee while bowling on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies in St Vincent

Cricinfo staff13-Jul-2009The Bangladesh Cricket Board has named fast bowler Nazmul Hossain as back-up for injured captain Mashrafe Mortaza. Nazmul will leave Dhaka tonight for Grenada, ahead of the second Test match which begins at the National Cricket Stadium in St George’s from Friday.Mortaza injured his right knee while bowling on the third day of the first Test against West Indies in St Vincent. He is expected to undergo a scan of the injured knee in Grenada on Tuesday.If Nazmul is picked for the St George’s clash, it will only be his second Test, having debuted back in December 2004 against India at Chittagong. His ODI career has been more impressive though, picking up a four-wicket haul in his third match. He made a comeback to the ODI squad in 2008 after being dropped for two years. In the following year, his 3 for 30 in the tri-series final in Mirpur gave the Sri Lankan top-order nightmares.

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing over some footage that has emerged of the site where their new stadium is going to be built.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, the footage shows an aerial view of Bramley-Moore Dock, and where the proposed East Stand, North Stand, South Stand and West Stand will be for the new ground.

It also shows the hydraulic towers and pump sets used for the construction of the stadium, which is now underway.

Just watching the footage made it all so very real for the Merseyside club supporters, as they look forward to going into a brand new home when the construction is finished.

Everton fans on Bramley-Moore Dock footage

These Toffees supporters were left gushing as the footage of Bramley-Moore Dock was shared by the club on Twitter, with one Blues fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘fascinating’:

“Brilliant, keep these updates coming. This stadium’s really going to put us on the map”

Credit: @EfcSparky

“Fascinating. Love our view from the South Stand!”

Credit: @terrypeers

“Love this”

Credit: @matt1878

“Exciting times for our club”

Credit: @MattAko89

“Some fantastic city scape views. And the rendered stadium images are wonderous. Still an awful lot of work to realise this brilliant concept.”

Credit: @EFC_Wolfstein

“Phwoooooar”

Credit: @pete316

In other news, find out what club update has delighted Evertonians here!

Daniel Flynn is preparing to face Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis by watching old videos of Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson batting in Colombo in 2003

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2009Daniel Flynn, the New Zealand batsman, has been working on playing spin ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka later this month. Flynn, who has not played Sri Lanka in any format of the game, is preparing to face the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, by watching old videos of Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson batting in a 172-run stand in Colombo in 2003.”I’ve seen a bit of Fleming and Richardson but seeing it on TV compared to being out there facing it is a completely different story.” Flynn said he aimed to play the spinners off the back foot but also wanted to avoid being caught at the crease. “Obviously you’ve got to try to read these guys from the hand but as a back-up watch it off the wicket.”Flynn’s international experience in the subcontinent is limited to two Tests and three ODIs on the tour of Bangladesh last year. He scored 103 in three innings in the Tests, with no half-centuries, and 36 in the three ODIs.Flynn said it was important to rotate the strike when playing spinners. “You don’t want to be stuck down one end facing two overs of them because they’ve got so many variations that it gives them the opportunity to try them. Getting off strike is crucial.”

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a double injury boost ahead of Friday night’s Championship clash at The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Valerien Ismael revealed that both Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke are in contention to start the fixture against Birmingham City tonight.

The midfielder has recovered a foot injury picked up in the 1-0 defeat to Stoke City before the international break, while the defender has missed Albion’s last seven fixtures with a hamstring injury.

Regrading Mowatt’s injury, Ismael said: “For us it’s good news – it’s a relief for us that it’s not broken. It’s good for us that he has trained these last two days with the squad and he’s back in the squad. Normally, as long as something doesn’t happen and change overnight, he’ll be okay for the game.”

Regarding Clarke’s recovery, the Frenchman added: “He’s back in training, back in the squad and trained very well. Now we need to manage him through these games.

“The Championship is ruthless. We play every three days, so we must learn from the first block with him and what happened to make sure that he can come through the games without another issue.

“He is fine, he is available, he trained well. We’re happy he’s back in the squad, but we need to find the balance and to manage him now. He’s very motivated, he wants to play, but we learn from the first block.”

Big double boost

Considering just how impressive both Mowatt and Clarke have been for West Brom since joining the club this summer, the news that the duo are available for the derby against Birmingham is sure to have Baggies fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Championship appearances this season, the £6.3m-rated Mowatt has scored three goals, provided one assist and has created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.1 shots and making 1.5 key passes per match.

The central midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.9 interceptions, two tackles and 0.7 clearances and winning 5.5 duels per game. These returns have seen the £6.5k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.21, ranking him as West Brom’s second best performer in the Championship so far.

Meanwhile, over his three league fixtures for Albion, the £2.7m-rated Clarke has made 2.3 interceptions, one tackle and 2.7 clearances per game and has won 7.3 duels per match.

These metrics have seen the centre-back earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Baggies’ joint eighth-best performer in the league.

As such, the return of both players will undoubtedly increase Ismael’s chances of securing a positive result against Birmingham, something the Frenchman will be desperately seeking following his side’s first league defeat of the season against Stoke City last time out.

In other news: Ismael must unleash “quality” £21k-p/w beast vs Blues, he’s what West Brom are missing

Everton will be hoping that they can continue their impressive start to the new Premier League season when they host high-flying West Ham United this afternoon.

The Toffees are currently sitting fifth in the top-flight table after Rafa Benitez’s charges hit the ground running in the opening weeks of 2021/22.

However, injuries to key players continue to pose problems for the Spaniard. Attacking duo Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are once again sidelined through fitness concerns, giving the manager some big calls to make.

It’s not all bad news on the injury front for the Merseyside outfit, though. Lucas Digne has been declared fit alongside Seamus Coleman and Alex Iwobi, giving Benitez some much-needed strength in depth.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 61-year-old to line up at Goodison Park, with just the one change from the side which held Manchester United to a draw last time out…

In goal, the virtually ever-present Jordan Pickford will once again start between the sticks for the Blues, and he’ll be hoping to keep his third clean sheet of the season.

Ahead of the England international should be a familiar back four, boosted by the return of club captain Coleman. The £22.5m-rated Ben Godfrey should make way for the right-back following some poor recent performances, allowing Digne, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane to back up the defensive unit.

The engine room in unlikely to witness any changes after their impressive display at Old Trafford prior to the international break, so 20-year-old Anthony Gordon keeps his place on the left wing.

That means Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andros Townsend will form the rest of the midfield behind an attacking duo of Demarai Gray and Salomon Rondon. With Gray and Townsend both netting three league goals so far this term and Calvert-Lewin absent today, the two summer arrivals could be crucial in the final third for Everton.

In other news… “It hasn’t worked”: Journalist makes damning Everton claim, fans must be fuming with Brands 

The Dirk Nannes story is already a unique one but it could become even more remarkable if his debut in Australian colours goes well

Brydon Coverdale11-Aug-2009The Dirk Nannes story is already a unique one but it could become even more remarkable if he makes a positive debut in Australian colours. Should Nannes thrive in the Twenty20s against England following the Ashes, he may go on to hold the rare honour of playing in two World Cups in the space of a year – for two different countries.Nannes had given up hope of playing for Australia, the nation of his birth, when he wasn’t named in the 30-man preliminary squad for this year’s World Twenty20 despite being one of the most fearsome short-format bowlers in the world. But a Dutch passport – his parents migrated to Australia before he was born – allowed him to make his international debut for Netherlands in the Twenty20 tournament.Fast-forward two months and Nannes has received a belated call-up for Australia, who bombed out without winning a game, as they plan for the next World Twenty20 to be held in the West Indies early next year. Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket Michael Brown delivered the news on Monday to Nannes, who now has a chance to impress in a pair of games against England at Old Trafford.”I was sitting at home and the phone rang and it was Michael Brown,” Nannes said. “He normally calls either if you’re selected or you’ve done something wrong. I was scratching my brain to work out what I’d done wrong because I had no idea there were even Twenty20s in England.”Unlike any of his Australian team-mates, Nannes has experience of beating England in a Twenty20 this year as part of the Netherlands side that recorded a historic victory over England at Lord’s to kick off the World Twenty20 with a bang. Nannes said he had no regrets about turning out for Netherlands, which he said had been “a super plus for me”.”Playing for Holland was certainly unique because everyone there, they’re all amateurs,” Nannes said. “I was playing with a Burger King manager and a debt collector and an insurance salesman and they were just having fun playing cricket and got to go to a World Cup.”That moment of winning the game for Holland against England at Lord’s was the best sporting moment I’ve had. I’ll never forget that, that’s for sure. I’ve made some good friends there as well. It’s a super plus for me that I’ve done that. Who knows whether I would have been selected [for Australia] if I didn’t play for them. The selectors mightn’t have seen me play at the highest level.”Nannes’ two Twenty20 internationals for Netherlands do not disqualify him from playing for Australia because Netherlands is an ICC Associate member rather than a full Test-playing nation. However, once he debuts for Australia, Nannes would need to wait to requalify for any future appearances for Netherlands.Although Nannes will play for two countries within the space of three months, it is not a record short time for switching allegiances. Earlier this year, Eoin Morgan made his one-day international debut for England seven weeks after playing his last ODI for his country of birth, Ireland. However, Nannes, 33, will be the first man to play Twenty20 internationals for two different countries.Should he impress the selectors and win a place in next year’s World Twenty20, he will also hold the distinction of representing Australia in World Cups in two different sports, having previously been a World Cup skier. But for now, Nannes is simply hoping to blitz England in the two games at Old Trafford.”If I keep playing well, who knows, maybe I’ll get selected [for the World Twenty20],” he said. “But at the end of the day if I’ve still played for Australia that’s something that I’m absolutely rapt with and hopefully I do well.”

Craig Hope has revealed where things currently stand with Newcastle United’s managerial pursuit of Paulo Fonseca.

What’s the story?

The Magpies finally reached the inevitable conclusion of seeing Steve Bruce leave the club on Wednesday morning, and attentions naturally have already turned towards who his replacement will be.

And, according to Hope, negotiations have already gotten underway with former AS Roma boss Fonseca.

He said: “Talks with Paulo Fonseca are “ongoing” & sources say he is interested in taking over at NUFC, but stress it is not a done deal. Discussions took place with Fonseca last week over numbers, but it still seems there are different opinions of who is next from within the consortium.”

Exciting news for Newcastle

After dragging it out for so long, Newcastle finally got rid of Bruce on Wednesday, and that has paved the way for the Magpies to fully embrace a new era under PIF.

While that in itself is exciting news, Fonseca’s name being linked with the job at St James’ Park, should be greeted with plenty of positive interest too – journalist Fabrizio Romano was quick to rave about him when he was previously linked with the vacant manager’s job at Spurs over the summer.

He said: “He is perfect in the dressing room and perfect in his relationship with the players, which is something really needed at Tottenham at the moment. He likes to play a 3-4-2-1 formation and likes to play with quality and fast players behind the striker, and so he and the club will try to convince Harry Kane to stay.

“But, let’s see. He’s experienced, he’s a good manager and he has great relationships with his players, so it could be something interesting. The dressing room was very good during his time there and he was already appreciated by fans.”

Getting the dressing room back on side and building a feel-good spirit behind-the-scenes at St James’ Park is exactly what’s needed, and Fonseca looks like he’s the kind of man-manager who can do just that.

Meanwhile, this Sky Sports journalist has delivered a huge manager update…

The latest from Singapore in the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 where the hosts remained unbeaten

Cricinfo staff02-Sep-2009Singapore brushed aside Norway with contemptuous ease at the Kallang Ground, as Buddika Mendis continued his sublime form by crunching 90 from 94 in an emphatic eight-wicket win. In the process, Singapore were promoted to Division 5 of the World Cricket League. Captain Zaheer Ashiq led from the front for Norway with 92 from just 71 deliveries, but apart from a triplet of twenties, there was very little else as Norway were dismissed for 229. The wickets were shared around by Pramodh Raja (2 for 34), Riaz Hussien (2 for 14) and Monish Arora who picked up 2 for 21. Aamer Waheed broke through early in Singapore’s chase, dismissing Mulewa Dharmichand, but Mendis and Narender Reddy (82* from 98) smashed 143 for the second wicket to lay a solid platform in hauling down 230, winning by eight wickets with more than 12 overs to spare.”We’ve been practising really hard ahead of this tournament,” Mendis said, “and all we wanted to do was to secure promotion to the next league, which is what we’ve done with this win. We knew after Bahrain had lost to Botswana, we would be guaranteed a spot in Division 5 no matter we finish first or second. We obviously want to finish on top of the table but the most important thing for us is that we’re going to the next division no matter what.”James Moses’ four wickets helped Botswana to their maiden win in the tournament, beating Bahrain by 69 runs at The Padang. Faisal Rana grafted 52 from 60 in Botswana’s 256 for 9 while Abdul Patel made 49, and there were useful contributions throughout; Taroesh Trivedi smacked a momentum-stealing 38 from 20 balls including two fours and three sixes. Bahrain’s innings never really got going, with Moses helping to reduce them to 109 for 5, and not even Tahir Dar’s bristling 33 from 25 balls could lift them to their target of 247.”After the tongue-lashing we had from our captain after the last defeat, we all knew we had to come hard in today’s match. It, therefore, feels great to win our first match of the tournament,” Moses said. “But we have to stayed focused as tomorrow is a big match against Malaysia and we need to carry the same momentum and winning mentality to the field. It felt good to be awarded the second Man-of-the-Match award and it’s even sweeter because we won our match.”Malaysia moved into second position behind Singapore with Suhan Alagaratnam hitting an unbeaten 80 at the Indian Association Ground in their four-wicket win over Guernsey, the only side not to have won a match thus far. Jeremy Frith continued his good form with 79, but the next highest score from a Guernsey batsman was from the captain, Stuart Le Prevost, who made 23. Guernsey fared better in the field defending a target of 213, reducing them to 160 for 6, but Alagaratnam turned it on and received excellent support, firstly from Ariffin Ramly’s 52, and an unbeaten run-a-ball 21 from Manrick Singh.”Today was a really tough innings,” Alagaratnam said. “I needed a runner once I got past 50 as I was struggling somewhat with the heat and also with an injury. But that didn’t stop us winning today and I hope it will not stop us winning tomorrow against Botswana. I’m confident my side can do well and we’ll take the same plans and preparations into tomorrow’s game at Kalang.”

Cricinfo previews the double header on day two of the Champions League Twenty20

Cricinfo staff08-Oct-2009Group BEagles v New South Wales, DelhiNew South Wales’ top-class bowling line-up will be led by Brett Lee•AFPStart time:
October 9, 10.30 GMTIn the day’s first game, one of the tournament’s little-known teams take on one of the favourites. Eagles have no players with a central contract, but that hasn’t stopped them from being consistently successful in the South African domestic circuit. New South Wales, on the other hand, have plenty of familiar faces despite not having Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Nathan Bracken for the tournament. They have a top-class bowling line-up, spearheaded by Brett Lee and backed up by the accurate Stuart Clark, Australia’s No. 1 spinner Nathan Hauritz and swing bowler Doug Bollinger. Add to that the exciting openers, David Warner and Phillip Hughes, and Eagles are left with a daunting task.Watch out for:Cornelius de Villiers against David Warner: Quick bowler de Villiers was Eagles’ best bowler during the Pro20. He’ll need to be in top form to stop big-hitting opener Warner, who announced himself with an explosive 89 off 43 balls on Twenty20 debut. A strike-rate of 140 after 30 matches underlines his dangerousness.Brett Lee’s opening burst: After missing the Ashes due to injury, Lee has hit top gear in the one-dayers against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. Consistently hitting the late 140s, Lee was at his most destructive in the match at Lord’s, where England were clueless against his pinpoint yorkers. A rigorous test awaits Eagles’ batsmen.
Group DDelhi Daredevils v Victoria, DelhiTillakaratne Dilshan, undoubtedly, has stolen the limelight this year in the Twenty20 format•Associated PressStart time:
October 9, 14.30 GMTDelhi Daredevils and Victoria are teams packed with power-hitters and their encounter on Friday promises to be a high-scoring one. Delhi, after an impressive IPL in South Africa, will start favourties; 10 of their 17 players are current internationals with considerable success at the level. Indian fans, though, will be familiar with Victoria’s David Hussey and Brad Hodge – the two leading run-getters in Twenty20 cricket. Backed up by the ferocity of Cameron White in the middle order, the pace of Peter Siddle and the spin of Bryce McGain, Victoria remain strong contenders.Watch out for:The Delhi top order: The exploits of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for India at the top are well known, but Tillakaratne Dilshan has stolen the limelight this year in the Twenty20 format. An enterprising batsman, his promotion to the opening slot has worked wonders for Sri Lanka and Delhi might just go with him and Gambhir to deliver to a racy start.Aiden Blizzard boasts a strike rate of 161.88 and will be keen to live up to his reputation as a big-hitting batsman. Shane Harwood, the fast bowler, has been excellent with the ball in this format, taking 29 wickets at 22.24 with a strike rate of 17.4. His economy rate of 7.63 is better than most.