There was good news and bad news for Glamorgan at Taunton today.On the positive side, Robert Croft heard that he had been selected in England`s squad for theThird Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge on Thursday.Moreover, the off-spinner is very likley to be in the starting eleven, thereby winning his21st Test cap, and taking a step closer to becoming the first Glamorgan bowler to take50 wickets in Test cricket for England.When announcing the squad, David Graveney, the Chairman of Selectors, said “We wanted toshow continuity of selection by including Robert Croft. He performed very well on the wintertour of Sri Lanka, and we brought him back into the squad at Edgbaston. Maybe withhindsight, we should have played him there.””Nottingham is a pretty flat wicket and Croft can beat the bat on both sides. He is likelyto have to spend a lot of time bowling overs, but the fact that the pitch will not spin somuch is not something that we are unduly concerned with. He will enable us to use our quickerbowlers in short spells.”But there was gloomy news as well for the Welsh county as captain Steve James broke a bone inhis left hand during the defeat against Somerset. The injury happened as James was hit on hisgloves by a rising short delivery from England paceman Andy Caddick.James bravely tried to continue batting, but was unable to grip the bat properly, andafter receiving treatment on the field, he went to a local hospital for an x-ray whichrevealed that his hand was fractured.The Glamorgan skipper will see a specialist on Monday, and faces a spell on the sidelines.Also out of action for a while is Alex Wharf who has had further ankle problems duringlast week`s 2nd XI match against Middlesex at Usk.Glamorgan will travel to Colwyn Bay to play Lancashire without these three players.
Sunderland showed a real squad togetherness away at Brighton and Hove Albion to collect a hard-fought point.
It wasn’t the prettiest display by any stretch of the imagination, as the Black Cats had to make do with a 0-0 stalemate on the South Coast.
But, with six figures in Regis Le Bris’ camp now out at the African Cup of Nations, it was still a positive sign that the Wearside battlers will continue to work hard for each other, even if their ranks are a little decimated.
In particular, Daniel Ballard stood out once more as a hard-to-break-down defensive presence, as the former Arsenal centre-back continues to impress this season for the Premier League newcomers.
Ballard's standout Premier League performances
In a summer of much change at the Stadium of Light in terms of incomings, Ballard has managed to stay put in Le Bris’ first team plans, having first joined the ranks during the 2022/23 season in the Championship.
Now, he looks every bit a Premier League-calibre defender, with a player of the match accolade even arriving his way at the close of the dull draw at the Amex, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley hailing him as Sunderland’s “star player” on the day.
The numbers back up all this wild praise, too, as the Northern Ireland international trudged off at the end of the even contest with a mammoth 16 duels and tackles won, alongside only misplacing five of his 46 passes as a calming influence in the heart of the rock-solid Black Cats defence.
He even had two on-target attempts at Bart Verbruggen’s well-protected goal, with Ballard standing out all season long as “one of the big characters on the pitch” as per ex-Manchester United defender Phil Jones, when scoring two goals – one of which came against his ex-employers in Arsenal – and also winning a resolute 6.3 duels per league clash.
He has made the jump up from the Championship to the Premier League look a breeze; therefore, with Le Bris hopeful that he has another Ballard on his hands in this equally combative figure, who could become an even more crucial part of the Frenchman’s team, with the ongoing AFCON.
Sunderland's new Ballard
Having forked out £162m on new recruits this summer, there will be some delight on Sunderland’s end, too, that a large portion of their promotion heroes have taken to the step-up with ease, over these flashy signings stealing all of the limelight.
With Reinildo out in Morocco with Mozambique for the next couple of weeks, Trai Hume has a real opportunity to show Le Bris that he is also a Ballard-type figure; being an energetic and reliable defender cut out for the bright lights of the Premier League.
Hume’s numbers vs Brighton
Stat
Hume
Minutes played
90
Touches
53
Accurate passes
21/25 (84%)
Key passes
1
Accurate crosses
1/1
Tackles won
5/7
Interceptions
1
Clearances
4
Blocked shots
0
Recoveries
5
Total duels won
10/16
Stats by Sofascore
He has been Sunderland’s main starter in the right back spot this season, having been a dependable face to rely on during the Black Cats’ playoff journey, but his importance to the cause will go up even more now, to rival Ballard’s status as one of the first names on the team sheet, as he put in an admirable shift in the left-back spot against the Seagulls, in Reinildo’s absence.
Indeed, the versatile 23-year-old very much lived up to his tag of being a “warrior” that was handed to him by his manager in the second tier, having won 15 tackles and duels to preserve Robin Roefs’ clean sheet.
Moreover, he also had flashes of attacking impetus, much like Ballard, with one shot and one key pass registered, with the ex-Lorient manager surely feeling less uneasy now about the ex-Atletico Madrid defender not being present, knowing he has a fan favourite in Hume who can step up when required.
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Only costing a remarkable £200k to obtain from Linfield in early 2022, it’s clear that the £45k-per-week full-back is a bargain that was purchased while Sunderland decayed in the Championship, which has now paid off, with Ballard also only costing a modest £2m, too, to win from the Gunners.
Le Bris will want improvements in the attacking department, with Nick Woltemade’s own goal the only strike Sunderland have been able to cheer across the last two games.
But, he won’t be displeased by the Black Cats’ defensive acumen, as Ballard and Hume aim to start more games together across the busy winter period to come, to steer their well-drilled team to plenty more well-fought points.
Fewer touches than Roefs & only 9 passes: Sunderland star must be dropped
Regis Le Bris could look to drop this Sunderland star after his uneventful display in their 0-0 Brighton and Hove Albion stalemate.
Nigel Llong has apparently been moved off third umpire duty for the second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Llong, who was at the centre of an umpiring controversy during New Zealand’s series in Australia, was initially listed by the ICC as third umpire in Hamilton but will now be one of the on-field officials in both matches.Llong was in the news last week for his controversial decision, as a third umpire, to rule Nathan Lyon not out on review during the Adelaide Test between Australia and New Zealand. On the second day of the Test, Lyon top-edged an attempted sweep to slip and New Zealand asked for a review after the on-field umpire turned down their appeal for a catch.After five minutes of replays, Llong upheld S Ravi’s decision even though there was a clear Hot Spot on the top edge of Lyon’s bat, and the batsman had walked halfway to the dressing room in anticipation of being given out.The decision was hotly debated and criticised by television commentators and the media at the time but the New Zealand players and team management were guarded in their response. After New Zealand Cricket questioned the decision, the ICC admitted that Llong had made “an incorrect judgement”. In a tweet, the ICC said: “ICC has reviewed the decision and acknowledged that it was incorrect. ICC confirms the umpire followed the correct protocol, but made an incorrect judgement.”Llong will officiate New Zealand’s two-Test series with Sri Lanka along with Richard Kettleborough and Paul Reiffel. Kettleborough will be the third umpire for the second Test, which begins on December 18, instead of Llong.Former Kent allrounder Llong joined the ECB’s international umpire’s panel in 2006 and replaced Billy Doctrove on the ICC’s Elite Panel of international umpires in June 2012. Llong has officiated in 33 Tests, 98 ODIs and 27 T20 internationals so far.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed will offer specialised coaching and expert opinion to a group of select fast bowlers at the Grameenphone Pacer Hunt Phase Three camp.Aaqib, who was the coach of the world-cup winning Pakistan U-19 team in 2006, will arrive in Dhaka on Monday and will work with the pacers at the camp on the technical and non-technical aspects of fast bowling. He also serves as coach of the National Cricket Academy in Pakistan and accompanied the Pakistan Academy team on their tour of Bangladesh last month.Until Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to opt for a foreign coach, Aaqib was one of the front runners to be appointed as Bob Woolmer’s successor.He will be there at the camp at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) from June 25 to June 28.
Samir Inamdar, the Cricket Kenya chairman, has announced that a tournament involving Kenya A, Uganda, Tanzania and a Coast XI will be held in Mombasa in June.The week-long event, called the Atul Shah Memorial Cup is named after the former Uganda and East Africa wicketkeeper who died last November and is being sponsored by his family.The four teams will play each other on a round-robin basis and then the top two play off in a final and the third and fourth-placed sides in a plate final. All games will be played on turf at the excellent Mombasa Sports Club and Coast Gymkhana grounds.Itinerary Tue Jun 6 – Teams arrive in MombasaWed Jun 7 – First round Thu Jun 8 – Second roundSat Jun 10 – Third round Sun Jun 11 – Finals and Plate eventMon Jun 12 – Teams depart
Derbyshire completed their second Twenty20 win of the season, as they inflicted a seven-wicket defeat on Leicestershire, the current champions. Leicestershire’s batting failed to fire, with only HD Ackerman making a significant contribution with 39. Ian Hunter took three wickets in an impressive bowling display. A brief interruption meant a Duckworth-Lewis calculation was needed and Derbyshire easily reached their 103-run target as Luke Sutton made 42 from 32 balls.Nottinghamshire completely overwhelmed Lancashire, storming to a 92-run win at Trent Bridge. Stephen Fleming made the early running with 56 from 42 balls before Chris Read, Mark Ealham and Paul Franks all made quick contributions. Franks hit three sixes from just seven balls. Lancashire’s batsmen made no sort of a start, with Graeme Swann taking three middle-order scalps.
Midlands/West/Wales Group
Gloucestershire put their recent poor form behind them with a seven-wicket win against fellow strugglers Glamorgan. They cantered home with nearly three overs to spare as Phil Weston and Craig Spearman made rapid thirties. Glamorgan’s innings struggled to gain any momentum against a disciplined attack. Carl Greenidge produced the superb figures of 3 for 15 and Martyn Ball also took three.Northamptonshire continued their good form with a 38-run win against Warwickshire. The match was reduced to 14 overs per side but Northants still managed 143 through a late blitz from Ben Phillips and rapid innings from Bilal Shafayat and David Sales. Neil Carter fell first ball for Warwickshire and Phillips completed an impressive all round display by taking 4 for 18.
South Group
Hampshire’s match against Sussex at the Rose Bowl was abandoned after steady rain arrived shortly after the toss had taken place. Sussex would have fielded first after Chris Adams put Hampshire into bat. Hampshire will be without Shane Warne for the rest of their Twenty20 campaign after he was granted a rest ahead of the Ashes, following a request from Cricket Australia to Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman.
ScorecardAustralia, who surprisingly missed out on a Super League spot, took out their frustrations on a shell-shocked Scotland side, bundling them out for a measly 22 and winning well before lunch at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. Six of the Scots made ducks in the procession, and the highest contribution was Mr Extras, with 10. Of the batsmen, the highest scores were 5 by the opener Ian Young – who hit the only boundary of the innings – and Sean Weeeraratna, who at least resisted for 44 balls. It was the Aussie new-ball attack that did the damage: Gary Putland grabbed 4 for 9 in nine overs, and Man of the Match Cameron Huckett 4 for 7 in eight. Stephen O’Keefe mopped up the last two wickets to finish with 2 for 1. The Australian openers needed only 3.5 overs to knock off the runs and win a match which lasted only 26.2 overs in all.Willie Morton, Scotland’s coach, was dismayed with his side’s performance. "Australia are a strong team but we can’t accept results as poor as that,” he said. “I am very disappointed with the way we played today.”Australia’s coach Bennett King, meanwhile, said that his team would be going all out to win the Plate Championship. "We came here expecting to be playing in the Super League, but we didn’t beat Zimbabwe," he said. "Now we are in the Plate Championship and it must now be our target to win that instead, and we will field the same players in our next match." ScorecardNepal defeated Papua New Guinea in today’s other Plate Competition match, at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium. PNG laboured to 168 for 9 in their 50 overs: seven of their batsmen reached double figures, but the highest score was only 35, by Vivian Kila. Chris Amini, PNG’s captain, made 34, while slow left-armer Lakpa Lama took 4 for 51 from his ten overs. Nepal’s opener Kanishka Chaugai started well, and although Basanta Regmi made only 8 and skipper Babu Gauchan a duck, Nepal already had 60 on the board by then. Chaugai added 85 with Sharad Vesawkar (36), and finished with 90 not out as Nepal completed victory with 10.4 overs to spare.Chaugai was named Man of the Match, and earned praise from his team manager TB Shah. "Chaugai batted very well today on a good pitch," said Shah. "After a hiccup at the start where we dropped a couple of catches the game went well for us. We do not have any long-term targets for the tournament, we are taking each game as it comes."
CAPE TOWN, Feb 7 AFP – England will decide on Sunday whether or not it will go ahead with its controversial opening World Cup clash against Zimbabwe in Harare after it failed in its final, desperate bid to have the game switched to South Africa.Justice Albie Sachs today rejected England’s last gasp attempt to have next Thursday’s match relocated on safety grounds.Following a briefing from World Cup security chief Patrick Ronan, England players and officials were locked in marathon talks over their next move in the long-running saga.They face two possibilities – either go ahead with the February 13 clash as scheduled or withdraw and be docked four World Cup points, as well as risk a substantial fine imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaking its contractual obligations.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has no right of appeal against the decision made by South African judge Sachs.Earlier today, Nasser Hussain’s men met with ICC’s Australian chief executive Malcolm Speed to discuss a report the world governing body had commissioned from American security firm Kroll.This concluded it was safe for the six World Cup matches due to take place in Zimbabwe and two in Kenya to go ahead as scheduled.Speed praised the ECB’s handling of the situation but said he hoped Sachs’ ruling was the end of the matter.”The ECB has acted properly throughout,” Speed said.”It has exercised its rights under the contract and I expect they would continue to do so.”There have been suggestions that the ICC might fly England in and out of Harare on the day of the match itself in a bid to minimise safety risks to players and spectators alike.ECB director of corporate affairs John Read said: “The issue is whether we play the match or not.”Travel arrangements are not irrelevant because there are questions about preparation and acclimatisation but they are not directly relevant to this issue,” Read told AFP.England was always meant to be in Cape Town today ahead of taking part in Saturday’s tournament opening ceremony at the city’s Newlands ground.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) president Peter Chingoka insisted there was “no bad blood” between the teams despite his outright hostility towards England’s relocation bid.”It’s important for the tournament to proceed without interruption,” Chingoka said.”But there is no bad blood between ourselves and the ECB.”We’re looking forward to welcoming England with African hospitality.”Sachs warned Zimbabwe that, despite his ruling, it now carried the “enormous responsibility” of ensuring the safety of everyone at Thursday’s match.”Serious political and economic issues have arisen in Zimbabwe, to which it would be wrong to turn a blind eye,” Sachs insisted 24 hours after the World Cup event technical committee turned down England’s first formal appeal.”Not only must the players be protected, but also the spectators.”Sachs’ decision is set to have implications for all the six World Cup matches due to be staged in Zimbabwe and possibly the two fixtures in Kenya where New Zealand has refused to travel on safety grounds following terror attacks in the East African state.South Africa is due to stage the other 46 games in the February 8 to March 23 tournament.
After Sunday afternoon’s marathon meeting at the PCB’s headquarters, there were changes galore in the set-up. Ostensibly, for this is the official line, these changes have been rung to bring the organisation in line with the working of the ICC. In effect it is a tacit admission that all was far from well in the PCB at various administrative levels. And also, that the entire system needed an overhaul as radical as this one was, to kick the indolence and inefficiency out.So the ‘five wise men’ – yes, there were as many till as recently as last April – advising the Chairman, have now been replaced with five committees!One can only hope, that belated as it is, this attempt at some dispassionate soul-searching and stocktaking augurs well for the game in Pakistan.The good thing about the changes is that every committee has a well-defined job assignment, instead of the vagueness that was prevalent in the times of the now-defunct, Advisory Council. So, for instance, now we would know if there is something wrong with the functioning of academies, or there is a marketing problem, and so on, everybody including the media would know who is to blame instantly.This may have some effect on diligence levels, for, to some extent, it introduces real-time, public accountability.So massive is the scale of changes – "a major restructuring of the PCB to streamline the working of the Board", said the official press release – that only two members of the dissolved Advisory Council have been retained, in Rameez Raja and Javed Miandad, the former for practical and the latter, perhaps for sentimental reasons. The selection committee – the replacements yet to be named, perhaps because one of the prime candidates is abroad these days – too has been given the much-deserved sack, and too late in the day.Though this reorganisation was known, one has learnt, to the Chairman’s confidants for some time, the all-powerful Advisory Council had little or no clue. The result was that two of its members, former cricketer Waqar Hasan and Wasim Azhar, have been sent packing while the fifth member in Yawar Saeed had already been eased out, to do duty as the national team’s manager about three months ago.The question is whether this is a harbinger of more changes? As a logical corollary they should be forthcoming too, and soon. For howsoever good the newly-formed committees might be, if the administrative support staff – which the Chairman says were not put in by him but by his predecessors, the inference being that he is either unable or unwilling to defend their performance any longer – are not overhauled as well.Now a look at the Committees, in terms of responsibilities and scope, as head of Development Committee, Raja still ends up with the largest share of the pie. His domain remains extensive, covering infrastructure development, academies, nurseries, coaching centres, grassroots cricket and also the National Coaching Council. Considering that most of these programmes are in their embryonic stage and even a bit of cavalier handling could do serious damage to the very concepts, whether he can find time to deal effectively with all this while committing himself extensively with his commentary assignments and his job in a bank, is a point of conjecture.In this context, he would have to delegate, and heavily so and who would be assisting him where, would assume greater importance. The committee has yet to be named, which means Raja is still looking for right options. Though one of his former mentors, none other than the redoubtable Majid Khan, is anything but satisfied with his work so far, but one would like to hold judgement on this for the moment.Miandad is the chairman, with Iqbal Qasim to serve as his deputy, in the management committee. This committee would deal with domestic cricket, national umpiring council, rules and discipline. Well, one has been a great admirer of Miandad, and it is a great travesty that for various reasons in his last six years, between 1990 and 1996, he could only take part in 22 Tests.That said his very name does not really go down well with the concept of management. So, apparently, the PCB Chairman didn’t have the heart to tell him to pack off. Or maybe, it is deemed, as one member of the now dissolved Advisory Council had confided in this writer not long ago, it is more prudent to have Miandad on board than put up with the vitriol he is capable of sending the PCB’s way from time to time.Appointment of a treasurer is a mundane affair and Finance and Marketing Committee too doesn’t have any new faces. But the Review Committee is important in the context that PCB still faces quite a bit of pressure from the ICC on the match-fixing issue. Also the likelihood of some of the players continuing to be involved, as has been alleged off and on in recent times, is something that needs constant probe and vigilance. The retired High Court judge to head the committee has still to be appointed. It would be in the fitness of things, if Justice Qayyum, whose landmark judgement on match-fixing had won universal acclaim, and who would be available after his resignation is accepted, is offered the job. At least for the short term, for he is familiar with the lay of the land like no one else.The last paragraph of the press release was most significant in its import, for it promises the appointment of a legal advisor to review the PCB’s constitution, followed by elections of the associations "to keep them in line with the new national administrative structure".This is a great development indeed, provided it comes through, for it pledges return to democratic order – in as far as it could be in an organisation where the government of the day can appoint the top man. And also from the point of view, that the actions of Chairman and the five committees, would be accountable to the Council. That too, if hoping that the previous constitution does not see a change in this regard.But one problem here is that there aren’t many credible elected or electable faces around. They weren’t there even when the so-called PCB Council was ruling the roost, taking turns on foreign trips and bleeding whatever little resources were generated in those pre-satellite television times, when the revenues were precious little to go by. Since then, that is from the early to mid ’90s onwards, they have been mostly irrelevant, dependent on the crumbs that were thrown their way.So the problem is not merely the absence of democratic order. To quote Majid Khan on the issue again, "the country’s educated elite have washed their hands off Pakistan’s sports". Cricket is no exception to this rather sweeping statement, which unfortunately is true. That is one reason why quality leadership – such as like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Madhavrao Scindia, Raj Singh Dungarpur, and I.S. Bindra across the border – is not being thrown up to manage the affairs of the game in this country. And till such time, it doesn’t happen; we would remain dependent on the good or bad decisions of a very limited coterie.Sad as it may sound, but a fact.
Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United’s get out of jail free card.
How often, with the Red Devils seeking a moment of inspiration, a moment of magic, does the Portuguese genius pull a rabbit out of the hat, having come to the aid of a succession of managers in his almost six-year stay at Old Trafford.
As captain, the 31-year-old has managed to keep this sinking ship afloat in recent seasons, notably ending 2024/25 with 38 goals and assists in all competitions, having looked a man possessed under compatriot Ruben Amorim.
Even in a deep-lying role this time around under the ex-Sporting CP, Fernandes is still at the centre of everything good about this current United side – but for how much longer?
What Bruno Fernandes said about his Man Utd future
The United skipper produced one of his finest moments of the campaign in the 4-4 thriller with Bournemouth last week, rifling home a free-kick to drag the hosts back level in that topsy-turvy contest at the Theatre of Dreams.
Even while ultimately left to settle for a point, there was an air of positivity in the aftermath of that game, with Amorim appearing to have finally taken the handbrake off following a subtle switch to a 4-3-3 set-up.
As is the way in the modern Manchester United era, however, the balloon was burst somewhat soon after, with comments from Fernandes’ prior interview with Canal11 filtering through.
Having previously spoken openly about coming close to joining Saudi side Al Hilal over the summer, ahead of his 300th United appearance, the midfielder was far more explosive with his latest comments, accusing the club of wanting him to sell him, but lacking the “courage” to do so.
The £300k-per-week playmaker – who also hinted at having received offers to leave in 2024 – then flirted with the idea of winning titles in Spain, alongside revealing a possible desire to return to Italy, having previously played in Serie A with Udinese.
With just 18 months left on his contract, Fernandes’ future will be a major talking point now heading into 2026. If he does depart, a suitable replacement needs to be found.
Man Utd could turn to the new 'Keane & Scholes' to replace Fernandes
Even without the uncertainty over Fernandes, the midfield unit has been a real priority for INEOS regardless, with the club having been linked with a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba over the summer.
Carlos Baleba alternatives
The suggestion is that the Seagulls star remains a target heading into the new year, although he has since been joined by England and Nottingham Forest sensation, Elliot Anderson, with the ex-Newcastle United man now attracting notable interest.
Valued at potentially somewhere in the region of £100m, the 22-year-old wouldn’t come cheap, although he could represent the perfect, long-term successor to Fernandes in that deeper midfield role.
His quality has been on show in the early months of this season, in particular, with Anderson appearing to nail down a starting role alongside Declan Rice at international level, ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
This is no safe and steady Jordan Henderson or Conor Gallagher style partner for Rice, however, with the Geordie superstar looking like a player of all-round brilliance, both in and out of possession.
Indeed, in the Premier League this season, the one-time Bristol Rovers loanee ranks in the top 4% of midfielders for progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, highlighting how he can both pick out a pass, while also gliding his way up the pitch at will.
There is steel to match the silk, however, with the £100m man also ranking in the top 18% for tackles and the top 7% for blocks made, with those traits having been on the show as he dazzled in the 2-2 draw with United at the City Ground not too long ago.
Anderson vs Man Utd (01/11/25)
Stat
Record
Minutes
90
Touches
84
Pass accuracy
75%
Key passes
3
Possession lost
25
Dribbles
2/2
Tackles won
1/1
Recoveries
14
Total duels won
7/14
Stats via Sofascore
Comparisons to figures of the past might be cheap and unhelpful, but glowing reports are now flooding in regarding the discarded Newcastle man, with talkSPORT’s Max Scott even going as far as to suggest that he is “a bit of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane all rolled into one”.
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Whether he has the real match-winning, game-changing quality is another matter, although with United now boasting an array of forwards who have somewhat lifted the burden on Fernandes, there is no expectation for Anderson to directly fill the shoes of the Portuguese talisman.
Instead, the fleet-footed Englishman could provide greater balance and control in Amorim’s midfield department, with there only so long that the club can go on relying on agent of chaos, Fernandes, to bail them out of trouble.
He'd be unplayable with Cunha: "Unstoppable" PL star open to joining Man Utd
Manchester United’s hunt for new additions is on, heading into the January window.