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Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, has said he is confident the IPL is strong enough to overcome the ongoing crisis

Cricinfo staff22-Apr-2010Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, has said he is confident the IPL is strong enough to overcome the ongoing crisis, which began with the controversy over the ownership of the Kochi franchise and now involves the league being investigated by the Income Tax department, and Lalit Modi heading for a showdown with the BCCI.”Life is not a smooth journey always, there are sometimes rough patches in between, and you overcome all those hurdles. I’m sure cricket will help overcome all those hurdles,” he told . “I think when that competitiveness is witnessed by millions, you leave all those things behind.”People are waiting to see [the IPL matches]. Every evening they are switching on their television to see a competitive match. I personally feel all these obstacles and hurdles will be [overcome].”The BCCI called for a meeting of the IPL’s governing council on April 26 to deal with the problems but Modi objected to it. Modi had, in a letter to BCCI president Shashank Manohar, questioned the validity of Monday’s meeting; it has been called by N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary who is also the owner of the IPL’s Chennai franchise, and Modi pointed to the conflict of interest in his calling the meeting. Manohar has since rejected that notion.Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians are waiting to see if Tendulkar, who split his webbing while attempting a catch against Royal Challengers Bangalore, will be fit for the IPL final on April 25. Tendulkar said “the stitches would not come off for the next eight days.”

Wolves are unlikely to re-sign Vitinha after a loan spell at the club last season, according to reliable journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Vitinha’s loan spell at Wolves

The 21-year-old joined Wanderers from Porto for the 2020/21 campaign but struggled to make an impact for the Old Gold, only starting five Premier League matches and registering a solitary assist in 19 top-flight appearances.

The Portuguese midfielder has been linked with a return to Molineux in recent times, and Hatfield has now provided an update on the situation.

The Latest: Hatfield discusses potential return

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist admitted that he struggles to see the move happening, with Wolves unsure over whether or not he is good enough.

Hatfield claimed: “I’m not too sure Vitinha is the answer. Like I said, they’ve had a good look at him before, and unless he’s shown a marked improvement, I don’t think he’s a player that they’d be ridiculously keen on.”

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The Verdict: Look elsewhere

While Vitinha is still a young player learning his trade, he struggled in his first spell at Wolves and it would feel like a risk bringing him back. Granted, he has enjoyed a 91.3% pass completion rate for Porto in the league this season, but the Primeira Liga is a level down from the quality of the Premier League.

Wolves should search elsewhere for midfield reinforcements and look for players who can immediately take them up a level under Bruno Lage, with rumoured target Aaron Ramsey a good example, having accumulated 91 goal involvements in the Premier League (40 goals, 51 assists).

In other news, some Wolves fans hailed one player’s performance against Chelsea. Find out who it is here.

Rikki Clark returned his first ever five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, but visitors Warwickshire still struggled to stay in contention in the County Championship Division One clash at Canterbury

05-May-2010
ScorecardRikki Clark returned his first ever five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, but visitors Warwickshire still struggled to stay in contention in the County Championship Division One clash at Canterbury.Despite former England all-rounder Clarke’s eye-catching 5 for 60, Kent remained in command for much of the second day to reach 374 for 9 at stumps for an overall lead of 124 at the mid-point of the encounter.On an easing pitch and in warmer conditions the entire Kent top order made starts, but no-one went on to play a match defining innings. The closest anyone came was England’s deposed one-day opener Joe Denly, who batted admirably for almost four hours only to miss out on his maiden century of the summer by five runs.Resuming on their overnight score of 43 for 1, Kent made decent progress in the first session through a second-wicket stand of 89 in 23 overs between Denly and 19-year-old nightwatchman Matt Coles.The Maidstone-born all-rounder contributed a career-best 41 before becoming Clarke’s opening victim – strangled from a leg-side glance off Clarke’s loosener he was easily caught by Tim Ambrose. Clarke’s second wicket also owed as much to good fortune as bowling strategy.With his score on 10, Geraint Jones aimed to uppercut a wide one only to pick out Chris Woakes at third man and make it 168 for 3 at lunch. Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld (47) added 68 for the fourth wicket after the break before Denly, having hit 11 fours, was superbly caught at slip by Clarke.Diving full length to his right he claimed a low, one-handed chance off Darren Maddy’s second ball of the day and ended Denly’s 192-ball stay. Van Jaarsveld fell 10 overs later and three short of his 50. He played outside a turning delivery from Imran Tahir that grazed the inside edge and went to Jonathan Trott at short leg via the pad.Kent looked set for for a big lead as Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast (40) dug in after tea with a sixth-wicket partnership of 85 in 26 overs until Clarke returned at the Pavilion End to again intervene.His leg-cutter left right-handed Northeast and feathered the outside edge through to Ambrose. The tall all-rounder, who won two England Test caps on the 2003/04 tour of Bangladesh, completed his day’s work by trapping James Hockley (20) and Simon Cook leg before in the final throws, while Tahir sent Amjad Khan packing in similar fashion for a third-ball duck.

Everton have been going through a serious injury crisis this season, with the problems hitting their peak when twelve players were missing from the squad when they snatched a draw from Chelsea a few weeks ago, and now the Toffees have the opportunity to look to the transfer window to add players in an attempt to rescue their Premier League campaign in the second half of the season.

What’s the word?

The Daily Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath has revealed that Everton could be looking at offering Ross Barkley a loan deal. He took to Twitter to confirm that Everton are considering a short term return;

“Everton consider return for Ross Barkley #EFC”

He then went on to add to the rumour in an article for the Telegraph, writing;

‘Barkley who left Goodison Park for Chelsea four years ago, could be allowed to leave on a short-term deal if Thomas Tuchel feels he has numbers to cope with a busy schedule of fixtures.’

Barkley has made eleven appearances for the west London club so far this season across all competitions, being patched into the team as they continue to suffer from injury issues to key players.

If Tuchel was willing to let the midfielder go on a loan deal to Everton he could find himself playing more football and establishing himself as a player that Chelsea can rely on in the future, or a few months of first-team football with Everton could offer him the opportunity to attract a permanent move elsewhere.

Is it the right move?

The 28-year-old attacking midfielder had 179 appearances, 27 goals and 28 assists for the Toffees before he left in the January transfer window of 2018 for a fee of £15.8m, and his experience in the Premier League could really benefit the current Everton side who are struggling to find consistency and form in the league, lacking creativity and goals to take them over the line for three points in games with the side gaining only five wins from seventeen games.

Everton have expectations of finishing in the top half of the table, as close to the European spots as possible.

However the side have conceded eight more goals than they have scored this season so far, which is a statistic that is not reflected in the current top seven teams in the Premier League who have all scored more goals than they have conceded, with that being said, this is a problem Benitez will need to fix fast and Barkley could be that quick fix with his previous experience in creative attacking play at the club.

The Toffees have had their last two games postponed against Burnley and Newcastle but are due to play Brighton at Goodison Park on Sunday, where Benitez will be hoping to pick up his first three points since they beat Arsenal almost a month ago.

Having a new playmaker with vast experience in the Premier League like Barkley could be exactly what the Toffees need to get back firing up the table. We’ve seen the impact that someone like Demarai Gray has had on the team, so Benitez should be trusted with the former Goodison Park favourite.

In other news: Rafa Benitez struck gold with Demarai Gray

International cricket’s most intense rivalry is back after nearly a year in cold storage

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla18-Jun-2010International cricket’s most intense rivalry is back after nearly a year in cold storage. A glut of matches in the middle of the previous decade had taken the edge off, perhaps reaching its lowest ebb during a drab series on lifeless pitches when Pakistan visited India in late 2007. That contest had a famous flash point in Kanpur, when two men with volatile temperaments clashed – Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi had a verbal spat, after which the two players collided when Gambhir was going for a single leading to another heated argument.At that stage, Gambhir was an angry young man still trying to establish himself in the Indian side after a stop-start career over five years, while Afridi was the senior most player in the Pakistan team, reportedly sulking over being passed up for captaincy and for whom maturity seemed forever elusive.Today, Gambhir has made himself a vital part of the Indian batting machine in all formats; a versatile player capable of playing in second gear or fifth. Coach Gary Kirsten helped him shed his insecurity about his place in the XI; a dream run of eight centuries in 13 Tests lifted him to the No. 1 ranking, and the weakness outside off stump which made people question his ability at the international level has been ironed out.In a line-up lacking the experience of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, he has already spoken of the extra pressure on him at the top of the order, stressing after the Bangladesh victory that one of the top three needs to play a long innings for the team to succeed on the trying Dambulla track.Afridi, meanwhile, has emerged as the most important player in Pakistan, elevated to captain even in a format he hasn’t played for four years, and charged with the weighty responsibility of keeping together a dressing-room pulling in different directions.His storied career has seen a few more highs and lows, from the sobered down batting allied with canny legspin that fetched him Man-of-the-Match awards in the semi-finals and finals of Pakistan’s glorious 2009 World Twenty20 campaign, to the infamous ball-biting incident of abysmal Australian tour.Importantly, in a tournament where the quality of floodlights has grabbed as many headlines as the play on the field, both batsmen have already played substantial innings batting second.Gambhir was happy that the easy opener against Bangladesh means defeat in the pressure-cooker match against Pakistan won’t be the end of the tournament for India. “It’s an important match, more pressure will be on Pakistan since its do-or-die for them,” he said. “We will try and continue the momentum gained from the win against Bangladesh. Playing Pakistan is a big game. Hopefully we will deliver the goods.”The good news for Pakistan was that during practice Afridi showed no signs of the cramps that hampered him as he carved out a classic one-day innings in the tournament’s first match. His practice was a carefree hitting session, carting the Sri Lankan net bowlers and his team-mates around.Unlike the previous time these two sides clashed, in the Champions Trophy in South Africa last September, when several Pakistan players were quite vocal about how badly they wanted to beat India, the build-up to this match has been somewhat subdued. Afridi did not join in the hype that precedes every India-Pakistan clash. “We know what to expect from India – we need to be at the top of our game to compete,” he dead-batted to the media.Afridi has played against India more often than any other team in one-dayers, playing them everywhere from Abu Dhabi to Toronto, but it’s unlikely he has done so in front of an empty stadium. The stands were nearly deserted during the India-Bangladesh game, and in an effort to avoid a repeat for what should be a keenly followed match on television, the organisers have allowed spectators free entry into most sections of the stands.

A number of Wolves supporters are concerned after centre-back Willy Boly was ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations for health reasons.

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying a good season in the Premier League, pushing for a European finish and recently picking up a memorable 1-0 win away to Manchester United.

Wolves have again operated with a back-three in 2021/22, with Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss performing impressively as a unit.

Boly has been on the periphery of things, however, having struggled to overcome COVID, making just one solitary Carabao Cup appearance this season.

It has now been confirmed by Talking Wolves on Twitter that Boly has pulled out of AFCON for health reasons, in what is a concerning update.

Wolves fans react to Boly latest

These Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to react to the news, wishing the defender all the best.

“Don’t know if we’ll ever see him play again. Need another CB ASAP”

Credit: @adamwwfc03

“Bit worried for Boly now. Medical reasons sound ominous. Hope he’s alright”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“Hope he’s alright man”

Credit: @SJwolvs

“Really feel for him”

Credit: @Wolvesjay90

“Something not good going on here, wish Wolves would tell us what’s happening”

Credit: @BVitler

“Feel so bad for him”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

In other news, Wolves have been dealt a potential big transfer blow. Read more here.

Ravi Bopara produced a fine all-round performance as Essex cruised to a comprehensive nine wicket victory over Glamorgan

19-Jun-2010
ScorecardRavi Bopara produced a fine all-round performance as Essex Eagles cruised to a comprehensive nine wicket victory over Glamorgan Dragons in their Friends Provident t20 clash at Cardiff.Despite winning the toss Glamorgan could only make 94 for 9 in their 20 overs with Bopara recording figures of 3for 13 in his four overs. It was Glamorgan’s lowest ever Twenty20 score – surpassing their 112 against Somerset last year. And in knocking off the runs in only 13.1 overs Bopara made 42 from 32 balls with Alastair Cook finishing unbeaten on the same score.Having started with a trio of wins in their opening three South Group games Glamorgan have now lost the last three. But there was no sign of an abject batting display as Jim Allenby and Mark Cosgrove put on 47 for the opening wicket.However, on a slow pitch the Dragons suddenly slumped dramatically to 57 for 6 – the first four wickets falling in the space of 17 balls. The damage began when Cosgrove was run out by Grant Flower in a terrible mix-up with Allenby attempting a second run.From there Glamorgan’s batting imploded. Allenby was caught at long on by Cook off Bopara, David Masters claimed two wickets in the space of three balls to dismiss Jamie Dalrymple and Tom Maynard, and Kaneria was on a hat-trick having David Brown stumped and then trapping Mark Wallace leg before.Having lost six wickets for 10 runs Glamorgan lost two more as they slumped to 65 for 8 with Bopara dismissing both Gareth Rees and Dean Cosker. Robert Croft, with 22 from 25 balls, and David Harrison, gave the Glamorgan innings some respectability in a 28-run partnership at the end.In reply Bopara and Cook eased Essex to 50 without loss off the opening six overs with Shaun Tait conceding 25 runs in his opening two overs. The only blemish in Essex’s run chase was when Bopara holed out to long off, but by then his side were well on the way to victory at 73 for 1, which they achieved with a massive 41 balls remaining.

A number of Liverpool fans are delighted at the news that Harvey Elliott is expected to return to full training next week after a long-term injury absence.

The 18-year-old is a hugely exciting prospect at Anfield, having grown up as a Liverpool supporter and arriving from Fulham back in 2019.

Sadly, Elliott suffered a serious injury in the 3-0 win away to Leeds United back in September, after becoming a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s early-season plans, starting three of the first four matches and creating over a chance per game (Whoscored).

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The Reds’ midfield has struggled of late, with a lack of creativity on show, and the teenager is someone who can provide that, possessing plenty of guile.

According to The Daily Mail [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Elliott will be back in full training with his teammates next week, as he makes a major step up in his recovery.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-17/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans erupt over Elliott news

These Liverpool fans reacted joyously to the news on Twitter.

“Finally some creativity”

Credit: @Tazmanian__01

“I’M CRYING TEARS OF PURE HAPPINESS MY WORD”

Credit: @KeohaneJohnny

“Star boy is back”

Credit: @GeorgeGarforth

“Brilliant news”

Credit: @DeanSimmons01

“In time for the Carabao Cup final next month, good news!!”

Credit: @footymadfan22

“Good lad!”

Credit: @ofthereds

In other news, some Liverpool fans are desperate for the Reds to sign one Premier League star. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United have not made any moves in the transfer window so far in terms of new additions but have been linked with a host of players in various positions, with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick building hope of a change in direction for the club as they seek their first trophy since 2017.

The club have had another disappointing season, struggling to get comfortable in the top four, winning just nine of their first 19 league games, but they have had a good run so far under Rangnick since he joined the club in November.

The German went unbeaten in his first five Premier League games and the team picked up 10 points out of a possible 15 in their last five games prior to this evening’s clash at Aston Villa. That has put them in a more competitive position for the remainder of the season as they chase a Champions League qualifying place.

The squad has shown weaknesses during disappointing performances this season, most recently in their 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford earlier this month, and Rangnick will need to identify the areas which can be improved over the coming months within his squad.

One player who has been linked with the Red Devils during this transfer window is Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who has been an outstanding performer for the Champions League holders this season, and now it seems that he has attracted the attention of the Manchester club.

Rio Ferdinand 2.o

The German defender, who is out of contract in the summer, has won 78% of his aerial duels and helped Chelsea to keep eight clean sheets this season, with the 6 foot 2 beast also scoring three goals and providing four assists in all competitions so far, proving he is effective both defensively and offensively.

This diversity in his play from the centre-back position is similar to that of United legend Rio Ferdinand, who also used his pace and ability to read games and dictate play both in his defensive and progressive actions, as well as leadership qualities in the backline which earned him legendary status at Old Trafford.

If the £31.5m-rated Chelsea gem were to join the Red Devils, Ferdinand would definitely approve too, as the ex-United star claimed that Rudiger “isn’t getting beaten” in his position. Speaking on his podcast last year, the 43-year-old gushed: ‘He isn’t getting beaten by no one at the moment the way that he’s on it and he’s concentrating.’

Rangnick will have a challenge on his hands if he plans to sign the defender from Stamford Bridge this summer, as many other clubs are interested in securing his signature – including Chelsea themselves, who have also opened contract talks with the player and his agent over the last few days.

It’s clear from the praise and statistics above that Rudiger is a sublime defender, so the United boss must do everything he can to bring the 28-year-old to Old Trafford.

In other news: Alex Crook gives an update on this potential Man Utd signing

South Africa Under-19 took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series after delivering a 200-run thrashing of Zimbabwe Under-19 in Harare

Cricinfo staff07-Jul-2010
ScorecardSouth Africa Under-19 took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series after delivering a 200-run thrashing of Zimbabwe Under-19 in Harare. James Price and Gihahn Cloete made big centuries to send South Africa soaring to 346, before Keagan Rafferty took a five-wicket haul to send the hosts crashing out in the 36th over.South Africa dominated right from the start, after the openers had added a brisk 43.Cloete walked in in the ninth over and added 63 with the captain Keaton Jennings, who made 45. Price then added a massive 221 with Cloete to set up the big score. They were separated in the 49th over, after Prince blazed 135 off just 82 balls, hitting 13 fours and seven sixes. Cloete remained unbeaten on 115 off 113 balls with 13 fours.Zimbabwe had no answer to the seamer Rafferty who ran through the top order. At 61 for 7, the game was all but over. Nathan Waller and Simon Nugava delayed the inevitable with a stand of 47 for the eighth wicket. Rafferty took 5 for 31.