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Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has said he is determined to prove his innocence when his appeal against the provisional suspension imposed on him by the ICC is heard in Doha on October 30 and 31

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has said he is determined to prove his innocence when his appeal against the provisional suspension imposed on him by the ICC is heard in Doha on October 30 and 31. Butt, along with seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was suspended by the ICC for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy during the tour of England this year.”We are innocent and have to fight our case on our own,” Salman told Pakistan’s . “The first and the foremost thing is to fight this case out and I am eager to do that.”The trio has been barred by the PCB from using the facilities at Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy until the spot-fixing scandal is resolved. “The onus is on them [the accusers] to prove,” Butt said. “A player’s career is of 10 to 15 years and if he is suspended it is cut short, so whatever doubts are there we have to remove them.”Asif, on Friday, withdrew his appeal against the suspension and will have to wait until the ICC concludes its full hearing – within three months from September 2, the suspension date – before he can apply for it to be lifted. “It may be strategic or maybe because of financial reasons, but he must have taken this decision after consulting with his lawyer,” Butt said of Asif’s decision.

Manchester City have been able to reach the top of the Premier League table and the semi-finals of the Champions League with only one predominant striker in their ranks in the shape of Gabriel Jesus.

Even with the Brazilian appearing in 36 games for the Manchester club across all competitions this season, the 25-year-old has only played in the centre-forward position 17 times.

In recent days, the attacker has been linked with a transfer away from the club, with fellow Premier League Arsenal side reportedly interested in him.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Manchester club may already have their eyes on a potential replacement for the Brazilian.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from 90min, City are one of the clubs interested in signing Stade Reims striker Hugo Ekitike this summer.

With 25 senior club appearances to his name for the French side, the 19-year-old has scored ten goals and provided three assists.

Sign him up

Labelled as a “very special” player by Oscar Garcia and as “the next Mbappe” by reporter Graham Bailey, the youngster has definitely burst onto the scene in European football this season.

To highlight how much of an attacking talent he is, no other Reims player has managed to rack up as many shots on target (15) as the teenager has, in addition to having the third-highest number of completed dribbles (26) to his name in the squad.

Having won the joint-highest number of man of the match awards in the Reims squad according to WhoScored, the youngster is also listed as their fifth-highest rated player based on his overall performances.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Ekitike is a very exciting attacking prospect and it’s no surprise that a team like City have their eyes on him.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League clubs Chelsea, Arsenal, Wolves, Newcastle United and West Ham United are interested in the Frenchman, who has a reported price tag of £30m.

This means that it could be a challenge for the Manchester club to secure the teenager’s signature in the summer.

However, should Jesus find himself waving goodbye to the club in the near future, this could pave the way for Ekitike to take his place in Guardiola’s squad.

Although, even if the Brazil international doesn’t leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer, the emergence of the Reims prodigy if he does make the move to Manchester, could spell the end of the line for Jesus.

In other news: “Interested..”: Fabrizio Romano drops big MCFC transfer claim, supporters will love it

The IPL player auction will now take place between mid-to-end November, according to the league’s CEO Sundar Raman

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2010

The conduct of the next season’s IPL, the first that will be held without the involvement of former commissioner-chairman Lalit Modi, will depend on the speed with which three franchises respond to the BCCI’s show-cause notices to be issued by the end of the week.The IPL player auction will now take place, CEO Sundar Raman told ESPNcricinfo, “mid-to-end November.” Raman said: “All timelines will depend on what happens to the show-cause notices.”The BCCI decision to issue show-cause notices against Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals along with the owners of the new Kochi franchise was taken at the Board’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Wednesday, but team owners have not yet received the notices. The BCCI is expected to formally issue the show-causes by the end of the week and Raman said that the franchises would have between ten days and two weeks to reply.Only when the legal issues of the three teams are settled will the auction date will be finalised. The IPL would ideally like to hold the auction between India’s Test and ODI series against New Zealand. It is the narrowest of windows as the third Test in Nagpur is scheduled to end of November 24 and the first ODI in Guwahati begins on November 28.Before going into the auction, the IPL will first have to confirm the availability of players, make a list, get NOCs from the overseas boards and only then establish base prices. A franchise executive said that any talk of there being fewer teams was nothing but “bluster” from the BCCI. “If any franchise is suspended or cancelled, there are legal options involving legal processes which take time. The IPL can’t be held up because a court case is on.”At the AGM on Wednesday, the BCCI not only amended its constitution in order to remodel the structure of the IPL governing council, it also formally ensured that Modi held no office in the board. He now faces a protracted disciplinary inquiry in the BCCI over his involvement in certain IPL contracts. When asked about franchise concerns about the IPL’s absence of a single organisational head who could be seen as the ‘face’ of the event, Raman said, “The only face of the event is the 22 yards on the field, it’s the cricket”.

Sunderland have been handed a huge boost ahead of the League One run-in, with an injury update emerging from the Academy of Light.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Cambridge United clash (via The Northern Echo), Alex Neil revealed that Aidan McGeady – who has been sidelined since November of last year due to a knee ligament injury – has now returned to full training with the first-team squad.

Regarding the recovery of the 36-year-old, the Black Cats manager said: “He trained with us yesterday so that is a big step forward.

“He hasn’t been with the group for quite a while now but yesterday was his first training session so, obviously, it’s only the beginning. He was on the grass yesterday with us and he looked fine.”

Neil will be buzzing

With Sunderland still very much being in with a shout of securing a play-off place this season, there is no doubt that McGeady’s return to full training will have left Neil buzzing.

Indeed, while it would appear unlikely that the 36-year-old will make a return to action over the club’s final three League One fixtures, having him on the training pitch will certainly add an element of experience to the sessions – something that will subsequently have a positive influence on the Black Cats’ push for a top-six spot.

McGeady is out of contract this summer, however, while the winger has made it clear he wants to continue to play football in a recent interview, there has been no progress or confirmation of his current deal at the Stadium of Light being extended as of yet.

The winger told the Scottish Daily Mail (via Daily Record): “I know I am 36 and have not got that many years left but I still think with the way that I play, I can do so for a few years.”

Sunderland are currently in seventh following a draw with Plymouth Argyle on Monday night, but the Mackems do have a game in hand on their fifth and sixth place competitors – something which means the clash with Cambridge United tomorrow will have huge consequences in the play-off race.

AND in other news: Neil must now boldly axe “fatigued” £2.7k-p/w Sunderland star, he needs a break

Derbyshire have signed left-handed batsman Matt Lineker on a Summer Contract for the 2011 season

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2010Derbyshire have signed left-handed batsman Matt Lineker on a Summer Contract for the 2011 season.Lineker, 25, has played in the Second XI Trophy for both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and has performed consistently in the ECB Premier League in recent years, scoring 800 runs in 20 innings at 44.44, including two centuries, in the league in 2010.”Matt has been a standout performer on the Derbyshire Premier League scene for several years now and he deserves this opportunity to show what he can do in county cricket,” said John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket. “If Matt can make a success of this opportunity he will be a fine example for other local players to follow.”

يرى هاري كين، قائد منتخب إنجلترا، أن التعادل في مباراة اليوم مع أمريكا في كأس العالم، ليست بالنتيجة السيئة بالنسبة لهم.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور مجموعات كأس العالم، قطر 2022، حيث تعادلا سلبيًا.

وقال هاري كين في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لم يكن الأداء الأفضل بالتأكيد، كانت لدينا فترات جيدة مع الكرة، لكن لم يكن لدينا الهجمة النهائية، الشباك النظيفة تضعنا في مركز رائع في المجموعة”.

وأضاف: “ما الذي كان ينقص؟ “أن نكون فعالين، على النقيض تمامًا من إيران، كانت لدينا فرصتان أو ثلاث ولم نستغلها جيدًا، كنا نلعب مع فريق صعب ونمضي قدمًا”.

وواصل: “لقد ضغطوا بشكل جيد، وجعلوا الأمر صعبًا، في بعض الأحيان تعاملنا مع الأمر بشكل جيد، نحن نحترمهم، التعادل ليس سيئًا بالنسبة لنا، نتطلع إلى المباراة التالية (ضد ويلز)”.

وأردف: “نحن نعلم أنه يمكننا اللعب بشكل أفضل من ذلك، التعادل في كأس العالم ليس سيئًا، ولا توجد مباراة سهلة، بعد الأداء الأول لدينا يعتقد الناس أننا سنحطم كل شيء ولكن هذا ليس هو الحال”.

واختتم كين تصريحاته قائلًا: “لقد واجهنا فريقًا جيدًا ولكن الأمر كذلك، ليس ما جئنا إلى هنا من أجله”.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in the race for a top-four finish as the Lilywhites lost 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard bagging a last-minute winner.

Antonio Conte’s men were lacklustre in front of goal, managing just five shots all game, none of which were on target, whilst Brighton managed to get five of their 12 shots on target.

Despite staying in fourth, the defeat will provide an opportunity for Spurs’ rivals in the top four race to make up ground as we enter the final weeks of the season.

No player in a Tottenham shirt can hold their head up high after the defeat, with Emerson Royal, Heung-min Son, Eric Dier all being well below-par.

However, it was undoubtedly left wing-back Sergio Reguilon who was the worst of the bunch against Brighton.

According to SofaScore, the Spaniard enjoyed just 46 touches all afternoon, as well as lost possession on 12 separate occasions – meaning he gave away the ball with every 3.8 touches.

Moreover, the 25-year-old failed to complete a single dribble, attempting just one.

Furthermore, there was also little defensive prowess from the wing-back, who failed to make a single interception, clearance or block, in addition to making just one tackle all afternoon.

Most of all though, Reguilon’s passing was well below par, with the Spaniard’s 62% accuracy – completing just 17 of his 28 attempted passes – being the worst out of Spurs’ starting lineup.

The left wing-back has had a decent season – for the most part – this term, averaging a 6.92 SofaScore match rating. However, against Brighton, the 25-year-old mustered a 6.6.

Against the Seagulls, Reguilon made his sixth appearance in Spurs’s last seven in the league – having missed the 5-1 win over Newcastle with a knock – and had certainly been earning his place in the side back after falling down the pecking order.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in early February, the wing-back who John Wenham claimed is the “worst of the bunch” and Tom Young labelled “pathetic” went a month without game time in the league before being reintroduced against Everton last month as the Lilywhites won 5-0, with Reguilon scoring.

What is for certain is that lacklustre displays as Tottenham pick up poor results won’t pass the grade for Conte, and Reguilon will certainly have to produce better performances over the remaining weeks of the season to ensure that his place in the side is a certainty going into next season.

AND in other news: Source: Insider drops major Spurs claim on £30m maestro, it’s great news for Conte

علق مارك بولينجهام المدير التنفيذي للاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم، على قرار فيفا بشأن ارتداء منتخب الأسود الثلاثة الشارات الملونة خلال مباريات كأس العالم.

وكانت إنجلترا من ضمن الدول التي كشفت عن رغبتها في دعم المثليين خلال بطولة كأس العالم قطر 2022، عن طريق ارتداء القادة للشارة الملونة.

ولكن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم لم يوافق على ذلك، حيث ذكرت صحيفة “تليجراف” الإنجليزية أن فيفا أخبر الاتحاد الإنجليزي بأن لوائحه لا تسمح لـ هاري كين بارتداء شارة “onelove”.

مارك تحدث في تصريحات لشبكة “BBC” البريطانية: “إذا كان هناك مشكلة في ارتداء هاري كين للشارة، وذلك يعني حصوله على كارت أصفر، يجب أن نتراجع”.

وأضاف: “سنبحث عن طرق أخرى لكي نظهر قيمنا خلال المباريات القادمة”.

منتخب إنجلترا يفتتح مبارياته امام نظيره الإيراني في الثالثة عصرًا اليوم الإثنين، ضمن الجولة الأولى من مباريات المجموعة الثانية ببطولة كاس العالم قطر 2022.

أعلنت لجنة المنافسات في الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، عن عقوبة جيرارد بيكيه لاعب فريق برشلونة، عما بدر منه خلال مباراة البلوجرانا أمام أوساسونا الأخيرة في الليجا.

بيكيه من المفترض أنه اعتزل كرة القدم، لكنه تعرض للطرد بين الشوطين، بسبب هجومه ببعض الألفاظ على الحكم جيل مانزانو، ليتم إيقافه 4 مباريات.

صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، فسّرت الواقعة، وأكدت بأن وفقًا لقانون الانضباط، فإن بيكيه لن يتمكن من اللعب حتى بعد 3 سنوات، إذا فكر جيرارد في العودة من الاعتزال.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن بيكيه مدافع برشلونة السابق، إذا فكر اللعب لأي نادٍ آخر داخل إسبانيا خلال السنوات الـ3 المقبلة، لن يتمكن من خوض أول 4 مباريات رسمية له.

India succumbed so meekly that Sri Lanka waltzed through to the tri-series final without breaking into a sweat

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera22-Aug-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Thissara Perera celebrated his maiden five-for•Cameraworx/Live Images

Sri Lanka came into the game needing to win to stay alive in the tournament. Their captain had made some prickly comments – “We don’t try and hide behind the press or hide behind our board” – on the eve of the game. One of their players was coming back from a ban and another had lost his match fee the previous time these two teams faced. One expected this game to be spicy. One anticipated some heat in the middle. One thought there would be a great fight. However, India succumbed so meekly that Sri Lanka waltzed through to the tri-series final without breaking into a sweat. India, after slipping to their worst defeat in terms of balls remaining, face New Zealand on Wednesday in a knockout.The Sri Lankan seamers, led by Thisara Perera, owned the first half of the game as India were shot out for 103. What stood out was Sri Lanka’s discipline in executing their plan to perfection. What surprised you was how easily India fell into the individual traps. And the chase was over in a blink.Sri Lanka had a plan for each batsman, simple in its thought and perfect in its execution. Far too often these days, Dinesh Karthik’s plan to tackle the moving ball, while opening, has been too one-dimensional: He walks down the track in an effort to make the bowler change the length. Nearly always, Kumar Sangakkara counters it by standing up to the stumps. If Karthik has a plan B, it doesn’t really come through with any sort of clarity. Today, again, Karthik began to stutter once Sangakkara stood up. Nuwan Kulasekara is known for his incutters but he kept pushing them away from Karthik’s outside edge. Sure enough, he fell to a delivery that straightened outside off, though the replays didn’t confirm the edge.For some time now, Rohit Sharma’s head-position and iffy foot work has dragged him into trouble. Time and again, he presses that front leg far too across and tries to get the bat around the front pad. Often, he doesn’t manage to do it in time. Today, too, he fell, trapped right in front by Angelo Mathews. The discipline in the plan came through again: For five deliveries (four in the over before the dismissal), Mathews took it away from Rohit before he brought one back in to get his man. India’s other young middle-order hope Suresh Raina was repeatedly tested with deliveries in the off-stump corridor. Raina, who’s recently been in good form, struggled to get on the front foot and paid the price. He edged one from Mathews, which led to a fierce appeal from all the close-in fielders, but wasn’t given out. He poked at a similar delivery from Perera and didn’t seem to get an inside edge but was given out this time.India slid further as MS Dhoni fell after a scratchy innings. In the recent past, he has developed a habit of walking forward and across and poking with uncertainty at seaming deliveries. Often, it has landed him in trouble. Today, he twice edged Perera just past the lone slip fielder placed slightly wide. On both occasions, Sangakkara was standing up to the stumps. As soon as Sangakkara went back, Dhoni walked forward and across, reached for another Perera delivery, got the outside edge and was caught.Only Yuvraj Singh looked in any sort of control. He unfurled a couple of gorgeous drives – one was caressed through extra cover and the other sped away between the bowler and mid-off. He hit a stunning six over wide long-off but fell, given out lbw when a Lasith Malinga delivery not only hit him outside the off stump but was also missing it. And the lower order didn’t last long – Ravindra Jadeja squeezed out to gully, Praveen Kumar fell to an over-ambitious hit, Ashish Nehra was bounced out, and Perera completed his maiden five-for when he bowled Ishant Sharma.India’s troubles had started early once their best batsman Virender Sehwag fell, trapped lbw by a trademark incutter from Kulasekara; the replays showed it would have clipped the leg stump. And Sri Lanka closed in.When the TV cameras cast their digital eye on the stands at the start of the morning, it caught a banner: ‘Randiv we are with you ‘. As it turned out, he didn’t have to bowl in the end. Another one went up at the half-way mark: “Tandoori chicken for Lion’s dinner- Rs 104”. Back in India, at least one news channel screamed – “Umpires cheat India”. It was a day when emotions ran high.