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Lalit Modi, the commissioner of the Champions League Twenty20, has said the venue for the 2010 tournament has not yet been decided

Cricinfo staff19-Feb-2010The Champions League Twenty20 has been thrown into confusion with Lalit Modi, the tournament chairman, saying the venue for the 2010 edition has not yet been decided – a direct contradiction of a public and detailed statement released hours earlier by the South African board saying they had been chosen as hosts.”News that South Africa is hosting Champions League is incorrect. They are a hot contender definitely. Also who are invited to play is still to be decided,” Modi said on his Twitter feed. “Many countries are in the running to host the Champions League. We will keep you posted as and when we decide.” He went on to list Australia, England, India and the Middle East as the other possible contenders for the tournament.In a press release later, Modi said: “We are delighted with Cricket South Africa conveying their immediate consent to host the second edition of the CLT20 today. Further acceptances are expected from other boards and then the governing council will take a final decision on the host country. We will have to evaluate venue availability, weather, pitches etc, amongst a host of other variables prior to finalising a host country for the league of champions. The governing council’s decision will be conveyed to our fans very soon.”The CSA’s statement – equally unambiguous – followed a board meeting on Friday. It said it had “accepted an invitation” for South Africa to host the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 from September 10-26. It was “our turn to host the tournament”, it said, and added that it would be held at three venues – two would be the home grounds of the Standard Bank Pro20 finalists this year and one would be decided later.”CSA is a shareholder in the Champions League, along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Australian Cricket Association (ACA), and it is our turn to host the tournament,” the release said.Mtutuzeli Nyoka, the CSA president, was quoted in the release as saying: “This is a prestigious tournament involving seven of the world’s top cricket nations. It will be another feather in South Africa’s cap as a host of world-class sports events and will not clash in any way with the FIFA World Cup 2010. It will also be a big boost to the local franchises, their players and supporters which will feature in the tournament.”The CSA release also said “the 12-team tournament comprises the top sides in the domestic limited-overs competitions in the following countries” and mentioned the number of participants from each country, which did not include a team from Pakistan. Modi, however, said who would be invited to play was not yet decided. “Invitation to CL will be decided at next Governing Council meeting,” he said on Twitter. “Number of teams to play also will be decided then. The dates are confirmed.”The participation of England players and county teams remains in doubt, for the tournament clashes with England’s home one-day series against Pakistan, the final two rounds of County Championship matches, plus the semi-finals and final of the ECB40 competition. Modi had said the dates were the only window available for the event, as India are due to play Australia in a one-day series in early October, and hoped the ECB could make minor adjustments to their domestic schedule, which the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, ruled out.The Champions League Twenty20 is run by the boards of India, Australia and South Africa and its governing council comprises representatives from each board. Other countries participate in the tournament by invitation.South Africa had hosted the IPL in 2009, after the tournament was moved out of India as it clashed with the country’s general elections.

According to a report by Fichajes, there has been an update on Leeds United’s transfer plans involving Ross Barkley and Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Barkley eyeing move away?

Since returning from what was a disappointing end to his loan spell at Aston Villa last season, despite a great start originally, Barkley’s future at Chelsea has been a point of contention.

Reports suggest that he was attracting interest from the likes of West Ham over the summer but such moves failed to materialise as the 27-year-old seeks to re-ignite his career once again.

Barkley has been impressing Blues boss Thomas Tuchel recently, though, with the Champions League-winning coach praising him for his impact when given the opportunity and application in training (The Mirror).

Now, an update has dropped on the midfielder as Leeds reportedly eye a move.

The Latest: Leeds ‘best placed’…

As per Fichajes, Leeds are ‘best placed’ to sign the £110,000-per-week dynamo as the Whites and Bielsa continue to ‘insist’ on his arrival at Elland Road.

Bielsa in particular wants to go out with a bang in what will apparently be his last season in Yorkshire, according to this report at least, as he personally eyes reinforcements across the pitch.

The Verdict: Good match?

The England international is currently entering the peak of his career and Barkley’s next destination may be crucial.

Under Bielsa, the former Everton man could potentially thrive going forward as evident by his WhoScored numbers when compared to Leeds’ squad last season.

Indeed, only superstar first-teamer Raphinha (2.1) averaged a higher rate of key passes per 90 in the final third than Barkley (1.6) in the Premier League over 2020/2021.

Meanwhile, the former Villa loanee also managed more completed dribbles in that time (1.2) than any Leeds man bar Raphinha and Jack Harrison (WhoScored).

Lauded as an ‘exceptional talent’ by former Goodison Park teammate Leon Osman (BBC), Bielsa could potentially be the man to give him a new lease of life in January.

Manchester United’s new manager Ralf Rangnick is tempted to move for RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to SPORTbible (who cite The Mirror), the 63-year-old tactician could sanction a deal for the box-to-box dynamo after previously signing him from Red Bull Salzburg for Leipzig back in January 2019.

Haidara’s current contract with the Bundesliga giants is believed to contain a £33m release clause, meaning a move to Old Trafford over the coming months could be relatively straightforward.

Man Utd can get rocking again

Securing the Mali international’s services during the winter window could get United rocking again, rescuing their stuttering season in the process.

The highly-rated 23-year-old has become a crucial cog in Leipzig’s setup over the last two years, scoring ten goals and providing six assists in 100 appearances for Jesse Marsch’s charges.

However, it’s the holding midfielder’s defensive work that really catches the eye.

As per FBref.com, Haidara has averaged 0.96 tackles won per 90 this term, 6.56 successful pressures and 2.26 blocks, outperforming Scott McTominay in each metric.

After bringing the midfield gem to the Red Bull Arena from sister club Salzburg, Rangnick made no effort to hide his pleasure at Haidara’s arrival, lauding the engine room operator’s quality.

“We’re delighted to have signed Amadou,” he told the club’s official website upon his unveiling (as relayed by Bundesliga.com).

“We’ve been following his progress in Salzburg, as he’s developed into an absolutely exceptional player there. There aren’t many players his age with so much potential. He has all the requirements to follow in Naby Keita’s footsteps.”

With Rangnick’s famous gegenpressing style requiring a set of players with a very specific set of physical and mental attributes, the temptation to bring in a player already familiar with what is required is obvious for the German coach.

United’s lack of a natural defensive midfielder has long been discussed amongst pundits, fans and journalists alike, and Haidara could be the ideal solution.

It remains to be seen whether United’s new boss will be backed with significant sums in order to improve his first-team squad over January, but if he is, then the versatile gem may well be top of his wishlist.

And, in other news…Rangnick can become instant hit at Man Utd by signing “complete” £45m-rated “machine” 

A round-up of the first day’s action from the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2009Group BMunaf Patel’s five-wicket haul was not enough to give Baroda a much-needed first-innings lead•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Scorecard
Saurashtra gained a narrow first-innings lead against Baroda in a dramatic day in which 20 wickets fell at the Moti Bagh Stadium. Munaf Patel took five wickets in the morning to bowl out Saurashtra for 127 in just 35 overs; run-machine Cheteshwar Pujara can only make 9. Even that total was reached due to a 26 from No. 8 Rakesh Dhurv after Saurashtra were 99 for 9. The final wicket stand proved invaluable after Baroda lost the initiative when their batting folded for 124. Baroda lost a wicket off the first ball of the reply, but things seemed to be back on track when they reached 78 for 4. Medium-pacer Jayesh Odedra, however, took five of the final six Baroda wickets to give Saurashtra the first-innings honours.
Scorecard
Experienced Delhi players, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia, combined for a 256-run fourth-wicket stand to demoralise Maharashtra at the Roshanara Club ground. Maharashtra’s decision to field seemed to be paid dividends when Delhi were reduced to 88 for 3, with captain Virat Kohli dismissed for 4. However, Manhas went on to his 17th first-class century and Bhatia missed out on triple figures by one run to put Delhi in control. Maharashtra are staring at chasing a giant first-innings score but at least had the relief of snapping the mammoth stand in the penultimate over of the day. by 193 runs
Scorecard
Sourav Ganguly’s 66 was not enough to stop Bengal from being rolled over for 193 by Uttar Pradesh’s strong bowling attack at Green Park in Kanpur. Bengal slipped to 20 for 3 after being sent in when captain Manoj Tiwary was run out for 1. Ganguly and opener Arindam Das put on a patient 81-run stand to revive Bengal before legspinner Piyush Chawla removed both batsmen. Rohan Gavaskar (20) and Laxmi Ratan Shukla (39) were the only other batsmen to reach double-digits as Bengal struggled to string together partnerships. Chawla finished with four wickets and new-ball bowler Praveen Kumar scalped three.Group A
Scorecard
Railways made slow progress after being sent in by Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Half-centuries from Yere Goud and opener Faiz Fazal led the Railways batting effort against a revamped Hyderabad bowling attack. Fazal made most of the early runs, dominating stands with opener V Cheluvaraj and Sanjay Bangar. The returning Alfred Absolem and MP Arjun took two wickets apiece, and Fazal was run out by Amol Shinde to leave Railways struggling at 128 for 5. Goud then revived the batting with a dour unbeaten 70 and in the company of M Suresh, who battled nearly three hours for his 24, to add an unbroken 83 runs for the sixth wicket.
Scorecard
Orissa lost regular wickets after being asked to bat by Punjab to finish the first day at 232 for 7. They made a quick start with the openers adding 56 in 8.3 overs before captain Shiv Sundar Das was dismissed. The run-rate eased up after that but his opening partner Bikas Pati made a 63-ball 52 before popping a catch back to fast bowler Manpreet Gony. No. 3 Niranjan Behera then held the innings together with a cautious 72, but no one else made a substantial score. Medium-pacer Love Ablish’s impressive season continued as he finished with five scalps to move into joint fourth-spot in the wicket-takers’ chart.
Scorecard
Only 59 overs of play was possible in Surat, in which bottom-of-the-table Himachal Pradesh took five Gujarat wickets. It looked to be Gujarat’s day when they moved to 130 for 2, thanks to captain Parthiv Patel’s 57, but three wickets for no addition of runs in the space of seven deliveries left HP the happier side. Wicketkeeper Ajay Mannu snapped four catches on the day, and fast bowler Vikramjeet Malik – HP’s most impressive performer this season – captured three wickets.Click to read Nagraj Gollapudi’s bulletin of the first day’s play between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing following ExWHUemployee’s update on transfer target Jesse Lingard.

Despite failing to sign the Manchester United star on a permanent deal last summer, prompting the club to turn to Nikola Vlasic as an alternative, they have been heavily tipped to return for another attempt in January.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

This comes as Lingard continues to be a bit-part player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having played just 63 minutes of Premier League football this season (WhoScored).

Reports have even suggested that United could opt to offload the 28-year-old for as little as £10 million in the winter window, possibly alerting West Ham as they reportedly eye a move.

Now, sharing an update on the West Ham Way Podcast, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared an update on the Irons’ stance over making a mid-season move.

As per his information, it is believed that West Ham will make a move for the playmaker early in January as manager David Moyes eyes reinforcements.

West Ham fans buzz…

Given his obvious quality and dream spell on loan over the second half of 2020/2021, many Hammers supporters have been left buzzing on social media.

Lauded as ‘phenomenal’ and the best Premier League player on current form by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham back in April, his nine goals and four assists in 16 West Ham outings highlight just what he could bring under Moyes.

As Ex makes this claim, which one fan called ‘great news’, it’s little wonder many Irons are ecstatic.

Find all of their best Twitter verdicts down below:

“Get the email ready, set up the bank transfer and press send at 00:01 01/01/22!”

Credit: @chrisyarns

“Yes please”

Credit: @azzamay90

“praying that this happens”

Credit: @AHumbleBro21

“Thats great news would be a great addition to the team”

Credit: @Darters17

“Get in”

Credit: @Callumfitzer_

“Thank. God. Get it done asap.”

Credit: @ovo_forbes

“Just bring him home already”

Credit: @whualfie1

“It’s happening, what a day it will be”

Credit: @samwhu1

“Yessssssssssssss”

Credit: @TheReelSB

‘Massive’, ‘All we’ve been asking for’…Ex’s claim on Kretinksy also has many West Ham fans talking, find out more here.

JP Duminy blasted his maiden ODI century, and South Africa’s fielders held onto a succession of spectacular catches as the hosts romped to a 212-run victory

The Bulletin by Alex Brown10-Nov-2009
ScorecardJP Duminy produced a flowing century in a dominant South Africa performance•Gallo ImagesOn the very day their nation’s administrators unveiled a three-year plan for Zimbabwe’s return to the cricketing mainstream, South Africa’s cricketers provided evidence to suggest such projections were optimistic. JP Duminy blasted his maiden ODI century, and South Africa’s fielders held onto a succession of spectacular catches as the hosts romped to a 212-run victory.South Africa thunderous win at Centurion coincided with an announcement at the Wanderers relating to a joint CSA-ZC initiative aimed at restoring Zimbabwe to Test cricket within three years. Executives from both sides of the border spoke glowingly of Zimbabwe’s revival prospects, but the team’s performance further up the Ben Schoeman Highway suggested much work still needs to be done.Zimbabwe were never a realistic chance of reeling in South Africa’s intimidating 331 for 5, and eventually capitulated for 119 inside 35 overs. Tatenda Taibu was leaned upon to produce the lion’s share of his side’s runs, 52 from 71 deliveries, only for his team-mates to again prove they are some way short of international standard. Their cause was not helped by the athletic fielding of the South Africans – Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers all claimed catches worthy of the highlight reel – while Charl Langeveldt continued his successful re-entry to sanctioned cricket with a three-wicket haul.Earlier, Kallis and Graeme Smith were at their bludgeoning in raising half-centuries at the top of the innings. Kallis, making his return from a side strain, signalled his intentions early by cutting Kyle Jarvis for six in the second over, followed by a brace of boundaries off Chris Mpofu. Smith was slower out of the blocks – indeed, he was granted a life when Brendan Taylor turfed a straight-forward chance at point off the bowling of Mpofu – but the South African skipper soon found his range. Cutting, pulling and driving with power, Smith plundered 14 runs from Jarvis’s fourth over and raced to a half-century 39 balls in the making.Zimbabwe finally broke through in the 18th over when Smith attempted to slog-sweep Prosper Utseya out of the ground and was neatly stumped by Taibu. de Villiers followed shortly after, playing inside to a straightening Ray Price delivery that clipped the top of leg-stump, but not before South Africa had laid the groundwork for an imposing total.Price was comfortably the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers, using a flat trajectory and subtle turn to stem the flow of runs. He claimed the additional wickets of Alviro Petersen and Albie Morkel, and might well have pushed for a five-for had his team-mates proved more dexterous in the field. Utseya, too, bowled steadily, but his combination with Price could not cover for the profligate ways of Zimbabwe’s other bowlers. All came in for heavy punishment from Duminy, who showed few ill-effects from his recent shin injury in charging to an unbeaten 111.Duminy was in superb touch from the outset, twice reverse sweeping the leg spinner Graeme Cremer to the boundary early in his innings before adopting a more conventional attack plan. He was particularly brutal in his treatment of the Zimbabwean seamers in the closing overs in an innings that has no doubt prompted a few nervous glances among the English camp.

Kieron Pollard carried on his brilliant Champions League form with a Man-of-the-Match performance that carried Trinidad & Tobago to an 81-run win over Guyana in the President’s Cup final

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009
ScorecardKieron Pollard followed his Champions League success with a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final of the President’s Cup•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCIKieron Pollard carried on his brilliant Champions League form with a Man-of-the-Match performance that carried Trinidad & Tobago to an 81-run win over Guyana in the President’s Cup final. Darren Bravo’s 76 and Pollard’s 57 set up an imposing 286 for 6 before Pollard grabbed three wickets in Guyana’s chase.For a while it looked like Ramnaresh Sarwan (59) might be the saviour for Guyana and he combined with Travis Dowlin (41) for an 89-run second-wicket stand. But the loss of Dowlin, caught at long-off, sparked a flurry of action as Trinidad picked up seven wickets for 37 runs, including all three of Pollard’s strikes.Pollard snared Narsingh Deonarine, caught behind for 2, and then picked up the key wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was caught at extra cover for a duck. The addition of Chris Barnwell, who skied Pollard to Lendl Simmons at long-on, completed an excellent all-round match for Pollard and he finished with 3 for 37.The collapse left the hosts at 129 for 8 and only a late 46 from Royston Crandon helped them gain any respectability. Their problems had started during the Trinidad innings, which was fluently anchored by the No.3 Darren Bravo, whose 76 came from 106 deliveries.Bravo combined in key stands with Simmons, Daren Ganga and Pollard, all of whom made valuable contributions as the Guyana bowlers battled to restrict the runs. Ganga’s 46 was followed by Pollard’s powerful 57 from 50 balls, and he had late support from Denesh Ramdin with an unbeaten 44.The victory confirmed Trinidad & Tobago as the team to beat in West Indies’ domestic limited-overs competitions. They impressed by reaching the final of the recent Champions League Twenty20 in India, where they were beaten in the decider by New South Wales.

A round-up of all the games on the first day of round two of the 2009-10 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff16-Oct-2009Group AMohammad Asif made his presence felt at the Gaddafi Stadium, taking 5 for 35 to help bowl Water and Power Development Authority out for 133. Asif dismissed Rafatullah Mohmand and Aamer Sajjad in successive deliveries and then kept the lower order under check. Supporting him with 3 for 34 was Mohammad Talha, who picked up the top-scorer Mohammad Yousuf (35). Kamran Akmal held five dismissals behind the stumps. National Bank of Pakistan faced a hurdle when they slipped to 60 for 3, but Umar Amin (43) and Fawad Alam (50 not out of 48 balls) steadied the ship.Khan Research Laboratories ended the first day’s play at the National Stadium in a good position. Led by their bowlers, they bowled out Habib Bank for 222 and then, after an early wicket, finished the day on 56 for 1. It was a pretty poor batting performance from Habib Bank, for whom only the captain Hasan Raza reached 50. Each of the five bowlers used after Mohammad Wasim opted to field made an impression.Pakistan Customs kept a tight leash over Karachi Whites at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium, without ever being ruthless. The day panned out in three phases: first the opening bowler Tahir Mughal quickly had Karachi at 28 for 2 after they chose to field, after which Mohtashim Ali (51), the captain Afsar Nawaz (60)and Faraz Patel propped up the innings, but Customs had the final day by taking three wickets for five runs shortly before stumps.At the at the Lahore City Cricket Assocation Stadium, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited struggled to make 264 against Lahore Shalimar after being put in. They began poorly, slipping to 8 for 2 against Mohammad Naved, and needed half-centuries from Haris Sohail and Zulqarnain Haider to prop them up. A last-wicket stand of 70 between Zulqarnain and Saeed Ajmal (33) contributed sizably to the final score. Naved, with 3 for 68, and Saad Nasim, with 3 for 53, starred with the ball.Just two wickets went down on day one at the Gaddafi Stadium, where Pakistan International Airlines were carried by Kamran Sajid (92 not out) and Fahad Iqbal (79). The pair added 163 after PIA slipped to 41 for 2 and Sui Southern Gas Corporation, who used eight bowlers, have their work cut out on day two.Group BNaved Ashraf’s unbeaten 166 was the crux of Rawalpindi’s 431 for 7 against Hyderabad at the Diamond Club Ground. Nine bowlers were used on the day but none managed to dislodge Ashraf, a former Pakistan player, as he smashed 20 fours and a pair of sixes in a 163-ball effort. Babar Naeem (46), Fawad Hussain (41) and Yasim Murtaza (41) offered support, and the day ended with Ashraf and Khalid Latif (50 not out off 46 balls) having taken their ninth-wicket partnership to 105.Centuries from Khalid Latif and Ali Asad helped Karachi Blues to 276 for 4 against Abbottabad on day one at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Their 172-run alliance for the second wicket was crucial after the hosts opted to field, with Latif hitting his second hundred in a row.Multan hit back before stumps at the Iqbal Stadium after they made 237, with their new-ball pair of Abdur Rauf and Rizwan Haider leaving Faisalabad hurting at 23 for 3. It was just the boost they needed after an indifferent batting performance. There were no half-centuries in the innings as Ahmed Hayat sliced Multan from 86 for 1 to 125 for 5 with his medium-pace. The last five wickets managed to add 112 and a top order collapse from Faisalabad left Multan with something to be positive about.Kashif Siddiq led from the front with an unbeaten 121 as Lahore Ravi reached 193 for 4 against Sialkot in Muridke. It was slow going – runs came at 2.32 an over – and Siddiq’s inning could yet prove to be decisive given he revived the innings from 31 for 3 and 60 for 4. Ashraf Ali, who batted 167 balls for 40, also weighed in.Peshawar were well placed in Islamabad despite losing two wickets in quick succession before stumps. They had done the good work by keeping Quetta to 207 after opting to field, with new-ball operators Nauman Habib (4 for 67) and Imran Khan (3 for 47) the most successful. Quetta were never allowed to get going and from the depths of 79 for 6 needed some stubborn resistance from the last four to get them past 200.

Kent have been promoted back to Division One of the County Championship after Essex and Glamorgan drew their match

Cricinfo staff14-Sep-2009Kent have been promoted back to Division One of the County Championship after Essex and Glamorgan drew their match at Cardiff. It means Kent can’t be knocked off one of the two promotion slots and they bounce back the season after being relegated.They beat Middlesex by 10 wickets in another commanding display – their eighth win in 14 matches this season – after they racked up their second highest team total of 652 for 7 with a double century from Darren Stevens and an unbeaten hundred by Justin Kemp.”We’ve shown that we are the best side in the competition by quite a distance,” Kemp told the club website. “We only need a few points to win the league title but we aren’t thinking like that. We just want to round off the season in style now. If we win our remaining two matches then we will go up with a big points total.”We have batted well this season and put in our big performances when needed. It’s been a good season and we are all delighted to have gone straight back up.”Kent will secure the Division Two title if they beat Leicestershire, at Canterbury, this week. It has been a solid season for the club, who made the semi-finals of the Twenty20 Cup and are still in with a chance of claiming the Division Two Pro40 title.

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal are ‘really happy’ with defender William Saliba.

And a number of Gunners fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

The 20-year-old, who cost the club £27m back in 2019, joined Marseille on loan over the summer. He’s already spent time on loan at Saint-Etienne and OGC Nice but is now with Les Phocéens, where he has been a regular.

The Frenchman has started nine of ten fixtures in all competitions and has even made his France U21 debut against Macedonia last month.

Romano took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, claiming the Gunners are following Saliba closely and recently informed the defender that they trust him 100 per cent for the future.

Saliba is expected to return to the Emirates next summer ahead of a possible breakthrough campaign in north London.

Arsenal fans react

Romano’s Twitter post received plenty of interaction, with these Arsenal supporters delighted. One even described it as ‘great news’.

“Oh my days our defence is set”

Credit: @afc_r1ch

“Yessssss. Will be so much better than Holding. Just curious what it would be like if he was given an opportunity at Arsenal earlier than next season”

Credit: @titanori

“Great news! He will do well for us when he is back!”

Credit: @PremLovesMusic

“William Saliba, Ben White and Gabriel. Wow.”

Credit: @jbsoutar

“Tears in my eyes”

Credit: @TXT978

“GET IN BOYS”

Credit: @allezarsenal

In other news: ‘What?’ – Many Arsenal fans erupt at ‘criminal’ news from Charles Watts.