Dav Whatmore arrives in Pakistan on Wednesday hoping to push further his credentials as the next coach of Pakistan. Whatmore will be interviewed by the PCB on Thursday as a potential candidate for the position, the third Australian the board has interviewed this week.Earlier in the week, Richard Done, the ICC high-performance manager and former New South Wales fast bowler, and Geoff Lawson, former Test cricketer, were also interviewed. Lawson yesterday visited the national team’s conditioning camp currently underway in Abbottabad, meeting with senior players and officials.One of the three will become Pakistan’s coach though Zakir Khan, director operations PCB and a member of the three-man committee to find a coach, stressed again the decision will not be taken in haste.Khan didn’t confirm that an appointment will be made by July 1, the date set by chairman Nasim Ashraf, to announce a new coach to succeed the late Bob Woolmer. “It is premature to give an exact date right now. After the interviews of the three, our committee will compile a report and present our choice to the chairman, who will take it to the ad-hoc committee. Only then will a decision be made,” Khan told Cricinfo.The board has been tight-lipped about its preferences from the three in recent days. Khan said that the interviews had gone well and that all three had excellent qualifications. “They were shortlisted because of their qualifications and on the basis of past achievements.”Until recently, Whatmore was understood to be the board’s top choice, the only hitch being his interest in the position of India coach. With that now out of the way, the path appears clear for Whatmore to take over. But the board is said to be impressed by Done as well, and he would seemingly fit in with some officials’ wishes that the new coach be a low-key personality willing to prove himself internationally with Pakistan.Meanwhile Javed Miandad, former captain and three-time coach, continued his criticism of the board’s policy for selecting a coach by pointing out that Lawson had not officially applied for the position.Miandad disagreed with the board’s decision to publicly advertise the vacancy and invite applications arguing that no coach of substance would apply in such a way. Lawson made clear before arriving in Pakistan that the board had contacted him and not the other way round.Miandad told , “Now I ask the PCB: where does it stand? Instead of considering the applications of those candidates who have applied for the post, it is contacting those who did not apply.”
Protesters have staged demonstrations over the current conflict Lebanon during Israel’s match against Norway in the European Championships in Glasgow.The Stop the War Coalition said the match in Glasgow should not be taking place amid the Middle East conflict. An earlier game involving the Israeli team, scheduled for Thursday, was called off on public safety grounds and this match is being played behind closed doors. Dozens of police were stationed outside the ground for Saturday’s match.The European Cricket Council, which arranged the match, said it appreciated “the seriousness of the situation in the Middle East”. But it added: “The ECC and its parent body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), are not political organisations; the task of both bodies is to promote and encourage cricket, a game that embraces diversity, and that mission is the driving force behind this tournament.”Both the ECC and the ICC believe this tournament can send out a positive message by showing the value of sport as a force for good and something to be enjoyed.”
Mark Butcher’s hopes of playing in this summer’s Ashes have all but ended, due to a troublesome wrist injury that could now keep him out of action until August.Butcher’s finest hour came in the fourth Test at Headingley during the last Ashes summer in 2001, when his unbeaten 173 carried England to an astonishing victory. He went onto to play in 42 consecutive matches, until a bizarre run of injuries last summer – including a whiplash from a car-crash and a groin strain while moving house – loosened his grip on the No. 3 berth.”August is looking like the best I can hope for,” Butcher told BBC Sport. “I had hoped to be back playing by May, but things can move on. The Ashes still has to be in the back of my mind.”Butcher played in the opening two Tests of last winter’s tour of South Africa, but withdrew on the morning of the third match at Cape Town when his wrist problem became too severe to continue. He was appointed as captain of Surrey for the 2005 season – a move that many interpreted as the beginning of the end of his Test career – but as yet he has been unable to lead his side, with Mark Ramprakash standing in until his recent finger injury.”I went to see my specialist on Tuesday to have an injection,” Butcher added. “The problem I have now is the swelling from the operation. The ligament damage has repaired but the wrist has not got back to normal as far as the swelling is concerned.”Since his injury, Butcher has slipped way down the pecking order of aspiring England batsmen. Robert Key was his initial replacement in South Africa, but this summer the claims of Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen have come to the fore. “There couldn’t have been a worse year for this to happen,” Butcher admitted, “but I just have to stay positive and hope everything goes well.””The injection seems to be working and it’s starting to look a little bit more like my hand now, but I have to keep a splint on it for another week. And then I have to start the arduous business of getting the exercises done, getting strength back into it and getting mobility back before I can even think about practising again.”But Butcher is well aware that when the Australians are in town, nothing can ever be ruled out. “One thing Ashes series have taught me over the years is that there always tends to be injuries and losses of form. That’s how I got back into the side in 2001, through other people’s misfortune. Without wishing that on anybody, there’s always the possibility.”
There is no doubting that Brett Lee is fast, but his future as an international one-day bowler is under close scrutiny after his dismal performance against India at The Gabba on Sunday.Lee conceded 83 runs in ten overs as India scored 4 for 303. It was the most expensive return in any ODI in Australia, eclipsing team-mate Glenn McGrath who went for 76 against Sri Lanka in 1995-96. Lee’s figures were the 14th most expensive in one-day cricket – just behind the 1 for 85 he took against Pakistan at Cardiff in 2001.It has not been a good season for Lee. First he was sidelined by an ankle injury, and when he came back against India at Sydney after Christmas he took 1 for 201 in the first innings, and 4 for 276 in the match.Dennis Lillee appealed for patience, insisting that Lee would come good and that the inconsistencies he has shown of late would be sorted.But, Allan Border, one of the selectors, admitted that Lee’s position was in doubt after the drubbing he received at Brisbane. “There are two schools of thought: either let him get his confidence back in first-class cricket, or keep him here in the hope he comes good in a flash we have an in-form tearaway leading to the finals,” Border said. “We’re not panicking, but you have to be true to yourselves. You obviously don’t want blokes going for 80 in a one-day game.”
The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium witnessed anothermasterly knock from Sachin Tendulkar, who scored his 28th Testcentury on Saturday. On a batting paradise, Tendulkar was incomplete command throughout the day.Speaking of the wicket, Tendulkar said, “It was a slow track andcracks had developed because of which the ball was not coming onto the bat. The ball kept low at times, though I never felttroubled during the entire innings.”He explained why he had decided to restrain himself. “We were ina good position and I never felt the need to go for big shots,”he said.Tendulkar’s unbeaten 137 (275 balls, 18×4) has seen him go pasttwo Australian legends – Steve Waugh and Allan Border – in thelist of top century-makers in Tests. Only the peerless Sir DonaldBradman, with 29 hundreds, and Sunil Gavaskar, with 34 hundreds,now stay ahead of him. A happy Tendulkar termed the VCA stadiumas one of his happy hunting grounds, before quickly adding, “Itwas just another hundred. That is always a good feeling.”Speaking of the Zimbabweans, the master batsman praised left-armspinner Ray Price, who he felt maintained a good length allthrough the day. “I feel Price was the pick of the bowlers,” hesaid.As for his team, he felt they had made good progress on the day,adding that a first-innings lead of around 250 would prove morethan useful. Knowing Tendulkar, he would be hoping to stay aroundon Sunday and ensure that this is achieved. A double-ton alongthe way for the master would prove the icing on the cake for themillions of Indian spectators who are bound to follow the actionon Sunday.
Somerset coach Kevin Shine was back at The County Ground on Monday morning after watching his side gain their first points of the season in the Norwich Union National League when they tied with Kent at Tunbridge Wells on Sunday.”What a fabulous game” he said. “We bowled poorly at the start and they got off to a flyer. When they tried to bat a bit our bowlers started to get on top and 180 on a poor wicket looked about right. Keith Dutch (2 for 22) and Jamie Grove (1 for 27) were the pick of the Somerset bowlers for me,” he went on.”When we batted Ben Trott bowled well against us again, but Rob Turner and Keith Dutch put us in a strong position, though the game was still poised in their favour with three overs to go. We needed 14 off the last over, and thanks to Rob’s two great shots, the final ball of the day he paddled to the boundary over the head of short fine leg we managed to tie the match.”The National League match and the draw against Leicestershire the previous day “have given us a great lift – it’s good to get our first points on the board in the National League.”The coach also reported that Matt Bulbeck had shown “no sign of any back stiffening after playing in the four day match at Leicester. Matt bowled well in the first innings, but in the second didn’t get the ball to swing so much.”Kevin Shine rates the young left-arm seamer very highly indeed and went on: “Matt is a potential England bowler,” and paid tribute to everybody who has been involved in his return to fitness. “He’s half-a-year ahead of schedule, everybody has done a good job to get him back to where he is now,” he said.
Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign Memphis Depay this summer…
What’s the word?
That’s according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, who claim that several Premier League teams are eyeing up an English return for the Dutch international after slipping down the pecking order under Xavi at Barcelona, despite being their top goalscorer on ten goals.
Spurs are thought to top the list of potential top-flight suitors and are said to be interested in signing him. The report even goes as far as suggesting that a bid has been made.
French outfit Lyon, who he left to join the Nou Camp giants on a free transfer, are keen to bring him back, whilst there are plenty of Italian teams also interested, including AC Milan, Inter and Juventus.
It remains to be seen how much it would take to entice the Catalan side into a sale, though CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of €50m (£42m).
Conte’s next talisman?
Tottenham being on the lookout for another striker should surprise no one as manager Antonio Conte does not have sufficient options in his attacking department – it’s really only Harry Kane.
And if you look at the success he’s had more recently, with Inter, you’ll see that his tactical system was on the basis of two strikers being deployed in tandem.
One of which being Romelu Lukaku and the other being Lautaro Martinez.
There are some parallels to be drawn between the latter and Depay, so it’s a foreseeable situation that the Barca outcast could pair up with the England skipper to form a similar partnership in north London.
Once described as a “special talent” by Marco van Basten, the 28-year-old has earned a very respectable goalscoring record over the course of his career.
Now behind the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele, he still leads the squad on 20 appearances, in which just 15 have been starts.
Back in Lyon, the former Manchester United ace provided 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 appearances, which included a career-best of 20 in the season prior to his departure, as per Transfermarkt.
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Just like Martinez, Depay stands at 5 foot 9 and can act as the smaller forward that plays off a Lukaku, or in this case, a Kane. If anything, the Spurs striker’s ability to drop deep and be just as effective will only benefit the 28-year-old, should he make the move to N17.
In the search for a new frontman, sporting director Fabio Paratici could do little wrong in signing Depay this summer. He could well become Conte’s next Martinez at Spurs next season.
AND in other news, £68m down the drain: Spurs dud has stolen a living for over 130 weeks, he must be sold…
Maintaining appearances: Greg Chappell was the man out in themiddle with both captains for the toss. And when Sourav Ganguly’s turncame to have a chat, you’d never have guessed that the two men had beenresponsible for one of the most damaging schisms in the history of Indian sport.Those looking for any drama from the former coach and ex-captain weresorely disappointed.Any time banking: Yuvraj Singh’s dismissal was a huge blow to theKing’s XI Punjab’s hopes of a massive total. But for over a minute, no one couldeven figure out if Wriddhiman Saha had dislodged the bails in time. Thereplay from side-on was inconclusive, thanks largely to the logo of a bankthat kept twirling around the screen even as everyone tried to make out ifthe bail had come out of the groove. Talk about milking every last dollar.Son of Swampy: Sean Marsh was just four when his old man, Geoff[Swampy to his mates], made his highest one-day score. That was down theroad at Chandigarh’s Sector 16 Stadium, in a World Cup match against NewZealand. By the standards of that era, Marsh senior’s knock was a rapidone, and the son showed signs of replicating the feat before a fellowAussie, David Hussey, sent him on his way.Not quite champagne class: With wickets falling in a heap and noboundary for three overs, the crowd was getting restive even in the poshseats above the pavilion. Then, Ishant Sharma misfielded on the rope andthe drumbeats boomed out with renewed vigour. A group of men celebratedwith a spray. Not Dom Perignon, but a soft drink of a dark hue. Othersthat got soaked didn’t look too delighted.A better man?: Having reacted as though he’d been jilted by a loveron being denied an appeal against Debabrata Das, you wondered howSreesanth would react when a subsequent delivery was off-driven for four.With good grace, a word of appreciation and a handclap or two. There was anelement of theatrics when he dismissed him soon after, but it finallylooks like he’s ready to button his lip and let the ball do the talking.Middling it: No matter whether it’s a Test match, a club game in apark or the IPL, there are few finer sights than watching a quick bowlershatter the stumps. When Laxmi Ratan Shukla made room for an expansivedrive, it was VRV Singh’s turn to feel that adrenaline rush, with themiddle stump poleaxed, and the Kolkata Knight Riders down for the count.
Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain, wants to play Test matches for some more time before retiring “in an honourable manner.”Inzamam retired from ODIs after a disastrous World Cup and resigned from the Test captaincy. The PCB is expected to leave out Inzamam from its list of centrally-contracted players, on the basis that he is no longer an ODI player. Further, sounds coming out of the board and selection committee suggest that it may be difficult for Inzamam to find a way back into the team.”I am not going to play for long but I do want to play a few more Tests as I think I can still contribute to Pakistan cricket,” Inzamam said at a function where he was feted for his contribution to the game.”I don’t understand why they (selectors) keep on saying things about my form and fitness. Obviously if I am not fit or not in form I myself will not make myself available for selection,” Inzamam said.”But the selectors should not make such a big issue of these things. I want to play Test matches but honourably and I also want to finally retire in an honourable manner,” he added.Tauqir Zia, the former board chairman, at the same function reminded Inzamam that every player had to go someday, mindful perhaps that few Pakistan players have ever left the game graciously.”What I would advise Inzamam is to accept whatever the board and selectors decide for him. What they decide, will be in the national interest and their decision must be accepted sportingly by him,” Tauqir said.Inzamam, who has played 119 Tests and 378 One-day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan, ruled out reversing his retirement from ODIs and said once a player retired, he should stay retired.”It is never easy for a professional cricketer, who has represented his country for 17 years, to forget the past and adopt a new lifestyle. But I have taken my decision on one-dayers,” he said.
The England captaincy is a hot potato at present, with the selectors frantically juggling their options until such time as Michael Vaughan’s knee comes back to life. Away from the spotlight at Canterbury, however, Robert Key was demonstrating that leadership doesn’t have to be a burden. He led from the front for England A, compiling a beautiful unbeaten 128 to give Pakistan’s bowlers a tough workout ahead of next week’s first Test.After the battering that the senior side has received in recent weeks, this fixture comes as a welcome opportunity for the England camp to regroup. Consequently the side has been packed with men with several points to prove – not least among them Key himself. As Kent’s captain, he is in familiar surroundings, but today’s news that Vaughan has officially been ruled out of this winter’s Ashes added an extra frisson to his innings.Key made a favourable impression on the previous trip to Australia four years ago, but hasn’t played for the Test side since the tour to South Africa in January 2005. While England’s batsmen were dropping like flies in India this winter, he was recuperating from shoulder surgery and so was overtaken in the pecking order by men such as Alastair Cook and Owais Shah.”It’s been a slow start for me in four-day cricket,” Key admitted afterwards, having not yet registered a century this season. He began his innings bullishly with four fours and a six before lunch, and later clouted Danish Kaneria straight down the ground for another maximum to bring up his 150 partnership with another recent England discard, Ian Bell.The conditions were very much in favour of the batsmen, as Key was quick to acknowledge. “We played Notts on a wicket like that,” he said. “We got 600 and couldn’t bowl them out.” But with the likes of Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul obtaining some reverse swing from as early as the 20th over, it was never entirely plain sailing. “They showed some class,” he added, “on a wicket where there was no conventional swing and no seam movement.”England suffered an early setback when Cook was caught behind for 3 off Mohammad Sami, a neat low catch in front of first slip by Kamran Akmal, but Akmal was soon forced to leave the field after damaging his left index finger. On the stroke of lunch, clearly discomforted, he dropped Key off Asif for 30 and did not return.It was an alarm for Pakistan, who have no reserve keeper in their squad and instead handed the gloves to Faisal Iqbal. The uncapped 20-year-old, Zulqarnain Haider, would have been flown in from Lahore in the event of a break, but Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, later confirmed Akmal had suffered nothing more than bruising around the top joint.Faisal did at least manage to hang onto the one catch that came his way. Bell is becoming a familiar face to this Pakistani attack, having top-scored for the Test team in last winter’s tour, a performance that included a century in the second Test at Faisalabad. But this time he was unable to make the most of similarly flat conditions, and was second man out for 74 (187 for 2).Shah came in at No. 4, as if to showcase the strength of England’s middle-order reserves, although judging by the current medical bulletins, they are going to be needed in the weeks and months to come. He made another start, 23 from 97 balls, but was unable to pick up his momentum and eventually edged a low catch to Imran Farhat at slip off Danish Kaneria.There were four changes for Pakistan, after their eight-wicket win over Leicestershire, with their captain Inzamam-ul-Haq returning in place of vice-captain Younis Khan. Mohammad Yousuf came in for the big-hitting Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq replaced Shoaib Malik in the allrounder’s spot, while Asif was given a chance ahead of seamer Shahid Nazir.Though Pakistan were not fielding their full Test XI, it was nonetheless an important first century of the season for Key, whose recuperation from surgery has been hampered by some “interesting” wickets at the Rose Bowl and Stockton, among others. “Before you know it, you’ve been nicked off a couple of times,” he explained, “and you’re staring down the barrel of an ordinary start to the season. But the last two have been perfect for batting, so it’s nice to cash in.”Key won’t be in contention for the Lord’s Test, because his shoulder is still not back to full strength. “I was starting to think I’d never throw again a few weeks ago,” he admitted, “but all of a sudden I’ve starting rocketing them in from about ten yards! But it was a big operation. They reckoned it would take 12 months before I was throwing properly. It’s seven or eight now, so give it a couple of months, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”That would coincide nicely with the Ashes considerations, and in Vaughan’s absence, there is a definite prospect of a tour place for Key. “Any runs are valuable, but this is probably slightly more in the spotlight. This is definitely a set up from county cricket when you come up against an attack like that. You feel more a part of the England set-up, with a different group of people and an England shirt of some means. I think it’s a great format.”