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Xavier Marshall, the Jamaica batsman, has been recalled to the West Indies side for the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff09-May-2009Xavier Marshall, the Jamaica batsman, has been recalled to the West Indies side for the World Twenty20. His team-mate, the allrounder Dave Bernard who is currently part of the team trying to defend the Wisden Trophy in England, has also been picked for next month’s tournament.Chris Gayle leads the full-strength 15-man squad, with Denesh Ramdin as his deputy. The only player from the side that was selected for West Indies’ previous Twenty20 (against England in Trinidad) to miss out is opener Devon Smith.The explosive but inconsistent Marshall had been a part of the New Zealand tour late last year and also played the first Test against England in February before losing his place after an extended lean patch.West Indies will be looking to improve on their poor showing in the inaugural World twenty20 in 2007, when they crashed out in the first round after losing matches to South Africa and Bangladesh. In this year’s tournament in England, they are grouped with Australia and Sri Lanka in the first phase.West Indies squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard jnr., Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Sylla Sow is a good signing for the Owls. 

The 25-year-old signed on a free transfer following his departure from Eredivisie side RKC Waalwijk at the end of last season.

Sow can play on either wing, as well as down the middle as a central striker, and featured for RKC Waalwijk 28 times in the Dutch top-flight last term, scoring three goals and assisting a further three.

And Palmer believes Sow is a good signing for the Hillsborough outfit, exclusively telling Transfer Tavern: “It’s a good signing, it’s a good signing for them. He is a good age and he’s athletic, he can play through the middle, he can play out wide, so it’s in keeping with what Darren’s doing.”

It’s been a busy transfer window for the Owls, as Sow became the 13th signing of the summer and, on the same day that Sow arrived, Josh Windass also put pen to paper on a contract extension with the club.

Sheffield Wednesday have made a great start to their League One campaign as they have picked up four points from a possible six. After a goalless draw on the opening day against Charlton Athletic, the Owls beat Moore’s former side Doncaster Rovers 2-0 over the weekend.

A round-up of the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament matches that took place on March 28 and 29

Sa'adi Thawfeeq30-Mar-2009Basnahira South, led by Sri Lanka’s stand-in Twenty20 captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, maintained their winning streak in the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament with victories over Basnahira North and Schools Invitation XI over the weekend.Former Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer Lahiru Thirimanne starred in their 13-run win over Basnahira North at the SSC, scoring an elegant 70 off 46 balls to push the total to 158. The spinners Malinga Bandara and Dilshan throttled the Basnahira North batting with five wickets between them for 32 runs.Against Schools at the Moors Sports Club Grounds, Basnahira South once again did well to defend their total of 172 for 9 by restricting the opponents to 145 for 7 despite a sparkling knock of 58 off 44 balls (3 sixes, 4 fours) from Banuka Rajapaksha and a valiant unbeaten 33 off 21 balls (3 sixes, 1 four) from Angelo Perera.Ruhuna, who began well with two consecutive victories, lost ground when they suffered defeats against Wayamba and Kandurata. At the SSC, despite a brisk opening stand of 64 in six overs between Sanath Jayasuriya (45 off 23 balls) and Upul Tharanga, Ruhuna were disappointingly shot out for 127 by the spinners Ajantha Mendis (3 for14) and Kaushal Lokuarachchi (2 for 16). Wayamba passed the total without raising much sweat in 17.1 overs to win by five wickets with Mahela Udawatte (51 off 36 balls) and Mahela Jayawardene (37 off 28 balls) contributing 65 for the third wicket.At the Colts Cricket Club, the Ruhuna batting capitulated once again and they failed to match the excellent performance of their bowlers, losing by 12 runs to Kandurata the following day. The target of 120 shouldn’t have been a tough ask for the strong Ruhuna batting line-up, but with the exception of the in-from Indika de Saram, who contributed an aggressive 53 off 51 balls, the rest succumbed to Dilhara Fernando, who ended up with impressive figures of 4 for 14. In Kandurata’s innings, Sri Lanka’s newly appointed captain Kumar Sangakkara hit his best score in the tournament with a well-controlled 41, supported by an aggressive 47 off 26 balls (3 sixes, 4 fours) from Chintaka Jayasinghe. But after their departure, fast bowler Tharanga Lakshitha scythed through the rest of the batting taking 5 for 16 off 3.3 overs.By virtue of this victory, which followed their six-wicket win over Schools XI the previous day, Kandurata along with Wayamba moved into second spot with only net run rate separating them. Wayamba captain Jehan Mubarak led from the front with a forceful knock of 55 off 39 balls (3 sixes, 3 fours) in his team’s 29-run victory over Basnahira North at Colts. Farveez Maharoof, Ajantha Mendis and Isuru Udana took two wickets apiece to bowl out Basnahira North for 127.

Basnahira South 4 4 0 0 017 +1.538 667/80.0 544/80.0 Kandurata 4 3 1 0 0 13+0.682 478/69.2 497/80.0 Wayamba 43 1 0 0 13 +0.418526/73.0 543/80.0 Ruhuna 4 22 0 0 10 +1.072 511/70.5474/77.1 Basnahira North 4 0 40 0 0 -1.540 545/80.0 639/76.3 Schls Inv XI 4 0 4 00 0 -2.395 439/80.0 469/59.3

Trinidad and Tobago batsman Lendl Simmons is looking forward to his Test debut following his inclusion in the West Indies squad for the second Test

Roger Seepersad11-Feb-2009
Lendl Simmons celebrates his double hundred against the England XI © Getty Images
Trinidad and Tobago batsman Lendl Simmons is looking forward to his Test debut following his inclusion in the West Indies squad for the second Test against England, starting in Antigua on Friday.Simmons, who has represented West Indies in eight ODIs, demonstrated his aptitude in the longer version of the game with 282 for the A team against England in last month’s tour game in St Kitts. “I am delighted to be called up to the West Indies for the second Test and I am really looking forward to going there and doing my best.”Simmons insisted a return to the West Indies team was always on his mind and now that he has been given the opportunity he will be looking to continue scoring runs. “Well, last season I had my eyes focused on this home series and from the beginning of the season I have been working really hard on getting form and trying to hit my target and my goals,” he said. “I think I did really well at the start of the season and I got an opportunity now and I want to make good use of it.”T&T selector Claude Phillip said he had high hopes for Simmons, who he described as “a good selection” for the second Test against England. Phillip, a former first-class player, said he always had faith in Simmons. He felt Simmons had lifted his game this season and had been able to concentrate a lot more out in the middle.”Simmons did surprise me a lot in terms of his concentration this season,” Phillip said. “I knew he had the ability and the talent, but his problem was being able to concentrate for long periods and to bat for almost two days is a great credit to him,” he said referring to Simmons’ career-best 282.Phillip was disappointed that the West Indies selectors had named the squad for the first Test before the tour match, but said it “had been the policy of the West Indies selectors in the past so it is not different for the present and, as the saying goes, better late than never”. Phillip was hopeful that Simmons would replace Xavier Marshall, who has been dropped for the second Test.”If he [Marshall] can’t open he should not be in the West Indies team because there are too many middle order batsmen around to be persisting with him because he is not a good player of spin bowling and Simmons, if he does not open, could get that spot in place of Marshall.”The second Test begins on February 13 at North Sound, Antigua.

Both captains agreed that the Kensington Oval pitch didn’t do Test cricket many favours as the fourth Test ended in a predictable draw

Andrew McGlashan in Barbados02-Mar-2009
A dead pitch did not aid England’s series prospects © Getty Images
Both captains agreed that the Kensington Oval pitch didn’t do Test cricket many favours as the fourth Test ended in a predictable draw. Over five days, 1628 runs were scored for the loss of 17 wickets. At a time when the game is trying to retain relevancy, matches like this do little to help. The only people they keep entertained are excitable statisticians and the only people happy are the TV executives.This non-contest followed on from an equally bat-dominated Test in Karachi last week, while the ongoing match in Lahore is shaping up as another run-fest. The tussle between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg showed how compelling Test cricket can be on a surface that offers something for everyone, but this pitch never threatened to be an even battle.”I don’t know how groundsmen prepare pitches but maybe there’s a will on the part of the administrators for Test matches to go five days,” Andrew Strauss said. “And that might mean the incentive is there for groundsmen to make sure it goes five days and be a little bit conservative on how they prepare the wicket.”As a group of players we all want to see result wickets which are fair and I appreciate that’s a difficult balance for a groundsman to come to, but those are the wickets that produce the best cricket.””No one knew it would be so good,” Chris Gayle said. “But we have to play on what we get – it was really flat and a hard wicket for bowlers to toil on. But we are 1-0 up so we are not going to come out and make too much complaint about the wicket. England made runs on it, it was just one of those Test matches.”Gayle’s more phlegmatic approach to the pitch is unsurprising. West Indies are a draw away from regaining the Wisden Trophy for the first time since losing it at The Oval in 2000. It would also be their first series victory since they beat Bangladesh in 2004 and their first against major opposition since Sri Lanka in 2003.However, Gayle said he wouldn’t mind a bit more life at the Queen’s Park Oval. “Hopefully we will have a bit more excitement there, even though we are 1-0 up, it would be good to have some good cricket and more excitement. We will see what happens, we’re not sure what kind of track we will get.”For all the run-scoring feats in this game, topped by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s magnificent 291 and Denesh Ramdin’s career-best 166, they need to be weighed against conditions. For example, Graham Gooch’s 154 not out in 1991 is rated as one of greatest innings played because it was made against a fearsome West Indies attack on a Headingley greentop. Perversely, Younis Khan went to No. 1 in the current batting rankings after his triple century in Karachi, despite it being his first Test for more than a year. Players are aware that their skills are shown in a better light with a tougher challenge.”That wicket remained incredible flat throughout the game, if anything it was probably flatter today than any other days,” Strauss said. “As cricketers you want to see a wicket that deteriorates as the match goes on and we didn’t get that in this game. As a result it became a fairly boring draw which I don’t think anyone wants to see.”Generally I think even if you can’t force a result you want to have a pretty tight tussle like in Antigua where you can nearly force a result. Clearly on this wicket that would have been extremely difficult to do.”West Indies’ tactics in Trinidad will be fascinating. This is such a rare advantage for them to hold that there must be a temptation to play it on the safe side. They have named the same squad and Jerome Taylor is expected to be fully fit despite only bowling four overs on the final day in Barbados because of a minor ankle problem.However, Gayle talked a good game and promised to aim for a victory regardless of conditions. “Definitely we are looking for the win, we are not going out to play for the draw and be negative,” he said. “We still have to play positive cricket. Once you go out with a negative mentality it can do more damage to you.”Pitches that produce run-fests like we have just witnessed over the last five days are certainly not to the benefit of the game at large, but from a purely pragmatic point of view there will be one team quite happy if there is a repeat performance in the final game. With a major success within their grasp West Indies will try and take it any way they can.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strike a late deal for Brighton and Hove Albion anchor man Yves Bissouma [Sunday Express].

The Lowdown: Bissouma profiled

Plying his trade under the innovative Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium, 24-year-old Bissouma has blossomed into one of the Premier League’s most talented defensive midfielders.

He has even won the backing of Spurs legend Gary Lineker, who labelled him as “exceptional” on Twitter during a 0-0 draw against Everton last campaign [The Argus].

Renowned for his ability to break up attacks and then progress the play from deep positions, there has long been talk that the Malian may move on to pastures new before too long, with Liverpool also linked.

Now, he could be set for a late switch to north London before the end of the window.

The Latest: Nuno is a big fan of Bissouma

Nuno Espirito Santo is reportedly a big fan of Bissouma and has earmarked him as a potential signing to beef up the Tottenham midfield [Sunday Express].

The Seagulls are said to value their prize asset at around £40 million, with scope for a deal to be done should an offer be submitted before Tuesday night.

Arsenal and Liverpool have also been monitoring the 6 foot ace this summer, however Spurs look the most likely to do business at the present time.

The Verdict: Bissouma could be the driving force in Tottenham’s midfield

Needing to fill the void left by experienced squad member Moussa Sissoko, who recently left to join Watford, Bissouma would be a statement signing who would excite the Lilywhites’ support.

Ever present for his current employers in 2020/21, he registered two goals in 39 appearances for Potters’ men in all competitions [Transfermarkt].

Despite being packed with talent in the middle of the park, Spurs have a shortage of players who can operate as a pivot turning defence into attack.

Surprisingly for someone of his position, Bissouma managed to complete an average of 1.5 dribbles per fixture last term in the Premier League, helping to swiftly initiate offensive passages of play from deep [WhoScored].

Put simply, the former LOSC Lille man has the capability to be a driving force for Tottenham Hotspur, prospectively adding a bite and intensity which simply wasn’t there often enough in the previous campaign.

Spurs should definitely look to sign Bissouma this month if the opportunity presents itself.

In other news, a Spurs legend has dropped his exclusive verdict on a wantaway star. Find out more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been snubbed by Valencia forward Lee Kang-in, according to a report from El Desmarque. 

Valencia, who finished in 13th last season, need to sell the South Korean before they can register another non-EU player in the form of Brazilian forward Marcos Andre. However, he has now rebuffed the advances of four different clubs, including Wolves and Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco.

He is apparently willing to run down the final year of his contract and leave on a free transfer next summer if no satisfactory proposal arrives.

The lowdown on Wolves target Lee Kang-in

Lee, who can operate as an attacking midfielder and on either flank, has made 62 appearances for Valencia, scoring just three times and providing four assists (via Transfermarkt).

The 20-year-old has earned six caps for South Korea, having made his senior debut in September 2019. He featured for his country at the Olympic Games earlier this summer and scored three times in Tokyo.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed the report about his Molineux snub, and here’s what some supporters made of it.

Wolves fans bemoan Lee Kang-in news

“Joke club at the moment. All the people over the last few weeks saying “just wait and see”, “watch what happens”, “they know what they’re doing””

Credit: @LearyMitchell

“We are Rejected FC”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Why do we continue to go for players who don’t want to come”

Credit: @Lazychris14

“Why does it feel like no one wants to play for us? Not even our own players”

Credit: @xGJHP

“Lol, and that’s why we keep going back to the Portuguese well. No more Kang-In rumors please, another window of this and he’s easily hitting Talisca levels.”

Credit: @FFTVS

“Wish we’d look elsewhere then, sick of seeing his name now”

Credit: @OhAnotherWolf

In other news, many Wolves fans were left fuming by this Bruno Lage admission. 

Following Rangers’ Champions League exit against Malmo earlier this month, it was perhaps always likely that some of the top performers in Steven Gerrard’s side would attract interest from elsewhere, with recent reports claiming that the Gers have rejected three bids for Ianis Hagi.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers have rejected separate bids from Sevilla, Lazio and Galatasaray for the Romania international, who won the Light Blues’ Young Player of the Year award last season after a string of impressive performances for Gerrard’s side.

The 22-year-old only joined Rangers from Genk on a permanent deal worth £3m last summer following an impressive loan spell at Ibrox, yet he has regularly been linked with a move away this summer, even before the Gers’ defeat against Malmo which cost them a potential spot in the Champions League group stage.

The Scottish Sun included a report from Fanatik which details Galatasaray’s bid for the winger and claims that Rangers value Hagi at around £9.3m this summer.

Could Hagi leave?

Although Rangers fans may be keen to see Hagi stay at the club this summer, it has been widely reported that the Gers need to raise money through player sales in the near future, especially after missing out on the reported £40m bonus of reaching the Champions League group stage. That could leave fans worried that the 22-year-old could be dispensed with, especially if he keeps attracting transfer offers.

Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are regarded as the most valuable players in Gerrard’s squad and have regularly been linked with moves to Porto and Leeds United respectively, but if both were to remain at Ibrox, then you would imagine that Hagi could be one of the likeliest candidates to leave.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Gerrard is a big fan of the Romanian, dubbing him an “outstanding talent” after he inspired Rangers to a comeback win against Braga in the 2019/20 campaign. However, if the youngster is keen on a move away from Ibrox, perhaps the Gers may be forced to sell him in order to balance the books this summer, which would surely frustrate the Rangers boss.

In other news… Rangers dealt transfer blow with “exceptionally good” beast, Gerrard must be gutted

Midlands journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa have signed the trio of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings to replace the output of Jack Grealish.

Grealish has become the most expensive English player of all time by moving to Manchester City for a fee of £100m.

Villa have subsequently been aggressive in the transfer market and have brought in a number of new additions.

Per Transfermarkt, Buendia has arrived from Norwich City for just over £34.5m, while Bailey has signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £28.8m, and Ings has come in from Southampton for £31.6m.

In addition to those three, Villa have also signed Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United and brought in Ashley Young on a free transfer from Inter Milan.

Hatfield believes that the attacking trio have come in as the direct replacements for Grealish, as the club did not expect to be able to replace the England international with just one player.

Last season, Grealish scored seven goals in all competitions and also laid on 12 assists.

Hatfield said: “It’s interesting. When a lot of people saw that Villa were in for Bailey, I think a lot of people outside the club put two and two together and just figured it was going to be a Jack Grealish replacement.

“Christian Purslow has come out and said that you couldn’t replace Grealish with just one player, and he’s been quite vocal in that.

“It’s very much that Buendia, Bailey and Danny Ings have all come in as a joint replacement for Grealish because you can’t replace such a quality player with one player on his own.”

Cricket Australia has taken a major step towards hosting Test matches at night after being assured that it is possible to develop suitable balls that will replicate the performance of the traditional red balls

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2008
Cricket Australia’s Peter Young with a traditional red ball © Getty Images
Cricket Australia has taken a major step towards hosting Test matches at night after being assured that it is possible to develop suitable balls that will replicate the performance of the traditional red balls. Australia have been keen on the idea of day-night Tests for some time, although the major sticking point was finding a ball that could be used for 80 overs and retain its characteristics and visibility under lights.In July, Cricket Australia asked Australia’s national government body for scientific research, the CSIRO, to discover whether such a ball could be developed. The CSIRO has now come up with an assurance that it can be done.”The CSIRO has told us it is absolutely possible to deliver a ball that replicates, at all times, the performance of the red ball,” Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s spokesman, told the . “They’re developing a system where cricket balls can be tested – a cricketing version of the Australian Standards Association – so we know for sure these balls are Test standard.”During the 1990s Australia trialled day-night Sheffield Shield matches but could not settle on what colour ball was most suitable. Yellow balls were used for two seasons before being replaced by orange ones, but batsmen complained both types were hard to see, scuffed too easily and behaved differently to the traditional red balls.The white balls used in one-day international cricket also behave in a slightly different manner to red balls and, in any case, would be unsuitable for matches where the players wear white. Pink balls have been tested in England and may yet be the most feasible option.Whatever the CSIRO’s outcome, Cricket Australia remains committed to pursuing night Test matches. The ICC and the other Test nations would need to approve such a move but Cricket Australia is confident that fans would prefer to watch matches with an afternoon start time.”Whatever sport you look at – cricket in the shorter forms of the game, football in any of its forms, tennis, even basketball and baseball in the northern hemisphere – the world is saying: ‘We want to watch these events at night’,” Young said. “Strategically, we need to take note of that.”This meeting with the CSIRO has been a significant first step. Some people would obviously be disappointed if we went down this path, certainly the absolute purists. But there were similar reservations when limited-overs cricket first came along.”