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Lisa Sthalekar will appear in her 13th consecutive Women’s National Cricket League final when New South Wales chase their fifth consecutive title

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2010Lisa Sthalekar will appear in her 13th consecutive Women’s National Cricket League final when New South Wales chase their fifth consecutive title against Victoria at the MCG on Saturday. Sthalekar is the most capped player in the history of the competition and will be a key figure as the Breakers attempt to hit back from their 52-run defeat in the Twenty20 decider in Adelaide last weekend.”We didn’t play to our potential in the final and were outplayed by Victoria,” the coach Richard Bates said. “By Saturday we’ll have had seven days to turn things around and we’ll make sure that we are up for another tough match. We have a very strong team who have been playing some very good cricket over the last month. The players have a lot of faith in each other and are confident heading into this match.”Victoria have retained the 12 that secured top spot on the ladder after the regular rounds. The Spirit are looking for two trophies in a week, but they have not won the 50-over competition since 2004-05. However, the win last Saturday took them to three victories in four matches against New South Wales this summer.”We already had a lot of belief, but winning the Twenty20 final reinforced it – it proves to the girls what they’re capable of,” Victoria’s coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve got a balanced bowling attack, a strong batting line-up and the best thing is that everyone contributes and chips in when they need to.”New South Wales squad Lisa Sthalekar (capt), Alex Blackwell, Sarah Aley, Sarah Andrews, Kate Blackwell, Sarah Coyte, Alyssa Healy, Sharon Millanta, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Angela Reakes.Victoria squad Rachael Haynes (capt), Emma Inglis, Kelly Applebee, Kristen Beams, Briana Binch, Jess Cameron, Sarah Elliott, Naomi Fullwood, Julie Hunter, Renee Melton, Clea Smith, Elyse Villani.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Manchester United gem Jesse Lingard, regarding a huge call on his future…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the England international wants to fight for his spot at Old Trafford under Ralf Rangnick and does not want to leave midway through the campaign.

The report claims that the Magpies will now not be pursuing a deal for him in the January transfer window following on from his decision.

Reignition

Although this update now appears to rule out the possibility of him arriving at St. James’ Park next month, Newcastle must reignite their interest and attempt to persuade him to change his mind.

The attacking midfielder has only played eight minutes of football in the Premier League this season, yet has more goals (two) than every Newcastle player aside of Allan Saint-Maximin (three) and Callum Wilson (six). This not only highlights the United man’s knack for scoring goals but also shows how much the Magpies have struggled at the top end of the pitch.

Lingard also scored nine goals and provided four assists in 16 games on loan to West Ham in the top-flight last season, with Toon legend Alan Shearer hailing him as “stunning”. This further emphasises the point that he knows how to score at this level and that is why he could have been an exciting signing for Howe’s team.

Red Devils coach Michael Carrick previously went out of his way to laud the Englishman. He said:

“I think his movement is excellent. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against.

“He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

The £80k-per-week gem is a proven Premier League player and supporters will be frustrated that the chances of him joining their team have all but diminished before the transfer window has even opened.

This, along with his goalscoring quality, is why Nick Hammond and Howe must do all they can to bring him to Tyneside before February – reigniting their interest in him and prising the forward away from Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Hammond could seal instant NUFC masterclass by signing “outstanding” £15m “animal”…

Spinners Richard Dawson and Aaron Redmond played key roles as Gloucestershire gained only their third Friends Provident t20 win at the expense of Middlesex at Bristol

27-Jun-2010
ScorecardSpinners Richard Dawson and Aaron Redmond played key roles as Gloucestershire gained only their third Friends Provident t20 win at the expense of Middlesex at Bristol.The home side posted 153 for 6 after losing the toss, Hamish Marshall making 52 not out and Alex Gidman 42. There were two wickets each for Pedro Collins and Tim Murtagh. Middlesex looked favourites until Dawson (2 for 20) and Redmond (1 for 26) bowled eight tight overs of spin in mid-innings, helping to restrict the visitors to 149 for 7 and give their side victory by four runs.Dawid Malan hit 44 off 39 balls, with five fours, but lacked support in a disappointing Middlesex batting effort. They needed 12 off the last over, but Steve Kirby bowled Malan with the first delivery and then kept the ball full to ensure there were no boundaries.David Payne claimed 2 for 38 on his t20 debut, while leg-spinner Redmond’s dismissal of Josh Davey was the first wicket since joining Gloucestershire for the remainder of the competition last week.Earlier, the Gladiators had lost openers Will Porterfield and Redmond with only 24 runs on the board. Porterfield pulled a catch to deep midwicket off Collins and Redmond was caught behind driving at Tyrone Henderson.It was 44 for 3 when James Franklin, on 22, overstretched to a delivery from Neil Dexter and was stumped by Ben Scott. Marshall survived a caught and bowled chance to Tom Smith on 10 and went on to share a fourth-wicket stand of 94 with skipper Gidman, who hit sixes off Smith and Murtagh in his 33-ball innings before being caught at long-on.Marshall reached his half-century off 38 balls, with two fours and a six, but Dawson and Kadeer Ali perished in the bid for quick end-of-innings runs and Murtagh produced a tight last over.Defeat cost Middlesex the chance of joining the clubs on 10 points in the South Division, while the result took Gloucestershire to six points from 10 games and just about kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive.

Former Leeds man and pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to Rodrigo’s heel injury, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Rodrigo’s injury

Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with a number of injury problems throughout the season, with Rodrigo’s one of the latest.

The Whites forward, labelled as ‘brilliant’ by Patrick Bamford, is currently out with a heel problem.

He joins the likes of Bamford, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Kalvin Phillips and Robin Koch on the sidelines, with Leeds suffering a heavy 7-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

We first officially learned of Rodrigo’s heel issue prior to the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, and Whelan has been giving his thoughts to the Spaniard’s setback.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who regularly contributes for BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to Football Insider on Rodrigo’s problem.

This is what the former Whites man had to say, labelling it as a ‘freak injury’.

“You’re looking at one of these kinds of injuries where it’s an unknown.

 “It’s a very crucial part for a football player, absolutely. It’s one of those where you don’t have much protection around it. Whatever you feel, it’s very raw and very sore. You feel all of it.

“We’re getting these kinds of injuries, these kinds of freak injuries to key players. This again is a really frustrating problem to have because we can’t choose the best players we have.

“Rodrigo, he’s not getting that kind of pathway where he’s getting a lot of games underneath his belt. Getting that continuity with the players, that consistency of performance and games.

“It’s another setback. Whether he can go out there and deal with the pain, I know back in the day, we used to. Whether they would chance that I’m not so sure. Probably not.”

The Verdict: When will it end?

Bielsa’s side find themselves in a relegation battle and have won just three of their 17 league games so far this season. Injuries have certainly contributed to that poor form, with Bielsa preferring a smaller squad and hardly having a fully fit group to choose from all season.

That has come back to haunt him in recent weeks, though, with eight of the nine substitutes at the Etihad regularly featuring for the Under-23’s, proving exactly how desperate the current situation is.

Jamie Shackleton may be the latest causality after hobbling off against Pep Guardiola’s side, and the injury issues aren’t show any signs of slowing up as we enter the busiest period of the season.

In other news: Leeds now back in for summer target who is ‘like a beast’ – reliable journalist. 

Chris Gayle, the former West Indies captain, has reiterated his support for his successor Darren Sammy, as West Indies embark on a challenging tour of Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2010Chris Gayle, the former West Indies captain, has reiterated his support for his successor, Darren Sammy, as West Indies embark on a challenging tour of Sri Lanka. Gayle and some of his team-mates left for Sri Lanka on Thursday, while the remainder of the squad would fly out on Friday.Sammy, who has played only eight Tests and wasn’t a regular member of the Test team, was handed the captaincy after Gayle, as well Dwayne Bravo, turned down his central contract. Bravo was replaced by Brendan Nash as the team’s vice-captain.”It will be a new role for Sammy. I wish him all the best and we will all be there to rally around him and give him the necessary support,” Gayle said. “He is the one who will have to take charge and lead from the front and we all know he is capable. We are all there to try and guide and help him.”The West Indies squad trained in Barbados as preparation for the Sri Lanka trip and Gayle said he was “feeling good” and “hitting the ball really well”. “I hit a lot of balls in the camp and I’m looking forward to the tour,” he said. “We are looking to have a winning tour. The preparations went really well and you could see everyone putting in the hard work. It will be different conditions to what we are accustomed to. We have a three-day warm-up game to get acclimatised and take it from there.”West Indies will play three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international on the Sri Lanka tour, which begins with a warm-up match at the SSC in Colombo on November 10.

Despite sitting in third place in the Championship table, West Brom have only managed to score 29 goals in their 21 games so far this season, fewer than any other club in the top five places in the league table.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is on the horizon, the Midlands club could perhaps explore the possibility of bringing in a player that could guarantee them goals going forward and push them to promotion by the end of the campaign.

One potential candidate that fits this criterion that would be a familiar face to a lot of West Brom fans is Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle.

The Toon attacker has been linked with a potential January move to The Hawthorns next month to help add a bit of experience and goalscoring talent to Valerien Ismael’s squad.

During his time with West Brom, Gayle managed to score 24 goals and provide eight assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.

Throughout his career, the 32-year-old has managed to rack up a total of 59 goals and 16 assists in 100 Championship games, showing the sort of experience he could offer the team.

Also, with summer loan signing Jordan Hugill only managing to score one goal in the league so far this season and reportedly set to return to his parent club Norwich City in January, this could pave the way for Gayle to slot into the squad and potentially fire them to promotion.

Even though Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has recently claimed that Gayle is in his plans for the future at St. James’ Park, West Brom should definitely explore the possibility of signing him on loan in January. After all, the promise of regular game time could be huge considering he’s only made three substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season and none since Howe took over.

Having previously been described as an “invaluable” player in the past regarding his goalscoring ability by former Magpies boss Steve Bruce, it seems that he has been anything but invaluable to them this season, which could work in West Brom’s favour if they do approach him in January.

In other news: Valerien Ismael could be sacked before Christmas

The IPL has fined Mumbai Indians for maintaining a slow over-rate during their win against Kings XI Punjab at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff31-Mar-2010The IPL has fined Mumbai Indians for maintaining a slow over-rate during their win against Kings XI Punjab at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday. This was the second instance of Mumbai failing to bowl their full quota of overs within the stipulated time; in the event of a third offence, their captain Sachin Tendulkar could face a ban.At the end of the match, Mumbai were assessed to be one over behind the required rate after allowances were taken into consideration. Tendulkar was fined US$40,000 while each of the other players in the team was penalised US$10,000.Right through the tournament, the IPL has come down hard on captains for shoddy over-rates. After the first three games of the 2010 season, four captains – Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Sangakkara – were fined $20,000 each because their teams were not able to complete their overs on time. Sangakkara was subsequently banned for one game after Punjab were found guilty of not bowling their overs in time during their defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, their third offence.

Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee are not guaranteed to earn recalls for Wrexham against Gillingham, with Phil Parkinson sounding a selection warning.

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Red Dragons looking to rotateBoast strength in depthPiecing together promotion bidWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have looked to rest and rotate over recent weeks in a bid to keep key men fresh and avoid picking up any more untimely injuries. Prolific frontman Mullin has spent time on the bench, and he was joined by 14-goal midfielder Lee last time out at MK Dons.

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Ollie Palmer, another favourite of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has also spent time among the substitutes, with Parkinson making it clear that nobody will be picked on reputation or past achievements.

WHAT PARKINSON SAID

That remains the case heading forward, with Parkinson saying of the depth at his disposal and the starting XI posers that he faces: “The squad is important and we will just keep looking at that, and freshen it up if we feel we need to. We might go with pretty much the same 11 but we just want to assess everybody. I was pleased with the team selection and how it worked against MK Dons but when you look around the bench, you think 'wow, that is some ammunition to come off the bench'. We wanted to freshen the team up but I felt fresh legs from the bench would be key. The plan felt like it was going to fall into place for us but the Will Boyle sending off just made it more difficult.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham are in the midst of a run that will see them take in three successive away games, with a trip to Forest Green Rovers to come on the back of a visit to Gillingham. While they boast the best home record in League Two, their form on the road has been surprisingly inconsistent – with only five wins picked up in 16 games – and Parkinson will want to address that in an ongoing promotion bid.

With the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Australia could be in need of a seasoned specialist batsman, and David Hussey, at 35, could fit that role

Brydon Coverdale31-Dec-2012Just as Mark Waugh’s Test debut came at the expense of his brother Steve, David Hussey is now dreaming of a possible baggy green call-up, thanks to the retirement of his brother Michael. The chances might be slim, given that he is 35 and has struggled for Sheffield Shield form this summer, but Hussey knows that the gaping hole left by the departures of his brother and Ricky Ponting could send Australia’s selectors in search of a veteran.Usman Khawaja is the most likely man to be given a chance at No.6 for the upcoming tours of India and England, but the coach Mickey Arthur has conceded that the unexpected departure of Hussey could force a rethink in the way the selectors approach their task. Without naming names, Arthur has raised the possibility of looking to an older, wiser head with Australia facing such a busy year of Test cricket.”When you have Ponting, Hussey and Clarke, it was all about injecting some youth into our side,” Arthur told the . “The ground rules have changed now because we’ve lost a massive amount of experience. That’s why we need to sit down and chat. Is it another experienced player, or are we happy to go with a young gun? There’s a lot of guys who come under consideration now.”With Test matches in India and England, we’ve got to sit down [and ask], ‘Do we want to have a look at a guy who is a proven run-scorer, who has the right stats both in Australia and outside of Australia and can get hundreds’?”If the selectors do go for experience abroad and a proven century-maker, David Hussey would be a leading candidate, while another option would be bringing the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin back as a specialist batsman. Chris Rogers falls into the same category, but as a specialist opener, he would be the fifth such man in the Australian line-up, alongside Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson.Hussey has 12,459 first-class runs to his name at an average of 53.70 and he has plenty of experience in England, having piled up runs for Nottinghamshire over the years. The first Ashes Test is scheduled for Trent Bridge, the Nottinghamshire home ground, and a venue where Hussey has made 3353 first-class runs at 76.20, including a remarkable 15 centuries.Statistically, Hussey has done enough over his career to warrant selection. He has made centuries in 15.89% of his first-class innings, a higher percentage than any of his rivals for the Test position, and higher even than Michael Clarke, whose figure is 14.23%. By comparison, Khawaja scores a ton 10.6% of the time, Alex Doolan 7.93%, Rob Quiney 7.5%, George Bailey 9.03%, Rogers 13.93% and Haddin 6.14%.However, his form this summer has been disappointing: in seven first-class innings this summer he is yet to pass fifty. If he was to debut at 35, he would also be the oldest specialist batsman to make his Test debut for Australia since Ken Eastwood, who played one Test in 1971 at the age of 35. Hussey said he hoped his age would not be held against him.”I desperately want to play Test cricket and I haven’t had the opportunity,” Hussey said. “I think Michael Clarke always says that age is no barrier. If you’re making runs at 17 or making runs at 45, you’re still going to be in the frame for selection. My advantage is I’ve played for a long time, I know my game pretty well, I’ve made a lot of first-class runs. Allegedly I’m a very good player of spin, so I’d love to prove myself against the Indians.”Hussey’s best chance to impress the selectors with current form and remind them of his credentials will come in the second half of the Sheffield Shield season, which begins in late January, after the completion of the Big Bash League.

Sunderland are back in action on Wednesday evening with a clash against League Two club Oldham Athletic in the Papa John’s Trophy.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Sunderland manager Lee Johnson could pick to take on Oldham, one individual that started their previous league game against Cambridge United at the weekend that should be in the team once again on this occasion is Nathan Broadhead.

Given the worrying number of defensive injuries Sunderland have at the moment, it’s safe to say that Johnson will have some thinking to do about who he plays at the back in midweek.

However, with Broadhead managing to grab a goal against Cambridge, Johnson should have no doubts about including him in the team to face Oldham, leaving one less issue for him to worry about.

In the clash last weekend, as well as scoring Sunderland’s second goal of the game, Broadhead managed to make himself a real nuisance for Cambridge by having a total of three shots at goal, making two key passes and proving himself as a useful defensive figure by making one clearance and two tackles as well.

This performance earned the on-loan attacker an overall match rating of 7.1/10, making him their second-highest rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

Since joining the Wearside club on a season-long loan deal from Premier League club Everton, the 23-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £2.9k-per-week has made 11 appearances for the Black Cats across all competitions, trying his hand at different attacking positions in the process.

Even though Ross Stewart managed to earn a higher match rating (7.4/10) than Broadhead at the weekend, the fact that Oldham are in League Two could persuade Johnson to give Stewart a rest ahead of their next league game against Oxford United. That would allow Broadhead to prove himself once again in a game where he could terrify the opposition with his offensive abilities.

The Everton youngster’s clear talents across the pitch in an attacking and defensive sense could make him a terrifying prospect for Oldham’s players to come up against if he’s in the right mood.

In other news: Johnson must seal Sunderland swoop for “aggressive” £1.8m-rated beast – opinion