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A feast of runs in the sunshine at Lord’s produced a magnificent seventh wicket partnership, which ended just one short of a double century, took Nottinghamshire to 409 for eight at stumps.In the process, Kevin Pietersen reached an unbeaten maiden first-class century and his stand with Paul Franks broke the seventh wicket record of 177 for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex which had stood since 1885.Franks, who hit his first half-century of the season fell fifteen short of what would also have been a maiden first-class hundred. He was dismissed straight after the second new ball was taken by Tim Bloomfield who trapped him leg before wicket and then with the next ball brought about a similar dismissal of Andy Harris and Nottinghamshire were 390 for eight.Franks played with ease and confidence as the innings progressed and he hit so freely that in one over from off spinner Paul Weekes he took four boundaries.But the day belonged to the six-foot-four-inch tall, South Africa born Pietersen whose entertaining, unbeaten innings of 135 lasted over four hours and containined eighteen boundaries and two sixes. With his unblemished, 187-ball innings, he brought great comfort to Nottinghamshire who were beginning to struggle on 134 for four when he came to the crease.He settled into fluent strokeplay quickly and used his feet well against the two spinners and took advantage of the short boundary on the mound stand side of the ground. His timing was perfect in his cuts and he drove elegantly on either side of the wicket. The finest shot of his innings was when he came down the wicket to drive Phil Tufnell to the extra-cover boundary.Middlesex pace bowler, James Hewitt, brought into the side in the absence of their injured captain Angus Fraser, had earlier struck twice after Nottinghamshire had elected to bat.After half-an-hour’s play the visitors were 38 for two with Hewitt claiming the wickets in his fourth and eighth overs. Guy Welton was the first to go, pushing off the back foot to be caught in the cover.Hewitt then removed Greg Blewett who mistimed his pull and top-edged to square leg for 12. But a third wicket partnership, between left-handers Darren Bicknell and Usman Afzaal which brought the hundred up on the board in the twenty eighth over and seemed to be developing so well, was broken three overs before lunch.Bicknell, having faced 96 balls and hitting five boundaries, was caught at slip from a top edge as he attempted to sweep. He had scored 38 and Nottinghamshire were 106 for three. After lunch Middlesex claimed three more wickets.Hewitt took his third having Afzaal caught at second slip for 43 and with the next two falling cheaply, Nottinghamshire had lost three wickets in a space of an hour to be reduced to 191 for six before Pietersen and Franks took charge dominated the play.

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has defended Everton winger Anthony Gordon after the Toffees’ embarrassing display against Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Poor performances

Apart from their all four of their other Premier League games with the ex-Chelsea man in charge.

However, Monday night’s display against Tottenham was the worst of the lot, with a number of extremely poor performances taking place.

As per statistical experts SofaScore, Everton’s average rating across the team was 6.16, a monumental difference when compared with Spurs’ 7.41. The Toffees even had four players rated below a six, with Jordan Pickford on the receiving end of a very poor 4.9 rating.

The Latest: Boyland defends Gordon

One of the only positives for Lampard was Anthony Gordon, due to the determination he put in throughout. The 21-year-old had an 84% pass completion rate and made four successful dribble attempts, whilst winning an enormous 12 ground duels (via SofaScore).

Taking to Twitter, Boyland defended Gordon after the game, who was pictured clapping to the away crowd.

“Gordon goes over to clap the remaining Everton fans, gets applause back. Deserves that for the effort he put in. Raises his hand up apologetically and then limps off. Wasn’t on him”

The Verdict: Deserves more?

At just 21 years old, Gordon has played a substantial part in Everton’s season. He has made 22 Premier League appearances, 14 of which came in the starting XI.

When compared with some of the dire performances in the Spurs game, it was evident that Gordon deserved better around him, as a number of players seemingly looked disinterested after the first few goals went flying in.

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This isn’t the first time the winger has been singled out for praise. When Everton drew 1-1 with Manchester United in October, former Toffees attacker James McFadden hailed the youngster’s display as “sensational”.

Thus, if this pattern continues to occur, it would not be surprising to see transfer news arise, especially if Everton get relegated this season.

In other news: Everton: Pickford, Coleman and Keane’s nightmare performances vs Spurs

	See you in the ICL: Michael Kasprowicz has signed with the unofficial league © Getty Images

Three former Australian Test players, Damien Martyn, Michael Kasprowicz and Matthew Elliott, have signed up with the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL). Kasprowicz, the fast bowler, and Elliott, the opening batsman, retired from the game in Australia earlier this month while Martyn has not played since walking away during the 2006-07 Ashes.Martyn had reportedly joined the ICL ahead of its inaugural tournament, but didn’t take part when it was held late last year. “These high-stature Australian cricketers will definitely boost the quality of cricket and strengthen the teams, making the league showcase competitive cricket,” Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL, said. “It will provide our young domestic players the challenge to test their skills with some of the best exponents of the game, thus fulfilling one of the key objectives of ICL.”Elliott had indicated he would join the ICL when deciding to stand down at South Australia. “I’m thinking about it,” Elliott said. “It’s more about what’s best for me after my cricket career.”The three will join fellow Australians Stuart Law and Ian Harvey in the league, while Michael Bevan and Steve Rixon are in charge of the Chennai and Hyderabad teams. Jimmy Maher, who will play his last game for Queensland from Friday, and Jason Gillespie, who is expected to retire in the next couple of weeks, are also expected to be chased by the ICL. Any Australians who play in the unofficial Twenty20 event are banned from taking part in domestic competitions at home.

Michael Vaughan knows how important the match against South Africa has become. ‘It’s a great opportunity to raise our levels.’ © Getty Images

Even two months ago, the idea that South Africa, one-day cricket’s upwardly mobile force, might have to face off with England for a semi-final spot would have been considered preposterous, but after indifferent campaigns for both, Tuesday’s encounter at the Kensington Oval does have a winner-takes-all feel to it.On paper, it should be a no contest, with South Africa having won 33 of their last 50 one-day games, despite an indifferent start to this competition. The corresponding figure for England is a measly 19, and prior to the four-match winning streak that won them the CB Series in Australia, they had eked out six wins in 25 games.Michael Vaughan wasn’t part of that improbable triumph in Australia and, since his return, England have lapsed back into their old ways, losing to New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka, and just about inching past a meagre Bangladesh total of 143.Vaughan’s form has mirrored that of the team, with 113 runs from seven games, and apart from Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Paul Nixon, no batsman has shown a semblance of consistency. Vaughan though wasn’t about to dwell on the negatives. “It’s a great opportunity to raise our levels,” he said. “It’s a game that could take us to the semi-finals, which will be a great feat for an England side.”We’re a side that can turn up and produce on the day. We did it in the CB Series when we were down and out and it’s because we have players who enjoy big games, pressure situations and big crowds. They have been similar to us in many ways. They’ve played well at times and not so well other times. It’s the biggest match of the World Cup.”One of the clutch players he was talking about was Andrew Flintoff, struggling with a chest infection since Antigua. Vaughan though dismissed suggestions that Flintoff, in the World Cup news for all the wrong pedalo reasons, might be running on empty. “I don’t think so. I still think he’s got a performance in him.”England’s pace bowlers enjoyed the extra bounce at the Kensington Oval when they played Bangladesh, and an unchanged side is likely to step onto the park on Tuesday. Having said that, the pitch subsequently used for Bangladesh’s game against Ireland was rather different in nature. Whichever captain wins the toss faces a tricky decision, though South Africa, who lack a quality spinner, will almost certainly wish to bowl first.”It’s a tricky one,” said Vaughan, who had little hesitation in unleashing his fast bowlers against Bangladesh. “I would like to win it. In one-day cricket, if you can win the toss and the team’s happy doing what they have talked about, you always think you’re one up.”

Kevin Pietersen renews his battles with South Africa, two years after first facing them © Getty Images

Given the packed schedules that you see in international cricket, it’s quite surprising that these two sides haven’t met for over two years now. Then, South Africa clinched a seven-match series 4-1 on home soil – one game was tied – with Justin Kemp’s swashbuckling hitting providing a lot of the impetus despite three centuries from Pietersen in his debut series.With Pietersen having left behind his KwaZulu-Natal roots to go and qualify for England, there was plenty of needle in that series. Vaughan, however, wasn’t about to heighten the tension surrounding the game with any incendiary comments of his own. “Cricket’s a tough sport and when you have 11 guys out there, it can get a little fiery,” he said. “But it’s nothing that gets too personal, just a bit of banter.”England won five of their first six games against South Africa, including both encounters at the 1992 World Cup, but South Africa have emerged victorious in the two World Cup games since. That said, it’s hard to think of South Africa in relation to this competition without thinking of the C word – Chokers – but Vaughan didn’t go down the Australian route and attempt to pray on those insecurities.”I don’t think you can say we have handled it better than South Africa but yes, we have handled it well,” he said, when asked about pressure situations. “We’ve been in such situations before and we know we can come out of them.”His opposite number, Graeme Smith, has been amongst the runs, but also in the news for all the wrong reasons. His abrasive demeanour has rubbed several opponents the wrong way, but Vaughan played down any suggestions of bad blood. “I have no issue with him,” he said. “He’s an excellent captain, the leader of his team. I have a lot of respect for him.”Despite their underwhelming performances on the pitch and the drink-related problems off it, England know that they’re just two good games away from a place in the last four, something that they haven’t managed since Ian Botham and his mullet were still around.”We’re realistic of what we can achieve,” said Vaughan. “If you had told me before the World Cup that we would have one game [actually two] to get to the semifinal, I would have taken it.”

Sajid Mahmood: on the verge of Test selection? © Getty Images

Sajid Mahmood has been withdrawn from England A’s match against the Sri Lankans at Thursday, along with the injured Chris Tremlett, as England prepare to shuffle their fast-bowling pack ahead of the first Test at Lord’s on May 11.Yesterday’s injuries to Simon Jones and James Anderson have thrown England’s Test preparations into a now-familiar disarray. With Steve Harmison already out of the equation, there is a distinct possibility that Mahmood, who featured in England’s recent one-day series in India, will be named in the Test squad on Sunday, alongside Durham’s Liam Plunkett.”You can read what you want into [the decision],” said England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney. “Mahmood will play for Lancashire, because they have a Championship game this week, and the same would have happened with Plunkett, but Durham aren’t playing in this latest round.”Graveney added that it would be “very surprising” if England didn’t play a spinner for the first Test, perhaps mindful of the corresponding fixture four years ago, when Sri Lanka posted a total of 500-plus in conditions that were more akin to St John’s, Antigua, than St John’s Wood.That spinner, however, is unlikely to be Ian Blackwell, who has suffered a back spasm, and is a doubt for Somerset’s championship clash with Northants tomorrow. Graveney added that anyone who is not deemed fit enough to compete in a first-class fixture this week will be ruled out of the Test selection. With that in mind, it comes down to a straight shoot-out between Shaun Udal and Monty Panesar.In the absence of Mahmood and Tremlett, who has suffered an ankle injury to add to the knee problems that beset his pre-season, Gloucestershire’s Jon Lewis and the young Leicestershire prospect, Stuart Broad, have been added to the England A squad for the four-day match at New Road.”Lewis and Broad have both shown fine early season form for their counties,” added Graveney, “and I am sure they will be keen to make the most of this opportunity against Sri Lanka.”Possible squad Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wk), Shaun Udal/Monty Panesar, Matthew Hoggard, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood.

Ian Bell: good form won him selection © Getty Images

Warwickshire’s Ian Bell has been preferred to Robert Key and Kevin Pietersen in the England squad for the series opener against Bangladesh at Lord’s on Thursday week.Bell’s early season form – he has scored 482 runs at over 80 so far in the Championship – meant that the much-hyped Pietersen missed out. And David Graveney, England’s head of selection, greeted the questions about Pietersen with an air of weary inevitability. “Kevin has received a lot of media attention and we had to make a choice between him and Graham Thorpe … Graham did well last time out and is our most experienced player and we hope he’ll recover from injury in time to win his 99th Test cap.”””I don’t think I could have done any more in terms of the amount of runs I have scored,” Bell explained. “It still came as a surprise. After all, Rob Key was the man in possession and he’s had a decent start to the season, while Kevin did fantastically well in the one-dayers in South Africa, so it was never straightforward.”Jon Lewis, Gloucestershire’s fast bowler, could make his debut after a good start to the season (he has taken 18 wickets at 22.55) and was preferred to the centrally-contracted James Anderson. Whether Lewis plays seems to depend on whether Simon Jones can recover from a back injury.England squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Graham Thorpe, Ian Bell, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wk), Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones, Jon Lewis.

Nathan Bracken: one more injured Australian fast bowler © AFP

A hip injury has ruled Nathan Bracken out of Australia’s squad for the opening VB Series game against India on Friday. Bracken strained a muscle in his left hip while fielding in the last Test against India at Sydney. He was replaced by Brad Williams in the 13-man squad for the first few matches of the series, according to AAP, an Australian news agency.Bracken, who played 14 games over a period of three years, commented: “Obviously I am disappointed … I am hopeful that the injury can heal quickly.”He’s in luck. The official line was that it wasn’t a bad injury. “It is not a major injury,” said Errol Alcott, Australia’s physiotherapist. “We’re confident that he will improve quickly.”Bracken’s injury followed in the wake of a spate of injuries that have plagued Australia’s fast bowlers recently. In the last year, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, and now Bracken, have found themselves out of the team due to injury. Glenn McGrath, Australia’s leading fast bowler, has not bowled a ball in international cricket since July, following ankle surgery.

MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP – Shane Warne today said he would do everything he could to recover in time for next year’s cricket World Cup.Warne today made his first appearance since yesterday’s surgery on his dislocated shoulder.He said he was still groggy and grumpy after his operation and disappointed at his latest setback.”All I know is I’m going to give it my best shot to try and get it right as quick as I can,” he said.”Hopefully that’ll give me enough time for the World Cup. If it’s not then so be it.”I’m pretty disappointed at the moment, things were going really well.”Over the last few years I’ve struggled to get back to full fitness. I’ve been on a fitness campaign the last 12 months and been as fit as I’ve ever been, and bowling probably better than I ever have.”After all the injuries that I’ve had, the shoulder, the finger, it’s pretty disappointing to have what happened to me the other night.”But I think I’ve shown a fair bit of courage … and that’s something I’ll have to face now.”Warne said he had had little time to think about his career since dislocating his shoulder against England on Sunday night.”I’ve been asleep for the last 24 hours so I’ve barely had a chance to think about anything just yet,” he said.Warne said he was in a lot of pain when he injured his shoulder and could feel the bone sticking out.He said his only thoughts were about getting off the ground and have the shoulder popped back into place.He said he felt yesterday’s surgery had gone well.But he was aware of the need to recover fully rather than rush back.”If I come back too soon and I am not 100 per cent, that won’t do anyone any good,” he said.Warne said he would be guided by specialist Greg Hoy and team physiotherapist Errol Alcott about when was the best time to return

With the help of a timely unbeaten half century by SS Raul, Orissaplaced themselves in the safety zone when they ended the second day at147 for 2 in reply to Bihar’s first innings score of 292 in their EastZone Ranji Trophy match at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur on Monday.Resuming at the overnight score of 190 for 6, Bihar’s Dhoni (39) andVikash Kumar (20) put on 45 runs for the seventh wicket. Thereafterthe other two lower order batsmen M Diwakar (25) and Shahid Khan (21)helped the score along to 292. Debasish Mohanty (3 for 41) and Barick(3 for 97) were the successful bowlers for Orissa.The Orissa openers BBCC Mahapatra (25) and P Das (39 not out) gave agood start for the visitors, adding 36 runs in just 7.3 overs.Mahapatra was the first to be dismissed when he was trapped leg beforeto Dhiraj Kumar. Then P Mullick (20) joined Das to take the score to63. Mullick fell in the 21st over for a catch to rajiv Kumar offDhiraj. The fall of Mullick brought SS Raul (51) to the crease and heaccompanied Das to the close of play. Orissa still need to go a longway, traling by 145 runs with eight of their wickets intact.

Following a season in which Ivan Toney scored 26 goals and registered seven assists over 39 appearances in all competitions, Celtic’s interest in signing the centre-forward in the summer of 2020 would not have come as a surprise to many.

Indeed, the Bhoys were reported to have had a £5m bid rejected for the then Peterborough United striker, with the Posh holding out for a figure closer to the £10m mark in order to part with the hitman.

And, while Celtic were dithering, Brentford stepped in with a bid of an initial £6.5m – rising to £10m with add ons – for the striker, which the League One side swiftly accepted, seeing Toney sign a five-year deal with the Bees.

Speaking about the Bhoys’ interest in his services back in 2021, Toney revealed just how close he came to making a switch to Parkhead, stating: “Yeah, that was close. I spoke to a few people there and I spoke to the manager, but just couldn’t get a deal over the line.”

Instead, Celtic opted for a £5m swoop for West Ham United’s Albian Ajeti, a player who is already being linked with a move away from Glasgow after scoring just nine goals in 48 appearances for the Hoops.

Meanwhile, Toney has flourished at Brentford, scoring 33 goals and providing ten assists over promotion-winning Championship campaign last season, and having bagged nine goals and registered two assists over 23 Premier League outings this term.

So impressive has the £31k-per-week forward been that the likes of Everton and Chelsea are believed to have taken an interest in the £28.8m-rated hitman, with the Peterborough United chairman, Barry Fry, suggesting that Brentford could demand a figure of up to £50m in order to part with the 25-year-old.

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As such, considering the contrasting trajectories of Toney and Ajeti, in addition to just how close Celtic came to signing the former, it is clear to see that Peter Lawwell and the Bhoys had a nightmare when failing to pull the trigger on the centre-forward who Fry dubbed a “revelation” – a decision that has quite evidently cost Celtic dearly.

In other news: Ange could unearth Celtic’s next Ajer in 18 y/o “complete leader” who “nothing fazes”