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The England women’s selectors have stuck with the tried, tested and successful to name an unchanged squad for Australia’s forthcoming tour

Cricinfo staff22-Jun-2009The England women’s selectors have stuck with the tried, tested and successful to name an unchanged squad for Australia’s forthcoming tour.England, who lifted the ICC World Twenty20 trophy yesterday – adding to their World Cup victory in March – are riding high and now take on their old rivals Australia. The series gets underway with a Twenty20 at Derby on June 5, followed by five one-day internationals before the tour concludes with the four-day Women’s Ashes Test, at New Road, on July 10.”In winning the ICC Women’s World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 in the space of three months, this England team have shown that they are a world-class side, so the squad to face Australia in June and July is unsurprisingly largely unchanged,” said Clare Connor, the ECB head of women’s cricket. “Anya Shrubsole continues to undergo rehab for her back injury so Danielle Hazell retains her place in the squad.”Confident though England undoubtedly are, Australia always present a tough challenge. Only a sensational innings from Claire Taylor, one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year, helped England defeat Australia in a thrilling run-chase to reach the final of the ICC World Twenty20″The experience of winning a World Cup and the inaugural World Twenty20 has been sensational. What would top it off would be retaining the coveted Ashes,” said Mark Lane, the England coach. “Australia [have] always been a fierce rival and this was proved in the recent semi-final of the Twenty20 where the two teams fought tooth and nail in a high-scoring, entertaining game of cricket. We are expecting an intense summer of cricket.”England women’s squad
Charlotte Edwards (capt), Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Nicola Shaw, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor

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Após a derrota para o Vasco por 2 a 1, em plena Independência, o elenco do Atlético-MG saiu vaiado pela torcida, aos gritos de “time sem vergonha”. O lateral-esquerdo Fábio Santos não concordou com os questionamentos dos torcedores e disse que os companheiros sentiram os desgastes físicos no decorrer do jogo.

– Vergonha, não. Estamos saindo de campo todo arrebentado. Falta de vontade não é. Sabemos que precisamos melhorar muita coisa. Não podemos abaixar a cabeça – explicou o jogador.

Apesar do revés em casa para a equipe carioca, o lateral quer esquecer o duelo deste domingo e afirmou que o clube vai entrar focado no confronto de volta diante do Botafogo pela Copa do Brasil. Como venceu o primeiro embate por 1 a 0, o time mineiro precisa de um empate para se classificar às quartas de final da competição.

– Temos um jogo importante na quarta-feira, mata-mata e precisamos buscar a classificação – ponderou o camisa 6.

O Atlético-MG ocupa a 13º posição na tabela, com 20 pontos. Na próxima rodada, a equipe alvinegra encara o Coritiba, no domingo que vem, às 16h, no estádio Couto Pereira, em Curitiba.

It remains to be seen whether England’s coaching dragnet will extend as far as John Dyson, but the West Indies mentor is certainly making a compelling case for consideration

Alex Brown04-Mar-2009
John Dyson: making a name for himself © Getty Images
It remains to be seen whether England’s coaching dragnet will extend as far as John Dyson, but the West Indies mentor is certainly making a compelling case for consideration. In barely a year, he has transformed a fractured, underperforming Windies unit into one that has now moved within a game away of a memorable series victory over England. Odgers Ray and Berndtson – the corporate head-hunting firm recruited by the ECB to find the next England coach – must surely be taking note.Dyson’s coaching record makes for particularly impressive reading when considering the difficulty of the assignments he has accepted. In his first international posting, Dyson guided Sri Lanka through board upheavals and the devastating Boxing Day tsunami to second place in the one-day rankings and fourth in Tests by the time of his departure.The trend has continued in the Caribbean. West Indies have amassed a record of three wins, six draws and five losses under Dyson ahead of the Trinidad Test; their victories coming against such formidable foes as South Africa, Sri Lanka and England. To put that into perspective, they required 40 Tests to post their previous three victories, and those came against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and a Pakistan side missing five key players.The road to respectability has been a treacherous one for Dyson and West Indies. His appointment to the coaching post followed that of Bennett King, an Australian who never won over the dressing room. Dyson inherited a team lacking in confidence and divided into factions – themes that might very well resonate within English cricket at present.”I remember very early on in the piece sitting down for a talk with the one of the players,” Dyson recalled. “He told me, ‘Don’t expect any of the players to talk to you.’ It was a fairly daunting thing to hear.”I’d been told that the players had gone to the board and specifically requested they not appoint another Australian coach. And what did they do? Appoint an Australian coach. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but I think that, over time, we have improved things. There are needs and sensitivities within cultures, and you have to be mindful of that. I tried to do that in Sri Lanka, as well as here.”West Indies might not yet be contending for a place in the upper echelons of international cricket, but neither are they the easy-beats of recent history. Last year, they overcame injuries to key personnel, not least Chris Gayle, and the eleventh-hour arrivals of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo from the IPL to push the Australians to the wire. A gulf in experience between the two sides cost them the Frank Worrell Trophy but, with admirable determination and persistence, West Indies have now positioned themselves to prise the Wisden Trophy from England’s grasp. A draw in Trinidad will be enough.Discipline has been anathema to West Indies for the better part of a decade, and while not yet ready for a military tattoo, the side has still made major advances. Redoubtable innings, athletic fielding and tenacious bowling have been regular features of recent West Indies performances, due in no small part to the input of Dyson’s assistant, David Williams. Team fitness has also improved markedly, for which Steve Folkes – an Australian rugby league coach appointed by Dyson late last year to the position of strength and conditioning trainer – can take much of the credit.Dyson was regarded as a gruff disciplinarian during his time with Sri Lanka, but has tailored his approach to meld with the unique style and pace of West Indian cricket. He displayed tremendous tact and pragmatism throughout the difficult, potentially divisive Stanford saga, and has managed to keep the Windies competitive while their board has lurched from controversy to crisis.”The main priority for me over the last 12 months has been to establish a positive environment for the players,” he said. “There were lots of negatives around the team previously, and I don’t fully know why that was the case.”We wanted to change the way the squad operates. We listened to what the players had to say, and there were some consistent complaints. We have tried to fix those. But there remain a lot of challenges – the regional competition is a major one, and another is that our players all live in different countries. After the last match, seven guys went to Jamaica, four others to Barbados, and the rest to other islands, Orlando and Miami. It has been a challenge keeping up reasonable levels of fitness when you don’t spend a huge amount of time together pre-series.”What could Dyson achieve with the plentiful resources of English cricket at his disposal? Odgers, Ray and Berndtson could do worse than investigate the possibility.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has made a decision about Sam Greenwood amid speculation linking him with a move away.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, six Championship clubs, including the likes of Swansea and Bournemouth, tried to sign the teenager before transfer deadline day, only for Leeds to reject that interest.

It’s added that a Leeds source has revealed that Greenwood wanted to stay at Elland Road, and that was part of the reason behind why a decision was made at Thorp Arch for the Whites not to pursue a new striker in the summer transfer window.

Leeds fans will be buzzing

In his first season with the club, Greenwood managed 12 goals in 18 games, playing in a number of different roles, including up front, behind the striker and further back as a central midfielder.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has previously been very vocal in his praise of the youngster, saying: “He’s started really well at Leeds and he was very well thought of at Arsenal, and they weren’t rushing to get him out (of) the door this summer. From what we’ve seen of him so far, his movement and his finishing and everything else, he looks like a very natural striker.”

Meanwhile, Leeds Live’s Joe Donnohue said: “He may have hit the ground running at Thorp Arch, but he has only been here for a matter of months. His start may have been excellent, so imagine how much better he could be with consistent football.”

A better pathway to the first-team is surely one of the things that the Whites would have offered Greenwood when they initially signed him, and they can live up to that end of the bargain right now, especially now they’ve made the statement of turning down offers for him.

Given how Leeds fans are already on board with the 19-year-old, it’s surely the right call from Bielsa to keep him in his thinking at Elland Road and potentially give him a taste of first-team action.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have another academy sensation in this teenager…

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a late move to bolster Nuno Santo’s engine room, according to reports..

What’s the word?

The Sunday Mirror (29th August, page 66) claims Spurs are looking into whether they can complete a deal for Brighton and Hove Albion star Yves Bissouma before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

It’s thought that Moussa Sissoko’s exit to fellow north Londoners Watford has freed up space in the squad for another midfielder and that the 24-year-old Malian is seen as the ideal replacement.

The Seagulls are said to value the Graham Potter regular in the region of £40m, so it’s now on the Lilywhites to make their move.

Shades of Dembele

Replacing the veteran Frenchman with Bissouma would certainly be a shrewd move from sporting director Fabio Paratici and co, particularly as he’s an obvious upgrade in both the age and ability department.

The 6-foot powerhouse is an ideal box-to-box option to play alongside the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Dele Alli, who have all started every league game under Nuno this campaign.

Bissouma’s playing style has been modelled by the influence of Premier League legend Yaya Toure and he can mix his physicality – averaging 2.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in 2020/21, with a deft touch on the ball – averaging 1.5 dribbles and a 87.4% passing accuracy rate, via WhoScored.

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These are the sorts of numbers that may bring some Spurs fans to think about Mousa Dembele, who in his prime would surely love to play alongside the Lilywhites’ great Dane.

For example, one of the Belgian’s best campaigns (2015/16) saw him put up 3.6 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 2.9 dribbles per league outing. Bissouma isn’t far off these returns, when playing in a poorer side, too.

Through the first three league games of the season, the Seagulls sensation is matching such an output, averaging 3.3 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and two dribbles, as per WhoScored.

Dembele joined Spurs from Fulham, so there would be further similarities if Paratici can strike a deal for Bissouma before time runs out.

As described by his former Brighton boss Chris Hughton, the Mali international is a “wonderful talent” and is one that would surely thrive under the Portuguese head coach.

After going unbeaten through their first three Premier League matches, the north London outfit could cap off a perfect summer by signing Bissouma. They could well unearth their next Dembele in doing so.

AND in other news, Fabio Paratici dealt Spurs transfer blow over £22.5m-rated midfield target…

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen to bring PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke back to north London this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 19-year-old’s services, with Leicester City and Wolves also credited with an interest.

The report states that PSV are set to demand between £30m and £34m for their prized asset, a valuation which could prove too costly for the English trio with less than two weeks remaining of the current transfer window.

Tottenham fans will be buzzing

Madueke, who was born in Barnet, came up through the youth ranks with Tottenham until he was released at the age of 16 and then moved to Netherlands back in 2018 when PSV came calling.

Since then, the England under-21 international has gone from strength to strength. After making his debut for the Eredivisie giants in 2019/20, Madueke enjoyed his breakout season last term.

In 32 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s side in all competitions, the skillful winger bagged nine goals and provided a further eight assists for his teammates, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.

Sky Sports claimed that his impressive performances caught the eye of some of the continent’s top clubs, stating: “Last season, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City were among the top clubs tracking his development, as he scored seven goals and created six more in the Eredivisie.

“And a string of scouts from Europe’s elite clubs – including Juventus – were said to have been watching him against Benfica on Wednesday night.”

The youngster has started the new campaign in scintillating form as well, contributing to six goals in just seven outings as PSV attempt to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.

However, prising him away from the Philips Stadion may be a tricky task for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, after Schmidt claimed that the talented teenager would be staying put this summer in a recent interview.

Speaking to ESPN (via Football.London), he said: “I’m not afraid [of Madueke leaving], why should I be? He will one day leave PSV if he continues to develop like he is now.

“I’m not afraid it will happen now. We can’t sell key players anymore. We’ve already done that with Donyell Malen, Denzel Dumfries and Pablo Rosario, so we can’t lose any more.

“And PSV is also a fantastic club for Noni to develop. He is very young, he can play a lot here, score goals and cheer with the team. I think he feels very good here.”

Potentially bringing Madueke back to north London could go down as some of the best business Levy has managed to pull off in years, and given the teenager’s obvious talents, it’s a coup which could have Spurs fans buzzing if the club chief gets it over the line.

In other news…Pundit cannot see £40.5m-rated ace leaving his club for Spurs 

Fulham manager Marco Silva has claimed that he wants to keep Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa at Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who relayed the 44-year-old’s comments regarding the future of the Fulham midfielder, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the west London side in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal and Aston Villa both reported to be keen on the 25-year-old.

However, Silva does not appear willing to cash in on the Cameroon international any time soon, stating: “It’s something we will keep inside our football club. With Frank and all the others, I want them 100 per cent involved. I want all of them with a desire to work and win football matches in this shirt. All the other things are for us to talk about inside our club.”

Fans will be buzzing

Taking into account the considerable amount of interest from the Premier League in Anguissa this summer, the potential of the midfielder remaining at Fulham for their 2021/22 Championship campaign appeared incredibly unlikely – particularly as it was reported that the 25-year-old was left out of the club’s opening game of the season as a result of his desire to leave.

However, following Silva’s latest comments, it would seem as if the chances of Anguissa remaining a Fulham player beyond the transfer deadline at the end of the month have been given a substantial boost, something that will undoubtedly leave the Craven Cottage faithful buzzing.

Indeed, retaining the services of the former Olympique Marseille player would appear to provide Fulham’s promotion hopes with a huge boost, as the midfielder impressed for the club last season.

Over his 36 Premier League appearances last term, the £22.5m-rated man made an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.4 clearances and won 7.3 duels per game.

The £70k-per-week midfielder also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, along with making an average of 0.8 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the player Joachim Andersen dubbed a “machine” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Cottagers’ 10th-best player in the top flight of English football.

As such, should Silva indeed be able to hold on to Anguissa in the summer transfer window, it would undeniably be a fantastic outcome for everyone involved with the west London side.

In other news: Silva drops claim on “important” hardly-seen Fulham gem that’ll leave fans buzzing

As Pakistan cricket undergoes its umpteenth revamp and a new PCB chairman withnew ideas and possibly personnel settles in, Geoff Lawson, Pakistan’scoach, remains indifferent to the criticism directed at him after anuncertain year in charge

Cricinfo staff18-Oct-2008
Geoff Lawson: “I pick up the paper and laugh. You can’t take any notice of it, you justhave to ignore it” © AFP
As Pakistan cricket undergoes its umpteenth revamp and a new PCB chairman withnew ideas and possibly personnel settles in, Geoff Lawson, Pakistan’scoach, remains indifferent to the criticism directed at him after anuncertain year in charge.Lawson’s tenure has been a difficult one; a lack of cricket coupled withsome poor on-field performances has made him an easy target. Even IjazButt, the newly-installed chairman, has questioned his contribution. But in an interview with Cricinfo just after the four-nationTwenty20 tournament in Canada, Lawson was in a bullish mood about his stint and the future for Pakistan.”The only criticism I take any notice of is the criticism within my groupand my own criticism,” he said. “I’m very harsh on myself about what weneed to do and I certainly don’t take any notice of the media.”Lawson has had a spiky relationship with the Pakistan media, which reachedits lowest ebb during the Asia Cup, when the media walked out of his press conference in Karachi. Lawson insisted, however, that the only support he needed was from the players and the board.”I pick up the paper and laugh. You can’t take any notice of it, you justhave to ignore it. It’s one of the big issues I’ve brought up with theplayers, I’ve said ‘look, you can’t let what people say in the press,particularly the Pakistani press, affect how you play the game. You havesupport from the coaching staff and from the board itself, so play thegame’ … My life is not affected by what the media say.”In a wide-ranging, typically honest chat, Lawson also spoke about theAustralian attitude he was trying to instil into the Pakistan side and thechanges that need to be made to improve the game in the country.”One of the main reasons I was employed by the PCB was to bring that sortof attitude to the Pakistan team,” Lawson said. “I’ve played the gamehard, I’ve played to win and I’ve played an aggressive style of cricket.When you have talented players you can do that. The job now is to get overall the hurdles that are placed in your way, to transfer that to theteam.”When asked about the nature of the hurdles, Lawson pointed to the lack offacilities in some areas of the country. “Well, the fact that there aren’tgood enough gyms in all the outlying regions. All the players can’t followa high-level fitness program. That’s a basic thing. It’s great in Lahore,Karachi and Rawalpindi, but not everywhere. And if you live in an outlyingregion, or even Quetta or rural Sind or Punjab you don’t have all thataccess. Within Australia or England, you just take it for granted that theplayers will be able to train at a high level. That’s a fairly significanthurdle, but the PCB are trying to work on those sorts of things.”Click here for the full interview.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have gone wild for an update on exciting youngster Conor Coventry from a Rush Green source.

The 21-year-old has been subject to heavy interest from Peterborough over the last week as The Posh make a move to sign him on loan for the 2021/2022 season.

He has excelled in pre-season for West Ham and is widely regarded as the possible next big talent to come through at the London Stadium, drawing some comparisons with Declan Rice.

When news broke of the Irons considering his loan exit for this campaign, there was plenty of uproar on social media given their lack of depth in central midfield.

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Now, a West Ham source has brought news from Rush Green, explaining to Football Insider that manager David Moyes has ‘pulled the plug’ on a Coventry exit.

Indeed, the Scotsman has apparently changed his mind on the talent and wants him in West Ham’s first team over what will be a long and gruelling campaign fighting on multiple fronts.

Flocking to this development, it’s safe to say many Hammers are ecstatic over the U-turn – find all of their best reactions to the news, in reply to West Ham Fan Zone and West Ham News & Views, down below.

West Ham fans flock to Coventry update…

“Great decision”

Credit: @oogle_bleh

“Yessss”

Credit: @TalkinWestHam

“Wow a good decision kick on young fella”

Credit: @rkellyboy

“Brilliant news”

Credit: @JODYALLEYCAT

“Best news I’ve heard all day!”

Credit: @LindsayWesker

“Excellent news. Equivalent to a new signing”

Credit: @JBsOpinions

“Hallelujah”

Credit: @Timmywink

“so glad to see Moyes putting his foot down about our youth lads! Gotta get the new blood into the squad, heaven knows we need the depth”

Credit: @ryryboltwrap

In other news: ‘Yessss’, ‘What we’ve been asking for’…West Ham fans have also erupted over this ‘beautiful’ club post, find out more here.

Steve Tikolo will captain Kenya on their tour of Europe in August which includes two Intercontinental Cup matches and a one-day series against Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland

Cricinfo staff12-Jul-2008Kenya squadSteve Tikolo (capt), Thomas Odoyo (vice-Capt), Kennedy Otieno (wk), Maurice Ouma (wk), Collins Obuya, Peter Ongondo, Tony Suji, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Jimmy Kamande, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Alex Obanda, Ragheb Aga, David Obuya, Alfred Luseno.
Steve Tikolo will captain Kenya on their tour of Europe in August which includes two Intercontinental Cup matches and a one-day series against Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland. The only surprise in the 16-member squad is the inclusion of Ragheb Aga, the allrounder who last played senior cricket for Kenya in 2004.Aga was unavailable through 2007 as he had gained a British passport and a one-year contract with Sussex. Despite not taking part in any of Kenya’s three domestic tournaments – the three-day games, Twenty20 and one-dayers – Aga has been selected against Cricket Kenya’s selection rules.Uncapped Nairobi Gymkhana batsman Rakep Patel also finds a place. The squad contains two wicketkeepers, including the veteran Kennedy Otieno and Maurice Ouma. Otieno, who missed out on selection for the World Cup last year, has been in good batting form in the Sahara Elite tournaments.Kenya begin their tour in Scotland with an Intercontinental Cup match between August 7-10 before back-to-back ODIs on August 12 and 13. The Netherlands leg includes an Intercontinental Cup match between August 16-19 and a one-off ODI two days later. They round off their tour with three ODIs in Ireland on August 24, 25 and 27.