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After much negotiation Chris Adams, the former Sussex captain and batsman, has joined Surrey as their professional cricket manager on a three-year deal

Cricinfo staff11-Dec-2008
Chris Adams led Sussex to another trophy in 2008, the Pro40 © Getty Images
After much negotiation Chris Adams, the former Sussex captain and batsman, has joined Surrey as their professional cricket manager on a three-year deal.”I am delighted to join Surrey at this stage. Although there is sadness that I won’t walk out again as a player, that is overridden by my desire to take on this new challenge,” Adams said. “It is a huge privilege for me to leave one role and walk straight into this amazing opportunity. Surrey are a big club with some high performing players and I look forward to working alongside the guys as we look to bring long-term success back to The Oval.”There is nothing more rewarding than leading a group of men to great success. I’ve done that as a captain and now intend to do it again as a manager.”Adams’ move from Hove was on the cards ever since Gus MacKay quit as Sussex’s chief executive at the end of September to take up the post of Surrey’s managing director. Adams was shortlisted for the vacancy at Hove but lost out to David Brooks. And although his move to management has been viewed as almost inevitable, even this week he remained uncertain about switching allegiance when he told that he had “hugely split feelings. Leaving the county has been incredibly difficult”.Adams, who led Sussex to three Championship titles in 2003, 2006 and 2007, has a big task on his hands to turn around Surrey’s fortunes. The club were relegated at the end of last season and their coach, Alan Butcher, departed over the winter. But in renewing his alliance with Mackay, there is hope that one of England’s biggest clubs can once again become a force to be reckoned with.”Securing Chris’ services after what was a very thorough recruitment process is fantastic for the club,” Mackay said. “His experience, expertise and work ethic is exactly what we need to help instill a culture that will help us become a successful club once more.”From his time at Sussex he knows a thing or two about winning trophies and I’m confident that he is the man to bring these winning ways back to Surrey in the coming years. We firmly believe that we need strong leadership off the field during this period of rebuilding and Chris is a natural leader of people. I wish him every success.”

West Ham United are closing in on their second signing of the summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports News reporter Tom White revealed that the Irons were on the verge of agreeing on a swoop to secure Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic.

“We have actually got some breaking transfer news regarding West Ham,” he said live on air (as relayed by Football Daily).

“We are told, in the last few seconds, that they are edging closer to a deal for Fiorentina centre back Nikola Milenkovic

“The fee is expected to be £14m. Now, a lot of elements of this deal are still to be sorted but West Ham are hopeful they can complete the deal.

“We’ve told you already that West Ham have held talks with Marseille over Duje Caleta-Car and also Chelsea for Kurt Zouma, though the wages there were an issue and also the transfer fee of around £25m, which proved to be a stumbling block as well.

“But with Nikola Milenkovic, West Ham are confident they will get that deal sorted for £14m.”

Moyes’ marquee man?

What a signing this could be, especially at that price.

It’s no secret that the Hammers’ attention quickly turned towards signing a new centre-back in recent weeks, with Angelo Ogbonna a serious doubt for their opening Premier League game of the season against Newcastle United.

It is also believed that manager David Moyes was eager for a new ‘top-level’ defender as a big priority this summer, according to Football Insider back in May, and it appears he has got his marquee addition here.

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Milenkovic has never played outside of Italy or his home nation Serbia, but the 6 foot 5 colossus has plenty of qualities that should see him adapt to the Premier League with relative ease, not as least because he’s been compared to a legendary defender.

Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic hinted to ESPN FC that the 23-year-old could be the next Nemanja Vidic, he said: “Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field. He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

Indeed, despite being a man-mountain that won an average of three aerial duels per game in Serie A last term, the 28-cap Serbian international also recorded an impressive 86% passing accuracy – better than every single Hammers centre-back – on top of 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per outing, too.

On that evidence, he certainly fits the profile of the sort of top-quality centre-back that Moyes is longing for, so he will surely be delighted with the news that the club are closing in on his signature.

Furthermore, Milenkovic is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt and the East Londoners are sealing him for a fraction of the price – an absolute steal and bargain.

This development should bring some excitement back to the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Moyes risks West Ham fan fury IF he SIGNS £110k-p/w flop who “looks like he’s on roller-skates”…

Cricket Australia will ask Ricky Ponting to clarify his reasons for using part-time bowlers after tea on the fourth day in Nagpur when Australia had a strong chance to set up a gettable chase

Brydon Coverdale10-Nov-2008
Ricky Ponting’s regular conferences out on the field have not helped Australia’s over rates © AFP
Cricket Australia will ask Ricky Ponting to clarify his reasons for using part-time bowlers after tea on the fourth day in Nagpur when Australia had a strong chance to set up a gettable chase. Australia had to win the Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and when India went to the break six down with a lead of 252, Ponting’s men had a chance to go for the kill.But Ponting was behind on over rates and decided to employ the occasional medium-pace of Michael Hussey and the part-time spin of Michael Clarke and Cameron White rather than the side’s strike fast men. Although the offspinner Jason Krejza was also used the lack of bite at the other end allowed India to build a hefty target of 382.James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said he was keen to speak to Ponting to find out why the seemingly defensive options were preferred. “I might be concerned, I might not be,” Sutherland said. “It depends on exactly getting a really clear understanding of the circumstances that ensured that we played the way we did after the tea break.”Tim Nielsen, Australia’s coach, defended Ponting’s decisions and said he did not believe for a minute Australia were not pushing for victory. Sutherland said Ponting and Nielsen would have made “whatever judgment they thought was most appropriate”, but he would like to go over the strategies with Ponting, which he said was a semi-regular part of his role.”I’m always interested in the approach that they take,” he said. “It’s not something I do every day but at various stages I see that it’s part of my responsibility as chief executive to get a feel for that. You’ve only got to read the newspapers today, there were people who had concerns, had reason to comment on that, and I just want to understand a little bit more of the background.”Ponting will be asked to relate to Sutherland the messages that came from the umpires during the tea break regarding how far Australia were behind in the over rates. Rarely in the four-Test series have either team got through their overs quickly enough and it is a growing trend that Sutherland believes the ICC must address.”In a broad sense, I have major concerns about over rates in international cricket,” he said. “Generally speaking the public deserves more by way of over rates and it’s certainly something we’ll be taking up with the ICC. If we can play a little bit more cricket and get more overs in or lose less overs at the end of the day then that’s probably a good thing for Test cricket.”

Spanish football journalist Euan McTear has refused to rule out the possibility of Manchester City making a sensational move for Lionel Messi despite already breaking the British transfer record for Jack Grealish.

Messi’s incredibly successful stay at Barcelona has officially come to an end after it was confirmed La Liga regulations have stopped the Spanish giants being able to re-sign the Argentina international.

The 34-year-old saw his contract expire at the end of June but agreed to extend his stay at the Nou Camp by negotiating reduced terms on a new deal.

Despite wanting to remain at Barcelona, Messi has been forced to seek pastures new as he cannot be re-registered or sign the contract due to the club exceeding La Liga’s wage limit.

According to Spanish media outlet Marca, a reunion with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is Messi’s preferred choice despite interest from French outfit Paris Saint-Germain.

Although City announced the arrival of Aston Villa talisman Grealish for £100million just hours after news of Messi’s departure broke, McTear still thinks the frontman who scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona could end up at the Etihad Stadium.

He told Football FanCast: “Barcelona really needed to clear out a lot of wages to be able to register him with La Liga because they have a different system to other leagues.

“It sounds like Messi wanted to stay at Barcelona and wasn’t considering other clubs but it’s impossible for them to re-sign him, so he’ll have to think of somewhere.

“City has always been one that has made a lot of sense.”

Northamptonshire have signed Lee Daggett from Warwickshire and Ryan Cummins from Leicestershire

Cricinfo staff17-Oct-2008Northamptonshire have signed Lee Daggett from Warwickshire and Ryan Cummins from Leicestershire.Daggett, who has penned a two-year contact, has taken 53 wickets at 36 but found his opportunities limited at Warwickshire. Cummins, meanwhile, only managed two Championship appearances in 2008.”They will add strength and variety to our seam bowling options in all formats of the game,” David Capel, the Northamptonshire head coach, told the club’s website. “Both players have a good work ethic, have demonstrated that they have the ability to take wickets at first-class level and are keen to move their careers forward with us.”

Steve Harmison has been recalled by England for the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday. In a 13-man squad, England have dropped Darren Pattinson – whose debut in the second Test at Headingley was fraught with controversy – but they

Cricinfo staff26-Jul-2008
Steve Harmison has found fiery form for Durham this season © Getty Images
Steve Harmison has been recalled by England for the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday. In a 13-man squad, England have dropped Darren Pattinson – whose debut in the second Test at Headingley was fraught with controversy – but they retain Paul Collingwood who missed out on the XI at Leeds.For Harmison, it represents an impressive comeback after he was unceremoniously dumped in the Hamilton Test against New Zealand in the winter. Since then, he has gone back to Durham and bowled with the sort of venom that England have craved from him ever since his sparkling 2004. This season, he has taken 41 wickets at 22.82. With England trailing the Test series 1-0, Harmison’s firepower comes at a critical juncture.”Steve Harmison has been bowling well for Durham this season,” Geoff Miller, the England national selector, said, “and his inclusion in the Test squad gives us another option in terms of our bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test.”Miller had hinted at Harmison’s recall the previous day, noting that England could do with an extra injection of pace (even Pattinson’s county coach, Mick Newell, admitted he had been down on speed at Headingley).The fact that Matthew Hoggard has been overlooked once again cannot be ignored. Harmison has worked his way ahead of him in the pecking order and, barring injuries to the others, his international future looks bleaker than ever.England also welcome back Ryan Sidebottom, their most potent weapon since his revelatory international comeback last season, who missed the second Test owing to his back injury.”Ryan Sidebottom has been progressing well with his back injury over the past week and we’re confident he’ll be fit for selection but obviously he’ll be monitored closely in the lead up to next Wednesday.”Paul Collingwood was unlucky to miss out on a place in the team for the second Test match but this decision was based on a number of factors. He has shown what a true professional he is by returning to Durham over the past week and playing well for his county.”Victory for South Africa would give them an unassailable 2-0 series-lead.England squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss.

West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Josh Griffiths has agreed a temporary move away from The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the Lincoln City website, the Imps confirmed that they have completed the signing of the 19-year-old shot-stopper on a season-long loan deal.

A report by The Athletic recently suggested that the England U21 international’s place in the West Brom pecking order appeared to be causing something of a problem for the club, with the uncertain future of Sam Johnstone making it difficult for Valerien Ismael to know whether or not to sanction Griffiths’ departure.

However, it appears as if this issue has now been resolved, something that the ‘keeper seemed delighted with, telling the Lincoln City website: “I spoke to some of the lads who were here last season, specifically Alex Palmer, and they all said good things about the club so it was an easy decision.

“Alex didn’t have a bad word to say, he said the lads were all great and had a real driving force and philosophy.”

Fantastic news for West Brom

With Griffiths very much appearing to have the potential to become a top drawer goalkeeper in the not too distant future, the fact that the 19-year-old will be linking up with Michael Appleton next season is fantastic news for Albion.

Indeed, with the Imps manager being well-known for placing his trust in younger players, and thus accelerating their development in the professional game – with evidence of this coming in the shape of starlets such as Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson and Manchester City’s Morgan Rogers, both of whom thrived on loan at the LNER Stadium last season and are now being tipped for Premier League moves – there would appear to be few better teams Griffiths could have joined this summer.

Furthermore, if West Brom do manage to keep hold of Johnstone upon the closure of the transfer window, prior to potentially losing the services of the England international at the end of his current contract next summer, after a season with Appleton, the £450k-rated man could well be ready to take over from the Baggies’ current number one in 12 month’s time.

As such, everything would appear to indicate that the man Michael Duff dubbed a “vital” player joining Lincoln City will be fantastic for West Brom, the Imps and the player himself.

In other news: Madeley drops West Brom claim on “magnificent” £28k-p/w beast, fans will be worried

Celtic’s first Champions League qualifier this week provided plenty of evidence to Ange Postecoglou that he desperately needs to improve their defence.

The Hoops were considerably off the pace in that department last term and they’ve started 2021/22 in no better shape.

What’s the word?

Celtic have now lost Kristoffer Ajer to the might of English football but they have already secured his replacement. The Bhoys added Carl Starfelt to their ranks almost immediately after confirming Ajer’s departure from Paradise.

Another defensive name to have been linked is Hajduk Split’s Mario Vuskovic.

Celtic have also been targeting Japanese centre-back Ko Itakura and his name came up again this week.

The Daily Record reported that Postecoglou is still interested in bringing him to Scotland. This comes after the arrival of fellow Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi.

Imagine him & Starfelt

Although the Swedish central defender isn’t cut from a similar cloth to Ajer, he still fits the new manager’s style of play perfectly.

Instead of rampaging forward with the ball at his feet, Starfelt prioritises distribution, passing the ball out from the back in neat fashion. For instance, no player in the Russian top flight completed a higher degree of passes than his 91.4% last term.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-news-doig-nketiah-mccann” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Itakura is similar in this regard, remaining calm and composed with the ball at his feet. On loan from Manchester City at Dutch side Groningen last season, he was successful with 88% of his passes, the 14th greatest tally in the entire division.

He was incredibly eye-catching in the Eredivisie, earning fine praise from former Dutch footballer Haans Kray. He said: “One of the very best central defenders in the Eredivisie. He can play football well, he can head well and he is incredibly fast. He’s such a good player but Manchester City don’t see anything in him.”

With that in mind, the duo would offer a comfortable and reliable base ahead of the goalkeeper.

This is vitally important considering some of the mishaps to occur over the last 12 months. The Bhoys shipped 16 more goals than Rangers last season and have started this campaign in disastrous fashion.

Nir Bitton was sent off against FC Midtjylland last Tuesday and Vasilis Barkas made another howler, allowing the visitors to score.

Thus, the addition of Itakura may significantly strengthen their armoury. He ranks in the 88th percentile for tackles won (76%) while his 6 foot 1 frame ensures he prevails in 71% of his aerial battles.

The Japanese defender possesses a wide range of skills that could really take Postecoglou’s defence to a new level.

The manager must ensure that the 24-year-old becomes a Celtic player in the not too distant future.

AND in other news, Postecoglou can finally axe Bitton at Celtic by signing “exceptional” 6 ft 2 colossus…

Trent Johnston, the former Ireland captain, returns to the squad for their Intercontinental Cup match against Canada at Malahide in August

Cricinfo staff29-Jul-2008Trent Johnston, the former Ireland captain, returns to the squad for their Intercontinental Cup match against Canada at Malahide in August. It is a repeat of last year’s final, which Ireland comfortably won by an innings to defend the title.Johnston took a period out of the game following the one-day series against Bangladesh in March when he retired from ODIs, but has been making his way back with the A side in recent weeks. Alongside Johnston’s comeback Andrew White, the allrounder, also returns after missing the victory over Netherlands due to the death of his mother.Kyle McCallan will captain the side in place of William Porterfield as Ireland are without the services of all their county players, except wicketkeeper Gary Wilson, for the fixture. Ireland also play Canada in an ODI on Tuesday August 12 at Clontarf – the only change being that Johnston won’t feature.Squad Kyle McCallan (capt), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Thinus Fourie, Trent Johnston, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Paul Stirling, Reinhardt Strydom, Greg Thompson, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (wk)

West Indies all-rounder Vasbert Drakes isn’t about to jump the gun

Barry Alleyne30-Dec-2002West Indies all-rounder Vasbert Drakes isn’t about to jump the gun. But he believes the regional side will be cocked and ready to fire at next year’s World Cup in South Africa."It’s all about maintaining our consistency, and living up to our true potential. Once we do those two things, we should be in there with a chance," Drakes told the SUNDAY SUN yesterday.For Drakes, once selected, playing in the World Cup puts him at an instant advantage, and summits him to a position of leadership. After all, he’s played professionally in South Africa, which is his home away from home.Fresh off playing in his belated first Test against Bangladesh a fortnight ago, and showing he can make an impact with bat and ball, Drakes expects the World Cup to be extremely challenging for West Indies."The World Cup could be the highlight of my career, so I’m really looking forward to playing, and proving myself. It’s a tournament that’s the equivalent to the World Cup in football, so every team will be coming in at full strength, and it’s a chance to excel at the highest level."Drakes said One-Day cricket had become extremely competitive over the last few years, but West Indies, though considered underdogs, could spring some upsets."The youngsters in the team have shown what they can do in recent times. Once we get our concentration together, I know we have the talent to do well. I don’t want to jump the gun, but I know we’ve come a long way over the past year, and once we play well, reaching the semifinals of the World Cup is a reality.""We have to be very conscious about what we need to do, and how we need to play against each opponent. If we can do that, we’ll be okay.According to Drakes, a level of maturity, mental toughness and teamwork was shown on their two recent tours."It’s not easy to tour the sub-continent and do well like we did. There’s the culture change, the different wickets, and the big crowds screaming at you, and it’s not easy to perform, but the guys stood up to be counted. That was very pleasing to see, from such young players."