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Cricinfo previews the Asia Cup Super Four clash between Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The Preview by S Rajesh28-Jun-2008Match factsSunday, June 29, 2008
Start time 16.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)
Chaminda Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya will both return to the Sri Lankan team after being rested for the match against UAE © AFP
Big PictureOn current form, Sri Lanka are the clear favourites in this Super Four match: their win against Bangladesh in the group game has already given them a two-point cushion, while Pakistan have to recover from a disappointing loss to India, which was made worse by the rib cartilage injury to Umar Gul, ruling him out of the tournament. There are also clear indications of a rift between the Pakistan selectors and the captain, with Shoaib Malik appearing to blame the selection committee after the loss to India. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have coasted through their two matches in the tournament, against admittedly easier opponents, and their team has a fairly settled look to it.Unlike most other teams, though, Pakistan thrive in situations when there’s little going in their favour. They have enough firepower in their batting line-up to take the early initiative or chase down a stiff target – Malik’s form at the top of the order has been especially pleasing – but the bowling is a concern on these flat pitches.Sri Lanka haven’t been stretched so far in the tournament, but that could change on Sunday. Also, they haven’t enjoyed the match-up against Pakistan of late, losing five of their last six completed ODIs against them, including a 2-1 series defeat in Abu Dhabi last year. In that tournament, however, they didn’t have the services of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, two players who have been vital cogs in the Sri Lankan bowling machine for years.Form guide (Last 5 completed ODIs; most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLW
Sri Lanka WWLLWWatch out for …Mohammad Yousuf has scored two brisk cameos in the Asia Cup so far – his tournament strike rate is 120.83 – indicating he is in fine touch, but he hasn’t converted them into something more substantial. His excellence against spin could make him a huge factor on Sunday.Ajantha Mendis was more than a handful for the hapless UAE batsmen, and on a pitch aiding spin, he can be a threat for more accomplished batsmen as well.Team newsUmar Gul’s absence is a huge blow to Pakistan’s bowling, and Wahab Riaz, the left-arm fast bowler, will play in his place. Riaz made his debut against Zimbabwe earlier this year and has taken nine wickets in four ODIs. The other likely change is the inclusion of Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, for his first international match. Fawad Alam will probably miss out, which is slightly unfortunate considering the fact that he scored an unbeaten 63 and bailed Pakistan out against Hong Kong.Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Shoaib Malik (capt), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Sohail Tanvir, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Iftikhar Anjum.Sri Lanka had rested Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan against UAE, but expect all of them to return on Sunday.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Chaminda Vaas, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Dilhara Fernando.Stats and trivia Since 2006, Pakistan have a win-loss ratio of 5 in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Against no other team is their win-loss ratio better than 1.5. Pakistan also have an excellent record against Sri Lanka in Karachi, winning four out of five matches. In Asia Cup clashes, however, Sri Lanka have won six out of nine. Sri Lanka’s top three batsmen don’t have great stats versus Pakistan: Kumar Sangakkara averages 30.15, Jayasuriya 33.65 and Jayawardene 28.62 against them.Quotes”It is an important game for us because we have not carried any points from the qualifying rounds into the super stage. India and Sri Lanka have a slight advantage there.”
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, admits his team is on the back foot”I don’t think Gul’s absence would make much of a difference to them because they are a strong side and no matter what the conditions are, it basically depends on what sort of attitude they have towards a match on a given day.”
Mahela Jayawardene is ready for a tough fight

West Bromwich Albion are plotting a move to bring Trevoh Chalobah to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that West Brom are preparing a bid for the Chelsea midfielder in the coming weeks.

The report goes on to state that Thomas Tuchel’s side are prepared to part with the 22-year-old ahead of next season, with the former England U21 international having two years left to run on his current deal at Stamford Bridge.

Ismael would love him

Considering just how much potential Chalobah appears to possess, as well as the fact that West Brom are incredibly short of options in the middle of the park ahead of next season, the fact that Valerien Ismael is believed to be interested in a move for the defensive midfielder this summer hardly comes as surprising news.

Indeed, over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances while on loan at FC Lorient last season, the £3.15m-rated 22-year-old made an average of 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.9 clearances and won 5.2 duels per game.

Chalobah also impressed in an attacking capacity for the French side, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.3 key passes and taking 0.5 shots per league fixture.

These returns saw the man Mark Hudson claimed has “so much potential” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Christophe Pelissier’s joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of French football, playing a key role in helping his side impressively avoid relegation from the division.

And, with Ismael currently only having Jake Livermore as an option as an out and out defensive midfielder, as well as just Romaine Sawyers and Alex Mowatt who can operate in central midfield, ahead of next season, the middle of the park is certainly an area in which the Frenchman will look to strengthen this summer.

As such, an Albion move for the £12k-per-week Chalobah appears to be a move that makes a great deal of sense for the Championship club, as well as the youngster being a talent it would seem very likely Ismael would love to get his hands on.

In other news: Get it done: Ismael must sanction £8m West Brom summer swoop for “excellent” 23 y/o

The Andy Blignaut issue was quite controversial last season

John Ward07-Nov-2002The Andy Blignaut issue was quite controversial last season. After an exciting start to his international career in 2000/01, he missed the whole season for various reasons, and there were reports of disputes with administrators and fellow players. However, he has returned to the game this season and is enjoying enough success to make him a likely starter for the series against Pakistan next month. This past weekend he recorded a maiden first-class century in the Logan Cup against Midlands, a typically aggressive innings that included nine sixes, some of them huge hits. He spoke to ZCO about his situation."I came down with a few injuries at the beginning and I had a few minor disagreements with our Union," Andy says about his reasons for his absence from all but a few club matches last season. "This forced me to rethink where I wanted to go, and I decided that just a short break from cricket would probably do me a bit of good."He followed several different lines of interest during his absence from the game. "Mainly I got involved with polocrosse and a few business ventures," he says. "From my early childhood I’ve been riding horses and it was just another sport that I enjoyed. I wanted to participate a bit and now I’ve had that experience I won’t be returning there. I did some male modelling for some fun and entertainment – it wasn’t really a serious thing. It came and went."Now I’ve decided to return to cricket and I’ve found my enjoyment of the game again," he says. "Round about August I decided I wanted to start playing again, and I’m pleased to be back." He reopened negotiations with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union regarding a contract, and will be employed again by them as from the beginning of November."I’ve started quite well at the moment," he goes on, something of an understatement coming so soon after his devastating century. At the start of the club season for Alexandra Sports Club he devastated Old Georgians with eight wickets in an innings for just 23 runs, "and I haven’t really looked back since. It’s been a case of finding my rhythm again, which took a lot of bowling practice, and it’s all coming back together again now."With his good club form the Mashonaland selectors immediately restored him to the provincial squad and team. He has bowled impressively, if a little erratically at times, without returning outstanding figures, but his century against Midlands reminded everyone that here was an all-rounder of outstanding quality. "Obviously to score a hundred in what they call first-class cricket here," he says, with a hint of disparagement about the quality of the Logan Cup, "is an achievement, but I’ve never viewed hundreds and landmarks in a big way. I just believe that when I’m out there to bat I’m going to give my best effort, and whether I make 93 or 120 it’s the effort I put in that counts."He found no trouble from the Midlands attack, not even from Test left-arm spinner Raymond Price, whom he hit for most of his sixes. "The pitch is not really conducive to quick bowling and it wasn’t turning that big, so it was just a case of waiting for the right ball to hit and hitting it, I suppose." A century off 91 balls doesn’t indicate that he had to wait very long.How does he feel about his bowling now? "At the beginning, like I said, I was still struggling to find my rhythm. It wasn’t coming out as well, but in this last game against Midlands I put a bit more pace on and the ball is coming out quite nicely. So I’m quite excited about what is in store during the next few weeks."I’m looking forward to getting into the frame against Pakistan and I think I stand quite a good chance because I’ve bowled quite well through this tournament, although I haven’t picked up many wickets."Andy has no particular Pakistanis in his dreams of the future; no visions of rolling over Inzamam with the ball or hitting out against Waqar Younis. "We’ll see who’s coming and if I’m in the team we’ll obviously study their weaknesses," he says, "and then just get on with it from there."Clearly he must be thinking also of the World Cup. "Basically I want to play every game now, so come the World Cup I want to be a big force in Zimbabwe cricket. From now on I have a bigger hunger for the game and I want to do better than I have done before."So are all those problems that have interrupted his career been resolved yet, including those with other players? "I believe I’ve had very positive feedback from them," he says. "They seem to be quite willing to help me out, so I’m happy with the guys at the top and think we could work together quite well."If he can keep a clear head and his mind focused on the game, many believe Andy Blignaut has the ability to become a major force in international cricket – and we all know how Zimbabwe needs that. To rephrase an old saying, this season is the first season of the rest of his career, and probably no Zimbabwean player will be watched with more interest during the next few months.

Celtic youngster Tobi Oluwayemi has signed a two-year contract extension at Parkhead.

The news, which was confirmed on Friday, led to a number of Celtic fans giving their thoughts on social media.

Oluwayemi, formerly of Tottenham, joined the Hoops in 2019. The 18-year-old goalkeeper is yet to make a senior appearance for the Hoops but has been capped by England at Under-18 level.

He’s been turning out for Celtic’s reserve side, and the Hoops have clearly liked what they’ve seen from the teenager, who will now stay at the club until 2024.

Celtic Colts will play in the Lowland League in the upcoming campaign, which will give Oluwayemi and his teammates the chance to play competitive senior football.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-6/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Celtic fans react

The Hoops shared the news of Oluwayemi’s extension on their official Twitter page on Friday morning.

This is what these Celtic supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the update as ‘class’.

“Actually tying down young prospects to long term contracts?? You feeling alright Celtic?”Credit: @JShaw1888″Was he no meant to be leaving? What a job big Ange is doing btw”Credit: @liamconnelly2″Big Ange struck a trade deal between the UK and Australia and made this keeper sign a new deal what a job big Ange is doing”Credit: @GlasgowFIFA_”Class from a barkas fan”Credit: @Bowley67_”Can we start him plz”Credit: @SpamRogic”Better than Barkas”Credit: @mxtt188

In other news: Hoops expected to make offer for Englishman who played in four positions last season, find out more here. 

Liverpool have entered the race to sign striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, according to the print edition of Spanish newspaper AS (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The 21-year-old frontman scored 17 La Liga goals in 30 starts for Sociedad last season. His finest run of form came shortly after the turn of the year, when he netted nine goals in six matches, including a hat-trick against Alaves.

Isak is currently on Euro 2020 duty with Sweden, who have reached the round of 16. He has earned plaudits for his performances at the tournament, with Gary Lineker describing him as an ‘exceptional talent’.

Borussia Dortmund had a €30m (£25.8m) buyback option but, according to Marca, Sociedad reached an agreement with the Bundesliga outfit to remove that clause.

The latest

The report from AS claimed that the Premier League is ‘going crazy’ for Isak, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all in the frame for his signature.

It seems that the Reds have yet to formalise their interest, though, and Sociedad are expected to demand that a €70m (£60.2m) release clause be paid in full.

Having secured Europa League football for the second consecutive season, the San Sebastian club are not thought to be under pressure to sell.

The verdict

Isak has been a joy to watch at the Euros, showcasing a delicate touch as he manoeuvres his way through challenges at will. It’s no surprise that he’s attracting interest, and Liverpool need a number nine to succeed Robert Firmino.

However, it’s very difficult to see them shelling out more than £60m on the Swedish prospect when another exciting talent in the form of PSV’s Donyell Malen may be available for less than half that price.

In other news, read James Pearce’s update on the latest Reds rumour. 

Barry Fry insists that Crystal Palace need to appoint a new manager for a long-term project as they search for a successor to Roy Hodgson.

The ex-England boss has decided to walk away from his role at Selhurst Park.

He departs having repeatedly guided Palace to Premier League safety, and Fry believes that whoever comes into the club to replace him will have to be aware that this is now a long-term project at Selhurst Park.

Frank Lampard has been linked with the job, having been sacked by Chelsea midway through the 2020/21 season, but Fry thinks that their new manager hunt will depend largely on the budgets Steve Parish is willing to hand out to the new appointment.

There is also some doubt over just how many players will need to come into the club, given that so many of them are out of contract this summer.

Per Transfermarkt, 13 players, including Gary Cahill, Jeffrey Schlupp, and Patrick van Aanholt, have deals that are expiring in the next few weeks.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I’m not sure what Steve Parish wants at Palace now because he’s got a lot of old players, and a lot of them are out of contract, and the new manager will have to make up his mind what he wants to do. It depends what sort of budget Frank Lampard or anybody else will have.

“I think, again, with Palace it’s a long-term appointment, rather than a short-term appointment, because I think there’s a lot of work to be done in and out in the transfer market. When you’re changing as many players as what Palace will have to change, I think it’s a long-term project.

“I’m not sure what the long-term expectations of Palace will be, I’m sure it’ll be to retain their Premier League status.”

Everton target Denzel Dumfries starred for the Netherlands in their opening game of EURO 2020, scoring the winner in a 3-2 win over Ukraine [BBC].

Seemingly snatching a draw from the jaws of victory, up stepped the 25-year-old at the back post to nod home a priceless winner for the Dutch national side.

Reported to be an Everton target as they look to build towards 2021/22 [90MIN], the marauding full-back has pretty much been ever-present for current employers PSV Eindhoven, making 41 appearances across 2020/21 [Transfermarkt].

Within that time frame, he has chipped in with four goals and nine assists, eventually helping his side to finish runners-up in the Eredivisie table [Infogol].

Making a lasting impression, the PSV captain has now taken his exploits one step further and onto a global stage. In light of last night’s performance from Dumfries,it was  no wonder that loads of Everton diehards took to Twitter to drool over his potential signing.

Everton fans react:

Here is what some of the Everton support had to say surrounding Dumfries’ display against the Ukraine:

“Has to be Denzel Dumfries. The lad is a monster. Really would love him at Everton”

Credit: @PaulMoorcroft9″Denzel Dumfries will be an Everton player”Credit: @RobMDK”Denzel Dumfries to Everton, who says no?”Credit: @evertonhub”Everton legend Denzel Dumfries”Credit: @MerseyBIue”Denzel Dumfries is a baller. Have him at Everton any day. Perfect replacement for Coleman.”Credit: @LifterUnknown”I would like Denzel Dumfries in an Everton shirt by next week thank you”credit: @aperhacs76In other news, Everton are eyeing a move for an international goalkeeper.

Dean Windass believes that David Moyes would be Everton’s number one managerial target should they have it their own way.

Moyes spent 11 years at Goodison Park between 2002 and 2013, taking the club from relegation candidates to top six regulars.

He even managed to get Everton into the Champions League for the first time in their history, although their play-off defeat to Villarreal meant they failed to reach the group stages.

But Moyes did a tremendous job during his time on Merseyside, and only left his role as manager to become the new Manchester United boss.

His time at Old Trafford was a brief one, and after spells with Real Sociedad and Sunderland, the Scotsman has made his way to West Ham – and took them into Europe in his first full campaign in his second spell.

Moyes, who’s approaching 1,000 games in management, hasn’t yet signed a new deal at the London Stadium, and Windass thinks he would jump at the chance to return.

He told Football FanCast:

“I think David Moyes would love to go back. He had a wonderful 11 years and was very successful after Preston. If it were Everton’s choice, they would go for David Moyes.

“He would be their number one choice with Big Dunc as his assistant.”

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been handed a major transfer boost over Ajax star Nicolas Tagliafico.

What’s the story?

Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen revealed, during the broadcast of Ajax’s Europa League clash against AS Roma earlier last season, that the Whites “would like to have” the 28-year-old.

Now, according to De Telegraaf (via Voetbal Primeur), the Eredivisie giants are willing to let Tagliafico go on the cheap, although they are struggling to generate the kind of offers and interest to sell him at the moment.

He’s faster than Lionel Messi

Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell was full of praise for the defender recently, when discussing his links with Leeds United, saying: “He is a top-quality player. He’s got lots of experience in the Champions League and on the international stage so I think it would be a smart signing.”

Since joining from Argentinian side Independiente, the £22.5m-rated Tagliafico has established himself as a key part of Ajax’s line-up, even helping them reach the Champions League semi-finals just a couple of seasons ago.

Dubbed as “fierce” and someone who “works hard”, he has got the kind of attacking instincts as a left-back that would surely please Bielsa. A profile by Football.London revealed: “In Argentina, Tagliafico is regarded as the heir to Zanetti because of his lung-busting stamina, excellent technique and continuous attacking threat.”

With a decent record of 13 goals and 18 assists in 135 games for Ajax as a left-back, it’s the 28-year-old’s underlying numbers that really stand out and make him someone who could be a game-changer for Bielsa.

As per WhoScored, Tagliafico averaged far more shots, key passes, dribbles and crosses per game in league football than Alioski has done last season, and is comfortably better than him defensively, too. While the two players are evenly matched for tackles made, it’s the Argentine who wins when it comes to interceptions and clearances, while also being dribbled past on fewer occasions.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Having a marauding left-back like Tagliafico – who was recorded by UEFA as having a faster sprint speed than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi last season – could add some real quality and top-level experience to Bielsa’s squad at Elland Road.

The Leeds boss would be absolutely buzzing to have his fellow Argentine at Yorkshire, giving him a real upgrade on Alioski and someone who could bring that wealth of Champions League experience with him to help take that next step.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa could sign a new Ben White for Leeds in this 6 ft 4 monster…

Changes to the nature of the contracts that New Zealand’s players have with New Zealand Cricket were behind the 24-hour delay in the naming of the sides to tour the West Indies

Lynn McConnell24-May-2002Changes to the nature of the contracts that New Zealand’s players have with New Zealand Cricket were behind the 24-hour delay in the naming of the sides to tour the West Indies.The sides were finally announced today after discussions on an interim contract went longer than anticipated.As a result of the discussions, 20 players have now been placed on interim contracts until after the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka in September.The contracts were finalised this morning when matters of player payment were resolved.Negotiations between New Zealand Cricket, the major associations and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association over a longer term contract will continue during the duration of the interim contract.”We had discussions to review the player contract system’s structure and of details within that structure,” NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said.”This is the first time this has been undertaken and it was not possible to complete this before the West Indies tour,” he said.”There were a lot of issues that had to be thrashed out for the first time.Snedden added that he had not wanted NZC to suffer from something like the “Brad Thorn” situation suffered by rugby last year when a player was named in the All Blacks but then withdrew because he didn’t know if he had the commitment to play at that level.The interim contract would offer some security to players for their short-term future.Those players contracted are: Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Matthew Hart, Robbie Hart, Paul Hitchcock, Matt Horne, Craig McMillan, Chris Martin, Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent.Snedden said another reason for the delay had been the original decision to have discussions when the players returned from their tour of Pakistan, but once that tour was abandoned after the Karachi bomb blast he had wanted to allow players time to recover from that experience and that had resulted in a tight time frame this week for the discussions.Snedden said he had been contacted by several players in the last few days who were expressing real excitement about the West Indies and who took the opportunity to reassure him that they wanted to go.”They are really excited about the trip. They watched parts of the West Indies series with India on television while they were in Pakistan and they are anticipating a real challenge when they go and they are really looking forward to getting into it,” he said.