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The uncapped trio of Phillip Hughes, Bryce McGain and Marcus North have been added to an already green Australian line-up for the three-Test tour of South Africa

Alex Brown and Brydon Coverdale04-Feb-2009
At 36, McGain will become Australia’s oldest Test debutant since Bob Holland in 1984 © AFP
Andrew Hilditch’s selection panel has placed the defence of Australia’s No. 1 Test ranking in the hands of its most inexperienced touring party in recent memory. The uncapped trio of Phillip Hughes, Bryce McGain and Marcus North have been added to an already green Australian line-up for the three-Test tour of South Africa, as selectors attempt to restructure the team for the future and contend with an horrific injury toll.Hughes earned the nod over his more seasoned state team-mate, Phil Jaques, in the race to partner Simon Katich atop the Australian order. Jaques is still suffering the after-effects of back surgery while Hughes, 20, has plundered 891 runs at 74.25 this season, including four centuries.”We have gone through immense change in the last couple of years with many of the true legends of Australian cricket leaving the game,” Hilditch said. “We are also enduring an unprecedented run of injuries to many of our contracted players. That being said, with all this has come great opportunity as the side rebuilds.”It is one of the most exciting things I have had the pleasure of doing since being a selector in naming Phillip Hughes in the Test touring squad. Phillip has been given the fairly daunting task of filling the shoes of one of Australia’s greatest batsmen Matthew Hayden. Phillip is a young man who has had an outstanding debut in first-class cricket for New South Wales.”Hughes will likely be joined by McGain as a fellow debutant in Australia’s starting XI for the first Test in Johannesburg. At 36, McGain would become Australia’s oldest Test debutant since Bob Holland in 1984, although Hilditch said it was no certainty he would be the leading slow man.”That’s going to be very much dependent on the conditions,” Hilditch said. “I’ve got to be very conscious of the fact that Nathan Hauritz has done everything asked of him in the Test matches. We then took him out of the one-day squad for him to go back to domestic cricket and get some longer spells before South Africa and went back and played a very important role in their recent [Sheffield] Shield victory.”[Bryce] is the premier legspin bowler in Australia, there’s absolutely no question about that. Our major concern was it’s not long since his shoulder surgery. We obviously had to watch carefully last game where he bowled very well in the second dig to take five wickets. He’s 36 years of age and the reality is he’s still fairly young in cricketing terms and we think he’ll do a really good job.”North, a left-hander, represents the third new inclusion in the Test squad, and will be Australia’s spare batsman on the tour. He has scored 8778 runs in 125 first-class matches for Western Australia, and also offers handy right-arm offbreaks, which Hilditch said contributed to his selection.”Five of his seven Shield games have been on very difficult wickets to bat on, in Perth and in Queensland,” he said. “He’s playing very well, he’s in good form. He’s been bowling some very good offspin as well for WA and if he was to get an opportunity it would be to bat at the No. 6 spot and we think the fact that he’d give us some bowling in that top six is very important as well.”Australia’s probable starting XI will have a combined 277 Tests experience entering the first Test at the Wanderers on February 26 – Ponting accounting for 128 of those – and nine changes from the corresponding Test three years ago.Australia’s selectors were spared an 11th-hour selection dilemma when Siddle fell heavily in Wednesday’s domestic one-day game between Victoria and South Australia. Victorian team medical staff cleared Siddle of serious injury, paving the way for him to to be named in Australia’s rookie fast bowling unit alongside Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus. The selectors are already missing Brett Lee (ankle) and Stuart Clark (elbow) ahead of a series in which South Africa will challenge them for the No. 1 ranking.”There is probably no greater challenge in world cricket at present than playing South Africa away,” Hilditch said. “South Africa has an extremely strong side and will be extremely tough, particularly in home conditions. The tour represents an exciting challenge for the squad which contains a very good blend of experienced, proven international batsmen and some of our outstanding young talent.”We have the utmost faith in the young group of Australian cricketers coming through. Whilst the next 12 months will undoubtedly be extremely testing and challenging, we are confident that the new breed of Australian cricketers will hold Australian cricket in a strong position moving forward.”The suspension of Andrew Symonds and injury to Shane Watson resulted in the Victoria allrounder Andrew McDonald holding his place. Symonds, meanwhile, will be named on Thursday in Queensland’s one-day and four-day sides to play Victoria and South Australia, respectively, and faces a steep climb to reclaim his Test place ahead of the Ashes series.While Australia’s selectors contend with injuries and suspension, Mike Procter’s South Africa panel has been buoyed by the news that Graeme Smith and Ashwell Prince are well advanced in their recoveries and will be available for the first Test in Johannesburg from February 26. Mickey Arthur, the coach, said Smith was recovering well from the torn elbow tendon that inconvenienced him for the majority of 2008.”He has had the second blood injection in his elbow, and the experts say he is ahead of schedule,” Arthur said. “He met us upon our return to South Africa and seems very confident that he will be right to play the first Test.”Australia Test squad Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Andrew McDonald, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Bryce McGain, Ben Hilfenhaus.

سافر روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر متوجها لبلده البرتغال اليوم الجمعة بعد حضوره نهائي كأس مصر بالأمس الذي جمع بين الأهلي والزمالك.

وكان اتحاد الكرة قد عقد مؤتمرا صحفيا أمس الأول أعلن فيه تفاصيل التعاقد مع فيتوريا الذي تولى قيادة المنتخب خلفًا لإيهاب جلال.

طالع أيضًا.. روي فيتوريا يظهر في غرفة ملابس الزمالك بعد انتهاء مباراة الأهلي

وانتهت مباراة نهائي الكأس بفوز الزمالك على حساب الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف، ليتوج الفارس الأبيض بلقب البطولة.

ومن المقرر أن يعود فيتوريا للقاهرة أول أغسطس المقبل لحضور مباريات الدوري ومتابعة الفرق، لبدء مهامه مع المنتخب.

MatériaMais Notícias

Cricinfo picks out some key moments and numbers from the 2009 IPL auction

Cricinfo staff06-Feb-2009
An integral part of Middlesex’s Twenty20 Cup-winning squad, Tyron Henderson was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals © Getty Images
The MomentsFirst trade
The first player to go under the hammer at the auction in Goa was Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait, snapped up in a matter of moments by the Rajasthan Royals for $375,000. It was a bright start for the Australians but that was as good as it got.Spiralling cost
The most closely fought bid at the auction was not for the stars, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, nor for the flavour of the season JP Duminy. Instead it was the bidding war between the Kings XI Punjab and for Bangladesh allrounder Mashrafe Mortaza. Mortaza’s base price was $50,000 but it escalated, slowly at first before gathering speed when the auctioneer felt the franchises were dilly-dallying. Only when the Kolkata Knight Riders went as high as $600,000 did Punjab drop out of the contest. Mortaza was Kolkata’s only purchase at the auction and his final value was 12 times his base price.Surprise unsold
The franchises didn’t probably consult the ICC rankings before coming to the auction. Or, if they did, didn’t take them too seriously. The ICC recently ranked Shakib Al Hasan – developing left-arm spinner, versatile batsman, and swift fielder – at No 1 on its ODI allrounders list, yet he had no bidders even at his base price of $75,000.Down, under
Australia had the most players up for sale – 18 – but only two were bought. Tait went early but after him the franchises passed over several Australian players: some, like Brad Haddin and Stuart Clark, were internationals, others like Steven Smith and Aiden Blizzard more obscure. It wasn’t until the very end of the auction that the second Australian player was bought by the Chennai Superkings: George Bailey at $50,000 was the cheapest buy at the auction.Tyron who?
Tyron Henderson. And he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for $650,000, making him their second-most expensive player (Yusuf Pathan retains that slot). To put it in perspective, Rajasthan had paid only $450,000 and $475,000 for Shane Warne and Graeme Smith last year. Nor did they get Henderson, 34, without a fight – the Deccan Chargers kept bidding until the $600,000 mark. So what’s so special about him? Very simply, he’s the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 matches, with 74 wickets in 62 games at an average of 21 and an economy rate below seven. He’s played for the Cape Cobras in South Africa, and Middlesex in England, and is nicknamed ‘The Blacksmith’.Bangalore’s splurge
Last season, the Bangalore Royal Challengers were mocked as a “Test” team for including the likes of Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. They were dull, they were uninspiring and, most importantly, they were losing. Vijay Mallya, their flamboyant owner, fixed part of the problem by adding the glamour – Pietersen, for $1.55 million, whom Mallya said could be a captaincy option. The liquor magnate then added the colour by picking up New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder, who has a history of alcohol-related disciplinary issues.Big spenders to big hoarders
The Deccan Chargers blew up $3.3 million on four international players last year but this time they parted with only $250,000 – the lowest amount spent by any franchise. They had bought massive stars such as Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist last year but settled for West Indians Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith this time. Maybe they can do what the stars couldn’t – avoid finishing last in the league.The Maths44
The percentage amount unspent from a pool of $13,590,000 for all teams ahead of the auction. Deccan Chargers were the most conservative among the eight franchises, spending $250,000 out of $1.9 million. Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, spent more than 87% of their budget.22
The number of unsold players this year out of 49 under the hammer. Shakib Al Hasan was the most notable among them, failing to win any bids despite being ranked No.1 on the ICC rankings for allrounders.2
The Australians who were picked up. Shaun Tait and George Bailey were the lucky ones out of a total of 17 up for bids.8
Million-dollar-men in the IPL after Friday. Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen were each snapped up for $1.55 million, and they join an exclusive club of six others – Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Andrew Symonds, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid – who pick up at least a million each season.1100
The percentage increase in Mashrafe Mortaza’s sale price from first bid to closure. Starting from a base price of $50,000 – the lowest among players sold – he was bought, after an intense bidding battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, for a whopping $600,000. Tyron Henderson and Mortaza enjoyed an absolute increase of $550,000 from their respective base prices but Henderson’s percentage increase – 550 – was half that of Mortaza’s.

أبدى الحكم البولندي شيمون مارشينياك الذي أدارة مباراة الأهلي والزمالك رأيه في أداء لاعبي قطبي الكرة المصرية في المواجهة التي جمعت بين الفريقين بنهائي بطولة كأس مصر.

وانتصر الزمالك على الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف في المباراة التي أقيمت على أرضية ملعب استاد القاهرة.

طالع أيضًا.. أمير مرتضى بعد فوز الزمالك بكأس مصر: الدوري هو الهدف الأكبر

وقال الحكم مارشينياك خلال مقابلة عبر قناة “اون تايم سبورتس”: “كانت مباراة جيدة وأعلم عن الفريقين وتاريخهما قبل قدومي إلى هنا وبدأت المباراة بشكل جيد، وضفنا 8 دقائق كوقت بدل من ضائع وكانت مواجهة مثيرة ولعبنا لآخر ثانية”.

وأضاف: “لكي أكون أمينًا بدأ الأهلي بقوة ثم سجل الزمالك هدفين في لمح البصر، وهذا أدى الى ارتباك الأحمر”.

وتابع: “أنا كحكم أعشق كرة القدم الهجومية وهذه الطريقة من اللعب”.

واختتم: “هذه المباراة ليست صعبة لكي أكون أمينًا، ولم أحتج إلى تقنية الفار لكي أشاهد أي لقطة، بل كانت متوسطة من ناحية الصعوبة”.

It has now been revealed how close Everton were to signing Luis Diaz in the summer transfer window, ahead of another potential move in January.

The Lowdown: Talks

The Goodison Park faithful had reportedly held initial talks with Luiz over a potential move to the Merseyside club.

However, those discussions stalled very late on in the window, and in the end he stayed at FC Porto.

The Latest: Offer made

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), Rafa Benitez’s side ‘really got ahead’ with an offer of €30m (£25.8m) plus James Rodriguez on loan to sign Diaz, but the former Real Madrid star was ‘turned down’ by Porto manager Sergio Conceicao and the board.

They were ‘pressed’ by their need to raise some cash, but considered that his market value would grow in the future, and so did not feel that it was the right time to sell.

The Verdict: Return in January

With Rodriguez now set to join Al Rayyan, he would not be able to be included in any part of a deal for Diaz in January.

However, providing that enough finances are available, that should not stop the Toffees from returning with another offer, as it seems he was a top target for Benitez and co if they were willing to stump up close to £30m.

The Colombia international has been on fire so far this season with five goals and an assist in six games in the Portuguese top flight (Transfermarkt), and is a player that is very capable of replacing Rodriguez in the team.

At 24 years of age, he will only get better too, and now is certainly the best time to buy given his likely increase in market value.

In other news, find out whose display against QPR was slammed here!

يأمل مجلس إدارة نادي النصر برئاسة مسلى آل معمر في التعاقد مع لاعب عالمي لتعزيز صفوف الفريق في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

وكان النصر قد حقق المركز الثالث في الدوري السعودي للمحترفين الموسم الماضي، كما قرر رحيل مدربه الأرجنتيني ميجل روسو والتعاقد مع المدرب الفرنسي رودي جارسيا.

وتعاقد النصر مع الظهير الأيسر الايفواري جيسلان كونان، بجانب ضم الحارس الكولومبي ديفيد أوسبينا.

اقرأ أيضًا | لتجنب الصدام مع الزمالك.. النصر السعودي يتخذ قرارًا بشأن أبو جبل أزمة تحول دون الصفقة العالمية

تمكن النصر من تخفيض معدل الديون ونيل شهادة الكفاءة المالية، إلا أن النادي يواجه صعوبات بسبب الفشل في تحقيق رغبته في التعاقد مع لاعب عالمي.

وبحسب صحيفة “المواطن” السعودية، فإن إدارة النصر لم تنجح في حسم صفقة البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو أو البوسني ميراليم بيانيتش أو الألماني مسعود أوزيل أو التشيلي أليكسيس سانشيز أو الإنجليزي جيسي لينجارد.

وتختلف أسباب فشل النصر في حسم الصفقة العالمية، سواء بسبب طلب النجوم مبالغ مالية كبيرة أو لرغبتهم في الاستمرار في الدوريات الأوروبية، وكذلك كون برشلونة لم يحدد مصير لاعبه بيانيتش حتى الآن، سواء بالرحيل عن الفريق أو البقاء في الموسم المقبل.

MatériaMais Notícias

A lua vinha surgindo no céu de Ariquemes, município do interior de Rondônia, quando o carro de som passou pelas ruas da cidade promovendo a novidade.

– Atenção, vizinhança! Neste sábado tem Real x Barcelona aqui na cidade!

A propaganda não era um sonho, só que a realidade não é tão glamourosa. O “meu Real” é o Real Ariquemes, time da cidade. Já o “meu Barcelona” é o Barcelona de Vilhena, outro município do interior deRondônia. O “El Clásico” do futebol raiz anunciado é a decisão doCampeonato Rondoniense deste ano, o penúltimo estadual a terminar nesta temporada (só no Amapá a disputa terminará depois, em setembro). Lado a lado, dois clubes inspirados em potências, filhos da globalização e da idolatria aos times europeus, mas que vivem condição que nem de longe lembra a dos “primos” ricos.

O LANCE! foi buscar detalhes desta final inusitada e descobriu que há muitas curiosidades. Spoiler: Este não é um Real x Barcelona com bilhões de dólares.

O Real x Barça brasileiro é o mais puro retrato das dificuldades que existem no lado B do futebol nacional. Vamos começar nossa história pelo mandante no primeiro jogo da decisão, o Real Ariquemes. Fundado em 2011, o clube recebeu este nome em homenagem aosgalácticos de Madri. Porém, enquanto o Real de lá esbanjava grana, o daqui passava sufoco. O time de Rondônia tentou caminhar, jogando a segundona estadual de 2012, mas ainda no mesmo ano suspendeu suas atividades por falta de condições financeiras, sem conseguir chegar à elite. O clube só voltou no ano passado, mas já retornou na primeira divisão do estado -a segunda divisão foi extinta em 2013 por falta de equipes interessadas. Como debutante, de cara ficou em terceiro lugar entre oito clubes. Um pouco de organização já foi suficiente para colocar o time no pódio.

Achou aascensão do Realmeteórica? A do Barcelona foi mais rápida. Fundado como time amador em 1995, com nome em homenagem ao Barça de Romário, o clube só virou profissional em outubro do ano passado. O Barça de Vilhena resolveu as burocracias para entrar no Estadual em 15 dias, pagou as devidas taxas, e virou um dos oito times da competição. Hoje está a um passo do título.

Não precisa ser gênio para concluir que o futebol de Rondônia está nivelado. E pelas escaladas tão rápidas obtidas por Real Ariquemes e Barcelona de Vilhena, é nítido que os clubes do estado estãoinconsistentes.

Ariquemes é o terceiromunicípio mais populoso de Rondônia.Vilhena vem logo atrás, ocupando o quarto lugar. As duas cidades têm a mesma idade: apenas 39 anos (Porto Velho, capital de Rondônia, tem 102 anos). Em termos de futebol,Vilhena tem maior destaque. OVilhena Esporte Clube, time mais tradicional da cidade, já foi campeão rondoniense por cinco vezes(2005, 2009, 2010, 2013 e 2014). No entanto, neste ano, o clube mais ilustre do município foi eliminado justamente pelo Barça na semifinal. Já a cidade de Ariquemes espera um título que não chega desde 1994, quando a Sociedade Esportiva Ariquemes, extinta em 1996, levantou a taça. E quem é o favorito pela conquista inédita?

O Rondoniense deste ano tem regulamento parecido com o do Campeonato Carioca. A semifinal, em dois jogos, foi formada pelo campeão do primeiro turno (Real), pelo campeão do segundo turno (Vilhena), e pelos dois times de melhor campanha sem título de turno (Barcelona e Genus, respectivamente). Na final, assim como na semi, não há desempate por gols fora de casa. Empate no placar agregado das duas partidas levará a decisão para os pênaltis. Na semi, o Real passou nas penalidades. Já o Barça ganhou seu primeiro jogo por 3 a 0 e empatou o segundo duelo por 0 a 0. Real e Barça já se enfrentaram no primeiro e no segundo turno. Na primeira fase, o Real jogou em casa e venceu por 1 a 0. Na segunda fase, na casa do Barça, o placar não saiu do zero.

O presidente do Real Ariquemes, Chico Pinheiro, assumiu o clube em janeiro. Ocartola elogiou seu elenco e deixou no ar que o outro lado entra pressionado pela conquista do título.

– É uma equipe que desde o início acreditou, pela montagem da estrutura, que avançaria rumo às finais. Chegamos na decisão em pé de igualdade com o Barcelona, que é uma equipe nova, mas bem montada. Eles têm uma estrutura incomparável a qualquer outra aqui no estado – disse Chico Pinheiro, que teve seu comentário rebatido pelo presidente do Barça,José Luiz Pereira:

– OBarcelona tem a folha mais baixa do estado. Quem tem uma folha de R$ 100 mil por mês é o Real. Nosso time tem folha de pagamento de R$ 50 mil por mês, tem jogador ganhando R$ 500. Do outro lado tem fazendeiro. Eu não… Eu sou um construtor, pedreiro. Você acha que pedreiro tem dinheiro? (risos)

Chico, presidente do Real, é pecuarista e sócio de um hospital em Ariquemes. José Luiz, que é presidente do Barça desde a fundação, há 22 anos, é dono de uma construtora em Vilhena. Empresários bem-sucedidos que deram aportes fundamentais aos seus times, apoio suficiente para fazer os dois clubes se destacarem em Rondônia. Ainda assim, a realidade de ambos é modesta.

Estranhou o símbolo doReal Ariquemes em vermelho e preto? Explica-se: o nome da equipe foi dado em homenagem ao Real Madrid, mas as cores exaltam o Flamengo, time do pai do presidente do Real na época da fundação. A camisa 1 do Real évermelha e preta, lembrando até, ironicamente, o uniforme do Barcelona. Já a camisa 2 é toda branca, assim como a do “primo” rico espanhol. Na decisão deste sábado, o Real deverá jogar todo de branco.

– Pela movimentação na cidade, teremos um bom público. O município não ganha um título há duas décadas, a expectativa de todos está muito grande. Contratamos quatro carros de som para anunciar o jogo, também compramos horários de propagandas na TV local. Acredito em um público de 2,5 mil pessoas no estádio, a cidade está mobilizada – destacouChico Pinheiro.

Do outro lado, o Barcelona de Vilhena quer entrar para a história como o primeiro Barça brasileiro campeão estadual. Existem outros dois Barcelonas no futebol profissional do Brasil, igualmente inspirados nos catalães: são eles oBarcelona Esportivo Capela, da quarta divisão de São Paulo, e oBarcelona Esporte Clube, da segundona do Rio de Janeiro. Curiosamente, dois Barças nas capitais São Paulo e Rio, e dois clubes que já revelaram jogadores famosos.

– Nosso sonho é revelar também, fortalecer o time, chegar na Série C. Já temos a vaga na Série D de 2018, mas a gente sonha grande. Estamos em uma série, masjá pensando na outra – afirmouJosé Luiz, presidente do Barça de Vilhena.

Real Ariquemes e Barça de Vilhena já conquistaram, por conta de suas colocações no estadual, as duas vagas do estado na Série D de 2018. Mas somente o campeão do estado levará as únicas vagas de Rondônia para a próxima Copa do Brasil e para a próxima Copa Verde. O Real disputou a Série D deste ano herdando a vaga do Rondoniense, campeão do estado em 2016, que desistiu da disputa por conta de dificuldades financeiras. No entanto, o Real só conseguiu um ponto em seis jogos, terminando em último no seu grupo.

– Herdamos a vaga na Série D dois meses antes de a competição começar, não deu tempo para fazer um planejamento, o foco ficou voltado para o Estadual. Chegamos a colocar um time B em alguns jogos da Série D. Para 2018, sabemos desde já que jogaremos a Série D, então vamos nos planejar. Se vierem as vagas na Copa do Brasil e na Copa Verde, essas competições também serão disputadas com planejamento – projetouChico Pinheiro, presidente do Real.

A finalíssima do Estadual será daqui a dois sábados, em 8 de julho, na cidade de Vilhena.Ariquemes não tem aeroporto comercial e, por isso, os times visitantes nesta decisão estão encarando sete horas e meia de estrada. A viagem de ônibus é longa, mas será o esforço final da temporada em termos de logística. Acabando o estadual, Real e Barça ficarão sem calendário e dispensarão seus jogadores. O Real voltará a ter treinos somente em setembro. Já o Barça retomará as atividades ainda depois, no mês de novembro.

– Agente vai entrar para ganhar deles lá dentro. Ninguém joga para empatar ou para perder. Estamos indo para ganhar, se Deus quiser – finalizouJosé Luiz, mandatário do Barça de Vilhena, esquentando a rivalidade entre os times.

O futebol respira em Rondônia. Com dificuldades, mas respira.

Crystal Palace brought Tottenham Hotspur back down to earth in emphatic fashion over the weekend, ending their unbeaten start to the season and catapulting themselves into dreamland in the process.

The Eagles secured their first win under new manager Patrick Vieira thanks to a Wilfried Zaha penalty and a well-taken brace from summer signing Odsonne Edouard.

It was Edouard’s maiden outing in Palace colours since arriving from Scottish giants Celtic on transfer deadline day, but he wasted no time introducing himself to the home crowd, netting his first strike just 28 seconds after coming off the bench as a late substitute.

The 23-year-old’s effort was the fastest by a player on their Premier League debut and instantly highlighted his intelligence inside the box and his goalscoring instinct, taking a touch to steady himself before slotting the ball past an outstretched Hugo Lloris. 

Palace’s problems in attack have been well documented over the past two seasons. The Eagles bagged just 31 goals in 2019/20, with relegated duo Watford and Bournemouth outscoring them. 

Last season saw an improved return of 41, but that measly tally still saw 13 Premier League clubs put the ball in the back of the net more frequently.

The south London outfit also began Saturday’s early kick-off having managed just five efforts on target this season, the lowest of any club in the English top flight as Vieira’s new-look setup struggled to get firing in the final third.

For large periods of their performance against Spurs, it appeared as though it would be another frustrating day’s work. Despite their domination, Palace lacked the precision needed to unlock a well-drilled defence until Ben Davies conceded a 75th-minute penalty.

Zaha scored from the spot, and Edouard then arrived from the substitutes’ bench, injecting fresh impetus and raising hopes that the Eagles may finally have found the solution to their longstanding issues in front of goal.

The goalscorers combined for the Frenchman’s first goal as Palace’s talisman turned provider, and the duo will now be confident of forming a formidable partnership capable of taking on any Premier League defence.

Therefore, Vieira must unleash his new star striker – who was once hailed as “magnificent” by his former boss Neil Lennon – against Liverpool and see if he’s capable of producing a similar performance against one of the division’s best defences.

In other news… Get it done: Parish must sanction Palace swoop for £6.3m-rated beast, Vieira needs him 

Lancashire will begin assessing the applications for their new first-team coach this week and are hopeful of having the position filled in time for the successful candidate to play a significant role in pre-season training

Cricinfo staff06-Jan-2009
Warren Hegg had a long career at Lancashire and knows the club inside out © Getty Images
Lancashire will begin assessing the applications for their new first-team coach this week and are hopeful of having the position filled in time for the successful candidate to play a significant role in pre-season training.The club have received a number of applications, believed to include former Lancashire players Phil DeFreitas, John Abrahams, Warren Hegg, John Stanworth and second-team coach Gary Yates. Also in the running is the former Surrey boss Alan Butcher and David Houghton who has previously coached Derbyshire.The former Lancashire stars have an advantage of having played or worked alongside Mike Watkinson, who is now director of cricket, and also have a strong knowledge of the club. The job application stated: “Candidates need to have excellent knowledge and understanding of county cricket, and ideally an understanding of the structure and requirements of cricket in Lancashire.”DeFreitas played for Lancashire between 1989 and 1993 before moving to Derbyshire and finally back to Leicestershire were he began his career. Hegg has been working at Old Trafford since retiring after a 19-year career, while Stanworth has been in charge of the Academy which has produced a number of promising players who are now in the first-team.Lancashire are not putting a time-frame on selecting the new coach, who will fill the role vacated by Watkinson’s move upstairs. However, with a pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for in March the club will want the coach to be settled before the team depart.It has been a winter of transition for Lancashire, who along with searching for a new coach have also appointed Glen Chapple as captain after Stuart Law was released. Whoever joins Chapple in charge of the first team will be expected to bring some silverware back to Old Trafford after a barren decade where Lancashire have struggled to live up to their billing as a premier county.