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Brett Lee has started an intense training programme ahead of the third Test amid concerns in the Australian camp that he has lost condition and his fearsome speed

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2008
Brett Lee has lost speed and condition, according to Australia’s fitness advisor © AFP
Brett Lee has started an intense training programme ahead of the third Test amid concerns in the Australian camp that he has lost condition and his fearsome speed. Lee spent a month away from the game following his marriage break-up in August and it has left him under-prepared for the tour of India, where he has picked up four wickets at 59.25 in the first two Tests.”Because he’s been a bit underdone he’s been bowling a bit at half- and three-quarter pace at training, concentrating on his technique trying to do everything right,” the captain Ricky Ponting told the . “But by doing that he’s probably taught himself to bowl slow.”For the next week he’ll be doing that dynamic stuff. When he bowls at training he’ll be bowling off his long run to train that back into his body again.”While most of the squad has been given time off to refresh mentally and physically following the 320-run loss in Mohali, Lee will be aiming to lift his strength and his speed. Stuart Karppinen, the team’s fitness advisor, is trying to help Lee regain his spark in the five days that remain before the Delhi Test.”Because of his personal circumstances, he hasn’t done the same volume of work and we want to try to build that up,” Karppinen said. “He’s at 95% and bowling in the mid-140s [kph] but we want him to be able to crank that up. He’s lost speed and condition.”Although both Ponting and Lee played down their on-field disagreement in the Mohali Test, where Lee was not asked to bowl until after lunch on the fourth day, Ponting said it was clear Lee had taken time to find his rhythm. He said if Lee could not regain his extreme pace, his responsibilities would need to be tweaked accordingly.”We’ll have to look at how to get him to bowl in the Test if he can’t bowl express,” Ponting said. “He’ll have to play another role for us. If you look at his spells in the game it’s probably been his first-up spell that’s been his worst. When he’s come back he’s settled into a line and length.”Lee’s experience – he has nearly 300 Test wickets – took on extra importance when Stuart Clark pulled out of the Mohali game with an elbow injury. The fast-bowling line-up at Mohali featured the debutant Peter Siddle and the developing Mitchell Johnson, and with Clark’s fitness still uncertain, Ponting is desperate to have Lee firing in Delhi.”We need him bowling very well,” Ponting said. “He’s the guy everyone in our attack looks up to. He’s a senior player in the team and he’s led the attack brilliantly in the last 12 or 18 months. The rest of our bowling attack really fits in around what he does. We need him back and bowling well to be a chance of winning this series.”

Michael Clarke has said the decision to send Andrew Symonds home ahead of the recent home ODI series against Bangladesh in Darwin was a collective one

Cricinfo staff27-Sep-2008
Michael Clarke: “I have made clear that I am still great friends with Andrew [Symonds] and I will be until the day I die. I want him back playing because I love playing cricket with him” © Getty Images
Michael Clarke, the Australia vice-captain, says the decision to send Andrew Symonds home ahead of the recent ODI series against Bangladesh in Darwin was a collective one, and not made by him alone. Symonds was punished by the team’s leadership group for missing a team meeting – he was out instead on a fishing trip – but the move in Ricky Ponting’s absence fuelled speculation that the sanction was instigated by Clarke.”When I was given the vice-captaincy, I knew part of that role was making sure you put the team first,” Clarke told the . “The one thing that has probably been misinterpreted is that I didn’t make the decision to send Andrew Symonds home on my own, it was the leadership group.That group also included Ponting, the coach Tim Nielsen and the team manager Steve Bernard, but it was Clarke who faced the media soon after the decision was made. Clarke, who was one of Symonds’ best friends within the team, denied rumours of a rift between the two.”We believed and still believe it was best for the team and best for Symo as well. I have made clear that I am still great friends with Andrew and I will be until the day I die. I want him back playing because I love playing cricket with him.”Symonds is not part of Australia’s touring party in India, a place where Clarke announced his arrival on the Test scene. The first of four Tests will be at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the same ground where he had scored a century on debut.”I want it to feel the same,” Clarke said. “Four years ago for my debut, it was tough cricket but my mindset was just about absolutely soaking up every chance of playing Test cricket for my country. I don’t think that has changed, even if my role in the team has changed a little bit.”

Former England coach Duncan Fletcher is poised to return to the game in an advisory role with Hampshire

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2008Former England coach Duncan Fletcher is poised to return to the game in an advisory role with Hampshire after the club confirmed they were in talks after appointing Giles White as team manager.”We are in discussion with Duncan Fletcher regarding a consultancy and advisory role with Hampshire,” chairman Rod Bransgrove said. “The purpose of this role is to review the structure of our cricket department and to conduct an audit of our coaching methods and procedures throughout the entire player development process. “White took temporary charge of the team in the latter stages of season after Paul Terry stepped down and Hampshire found some impressive late-season form to finish third in the Championship.”It feels great. It’s been a long six weeks and things have worked out well. I’m looking forward to doing it next year,” White said. “For me to be able to have an influence on how it goes forward, I’m very excited about that.”Bransgrove added: “Giles did a superb job as caretaker manager during the last couple of months of the season and the team has responded positively to his style and commitment. He has therefore earned the right take the position on a full-time basis and I am sure that all Hampshire supporters will wish him every success.”Fletcher had a previous spell in county cricket at Glamorgan before becoming England coach and was in charge when they won the 1997 County Championship.

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid with comments made on Clyde Superscoreboard in regards to star striker Alfredo Morelos.

It has already been a busy summer for 25-year-old Morelos. The forward has been away at the Copa America with Colombia, and stayed with the side until the penultimate day of the tournament as his country finished third. The former HJK Helsinki man has also been heavily linked with a move away from Ibrox, with Porto in particular interested in his services (A Bola).

Clyde radio had been discussing the striker’s return to Glasgow, and they got some vital bits of information wrong, it seems. Not only did they says Morelos is not yet back in Glasgow – he is – they also said he had finished international duty before before Filip Helander and Borna Barisic, which was also false.

The supporters, it seems, were far from happy with the misinformation, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the mainstream media (MSM).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Morelos comments below

“Thought that myself. Sweden and Croatia both went out almost two weeks before Colombia went out the Copa America”

Credit: @KG367919716

“Once again, the outstanding journalism from the MSM that Rangers are denying us.”

Credit: @marshalldave38

“Hence the reason MSM are at an all time low, agenda driven media with no research at all…. And they wonder why they are dying”

Credit: @boxing_rugby

“Sort it out”

Credit: @bobbybatemn1872

“Yes Wiliam was …….poor”

Credit: @howudiddling

“The misinformation on @ClydeSSB in the last 2 minutes has been mental. He’s back in Glasgow. He played in the 3rd/4th place play-off so didn’t finish before Barisic or Helander. Give us peace ya rockets.”

Credit: @kenny47110

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man against Real Madrid.

Matthew Hayden has been ruled out of the one-day series against Bangladesh due to a long-standing Achilles problem

Peter English25-Aug-2008
The postponement of the Champions Trophy has given Matthew Hayden extra time to recover © Getty Images
Matthew Hayden has been ruled out of the one-day series against Bangladesh due to a long-standing Achilles problem, but he remains on track for the Test series against India in October. Hayden was originally due to travel with the squad to Darwin – the first match is on Saturday – in an attempt to be fit for the Champions Trophy.However, the team’s medical staff decided Hayden should take advantage of the postponement of the tournament and use the break to ensure he is fully fit for the four-Test series against India in October. He has spent time at the squad camp in Brisbane over the past two days and will continue his rehabilitation at home.No replacement will be named for Hayden and the 13-man squad will head to Darwin on Wednesday to prepare for the three matches against the ninth-ranked Bangladesh. Hayden suffered the injury while training in the Indian Premier League and left the tour of the West Indies without playing a Test. His withdrawal is another setback for Australia, who will also be without Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee.Ponting batted in the nets in Brisbane on Sunday while Lee is in Sydney dealing with the break-up of his marriage. Michael Clarke, the captain for the series, said he expected both players to be available for India. “Our 100% support is behind Brett and any time he’s ready to come back we’re willing to take him,” Clarke said. “The guys have been in contact with him and he knows everyone is supporting him. We’re all looking to him getting back.”Despite Bangladesh’s lowly ranking, Clarke refuses to treat the tourists as easybeats. “You’ll never hear me say that,” he said. “They beat us in Cardiff [in 2005], and that sits in my memory. We will certainly speak about that when we arrive in Darwin. We’re going to have to play good cricket.”Australia’s pre-season calendar has opened up with the rescheduling of the Champions Trophy and they will weigh up the benefits of another team camp in September with going to India earlier to help them acclimatise. “There are two sides to it,” Clarke said. “One-day cricket is still cricket under your belt, which is great leading into Test cricket. Now we can prepare in conditions we’re going to be playing the Tests in.”The one-day squad was joined on Monday by the Australia A outfit, which has a series of matches in India next month, and members of the Queensland team. Shaun Tait was also involved and looked fit and happy following his problems with physical and mental exhaustion last summer. The outdoor training followed a squad meeting on Sunday when Tim Nielsen, the coach, outlined his plans for the next 15 months.One of Nielsen’s main points was not getting too far ahead, a stance Clarke supported when asked if he was thinking of the 2009 Ashes. “Not at all,” he said. “I’m looking to Bangladesh in Darwin – as far as I’m going to look is India.”

The Indian board has pencilled in a women’s domestic Twenty20 competition has for the next season keeping in mind the Twenty20 World Cup in England

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2008
India picked several Under-22 players for the Asia Cup based on their performances in the Challenger Trophy © Tigercricket.com
India’s women cricketers will gear up for the Twenty20 World Cup in England next June with their first-ever domestic Twenty20 competition. The calendar for the next year, which has been fixed by the Indian board, sees the inter-state tournament staged in April, after the 50-over World Cup in Australia.The board members met with the women’s national selectors, Indian captain Mithali Raj, vice-captain Jhulan Goswami, coach Shanta Rangaswamy, and others in Mumbai to assess domestic and international engagements of the past season and make plans for the forthcoming one, which includes India’s tours to England and Australia.Raj has long stressed the need for a domestic Twenty20 competition if India are to perform reasonably well at the inaugural women’s World Cup, which will be held alongside the men’s tournament. The girls need to get used to playing Twenty20,” Raj said. “Earlier it was just a bang-bang format but now there is a lot more thought going in to how to space your innings etc.”Shubhangi Kulkarni, the convenor of the BCCI’s women’s committee, who also attended the meeting, said the Challenger Trophy, organised for the first time for women this February, had got a positive response. “A lot of young players were picked for the Asia Cup through the tournament,” Kulkarni told Cricinfo. “Railways has always been the strongest side in the domestic circuit but in Challengers, the Railways players were in different teams and younger players got a chance to play with seniors so this is a tournament we will continue with.”It was also decided to tweak the inter-state one-day tournament so that the second leg of matches, previously played in a knockout format, will now be organised as league games to increase the number of matches played during the season.With the World Cup in Australia only nine months away, the selectors hope to pin down the squad after the tours to England, in August, and Australia, in November. “We will have two camps before they leave for England and these two tours should be good practice ahead of the World Cup,” Kulkarni said.In an effort to find young talent, the board had organised a camp for coaches at the National Cricket Academy in January; 31 of the 35 players who attended the camp have passed the Level I coaching test. Kulkarni said the board expected state associations to employ these coaches in training and identifying young players. “We want the states to focus on the grassroots this year.”India’s international calendar is much busier this year than it was last year where they played only one tournament – the Quadrangular Series in Chennai – in February 2007. England and Australia will be tough tours and could provide the right conditions to identify potential players for the two World Cups.

According to The Sun, Glasgow Rangers want to sign Gary Cahill, who is a free agent after departing Crystal Palace this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers prepare for new campaign

The Gers won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years last season, meaning they have a league title defence and a potential Champions League group stage campaign for which to prepare in 2021/22.

Steven Gerrard will be looking to boost his squad and, so far, the 55-time Scottish champions have brought in Fashion Sakala and John Lundstram.

The Latest: Gers eye Cahill

According to The Sun, the Gers are interested in Cahill, who recently left Crystal Palace.

The Eagles want him to sign a new contract to stay at Selhurst Park, but Rangers are willing to offer him £35,000 per week to take him north of the border.

The Verdict: Ambitious

Rangers may be in the third qualifying round of the Champions League this summer, but only three of their players – Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Jermain Defoe – have featured in the competition’s group stage. In Cahill, the Gers would be adding a fourth, and the 61-cap England international has even won the trophy with Chelsea back in 2012.

At 35 years of age, Cahill is one of the most experienced centre-backs in England – he has made 394 Premier League appearances (Transfermarkt), picking up eight major trophies with Chelsea along the way. Former Palace manager Roy Hodgson even called him “exceptionally good” last season (via msn.com), which along with his rich CV suggests that he could surely do a good job for the Gers despite his advancing years.

In other news, many Rangers fans were raging at this club tweet.

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing as the Midlands club confirmed the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri in an announcement on their official Twitter page.

As per the club’s official website, the left-back has signed on a five-year deal with an option of a further year after impressing while on loan from Angers in the 2020/21 season.

Technical director Scott Sellars was full of praise for the youngster, claiming that he is a ‘very talented’ player with ‘lots of potential’.

Ait-Nouri clearly made a great impression for Wolves to make his move a permanent one, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.4), key passes (0.7), dribbles (1.2), pass success (86.1%) and crosses (0.6) per match in the Premier League last term (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old will hope to hit the ground running once more in his second season at Molineux, this time under new manager Bruno Lage.

Wolves fans on Ait-Nouri transfer

These Wolves supporters were thrilled as the transfer was confirmed on Twitter, with one describing it as ‘tremendous news’:

“INJECT THIS CONTENT INTO MY VEINS”

Credit: @NickAllen224

“We are winning it all”

Credit: @Finsabu

“Tremendous news”

Credit: @_AlanLeese

“Excellent news! Bargain at that price. 9.5m times better than Ryan Giles”

Credit: @wolvesbradders

“Love to see it”

Credit: @Sidaway_

“Fantastic negotiation by Wolves, he definitely grew into the league and looked at home towards the end.”

Credit: @mabr82

In other news, find out who Fabrizio Romano has claimed ‘will join Wolves’

John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has confirmed the side would retain the same batting line-up for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge starting June 5, despite their six-wicket defeat at Old Trafford

Cricinfo staff28-May-2008
Tim Southee could come into the equation at Trent Bridge as the conditions are more likely to favour swing bowling © Getty Images
John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has confirmed the side will retain the same batting line-up for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge starting on June 5, despite their six-wicket defeat at Old Trafford. New Zealand’s inexperienced batting was exposed after they capitulated for 114 in the second innings, squandering an imposing first-innings lead of 179.Bracewell said the top three – Jamie How, Aaron Redmond and James Marshall – would be retained and was he willing to give Marshall more time to settle into his No. 3 position after scores of 0 and 28.”We’re not really concerned about our opening batters, they’re making progress and we want to be consistent with that throughout this series, so Redmond and How will open in the next Test,” Bracewell told . “We don’t want to muck around with James Marshall by shifting him up the order, we want to secure him in that position as well. We don’t want to be shifting guys in and out of positions when we’re trying to develop a young side and try to build their confidence and experience.”Looking ahead to the three-day tour game against Northamptonshire starting on Friday, Bracewell said Peter Fulton would open the batting with Redmond, as cover for the injured How. How suffered a cracked left index finger in a fielding session during the second Test but is likely to be fit in time for Trent Bridge. Bracewell also confirmed that Jacob Oram, Chris Martin, Iain O’Brien and the captain Daniel Vettori would sit out the tour game.New Zealand are still waiting on the fitness of batsman Daniel Flynn, who’s yet to recover after being struck on the face while batting at Old Trafford. If Flynn isn’t fit for Northampton, Vettori will come in.On New Zealand’s bowling composition, Bracewell said Tim Southee would have a chance to compete with O’Brien and Kyle Mills for two spots in the final Test. O’Brien was the most impressive of the seamers at Old Trafford with match figures of 4 for 111, including the wickets of the in-form Andrew Strauss in both innings.”Northampton gives us a chance to look at some other players and bring them into Test contention, in particular Tim Southee, and see what option that gives us. I was pretty happy with what Iain O’Brien did, but the Trent Bridge surface and conditions indicate it does swing a lot more there, so that brings both Kyle and Tim back into contention and that makes those positions competitive.”

Whatever the personnel when the sides are announced prior to the start ofthe second Ashes Test in Adelaide, Australia will start the match as firmfavourites to go two-nil up in the series

Ralph Dellor20-Nov-2002Whatever the personnel when the sides are announced prior to the start ofthe second Ashes Test in Adelaide, Australia will start the match as firmfavourites to go two-nil up in the series. England’s plans have been throwninto disarray by a succession of injuries, while Australia could put theirsecond eleven on to the field and still be favourites to win. Australia Acould not force a win in Hobart in the tourists’ last match, but theycertainly did nothing to restore England’s confidence.Before dwelling on England’s misfortunes, it should be said that Australiathemselves are not completely free of injury doubts. Jason Gillespie isstill feeling the effects of his calf strain and is being given as long aspossible to recover. If he cannot do so, Brett Lee will come back into theside.Lee has taken 21 wickets for New South Wales since being dropped from theside for the first Test in Brisbane and has recaptured the speed that madehim such a fearsome proposition until his recent dip in form. If Gillespieis fit, Lee might have to wait until Perth before regaining his place as hehas said himself that his replacement, Andy Bichel, has done a perfectlygood job for the side.England would dearly love to have a problem like that of the Australians. Atthe start of the tour, captain Nasser Hussain said that his side stood achance of regaining the Ashes provided fortune smiled and he could call on afull complement of fit players. The decimation of the party and their dreambegan before they left England. That was when Graham Thorpe dropped out ofthe original selection to be replaced by Robert Key.A damaging blow, but at least Key was fit and raring to go. The same couldnot be said for the rest of the party. Darren Gough (knee), Michael Vaughan(knee), Mark Butcher (knee), Andrew Flintoff (hernia), and Simon Jones (rib)were all travelling with injuries of varying degrees of seriousness toovercome.Vaughan and Butcher came through without further mishap. Gough never tookthe field before returning home to seek further career-saving medical help.Flintoff has simply failed to get over his hernia operation as expected andis now said to be out until the fourth Test. There was no problem aboutJones’ rib, but then he suffered that horrendous knee injury on day one atBrisbane and is out for the rest of the tour and into the foreseeablefuture.Add to that casualty list the shoulder scare concerning Marcus Trescothick,the shin splints suffered by Steve Harmison, and a bout of concussion, thebruised hip that makes John Crawley doubtful for Adelaide, and the fracturedwrist sustained by Ashley Giles, and it is no wonder that the Englanddressing room resembles a casualty clearing station. Of the 16 namesannounced by the selectors on 10th September, only six have not featured inmedical bulletins.That is all history. What matters now is that England manage to restore somepride and make the most of what they have available. Whatever the result, abattling performance in which team and individuals do themselves justicewould go a long way towards bolstering credibility. And a little bit of luck would not go amiss.As for the Australians, they must be really worried. Consider the dilemmathat is occupying them even once they get the Gillespie situation sortedout. How do they resolve the problem of getting Martin Love – the man whoaverages 451 in two innings against the tourists – into the Test side. Nowonder their selectors have furrowed brows.