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Mark Sorell has become the second state coach in a week to step down after being told his contract with South Australia would not be extended at the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2010Mark Sorell has become the second state coach in a week to step down after being told his contract with South Australia would not be extended at the end of the season. The move comes as Darren Lehmann, the former Redbacks captain, has agreed to link with Queensland for the Big Bash after Trevor Barsby’s sudden exit last Wednesday.The flurry of in-season movement is extremely unusual in Australia and while Barsby was the victim of player power, Sorell’s time ran out to lift the perennially underperforming South Australia. The SACA board decided on Monday night that Sorell’s fourth season in charge would be his last.Jamie Cox, South Australia’s director of cricket, told Sorell, 45, the news on Tuesday morning. “He has consequently stepped down as coach of the Redbacks, effective immediately,” Cox said. Jeff Vaughan, the assistant, will take over for South Australia’s one-day and Sheffield Shield games against Victoria this week.”I would like to make it very clear that this outcome was initiated by management and the board and not by the playing group,” Cox said. “The players have, however, been consulted and understand the reasons for the decision.”In Queensland, Lehmann will start coaching the Twenty20 side next week to prepare for its opening match against Victoria on January 2. Lehmann, who looks after the Deccan Chargers in the IPL, steps in at a difficult time for the Bulls after Barsby’s departure.Graham Dixon, Queensland’s chief executive, said Lehmann would provide the side with an experienced Twenty20 hand. “Darren’s earned a reputation as an innovative coach in the IPL and with his extensive international playing and coaching experience, we are confident he will further assist the development of our promising young squad,” Dixon said. Justin Sternes will look after the Bulls in the Shield and one-day competitions for the rest of the season.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United target Adrien Rabiot, regarding Juventus’ plans for him going forward.

What’s the talk?

According to Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Magpies are firmly in the race to land the French midfielder in January.

The report claims that the Italian giants are looking to sell him in the next window and could accept an offer as low as €10m (£8.5m) for the ex-PSG man.

Transformation

Eddie Howe has inherited a Newcastle team in a difficult position in the Premier League. The Magpies are 19th in the table and are the only side in the division yet to win a match, which is why the January transfer window could be the difference between staying up and heading straight back down to the Championship at the end of the season.

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The signing of Rabiot could be a potential game-changer for Howe as he could transform his midfield with the talented beast. He has proven himself as he caught the eye with PSG in Ligue 1 previously in his career and could provide a huge lift to the team.

In his final five seasons for the club, the holding midfielder averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.11 or higher, whilst making at least 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game on average in each season. He has also shown off his ability to pass the ball, with a carer average pass completion rate of 89.9% – playing for PSG, Juventus and France.

Ex-Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo previously called him ‘complete’, saying: “He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically.”

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon once compared him to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, saying: “He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio. He is incredible, extremely strong.”

Meanwhile, no Newcastle midfielder has averaged a WhoScored rating higher than 6.53 – a dismal score in comparison to the 7.11 or higher Rabiot was hitting in France. This suggests that he could be a major addition to the side and transform their midfield by bringing a consistently high level of quality to the team with his ability to win the ball back and retain it with his excellent passing.

Howe must now ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the Frenchman in the January window and pounce on this opportunity Juventus are seemingly set to hand them.

AND in other news, Howe could win over NUFC fans by axing £41k-p/w dud and landing “magnificent” beast…

Cricinfo presents the plays of the day from the third day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval14-Jul-2009Surprise choice and an interesting marker
It surprised everyone that Kumar Sangakkara began the day with Thilan Thushara and a non-spinning, part-time offspinner, Tharanga Paranavitana. It is also interesting how Paranavitana marks his run-up. He doesn’t take steps, and when he marks his run, his right foot meets left, then left meets right and so on. It helps that he hardly has a run, it’s just a couple of paces. To be fair to Sangakkara and Paranavitana, an edge was produced in the latter’s second over, but it flew wide of slip.Thushara v Fawad – watch out for the head
After Fawad Alam escaped a blow on his head by centimetres yesterday, another accurate bouncer from the same bowler found him today. Late to duck, Fawad was in an uncomfortable place again and got hit flush on the helmet. Like yesterday, though, it didn’t faze the debutant.Brain freeze of the day
And the action revolved around Paranavitana. He came back for a second spell, overs before lunch. Slowly he marked his run-up, sedately he took his two paces to bowl, and suddenly he saw Younis Khan, 82, shaping up for a reverse-sweep to the first delivery of the spell. Paranavitana slipped a full toss down what would have been leg side, Younis went through with the shot, dragged it onto his right shoulder, and the ball lobbed to the keeper. Earlier this year, Younis had got to his triple-century against the same opposition with the same shot.Successful surprise choice of the day
Just after lunch Sangakkara took the new ball, and threw it to – surprise – Rangana Herath. Herath got Mohammad Yousuf lbw, plumb too, off his second delivery with the new ball. In the four Tests that Yousuf has now played against Herath, he has fallen five times to him – four of them blocking the wicket. The choice of the new-ball bowler doesn’t sound that strange anymore.

Durham will celebrate their back-to-back Championship titles with a trip to Dublin after the season finishes, but first they want to complete their dominant campaign with two more victories

Andrew McGlashan14-Sep-2009Will Smith: ‘It’s one of the proudest moments of my cricketing life and does surpass last year’•PA PhotosDurham will celebrate their back-to-back Championship titles with a trip to Dublin after the season finishes, but first they want to complete their dominant campaign with two more victories and put further daylight between them and the chasing pack. Will Smith, the captain, is taking more pleasure from this year’s triumph than Durham’s maiden four-day title last year having assumed the captaincy from Dale Benkenstein.The runs haven’t flowed for Smith in the same manner (522 runs at 27.47 so far in 2009 compared to 925 at 51.38 in 2008) but the demands of leading a title defence have left him proud of his achievement. Division One has been a one-horse race since Durham hit their straps after three early draws and they wrapped up the title with a thumping innings-and-52-run victory against Nottinghamshire.”On a personal level, I had a decent part to play as I scored a few runs last year but this year, while I haven’t scored the runs, I’ve put far more energy and emotion into it,” he told Cricinfo’s Switch Hit Cricket Show. “It means a hell of a lot more this year to captain the side to what, on the face of it, is a very convincing victory. It makes me immensely proud and if we win the next two matches it will be a very dominant table at the end of the season. It’s one of the proudest moments of my cricketing life and does surpass last year.”However, the hectic nature of the county calendar means they played a Pro40 match the next day – although most of the first team continued their celebrations on the balcony as a young side took the field – and on Monday were on a long coach journey to play Hampshire at The Rose Bowl. For Smith, one of the players who had to battle a heavy night to play on Sunday, it means the enormity of the achievement hasn’t sunk in.”I don’t think it has yet. We had the Pro40 game that didn’t really allow is to accept it and the evening we won it was mostly a drunken haze more than anything,” he said. “It will do in the next week or so. We have two games to play, and we are concentrating on those, but when they are done and dusted there will be a few more celebrations and a few more events to honour the occasion and then it will really hit home.”Even when Durham were occasionally put under pressure they managed to turn the tables. Against Worcestershire they found themselves 59 for 6 in the first innings, but won the came by five wickets, and conceded a 135-run lead against Yorkshire yet finished with a dominant draw.”It’s been a funny season in many ways,” Smith said. “We’ve had to dig in at stages so there have been sessions where we’ve been up against it. But someone will recognise that moment and drag us around, that’s really been the story of the season. There have been times when it’s been tough and we’ve had to fight tooth and nail.One of those to play a vital role at turning innings around has been Ian Blackwell and Smith was full of praise for the all-round skills he has brought to the team. “He contributed a lot of tough runs in difficult situations at the start of the season, and in combination with Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett put on crucial runs. And later in the season he has come into his own with the ball.”When he was at Taunton he probably wasn’t renowned as an attacking spinner because it was a small ground with a flat pitch. With all due respect to every spinner we’ve had at Durham but he has really raised the bar. He’s a very clever bowler, with variations in pace, and that’s allowed him to take nearly 40 wickets which is a great record.”And there is Steve Harmison, who is yet to confirm his international future after not earning a central contract. He has set his sights of Simon Brown’s Durham wicket-taking record of 518 scalps and is currently one short of reaching 400. “He’s been fantastic this season. He’s an incredible guy and an incredible bowler,” Smith said. “Sometimes he’s misunderstood and it seems to me that when he plays for England or Durham all he does is put his heart and soul into it all.”That’s been obvious this season when he’s bowled for us, sometimes bits have been falling off and he’s still been charging in. The emotion he summons up when playing for Durham is incredible and as long as his body and mind are willing he’ll be one of the first names I’d love to have in the team.”Smith insists thoughts of making it a hat-trick of titles will wait while they celebrate this success, but if Harmison is around for a full season it’s going to be very hard to stop Durham.

Zimbabwe won the battle of the bats in Harare to go up 3-1 against Kenya and take the series

Cricinfo staff17-Oct-2009
Scorecard
Brendan Taylor’s unbeaten 60 guided Zimbabwe to an easy win and gave them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series•AFPZimbabwe won the battle of the bats in Harare to take the series after going up 3-1 against Kenya. The series win was their second over the same opposition this year. Zimbabwe were boosted by a collective batting display, with each of their top five batsmen making important contributions, as they chased down a challenging target with ease. Three of their batsmen – Mark Vermeulen, Forster Mutizwa and Brendan Taylor – struck half-centuries to see them home by six wickets with two overs to spare.With a stiff task ahead of them, Zimbabwe were given a strong start when the in-form Hamilton Masakadza knocked 23 in an opening partnership of 30. Vermeulen and Mutizwa then seized control, adding 111 at better than a run-a-ball. Nehemiah Odhiambo brought an end to the stand, dismissing Vermeulen for 56, but a solid foundation for a successful chase had been laid.If Kenya sensed an opening with Vermeulen’s dismissal, they were thwarted by Brendan Taylor, who supported Mutizwa in a solid partnership. Despite the fall of a wicket, the scoring rate remained healthy. Mutizwa struck six fours and a six in a stand of 79, and added 47 with Taylor before being trapped lbw by Lameck Onyango.Taylor then took up the responsibility of anchoring the innings, and Stuart Matsikenyeri, one of the mainstays of the Zimbabwe line-up, continued the good work. There was little aggression in his knock, but the scoring remained unhindered; he struck just two boundaries in his 39-ball 37. Taylor, too, worked it around; only 16 runs of his better-than-a-run-a-ball 60 came in fours. By the time Matsikenyeri was castled by Odhiambo, Zimbabwe’s task was a mere formality and Taylor ensured the game was sealed with no fuss.Zimababwe had been set such a tall target chiefly due to Maurice Ouma’s run-a-ball half-century, which had led Kenya’s batting effort.Kenya were well placed at 190 for 3 in the 40th over, with Ouma and Rakep Patel adding 86. But legpsinner Graeme Cremer struck twice in two overs to dismiss the two settled batsmen. Kenya slowed down a touch before Thomas Odoyo, coming at No. 8, smashed 30 off 17 balls to lift the total.Kenya were given a confident start by their openers David Obuya and Alex Obanda, who put on 64 in 12 overs before Obanda edged one off Ray Price for 33. Three overs later, Prosper Utseya took the first of his four wickets, catching Steve Tikolo off his own bowling. Obuya and Patel ticked along at under four an over till Utseya trapped Obuya one short of his fifty.Zimbabwe would have expected to keep Kenya to 250 when they broke the Ouma-Patel stand. However, Odoyo’s violent hitting – three fours and two sixes – ensured 73 runs were scored off the last eight overs, but the effort, in the end, was in vain.

Australia are already without their captain Ricky Ponting in England and soon they will also lose their coach, with Tim Nielsen set to take leave before the end of the ODI series

Cricinfo staff02-Sep-2009Australia are already without their captain Ricky Ponting in England and soon they will also lose their coach, with Tim Nielsen set to take leave before the end of the ODI series. Troy Cooley, the assistant coach and bowling mentor, will take over as coach when Nielsen heads home following the fourth one-day international.Cricket Australia said in a statement that Nielsen’s early departure from England was intended to allow him to spend time with his young family in Adelaide with a hectic year of international cricket on the horizon. Nielsen will rejoin the squad in South Africa on September 22 as Australia prepares to defend the Champions Trophy.”The Australian team has played back-to-back international cricket since September 2008 and looking at the busy schedule over the next 12 months, we believe it is the right time for Tim to take a break,” Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket, said. “This will also provide an excellent opportunity for Tim’s assistant, Troy Cooley, to continue his professional development by stepping up as acting coach for the remainder of the tour.”Cooley will be in charge for the final three one-day internationals against England, starting on September 13. The team is already short on experience in its playing ranks with Ponting being rested for the start of the ODIs – although he could return for the tail-end of the series – and Brad Haddin recovering from surgery.Nielsen is one of the few members of Australia’s group who has been in England right throughout the disappointing tour, which began with their early exit from the ICC World Twenty20 three months ago. Prior to that, he guided the squad through their tours of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. After the Champions Trophy, Australia head to India for a one-day series before returning home to prepare for the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan.

In the end, Leeds United secured their passage into the next round of the Carabao Cup after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out victory over Fulham on Tuesday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side weren’t at their vintage best at Craven Cottage, but thanks to some heroics from goalkeeper Illan Meslier, they managed to move onto the fourth round of the competition.

But while Meslier will no doubt take some of the headlines for stepping up in that crucial moment during the spot-kicks, it was arguably Charlie Cresswell’s performance at the back that really stood out the most.

The 19-year-old academy starlet proved exactly why he appears set for a big future in the game at Elland Road, matching everything that Fulham tried to throw him with and even showing a superb range of passing too.

As per Sofascore, he won the most duels of any player on the pitch (12 of 18), and made the most interceptions, clearances and blocked shots of any of his Leeds teammates too.

That’s not to mention how good he looked in possession too, registering a game-high 121 touches – yes, you read that correctly – and 87 passes, while only Kalvin Phillips was ahead of him for most completed long balls.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him an eight, saying: “Excellent display from the centre-back, who slotted in seamlessly to the defence. Was happy to mix it physically with the Fulham forwards and just as comfortable raking long passes over the top for his team-mates. Never looked troubled.”

Speaking about Cresswell earlier last season, former Leeds striker Noel Whelan was glowing in his praise about the 6 foot starlet, saying: “He is the future, he’s one for the future. At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young centre-half.”

And, after pictures emerged of him in pre-season training looking more physically built than ever before, Whelan waxed lyrical about the kind of progress the teenager has made and touted him for big things.

He added: “From the pictures, you can see he’s put in a lot of work, a lot of effort. He’s taking his role at the club very seriously about pushing Koch, Cooper, Llorente and Struijk. That’s good to see. I want to see that from young players.

“Cresswell, when he played last season in the EFL Cup game he was fantastic. He was a standout and he’s definitely one to the future. When you look at him now in stature, he doesn’t look like he’d be fazed coming up against any bigger centre-forwards. He is an absolute beast.”

These rave reviews, and his performance yesterday showed exactly why he could be a major player for Leeds in the coming years, and he absolutely stole the show for the Whites in their Carabao Cup clash against Fulham.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star is keen on a contract extension at Elland Road…

Liverpool have been in hot form so far this season, particularly from an attacking point of view with a total of 28 goals scored across all competitions, resulting in Jurgen Klopp’s side remaining unbeaten.

Despite this impressive start to the season, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eyes on a potential new attacking star to add to their squad.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported by Spanish media outlet Fichajes (via Liverpool Echo) that Liverpool are still interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr at some point in the future as a potential replacement for either Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino or Mohamed Salah.

The Reds were previously linked with a move for Sarr before turning their attention to Diogo Jota who they signed in the 2020 summer transfer window.

Sarr joined Watford back in the 2019 summer transfer window from French club Stade Rennais on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £40m.

Since then, the 23-year-old, whose two goals in Watford’s 3-1 Premier League win over Norwich City last month were described as “outstanding” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks, has made a total of 77 appearances for the Hornets across all competitions in which he has managed to score 23 goals and provide 16 assists along the way.

So far this season, Sarr, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £63k-per-week at Watford according to Spotrac, has played 90 minutes in all of Watford’s seven Premier League games and scored four goals in the process, proving just how important he has been for the team.

Long-term option?

Taking all of this into account, the fact that Liverpool have reportedly shown an interest in signing Sarr in the past and the fact the age of current Reds wingers Salah (29) and Mane (29), Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards should do all he can to sign Sarr either in the upcoming January transfer window or in the next summer window as he could be a fantastic long-term attacking option for the club.

However, Watford would want a significant transfer fee for him given his age and how important he is to them, which could potentially put Liverpool off.

But if Salah, for example, were to leave the club when his current contract runs out in 2023, Liverpool will have to make sure they have someone that can try and replace the plethora of goals and assists the Egyptian has delivered for the club since his arrival.

And with Sarr having some experience of playing and scoring goals in the Premier League so far with nine goals in 35 league appearances under his belt, he could well be a good option in that regard.

An average of 2.4 shot and 2.6 dribbles per game, via Sarr, this campaign suggests that he is a constant threat on the wing and is another ready to why he could be perfect to replace Salah one day.

In other news: £180k-p/w Liverpool “problem” sees his value crash £45m in nearly 2 years under Klopp – opinion

Fulham manager Marco Silva has dropped a double injury update following the Cottagers’ Championship victory on Wednesday evening.

What’s the latest?

In post-match comments cited by West London Sport, the 44-year-old manager revealed that both Joe Bryan and Antonee Robinson look to be doubts for the club’s trip to Coventry City this weekend.

Bryan, who started in the 3-1 win over Swansea City, was withdrawn early in the second half of the clash after picking up a back injury, while Robinson missed the fixture due to a knee injury – with this knock potentially keeping the defender out until after the upcoming international break.

Speaking about the condition of the left-back duo, Silva said: “It [Bryan’s injury] doesn’t look serious but it was painful in that moment and he felt he couldn’t go through the game. He had a very good first half. We did very well down the left side – he and Kebano did really well.

“Antonee’s knee doesn’t look serious, he just felt something in the session [on Tuesday] and we will have to wait and see if he can play the next game.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering how impressive both Robinson and Bryne have been for Fulham so far this season, the news that both players could be set to miss out this weekend is sure to have left fans gutted.

Indeed, over his eight Championship appearances this term, Robinson has helped his side keep two clean sheets, while also making an average of 2.3 interceptions, one tackle, 2.4 clearances and winning 4.1 duels per game, with these returns seeing the 24-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09.

Meanwhile, while Bryan has featured less often than his left-back counterpart this season – playing just three league games for the Cottagers – the 28-year-old highly impressed when filling in for the USA international against Swansea, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 7.0 on the night.

As such, should both players indeed be absent for the trip to Coventry on Saturday, it would undoubtedly dent Fulham’s chances of picking up all three points against the Sky Blues, with Silva more than likely having to field a player out of position in order to cover for the stricken left-back duo.

In other news: “Important” £14.4m-rated Fulham ace who made two key passes stole the show vs Swansea

Lee Johnson has confirmed that full-back Denver Hume is nearing his return to first-team action after injury, acting as a boost for Sunderland.

The Lowdown: Hume absent this season

The Black Cats have made a good start to their League One season, sitting second in the table with seven matches played.

One individual who hasn’t played a single minute to date in 2021/22 is Hume, however, with the 23-year-old out with a hamstring injury.

The Latest: Johnson provides key update

Speaking ahead of Sunderland’s league meeting with Bolton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light [via The Sunderland Echo], Johnson claimed Hume will be back soon, playing for the Under-23s in order to step up his recovery:

“Denver is coming along pretty nicely and could get some U23 minutes on Monday night [away at Wolves].

“We’ve then got a game in the Papa John’s Trophy at Lincoln City eight days later, and providing he comes through Monday OK he could have some involvement there.”

The Verdict: Big boost for Sunderland

Hume may not necessarily be an indispensable figure for the Black Cats – he made 23 League One appearances last season – but his return will be an undoubted boost, having been hailed as ‘unplayable’ by Phil Parkinson in the past.

The left-back can provide competition for youngster Dennis Cirkin, who has stepped up and made five league starts already this season, potentially becoming first-choice if he rids himself of his injury problems.

Hume’s return may still be a few weeks away, but he will provide more depth for Johnson when he comes back, strengthening Sunderland’s promotion push in the process.

In other news, Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has dropped a verdict on one current player. Read more here.