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Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has encouraged Michael Hussey to play with freedom so he can continue to be a force at international level

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2010Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has encouraged Michael Hussey to play with freedom so he can continue to be a force at international level. Hussey has gained the support of Andrew Hilditch and Chappell this week, but has been battling for form over the past two years, averaging 37 in his past 35 Tests.With the Australian squad for the first Ashes Test due to be named on Monday, Chappell offered Hussey some advice. “As you get older, the difficulty is that you are aware of the things that can go wrong and you’re aware of how hard it is to make runs at that level consistently,” Chappell told AAP. “Before you have all that experience, you tend to go out and you can play with a little bit more freedom.”Chappell said finding that freedom was harder as you got older. “The only way you can achieve is to get into the same state of mind that you were in as a younger player,” he said. “That’s the hardest part of being an older player, having that freedom to go out and take some risks.”You’ve got to risk getting out to score runs and that’s the hardest thing to do. We all become more conservative. I haven’t seen anyone who hasn’t suffered from that.”Hussey is now 35, the same age as Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting. The aging line-up has created concerns about the present and fears for the future, with it highly unlikely two of the trio will be playing for their country in a year.Chappell is a believer in young talent but the next rung of batting contenders did not perform well during the week. There were no big scores from Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja or Callum Ferguson in the first few days of their ongoing matches, easing the pressure on the incumbents.Hussey is not playing this week but scored 71 not out, 15 and 6 not out in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Hilditch said it was important to regard batsmen who average 50 in Test cricket highly. “He’s been a great player for Australia, but he will be looking to get runs to stay in the squad, like everyone else,” Hilditch said. Hussey’s mean is currently 49.75 from 54 Tests.

Rangers have paid a loan fee of £2m to sign Aaron Ramsey from Juventus, Michael Bridge has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

The Wales midfielder arrived at Ibrox on deadline day, becoming the Gers’ third loan signing of the January transfer window after deals for Amad Diallo (Manchester United) and James Sands (New York City FC).

Rangers say they have managed to preserve their wage structure by agreeing a favourable split with Juventus, but his salary is too large for them to entertain a permanent option (via The Athletic).

Ramsey brings vast experience of playing at the top level, having made 262 Premier League appearances and 78 appearances in the Champions League and Europa League. He has also won eight trophies in his career, including Serie A in 2019/20 and three FA Cups with Arsenal.

The latest

Sky Sports journalist Bridge has learned that Juventus are keen to see the back of Ramsey. For context, Rangers paid more than £2m to sign a central midfielder who had played just 23 minutes in continental competition – Huddersfield Town’s Juninho Bacuna – last summer.

The reporter told Give Me Sport: “My colleagues in Italy are telling me that Juventus just actually want him out of the door. So Rangers might be paying a loan fee potentially of around £2 million.”

The verdict

An outlay of £2m will feel like a very small price to pay indeed if Ramsey proves to be a difference-maker in the remaining months of the season.

Indeed, Rangers could bank a whopping £35m if they win the Premiership and earn automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League group stage, and that’s before you even consider the prize money they may receive if they can stun Borussia Dortmund and advance in the Europa League over the coming weeks.

In other news, many Gers fans were buzzing over this transfer update

Kenya have added 21-year-old seamer Nelson Odhiambo to their squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan after sliding to a 167-run defeat against the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Kenya have added 21-year-old seamer Nelson Odhiambo to the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan after sliding to a 167-run defeat against the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup.The three-match series starts October 7 and Kenya will enter with a new captain in Jimmy Kamande after Maurice Ouma stepped down. Kamande didn’t feature in the Intercontinental Cup defeat but he now has the task of lifting a team that was outplayed for much of the game.Kenya conceded a 304-run first-innings deficit but showed signs of promise as the game wore on. They dismissed Afghanistan for 207 in the second innings and batted obdurately to reach 344 in an unlikely 521 run chase.It was enough for coach Eldine Baptiste to believe his side can be competitive but urged the need for consistency if Kenya are to progress. “While we were very disappointed with the result in the four day match against Afghanistan we showed some signs of what we can achieve as a team,” he said.”We had spells where we bowled exceptionally well and some of the batsman produced good innings. What we need to do is achieve consistency, improve in all areas and see our top order batsmen go on to make the big match winning scores we need.’With a new captain in Jimmy Kamande leading the side I fully expect this will give us a fresh start and a new impetus and we can start producing the wins we are capable of.”Squad Jimmy Kamande (capt), Maurice Ouma (wk), Seren Waters, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Rakep Patel, , Ragheb Aga, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, James Ngoche, Hiren Varaiya, Elijah Otieno, Nelson Odhiambo.

A stirring lower-order counterattack led by Alcindo Holder lifted Barbados to a challenging score of 159 and killed the fight in Windward Islands, who crashed to their second successive defeat in the Caribbean T20

Cricinfo staff26-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Javon Searles had a memorable Twenty20 debut, picking four wickets as Barbados prevailed by 39 runs•Nicholas Reid/West Indies Cricket BoardA stirring lower-order counterattack led by Alcindo Holder lifted Barbados to a challenging score of 159 and killed the fight in Windward Islands, who crashed to their second successive defeat in the Caribbean T20. Barbados went the other way, charting their second win in as many games to enter the semi-finals.Windwards made a promising start to their chase with Johnson Charles crashing Kemar Roach for a six and a four in his opening over, but things unraveled quickly thereafter. Devon Smith cut Ryan Hinds straight to Dwayne Smith in the third over, and Charles, possibly disturbed by constant chatter from Sulieman Benn, was run-out attempting a tight single to cover.Andre Fletcher continued to attack with his trademark whips to cow corner, picking 20 runs off six balls he faced either side of Charles’ dismissal. Offspinner Ashley Nurse then wrested back the initiative, pinning Fletcher in front of the stumps for 33 off 17 balls and castling Liam Sebastien with a full delivery.Darren Sammy tried to stay in the game with some risk-free cricket but once he perished, pulling the impressive debutant Javon Searles to square-leg, the asking rate began to go out of control. Searles continued to keep things tight, but the match as a contest fizzled out long before he picked the last of his four wickets.It was not always so easy for Barbados whose innings seemed to have stalled on the starting line after they were asked to bat first. Jason Hinds, opening in his Twenty20 debut, was scratchy against the Windwards seamers and it was left to Dale Richards to generate the early push. He targeted left-arm spinner Gary Mathurin whose tight lines were interspersed with boundary balls. Craig Emmanuel who came on in the fifth over hit impressive lines and began with a maiden as Jason struggled to get bat on ball. In his second over, Emmanuel struck with his nagging length, getting Richards to miscue a pull to third man.Spinners Sebastien and Rawl Lewis maintained pressure following the Powerplay period before Jason’s listless innings ended in a mix-up in the eleventh over amidst cheers from his home crowd. Jonathan Carter dispatched Lewis for two sixes towards midwicket to reignite the innings, but fell attempting another heave off Shane Shillingford. In the meantime, Ryan Hinds lofted Nelon Pascal to long on and the innings seemed to be falling apart, but Alcindo Holder and Dwayne Smith had other plans.Holder was reprieved early, eluding the grasp of a diving attempt in the outfield with a lofted cover drive. Smith served notice with two lusty swings off Shillingford over midwicket before Holder trained his guns on Pascal’s hittable lengths. He smashed the first ball of the 17th over past long on for six, before pulling over midwicket, edging past the wicketkeeper and lofting over extra-cover as 19 runs were looted off the over. Butler was re-introduced to exert control, but he too was punished as Holder pinged long-on for six and point for four.Emmanuel got the better of Dwayne despite conceding a six over fine leg, and finished off with the wicket of Carlo Morris caught smartly by Sebastien at long on. Holder stayed put till the end and hustled Lewis for another six over long on as Barbados plundered 104 runs off their last ten overs. They had been helped along by some poor fielding under pressure, and muddled thinking from Windwards, who failed to make full use of Emmanuel, their best bowler on the day. As it transpired, their batting effort was even worse, and the 39-run margin of defeat summarised the rift between the two sides perfectly.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Brighton beast Adam Webster in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that PIF are plotting a swoop for the Seagulls central defender this month.

He Tweeted: “Newcastle. Surprise late inquiry for centre half Adam Webster at Brighton. Right age Prem experience Price would be big all the same.”

Excitement

Newcastle fans will surely be left feeling excited by this update as he could be a sensational addition to the squad and could solve a key issue for the club.

The central defender has been in impressive form for Brighton in the Premier League this term. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.98, whilst winning 67% of his individual duels. This comes after he averaged a score of 6.93 last term and won 59% of his battles, showing that he is improving with more experience in the top-flight.

It also shows that he is a strong defender who is able to churn out consistent, quality, performances in the division for his current club.

He has proven his quality at this level and that could be a big selling point for Newcastle fans, who may like to see players with experience of playing in the Premier League instead of taking a gamble on players from elsewhere.

Whilst he has been performing admirably, Newcastle’s defence has been in tatters. Only Norwich have conceded more goals than the Magpies this season – having played a game more – and this is a key issue that Eddie Howe needs to address before the window closes.

The current group of defenders, barring Kieran Trippier, have been unable to maintain a solid defensive unit and the signing of Webster could help to fix that. He has shown that he can deliver excellent displays in the Premier League and, therefore, placing him at the heart of the defence could improve their record and help them to pick up more points.

This is why Newcastle fans could get excited by this update from Nixon as he could be a phenomenal addition to Howe’s squad. If he can translate his form for Brighton over to the Magpies then he could be a superb player for the club and one the fans enjoy watching boss the backline in the months to come.

The supporters would also love to see PIF being ambitious and snatching a player away from one of their rivals in the league, with Graham Potter’s side 15 points ahead of the Toon as it stands.

AND in other news, “Hearing that NUFC have..”: Pete Graves drops big transfer twist, it’ll infuriate Howe…

Struggling Gloucestershire virtually ended Middlesex’s hopes of reaching the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals by beating them by six wickets with four balls to spare at Uxbridge

11-Jul-2010
ScorecardStruggling Gloucestershire virtually ended Middlesex’s hopes of reaching the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals by beating them by six wickets with four balls to spare at Uxbridge.The match saw Steven Finn return to the Middlesex team for the first time since he bowled England to victory in the second Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford in June but he conceded 30 runs in two overs and was promptly withdrawn from the firing line.Finn was struck for five fours and a six as William Porterfield and Aaron Redmond launched Gloucestershire’s pursuit of a target of 186 with an opening partnership of 78 in seven overs. Neil Dexter, the Middlesex captain, stemmed the flow of runs by bowling Redmond and having Hamish Marshall caught behind in the space of seven balls.Porterfield, who had hit 64 off 32 balls with three sixes and seven fours, was then unluckily run out when Franklin’s drive was deflected into the stumps at the bowler’s end but Franklin and Chris Taylor regained the initiative with a fourth wicket stand of 61 in six overs.Middlesex, beaten by Hampshire on the same club ground the day before, owed their total to Dawid Malan’s 86 off 44 balls, including six sixes and five fours, after they had made another poor start, losing David Warner and Jackson Thompson inside the first four overs.Warner, the Australia Twenty20 specialist, who has made only 188 runs in 11 innings for Middlesex, was caught and bowled by Steve Kirby for one and Thompson, an India-born left-hander who once played for Gloucestershire, was caught at extra cover off Anthony Ireland for 14.Owais Shah gave the innings some momentum, following his 80 against Hampshire with 27 off 19 balls including a six and four fours before he was brilliantly caught on the midwicket boundary by Gemaal Hussain off Richard Dawson, and then Neil Dexter joined Malan in a fourth wicket partnership of 85 in eight overs.Dexter had struck 38 off 30 balls with two sixes and two fours when he was well caught by Porterfield, leaping high in front of the sightscreen, off Kirby and Middlesex were on course for 200 until they failed to make the most of the closing overs.Tyron Henderson was caught by Marshall running in from long on off Ireland and three wickets went down in the last over with Scott and Smith running themselves out and Malan bowled when making room to hit Kirby through the offside.

West Ham must finally go ahead and sign Fiorentina star Nikola Milenkovic amid a recent transfer update…

What’s the story?

The Hammers were linked with a swoop for the Serbia international back in the summer, and now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed David Moyes’ side could revisit a move for the centre-back in this month’s January transfer window.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke said: “The one that probably stands out for me is Milenkovic at Fiorentina. They tried to get him in the summer before the deal fell through.

“I think it fell through because of his agents demands, so that could possibly be revisited. He’s definitely been a long-term target for West Ham.”

Huge upgrade on Issa Diop

With Angelo Ogbonna ruled out with an ACL injury, Moyes has had to shuffle his back-line this season in the Premier League, and against Crystal Palace last time out, turned to Issa Diop.

The Frenchman however put in a dismal showing, with Football.London giving him a measly five in their post-match player ratings and even declaring that “his place could come under pressure if the Hammers bring in another defender during the transfer window”.

And if that’s the case, then Milenkovic surely has to be that man.

The Serbian is an absolute powerhouse in the centre of defence, averaging 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in Serie A last season – both stats in the top five among Fiorentina’s entire squad.

The £20.7m-rated titan has already earned rave reviews for his abilities and potential, being described as someone who is “fearless” and is a “beast”.

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

Milenkovic has shown he could also develop into the leader Ogbonna is right now, having captained Fiorentina on a couple of occasions already last season, despite only being 23.

Standing at 6 foot 5, Milenkovic is a towering presence in the Viola’s backline; indeed, his height makes him taller than Diop by an inch.

With Diop looking shaky and unconvincing as a long-term answer, the Fiorentina man could be the perfect upgrade for the Hammers this month.

Meanwhile, West Ham are also interested in another Premier League star…

Wolves have been making headlines with a number of rumours already circulating on the expected incomings and outgoings in the January transfer window, and now journalist, Luke Hatfield, has had his say on one particular rumour.

What’s the word?

Hatfield has spoken to GIVEMESPORT giving his opinion on the rumours of a move away from Molineux for Wolves defender, Rayan Ait-Nouri, he said;

“I’d be surprised if that one happens. I think we’ll see him as a key part of the squad.

“Considering Marcal isn’t going to get a game and Jonny still coming back from injury, he’s the first kind of port of call in that position. And I think he’s done well and is improving. So, I’d be surprised if they let him go.”

According to reports from El Nacional, the £13.5m-rated gem was rumoured to have interest from Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid in recent weeks, but there have been no further fresh claims that any of the European giants are interested in stealing the signature of the 20 year old, as of yet.

Fans will be delighted

Ait-Nouri has become a crucial part of the Wolves team, with the attacking left-back proving he can step up for his side and has played his part in Wolves impressive run of form in the top half of the table this season so far.

He has won an impressive 35 tackles in his nine Premier League appearances so far, and according to InfoGol, the young player is averaging 38 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 74%.

If these statistics are anything to go by, Bruno Lage would do well in January to keep the young left-back in the squad to continue the consistency in performances Wolves have been experiencing, utilising his confidence on the ball to push on for a higher finish in the Premier League.

Fans will be delighted that the £33k-p/w player could be staying with the side, as they have taken to Twitter this season to praise the 20-year-old for his individual performances for the side.

One Wolves fan praised his confident performance against Liverpool back at the beginning of December: “Ait Nouri was unbelievable today” Another fan took to Twitter to question how Jonny Otto would get back into the team over Ait-Nouri: “Interesting thing that I haven’t seen many people speak about is are LB/LWB situation. With Jonny back soon we have 3 first team quality LB’s and I think it’s fair to say Ait Nouri is probably first choice so what do we do with Jonny cus he is too good to be on the bench.”

Lage has spoken out on the upcoming transfer window at length in the past and we expect that there will be a few changes made during the first month of 2022, with the club setting their sights on a spot to secure European football next season.

In other news: Lage could replace Dendoncker with Renato Sanches

West Ham have held talks over the signing of Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, with the Brazilian keen on a move to England, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Prolific in Brazil

Nicknamed ‘Gabigol’, the 25-year-old joined the Brazilian club on a permanent deal in 2020, after having spent the previous year on loan with them. ‘Gabigol’ secured his big-money European move in 2016 as he joined Inter Milan from boyhood side Santos in a deal worth £26.6 m. However, the Brazilian was never able to guarantee his place at the San Siro, which led to a series of loans out of the club.

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Nonetheless, ‘Gabigol’ has been prolific since returning to Brazil. The striker has netted 104 goals in 147 games for Flamengo and earned 17 international caps, with five goals for his country.

The Latest: West Ham interested in ‘Gabigol’

According to a report by Sky Sports, West Ham have held talks over the signing Barbosa, who is among a number of strikers that the Irons are considering this month as they look to add attacking options to their squad.

Barbosa has received interest from three other Premier League clubs, so a potential approach for the West Ham won’t be easy, but it is clear that the player wants a move to England. It is claimed that the Flamengo man regularly watches the Hammers’ games, and he is said to be impressed with the job that David Moyes has done at the London Stadium.

The Verdict: Sign him up, Moyes

Since his return to the Brazilian top flight, Barbosa has illustrated his attacking quality and goalscoring ability. Brazil legend Zico has sung the 25-year-old’s praises, claiming that he ‘has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history’ and that he will be ‘one of the greats’.

The Hammers need to add attacking depth to the squad, as they currently have only Michail Antonio to rely upon as a striker. With such a prolific marksman up for grabs, who is seemingly keen on joining the Irons, West Ham should do all they can to bring the Brazilian predator to the club.

In other news: West Ham keen on sealing £20m move for ‘unplayable’ Premier League speedster

England have moved a step closer to finding a new bowling coach by naming a five-man shortlist that includes two domestic coaches and three overseas candidate

Cricinfo staff01-Apr-2010England have moved a step closer to finding a new bowling coach by naming a five-man shortlist that includes two domestic coaches and three overseas candidates. England leave for the World Twenty20 at the end the end of April and need to find a replacement for Ottis Gibson, who left in January to coach the West Indies.Allan Donald is the likely frontrunner, having done the job in 2007, but Australian duo David Saker, the Victoria bowling coach, and former fast bowler Craig McDermott are also in the reckoning. According to the the shortlist is completed by Dougie Brown, assistant coach at Warwickshire and Stuart Barnes, currently at Gloucestershire.Saker does not have international pedigree but has been coaching at Victoria since retiring from first-class cricket six years ago and has helped them to consistent success. His elevation, over the other, England-based, low-profile candidates would be a blow to the ECB’s own coaching programme.Barnes has a level four qualification and worked with the England performance programme during the winter which would make the England job an obvious progression. Yet he played just 11 first-class games and missed out on a job as Warwickshire’s bowling coach last year.Given the fiasco surroundings Peter Moores, the former England coach, and his lack of top-level experience, England may be reluctant to promote Barnes at this stage. Brown enjoyed a long career with Warwickshire and has had stint coaching Namibia but would be a surprise choice.The two most familiar names are Donald and McDermott. Having taken 291 Test wickets and 84 Ashes wickets, McDermott’s appointment would be intriguing. He has been coaching alongside Troy Cooley, who helped orchestrate Australia’s downfall in the 2005 Ashes before being enticed back to his native country, at Cricket Australia’s centre of excellence and has made no secret of his desire for the England job.”I just put my hat in the ring, I’ve had an interview and so forth and I will let the process run its course,” he told the . “Working at the Centre of Excellence has been a valuable experience for me and also working under and alongside Troy Cooley has been fantastic.”His knowledge of both the Australian set-up and conditions could prove crucial for England as they search for a formula to that can give them hope of defending the Ashes with the Kookaburra ball in Australia in November.The interview panel, made-up of Andy Flower, Hugh Morris, the ECB managing director and Kevin Shine, the ECB bowling coach, will decide next week so that the position is settled for when England depart for the World Twenty20 at the end of April.