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David Hussey has backed Australia to recover from a Chris Gayle pounding and progress into the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2009David Hussey has backed Australia to recover from their Chris Gayle pounding and progress into the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20. They were left stunned when Gayle raced to 88 off 50 balls as West Indies sped to a seven-wicket victory at The Oval to leave Australia facing a must-win match against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge.Hussey admitted the defeat proved deflating for the squad, but he believes the unit will stick together after a difficult few days that also included the departure of Andrew Symonds. “It was a bit down yesterday because we suffered a defeat but I know once we have a team meeting and reassess our goals all the boys will be very very positive. We’re a very tight knit group.”Symonds’ absence forced Australia to change the structure of their side, although David Warner, the man who would likely have sat out had Symonds been available, top-scored with 63 after two wickets fell in the opening over. However, a total of 169 proved no match for Gayle and Andre Fletcher as Australia’s uncomfortable relationship with Twenty20 continued.”It was highly disappointing but we’ve got to move on and play Sri Lanka tomorrow afternoon and we’ve got to win and win well to hopefully stay in the tournament,” Hussey said. “Our backs are against the wall and that’s what Australians love, being in that situation.”Once Australian backs are against the wall we generally come out on top and hopefully we put on a good show. It’s an opportunity to glide through the tournament like a shark. Come tomorrow afternoon we can put on a show and glide into the Super Eight phase.”Australia will certainly need to find their bite to overcome a Sri Lanka side that includes a bowling attack with Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. “We know what we have to do to Sri Lanka and hopefully we can come out all guns blazing and win very well,” Hussey said. “I think you will see the Australian team coming out and playing very good and aggressive cricket.”We’ve got matchwinners throughout the squad so hopefully we can come through and go further in the tournament. In the last tournament we lost to Zimbabwe in the first round and ended up getting through to the semi finals and unfortunately losing to India. Hopefully we can replicate the last tournament and hopefully go one better.”Australia are in a similar position to England, who must win their game against Pakistan to stay in the tournament. The two sides will go head-to-head in the Ashes once this event is complete, but Hussey knows that both teams would like to see the other eliminated from this event early.”I know all the Australians will be eagerly watching the television and supporting Pakistanis, similar to the English supporting Sri Lanka tomorrow afternoon”

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing over some transfer news on Salomon Rondon.

As per Fanatik, Sivasspor are now interested in signing the former Newcastle United and West Brom striker, and have been in contact with the Goodison Park faithful over a potential move in the January transfer window.

It has not quite worked out for Rondon since his arrival at Merseyside in the summer, as he is yet to score in eight games in total over all competitions so far this season (raged at his lack of effort up top.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison on Rafa Benitez’s books, as well as young forwards Ellis Simms and Lewis Dobbin, it may be an idea for the Toffees just to cut their losses on the Venezuela international in January, and perhaps invest in another striker.

Everton fans on Rondon transfer news

These Blues supporters were left buzzing as the transfer news involving Rondon was shared by The Toffee Blues on their Twitter page:

“Drive him there myself”

Credit: @keepitreal_82

“I’ll pay for his flight. Has to give Simms or Dobbin a go”

Credit: @mooro50

“Limbs”

Credit: @AJH1878

“INJECT IT IN MY VEINS”

Credit: @OG_GucciGuwop

“Let him go, get him off the wage bill and give Simms/Dobbin a chance”

Credit: @Shakeitupbaine1

“Get it done”

Credit: @Hawko1878

In other news, find out what contract news has Evertonians buzzing here!

Hamish Marshall’s polished half-century, and quick contributions from Rohan Gavaskar and Lance Klusener, propelled the Royal Bengal Tigers to 170 for 4, a match-winning total, in Ahmedabad

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera in Hyderabad19-Oct-2008
ScorecardHamish Marshall’s polished half-century, and quick contributions from Rohan Gavaskar and Lance Klusener, propelled the Royal Bengal Tigers to 170 for 4, a match-winning total, in Ahmedabad. The Mumbai Champs turned in another below-par performance – they were dismissed for 158 – and suffered their third straight loss of the tournament.The feature of Marshall’s innings was that all of his shots, barring a heave to cow corner, were conventional. He hit a couple of sixes over the bowler’s head but, instead of long-handle shots, they were merely an extension of the follow-through.Steve Rixon, a coach in the ICL, had a revealing story to tell about convincing Surrey’s Mark Butcher to play Twenty20. Butcher wasn’t sure he could play this format but, during a net session, Rixon told him to play his shots with a follow through. Much to Butcher’s surprise the ball flew over the cover boundary. That is how Marshall has batted in this tournament: nothing extravagant, just good old cricket but with a pronounced sense of purpose while completing a shot.He lifted Johan Van der Wath, who had another poor day with the ball, and Nathan Astle straight over their heads for a six and pulled Michael Kasprowicz over deep midwicket.Marshall’s test came against Sridhar Iyer, a tall legspinner, and he went down the track to the first ball and lofted it with the turn over extra cover. Iyer shortened his length but got cut to point boundary. Marshall went down the track once again but his lofted shot didn’t clear long-off. It was a neat little innings and it laid the base for the assault from Rohan Gavaskar and Lance Klusener.Prior to this game Klusener had faced only 24 balls for 22 runs with two fours and, surprisingly, no sixes. He hit one today, a monstrous shot over long-on against van der Wath. His high back lift and the powerful swing of his heavy bat fetched Bengal valuable runs. It was Rohan Gavaskar, however, who really turned it on by smashing his first ball from Avinash Yadav over deep midwicket. He found the cover-point boundary thrice against the medium-pacers and his 30 off 12 balls helped achieve a challenging target.Mumbai have been unable to gel as a unit in the tournament and they had another bad day. There was the odd contribution with the bat from Astle and a late charge from van der Wath and Subhojit Paul created some artificial excitement but they never really threatened Bengal. When you are losing consistently even the attacking innings tend to get overlooked. Mumbai’s start to the tournament has been poor but the worrying bit is that they haven’t shown much improvement.

An injury prevention expert has slammed Leeds United’s professionalism after Diego Llorente picked up a fitness issue in the defeat to Liverpool over the weekend.

The Lowdown: Llorente out injured again

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were beaten 3-0 by the Reds on Sunday afternoon as their disappointing start to the Premier League season continues.

To compound the result, Llorente hobbled off with a hamstring problem in the first half after being unable to continue, in what is the latest injury setback for the Spanish defender, who has now gone off injured three times in his last 17 Premier League appearances.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Expert slams Whites

Speaking to Football Insider, an unnamed source who has worked with Premier League clubs in the past lambasted Leeds, claiming there are issues with the club’s conditioning of players. They said:

“That does not reflect well on Leeds or their staff. The job of the staff – the fitness, conditioning, sports science guys – is to get the players fit to play and keep them out there.

“There are some injuries you can’t legislate for, like the Harvey Elliott one today, but top athletes should not be breaking down with muscle injuries in the first half of matches.

“It means they are being overloaded in training, over-worked or not warming up and preparing properly. Something has gone wrong somewhere and Leeds will be embarrassed it has happened again to Llorente.

“Everyone will look from the outside and think he is ‘injury prone’ but it is more complex than that.

“Ultimately it is the manager’s decision on whether he thinks players are fit to play, and once they’re selected they should not be pulling hamstrings in the first half.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-15/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Slightly harsh?

It is hard to be critical of Leeds’ professionalism when you look at the incredible fitness levels Bielsa has his players reaching.

Granted, it is a high level of intensity which could potentially increase the risk of injury, but it may simply be the case that Llorente is an injury-prone player. After all, he endured multiple absences during his time in La Liga as well.

The hope is that 28-year-old makes a speedy recovery given his importance to the team, but these injury problems are starting to become a worry and Bielsa may have doubts about the defender’s long-term worth if such fitness woes persist.

In other news, a journalist has named three Leeds players who could move on in January. Read more here.

The IPL drug tribunal has rejected the PCB’s request to revise the ban imposed on Mohammad Asif

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2009
The IPL has confirmed that Mohammad Asif’s one-year ban will start from September 2008 © AFP
The IPL drug tribunal has rejected the PCB’s request to revise the ban imposed on Mohammad Asif. Last week, the Pakistan board had asked the IPL to move the start of the ban from September 2008 to last July. Asif was banned for one year recently by the IPL’s drug tribunal for testing positive for nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid, during the tournament last year.The Pakistan board had wanted the ban to be in effect from July 15 2008, the date the PCB had banned Asif, and not September 23 as decided by the IPL’s drug tribunal. But Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, insisted the September date was taken into account because that was date the IPL passed the suspension order after Asif’s second sample had tested positive.”We cannot accept the PCB letter to reduce the ban. As far as we are concerned Asif asked for the B sample to be tested and from that date the ban was imposed,” Modi said.Asked if the IPL had the powers to tell the tribunal to reconsider the decision, Modi responded in the negative. “We as IPL do not have the discretion to change the decision of the tribunal.” This means Asif has no chance of being part of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, which begins in July.Asif’s doctor Michael Graham said the fast bowler should now wait for his ban to end so that he could resume his international career. “The timing of the appeal against the ban has lapsed and the chapter is now closed,” Graham said. “It was an unintentional mistake and the tribunal should have given him the benefit of doubt. Now he must wait for the ban to end on September 23 so that he can resume his international career.”

Aston Villa have suffered a big setback after confirmation that Argentina duo Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia are set to miss games after the international break.

What’s the story?

The Athletic revealed: “Argentina have confirmed they intend to keep their Premier League players for the entire international break — despite the quartet having to quarantine for 10 days on return.

“Premier League attempted to keep hold of their players who were going to be playing in red list countries due to concerns over quarantine. The current UK government rules state that anyone travelling into the country from a red list nation has to quarantine for 10 days at a government-approved hotel.

“There are no exemptions to this rule, and Argentina is a red-list country. As a result, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia, and Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso will have to spend 10 days isolating when they return to England after the international break.”

Speaking about Villa in particular, The Athletic confirmed the latest news was a major setback for them, noting: “Villa broke away from the Premier League-wide agreement and said they would release their Argentinian duo for the first two games.

“It meant they would miss Villa’s game against Chelsea on September 11 but then return to action for the match at Everton on September 19. Argentina have now gone against Villa’s public statement. Martinez and Buendia are key members of Dean Smith’s side and their absence for two games will be a blow.”

Fans will be devastated

After the initial confirmation from Villa that they would give permission to the duo to join up with the Argentina squad for their first two games, it meant that the pair would only miss the match against Chelsea on September 11 before being available for the clash against Everton a week later.

However, Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that those players who were called up to his squad will remain for the entire allotment of three games, with their last match coming against Bolivia on September 10.

If Martinez and Buendia stay with Argentina until that match, and then have to spend ten days isolating, then not only would they absolutely miss the Chelsea and Everton clashes, but they would also be in serious doubt of missing the Carabao Cup clash against Thomas Tuchel’s side on September 22.

That’s not to mention that their training preparations will be affected, and Dean Smith will not be able to work with the pair. In Martinez’s case as a goalkeeper, that may not be too much of a concern, but for an attacking midfielder and new summer signing like in Buendia, that is something to worry Villa fans – in effect, the Manchester United game on September 25 may also be one too soon as well for the 24-year-old.

Whatever the case, reports that the duo now stand to miss at least two games (if not more) is sure to devastate Villa fans, who must make do without their first-choice goalkeeper and one of their star signings from the summer transfer window for longer than originally anticipated.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa must give this starlet a chance…

Tillakaratne Dilshan is doubtful for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan after fracturing his right index finger and having several stitches above his left eye on the second day at the SSC

Sa'adi Thawfeeq21-Jul-2009Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is doubtful for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan after fracturing his right index finger and having several stitches above his left eye on the second day at the SSC.Dilshan, who has been keeping wicket in the series in Prasanna Jayawardene’s absence, suffered the finger injury when he caught Khurram Manzoor off Chaminda Vaas for 93. The team manager Brendon Kuruppu confirmed that Dilshan had suffered a fracture.However, Dilshan continued to keep for the rest of the day, as the injury wasn’t feared to be very serious. But Kumar Sangakkara took over the gloves during Pakistan’s second innings as there was swelling around the injury. Dilshan did not take the field when Pakistan resumed their first innings today.Dilshan was dropped down the batting order, to give him enough time to recover, but the steady fall of wickets during the second day meant that he had to come out and bat. Dilshan walked in at the fall of the sixth wicket and scored a courageous 44, but during that knock, he was hit above his left eyebrow when a top edge off the spinner Saeed Ajmal squeezed through his visor.”We are monitoring Dilshan’s progress carefully,” Kuruppu said. “He is bound to have some swelling around his eye by tomorrow after the stitches had been inserted. Our medical team will assess his condition before taking a final decision on his fitness.”At the moment he is doubtful for the first few one-dayers. He will bat in the second innings only if it is really necessary.”Dilshan was thrust into the wicketkeeper’s role after Jayawardene was ruled out of the first Test with a finger injury. Dilshan retained his position as wicketkeeper for the rest of the series despite Jayawardene being available for selection as the selectors did not want to upset the balance of the team.Sri Lanka have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Southampton’s reported hopes of signing Gary Cahill this summer are over after the 35-year-old completed his move to Bournemouth earlier this week.

What’s the word?

The veteran defender had emerged as a potential target for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in recent weeks following the exit of Jannik Vestergaard, and the former England international could have been a stellar addition at St Mary’s.

The centre-back was available on a free transfer and would’ve provided a wealth of experience for Southampton’s side both on and off the pitch, which is arguably something they lack following player exits so far this summer.

The Saints conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League last season and this campaign did not get off to the best start for Hasenhuttl’s side either as they collapsed in the second half against Everton at Goodison Park last weekend, which suggests that defensive reinforcements are required.

Although they are reportedly closing in on a deal for Torino’s Lyanco, he is just 24 years old and has no experience in the Premier League, so signing someone like Cahill might well have been a good idea for Southampton this summer.

The 35-year-old, who has earned 61 caps for England, might be approaching the end of his career but he still managed 20 appearances in the top flight with Palace last season and was praised for his influence by his then-manager Roy Hodgson, who said: “First of all, he’s a very, very good defender. His position is very good, he’s exceptionally good in the air, he’s a strong challenger for the ball and a very good blocker of the ball. These are the defensive qualities we don’t talk about every day… They’re the qualities that get you the clean sheets.

“He’s also brought us leadership qualities, he’s been very good leadership-wise. He’s the best type of leader; he’s the quiet leader people don’t see from Row Z in the stand. He’s the leader we see in training week to week.”

Therefore, Cahill could have solved a key issue for Southampton this season – their lack of experience in defence – and Hasenhuttl may well be disappointed that the Saints couldn’t bring him in.

In other news… Semmens heading for Saints transfer disaster with £10m Premier League dud

Matt Prior has signed a three-year deal with Sussex which will keep him with the county side until the end of the 2011 season

Cricinfo staff21-Jan-2009
In his seven seasons for Sussex, Prior has scored over 6000 runs and effected 275 dismissals © AFP
Matt Prior has signed a three-year deal with Sussex which will keep him with the county side until the end of the 2011 season.Sussex finished sixth in the County Championship last season though they won the Pro40 title. Prior scored 931 runs at 51.72 in the Championship and 286 runs at 57.20 in the Pro40 tournament. In his seven first-class seasons for Sussex, Prior has scored over 6000 runs and made 275 dismissals. He expected the team to continue to succeed under new captain Michael Yardy and cricket manager Mark Robinson.”Sussex is a special place to play your cricket, not only because of the team spirit shown by all the players and management, but also the fantastic support shown by all the members and supporters of the club,” Prior said.Yardy was also pleased with Prior’s three-year deal. “Not only a quality international player, he [Prior] is Sussex through and through and understands what the club is about and where we are looking to go in the future,” Yardy said.

Getting wickets was hard work on the slow Chinnaswamy turner. Tamil Nadu did just that to come within one good bowling day of taking six points

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium12-Nov-2008
Scorecard
How they were out

Robin Uthappa was out first ball in Karnataka’s first innings © Nishant Ratnakar/Bangalore Mirror
Getting wickets was hard work on the slow Chinnaswamy turner but Tamil Nadu did just that to come within one good bowling day of taking six points from their Group B match against Karnataka. Led by the persistence of their left-arm spinner, C Suresh, they inflicted a follow-on on Karnataka, who need 216 more to make Tamil Nadu bat, and all but ensured a minimum of three points.C Raghu, Ganesh Satish and Thilak Naidu provided some resistance in the middle order but didn’t threaten Tamil Nadu’s dominance. The game never looked in danger of slipping out of the visitors’ grasp, which owed in part to the accurate bowling by their spinners – Suresh and R Ashwin – who kept one end tied up and forced the batsmen go for extravagant strokes.Karnataka batting’s misery, which began with captain Robin Uthappa’s inability to open on Tuesday – he was hospitalised with a viral fever – reached its height with his golden duck. A visibly weak Uthappa came in to bat at No. 7 today but was given out lbw first ball to Ashwin, a decision he was clearly not amused by – the ball had been angled into his pads and Uthappa pulled out of the shot. By the time he came in, though, Karnataka were already scrapping for one point – at 227 for 5, still 304 behind Tamil Nadu and needing 155 to avoid the follow-on.The day began with KB Pawan unable to carry on the solid, if slow, start he had made on Tuesday. In the fifth over, after scoring 25 in almost two-and-a-half hours, he tried to pull a wide bouncer from L Balaji and top-edged it to the wicketkeeper. Balaji started to get the old ball to hold its line, something he couldn’t managed with the new one, and repeatedly troubled new batsman C Raghu. Satish looked more comfortable, and countered by hitting Balaji for two boundaries in over, which resulted in a bowling change.Raghu soon grew in confidence and threatened, with Satish, to put up fight. The problem with their partnership, which lasted 25 overs, was that the runs didn’t flow, the strike didn’t rotate, and Satish paid the ultimate price. Suresh, taking over from Balaji, who had given away 26 runs in ten overs, got Satish to play in front of his body, and edge the ball to S Badrinath. Satish, playing his second game, fell six short of getting a maiden fifty.Minutes before lunch, Balaji struck again to get another rookie, Manish Pandey. He’d started with a boundary first ball, but was suspect to Balaji’s away movement. Dinesh Karthik dropped him when he was on 4, but Balaji got him with a slower legcutter in his next over.Thilak Naidu, the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman, came out swinging, and heralded the only period in the innings when scoring didn’t stagnate. He started with a flicked boundary first ball, and late-cut Satish with finesse for two boundaries. When Naidu came in to bat, Raghu had already scored 43, but by the time Naidu reached 40, he had only 60. Once Naidu fell lbw to Ashwin, the floodgates opened. Uthappa fell next ball, Sunil Raju holed out to mid-on, and three wickets had fallen at the same score in the space of 4.3 overs.Raghu, who kept his end up, ran out of company, and despite a 35-run partnership with Vinay Kumar, Karnataka fell well short of avoiding the follow-on. Raghu got to his 11th half-century, and was the ninth man out. The four-wicket haul was a fair reward for Suresh, who bowled 27 relentless overs for 58. That his fourth wicket came in the 100th over put paid to the chances of getting a second five-for in a row – he had taken five in the first innings against Maharashtra too. In Indian domestic cricket, there is a rule to mandatorily take the new ball after 100 overs, and Balaji finished off the innings by trapping Sunil Joshi lbw in the first over with the new ball.Karnataka had a tricky 14-over period to negotiate before stumps, which they did without incident. They were helped by frequent bowling changes from Tamil Nadu, who opened with Raghu’s offspin, and tried five bowlers before stumps.** Pawan: pulled a wide bouncer, and managed a top-edge only; the ball stayed in the air for ages before settling in Karthik’s glovesSatish: played forward to one from Suresh, which turned and took a thin edge to slipPandey: was flummoxed by a slower leg-cutter from Balaji, and given out lbwNaidu: padded up to Ashwin, and was given lbwUthappa: pulled out of a shot, seeing the ball angled down leg, and was given lbw again. Was not happy with the decisionRaju: tried to break the shackes and hit Ashwin in the air, but could not clear mid-onVinay Kumar: lobbed an easy catch to Balaji at midwicketRaghu: looked to cut Suresh, but the ball was too full, and took the edge to slipJoshi: missed a straight delivery, and given out lbw to Balaji