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A round-up matches played on 21st March in the 2008-09 Royal Bank of Scotland Cup

Cricinfo staff21-Mar-2009Group BIslamabad Leopards beat Faisalabad Wolves by four wickets in a low-scoring encounter at the Diamond Club ground to go top of Group B. Each bowler in the Islamabad line-up chipped in to bowl out Faisalabad for 179, after the visitors had got a solid start. None of the Faisalabad batsmen could convert their starts, three of them crossed 25 but no one reached 40. Offspinner Kamran Hussain was the most successful Islamabad bowler, cleaning up the tail to finish with 4 for 18.The home side’s chase also began well, the openers putting on 62. There was a slight wobble when Islamabad lost three wickets for 14 to slide to 123 for 5. Offspinner Mohammad Laeeq, who had triggered that collapse, also stifled the runs to finish with figures of 10-1-17-3, but Ashar Zaidi’s brisk 32 was enough to take Islamabad to the brink of victory, before Kamran Hussain and Rauf Akbar completed the job with 9.2 overs to spare.In another contest in which offspinners had a big role to play, Lahore Lions beat Sialkot Stallions by 88 runs at the Lahore Country Club to pick up their first win of the campaign. In a match reduced to 35-overs-a-side, they got off to a poor start after being asked to bat, losing opener Ashfaq Ahmed for a duck. However, aggressive half-centuries from Kashif Siddiq (74) and Sohail Ahmed (56) put them in a strong position and cameos from Waqas Ahmed and Shahnawaz Malik took them to an imposing 241.Sialkot made a bright start to their reply, despite losing opener Kamran Younis early, with Naeemuddin and Salman Ali motoring along at strike-rates in the 130s. However both were dismissed on 55, and Sialkot lost their momentum. Ayaz Tasawwar scratched around for 27 balls to make 10, while Mohammad Ayub needed 53 deliveries for his 35. Offspinner Usman Malik secured the victory by taking four wickets – Sialkot’s final five going down for 11 runs.Group CIn a high-scoring encounter at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, Pakistan International Airlines beat Sui Southern Gas Corporation by six wickets to seal their second consecutive win. Set a challenging target of 199 in 30 overs, belligerent half-centuries Sarfraz Ahmed and Yasir Hameed laid the platform for PIA’s chase. Opener Sarfraz slammed three sixes and five fours in a 41-ball 54 while Hameed was a touch more sedate, making his 67 at a run-a-ball. They were still 35 runs away when Hameed was dismissed but Shoaib Malik chipped in with a 15-ball 17 and Kamran Sajid (21) stayed till the end to make sure there were no hiccups.Earlier, opener Asif Zakir’s 73-ball 80 had been the bedrock of SSGC’s batting effort. No one else made more than 30, but cameos from Mohtashim Ali and Ashraf Ali had taken them close to 200. Medium-pacer Fazl-e-Akbar was the most effective of the PIA bowlers, taking 3 for 36 in his six overs.In Rawalpindi, Saeed Anwar jnr’s unbeaten 154 took Khan Research Laboratories to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Pakistan Customs. Anwar’s 126-ball effort had 23 fours and a six and he dominated his 196-run association with Azhar Ali for the second wicket. Azhar contributed 67, hitting five boundaries in a watchful 81-ball effort. Anwar really opened out towards the end; Rizwan Ahmed made only 3 in an unbeaten 43-run stand that took KRL to the target of 245 with 12.3 overs to spare.Anwar had played a part with the ball as well, taking three wickets in 2.4 overs to wrap up the Customs innings. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal was also among the wickets, taking three including that of opener Jibran Khan who top scored with a cautious 86. Captain Rameez Raja was the other major contributor, making a 62-ball 55, but their efforts were put in the shade by Anwar’s blitz.Group DAt the Iqbal Stadium, Water and Power Development Authority prevailed over National Bank of Pakistan in a batsmen-dominated cliffhanger. Chasing 304, WAPDA were well on course after openers Jahangir Mirza (96) and Shahid Yousuf (69) put on 157. Captain Mohammad Yousuf had guided the side to 205 for 1 after which they stumbled, losing five wickets for 20 runs. They had slipped further to 252 for 8 before Mustafa Iqbal and Ahmed Said made 26 each to bring WAPDA back on track. Said remained unbeaten to shepherd WAPDA to victory off the penultimate ball.The target had been set up by a pair of half-centuries from the in-form Fawad Alam (77) and Naumanullah (68). The pair’s efforts were sandwiched by opener Nasir Jamshed’s 33-ball 39, which provided the early impetus, and Mansoor Amjad’s 32-ball 40, which kept the run-rate up towards the end of the innings. While the batsmen had done their job for NBP, it was their vaunted bowling attack, which includes Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Talha, which let them down.

Crystal Palace are reportedly amongst a host of Premier League clubs lining up a move for Reading midfielder John Swift in the January window.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World,  the Eagles are one of four top-flight clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 26-year-old’s services after the Royals incurred an impending points deduction.

Swift has entered the final year of his current contract with Reading, but the Championship outfit were hoping a promotion push would be enough to convince their prized asset to put pen to paper on a new deal.

However, with them in discussions with the EFL over a points deduction, climbing out of English football’s second-tier now appears a tall order, meaning Swift could depart over the winter window.

The report states that: “Football League World can reveal a Premier League quartet of Burnley, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Norwich City are all keen on trying to get a deal sorted in the winter window before potentially getting him on a free transfer at the end of this campaign.

“It just remains to be seen, then, if Reading try to sell him in the January with that in mind to at least get some kind of fee.”

Crystal Palace can repeat Michael Olise masterclass

Swift rose through the ranks of boyhood club Chelsea before becoming frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities after he made just one senior appearance for the senior side.

A string of loan spells at Rotherham United, Swindon Town and Brentford led to the Stamford Bridge outfit offering the academy graduate a new contract back in 2016, but he rejected it in order to get regular game time at Reading.

His brave decision earned praise from England boss Gareth Southgate – who worked closely with Swift during his time in charge of the Under-21s – saying he was right to cut ties with the capital club.

“John has done himself a favour leaving Chelsea,” said the national team manager, who was speaking to journalism students at a visit to the University of Derby five years ago (as relayed by BershireLive). “He’s got a great future ahead of him.”

Since arriving at the Madejski Stadium, Swift has become one of the Championship’s star performers, bagging 30 goals and laying on a further 30 assists in 173 appearances for Reading.

And he’s elevated his game to new heights this term. In just nine outings for Veljko Paunovic’s charges, the 5ft 9 dynamo has notched seven goals and provided a staggering five assists, highlighting his top-class potential.

If Palace are able to fend off the competition for Swift’s services, then he will be the second Reading star to move to south London in recent times after Michael Olise joined the Eagles over the summer.

The duo will add some star quality to Patrick Vieira’s squad should they be reunited at Selhurst Park, marking another masterclass in the transfer market for

And, in other news…Imagine him and Gallagher: Parish must seal Palace move for “perfect” £16.2m-rated gem 

James McAtee has started the season in superb fashion for Manchester City’s academy and the 18-year-old could even prove to be the next David Silva in the future.

The attacking midfielder is a regular for City’s under-23 side despite being just 18 and looks set to be a part of Pep Guardiola’s first team in the future if he can maintain his recent superb form.

The playmaker, who is nicknamed the ‘Salford Silva’, attracted heavy interest from Championship clubs during the recent transfer window but City were clearly keen to keep him at the Etihad, with Guardiola suggesting recently: “Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Luke Mbete, Romeo Lavia. There are five or six guys who will be with us.”

So far this season, McAtee has six goals and one assist in just three appearances in Premier League 2, with new academy manager Brian Barry-Murphy hugely impressed with his performances as he sang his praises recently, saying: “I think there is loads of his game he can still develop, and he’ll know that as he’s a very intelligent player.

“But the way he’s working in sync with the rest of the team is great for me because it’s very valuable.”

“I’m in the very early stages of getting to know James but I think he’s conscious of the fact he wants to get into positions where he can score goals.”

City’s next David Silva?

If McAtee can have anywhere near the influence that Silva had during his time at Manchester City in the future, then he will surely prove to be a hugely popular player at the Etihad Stadium.

The Spanish magician contributed 77 goals and 141 assists for the Citizens in 436 appearances and recently had a statue unveiled outside the Etihad, which literally solidifies his status as a Manchester City legend.

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Therefore, City fans will be hoping that McAtee can live up to his nickname, and if his performances with the academy continue, they surely won’t have too long to wait before seeing him make his first team debut.

In other news… Txiki can redeem himself with transfer swoop for “truly extraordinary” star

Many Liverpool supporters have taken to Twitter to react to the news that the Anfield club is the most-watched football team in the world. 

As per the Liverpool Echo [via Anfield Watch], the Reds are currently the most-watched football team across the world, arising from findings by global sponsorship, media valuation and data analysts Nielson.

Liverpool’s historical past and global commercial revenues have aided Jugen Klopp’s team to garner supporters from all corners of the world, although the Merseysiders’ status in that regard could soon be under threat.

Nielson believe that the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United will see the Red Devils take over top spot in their rankings by the end of the 2021/22 season.

When he arrived at Juventus in 2018, he brought a 15% increase in cumulative TV viewership, and it is expected he will do likewise at Old Trafford. Nielson suggests that the Portuguese’s arrival could bring in a further 60 million viewers to United’s league games over the season. [Liverpool Echo]

Liverpool fans buzzing

These Liverpool fans have expressed their excitement about the revelation that their club are currently the most-watched team in the world, with one Kopite duly describing the Reds as “gargantuan”.

“We are so massive”

Credit: @FrontOfficeSeb

“I’ll never understand how we’re not the highest earners financially with merchandise and TV earnings etc. We’re the biggest club in the world”

Credit: @TLBRAY92

“We’re gargantuan”

Credit: @sandile_dube_

“Best club in the world, of course!”

Credit: @JichuuLiverpool

“No surprise, even when we finished 7th under Brendan having not won any significant in years we had 90,000 in Australia to watch us for pre season friendly, we are the best supported club in the world”

Credit: @Hammaad_55

“It was never in doubt. We’re the most televised team in the country.”

Credit: @amadu38

In other news, many Liverpool fans were delighted with Jurgen Klopp’s comments on Trent Alexander-Arnold. Find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a report suggesting that the Reds are still keen on re-signing Phillipe Coutinho this summer.

The Brazilian enjoyed a superb spell at Anfield between 2013 and 2018, scoring 54 goals and registering 45 assists in 201 appearances.

However, he opted to join Barcelona in January 2018  in a move which irritated many Reds supporters in terms of the way he went about pushing through the transfer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Since then, the 29-year-old has had a forgettable time of things, failing to impress at Barca and even being loaned out to Bayern Munich.

According to Mundo Deportivo [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Liverpool have ‘probed’ Barcelona about bringing Coutinho back to the club this summer.

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Liverpool fans don’t want Coutinho back

It isn’t an update which has gone down too well with some Reds fans, with these Kopites taking to Twitter to deride the latest links with the Brazilian.

“I highly doubt this happened. The little snake burnt his bridges”

Credit: @DarthMoaner

“No we haven’t lol”

Credit: @playmaker

“I’m happy with Elliott and Jones than us signing Coutinho”

Credit: @Ponnusudesh

“This comes around every few weeks, it’s not happening. Klopp doesn’t want Coutinho”

Credit: @EESX1LFC

“Absolutely no chance whatsoever, that ship has sailed”

Credit: @frankfrance12

“It’s not 1st April!!!”

Credit: @osprey23

In other news, one Liverpool player is close to completing a move elsewhere this summer. Find out who it is here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após as renovações de contrato do volante Douglas e do meia Mateus Pet, mais duas crias das categorias de base do clube tiveram os seus vínculos prorrogados. O volante Andrey e o meia Guilherme Costa também tiveram os seus vínculos estendidos até o fim de 2021, confirmando a expectativa conforme o LANCE! publicou no início da tarde desta sexta-feira. A informação foi confirmada pelo clube. O Cruz-Maltino, agora, irá dialogar com os representantes de Bruno Cosendey, Caio Monteiro e Ricardo Graça de olho nas renovações.

Vale lembrar que os então contratos de Douglas e Mateus Pet com o Vasco eram válidos até 31 de dezembro de 2019 e 4 de setembro de 2018, respectivamente. Com a visibilidade aumentando da dupla no profissional, a cúpula do Cruz-Maltino correu para prorrogar os vínculos, elevando assim os vencimentos e as multas caso hajam propostas de outros clubes para que deixem São Januário. Mesma situação de Andrey, que o então contrato era válido até 4 de setembro de 2018, e Guilherme Costa, até 31 de março de 2018.

O processo será repetido com os demais atletas que estão sendo aproveitados e são crias das categorias de base do Vasco. Gerente de futebol do clube, Anderson Barros, em entrevista na última quinta-feira, comentou sobre o trabalho de renovações com os jogadores, sendo um grupo de cada vez. O dirigente ainda destacou a importância de o clube ter uma segurança de investimento, além de valorizar os atletas que compõe o plantel:

– O contrato atual do Douglas já nos dá uma proteção, mas estamos tratando da renovação até para reconhecer isso. Já tivemos consultas sobre negociação, mas para o Vasco tomar uma decisão tem que ser extremamente positiva. A multa nos dá tranquilidade para continuar o projeto. Medo de perder não temos, já que a decisão final é do clube. Todos os atletas que estão tendo oportunidade estão em processo de renovação contratual. Mateus Pet, Douglas, Guilherme, Cosendey, Andrey… Queremos ter total segurança de investimento.

Vale destacar que no elenco principal do Vasco, cerca de 45% atualmente é cria do Cruz-Maltino. Os comandados do técnico Milton Mendes entram em campo neste sábado para o clássico com o Fluminense, válido pela terceira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A bola vai rolar às 16h em São Januário.

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A Stanford media release said “Digicel claims that to permit Stanford 20/20 such access would ‘disrupt’ the arbitration” which is set to begin on October 3 in the High Court in London

Cricinfo staff27-Sep-2008Digicel, the main sponsors of West Indies cricket, has refused to allow Stanford to participate in the legal action the telecommunications company has brought against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in relation to the Stanford Super Series. A Stanford media release said “Digicel claims that to permit Stanford 20/20 such access would ‘disrupt’ the arbitration” which is set to begin on October 3 in the High Court in London.Stanford wanted to be part of the arbitration proceedings “in order to ensure its position was fully and properly communicated to the arbitrator”. The statement said that Digicel’s refusal “appears to make clear that Digicel is adamant on pursuing its legal proceedings at the risk of destroying the event [Stanford 20/20 for 20] and causing substantial damage to cricket in the Caribbean.”The disagreement between Digicel, the WICB, and Stanford is over the status of the Stanford Super Series. While Digicel maintains it is an official WICB event with a representative national team and under the terms of its contract with the WICB, that would give it full branding rights. Stanford insists that it is an unofficial team and, as such, is outside any existing WICB-Digicel agreement.Digicel had proposed a compromise earlier this month but their proposal was met by a counter-offer from Stanford stating they would not bring on board any of Digicel’s competitors, would pay all their costs, and would give the company some branding rights at the 2008 event.However, Stanford’s terms were rejected by Digicel who maintained that it wanted the same branding on Stanford Superstars shirts as it has on the West Indies national team’s shirts for the next five years.

Members of the Peruvian media were told that Rodrigo Vilca will leave Newcastle United on loan this season, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Newcastle paid £225,000 to sign Vilca from native outfit Deportivo Municipal last October.

He had played 29 senior games for the club, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

But Vilca, who can play as an attacking midfielder and operate on both wings, spent his first season with the Under-23s and is yet to make a full debut (via Transfermarkt).

He’s been described as an ‘ingenious’ player with ‘great vision’ (via Chronicle).

The latest

Journalists in South America were apparently briefed that Vilca would temporarily leave St James’ Park for valuable minutes, but any such move has ‘yet to unfold’.

Ryder reports that the player is ‘still some distance from where Newcastle want to be’, and for now they appear to be limiting expectations.

Nonetheless, they are confident he will make progress in the remaining years of his deal.

The verdict

It doesn’t look great for Vilca at this moment in time. He’s 22 years old, and at that point you’d have expected him to kick-on and at least challenge for some minutes off the bench for the first-team.

An initial season in the Under-23s may well have been the plan, but the fact that he couldn’t even make the matchday squad for cup competitions is a little concerning.

If he does wind up staying – a loan to the second or third tier might be the better option – then he’ll simply have to make more of an impression than at youth level. If he finds himself in the same spot next summer, this £225,000 experiment may be headed for failure.

In other news, Newcastle turned down the chance to sign a player who was bound for greatness.

When Celtic enter the League Cup on Sunday afternoon, they will take plenty of confidence into the clash.

The Hoops have now recorded three victories on the trot and have totted up back-to-back clean sheets. Both of those were rarities last season, so Ange Postecoglou’s men should savour that.

On the chalkboard

That being said, Celtic will have to be wary this weekend because their opposition are Hearts, a team who caused them grief on the opening day of the Premiership campaign.

The Bhoys were miles from their best as a late goal from John Souttar ensured a losing start to Postecoglou’s league reign two weeks ago. However, they are now in a very different place after scoring 13 goals in their last three outings across all competitions.

Their new signings have hit the ground running too, but one player who is yet to be seen at Parkhead or in Celtic colours is James McCarthy. The Irishman signed on the same day as Joe Hart, but with no pre-season minutes under his belt having been a free agent, he is some way behind in terms of his fitness.

Postecoglou has claimed that it could be a while before we see the midfielder in full action, but with the League Cup right around the corner, now feels like the perfect time to hand him his Hoops debut.

Celtic didn’t win a single trophy last season, so the cup competitions will hold a little more significance than normal. However, with weary legs setting in against Jablonec last Thursday, the manager may favour rotation.

Tom Rogic stood out in that match but tired significantly. With an important clash with AZ Alkmaar coming up, the Australian should be given time to recover with McCarthy coming in.

The former Crystal Palace man won’t be completely fresh himself but he’s an experienced campaigner who should be able to replace him and perform reliably at the base of midfield. Dubbed “top-class” by Postecoglou, the 30-year-old could be the heir to Scott Brown in the middle of the park.

Callum McGregor has performed admirably in a deeper role but McCarthy is more accustomed to playing there. During his last full season with Palace, he won 2.5 tackles per game, proving that he can stick his boot in and win the ball when it matters.

On that evidence, the 30-year-old might be the perfect player to combat Hearts, so Postecoglou needs to hand him some sort of role on Sunday.

AND in other news, Celtic close to signing £2.5m “creative monster”, he’s perfect for Postecoglou…

West Ham United could be about to ramp up their transfer plans in the near future…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, manager David Moyes has a meeting scheduled with the board this week to discuss likely transfers and targets.

It’s thought that the two parties will decide which central defensive and midfield options to make a bid for and this is duly expected to speed up their business significantly ahead of next month’s deadline.

Football Insider have previously reported that GSB would put money aside for a new centre-back, whilst there could also be a consideration for Mark Noble’s retirement next year.

Moyes to make moves?

Plenty of uncertainty has started to creep around the London Stadium in recent weeks and that’s largely because of their lack of activity in the transfer market up until now.

Euro 2020 has been and gone, and kick-off against Newcastle United on the opening day of the new season is less than a month away, but the Hammers have not brought in a single new player this summer.

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By comparison, Arsenal have already made two additions, whilst Manchester United have made a mega-money splash for Jadon Sancho.

Moyes certainly needs reinforcements right across the pitch if he’s to get the east Londoners contending at the top end of the table once again, especially as they are facing the prospects of a 50-plus game season thanks to their qualification to the Europa League.

Right now, the 58-year-old just does not have the strength in depth to remain competitive across all competitions. For example, an injury-prone Michail Antonio is still his only senior centre-forward, and first-choice midfield duo Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek only have Noble behind them in the pecking order.

Similarly, Fabian Balbuena will need to be replaced at the back.

Therefore, if Ex’s latest claim is to be believed, West Ham are likely to start making their move in the transfer market, and that should appease many of the anxious Irons faithful.

AND in other news, Moyes risks making West Ham disaster as transfer update on £75k-p/w “monster” emerges…