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Somerset fought back well on the second day against Nottinghamshire, with their lower order batting well to boost the total very usefully, and then seizing two of the home side’s wickets before the close

John Ward at Trent Bridge04-Sep-2008
Scorecard
Peter Trego showed his batting skills to haul Nottinghamshire’s first innings to 252 © Getty Images
Somerset fought back well on the second day against Nottinghamshire, with their lower order batting well to boost the total very usefully, and then seizing two of the home side’s wickets before the close. Peter Trego with the bat and Charl Willoughby with the ball were the main contributors, and they will only hope that the weather will not condemn their efforts to futility.Somerset could well feel pleased with their morning’s work. Resuming at 143 for 7, they soon lost Alfonso Thomas, beaten by a ball moving in and trapping him lbw, for 15. But, with Andy Caddick at the wicket, Peter Trego now began to open up. He calmed down a little when he found Caddick capable of giving him excellent support, but kept the score moving to the extent that he reached his 50, with a hook off Charlie Shreck for four, in 71 balls.He looked a very capable batsman as he approached three figures, a rare achievement by a batsman at Trent Bridge these days, but he was finally very well caught by deep midwicket running round, as he miscued a slog-sweep off Graeme Swann. The pair had added 90 for the ninth wicket, almost double the next-best stand of the innings. Swann was now officially installed in this match after being released from the international at Cardiff yesterday morning.Last man Charl Willoughy is a rare creature, a left-handed batsman who is also a walking wicket. Caddick did his best to pile on the runs, and was unbeaten with 35 when Willoughby hit across the line and was bowled by Swann without scoring. The innings ended at 252, much better than had appeared likely overnight.The Nottinghamshire openers, Will Jefferson and Bilal Shafayat, could not have been thrilled at having to face two overs before lunch, but they survived. Unfortunately, during the lunch interval, a light drizzle started, and persisted for about two hours. It never became heavy, but once it stopped it took another two hours before play restarted, a fact that does not speak well of the drainage on this ground. Play finally begun again at 5 pm with 18 overs required to complete the day, mostly in sunshine.Nottinghamshire began slowly before Jefferson had a temporary burst of scoring strokes that took him into double figures. Somerset claimed a catch from Shafayat, when on 3, off Caddick at short extra cover, but umpire Mike Harris disagreed. The two have rarely looked convincing as an opening pair, though, and Shafayat gave a hard chance to gully when he had 16.Jefferson was the man to go, however, poking outside the off stump and being caught at the wicket off Willoughby for 21 out of a stand of 40. This was the first delivery to be bowled after a very lengthy hold-up for the usual ball-change. In the same over, without addition, the nightwatchman Andre Adams fell to a low gully catch/They finished the day at 46 for 2, with the match appearing to be evenly balanced. Unfortunately, if the dire weather forecast for tomorrow proves correct, the chances of a result in this crucial match are slim and, given the reluctance of the ground to dry out after light drizzle today, the chances of any further play at all may be doubtful.

Crystal Palace revealed their new third kit for the upcoming campaign on Monday.

And the Eagles’ brand new strip had a lot of supporters talking on social media, sharing their positive thoughts at the kit.

Palace, who have been busy when it comes to transfers in recent weeks following Patrick Vieira’s arrival, unveiled a special edition third kit.

The club went for a sky blue and white combination, which celebrates the origins of the club. Those colours were worn by Palace’s first ever team 160 years ago, with chairman Steve Parish ‘delighted’ at the 1861 design.

Palace debuted their new kit in Vieira’s first game at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening, with the Eagles playing out a 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Charlton Athletic.

Palace fans react

Palace shared the third kit with their fans on Monday afternoon by posting it on their official Twitter page. These Eagles fans went wild at the new strip by replying to the post, with one describing it as ‘immense’.

“Wow”Credit: @jackstacpfc”that’s actually quality”Credit: @ExhilaratingEZE”OH MY!”Credit: @PGxHachi”Wow! This year’s kits are looking amazing. Thought the yellow one was class but this is immense!”Credit: @PeterHoward01″Now this I do like.”Credit: @RomfordRoger”Kit is utter filth. Absolutely beautiful. Fantastic to keep up the 1861 campaign with this stunning shirt. Love it!!”Credit: @HC15OnTour

In other news: Lots of Palace fans fume as exit rumours emerge. 

Manchester City fans were far from happy as Cole Palmer missed a penalty during their pre-season friendly with Barnsley on Saturday.

The Citizens’ pre-season campaign is well underway as they prepare for the 2021/22 season. The Citizens have played two warm-up matches so far – they beat Preston North End 2-0 before hammering Barnsley 4-0 as a number of the club’s younger players impressed to give Pep Guardiola something to think about.

However, it was not all plain sailing for the Citizens in the second match. Against the Tykes, Palmer missed a penalty, which continued City’s poor record from the spot – last term, the Premier League champions scored just seven from their 11 spot-kicks (Transfermarkt), far from an impressive record. Guardiola which surely be looking for improvement in that department.

Twitter account @City_Xtra tweeted about the missed penalty, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Palmer miss below

“Our disease still”

Credit: @atweleboy

“The curse continues …”

Credit: @drizzydruw

“Different year. Same stuff.”

Credit: @FinallyManfred

“This is so annoying”

Credit: @Drmwas_Ke

“We’re actually so bad at pens”

Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“Even in pre-season we’re cursed”

Credit: @Alleyezon_AB

In other news, Man City fans were gutted at this transfer news.

Surrey are in danger of the rare achievement of finishing a Championship match with no points after they collapsed in the face of Hampshire’s sizeable total

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval11-Sep-2008
ScorecardSurrey are in danger of the rare achievement of finishing a Championship match with no points after they collapsed in the face of Hampshire’s sizeable total. Even though they collected two bowling points, their slow over-rate could see them deducted and unless the first innings passes 200 there won’t be any batting rewards. The only points then on offer would be for the draw, and that is looking a long way off.The damage was done by a mixture of probing swing and spin bowling, poor shot selection and a crazy piece of running between the wickets. James Tomlinson continued a productive season with two wickets, Imran Tahir took his impressive tally to 35 in three games with three more scalps, and Mark Ramprakash – unbeaten on 55 – was left feeling he’d seen it all before. That’s because he has.Despite Ramprakash passing fifty for the fifth time in six innings (he has converted the others into hundreds) Surrey are still 160 short of saving the following on. Tahir, who has played a key role in rejuvenating Hampshire’s season, is finding some assistance from the pitch as well as the batsmen and Surrey’s escape route could rest with the weather. But even if it allows them to save the match, their season is beyond redemption.Hampshire declared on their overnight 480 for 8 after rain delayed the start until 2.15pm and there was early movement with the new ball. Chris Tremlett dropped a touch short, but Dimitri Mascarenhas found a testing line and removed Matthew Spriegel as he pushed forward and got a low edge to Nic Pothas.Scott Newman dominated the early scoring, picking off regular boundaries – some convincing, others not – as he rattled to a 59-ball half-century, while Ramprakash settled in for what Surrey needed to be another long haul. The pick of Newman’s 12 fours was a dismissive back-foot drive off Tomlinson, but two balls later he showed exactly why Surrey are in such a dire position by slapping a similar shot to cover point.Surrey didn’t need to offer Hampshire any more of a helping hand, but from his second ball Jon Batty had a mental block, pushing into the covers and racing off for a non-existent single to Michael Carberry, one of the best fielders in the country. A direct hit from Carberry, from about 20 yards, made it a no-contest and Surrey were slipping fast at 78 for 3.Ramprakash fought hard and had to be watchful against the left-arm swing of Tomlinson. He and Afzaal brought some calm to the innings with a stand of 45, but Tomlinson made the breakthrough when Afzaal played across the line. Alex Tudor came in at No. 6, ahead of James Benning who was off the field injured yesterday, but couldn’t open his account before lunging forward to Tahir and being given lbw.Benning made his slightly belated appearance, but a skittish 18 off 20 balls did nothing to help Surrey’s cause. A wild drive at Tahir won’t have endeared him to Ramprakash, either, who was losing partners rapidly. A long tail was well exposed as Tahir bounded in from the Vauxhall End with the skip and loop that accompanies so many Asian spinners. He was bowling with such control, and Hampshire were so dominant, that at times he had six men around the bat.One of those fielders, Sean Ervine at leg slip, held the catch to remove Saqlain Mushtaq from an attempted lap-sweep. Ramprakash survived until the close, but he struck a rather forlorn and detached figure at the crease. It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for him.

The Indian selectors have named an unchanged squad for the last two Tests against Australia

Cricinfo staff20-Oct-2008SquadAnil Kumble (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, RP Singh, S Badrinath, Amit MishraThe Indian selectors have named an unchanged squad for the last two Tests against Australia. They decided to release the legspinner Amit Mishra from the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, which is scheduled from October 23 to 26, and retain him in the Test squad. Mishra’s place in the India Blue team has been given to another Delhi legspinner Chetanya Nanda.India fielded their regular XI comprising six specialist batsmen, two fast bowlers and two spinners in first Test against Australia in Bangalore. However a shoulder injury to Anil Kumble ruled him out of the Mohali Test and gave Mishra his debut. Mishra went on to become only the sixth Indian to take a five-for on debut and has given the selectors a tough decision to make if Kumble is fit for the third Test.The decision to retain the same squad also means it is likely that Sourav Ganguly will make his final international appearance in the fourth Test in Nagpur, a match which will also be VVS Laxman’s 100th Test.

Celtic’s start to the new season hasn’t been the most convincing but there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window to improve sufficiently.

This has been a productive week on the recruitment front for the Hoops by acquiring Joe Hart and James McCarthy.

What’s the word?

Although Celtic have added Carl Starfelt to their defensive ranks, the Bhoys are still interested in signing another centre-back.

They have looked at Mario Vuskovic in the ongoing window but someone they nearly signed in January is still on their radar.

According to Goal, the Bhoys remain keen on signing Ben Davies from Liverpool.

However, they will face competition from Sheffield United and Bournemouth for his services. It’s thought that Liverpool are willing to let him leave Anfield on loan for a season.

Better than Bitton

Considering Nir Bitton’s start to the new campaign, it is of utmost importance that Celtic sign another central defender.

The Israeli was sent off in baffling fashion against Midtjylland in the Champions League and was then at fault against Hearts last weekend too.

He lacks composure and is a rather erratic player, proving to be a liability at times last season too.

Davies, however, has plenty of composure and is a strong-willed character.

Although he’s not played a single game for Liverpool after joining them from Preston in the winter, he’s still a fabulous defender who’s strong aerially and calm in possession.

A glowing review from his manager at Southport, Paul Carden, tells you everything you need to know: “He was a different class and I did think he’d get in Preston’s first team. If you’d have asked me whether he’d sign for Liverpool, I probably wouldn’t have said so.”

Carden added: “He can play as a left-sided centre half, on the left of a three, as a left-back or a left wing-back. He’s not the biggest but he’s comfortable with both feet and reads the game really well. He steps out with the ball.”

Reading the play sufficiently is not an area Bitton thrives in, as evidenced by the error he made at Tynecastle last week.

Consequently, Ange Postecoglou must do everything he can to convince the £60k-per-week Davies to move on loan to Glasgow.

AND in other news, Celtic could sign their new Henrik Larsson in “outstanding” 24-cap “animal”…

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as manager Jurgen Klopp continues to search for Gini Wijnaldum’s successor.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Corriere Dello Sport, the Reds are considering making a bid to sign the highly-rated 21-year-old, although they’re expected to face stiff competition for his signature.

The report also claims that Italian giants Juventus are interested in securing Tchouameni’s services this summer, with Monaco set to demand £25 million for their asset.

Imagine him and Thiago

After rising up through the ranks at boyhood club Bordeaux, Tchouameni joined Monaco in a big-money move in January 2020 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The youngster made 42 appearances in all competitions for Niko Kovac’s charges last season, scoring three goals and providing a further four assists for his teammates.

However, it’s his work off the ball that really catches the eye. As per WhoScored, Tchouameni averaged a whopping 3.5 tackles per league game in 2020/21, by far the highest tally amongst his team.

He also made 1.7 interceptions, the joint-highest total when compared to his teammates. The France Under-21 international not only dominated proceedings on the ground but in the air as well, winning 67% of his aerial duels.

Tchouameni’s ability to stop opposition attacks, dispossess opponents and chip in with the odd goal and assist make him an extremely exciting prospect not only for the future but for the present day.

His assets would undoubtedly make him the ideal midfield partner for the more technically gifted and attack-minded Thiago. The Spaniard often struggles when asked to do the defensive side of the game, an area that Tchouameni thrives in.

Therefore, Liverpool’s director of football Michael Edwards must swoop for the Monaco ace before Juve snap him up.

Wijnaldum’s departure has left a sizeable gap in the club’s engine room, but Tchouameni is certainly capable of filling it. His arrival would add more balance and bite to Klopp’s midfield options, providing him with the necessary resources to mount another title challenge.

And, in other news…Liverpool must move for £38m magician lauded by Mbappe, he’s a “diamond in the rough” 

Plays of the day for the second day of the first Test between India and Australia

Cricinfo staff10-Oct-2008
Michael Hussey hardly played a false shot during the majority of his innings, but it was an inside edge which helped him reach his second overseas century © AFP
Graze of the day
Ishant Sharma was the only bowler hustling the Australian batsmen during the morning session. His first over was a maiden to Shane Watson and, in his second, he swung the ball into the batsman’s pad to give the crowd their first reason to cheer. A ball later, Watson was slow in bringing his bat down on another inswinger. The crowd sighed at first, thinking it was another near-miss, but soon began to cheer as the Indians celebrated their first wicket. The ball had grazed Watson’s off stump and dislodged one bail.Fumble(s) of the day
There were no bloopers in the field yesterday and the first one this morning came from arguably the poorest fielder in the Indian team. Sourav Ganguly was fielding at mid-off and ran a few paces to his right to field a firm drive from Michael Hussey. The ball burst through his fingers and went between his legs towards the boundary. Ganguly chased but the gap between him and the ball grew steadily. In the next over, Haddin capitalised on the weakest link by pushing the ball towards mid-off. He began to run and a fumble from Ganguly ensured he didn’t even have to hurry.Deserved luck of the day
Hussey’s had to wait for so long to make the Test team that he deserves his share of luck. He had hardly played a false shot during the majority of his innings, picking off singles with precision and waiting patiently for the boundary ball. He resumed after lunch in the 90s and got from 96 to 100 by trying to drive Ishant Sharma through the off side. Instead the inside edge missed his stumps and went to the fine-leg boundary. It was his second overseas century – after the one in Bangladesh – and he celebrated with a leap, a few punches, and a hug.Record of the day
This is one figure Kumble won’t be proud of. When Haddin late-cut the fifth ball of the 112th over for two, it was the 56th time that Kumble had conceded 100 runs in a Test innings, leaving Muttiah Muralitharan’s 55 in second place. What made it worse for Kumble was that he toiled through 32 wicketless overs.First six of the day (match)
The ball had rolled over the boundary 40 times in the Australian innings but not once in 131 overs had it flown over it. Hussey began the 132nd over by rocking back and pulling Harbhajan fiercely to the midwicket boundary and, off the fifth, he cleared his front foot out of the way and slog-swept the ball into the stands at cow-corner.Clichéd desperate tactic of the day
Virender Sehwag has turned the ball more than either Harbhajan or Kumble on this pitch but he was used sparingly. Kumble gave him the final over before lunch, trying something different, after the others – Ishant being the exception – had hardly caused a flutter. Brad Haddin, however, was well set by then and played out the over comfortably. He even drove Sehwag against the turn to the cover boundary.Funny moment of the day
The number of security guards at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is so large that a couple of them took the liberty of an afternoon nap. They were spotted, however, by an eagle-eye cameraman and exposed on the big screen. The crowd, which has had little to cheer about so far, had a hearty laugh.Malfunctioning radar of the day
The Australians had posted a formidable total in their first innings. The Indian openers had spent the better part of two days in the field and had to contend with Brett Lee steaming in. His first two balls swung down the leg side. The third was so far down the leg side that Haddin had no chance in preventing four byes. The fourth had Haddin moving quickly to his right again as the ball slid past the leg stump. Lee bowled the fifth straighter and it swung on to the face of Gautam Gambhir’s bat as he played it through midwicket.

An update has emerged in Aston Villa’s pursuit of Lazio forward Joaquin Correa… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunday Mirror (8/8; page 75), via TBRF, Aston Villa are leading the race to land Lazio forward Joaquin Correa this month.

The report claims Everton and Leicester are also interested in the attacker, but Dean Smith’s side are the favourites to sign him, as it stands.

Fans will be buzzing

Aston Villa fans will surely be buzzing with this as it appears to indicate that their side has the best chance of signing Correa. They are ahead of Everton and Leicester in the transfer race and that not only shows the ambition of Johan Lange, but also how quickly they are moving to cover up the loss of Jack Grealish.

With Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia already added to the attacking ranks, Villa have been busy in the market and Correa would be another excellent addition to their squad. The Argentine scored 11 goals in all competitions for Lazio in 2020/21, whilst also providing six assists to his teammates.

He was directly involved in five goals in eight Champions League appearances, scoring three and creating two for the Serie A side. This shows that he has the quality to make an impact in the biggest club competition in Europe, suggesting that he has the ability required to come to the Premier League and be a success.

In a tactical analysis of the forward, Breaking the Lines hailed him as highly versatile and outlined his biggest strengths as a player. They wrote: “It is no wonder why his style of play is drawing fans towards his potential. Correa’s wide repertoire of skills and his tricky dribbling makes him a menace for opposing defenders. His quick movement and awareness allow him to move into spaces or drop deep to enable his teammates to move forward.

“He can be the creative outlet of the side, creating chances for his teammates. It is because of his movement that he is able to draw defenders away, then using his dribbling to get past them and either provide a key pass or go for goal himself.

“Highly versatile, he can play on both wings or in the centre, with his wide array of assets allowing him to flourish in either position.”

This means that Smith could utilise him across the frontline and mix up where he plays him. The ex-Brentford coach could slot him in on the right with Buendia in the middle and Watkins on the left, or play him through the middle behind Watkins with Bailey on the left and Buendia on the right.

Adding Correa would provide Smith with a multitude of options, both in terms of quality and positional flexibility, which is why this could be a terrific deal for the club, one that Villa fans would love to see come to fruition.

AND in other news, The Athletic journalist drops update on £50m midfielder, Villa fans will be relieved…

Geoff Lawson has said he is not bitter about his sacking as Pakistan coach

Cricinfo staff26-Oct-2008
Geoff Lawson has said he has not heard anything back from the PCB’s top brass regarding his outstanding payment © AFP
Geoff Lawson has said he is not bitter about his sacking as Pakistan coach. Lawson revealed he found out about his sacking via a television news bulletin, but maintained he had no grudges against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).”There is definitely no bitterness. What I’ve had in the past 15 months is just a wonderful experience,” he told . “To be able to deal with cricketers of this calibre in a very alien system and a different culture and to deal with the people, it’s actually been one of the great privileges to have been in that situation. It was always going to be an adventure and its been all plusses for me.”Lawson spoke of how he heard of the news. “I eventually had a meeting with Mr Butt on Friday after lunch and we discussed ways forward for Pakistan cricket, what my plans were, and a lot of issues,” said Lawson. “He said he would discuss everything with the board and get back to me on Monday. I was later watching television in my room at about 4.30 and found out I had been sacked.”Lawson attempted to call Butt but had no luck. He then text-messaged Butt. “He called back but obviously didn’t know who it was from,” said Lawson. “When I said this is Geoff Lawson, do you have anything to tell me, he said ‘no, not really’ and hung up. He hasn’t called me back since.”Lawson said that an office bearer from the PCB’s headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium later came to his room and “very nervously” handed him a piece of paper with two paragraphs written on it. “It had a cheque stapled to the back of it with a very incorrect amount of money and I still haven’t heard back from anyone on the board member or executive officer.”Lawson wrote back to the PCB requesting the correct amount owed to him and heard back from a marketing employee. He said that negotiations were in progress. “Hopefully we will settle things properly on Monday,” said Lawson. “I don’t think I need to speak to Mr Butt again.”Lawson, who will be replaced as Pakistan coach by Intikhab Alam, also said he had received several “touching” messages of support from players.