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Sohail Khan has replaced Mohammad Asif in Pakistan’s 16-man squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh, which will involve the hosts and India

Cricinfo staff04-Jun-2008
Sohail Khan has had an impressive first-class season, picking up a Pakistan record 91 wickets in his debut year © Getty Images
Sohail Khan has replaced Mohammad Asif in Pakistan’s 16-man squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh, which will involve the hosts and India. The series is due to begin from June 8.Asif was originally selected in the squad on Sunday, the very day he was detained at Dubai airport for suspected possession of an illegal item. It is unlikely now that Asif will be back in time to play in the tournament. Selectors told Cricinfo that they were not aware of Asif’s situation when they picked the squad.Khan has had an impressive first-class season, picking up a Pakistan record 91 wickets in his debut year and he has impressed many with his pace and stamina. He was rewarded for his efforts with an international call-up against Zimbabwe earlier this year in an ODI series. In three ODIs so far, he has picked up four wickets, with a best of 3 for 30 against Bangladesh.He wasn’t part of the original squad because selectors felt that Wahab Riaz’s left-arm provided a more seasoned limited-overs option. Khan spent a week at a fast bowlers’ camp in Lahore under the eye of Wasim Akram, where it was widely felt that despite his undoubted promise, there were still areas he needed to work on. Outside of his bowling, his poor fielding is considered a serious concern within the selection committee. The Pakistan squad leaves for Dhaka on June 5.

A round-up of the third day in the latest County Championship matches

Cricinfo staff01-Jul-2008First Division
Michael Vaughan is cleaned up for 72 © Getty Images
Callum Thorp’s fourth five-wicket haul put Durham to the top of the table – overnight at least – and level with Yorkshire on 77 points but with a game in hand. Thorp worked his way through Yorkshire’s line-up at Headingley, with Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett lending handy support who grabbed the other five between them. Michael Vaughan spent valuable time in the middle for his 72 although he survived a confident caught behind appeal on 59, when a no-ball was called because Durham had three men behind square on the leg side. He was also dropped on 66 and was eventually bowled by Harmison. Adam Lyth provided the other main resistance and top scored with 80 to set Durham 111. After a brief scare against Matthew Hoggard, Michael Di Venuto (65) combined with Paul Collingwood to finish off the job – Collingwood’s unbeaten 44 will lift him ahead of the first Test against South Africa after his first-class form has been shaky recently.Nottinghamshire are well placed against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl, requiring a further 134 with nine wickets left after another four-wicket haul from Andre Adams. He ended with match figures of 8 for 108 after helping to dismiss Hampshire for a second time to leave Nottinghamshire with a target of 188. Charlie Shreck backed him up with three wickets, Darren Pattinson took two and it was only Chris Tremlett’s fourth first-class fifty that held them up following a mid-innings burst. Michael Brown had earlier contributed a half-century. Nantie Hayward nipped out Matthew Wood for 7 as the visitors began their chase, but by the close Will Jefferson and Mark Wagh had steadied proceedings. Hampshire, however, are by no means out of it and they will search for early wickets.Click here for a full report on the third day between Surrey and Kent at The Oval.Click here for a report on all the action at Hove, where Lancashire are still handily placed against Sussex.Second DivisionWorcestershire pushed up the table with a 10-wicket destruction of second-placed Leicestershire to win inside three days at Grace Road. Although Leicestershire reached 346 in their second innings- helped by Paul Nixon’s 92 – it was their first which was their undoing. Claude Henderson at least helped Nixon prolong the fight as the pair added 103 in 27 overs before Gareth Andrew produced a beauty to take Henderson’s off stump. Andrew and Kabir Ali shared seven wickets and the visitors needed only 88 for the victory, which Daryl Mitchell and Stephen Moore collected between them. Mitchell ended with 40 and Moore 46.Ian Bell’s double-century, in a third-wicket stand of 221 with Jonathan Trott, was the undoubted feature of the day, helping Warwickshire to a hefty 528 for 8 declared against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston. Bell was finally caught off Hamish Marshall but not before he had racked up 215 from 288 balls with 32 fours. A double ton is always handy, but particularly when there have been concerns over Bell’s form and after his failure to build on starts in the one-day series. Trott himself racked up 165 before the declaration, with a lead of 194. Gloucestershire began chipping away at the deficit by the close, but face a day of survival tomorrow.Ben Scott and Eoin Morgan turned round Middlesex’s second innings after Johann van der Wath continued his bowling assault for Northamptonshire. Scott reached his third first-class century and was unbeaten overnight on 141, while Morgan fell for 93, to lift Middlesex from 35 for 4 to 377 for 8 – a healthy 240-run lead at Uxbridge. The home side began the day at a pallid 4 for 2 and slipped further when they lost Billy Godleman and Owais Shah cheaply to van der Wath who has so far collected five wickets. Then came the rescue act which has left Northamptonshire with a big task on their hands on the final day, weather permitting.A solid all-round day from Essex put them within five wickets of victory against Derbyshire at Chelmsford, where the visitors needed 184 further runs to overhaul what was becoming an increasingly out of reach target. Chasing 372, Derbyshire made a strong start and were 184 for 3 when a pair of late wickets severely dented their chances. Dominic Telo had guided the innings with 69 and Rikki Clarke was a useful ally with 44, but when both men fell it meant a stumps score of 188 for 5 on a day when they had knocked over Essex for 238. The hefty first-innings deficit Derbyshire had conceded was coming back to bite them as four-wicket hauls to Charl Langeveldt and Graham Wagg failed to stop Essex posting the challenging target. Ravi Bopara, fresh from one-day duties with England, made 71 from 82 deliveries and an unbeaten 55 from Ryan ten Doeschate continued his excellent match after he made a century in the first innings, and fittingly it was he who removed Clarke just before stumps to bring the goal closer for Essex.

There is no chance of Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma joining Tottenham this summer, says Spurs legend Graham Roberts.

Zouma is currently being linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Telefoot journalist Julien Maynard claiming that the north London club are interested in signing the French centre-half.

Tottenham do look to be in the market for a new central defender. At the start of the month, The Athletic reported that new director of football Fabio Paratici is aiming to strengthen that area of the pitch.

Given the history between the two clubs, though, for Roberts, a move for Zouma is highly unlikely.

“It will never happen, because [Daniel] Levy and [Roman] Abramovich don’t deal with each other,” the former Tottenham defender said when asked by TT if Zouma would be a good signing.

“They just don’t deal with each other. They don’t like each other and they don’t deal with each other, so that won’t happen at all.”

If not for the bad blood between the two sides, Zouma certainly could have been a solid option for Tottenham.

Last season, the 26-year-old won 3.6 aerial duels per league game, the most in Chelsea’s squad (via WhoScored), so could have brought a real aerial presence to Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.

Michael Ball believes Rangers midfielder Joey Veerman may have a verbal agreement which would allow him to leave Heerenveen.

Steven Gerrard is keen to bolster his options ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season getting underway and it is believed that Dutch midfielder Veerman may be available for £7million.

Veerman scored nine goals and contributed 11 assists in 35 appearances for Heerenveen last season.

The Scottish champions are battling it out with Italian side Hellas Verona for Veerman’s signature, while it has also been confirmed Heerenveen have received a bid from an unnamed club.

Veerman is keen to leave the Dutch side and challenge himself overseas. It seems as though the 22-year-old is at war with his current employers though, with Veerman claiming to VI, via the Daily Record, that Heerenveen have priced him out of a switch to Ibrox.

Ball, who played for Rangers and in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven during his playing career, reckons an agreement would have been made between Veerman and Heerenveen when he joined from Volendam in 2016.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former England international Ball said: “A lot of teams in the Netherlands, which I found quite fascinating when I was over there, have a verbal agreement.

“A player says they will go to the football club, they will help them develop and then they’ll move on. The club will get the money while the player goes onto a bigger and better team.

“The fans don’t get on players’ backs when they move on. It’s a different mentality in the Netherlands because the clubs need to sell to keep improving and push money into the academy. It’s like a revolving door.”

Geoff Miller has had a meeting with Michael Vaughan to dispel differences over the selection of fast bowler Darren Pattinson for the second Test against South Africa

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2008
Geoff Miller wanted a clarification from Michael Vaughan about his comments on Darren Pattinson’s selection © Getty Images
Geoff Miller, England’s chairman of selectors, has had a meeting with Michael Vaughan to dispel differences over the selection of the team for the second Test against South Africa. Vaughan, England’s captain, had earlier said that the inclusion of Darren Pattinson had unsettled the team.”We have analysed everything,” Miller said. “We have cleared the issues that supposedly were involved in the last Test. I’ve had a chat to Michael Vaughan and I sat down with the selectors and there are no more problems.”We are trying to make every decision on a sensible basis. We are responsible for selecting the side and people who know me well know there is a logic and a reason behind all the selections made.”Miller had stated before the meeting that he wanted to hear Vaughan’s side after Pattinson’s selection was made into a “massive issue by the media.”After Vaughan called Pattinson “a confused selection”, Miller defended the inclusion of the 29-year-old fast bowler who had played only 11 first-class matches prior to his Test debut. “We garner opinion by talking to umpires, county coaches and other players and then we go and monitor the players that those chats throw up,” Miller told the . “Once we’ve got a rounded picture, and if they’re the kind of player Peter and Michael are looking for, we’ll consider them for selection.”Pattinson’s presence in the XI meant England went in with only five specialist batsmen with wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose batting at No. 6. After the ten-wicket defeat to South Africa, Vaughan said: “The whole Friday morning (the first morning of the Test) unsettled the team. You change the team by two players, there are players playing out of position and you leave out a player like Paul Collingwood, who is a huge player in the side, of course it has an effect.”Vaughan also said the team spirit was lacking during the second Test. “We didn’t feel as much of a unit this week. I have a huge belief that we need to be a unit in Test cricket.”However, he defended Pattinson’s performance (match figures of 2 for 96) and was unhappy with the severe criticism the fast bowler faced. “He tried his guts out and bowled some good spells. I felt sorry for him. He’s not been in the set-up and didn’t know anyone. We didn’t know him, so it was difficult for him.”

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace writer Matt Woosnam believes that club will be looking for around £40million if they are to sell Wilfried Zaha.

Palace’s star man found the back of the net on 11 occasions in the Premier League last season and began life under new manager Patrick Vieira with a goal in a pre-season friendly against Walsall.

The 28-year-old has two years left to run on his current contract at Selhurst Park and has been the subject of much speculation over the years over his Crystal Palace future, with Arsenal heavily linked with him back in 2019.

After injury to Eberechi Eze, you would think Patrick Vieira would be reluctant to let one of his creative players leave the club, but if they did, Woosnam believes Palace would be able to command a decent fee for Zaha.

“I think we’re looking around £40million at least, which is lower than it was a year ago, but he only has two years on his contract, so in two years’ time he will be a free agent,” Woosnam told FFC.

With Palace re-building under Patrick Vieira, already entering the market to bring in Marc Guehi from Chelsea, the Evening Standard reported that the club are hoping their summer business will convince Zaha to stay.

Mohammad Asif has pleaded his innocence before a PCB fact-finding committee looking into his 19-day detention at Dubai airport from June 1 to 19 for alleged possession of an illegal substance

Cricinfo staff26-Jul-2008Mohammad Asif has pleaded his innocence before a PCB fact-finding committee looking into his 19-day detention at Dubai airport from June 1 to 19 for alleged possession of an illegal substance. Asif returned to Pakistan after Dubai’s public prosecutor dropped the case against him on the grounds that it was”insignificant”.”We heard Asif’s version on the issue today,” Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer and a member of the committee, told in Lahore. “I will not go into the details of the hearing but basically Asif has pleaded his innocence. However, we will go through all the aspects before preparing our report.”Nagmi said the committee is likely to submit its findings to the board on Monday, after which Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, is set to announce whether any action has to be taken against Asif.Asif is currently under suspension for testing positive for a banned substance during random dope testing at the Indian Premier League, where he played for the Delhi Daredevils. He is due to appear before an IPL tribunal to face those charges and is likely to face some punishment from his home board thereafter.

BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa have offered to “explore, with the ICC’s management, the scheduling of the Champions Twenty20 League”

Ajay S Shankar06-Aug-2008The three founding partners of the Champions Twenty20 League – the BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) – are exploring the possibility of shifting their tournament to December following a request from the ICC given a clash of dates with the Champions Trophy, Cricinfo has learnt. The Twenty20 tournament is due to begin on September 29, the reserve day of the Champions Trophy final.It’s understood that the organizers are now looking at holding the tournament in India from December 2-11, between the India-England one-day series and Tests. ‘League does not violate ICC agreement’ Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president-elect, reiterated the Indian board’s official position while speaking to reporters in Mumbai that the Champions Twenty20 League does not violate the ICC’s playing agreement, which was signed by all members.”At the meeting, the BCCI, CA and CSA took a firm stance that holding the Champions League does not violate the clauses of the Members Playing Agreement,” Manohar said. “Creagh O’Connor [the Cricket Australia chairman] said that seven days should be given to the BCCI, CA and CSA to discuss whether the dates could be rescheduled. We have to inform ICC about this after a week.”Asked about the possibility of the Twenty20 tournament being postponed, Manohar said, “If it gets postponed, it goes after the Australia series (in October). Everybody is keen to hold it before March as the second edition of the IPL will be played in April and this year’s top two teams will lose their chance of playing in the tournament.”An ICC press release, issued after the board held a teleconference on Wednesday to discuss the overlap, said the three members had offered to “explore, with the ICC’s management, the scheduling of the tournament”. The three members, it added, will report back to the governing body within seven days.While the three boards stuck to their stand of last Wednesday – that the Champions Twenty20 League involves domestic teams and does not violate any ICC agreement – it is understood that they are also “aware of, and understand, the concerns” expressed by the ICC over its one-day showpiece being overshadowed.”We have 10 clear days in December to host the Champions League, and there is a good chance of the event being held then,” a senior official involved with the tournament told Cricinfo. “But we will actively pursue this possibility only if all other details, including logistics and players’ availability, fall into place. Otherwise, we will stick to the dates that have already been announced because we are not legally bound in any manner to change them. Having said that, we understand the ICC’s predicament. The ICC has signed a significant contract with ESPN-Star Sports (ESS) and the Champions Trophy is their first big tournament.”The official said that the ICC’s request will be “looked into seriously” by the three boards especially given the broadcasters’ concern that the Champions Twenty20 League would overshadow the Champions Trophy in terms of profile and advertising revenue.”There is already a threat to the ICC Champions Trophy over the issue of players pulling out due to security concerns and we are not very keen to add to those worries,” the official said.The ICC’s international schedule confirms that players from Australia, South Africa and Pakistan, who form a chunk of the eight teams for the Champions League, are free during the “window in December”. However, it will still be a tight call – three international series, involving four of the countries sending teams to the Champions League, end on December 2 . South Africa will be most hard-pressed – they finish a Test series at home on that day, and ten days later begin a Test series against Australia in Perth.The Champions Twenty 20 League comprises the Twenty20 domestic finalists from India, Australia and South Africa, Pakistan’s winner Sialkot and England’s champion Middlesex.

Newcastle United ‘hold an interest’ in Chelsea’s Ross Barkley and the deal may not be contingent on their pursuit of Joe Willock. 

That’s according to Chris Waugh, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic.

The lowdown

Barkley spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Aston Villa, scoring three goals and providing one assist in 18 Premier League starts (via WhoScored). The Englishman averaged 1.6 key passes per game for Dean Smith’s side, beating every Newcastle player in that department.

The 33-cap ace has two years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge and is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt. Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard described Barkley’s attitude as ‘first class’ and said that he was able to fulfil a ‘very complete role’.

The latest

The Athletic claimed that Newcastle have identified the 27-year-old as a possible target, but ‘not solely as a back-up’ if they miss out on former loanee Willock. The Magpies want to bring the Arsenal man back to St James’ Park but they are waiting to see whether Mikel Arteta will sanction the move.

It’s ‘likely’ that only one ‘advanced’ midfield option will be recruited, but ‘additional reinforcements would be welcomed’

The verdict

Barkley is probably one for Newcastle to avoid. He made a flying start at Villa last season, looking briefly like the player who was so impressive at Everton.

However, his performance levels dipped as the campaign progressed, and he fell well short of the stated goal of breaking back into the England squad.

Barkley is currently earning £96,000 per week, and unless Newcastle could agree to split the cost with Chelsea, that would make him their highest-paid player.

Ultimately, there must be more potent and reliable midfield options out there who they could bring in.

In other news, Newcastle are also keen on one of Willock’s team-mates.

Mark Douglas has dropped some worrying insight from legal observers on one of the Newcastle United takeover cases against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: CAT delay

As per The Chronicle, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) claim over the stalled takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group has now been delayed until September.

The top flight are continuing to try to get the case thrown out, as a hearing date is yet to be confirmed.

This follows the delay of the separate arbitration case filed by the St. James’ Park faithful against the division over their decision-making process with regards to the takeover bid, which is now not due to take place until early next year.

The Latest: CAT insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas, a football journalist who has been tracking all of the latest developments in the takeover saga, has revealed the legal observers feel as if the CAT case will not play out before the arbitration proceedings take place.

This is in despite of a hearing expected to take place in September, but because the arbitration process is not going to be revisited until early next year, this means that any CAT proceedings may not take place until 2022.

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying to hear that the CAT case may now not start until 2022, adding yet more delays to the whole takeover process.

It is not ideal at all for the North East club and its fanbase to go into another season of uncertainty, but it looks as if that will be the case once more with the new 2021/22 Premier League campaign less than two weeks away.

It also means that they have not been able to flex their financial muscles in the summer transfer window so far, as the Tyneside club enter the final month in where they can do business before January.

In other news, find out which top target is now keen on a Magpies move here!