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The Delhi police have revealed that three Pakistan-based terrorists had confessed to conspiring to kidnap Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in 2002

Cricinfo staff18-Mar-2009The Delhi police have revealed that three Pakistan-based terrorists confessed to conspiring to kidnap Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in 2002.The news comes in the backdrop of heightened fears surrounding cricketers’ security after the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore earlier this month, and the uncertainty over this season’s IPL, which overlaps with general elections in India.The police told a Delhi court on Tuesday that the terrorists, belonging to the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI), had wanted to kidnap the cricketers in a bid to secure the release of two HUJI members who were imprisoned in India. The confessional statements of Tariq Mohammed, Ashfaq Ahmed and Ashad Khan were recorded on February 13, 2002, a fortnight after their arrest from Delhi’s Nizamuddin railway station.The development comes after nearly a fortnight of talks between the IPL and the government regarding the tournament’s itinerary. The home ministry had initially asked for a postponement of the IPL but the event’s organising committee has been re-jigging the schedule in an attempt to ensure that the government’s security forces aren’t overstrained.

According to journalist Carlos Aleman, Everton are prepared to pay some of James Rodriguez’s wages to make sure he departs the club.

The Lowdown: Rodriguez can still move

With the majority of transfer windows across Europe now slammed shut, it was thought that Rodriguez would have to stay at Goodison Park until at least January.

However, the Turkish window is still open, meaning the £25.2m-valued Colombia international (Transfermarkt) could still make the switch to the Super Lig.

The Latest: Prepared to pay

Istanbul Basaksehir have been linked with a move for the former Real Madrid man, and now journalist Aleman has provided an update.

Speaking on WinTV, he said:

“It is true of Başakşehir’s interest in James Rodríguez. Everton is open to negotiation and they would put part of his salary to go on loan.”

The Verdict: Disaster

Rodriguez’s move to Goodison Park has ended up being a disaster after such an incredible start.

The 29-year-old made the switch because of former boss Carlo Ancelotti, and did show flashes of his undoubted ability by scoring six goals and providing five assists in 23 Premier League matches (Transfermarkt), but injuries limited his impact.

Now, with Ancelotti having departed for Real, Rodriguez appears to have no interest in staying with the Toffees (talkSPORT). On wages of £140,000 a week (salarysport.com), he is an expensive passenger to have, and the Blues now potentially continuing to pay him while he plies his trade elsewhere feels like worst case scenario.

In other news, Everton fans were livid with this international break news.

A round-up from the latest County Championship matches as Kent pull off an amazing victory thanks to Robbie Joseph

Cricinfo staff02-May-2009Division TwoRobbie Joseph produced an inspired spell to finish with figures of 6 for 55 as Kent completed an outstanding come-from-behind 192-run victory against Essex at Chelmsford after being made to follow-on. It was the largest margin of victory by a side that had been asked to follow-on. Joseph, coupled with two early wickets for Wayne Parnell, ripped through Essex’s middle order to leave them 79 for 7 and hurtling towards defeat. However, Ryan ten Doeschate and David Masters then combined for more than an hour to revive Essex’s hopes of escape before a dramatic finish. Masters was caught at silly point, ten Doeschate edged Parnell to the slips and, fittingly, Joseph claimed the final wicket when Danish Kaneria was brilliantly held at fourth slip by Darren Stevens. Kent had batted through the morning session with Stevens remaining unbeaten on 136 after he and James Hockley (72) had added 166 for the sixth wicket to set the stage for a memorable turnaround in a match they looked set to lose less than two days earlier.Division OneAshwell Prince continued his impressive form with his first century for Lancashire to help them to a draw against Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford after the top order wobbled. The home side were on the back foot for most of the game and were aided by time lost to the weather, but on the final day it was the efforts of Prince and Mark Chilton that did most the secure the escape. The pressure was on during the morning session after the openers departed early soon followed by Francois du Plessis to leave Lancashire struggling on 39 for 3. However, Prince and Chilton weren’t parted for the rest of the day as they added 191 with Prince reaching his hundred off 152 deliveries. Bilal Shafayat kept wicket for Nottinghamshire during the final after Chris Read returned home for the birth of his child.There was little riding on the final day at The Rose Bowl, but Sussex managed to secure two further batting points were some stubborn lower-order resistance against Hampshire. Matt Prior carried the total past 250 before he fell to James Tomlinson for 140, but Damien Wright (42) and Ragheb Aga (24) added 55 for the ninth wicket to gain a third point before the innings was wrapped up by Liam Dawson. The second half of the day allowed Michael Carberry (72) and Jimmy Adams (55 not out) to spend some time in the middle adding 126 to see out the match.

Ange Postecoglou ‘would probably love’ Jack Hendry if he was still playing for Celtic. 

That’s according to Patrick Thistle coach Alan Archibald, who speaking to The Herald.

The lowdown

Celtic signed Hendry from Dundee for £1.44m in January 2018 but he was limited to just 27 appearances before he left to join Jupiler Pro League outfit KV Oostende this summer following an earlier loan spell.

He then moved on to reigning Belgian champions Club Brugge and he played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday as they held a Paris Saint-Germain side which included Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to a 1-1 draw.

The 26-year-old started Scotland’s recent World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Austria, having also featured at the European Championship during the summer.

The latest

Archibald has wondered whether Celtic are starting to rue their decision to let Hendry leave, particularly because he seems well-suited to Postecoglou’s style of play. The 43-year-old said that the defender starting in the midweek draw against PSG is a marker of how far he’s come since exiting Parkhead.

“He had to leave Celtic to get game time,” Archibald told The Herald. “Looking at it from the outside, I don’t think he got a fair crack of the whip there.”

He later added: “The manager at Celtic now would probably love him because of the way he likes to play – open and expansive.

“Yes, he made a few mistakes but he’s learned from them. Fast forward a few years and he has moved for millions and is playing in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain.”

The verdict

This seems like textbook revisionism, with Archibald feeling that just because Hendry is proving to be a success in Belgium, he must have been hard done by at Celtic.

In reality, he just didn’t live up to expectations in Glasgow, often being a target for criticism from supporters, and it should also be noted that the title-winning Hoops team in which he played was in a considerably better place than the side we saw last season.

In other news, Ian Bankier’s potential replacement has emerged.

Graham Manou has just learnt that a lot can change between two Ashes series. When England visited in 2006-07, South Australia dropped an out-of-form Manou from the side to face Andrew Flintoff’s men in a tour match

Brydon Coverdale21-May-2009Graham Manou has learnt that a lot can change between two Ashes series. When England visited in 2006-07, South Australia dropped an out-of-form Manou from the side to face Andrew Flintoff’s men in a tour match. Nearly three years on, he is embarking on an Ashes tour of his own as the backup wicketkeeper to Brad Haddin.It’s hardly surprising that Manou was the most searched-for player on Cricinfo after the naming of Australia’s squad on Wednesday. The only uncapped member of the group, Manou was considered by most observers – and by himself – a long, long shot for the tour a few months ago.If Australia took a reserve gloveman, Luke Ronchi was clearly the man in waiting. A glut of wicketkeepers including Chris Hartley, Tim Paine and Matthew Wade were also pushing to be next in line. But timing is everything and as Ronchi’s runs dried up and he was dropped by his state, Manou enjoyed a prolific summer and scored 647 runs and grabbed 33 dismissals while captaining South Australia.He knows he’s unlikely to play a Test in England but having watched Haddin’s progress as the reserve for Adam Gilchrist on the 2005 Ashes tour, Manou is simply grateful for the opportunity. “It was really noticeable how much he took from that tour as an opposition player,” Manou told reporters in Adelaide after hearing of his inclusion.”When he came back to play in the Shield games following that tour he was really impressive the way he went about it all. If I can learn as much off him as he did with Gilly and then to also go out onto the field and display those qualities, then fingers crossed, my game will continue to go from strength to strength.”Manou, 30, has been on the first-class scene for a decade, since taking over from Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen as South Australia’s gloveman. He rose to win the state’s vice-captaincy under Darren Lehmann but after his axing in 2006-07, his future was far from assured.The next summer he returned more determined, won back his position, started making runs again – including 190 against the reigning champions Tasmania – and was eventually handed the captaincy. Manou’s work behind the stumps has also drawn praise from the notoriously hard-marking Darren Berry, the former Victoria wicketkeeper, who said this year Manou was easily Australia’s best gloveman besides Haddin.Having another experienced wicketkeeper in the squad will keep Haddin on his toes. However, the incumbent is happy the tradition of taking a reserve to England has continued and he hopes Manou returns home with plenty of lessons learned.

“Graham has got a pretty steady head on his shoulders. He probably knows his game a bit better than the other keepers around the country at the moment.”Brad Haddin

“I don’t see him as a threat,” Haddin said. “From a personal point of view, going away with the Australian team, I think it will better his cricket coming back to Australia, seeing the way we prepare. I don’t think threat is the right word, I think you’re always just naturally trying to improve yourself.”Graham has got a pretty steady head on his shoulders. He captains South Australia now, so he’s been around state cricket a long time. He probably knows his game a bit better than the other keepers around the country at the moment.”If Manou does get an opportunity it is likely to be in one of the four tour matches peppered throughout the Tests. It could be the perfect time for Australia to rest Haddin, who is the only man to have played every Test and one-day international since the tour of India last October. Haddin is more than happy to have played all the games but by mid-tour his workload could begin to become tiring.”I think I’m a bit different to the other guys,” Haddin said. “I only really came into Test cricket in the last 12 months. If you look at the workload of [Mitchell] Johnson and guys they’ve been going pretty solidly for the last two years. The whole experience is still pretty new to me. From that point of view I feel pretty good.”Haddin broke a finger during his Test debut in the West Indies last year but played through pain to complete the series. And with the goal of being part of an Ashes triumph after witnessing first-hand the misery of the 2005 defeat, don’t expect Haddin to hand over the Test gloves to Manou unless his arms fall off.”This will be my first Ashes series where I’ll get the chance to play,” Haddin said. “I’m pretty excited and I’ve definitely had one eye on this for a long time.”

Celtic may have signed 12 new bodies for the first team after Ange Postecoglou was made their new manager but there have been some riveting stories of former players in recent weeks.

Odsonne Edouard moved south of the border on transfer deadline day and with his very first touch of the ball, scored on his debut for Crystal Palace.

The Frenchman would net another in their win over Spurs on that same day but Olivier Ntcham and Kristoffer Ajer have also thrived.

Ajer was part of the Brentford squad who sealed a win over Arsenal during their first Premier League outing while Ntcham was in sensational form for Swansea last week.

The Swans were losing 3-0 at half time but his introduction saw the game end 3-3 as he registered a goal and an assist.

However, there is a forgotten man out in America who is very much stealing the show.

That happens to be Patryk Klimala, a player Celtic signed for £3.5m in the winter window of 2020.

The Polish striker was extremely average at Parkhead and struggled to find form, scoring just three goals in 28 appearances for the Hoops.

A move away this year was hardly surprising as the 23-year-old kick-started a mass clear out at Paradise.

He is now playing for the New York Red Bulls in MLS where he’s enjoyed a wonderful revival and is certainly showing what Celtic are missing.

Albian Ajeti has had his own mini-comeback at Celtic with three goals in his last three outings but that could so easily have been Klimala.

The Hoops did, at least, recoup the money they paid 19 months ago and for the American side, that’s now looking like a bargain.

During 2021, Klimala has found the net seven times and also picked up five assists for his new club in 20 outings.

That makes for impressive reading, especially when you consider that he’s scored in three successive games now.

What’s also intriguing is that he scored against Ronny Deila in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-celtic-news-duffy-mccarthy-brady-knockaert” title= “Read the latest Celtic news!”]

The ex-Celtic manager is now in charge of New York City FC but he witnessed heartbreak as his team drew 1-1 courtesy of a penalty kick from Klimala in the 12th minute of injury time after a VAR review.

So often used to being the man who was put out to pasture in Glasgow, his fortunes have drastically changed and improved since finding a new home.

Head Coach Gerhard Struber has been delighted with him since his arrival, commenting: “Patryk with his outstanding movements and with his pace, it’s not easy to handle.”

He is now one of the leading lights for the Red Bulls and is relishing his rise to stardom in America.

AND in other news, Celtic may discover their new Ralston in rarely-seen 21 y/o with “excellent pedigree”…

Discussions between the PCB, ECB and Cricket Australia (CA) are at an advanced stage as the three parties try and find a way of rescheduling Pakistan’s ‘home’ series against Australia in England next summer

Osman Samiuddin06-May-2009Discussions between the PCB, ECB and Cricket Australia (CA) are at an advanced stage as the three parties try and find a way of rescheduling Pakistan’s ‘home’ series against Australia in England next summer.Australia were due to tour Pakistan for a full series in March 2008 but pulled out because of security concerns. The tour was postponed, but after the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March this year and the subsequent ICC move to take the 2011 World Cup away from Pakistan, international cricket within Pakistan is all but ruled out for the next few years. The PCB, therefore, is looking for ways to minimize the impact on its FTP and is actively looking at neutral venues where it can stage future home commitments.Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where Pakistan just played an ODI series against Australia, is one option but England has always been another, ever since Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, floated the idea last year.”There is a lot of discussion going on between the three parties,” an official involved in the negotiations told Cricinfo. “Nothing has been finalised just yet but we are getting closer to the possibility that Pakistan plays its Tests against Australia in England next year.”There are obstacles still in the way before any agreement is reached. The first is the itinerary: CA wants to play two Tests and two Twenty20 internationals, while the Pakistan board is keener on a three-Test and three-ODI series. Whichever schedule is settled upon, it will have to be worked in between three international series in the English summer: Bangladesh are touring in May-June for a Test and ODI series and West Indies in July and August. Additionally, in June, Australia are due to play a five-match ODI series with England. Further complication may come in the form of the P20, the ECB’s answer to the IPL, which begins from next summer and may involve international players.Other hurdles are TV rights and the costs involved. Sky Television has the rights to England’s home Tests but this covers those contests where England are the hosts. As the rights holder to Pakistan’s home contests, Ten Sports are likely to be the broadcaster. “The TV rights are a pressing question,” the official said. “It is crucial for the PCB to continue to benefit from broadcasting rights and Ten Sports and Sky will have to come up with some kind of compromise to ensure that happens. It shouldn’t be a problem.”As the PCB found in the series against Australia in the UAE, the costs involved in hosting a ‘home’ series at a neutral venue are prohibitive. Cash-strapped already – though perhaps not as much as initially thought – the cost of holding a series in England will have to be weighed up seriously. “As it was in Dubai, the costs in the UK will be very high,” a PCB official said. “That is something we really have to look at, in terms of how much revenue we will be able to generate.”The venues for the series are yet to be decided though cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham – traditionally home to large British Asian populations – are likely to be on any shortlist.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King believes Nuno Espirito Santo is not playing Dele Alli to his strengths.

The Lowdown: Alli regularly featuring

Alli has featuring heavily this season under Nuno, already clocking up nine appearances in all competitions out of a possible ten (Transfermarkt).

However, he was hauled off at half-time during Spurs’ 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday after a disappointing display in the middle of the park.

The Latest: King discusses Alli

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, King suggested Alli was being played out of position. He said (via HITC):

“I personally think his best role is in the number 10 where he can attack the box. We know he has great energy, an eye for goal. That’s his strength.”

The Verdict: Difficult situation

It is certainly in attacking midfield where £27m-valued Alli has made the biggest impression throughout his career. As per Transfermarkt, he has 44 goals and as many assists in 162 games in that role, and generally played in that position during the 2016/17 term, where he found the back of the net 18 times in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, regardless of the position, Alli’s best days seem to be behind him at the moment. In his last 38 games, he has found the back of the net on just four occasions, and has even admitted he is not able to do the same things now as he could previously (The Times).

While playing in the number 10 role may see him improve, he has not done enough to indicate he would shine in that position or anywhere else.

In other news, Espirito Santo has provided an injury update on this Spurs ace.

A round-up from the third day of the latest round of County Championship fixtures

Cricinfo staff08-Jun-2009Marcus Trescothick missed out on his second Championship century of the season when he was stumped for 95 off Gary Keedy, but his efforts – combined with solid displays from Arul Suppiah, Craig Kieswetter and James Hildreth, allowed Somerset to neutralise Lancashire’s first-innings total of 286, and push their contest at Old Trafford towards a draw. Having claimed Lancashire’s final wicket in the second over of the day, Somerset responded with an opening stand of 131 between Trescothick and Suppiah to settle any early nerves. Oliver Newby claimed two quick scalps including Justin Langer for 2, but this match is unlikely to recover from the loss of the first day to rain.Ed Joyce completed a fine day for the Irish with a gutsy century to drag Sussex to first-innings parity against Yorkshire at Headingley. Joyce resumed on 38 not out overnight, but was made to work for his runs as Yorkshire grabbed three early wickets to reduce Sussex to 94 for 6 in reply to 225. But he added 56 for the seventh wicket with Robin Martin-Jenkins to revive the innings, before bringing up his hundred with the final ball he faced in the innings, having added 25 anxious runs for the tenth wicket with Jason Lewry, who immediately fell to Naved-ul-Hasan. Yorkshire began their second innings with an irrelevant lead of 8, with the pigeon-slayer Jacques Rudolph finishing on 86 not out. There was more disappointment for Michael Vaughan, who looked good for 39, before falling to Dwayne Smith shortly before the close.For a full report on Durham’s thumping victory over Hampshire at Chester-le-Street, click here for John Ward’s bulletin.Play finally got underway on the third day between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. George Dobell was there.Another day, another hundred for the imperious Mark Ramprakash. His 138 for Surrey against Glamorgan on the third day at Cardiff was his second in three first-class innings this summer, and the 105th of his 22-year first-class career. It’s unlikely to prove sufficient to force victory, after the loss of the first day to rain, but having posted a decent 368 in their innings, Surrey did claim four Glamorgan wickets before the close. The day, however, belonged to Ramprakash, who had resumed on 50 not out, and eased a total of 14 fours from 271 balls in nearly eight hours of inevitability.Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 43 at the close of the third day at Chelmsford, as Essex were left needing a further 336 on the final day against Middlesex, with eight wickets remaining. Their overall target of 415 is a tall order, especially after their collapse to 157 in the first innings, but as Cook’s fellow England opener, Andrew Strauss, proved earlier in the day, there are still good runs to be had in this track. He made 97 before being bowled by Maurice Chambers, as Middlesex declared their second innings on 297 for 7. Danish Kaneria was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 85 in 28 overs.Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman each made centuries in a 233-run stand for Gloucestershire’s third wicket at Chesterfield, as Derbyshire were made to toil on the penultimate day of a rain-wrecked contest. Only 16.3 overs had been possible on the first two days, so batting practice was the only realistic aim, and neither man missed out. Marshall made 158, Gidman 135, and Gloucestershire declared on 403 for 5 three overs before the close.Boeta Dippenaar’s 89 was the pick of the scores as Leicestershire’s match against Kent finally got underway on the third day at Grace Road. By the close, they had reached 351 for 6, with Tom New unbeaten on 55.

Amid Charlie Cresswell’s recent rise into a first-team star at Leeds United in the past couple of weeks, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the academy for could who be the next breakout talent from Thorp Arch.

Back in June, reports claimed that the Whites were monitoring Celtic starlet Leo Hjelde ahead of a potential summer move for him, and the Yorkshire club eventually got a deal done for the teenager.

While he may only have recently turned 18, Hjelde is clearly someone with a lot of potential, having been deployed in numerous positions already, including at left-back and further forward in left-midfield.

And, after seeing him score his first professional goal against Kilmarnock earlier last season, his manager, John Hughes, was quick to shower him with praise.

He said: “He found himself out of the team a little bit, then came on there and got his goal. He’s destined for big, big, big things. He won’t be far away from the Celtic first-team when he goes back, but this is what he needs to be doing.”

Since then, Hjelde has of course made the switch to Elland Road, and has already been making waves at academy level, taking over the leadership mantle from Cresswell in the process.

Speaking after the U23s’ 3-2 win over Oldham in the Papa John’s Trophy earlier this week, Mark Jackson raved: “It was a test for him tonight, to come in and take the armband and lead the team. I challenged him to lead the team and organise, it’s a new system of play for him to get used to so that challenge as well is going to be difficult for him but I’ve got full confidence and I see the qualities in him, which hopefully I can help nurture.

“I did that a lot with Charlie Cresswell throughout the time I worked with him from when he was an U-16, through the 18s and in the 23s as well and I see certain qualities in Leo as well.”

With Liam Cooper the current club captain having turned 30 this past August, Bielsa may be looking at Cresswell as the man to take over the Scotland international’s throne as the next leader of the Whites defence.

But in Hjelde, he could have another hugely exciting option to take that massive leap, and given the fact Jackson has already trusted him to take the armband just months after his initial arrival in Yorkshire, speaks volumes of the natural leadership instincts he possesses.

The 6 foot 2 ace could become a huge part of Leeds’ future going forward.

Meanwhile, Leeds could make a short-term signing in this ace…