Liverpool could turn to Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy after being priced out of moves for Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Roma shot-stopper Alisson, according to The Mirror.

What’s the word?

Loris Karius’s woeful performance in the Champions League final reinforced the suggestion that the Reds should buy a new keeper this summer.

Jurgen Klopp wants his team to become title challengers and in order to do that, they require a world-class stopper.

Oblak and Alisson have been regularly mentioned as targets in the gossip columns, but The Mirror recently claimed that Liverpool will be unable to meet their price tags.

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The publication states that Atletico will demand £80m for Oblak due to a release clause in his contract, while Roma will also want a staggering figure.

As a result, The Mirror claims that Liverpool could switch focus to McCarthy, who has been a Southampton player since his 2016 move from Crystal Palace.

Is he a good option?

No disrespect to McCarthy, but the 6ft 4 shot-stopper does not fit the calibre that Liverpool require.

Going forward, the Reds are one of the best and most entertaining in the Premier League, but their weakness has always been at the back.

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The Merseyside outfit managed to reach the Champions League final and finish inside the top four, but they require a world-class stopper that can perform at the highest level week in week out.

McCarthy helped Southampton retain their top-flight status with his performances towards the end of the 2017-18 season, but in the last seven campaigns, the keeper has made just 55 appearances.

The 28-year-old would not be a significant improvement on the options Liverpool already have.

Manchester City fans were left confused when Leroy Sane was not selected as part of Joachim Low’s Germany squad for the World Cup in Russia.

The winger had a stellar season in Pep Guardiola’s City team, scoring 14 goals and creating 17 assists.

The 22-year-old played a major role in the North-West outfit winning the Premier League title.

Many would have assumed that Sane was a shoe-in for the World Cup, but in a Germany team littered with talent, there was no room for the City star.

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On Sunday, the reigning champions got their campaign underway with a Group F match against Mexico.

Prior to the tournament, there were zero concerns about Germany not making it past the group phase, but there may be a hint of worry now due to the team’s 1-0 defeat to Mexico.

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Low’s side struggled to cope with the pace of Juan Carlos Osorio’s side as their counter-attacking approach led to a much-deserved win.

In fact, it was Hirving Lozano’s goal that ended up being the difference, and now City fans think that if Sane was on the pitch, the result would have transpired differently.

According to Sky Sports News, Middlesbrough have made a bid in excess of £5m for Sunderland midfielder Paddy McNair ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

What’s the story?

McNair only made 16 Championship appearances for Sunderland last season, but he managed five goals for the relegated Black Cats.

Brighton & Hove Albion are believed to be interested in signing the 15-time Northern Ireland international, with the Seagulls said to have had at least one bid rejected.

According to Sky Sports News, Boro have offered more than £5m for the versatile midfielder as Tony Pulis’ side look to boost their squad ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Pulis led Boro, who have also been linked with Robert Huth, into the Championship playoffs last term, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the semi-finals.

The former Premier League club will fancy their chances of launching another bid for promotion next term, however, and McNair would boost their challenge.

Would McNair be a good signing?

In short, yes. McNair broke into the Manchester United first team in 2014, and made 27 first-team appearances for the Red Devils before joining Sunderland in August 2016.

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McNair missed the start of last season with a serious knee problem, but showed his class upon returning to fitness, and ended the campaign with five Championship goals.

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It is going to prove almost impossible for Sunderland to keep him following their relegation to League One, and McNair would be a fine signing for Boro. Indeed, if they can sign him for just over £5m, it could go down as one of the best deals of the summer.

The 23-year-old is capable of playing in a number of positions in both midfield and defence, whilst he has already shown that he can hold his own at Premier League level, let alone in the second tier.

In order to take that next step, Tottenham Hotspur need to strengthen their squad to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men finished third in the Premier League table last season, and have secured Champions League football for the last three campaigns in a row.

However, it has been a decade since the North London outfit took home a trophy.

United, Liverpool and Arsenal have already signed up new faces this summer, but Tottenham are yet to get their chequebook out.

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It is no huge surprise given that in recent history Spurs have left it relatively late to get deals over the line.

Chairman Daniel Levy is not the easiest negotiator in the world as he is never prepared to pay over the odds for a transfer target.

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The club have been linked to numerous names over the past few weeks and months, but nothing has yet come to fruition.

Fans have been tweeting their thoughts on the laboured window.

Liverpool should no longer focus on trying to sign Roma goalkeeper Alisson, and instead focus on other targets.

What’s the word?

Since the transfer window opened, the Merseyside outfit have been linked with a handful of shot-stoppers around Europe.

Current number one Loris Karius did not cover himself in glory during the Champions League final last month.

The German made two huge blunders that led to goals in the Reds’ 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

Roma keeper Alisson has cropped up in the gossip pages plenty of times whenever Liverpool’s hunt for a new stopper has been mentioned.

However, the likelihood of a deal being struck seems far away, particularly now that Real Madrid and Chelsea have been touted as potential suitors.

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Why should Liverpool give up?

There is no doubt that manager Jurgen Klopp needs a new man in between the sticks.

However, there are various obstacles in the way with regards to getting a deal struck for Alisson.

One seems to be the price, with Mundo Deportivo reporting earlier this month that Roma are holding out for a fee in the region of £70m.

Another is the fact that the Italian outfit sold their best player in Mohamed Salah to Liverpool last summer, so it is unlikely that they will be easily persuaded to part with another key player.

It is also worth taking into consideration that, even though Alisson is on the verge of world-class quality, there is a danger that he has been overhyped.

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The 25-year-old has been in goal for Brazil during the World Cup and he has had a few shaky moments.

The 26-cap stopper is certainly an upgrade on Karius, but the hassle of getting a deal done should cause Liverpool to reconsider.

Former Pakistan captains have questioned the manner in which Umar Akmal was omitted from the second ODI against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff07-Nov-2009Former Pakistan players have questioned the manner in which Umar Akmal was omitted from the second ODI against New Zealand,
which Pakistan lost to leave the series tied at 1-1. Akmal’s name was a surprising omission from the team sheet at the toss – Shoaib Malik took his place – and Younis Khan’s explanation for the change was not entirely clear.Akmal, 19, has had an excellent start to his international career, scoring his maiden ODI century in just his third game and averages 49.83 in the format.”It can be very discouraging for a young man like Umar since he has been very impressive in recent games for Pakistan and is raring to go against the Kiwis,” said Waqar Younis, commentating on the series in the UAE. “It is bound to shake his confidence in the coming games.”Rameez Raja questioned whether the decision was down to Pakistan’s rotation policy or something else entirely. “I would like to know the logic behind this and whose decision was it to omit Umar from this game,” he said. “This will only hurt Pakistan.”Abqul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner and selector, also expressed his surprise. “How can you drop a batsman when he has impressed all around the world with his brilliant temperament? It will only shatter his confidence and we might lose such a talented player if he continuously gets such treatment in the team.”Qadir, who was chief selector for eight months till June this year, said that he had advised the Pakistan board to focus on younger players during his stint, advice which the board ignored. “I had told the PCB that senior players should only play Test matches and we should find fresh legs from our own domestic ODI and Twenty20 tournament, but the cricket board did not listen to my advice.”Salahuddin Ahmed, another former national selector, was also critical of the decision to drop an in-form player like Akmal. “I think the ouster will hurt the confidence of Umar to a large extent. This should have not been done with him at this moment,” he told the Karachi-based . “I will also not support the decision of dropping Shoaib Malik from the first ODI, since he is one of the best allrounders for this version of the game. Pakistan should have gone with Kamran Akmal with any of the regular openers to make room for both Shoaib and Umar for all these matches.”

Chris Jordan and Ajmal Shahzad claimed three wickets apiece as the England Performance Programme continued their impressive run of results with a 75-run victory over the Northern Titans at Pretoria

Cricinfo staff11-Dec-2009England Performance Programme 425 for 9 (Denly 217, Tredwell 70) and 155 for 4 dec beat Titans 235 (du Plessis 124*) and 270 by 75 runs


ScorecardChris Jordan and Ajmal Shahzad claimed three wickets apiece as the England Performance Programme continued their impressive run of results with a 75-run victory over the Northern Titans at Pretoria. Following a declaration set up by Michael Carberry’s quickfire 76, the Titans were left chasing a nominal 346 for victory, but were bundled out for 270 inside 60 overs.Having secured a first-innings lead of 190, EPP resumed on 44 for 1 in their second innings, and though the Yorkshire pair of Joe Sayers and Andrew Gale fell quickly in the morning session, Carberry received solid support in an 83-run stand for the fourth wicket with Rory Hamilton-Brown, who made 38 not out. The innings came to an end on the stroke of Carberry’s dismissal.In reply, Titans fared considerably better than they had done first-time around, when each of their top three was extracted without scoring, with Hendrik van der Dussen and Tumelo Bodibe adding 44 for the first wicket inside ten overs. But Shahzad struck the first blow when Bodibe fell for 18, and five balls later Steven Finn bagged K Pienaar for 1.Faf du Plessis, who knows his opponents well from his time with Lancashire, counterattacked in spectacular style with a 30-ball 42, but Jordan trapped him lbw before Sajid Mahmood removed van der Dussen for the same score.Thereafter, the Titans innings slipped away. Jaco Booysen made 26 before falling lbw to Shahzad; while Christiaan Schoeman and Graham van Buuren both succumbed in sight of their fifties. The spinner, James Tredwell, pitched in with two late wickets to hasten the defeat, before Shahzad bowled the No. 11, D van Onslem for 10 to seal the victory.

Australia showed all the fire and passion that has made them the powerhouse of women’s world cricket by taking out the World Series of Women’s Cricket by beating New Zealand by 109 runs at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at New Zealand’s High Performance Centre

Lynn McConnell25-Dec-2009Australia showed all the fire and passion that has made them the powerhouse of women’s world cricket by taking out the World Series of Women’s Cricket by beating New Zealand by 109 runs at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at New Zealand’s High Performance Centre at Lincoln University today.The margin of success was embarrassing for New Zealand but it still wasn’t sufficient to wipe out the stigma of the World Cup defeat three summers ago, and that issue won’t be decided until 2005 in South Africa. Evidence would suggest that Australia are further down the track in preparation for that event than are New Zealand.It is a fact of sporting success that innovation can often be a key virtue, but so often new things are tried in team sports, before they have been tried out in a competitive atmosphere in the recent history of the side.New Zealand fell into that trap when trying to rearrange their batting order in an effort to curtail the threat of Australian fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick. The move didn’t work, and possibly even rebounded on the home team who capitulated in disappointing fashion for a side who still are the reigning world champions.The record books were given something of a working over, mainly by Australian captain Belinda Clark. She ended her innings of 80 as the highest scorer in women’s One-Day Internationals, supplanting New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley when she passed her record of 4064 runs. Clark now sits on 4077.The effort started when she scored her third run of the day to be only the second woman to pass 4000 ODI runs.New Zealand’s wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls also got in on the act when ending the innings on 80 dismissals in ODI to equal the record of England’s Jane Cassar. But in New Zealand’s innings Julia Price ended up on 79 dismissals.New Zealand had done a sound job in dismissing the Australians for 214. It is a rare feat and was all the more notable after Clark’s innings had looked to steal the initiative well and truly away from New Zealand.But by bowling with a degree of control, they made life difficult for Clark and she was rarely allowed to strike out for boundaries and the latter part of her innings was spent attempting to lift a run rate that had fallen below what Australian should have expected.The ploy of opening with 18-year-old left-arm spinner Rebecca Steele, who took one for 38 when bowling through, could be said to have been effective, but at the same time it had to be wondered if bowling her through had been the best option.The air of mystery that was developed when she opened evaporated when it was clear she was going to bowl through.Aimee Mason was also effective in bowling 10 overs of off spin to end with one for 34.New Zealand captain Emily Drumm said she was delighted between innings that the bowlers had done the job that allowed the batsmen a reasonable chase.”It was our best bowling performance of the series in terms of the consistency they achieved,” she said.Drumm explained that the change in the batting order had been intended to deny Australia early wickets because in the two earlier games New Zealand had been rocked.”But that is three games in a row now that we have collapsed.”I’ve never known Cathryn Fitzpatrick to be so intimidating in a series as she has been here,” she said.Drumm, who was set up by the Australians in each of her innings against them this year, said she never felt it necessary to use a helmet against her because she backed her judgment to get something up to defend herself.However, she said it was interesting to see on television coverage the involuntary action she was taking in attempting to deal with Fitzpatrick because she didn’t realise she was backing off a little.She said she respected Fitzpatrick immensely and would have to deal with her as best she could and she left the feeling that a good deal of thought would be going into their next meeting, probably next summer in the annual Rose Bowl series.Drumm said it was always the same Australian players, Clark, Karen Rolton and Fitzpatrick who turned up firing when New Zealand was their opponent.”Today they lifted their game against us again, because they know that we can threaten them and it is often that fear of losing that drives you to win,” she said.Clark said she knew it would be a good game when they reached the halfway point because Australia had wanted to score 220-plus.After Fitzpatrick’s performance today Clark thought the English team who start the Ashes series next Saturday would be more than a little nervous.The ploy of changing the batting order had caused the Australians to think a little more about what they were doing.And she admitted the Australians did lift themselves against New Zealand, but the New Zealanders did the same against them.”Today was an important day for us. We came here to win the tournament and we have managed to produce the goods when it counted,” she said.Clark said she learned last night that the statistical milestones she achieved were on the horizon but her attitude was that it was more important that she scored well for the team today.

The uncapped fast bowler Trent Copeland could be in line for his state debut after New South Wales chose him in a 12-man squad for the Sheffield Shield game against Queensland at the SCG starting on Friday

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2010The uncapped fast bowler Trent Copeland could be in line for his state debut after New South Wales chose him in a 12-man squad for the Sheffield Shield game against Queensland at the SCG starting on Friday. Copeland was called in due to the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who is with the Under-19 World Cup squad, and Nathan Bracken, who is making a steady return from knee surgery.Bracken played in the Blues’ FR Cup loss to South Australia on Tuesday but is being given more time to prepare for a comeback to the more demanding four-day game. It has opened the door for Copeland, 23, to come in from outside the contracted squad having been the leading wicket-taker in the Sydney grade competition this summer.The Blues will also be without Usman Khawaja, their leading run scorer in the Sheffield Shield this season, after he was ruled out with a hairline fracture of the thumb. Khawaja suffered the problem while fielding in a grade match on Saturday and is expected to be out of action for three weeks.Simon Katich, who is set to play his first Sheffield Shield game since November, will take back the captaincy duties from Moises Henriques. Peter Forrest has replaced the omitted Ben Rohrer for a game that gives New South Wales the chance to lift themselves off the bottom of the table.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Steven Smith, Peter Forrest, David Warner, Moises Henriques, Daniel Smith (wk), Grant Lambert, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland.Queensland squad Ryan Broad, Nick Kruger, Wade Townsend, Lee Carseldine, Glen Batticciotto, Chris Simpson (capt), Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Swan, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Cameron Boyce, Scott Walter.

Shaun Tait and David Warner, two of Australia’s Twenty20 specialists, continued the team’s unbeaten summer by setting up a 38-run thrashing of West Indies in Hobart

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale21-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner was entertaining during his 49•Getty Images

Shaun Tait and David Warner, two of Australia’s Twenty20 specialists, continued the team’s unbeaten summer by setting up a 38-run thrashing of West Indies in Hobart. Warner provided the early thrills with a brutal batting display before the Man of the Match Tait destroyed West Indies’ top order as Australia’s plans for the ICC World Twenty20 took a step in the right direction.Warner and Shane Watson lit up Bellerive Oval, which was hosting its first night international, by taking Australia to 0 for 83 in the eighth over and some late fireworks from Brad Haddin pushed them to 8 for 179. It was a good but gettable total, until two wickets in Tait’s first over knocked the life out of the chase.Chris Gayle has failed to spark during the limited-overs portion of the summer and that trend continued when he swung wildly at Tait’s fourth delivery and saw his stumps splayed. The next ball was angled across Narsingh Deonarine, caught the edge and was sharply taken by Watson at first slip.Kieron Pollard survived the hat-trick ball and blasted a couple of boundaries before he became the third of Tait’s victims with an edge behind to a wonderful fast delivery that moved away off the seam. In between, Tait had been part of another breakthrough when Lendl Simmons slashed to him at third man off Dirk Nannes and after four overs, West Indies were 4 for 26.Tait and Nannes proved a difficult combination for Pakistan in the Twenty20 earlier this month and if they remain fit could be a lethal new-ball duo at the world tournament. Mitchell Johnson becomes a backup bowler in their presence and he chipped in with two wickets including Dwayne Smith, superbly caught on the boundary by a jumping Steven Smith.Smith repeated it with another on-the-move boundary catch to give Nannes his third wicket after Runako Morton (40) and Denesh Ramdin (44) added some respectability to West Indies’ scorecard. They were composed in a 73-run stand but never got West Indies back in the match.It was a disappointing result after they showed imagination, by opening with two spin bowlers, and fight, as they dragged the run-rate back following the quick start from Warner and Watson. The slow-bowling move paid off as Deonarine and Nikita Miller kept the first two overs to six runs before Warner began to tee off.The openers took an extraordinary 59 off four overs beginning with the fourth and Warner led the charge with several strikes over the off side. A monstrous six over midwicket off Deonarine forced a change of ball and when Kemar Roach finally came on in the sixth over Warner welcomed him with a six smacked over midwicket and a back-away cut over third man.Watson was slower to get going but equally powerful when he did and struck four sixes, stepping back deep into his crease to allow himself to lift the ball. A pair of sixes off Dwayne Smith were especially impressive but Watson was the first to depart when he skied Gayle and was taken by the wicketkeeper Ramdin for 37 off 19 balls.Warner narrowly missed his third Twenty20 international half-century when he chipped a Smith full toss back to the bowler and was out for 49 from 32 deliveries. Australia’s run-rate at the time was around 10 and it quickly receded after both openers left and the wickets began to flow.Gayle, Pollard and Miller – who was extremely good with 2 for 20 – kept things tight and Australia’s middle order might be one area they can work on before the World Twenty20. Michael Clarke continued to struggle in the format and made 12, Travis Birt compiled a nervy 13 and Cameron White was surprisingly stodgy in his 15 from 20 balls.It was only the 44 from the last three overs, as Haddin raced to 37 from 16, that pushed Australia past a middling total. Tait made 179 look like a mountain.