All posts by h716a5.icu

A round-up of the sixth day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2010West ZoneHarshad Khadiwale’s 88 helped defending champions Maharashtra start with a win•ESPNcricinfo LtdDefending champions Maharashtra opened their campaign with a 22-run victory over Gujarat at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Opener Harshad Khadiwale hammered his highest Twenty20 score of 88 to power Maharashtra to 147, though the rest of the top five fell in single digits. He was supported by 22-year-old Ganesh Gaikwad, who made a patient 34 and was involved in a 81-run stand with Khadiwale.The Gujarat chase was never on track with their most dangerous batsman, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, making a 11-ball 4 before falling to quick bowler Samad Fallah, who finished with superb figures of 4-1-11-2. The run-rate rarely crossed six, and the loss of three wickets for 10 runs pushed them to 60 for 4. Then, their chances were revived by a 40-run stand between Bhavik Thaker and Jay Desai, leaving them needing 48 off 27 deliveries. Gujarat lost two wickets for three runs in six deliveries and with that their chances evaporated.Heavyweights Mumbai began with a thrilling final-ball victory over Baroda at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, guided them to the win with an unbeaten 55. Wicketkeeper Aditya Tare kept him company in the tense final overs.Baroda’s batting depends on two IPL stars, Mumbai Indians’ Ambati Rayudu and Rajasthan Royals’ Yusuf Pathan, and they had contrasting matches. Rayudu, in his first game for Baroda, top scored with a run-a-ball 45, while the big-hitting Yusuf had an uncharacteristic nine-ball 2. Rayudu was supported by Shatrunjay Gaekwad, the pair adding 36 for the fourth wicket, but this was a low-scoring encounter with Baroda finishing on 122.Mumbai, bereft of many of their top players, seemed on course for a straightforward win when Jaffer guided them to 103 for 2 in the 17th over. Left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh then struck twice in four deliveries to make it a close match. Tare hit three fours in the final three overs, and a boundary off the last delivery sealed Mumbai’s win.East ZoneAt the Sunshine Ground in Cuttack Tripura, the whipping boys of East Zone last year, pushed Orissa hard but lost to a final-ball six from Deepak Behera, who had previously scored only two runs in cricket at the senior level. He came in to bat on the last ball of the match, with Orissa needing two more to win and smashed a six off former Mumbai bowler Wilkin Mota to seal the victory.Orissa were cruising towards victory after opener Natraj Behera’s career-best 73 had guided them to 101 for 1 in the 15th over, chasing 140. Tripura fought back strongly, but with Natraj Behera still at the crease, Orissa were favourites with 20 needed off the final three overs and eight wickets remaining. He fell lbw to Rana Dutta in the 18th and with four more wickets going down and no boundaries Orissa needed Deepak Behera’s heroics to secure victory.Earlier, Tripura had a collapse of their own: Mota (43) and former Maharashtra wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale (59) had taken Tripura to 90 for 1 in the 13th over, before they lost three wicket for nine runs and later three more for seven to slide to 129 for 7. Left-arm medium-pacer Preetamjit Das was the most successful Orissa bowler, taking four for 31.Debutant quick bowler Shami Ahmed’s 4 for 24 helped Bengal crush Assam by eight wickets at Ravenshaw College Ground in Cuttack. Assam are bolstered by out-of-state veterans such as Mumbai’s Amol Muzumdar, Tamil Nadu’s S Sriram and Maharasthra’s Dheeraj Jadhav, but all of them flopped and despite 26-year-old Deepak Sharma’s 40, Assam folded for a paltry 99.Bengal had few problems knocking off the runs needed, with 29-year-old opener Arindam Das, playing his first Twenty20 match, shepherding them to victory through his unbeaten 41. He had help from Sreevats Goswami, the former India Under-19 wicketkeeper playing as a specialist batsman, who made a patient 25. Bengal cruised to victory with 19 deliveries to spare.North ZoneAn unbeaten 99 from opener Mukul Dagar and a collective effort from the Haryana bowlers helped their team upstage neighbours Punjab by 19 runs at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Dagar’s knock stood out in his team’s innings as it overcame periods of worry for the team and eventually propelled them to a formidable 174. His innings was laced with 15 fours and six sixes and after Haryana had been reduced to 81 for 4, Pardeep Sahu supported him in an unbeaten 93-run stand which gave his team’s bowlers plenty to work with. They responded in style: left-arm seamer Sanjay Budhwar leading the way with three wickets and the others bagging at least a wicket each, to restrict Punjab to 155 for 9. Bipul Sharma fought hard down the order with 79, but in vain.Tanmay Srivastava made a career-best 84 not out, but couldn’t prevent Uttar Pradesh from crashing to defeat•Getty ImagesServices prevailed in a low-scoring encounter against Jammu and Kashmir at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. The J&K bowlers, led by the pace duo of Samiullah Beigh and captain Abid Nabi who grabbed two wickets each, restricted Services to 112 for 8. The first four wickets fell for 38 before Sanjeev Mishra (21), Narendra Singh (19) and Irfan Khan (15) combined to help take the score into three-figures. But the J&K batsmen couldn’t measure up to the Services bowling in the chase. Wickets fell too frequently to prevent any threatening partnership from taking root – the highest score was 19 and the best partnership just 27. Medium-pacers Amrinder Singh and Sumit Singh were the pick of the bowlers with two wickets each, as J&K folded for 94.Delhi beat Himachal Pradesh comfortably by 34 runs at the Model Sports Complex. There was no stand-out performer with the bat for the hosts whose innings centered around cameos from four of their batsmen who scored between 20 and 30, with Sumit Narwal’s unbeaten 27 off 13 balls, including two sixes and two fours, providing them some impetus. Delhi posted 140, with Puneet Mehra top scoring with 29, and their bowlers responded well. HP had begun well in their reply, with the openers adding 30 but things soon fell apart. Narwal, in an impressive all-round performance, picked up two wickets while Rajat Bhatia, with his medium-pace, rocked the middle order with three wickets. Abhinav Bali and opener Sangram Singh made 23 each, but their team could only muster 106 in its response.Central ZoneMadhya Pradesh pulled off a big chase against Uttar Pradesh at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. UP piled on 186 after being sent in to bat, and would have expected to defend that total, especially with an attack featuring three bowlers who have featured for India recently, but Harpreet Singh, batting for the first time in a senior level Twenty20, and Murtaza Ali put on 112 in 64 deliveries to take MP to victory.UP’s big total was posted due to career-best efforts from former India Under-19 opener, Tanmay Srivastava (84*), and their captain, Mohammad Kaif (68), who added 146 for the second wicket. UP would have been even more confident of their chances after removing MP’s openers and their most threatening batsmen – Monish Mishra and Naman Ojha – cheaply. Quick bowler Sudeep Tyagi took three early wickets before Harpreet and Murtaza transformed the game.Rajasthan’s openers Aakash Chopra and Dishant Yagnik set up a successful chase of 178 against Railways at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The pair added 128, Chopra anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 72 in 58 and Yagnik racing to 70 in 44 with nine fours and three sixes. Captain Vineet Saxena supported Chopra in an unfinished 28-run stand with a quick 16 that sealed the win with three balls to spare. Railways had put on a strong show with the bat, thanks to significant contributions from their middle order. Sanjay Bangar top scored with 41 and was assisted in a 53-run stand by TP Singh. Wicketkeeper Dhiran Salvi stepped up in the late overs with a quickfire 24 and so did Karan Sharma, who smacked three sixes and a four in his 12-ball 31. A score of 177 appeared challenging, but wasn’t enough against Rajasthan’s response.

Greg Smith scored a career best unbeaten 158 as Leicestershire set Gloucestershire a mountainous target of 488 to win their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road

09-Sep-2010
ScorecardGreg Smith scored a career best unbeaten 158 as Leicestershire set Gloucestershire a mountainous target of 488 to win their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.But, by the close, Leicestershire were clear favourites to clinch their sixth victory of the season, having reduced the visitors to 78 for 5 after taking the first three wickets for just five runs in the opening six overs.It was 21-year-old Smith, however, who took the plaudits as he progressed smoothly to a maiden championship century that steered Leicestershire to 351 for four before the declaration came half an hour before tea. It was a magnificent effort from Smith, who is still studying at Durham University and joined up with Leicestershire in July.This was only his fourth championship game of the season but he has totalled 405 runs from those matches at an average of 81. He began the third day on 70 not out and looked composed and secure as the home side steadily added to their overnight lead of 283.Smith was given excellent support by Jacques Du Toit, who reached his 50 off 83 balls and looked in little trouble until chipping an easy catch to mid-on off Jon Lewis having reached 70. It brought to an end a second-wicket stand of 128.Gloucestershire’s bowling lacked any menace or penetration and Smith, who scored a century for Durham University against Nottinghamshire earlier in the season, reached three figures for the first time in championship cricket with a crisp off drive that brought him three runs. His century contained nine boundaries and came off 202 balls.By the time the declaration came Smith had batted for six and a half hours, faced 324 balls and not offered a single chance. It was a marathon knock that emphasised Smith’s potential. It left Gloucestershire facing the daunting task of scoring 488 runs for victory or surviving a minimum 135 overs to avoid defeat. They could hardly have made a worse start with their first three wickets falling for five runs in the space of 20 balls.Jonathan Batty was caught at gully off Nathan Buck and then Will Porterfield fell when he drove the same bowler to mid off. And in the next over from Matthew Hoggard, Chris Dent bagged a pair when he was trapped lbw. Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman provided some resistance with a stand of 66 before Marshall was caught behind by Tom New trying to cut left arm spinner Claude Henderson.It seemed that Gloucestershire’s miserable day could hardly get any worse. But it did with Chris Taylor prodding a catch to silly mid-off against the bowling of Jigar Naik off the last ball of the day leaving the visitors at 78 for five, still 410 runs behind.

Wolves recently said a temporary farewell to one of their key players in recent years, with Adama Traore moving to his former club Barcelona on loan until the end of the season and the possibility of a permanent move in the summer.

Amid that departure, it seems as though the Midlands club may be in danger of losing one of their other key players once the summer transfer window opens.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook was discussing the possibility of transfer interest from other clubs in Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves during the summer transfer window.

He said: “The summer’s interesting because there’s a lot of big clubs in for Ruben Neves, not just Manchester United, but some big clubs on the continent as well.”

Wolves signed Neves in 2017 from FC Porto when the Old Gold were still in the Championship. Since then, the midfielder has gone on to make himself a crucial figure for the team by racking up 197 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with 22 goals and 11 assists along the way.

Fans will be sweating

Taking into account what Crook had to say on the matter and that the Portuguese international has been linked with a move away from Molineux in recent months, the summer transfer window could be a very tense period for Wolves fans who may be sweating over the 24-year-old’s future.

With fellow Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho seeing his current contract at the club expire at the end of the season, it would surely be a disaster for the Old Gold if both he and Neves ended up leaving in the same transfer window given how important they both are to Bruno Lage’s side, having played more minutes in the league than any other Wolves midfielders this season.

In terms of Neves, while his contract isn’t set to run out until 2024, it could be worth the Molineux hierarchy approaching him and his representatives to see if he would be willing to sign an extension to his current deal and pledge his future to the Midlands club, thus warding off any potential transfer interest from other prospective suitors.

In other news – Forget Dendoncker: Lage could save Wolves millions by unleashing “outstanding” 19 y/o

Anyone who witnessed that execrable contest at the SSC last week will agree that Test cricket is at its best when bowlers are backed by conditions that act as bait, and batsmen are forced to battle like salmon on the end of a hook

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston06-Aug-2010Anyone who witnessed that execrable contest at the SSC last week will agree that Test cricket is at its best when bowlers are backed by conditions that act as bait, and batsmen are forced to battle like salmon on the end of a hook. What took place on the first day at Edgbaston, however, was more akin to lobbing a stick of dynamite into a reservoir. It took a measure of skill for England’s bowlers to land their projectiles in the right area, but as soon as they’d done so, the struggle was as good as over.Twice in five days Pakistan have set new record lows for Test innings against England, having themselves triggered the current trend for double-figure dismissals by detonating Australia’s batting for 88 at Headingley. The thrill of that contest, however, came in the manner in which the Aussies battled back for the remainder of the match, clawing at every half-chance going to end up a tantalising three wickets adrift. Pakistan, however, have already squandered five chances of varying degrees of difficulty in 34.2 overs of England’s first innings. The prospect of a fightback is as insubstantial as Zulqarnain Haider’s current Test average.Five Tests have been completed in England this summer – and only one of them has so far been taken to five days. Incredibly, given that teams with the reputation of Australia and Pakistan have been in town, it is the ever-lampooned Bangladeshis who have put up the fiercest fight, with Tamim Iqbal’s outrageously gung-ho century at Lord’s provoking his team-mates into the sort of resistance that this series is now crying out for. Ironically, Pakistan set their stalls for survival in this contest with Azhar Ali and Imran Farhat recording two of the slowest ducks of all time, but the team simply lacked the class to translate their resistance into progress.Mohammad Yousuf may yet be the man to inject Pakistan with some much-needed knowhow – his career average against England is 70, just two runs shy of his team-mates’ grand total in this first innings. But as Tamim went on to demonstrate in a one-man show in Bangladesh’s second Test at Old Trafford, a personal tour de force is irrelevant if your colleagues don’t have the technique or temperament to survive.Pakistan have been here before of course. In Sharjah back in 2002-03, they played the first of their now-habitual neutral series against Australia, and crumbled to twin scores of 59 and 53 in an ignominious second Test at Sharjah. Then as now, the feebleness of their batting disguised the enduring excellence of their seemingly unending production-line of fast bowling, with the finest spell of Shoaib Akhtar’s career going unrewarded in the first Test in Colombo. Now as then, we must hope they will come again, just as they did to everyone’s astonishment at Headingley last month. But the facts of the present make hugely unpalatable reading all the same.”We’ve been doing this all our lives and we have to clean up our own mess,” said a crestfallen captain, Salman Butt, who fronted up with the same sense of duty that he has shown throughout his brief tenure as captain, but whose authority is being eroded by the day – with Yousuf’s formidable presence cramping him on the one hand, and his own series tally of 16 runs in three innings undermining him on the other. His decision to bat first in grim grey conditions was not his finest, either, even if, as an opening batsman, it did demonstrate an admirable willingness to lead his team from the front.”It’s been like this since we’ve come here, we haven’t had one day with sunshine,” he added. “This pitch will not change. Given these conditions the ball will keep on swinging, so the idea was to put some runs on the board and let the other side get them. It was a positive move, but it didn’t happen for us. But they still bowled brilliantly, back-to-back performances require great efforts and that’s what they did.”For England, it was simply business as usual, not least for Stuart Broad, who played here a fortnight ago for Nottinghamshire and picked up career-best figures of 8 for 52, before extending that recent ground record to a remarkable 12 for 90. “It was slow and hard to drive on, so if you created pressure it meant they had to play shots at balls that weren’t there,” he said. “They had a 24-ball nought and a 32-ball nought, so that tells you it was quite hard to score on, but also a testament to how we bowled and the disciplines we stuck to.”England, in fairness, were excellent insofar as they needed to be. Half-trackers were non-existent as the three seamers stuck to their Trent Bridge gameplan of containment for containment’s sake, and a sixth consecutive Test victory is surely now an inevitability. “We’re putting huge amounts of pressure on the Pakistan batting line-up,” said Broad. “We’re bowling fantastically well, and we’ve had slightly cloudy conditions which have suited us. We’ve not given them a sniff.”But for the good of Test cricket, and even for England’s own long-term benefit, a bit more resistance from Pakistan would not go amiss. While stalemates of the SSC variety are the greatest menace to the game, a fundamental lack of competitivity runs a close second. Bangladesh have been accused of cheapening Test cricket for years, but at least in the last few seasons they have learned the necessary application to take a game the full distance. Pakistan on the other hand, like West Indies, seem worryingly intent on unlearning those same disciplines, and given the mighty heritage of that pair in particular, it is a distinctly unnerving development.If Edgbaston’s half-built and half-full ground had similar foundations to the Pakistan team, then outright demolition would be the only viable option. Broad, however, scoffed at the notion that life was getting too cushy for him and his team. “As the opposition I don’t have any sympathy,” he said. “English fans are very supportive of their teams, so I hope people wouldn’t lose interest because we are dominating.”I’m sure an Australian public wouldn’t lose interest when their team was winning comprehensively in the 1990s,” he added. “But it’s important that we continue to play exciting cricket. The Trent Bridge Test was a great Test to watch. If you batted well there were runs to be scored, but if you bowled in the final third you were in with a chance. The feedback I’ve got from friends and family is that it’s been a good series to watch, and long may that continue.”It has certainly been compelling viewing so far, but the narrative could do with another twist sometime soon.

Leeds United are actively pursuing deals, according to LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross…

What’s the word?

“Leeds will certainly be pursuing targets. As you say, [Victor] Orta has his shortlists and he will ensure he is on top of each of their situations to swoop if or when an opportunity arises,” the reliable reporter responded to one supporter during a recent online Q&A.

“There may be little concrete out there right now because the targets they have identified are not available as yet. There is nothing to report if the moves are not in motion.

“Leeds are open for business in this window, but there is such a small pool of players who will be available at the right price, with the right quality and amount of 21/22 minutes to make it all worthwhile.”

Expect business?

It is no secret that the Whites need to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad this month as the Yorkshire giants have seriously struggled with injuries and inconsistencies throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

Over the festive period, the Argentine was missing as many as 11 players, including nine first-team stars, in key areas, too. Last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford has been missing for large parts without any true centre-forward backup, whilst many of Bielsa’s centre-backs have been injured too.

The squad is also in need of midfield reinforcements but traditionally, Leeds under Bielsa and Orta have never spent during the winter, so that trend must change if they are to resolve the aforementioned situation.

Leeds’ recent win over Burnley moved them eight points clear of the relegation zone – a sign of encouragement after such a poor start to the season, though things could quickly change with another downturn in form.

The fact that Cross has suggested that Orta and co are looking to complete deals is certainly exciting and would suggest that things will be very different this time around. Fans will no doubt be delighted as a result.

AND in other news, Bielsa must brutally axe £55k-p/w Leeds liability who’s “like a kid in the playground”…

A lot of the talk around north London this week has been surrounding Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur and just days away from the derby, there is all sorts coming out behind the scenes.

Indeed, the Frenchman has been subject to controversy once again, with reports suggesting that the club are trying to move him on before Deadline Day on January 31st.

He was booed off during their FA Cup third-round victory over Morecambe on Sunday afternoon. He went straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the second half and the more raucous the crowd’s reaction was, the slower he trudged off.

A shocking sign from your club-record signing when the team was 1-0 down at the time. It’s hard to imagine any way back for him now. But we’ve been here before under both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo.

In fact, some reports suggest that he isn’t even unhappy at the club and it will be hard enough to find an exit strategy for him when he’s rolling in £200k-per-week.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did stay as he’s certainly been better than his fellow club-record arrival, Giovani Lo Celso, who in his absence delivered another shocking display during their Carabao Cup semi-final exit earlier in the week.

The Argentine playmaker, who also cost Spurs around £55m from Real Betis in August 2019, has shown an inability to beat the first man with his set-pieces – leading to a parody account being made on social media about his mistakes – whilst he has very rarely contributed in front of goal.

As per Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old midfielder has provided only eight goals and six assists across 83 appearances, nearly lower than the total number of yellow cards he’s received (13). That is a direct goal contribution of once every six matches (or once every 327 minutes).

Ndombele by comparison is clear as an attacking option. He has managed a goal or assist once every 4.7 games (or once every 271 minutes), also via Transfermarkt.

As you can see by those figures alone, the disgraced Frenchman is way, way clear of his fellow expensive flop.

Lo Celso does earn less on around £70k-per-week but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he has been absolutely stealing a living from the club, more so than Ndombele.

Now valued at just €30m (£25m) by CIES Football Observatory, perhaps it is the Argentina international who needs to be axed this month. After two-and-a-half years at the club, he is yet to show much promise at all and his stats being worse than Ndombele’s is certainly alarming.

Once dubbed “phenomenal” by Mourinho, Lo Celso’s time at Spurs must be waring thin after another disappointing outing.

AND in other news, Forget Gollini: £74k-p/w Spurs calamity who had only 21 touches failed Conte yet again…

Manchester United are keen on signing Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in the summer.

That’s according to The Telegraph, with a number of Red Devils fans giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

United aren’t expected to be busy during the January transfer window, with the club turning their attentions towards a busy summer.

Midfield is thought to be an area where United want to strengthen, with McGinn featuring against Ralf Rangnick’s side in a 1-0 FA Cup defeat last week.

The Telegraph’s James Ducker revealed on Monday that the 27-year-old is admired by Old Trafford technical director Darren Fletcher and could be valued at around £40m. Should his contract situation remain the same in the Midlands, the Scot would have two years left on his deal in the summer, although he is expected to be offered new terms.

United fans react

@utdreport shared the links regarding McGinn on social media. Here is what these United fans had to say in reply, with a mixture of responses available to view below, where one supporter labelled it as ‘ridiculous’.

“Wow”

Credit: @3112Christian

“This is fantastic”

Credit: @Bosun_Betiku

“This is ridiculous when he costs as much. He does why not get someone more suited to the manager like Zakaria whilst saving a lot of your money for a better player and get them now, I don’t really just see the point, just trying to throw us off surely!”

Credit: @detectivechimpR

“These are the types of players we need ‘work horse’ ”

Credit: @Jornwathe4

“Shame on Man United.”

Credit: @manutdtimes

“If we’re even looking at this it’s absolutely ridiculous”

Credit: @henryja04492394

In other news: ‘Conte at it again’ – Lots of Man Utd fans react as Spurs now eye move for £120k-p/w ace

Despite managing to score more goals than both Burnley and Norwich City, Newcastle United have only managed to win one of their 18 Premier League games so far this season, drawing seven and losing ten along the way.

With new ambitious owners in place and a manager aiming to avoid getting Newcastle relegated from the Premier League, the January transfer window could see the Tyneside club splash the cash to strengthen their squad to make sure they don’t end up in the Championship next season.

One name that Newcastle apparently think they have a chance of signing in January is Chelsea attacker Timo Werner according to journalist Christian Falk.

Prior to joining Chelsea back in the 2020 summer transfer window, Werner racked up a total of 95 goals in 159 appearances for German club RB Leipzig.

Since joining the west London club, the 25-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £268k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has scored 17 goals and provided 17 assists in 66 appearances across all competitions, winning the Champions League in the process.

Labelled as an “unpredictable” player by fellow Chelsea and Germany teammate Kai Havertz, Werner has played in 14 games for Thomas Tuchel’s side across all competitions with five goals and two assists under his belt.

In terms of a potential move to Newcastle in January, with the German international having racked up an average of four shots at goal per game in the Premier League so far this season and two key passes per match, Werner could slot into Newcastle’s attacking line nicely alongside the likes of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin who have contributed to 50% of the Toon’s Premier League goals this season.

Even though Newcastle have conceded more times in the league than any other team in the division and the focus in January should mainly be on bringing in defensive players to fix their leaky defence. That said, given the player’s pedigree and knack for scoring, a move for Werner could stun plenty of Toon fans if the club were able to bring him to St. James’ Park.

However, with Chelsea pushing for the Premier League title and gunning to win the Champions League for a second year in a row, it would presumably take a lot from Newcastle to convince the German international to leave Stamford Bridge halfway through the season to help Howe’s side avoid relegation instead. That only adds to the stunning nature of this potential deal if it was concluded by PIF.

In other news: Hammond could save NUFC’s season with “colossal” £24k-p/w beast, “nothing fazes him” – opinion

A number of West Ham supporters have hailed Declan Rice’s performance in the Irons’ Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.

The Hammers took on the Eagles at Selhurst Park this evening as they looked to get 2022 off to a flying start.

After their impressive 4-1 win away to Watford in midweek, David Moyes will have been aware that a second consecutive victory on their travels could be priceless in the top-four battle.

It was a day full of positives for West Ham, who raced into a 3-0 half-time lead in south London, effectively putting the game to bed before the second half had even started.

One player who was once again exceptional was Rice, who continues to show that he is one of the Premier League’s outstanding midfielders.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old won three tackles and four duels at Selhurst Park, along with making three interceptions and completing the vast majority of his passes, with Sky Sports’ live commentary stating that he has ‘run this game in midfield’. He also claimed an assist with a sumptuous pass to Manuel Lanzini for West Ham’s second goal.

West Ham fans hail Rice’s performance

These Hammers fans took to Twitter to laud Rice’s display this evening, with one supporter dubbing him a “puppet master” giving how he pulled the strings in midfield.

“Declan Rice such a puppet master these days; nobody on that pitch anywhere near his level imo”

Credit: @fplchancer

“Lanzini. Rice, Benny, Fabi, give them lifetime contracts stat!”

Credit: @whueamon

“Declan Rice makes such a big difference it’s amazing”

Credit: @meko_hasani2002

“Rice to Lanzini, unreal”

Credit: @MadisonManningx

“@_DeclanRice is actually clear of anyone in that midfield role”

Credit: @connortomkins24

“Declan Rice would be world-class if he got better at lifting trophies with West Ham Utd. I was gonna say one trophy but we want them all. Prem, FA Cup, Europa League, we can only dream”

Credit: @brokubeats

In other news, a journalist has cast doubt over West Ham signing one Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

Western Australia have got their wish for a disciplinarian as coach

Peter English01-Apr-2010Western Australia have got their wish for a disciplinarian and the new coach Mickey Arthur has already told the under-achieving squad there will be no room for comfort zones. Arthur, who resigned as South Africa’s mentor in January, has been given a three-year contract at the WACA, where he replaces Tom Moody.Arthur will apply similar structures to the ones that lifted the Proteas to the top of the world as he attempts to take the Warriors to their first Sheffield Shield since 1998-99. “We need guys getting stuck in and taking responsibility,” Arthur told Cricinfo from South Africa. “There is going to be no room in the squad for comfort zones. I’ll be pushing them as hard as I can to get the best results I can.”It is a big change in career path for one of the game’s most successful modern coaches, but he is prepared for the less glamorous life in Perth. “Cricket is my passion, my life, my degree is cricket,” he said before admitting he has checked domestic scores in Australia for years.”When I announced my resignation from the South African post I said I would only return to coaching if the ideal challenge presented itself. The right challenge for me is the first one. I’ve always had a major interest in coaching in Australia, I wanted to go to a place that I thought was ambitious and professional, and in all my dealings with WA they have fitted the bill.”Graeme Wood, Western Australia’s chief executive, was impressed with Arthur’s track record and his attitude. “He’s at the cutting edge of cricket technology,” Wood said at the announcement. “He comes over very personable and he’s a disciplinarian, and that’s very important for our current squad. There’s no secret we are probably deficient in the leadership area with our squad at the moment, so the need to have an experienced coach was a high priority.”Arthur’s new office will be the scene of one of his greatest triumphs with South Africa. His Test side chased 414 to beat Australia in Perth on the way to a drought-breaking series win in 2008-09 and the result continued an impressive record for him at the ground.”The two wins in Perth and Melbourne, and the win at Edgbaston, are probably my best moments coaching South Africa,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to tour Australia three times, once with South Africa’s ‘A’ side, and I’ve never lost a game at the WACA, so let’s the hope the trend continues.”Arthur, who was the favourite for the role as soon as he applied, will criss-cross the Indian Ocean on the nine-hour flight from Johannesburg to Perth during the winter and his family will join him full-time towards the end of the year. He has no official start date yet but wants “to get cracking as soon as possible” to organise the squad contracts and appoint an assistant.Now 41, Arthur played 110 first-class games as a batsman in South Africa before moving into domestic coaching with Griqualand West and Eastern Cape Warriors. He spent five years in charge of South Africa and in 2008 guided them to series victories over India, England and Australia.Moody stepped down after three seasons following stints with Sri Lanka and the English county Worcestershire. Western Australia made the Twenty20 final in Moody’s opening season but that was his best result as the side’s batsmen struggled for consistency.