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England to play Wales at Cardiff in 2002

Andrew Hignell07-May-2001Glamorgan are hoping to stage a Wales-England one-day international at Sophia Gardens, next year. Nothing has been completely finalised as yet, but the Welsh county have been given the go-ahead to start marketing the game whichwill be part of England`s warm-up for their triangular series in 2002 against Sri Lanka and India.

Glamorgan chief executive, Mike Fatkin said “We are delighted that the E.C.B. has given it’s consent to the match between Wales and England being staged here at Cardiff. It is a marketing dream and with our former coach Duncan Fletcher in charge of the England team and Dean Conway, our former physiotherapist, also involved , it would be strange to see them on the visitor’s balcony!

“Wales against England in any sport has a wide appeal to the Welsh public, and although all of Glamorgan’s games are against English opposition, this will be very different because it will be an international match. Wales has never before had this opportunity to take on England in a formal match like this and I am sure it is something to which the Welsh public will give their full support.”

The game could also see Tony Cottey and David Hemp playing for Wales alongside their former Glamorgan team-mates. “Aspects like eligibility still have to be worked out,” continued Fatkin. “It could be that Robert Croft will play for England, and whether other counties would release players would depend very much on whether they had fixtures that day.”

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that any form of European football would mark a successful season for West Ham.

The Hammers only avoided relegation post-lockdown last season, finishing just four points above Bournemouth following a four-match unbeaten run.

But David Moyes’ side have emerged as surprise Champions League contenders this term, and prior to recent defeats to Newcastle and Chelsea, occupied fourth place.

Despite those setbacks, West Ham are just three points behind London rivals Chelsea with four matches remaining, and have a favoured run of fixtures compared to Thomas Tuchel’s men, who still have distractions in both the FA Cup and Champions League.

Finishing in fifth or sixth would guarantee a place in the group stages of the Europa League, whilst seventh is currently good enough for UEFA’s new Europa Conference League.

“At the start of the season, if someone told me they’d be fighting for Europe, I’d have taken it – you’d probably have got locked up if you said West Ham would be fighting for Europe,” McAvennie told Football FanCast.

He added: “But unfortunately, they’ve missed Declan Rice and missed Antonio. I would love West Ham to have another striker – Antonio is going to be stop-start next season. They’ve got to get a striker in.

“But I think for this year, even if they don’t get Champions League, what a great season it’s been. Get top-six and get into Europe, but I really hope they crown it off and get into that European spot.”

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge this summer look to have been handed a boost after reports suggested that he sees his future away from Bramall Lane and that his release clause has also dropped to £35m, which should surely put Pep Guardiola and his staff on high alert as they consider transfer options ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Norway international was linked with a move to City recently, with Voetbal24 claiming that the 23-year-old is top of Guardiola’s list to replace Fernandinho at the Etihad this summer, with the Brazilian’s future in doubt as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Berge was only signed by the Blades in January 2020 and established himself as a key fixture at Bramall Lane as the South Yorkshire side enjoyed a superb campaign back in the top-flight following their promotion.

However, things have not gone to plan for United or Berge this season, as long-standing manager Chris Wilder was sacked earlier this year with the Blades bottom of the league, and they have since been relegated back to the Championship.

Injuries have certainly played their part in Sheffield United’s demise, with Berge missing a significant portion of the season after requiring surgery, which saw him sidelined between December and March.

As a result, he has managed just 15 appearances in the Premier League, averaging a less than impressive 6.43 rating, which is a stark contrast to the solid 6.81 rating he managed in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign.

This suggests that when he’s fully fit, and perhaps playing in a better team, Berge can still be an excellent player in the Premier League, and given that he is only 23, he still has plenty of time to develop.

Former manager Wilder has previously tipped the youngster for a move to a Champions League club, and was full of praise for him earlier in the season, saying:

“He’s a positive boy with a brilliant attitude, I love him to bits and would love him to stay regardless of what happens.”

Therefore, following the news about Berge’s release clause and the reports suggesting that he wants to leave Sheffield United, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely work hard on bringing him to the Etihad this summer, as he could prove to be an excellent addition to Guardiola’s squad.

And, in other news… Guardiola could be set for huge boost over “very special” Man City star after major development

Chad Keegan, a 21-year-old South African paceman with dual nationality, was robbed of the chance of glory on his Norwich Union League debut for Middlesex at Chester-le-Street

Tim Wellock20-May-2001Chad Keegan, a 21-year-old South African paceman with dual nationality, was robbed of the chance of glory on his Norwich Union League debut for Middlesex at Chester-le-Street.Durham needed 19 to win off 16 balls when Keegan bowled Danny Law on 20, but Middlesex did not have enough men within the fielding circle and as the ball flew to the boundary it counted as six no-balls.Keegan then bowled James Brinkley to claim his fourth wicket, but Law went on to finish on 31 not out as Durham won by two wickets with one ball to spare.After racing to 76 in the 14th over before they lost their first wicket, Middlesex lost their way and struggled to 182 for eight.After they chose to bat, left-handers Andrew Strauss and Ben Hutton launched the innings with a blaze of mainly leg-side strokes.But everything changed with the introduction of off spinner Nicky Phillips, who found a surprising amount of turn.He had Strauss lbw for 39 and acting captain Stephen Fleming caught at the wicket for nought as he throttled the innings with the help of a very tight nine-over spell from seamer Brinkley.Hutton was involved in two run-outs as Middlesex slumped to 99 for five and only 19 runs came between the 20th and 30th overs.But Hutton shared a stand of 63 with Paul Weekes and went on to make his top one-day score of 77, scored off 128 balls with eight fours.Paul Collingwood made 47 for Durham before he was run out with 53 needed. But Ian Hunter hit 20 off 21 balls before he was also run out, leaving Law to complete the task with the help of a huge slice of good fortune.

Sheffield United travel to Goodison Park on Sunday evening to take on Everton, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side only having pride to play for, whilst the hosts are still within a shout of European football for next season.

The Blades fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in their last game, whilst Carlo Ancelotti’s side played out a stalemate with Aston Villa.

Heckingbottom’s side will have to put in a seriously improved display if they are to avoid leaving Goodison Park with nothing, although the hosts have struggled against bottom-half teams at home this season, so could be vulnerable if the Blades are at their best.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the 43-year-old to line his side up on Sunday evening, with three changes from the side that started against Crystal Palace last time out…

Aaron Ramsdale keeps his place in goal, as there was very little he could do about either Crystal Palace goal last time out.

There are two changes in defence, as Jayden Bogle comes in at right wing-back, with George Baldock moving into a more central role, whilst Max Lowe comes in at left wing-back, with Enda Stevens replacing the £1.8m-rated Kean Bryan at centre-back.

The midfield stays the same, with Sander Berge still regaining match fitness ahead of a likely summer departure and he is supported by John Fleck and Oliver Norwood.

There is one change in attack as, after a less than impressive display against Crystal Palace, Oliver Burke drops to the bench and is replaced by 17-year-old wonderkid Daniel Jebbison. He made his debut against the Eagles as a substitute, and he supports David McGoldrick in attack.

And, in other news… Sheffield United could be set for significant boost after huge update on “remarkable” gem

Not content with being his team’s best bowling bet, off-spinnerHarbhajan Singh is silently preparing for a personal battle as well,as India take on Zimbabwe in the first Test starting here tomorrowseeking their first series win outside the

06-Jun-2001Not content with being his team’s best bowling bet, off-spinnerHarbhajan Singh is silently preparing for a personal battle as well,as India take on Zimbabwe in the first Test starting here tomorrowseeking their first series win outside the sub-continent in 15 years.Harbhajan will be up against Andy Flower, arguably one of the bestplayers of spin in contemporary cricket and one who has troubled theIndians the most in recent times.Flower is in tremendous touch having just equalled a world record ofseven successive half-centuries, the streak getting broken when he wasrun out for 23 against Bangladesh in the Harare Test in April.He has perfected the reverse sweep to deadly effect and has an awesomerecord against India, aggregating 848 runs from five Tests at aremarkable average of 169.60. He remained unconquered in half of these10 innings and three hundreds and four fifties speak volumes about theability of this left-hander.Incidentally, the only Test against India where Flower could notmanage a half-century in either innings was the one in which Harbhajanfeatured – the one-off Test in Harare in 1998. Though the young offspinner did not get Flower out, he had a five wicket haul from his 35overs.Harbhajan, who earned the title of ‘turbonator’ after destroying theAustralians by claiming 32 wickets in three Tests, has his strategyplanned out against Flower.”There is no point in bowling defensively to him – he usually cloutsthem to the deep field,” says Harbhajan. “He must be bowled up to andencouraged to drive all the time.”Flower is keeping his plans close to his chests but there is littledoubt he has noticed the big tweak Harbhajan imparts in his spin andthe kind of bounce he manages on the most dull tracks. Harbhajan hasalso developed a good drift and has hit the straps straightaway with aten wicket haul in the three-day match against CFX Academy.Coach John Wright and captain Saurav Ganguly too were anticipating afascinating contest between the two and hoping that Harbhajan becomesthe nemesis for Flower’s exploits.”It will be a good test for Harbhajan because Andy (Flower) is in aclass of his own against the spinners,” Wright said.Ganguly was very pleased with Harbhajan’s form. “He was simply superbagainst CFX the other day. He was getting the ball to bounce andgetting a keen bite on what was really a dull track,” he said.Wright felt it would have helped the spinner a great deal had he got asupporting slow bowler from the other end who could keep the scoringin check. Harbhajan himself is not complaining though. He has a bouncein his steps and is obviously aware that success in this battle willadd to the aura that has surrounded him since the Australian series.

Aston Villa made it a memorable final day of the Premier League season on Sunday, beating Chelsea 2-1 at Villa Park in their first game in front of the home fans.

Dean Smith’s side looked full of energy and dynamism in front of a vociferous home support, and they made the most of the 12th man advantage by going two goals up thanks to Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi either side of half-time.

But while the two goal-scorers will undoubtedly get their credit, Tyrone Mings delivered the kind of commanding display at the back that surely had England boss Gareth Southgate very impressed.

As per Sofascore, the £80k-a-week earning star was at his absolute best, pocketing Chelsea’s main man Timo Werner with relative ease, dominating him with some excellent front-foot defending.

He won all five of his duels on the day, while he also made two tackles, blocked one shot and made a whopping nine clearances too – only his centre-back partner Kortney Hause made more with 14.

Mings also showed off his range of passing by completing five of his 11 attempted long balls, which was the most of any outfield Villa player.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight and said: “Put in a real shift. Mings was all over Timo Werner like a rash and wouldn’t let him out of his sight. The centre-back put in a series of strong challenges which made those in blue shirts wilt. It was a real assured performance in front of England chief Southgate.”

As Preece says, Mings put in the kind of performance that surely gives Southgate no excuses in terms of picking him for the upcoming EUROs when he names his squad.

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And perhaps even more than that, given the fact he is left-footed, he would offer England that balance of playing a left and right-foot centre-back combination.

Whatever the case, Mings showed on Sunday he absolutely has to be in that 26-man squad.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this Scottish star…

Pakistan Customs stormed into the final round of the National One-day Cricket Championship with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Karachi Whites in the last Pool ‘A’ fixture at National Stadium here Wednesday

21-Mar-2002Pakistan Customs stormed into the final round of the National One-day Cricket Championship with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Karachi Whites in the last Pool ‘A’ fixture at National Stadium here Wednesday.Karachi Whites, who sent in, were bundled out for 163 in 48.4 overs despite skipper Arif Mahmood’s 50 off 81 deliveries. The burly all-rounder slammed six boundaries after coming to the crease with the Whites in tatters at 61 for five.Arif and Shahid Iqbal, who made 38 off 60 balls with four fours, were involved in a sixth-wicket partnership worth 74. Among top-order, only opener Maisam Hasnain managed to enter double-figures. He hit six fours in making 28 off 61 balls.Pacer Waqas Chughtai claimed three for 25 while spinners Salman Fazal and Tabish Nawab chipped in with two wickets each, giving away 31 and 33 runs respectively.Customs made a shaky start when they lost opener Shadab Kabir for a duck in the first over of the innings. Fellow left-handers Azhar Shafiq (25) and Kashif Siddique (17) had also perished with their side still 104 runs away from the target. But skipper Aamir Bashir and the bearded left-handed Asim Kamal guided Customs home with both scoring unbeaten half-centuries.Aamir Bashir struck exactly 50 off 107 balls with the aid of three fours while Asim stroked 57 off 99 deliveries. His knock was studded with four hits to the fence.

As announced by the Hammers on Tuesday, promising young forward Thierry Nevers will now join West Ham United when the transfer window opens on 9 June – prompting many Hammers fans to buzz over this news.

Nevers, who has bagged nine goals in 25 Premier League 2 appearances overall, will now leave Reading after spending nine years in their academy system.

The 19-year-old is seen as a talented prospect and certainly one for the future with West Ham now moving to complete his signing.

Nevers will join the Irons on a three-year contract with the option to extend for an additional year and is described by the official club website as ‘quick’ and skilful’ whilst possessing a ‘razor-sharp’ eye for goal.

The teenage attacker can play both on the wing and through the middle and takes inspiration from footballing superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-updates-copy/” title=”West Ham updates (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Flocking to the official announcement that he will join West Ham, Irons supporters appear over the moon as they flock to social media – find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans buzz over Nevers announcement

“Let’s gooo!”

Credit: @9thCodebreaker

“SHEEEEESH”

Credit: @whuabi

“Welcome to the mad house Thierry”

Credit: @whufc40

“baller tbf, v v happy with this”

Credit: @BennnWHU

“Excited to see you in the claret and blue!”

Credit: @Abs_Singh_1

“Great start”

Credit: @Tommb22

“Welcome Thierry Henry”

Credit: @TalkinWestHam

“Love to see it, welcome Nevers”

Credit: @EmersonWHUFC

In other news: West Ham leading race for this potentially ‘perfect signing’, find out more here.

New Zealand know they have to make all the running if they are to square the National Bank Series with England when the third Test starts tomorrow in Auckland

Lynn McConnell29-Mar-2002New Zealand know they have to make all the running if they are to square the National Bank Series with England when the third Test starts tomorrow in Auckland.That is weather providing.It has been a catchcry of New Zealand’s summer that the weather will have a say. It did in the first two Tests and the forecast is not good for Saturday and Sunday in Auckland. That increases the pressure on New Zealand to succeed in a Test match and Test series that it expected to be much better placed in coming into the final game.New Zealand has not shown its true colours in the series and it faces a big task to take a match-saving tie from this game.Captain Stephen Fleming said he had been presented with some aggressive options in the team selected for the game, especially in all-rounder Andre Adams, who should make his debut, and both he and Chris Harris who is to bat at No 4, had the ability, along with others in the side to turn a game quickly.Of Adams, Fleming said: “He’s dynamic, he’s aggressive and he’s in good form. He’s been bowling well for Auckland, he’s been in a few runs and that’s the type of player you want in a situation like this.”Adams had been playing a particular way for Auckland and it was only right that he should be expected to continue to do that. If some other form of play was wanted then a player to play that way should be selected.”How aggressive that is, is up to Andre on the day, and I trust his ability. If he makes a mistake being too aggressive then that’s his nature. There is a fine line between being reckless and aggressive and he’s got to work that out more than the team plan.”We’ll be talking to him, explaining his role in the side and then I just trust the player.”Harris on the other hand has been selected not as an all-rounder but as a batsman and that is the reason he has been placed at No 4.Fleming said Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan had been successful at Nos 5 and 6 and there was no point in changing that.”It’s an opportunity for me to slide up to No 3 and do the work with the new ball.”I like No 4 but I like the challenge of No 3 and to do the job, I’ve just got to do it,” he said.More pressure was going on the batsmen to get the runs required to place pressure on England.Fleming acknowledged that when he said: “I’ve probably been a little too critical of the bowling in the first two Tests but we had opportunities with the bat to create pressure too, but didn’t take them, so all aspects of the game need to be improved.”Whatever we do first, we’ve got to start off and do it well so we can get in a position later on in the Test to create some pressure and try to force a result.”The situation is probably pretty similar to the last one-dayer.”If we finish the season well, and win this Test, then we can look back on it and say there have been some good moves. If we lose it, I’d be extremely disappointed. This is one series that I really wanted to win. We haven’t played well enough to do that but now we’ve got to salvage the series and that is just as important to me.”Fleming did not like to think that the worth of the season should be measured on this game. That would be unfair, especially after the quality of some of the cricket played in Australia but it was very important to finish the season well.That is both collectively and individually with the carrot of opportunity in front of players with tours during the remainder of the year.The onus will be on the side’s bowlers to eliminate the no-balling problems that have surrounded their efforts in the first two Tests.New Zealand even went to the level of having Test umpire Brent Bowden attend practice to check the bowlers in the same way as he would during a match.In fact, New Zealand has made a policy of inviting all umpires to practices this season so they could work on their decision-making in a live practice situation.”England are playing very good cricket so we do have to lift out standards in all departments to create some pressure. We understand that and we have understood it all the way through, but we just haven’t delivered.”The pressure is on us, which is good as we often perform our best when we are up against the wall.”The beauty of it is that it is a one-off scenario. And it’s one last shot. That’s the way we’re looking at it.”I expect there to be a result which is good for us, we’ve got to be on the right side of it. In some ways knowing you have to be aggressive and positive can help you. On the flip side I’d much rather be 1-0 up which points to the fact we’ve got the work to do,” he said.