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Sanath Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga have been dropped from Sri Lanka’s squad for the ODI tri-series in Bangladesh next month, also featuring India

Sa'adi Thawfeeq29-Dec-2009Poor form and player injuries have prompted Sri Lanka’s selectors to make sweeping changes to the squad for the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh next month, also featuring India. Those dropped include batsmen Sanath Jayasuriya and Chamara Kapugedera, fast bowler Lasith Malinga and spinner Ajantha Mendis, all of whom had disappointing performances on the recent tour of India.Sri Lanka lost the three-Test series 0-2, split the two Twenty20s and lost the five-match ODI series 1-3. Injuries to key players through the tour made the assignment in India all the more tough.In fact, batsman Mahela Jayawardene, allrounder Angelo Mathews and bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando were not considered for the 15-man squad to Bangladesh, having picked up injuries in India.Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera was spared the axe, due more to Jayawardene’s injury, and selection committee sources said the 33-year-old right-hander would add experience to the batting line-up and help ease the pressure on captain Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga.Among the new inclusions are Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, legspinner Malinga Bandara and fast bowler Thilan Thushara.Silva, 30, finished as the top run-scorer in the domestic Premier League Tier A tournament, with 900 runs from 11 matches at 56.25 for Bloomfield, scoring three hundreds and four fifties during the campaign. Most impressive was his strike rate of 99.77. Having last played an ODI in August last year, and his last appearance for Sri Lanka being in the 2009 World Twenty20 final against Pakistan, he will keen to make the most of the opportunity.”We think that Silva has a role to play in the World Cup. He is a fast accumulator of runs and he is a brilliant fielder,” selection sources told Cricinfo.Thirimanne, 20, finished as Ragama Cricket Club’s leading run-getter this season, with 709 runs in eight matches at 59.08, including two centuries and five fifties. Selection panel sources said Thirimanne was an exciting prospect and his ability to finsh a game would be extremely handy.His Ragama team-mate Bandara was also rewarded for his perseverence and was handed another opportunity to seal his place in the national side as a spinner. In fact, the uncertainty surrounding Muralitharan’s availability for the 2011 World Cup has prompted the selectors to look elsewhere for spinning options.Left-arm fast bowler Thushara also made a return to the side after a freak shoulder injury which forced him to return from India. Allrounder Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Suranga Lakmal and Suraj Randiv, who were replacements to India, have been retained.The tournament will be played from January 4-13 with Sri Lanka taking on the hosts in the first match in Mirpur.Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan (vice-captain), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thissara Perera, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Malinga Bandara, Suraj Randiv, Thilan Thushara, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welagedera

Lautaro Martinez would be ‘really interested’ in a move to Tottenham Hotspur, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT. 

The lowdown

The 24-year-old Inter marksman has scored six goals in 10 Serie A starts this season. Overall, he has bagged 55 goals and provided 21 assists in 148 appearances for the Nerazzurri (via Transfermarkt).

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Sky Sports reported during the summer that Spurs were willing to shell out £60m to secure Martinez’s signature, but his value may now have risen further after he penned a new £5m-per-year contract last month. Nevertheless, Jones has said that the Argentine is ‘someone they’re going to look back towards in January’.

According to FBRef, Martinez’s profile is similar to that of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, Chelsea’s Timo Werner and Juventus’ Alvaro Morata.

The latest

Jones told GIVEMESPORT that Martinez intends to test himself in England and reckons that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be an appealing destination.

The journalist said: “He’s got eyes on getting to the Premier League and I think that he would be really interested to join Spurs.”

The verdict

It looks as if Spurs may still be drawing up a succession plan for Harry Kane, who was of course the subject of serious interest from Manchester City in the summer.

Martinez isn’t the only Serie A striker with whom Spurs have been closely linked in recent days, as Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic has also been named as a target.

At 24 and 21 respectively, and with both boasting rich scoring records in the Italian top flight, they both seen to have the credentials to lead the line for Spurs in the long-term.

Indeed, Martinez features on the list of nominees for this year’s Ballon D’Or after helping Inter to the Serie A title, so imagine what a coup it would be for Conte to bring him to north London.

In other news, Fabio Paratici has made this exciting plea.

Afghanistan pulled off their second win in the Intercontinental Cup, defeating defending champions Ireland by seven wickets to propel the tournament newcomers to the top of the table

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2010.
Scorecard
Afghanistan pulled off their second win in the Intercontinental Cup, defeating defending champions Ireland by seven wickets to propel themselves to the top of the table.Both teams had talked before the game about the respect they had for each other and in a fluctuating contest, Afghanistan grabbed the initiative to drive home a victory that would have seemed unlikely when Ireland began the final day 39 runs behind with all their second-innings wickets intact.Paceman Dawlat Ahmadzai proved the difference as he burst through the top order on his way to his maiden five-wicket haul. He struck in the third over of the day to remove a becalmed William Porterfield caught behind for 14 before castling Andrew Cusack in his next over for 4. By the time he bowled Gary Wilson for 27, Ireland were tottering on 57 for three.Offspinner Mohammad Nabi (4 for 33) then stepped into the action, taking three quick wickets with probing, accurate bowling to reduce Ireland to 101 for seven. Some lust hitting from Trent Johnson and diligent blocking John Mooney, who made 18 from 76 balls, carried the score up to 141 before a final wicket stand of 59 between Johnson and Peter Connell took the score to 202. Johnson ended up unbeaten on 63 to leave Afghanistan with 137 to get.An early wicket for Johnson gave Ireland a sliver but a half century from Noor Ali and a 36-run partnership from wickkeeper Mohammad Shahzad and captain Nowroz Mengal guided Afghanistan home. It’s a remarkable result for Afghanistan who’s continued progress in international cricket has been one of the most cheering aspects of the game in recent months.

Plenty of Everton fans have been left raging over a fresh claim which has emerged from Rafael Benitez.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Monday night, the Spaniard has claimed (via Patrick Boyland): “We are really disappointed with things. We ran more than Liverpool in every single department but conceded four goals. They punished our mistakes and it is something that we are already analysing.”

It seems as if Benitez is trying to make excuses for why his team lost 4-1 at home to their bitter rivals, but the fact of the matter was that they were embarrassed on their own patch, and it now means they have gone eight matches in the top flight without a victory.

Some Everton fans also pointed out that they probably ran more because they were chasing shadows all game, as they recorded a mere 31% possession against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Everton fans on Benitez claim

These Toffees supporters raged as the claim was shared on Twitter, with one going as far as to claim that it was ‘unbelievable’ from Benitez:

“Absolute weapon, we were chasing shadows all game”

Credit: @EFCMichael7

“This guy is a parody, unbelievable”

Credit: @toddlonsdale

“He’s deluded”

Credit: @efc5661

“Jeez…he’s delusional.”

Credit: @WelsbyElton

“Ran more because we had 31% possession, couldn’t keep the ball with any composure and were chasing them round like headless chickens. Some of his comments are seriously unnerving to read.”

Credit: @AdamRoper14

“Who is he trying to kid #rafaout”

Credit: @Johnkerrigan187

In other news, find out what Farhad Moshiri revelation has left these Evertonians fuming

England lost their last six wickets for 19 runs and Charlotte Edwards said she was bitterly disappointed with the batting display and hoped the side would bounce for the second game

Nishi Narayanan 19-Feb-2010A day before the first match, England captain Charlotte Edwards had said her players were desperate to get their first series win in India but that aim just got a little harder after a 35-run loss in Bangalore. England had kept India to 199, a total that captain Jhulan Goswami agreed was below-par for the slow pitch, but gave away the advantage with some poor batting.England needed 100 runs in 27 overs with six wickets in hand, which they contrived to lose for 19 runs. Edwards said she was bitterly disappointed with the batting display and hoped the side would bounce back for the second game on Sunday. “We were in a very good position and we let that slip so it was a very disappointing day for us,” Edwards said. “We’ve got four more games so hopefully we’ll come back stronger.” Ebony Rainford-Brent top scored for them with 64 and, though England stumbled after she fell in the 26th over, it was Lydia Greenway’s run-out in the 43rd that ended their hopes of taking a series lead.”We lost Ebony on 60-odd and then kept losing wickets constantly,” Edwards said. “We didn’t get any partnerships going. The bottom order didn’t provide us with any runs and there was the crucial run-out of Lydia Greenway which was a bit of a disaster.”Rainford-Brent said the team had discussed the loss immediately after the match and felt all the batsmen had to take responsibility. “The pitch was quite interesting. It took a while for us to settle in and there were great bowlers like Goswami. But once you got in, it became easy and there were few overs where I managed to pick up some boundaries. I should have really gone on. We lost six wickets for not much and that’s not something we expect from a good team like ours. There was some good bowling but we should have been able to stand up to it.”Both Edwards and Rainford-Brent, as well as Goswami, praised the bowling of left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana who took 3 for 26 in her 10 overs. “Gouher bowled really well, after a long time I saw someone turning the ball,” Goswami said. “She managed to tie down one end when England were scoring at four, four and a half.”However it was Goswami who turned the game India’s way by picking up two wickets in the first over of her second spell. She trapped Caroline Atkins leg before off the first ball and had Jenny Gunn caught off the third. “Greenway and Atkins’ partnership worried me and I felt there was no point trying to bowl defensively and save boundaries. So I changed ends to look for wickets.”India, who were disappointing in the two World Cups last year, will hope to take this winning momentum into the rest of the ODI series and the three Twenty20s, ahead of the World Twenty20 in West Indies in May.

Celtic winger Jota is set to be missing for ‘a few weeks’ with a hamstring issue, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Jota’s form

Jota has been in brilliant form in recent months after settling into Parkhead life following a summer switch from Benfica.

The 22-year-old, who the Hoops have the option to sign permanently, has been involved in 14 goals in 18 appearances in green and white.

However, he went off injured against Hearts at the beginning of the month and missed the 3-0 win over Dundee United on Sunday.

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The Latest: Four-game absence?

As reported by John McGinley, Postecoglou – who has called Jota ‘outstanding’ – revealed prior to the win at Tannadice that the Portuguese winger will ‘miss a few weeks’ with his hamstring problem.

Should that prove to be two weeks, the 22-year-old could miss up to four games for the Hoops, including the League Cup final against Hibernian on December 19.

The Verdict: Injury issues continue…

Jota wasn’t the only absentee against Dundee United on Sunday. Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh also picked up injuries against Hearts and missed the game, while Christopher Jullien is still yet to feature under Postecoglou.

Giorgos Giakoumakis is out with a knee issue and youngster Karamoko Dembele has also been missing since pre-season, and even though Greg Taylor made a return on the weekend, Postecoglou can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries.

Hopefully the New Year will bring better luck on the injury front, but Postecoglou will be without Jota for a while and may have to rely on Mikey Johnston against Real Betis on Thursday.

In other news: Devlin claims Celtic may now seal move for 12-goal beast before 2022 training camp

Victoria’s lower order staged a powerful recovery to give them a strong chance of an outright victory over Western Australia

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010Western Australia 274 and 2 for 57 need 247 runs to beat Victoria 199 and 378 (Wade 91, Wright 80)
ScorecardMatthew Wade guided Victoria’s lower-order charge with 91•Getty ImagesVictoria’s lower order staged a powerful recovery to give them a strong chance of an outright victory over Western Australia that would earn a home final. After giving up a 75-run advantage on first innings, the Bushrangers fought through Matthew Wade and Damien Wright to finish with 378 and set the hosts 304.At stumps Western Australia were 2 for 57 after the captain Marcus North failed in his final chance before the Test squad for New Zealand is named next week. North departed on 3 when he hit John Hastings to point, a dismissal which came an over after Wes Robinson (11) clipped Andrew McDonald to square leg.Wade’s 91 lifted Victoria after they lost four wickets, including David Hussey and Nick Jewell, in the first session to be 6 for 181. However, the lower order kicked in, with Wade and John Hastings (29) putting on 52 before Wade and Wright combined for 91.Wade struck 11 fours and two sixes during his 130-ball stay and Wright took over the aggressive role when the wicketkeeper exited. Wright blasted 80 from 76 deliveries and gained support from Darren Pattinson, who went on to be unbeaten on 25. If the bowlers operate as well with the ball on the final day as they did with the bat, they will ensure their side stays ahead of Queensland and hosts the final from March 17.

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has some tough decisions to make heading into the January transfer window.

The ex-Bournemouth manager is reportedly looking to strengthen his squad and has been linked with a swoop for Lille centre-back Sven Botman.

This suggests that he wants to bolster his defence and the arrival of Botman may result in him needing to axe a current first-team central defender.

Axe him

One player he must brutally axe from the starting XI by signing a replacement in January is Jamaal Lascelles. The £55k-per-week dud is a liability at Premier League level, making too many errors at the back.

This was summed up perfectly in the 4-0 defeat to Leicester last weekend. He conceded a penalty in the first half as his outstretched leg allowed James Maddison to fly into him and win a spot-kick.

Irrespective of the English midfielder’s overexaggerated fall to the ground, the Magpies skipper was rash in his movement and got nowhere near the ball when he stuck a boot out – leaving himself open to giving away a foul.

Lascelles ended the game with a SofaScore rating of 5.6 as he lost three of his five duels and failed to make a single tackle or interception, whilst making just one clearance and one block.

This was not a one-off performance for the skipper, with Toon legend Alan Shearer recently blasting him for his performance against Arsenal, in particular for Bukayo Saka’s opening goal, saying:

“He has got to realise that Saka is the problem, he has got to engage, he has got to come over a second earlier and do that rather than stand there and do nothing with his hands in the air. It’s terrible defending.”

Howe has confirmed that two of the club’s centre-backs will be out throughout the Christmas schedule, revealing:

“Paul Dummett is still out long term, although he’s making good progress. We’ve lost Federico Fernández through injury. We’re not sure of the extent, but he’ll miss this game and the majority over the festive period.”

This limits his options in the short term and he may have to persist with the pairing of Fabian Schar and Lascelles for now, but that could change when the January transfer window opens. If they are able to bring Botman in from Lille then it could allow Howe to tinker with his team and stop playing the ex-Nottingham Forest man at the back.

Therefore, next month could be crucial for the Magpies in their hopes of improving their defensive record as injuries dictate that bringing in new signings may be the only way for things to improve.

If Newcastle want to remain in the top-flight they cannot afford to have their defenders making regular errors and that is why the 43-year-old coach must brutally axe Lascelles by adding to his squad in the market.

AND in other news, “Newcastle are…”: Ornstein drops exciting transfer update that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Wayne Parnell, the Delhi Daredevils fast bowler, has been ruled out of the IPL because of a groin injury and will fly to South Africa this week

Cricinfo staff22-Mar-2010Wayne Parnell, the Delhi Daredevils fast bowler, has been ruled out of the IPL because of a groin injury and will fly to South Africa this week. He sustained the injury during a warm-up and will be assessed by Cricket South Africa’s medical staff on his return.The blow is another setback to Delhi’s campaign with Parnell, who was bought for $610,000 at the 2010 auction, joining his captain Gautam Gambhir on the injured list. Gambhir suffered a hamstring injury while fielding in the game against Mumbai Indians and did not bat, as Delhi slid to defeat. He missed the next two matches as well, both of which Delhi lost, derailing a campaign that had started with two victories.There was another injury worry for South Africa with Chennai Super Kings’ Justin Kemp hurting his back during the game against Kings XI Punjab. He left the field after bowling one ball and could not bat at his normal position.

Many Everton fans have been left fuming over some news involving one of their upcoming fixtures in the Premier League.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, their trip to Newcastle United in February has now been rescheduled, after being selected for live TV.

It will now be played on Tuesday 8th February at 7:45pm, in what is an ridiculously inconvenient time for supporters hoping to go to the game on Tyneside.

The late kick-off makes it difficult for Toffees to travel back, especially in a midweek when they are likely to have work the next day, and there will be fewer public transport options at that time of night.

Nonetheless, the anger also comes after a poor run of form on the pitch, which has seen the Merseyside club win just one of their last 10 matches in the Premier League.

Everton fans on fixture change

These Blues fumed as the news of the fixture change was shared on Twitter, with one EFC fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘awful’:

“Why?”

Credit: @efc_1878___

“Keep going @premierleague – kick us when we’re already down”

Credit: @SpecterAndGold

“We’re actually never playing a game on a Saturday again”

Credit: @joejohnson1202

“Everton are not allowed to play Newcastle in broad daylight”

Credit: @jamesc_422

“Absolutely awful date change for Newcastle away that”

Credit: @Lammylad88

“Half the fan base just suffered an injury reading this tweet”

Credit: @SchneiderErnie

In other news, find out what injury news has Evertonians fuming here!