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West Brom had a pretty busy transfer window last summer in terms of bringing in new players in and moving some out of the club.

Looking ahead to this summer’s window, it seems as though a clue has already emerged over one potential deal which could take place at The Hawthorns before the start of next season.

What’s the news?

In a recent West Brom mailbag article from The Athletic, Baggies journalist Steve Madeley was asked whether or not there will be a big overhaul of players at the Midlands club during the upcoming summer transfer window.

In response, Madeley had this to say about the future of a couple of loan players currently at the club: “Matt Clarke’s loan from Brighton will expire, as will Jayson Molumby’s, but there’s a good chance West Brom will trigger a clause to make his move permanent.”

Since arriving at Albion last August on loan from Premier League club Brighton with an option to buy, the midfielder has made 24 appearances in the Championship for the Baggies, starting just 12 times.

In those matchees, the Irishman has only found the back of the net on one occasion and failed to provide any assists, also racking up more yellow cards (eight) than any other player in Steve Bruce’s squad and one red card as well.

With just 21 tackles won and 18 interceptions made, the Baggies have had to rely on a few other players to help the team stay as defensively strong as possible. Even from an attacking point of view, the 22-year-old hasn’t blown anyone away, as only three of his 14 shots at goal have been on target.

Fans will be seething

According to WhoScored, the midfielder has earned himself an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.54/10, making him one of the lowest-rated outfield players currently in the squad to have started more than one league game in this campaign.

Taking all this into account, it doesn’t seem like the Brighton loanee hasn’t done enough to convince us that the Baggies should use their option to sign him permanently, which could make a lot of West Brom fans unhappy if the club puts some of their transfer budget towards such a deal.

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However, if the 22-year-old can have a strong end to his season in terms of his performances, this could sway some of the fans into thinking that he might yet be an important figure for the team in the future, but only if he improves.

In other news – Cost £0, now worth £2.7m: West Brom struck gold on “unbelievable” gem who is “like a sponge”

New South Wales 394 and 4 for 122 drew with Victoria 394 and 240 (McDonald 64*, Casson 5-97, Cameron 4-86)
Scorecard

	Mark Cameron took ten wickets in his fifth first-class match and his second this season © Getty Images

Mark Cameron enjoyed his first ten-wicket match and Beau Casson regained some bowling form but the top-of-the-table clash between Victoria and New South Wales petered out to a draw at the SCG. The remarkable first-innings tie secured both teams a place in the Pura Cup final, however neither side could claim an advantage on the fourth day.New South Wales were set a chase of 241 from at least 44 overs but they were in no hurry to overhaul the target as Greg Mail took half an hour to get off the mark. Andrew McDonald and Bryce McGain picked up two wickets each but neither side looked like pulling off a win and the game was called off after 46 overs with the Blues at 4 for 122.Victoria had been dismissed for 240 halfway through the middle session as Casson grabbed 5 for 97, which were his best first-class figures since moving to New South Wales from Western Australia. Cameron collected 4 for 86 to finish with a match haul of 10 for 187 and the Blues could not call on Doug Bollinger and Moises Henriques, both of whom had injuries.David Hussey returned to the Victoria line-up following his fruitless call-up into Australia’s ODI squad, however he only managed 9 batting in the unfamiliar No. 7 position and left the Bushrangers at 6 for 143. McDonald top scored with 64 not out and put together a handy 60-run stand with Matthew Wade (36) when it seemed the Blues might run through the lower order.Both teams are on 33 points and hosting rights for the decider will now come down to the final two rounds of Pura Cup matches, to be played over the next three weeks. The Blues take on Tasmania in Hobart and finish with South Australia at the SCG, while the Bushrangers face a trip to Western Australia before ending their season at home against Queensland.

Ed Joyce’s poor World Cup means Andrew Strauss gets the chance to open again © Getty Images

On the face of it, Bangladesh’s shock victory over the World No. 1s, South Africa, in Guyana was the best possible result, both for the World Cup as a whole, and for England in particular. Suddenly, from a point of no return, England have been hauled back from the brink. Sunday’s game against Australia is no longer their make-or-break moment in a disappointing winter, but just another encounter – their 14th, in fact, since hostilities resumed at Jaipur in October.Maybe that’s not so ideal after all for England. After pumping themselves up for their trip to last-chance saloon – and following hard on the heels of their agonising two-run loss against Sri Lanka on Wednesday – to now have an inkling at the back of their minds that there could be another way out could be self-defeating. It was, after all, the knowledge that there was no other way to go that galvanised the side and set them up for their surprise CB Series win in Australia in February.Certainly, all the pre-match talk in the England camp was of Eve-of-St-Crispin’s-Day proportions. “This will be the ultimate buzz,” Paul Collingwood said. “To play them in the World Cup, in a must-win game, this is what cricket is all about.”We’ve got a lot of belief. We are excited to go out there and put the Aussies under pressure. Our performances now, we are not that far away. We are gradually getting closer to a perfect game. We just need to kick on as a batting unit and get those big scores like we did against Australia, get those hundreds. That’s what you need to do against these better sides.”That’s not something that England have made a habit of lately. Aside from Collingwood, only Ed Joyce has reached three figures in one-dayers this year. After a barren patch of form, Joyce looks set to miss out of this crunch tie in favour of Andrew Strauss.”Strauss has done fantastically well since he hasn’t been in the side,” Collingwood said. “He has managed to get a bit of a bigger bat so he says he is hitting the ball a little bit harder, and a little bit further.” The comment was made partially in jest, although it doesn’t disguise the fact that – no matter who is chosen to partner Michael Vaughan – England’s top three lacks the sort of oomph that sets the big teams apart in this tournament.”We feel if we concentrate on what we are doing, it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we will win the game,” said Glenn McGrath, who is determined to make the encounter the last against England of his illustrious career. “We probably had one eye on the World Cup at that stage,” McGrath said as he explained his team’s loss in the CB Series, “but now we are here, focused on this, we’ve played some decent cricket and no team has got close to us.”It’s true as well. Australia have played five matches at this tournament, and nobody has come closer than the South Africans in Basseterre, who started their run-chase brightly but were ultimately thumped by 83 runs. That in itself has created one or two slight problems.The middle order duo of Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds, not to mention the tail, have been desperately short of batting match practice, while a bowling attack that twice lost to New Zealand in February despite defending more than 330 runs has yet to be put under pressure. As South Africa proved against Bangladesh, no side is immune to a bad day at the office.

Australia’s middle order has been desperately short of match practice © Getty Images

If England are to win, however, then a big performance is needed from the two men in whom so much of their momentum is invested. Though Vaughan said after the Sri Lanka defeat that he would always buy a platform of 102 for 2 after 25 overs, unless Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are in a mood to cash in, it is a tactic that is fraught with pitfalls. Though Pietersen looked good for his 58 on Wednesday, the form of Flintoff is a cause for much concern.”I’ve always said I consider myself as a batsman who bowls, so I’d better start scoring some runs pretty damn quick,” said Flintoff, who has not made a one-day half-century for 11 innings. “I don’t know why I’m not scoring many runs, to be honest. Every time I try to hit the ball, it doesn’t go anywhere, but hopefully I’m just 20 or 30 minutes at the crease or a good net away from kick-starting my batting.”England are adamant that Flintoff will be given a free rein to keep playing in his own way. “The last thing I want Freddie to do is to suddenly go into his shell and start playing defensively,” Vaughan said. “I want him as an instinctive batter taking the opposition on because I think when he does that he’s playing his best cricket.”He’s the kind of guy that sometimes when he gets out, it looks ugly. But I’ve seen him clear the guy many times before and got a four and he’s away.” Circumstances have dictated that the end is not so nigh as it might have seemed before today, but England will need to match their intensity against Sri Lanka then raise it an extra notch if they are going to turn Easter Sunday into their own private resurrection party.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Brad Hodge, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Andrew Symonds, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 Shaun Tait, 11 Glenn McGrath.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Paul Nixon (wk), 9 Sajid Mahmood, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty Panesar.

Ehsan Mani: ‘The responsibility lies with the individual boards’ © Getty Images

Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, has expressed his concerns about player burn-out but says that it is down to the individual boards, not just the ICC, to address the issue.He said: “One of the reasons to change from the five-year to a six-year cycle in the Future Tours Programme was because of fears of player burn-outs. It’s a matter of concern.”But we have seen [instances] when respective cricket boards try to squeeze in more cricket to fill up the gap in their programme. It’s entirely up to the individual boards to address the issue.”India have recently organised two matches in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan, while they are also considering games in Europe. “In India’s case they will be playing 40 ODIs in 2007, much above the prescribed limit of 25-30 ODIs per year,” added Mani.”But the BCCI has said their players want this. The responsibility lies with the individual boards. Ideally the cricketers should be given a rest period of six weeks. For a series to be taken for rankings it must have at least two Tests and three ODIs.”Mani explained that it was the ICC’s concerns about too much cricket that led to a limitation being put onto Twenty20 matches. “There are concerns that the players workload would increase with the introduction of Twenty20 internationals. That’s the reason we have decided that not more than two such matches can be held in every series.As well as too much cricket generally, another concern for Mani is the amount of games being played between India and Pakistan. He believes this could take away the iconic status of their rivalry.”The two boards have agreed upon a four-year cycle for bilateral series, with one country hosting a series every four years. But the plan to hold more matches in off-shore venues could devalue the event in future. I do have reservations, but let’s see how it goes. Though it will be terrific for the subcontinent people in the venues where the off-shore matches are being planned.”

Pakistanis 190 for 2 (Shoaib Malik 81*, Salman Butt 70) beat India A 189 for 7 (Raina 55) by eight wickets
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Abdul Razzaq bowls as Pakistan build on their victory at Bangalore© Getty Images

Flushed with confidence after their series-equalling heroics at Bangalore this week, Pakistan launched the one-day leg of their tour of India with similar panache, as they swept to a facile eight-wicket victory over India A at Hyderabad. After winning the toss and bowling first, the Pakistanis were always in command, and eventually wrapped up victory with four overs to spare.Pakistan’s bowling performance was tight and disciplined, and exemplified by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who plucked out both openers in a strangulating first spell. Suresh Raina, the Indian Under-19 batsman, fought back with a brisk 55 from 65 balls, but none of his colleagues could convert their starts, as Pakistan chipped away all down the order.Needing a stately 190 from their 45 overs, the Pakistanis had no need for a helter-skelter opening to their innings, and had added 47 for the first wicket when Mohammad Hafeez was run out for 16. If India A thought that would be a turning point for their fortunes, however, they were sorely mistaken. Out to the wicket strode Shoaib Malik, with a point or two to prove after his omission from the Test series, and with Salman Butt dropping anchor, he proceeded to lay waste to the bowling.In all, Shoaib struck four fours and four sixes in an unbeaten 81 from 78 balls, and the pair had added 137 for the second wicket when Salman was bowled by Ranadeb Bose with just six runs needed for victory. A quick single from Abdul Razzaq and a lofted legside four from Shoaib levelled the scores, however, before Shoaib strolled the winning runs to ensure that Pakistan enter the first one-day international at Cochin on Saturday brimful of confidence.

I was captain when David Hookes made his debut in the Centenary Test in1977. He was a very talented cricketer, a positive and creative batsman. He always wanted to take the bowlers on and take the attack to the opposition. He made his mark in first-class cricket for South Australia by scoring five centuries in the 1976-77 season. That was capped off by his selection for the Centenary Test against England.Both teams were bowled out quite cheaply. We made 138 and then rolled England over for 95. In the second innings David hit Tony Greig for five fours in one over. With that flourish he announced himself on the international scene and turned that game on its head. Up to that point the ball had dominated the bat. It was the youthful exuberance of David that made us realise that the wicket had actually improved since the first two days when we struggled.He was quite a brash young man, full of confidence and bravado andbecame quite a mature cricketer later. Having said that, World SeriesCricket probably came a bit too soon for him. He was perhaps a bit ill at ease at that level. He coped quite well till he had his jaw broken by Andy Roberts. It was at the Sydney Showground – we weren’t allowed to play at the SCG in the first year of WSC. It was a pretty quick wicket and Hookes went to hook Roberts and was hit on the jaw. He was batting without a helmet and fractured his jaw and cheek, and his confidence left him.I’m not sure he ever fully recovered from that. It really pegged hisinternational career back a bit.When we went to England in 1977 he did well. He made a couple of good fifties in the Test series. As one of the tyros in the team he did well enough to come out of the tour with his reputation enhanced. Remember, as a team we struggled on that tour of England and lost 3-0. World Series Cricket was announced midway through and David was involved in that.It was tough cricket for a couple of years for David and it didn’t gowell that he was hit by Roberts. It took him a long time to get overthat, if indeed he ever did. He did come back few weeks later and wasimmediately bounced. He then hooked Roberts for a boundary, but wasbatting with a helmet from then on.David’s first-class career went well – he is the highest run-getter inthe Sheffield Shield for South Australia, and also led them to victoryone season. But more than that, it was his innovative ideas and captaincy that made a difference. I remember a game when South Australia were chasing a stiff target, one that looked out of reach. David was batting with the tail and devised a method where he would deliberately run a few runs short. The field was set back to give him a single. He told the other guy, I can’t quite remember who it was, “Every time I run a single, you run two”. That way he was getting one run but keeping the strike. That law was subsequently changed.He was always thinking outside the square. He was a creative thinker and it was no surprise that he made a good career in the media doing radio and television work after he was done with playing cricket. He was in the prime of his life, and it’s a tragedy that he had to lose his life over almost nothing. That’s one of the hardest things to understand.Greg Chappell was talking to Anand Vasu.

PERTH, Dec 18 AAP – The glitz and glamour of Australian cricket player Shane Warne has been replaced by a humble country boy made good.Spin wizard Warne’s busted shoulder today opened the door for the surprise selection of West Australian allrounder Brad Hogg for Sunday’s day-night match against Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground.His call-up completes a remarkable turnaround for the 31-year-old Hogg after six years out of international cricket following his single appearance in a Test loss to India by seven wickets in Delhi.He’s played seven international one-dayers.The Hogg family farm is located near the country town of Williams about one-and-a-half hours drive south-east of Perth.It is the same district where former Australian coach and vice-captain Geoff Marsh grew up and it was Marsh who identified Hogg’s talent and brought him to the city as a youngster.But despite years of city living Hogg has stated that his ideal job outside of cricket would be as a farmer.It marks a sharp contrast to city-slicker Warne who has achieved worldwide notoriety for his theatrical antics on and off the field to go with his extraordinary cricketing achievements.Injured Australian vice captain Adam Gilchrist said postal worker Hogg deserved the chance after falling out of the national selection picture almost as soon as he arrived.”That has just capped off a great reversal of fortunes for Hoggy,” he said.”He sort of flew into the Australian team some six years ago, but sort of left just as quickly, but he has reinvented himself again.”He is very versatile in one day cricket and I guess that is what the selectors are looking for and he really deserves the chance.”Left-arm legspinner Hogg’s ability as a dangerous batsman at the death and his standing as one of the best fieldsman in the country would have helped sway the selectors.But while Warne’s misfortune is Hogg’s gain, the major loser is young Queensland spinner Nathan Hauritz who failed to inspire selectors with his efforts for Australia A this summer.Hogg said today’s call-up had meant more to him than his initial Australian selection.He admitted he thought he might have been a chance to be picked following Warne’s shoulder injury and having performed well for Australia A this year.”I was sort of shocked, I was sitting there with my wife at the time on the couch watching it and it’s not something you want to see,” Hogg told reporters in Adelaide.”But obviously things do go through your mind and I was probably in with a show.”But you never think of it like that, I’d prefer to be playing a game with Warney rather than doing it this way, but you take opportunities with both hands.”Hogg must now be rated a chance to make Australia’s World Cup squad given the uncertainty over Warne’s future, and an outside chance at Test selection.Wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Campbell was predictably recalled for his second international one-day appearance in place of Gilchrist who is expected to be back for the Boxing Day Test after suffering niggling groin and knee problems.Campbell said fans could expect some more party tricks this weekend after some inventive shots in his 42 off 28 balls for Australia A against Sri Lanka at the Gabba on Saturday.”I don’t feel like I’m a massive hitter and sometimes I feel like I need to get a little bit funkier,” he said.He scored two unconventional boundaries by kneeling down and flicking the ball over the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper’s head in the match, but joked he might injure himself next time he tries it.”Next time I try it I’ll probably hit myself in the head,” he said.Campbell and Hogg learnt of their selection while in Adelaide with their WA teammates preparing for tomorrow’s Pura Cup match against South Australia, but had made plans to fly home tonight.But Gilchrist denied his unavailability at the top of the batting order would disrupt the Australian team’s batting order and that Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann or Campbell would all be suitable replacements.”There are a few options and I think that is a good sign for Australia and for the team that we are so versatile,” he said.”Damien Martyn opened here (at the WACA Ground) in a one-dayer (in 2000-01 against Zimbabwe) and got a hundred and batted through the innings.”Him or (Darren) Lehmann or Ryan (Campbell) might do it himself although he has been batting down the middle order a bit but there are plenty of options but I guess the one certainty is that Hayden will be there.”

Prashant Joshi and Sairaj Bahutule shared the honours on the secondday of the West Zone Ranji Trophy league match between Mumbai andSaurashtra at Gandhidham on Saturday. While the Saurashtra openerscored a patient 113, the Mumbai leg spinner finished with six wicketsfor 104 runs from 50 overs.Joshi, who had sustained the Saurashtra innings on the opening daywith an unbeaten 84 out of a total of 158 for three, was leg before toBahutule. He occupied the crease for 500 minutes, faced 391 balls andhit 15 fours. He was fourth out at 233 in the 122nd over.The other overnight batsman Birju Pathak scored 47 in a stay of fourhours. He faced 174 balls and hit four of them to the ropes. He wasalso leg before to Bahutule. Valuable knocks by late order batsmenRakesh Dhuru (30), Niraj Odedara (23) and Kamal Chavada (26) pushedthe score along, which was also inflated by 47 extras. Saurashtraultimately totalled 354 which was compiled off 162.3 overs and aftereleven hours occupation of the crease.Mumbai openers Vinayak Mane (14) and Wasim Jaffar (46) battedconfidently till stumps as the visitors were 63 for no loss off 16overs. Jaffar, much the dominant partner, has so far faced 41 ballsand hit seven of them to the fence.

Aston Villa’s season has been a tale of two halves so far with the side falling into 16th with Dean Smith before Steven Gerrard was appointed in November.

They are now battling for a comfortable spot in the top half of the table currently ninth in the Premier League table, thanks to a huge U-turn in performances with the help of their new manager.

The Villa boss added some key signings at the first opportunity in the January transfer window, securing the signatures of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, with the pair of them becoming consistent starters in the team since their arrival.

The Brazilian especially has made a notable impact since arriving less than eight weeks ago, scoring four goals and assisting three times in just nine appearances so far.

With that in mind, the addition of Coutinho has pushed the competition for a position in the forward line to new extremes, as the side’s attacking options were already highly competitive before the Barcelona loanee’s arrival.

Now with speculation mounting on Villa’s plans to permanently sign the forward, it could mean Gerrard needs to make a decision on the future of the other players struggling for a spot.

One player who has suffered the sting of limited game time this season is summer signing Leon Bailey, who has only made 13 appearances for his new club, scoring one goal and serving up two assists for his team so far.

The addition of Coutinho hasn’t helped his cause and if he signs permanently, match action for Bailey will be even trickier to find.

The £85k-per-week winger who was hailed “extraordinary” by Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler, joined Villa park after stealing the spotlight in the Bundesliga with a goal involvement every two games for Bayern Leverkusen and was also named Young Belgian Footballer of the Year in 2015/16, proving that he was a notable talent to acquire.

Bailey now finds himself struggling to gain consistent playing time at Villa following a succession of injuries, and transfer insider, Dean Jones, believes that Gerrard has a big decision to make on the player’s future at the club, telling GIVEMESPORT:

“It will be up to Steven Gerrard to contemplate whether to work hard enough on him to find a role within the setup he’s got or is it just worth selling him and finding somebody he’s going to get a quicker turnaround from.”

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Aston Villa are in a prime position to push on further next season to secure a spot to qualify for European football next season and he has important decisions to make in his squad to complete the goal he has set for reaching that landmark for the club.

With the talent that Bailey clearly has, he could be an asset for the team, but will surely be looking for more game time.

In other news: AVFC plot bid to sign £50m gem who’s “Champions League material”, imagine him & McGinn

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has defended his side from criticism from Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in relation to the Premier League club’s transfer indulgences.

The former West Germany international has been vocal in his disapproval of the Etihad Stadium outfit’s expenditure in the transfer market, and has asked Fifa to penalise the English club according to Financial Fair Play regulations.

In the build up to the two teams meeting in Manchester on Wednesday, Mancini has stuck up for the big-spending club.

“I don’t understand Rummenigge’s behaviour against Manchester City,” Mancini told The Guardian.

“This has been six months now that he talks against us because of financial fair play. He also says that he hopes Napoli get through to the second stage [instead of City]. I don’t know what his problem is with us.

“Manchester City are working for financial fair play for the next two years, so I don’t understand what has happened with Rummenigge.

“There are other teams in Europe that have problems with financial fair play, not just Manchester City. Rummenigge knows his football – he was an incredible player – but I don’t why.

“Every team is worried about Manchester City because now and in the future we could become one of the top clubs in the world,” he concluded.

Mancini also confirmed that Aleksandar Kolarov would miss the clash with the Bundesliga giants due to injury, whilst Micah Richards is due to undergo a late fitness test.

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City need to beat the Bavarians and hope Napoli do not overcome Villarreal at El Madrigal to progress to the knockout rounds.

By Gareth McKnight

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