Punjab Cricket Players’ Association secretary alleges relatives of former office-bearers handed out memberships to the PCA, to put matter to the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2017
A view of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium•Getty Images
Rajinder Gupta has been elected president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) at its annual general meeting in Chandigarh on Sunday. While Gupta, an industrialist, succeeded DP Reddy, RP Singla and Ajay Tyagi were elected secretary and treasurer respectively. Two joint-secretaries, three vice-presidents and 14 members to the executive committee were also elected. According to the PCA, the election was conducted by the electoral officer, and all the candidates were elected unanimously.The PCA also said the elections were held “after making amendments to its memorandum and articles of the association in accordance with the recommendations of Lodha Committee and as accepted by the Honourable Supreme Court of India and a format circulated by the Committee of Administrators [CoA]”. However, the CoA needs to verify these claims and attest to the same.Last week, the Punjab Cricket Players’ Association (PCPA) had alleged nepotism in the PCA. Former Punjab batsman Rakesh Handa, who is the secretary of the PCPA, said relatives of former office-bearers were handed out memberships to the PCA.”The sons of a brother of Mr [MP] Pandove [former president] and GS Walia [former secretary] have been given memberships,” he was quoted as saying by the . “What criteria has PCA adopted in giving membership to family members of office-bearers?” Incidentally, former president IS Bindra’s son Amarinder was one of the three vice-presidents elected on Sunday.Handa had also alleged a lack of transparency in the manner in which the construction of a new stadium at Mullanpur was being carried out. “Why have they not given all the details regarding the purchase of land for the stadium, and of tenders of construction worth Rs 154 crore on PCA’s website?” he said. “Neither the ad-hoc committee nor the majority of PCA members know what is really happening in PCA. We’ll inform CoA about all this.”
Newcastle United are reportedly looking towards the Championship to boost their midfield options for the forthcoming Premier League season, as they look to finish in the top four once again.
Eddie Howe has already welcomed Sandro Tonali this summer, and now looks interested in adding another option in the middle of the park.
What's the latest on Yaser Asprilla to Newcastle United?
With the search for a midfielder on, Newcastle are interested in signing young Watford midfielder Yaser Asprilla this summer, according to Antena 2, via Sport Witness.
The Magpies may have to act quickly to secure the Colombian's signature, however, with Brighton & Hove Albion also reportedly interested in signing the Watford teenager, alongside La Liga side Real Sociedad, and Portugal side FC Porto.
The midfielder reportedly wants to play in the top flight, and, therefore, according to Atena 2, could force a move out of Vicarage Road in the coming weeks.
It remains to be seen how much Watford demand for Asprilla, but, according to Transfermarkt, he is currently worth just €4.5m (£4m), potentially giving the likes of Newcastle a bargain deal.
With plenty of clubs interested in the 19-year-old, he's certainly one to keep an eye on for the remainder of the summer.
Should Newcastle United sign Yaser Asprilla?
As Newcastle build into a formidable force in the Premier League, welcoming the likes of Tonali, they can't forget to invest in their future, and that's exactly what Asprilla would be for.
At just 19-years-old, he played a key role for Watford last season, making 37 appearances in the Championship, even getting on the scoresheet once, and assisting a further two times.
Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…
At such a young age, the only way is up for the Colombian, whether that be through a move to St James' Park this summer or continuing at Watford, where the Hornets will be aiming for the play-offs in England's second tier.
Rightfully earning praise during his time at Watford, former manager Slaven Bilic said, via the Watford Observer: “He is a young boy of rare talent. His touch, we see that in training on a regular basis. He’s going to be special.
“He has things that you can’t teach. But he’s 18 and he’s a kid that has moved not just to a different country but to a different continent. He doesn’t speak a word of English, so it’s not easy for him. But the club and everyone in it is helping him.
“He is a very explosive player. I’m not going to say the sky’s the limit, but then I’ve just said it! It’s up to him and he will get our help.
“The key thing is he is willing to learn and that is so important. When he came on today he was very active, he played some good balls, and he’s willing to defend.”
With the world at his feet, Asprilla looks set to have a tough decision on his hands this summer, and Newcastle will hope that his choice ends with a move to the Magpies ahead of the start of the Premier League season.
في الشوط الأول وبحلول الدقيقة 4 تمكن دوشان فلاهوفيتش من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح يوفنتوس في شباك أتالانتا، بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من كامبياسو.
وكاد جاتي أن يسجل الهدف الثاني لصالح يوفنتوس، لكن رأسيته علت قائم مرمى أتالانتا.
وشهد أغلب فترات الشوط الثاني سيطرة واضحة من أتالانتا في محاولة لتعديل نتيجة المباراة، وسط تنظيم دفاعي قوي من يوفنتوس.
وقام المدير الفني لفريق أتالانتا، جاسبريني، بإدخال 4 لاعبين في الربع ساعة الأولى من عمر الشوط الثاني، سعياً اتصحيح نتيجة المباراة.
وألغى حكم المباراة هدفاً ثانياً لصالح يوفنتوس عن طريق فلاهوفيتش، بعد وقوعه في مصيدة التسلل عند الدقيقة 73.
وبهذا الفوز، عزز يوفنتوس رقمه القياسي كأكثر نادي يتوج بـ لقب كأس إيطاليا للمرة الخامسة عشر في تاريخه. هدف يوفنتوس الاول في مرمي اتالانتا بنهائي كأس ايطاليا فلاهوفيتش
هل حرم الحكم يوفنتوس من ركلة جزاء امام اتالانتا في نهائي كاس ايطاليا
هدف فلاهوفيتش الملغي امام اتالانتا في نهائي كاس ايطاليا
West Ham United are bracing themselves for another bid from Manchester City for Brazilian attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta in the coming days.
Pep Guardiola clearly wants the player at City before the transfer window shuts and is expected to make another proposal to West Ham after their initial £70m bid was rejected by the Hammers.
Hammers boss David Moyes won't want to see him leave, yet he is already turning his head to potential replacements for the player who only arrived in the Premier League last summer.
Will West Ham United make more signings?
Edson Alvarez and James Ward Prowse are the only arrivals at the club so far and with European football gracing the London Stadium for the third consecutive year, Moyes will need to pad out his squad.
According to The Independent, West Ham, along with City and Tottenham Hotspur are chasing Jeremy Doku and the club already have put an offer in for the Belgian.
It is also claimed that whoever doesn’t secure a move for the current Rennes winger will instead turn to making a move for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…
The £30k-per-week gem is obviously doing enough to be attracting interest from teams like these and although Palace are trying to tie him down to an extended deal, Moyes could swoop in and give him a platform of European football this season to showcase his talents on.
How good is Eberechi Eze?
Paqueta was one of the shining lights for West Ham last term in what was a poor season, domestically anyway.
The Brazilian finished 2022/23 ranking second with regard to overall Sofascore rating (6.95) and he also ranked in the top five across the squad for goals and assists (five), key passes per game (1.1) and successful dribbles per game (1.2), suggesting that he offered a reliable attacking threat.
Eberechi Eze
Eze was also one of Palace’s better performers during a rather underwhelming Premier League campaign.
The English maestro ranked second in terms of rating (7.12) while topping the pile for goals and assists (14) before dropping to second across the squad for key passes (1.5) and successful dribbles (1.9) per game.
These statistics prove that Eze could be an ideal heir to Paqueta should he move to West Ham, and he would be able to shine occupying an attacking midfield berth.
Indeed, the 25-year-old even registered more shots on target per 90 (0.85 v 0.58), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.03 v 3.43), carries into the opposition penalty area (28 v eight) and a higher percentage of successful take-ons (58.2% v 51.5%) clearing proving to be a much greater attacking threat than the current West Ham gem.
Eze was even heralded as a “magician” by Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards back in 2021, and it’s evident that he has vastly improved over the previous 12 months.
Moyes could secure a wonderful talent that is clearly ready to take the next step and display his incredible talents on the continent.
Should Paqueta leave east London in the next two weeks, the Palace sensation must be the player Moyes signs to replace him.
A 7ª rodada do Brasileirão chegou e o fantasy game Cartola FC segue em conjunto. Para ajudar com informações valiosas, a página Guia do Cartola dará dicas de escalação ao vivo no Instagram do LANCE! (@diariolance). A transmissão visando a rodada 7 será nesta terça-feira, às 22h30 (de Brasília).
Ricardo Ramalho, do Guia do Cartola, e Vinícius Perazzini, editor do LANCE!, vão responder perguntas e falar sobre os prováveis times titulares. Não perca!
RelacionadasListasDefesas difíceis, assistências, gols… Veja cinco opções por posição para a 7ª rodada no CartolaListas31/08/2020BrasileirãoGuia do Cartola: Listamos as lições já aprendidas com o Cartola 2020 e dicas para o game em 2021Brasileirão25/08/2020
The wicketkeeper is struggling with a hip problem which could mean a Test debut for Tom Blundell in Wellington
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2017
BJ Watling takes off the bails to remove Theunis de Bruyn•Getty Images
Wicketkeeper BJ Watling is a doubt for New Zealand’s opening Test against West Indies due to a hip injury with the uncapped Tom Blundell in line for a debut if Watling is not available.The problem has forced Watling to sit out the last two rounds of Plunket Shield matches for Northern Districts. He will play as a batsman only against Auckland this week before what will effectively be a fitness test against Otago at the end of the month where he will have to keep wicket to be available for the first Test in Wellington on December 1.New Zealand squads
Test squad
Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling
New Zealand A Martin Guptill (capt), Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Neil Broom, Tom Bruce, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Jeet Raval, George Worker
If Watling can’t take his place at the Basin Reserve – it would be the first Test he has missed since Headingley against England in 2013 – it would likely mean a first cap for 27-year-old Blundell ahead of handing the gloves to one-day keeper Tom Latham. Blundell has previously played one T20I and has been included in the New Zealand A side to face West Indies in their warm-up match from November 25.The cloud over Watling was the only uncertainty in a settled 12-man New Zealand squad, resuming Test cricket for the first time since March, although one further player will be added to the party following the A side’s fixture. Colin de Grandhomme has retained his place as the seam-bowling allrounder while Matt Henry is the extra pace bowler behind the established trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.West Indies could face a lively welcome to their tour with the New Zealand A side including three rapid pacemen in Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson and Scott Kuggeleijn. Ferguson recently took a career-best match haul of 12 for 78 against Otago.Martin Guptill will captain the A side which also includes incumbent Test opener Jeet Raval alongside Colin Munro after his successful limited-overs tour of India and legspinner Todd Astle who was forced home from that trip with a groin strain.”While the Blackcaps squad doesn’t have too many surprises, this NZ A team certainly shows that we have depth and quality players who are pushing for higher honours,” selector Gavin Larsen said.”Watching the three quickest bowlers in NZ operating together will certainly be exciting, and all three have plenty to play for. We are looking to develop Martin’s leadership capabilities and the NZ A match is another good opportunity.”
Sri Lanka have been at the wrong end of 5-0 scorelines twice this year, against South Africa and India. Can they find a way to evade the same fate against Pakistan?
The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Oct-2017
Associated Press
Big PictureFor the third time in a year, it has come to this: Sri Lanka must win to avoid a whitewash at the hands of an opposition they have barely pushed through the first four games. They did not manage to win the fifth match against South Africa in February, nor the fifth against India in September. As their bowlers continue to prove friendly, and their batting brittle, a third 0-5 whitewash beckons seductively from the corner. When mediocrity has called, Sri Lanka’s 2017 ODI team has rarely resisted.So dominant have Pakistan been that it is difficult to pinpoint an area that needs a definite tune-up. Even without Mohammad Amir in the squad, Sarfraz Ahmed’s suggestion that Pakistan have the best ODI attack in the world is not outlandish, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali having run white-hot through this series. Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq have fired at the top of the order, and Shoaib Malik has batted well in the middle. When required, the lower order has bailed the team out as well. They are facing weak opposition, but with several Pakistan players continuing to make a charge up the ODI rankings, they can claim to have consolidated the ODI form they had gathered during the Champions Trophy.Sri Lanka require a fantastic individual performance to propel them to an unlikely victory, as the team does not appear to be meshing well as a whole. A whirlwind Niroshan Dickwella innings or a terrific Akila Dananjaya spell have the potential to transform Sri Lanka’s fortunes. But whenever Sri Lanka have mustered a passage of good cricket, Pakistan have usually responded with a better one.Form guideSri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first) Pakistan WWWWWIn the spotlightThat Sarfraz Ahmed had to report an allegedly corrupt approach may be the most memorable story about him from this series, but he has also now fashioned an impressive start to his limited-overs leadership. Under him, Pakistan have now won three ODI trophies in three different continents (plus a single ODI against Zimabwe in 2015). He is a difficult captain not to like – constantly proactive, and often using his bowlers intelligently. If Pakistan win, this would be his first whitewash at the helm.Upul Tharanga, meanwhile, has had a difficult time in his own leadership. He had been Sri Lanka’s captain during the two previous whitewashes this year – though he was suspended for two matches in the India series – and has not been successful on other occasions he has led. His own batting form, however, has largely been good. In this series, he is the second-highest run-scorer after Babar, with 191 runs at an average of 63.66.Team newsPakistan may be tempted to experiment in this dead rubber. Left-arm quick Usman Khan may get another match after taking 1 for 38 on debut on Friday.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Usman Khan, 11 Junaid KhanHaving run themselves out of options, Sri Lanka may retain many of the same XI that lost by seven wickets on Friday.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Niroshan Dickwella, (wk), 2 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lahiru GamagePitch and conditionsSharjah surfaces are rarely conducive to scores of more than 300, but are not overtly biased towards the bowlers either. The temperature is forecast to be in the mid-30-degree range in the afternoon.Stats and trivia Pakistan have won 11 of the 13 ODIs they have played under Sarfraz’s captaincy. Sri Lanka have won four and lost 15 under Tharanga In addition to now having lost 11 consecutive ODIs, Sri Lanka have also lost eight out of ten ODIs against Pakistan since 2015
A report has shed light on Tottenham Hotspur and their pursuit of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze with an approach made.
Who will Spurs sign?
Ange Postecoglou's side are still in the market for further additons with some reports even suggesting they could make three signings before September 1.
This follows on from the marquee sale of star striker Harry Kane, whose move to Bayern Munich could bring in as much as £103 million if certain add-ons are met.
The loss of their former talisman comes as a real blow to Postecoglou's chances of making a success of his Spurs tenure, but there is believed to be positivity behind the scenes.
Earlier this month, following the signing of Dutch defender Micky van de Ven, Tottenham's head coach hinted at the possiblity of another centre-back coming through the door.
“It's not done yet," said Postecoglou.
"We need bolstering in that central defensive area. We need defenders who can work in an aggressive formation, defend well & behind them. We'll be looking to bring in a couple in that area in the coming days."
After that comment, Postecoglou later backtracked somewhat by suggesting that Tottenham need to focus on further outgoings before bringing in more players.
"We've to see what happens with outgoings," explained Postecoglou.
"But, the potential is there to bring in one more centre back after van de Ven."
We could assume, after the sale of Kane, that Tottenham's financial windfall could provide them with the funds to make moves in the transfer market.
Spurs, following Kane's departure, could well add more attacking reinforcements to their ranks and Palace star Eze is a player to be heavily linked recently.
There have been reports that the north Londoners could make a "surprise" bid for the 25-year-old, who dazzled under both Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson last term.
eberichi-eze-liverpool-transfer-premier-league
Now, according to a report by The Eagles Beak, a Palace news website, it appears Spurs have made their first move for Eze by enquiring over a possible deal.
The Englishman has been subject to an approach from Tottenham, but it isn't all good news, as Palace have apparently set a marquee price tag.
Indeed, it is believed Hodgson's side will demand a fee in excess of £70 million. Any transfer involving Eze to Tottenham would require chairman Daniel Levy to break the club's transfer record as a result.
The attacker bagged 10 goals and four assists in the league alone last term, registering a total of 14 goal contributions in one of world football's most competitive divisions.
Ranking in their top two for attempts at goal, key passes made and successful take-ons per 90 also, according to WhoScored, Eze may well be a brilliant attacking outlet if Spurs decide to go further.
Commenting on Newcastle's previous links to the player, former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Abgonlahor claimed he'd be a "fantastic" move.
"It would be a really good signing," said Agbonlahor to Football Insider.
“He’s completely different to Conor Gallagher – he’s a million times better. He can run with the ball at speed, change direction with skill, he’s adding goals to his game, can play in the number ten or off the wing – it’s a fantastic signing."
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
Of course, the £70m fee will be a mjaor sticking point for Spurs, but ambition must be shown after losing Kane to Germany.