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The Interim Committee, who have been appointed by the Minister of Sports to run the affairs of the Sri Lankan cricket board, unveiled their plans for the future tonight when they spoke to the public for the first since their appointment on the 29th

Charlie Austin27-Apr-2001The Interim Committee, who have been appointed by the Minister of Sports to run the affairs of the Sri Lankan cricket board, unveiled their plans for the future tonight when they spoke to the public for the first since their appointment on the 29th March.Vijaya Malalsekera, the Chairman of the Interim Committee, was careful, however, to not be drawn into any matters pertaining to the legal status of the board, which is currently being disputed by sacked Sumathipala led board, and is due to be brought before the Court of Appeal on the 4th May. He also refused to comment on the expected length of the Interim Committee’s term in office.He did though outline potentially far reaching changes to the way that the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka is managed, including a review of the present constitution by a committee of lawyers, which is already underway, and a clear separation between policy making and financial management.Choosing his words with the care that one would expect from one so well versed in law, he said: "It appears that certain procedures have not been followed." With particular reference to the construction of Dambulla International Stadium and the fact that the agreed expenditure had been exceeded by approximately Rs 100 million, he said: "There seem to have been some discrepancies and the indications are that there appears to have been cases of financial mismanagement."Malalsekera announced that Price Waterhouse Coopers have been appointed to investigate into the finances of the previous administration. Moreover, to overcome the widespread public perception of corruption within the cricket board, he proposed that a Trustee Council, composed of respected lawyers and accountants, be set-up to approve plans and monitor the spending of the board.The Chairman said: "The Board has to be totally transparent and accountable. The public has the right to know how and why money is spent. Money should be used prudently."Explaining the Interim Committee’s terms of reference he said: "The Interim Committee has been appointed to manage the day to day affairs of the board, put a structure in place for the development of the game, and to support the players to ensure the enhancement of their ability. We are not here for a witch-hunt. What has happened is water under the bridge."Malalsekera shrugged off fears that Sri Lanka’s membership of the ICC was in jeopardy: "You can rest assured that we know what we are doing. The lawyers have looked into the ICC’s Articles and Memorandum of Association and we are confident that there is no threat to Sri Lanka’s Test status."He confirmed that the ICC had sought clarification on the status of Sumathipala: "The ICC has sought clarification. The nomination of the past President as the ICC representative will now have to be revoked."

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that he would welcome the signing of Ivan Toney at Everton.

With the likes of Josh King and Cenk Tosun expected to leave, Carlo Ancelotti would be left with just one senior recognised striker in Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Richarlison has previously played down the middle, but is predominantly a winger, meaning the Italian could need another centre-forward this summer, especially with the prospect of European football next term.

Reports in January suggested that Everton were keeping a close eye on the Brentford frontman, who’s caught the eye of several Premier League clubs this season, with the 25-year-old being looked at as a potential addition to the Toffees squad.

Toney has enjoyed a phenomenal first season at Championship level, scoring 30 goals and 10 assists in 44 appearances to help Brentford secure a top-six place.

And Bent told Football FanCast that he would back the decision to sign Toney:

“That’s quite a big one – he’s been quality in the Championship and showed that he’s got the talent.

“You don’t need to start in the Premier League to progress your career, so I think that’s a good one for Everton. Will he start? He’ll have to earn his place.

“But I think he could go up there, but him going to Everton he’s going to be away from his family again, but that’s football and I’m sure he can cope with that. “

Despite all the goodwill gestures generated by cricket officials fromIndia and Pakistan while drawing up the fixtures for the Asian TestChampionship (ATC) at Lahore on Friday, there was always the lurkingdoubt that all was not hunky dory

Partab Ramchand29-May-2001Despite all the goodwill gestures generated by cricket officials fromIndia and Pakistan while drawing up the fixtures for the Asian TestChampionship (ATC) at Lahore on Friday, there was always the lurkingdoubt that all was not hunky dory. Some of the comments made by thePakistan Cricket Board chairman Gen Tauqir Zia, the lack of assuranceby the Indian government on a bilateral series and the long troubledhistory of cricketing ties between the two countries had all led tothere being a strong undercurrent of tension and uncertainty over notonly the ATC but also the future of India-Pakistan cricket ties.But not even the most cynical observer of the strained cricketingrelations between the two countries would have bargained for such aquick torpedo to be thrown at an already besieged boat. Within just 72hours of the announcement of the fixtures in Lahore, the Indiangovernment has thrown a heavy spanner into the works. First, theSports Minister Uma Bharti, unhappy at the `unilateral announcement’that India would play Pakistan at Karachi during the ATC in September,conveyed the government’s displeasure to the president of the Board ofControl for Cricket in India, AC Muthiah over the issue.About the same time, a second salvo was fired by External AffairsMinister Jaswant Singh who said that the Indian Government was againstcricket matches between India and Pakistan bilaterally as the onedayers between the two countries and their televised aspect made them”less cricket and more gladiatorial contests.” Replying to a questionon the government’s decision not to play cricket with Pakistan, hetold reporters in New Delhi that the Sports Ministry had sought hisMinistry’s advice and he had expressed these views to them. Singhadded that given the prevailing atmosphere, it was not advisable forextended cricket tours bilaterally of that nature.Bharti, who is known for her outspoken views, came down hard on theBCCI. Taking exception to the reported assurance given by the BCCI tothe PCB on the Indian cricket team’s participation in the ATC, Bhartisaid the Sports Secretary has already conveyed the Ministry’sdispleasure on this to Muthiah. “They (BCCI) should not take so muchliberty in making such announcements,” she told reporters in NewDelhi.Bharti went on to state that there was a certain protocol to beobserved for India to play matches in Pakistan. According to her, toplay in Pakistan, "the Board has to first give a written proposal tothe Sports Ministry which in turn would forward it to the Ministry ofExternal Affairs. The final decision rests with the MEA.” Sheclarified that no such proposal for the Indian team’s tour to Pakistanin September to participate in the ATC had been received by theMinistry.Asked about reports about India making some sort of goodwill gestureon the eve of Gen Parvez Musharraf’s visit, Bharti said “there is nosuch proposal with her Ministry now. The MEA will take a decisionabout bilateral ties in the changed scenario and obviously cricketingties would also figure in that,” she said adding “When the tiesthrough sports are to be discussed, the views of the Sports Ministrywould be taken into account."Bharti however stressed that like arts and culture, sports too had arole in promoting bilateral ties of two countries. But asked whetherthe Government’s decision not to play cricket with Pakistan in abilateral series had contributed to further souring of relations, theSports Minister snapped back “The bilateral cricketing ties hadnothing to do with the souring of the relations between the twocountries. It was the souring of the relations which resulted in thesnapping of bilateral cricketing ties,”.Interestingly enough, while discussing the agenda of the ACC meeting,Tauqir Zia said that the Indian government had issued a ‘no-objection’letter to the BCCI, supposedly lifting any sanctions whatsoever on theIndian team’s playing on Pakistan soil. However, Zia was not clear inreply to a question whether the letter authorized the revival ofbilateral ties between the two neighbours. He maintained that nothingwas yet clear about bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.However, he sincerely hoped that this ‘softening’ of the IndianGovernment’s stance would help in the re-establishment of bilateralties. Perhaps he spoke too soon!The fact however remains that the agreement at the meeting to have asystem by which a side failing to honour contractual obligations toplay in a series has to offer compensation to its rival team is boundto add to the tension. For some time now, Pakistan had been demandingsuch a compensation clause to be included in the ICC’s ten-yearcalendar for Test playing countries. After claiming that India’sdecision to cancel its scheduled tour to Pakistan last year had costsubstantial financial losses to it, the PCB had urged the ICC tointroduce such a clause to deter any country from going back onplaying commitments in future. Being a signatory at the ACC meetinghas now put India at a considerable disadvantage.The irony of the whole sorry episode is that BCCI secretary JaywantLele had stated only on Monday that in case of a clash of datesbetween the ATC and the indoor one-day series against Australia, bothscheduled in September this year, the Indian team would prefer tohonour the commitment in Pakistan. He said he would ask the AustralianCricket Board to defer the dates for the three one day games,scheduled for September 14, 16 and 18. The dates for the ATC Testagainst Pakistan are September 13 to 17. So the BCCI is now in theunhappy situation of losing out on both engagements. Worse, it hasplayed its cards so badly, it is in a no win situation. It is facedwith a government unhappy with its recent postures and an aggressivePakistan Cricket Board, besides having its hands tied by signing thepenalty clause. Where does – or where can – it go from here? Moreimportant, what happens now to the future of India-Pakistan cricketties?

Aston Villa played out a stalemate with Everton on Thursday evening, and many Villa supporters weren’t impressed with Ross Barkley’s display at Villa Park.

The 27-year-old was handed his 18th Premier League start of the season by Dean Smith, with club captain Jack Grealish only making the bench as he returned from injury.

Barkley played his final home game of the season for Villa, as he will be ineligible to face employers Chelsea on the final day of the current campaign.

His performance against Everton didn’t sit well with some Villa fans though, who took to social media to vent their frustrations at the attacking midfielder.

Barkley was replaced just after the hour mark for youngster Jacob Ramsey. He finished with just 47 touches of the ball to his name – five fewer than goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and failed to win a single aerial or ground duel, as per Sofa Score.

Villa fans react

Ty Bracey thought Barkley had an ‘absolute stinker’ shortly before the interval, and these Villa fans joined in with criticising the England international online,  with one describing him as ‘useless’.

“Dreadful tonight. Worse player on the park. He knew it as well. Struggling to see how he gets in this side ahead of Ramsey.”Credit: @stevesanderstax”Embarrassing”Credit: @HayesLockett”He’s been useless since his first 4 games tbh.”Credit: @robbcorin”Send him back to Chelsea NOW”Credit: @redligbaz”Been a passenger for the last few games.”Credit: @CraigCCarver”I just don’t get why we play him when we’ve got nothing to play for. Get some minutes in to Ramsey or give Carney his debut who are the future of the squad.”Credit: @martinsharpe

In other news: Villa source drops surprise Friday Bodymoor Heath meeting claim; could be vital for Johan Lange, find out more here. 

Glamorgan recorded their first CricInfo Championship win of the season, timing perfectly a daunting target of 364 runs for victory in a minimum of 84 overs to win by six wickets with 3.1 overs to spare

Paul Hiscock09-Jun-2001Glamorgan recorded their first CricInfo Championship win of the season, timing perfectly a daunting target of 364 runs for victory in a minimum of 84 overs to win by six wickets with 3.1 overs to spare.It was their captain Steve James who paved the way for his side’s triumph, striking an outstanding 156. His innings of the highest quality embraced flowing drives and punchy drives off his legs that kept the momentum going with 15 boundaries in the 246 deliveries faced by the opener.Glamorgan got off to a fine start with James and Jimmy Maher posting 84 for the first wicket but on the dismissal of the Australian allowed Matthew Maynard to join the masterful James.The pair added 194 in 38 overs for the second wicket with Maynard complementing his partner’s efforts to keep the scoreboard moving at the required rate.Maynard also seemed destined to reach three figures as he probed and improvised effectively, but he was caught at deep long-on within 10 runs of a well-deserved century leaving his side still requiring a further 86 runs. Although Michael Powell fell cheaply, Adrian Dale accompanied James in a partnership of 51 to put the visitors in sight of victory.It took a brilliant one-handed catch by Stuart Law to prise out James with only 14 runs still required but Dale steered the Welsh county comfortably home as they collected 19 points for the win with Essex taking three points.In successfully reaching the winning target, Glamorgan equalled the highest score that he county had ever successfully chased in the championship.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he would not be surprised to see Neil Taylor leave his old side in the summer.

Taylor has been a good servant to Villa after joining in 2017, helping the Midlands club to win promotion back to the Premier League.

However, the 32-year-old left-back is out of contract at the end of the season and Sky Sports are now reporting that Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir are interested in bringing him to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on a free transfer.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Taylor’s future, Hendrie said:

“Taylor’s been one of those servants that some fans have liked him, some fans haven’t. Listen, when he’s played he’s worn his heart on his sleeve and he’s done well.

“I think the possibility of him signing a new contract is very, very bleak. I think he’d certainly be thinking and considering going and playing the latter stages of his career somewhere else, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he did leave the club.”

If Taylor wants to play regular football, then leaving this summer is probably his best option.

Matt Targett has really made that left-back position his own this season, making over 30 appearances for Dean Smith’s side in the current Premier League campaign, so it is hard to imagine Taylor usurping him.

With the third and final Test Match against New Zealand finely balanced, Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson reflected on the situation in his office at the County Ground this morning

Richard Walsh02-Apr-2002With the third and final Test Match against New Zealand finely balanced, Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson reflected on the situation in his office at the County Ground this morning.Mr Anderson told me: “Like other England supporters I will be busily chewing my fingernails tonight in the hope that we can hold onto the match and win the series 1-0, but it looks as though our team could be up against it.”My thoughts are now turning to the availability of Caddick and Trescothick for the coming season’s matches, particularly in the light of Marcus Trescothick’s continued assertions that he is both physically and mentally exhausted and needs a rest ahead of the home Test Match series.”I don’t know what shape Caddick is in because over the last year he has not bowled that many overs. In the England home series he was not over bowled, for Somerset last summer he only bowled 88 overs and he has bowled the same on the winter tour of New Zealand.”In his case it did seem that he struggled for rhythm through not bowling since the end of the home international season and it might just be that Duncan Fletcher feels that he needs to get some domestic overs under his belt before the start of the home Test match series. Whatever his decision the club accepts that Caddick’s availability will be very limited this season.”But what we really want to know is will Richard Johnson be centrally contracted, and if so will he regularly feature in the England side. If not will he be released to play for Somerset?”Will Steffan Jones finally be recognised by England as an effective one day bowler, and if so does that mean he will be missing for the England triangular one day series in the middle of the season?”Those queries then lead us to the nub of our dilemma. How good are Bulbeck, Trego, Francis and Tucker? How are we going to find out, because they can’t all play in the first team which is the real testing ground.”

Newcastle United are reportedly chasing Edin Terzic as a potential successor to Steve Bruce.

The Lowdown: Bruce future uncertain

A source from St. James’ Park has reportedly claimed that Bruce’s future in the North East would be uncertain if the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group were to go through.

The former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss does not have the best relationship with the fans anyway, having been recently booed by several members of the Toon Army despite their 1-0 home win over Sheffield United, which may force him out of the Tyneside club.

The Latest: Newcastle chase Terzic

As per Bild (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are chasing Terzic, who is currently the manager at Borussia Dortmund.

However, they would likely face competition from both Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace to bring him to NUFC.

Terzic has turned down the chance to manage Eintracht Frankfurt, and has been praised by the news outlet, as they have described him as an ‘eloquent’ man who ‘knows the Premier League’.

The Verdict: Newcastle should hire Terzic

Newcastle should seriously consider hiring Terzic to succeed Bruce, given the latter’s poor relationship with his own fanbase.

Terzic is a much younger manager than Bruce for a start, at just 38 years of age, and so has a lot of potential to grow into one of the world’s best coaches.

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In his short spell at Dortmund, he has managed to get them from looking like a mile off qualifying for the UEFA Champions League to securing qualification with a game to spare (Bundesliga).

The German has also won silverware in the domestic cup, which should give the Magpies hope of ending their long trophy drought.

Nonetheless, Terzic is a fresh face with a lot of promise, and somebody that the Toon can quickly get behind.

In other news, find out what promising insight from the takeover consortium on arbitration has been shared here!

According to sporx.com, Galatasaray are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers’ Joe Aribo this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers stars to attract interest

Given the Gers won the Premiership without losing a single match this campaign (BBC), there are likely to be a number of their players attracting interest from across Europe.

The likes of Glen Kamara are said to be on a number of radars (The Daily Mail), while Alfredo Morelos has already said his dream is to play in the Premier League (Radio Caracol).

The Latest: Galatasaray want Aribo

Now, it has emerged that Turkish outfit Galatasaray are eyeing Aribo.

He is valued at €3.5m (£3.15m) by Transfermarkt, but this report says the Ibrox outfit are likely to want considerably more than that fee.

The Verdict: Plenty more to give

The recently-ended season was a mixed one for Aribo. He played 42 matches in all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists, and even displayed his versatility by playing at left-back towards the end of the term (Transfermarkt). However, he has struggled with injuries at times, and has also come in for criticism from supporters.

According to The Athletic, Aribo’s real value is £11m – that would be a considerable sum for the 55-time Scottish champions. Of course, he still has plenty to give the Gers, but if they can get a good price for him, they may decide to move him on and look for an upgrade. Galatasaray, who have won the Turkish league 22-times, may feel he is the right man for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to footage of this club “legend”.

Lost with honour

John Ward22-Mar-2002Lost with honour. Perhaps that was the best we could realistically hope for in India, and by winning two of the one-day matches, twice taking the lead in the series, our team did better than anybody reasonably expected. Against a team representing over 1000 million people with home advantage, it was a superb effort.In the end it was the strength of the Indian middle order, and the lack of depth in our bowling, that decided the series. Without Sachin Tendulkar, resting a knee injury, the Indian batsmen had to take responsibility, and young players Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh all batted superbly. We did not have the bowling strength, especially in the spin department, to overcome them.Our batsmen did a fine job, Alistair Campbell leading the way with three fifties in the five matches. Although they do help spin, most Indian pitches are good for batting, but when India bat first and score over 300, we are in trouble. India’s scores of 319 for six and then 333 for six in the second and fifth matches are, with the exception of South Africa’s 363 in September, the highest totals against Zimbabwe in our history of 212 one-day matches. Therefore the three highest totals scored off our bowlers have all been scored in the last six months, which is a worry.In the final one-day international, as we were chasing 333 and the task became progressively more difficult, I could not help asking, "Where is Doug Marillier?" The odds were very much against his playing another blinding innings, but he was the one player who could, who might just have scored runs quickly enough at least to bring Zimbabwe close. The time to send him in is when the task is difficult, not when it is impossible. But he only came in at his usual number eight, when it really was impossible. There seemed to be a lack of flexibility here, when there was at least nothing to lose by sending him in earlier, and this was noted by the television commentators.In my opinion, the team gets nothing but a brickbat for their failure to bowl their overs within the required rate, resulting in their chasing 333 in 48 rather than 50 overs. In pre-Test days, Zimbabwe used to bowl their overs at a pretty good rate, well above the 15 generally required by regulations. Slowing the over rate is one of the bad habits picked up since we joined the big boys, and now we are so bad we get penalized two overs – and it wasn’t the first time it happened during the series. Conceding large numbers of extras is another bad habit, although it wasn’t at its worst in this series.*****Back home we had behaviour problems in the Logan Cup match between Midlands and Mashonaland A at Kwekwe. According to Mike Huggett, "This morning there was quite a lot of aggro shown on the field, particularly from Vermeulen to Price. Things reached boiling point when an Utseya delivery came off Price’s thigh pad and all behind the stumps appealed. The decision was not out and Vermeulen just rushed up to Price and shoved him out of his crease and started swearing at him and calling him a cheat and saying that he nicked the ball."Mark Vermeulen is making a name for himself as a player with behavioural problems, which attracted adverse comment in Mashonaland A’s previous match against the CFX Academy. As a schoolboy he was actually banned from cricket and expelled from his sports club when he blew a fuse on the field, and now those same tendencies seem to be reasserting themselves. Off the field he invariably appears to be calm, controlled and friendly, the last person one would expect to misbehave on it. Yet it is happening, and he is by no means the only one, especially in Mashonaland. Sadly, it looks as if the time is coming when match referees will be needed in domestic cricket.*****In this issue we bring you further biographies of Academy players, this time Vusi Sibanda and Arnold Rushambwa, as well as what will probably be (hopefully not) the final update of Everton Matambanadzo’s biography. We have also updated the records of all the 41 one-day internationals that have now been played between Zimbabwe and India.