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Journalist Dean Jones has made a claim on Celtic’s chances of signing Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Strachan’s visit

Celtic senior scout Craig Strachan made a 742-mile round trip from Glasgow to Bristol to watch Semenyo in action earlier this month, as reported by Bristol World.

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The 22-year-old scored in a 2-1 win over Reading at Ashton Gate with Strachan in attendance, with the Hoops the latest to check in on the versatile forward.

Semenyo has contributed to 14 goals in the second tier this season, scoring and providing an assist in Saturday’s win over Middlesbrough.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

As reported last month, Bristol City value Semenyo at around £20m, a fee which would smash Celtic’s all-time transfer record, which currently stands at £9.27m.

Jones was talking to GiveMeSport regarding the Hoops’ chances of signing Semenyo in the summer and was unsure the club would have the financial power to do so.

“I don’t know if they could afford him, to be honest.”

The Verdict: Unlikely?

Semenyo’s current contract expires in 2023, so should his situation remain the same, you’d like to think Bristol City’s £20m valuation would come down slightly.

However, the Hoops may still need to write an eight-figure cheque for the first time in their history, making a move unlikely.

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Celtic may well activate clauses in Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers’ loan deals to make them permanent Hoops players in the summer for a combined £12.5m outlay, so spending big on Semenyo might not be a priority for ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: Celtic source – Ange gives green light to out-of-window exit for ‘arrogant’ ace after talks. 

Stuart Clark reached 50 Test wickets from ten games (file photo) © Getty Images

Hooray for helmets
The selection of Farveez Maharoof created a headache for the team before the first Test and the bowler finished the match with one. Brett Lee’s bouncer is mean most of the time, but it is even more dangerous on a murky morning and Maharoof was unable to avoid it. He turned his head as he ducked and the ball thudded into the back of his helmet, ballooning to Adam Gilchrist. It was the second helmet Lee had struck in the game after finding Marvan Atapattu’s in the first innings.Not yet safe hands
Phil Jaques staged a verbal defence of his fielding before returning to the Test team on Thursday and he has spent much of the match at short leg, a position he has been working hard to master. His efforts in close have been fine but he made a mistake at square leg in the second over of the morning. Lunging to intercept Chamara Silva’s flick off Stuart Clark, he was unable to grab the chance that was comfortable by Test standards.Nifty fifty
After Stuart MacGill’s speedy achievement of 200 wickets in 41 Tests comes Stuart Clark’s acceleration to 50. Clark recovered quickly from Jaques’ spill to trap Prasanna Jayawardene lbw in his next over and bring up his half-century in 10 games. Charlie Turner reached the mark in a record six matches while other Australians to beat Clark included Fred Spofforth, Rodney Hogg and Terry Alderman (eight matches) and MacGill, Arthur Mailey and JJ Ferris (nine).The immoveable feast
Tea times have permission to switch due to rain or a team being nine wickets down, but the lunch reservation is always the same. Sri Lanka lost four wickets in the 18.5 overs allowed by the rain and regulations in the first session, with Lee making the penultimate breakthrough two minutes after the food was due. The 40-minute break was taken and the players returned for 15 balls before Muttiah Muralitharan was bowled by Clark.

The return of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif would come as a major boost for Pakistan © AFP

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, believes that the possible comeback of three key fast bowlers including Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif would make Pakistan the best bowling team in the world, even ahead of world champions Australia.Younis said that his team would gain a huge pace advantage once Shoaib, Asif and Shabbir Ahmed – whose action has been cleared by the ICC – return to international cricket during next month’s tour of South Africa. The trio have been included in a list of 25 probables invited for a conditioning camp starting in Lahore from tomorrow in preparation for the tour of South Africa.”We would have a bowling attack stronger than Australia’s if Shoaib, Asif and Shabbir return to the squad,” Younis told at the National Stadium in Karachi. “We are already equipped with some good bowlers but once these three are back our attack would be awesome. All these three are valuable bowlers for their wicket-taking abilities and you need such players to win Tests against strong opponents.”Shoaib and Asif are available for selection for the tour of South Africa starting from January 4 after being cleared of doping offences by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appeals committee earlier this month.Pakistan rode on a good showing from pacers Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and legspinner Danish Kaneria to beat West Indies 2-0 in a home Test series this season.”The one thing that makes me very optimistic about our team’s future is that bowlers like Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Sami have been performing impressively in recent times and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is also regaining good form,” he remarked. “I must say that once we have all our pacers ready for national duty we would be better off than even Australia in this department of the game.”Younis, who led Peshawar Panthers into the semifinals of the ongoing Twenty20 Cup believes Pakistan would be in a good position to win the series in South Africa but was quick to add that the players will have to really apply themselves in what would be demanding playing conditions in South Africa. He played down fears that the Pakistan batsmen would flop on bouncy South African wickets.”The South Africans are a top side but we are good enough to beat them. By applying ourselves and showing self belief we can do it. The going would be tough but I am confident we would be ready for the challenge.”

Sachin Tendulkar look heavenward after scaling yet another peak © Getty Images

In relaxed yet sporty clothes, shy grin plastered across his face, under the glare of numerous television-camera spotlights, Sachin Tendulkar was calm and collected, but you could sense the excitement and sheer joy as he answered a volley of questions after reaching his 35th Test hundred. “Landmarks happen. You just go and bat because you want to bat well and get runs for your team. If you chase landmarks then it becomes a problem,” said Tendulkar. “The wait was more for the people than for me. After the Bangladesh hundred we have played only four Test matches. It was not that it was 25 Tests and everyone had run out of patience.”More emotional than most people have ever seen him on a cricket field, Tendulkar reacted with a long look up to the heavens when he reached hundred, and admitted it was different from what he had felt before. “That was for my father. I miss my father very much. I’m sure he would have enjoyed every moment of this if he were here. There have been very few moments in my life when I have got emotional. But this time I felt very different.”Soon after, though, Tendulkar raised his bat a second time. “It was for the team. This was a special occasion for me. They appreciated it so I acknowledged them. Everyone came downstairs [from the dressing-room] to congratulate me. I didn’t say anything, I was finding it difficult to talk. I was feeling shy.”From his first Test century in Manchester, way back in 1990, it has been a long journey. “The first century I made when we had to save a Test match. This one was played in a very different situation,” said Tendulkar. “It was a very emotional one for me. It is difficult to say whether the first one is important or the last one is important but if I didn’t get the ones in the middle I wouldn’t have got to this stage.” Some batsmen insist that picking a favourite out of centuries is like choosing between your children, but Tendulkar was able to put his finger on his best. “Every century is important. But the hundred against Australia at Perth in 1992 was probably my best.”This was a very important hundred for me, four-and-a-half months after elbow surgery. Mentally it [the break because of injury] was very tough on me but physically I could cope. I got frustrated and impatient, so getting out of it was not a singular effort – my family, physio, trainer … they all helped.”There was a time in the day when it seemed unlikely that Tendulkar would reach his century before stumps were drawn. But a sudden spurt of runs, spurred on by three consecutive boundaries off Muttiah Muralitharan, ensured that he got the monkey off his back. But getting it over with was never on his mind. “No I did not think of that. But when they changed the ball, the new one was harder,” he said. “I could hit it easier because it came onto the bat well.” Yet he did admit that he had, in his mind’s eye, lived out this moment already. “One visualises before every Test the moment of getting a hundred. Similarly I did last night. It is part of my pre-match preparation.”On the eve of the match there was plenty of advice for Tendulkar. What did the coach have to say to him? “All we were discussing was not thinking about No. 35 – that it was just another innings, just another century. Coincidentally I got the same advice from my wife. It’s to listen to words like these. It helps.”And even though he was the man of the moment, Tendulkar still had time to remember an approaching milestone for another giant in Indian cricket. “It [This ground] was always remembered for Anil Kumble’s ten wickets, now there are two reasons to remember it. We hope there will be similar reason to remember the Ahmedabad Test, where Anil is playing his 100th match.”With No. 35 out of the way, the question of where to next popped up, and Tendulkar’s reply was spontaneous. “Back to the hotel!” On a more serious note, when asked what could be expected of him, Tendulkar said, “I can’t say what heights I am going to achieve. But what you can expect from me, what is in my hands, is 100% commitment and sincerity and playing for the cause of the team.”In all the adulation, Tendulkar has somehow managed to remain remarkably humble. On the day when he broke Gavaskar’s 22-year-old record, he said, referring to the little man with the title Mr, “Heroes will always be heroes. Mr. Gavaskar will always be a hero of mine. I would say to him, `Thank you for the support you have given us. Not only me but other batsmen as well. It really helps to have senior cricketers who can speak to you about your game.’ I have often gone to him for advice and he has set such benchmarks and standards for us that you needed to have a disciplined and dedicated life to get to a landmark like this.”And in that moment there was a hint of how Tendulkar had managed to stay on the straight an narrow path through 20,000-plus international runs, virtually every batting record in the book, the adulation of millions, multi-crore sponsorship deals … Because at the end of it all, when he goes out to bat, Tendulkar is still just that curly-haired little boy who loves to bat.

Shane Bond is focusing on four changes in his action© Getty Images

Shane Bond is aiming to return to international cricket in New Zealand’s home series against Australia in March. He is recovering from a stress fracture to his lower vertebrae at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre.Bond, 29, is working on his action, the cause of the problem, under theguidance of Ashley Ross and Dayle Hadlee. “I’ve really gone back to thedrawing board, and have broken things down,” he told . “You realise that some things, like a fault in your deliverystride, can stem way back to the start of your run-up.”Using the same bio-mechanic technology that helped to scrutinise MuttiahMuralitharan’s action, Ross and Hadlee have focused on four aspects ofBond’s action that need tweaking. “It’s a matter of getting comfortablewith those changes and I’m pretty close to that now.” Bond added. “Thehardest thing to do [is] getting the changes ingrained so they becomesecond nature. I’m probably about 90% there and it’s coming out allright, so I’m reasonably pleased.”One of the main changes is to remove his tendency to dive in late to thebowling crease. “I need to eliminate that as much as I can,” he said. “Therest of it is basically trying to get my hips and shoulders workingtogether so everything is working on one plane.”Bond hasn’t avoided matches altogether, and has been playing as a batsmanfor his club team in Christchurch, High School Old Boys-Collegians.Bowling will have to wait for the moment, though. “It’s up to me to get fit andstrong. I’ve trained really hard and if it doesn’t work out, then I canlive with that.” Ideally, he hopes to return as a bowler in a fewcompetitive games for Canterbury in January in a late bid for the homeseries against Australia. “If things go perfectly, I’d like to be available forthat series.”New Zealand could use a fully-fit Bond, especially after they werewhitewashed in the recently concluded two-Test series against Australia.

Daryll Cullinan scored 161 in his first game as Easterns captain

Daryll Cullinan, the new Easterns captain, made the national selectors sit up and take notice when he became the first local player to score a century in the 2003-04 domestic season.Elsewhere, the batsmen held the upper hand over the bowlers. Arno Jacobs (Eastern Province), Duncan Brown (KwaZulu-Natal), Stephen Cook (Gauteng) and Adam Bacher (Gauteng) all scored hundreds, while six others made it into the 90’s: Benjamin Hector (Griqualand West), Alviro Petersen (Northerns), Martin van Jaarsveld (Northerns), Justin Kreusch (Eastern Province), Sven Koenig (Easterns) and Mark Bruyns (Border).For the bowlers, Charl Willoughby, Lance Klusener and Nantie Hayward also raised the selectors’ eyebrows. Willoughby took 11 for 123, Klusener 9 for 92 and Hayward 7 for 131. However, it will need more than just promising performances to get Klusener and Hayward a recall.Other bowling performances of note included: Garnett Kruger (Gauteng) 6 for 112, Deon Kruis (Griqualand West) 4 for 17, Charl Pietersen (Griqualand West) 4 for 24, Ethy Mbhalati (Northerns) 4 for 37, Steven Pope (Border) 4 for 45, Monde Zondeki (Border) 4 for 73 and Johan Botha (Eastern Province).SuperSport Series – Pool AGriqualand West beat Eastern Province by five wickets
Griqualand West 411 (Hector 98, Bosman 85, Hayward 4-99, Botha 4-85)
Eastern Province 70 (Kruis 4-17, Pietersen 4-24)
Eastern Province 404 (f/o) (Jacobs 102, Bryant 56, Louw 56*, Shahid Afridi 3-78)
Griqualand West 67 for 5 (Hayward 3-32).KwaZulu-Natal (17.62) beat Boland (5.88) by ten wickets
Boland 244 (Ontong 66, Klusener 5-52)
KwaZulu-Natal 403 (Brown 152*)
Boland 182 (Strydom 78, Klusener 4-40)
KwaZulu-Natal 24 for 0Easterns drew with Free State
Easterns 498-9 decl. (Koenig 98, de Bruyn 63, Cullinan 161, Hall 70)
Free State 273 (Venter 51, van der Wath 66)
Free State 84 for 2 (f/o)SuperSport Series – Pool BBorder beat Gauteng by seven wickets
Gauteng 290 (Conrad 60, Zondeki 4 for 73)
Border 380 (Pope 84, Kreusch 91, Gamiet 61, Kruger 6 for 112
Gauteng 309 for 8 decl. (Cook 109, Bacher 138, Pope 4 for 45)
Border 223 for 3 (Bruyns 96)Northerns drew with Western Province
Northerns 198 (Petersen 95, de Villiers 58, Willoughby 7-56)
Western Province 173 (Mbhalati 4-37)
Northerns 259-7decl. (de Villiers 61, van Jaarsveld 90, Willoughby 4-67)
Western Province 11 for 0.

He said it in a very soft tone, but the serious look on theface of Brian Charles Lara confirmed his intent.I’ll be back. My career is far from over. I’ll be back inthe runs soon, the region’s master batsman told the SUNDAYSUN yesterday evening, minutes after returning to theCaribbean from another failed team tour, this one of SriLanka.Wincing occasionally and rubbing the sides of the soft castwhich protects the hairline fracture of the best left elbowin Test cricket, Lara refused to think negatively about thefreak accident last week with Marvan Atapattu that will keephim out of the game for at least six weeks, and aforthcoming tour of Pakistan.It was an accident. Accidents happen in sport, so you can’tthink about it any other way. I don’t remember much of whathappened, but in the hospital I did say at one stage: Whyme?I’m over that now, because this injury is just anothersetback. It could have happened earlier in my career when Iwas doing well, but it chose to happen now, Lara said.I know it’s going to take some time, but with my approach tothe game, I know I’ll be back to where I was when the injuryhappened. I expect some stiffness soon after the cast comesoff, but I already have a format in mind about how I plan towork before I can play again.I’m focused mentally even though I’m out of the game, andthis rest will also be the perfect opportunity for myhamstring to get the required rest it really needs to heal.The Trinidadian said it was sad that another West Indiesoverseas tour had ended in a Test series defeat, but somepositive signs were still seen, apart from his return toscintillating form.We can’t just worry about the bad things all the time. Wehave to take whatever we can from the good, and improve onthat. That’s the only way West Indies cricket can move outof this phase of losing overseas, Lara added.He noted that each player should use his experience oflosing as a measuring stick of his individual performance.I’ve learnt over my career it makes absolutely no sense todwell on the past, Lara said as he sat a couple feet awayfrom his British model girlfriend Lynnsey Ward at theAirport en route to Trinidad and Tobago.

ScorecardFile photo: Shivnarine Chanderpaul had to resurrect another batting wobble, and did so with 65 off 210 balls for Guyana•PA Photos

Vishaul Singh struck a career-best 150 to set the stage up for 20-year old left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who galloped to 6 for 20 in the first innings to bowl Leeward Islands out for 85 in the first innings and then come back to finish the job in the follow-on with 5 for 85. It was only Motie’s second first-class match and he led Guyana to an innings and 35-run win at Providence Stadium.Bowlers running rampant may have turned out to the be theme of the match after Leeward Islands decided to bowl and got rid of the top three Guyana batsmen for single-figures, including captain Leon Johnson for a duck. Then came the resistance from Singh and the ever reliable Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who made 65 off 210 balls. They put on 171 runs for the fourth wicket. That partnership became the example for the lower order to rally around as No. 7 Christopher Barnwell (48 off 67), wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble (42 off 72) and No. 9 Steven Jacobs (63 off 87, with nine fours) took Guyana’s total to 419 for 9 when Johnson declared the innings.Then came the wreckage. It was almost like Guyana had given away the first few runs as seamers Ronsford Beaton and Barnwell combined to take the score from 25 for 0 to 26 for 4. Then on came Motie, the fifth bowler introduced, and in 13.2 overs, he had whisked six wickets for only 20 runs to rout Leeward Islands for 85, which was 269 runs short of the follow-on target. Guyana enforced it, and although the visitors were a bit more dogged – Nkrumah Bonner made 89 off 168 and Daron Cruickshank added 57 off 83 – and hauled themselves to 299, the first-innings damage had been too steep. Motie snagged 5 for 85 and basically shut down the middle order before they could make the massive scores that were needed.
ScorecardBarbados and Trinidad & Tobdago played out a tight draw at Kensington Oval. Both teams had won their opening match of the season and did try to up that tally to two-in-two – Barbados set a target of 298 in 68 overs and T&T were brisk in their chase of it, until a few wickets started falling, especially Evin Lewis for 41 off 55. Narsingh Deonarine dropped anchor with 38 off 103 and had Yannick Cariah was unbeaten on 37 off 114 when the match came to a close.Barbados took eight points, two clear of their opponents on the points table, courtesy Sharmarh Brooks’ third first-class century. Roston Chase (59) and Kyle Corbin (46) and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich (48) lent good support but they were still all out for 300 because the rest of the line-up could not score more than 18. T&T Legspinner Imran Khan picked up 4 for 75 and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel chipped in with 3 for 49. Their batsmen, however, could not muster any score substantial enough to challenge Barbados’ total. Only the 22-year old wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo, batting at No. 7, could make a half-century. He was ninth man out, bowled by Kevin Stout who took 4 for 54. Fellow seamer Miguel Cummins claimed three wickets as T&T were knocked over for 246.Barbados’ top order was formidable again with captain Kraigg Brathwaite holding one end with a 151-ball 72, then Brooks scored a brisk 55 off 84 and Dowrich hit 40 off 31 balls to provide a target of 298, which was just large enough for the hosts to be safe. And it was.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reliable journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has made an interesting Tottenham player claim as he names two Lilywhites disliked on a personal level at N17.

The Lowdown: Conte begins revamp…

In the January transfer window, Spurs boss Antonio Conte got his first chance to rebuild the club and ship out some of the deadwood.

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Former Lilywhites sensation Dele Alli completed a permanent move to Everton with promising Spanish starlet Bryan Gil leaving Spurs on loan to link up with Valencia.

Another Tottenham duo in club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele and Argentina international Giovani Lo Celso are also currently out on temporary spells.

Bridge, making a claim on the latter pair, has shared an interesting statement.

The Latest: Ndombele and Lo Celso disliked as people…

Speaking to GMS, the Sky reporter says Ndombele and Lo Celso aren’t ‘massively liked as people’ as well as players at Tottenham.

He explained: “Lo Celso and Ndombele, they aren’t massively liked as people, as well as players at Tottenham.” 

The Verdict: Interesting claim…

Lo Celso, who was often criticised for some of his displays at club level for Spurs, had been called a ‘passenger’ at points this season while there have also been repeated question marks surrounding Ndombele’s application.

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News that both men were not particularly loved as characters could come as evidence towards their debatable attitudes at Spurs and why Conte perhaps wanted to see them leave.

Of course, with both players only out on loan, it remains to be seen whether they could still have a future at the club.

In other news: ‘More on that’…The Athletic reporter drops ‘£2.3 billion’ Tottenham claim on Twitter, find out more here.

On past record and present form, the two crucial criteria on the eveof any contest, it is tempting to place Zimbabwe as no-hopers in thefive-match one-day series against India. But in reality, the scenariois not as simple as that.

Even Indian coach John Wright conceded that the absence of Tendulkarand Sehwag will be felt, although he is hoping to build on theconfidence that the Indians would have gained after winning bothTests. While expressing the view that India will win the series,Wright admitted that Zimbabwe are a better limited-overs side than aTest team.

It is true that Zimbabwe lost all three one-day games in 1992-93 andwent down by four matches to one on the next tour of this country just15 months ago. Also, India got the better of New Zealand and SouthAfrica at home during the 1999-2000 season and lost only to worldchampions Australia by one match a year ago in a stirring contest thatwent down to the wire. The squared verdict against England a few weeksago is neither here nor there.India’s dominance at home is not as pronounced in the one-day game asit is in Test cricket. But the track record is still very impressive.But India would do well to not take the Zimbabweans too lightly. Onlylast year, they won home and away contests against New Zealand.Although their steadily improving record was tarnished by 3-0 and 5-0defeats to South Africa and England at home earlier this season, it isobvious that Zimbabwe are not the team that once had an unenviablerecord of having lost seven out of eight games played in two bilateralcontests in this country.Having acclimatised themselves to Indian conditions and after sizingup the opposition ­ even if limited-overs cricket is different fromthe longer version of the game ­ the Zimbabweans will fancy theirchances of challenging the home side. But the fact is that the Indianshave been considerably weakened by the non-availability, due tovarious reasons, of Javagal Srinath, Sachin Tendulkar and VirenderSehwag.The withdrawal of these key players immediately throws doubt over thetop order, the middle order and the opening bowling. Zimbabwe’sexperienced all-rounder Heath Streak has been quick and accurate inhis assessment of the situation. He feels the absence of Tendulkar andSehwag will greatly reduce the firepower of the Indians and “we hopeto cash in on that.” That is a true professional speaking.Even Indian coach John Wright conceded that the absence of Tendulkarand Sehwag will be felt, although he is hoping to build on theconfidence that the Indians would have gained after winning bothTests. While expressing the view that India will win the series,Wright admitted that Zimbabwe are a better limited-overs side than aTest team. Whatever their batting and bowling limitations ­ ascompared to the Indians on paper ­ they proved in the Test matchesthat they were far superior in fielding, and this aspect gains inimportance in the one-day game.Zimbabwe’s batting will again revolve around the Flower brothers, theexperienced Alistair Campbell, skipper Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart,the solid Dion Ebrahim and Douglas Marillier. Streak of course can bedepended on to strike a few lusty blows in the end overs, and theburly, experienced all-rounder will also spearhead the bowling attack,manned by Travis Friend, Gary Brent and Pommie Mbangwa.For India, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan will be in charge of the newball in the absence of Srinath, while Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singhwill complete the quartet of main bowlers. Sanjay Bangar and SouravGanguly, as back-up bowlers, look pretty modest, and it is here thatthe absence of Tendulkar and Sehwag will be felt, for the two, besidestheir expertise with the bat, can always be counted upon to eitherrestrict the scoring or break a troublesome partnership. Thus theresponsibilities on the four main bowlers will be that much greater.While the non-availability of Tendulkar and Sehwag will obviously befelt, the batting still looks quite strong. A line up of Ganguly,Bangar, Dinesh Mongia, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Kaif andAgarkar does inspire confidence. I have never been happy with theselection of Shiv Sunder Das for the one-day squad. He is blessed witha technique ideally suited to Test cricket, and it would be better ifthis precious gift were restricted to the longer game instead of theslam-bang variety. In the long run, the exposure to limited-overscricket might harm his technique, and Indian cricket certainly can dowithout such damage. Ajay Ratra, on the other hand, is a welcomechoice, and it is to be hoped that he grabs this opportunity with bothgloves and cements his place in the squad.