Tag Futebol

Mark Butcher has revealed that he was close to quitting cricket until the resurgence in the England team’s performances inspired him to continue.”The only reason I didn’t give up cricket was because I didn’t know what else I could do, but I think everyone looks at things like that when things aren’t going well,” he admitted.”I wasn’t really looking forward to the start of the season in April 2000 and apart from the success that Surrey had that year, it was a pretty rotten year for me all round.”Looking back on it now, I played in 27 Tests and they seemed to fly by and since I’ve been out of it I’ve watched the success the guys have had and it’s helped me build an appetite to get back,” he continued.”I was starting to miss it again and at one point I wouldn’t have missed it at all. Life in general had got me down and that made it very difficult to give as much attention and focus to the job as I should.”But Butcher teamed up with his father, the ex-England player Alan Butcher, to work hard to eradicate some technical flaws over the winter. The rewards have been clear to see as the Surrey opener has been in sparkling form in the last couple of weeks in all forms of cricket.”I’ve done a fair bit of rebuilding in certain parts of my game during the winter and that’s taken a little bit of time to bed down this summer, but it seems to be working so far,” he explained.”In the last couple of years I’ve played virtually non-stop and a few things crept into my game that were causing a few problems, so I spent the winter at home and worked with the ‘Old Fella’, Butcher said, reflecting on a run of 23 Test innings without a half-century that led to him being dropped after the tour of South Africa.”They were little adjustments, the sort of things golfers do all the time but cricketers rarely do, analysing the mechanics of it all – if the parts aren’t moving properly you give yourself less of a chance to succeed.”David Graveney suggested that Butcher will bat at number three at Edgbaston in his bid to kick-start the career that brought Test centuries against two of the strongest bowling attacks in world cricket – South Africa and Australia. But Butcher admitted that the recall to England colours had come as a bit of a surprise.”This has been a massive bolt out of the blue,” he conceded. “I was so nervous when ‘Grav’ rang, which was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.”

West Ham’s nightmare season descended into further crisis as they suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City 3-0 West Ham as Hammers humbled

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are now condemned to spending Christmas in the relegation zone after their tenth Premier League defeat of a dismal campaign.

Erling Haaland was the architect of City’s dominant victory, scoring twice and creating the other goal as Pep Guardiola’s side registered their fifth consecutive Premier League win to temporarily move top of the table.

The Norwegian striker needed just five minutes to open the scoring when Phil Foden delivered a cross from the left that Haaland swept home, setting the tone for a one-sided encounter that exposed the gulf in class between the hosts and the struggling visitors.

West Ham offered precious little in response during a lacklustre first-half display, with only a Jarrod Bowen cross that ran through the box representing any sort of threat to City’s dominance at the Etihad.

The Hammers’ defensive frailties were brutally exposed again in the 38th minute when Rayan Cherki beat Mateus Fernandes to the ball and wriggled into the penalty area before feeding Haaland, who had no room to shoot himself but intelligently laid the ball off for Tijjani Reijnders to smash into the roof of the net from close range.

Related West Ham make first move to sign La Liga's 2024 top goalscorer to replace Fullkrug

He’s got a proven record.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

The visitors showed greater energy after the interval and briefly threatened when Crysencio Summerville won possession on the left and crossed from the byline, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma to react quickly and parry Freddie Potts’ shot before Fernandes blasted the rebound over the crossbar.

Bowen dragged another effort wide as the Hammers enjoyed their best spell of the match, but City had further opportunities with Ruben Dias heading at Alphonse Areola and Foden shooting wide before Haaland killed off any lingering hopes of a West Ham comeback.

The third goal arrived in the 69th minute as City swept forward through substitutes Savinho and Rico Lewis, with Haaland finishing clinically to take his tally for club and country this season to 38 goals and put the result beyond any doubt.

Donnarumma was forced to block from Summerville as West Ham briefly flickered again in search of consolation, but Foden and Josko Gvardiol went close for City before Haaland shot narrowly wide in stoppage time, coming inches away from completing his hat-trick.

The defeat extends West Ham’s winless streak to six matches and leaves them marooned on 13 points from 16 games, three points from safety and guaranteed to spend the festive period in the bottom three for the fifth time in their history.

Nuno’s side were without both starting full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf who are on Africa Cup of Nations duty, further depleting a squad already struggling badly for form and confidence as the relegation battle intensifies heading into the new year.

Commentator makes brutal Max Kilman claim after West Ham defeat

It was also a nightmare afternoon for Max Kilman.

The Englishman failed to nullify Haaland’s constant threat throughout, adding to his collection of somewhat unconvincing displays, with commentator Tom Rennie making a brutal claim on X.

Subscribe for sharper West Ham and transfer analysis Join our newsletter for in-depth breakdowns of West Ham’s struggles, defensive priorities and transfer targets — expert analysis that links squad moves to relegation stakes and the broader league context for committed fans. Subscribe Subscribe for sharper West Ham and transfer analysis Join our newsletter for in-depth breakdowns of West Ham’s struggles, defensive priorities and transfer targets — expert analysis that links squad moves to relegation stakes and the broader league context for committed fans.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Rennie, who also works for talkSPORT international as an editor, called Kilman the worst footballer he’s ever seen.

West Ham’s leaky backline is seriously contributing to their downfall this season, and a new centre-back next month is believed to be in their January transfer thinking.

While a striker is seen as the priority to replace the departing Niclas Füllkrug, Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell is a top target for West Ham with internal discussions held over a move.

Having a genuine alternative to the likes of Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo could be crucial if the east Londoners are to avoid a dreaded drop to the Championship.

Related West Ham in pole position to re-sign former star after holding talks with him

They could bring him back to Rush Green.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

	Will the press boxes remain deserted in protest of the IPL’s media restrictions? © Cricinfo Ltd

The Editors Guild of India has said the revised guidelines issued by the Indian Premier League on Tuesday are still harsh and will affect the freedom of newspapers.In a press release circulated to all its members and other media bodies, including the Indian Newspaper Society, and the Sport Journalists’ Federation of India, Guild secretary KS Sachidananda Murthy said the final terms of media accreditation for the IPL’s first season were unacceptable. He said the conditions would seriously influence the independence of editors, especially when it comes to the selection and use of photographs.Although the IPL formally withdrew some of the original contentious clauses, it maintained its hardline stand on websites – their representatives will not be allowed into the venue during matches and they will not have access to photographs.Murthy said the IPL’s demand that newspapers and news agencies must provide free of charge the photographs requested by the IPL for use and reproduction was unacceptable. While the Guild noted that there was some relaxation in the originally proposed terms and conditions, the blanket prohibition on the use of photographs taken by a newspaper or news agency, which are their exclusive property, for online use or syndication is unacceptable.The Guild felt the IPL should not be putting a quantitative limit on the number of photographs a newspaper or news agencies can uphold to its website, as it was clearly the domain of the editor to decide. In its new guidelines, the IPL allowed newspapers with their own web publication to upload six different pictures on their online photo galleries in addition to the pictures published in print.The original guidelines, published last week, had provoked widespread outrage, with the Editors Guild criticising the “prohibitive conditions”, which it said were “unprecedented and unacceptable to the Indian media.”

Ricky Ponting led his side back into top spot with a win over England © Getty Images

Australia have again seized the No. 1 ODI ranking after seven weeks of sitting in second place behind South Africa. Bangladesh’s upset victory over South Africa combined with Australia’s comfortable defeat of England restored Ricky Ponting’s men to top spot.However, Australia have 128 points and are only three clear of Graeme Smith’s side, meaning the standings could change a number of times before the World Cup ends. South Africa timed their brief period at the head of the table to perfection – as the No. 1-ranked country at the end of the ICC year on April 1 they pocketed US$175,000.Australia stumbled from the top position after their 3-0 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy loss in February and it was the first time since the ODI rankings were introduced in October 2002 they were not No. 1.Sri Lanka have jumped Pakistan to take the No. 4 place, meaning the four favourites to make the semi-finals – Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka – are officially the four best teams in the world. England’s loss to Australia kept them in seventh position but a poor finish in the Caribbean could yet see West Indies leapfrog them.

Peter Chingoka, Zimbabwe Cricket’s embattled chairman, has launched a stinging attack on those who have criticised the way that the game is being run in Zimbabwe.Replying to a letter sent to the ICC by Charlie Robertson and Ethan Dube, two senior administrators, Chingoka questioned their credentials and claimed that they wanted “democracy is only when it suits your interests”.He continued: “It seems that you two reverend gentlemen would like to keep the sport in your perceived enclave and maintain the status quo to the disadvantage of those previously left out. It is sad to note your views on this subject yet some of the people who have benefited from the deliberate ZC policy of widening the base of talent are now being roped in by yourselves to think that such a policy is bad. We have irrefutable evidence of interference with the players by your lot. The true picture you are hiding from them is that you want continuous control at the helm of the game.”Chingoka went on to dismiss suggestions that the board was racist. “Allegations peddled from your corner on some such allegations are spurious and go on to show the die-hard nature of your past agendas” he wrote. “That is doomed to fail.”Turning to the current state of affairs, Chingoka claimed that the situation was not as dire as Robertson and Dube stated, but was getting better. “Our team is a young one being nurtured for bigger things to come. It is being developed for a better future and Test cricket status. Suspending Test matches was a deliberate policy by the board to ensure that the team grows and develops in the interim.”The current team is doing fine,” Chingoka explained. “We wish good luck to those who do not want to play for Zimbabwe because of enticements given to them. Zimbabwe Cricket has not denied any person from playing cricket for the national team. If you were genuine in your efforts to encourage team work, we would have seen the results from efforts to resolve perceived differences and talking to players to play for the country.”Turning to the involvement of the government’s Sports & Recreation Committee, which took control of the board in January and immediately reappointed Chingoka as chairman, he stated: “The SRC has done nothing wrong. Its actions have brought tranquility into sport. Its undue criticism by yourselves is not a surprise because you do not want the game to be spread in order for talent to be tapped nationwide. You are against the SRC because of their stance on this issue. It is sad to note that 26 years after independence you still hold on to archaic ideas.”He also brushed aside allegations that money was missing from the board’s accounts, pointing out that an independent auditor was now at work. “The police have finished their investigations. Our lawyers told us that the former board was guilty of contravening sections of the Exchange Control Act. Consequently no individual is to be charged but the board.He signed off: “Please be advised that it is always good to remove the log in one’s eye before pointing at the speck in another’s.”But the letter also made a number of extremely serious allegations against Ahmed Ebrahim, the former vice-president of the board and a former Supreme Court judge, who led the opposition to Chingoka last year. It also made allegations against Macsood Ebrahim, Ahmed’s son and a former leading administrator and national selector. Those are likely to ensure that this matter is far from finished.

Back in black: Shane Bond returns for the New Zealand Academy © Getty Images

Shane Bond and Jacob Oram will test their recovering bodies when they play for the New Zealand Academy in Cricket Australia’s emerging players tournament in Brisbane in July. Bond, who began his comeback towards the end of last season, and Oram are both returning from serious back problems and will be joined in the squad by Michael Papps, the batsman hit twice in an over by Brett Lee bouncers during an ODI in February.Dayle Hadlee, the team manager, said the outfit was selected as New Zealand prepared to install their short- and long-term succession plans. “There is an exciting blend of experience and youth within the team,” he said. Derek De Boorder and Te Ahu Davis, who are 19, and the 18-year-old Todd Astle will combine with a squad of regular first-class players.Hadlee said the focus of the tournament would be the one-day and Twenty20 matches with teams from the Australian Institute of Sport and an Indian Academy. A three-day match will conclude the series.New Zealand Academy Jacob Oram (capt), Graham Aldridge, Todd Astle, Shane Bond, Te Ahu Davis, Derek De Boorder, Peter Fulton, Bruce Martin, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Hayden Shaw, Ross Taylor.

Neil Mallender and Aleem Dar are to join the elite panel of Test umpires in April following an annual performance review by the ICC.Mallender, 42, played two Tests for England in 1992 and became a first-class umpire in 1999, while Dar, who played domestic cricket in Pakistan between 1986 and 1998, stood in his first Test during England’s tour of Bangladesh last October.”I’m very pleased to be given this opportunity. Making this panel was my aim and having made it to this level I will now be aiming to do my best," said Dar.Mallender, meanwhile, admitted the news was something of a surprise. He said, "I was quite shocked when I was told. To umpire at this level was my aim but it has come around sooner than I expected it would."They will join the established quartet of David Shepherd, Steve Bucknor, Daryl Harper and Rudi Koertzen. Meanwhile, the three umpires who joined in April 2003 – Billy Bowden, Darrell Hair and Simon Taufel – all retained their places.However, the unlucky three to be dropped by the ICC were Asoka de Silva, David Orchard and Russell Tiffin. When Venkat retires next month, the number of umpires to officiate in Tests will drop from 11 to nine.Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said the changes to the panel reflected the strong depth in umpiring round the world. “Over the past two years we have seen a strong group of new umpires emerge,” he said. “Aleem Dar and Neil Mallender have demonstrated that they are ready to take the next step in their careers.”

After watching a close encounter between South Africa and West Indies on Sunday night, I had high expectations when I walked into the Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein. Sadly, it turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Sri Lanka inflicting a thrashing defeat on New Zealand.Stephen Fleming is one of the most experienced captains in world cricket. So the Kiwi game plan for this crucial encounter came as something of a shock for me. Given that they are adamant about not going to Kenya and forfeiting the four points which they would have got otherwise, I would have thought that they would have wanted to win this game desperately.But it all went awry for Fleming and his team. Firstly, they left out possibly the best left-arm spinner in world cricket these days – Daniel Vettori. Secondly, Fleming’s decision to ask Sri Lanka to bat first also backfired as the Kiwi pace men struggled to make early inroads.Even from a distance one could make out that the pitch was devoid of grass and that the spinners would have a major role to play in the game. By opting to bat second, Fleming, then, invited the pressure of batting against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, which effectively meant that he played into the hands of the Sri Lankans.

© Reuters

Experience at the highest level counts a great deal in such high profile tournaments, where the expectations to succeed in every game you play is very high indeed. Sri Lanka were today well served by their experienced campaigners – skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and the evergreen Hashan Tillakaratne. They really made Fleming pay hard for his folly of dropping Vettori, as runs flowed at a brisk rate. Jayasuriya’s century was truly brilliant. The Sri Lankan skipper’s contribution to his team’s success in one-day cricket is simply tremendous to say the least.Even though the Sri Lankan spinners played a major role in squeezing New Zealand into submission, the role of Pulasthi Gunaratne early on should not be forgotten. It was Gunaratne who made the early inroads for Sri Lanka and put New Zealand under enormous pressure.As for Nathan Astle’s dismissal, I just cannot understand what the talented opener had in mind when he took off for that suicidal run. You don’t win a cricket game with such mindless deeds, let alone a World Cup.Craig McMillan’s continued failure might, meanwhile, even jeopardise his place in the team. Thankfully for New Zealand, Scott Styris is turning out to be a revelation. Yet again, he gave his very best, using his feet to the spinners and lashing out at anything loose that came his way. I am quite pleased for him, for it is always nice to see enthusiasm being rewarded. Styris’ hundred today is just a pointer to the more experienced batsmen of the job they failed to do.Congratulations to Sri Lanka. They are now definitely strong contenders to qualify for the Super Sixes from their group. The result must have been double sweet for Jayasuriya, after all the criticism that came his way following the dismal show in the VB series in Australia.The match has yet again showed that the World Cup is still wide open, and as days go by we will see the Super Six emerging. Now that England seems to have almost decided not to make the trip to Zimbabwe, the result of Tuesday’s game between Australia and Pakistan could be a crucial one for India.

SK Nair and S Haridas were elected president and secretary of theKerala Cricket Association in the elections of the Kerala CricketAssociation at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Nair, who is thechairman of the Finance Committee of the Board of Control forCricket in India has been elected president for the first timewhile Haridas was re-elected to the post.The other members elected for a four year period (2001 to 2005)were: Vice Presidents : Dr KN Raghavan, GK Shetty, S RamachandranNair, and C Sneharaj. Joint secretary : Niaz Ahmed Treasurer: TCMathew

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly plotting a summer transfer move for Leeds United winger Jack Harrison, according to The Telegraph. 

The lowdown: Impressive top-flight exploits

The 25-year-old enjoyed a sensational breakthrough campaign in the Premier League at Elland Road having signed permanently from Manchester City for £11million in 2021 (BBC).

Harrison scored eight times and provided another eight assists in 2020/21 and a hat-trick earlier this season against West Ham put the former England youth international in the spotlight once again, despite this campaign seeing a slight drop-off in form overall.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Having made an enquiry during the January transfer window, Spurs could be about to renew their interest.

The latest: Summer swoop pending

As per the report, Tottenham are believed to be ‘planning’ a summer offer for the highly-rated left-winger.

Moreover, it’s claimed that sporting director Fabio Paratici has received a recommendation from Italian icon Andrea Pirlo – who was impressed by the two-cap England Under 21 ace at New York City FC.

The report also states that Harrison could be viewed as an alternative option to Adama Traore after Spurs missed out on the powerful Spaniard in January when moving from Wolves to Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.

The latest: A ‘brilliant’ signing?

Capable of operating in advanced wide positions as well as in wing-back roles (WhoScored), Harrison would appear purpose-built to flourish in Antonio Conte’s system.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Despite the struggles at Leeds this season, the man recently described as ‘brilliant’ by Kevin Phillips has enjoyed a decent campaign in the top-flight, scoring seven times and providing two assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.

Valued at £13.5million and under contract in Yorkshire until 2024 (Transfermarkt), signing the versatile star would be a wholly affordable option and could see Conte cast aside an injury prone Ryan Sessegnon.

In other news: Journalist drops huge claim in Spurs’ pursuit of Serie A hitman. Read more here.