Punjab’s 27-year-old medium pacer Bharath Bhushan ripped through theServices batting on the opening day of the North Zone Ranji Trophyleague match at the Air Force Station ground in New Delhi on Friday.An unchanged spell of 12 overs got him figures of eight for 51 asServices were shot out for just 87 runs in 25.1 overs. By close,Punjab had rubbed salt into Services’ wounds by scoring 217 for fouroff 50.5 overs.Opting to bat, Services ran into trouble early and never recovered.Only three players P Maitrey (14), SD Nadkarni (17) and JP Pandey (20)reached double digits as Bhushan proved to be quite unplayable.When Punjab batted, medium pacer Syed Javed removed Ravneet Ricky (1)and Manish Sharma (18) with only 23 runs on the board. But skipperVikram Rathour and veteran Pankaj Dharmani added 173 runs for thethird wicket off 37.5 overs to place their side in command. Rathourwas out for 83. He faced 123 balls and hit 12 of them to the ropes.Dharmani came in unbeaten with 92 at stumps. He has so far faced 153balls and hit 13 fours and a six.
West Ham United are reportedly among the clubs interested in signing Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, who will have a release clause briefly come into play this summer.
What’s the latest?
According to Football League World, the 24-year-old had a £10m release clause in his contract with the Cottagers last summer after their relegation from the Premier League which has since expired, with the defender still plying his trade at Craven Cottage.
However, it has now been revealed that a new release clause will come into play for a very brief period at the start of the summer transfer window.
The west London outfit look set for an instant return to the top flight as Championship winners after a stellar 2021/22 season, with Adarabioyo a major contributor to that feat.
However, despite looking likely to re-establish his credentials as a Premier League player with Fulham, the defender has been subject to plenty of interest from current top-flight clubs, with the Hammers among those who have taken a shine to the centre-back.
With the possibility of being able to sign the former Manchester City player for a cut-price fee, West Ham must stay alert, with the 24-year-old certainly a bright prospect.
West Ham must sign Adarabioyo
Amid injuries, suspensions and prosecution from the RSPCA, this season has seen David Moyes forced to tinker with the Irons’ defence, particularly whilst juggling the demands of four different competitions.
Kurt Zouma has established himself as the Scotsman’s first-choice centre-back, despite the 28-year-old being prosecuted by the RSPCA after a video of him kicking his cat emerged online.
However, the identity of Zouma’s partner has been a talking point throughout the campaign, with Craig Dawson the current favourite ahead of Issa Diop while Angelo Ogbonna recovers from an ACL injury. However, at 31 years of age and with just over a year left on his current contract, the Englishman isn’t a long-term solution.
With the Hammers currently sixth in the league, there is still a strong chance of them securing European football for a second consecutive season, with the east London club also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they will take on Ligue 1 side Lyon.
If they are to achieve that feat once again, GSB will need to invest in adding depth to Moyes’ squad, particularly at centre-back, with Adarabioyo a strong candidate.
The 24-year-old has helped Fulham to keep 10 clean sheets in his 33 appearances this term, averaging 3.7 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game whilst also enjoying an 87% passing accuracy. Moreover, at 6 foot 5, the Englishman is a towering presence at the back, winning 72% of his aerial duels.
Having come through the ranks at Manchester City, the £17k-per-week defender is of good pedigree and will surely be keen to prove himself once again in the top flight, having been relegated with Fulham last season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Furthermore, at 24, the centre-back is blessed with bags of potential whilst also possibly being available for a cut-price fee due to the aforementioned release clause.
Whilst at Blackburn Rovers, Adarabioyo’s then-teammate Darragh Lenihan was full of praise for the defender, saying: “He’s brilliant. His distribution is excellent, he’s quick, he’s big, he has all the attributes. I’ve said to him that he has all the attributes to play for Manchester City in my opinion.”
After such a strong campaign in the Championship, it’s hardly surprising that Premier League clubs are sniffing around for the Fulham defender, who would certainly seem a shrewd signing for the Hammers.
In other news: West Ham must swoop for “spectacular” £16k-p/w “pure talent” with shades of Payet
Yuvraj Singh has been charged with dissent for standing his ground after his dismissal on the second day of the Melbourne Test. Match referee Mike Proctor has set the hearing for this evening, half an hour after stumps, and will decide the extent of punishment.Yuvraj, still to get off the mark, drove at a ball from Stuart Clark and was given out caught behind. He stood his ground for a few moments, suggesting that he wasn’t happy with Billy Bowden’s decision. Replays didn’t reveal much but the snickometer showed that there was indeed a fine edge.Yuvraj, coming off a sensational hundred against Pakistan in Bangalore, was brought in at No.6 for this Test. It meant Rahul Dravid, who normally bats at No.3, was moved up the order with India playing only one specialist opener alongside him. The tactic was a talking point before the game and will continue to prompt more debate, now that both Yuvraj and Dravid struggled in the first innings.
It is being reported that several members of the England squad have been fined for what was described as a “breach of discipline” following Friday’s defeat by New Zealand.It emerged that some players went to a nightclub in St Lucia immediately after the six-wicket loss. Those involved were fined after a team meeting at the squad’s hotel on Saturday.Andrew Walpole, the England media manager, declined to name those who had been fined or the exact nature of the offence. “The England team management today announced that a number of England players had been fined by the head coach, Duncan Fletcher, after admitting to a breach of team discipline last night,” Walpole said in a statement.”The decision followed a team meeting at noon today which was attended by all the players and management.”
Zimbabwe’s national team players have been barred from playing for the Mashonaland team in the country’s only limited-overs first-class competition, the Faithwear One-Day tournament, that begins on Monday.Cricinfo has been told that the disputed Mashonaland Cricket Assoction board, led by its controversial chairman Cyprian Mandenge, yesterday removed the names of players from the six top clubs in the province who were expelled from the provincial association last year. The six affected clubs are Harare Sports Club, Old Hararians, Alexandra, Takashinga, Universals, Old Georgians and Universals.The provincial teams are picked by the panel of national selectors. But the new Zimbabwe head convener is Bruce Makovah, who was last week appointed by the new Zimbabwe Cricket interim. Makovah, who is also the Mashonaland head selector, previously said he will not pick players from the established clubs. The reason for this can be traced back to last October when Makovah and Mandenge led a pitch invasion at Harare Sports Club where they allegedly threatened players and racially insulted others.The skeleton Mashonaland team to play against Matabeleland on Monday is made up of players from the development side, and is coached by Claudius Mukandiwa, who was also involved in the pitch invasion.The other members if the selection committee are national team coach Kevin Curran, who is widely reported to be unpopular with many national players, and Kudzai Shoko, the general manager of the National Academy who is said to have close links to Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute.By Sunday afternoon, most professional players did not know whether they would play, while a few had approached other provinces asking to be selected by them instead.
Sri Lanka Cricket has launched a relief fund called Cricket-Aid to help victims of the Asian tsunami disaster on the island. The fund will focus on providing immediate emergency relief at the start – managing four camps for displaced victims – and then helping to construct permanent housing for 200 families and orphans."The holocaust of the tsunami has killed past cricketers, upcoming cricketers, officials, friends and supporters of Sri Lanka Cricket," board president Mohan de Silva said at an official launch broadcast live on national television. "Cricket has thrived because of its large following and the board unanimously agreed that we should come forward and provide support in this hour of need."The disaster fund is being headed by former cricket board president Thilanga Sumaithapala and is being supported by cricketers at various levels, their families and board officials on a voluntary capacity. The plan is to raise US$2 million at the outset through charity cricket events, general corporate fundraising and the sale of memorabilia and merchandise.Sri Lanka Cricket have already set-up relief camps in Matara, Dambulla and Badulla. Another camp has been earmarked for Galle if a suitable space can be identified. Victims will be given food, clean water, shelter and have access to health care and counselling. The camps will be largely staffed by volunteers and run in association with the government. The board hopes to house at least 1000 victims at the outset.The long-term goal, though, is to provide permanent high-quality housing for at least 200 families who lost their homes in the disaster. Four `Cricket Villages’ – as they have been coined by the cricket board – have been earmarked for Killinochi in the north-east and Ampara in the east, both areas that were particularly badly hit, as well as Matara in the deep south and Kalutara on the west coast.Each village will include 50 individual two-bedroom homes with access to clean water, a proper sewage system, electricity, schools and various other community facilities. Each house is expected to cost US$5000 to build and the board aims to have the first settlements ready in eight months. The government is helping to identify suitable land."Many of those that lost their lives were ardent lovers of cricket, who cheered us and stood by us throughout the years," said Sri Lanka’s captain Marvan Atapattu. "It is our solemn duty to return the gesture by assisting them in their time of dire need.” And he appealed to potential donors: “Please be generous in your contributions to our effort".So far seven current cricketers playing in board-organised tournaments have been confirmed dead, while numerous have lost friends and family members. Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Chandana, Dilhara Fernando and Nuwan Zoysa all had family members caught up in the disaster. Muttiah Muralitharan had a narrow escape, coming within minutes of being caught up in the giant waves.
Close India A 216 for 4 (Ramesh 110, Chopra 66) trail New Zealand 375 for 7 dec (Richardson 128, Oram 101*, Munaf 3-83) by 159 runs ScorecardSadagoppan Ramesh staked a strong claim for a national team recall with a fluentcentury as India A progressed to 216 for 4 at stumps on the second day against the New Zealanders at Rajkot. Stephen Fleming had earlier declared the NewZealander’s innings at 375 for 7, once Jacob Oram had completed a power-packed and entertaining hundred.Akash Chopra (66) gave Ramesh solid support, with a dogged display that combined long periods of calm with several glides and drives. The New Zealanders, after a lukewarm second session, were rewarded with four wickets in the last hour of play, when they stuck to a consistent plan.It was a day when the run-feast continued, with Oram bludgeoning the jaded India A bowlers, and Ramesh and Chopra – with contrasting styles – laying the foundation for an effective riposte.Oram made full use of a dried-up pitch and a disinterested bowling attack,muscling away the full-pitched balls, which were available aplenty. Oram reverse-swept Kartik twice and reached his hundred, at which point Fleming called them in.The second session was similarly uneventful, and Chopra’s vigil and Ramesh’sfinesse ensured that a rock-solid foundation was laid. Chopra was initially uncomfortable against every bowler, survived a huge lbw appeal against DarylTuffey and was foxed a couple of times by Daniel Vettori. He not only survived the test but also managed to get on top of each bowler as the day wore on.Ramesh showed flourish right through his innings, and a keen eye assisted inpendulum-smooth drives and punched square cuts. He left the short balls for Robbie Hart, flashed rarely at the wide ones, but always cashed in on the loose deliveries. At the fag end of the day, it was Tuffey’s excellent short one that finally undid him, cannoning high into the bat before lobbing up to Fleming.Connor Williams and Mohammad Kaif were both dismissed rather tamely, a result ofthe New Zealanders sticking to their task while the batsmen lost concentration at the end of the day. In the absence of Bond’s incisiveness and Cairns’ experience, the New Zealanders will have to rely hugely on their planning and consistency. Neither Vettori nor Paul Wiseman got any purchase from the pitch, and on this display they will hold few fears for the Indian batsmen. Tuffey, Oram and Styris stuck to a definite plan but its execution over two Tests will take a lot of doing.When Chopra and Ramesh were going strong, Fleming might have remembered the lastTest he played at Ahmedabad, when Ramesh, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly enjoyed a sumptuous feast of runs. He has tomorrow, and then four more days, to chalk out a masterplan that will avert a repeat of the same story at the Motera.Day 1 Bulletin
A Lack of funds and foresight will leave the West Indiesunderprepared for their forthcoming series in Pakistan,wherever it is staged.A late start to the Busta Cup tournament on January 25, theday the team is scheduled to leave, means the selectors haveto name the squad of 15 and judge form and fitness withoutany first-class cricket since the end of the series in SriLanka on December 21.The itinerary gives the West Indies only one three-day warmup match against a President’s XI, scheduled for January28-30, prior to the three back-to-back Tests and three One-Day internationals.It compounds the uncertainty over where the tour will takeplace following the stated position of the West IndiesCricket Board (WICB) that it be moved to a neutral venuebecause of uncertainty over the military action across theborders in Afghanistan to the west and India to the east.The usual week-long pre-tour camp has been planned forTrinidad prior to the team’s departure, but a moremeaningful alternative would have been two four-day trialmatches over the next two weekends after which the squadwould be chosen.In the event, such matches merited first-class status tofurther ensure their competitiveness. The seven omitted fromthe original 22 would have been stand-bys, a crucialconsideration in light of the several withdrawals fromrecent tours.Both WICB president Reverend Wes Hall and chairman ofselectors Mike Findlay have acknowledged that this scenariohad not been considered and, even if it had been, it wouldhave been too costly at a time when the WICB’s finances werestretched.Although most of those under consideration have beeninvolved in Busta trials for their individual territories,these lack the intensity necessary to properly guide theWest Indies selectors or to prepare the players for thechallenge of a series against strong opposition.The Pakistanis have not played Test cricket since last Junein England as a result of New Zealand’s cancellation oftheir series there in September in the aftermath of theterrorists attacks in the United States.They have been engaged in their domestic Quaid-e-Azam Trophyfirst-class tournament and will have two Tests against lowlyBangladesh in Bangladesh over the next two weeks to sharpenup for the West Indies.
Gloucestershire showed that the victory was worth waiting for as they beatWorcestershire by five runs at New Road in the NatWest Trophy third round match which had to be replayed because Worcestershire had included an ineligible player – 19 year-old quick bowler Kabir Ali – in the first match (which they had won).For a time it seemed that the home county would prosper again. Glenn McGrath(4-23), who struck first in his opening over, spearheaded the attack which dismissed Gloucestershire for 163 in 49.3 overs, an apparently inadequate score. McGrath, who had been presented with his International Cricketer of the Year award the previous evening, trapped Bob Cunliffe right at the start of the innings. Experienced campaigner Kim Barnett (26) prospered for a time untilhe cut a ball from Leatherdale into the hands of Hick at slip.Ian Harvey brought greater respectability to the score by hitting 32 at morethan a run a ball. Yet what the Australian ace could achieve the comparatively unknown quick bowler James Averis (4-36) repeated. His victims included Graeme Hick, the opposing captain, and Vikram Solanki. Solanki’s extended run of limited-overs low scores can do little for his confidence for the forthcoming NatWest Series. Ryan Driver, man-of-the-match in the first match, now was dismissed without scoring.So well did he bowl that after a confident start by Paul Pollard (55) theWorcestershire batting fell away completely. Ian Harvey, like McGrath, had broken through in his first over – Elliot Wilson being the batsman. Poor light and tight bowling kept the runs down to a trickle. At 141-9 they looked out of the picture until Steve Rhodes (43) threatened to turn a tight contest. He was bowled eventually by Martyn Ball with just three deliveries of the match left.This win pitches Gloucestershire straight into a fourth-round match withLeicestershire at Grace Road tomorrow.Gloucs deserved to win – HonestGloucestershire coach John Bracewell admitted his side had played their`get-out-of-jail free’ card to defeat Worcestershire in today’s NatWestTrophy third-round replay at New Road.”We have played our `free’ card and now we have to be a little more honestinour performances than we were the first time we played Worcestershire – when we weren’t honest to ourselves.”Worcestershire coach Bill Athey said: “We are bitterly disappointed”
As per Mundo Deportivo, West Ham United are gearing up for the summer transfer window as news emerges on Udinese star Gerard Deulofeu and the Irons’ own winger Jarrod Bowen.
The Lowdown: Bowen shines for West Ham…
Before his recent injury, West Ham’s star attacker and contender for their 2021/22 player of the season was seriously turning heads with an array of brilliant performances.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-3/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
Called ‘really important’ by David Moyes, the 25-year-old ranks among the best attacking players in the Premier League, with calls also made for him to be given an England nod.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate will be handed food for thought by Bowen’s form over 2021/22 as clubs also circle for his signature.
Sharing an update on both the winger and West Ham transfer target Deulofeu, Mundo Deportivo share some interesting news.
The Latest: Moyes green-lights transfer target Deulofeu…
According to the Spanish news site, Hammers boss David Moyes has personally set his sights on the ex-Watford and Everton forward as a possible replacement for Bowen.
Indeed, the report stated that ‘everything points’ toward the latter’s summer exit as West Ham draw up a list of candidates to succeed him.
Deulofeu, who has been brilliant for Udinese this year, is now on that shortlist, having been given Moyes’ seal of approval.
The Verdict: Right man?
Once called ‘unstoppable’ for his form at Goodison Park by former Everton left-back Michael Ball (Twitter), we believe that Deulofeu could be an astute heir to Bowen if the West Ham star does exit east London this year.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As per WhoScored, before Udinese’s clash with Roma today, the 28-year-old has averaged a similar, sometimes better, rate of shots at goal, key passes and completed dribbles per 90 when compared to Bowen.
West Ham are further boosted by reports that they could sign Deulofeu for just €20m (£17m), a fairly affordable fee for someone in their prime and in fine form.
In other news: West Ham could make great offer to sign £45m-rated star as another big exit claim emerges, find out more here.