Punjab beat Haryana by five wickets at the Harbax Singh Stadium at Delhi toclaim two points in the Ranji One-Day championship. Winning the toss andopting to bat first, Haryana saw their best laid plans go wrong. Able tomuster just 203 before they were all out in 48.3 overs, the Haryana sidecould not stop the rampaging Punjab side. All the Punjab bowlers were amongthe wickets, with Harbhajan Singh (3/29) returning the best figures.In response to the modest total, Punjab suffered an early loss as SandeepSharma was dismissed with the score on 43. Skipper Vikram Rathour (49) andstumper Pankaj Dharmani (55) then forged a 64 run partnership that putPunjab in the driver’s seat. Although a few more wickets were lost, all theremaining Punjab batsmen chipped in and saw their team through to victoryby five wickets with more than seven overs to spare.
West Brom have seen many players come and go from the club over the past few years on loan spells and permanent deals.
As happens with many teams, some transfers don’t always go according to plan in terms of what happens when they arrive at the club.
One example of a transfer that falls into this category for the Midlands club is their move for defender James Chester back in the 2015 summer window from Hull City for a fee of £8m.
Throughout the 2015/16 season, the Welshman, who was reportedly picking up a weekly wage of £33k-per-week at the Hawthorns, made just 19 appearances across all competitions for the Baggies under Tony Pulis, starting just 14 of them.
Despite predominantly being a centre-back, the 33-year-old only played in his natural position on two occasions, finding himself being deployed on the left and right full-back positions more often than not.
In the 13 league appearances he made in a West Brom shirt, the defender managed to rack up five yellow cards and a rather uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.71 from WhoScored.
With just one season and 54 weeks as a Baggies player to his name, the club moved him on to their Midlands rivals Aston Villa in August 2016 before he then joined Stoke City in 2020, meaning that West Brom wasted a total sum of £9.7m on his transfer fee and weekly wages.
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the club wasted their time and a substantial amount of money on bringing Chester to the Hawthorns, who has since described his time there as “frustrating” due to his lack of regular game time.
Looking back over his disappointing stint with the Baggies, it begs the question of whether things would have been different had he have been given a consistent run in the team playing in his natural position rather than as a full-back every now and again.
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Either way, it’s hard to see the defender as anything other than a rather underwhelming signing from the club, who would have been better off saving their money or using it more wisely on a player better suited for what they needed at the time.
In other news: WBA surely having nightmares over “unbelievable” dynamo whose value has rocketed 2033%
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has downplayed reports of a rift that has emerged between the national selection committee and the team’s management over a number of issues, mostly revolving around the make-up of the team.The schism first emerged on Pakistan’s tour to India, with what appeared initially to be a miscommunication over the identity of a replacement player. The selectors, in apparent agreement with the coach and captain, had initially agreed on calling up Abdur Rauf as replacement for the injured Umar Gul.Having announced it officially during the second Test at Kolkata, the board changed tack later that evening and decided to send Rao Iftikhar Anjum instead. It is now understood that Shoaib Malik, the captain, and coach Geoff Lawson had wanted Iftikhar Anjum all along and convinced the board directly later, thus bypassing the selection committee.Since then, Cricinfo has learnt, there have been continuing disagreements over the playing XI in the current series against Zimbabwe. The selection committee has been keen to use the opportunity to blood new players in various positions. In particular, they were adamant that Nasir Jamshed should make his debut as opener; the team management, as well as Malik were instead eager to use Kamran Akmal as opener and play an extra bowler in place of Shahid Afridi.Before the series began, a heated debate is said to have taken place between Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of selectors, and Geoff Lawson, the coach, over the matter. But as a result of a recent policy shift, it is now the selection committee that decides on the final playing XI during a home series.Jamshed has thus played and made an immediate impact in his first twoODIs. But Pakistan have also appeared a bowler short in both games, struggling to bowl out Zimbabwe with only three specialist bowlers and five realistic bowling options in total.Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, didn’t deny the reports, but sought to play them down instead, claiming them to be nothing more than everyday professional tussles. “Everyone is operating within their sphere of responsibility,” he told reporters in Hyderabad.”Both the selection committee and team management have separately told me in the last few days that they have a good relationship. If they don’t disagree on matters during meetings, what is the point of having these meetings at all? This is healthy debate and not signs of a rift.”Sources close to the matter maintain, however, that the issue is swiftly developing into more than just professional differences in opinion. One source adds that there has been another run-in with Malik following Pakistan’s win in the first ODI at Karachi. The last selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, was widely thought to be little more than a rubber-stamp for Inzamam-ul-Haq’s choices while he was captain, particularly towards the end of its tenure. The current committee, the first in Pakistan’s history to employ full-time, paid selectors, is understandably keen to avoid a similar situation with Malik and eager to assert its authority.Ashraf also played down the contents of a report by manager Talat Ali following the tour to India, in which, according to a couple of local newspapers, the contributions of Younis Khan, Gul and Shoaib Akhtar have come under fire. The report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the board’s governing committee in Karachi on January 25.”We expect everybody to give an honest opinion in a respectful way,” said Ashraf. “We expect the manager and the coach to do this in their reports. The governing board is looking at the issue and the report will be discussed professionally. The idea of these reports is not to apportion blame but to learn from mistakes on future tours.”
Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, has refused to be drawn in to speculating about the World Cup pitches, most of which have been relaid for the tournament beginning on March 13, and has said that his team was “fully equipped” to deal with any conditions.India, he asserted, were motivated more towards winning their matches. “I don’t want to go there [to the Caribbean] with any pre-conceived ideas that wickets will be slow or fast. I believe that we’ve got the team that can do well in all conditions if we play to our potential,” he told reporters.Dravid said that the Indian team had the talent to take on the big challenge ahead: “Our chances in the World Cup are good. Hope we play to our potential. We have the talent and it’s only a question of our performance now. [The] World Cup is a unique event. If you get on a bit of a roll there you can crack whatever the opposition you are facing like we did the last time. It’s a question of performance in the two months that matters”.Questioned about a certain lackadaisical attitude in the side, Dravid replied: “Honesty is the best way to get the message across to a non-performer. I think we’ve to be honest to people. Not that we’re trying to find a solution for them. We always believe that we try to make every one a better player”.
England kick off their tour of India tomorrow with a three-day warm-up game at Mumbai and Andrew Flintoff says he’s now better equipped to play spin than he was on his last tour here in 2001-02.Flintoff aggregated just 26 runs in five Test innings on his previous tour and was dismissed by a spinner each time. “When I came in 2002, I had just got back into the England side. My bowling improved no end but the batting didn’t quite go according to plan. I think now I’ve got a better knowledge of my game,” he told reporters at the team hotel in Mumbai.”I’ve got a basic technique and method of playing now which I trust, slightly more patient and my shot selection is a lot better than it used to be. It’s by no means perfect but I feel I approach an innings or even practice a lot better. Yes, I’ll be keen to score a few more runs than I did last time. Twenty six won’t be too hard to beat.”Though he failed with the bat, as a bowler Flintoff matured in India. Prior to the 2002 tour, Flintoff averaged 66.42 per wicket and though he took just six wickets in three Tests in India, he conceded just 2.05 runs an over and since then, he averages 30.42. “Before I used to just run in and bowl quite negatively, just trying to bowl maidens and keep the runs down. Although I did that a little bit out here, I think in Bangalore I came in and bowled and took wickets and from there I think I kicked on as a bowler.”Citing how England had a varied and complete pace attack, Flintoff downplayed the absence of a proven spinner in their squad. “There’s the swing of Hoggard, the pace, bounce and movement of Harmison. We’ve got Simon Jones who is able to swing the new ball and reverse the old one and then what I do. So I think on the seam front we’ve got most bases covered. And on the spin front, you know we’ll have to wait and see, we have got two left-arm spinners and an offspinner. We’ve got every confidence in them as a side. And so we’ll just have to see what happens over the next few weeks.”
England last toured India in December when it is relatively cooler across the country but this tour coincides with the onset of the summer. “Coming from England where it is minus 2 to 38-40 degrees, it’s a bit of a shock,” said Flintoff. “But if you look at the side, I think most of us have played in conditions like this before. We’ve played in Sri Lanka, where in places like Galle and Colombo it’s 40-45 degrees so after the initial shock you kind of get used to it. We have been training now for five to six weeks, getting ready for the tough conditions ahead of us. So it might be uncomfortable but I don’t see it as a major problem.”England lost Andrew Strauss for the third Test in Pakistan in December 2005 because his wife was giving birth and they could face a similar situation with Flintoff in India. “My wife is four weeks away from giving birth again. It’s something I intend to be home for. But as I said before, with Holly, she was a month early so there is no plan at this stage. It could happen anytime. If it is halfway through the first Test match there is not a great deal I can do. I am not making any major plans at this stage. I’m going to see what happens.”England take on the CCI President’s XI tomorrow and will return to Mumbai for the final Test against India. The city will remember Flintoff for his shirt-waving celebration after his three-wicket burst in the final ODI helped England level the series. “It’s an amazing place to play. It was a one-day game, the last of six. I think I had a ten-second moment of madness. Coming back out here is great. Playing in front of 70000 people in a ODI was a great thrill. It’s a great place to be. It’s a great place to play cricket.”
Warriors 137 for 6 (Henderson 52) beat Lions 136 for 5 (van Jaarsveld 55) by 4 wickets Scorecard Tyron Henderson took the Warriors to their first PRO20 Series win of the season when they narrowly beat the log leaders, the Lions, by four wickets at Buffalo Port in Port Elizabeth.Sent in to bat the Lions innings never gained the momentum it required despite a quick 55 off 29 balls from Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Mfuneko Ngam and Robin Peterson, with two wickets each, were instrumental in keeping the pressure on the batsmen.Chasing a target of 137 nearly proved too much for the Warriors as they lost three wickets in the first five overs. Henderson’s 50 got them back on track while Pieter Strydom took them to the win in the 20th over.Eagles 132 for 2 (van Wyk 80*) beat Western Province Boland 129 for 8 (Tsolekile 52, Deacon 3-16) by 8 wickets ScorecardAt Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein Morne van Wyk played a captains innings for the Eagles as Western Province Boland again failed to impress, losing by eight wickets.Thami Tsolekile was the only WPBOL batsmen to come to terms with the Eagles bowlers, as he scored 52 out of a total of 129. The top order had failed miserably having been 10 for 4 after four overs.With a relatively small target of 130 the Eagles paced their innings well to score the winning runs with two balls to spare. Van Wyk was in a class of his own as he batted through the innings for his 80 off 69 balls.
Craig Wishart will undergo an MRI scan at Adelaide on Tuesday to determine the extent of damage to his knee after injuring it in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match against Western Australia at Perth. Wishart twisted his left knee while batting and was unable to resume his innings.Brad Robinson, the Zimbabwean physiotherapist, said that the extent of damage would be known only after the scan. "At the moment the knee is swollen and sore and Craig has trouble putting weight on the joint. He had surgery to repair a torn cartilage in the same knee about five years ago but at this stage we cannot determine if this is a related injury or something entirely different."Zimbabwe play their third warm-up game, against Australia A, on January 7 at Adelaide, before starting their VB Series campaign with a match against Australia on January 11.
Tasmanian lower order batsmen Sean Clingeleffer and Damien Wright batted South Australia out of the game and put their side within striking distance of an outright win at stumps on day three of their Pura Cup match at Adelaide Oval today.SA was 2-66 in its second innings at the close of play, with opener Ben Johnson on 34 and Ben Higgins on seven, still needing another 208 runs to make Tasmaniabat again.It was the third straight day of dominance by the Tigers, after they started the day at 3-291 in their first innings, already leading by 91 runs after dismissing SA for 200 in its first innings on day one.Captain Jamie Cox started the day on 144, with Daniel Marsh with him at the crease on 63, but Marsh was trapped LBW by leg spinner Peter McIntyre withoutadding to his score today, giving the Redbacks some hope of crashing through the Tasmanian lower order.McIntyre also dismissed Cox in the opening session, caught sweeping at deep backward square leg for 174 after a marathon innings lasting more than eight hours.McIntyre bowled 24 consecutive overs from the southern end from the start of the play today for a spell of 2-61 which finished midway through the second session,after he bowled just seven of SA’s 97 overs yesterday.Left arm paceman Mark Harrity bowled Scott Kremerskothen (26) four balls after the Cox dismissal and the Tigers were 6-349, SA having taken 3-58 in the first24 overs of the day in its best period of the match.But a patient partnership of 123 between wicketkeeper Clingeleffer (66 not out) and all-rounder Wright (55) destroyed any chance SA had of working its way backinto a competitive situation and broke the Redbacks’ spirit.The pair batted for almost 40 overs in a stand that lasted more than two hours and took the Tigers to 6-472 nearing tea.It was the third century-plus partnership of the Tasmanian innings and five Tasmanians made half-centuries or better.All-rounder Mike Smith eventually trapped Wright LBW to break the partnership then had Shannon Tubb (one) caught at square leg in his next over, at which stage Cox declared the innings at 8-474, a first innings lead of 274.Tasmania then made quick inroads into the SA top order, David Fitzgerald caught behind for a duck off David Saker’s bowling in the second over.Saker bowled a superb spell of 1-6 in his six overs late today, including five maidens.Wright then captured the crucial wicket of SA captain Greg Blewett (21), when he edged a drive to Marsh at first slip.If Tasmania can snare the eight wickets needed to take outright victory tomorrow it will join Western Australia in equal second position on the Pura Cup table with one round of matches left before the final.
With heavy storms in Colombo, NCC will be grateful that they were able to beat Matara SC with ease and secure a much needed two points. However, having already lost to CCC and with last weeks clash against Colts SC being abandoned, NCC still face a tough battle if they are to qualify for the semi finals of the Premier League Limited Overs tournament.They were too strong for a lackluster Matara side at Maitland Place today. The Southern Province side was bundled out for just 135 in 49.4 overs. In reply, NCC lost only two wickets and had 27.1 overs to spare.NCC won the toss and elected to field first, mindful of the threat of rain later in the day. Their decision was immediately rewarded with a wicket with Ravindra Pushakumara’s opening delivery of the match.Matara then rallied with a 52 run stand for the second wicket. Chandra Guruge led the way with 30 from 80 deliveries.However, just when NCC were getting somewhat concerned, they broke the partnership, and Matara’s middle order collapsed in a heap. They lost six wickets for 15 runs, including two run outs. Were it not for Ravin Nirmal, who scored an unbeaten 30, they would not have reached three figures.The NCC batsmen were rarely troubled in reply. Led by South African tour hopefuls, Kumar Sangakkara (57*) and Russel Arnold (35*), they cruised to victory with just enough time to avoid the torrential downpour.
Celtic have shown over the past few years that they are not shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club that can strengthen their squad and push the team forward.
However, it seems as though one of their most valuable players at this moment in time is one that the club didn’t need to spend a penny on.
As a product of the Hoops’ youth academy, the midfielder made his senior debut back in July 2015 in a Champions League qualifying clash against KR Reykjavik under former Celtic manager Ronny Deila.
Since then, the 28-year-old has racked up a total of 369 appearances for the Parkhead side across all competitions, scoring 57 goals and providing 67 assists along the way.
With 2242 minutes under his belt in the league this season across 26 appearances, Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers are the only outfield players to have had more time on the pitch than the Hoops midfielder, highlighting how important he is to the team.
In those appearances, the Scotland international has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.14 according to WhoScored, making him the joint-seventh highest rated player currently in Ange Postecoglou’s squad alongside Kyogo Furuhashi, who has eight league goals to his name.
Praised for his “outstanding” performances in the past by the 56-year-old Hoops boss, the £30k-per-week maestro has undoubtedly turned himself into a vital figure for the club, especially since the manager named him as the new Celtic captain following the departure of Scott Brown last year.
Back in October 2014, not long after he made his senior debut for the Parkhead club, Transfermarkt rated McGregor’s market value listed at £675k, whereas it now stands at £6.75m, making him the most valuable player at the club as well as the sixth-most valuable player in Scotland.
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Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the club hit the jackpot by unearthing and developing their former youth prospect into an important first-team figure, who will now be hoping that he can lead the rest of his teammates to glory at the end of the season by winning the SPFL title.
In other news: Nicholson can land Ange’s dream Celtic signing in 24 y/o gem who’s “desperate to win” – opinion