Winchester’s dreams of another trip to Lord’s in the ECB Indoor Cricket Championships were dashed by a 22-run defeat by Newport.The Hampshire champions struggled to assert themselves in the cramped Sandown Grammar School sports hall and were dismissed for 61, having restricted the Islanders to 83-5.Winchester have also failed to cling on to the South Hants Indoor League championship at Fleming Park.BAT Sports snatched the title in the final game of the season when Lymington, the overnight leaders, weresurprisingly beaten by Sarisbury Athletic.
Northants have revealed that they made an approach to former England all-rounder Chris Lewis in an attempt to lure him out of retirement.The club are currently missing fast bowler Darren Cousins, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.”Chris was one of the options we looked at. Unfortunately we couldn’t come to an agreement financially,” admitted Northants’ Director of Cricket, Bob Carter.Lewis, who played 32 Tests and 53 One-Day Internationals for England, retired during the winter citing a long-term hip injury as the cause. But Carter believes that he could have still performed a valuable short-term role for Northants.”I saw him bowling in a Masters game on television and he looked good,” Carter continued. “But he would have needed to prove his fitness if we were going to take the thing further. In the event, it never came to that.”At the end of the day we can look at a short-term signing or even at getting someone in on loan. But at the same time we have other bowlers at the club and it’s a chance for them to show what they can do.”The club will be boosted by the news that John Blain will return from international day as part of Scotland’s ICC Trophy squad.
West Ham have been handed encouragement in their January pursuit of a striker, with chairman David Sullivan also ready to give him a salary increase to tempt him to London.
West Ham scour for new centre-forward ahead of January
West Ham’s desperate search for a striker to drag them clear of the relegation zone is intensifying, with manager Nuno Espírito Santo prioritising attacking reinforcements as the January window approaches.
The club’s urgency has been sharpened by Niclas Fullkrug’s impending departure, with AC Milan now set to sign the Germany international on loan after he made clear his desire to leave the London Stadium in search of regular football.
Fullkrug arrived for £27.5m just 18 months ago but has failed to make any meaningful impact, leaving West Ham scrambling to identify suitable replacements who can provide the goals desperately needed for their survival battle.
Kaio Jorge has emerged as a potential target, with reports suggesting West Ham could make a £22 million bid for the player who has impressed in the Brazilian Serie A.
The 23-year-old would provide youth and resale value, though questions remain about whether he possesses the physicality and experience to make an immediate impact in the Premier League.
West Ham also reportedly have renewed interest in Championship options, including Norwich City’s Josh Sargent and Coventry City’s Haji Wright.
Sargent is apparently valued at around £17.5m and fits the profile of a physical presence with proven domestic pedigree, but his average seven-goal return this season raises concerns about his current form and effectiveness.
Forward 'expected to complete' West Ham move as Nuno beats Wolves to top target
He’s believed to be closing in on an east London move.
ByEmilio Galantini
Then, there is Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.
The reliable David Ornstein says West Ham have enquired about the Norwegian heading into January, with Hammers News now sharing another update this morning.
Jorgen Strand Larsen 'open' to joining West Ham next month
According to their information, The Old Gold are poised to demand around £45 million to sell their centre-forward after West Ham’s contact.
What’s more, Strand Larsen is apparently open to joining West Ham in January, and Sullivan could sway him to the London Stadium with a ‘pay hike’ to further entice him.
The 25-year-old has interest from other suitors as well, so it isn’t exactly a one-horse race, but West Ham appear to be making the most ground right now.
Strand Larsen’s form this campaign has been desperately poor, with the Norway international managing just one Premier League goal from 15 appearances after netting from the penalty spot.
He’s scored three times across all competitions in total, including two strikes against West Ham in the EFL Cup earlier this season.
In-depth West Ham transfer coverage — subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe to the newsletter for focused breakdowns of West Ham’s striker hunt — Kaio Jorge, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Jorgen Strand Larsen — transfer fees, fit and trade-offs explained to help you follow the club’s choices. In-depth West Ham transfer coverage — subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe to the newsletter for focused breakdowns of West Ham’s striker hunt — Kaio Jorge, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Jorgen Strand Larsen — transfer fees, fit and trade-offs explained to help you follow the club’s choices.
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The dramatic decline represents a stark contrast to his impressive debut campaign at Molineux, where he registered 14 goals and four assists in 35 Premier League matches, establishing himself as Wolves’ leading scorer and attracting significant interest from top-flight rivals.
Standing at 6 foot 4, Strand Larsen offers the physical presence and Premier League experience that’s been missing from their recent striker signings.
Alan Shearer has called him a ‘nuisance’ of a striker, and Newcastle were believed to be chasing Strand Larsen before ultimately signing Nick Woltemade instead.
West Ham in pole position to re-sign former star after holding talks with him
Scorecard Delhi Giants scored an easy win over Ahmedabad Rockets after being set a paltry target of 108 in Panchkula. Avishka Gunawardene was unbeaten on 55 as the Giants lost only one wicket and knocked off the runs in 15.3 overs.The Rockets struggled right from the start, losing three wickets in the first four overs. TP Sudhindra got a wicket with his first ball as Sachin Dholpure inside-edged the delivery on to his stumps. Two run-outs pegged them back further: Wavell Hinds was caught short by an alert Ali Murtaza for 5 in the third over and Abhinav Bali knocked over Murray Goodwin’s stumps in the next.The 62-run fifth-wicket partnership between Damien Martyn and Sridharan Sriram revived the spluttering innings briefly, but the run-rate remained sluggish. Martyn tried to lift the momentum as he drove and pulled Shane Bond for two fours in an over. But Bond broke the partnership when he ran out Sriram for 32 in the 18th over.Three balls later Martyn, the innings’ highest scorer, was caught off Jai P Yadav. Reetinder Sodhi hit 11 off four balls to take the Rockets to 107. His six, slog-swept over midwicket off Yadav, was the only one of the innings.The Giants raced to 66 in their first ten overs, and though they lost Monish Mishra for 18, Gunawardene was in fine attacking mode. He took medium-pacer Rakesh Patel for 17 runs in an over, which included two sixes and a four. Gunawardene also reached his fifty with a six in only 36 balls. At the end of 15 overs, the Giants needed just nine more to win, and Bali finished it off with three successive fours.With this win, the Giants have four points and are on top of the table along with Lahore Badshahs, who have played a game less.
Stuart MacGill believes it is “naïve” to think sport and politics do not mix as Australia wait to make a decision on whether to tour Zimbabwe in September. MacGill refused to go on Australia’s last trip there in 2004 and said the situation had “deteriorated enormously” since.The one-day side is due to arrive in Zimbabwe after the Twenty20 world championships in South Africa and the Australian government has expressed its concerns about touring. However, Cricket Australia can only avoid a $2m ICC fine if the decision to abandon the trip is based on security concerns.”It’s naive to think that sport and politics don’t mix,” MacGill said in The Australian. “You have to look at things from all angles and make your own mind up about the sorts of things that are important to you and that you have a bigger part to play in the world community than just on the sporting field.”MacGill, who is a Test-only player, is not in a position to boycott the tour and is unsure whether any of his team-mates are considering it. “I don’t know and I’m careful not to discuss it with anyone because I’d hate to think I’m making their mind up for them,” he told the paper. “I’m not an activist, I’m not making a stand, it’s just something that I didn’t feel comfortable doing.”MacGill made his choice in 2004 after speaking to Andy Flower, the former Zimbabwe batsman. “On an individual level, there was a lot to feel uncomfortable about travelling as a sporting team over there and so I decided I couldn’t go,” he said. “If anything, it has deteriorated enormously.”The paper reported Cricket Australia was likely to send a delegation to Zimbabwe in August. “We don’t have our heads in the sand … but we have very strict obligations under the ICC’s future tours program,” Peter Young, the Cricket Australia spokesman, said.
Bennett King, the coach of West Indies, has hit on the experience factor in both his side and India as they battle it out in the five-match one-day international series. King, with a relatively young and inexperienced squad, summed up the series as one that would rely on senior players to pull through.”Both teams rely on experience to pull through and probably are also the teams who have inexperienced bowling attacks, so that way it has been pretty similar from them so far,” King told Press Trust of India. King singled out Brian Lara’s role in West Indies’ series-levelling win at Kingston, too: “[Brian] Lara has a lot of experience and what I like about him is that he believes in taking risks. Such things add a lot of value.”King termed working with the present West Indies team as both an exhilarating and frustrating experience. “These guys are wonderful athletes. I mean, we have four or five cricketers who are exceptional in terms of movement across the ground,” he said. “And it is not just cricket, even those in rugby rate a few of our players who are better than even them. Dwayne Smith for instance is once in a lifetime athlete. He brings a lot of value to the side in the field. He is only 21, so in terms of experience he is still a puppy.”As for the bowling, King said there was room for improvement in a side he judged would stay pretty much the same for next year’s World Cup. “Edwards’ pace is down a bit but he can be a handful. Jerome Taylor can swing the ball and Bradshaw has been good but still we have some work to do in this area,” he said. “It’s more or less the key but there are a few players outside this mix who we are keeping our eyes on. But World Cup is still nine months away and things canchange.”Both King and Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose unbeaten 98 proved the fulcrum of West Indies’ innings in the previous match, stressed on the batting and sluggish pitches in the Caribbean as the reason for low-scoring contests. “We lost early wickets in Sabina Park the other day and ended up around 200. Other teams would still have gone up to 250, so that’s the area where we need to work upon,” was King’s take, while Sarwan added: “I personally feel a total of 260-270 is going to be a good total on the Caribbean pitches.”
Bangladesh have arrived for their maiden tour of England. The team landed at Heathrow Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning, and after a stopover in London they have travelled up to Cambridge where, tomorrow, they launch their campaign with a three-day fixture against British Universities.It is the start of one of the most widely overlooked Test tours in history. England’s sole focus is on the first Test against Australia on July 21, but for the Bangladeshis themselves, this is by some distance the biggest moment of their fledging Test careers. Consequently, for their coach, Dav Whatmore, it is the experience on offer, and not the results, that is of greater importance when the playing gets underway.”Success or otherwise is certainly not measured in the scoreline,” Whatmore told journalists at Fenner’s, as his team continued their acclimatisation process. “It is measured in other areas. Essentially we want to show progress and push the opposition as hard as we can, and there will be objectives both for individuals and the team as well.”Bangladesh have played 36 Tests to date, and given that they have won just once, and lost on 31 occasions – 20 by an innings – Whatmore has understandably set his sights low. “Playing on the fifth day of Test matches is very much an objective,” he added. “Being the underdogs is a reality. It is a huge challenge but along the way we have already managed to have some good times. That is probably the best tonic you can get as a coach with a developing team.”The steelier side to Bangladesh’s cricket has been on display since Whatmore came on board in 2003. They performably creditably in Australia, gave Pakistan and England several moments of discomfort, and then finally achieved their maiden Test victory in January this year, when they beat Zimbabwe in Chittagong. Soon afterwards, they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in a tense five-match one-day series against the same opponents.”Our team is just realising the opposition is the same as us, with two arms and two legs,” said Whatmore, who added that they were looking forward to taking on some familiar faces from England’s inaugural series in October 2003. “These conditions are totally different, but it is always nice to play against an opposition you have played before to judge yourselves.””We have three or four players who in time will be stars,” emphasised Whatmore. “That is the big difference between the two teams now. Other teams already have big match-winning stars but we are still in the process of creating those.”With an average age of 22, the chances are that Bangladesh will become a force to be reckoned with within the next five years. For the time being, however, they have a chance to test their skills against a team of a similar age-group. Their opening fixture, against British Universities, ought to be an evenly matched contest, with the Universities side being captained by the young Essex batsman, Mark Pettini.
Simon Jones has been omitted from England’s 12-man team to take on Jamaica at Sabina Park, as the tour of the Caribbean begins in earnest. Jones, who arrives in Kingston this evening, was, as expected, rested until the second warm-up match against the Vice-Chancellor’s XI which begins on Friday. In his absence, Rikki Clarke has been given an unexpected opportunity to stake a claim for a second allrounder’s berth.In Jones’s absence, England have entrusted their seam-bowling duties to Steve Harmison, James Anderson and Matthew Hoggard. England’s batsmen, meanwhile, are fully expecting a traditional Caribbean welcome, especially with Jamaica’s young fast bowler Jermaine Lawson looking to regain his Test place.”You expect a bit of chin music when you come to these parts,” said Michael Vaughan. “When you go to Sri Lanka you practise against spin and when you come to these parts you practise the shorter stuff a bit more.”But Vaughan was unconcerned at the prospect of taking on the quicks. “We’re used to this sort of bowling more so than facing Murali on dusty pitches in 100 degrees heat,” he added. “It’s going to be hot out here, but the lads are generally used to facing seam and fast bowling.Lawson is the most high-profile of a below-strength Jamaican team, with many of their bigger names resting after victory in the semi-final of the Carib Beer Cup. He has taken 29 wickets in seven Tests to date, including a matchwinning haul of 7 for 78 against Australia last May. But he has since been sidelined, partly because of a back injury, and partly because of being reported to the ICC for a suspect bowling action.”We don’t know a great deal about Jermaine Lawson,” admitted Vaughan, “but he’s obviously had a bit of a rough time and he’s making his comeback so it will be interesting to see how he goes. I’m sure he will be looking to impress and get into the West Indies squad.”Jones aside, England have named something approaching their first-choice XI, with the first Test due to begin at this very venue on March 11.Jamaica 1 Brenton Parchment (capt), 2 Bevon Brown, 3 Shawn Findlay, 4 Danza Hyatt, 5 Lorenzo Ingram, 6 Dwight Mais, 7 Matthew Sinclair (wk), 8 Evon McInnis, 9 Donovon Pagon, 10 Mario Ventura, 11 Jermaine Lawson.England XII 1 Michael Vaughan (capt), 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Rikki Clarke, 8 Chris Read (wk), 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson, 12 Matthew Hoggard.
South African provisional 24-man Under-19 squad to tour England in 2003This squad will be reduced to 15 after a training camp in May 2003.Easterns – Jaco Booysen – Right-hand batsman Western Province – Ryan Canning – Wicket-keeper, Right-hand batsman Western Province – Andrew Cronje – Right-hand batsman; right arm medium Free State – Rieel de Kock – Right-hand batsman; Leg-spin Northerns – Abraham de Villiers – Wicket-keeper, Right-hand batsman Western Province – Jean-Paul Duminy – Left-hand batsman Northerns – Francois du Plessis – Right-hand batsman, Leg-spin Western Province – William Hantam – Left-arm medium, Left-hand batsman KwaZulu-Natal – Imraan Khan – Right-hand batsman Northerns – Heinrich le Roux – Right-hand batsman, Right arm fast KwaZulu-Natal – Wayne Madsen – Right-hand top-order batsman Northerns – Frans Nkuna – Right arm fast Boland – Vincenco Penazza – Right-hand batsman, Right arm medium Northerns – Aaron Phangiso – Left arm orthodox spin Western Province – Vernon Philander – Right arm fast KwaZulu-Natal – Tyron Pillay – Leg-spin Easterns – Brendan Reddy – Right arm fast, Right-hand batsman Boland – Waylin September – Left arm orthodox spin KwaZulu-Natal – Darren Smith – Wicketkeeper KwaZulu-Natal – East Springer – Right-hand batsman Eastern Province – Craig Thyssen – Right arm medium Free State – Thandi Tshabalala – Right-hand batsman Gauteng – Vaughn van Jaarsveld – Left-hand batsman Free State – Divan van Wyk – Left-hand batsman Coach: Dave Nosworthy Assistant coach: Nqaba Matoti Manager: Morgan Pillay
Somerset Sabres entertain Gloucestershire Gladiators in the Norwich Union National League at The County Ground tomorrow.Somerset Coach Kevin Shine is only too well aware of the importance of the match for his side after they lost disappointingly against Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge last weekend.”This is a big game for us, a local derby in front of a large crowd, and it’s on Sky television,” the coach told me on Saturday morning.The last time the two sides met in a one day match was at Taunton on May Day Bank Holiday Monday, when Somerset were the victors. On that occasion Gloucestershire were without Mark Alleyne and ‘Jack’ Russell, and their return to the team will no doubt add an edge to the fixture.”The squad will be the same as we had at March against Cambridge on Wednesday,” the coach said and went on. “It’s very likely that Jamie Grove, who bowled beautifully on Wednesday will retain his place and play on Sunday.”