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Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville is reportedly Hamburg’s ‘preferred’ target to join the club before the January transfer window closes.

The Lowdown: Summerville struggles for playing time

The 20-year-old may be one of the Whites’ most exciting young players but he has had to make do with a peripheral role this season.

Summerville’s only start of the campaign to date came in the Carabao Cup, so it could make sense for Leeds to loan him out for the rest of the season.

As deadline day approaches, that still looks to potentially be on the cards, with reports from Hamburg delivering more news on that front.

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The Latest: Hamburg keen on move

According to Hamburger Morgenpost [via Sport Witness], Summerville remains the 2. Bundesliga club’s primary target, as they continue to chase a temporary deal.

It is stated that ‘talks with Leeds are increasingly difficult’, however, so it may be tricky to get it completed before Monday’s deadline.

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

In terms of Summerville’s development, it makes perfect sense for him to seal a loan move away from Leeds this month, having been described as ‘superb’ by Noel Whelan.

It would hopefully allow him more regular football in Germany’s second tier and the experience of playing abroad could help him mature as an all-round footballer.

There seems little benefit for anyone if Summerville ends up staying put in January, sitting on the substitutes bench or playing for the Under-23s.

All that said, with such little depth in attacking areas already at Elland Road, perhaps part of the trouble with the deal is Leeds’ desire to secure their own attacking signing first.

In other news, Leeds have been boosted in their quest to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United are aiming to sign Lazio striker Vedat Muriqi in the January transfer window, according to a new transfer rumour which emerged on Thursday.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Muriqi move

The Whites are yet to make any new signings this month, with Marcelo Bielsa surely hoping to bring in some much-needed squad reinforcements before the deadline – the manager may be without as many as ten players due to injury for the trip to West Ham this weekend.

Leeds were linked with a move Muriqi earlier in the week, who has struggled for playing time at Lazio this season, starting only one Serie A match to date.

The 27-year-old has been compared to Bayern Munich legend Robert Lewandowski, which is sure to whet the appetite of some Whites supporters.

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The Latest: Getting closer

Another update has now appeared, with La Lazio Siamo Noi [via Sport Witness] claiming that Leeds will ‘push to bring’ to Elland Road ‘immediately’.

It is also mentioned that there has been ‘significant progress’ in negotiations, with an initial loan move plus an €8m (£6.7m) obligation now looking increasingly likely.

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The Verdict: Worth a punt?

Muriqi may have had his struggles this season in terms of playing time but he is a gifted striker who could add precious squad depth to Bielsa’s squad.

The 6 foot 4 target man has scored 18 goals in just 37 caps for Kosovo, highlighting his ruthlessness in the final third, and he also bagged 17 in 36 during a spell at Fenerbahce.

At the moment, there is too much pressure on Patrick Bamford to provide end product but signing Muriqi should help alleviate that issue, even if the Kosovo colossus is not starting matches week in week out.

In other news, a journalist has claimed Leeds won’t be signing one player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle failed to move out of the relegation zone as they were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool away from home in the Premier League on Thursday night.

Eddie Howe’s side did take the lead in the game early on as Jonjo Shelvey rifled in an effort from distance after a poor clearance on the edge of the box.

The Liverpool equaliser then came with a degree of controversy as Mike Dean allowed play to go on despite Fabian Schar and Isaac Hayden clashing in the box, with Diogo Jota eventually converting from close range with the latter sprawled out on the floor next to him.

Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold then scored goals either side of half-time to win the match for the home side, with the full-back’s strike almost taking the net off from long range.

Forget Shelvey

Whilst Shelvey scored Newcastle’s only goal in the game, the player who was the real shining light for the Magpies on the night was central defender Jamaal Lascelles. The ex-Nottingham Forest man worked his socks off to keep the score down and made a number of interventions to prevent the Reds from adding to their tally.

Liverpool enjoyed 74% possession of the ball and this meant that the defence had to constantly be on their toes and anticipating danger, with little time to rest in possession as the Toon Army struggled to hold onto the ball. Fabian Schar failed to show his best in this situation, winning one of his six duels and completing 59% of his passes, whilst also being dribbled past twice.

This meant that Lascelles, alongside him, had to step up to almost make up for two centre-backs as his teammate was off-colour. As per SofaScore, the giant won 100% of his ground and aerial duels in the match, whilst making six clearances, two blocks, three interceptions and one tackle. He also completed 75% of his attempted passes and was not dribbled past a single time.

Shelvey, meanwhile, completed 71% of his attempted passes and failed to make more than one interception or one tackle. He also made an error directly leading to a goal as his wayward backpass allowed Sadio Mane through on goal, with Salah scoring from the follow-up to the Senegal international’s shot.

Therefore, Lascelles was undoubtedly the standout performer Newcastle in this defeat as he was able to put in a fine display in spite of Liverpool’s dominance and eventual 3-1 win. He was strong in his defending and did not make any glaring errors, which will surely delight Howe heading into the remainder of the festive schedule – having the skipper back in top form could be the difference between relegation and survival come the end of the campaign.

AND in other news, NUFC liability who lost 83% duels badly betrayed Howe, Shearer thinks he’s a “danger”…

Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, has backed his county colleague Steven Finn to live up to the hype and expectation that his impressive home Test debut against Bangladesh has generated

Andrew Miller01-Jun-2010Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, has backed his county colleague Steven Finn to live up to the hype and expectation that his impressive home Test debut against Bangladesh has generated. Though he cautions against expecting too much too soon, Fraser does not believe that Finn would be overawed at the prospect of leading the attack in Australia this winter.Finn was the outstanding player in the recently concluded first Test, in which used his height and accuracy to claim match figures of 9 for 187, including a second-innings haul of 5 for 87, his first five-wicket haul in any first-class match at Lord’s. His uncomplicated method has led to inevitable comparisons with Fraser’s own career, which was also launched on the true surfaces of Lord’s, and which culminated in 177 wickets at 27.32 in 46 Test appearances.”Steven has been very complimentary about me in the last few weeks, but where he’s at is all down to himself,” Fraser told Cricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast. “He’s got a bit extra on me in a couple of areas – he’s a bit taller and a bit quicker – but if he combines that with a bit of accuracy and some perseverance, he’s going to have a long successful career ahead of him, because as you saw in the Bangladesh game, he’s a very capable young man.”As Bangladesh demonstrated in their attritional batting displays, wickets can be hard to come by on a Lord’s surface that rarely assists the bowlers, except in overcast conditions. But as Fraser recalled from his own playing days, it is surfaces such as these – and the deathly-flat decks that Finn encountered on debut in Bangladesh in March – that can turn promising young bowlers into the finished article.”When I was young, playing at Lord’s, and playing on good pitches in general, really helped, because you’ve got to learn to be disciplined,” he said. “If you’re not, you can leak too many runs. Sometimes you can kid yourself that you’re bowling better than you are, on pitches that are nipping and seaming around everywhere, and then you get to a higher level and play on flat ones and you get exposed.”He’s had to develop that discipline to be successful, and it ingrains the skills you require to exploit pitches that are helpful,” Fraser added, having watched Finn carve Worcestershire apart in a 14-wicket haul on a juiced-up New Road track in April. “He played exceptionally well in that match, and that showed what he can do when conditions are in his favour. Bangladesh are not the strongest team in the world, but he’s shown he can be effective on pitches that aren’t offering assistance.”Finn’s performance was impressive not merely for the wickets that he collected but the level-headedness that accompanied them. In the aftermath of the contest, for instance, he acknowledged the fact that that he had conceded too many boundaries – a total of 24 in 49 overs. “One of his strengths is his self-analysis,” said Fraser. “He sets himself high standards, and he wants to be better than he is each day. He can walk off having taken 9 for 37, but still thinking about a couple of poor balls that he bowled, rather than the nine wickets that he took.”If we’re being honest, there have been games for Middlesex this season where he’s bowled better [than at Lord’s],” added Fraser. “If you want to give him a bit of criticism, he pushed the ball in a bit, whereas this year he’s shaped the ball away from the right-handers a little bit, and he conceded maybe four an over, which is something he’s not keen on.”On the subject of the Ashes, which seems destined to remain the hot topic of the summer, Fraser was happy to endorse Finn’s credentials. Although he guarded against the comparisons with Glenn McGrath and Curtly Ambrose that have already come Finn’s way, Fraser did not believe that such a high-profile campaign would prove too much too soon for a 21-year-old in his first full season of international cricket.”We’re expecting a lot from someone at a very early age, but he is a very capable young man,” said Fraser. “By Brisbane, he might have played eight Tests, so his Test career will be well on its way. Playing there would be another step forward in his progress towards being an international bowler, because he’s got assets that are worth sticking to. When he does get it right he can be a real handful, and he’s got the potential to be a fine bowler.”I do think you can get carried away,” he added. “Names like McGrath and Ambrose are being bandied around, but they are all-time greats who took their Test wickets at under 22. England have not had many bowlers in the last 20 years who’ve taken their wickets at under 27 or 28. He knows and we know at Middlesex that he’s young and he’s going to have the odd bad day and bad game, because youngsters do that. But he’s his own man, and he’ll bowl in his own way, and I think everyone at Middlesex has taken a huge amount of pride at Steven’s progress.”

A near-full house in Nagpur was witness to a fiery match, with Sri Lanka leveling the series with a three-wicket win as runs and wickets flowed in equal measure in good batting conditions

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter18-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s aggression set the platform for Sri Lanka’s successful chase•Associated PressThe second humdinger between these two teams this week ran the gamut from wonderful to what-the-heck as runs and wickets flowed in equal measure in good batting conditions. Sri Lanka leveled the series with a three-wicket win in a match defined by two individual innings, contrasting in style and strength, at either end of a collapse that threatened to give India the advantage and a 2-0 lead.With another evening of thrilling batting, Tillakaratne Dilshan proved right every single reason behind Sri Lanka’s decision in January to open the innings with him permanently. Dilshan’s fifth one-day century, and second in a row, was the dominant force in Sri Lanka clinching this win but it so nearly ended up in another lost cause, if not for Angelo Mathews.Dilshan contributed 63 to a 102-run opening stand, playing with the freedom and control fans have grown accustomed to; then, in the period where India followed up a double-strike with 12 boundary-less overs, he collected his century while ensuring the asking rate stayed in control. There was a massive scare as Sri Lanka lost three wickets, and a limping Mathews was called on to douse the flames. That he did, standing one on leg and coolly striking out the threat of a revved-up India. With eight needed from nine balls the match was on a knife’s edge, but Nehra bowled a full toss, Mathews bunted it to mid-on, and Zaheer let it right through his legs for four.While India’s attack had been spread through the line-up, with Virat Kohli, centurion MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina playing dominant roles, Sri Lanka rode on Dilshan’s shoulders. Needing to score at over a run a ball, he got the chase off to a brisk start. And as often happens, India failed to apply pressure from both ends. If Zaheer allowed just a run off his second over, Praveen Kumar leaked three consecutive fours in his, veering between too wide and too full. Ashish Nehra wasn’t allowed to settle, with both openers punching aerial down the ground, and Zaheer’s length was offset by a manipulative Dilshan. Sri Lanka’s fifty came up in 6.3 overs, most of the runs coming down the ground.It was enthralling batting from Dilshan. Zaheer and Nehra tried to push him back but he rode the bounce, and at times his luck – such as when he danced out to Nehra and edged for four. Whenever the ball was pitched up, Dilshan, at times batting out of his crease, plonked his front foot further forward and clunked powerful drives over mid-off and mid-on.After Virender Sehwag Dilshan comes closest in today’s era to being able to make the bowler bowl where wants them to. Dhoni turned to Harbhajan Singh for the eighth over, slip and leg gully in place. Having come out and gone back to pick the gaps in Harbhajan’s first over, Dilshan had the bowler in two minds. At one point, he twice hurried out to thump the ball down the ground, as he’d spotted the extra flight. Then Harbhajan bowled it quicker and wider, hoping Dilshan would come out to that one as well. Instead Dilshan read it perfectly, stayed in position, and cut it past point for four. The batsman had set the bowler up.When Harbhajan purchased some turn, Dilshan used his crease to get over the ball, nudging it off his pads. A streaky but deliberate edge off Harbhajan for four raised a 31-ball fifty. Harbhajan had some success against Upul Tharanga, who was lured out and then edged a breaking ball to slip where Sehwag snapped a good catch to his left (102 for 1). Dilshan was then responsible for running his captain out, and for the next 55 deliveries India, through Nehra, Praveen and Ravindra Jadeja, pulled Sri Lanka back.Dilshan spent 16 deliveries in the nineties, reached his century, raised his arms, and promptly clubbed Nehra for two dingers that snapped a 12-over barren run of no boundaries. He featured in a 66-run third-wicket stand with Mahela Jayawardene, which ended when Nehra bowled Dilshan with a fine yorker.MS Dhoni ensured that the momentum didn’t fall away after Virat Kohli departed•Associated PressZaheer delivered a further twist in the tale when, with 70 needed from 66, he got Jayawardene to nick for 39. With the rate within grasp thanks to Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby cut out the risks until his first aerial shot, in the first over of the batting Powerplay, was excellently held by a leaping Kohli at mid-on. Two legal deliveries later, a perfect yorker cleaned up Chamara Kapudegera, and the game was India’s to win. But Mathews controlled his eagerness to flat-bat marvelously, nudging and pushing the ball around with the occasional aggressive drive to remain unbeaten on 37. He was outstanding under pressure, and aided by a runner (Kapugedera) picked out the deliveries to put away. Zaheer’s gross error sealed Sri Lanka’s fate.At the halfway mark, the visitors would have considered the target within their reach as the wicket was still good for batting. After deciding to make first use of a pitch virtually devoid of grass, a century stand between Dhoni and Raina, after a shaky start, picked up the tempo for India. Coming together at the fall of Kohli (54), Dhoni and Raina gave India their best phase.Dhoni ensured that the momentum didn’t fall away, working the ball around superbly from the outset, and immediately showing the rich vein of form he is in this year. It wasn’t a pure innings though. Dhoni had edged his first ball for four, was nearly taken at third man when on 11, edged wide of Kumar Sangakkara on 24, and got two more lives in three balls from his counterpart off Ajantha Mendis. Dhoni raised his half-century off 70 balls and thumped a six to celebrate.Dhoni picked the batting Powerplay after 40 overs, just after Raina dumped Chanaka Welegedara for six over long-on. Two more sixes, again hit down the ground with power, pushed Sri Lanka onto the back foot as the pair took on Mendis and Suraj Randiv on in a three-over burst that bled 35 runs. Raina’s fifty came up off 44 balls and that five-over block yielded 50. Looking for his fourth six, Raina picked out deep midwicket, and soon after, Mendis dropped a clanger at cover when Dhoni was on 94. In the same over, Dhoni raised his century, his second in consecutive innings in Nagpur, to a rousing reception.Those cheers were nowhere near as boisterous when Dilshan raised his, but the resonance of the game’s second century was definitely louder.

Wasim Akram has slammed the PCB’s decision to ban four of its players, saying it had made Pakistan cricket a “laughing stock in the world”

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has slammed the PCB’s decision to ban four of its players , saying it had made Pakistan cricket a “laughing stock in the world”, and recommended heavy fines instead. Akram was part of the inquiry committee that investigated Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, whose findings led to the PCB’s decision, but he did not attend any of the meetings due to personal reasons.”These penalties have made Pakistan cricket a laughing stock in the world,” Akram told AFP. “You don’t ban players for such problems. Had I attended any meeting or given recommendations I would have suggested fines, but not bans.”The Pakistan board banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, while handing out one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined Rs2-3 million [$24,000-35,000] for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.Akram said Younis and Yousuf were valuable to the team in both Tests and ODIs and their unavailability for selection would damage the 2011 World Cup campaign. “What I suggest to PCB is to stick with heavy fines, but don’t implement the bans because we still need Yousuf and Younis in Tests and one-day cricket. With the World Cup in 2011 so close, this decision will hurt our team badly.”The bans were handed down by an inquiry committee comprising former players Wasim Bari, Zakir Khan and Yawar Saeed, besides Wazir Ali Khoja, a member of the PCB governing council, and Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor. The committee looked into reports from former coach Intikhab Alam, manager Abdul Raqeeb and newly appointed coach Waqar Younis, who was the bowling consultant during the Australia tour.Akram, however, said that this was not how disciplinary problems should be resolved and that it was the duty of the team management to deal with them. “Pakistan cricket is in turmoil,” Akram said. “We are anyway not playing [international] cricket [at home] for security reasons and this will further embarrass our players. No board in the world deprives cricketers of their livelihood. If there were discipline problems, it was the duty of the captain Yousuf, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Abdul Raqeeb to deal with them.”I have been hearing since last year that Malik has been a disruptive influence. If that is so, why was he kept in the team? Pakistan has already been weakened by various problems and this will further hit it badly. We can’t even find 11 good players because of lack of talent in the country.”

Wolves’ Premier League clash with Chelsea this weekend is still going ahead ‘as things stand’, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers, but it’s ‘definitely not nailed on’.

The Lowdown: Wolves take on Chelsea

Wanderers picked up an important 1-0 victory away to Brighton in midweek, with Romain Saiss’ goal earning them all three points.

Next up for Wolves is Sunday’s visit of Chelsea, with the Blues’ form dropping in recent weeks, having looked like title favourites at one point.

It is a chance for Bruno Lage’s side to record a significant victory, as they look to show they can finish in the European places season.

The latest: Spiers gives key update

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Spiers said Sunday’s game is still going ahead currently, but warned the fixture is not set in stone due to the issues within the Blues’ squad:

“Nope definitely not nailed on, as things stand Wolves are fine but Chelsea have a number of cases so it depends how bad their situation is today/tomorrow.”

Spiers’ update went under the radar somewhat – just one of his nearly 60,000 followers saw and liked the tweet.

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

The weekend clash is an exciting one on paper and a chance for Wolves to clinch a huge scalp, so the hope is of course that it still goes ahead.

Lage’s men are arguably facing Chelsea at an ideal time, with Thomas Tuchel’s side only winning two of their last five Premier League games, while they will want to avoid a fixture pile-up further down the line.

That being said, it is still a huge challenge for Wolves, who will be desperate to go one better and improve on their narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool and Manchester City.

In other news, Luke Hatfield wants Wolves to make a move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Mohsin Khan, the former Pakistan batsman, has been appointed the chairman of selectors by the PCB. The 54-year-old would begin his duties “with immediate effect”, the board informed in a statement

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2010Mohsin Khan, the former Pakistan batsman, has been appointed chairman of selectors by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Mohsin, 54, will begin his duties “with immediate effect”, the board said in a statement.Mohammad Ilyas, Salim Jaffer and Azhar Khan will continue as regular members while Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman will continue as co-opted members of the Selection Committee.Mohsin played 48 Tests, scoring 2709 runs at 37.10, and also has 1877 runs in 75 ODIs at 26.81. He made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies in March 1977 and played for Pakistan till 1986.His appointment followed Iqbal Qasim’s resignation in January as Pakistan’s chief selector, following the side’s disastrous tour of Australia. The team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series in one of Pakistan’s most dispiriting campaigns in recent years.Mohsin becomes the third Pakistan chief selector in less than a year (the fourth if a temporary stint by Wasim Bari last year is included), following on from Qasim and Abdul Qadir, who also resigned last year as Pakistan were on their way to winning the World Twenty20.It is believed Mohsin’s role will be that of a full-time selector and thus a paid post, as opposed to Qasim’s stint, which was an honorary one. During the administration of Nasim Ashraf, Mohsin was a board regional director, based in Karachi.Surprisingly, he has not been given a specific timeframe just yet. “There is no specific period for Mohsin’s tenure, as it all depends on the circumstances,” Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, told . “The PCB has also appointed Iqbal Qasim till the 2011 World Cup. But he had to resign. Therefore, Mohsin will continue till the next decision.”

Nathan Reardon and Chris Hartley saved Queensland from embarrassment on the first day against New South Wales in Canberra, where the Bulls stumbled to 4 for 18 after choosing to bat

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2012
Scorecard
Nathan Reardon and Chris Hartley saved Queensland from embarrassment on the first day against New South Wales in Canberra, where the Bulls stumbled to 4 for 18 after choosing to bat. At stumps, Queensland had recovered to 7 for 198, with Ben Cutting on 23 and Cameron Gannon on 4, after the loss of Reardon for 71 late in the day.Doug Bollinger picked up two wickets from the first three balls of the match, trapping Wade Townsend lbw for a golden duck and Usman Khawaja lbw for a second-ball duck. Bollinger’s fellow left-armer Josh Lalor then got rid of Joe Burns for 1 from 30 deliveries and Peter Forrest for 17 to leave the Bulls in serious trouble, before Reardon and Hartley staged a recovery.Their 117-run partnership put the match back on a slightly more even keel, although both men had lives early – both dropped by Steven Smith. Reardon was put down on 2 and Hartley on 8 off the bowling of Bollinger, and the misses proved costly for New South Wales.Eventually it was the debutant legspinner Adam Zampa who removed both batsmen, before the captain Steve O’Keefe chipped in with the wicket of Nathan Hauritz.

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that there is still no timeframe in regards to Christopher Jullien making a Celtic return, as reported by Jo Hendry.

The Lowdown: Jullien’s terrible 2021…

The 28-year-old hasn’t featured for the Hoops for almost 12 months now after suffering a serious knee injury against Dundee United just after Christmas 2020.

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The Frenchman, labelled as ‘excellent’ by former Hoops boss Neil Lennon, is yet to feature under Postecoglou, who brought in a number of defensive additions over the summer.

Jullien returned to training back in October, but he hasn’t managed to feature in a competitive match for the Bhoys in the current campaign.

The Latest: No timeframe…

Postecoglou confirmed on Wednesday prior to the meeting with Hearts that Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic would be available to fact Hearts tonight.

However, Carl Starfelt and Giorgos Giakoumakis remain sidelined, while no timeframe has been given in regards to Jullien’s return.

The Verdict: Not ideal…

It’s been more than six weeks since Jullien returned to training, so it appears as if the Hoops are being extremely cautious when it comes to the centre-back.

Celtic have a very busy month ahead with nine fixtures in all competitions, so it isn’t ideal being without Starfelt and still having no timeframe when it comes to the French centre-back.

Hopefully, we will learn more on Jullien before the end of the year, but at this moment in time, it appears as if we may not see the 28-year-old defender until 2022.

In other news: Nicholson ‘plans’ to sell ‘terrific’ Celtic ace in record-breaking £25.5m deal.