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Martin Crowe has called for a complete overhaul of the way New Zealand are managed after an innings loss in Adelaide that he described as “our worst moment in Test cricket”

Cricinfo staff02-Dec-2008
Martin Crowe says Ross Taylor is a terrific player but appears to be “getting really confused” © Getty Images
Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, has called for a complete overhaul of the way New Zealand are managed after an innings loss in Adelaide that he described as “our worst moment in Test cricket”. The defeat at the hands of Australia meant New Zealand fell below West Indies on the ICC Test rankings and they now sit eighth, ahead of only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.Crowe said he was so disappointed with the top order’s self-destruction that he left the Adelaide Oval at lunch after seeing several batsmen throw their wickets away in a session when they lost 5 for 48 and any hoping of saving the Test. But he did not blame the players, who he believes became increasingly confused under the outgoing coach John Bracewell.”We’ve put a coaching regime in place and they have got in the way of the development of these talented cricketers,” Crowe said on . “The last five years have been probably the most destructive to our game in the history of our game.”The new coach Andy Moles is taking over ahead of this month’s home series against West Indies and Crowe said it was up to Moles to change the culture of the group. Crowe was particularly angry that in recent times the young players were being asked to fill out forms after each day’s play and assess their own and each other’s performances.”I’m sorry but this is just not the way you go about allowing sportsmen, allowing cricketers to express themselves and I find it quite sickening to be honest,” Crowe said. “You’ve got to allow cricketers to be themselves, you’ve got to allow them to be individual and you’ve got to ask them to be self-sufficient.”I just want it all cleared out. Give the kids a chance to just be what they can be and I’m sure they’ll respond in time. Ross Taylor is a terrific player and he’s a hell of a bloke and he wants it badly but you just sense along with his mate Jamie How that they’re getting really confused.”New Zealand have had success as a one-day team during Bracewell’s five years in charge and are ranked fifth, above England, Sri Lanka and West Indies. But as a Test unit they have struggled to be competitive and have often seemingly still been in a limited-overs mode when patience was required, as it was on the fourth day in Adelaide.”They looked fearful,” Crowe said. “They’ve gone from showing some signs that they can get in behind the ball but today it was just atrocious. That’s a mental thing – that means that someone has got into their mindset and they’ve got to a point where they can’t actually think properly.”However, Crowe was hopeful that a new coaching regime might bring some positive changes. “Let’s hope that Andy Moles and Dan Vettori can just put a smile on people’s faces and let them have a beer at the end of the day,” he said. “Let them relax, let them be human beings.”

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Sparta Rotterdam midfielder Abdou Harroui, as reported by TuttoMercatoWeb.

The Lowdown: Harroui profiled

Harroui is 23 years of age and has been with his current employers since 2018, making 103 appearances, scoring 18 times and registering 13 assists.

Capable of playing as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder or on the right, he has also made 13 appearances for Netherlands at under-21 level.

He appears to be at the top of his game with his career-high £3.15m Transfermarkt valuation, and it seems as if Villa are keen on his services.

The Latest: Villa links

TuttoMercatoWeb shared a story on Saturday claiming that Harroui is ready to leave Sparta Rotterdam.

The report added that Villa are ‘strong’ on the player, with a significant development possible over the weekend.

The Verdict: A shrewd signing?

Harroui has plenty of experience and is only just 23 years of age, so a late summer move could be a shrewd piece of business by Villa.

He is also into the final 12 months of his contract, so there could be a chance that Villa may sign him for less than his Transfermarkt valuation.

Villa missed out on long-term target James Ward-Prowse from Southampton after he signed a new deal at St Mary’s, so bringing in Harroui instead could be a smart move, both financially and in the long run in regards to the Dutchman’s development.

In other news: Source shares reason for ‘unsung hero’ leaving Villa Park. 

Ashwell Prince has rated himself a 60% chance of being fit for the Sydney Test, where South Africa will aim for a clean sweep having secured their first series win in Australia on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff31-Dec-2008
Ashwell Prince has not been part of the Perth and Melbourne wins but he is hoping to play at the SCG © Getty Images
Ashwell Prince has rated himself a 60% chance of being fit for the Sydney Test, where South Africa will aim for a clean sweep having secured their first series win in Australia on Tuesday. Prince was part of what he called a “proper party” on the night of the historic victory, which he had watched from the sidelines after suffering a thumb injury before the first Test.Their celebrations included a boisterous rendition of in a joyous huddle in the middle of the empty MCG four hours after the winning runs were struck. Prince said the team would be back to business in a hurry as they aimed to complete a 3-0 win that would earn them the No. 1 Test ranking and would give them the perfect start to 2009 after a brilliant 2008.”We’ve come a long way as a team,” Prince said after the squad arrived in Sydney on Wednesday. “We’ve won in most countries over the last 12 to 18 months. The only place we didn’t win [the series] in was India, but we came away with a draw. The guys are very confident of their own ability and very proud obviously of what we have achieved and we’re looking forward to building on that and going from strength to strength.”The captain said Australia set the standard over the last decade and obviously we don’t want to go on a dip after just winning one series. We want to sustain that sort of performance for a long time.”Prince said he was a 60-40 chance to play at the SCG, although the selectors will face a quandary if he is available. His replacement JP Duminy starred in both the Perth and Melbourne triumphs and he would be desperately unlucky to be dropped following his 166 at the MCG.”We all knew what calibre JP Duminy brings to the team and he didn’t disappoint and all credit to him,” Prince said. “I think the way he handled himself in both the first and second Tests was superb for a young guy in his debut series.”

A round-up of the second day’s play in the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2009Group A
Yasir Arafat snapped up six more wickets, but SNGPL’s lead of 106 may be massive in a low-scoring game © AFP
Wickets continued to fall at the Union Bank Limited sports complex, where Aizaz Cheema’s six-wicket haul proved decisive in garnering Pakistan International Airlines a handy lead. Having been dismissed for just 200 on day one, PIA allowed Habib Bank Limited’s openers to go into stumps on 24 for 0. Then Cheema took over after Najaf Shah opened the doors with two early wickets. He ran through the lower order to finish with 6 for 52 and if not for Shahid Afridi’s 80-ball 73 HBL would have had to settle for far less than 171. Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper, collected seven catches behind the stumps. The HBL spinners Afridi and Danish Kaneria struck back to reduce PIA to 77 for 3, but by then a potentially crucial lead of 106 had been established.Medium-pace again dominated in Rawalpindi. First Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited’s Asad Ali snared 5 for 51 to help bowl Khan Research Laboratories out for 133, thus securing a 12-run lead, but a spectacular collapse triggered by Yasir Arafat followed. Arafat, who took four wickets in the first innings, ran through SNGPL with 6 for 36. He removed the openers for 0 apiece and, backed by Shoaib Akhtar’s two wickets, reduced SNGPL to 94 for 8 at stumps. How crucial their lead of 106, in a match where ball has outdone bat, will turn out to be remains to be seen. Asad Ali’s wickets had accounted for KRL’s middle and lower middle order, but Arafat’s ten for the match left the game wide open.Mohammed Naved’s eight wickets pulled Lahore Shalimar back into the game and Abid Ali’s maiden first-class hundred helped them inch towards stability at the Gaddafi Stadium. From an overnight 270 for 5, Water and Power Development Authority were kept to 330, with Naved taking career-best figures of 8 for 128. Nawaz Sardar could only add 20 to his overnight century and there was little resistance from the lower order. Lahore’s innings began poorly – they were soon 19 for 2 – but Abid Ali added 92 with Suleman Khan (25) and an unbeaten 77 with Raza Ali Dar (31 not out) and took the total to 188 for 3 at stumps. His unbeaten 101 consumed 141 balls and included 16 boundaries.Wajid Ali’s slow century and useful contributions low down the order from Shehzad Butt (40) and Haaris Ayaz (57) got the total to 390, and three National Bank of Pakistan wickets capped a good second day for Sui Southern Gas Corporation in Karachi. SNGPL had made slow progress on day one, scoring 251 for 5, and Wajid came out in the same vein. His 101 took 241 deliveries but also smoothed over a double loss at 281, and Butt and Ayaz dug in to get the score close to 400. Fawad Alam, the Pakistan allrounder, struck thrice to finish the innings. But NBP proceeded to lose three of their own in a flurry, and slumped to 17 for 3. The openers failed to score, and when Naumanullah departed for 9, NBP were in trouble. Cue an attacking, unbeaten 106-run alliance between Umar Amin (60 from 60 balls) and Alam (50 from 50) but, trailing by 267, NBP are still far from safety.Half-centuries to their top order enabled Karachi Whites take an 87-run lead over Pakistan Customs on day two at the Quaid-e-Azam park, where Karachi resumed on 43 for no loss and the openers Asad Shafiq (73) and Ali Asad (70) extended the stand to 139. A wobble followed, with Fawad Khan taking 4 for 10 with his part-time medium-pace. Khalid Latif, the Karachi captain, stuck around to finish the day unbeaten on 66 and found support from Javed Mansoor to add 70 for the sixth wicket.Group BMore joy for the medium-pacers at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, where 16 wickets fell on day two. From an overnight 148 for 9, Multan were taken to 187 thanks to Mohammad Irshad’s 33. Then Rawalpindi were bowled out for 121, Abdur Rauf taking 5 for 39 and every other bowler also succeeding in striking. But then Multan’s batsmen combined to flop again, slumping to 50 for 6 by stumps. The wrecker-in-chief was the first-innings hero Rizwan Akbar, who took his tally to ten for the match so far with 5 for 22. No batsman applied himself – top-scorer Sohaib Maqsood’s 20 needed 19 deliveries – and Multan would be unduly putting plenty of pressure on their bowling attack if they fail to build on a 116-run lead.Matters improved somewhat for Group B’s table-toppers, Abbottabad, who restricted Islamabad to 234 and then whittled the deficit down to 49 by the close of play at the Diamond Club Ground. Having crumbled to 163 on the first day, Abbottabad turned in a tidy bowling effort. There were not massive hauls or destructive spells, but the wickets were shared and no home side batsman was allowed to cross 50 bar the opener and captain Raheel Majeed (57). Ghulam Mohammad and Usman Khan, Abbottabad’s openers, scored 31 without loss in the 17 overs remaining in the day.Sialkot made good progress against Hyderabad at the Jinnah Stadium. The day didn’t start their way, as the opener Aqeel Anjum moved from 86 to 104 and Nasir Awais (44 not out) helped Hyderabad from 197 for 7 to 252, but an efficient response helped it get better. Kamran Younus (89) and Naeemuddin (69 not out) put on 139 for the first wicket and then Bilal Hussain contributed 43 in a 90-run association for the second. Sialkot finished on 238 for 2, within striking distance of taking a first-innings lead.At the National Stadium, Shaizab Hasan’s 156 helped Karachi Blues take a 151-run lead over Lahore Ravi. Azam Khan struck twice early in the morning to unsettle a promising start, but Hasan, the Karachi captain, notched up his maiden first-class century. It was largely a one-man effort – Hasan faced 172 balls and hit 23 fours and three sixes and no other batsman crossed 48, thanks largely to Azam’s 5 for 82. However, constructive efforts from the lower order took Karachi to 373 for 8.Faisalabad dominated the second straight day against Quetta at the Iqbal Stadium, where the captain Ijaz Ahmed jnr’s unbeaten 229 prompted a declaration at 447 for 8. Ijaz, who had represented Pakistan four times in the middle-to-late 1990s, batted 318 balls for his stellar innings, and Mohammad Salman made 90. Confident with the total, Ijaz declared the innings and looked on as his medium-pacers struck early to leave Quetta 80 for 3.

Leicester City will be looking to make it six points from six when they take on West Ham United in the first Monday Night Football of the new season this evening.

The Foxes saw off a stubborn Wolves side on the opening day of the campaign, with Jamie Vardy’s well-taken header proving to be the difference between the two sides.

A trip to the London Stadium should provide another stiff test for Brendan Rodgers’ charges, and the Northern Irish tactician will once again have to cope without several key players for the trip to the capital.

New signings Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard have joined the likes of James Justin, Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana on the sidelines, but the return of Timothy Castagne will be a much-welcomed boost.

And midfielder James Maddison is fit to play after sustaining a knock to his back in last weekend’s game, with Rodgers confirming his availability in Friday’s press conference.

“James has looked fantastic in training, so he’s okay,” the former Celtic boss revealed.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast believe Rodgers will line his team up against West Ham in tonight’s encounter…

Kasper Schmeichel played every minute of Leicester’s Premier League campaign last term and is set to continue that run in between the sticks against the Hammers.

In defence, Rodgers has very little room to make any changes given the extensive list of absentees through injury and illness. Castagne’s return will give him soon breathing room, but the Belgian international is unlikely to feature from the off.

That means a back four made up of Luke Thomas, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey and Ricardo Pereira is set to start for the second consecutive fixture.

Ahead of the backline will be the dependable duo of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans. The midfield pair have developed a formidable understanding over the last couple of campaigns and are amongst the best engine room operators in the division.

Rodgers’ only change from the 1-0 victory over Wolves last time out is likely to see Kelechi Iheanacho replace Ayoze Perez on the right-wing.

The former Newcastle United ace has struggled in the opening stages of 2021/22, meaning Iheanacho could come into the starting lineup in place of the £16.2m-rated creative talent.

Harvey Barnes, Maddison and Vardy will make up the rest of the forward line as the current FA Cup holders look to continue their strong start to the season.

And, in other news…Forget Perez: Rodgers must unleash Leicester’s “incredible” £18m-rated gem vs West Ham 

Mark Cameron, the New South Wales fast bowler, could join Shane Warne as a player-coach in the Indian Premier League

Alex Brown03-Feb-2009
Mark Cameron has impressive skills on and off the field © Getty Images
Mark Cameron, the New South Wales fast bowler, could join Shane Warne as a player-coach in the Indian Premier League, with Kolkata Knight Riders interested in procuring his services. Matthew Mott, a coach with New South Wales and Kolkata, has spoken with the franchise’s executives about the possibility of recruiting Cameron for the forthcoming season.Cameron, who has played 11 first-class games and six Twenty20s, has been a strong contributor for the Blues in recent seasons, helping not only with the ball but also in a coaching capacity. He has developed a system that allows coaches to monitor player workload, which has proven successful at state and national level in Australia.Mott was hopeful of employing Cameron for both his bowling and coaching abilities. “I have left it with [Kolkata], but I think he could do a great job as both a player and a coach,” Mott said. “I have told people what I think, but have stayed away from the negotiations.”A potential sticking point to Cameron’s proposed move to the IPL is a back injury sustained during New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield victory over Tasmania. Cameron, 28, bowled with the assistance of painkillers to collect five wickets for the match, and will undergo scans this week to determine the severity of the injury.Mott has been active in scouting Australian talent for Kolkata this season. He played a significant role in the Knight Riders’ signing of the young allrounder Moises Henriques for a contract worth up to $US300,000.

Many Aston Villa fans have been angered on Twitter following news that Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez will miss their clash against Chelsea on 11 September due to quarantine legislation as a result of making themselves available for international duty with Argentina [avfc.co.uk].

In the difficulty which surrounds travelling around the world during a global pandemic, the duo have reached a compromise with their club. Both players will head to South America to participate in World Cup qualifying fixtures against Venezuela and Brazil, although they will not take part in Argentina’s following match against Bolivia [avfc.co.uk].

They will both miss the Villains’ trip to Stamford Bridge on 11 September due to quarantine, before being available for selection again on 18 September at home to Everton.

In light of this news, plenty of Aston Villa fans took to Twitter to vent their fury at the duo’s impending absence for the trip to west London.

Aston Villa fans react:

Replying to the official Aston Villa Twitter channel, here is what some fans had to say about the compromise, which one supporter called a “joke”:

“I assume that Argentina will pay their wages for the game missed?”

Credit: @Jamie83141845

“Unbelievable, shows their loyalty if they have to miss 2 games due to quarantine”

Credit: @bretharris4

“Sign a keeper on a two-match loan”

Credit: @avfck1eran“I’d put them both on the transfer list, Villa pay their wages and they are essentially refusing to play against Chelsea”Credit: @munster90″Just relegate us man”Credit: @futbolcaz”I think I’ll be nearing retirement by the time we’ll be able to put out our complete first XI – absolute joke”Credit: @JoeChami17In other news, many Aston Villa fans react to the club’s links with a Premier League midfielder. Find out more here.