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The Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, St. Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, Kingsmead in Durban and Centurion Park in Centurion will host Champions League Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2010The Champions League Twenty20 governing council has named the venues for the second edition of the tournament to be held this year in South Africa. The Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, St. Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, Kingsmead in Durban and Centurion Park in Centurion will host the competition that will feature ten of the top domestic Twenty20 teams, from September 10 to 26.”South Africa is widely regarded as a top international host nation, having successfully hosted most major international cricket events in recent years,” said Shashank Manohar, the league chairman. “The Governing Council is satisfied with the four venues that Cricket South Africa have recommended. We are excited about the future of CLT20, and call on the South African public to come out and support the second edition of this tournament, which features the best of the best.”Gerald Majola, the CEO of CSA, was pleased with South Africa getting the opportunity to host another major sporting event. “CSA is proud to be hosting CLT20 in what is an iconic year for South Africa with the soccer World Cup currently being hosted here. We are encouraged by the eagerness of the four host venues to make this tournament a success.”CLT20 has already picked the interest of South African fans, especially with the Lions and Warriors (South African teams participating in the tournament) having qualified for this prestigious event. We are confident of hosting a successful CLT20.”Following the the 2003 one-day World Cup, South Africa have been one of the favourite destinations for multi-team cricketing tournaments, including the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, the second edition of the Indian Premier League and the Champions Trophy in 2009.The inaugural Champions League was held in India last year, with New South Wales beating Trinidad & Tobago to win the event that was contested by 12 teams. This year’s event will feature ten teams, nine of which have already qualified. The tenth spot will be taken by a representative from the West Indies following the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament in end July. The CLT20 2010 will feature 23 matches, with the tournament format and match schedule to be decided at the next governing council meeting on June 28 in Singapore.Teams contesting Champions League T20 2010:
From India – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore
From Australia – Victorian Bushrangers and South Australian Redbacks
From South Africa – Warriors and Highveld Lions
From New Zealand – Central Stags
From Sri Lanka – Wayamba Elevens
From the West Indies – TBC

A round-up of of the latest action from the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s domestic first-class competition

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2011Matabeleland Tuskers beat Mashonaland Eagles by 65 runs at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo after forfeiting their second innings in an attempt to force a result. The Tuskers were put in to bat and they responded well, with opener Terry Duffin and wicketkeeper Adam Wheater hitting half-centuries to take their team to 339. The Tuskers, though, had batted for a good part of the second day as well, and the Eagles just saw out 15 overs to declare at 32 for 1 – a deficit of 307. Once the Tuskers decided to forfeit their innings, The Eagles had to chase 308 for victory, and at 205 for 3 they looked good to achieve it. Captain Forster Mutizwa led by example, making 116, and adding 137 for the fourth wicket with Greg Lamb, who contributed 74. But the Tuskers seamers brought their team back into contention. Chris Mpofu starred with five wickets, supported by Tawanda Mupariwa’s three-for. The last seven Eagles wickets fell for 37 in a matter of just over 13 overs to hand Tuskers their third win of the competition. The Tuskers now find themselves in second position in the points table, the Eagles are second from the bottom.Only 45 overs were possible in the contest between Mountaineers and Mid West Rhinos at the Mutare Sports Club as the first, third and fourth days were washed out.

Eddie Howe has been handed a huge behind-the-scenes boost over Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier’s recovery from injury…

What’s the latest?

The Toon defender has been out of action since February and is now taking steps forward towards making his return to the first-team squad before the end of the season.

Journalist Miles Starford Tweeted: “Kieran Trippier close to injury ‘handover’.”

This Tweet was in relation to Howe’s comments on the defender’s current situation. Speaking about Callum Wilson and Trippier, the head coach said: “They’ll definitely be stepping it up.

“I don’t think they’ll be with us at all, so they won’t train with the group. There will be a handover period for Kieran, I think, where he’ll go with our sports science guys.”That might happen at some stage soon. It’s not happened yet. Both players are still with physiotherapists.” Howe will be buzzing

Howe will surely be buzzing with Trippier’s recovery and the pace at which he is going through it. These comments suggest that he is making good progress and stepping up the work that he is doing at Darsley Park to get himself back in contention to play in the Premier League.

The Toon boss will be keen to see him back out on the pitch in the coming weeks to make sure that he heads into the summer with a good base of fitness under his belt.

If he fails to play any minutes before the end of the campaign then that will mean that he will have gone around six months without competitive minutes by the start of 2022/23 and that is not an ideal way to start a season. Therefore, getting him back in for the last few matches would be a big boost ahead of the summer.

Howe will also be delighted with his return to action because of the quality he has on the pitch. In the top-flight this term, he has scored two goals in four matches and made a whopping 6.0 tackles and interceptions per game from right-back since joining from Atletico Madrid.

The England international has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.67 for the Magpies so far and this is why the head coach will be keen to have him back in the squad. He is a joy to watch with his sublime performances in defence, as he was able to showcase his attacking and defensive quality prior to his injury against Villa.

AND in other news, NUFC could finally axe shocking £80k-p/w flop with “insane” £40m “star in the making”…

The high cost of broadcasting rights has created greater pressure on cricket broadcasters to generate revenue through ad sales, a top official of the organisation owning the Ten Cricket channel has said

Siddhartha Talya27-Jan-2011The high cost of broadcasting rights, the low subscriber prices for TV channels and under-declaration by cable operators have created greater pressure on cricket broadcasters to generate revenue through ad sales, Atul Pande, a top official of the organisation owning the Ten Cricket channel, has said. Ten Cricket was issued a show-cause notice by the Indian government’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry for violating the country’s advertising codes during its coverage of India’s tour of South Africa. The channel’s advertisements were deemed to be interfering with the programme, prompting the government to seek an explanation from the broadcaster.”Given the status of rights fees for most of the Indian tours you’ve got broadcasters trying to generate as much revenue as possible. It’s possibly leading to a clutter of advertising across all channels because they have to also monetise the property,” said Pande, the CEO of Sports Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. “The underlying principle is that there is a significant amount of pressure to monetise Indian cricket events, and the monetisation structure is such that there is pressure to generate money through ad sales.”Apart from high rights fees, Pande said the relatively low cost of subscribing to Indian TV channels was another problem facing broadcasters. “The Indian consumer, or subscriber, pays a very little amount of money to watch very high-quality sport. Possibly the lowest in the world. Even if you bought all these sports channels today on a-la-carte prices, you’ll still not pay more than say Rs125 a month. And you have access to virtually any live sporting event in the world.”The other issue is the way in which cable pricing is administered in India which is that most cable operators under-declare and therefore the revenue which comes to the broadcaster is much lesser than it should be.”For sports channels across India, cricket, and especially Indian cricket, generates 85% of ad revenues, Pande said, and other avenues to monetise were limited. Broadcasters, he claimed, were not being greedy to maximise profits but were making losses. “We are struggling to pay our bills during cricket events. You look at the profit and loss numbers of two businesses that are listed. One of them is ours – we are a subsidiary of a listed company – and the other listed company is another Indian sports channel that is now trying to go for an IPO. Both these businesses lose money.”Though Pande admitted broadcasters were willing to cut down on intrusive advertising, he called for contracts between cricket boards and broadcasters to be structured in a way that would protect the interests of the latter. The cost for the broadcaster, Pande said, was also affected by a law that called on them to share feed with the public broadcaster, Doordarshan, as in the case of the India-South Africa ODIs. “It also precludes the value of the event to the broadcaster because it increases inventory, and the pricing also gets impacted for the broadcaster’s channel.”A possible solution, Pande suggested, for the current problem was a premium fee paid by the consumer for ad-free coverage; England and Australia follow a similar model. “We are more than happy to give an ad-free feed at a higher price. If there is a customer who wants to look at uninhibited watching of a cricket event, and he is willing to pay a price for it we are more than happy to provide a service. We need to get a license expeditiously for that kind of a service, and we should be able to price it the way we want to price it. It’s like any other premium service; if the customer is prepared to pay a premium price for it, he gets a premium service.”Ten Cricket was launched in August 2010 and prior to airing matches from India’s tour of South Africa, also broadcasted the series between Pakistan and South Africa held in the UAE.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi this summer, according to German football journalist Christian Falk.

What’s the story?

According to Falk, Newcastle, as well as West Ham and Southampton, are interested in signing the 24-year-old this summer with the Nigerian having a release clause of €30m (£25m).

Awoniyi has scored 23 goals in 61 matches for the Bundesliga outfit, at a rate of once every 176 minutes, since making his loan move from Liverpool permanent last summer.

However, this term has been particularly prolific for the 24-year-old, netting 18 times and registering four assists in 39 appearances across all competitions.

The striker has been a serious contributor to the club from the capital side’s recent rise, with Union playing in the Europa Conference League this term and sat currently sixth in the Bundesliga, and could return to England this summer.

Howe will love Awoniyi

It’s no secret that a new striker will be high up the priority list ahead of the summer transfer window for Newcastle United with it being the first since PIF’s takeover of the North East club in October.

£25m January signing Chris Wood has found the back of the net just twice since joining from Burnley whilst Callum Wilson has been sidelined since December with hope that the Englishman will play again this term.

However, neither are long term options with both strikers aged 30.

Having failed to make it into the first-team picture at Liverpool, Awonyi will certainly be keen to make the move to a Premier League club to show English supporters what he’s capable of and potentially what the Reds missed out on.

Although, with Union Berlin on course for another season in Europe, West Ham may be the forward’s preference out of the aforementioned trio if the Hammers can once again qualify for Europe.

The Nigerian who journalist Lolade Adewuyi dubbed a “unicorn” has endured a plethora of loan spells during his career thus far, and was subject to serious praise when on loan at Belgian outfit Royal Excel Mouscron in 2019, with then-teammate Mergim Vojvoda saying: “He should stay his entire life here. We have to offer him a 20-year contract.

“He’s an excellent player with great qualities. If you ask me, it didn’t work with Gent because he was always in the box. Taiwo is a forward who needs to showcase his power and sometimes come deep to find the ball.”

Eddie Howe will need to add higher quality strikers to his ranks this summer and Awoniyi could certainly prove to be a shrewd purchase.

AND in other news: Howe and PIF are now heading for their first big NUFC error, it would be a disaster

In a ruling that could have widespread repercussions for cricket administration in India, the Kerala High Court has said the officials of the Kerala Cricket Association can be considered public servants

Tariq Engineer26-Oct-2010In a ruling that could have widespread repercussions for cricket administration in India, the Kerala High Court has said the officials of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) can be considered public servants, and directed a lower court to continue hearing a complaint alleging misappropriation of funds by the association. The complaint was filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which applies only to public servants.The KCA had argued that it was a private body similar to a club, and therefore did not come under the purview of the act. In its order, the High Court observed that the KCA had a monopoly on cricket in the state and performed a public duty and a public service, and so was liable to be investigated by the vigilance department.The complainant, Balaji Iyengar, a chartered accountant and former Kerala junior cricketer, had filed the original complaint against the KCA in the Vigilance Court two years ago. The court ruled in favour of the KCA, saying its officials were not public servants, but Iyengar challenged the ruling in the High Court. In quashing the lower court’s order, Justice M Shashidharan Nambiar held that the officials do fall under the definition of public servant as laid out in the act.TC Matthew, the KCA secretary, told ESPNcricinfo it would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court, adding that the decision, if allowed to stand, could result in a number of cases being filed against the BCCI and other sports associations.Indian cricket’s governing body has consistently held it is a private organisation and not accountable to the public but the Kerala ruling could open the door for anyone to challenge the functioning of the BCCI and cricket associations around the country.”It will be a landmark judgement of sorts if upheld by the Supreme Court,” the activist lawyer Rahul Mehra said. “In effect, what you are saying is that these officials are akin to government officials.” Mehra famously pursued public interest litigation against the BCCI in 2000 in an attempt to extract more accountability from the board.The Delhi High Court ruled in Mehra’s favour in 2004, saying that the BCCI was accountable to the public as it performs important public functions. That ruling was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court in a case involving television rights between Zee Telefilms, an Indian television company, and the BCCI. This decision takes things another step further, Mehra said. “It has opened a door which I have been trying to open for about five years.”

Ryan Reynolds will quit in 2031 and by 2035 Frank Lampard will be Wrexham manager, according to an incredible Football Manager simulation.

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Football Manager 24 simulates Wrexham futureMullins retires after 300 games, Reynolds quits in 2031Lampard struggling to get team out of League OneGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

A Football Manager 24 simulation run by OLBG has given an intriguing glimpse into one vision of the Welsh club's much-anticipated future. The forecast sees Wrexham reach the Championship but not quite the dream land of the Premier League. The heartbreak of facing relegation back to the third tier in 2031 will be enough for Reynolds to call it quits as co-chairman. Entrusted with winning them promotion will be ex-Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard, who is in charge by 2035.

Wrexham fans will be happy to know that Paul Mullin is predicted to play for the club for another 200 games, although the player himself will be puzzled to see his goal return dry up dramatically with just another 30 goals coming between now and the Liverpudlian hanging his boots up.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

How the Wrexham fairytale will play out and if and when they will make it to the Premier League is the subject of much debate between football fans from all over the world. Using the iconic game to work out what the future may hold is one way of adding a new slant to the debate.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

The emblematic football management game began as in 1992 before being rebranded as in 2004. Advances over the years have made the game extremely life-like and the game has even been credited by Reims manager Will Still for helping kick start his management career.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

As diverting as a computer-based simulation of the club's future may be, their progression will ultimately be decided by events on the pitch, continuing in the wind and rain of Gloucestershire on Saturday when the Red Dragons visit struggling Forest Green Rovers.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said the organisation might send a hand-picked side to Pakistan late next year

Cricinfo staff17-Jul-2010ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said the organisation might send a hand-picked side to Pakistan late next year to give fans an opportunity to watch international cricket as he is worried the lack of top-level cricket will affect the popularity of the game in the country.”It will always be dependent on the expert advice of the security experts, but we think that perhaps towards the end of next year we must start looking at what the horizon looks like and if it is at all possible [to send a team to Pakistan],” he told .Lorgat said the ICC could not let the status quo continue indefinitely and that he would accompany any team that did go to Pakistan.”We will assess the situation very, very carefully. We know that we can’t leave things as they are if it is at all possible to play in Pakistan,” he said. “I’m not just suggesting a bi-lateral series; it may be an ICC XI. Whether it’s a youth team, an older team, or whatever… I would go with that team as well.”We need to look at it. We shouldn’t just sit back and do nothing. But we certainly would not do something that is not properly calculated.”In another attempt to bolster cricket in Pakistan, the ICC has appointed Mike Brearley and Greg Chappell as ambassadors to support the PCB. The two former Test captains have been tasked with getting the global cricket community to support the PCB and its players at a time when Pakistan is unable to host matches at home.Teams have refused to play in Pakistan since March 2009, when seven Sri Lanka players were injured after gunmen attacked the team bus on its way to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur and manager Antonio Conte have set their sights on another target as news emerges on Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.

The Lowdown: Tottenham working…

As the final hurdle of this year’s January transfer window approaches, Lilywhites transfer chief Fabio Paratici is intensifying talks for key targets after missing out on both Adama Traore and Luiz Diaz to Barcelona and Liverpool respectively.

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Little time remains to significantly bolster Conte’s squad and give Tottenham a better chance of finishing the 2021/2022 season on a high.

There are even some fears that the 52-year-old could walk if Spurs don’t strengthen sufficiently as both Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy seek to back the Italian mid-season.

The Latest: Tottenham preparing Luiz bid…

New targets appear to be emerging on a regular basis as The Mail now share news on yet another in Brazilian midfield ace Luiz.

The Villans regular is now allegedly the subject of intense interest from Spurs with both Conte and Paratici now ‘preparing a £32m bid’ for the player.

Luiz has just 18 months left on his current deal, prompting Tottenham’s interest as the club could be forced to contemplate a significant offer.

The Verdict: Ideal target?

Strengthening in midfield is one of Conte’s four main goals for this transfer window and we believe signing the 23-year-old could come as a real statement of intent.

He’s attracted praise from Man City boss Pep Guardiola, who branded his former youngster as a ‘strong’ and ‘clever’ player, meanwhile journalist Gregg Evans has even more rave reviews.

Speaking on The Athletic’s 1874 podcast, via This is Futbol, the Villa reporter lauded Luiz as ‘an absolute joy to watch’, ‘fantastic player’ and ‘absolute star’ – summing up the South American’s form at Villa Park over these last few seasons.

At £32m, taking into account his fairly young age also, Luiz could be an absolute steal in the long-term.

In other news: Spurs now preparing another marquee bid for ‘special’ forward, find out more here.

Steven Smith was four when Shane Warne entered cricket folklore by ripping a legbreak the width of Mike Gatting, and next month Smith could become the first Australian legspinner to play a Test in England post-Warne

Brydon Coverdale at Old Trafford26-Jun-2010Seventeen years ago, an Australian legspinner walked out for his first Test match on English soil and promptly delivered the ball of the century. Steven Smith was four when Shane Warne entered cricket folklore by ripping a legbreak the width of Mike Gatting, and next month Smith could become the first Australian legspinner to play a Test in England post-Warne.Nathan Hauritz has flown home with a foot injury and unless he enjoys a miraculously quick recovery, Smith is in line to make his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s. He has spent plenty of time around the Test squad, having been called in as cover in Perth and Melbourne last summer before touring with the team in New Zealand.On Saturday, Smith sat in the pavilion at Old Trafford, the venue of Warne’s most famous moment, and briefly pondered the possibility of winning a baggy-green. Although he was keen to focus on the more immediate challenges of Australia’s stuttering one-day series, he said joining the elite ranks of Australia’s Test cricketers would be a magic moment.”It’s a different standard,” Smith said of Test cricket. “It’s the highest level you can play at. At the moment, Pakistan are a good side, and if I get the opportunity to play in a couple of weeks it will be a dream come true to wear the baggy green. I’m not really thinking too far ahead, it’s just about playing my best cricket at the moment and trying to win a couple of one-day games and get back in this series.”If a Test call-up does arrive, Smith should be in a positive frame of mind. He finished the domestic season with a seven-wicket Sheffield Shield haul for New South Wales, having also scored four hundreds in the tournament and finished sixth on the run tally.Then came the New Zealand tour, which was followed by an impressive World Twenty20 campaign, in which he ousted Hauritz as Australia’s preferred slow bowler and finished third on the wicket list behind Dirk Nannes and Charl Langeveldt. Throw in a solid combination of 41 with the bat and 1 for 40 with the ball on Thursday, in his second ODI, and Smith feels good about the state of his cricket.”Everything is coming together pretty well,” he said. “I learnt a lot about myself as a player in the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies. It was a big learning curve for me and coming back and playing one-day cricket, it’s always been a dream of mine to play for Australia.”It’s hard to predict what he will show in Test cricket, if given the opportunity. As a precocious, confident Australian legspinner, the Warne comparisons are inevitable, but Smith is a vastly different player.He might not have the ripping legbreak or perfect flipper, but could Warne bat in the top six at Test level? Could Warne hare around the boundary rope and take one-handed screamers time after time? Smith had some tuition from Warne during the Australian season, but doesn’t expect his bowling to leave quite the same mark as Warne did on his first trip to England.”He hasn’t taught me that one yet,” Smith joked of Warne’s Gatting delivery. “Hopefully it will come in at some point. Warney was probably the reason I started bowling legspin when I was about 14. I’ve had a few sessions with him and he’s been great for me.”Judging by Smith’s form over the past six months, he’s right about Warne’s influence. Now to start making his own mark.