Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel shone in Denmark’s 1-0 win against Peru in their opening 2018 World Cup match on Saturday, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to make a surprise swoop for the 31-year-old.The Gunners look to be in the market for a new keeper this summer having been heavily linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen stopper Bernd Leno, with Petr Cech perhaps no longer being considered good enough to start on a regular basis.Schmeichel certainly has plenty of Premier League experience with the Foxes and a title win under his belt, and he impressed with a clean sheet against the South American nation on Saturday, also playing a part in seeing a penalty kick fly over his crossbar.Arsenal supporters, who are also desperate for their club to sign another 22-year-old World Cup star, were quick to have their say on the Dane’s display via social media, and while one said “we need him”, another said “Kasper Schmeichel can replace Cech”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Stoke City are interested in signing Brentford winger Sergi Canos, according to The Daily Mail (27/06, 14:44).

What’s the story?

The former Liverpool youngster signed for Brentford in 2017 and went on to make 30 appearances for the Bees, scoring three goals and assisting two last season.

The 21-year-old pacy winger is reportedly one of three wingers that new Stoke boss Gary Rowett wants to sign this summer, with James McClean one of the other two.

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Is he worth it?

Canos is valued at £1.8million on Tranfermarkt, but Brentford would likely ask for more considering he only joined the club last year.

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While the winger does offer searing pace going forward, he has a lot of work to do on his end product and so far hasn’t lived up to the promise he showed early in his career.

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It’s possible that Rowett is looking at Canos as an impact substitute which would make sense because he isn’t yet showing the quality that Stoke need to take them back to the top.

However, he would be an expensive Championship substitute and Stoke could be better off looking at loaning a Premier League youngster instead of spending some of their precious millions.

Manchester United fans have been impressed with Timo Werner’s performances for Germany at the World Cup and would like to sign him this summer.

The 22-year-old attacker has started both of Germany’s matches in the group stages so far, part of the side that netted a dramatic winner against Sweden on Saturday night.

The RB Leipzig man hasn’t netted himself at the summer tournament so far but has been one of his team’s main attacking outlets, both on the left flank and through the middle.

At club level he was impressive last season too, netting 21 times in all competitions and emerging as one of the premier talents in the Bundesliga.

Man United fans are now eager for the club to make a move for him this summer, believing he has the talent to former a partnership with the ever impressive Romelu Lukaku, who is showing excellent form in Russia.

Supporters have take to Twitter recently to share their thoughts on it all…

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Jose Mourinho has an incredible squad of players to choose from at Old Trafford, but that doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t expendable. To the contrary, there are a few players within the squad that should be facing an uncertain fate this summer, and one individual that must be having his future considered is Argentina ace Marcos Rojo.

Rojo, who is rated at £16.2 million by Transfer Markt, is currently away on World Cup duty in Russia, and he’s looked good, yet perhaps it’s time that the Red Devils cashed in on him.

After all, having enjoyed a stellar World Cup, his value isn’t likely to get any higher. He, of course, scored the goal that sealed Argentina’s progression, and what a strike it was. Aside from proving his potential to be a makeshift number nine, Rojo has also enjoyed a decent start to the World Cup with regards to his defensive form. Argentina have been far from the best team, but defensively they haven’t looked too bad – and Rojo has been one of their better performers. That said, he’s not quite a standout figure from this summer’s competition, and so a sale does make sense from that perspective.

His role in the squad is also worth considering, as he’s far from the star of the show at the back for Man Utd. He’s been a bit of an underwhelming signing since his arrival back in 2014, and he’s not been a regular starter at the club either. He’s shown moments of brilliance, of course, but he’s evidently not a Mourinho favourite.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know

Capitalising on his current form and selling him, then, could help Man Utd generate the required funds to bring in a worthy replacement – and an opportunity to finally upgrade their defence for good.

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Man Utd fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

Allrounder says he has been inspired by Sreesanth’s spectacular return to the international fold

Cricinfo staff30-Nov-2009Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan says he has been inspired by Sreesanth’s spectacular return to the international fold and is optimistic about making his way back into the Indian team by performing in domestic cricket.”Sreesanth has made an excellent comeback,” Irfan told ahead of Baroda’s next game in the Ranji Trophy Super League. “He was doing well in domestic matches earlier and after returning to the India team, he put up an performance which is quite inspirational. I want to make a comeback like him.”I met him before a Ranji match, I am impressed with his body language also. This kind of comeback strengthens the believe that you can also do it in same manner by improving your performance.”Returning after a gap of 19 months, Sreesanth was named Man of the Match in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur, having managed an impressive showing with the ball and helping India take a 1-0 series lead. His five-wicket haul in the first innings forced Sri Lanka to follow-on, setting up the innings-and-144-run win.Irfan said every domestic match has become of immense importance to him. “Every cricketer has to improve to cement his place in the national team. I am trying to give my best in every domestic match and hope it will get the attention of selectors.”He was downgraded from Grade B to Grade C in BCCI’s central contracts list released last week and last played a Test against South Africa in Ahmedabad in April last year, while his last ODI appearance came against Sri Lanka when India toured earlier this year. He said he had put his injury worries behind him and was in good nick with the bat as well.”I am totally fit now and bowling long spells,” Irfan said. “I have also cracked a half-century recently. It would be better had I been in the India team in this series but it’s nice to see India claiming their 100th Test victory.”Irfan predicted a tough match ahead against Group B leaders Karnataka despite home advantage. “It is going to be a very important match for us. They are the group leaders and playing well, but we are also ready to take them on at our home ground.”Over the incident in which four Baroda bowlers, including Salim Veragi, Rajesh Pawar and Sankalp Vohra were called for suspect actions, Irfan said, “This is a new system introduced by the BCCI and the umpires are only following the rules. They cannot do much about it.”

Doug Bollinger didn’t win a place in the Test team but he remains in fine wicket-taking form after helping New South Wales into a winning position at the WACA

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2009
ScorecardMoises Henriques scored 52 to help the Blues into a strong position•Getty Images

Doug Bollinger didn’t win a place in the Test team but he remains in fine wicket-taking form after helping New South Wales into a very powerful position at the WACA. Bollinger picked up 4 for 61 to add to his first-innings tally of three wickets as Western Australia struggled to stay afloat, despite Shaun Marsh’s 94.At stumps on the second day, the Warriors were 7 for 231 in their second innings and with an advantage of only 88, they needed something special to avoid defeat within three days at home. At the close their hopes remained with the debutant Justin Coetzee, who was unbeaten on 15, and Steve Magoffin, who was on 3.While Marsh and Luke Ronchi were at the crease Western Australia had hopes of building a defendable total. The pair put on 99 for the sixth wicket before Ronchi was caught behind off Bollinger for 44 and six overs later, Marsh missed his century when he was trapped by Josh Hazlewood.The rest of the specialist batsmen hadn’t offered much resistance against Bollinger and his colleagues, who could almost have pushed for a two-day win with the score at 5 for 106. The Blues had batted themselves into a 143-run lead thanks to half-centuries from Daniel Smith and Moises Henriques, who each scored 52 to build on the platform set by Phillip Hughes’ opening-day 58.Their advantage could have been far greater but for some lower-order stumbles and the final six New South Wales wickets fell for 62 runs. Theo Doropoulos missed the chance for a hat-trick when he had Steven Smith and Stuart Clark out with consecutive balls and Brad Knowles (4 for 99) finished with the best figures for the Warriors.

Gordon Drummond will lead Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup while Gavin Hamilton will take over the reins for the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2009Gordon Drummond will lead Scotland’s 13-member squad for the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya to be played in Nairobi from January 25 to 28. In the absence of some experienced players, the team will wear a youthful look in Kenya. Simon Smith returns from shoulder surgery to take his spot as the wicketkeeper.The selectors named a different squad of 14 for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers that will be held in UAE in February. Six new players will feature in a series of Twenty20 matches in Kenya against the hosts and Uganda before the UAE leg begins.Drummond will relinquish the leadership role to Gavin Hamilton for the shortest format. Hamilton will also have the services of Fraser Watts, Ryan Watson, Neil McCallum and Jan Stander. Navdeep Poonia will also join the squad at this stage.The full squads for each leg of the tour are as follows:Intercontinental Cup: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Euan Chalmers, Stewart Chalmers, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Dewald Nel, Mathew Parker, Qasim Sheikh, Simon Smith (wk).Twenty20 warm-ups in Kenya and ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers: Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Simon Smith (wk), Jan Stander, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.Coaches: Peter Steindl and Tony JuddManager: Dick Auckinleck

Steve Smith and Travis Birt could make their international debuts on Friday night after being named in Australia’s 13-man squad for the Twenty20 match against Pakistan at the MCG

Cricinfo staff01-Feb-2010Steve Smith and Travis Birt could make their international debuts on Friday night after being named in Australia’s 13-man squad for the Twenty20 match against Pakistan at the MCG. The selectors have picked a radically different outfit from the one-day squad in what is the strongest indication yet that they have learnt their lessons from past World Twenty20 failures.Michael Clarke will captain the team with Cameron White as vice-captain in a group that does not feature Michael Hussey, Peter Siddle, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, Clint McKay or Adam Voges. After Australia crashed out in the first round of the World Twenty20 last year, the selectors were criticised for choosing a squad not suited to the format.The next World Twenty20 is in the West Indies in May and Australia have five Twenty20 internationals before then to fine-tune their side. For Friday’s game, they have chosen several men who have shone in the shortest format at domestic level, including the clean-striking Tasmania batsman Birt and the New South Wales allrounder Smith.The fast bowler Dirk Nannes, who has been a Twenty20 star for Victoria, was chosen after making his Australia debut last year, while Shaun Tait was also named along with Ryan Harris. David Warner and David Hussey were the other Twenty20 specialists chosen.”On this occasion there are significant changes between the one-day and Twenty20 side as we look at several players who could play a key role in our World Twenty20 campaign,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “The national selection panel has always regarded Twenty20 cricket as a separate form of the game and this selection has highlighted some players who we think can have an impact in Twenty20 cricket such as Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Travis Birt and Steve Smith.”Travis Birt has shown really good white ball form for several seasons now and we have picked him with a view to him playing a specific role in the middle order in the Twenty20 side. Steve Smith is obviously an extremely exciting prospect and performed well for NSW in the Champions League Twenty20 and KFC Twenty20 Big Bash and gives us great flexibility with his ability to bowl leg spin, bat and field.”Ryan Harris also is someone who has been in the plans of the NSP for the World Twenty20. Ryan’s chances have been limited by injury but he’s now back to full fitness and playing very well.”Australia squad Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, Travis Birt, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.

In an effort to find a solution to widespread press concerns regarding the coverage of IPL 2010, the News Media Coalition has called upon the authorities “to avoid alienating the international news media community”

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010In an effort to find a solution to widespread press concerns regarding the coverage of IPL 2010, the News Media Coalition (NMC), which reached a compromise agreement with the IPL for last year’s competition in South Africa, called upon the tournament’s organisers “to avoid alienating the international news media community”.”The terms on offer from the IPL raise serious issues of press freedom including the ability to inform the public with topical information and the legitimate distribution of news content for editorial publications,” a statement from the body read. “The current wording will serve to act as a barrier to coverage by some media. This can only result in the loss of opportunities for cricket fans internationally to share in this news spectacle through the opinions and eyes of independent journalists and photographers working for publishers worldwide through the network of agencies and newspaper syndication services.”Indian news broadcasters have decided not to cover the third season in protest against “arbitrary” guidelines and contentious clauses regarding tournament footage. The decision, taken yesterday, followed a meeting between the News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) and officials of the IPL and Set Max, the channel holding the broadcast rights for the tournamment.The NBA, which has 34 member channels, said the IPL and Set Max officials “arbitrarily” refused to abide by the 2008 norms, which had been agreed on by all.The media coverage guidelines for 2010 have reduced the duration of match footage that news channels can carry — 30 seconds per bulletin and seven minutes a day. Repeats will be allowed three times a day, as against four previously, and while match footage could earlier be telecast with a five-minute delay from the end of the live telecast, it has been expanded to a half-hour delay.The first IPL season was boycotted by the international news agencies over certain contentious clauses in the media accreditation guidelines, including a bar on supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites such as Cricinfo.The second season witnessed a repeat after NMC, the umbrella body that includes global news and photograph agencies Reuters, AP, AFP and Getty Images, objected over the same clause. However, the boycott was lifted after the IPL removed the clause from the terms of coverage.The NMC hoped for a similar move from the tournament organisers this time as well and sought the media terms for the IPL 2010 to reflect the agreement for the second edition.” In particular they [news organisations] would wish the IPL to remove those aspects of the terms and conditions which seek to define news platforms that are acceptable to the IPL in terms of their ownership and/or the scope of their business operations,” the statement said. “This would mean reinstating 2009 wording which sought to deal with IPL concerns about what the IPL felt were rogue operators, many of whom the IPL acted against.”We believe the language presents an excessive limitation on the free flow of information such as journalistic photography through legitimate distribution chains and is therefore damaging to press freedom. For many news organisations it is not feasible, nor in accord with their founding principles, to distinguish between legitimate customers.”It may be that alternative wording which mirrors the sentiments of the 2009 agreement could be found and we look forward to hearing a positive response on this. There are other concerns, particularly as regards the imposition of updating quotas, which also need reconsideration.”

Wayamba retained the Inter-provincial Twenty20 title for the third time after a clinical performance in the final outplaying Ruhuna in all three departments of the game at Moratuwa

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Mar-2010
Scorecard
Mahela Jayawardene’s 91 off 49 balls stole the show•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Wayamba retained the Inter-provincial Twenty20 title for the third time after a clinical performance in the final, outplaying Ruhuna in all three departments of the game at Moratuwa. Two Sri Lankan stars, Mahela Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis, were the heroes for Wayamba.Former captain Jayawardene continued his brilliant form in the tournament with 91 off 49 balls, which included six sixes and 10 fours. After Ruhuna had asked Wayamba to bat, Jayawardene and his in-form opening partner Jeevantha Kulatunga got the team off to a flying start with a stand of 89 in 7.4 overs. Despite the loss of Kulatunga for 26, Jayawardene kept Wayamba in top gear during short partnerships with captain Jehan Mubarak (21) and Janith Perera (34) which set them up for a 200-plus score.Facing a tall target, Ruhuna lost captain Upul Tharanga for a duck off the second ball of the chase. They fumbled in their attempt to maintain the required run-rate of ten runs an over, with Sanath Jayasuriya’s exit for 9 pegging them back further. After opening bowlers Chanaka Welegedara and Isuru Udana had limited Ruhuna’s run-rate by grabbing the first three wickets, Sri Lanka spinner Mendis ran through the middle order, taking 4 for 9 off 3.2 overs. Ruhuna folded for 113.Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal provided the only resistance, hitting 64 off 33 balls before being seventh out at 105, unable to keep pace with the asking-rate, which had by then risen to almost 15 an over. It was small compensation for him when he won the Batsman-of-the-Tournament award.Wayamba, led by Jehan Mubarak, finished unbeaten, winning all seven matches including the final and looked the most complete side throughout the tournament. Kulatunga, who scored the only century of the tournament, was named Player of the Series.