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Ken Ablack, who was a well-known cricket commentator in the 1950s, has died at his home in Glencoe in Trinidad at the age of 91

Martin Williamson16-Dec-2010Ken Ablack, who was a well-known cricket commentator in the 1950s, has died at his home in Glencoe in Trinidad at the age of 91.Born in Trinidad, Ablack came to England during the war where he played for various representative XIs as a slow left-armer, going on to make three appearances for Northamptonshire between 1946 and 1949.He worked for the BBC as a producer for its Caribbean section, and in 1950 and 1957 acted as a commentator during England’s Tests against West Indies. On the second trip he was one of the team when Test Match Special made its debut. He later returned to Trinidad where he became an influential figure at Queen’s Club.”I am sure he is not happy that once again the century eluded him,” his son Robert told ESPNcricinfo. “He was also looking forward to watching the Ashes test starting last night on local TV. He followed cricket to the end.”

Andrew Flintoff’s future is once again in major doubt after he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after failing to recover from the knee injury that has sidelined him since last year’s Ashes

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2010Andrew Flintoff’s future is once again in major doubt after he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after failing to recover from the knee injury that has sidelined him since last year’s Ashes.It had been hoped that Flintoff would return to second XI action with Lancashire this week but his comeback was initially delayed following concerns over how his knee would react to a one-day game. Now the decision has been taken that he will not be able to resume playing at all this summer.”Whist Andrew has made significant progress, the combined opinion is that he is not quite ready for a return to cricket,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket director, said. “He will continue his rehabilitation into the winter months and we will constantly monitor and review his progress so that he is better equipped for a return to action.”This latest setback means he won’t be fit to take part in the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa during September after he’d been named in Chennai Super Kings’ provisional squad for the tournament. There must also be serious doubts over his winter plans which had been expected to included Twenty20 spells in Australia and New Zealand before next year’s IPL.Flintoff underwent knee surgery two days after England regained the Ashes last August and initially aimed to be ready for the start of the season. That soon became unrealistic and he required a further operation to clean up the knee earlier this year which put his recovery back another six months.Throughout his rehabilitation Flintoff, who retired from Test cricket following the Ashes, has said he is determined to win back his England one-day place and had even set his sights on next year’s World Cup in India. That chance now appears to have vanished although there was already a growing feeling that Andy Flower had moved on without Flintoff.

Wolves are reportedly interested in making a move for Tottenham’s on-loan centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers impressing at Celtic

The American couldn’t be promised regular playing time at Spurs last year, given the battle for game-time, so Celtic snapped him up on a season-long loan deal, with a £10m purchase option if they wish to avail of it.

Carter-Vickers has excelled for the Hoops in 2021/22, proving to be a rock at the heart of the defence and averaging 4.2 successful aerial duels per game across 29 Scottish Premiership appearances. For context, that is 50% more than Wolves’ best performer in this regard, Willy Boly with 2.8.

There looks set to be a fight for the 24-year-old’s signature this summer, with Celtic reportedly keen on making his temporary move a permanent one.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-the-latest-from-wolves-4/” title=”All the latest from Wolves!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Wolves eye up Carter-Vickers move

According to 90min journalist Matt O’Connor-Simpson on Twitter, Wolves are among the clubs eyeing up a move for Carter-Vickers at the end of the season. Sharing a link to his corresponding article, he tweeted:

“Cameron Carter-Vickers is attracting plenty of interest. Fulham & Southampton are the latest to join the race but the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham & Wolves are looking too.”

[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]

The Verdict: Strong summer coup

Carter-Vickers could be a fantastic signing for Wolves ahead of next season, adding much-needed squad depth for Bruno Lage and coming in as a long-term acquisition.

Romain Saiss turns 32 this year and hasn’t yet signed a new deal ahead of its summer expiry date, while Conor Coady has been linked with a move away in recent months.

Carter-Vickers has been hailed as ‘immense’ by Chris Sutton and he is someone who, as outlined above, would add aerial dominance and hopefully makes Wolves even more well-drilled defensively.

In other news, Wolves are also eyeing up a move for another player. Read more here.

Newcastle United can reportedly now sign Duvan Zapata in June after a failed bid in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Bid made

The St. James’ Park faithful reportedly had a first bid rejected for Zapata last month, with Atalanta demanding a fee of at least €40m (£33.8m) for his signature.

They did sign Chris Wood from Burnley, but failed in a deadline day move for Hugo Ekitike, and so another striker could be on the agenda for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium in the summer, should they manage to stay up in the Premier League.

The Latest: Go again in June

As per Corriere Bergamo (via Sport Witness), the offer that the North East club made to Atalanta was ‘inadmissible’, but talks can now take place in June over a potential transfer.

However, they may face competition from West Ham United for Zapata, who are also looking for another striker to strengthen their forward line.

The Verdict: Sign him up

Given the failure to land Ekitike, Zapata would be a great alternative option for the final striker spot on Tyneside alongside Wood and Callum Wilson.

Described as a ‘beast’ who is ‘like a train’ by former Atalanta captain Papu Gomez, who also claimed that Zapata is ‘so big his shorts look like underwear’ (Goal), the Colombia international is certainly a player that should have no problems at all coping with the physical demands of the top flight, and in fact should be able to bully defenders easily with his superior strength.

He is not just a physical specimen, but an instinctive goal poacher as well, scoring no fewer than 105 times for four different clubs in the Serie A over the course of the last nine consecutive seasons, and has also contributed a tidy 45 assists (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Zapata seems perfectly made for the Premier League, and the Magpies could be the ones to offer him that chance.

In other news, find out what big transfer update Luke Edwards has revealed here!

England’s former Ashes-winning captain, Michael Vaughan, believes that Ricky Ponting’s reign as Australia skipper will be over if he fails to recapture the urn in the forthcoming series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2010England’s former Ashes-winning captain, Michael Vaughan, believes that Ricky Ponting’s reign as Australia skipper will be over if he fails to recapture the urn in the forthcoming series.Australia’s troubled build-up to the Ashes received another setback on Wednesday night, as they succumbed to a remarkable one-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Melbourne, despite having at one stage had their opponents on the ropes at 107 for 8.Although Ponting was not involved in that match, having passed the captaincy over to Michael Clarke, the result was nevertheless their sixth consecutive defeat in all international cricket, dating back to Pakistan’s victory at Headingley in the second Test back in July, and also encompassing last month’s barren tour of India.Vaughan, who has been as vocal in the build-up to this year’s Ashes as he was silent ahead of the last tour in 2006-07, when injury forced him onto the sidelines during Australia’s 5-0 whitewash, believes that every new set-back is a boost for England, who have been quietly building towards Friday’s first warm-up match against Western Australia, having arrived in Perth over the weekend.”Another knock of confidence,” wrote Vaughan on Twitter in the aftermath of the MCG match. “Lots of people seem to be taking great pleasure from the fact Australia keep losing… long may it continue…”Ponting was in charge during the whitewash four years ago, but his reputation was badly dented last summer, as he became the first Australian captain since Billy Murdoch in the 19th Century to lose two Ashes series in England. In Vaughan’s opinion, there is no way he can stay in the job if he fails to make amends in the coming series.”If he loses the series he will go,” said Vaughan. “He has lost the Ashes twice and hasn’t won an Ashes in England either. Obviously he won the 06-07 Ashes 5-0 but he had a better team to manage those days but now he has a team that is almost back in the ranks of normal cricket teams.”His record in Australia is phenomenal but he will have to be at his best, both as a captain and as a batsman, to put England under pressure,” added Vaughan. “It’s harder being a captain when you don’t have the ammunition in your bowling attack that includes the likes of Warne, McGrath and Gillespie.”He doesn’t have the X-factor bowlers who can change games. That puts your batsmen under a lot more pressure because they know that you have to get lots more runs to give your bowlers something to bowl at. If they’d have got 300 a few years ago, they knew that Warne and McGrath would get them back in the game, but now they need 400 plus to really put England under pressure.”Warne, for his part, hit back in the war of words when he suggested to Vaughan, via Twitter, that he shouldn’t get too carried away just yet. “yeah yeah yeah, whatever bud [sic],” he wrote. “Your ( poms ) are very cocky at present , Mmmmm could end in tears for you all, just chill !”

Barcelona boss Xavi made a bizarre claim that his side would be top of the league if 'big data' was to be believed.

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Barcelona steal late winBeat Celta Vigo 2-1 with stoppage-time penaltyBarca sit seven points off MadridGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Xavi spoke after the game and was critical of his side's wasted chances as they stole a narrow 2-1 victory over strugglers Celta Vigo. A resurgent Robert Lewandowski scored a brace, including a 97th minute penalty, to secure the three points. However, perhaps a little frustrated the Polish striker hasn't been able to be at his best all this season, Xavi bemoaned the number of opportunities to score they pass up.

AdvertisementWHAT XAVI SAID

Speaking after their victory, Xavi said: "We dominated. But we struggled to create in the final third. [Celta] worked so hard defensively. It's an agonising triumph, but it's welcome.

"They passed me a stat saying that, according to Big Data, we would be leaders [going] by chances created."

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Xavi's side have a number of players capable of producing special moments out of nothing. No more so than Ilkay Gundogan who has created 67 chances for his team-mates this season, second only to Real Betis' Isco (68). Maybe the Spanish boss has a point.

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WHAT NEXT FOR XAVI AND BARCELONA?

Xavi has made the decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season so will be dreaming of ending his spell in charge on a positive note. They sit seven points off league leaders Madrid, who have a game in hand, and begin their Champions League knockout stage run on Wednesday against Napoli.

Round-up of the ninth day’s action in the Karnataka Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2010Bangalore Provident (Rural) brushed aside Malnad Gladiators at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Seamers Neravanda Aiyappa and Abhishek Jagan grabbed two wickets each and were backed-up by legspinner Rahul Bhatkal in Malnad’s capitulation. Tottering at 27 for 5 at one stage, Malnad were helped by lower-order batsmen Sanjay Kumar and K Gowtham, who, with contributions of 36 and 27 respectively, took their team past three-figures. Malnad were bowled out for 102, a total Bangalore overhauled with ease. Aniruddha Joshi top scored with 34 and the target was reached in 16.3 overs.Heavy rain in Bangalore led to the early termination of the contest between Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds and Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban). Davangere were in a spot of bother at 45 for 3 in nine overs before rain intervened.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first transfer window in charge of Rangers has been a rather uneventful one at Ibrox.

They have secured the acquisition of James Sands and let Nathan Patterson walk out the door, while the Gers have agreed to bring John Souttar to the club on a pre-contract arrangement too.

However, it looks as though Ross Wilson and co could bring an offensive player into their ranks before the window closes next Monday.

One player regularly linked with a move to Glasgow is Bologna’s winger Andreas Skov Olsen, but according to one source, that now looks unlikely.

As a result, van Bronckhorst must urgently work on a deal to bring Akinkunmi Amoo to Scotland.

It’s thought Rangers are plotting a late move for the Nigerian teenager who is plying his trade in Sweden for Hammarby.

Valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, a move might not be cheap to complete but it’s clear he possesses all the tools to thrive in Scottish football.

In short, he’d not only be the perfect Skov Olsen alternative, but also a player capable of linking up with new loan signing Amad Diallo in devastating fashion on the flanks. After all, Amoo is a box of trickery, capable of beating opponents for fun and also scoring goals on a regular basis.

A review from Hammarby’s director of football, Jesper Jansson, tells you all you need to know about the 19-year-old star: “With Akin, we get an explosive, skilled and offensive player with a nice left foot,” he said.

That sounds incredibly exciting and when you combine those offensive attributes with his numbers, a deal simply has to be completed.

Amoo has scored 13 goals and registered six assists across his 48 appearances for his current club and although it’s difficult to compare the Swedish and Scottish top-flight, he has performed in European football before.

What also makes this deal attractive is his age, with the youngster possessing a wonderful amount of potential, something van Bronckhorst will undoubtedly be hoping he realises at Rangers.

There are only a few days left in the winter window but he must be someone the club pursue strongly.

They may have agreed a deal for a winger already in Diallo but they cannot stop there; the duo has the potential to frighten defences up and down the country.

AND in other news, Forget Hagi: GVB must solve Rangers nightmare with “pure” £4.5m-rated “innate talent”…

Aston Villa had a rather busy January transfer window in terms of their recruitment as well as moving some of their current players out on loan to other clubs.

Even though the winter transfer period has drawn to a close, it seems as though the Midlands club may already have their eyes on one deal in particular that they could look to complete when the summer transfer window opens.

What’s the news?

During a recent online Q&A on the Birmingham Live website, Villa journalist Ashley Preece was asked a question regarding the club’s current left-back situation after Matt Targett made a January deadline day transfer move to Newcastle United on loan.

In response, Preece revealed that the Midlands club are “looking to” try and sign Bologna’s 19-year-old left-back Aaron Hickey when the next summer transfer window opens.

With that in mind and the fact that they were linked with a move for the defender during the recent January transfer window suggests that Villa’s scouting team certainly see the teenager as a suitable recruit for Gerrard’s side.

Likened to Busquets

Prior to joining the Italian side back in September 2020, the £11.7m-rated full-back had racked up 34 appearances for SPFL side Hearts.

Since joining Bologna, the teenager, who has been likened to Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets in the past by Austin MacPhee, has managed to score an impressive four goals in 33 appearances across all competitions.

As well as his goals, the defender has also managed to deliver some solid performances for the Serie A side this season with WhoScored giving him an overall rating of 6.8/10 making him their fourth-highest rated player.

This would also currently place him in the top 10 of Villa’s highest-rated players in the Premier League this season, showing that he has what it takes to perform at a high level.

Moving forward, should Villa end up selling Targett at the end of the season when his loan spell at Newcastle comes to an end and if Ashley Young doesn’t renew his playing contract when that expires in the summer, launching a move for Hickey should definitely be at the top of Villa’s priority list to add some depth and freshness in that area of the squad.

After all, they could just find the next Busquets by doing so, landing a player capable of thriving in a multitude of positions; namely holding midfield and full-back.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops major 7-word AVFC deadline day update, Gerrard will be delighted – opinion

Australia have topped Group A at the Under-19 World Cup emphatically. Yet, their coach Stuart Law recognises there are disciplines his team needs to improve on during Sunday’s quarterfinal against Bangladesh

George Binoy in Townsville18-Aug-2012Australia have topped Group A at the Under-19 World Cup emphatically. They beat England by six wickets and 15 overs to spare, Nepal by 212 runs, and Ireland by six wickets and 57 balls left. Yet, their coach Stuart Law recognises there are disciplines his team needs to improve on during Sunday’s quarterfinal against Bangladesh, and says having won so comprehensively despite not being at their best highlighted the depth of talent within the squad.”We have got through, won three out of three, but I still feel there are some areas for improvement, which is pretty good if you’re winning games and still not playing your best cricket,” Law said. “It doesn’t make you very complacent.”Australia’s bowlers have conceded 25 wides in three games, only one batsman has scored a hundred and some have been getting out in the same fashion, and they haven’t run out a batsman yet. These were the areas Law felt needed attention.”There have been some great areas for us, but there are just those little one per-centers,” Law said. “We bowled a lot of wides with the new ball. Batsmen have got to learn that once you get out a certain way, you shouldn’t be getting out like that time and time again. We haven’t got many run outs in this competition, we’re a better fielding side than what we’re showing. They may not mean much in the whole scheme of things but in big games coming up, if we can get one run out, take a great catch, don’t bowl five wides, it makes it easier to win the game.”While Australia’s captain William Bosisto said he was “rapt” to have won all three games so far, he too wasn’t thrilled with the performance in the last group game against Ireland. “I suppose, with attacking cricket, you can sometimes come unstuck, it’s not going to come off all the time,” Bosisto said. “It’s a learning experience, but I think if we try and be as positive as we can and learn from our mistakes that’s the only way to improve.”What Australia have done during the group stages is manage to give all 15 players in their squad a game, which means no one will have to take the field during the knock-out without match practice. Even the two replacement players they called into the squad because of injuries, seam bowler Alex Gregory and legspinner Shane Cassel, have had success. “Coming into the group stage, we wanted to win all three games but we also wanted to get as many players into form as possible and I think we’ve achieved that so far,” Bosisto said.Australia have two significant advantages going into the quarterfinal against Bangladesh in Townsville. They’ve played at Endeavour Park, in this tournament and during a quadrangular series earlier this year, and know what to expect from the conditions. Bangladesh have been based in Brisbane and will have to adjust to their new environment on the go. Australia have not played this Under-19 Bangladesh side before, but they have Law, who was Bangladesh coach until recently and knows some of their key players. Bangladesh don’t have similar insights.”I’ve spoken to the players a little bit about it [the Bangladesh team],” Law said. “You don’t try and give them too much, if you give them too much information you can lead to paralysing them mentally and you don’t want to do that. You just want them to go out and play good, carefree cricket with discipline.”What Law wants, however, is for the batsmen who get set to play substantial innings when they get the opportunity to. Cameron Bancroft showed that appetite against Nepal, when he scored 125, but some others have failed to score a century or see the chase home because of an error of judgment rather than being dismissed by a good ball.”It’s good to have a sounding board like Greg Chappell in the dressing room. We look at each other and say, ‘These guys don’t like scoring hundreds.’ We tell these players that 20s aren’t going to be enough to put your name up in lights. If you’re 50 not out at the end of an innings, great … but if you get the opportunity, you’ve got to go big. If you’re getting 40 and 50 all the time, it’s okay, but it’s not going to get you far.”Having said that, Law was pleased with the balance in Australia’s line-up. Bancroft and Bosisto are the steady batsmen who have shown the temperament to battle through tough periods, while Jimmy Peirson, Kurtis Patterson and Travis Head have been more aggressive during the group games. “We’ve looked at different combinations, we’ve looked at who’s got the power game, who can constantly hit gaps,” Law said. “It is a good balance, it’s something Greg and I, we’re pretty conscious of keeping that balance going through the next three games. Don’t have too many changes now, everyone knows their role.”Australia will be expected to get past Bangladesh, and they’ll want to do so in a manner that shows improvement from their already impressive performances during this tournament.