One of cricket’s most famous paintings – Albert Chevallier Tayler’s picture of the Kent v Lancashire match at Canterbury in 1906 – has been sold at auction for £600,000.I was purchased by Andrew Brownsword, whose Charitable Foundation buys selected works of art in order that they can be retained for public viewing.The painting, which was commissioned by the county to commemorate their first Championship in 1906, hung in the pavilion at Canterbury until 1999 when it became too expensive to insure. It was then loaned to MCC and displayed at Lord’s.”The decision to sell the painting was a difficult one, but the finances of county cricket clubs are becoming increasingly fragile and, since it was no longer possible to display it at Canterbury, we took the view that the proceeds should be used to help to ensure the longer-term future of the club,” Carl Openshaw, Kent’s chairman explained. “From Kent’s point of view, this is the ideal outcome, since I understand that this unique painting will in the short-term at least continue to hang at Lord’s where it can be seen by future generations of cricket lovers.”Click here for the story of the painting’s origins.
The storms are done and the floodwaters have abated, but lightning still struck for the second time at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today, as New Zealand’s James Franklin emulated his idol, Wasim Akram, by claiming cricket’s equivalent of the hole-in-one, the prized hat-trick.Five-and-half years on from the Asian Test Championship final at Dhaka, where Wasim skittled three Sri Lankan batsmen en route to victory, Franklin’s precision line proved too much for three helpless Bangladesh tailenders, who found themselves in the record books for all the wrong reasons.And the comparisons don’t stop there. Like Wasim, Franklin is a left-armer seamer, and he too had to wait until the first ball of his next over to claim his crowning glory. Now it’s up to Franklin to go on and take hat-tricks in consecutive matches as Wasim did in March 1999. Appropriately enough, the man himself was looking on from the commentary box today.Franklin’s hat-trick was only the second by a New Zealand bowler in Test history, 28 years after Peter Petherick spun his way into Kiwi folklore on debut at Lahore. Franklin himself is in just his fourth Test, after being cast aside by the New Zealand selectors in 2001 following his first two Tests against Pakistan when he was just 20 years of age.That Franklin is even on this tour is fortuitous. He was overlooked for the winter tour of England, and instead headed to Lancashire to play club cricket where, after a string of injuries in the New Zealand team, he was drafted into the side for the third Test at Trent Bridge. Six wickets later, he had effectively booked his ticket to Bangladesh.The seamers had failed to fire for most of the first day, so there must have been some temptation for Stephen Fleming to open from one end with the left-arm spin of Daniel Vettori. He didn’t and, as they say, the rest is history.Spectators and media alike were just finding their seats when Manjural Islam Rana, so disciplined yesterday afternoon, drove loosely at Franklin’s fifth ball of the morning and gave Brendan McCullum a simple catch behind the stumps. Mohammad Rafique received a beautifully angled delivery first-up, and the edge that flew to Scott Styris at second slip was unavoidable.Jacob Oram then completed a tidy over from the other end, whereupon Franklin returned to rip out Tapash Baisya’s off stump with a delivery that the great Wasim himself would have been proud of. Tapash had elected to play no stroke, but at the last minute, the ball swung in just enough to find the ultimate target.Andrew McLean is a presenter on The Cricket Club, New Zealand’s only national cricket radio show.
Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermuelen has undergone surgery at the Mater hospital in Brisbane to repair a skull fracture sustained in the VB Series match against India on Tuesday. The operation, which lasted three-and-a-half hours, was a complete success.”Mark’s recovering well from the surgery and should make a full and complete recovery from the injury,” Brad Robinson, Zimbabwe’s physiotherapist, said. “He will stay in hospital for the next few days at least while his progress is monitored.”In addition to reconstructing the impact area above his right eye, the surgery also repaired damage he had sustained in a previous fracture incurred while practicing during the World Cup.”Vermuelen will travel to Perth to spend some time with his family before returning to Zimbabwe.
NEW DELHI, Jan 27 AFP – The Delhi High Court today overturned a five-year ban on Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja on match-fixing charges, saying there was no proof he was guilty.Jadeja was banned from official cricket two years ago by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he was named in a match-fixing investigation by federal investigators.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its report, claimed that Jadeja hobnobbed with alleged bookmakers and cited phone records to link his association with them.But the arbitrator appointed by the High Court ruled the probe was one-sided and he was not given a chance to prove his innocence.There was no reaction yet from Jadeja or the BCCI, which has the option to appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court.It is unlikely that Jadeja, who turns 32 on Saturday, will be reinstated immediately in the Indian team since he has not played cricket officially for two years.Regarded as one of India’s finest limited-overs cricketers, the stylish middle-order batsman played 196 one-dayers in which he scored 5,359 runs with six centuries and 30 half-centuries.Jadeja also played 15 Tests, scoring 576 runs averaging 26.18.His last international engagement was the Asia Cup match against Pakistan in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in June, 2000.Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, slapped with a life ban following the CBI probe, is also fighting a legal battle in an Andhra Pradesh court to clear his name.
England still have a couple of NatWest Series matches left but few could blame the players if their minds are already turning to the Ashes series.England have been outclassed in the triangular one-day competition by Pakistan and Australia, losing all four of their games so far. This renders their two remaining games meaningless as it will be the tourists who will contest the final.There is a worry that any psychological scars picked up during the NatWest Series could be carried over into the Tests but England paceman Darren Gough dispelled such concerns.”It will be a totally different side that will turn up at Edgbaston for theFirst Test,” he said. “We’ve got three days’ preparation, you’ll see a hard-working unit who will not be thinking about what happened in the one-day games.”We are a side who have come off a good trot; we got outplayed at OldTrafford, we had a couple of spells which cost us the game, but we’ve playedsome great cricket over the last 18 months and we are confident we can put up agood show against them.”As soon as I arrive at Edgbaston on the Monday before the Test. I won’t havemy blue kit any more – that’s gone for another six months. They are favourites,but if we play like we did at Lord’s, like we did in the winter, we can win it,and we all believe we can.”I’ve got my theories about Australia; all you do is find out the strengthsand try to keep away from them. They’ve got some great batsman – you have to beup for it, and don’t get down.”There will be days when you get none for a hundred, but there are days whenyou can really believe as a bowling partnership you can bowl them out. If we cando that in two Tests and win two, we’ve a chance of winning the series.”There are two good bowling attacks; it’s going to be the team that bats thebest that wins the series. We’ve got some experienced players to come back inHussain, Thorpe and White.”Looking beyond the Ashes series and towards 2003, the year of the next World Cup, Gough is optimistic about England’s chances despite the current run of nine consecutive one-day defeats.”The last two World Cups have been disasters,” he said. “We won the gamesleading up to them, but as soon as we got to a World Cup, we didn’t play verywell. There are young players coming in now and when we bring back men who areimportant to us such as White, Hussain, Giles and Thorpe and we’ve a good sidewith experience and youth.”It is disappointing when we keep losing, but these guys are getting capsunder their belts and when we go into the next World Cup we need everyone inthe squad to have played around 30 One-Day Internationals.”Owais Shah has come in and showed skill, and the fielding in the last threegames has been the best I’ve been part of. We’ve got something to work on. Iwouldn’t judge it until we get the team all playing together.”This one-day series was always going to be hard with the injuries we’ve had.We’ve missed Hussain and Thorpe, he’s our finisher, our Michael Bevan. All weneed is experience in playing more games.”
Crystal Palace have now joined the race for a “technically skilled” Champions League player, who could be brought in as an alternative to Sacha Boey.
Palace eyeing new right-back despite Munoz's impressive form
Daniel Munoz has established himself as one of Palace’s most important players over the past three seasons, with the Colombian full-back particularly impressive from an attacking point of view, chipping in with three goals and two assists in the Premier League already this season.
Oliver Glasner has also singled the right-back out for high praise, saying back in April 2024: “Daniel has an outstanding training mentality. Every training session he’s the guy who’s running most, who’s sprinting most.”
However, in light of his impressive showings for the Eagles, Munoz is starting to attract interest from some top clubs, with it recently being revealed that Manchester City have been making moves to secure his signature, while Chelsea have also been credited with an interest.
The South Londoners remain in a strong negotiating position, with the 29-year-old contracted until 2028, but they are now looking at signing a new right-back, who could push for Munoz’s starting spot.
Sacha Boey was named as a potential target earlier this month, and there is a belief a January deal for the Bayern Munich man wouldn’t break the bank, but he is not the only option, with Juventus’ Joao Mario also on the shortlist.
That is according to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which states Crystal Palace have now joined the race for Mario’s signature, alongside some unnamed clubs in Spain.
It is deemed very possible the Portuguese full-back leaves the Italian club in the next month, and a deal would be inexpensive, as Juve are demanding a fee in the region of €12m (£10m).
Shades of Zaha: Crystal Palace join race for £22m Champions League forward
Palace are looking to sign a new attacker.
ByDominic Lund
Sport Witness relay a previous report, which makes it clear Boey is the priority target, but the 25-year-old is viewed as a ‘reliable alternative’, despite being unable to make much of an impact in the Serie A this season…
Mario hasn't hit the ground running in Italy
It may be a gamble to sign the three-cap Portugal international, who has made two Champions League appearances this term, given that he hasn’t made a flying start to life in the Serie A, after joining from FC Porto in the summer, predominantly being limited to appearances as a substitute.
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However, manager Luciano Spalletti was full of praise for the former FC Porto man earlier this month, saying: “Joao Mario is technically skilled. He’s a good player, who knows how to make decisions and how to build confidence with the team and on the ball.”
The Juventus ace would also be a versatile option for Glasner, given that he is able to play in a multitude of positions, including full-back, wing-back, and further forward on both wings.
Having averaged 0.26 assists per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 98th percentile, compared to other full-backs, Mario could be a similar type of full-back to Munoz, and it may be worth Palace taking a risk, given the low asking price.
When you’re walking down a reclusive street and you catch a glimpse of an England flag hanging from an inauspicious window, flags out of car windows fluttering in the wind and the town themed red white and blue, you know there is an international competition in the wings. All these things insinuate our passion towards our country and how we stand united.
Who are the most passionate fans in Europe? Is it the fans that have travelled the furthest to be at the competition to support their team? Is it the amount of fans we take to a competition? Or is it the country who sings the loudest to be the 12th man?
Passion is an overwhelming emotion and any football fan would agree how difficult it is to describe their love for their team. But it is not just the fans who reciprocate passion. The players need it too. If players immerse themselves with passion, it gives them the drive to succeed and achieve the impossible. We’ve witnessed teams do it in the past. UEFA EURO 1992 hosted by Sweden, one of football’s major triumphs. Denmark who did not qualify for the European Championships were re-entered into the competition due to Yugoslavia being disqualified, went on to win the entire competition, beating Germany in the final 2-0.
Belief and passion make situations achievable. Football ignites great passion in people around the world but as England fans, we believe we share the most passion for our team. We leave our families behind to travel great distances around the world to be there to support our team. We meet people along the way and share our stories about our astonishing journey, and when we’re there, we sing until our voice scratches our throat. That is Passion. That is what we believe.
But are we really the most passionate fans? The McDonald’s Passion Meter allows football fans to show their dedication by cheering as loud as they can to achieve the highest possible score. Your score will then be added to your country’s total to find the most passionate country…
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Frenchman Patrick Vieira believes Manchester City can cope with the loss of captain Carlos Tevez and still achieve their goals this season.Vieira, who retired from professional football on Thursday, was unveiled as the English Premier League club’s new Football Development Executive.
The former City, Arsenal, Inter Milan and France midfielder said he expected other players to lift to make up for the loss of Tevez, who was joint-top scorer in the Premier League last campaign with 20 goals in 28 appearances.
“It is never easy to lose players like Carlos. In the last two years he has been fantastic for the football club, scoring goals,” Vieira said on Monday.
“The club has grown that fast and Carlos has made a huge contribution to it, like all the players. But in football, it is not the first time a big club has lost a big player.”
“I believe we can still challenge our target and we still have a really competitive team because the players will take more responsibilities on their shoulders and that will make them better players.”
“Life goes on and if Carlos left, we just have to wish him good luck and everyone should say thank you for what he has done.”
It comes after City boss Roberto Mancini said an agreement for Tevez’s transfer had been reached with Brazilian side Corinthians for the Argentine’s services.
But Corinthians deny the claims, revealing the Eastlands club had offered a counter-proposal.
Vieira, who won three Premier League and four Serie A titles as well as the 1998 World Cup, said he knew the time was right to bring an end to his career.
“Listen, this is a part of football. You get to a time when you have to accept that you can’t perform to the level you want to,” he said.
“When you can’t perform at the level you expect to perform, the best thing to do is to stop and I’m proud when I look back at my career. I’m proud and I’m really pleased with what I have achieved and that’s what made it an easy decision.”
The 107-time France international also played down the public row between Mancini and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
The Italian was accused of being ‘disrespectful’ by Wenger after revealing he was interested in the services of midfielder Samir Nasri.
“I see it from the outside and it makes me smile. It happens all the time. Mancini and Wenger, Wenger and Ferguson the next day, Ferguson and Mancini after that,” Vieira said.
“It’s a part of the game and what is important is not to disrespect anybody and I don’t think anyone has. Life keeps going – every club wants the best players. It’s part of the game.”
January is a very uncertain month for all twenty Premier League clubs, but there is a consistency with Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy that puts Arsenal in the strongest position in the league. However, this season what are Arsene Wenger’s plans? Nobody seems to be able to work them out, let alone himself. If Arsenal are going to challenge for domestic and European honours this season there needs to be a solid plan in action for the upcoming transfer window. Arsene Wenger’s contradictory statements suggest that there is no plan, is this a good thing?
In an interview with The Independent in November, Arsene Wenger indicated that he was happy with his squad and he was confident that players would return from injury and give his side the edge come February.
”My policy is to stick with the squad I have, we will not be in the market.”
Now, Arsene Wenger is claiming that he will be looking into the transfer market and see what deals can be done. In a recent interview with Al Jazeera TV Wenger aired this new transfer policy.
”If we find the players who can give something more to the team, we will do it.”
This change in direction in terms of transfer policy from Arsene Wenger is a little peculiar. When Wenger signed Andrey Arshavin in January 2009, there was a clear plan to sign the player. He had scouted his target for months and made his move when the time was right. Arshavin has been a great success at Arsenal and one of the reasons for this is Wenger’s attention to detail when signing the player.
In November, the Premier League title race looked very different to how it does now. Manchester United didn’t look a threat, Chelsea’s wheels were starting to fall off and Arsenal looked the favourites out of the top three. However, things have changed again. Manchester United now look the team to beat after beating Arsenal and with Chelsea to come on Monday, does Wenger fear his side could be significantly behind in the title race to panic buy in January? Wenger could fear his best chance of winning the Premier League title is slipping away from him, added to this the Champions League draw against Barcelona, and there is an argument that Wenger could now be panicking a little in his Emirates office.
Arsene Wenger is too intelligent for panic buying, but the ‘will he wont he’ buy this January can’t be good for the squad. There are players in the Arsenal squad who must fear that they will be sold to broker deals for certain players Wenger may bring in. If Wenger is constantly changing his mind on transfers, where do these players see their futures? It is a difficult time, but Wenger could be shooting himself in the foot. Why have faith in a squad only for a month later to declare signings could be made? Wenger will not spend massive amounts of money, but he could buy players that are not suited to Arsenal or the Premier League. Will this transfer pantomime do damage to Arsenal rather than help them long term? Comment below with your thoughts for the upcoming transfer window.
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Arsenal v Chelsea is a score draw money back special!
The Premier League season draws to a conclusion this weekend with the title race, Champions League places up for grabs, while Bolton face a tough trip to Stoke as they look to secure their Premier League future. It promises to be a nerve jangling afternoon with plenty of twists and turns in store for those all involved.
In the news today we have seen Roberto Mancini claim City are deserving of the title; Arsene Wenger praising the Europa League, while Kenny Dalglish defends his performance as Liverpool manager.
Headlines
Roberto Mancini believes that Manchester City deserve to win the title as they have played the better football over the course of the season – Guardian
Kenny Dalglish was on the defensive yesterday and felt the club is in a better position than it was some 16 months ago when he took over the football club – Guardian
Sir Alex Ferguson believes the pressure is on Manchester City and called upon Queens Park Rangers to do an Aberdeen and go and upset the odds – Guardian
Harry Redknapp has conceded that Scott Parker is a doubt for the Euro Championships due to his Achilles injury – Guardian
Alan Pardew believes that Champions League qualification would give Newcastle what they need to cement themselves in the Premier League elite in years to come – Daily Telegraph
Arsene Wenger has praised the Europa League as a competition and believes some of the games are more entertaining than the Champions League at times – Independent
Darren Bent believes he can make a late push for a Euro’s place as he continues to make giant strides from his ankle injury that has sidelined him for months – Independent
Michel Vorm has ruled out a move to Arsenal by claiming he is happy at Swansea and playing for the best footballing side in the country – Mirror
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Roberto Di Matteo revealed he is unsure as to whether tomorrow’s game against Blackburn will be his last at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea boss – Sun
Talk of Gareth Bale moving to Barcelona has been branded as nonsense by Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp – Metro