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Simon Jones has been selected to represent the M.C.C

Andrew Hignell03-Jun-2002Simon Jones has been selected to represent the M.C.C. in theirthree-day friendly against the Sri Lankan tourists at Chesterfield on June 6th.The young pace bowler was in England`s squad for the Second Test at Edgbaston,but he missed out on selection in the final eleven. However, on Sunday he spentthe day acting as England`s twelfth man, fielding as substitute for the injured Mark Butcher.The M.C.C. game gives Jones another chance to stake a claim for a place in the England side for the Third Test at Old Trafford, and perhaps the winter tour to Australia.It is also the only first-class fixture in between the Second and Third Test,and provides the England selectors with an opportunity to run their eye over several promising young players, as well as others on the fringe of the England Test and one day teams.Besides Jones, the M.C.C. team also contains several members ofthe E.C.B. Academy who spent last winter `down under`.The M.C.C. side in full is Robert Key (Kent), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), DavidFulton (Kent – captain), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Usman Afzaal (Nottinghamshire),Darren Stevens (Leicestershire), Chris Read (Nottinghamshire – w/k), RichardDawson (Yorkshire), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), James Kirtley (Sussex),Jonathan Lewis (Gloucestershire).

CricInfo Championship leaders Yorkshire fired out second-placed Kent for 212 at Headingley yesterday to justify skipper David Byas’ decision to ask the visitors to bat first

David Warner06-Jun-2001CricInfo Championship leaders Yorkshire fired out second-placed Kent for 212 at Headingley yesterday to justify skipper David Byas’ decision to ask the visitors to bat first.Yorkshire then reached five without loss before rain wiped out the last 20 overs of the day.Top bowler for Yorkshire was paceman Matthew Hoggard who captured four for 48 and then learned as he walked off the field that he had been called up by England for their One-Day International with Pakistan at Edgbaston tomorrow (Thursday).Hoggard, who replaces the injured Andy Caddick in the NatWest triangular tournament, was able to go home to pick up fresh kit before joining up with the England squad in Birmingham.Yorkshire are now allowed to draft in another player who can bowl in the Kent second innings but Byas said a final decision on who it would be would not be taken until the morning. Ryan Sidebottom is out of the reckoning because of sore shins.Chris Silverwood chipped in with three wickets as Kent collapsed and there were two for Craig White in his first bowl for Yorkshire since May 11.White is hoping to recover from his back injury in time for the Ashes series but he said he was unable to bowl at anywhere near full pace in his nine overs and felt he may need further tests to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem.Yorkshire seemed to have made a mistake in inserting Kent when they stood at 96 for one at one stage but their batting went to pieces against persistent bowling.Top-scorer Ed Smith looked good for a century until he drove loosely at Hoggard and was caught at slip by Byas for 84 from 155 balls with 14 fours.Opener Rob Key also made a solid half-century but when he had reached 58 he also had a wild flash outside off stump at Hoggard and was caught by wicketkeeper Richard Blakey.

Sunderland have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of their upcoming play-off semi-final clash on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

Speaking prior to the second leg of the Black Cats’ League One play-off semi-final against Lincoln City, Lee Johnson confirmed that both Denver Hume and Conor McLaughlin would be unavailable for selection due to injury.

Left-back Hume was withdrawn because of an issue with his hamstring just 10 minutes into the first leg of the tie and will not recover in time for today, while right-back McLaughlin has a stress fracture of the back which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

As cited by Chronicle Live, Johnson said: “Denver has a hamstring injury. It’s disappointing, and it’s happened on too many occasions to different players this season. And Conor is out for the season with a stress fracture of the back.”

Huge blow

Despite Johnson only taking over at Sunderland late last year, the 39-year-old has already had to deal with a quite extraordinary amount of injuries during his relatively short time at the club.

A large portion of these setbacks have occurred to the Black Cats’ defenders, such as the loss of centre-back Dion Sanderson, who returned to Wolves after being ruled out for the rest of the season, and fellow centre-back Jordan Willis, who looks set to be sidelined for 12 months because of a recurring knee injury.

As such, the news that both Hume and McLaughlin are now also unavailable for the visit of Lincoln on Saturday is likely to come as a devastating blow for the former Bristol City manager, particularly as his side are aiming to overturn a 2-0 defeat from the first leg of the play-off semi-final tie.

In other news: SAFC gain transfer boost over “fantastic” £8m machine which will surely have fans buzzing – opinion

The Criclnfo-sponsored Notts Outlaws recorded their second consecutive win in the National League this season, beating the Warwickshire Bears at Trent Bridge by four wickets

Dave Bracegirdle20-May-2001The Criclnfo-sponsored Notts Outlaws recorded their second consecutive win in the National League this season, beating the Warwickshire Bears at Trent Bridge by four wickets.Set 203 to win, the home side left it late before launching a vigorous assault inside the last few overs to snatch a dramatic victory with Usman Afzaal taking the batting honours with a magnificent 94 not out.Bears’ seamer Charlie Dagnall made early inroads into the Outlaws batting by removing both openers in identical fashion, Guy Welton for five and the in–form Darren Bicknell for 18, both falling to fine diving slip catches by Dominic Ostler.The situation would have been even worse for Notts but Ostler then somehow spilled an easier offering when Greg Blewett had only made three, again off the bowling of Dagnall.Blewett, for once, seemed out of sorts and took 13 overs to reach double figures. He’d progressed to 14 when he edged Neil Smith to ‘keeper Keith Piper to leave Notts on 61–3 in the 21st over.Usman Afzaal batted sensibly but the run rate was gradually increasing as both he and Paul Johnson manipulated rather than monopolised the bowling, leaving 130 runs to get from the final 20 oversWhilst Johnson was at the wicket Notts were always capable of matching that sort of rate but on 20 he tried to hook Dougie Brown and spooned another catch to Ostler, now posted at short mid-wicket,Afzaal cut Smith to the backward point boundary to bring up the 100 in the 31st over but the plight worsened in the next over when Pietersen played the ball on to his stumps, off Brown.A risky partnership between Afzaal and Chris Read developed with plenty of chancy singles and unorthodox shots but Afzaal deservedly reached his half century (89 mins 73 balls 5x4s). Read then twice drove Mo Sheikh to the boundary with two of the most fluent shots of the day. Twenty-two runs came from just two overs to leave the target at 57 from 8 overs.As the running became more and more frantic and the excitement levels increased with every ball, the Notts pair inched closer and closer but 33 were still needed from five overs.The stand had been worth a magnificent 77 when Read fell to Brown for 36, dragging the ball back on to his stumps. Afzaal kept going though, moving into the 80s with a glorious stroke off Drakes and then matching it with another off Brown.The late flurry of runs meant only five were needed from the final over end Afzaal and Paul Franks got there with just two balls to spare to seal an extraordinary triumph. Afzaal left the ground to a standing ovation before being engulfed by his jubilant team–mates.Earlier the Bears had been restricted to 202–7 in their 45 overs, having at one stage been 110–1. Opener Mark Wagh top scored with 50 and Dougie Brown held the middle order together with 44. For the home side Kevin Pietersen was the most successful bowler, with 3-39 from his nine-over allocation.

Many West Brom fans have been left to fume as WBA Report have shared a leaked image of their new home kit for next season on their Twitter page.

Given that the Hawthorns faithful know that they have been relegated from the Premier League, and so will be playing in the second tier come the 2021/22 term, rumours and images of new kits have been flying around.

In this case, the leaked home shirt abandons the traditional stripes that the Midlands club usually wear, and the shades of colour seem to be much lighter.

Baggies have not exactly has much to sing about so far in this campaign, and given that this would go away from traditions, a lot of Albion supporters have been left fuming at the potential new jersey.

West Brom fans on new kit

These WBA fans fumed as the image was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘awful’:

“Please tell me I am being blagged here……a day away from Twitter and my world is falling apart”

Credit: @Gornalwizza

“Stockport County comes to mind, awful if true”

Credit: @hebberts_ian

“Don’t like it…”

Credit: @BermondseyT

“Urgh”

Credit: @AstlesLeftfoot1

“Dire”

Credit: @musicmonkey1966

“I really hope this is fake that is disgusting and is not our classic stripes”

Credit: @harryjay94

“Sweet Jesus! What is this unholy mess?”

Credit: @Albionista3

In other news, find out which ‘tenacious’ West Brom ace has been linked with a summer transfer here!

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that Crystal Palace need to find the right balance in their squad.

The Eagles have 14 players that are 30 or older in their current squad, and with 15 of their first-team setup out of contract at the end of the season, it promises to be a crucial summer at Selhurst Park in terms of the playing staff, and the manager Roy Hodgson whose deal is also due to expire.

In contrast, Tyrick Mitchell and Eberechi Eze, who are 21 and 22 respectively, are the only regulars under the age of 25.

But whilst Bent believes that Palace could freshen up their squad, he recognises the importance of experience.

Despite their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, Fulham’s loss by the same scoreline at Chelsea has all but guaranteed the Eagles a ninth consecutive season in the Premier League.

Palace will be hoping to put an end to a run of three successive defeats and get over the 40-point mark when they face already-relegated Sheffield United at Bramall Lane next weekend.

Bent told Football FanCast:

“The trouble is, you’ve got the experienced pros in there, who are keeping you in the Premier League. If you start tweaking stuff, sometimes it can go wrong, so I’m not sure you want to change the whole team.

“But with several players coming to the end of their contracts, whether they stay or go, they’re not going to get money for them.

“But you need experience, Cahill, that pro to direct you in the right way on and off the pitch. So I can’t see massive changes on the pitch.”

Former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he cannot understand why Ralph Hasenhuttl is being touted for the Tottenham job.

Despite being linked with a whole host of managers, Tottenham are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Jose Mourinho.

It has led some to moot the idea of Spurs turning to Hasenhuttl, who has had some very good moments at Southampton this season.

The Austrian coach had the Saints sitting at the top of the Premier League table at one point and guided them to an FA Cup semi-final where they narrowly missed out to finalists Leicester City.

Overall, though, he has not done enough for Palmer, who is surprised to hear people suggesting him for the Tottenham job.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the former RB Leipzig boss, Palmer said:

“I just can’t get my head around it. Both the Southampton manager and the Brighton manager have been linked with the Spurs job, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, they’re both around 15th or 16th in the league, respectively.

“I just don’t get it, how they can be mooted to taking over at Spurs.”

Hasenhuttl has said he expects to see out the remaining three years of his contract at Southampton, so it will be interesting to see what happens if Tottenham do make an approach for the 53-year-old.

An insider in the meeting held by the 14 clubs in the Premier League not in the European Super League (ESL) has shared what Newcastle United’s view was.

Speaking on a broadcast in the Middle East (via The Chronicle), Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud claimed that the chief executive of the St. James’ Park faithful, as well as the CEO’s of the other clubs involved, ‘completely rejected’ the ESL, but also ‘rejected the requests for punishments’ in the meeting.

Newcastle right to reject ESL

The North East club are completely right to be rejecting the proposals of the ESL, and thankfully the project has collapsed following the withdrawal of all clubs in the so-called ‘big six’ from it.

It certainly would not have benefited the Tyneside club in terms of decreasing the money that they could receive in the future from factors such as TV deals, while also reducing their chances of gaining a significant amount of income by being invited to join the league because of the closed aspect of it.

The rejection for punishment may not go down too well with some members of the Toon Army, as the intentions of the ‘big six’ would have had a huge negative impact on English football. That said, none of the six are exactly competing with Steve Bruce’s side at the moment, so it would have to be one mighty points deduction to have major significance to the Magpies.

In other news, find out what ESL claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on the potential takeover here!

In a recent interview, Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed that the Glasgow Rangers-linked winger, Jacob Murphy, would be a great addition to Steven Gerrard’s side this summer.

According to recent reports, both Rangers and Southampton are keeping tabs on the Newcastle United man ahead of the upcoming transfer window, with Steve Bruce’s side thought to be demanding a fee of around £3 million to part with the 26-year-old this summer.

And, in a recent interview with Football Insider, the former Aston Villa striker, Gabby Agbonlahor, stated his belief that the former England U21 international would be a great signing for Gers, claiming that Murphy would add a lot to Gerrard’s squad.

Asked whether he thought Murphy would be a good signing, Agbonlahor said: “Definitely. They’ve always been talented, the two twins. I’ve known them a long time, but they haven’t really kicked on to where they should have done.

“If he was a squad player at Rangers, Steven Gerrard would get good use out of him. He would be a very good signing. I’m sure he can add a lot to that Rangers squad.”

Transfer Tavern Take

So far this season, Murphy has struggled for game time somewhat at Newcastle, with the former Norwich City man starting just 11 Premier League games for Steve Bruce’s side, making a further nine appearances from the bench.

And, over his total of 20 league appearances, the 26-year-old has managed to score two goals and provide two assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.62 – ranking him as Newcastle’s 12th-best performer in the English top flight.

As such, despite Agbonlahor’s claim that the £25,000-per-week winger would be a good signing for Rangers, from looking at his statistics, the exact opposite could be argued just as easily.

In other news: Rangers could now miss out on 28-goal star this summer as recruitment source drops news – find out more here!

Writing on Twitter, reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold has revealed the 10 most likely Tottenham Hotspur exits this summer – which includes in-form winger Lucas Moura for the right offer.

As also shared by the Daily Express in relaying Gold’s report, the list of likely Lilywhites for the chopping block is extensive, with chairman Daniel Levy needing to raise transfer window funds through sales.

Alasdair Gold drops Tottenham summer exit claim

Writing on Twitter and sharing his football.london piece, the journalist explained: “Ten players who I believe could leave Tottenham this summer to raise much-needed transfer funds. There are some names on this list that will upset people and of course all 10 will not leave. It’s more about what offers end up coming in to Spurs.”

Amid the financial climate, Gold says that Tottenham could be set for some tough summer decisions in regards to player exits.

While he is adamant that not all 10 will move on, Gold explains that Tottenham departures can be expected from within a list including Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Danny Rose, a centre-back, Serge Aurier, Moussa Sissoko, Erik Lamela, Juan Foyth, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Moura.

Transfer Tavern take

The latter is a particularly surprising addition, especially given his recent form which has seem him accrue four goal involvements in his last six league matches, but Gold believes that a sizeable offer could tempt Levy and co into a summer sale.

At the age of 29, Moura’s transfer value will only decrease over the years, with the journalist understanding that Tottenham have already turned down bids in the past.

Also, the lack of consistency in his end product would make an attractive outside bid very tempting.

In other news: Tottenham have been watching this potential Vertonghen heir, find out more here.