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The captain Chris Gayle scored his first hundred in three years as West Indies meandered to a 214-run lead with a day to play

The Bulletin by Marc Ellison22-Dec-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 146 helped West Indies develop a useful advantage heading into the fifth day © Getty Images
The captain Chris Gayle scored his first hundred in three years as West Indies meandered to a 214-run lead with a day to play in the deciding Test of the series. Gayle mixed flamboyance with patience in his 146 not out from 325 balls, which included 13 fours and six sixes, as the visitors finished at 278 for 7, a total which keeps both teams in with a chance.Gayle was outstanding with his shot selection and judgment, keeping out the testing deliveries from both finger spinners and launching some lusty blows into the stands on the legside. This was his first Test hundred since scoring 317 against South Africa in 2005, an amazing 25 Tests and 47 innings ago.Gayle combined in a vital 124-run stand with Brendan Nash for the fifth wicket that lifted the team from the danger of 106 for 4 midway through the first session. However, Gayle was unable to find another suitable ally to build the innings around and his tactics changed during the final session. He was forced to curb his natural flair and opt instead for caution in order to ensure his side made it through to stumps.In the second session Gayle reached his eighth Test hundred with a nervous single to backward point after he spent 40 balls in the 90s. Pushing to Jeetan Patel, he called yes before Nash sent him back. However, Gayle slipped on the pitch just before Patel got to the ball, but the fielder fumbled and Gayle was able to waltz through to complete his century from 189 deliveries.Nash built on his well-compiled 74 in the first innings with an equally important 65. While his captain scored predominantly straight down the ground, Nash pushed and prodded square of the wicket, making life difficult for the New Zealand attack to adjust to each batsman.After leaving so consistently outside his off stump, Nash was gifted width on numerous occasions and made the hosts pay by punishing them through point. He also worked off his pads nicely, collecting at will as well as picking up a couple of boundaries. He brought up his fifty off 137 balls with a sweetly timed cover drive off Patel, the most successful bowler.Nash fought hard through to tea but shortly after the resumption New Zealand took the new ball and James Franklin was brought into the attack. Franklin peppered Nash with short deliveries for an over and he was soon struck on the gloves and the ball ballooned to Jamie How at second slip. The vice-captain Denesh Ramdin (6) followed when he drove loosely off the back foot to Daniel Flynn off Franklin, who collected 2 for 40.New Zealand needed the wickets, the first since Patel’s double breakthrough left West Indies four-down before lunch. Daniel Vettori, who allowed 69 runs from 42 overs, opted for spin for the majority of the day, only really using his seamers once the second new ball was taken. Despite the late bursts from Franklin and Iain O’Brien, Patel remained the hosts’ key destroyer with 3 for 83. He removed Xavier Marshall for 18 before following up next ball with the caught-and-bowled of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who misjudged a full toss.After Nash departed West Indies shut up shop and Jerome Taylor joined his captain in opting for resolute defence ahead of following attacking instincts. Taylor paid the price when O’Brien out-thought him and trapped him leg before with a slower ball that the batsman didn’t pick up. Prior to his dismissal, Taylor had to deal with a barrage of bouncers from O’Brien and copped one on the chin. He was out for 8 and West Indies were 272 for 7.Gayle and Fidel Edwards played out the day safely and the captain holds the key for the visitors. If New Zealand can grab the remaining three wickets early on the final day they stand a great chance of winning. However, Gayle looks in fine touch and he is the man who can stop New Zealand from claiming a crucial series victory.

Ryan Christie doesn’t want to sign a pre-contract agreement away from Celtic, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Christie under Postecoglou

The attacking midfielder has been a regular under Ange Postecoglou, missing just two of nine games in all competitions this season. He has scored once and registered three assists so far, with the new Hoops manager labelling the 26-year-old ‘fantastic’.

Christie, who earns £624,000 per year at Parkhead, is out of contract in January, and friends of the player have weighed in on his future with a big update.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-12/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Southampton interest

Alan Nixon of The Sun shared a story on Saturday evening, claiming that Southampton are working on a move for Christie. The Saints are willing to wait until the 26-year-old is out of contract in January.

Within Nixon’s report, he cited ‘pals’ of Christie claiming that the Scotland international doesn’t want to risk being sidelined by the Hoops when it comes to penning a pre-contract agreement elsewhere.

The Verdict: Time for McKay to act?

With Christie seemingly not keen on penning pre-contract terms elsewhere, now could be the time for Dominic McKay to act one way or the other.

The Hoops could do with either tying down the 26-year-old to an improved contract or cashing in before the end of the month.

What they don’t want is for the situation to remain the same, as Christie could then walk out the door for nothing in five months’ time.

In other news: Celtic set to sign another defender, find out who it is here. 

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson believes that his beloved Liverpool could potentially make a move for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, provided they can drive his asking price down.

The Poland international has reportedly informed Bayern that he would like to embark on a new challenge in the summer transfer window.

Sky Sports reports that the striker has been valued at £100m in this transfer window, a price that is likely to make any transfer remarkably difficult in this market.

He is, of course, a legendary figure who has been nothing short of sensational for the Bavarian giants.

Lewandowski has scored 298 goals in 332 appearances for Bayern, and has also laid on 65 assists.

That is 363 goal involvements, and he has also won multiple trophies during his time in Germany.

He has won the Bundesliga nine times, including his time with Borussia Dortmund, and has also lifted the German Cup four times, the Champions League once, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

And Jemson believes that Liverpool should do their best to bring his price down to around £60m and make a move to sign him this summer.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “You’ve also got Lewandowski. That’s come up that he wants a new challenge but the price tag of £100 million or something like that for a 33-year-old, I think that’s going to scupper any move to the Premier League, I don’t think anybody’s going to pay that sort of money but if you could nick him for £60 million, I think people would be very interested then.”

A round-up of day one of the Regional Four Day competition

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2009Offspinner Shane Shillingford took 4 for 43 to help Windward Islands bowl out Guyana for 172 in Grenada. Travis Dowlin, the Guyana captain, was the lone resistor with a fighting half-century but he was let down by his team-mates.The Windwards fast bowlers captured early wickets after being asked to field. Nelon Pascal dismissed opener Krishna Arjune for 4. Shemroy Barrington and Leon Johnson then added 44 for the second wicket before both fell to Darren Sammy within a space of three runs. Dowlin and Narsingh Deonarine put on 48 to take their team close to 100 but that was the highest-stand of the first day as the Guyana batsmen undid the repair work performed by their captain. Shillingford triggered a collapse and Guyana lost their last four wickets for 13 runs to be bowled out in 81 overs. In reply, Windwards’ openers saw off the remaining overs to finish on 20 without loss.Trinidad and Tobago made slow progress on a rain-affected day in Weymouth, reaching 182 for 5 by stumps. Daren Ganga and Darren Bravo scored half-centuries and added 66 for the fourth wicket to help their team recover from a precarious 66 for 3. Bravo was the more fluent of the two but despite his unbeaten 59, Barbados bowled tight and kept the pressure on to finish the first day in a position of strength.T&T began poorly after opting to bat, losing opener Adrian Barath to Corey Collymore for a duck. Justin Guillen then added 50 with Ganga before being bowled by Suleiman Benn for 19. Lendl Simmons fell shortly after, caught-behind off Kemar Roach for 6 before Ganga and Bravo steadied the innings. However, just five minutes after the tea break, Ganga spooned a catch to mid-off off Ryan Hinds’ left-arm spin to hand the intiative back to Barbados. Roach struck again at the stroke of stumps, removing Sherwin Ganga for 15, leaving Bravo with the responsibility of reviving T & T on the second day.Jamaica fought back to end their first day in St. Kitts on top, limiting Leeward Islands to 235 for 6 after the openers had made a solid start. Legspinner Odean Brown took 3 for 63 in 31 overs and played an important role in ensuring the Leewards batsmen did not build partnerships after the opening pair had been dismissed. However, Omari Banks remained unbeaten on 75 and his presence at the crease will be critical to Leewards’ fortunes tomorrow.Leewards openers Austin Richards and Kieran Powell added 78 but brought up the 50-run partnership in only 7.2 overs. Richards was particularly aggressive, scoring 49 off 60 balls with five fours and a six, before being caught brilliantly by Brown off Tamar Lambert. Powell fell six runs later, bowled by Brown for 31. The batsmen who followed got starts but failed to consolidate as Leewards lost four wickets for 60. Each of the batsmen got to double figures but only one reached a half-century. Banks resisted but lost two more partners – Montcin Hodge and Devon Thomas.

Michael Vaughan says he did not put himself forward for next week’s Indian Premier League auction because his primary focus is a recall to England’s Test team

Cricinfo staff30-Jan-2009
Michael Vaughan: country before rupees © Getty Images
Michael Vaughan said he did not put himself forward for next week’s Indian Premier League auction because his primary focus is a recall to England’s Test team.Vaughan, 34, resigned the England captaincy in August last year and has not played for his country since. Though his career is clearly drawing to a close, he nevertheless opted out of the chance for a handsome paycheque in India because he still believes he can fight his way back into the England team for the Ashes this summer.”I want to get back into the Test team and the only way to do that is to start the season with Yorkshire, play two or three four-day games and hopefully get a couple of hundreds and put myself in a position to get myself selected for that first Test against West Indies in May,” Vaughan told BBC Radio Five Live.”That is purely a personal decision. Every decision involving the IPL is down to the individual players and my position is to get back into the Test team. I’m not too sure whether I would have been bought at the auction anyway.”Vaughan made his name in the 2002-03 Ashes when he scored 633 runs in the five Tests, and famously captained England to victory on the next occasion the teams met, in 2005. His one-day career, however, was less auspicious. He never managed an ODI century in 86 matches, and featured in just two Twenty20 internationals.Meanwhile, Shaun Udal has withdrawn his name from the auction, which takes place on February 6, citing his commitments to his county side, Middlesex. Udal, 40, was lured out of retirement by the club then handed the captaincy towards the end of 2008, and felt that he had a debt of gratitude to honour.”I’ve decided, after some soul searching and advice from people I trust, not to enter myself into the auction for a variety of reasons,” Udal told the Middlesex website. “One of the main reasons being the Middlesex captaincy, which is something that I really treasure.””If I did get taken on by one of the IPL franchises I would have been coming back after a month or so of the season and it would have an unsettling effect on the squad. I’ve always preached loyalty and hopefully now I’ve shown it by not going down the IPL route.”

VVV-Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis will undergo his Celtic medical in Paris on Sunday, according to journalist Johnny Georgopoulos.

The Lowdown: Fee agreed

The Hoops have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old for almost two weeks now.

Ange Postecoglou personally called the striker over a deal and an initial fee of €2.5m has been agreed on between the two clubs.

Giakoumakis, on just €750-a-week (£642) with Venlo, could well become Dominic McKay’s 10th summer signing in his first window as CEO, and it seems as if a move has taken a further step forward ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

The Latest: Sunday medical

According to Georgopoulos, Giakoumakis will undergo his medical in France on Sunday.

The journalist revealed that he has accepted Celtic’s offer and that it would now be a ‘big surprise’ if he didn’t make the move to Glasgow.

The Verdict: Edouard to depart?

With Giakoumakis now likely to join Celtic, that could mean that Odsonne Edouard will get the Parkhead exit he has wanted since April.

The Hoops have Crystal Palace, Bordeaux and Rubin Kazan all interested in a late auction for the Frenchman, and it seems as if a deal could be on the cards with the 23-year-old into the final 12 months of his contract.

The pending arrival of Giakoumakis may well give Edouard the green light to move away, so it looks set to be an interesting last few days of the window.

In other news: Pundit tips ‘composed’ ace to re-join Celtic in late activity.

John Buchanan has ruled out coaching England against Australia in this year’s Ashes series

Alex Brown12-Feb-2009
John Buchanan won back the Ashes in 2006-07, but won’t be tempted to repeat the feat this year © Getty Images
John Buchanan has ruled out coaching England against Australia in this year’s Ashes seriesHugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, hinted this week that Buchanan could be targeted to take over from interim coach, Andy Flower, after England’s tour of the West Indies. But Buchanan, who enjoyed success in three out of four Ashes series from 2001 to 2006-07, ended speculation of a high-profile defection, stating his preference to continue his consultancy work, as well as his coaching position with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.”It is very flattering of the ECB, through Hugh Morris, to suggest my name as a possibility for a role with English cricket, but it is extremely unlikely for me to accept a full-time coaching role … for a number of reasons,” Buchanan said. “I have not chatted with [Morris] about the England coaching job, and in terms of coaching against Australia in the Ashes? No. I wouldn’t have thought that was something I’d want to do.”I have been contacted by [the England national performance centre coach] Dene Hills about coming over to talk with the England Lions and their coaching staff in February-March. I am happy with roles like that, such as when I spoke with the All Blacks with [rugby league coach] Wayne Bennett. That is how I see my role these days, with the exception of the IPL.”Buchanan, who took up his role with Australia in 1999, added that he felt that international coaches have a “shelf life”, and that his was reached at the end of the 2007 World Cup. “I am not sure I could travel that road again,” he said, “and indeed with another country.”On the subject of the IPL, however, he said he felt privileged to be a part of a competition that, in his opinion, has “the capacity to change cricket, more so than any other single event in cricket’s history”. “I believe cricket needs change,” he added, “and I want to help IPL achieve that change.”Buchanan’s comments will come as a disappointment to Morris, who expressed his admiration of the former Australian mentor when discussing the England coaching position in an interview with the Daily Mail.”John Buchanan of Australia has won 75% of matches at all levels, far more than anyone in the history of the game,” Morris said. “We are looking for the best man for the job, someone who can create a positive atmosphere for the team, manage people well, manage coaches well, perhaps coach as well, and I’m confident we will find the right person to do that.”Morris could yet make a move for an Australian coach. Geoff Lawson, the former Australian fast bowler and recently deposed coach of Pakistan, has been sounded out for the job, while the Western Australian coach, Tom Moody, could also emerge as a contender.Lawson declined to comment on the England coaching position, while Moody denied he had held discussions with the ECB. “I am receiving plenty of media calls, but I can assure you that I am happy coaching in Western Australia,” Moody said.An ECB spokesman dismissed speculation about the coaching vacancy, saying that no short-list for the role would be drawn up until the job had been properly advertised.

Reliable reporter Kieran Devlin has revealed Celtic didn’t make an enquiry over former St Johnstone man Ali McCann this summer.

The Lowdown: Hoops links, Preston move

McCann was linked with a late switch to Parkhead, however, a £3m asking price for the 21-year-old seemingly put the Hoops off.

The central midfielder was on the move on deadline day, though, joining Championship side Preston North End on a four-year deal.

Reports suggested a £1.2m fee was agreed on between Dominic McKay and the Saints, and it appears as if Celtic were never in for McCann after all.

The Latest: Devlin claim

Devlin, Celtic’s correspondent for The Athletic, shared a story on Wednesday looking at the Hoops’ summer business.

He replied to a subscriber in the comments section who labelled it ‘bizarre’ for Celtic not to move for McCann, with Devlin making a 10-word claim, believing the Hoops and CEO McKay never asked the question.

“Club didn’t enquire about him as far as I know.”

The Verdict: A missed opportunity?

McCann made close to 100 appearances for St Johnstone, and at the age of 21, could have been a shrewd signing by the Hoops for a relatively low fee.

He picked up The Athletic’s SPFL Young Player of the Year Award last season and helped his side win both cup competitions during the 2020/21 campaign.

Celtic have had success in picking up a young Scottish midfielder in David Turnbull, so they may have missed a trick when it comes to McCann, especially with James McCarthy and youngster Liam Shaw being the club’s only additions in that department this summer.

In other news: Another Celtic summer signing, as well as Urhoghide, isn’t impressing under Ange, says Devlin.

Brendon McCullum gave yet another masterclass in Twenty20 batting, keeping his nerve to shepherd New Zealand to a last-ball win

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran27-Feb-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Brendon McCullum unbeaten 69 fetched him his second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award in the series © Getty Images
Brendon McCullum gave yet another masterclass in Twenty20 batting, keeping his nerve to shepherd New Zealand to a last-ball win. The match followed a similar script to the Christchurch game for 37 overs, with New Zealand completely in control, before Irfan Pathan’s double-strike in the 18th over of the chase sparked India to life.From a requirement of 28 off the last three overs with eight wickets in hand, it came down to nine runs off three balls. A calm Brendon McCullum slapped a couple of powerful boundaries, before a top-edge off the final delivery sailed agonisingly beyond the grasp of Rohit Sharma at mid-off to seal the victory.The home side looked as if they would coast to a win when the openers, McCullum and Jesse Ryder, waded into India’s new-ball pair. Ryder clubbed the first ball into the crowd beyond long-on to launch a rollicking opening stand that raised 52 off 4.3 overs.All the talk before India embarked on the tour was of swinging pitches and their potent fast bowlers, but it was the spinners who brought India back into contention today. Harbhajan Singh, making intelligent use of his doosra, and Ravindra Jadeja, firing the ball in, brought down New Zealand’s run-rate from 10 to around seven. During that phase McCullum, who had got off to a blazing start, was content to pick the singles.Zaheer Khan was brought back into the attack after the spinners were through; he bowled a few unplayable snorters but they were interspersed with loose deliveries that were easily put away. With New Zealand coasting, India fought back from an unlikely quarter – Irfan Pathan. His place had been under scrutiny and he had leaked 25 from his two overs with the new ball. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni tossed Irfan the ball with three overs to go even though Ishant Sharma had two overs left.Smart StatsBrendon McCullum’s unbeaten 69 lifts his Twenty20 aggregate to 582, almost 200 runs clear of the second-placed Misbah-ul-Haq. McCullum also holds the record for most fours and sixes. In his first 17 Twenty20 innings, McCullum didn’t score a single half-century (his highest was 45). In his last four innings, his scores read 59, 61, 56* and 69*.The five-wicket defeat means India have lost three of their last four Twenty20 games, after losing just one in their first nine. (Click here for the results.) New Zealand, on the other hand, have won three of their last four after winning just five of their first 17. (Click here for the results.)A swinging yorker removed Ross Taylor’s offstump second ball and Jacob Oram went for a golden duck, edging a short, wide delivery to the keeper. Only five came from that over, but Yuvraj conceded 11 off the next leaving the home side needing 12 from the last six balls. The tension ratcheted up as Irfan kept it full, conceding only three singles from the first three balls before a nerveless McCullum showed why he’s such a feared opponent, ensuring that New Zealand maintained their 100% Twenty20 record against India – played three, won three.India’s bowling and fielding was markedly better, but the batsmen served up a repeat of Wednesday’s limp performance. India didn’t try to hit every ball for six as in the previous game, but their shot selection still left a lot to be desired. Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan all fell to poor strokes as India frittered Sehwag’s typically belligerent start.Yuvraj and Dhoni set about consolidating after India had lost three wickets by the seventh over. With New Zealand’s bowlers and fielders keeping it tight, just nine runs were scored during a three-over spell. India were 64 for 3 after 10 overs when Yuvraj cut loose. One wild swipe resulted in an inside-edge for four, but there was nothing streaky about the three sixes that followed. After a massive hit over wide long-on off O’Brien to bring up his half-century, Yuvraj’s scoop over extra cover ended in a simple catch for Jacob Oram.Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained unbeaten till the end, but his timing was awry and he could only manage a subdued 28, with two boundaries. It fell to Jadeja and Irfan to play the big hits; their efforts lifted India to 149.New Zealand’s batsmen had a fairly simple task ahead of them at the halfway stage after their disciplined bowlers derailed India’s big hitters for the second game in a row. Iain O’Brien and Ian Butler sliced through the top order, Daniel Vettori was at his Scrooge-like best, and Ryder continued New Zealand’s long tradition of effective dibbly-dobbly bowlers to restrict India to a score that was still some way short of the total they would have liked.

The Celtic Way journalist Tony Haggerty believes that new signing Josip Juranovic comes into Celtic with decent pedigree.

The 26-year-old joined Celtic from Legia Warsaw last month and after receiving international clearance, he signed a five-year deal at Paradise.

The Croatia international featured twice for his national team at Euro 2020 against both Scotland and Spain. Juranovic operates as a right-back but has also pushed further forward into a right-midfield position, as well as featuring as a centre-back and left-midfielder on occasion.

Juranovic has already featured nine times for Legia Warsaw in all competitions this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists, and Haggerty believes that he comes to Celtic with a decent pedigree.

“He’s come in with, as you say, a decent pedigree and you know, the right back position for Celtic has been a problematic position for a long, long time. So, Ange and the management team have identified somebody who they believe can fill that space,” Haggerty told Football FanCast.

Juranovic was the eighth summer signing at Celtic Park after Osaze Urhoghide, Liel Abada, Liam Shaw, James McCarthy, Joe Hart, Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, before the Hoops completed their summer business by bringing in Liam Scales, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers.