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Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya’s chairman, has been endorsed by the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association for re-election at the AGM which is due to be held on March 15. The backing of Kenya’s largest province means that Inamdar will almost certainly be r

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2009Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya’s chairman, has been endorsed by the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association for re-election at the AGM which is due to be held on March 15. The backing of Kenya’s largest province means that Inamdar will almost certainly be returned to office.The AGM also marks the end of more than two years of dispute between CK and the NPCA which has led to the board’s elections being delayed since June 2007. The NPCA constantly stalled in introducing a new constitution and at one stage it appeared as if CK might be forced to disband it and force it to elect new officials.The NPCA will also support Shamji Patel (vice-chairman) and Nassor Verjee (treasurer) for re-elections.Inamdar, who comes from Mombasa, will also have the support of the Coast Cricket Association and the Rift Valley Cricket Association. Another province, Central Province Cricket Association, has been disbanded after leading officials constantly failed to provide evidence to disprove claims the region was dormant.Nilesh Lakhani will be elected to represent the Kenya Women’s Cricket Association “because we could not get any other candidate”.

Former East Zone batsman Robin Mukherjee has died of a heart attack

Cricinfo staff17-Mar-2009Former East Zone batsman Robin Mukherjee has died of a heart attack. He was 65.Mukherjee was an opener for Bengal, Jharkhand and Railways and played 60 first-class games, scoring 2984 runs at 33.00 with five centuries, his best being 183. Mukherjee also served as a selector for Bengal and later as chief curator for East Zone.”Besides being a reputed cricketer Robin was also dedicated to the game. He also served the game as a selector, coach and curator of pitch,” said Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former ICC and BCCI president and current CAB president. “In his death, Bengal and East Zone have lost a multifaceted personality of cricket. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family”.Mukherjee died at his Kolkata residence on March 14. He is survived by his wife

Gabby Agbonlahor has made a major claim about Aston Villa loanee Frederic Guilbert following his move to Strasbourg in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman spent the previous campaign on loan at the Ligue 1 side, and despite returning for pre-season at Villa Park and even featuring in the Carabao Cup second round clash against Barrow, was sent back to Strasbourg for a year once more.

And now, Agbonlahor has claimed that Villa fans have seen the last of Guilbert, and that his future lies elsewhere.

He said: “I think Aston Villa will have tried to get rid of him on a permanent, he didn’t really play much. You’ve got Axel Tuanzebe there as cover for Matty Cash and Ashley Young as well.

“I’m sure they were trying to get rid of him on a permanent but maybe his wages and the fee that Villa want put clubs off. There have not been clubs knocking at the door. I don’t see him playing again for Aston Villa. I see his future definitely being away from the club.”

Fans will be fuming

In a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece responded to a question about why the Smith decided to let him go, by saying: “Not sure, just doesn’t fancy him at all. A shame because he seems a good guy who always put it all on the line for Villa.”

A number of Villa fans have already made their feelings clear about Guilbert on several occasions, first slamming the decision to actually let him leave on loan for Strasbourg back in January and suggesting they should’ve kept him, then urging Smith to give him a chance in pre-season earlier this summer after his spell away.

The fact he got on the score-sheet and helped set up another in that thrashing of Barrow – albeit a team lingering in the lower divisions – just went to show what solid cover he could have given Smith as a back-up for first-choice right-back Matty Cash.

Ashley Young is not a typical right-back and age isn’t on his side, while the likes of Axel Tuanzebe and Ezri Konsa are both centre-backs by trade too.

It’s exactly why Agbonlahor’s claim that Villa fans will never see Guilbert play for them again is sure to have them fuming.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has confirmed a major Aston Villa boost…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente will be missing from tonight’s Premier League clash against Newcastle.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side fell to a 3-0 defeat last time out against Liverpool, and while all the post-match talk was understandably dominated by the red card given to Pascal Struijk, the Whites suffered an equally worrying blow when Llorente was forced off injured.

Hay has now delivered an update on where things stand with the likes of Llorente, Struijk and Robin Koch ahead of Friday’s game against the Magpies at St James’ Park.

On Thursday, he tweeted: “Struijk, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente all out of tomorrow’s match at Newcastle. Bielsa still confident he has the resources to cope. Adam Forshaw should be back in contention next week. #lufc”

Fans will be worried

Given the kind of small, tight-knit squad that Bielsa has built up at Elland Road, news of Llorente’s injury could not have come at a worse time for the Whites.

Bielsa has already been without Koch, while Struijk’s red card and subsequent failed appeal means he will also miss the next couple of weeks of action.

Add Llorente’s absence into the mix and all of a sudden Leeds look short of real options in the middle of defence, and the Spaniard’s recent injury is something which came under some intense criticism from an injury prevention expert.

They told Football Insider: “That does not reflect well on Leeds or their staff. The job of the staff – the fitness, conditioning, sports science guys – is to get the players fit to play and keep them out there.

“There are some injuries you can’t legislate for, like the Harvey Elliott one today, but top athletes should not be breaking down with muscle injuries in the first half of matches.

“It means they are being overloaded in training, over-worked or not warming up and preparing properly. Something has gone wrong somewhere and Leeds will be embarrassed it has happened again to Llorente. Ultimately it is the manager’s decision on whether he thinks players are fit to play, and once they’re selected they should not be pulling hamstrings in the first half.”

Llorente’s absence from tonight’s game is a massive blow, especially when you consider how well he’s progressed after settling into life in English football last season.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan said: “He looked every bit that leader and that quality centre-half that we were all expecting when he signed for the football club. There was great excitement about him it took a long time to get to see him consistently.

“But when we did, we saw him grow and grow and grow. We saw him get stronger and better as the games went on. If you ask any Leeds United fan who watched him in that second part of the season and ask them who would be the first centre-half on the team sheet, they would say Llorente.”

Given just how important Llorente is to Leeds, as well as the lack of other alternative options available tonight, fans will be very worried about Hay’s latest injury update.

Meanwhile, Leeds must start this “explosive” star vs Newcastle tonight…

Warwickshire are likely to be without their overseas player, New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel, for their opening match of the County Championship against Somerset beginning on April 15

Cricinfo staff10-Apr-2009Warwickshire are likely to be without their overseas player, New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel, for their opening match of the County Championship against Somerset beginning on April 15. Patel, who is based in Wellington, is still trying to get his visa.”It is a tricky one. I guess it is partly of our own making because we asked for stronger conditions regarding work permits and guys coming in to play cricket,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket Ashley Giles told PA Sport. “It might hinder us in the first game or two. We are not sure when he will be available.”We are going to try and push it as hard as we can and get him here as soon as possible. It is almost impossible to get it all done for the first game with everything closed over Easter.”Warwickshire are hopeful that Ant Botha will recover from his elbow injury in time for the Somerset game or else they could be without a front-line spinner. “We are still hoping Botha will be fit for the first game. It has been a bit of a topsy turvy couple of weeks for him not knowing where we are going. We are going to try this new line of treatment and, if it works, then he should be okay.”Their new captain Ian Westwood, who returned early from a pre-season visit to South Africa because of a cracked wrist, could be available from the first week of May. “We hope Ian should be getting close to being available by the first week of May,” Giles said. “It is a massive blow. He has had his problems with injuries. He is frustrated. As a captain, he has got very good cricket knowledge. We have worked well together. As soon as possible, I want him back.”

Rajasthan Royals right-arm medium-fast bowler Amit Singh has been reported for a suspect bowling action for the second time in the IPL

Cricinfo staff10-May-2009Rajasthan Royals right-arm medium-fast bowler Amit Singh has been reported for a suspect bowling action for the second time in the IPL. On-field umpires Gary Baxter and Kumar Dharmasena reported Amit, citing his suspect bowling action on certain deliveries, during Rajasthan’s match against the Chennai Super Kings in Kimberley on Saturday.The matter has now been referred by the IPL to the Rajasthan team management and the tournament’s technical committee as per the Laws of Cricket that govern the game, the organisers said in a statement today.On completion of the match, footage was obtained and re-examined by all the three match officials, including third umpire Amiesh Saheba, and it was decided that further action was necessary under the Laws of Cricket section 24.3 that governs the game.Amit had earlier been reported by umpires Daryl Harper and K Hariharan after Rajasthan’s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore last Thursday. He is the second bowler, after team-mate Kamran Khan, to be reported for a suspect action in the second season.Amit, who can continue to play until he is proven guilty of an illegal action, is Rajasthan’s third-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets from three matches at 6.62.

Many West Ham United fans have taken to Twitter to praise new signing Kurt Zouma for his performance against Manchester United on Sunday.

The French defender, who joined the Hammers from Chelsea three weeks ago in a £29.8m deal, made his Irons debut in last week’s 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb before his home debut for the club in yesterday’s defeat to the Red Devils.

He partnered Angelo Ogbonna in a back four which also included Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal, and the 26-year-old put in an impressive display against the title contenders at the London Stadium.

As per Sofascore, Zouma made 12 clearances, won all of his ground duels and three of his four aerial duels, and completed 93% of his passes against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. He also made a last-ditch challenge to stop the ball from reaching Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half, a tackle which received a standing ovation from the home supporters.

The performance from the Frenchman captures the strength in depth that West Ham now have in the centre of defence, with Craig Dawson and Issa Diop available as backup to Zouma and Ogbonna.

West Hams buzzing with Zouma

These Hammers fans took to Twitter to praise their new centre-back after his ‘incredible’ performance on Sunday, with one supporter claiming he is the best player the club have signed in a ‘very long time’.

“Absolutely an Incredible Player What A Signing!”

Credit: @X3Number1

“@KurtZouma you are total star, 100%”

Credit: @_samhowell

“Best player we have bought in a very long time but unless we get a lot better players to play with him don’t think he will stay long”

Credit: @scottyboy1552

“Played a good game today. Solid performance”

Credit: @hillbound1490

“Zouma The Rock”

Credit: @CHTillidie1

“Can he take penalties?”

Credit: @JayneJon

In other news, West Hams are excited about a new figure at the London Stadium. Find out more here.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travel to France on Tuesday to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG side in the Champions League.

City have won six of their last seven matches and have not lost a game in all competitions since their opening day Premier League defeat to Tottenham.

They now come into the game against PSG after beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the top-flight on Saturday, looking to continue their positive momentum ahead of their next match against Liverpool.

In order to give his side the best chance of defeating PSG, Guardiola must unleash Spanish international Ferran Torres against the French outfit.

The Spaniard was on the bench against Chelsea and Phil Foden struggled in the false nine role, at times. He was too slow to react to passes into his feet with his back to the centre-backs and his end product left a lot to be desired, which is why Guardiola must either drop him back into midfield or completely out of the team to accommodate Torres.

Guardiola, who once hailed him as a ‘top player’, compared Torres to Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy in the way he moves off defenders. He said:

“In this position he makes a movement like the best strikers in behind, moving incredibly well.

“His movement is similar to Jamie Vardy.

“He is very young. Manchester City did a great job buying him for a great price.

“He is a good finisher and had a goal was disallowed last week, when the finish was perfect.

“I’m very pleased with his movements, work ethic, and he has learned many things as we saw today – we are pleased on many, many levels.”

This highlights what Torres offers off the ball with his work rate and movement at the top end of the pitch. However, he has also shown that he has the end product to be a match-winner, with two goals and one assist in four Premier League games this term.

Last season, he managed 13 goals and three assists in all competitions. This included four goals in six Champions League games, proving that the 21-year-old has what it takes to win matches for City at the very top level.

He has shown that he can score and create goals for City and his movement could cause issues for the PSG centre-backs and open up space for other players to thrive. For example, if his runs can stretch the back four then that could cause pockets for Kevin de Bruyne to pick up the ball and do damage in.

Therefore, Guardiola must unleash him against PSG to give his side the best chance of winning.

AND in other news, Forget Jesus: Man City beast with 71% duels won ran the show vs Chelsea…

Despite their poor show in England, expectations will be high that West Indies can lift for the World Twenty20

Brydon Coverdale01-Jun-2009Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has made no secret of his enjoyment of Twenty20. In his own words, it “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket gave way to the 20-over version and he was considering giving up the longer formats to focus on Twenty20. The way his men played in the Tests and ODIs in England it looked as though he wasn’t the only one whose attention span was suited to three-hour games. Expectations will therefore be raised that West Indies can lift for the World Twenty20.They are in a difficult group along with Australia and Sri Lanka – it’s the only group that doesn’t feature an Associate side – and therefore they must hit top form from day one. They beat Australia the only time the teams have met in a Twenty20 and they have never faced Sri Lanka.West Indies have the quite remarkable record of having tied two of their 11 Twenty20 internationals – both against New Zealand – and they have won four and lost five. At the 2007 World Twenty20 they went down to both South Africa and Bangladesh in the group stage and were bundled out in the space of three days.Strengths
A batting line-up boasting Gayle, Xavier Marshall, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Andre Fletcher, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard should score its runs quickly. They are all capable of demolishing an attack with clean strikes and opposition bowlers must keep the wickets falling to stop West Indies posting a big score. Throw in Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the man who can anchor one end should wickets tumble and it’s a batting order with the potential to scare any bowling group.Weaknesses
Those who live by the sword die by the sword. West Indies’ batsmen can be destructive but they can be just as liable to capitulate dramatically. And it’s impossible to predict which version of the side will arrive on any given day. At their best Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are fine fast bowlers but opposition batsmen’s eyes will light up when they see the backup brigade of Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy.X-factor
The X-man is the X-factor. Nobody highlights the disparity between potential and consistent performance in West Indies’ squad quite like Xavier Marshall. Never one to back down, he has the ability to dominate even the best attacks, as he proved when Australia visited the Caribbean last year. His 36 off 15 balls in the Twenty20 in Barbados set up West Indies’ victory over Ricky Ponting’s men. Far too many failures fill the gaps between his triumphs but even one matchwinning effort in this tournament will justify his place.Key players
Gayle is the only man to have scored a century in a Twenty20 international and it came at the previous World Twenty20. Having shown little interest in the Test series in England, he has no excuse now that his preferred format is taking centre stage. At his best, he can win a game in a handful of overs. The question is, after such a lean patch in England, can he reach his best?Twenty20 form guide
Over the past 12 months, West Indies have won two Twenty20s, lost one and tied one. Importantly, they beat Australia – who they meet in the group stage – in Barbados last year. But their matches have been infrequent and it’s impossible to ignore their failure to win a Test or ODI in England this year – much of the personnel remains the same from those longer formats.Squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor.

Graeme Hick, the former England batsman and the most prolific scorer in all cricket, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year

Cricinfo staff13-Jun-2009Graeme Hick, the former England batsman and the most prolific scorer in all cricket, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year.Hick, who announced his retirement from the game at the end of the 2008 season at 42, averaged 31.32 from 65 Tests and 52.23 from 526 first-class matches in a career that spanned 25 years.”I am very honoured with the award,” Hick said. “It was not something I expected or set out to achieve. You dream of things and after 25 years it is nice to have that sort of recognition.”Hick was considered something on an international enigma, having underachieved in contrast to his county career. His tally of 136 first-class hundreds places him eighth in the all-time list. Hick said while he had performed inconsistently in international cricket, he didn’t consider his Test career “an absolute nightmare”. “My international career will be a discussion that other people can go on about. I performed inconsistently I can’t change what has happened.”Hick said he wasn’t missing cricket nine months into retirement. “I’ve got it out of my system totally. I know that. Even towards the end of last season I was looking forward to retiring. I knew I’d had enough.” He said the naming of a New Road pavilion after him in his county ground in Worcestershire last weekend was a special moment.”I take more out of the other side of cricket rather than just the cricket. It is what it gives you, the friendships, the fun, the laughter, the good side of things. Yes, I enjoyed my cricket, had some good times, but your memories of 25 years don’t revolve around facts and figures at the end of it. “I take more out of the other side of cricket rather than just the cricket. It is what it gives you, the friendships, the fun, the laughter, the good side of things.”Yes, I enjoyed my cricket, had some good times, but your memories of 25 years don’t revolve around facts and figures at the end of it. It is being able to go always back to the ground, see the faces and friends and things like that.”Charlotte Edwards, the England women’s captain, also got an MBE while Roy Torrens, a former Ireland player and team manager, received an OBE.