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Fred Titmus, the former Middlesex and England allrounder, has died at the age of 78 following a long illness

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011Fred Titmus, the former Middlesex and England allrounder, has died at the age of 78 following a long illness.Titmus enjoyed one of the most remarkable careers of any Middlesex player. When he made his first-class debut in 1949 at the age of 16 years and 213 days, he was the youngest-ever Middlesex cricketer at the time. When he made his final appearance in 1982, he had established a record span of 33 seasons, and at 50 years and 276 days was the fourth-oldest Middlesex player, and the oldest to appear for the county at Lord’s.His overall first-class record was a testament both to his longevity and his class. He made 21,588 runs at 23.11, and claimed 2830 wickets at 22.37 in 792 appearances, to establish himself as one of English cricket’s finest allrounders. He was also on the books of Watford Football Club.Despite competing with a number of fine spinners including David Allen, Ray Illingworth and John Mortimore, Titmus played in 53 Tests between 1955 and 1975, claiming 153 wickets at 32.22, including a best of 7 for 79 against Australia at Sydney in 1962-63. His highest score of 84 not out came the following year against India in Mumbai.He even came back after a horrific boating accident in the Caribbean in 1967-68, when he caught his foot in the propeller and lost four toes. He was back in action for Middlesex by May 1968 and finished the season with 111 wickets, and also topped his county’s batting averages with 846 runs at 25.63. His final first-class appearance came against Surrey in 1982. Visiting the Middlesex dressing room for a cup of coffee, captain Mike Brearley decided an extra spinner was needed and thrust him into action. Sure enough, he took 3 for 43 to set up a 58-run victory.His artistry as a slow and flighty bowler contrasted with a highly developed practical streak that made him a fine judge of a player. “Too intelligent for his ability,” was his appraisal of one; of another, a youngster who scored a dashing hundred against Middlesex at Lord’s, he commented: “I like to see someone make a bad ‘undred before I make my mind up.” He made three tours of Australia, and justified his selection each time. But his favourite memory of the country, he claimed, was “The sight of a ground emptying an hour before the close of play.””Fred Titmus was my mentor, advisor and coach,” wrote the former Middlesex bowler and Guardian cricket correspondent, Mike Selvey, in a tribute last year. “Conversation with him – and there were many – was a masters-level cricketing education, his great skill in simplifying things (“only people make a simple game complicated”), coupled with an ability to implant ideas so cleverly that you believed they were yours in the first place.””Fred will be deeply missed by all those who played with him and by all those who were fortunate enough to have seen him performing for Middlesex and England,” read a statement from his county. “All of our thoughts and best wishes are with his wife Stephanie and family.”David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said: “Fred was simply a master of the art of slow bowling and a very popular figure on both the county and international circuit. He will be much missed and we send condolences to his many friends within the game and his family.”

Leeds United are in line for an encouraging injury boost ahead of this weekend’s clash with Newcastle United…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the Yorkshire outfit are likely to have three first-team attackers available for selection ahead of Saturday’s league encounter at Elland Road.

“Better news – Joe Gelhardt could be back at the weekend, as could Tyler Roberts. Rodrigo also sounds like he’s come through his appearance at West Ham without a problem,” he tweeted.

The Whites head into the weekend on the back of an impressive 3-2 victory over West Ham United but there was cause for concern looking at the bench as the returning Spaniard was the only senior professional from nine substitutes.

Big boost

That is how bad the injury situation has been at Thorp Arch over the last few months and it shows no signs of easing up, with Patrick Bamford’s continued absence.

The England international has missed 16 of their last 17 league games with ankle and hamstring injuries and it appears he is still not available to feature against the Magpies after missing last weekend’s win.

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In his absence, Bielsa has had to turn to a number of different options, largely the likes of Daniel James and Jack Harrison playing out of position to fill the void.

So the fact the club’s young academy striker Gelhardt is available is certainly encouraging to see. He has one goal and two assists in the Premier League from only two starts, so he’s more than capable at this level.

Roberts is an experienced option to have too.

If these two return alongside a fit Rodrigo, it will alleviate some of the worry facing Bielsa ahead of kick-off – after all, he still is missing key midfielder Kalvin Phillips, skipper Liam Cooper and many others.

Therefore, the Argentine will surely feel a little more relieved this weekend.

AND in other news, “What I have been told”: Journo drops huge Leeds transfer claim, Bielsa will be fuming…

Alisson Becker was frustrated that red smoke clouded his view during the first half of Liverpool’s FA Cup semifinal clash with Manchester City. 

The lowdown

Liverpool scored two goals in the first 17 minutes against Pep Guardiola’s side, with Ibrahima Konate netting a header from a corner before Sadio Mane charged down goalkeeper Zak Steffen and bundled the ball home.

The Reds were attacking the City end during the first half, with their own supporters watching from the opposite end of Wembley.

Fans threw red ‘pyro’ towards the pitch in celebration, and it left Liverpool’s starting ‘keeper Alisson ‘completely wreathed in red smoke’, potentially causing a distraction and restricting his visibility.

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The latest

The Liverpool Echo’s chief LFC writer, Ian Doyle, said Alisson wouldn’t be ‘too impressed’ with the obstruction caused by the flare.

And The New York Times’ Chief Soccer Correspondent, Rory Smith, made a similar observation, noting that the 29-year-old ‘doesn’t look desperately happy’ about the situation.

The verdict

Alisson actually endured a tricky first half, even as Liverpool stormed into a three-goal lead.

He misplaced eight passes during the first 45 minutes, including six of the 10 long balls he attempted (via SofaScore).

Liverpool writer Paul Tomkins insisted that, while the £150,000-per-week Brazilian was an ‘incredible goalkeeper’, his kicking had not been ‘as consistent lately’.

It’s hard to say whether the smoke was a significant factor, but it certainly can’t have been an assistance.

In other news, Liverpool are keen on this Real Madrid ace with PL experience.

Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes the series loss in England has provided a silver lining, with the unexpected return of Shaun Tait to the ODI setup a promising sign for the future

Brydon Coverdale in London01-Jul-2010Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes the series loss in England has provided a silver lining, with the unexpected return of Shaun Tait to the ODI setup a promising sign for the future. Tait, who hadn’t played an ODI since February 2009, was a late inclusion in the squad and has picked up four wickets in his two games, adding speed and shock value to an attack that has performed well under pressure.Tait decided two years ago that his body was better off if he avoided first-class cricket and concentrated on the shorter formats, where he has been hovering in the high 150kph region. While Tait has been economical and collected wickets, one of the best signs for Australia is that his body is so far standing up to 50-over cricket.”It’s one of the real bonuses for us out of this series that he’s been able to get back in the squad and play so well,” Nielsen said ahead of the final ODI at Lord’s. “The only thing that I find a bit difficult with [not playing first-class cricket] is the fact that unless the schedule works out really well, he can have quite big gaps between games and not get the volume of bowling that keeps him going.”So, while he’s fresh, he needs to find ways of training harder and training well between games, whereas the four-day games used to maintain his regular contact with competitive games. He’s finding a pretty happy medium at the moment with the amount of work he does. His body is responding well to that. He’s getting fitter and maturing as a player as well. He’s feeling better about himself, he’s feeling comfortable in his world, his body’s not hurting every time he bowls.”Tait picked up the important wicket of Andrew Strauss at The Oval on Wednesday but the star of the attack was Ryan Harris, who finished with 5 for 32 in Australia’s first win of the series. It was the third time in his short 16-game career that Harris has taken a five-wicket haul, and it continued the trend of the bowlers sharing the workload.Doug Bollinger’s 3 for 20 at Old Trafford nearly set up a miraculous win, Steven Smith has snared five victims in the series and Harris was also the most impressive in the first game in Southampton. Nielsen was pleased with the progress shown in such a short space of time from a bowling group that entered the tour with limited international experience.”This is the first time this complete bowling attack has bowled in England, so they’re getting better and better as they go on,” he said. “We realise they were very short on experience over here. We’ve seen them improve their length, improve their lines and learn about the conditions we’re playing on over here, slower wickets that don’t bounce as much as at home.”Although the side has been without its leader Mitchell Johnson during the one-day series due to his elbow infection, he has joined the group and is set for a comeback during the two Twenty20s against Pakistan next week. Johnson has been bowling in the nets this week but Australia won’t be tempted to give him a run in Saturday’s final ODI.”The reason for getting him here was to ensure we had him outside and bowling and going as well as we could leading into the Test matches,” Nielsen said. “We were concerned if he stayed in Perth and it happened to be wet and cold he wouldn’t get the bowling outside. He’s been great with our quicks and he’ll be ready to go for the Twenty20s.”

Derbyshire completed a regulation seven-wicket win over Holland in Group B ofthe Clydesdale Bank 40 in Schiedam

30-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Derbyshire completed a regulation seven-wicket win over Holland in Group B ofthe Clydesdale Bank 40 in Schiedam.Solid bowling ensured a modest target of 182 for the visiting side and theyeased to it with three overs still to be bowled and just three batsmen in thepavilion.Chris Rogers and Chesney Hughes ensured there were no dramas, posting 111 forthe first wicket to dispel any Derbyshire doubts. Rogers won the toss, opting to field first, and was rewarded early when Tim Groenewald removed opener Eric Szwarczynski for nine.Mark Footitt also enjoyed success with the new ball, trapping Tom Cooper lbwfor six as Holland slipped to 22 for 2. Michael Dighton steadied things but had managed just 16 from 38 deliveries when he was third man out to Steffan Jones in the 14th over.Jones also accounted for home skipper Peter Borren as regular wickets preventedthe batting side building any serious momentum. Groenewald, a little expensive with 42 runs off his six overs, picked up a second wicket when he returned to the attack to remove Wesley Barresi.From there Holland enjoyed their best partnership of the day, Bas Zuiderent andMudassar Bukhari adding 76 for the sixth wicket. Zuiderent had compiled 31 from 70 balls before Footitt sent him back but Bukhari was the aggressor – hitting eight fours and three sixes to finishunbeaten with 69. The tail contributed little in support with Footitt and Jones adding to theirwicket hauls as Holland finished nine down with 181 on the board.That was never likely to be enough, especially when the hosts failed to disruptthe Rogers-Hughes partnership with the new ball. Rogers was first out – caught at the wicket off the bowling of Dighton for 56 in the 23rd over – but by then much of the work was done.Dighton claimed a second wicket when he saw off Greg Smith for 12 but Hughescontinued scoring, with five fours and a six propelling him to 72 before he wasrun out. New man Wayne Madsen wasted no time in securing the two points, hitting thewinning runs off his second ball.

Some early West Ham United team news has emerged ahead of their upcoming Europa League clash on Thursday night, as David Moyes could be about to unleash a player with just two senior appearances.

The Lowdown: Route to the final?

Moyes’ men are set to take on Eintracht Frankfurt at the London Stadium under the lights, in what will be the first of two epic semi-final legs.

The Hammers booked their place in the last four following a 4-1 aggregate victory over Lyon in the quarter-final, where Jarrod Bowen scored twice to continue his impressive run of form.

As the Irons look to go all the way, it seems as though they will have to do it without their respected troop of centre-backs as some news emerged on Kurt Zouma on Wednesday.

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The Latest: Zouma misses training

In a recent video shared on Twitter by The Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas, Zouma wasn’t anywhere to be seen in preparation for the game, but youngster Aji Alese could be seen training alongside the first team.

The post read: “Open training session at Rush Green. No sign of Kurt Zouma but Aji Alese training with the first team.”

With David Moyes confirming the Frenchmen is a serious doubt, it looks like Alese may get a shot, at least from the bench.

The Verdict: Time to unleash Alese

With Zouma looking unlikely to be involved against the German side, this would leave Craig Dawson as the only fit senior centre-back available for selection, so it’s time to unleash the 21-year-old star in the making.

The £360k-rated Alese has only played senior football for the Irons twice but has made 22 appearances in Premier League 2 so far this season, finding the net on two occasions for the youth side, as per Transfermarkt.

Once hailed as an “outstanding” player by his U23s boss Mark Robson, even though Alese isn’t necessarily used to playing on a world stage, the emergence of a great young player could be exactly the injection of life the Hammers need to finish the season on a high.

In other news, the Hammers are plotting to swoop in and sign a Lyon player who impressed them in the last round…

Keith Downie has revealed that Newcastle United are now eyeing other central defenders whose names have not yet been reported.

The Lowdown: Who’s been linked so far?

Following the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood at St. James’ Park, it looks as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are now looking at bringing in a new centre-back as their third signing in the January transfer window.

The names that have been linked the most seem to be Sven Botman, Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile, but as the window ticks down it may be that the new owners now look at other targets to bring in, with crucial games against both Watford and Leeds United in the Premier League coming up.

The Latest: Alternatives eyed

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Sky Sports journalist Downie has revealed that the North East club are now eyeing alternative targets in the centre-half position, outside of the names already reported:

“I think they’re just juggling a few names at the moment.

“I mean, if I’m honest I was given two other names yesterday that I have not reported yet, because I’m trying to stand those up.”

The Verdict: Get one in now

Whoever the player is, the Tyneside outfit simply need to get a central defender in now.

They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight, and so freshening up the backline would really help Eddie Howe and his team going forward.

Looking at their current options, Ciaran Clark is currently rated as the division’s worst centre-back (to have played at least five games) so far this season, while Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles all rank inside the worst eleven (WhoScored).

It is clearly an area that needs improving, and so a new centre-half must now be the priority for the Magpies.

In other news, find out which six-foot-one ‘phenom’ NUFC are now ‘most interested’ in signing here!

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Benoit Badiashile to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that the signing of a centre-back looks to be one of David Moyes’ priorities this month, with the 58-year-old believed to be keeping a close eye on a number of Ligue 1 talents.

The club insider goes on to confirm that one of these targets is AS Monaco centre-back Badiashile, who has already been linked with a move to a number of Premier League sides – including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham – in the current market.

In his post, Ex said: “Centre-back and left-back are the positions that Moyes appears to want to sort first. As mentioned before, we do like the French league and defensive players [that we] have been rumoured to [have] looked at [include] Benoit Badiashile of Monaco.”

Moyes would love Badiashile

Considering the sheer amount of potential Badiashile quite clearly possesses, it is easy to see why West Ham are interested in a move for the 20-year-old this winter, as the defender is undoubtedly a signing Moyes would love to add to his current options in the heart of defence – particularly considering the injuries to both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma.

Indeed, despite his tender age, the 6 foot 4 centre-back – who can also play at both left and right-back – has already gone on to make 105 first-team appearances for Monaco, with his most impressive returns arguably coming over his 35 Ligue 1 outings last season.

In 2020/21, the £25.2m-rated man helped his side keep nine clean sheets, scored two goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 0.7 tackles, 2.8 clearances, 60.5 passes and winning 63% of his duels per game.

These metrics saw the £14k-per-week defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Monaco’s 12th-best performer in the top flight of French football that season – with the 20-year-old playing a key role in helping his side secure a third-place finish in the league.

As such, when taking into account his already remarkable returns at such a young age, not to mention his impressive positional versatility and imposing physical stature, it is clear to see why Moyes is targeting a move for Badiashile this winter.

The youngster would undoubtedly help to strengthen an area of the pitch that has proven to be a rather large issue for the Hammers since the injuries to Ogbonna and Zouma.

In other news: Big twist emerges in West Ham January transfer pursuit that will leave fans outraged

Craig Hope has delivered a major boost for Newcastle United ahead of the Premier League clash against Everton next week.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday night, he said: “Chris Wood should be fine for Newcastle game v Everton on Tuesday & is travelling back to UK. There had been a virus outbreak in New Zealand national-team camp which forced cancellation of yesterday’s game against Uzbekistan.”

Massive boost for Newcastle

With both Newcastle and Everton within just four points of each other – the Toffees do have a game in hand however – Tuesday’s night could have massive implications for how this Premier League season pans out for both sides.

A win for the Magpies at St James’ Park would claw back the deficit and add to the momentum built by the success of the January transfer window, while similarly, a defeat for Frank Lampard’s new side would really drag them into the relegation dogfight.

It’s exactly why Hope’s update on Wood being fine for the game next week is sure to have Eddie Howe buzzing, with the New Zealand international already being tipped to be a major success on Tyneside.

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell said: “His goal record is very good and aerially he is brilliant. When you have the likes of Trippier whipping the ball in, it would appear to be another very clever signing. Wood is a striker who can go and attack it. He is as good as anyone at attacking the a ball in the box.

“I just think they need weapons who can keep them up. Wood is one of them. I think he’d be a very good signing for them. It’s a move that definitely weakens Burnley as well, which can only be a good thing for Newcastle.”

Both Howe and the club’s fans will surely be buzzing with this latest update on their new striker.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are now set to make this decision…

Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong

Sidharth Monga in Durban24-Dec-2010Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong. Responding to former South African cricketers’ comments on the weak bowling unit and lack of pace, Kirsten said, “Bottom line is, we need to get 20 Test wickets. I think we have shown in the last three years that we have the ability to get 20 Test wickets in any conditions. It’s up to us to prove to every one that we can do that here. It’s up to us to prove to ourselves too that we can do that. Obviously nice to have Zaheer back. We look forward to whatever conditions are given to us, and we have the quality in our bowling line-up as well.”Going by the first looks, the conditions should assist the bowlers. Kirsten didn’t go to the rock-hard and green Kingsmead pitch, but observed from the change room. “Looks a similar colour to the outfield,” he said. “Let’s see what comes up in two days’ time.”If there is rain in the lead-up to the Test, as the groundstaff fear, the pitch will retain a lot of moisture, potentially creating a situation where batting first might be as difficult as it was in Centurion. Kirsten said the batsmen would need to be prepared for such a challenge, applying themselves better.”We were well prepared for the last Test,” he said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on on the first day. We probably let ourselves down a bit. We have got to assess the situation and get the best we can get out of the surface as a batting unit. I felt we were 100 runs short in the last Test, and we have got to apply ourselves. The preparation has been very good. The guys are working as hard as they have ever worked. I am happy from that point of view. At the end of the day they have to get on the field and make a play. The players are determined, they are really motivated to do well. They are going to give it their best shot, that’s what we can ask of the players.”Kirsten spoke of the importance of putting up scores close to 400 in the first innings. “We know that if one of our top six is getting a decent score, a big hundred, we are going to get a score in excess of 400,” he said. “The guy that’s in, and it could be anyone, and can get in and bat for a decent amount of time, that will allow us to get to scores of 400. We know that in Test cricket if you are not around about that mark in the first innings, you are going to put yourself under pressure.”The Indian team returned to training on Thursday, after a two-day break following the first Test. MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina decided to stay off the optional training session at the Kingsmead. Raina is under pressure to keep his place in the side after a twin failure in the first side, but Kirsten said no decision has been made regarding the No. 6 spot.