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One of the world’s greatest fast bowlers has confirmed that he will be playing in Darren Gough’s benefit match at Don Valley Stadium.Pakistan legend Wasim Akram will line up alongside a host of other household names on Thursday August 30 for the Rest of the World XI against Gough’s All Stars in the 40-over Costcutter International Challenge, sponsored by Costcutter Supermarkets UK.The two have been best of friends as well as best of enemies for nearly a decade since Gough made his international debut in 1994. Wasim has been around a lot longer since beginning his Test career as a teenager in 1984.Barnsley-born Gough, aged 30, is England’s seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test Matches. He is delighted that Wasim has accepted his invitation to play in his benefit game.’Dazzler’ said: “I’ve known Wasim a long time, playing against him regularly. Over the years we have built up a strong friendship and we both respect what the other can do on the cricket pitch.”Wasim has never given me an easy time, either batting against me or bowling at me, and I’m sure he’ll be just as competitive when he is playing at Don Valley for the Rest of the World XI.”Wasim is widely regarded as the best left-hand bowler to have played the game. Alongside new ball partner Waqar Younis Pakistan stormed to victory in the 1992 World Cup and he is the only player to have taken more than 400 wickets in both Test Match cricket and One-Day Internationals.Ian Townsend, chief executive of The Medical House plc and a member of Darren Gough’s Benefit Committee, said: “This is great news. Wasim is one of the legends of the modern game. We’re delighted that he has agreed to play in the match.”The day/night game at Don Valley is the highlight to a year of activities to mark an outstanding ten-year career in professional cricket for Darren Gough at both national and county level for the England team and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.The quality of the two teams means the game will rival any first-class match the season’s fixture list can offer. Umpiring the game are Dickie Bird, who has agreed to come out of retirement, and current international umpire John Hampshire.Tickets are available for the match now from the box office on 0114 2565657. Price Pre event sales – Grandstand £14 Adult, £7 U16, Other Areas £10 Adult, £5 U16On the day of the game at the gate – Grandstand £17 Adult, £8.50 U16, Other Areas £12 Adult, £6 U16.

A claim has been made over Newcastle United’s pursuit of England under-21 international Lloyd Kelly.

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested that the Magpies could be in for the centre-back in the summer because of his history with Eddie Howe.

The Toon head coach signed the defender for Bournemouth from Bristol City for £13m during his time at the Vitality Stadium and has been linked with a swoop for him this year.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously, Eddie Howe knows him very well, and it’s not just that. It’s the potential that he’s got, the level he’s already playing at.”

Imagine him & Burn

PIF must land a Newcastle deal for Kelly in the summer as he would form an exciting partnership with Dan Burn at St. James’ Park.

They would complement each other well as their contrasting styles would help them work in tandem in matches as a pairing.

Whilst Burn excels in his individual duels and likes to bully attackers, he lacks the pace to cover in behind and can be exposed when he gets turned and has to chase after a ball that goes past him – as shown in recent goals for Everton and Chelsea as Alex Iwobi and Kai Havertz broke into the space behind him to score.

He has made 3.1 tackles and interceptions whilst winning 3.0 aerial duels and 4.7 battles in total per game in the Premier League this season – as per SofaScore. This shows that he is a strong one-on-one defender as he is regularly winning 50/50’s to regain possession for his side to make up for his lack of mobility.

Kelly, meanwhile, has only won 1.1 aerial battles per game in the Championship at an underwhelming success rate of 47%. The 23-year-old is not outstanding in the air, like the former Brighton man, and can leave the bulk of those particular duels to Burn.

He does, however, have the turn of pace to cover the 30-year-old and ensure that his speed is not a major issue in games. Former Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate previously heaped praise on the central defender’s physical attributes, saying:

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“At the minute he just looks like a bit of a Rolls-Royce doesn’t he? He looked very, very good (against Bristol City).

“I was impressed to be honest with you, especially when (Antoine) Semenyo tried to run him down the line and Semenyo gave him two yards and Lloydy overtook him. It’s eye-catching when things like that happen, especially as a fellow defender. When you see things like that, it’s like ‘you’ve got a bit’.”

This suggests that he will be able to alleviate any problems caused by Burn’s mobility, or lack thereof, and that is why they would be a perfect pairing at Newcastle next season and PIF must seal a deal for Kelly in the summer.

AND in other news, NUFC plot audacious bid to sign £81m-rated “genius”, he “makes football a pleasure”…

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Sourav Ganguly’s 87 was the outstanding innings of the day, as India took a 23-run lead with a wicket in hand © Getty Images

In one of the most gripping Tests in recent memory, little could separate India and South Africa as the crumbling pitch at Kanpur produced another enthralling day. Punch followed counter-punch in a match that had all the makings of a classic, and it took a masterful innings from Sourav Ganguly to give India a slender 23-run advantage.A fizzer of a pitch made way for a gripping encounter, one where nobody could afford to miss even a ball. Just when the bowling side appeared to have sized up the situation, a partnership would thwart them; just when the batsmen appeared to be well set, a snorter of a delivery would upset plans. South Africa’s lethal fast bowlers jousted with India’s tenacious batting line-up but none could get past Ganguly, who chose the right moment to produce an unforgettable innings.He walked in a few moments after Morne Morkel had unleashed a most venomous jaffa, one that injured Rahul Dravid before dismissing him. A couple of overs later he watched Morkel nip out Laxman with one that swung in and straightened. This was an uphill task against a potent bowling attack on a spiteful pitch. So composed was Ganguly’s response, so assured his shot selection, that it was difficult to believe that he was batting on the same surface.He cover-drove with assurance and handled – or manhandled – Paul Harris, the left-arm spinner, with a bit of contempt. Harris tried to keep the runs down in between bowling grenades but Ganguly’s 39 deliveries against him saw a scoring rate of a run-a-ball. Makhaya Ntini’s reverse-swing briefly troubled him but the rapacious pull that he uncorked, towards the end of the day, had the bowler looking on in disbelief.The nine fours and a six drew the gasps but it was his scampered singles that frustrated the fielders more. There were cheeky moments too – a glide that bisected the slips and a shovel off Harris that soared over midwicket – which left Graeme Smith huffing and puffing. He seemed to have won a mini battle too: a constant look out for the single led to South Africa muffing simple stops in the field.He shared two vital partnerships. Yuvraj Singh’s in-your-face approach put off the bowlers for a while – Dale Steyn was riled up enough to enter into a verbal duel – before Mahendra Singh Dhoni filled the breach. Both sized up the match situation early, hurrying singles and putting away the boundary-balls, but both were responsible for their dismissals – Yuvraj sweeping in the air and Dhoni rushing down the track as if in a last over of an ODI.

	Morne Morkel took three top-order wickets with superb deliveries to peg India back © Getty Images

The nature of the surface and the quality of attack made life difficult for the batsmen. Not only did they need to draw on their technical expertise but also show the temperament to forget about what happened before. Virender Sehwag was rooted to the crease to one that came in but it won’t be out of place to say that the jaffa that beat him two balls earlier – after hitting a big crack – played on his mind.Dravid’s ability to play late came in handy – a couple of full deliveries were squirted to the third man region for four – and he often took his bottom hand off the bat-handle to prevent a meaty edge. But his 106-ball resistance ended with a lethal ball – one that took off from a good length, clattered the glove and ballooned to gully.Laxman was more fluent. He struck the fast bowlers crisply – the highlight being the three consecutive fours off Morne Morkel in the 15th over. He had a life on 43, when an edge off Harris eluded Jacques Kallis’ grasp at first slip, but he fell after bringing up his half-century when a ripper from Morkel swung in and straightened, knocking back off stump.India needed a few more lucky breaks – Yuvraj looked plumb when part-time offspinner Hashim Amla trapped him in front, and Ganguly saw Neil McKenzie put down a hard chance when on 40 – but that is exactly the kind of openings a team would look for in such conditions. It’s been a game of fractions, and it may well come down to which team blinks first.

Sri Lanka aren’t happy with Adam Gilchrist’s use of the squash ball during the World Cup final © Getty Images

Kangadaran Mathivanan, Sri Lanka Cricket’s secretary, has said that Sri Lanka believe Adam Gilchrist’s use of a squash ball in his left glove during the World Cup final was “unethical” and may take up the matter at the ICC annual general meeting in June.”We are of the opinion that it was unethical for Gilchrist to use a squash ball to give unfair advantage,” Mathivanan told AFP. He said Sri Lanka could call on the ICC’s cricket committee for stringent application of Law 42 on fair and unfair play to ensure only the approved protection equipment was used. He said that SLC would discuss the issue before deciding whether to raise it in London.The MCC who are the guardians of the Laws, said that Gilchrist had not done anything wrong. “Gilchrist’s use of a squash ball was designed to alter his grip on the bat whilst at the crease,” a spokesman said, “something which he was perfectly entitled to do under Law 3.6(c), which specifies only what external protective equipment is permitted for certain players.”The Laws sub-committee said: “The incident could not be classed either as contravening the Law or as breaching the Spirit of the Game.”Gilchrist scored a match-winning 149 against Sri Lanka in the final and later revealed his batting aid. “I had a squash ball in my bottom-hand to help with my grip in training and I decided in this World Cup to use it in a match.”

Moving east: Beau Casson has given up his spot as Western Australia’s first-choice spinner © Getty Images

New South Wales’ slow bowling stocks have received another boost with Beau Casson, the left-arm wrist spinner, announcing today he will leave Western Australia. Casson was the Warriors’ first-choice ahead of the one-day international Brad Hogg in the Pura Cup last summer, but he has decided to fight for a spot in Sydney alongside Stuart MacGill, Jason Krejza and Nathan Hauritz, who is also chasing greater opportunities.Tony Dodemaide, the Western Australia chief executive, was disappointed to lose Casson, who took 17 wickets at 54.23 in the Pura Cup in 2005-06. “If Beau wants to go to the next level, he won’t do that by bowling in the nets in Sydney,” Dodemaide said. “We pulled out all stops to try to convince him to stay. I think he will struggle to get more opportunities ahead of MacGill and Hauritz than he would for WA where he is the No. 1 choice in first-class cricket.”MacGill is the Blues’ main spinning weapon while Steve O’Keefe and Krejza filled the support roles last summer. Last week Hauritz opted to move south after being attracted by the state’s “spin bowling culture”.”The prospect of having left- and right-arm wrist spinners is exciting,” Trevor Bayliss, the NSW coach, told . “Our spin bowling stocks at that level haven’t been all that deep, but with Beau coming and quite possibly Nathan, it creates some competition.”One of the reasons we went after Beau is the SCG wicket is conducive to wrist-spin bowling. We think Beau has got that potential to go further than just state cricket. He’s the right age.”

Scott Newman pulls on the way to his 117 against Glamorgan at The Oval © Getty Images

1st day

Scorecard
Shane Warne shone with the bat, striking his maiden first-class century from just 72 balls, after Hampshire’s top order had again slumped. Their collapse to 130 for 7 included another failure for Kevin Pietersen, caught at second slip by Martin van Jaarsveld. Simon Katich (56) offered some resistance but it wasn’t until Warne and Tim Burrows, the debutant wicketkeeper, joined forces that Hampshire’s fortunes took an upturn. Burrows was a perfect foil for the flamboyant Warne and they added 131. Warne’s century is the early leader for the fastest hundred of the season and means he is no longer left with a highest first-class score of 99 against New Zealand at Perth. “Now I’ve got the first one out of the way, I am hoping there will be a few more around the corner,” Warne told . “It was an ambition, I’ve got 5000 first-class runs but wondered if this would happen. I was getting very nervous out there.” The Hampshire innings raced along at almost four-and-a-half runs an over and Kent were not much slower. David Fulton led the reply but Sean Ervine bowled Robert Key for 20 to continue a poor day for England batsmen. A wicket apiece for Chris Tremlett and Richard Logan leaves the match evenly balanced.
Scorecard
Surrey put their horror showing against Nottinghamshire behind them and piled up an imposing total on a run-filled day at The Oval. Alistair Brown capitalised on the solid foundation laid by Scott Newman’s 117 to strike a dashing century of his own at better than a run-a-ball. Newman’s innings was the first time this summer he had managed to convert a solid start into a significant score and showed many of the skills that earned him Academy recognition two winters ago. Rikki Clarke, short of runs so far this summer, was on course for a century until he was caught behind. Glamorgan were hampered by a depleted attack with Darren Thomas able to bowl only three balls before being forced off with a groin injury. Brown and James Benning took advantage and added 114 for the sixth wicket. Benning made his second fifty in two matches and because of Surrey’s pace of scoring the loss of two late wickets did not affect the balance of power.
Scorecard
Middlesex were indebted to their middle-order as they posted a competitive total at Lord’s. Plenty of batsmen got a start, including Andrew Strauss, who reached 27 before he fell to a miscued pull off Steve Kirby. Owais Shah (63) and Ed Joyce (75) cracked attractive half-centuries – Joyce’s innings continued his prolific start to the season and he has now passed 500 runs in only six innings. But each time a significant stand threatened to develop Gloucestershire struck back. However, Middlesex bat a long way down and this was evident as Paul Weekes and Ben Scott added 119 for the seventh wicket. Jon Lewis returned to mop up the tail and although Middlesex will be disappointed that none of their batsmen converted into three figures they have a useful total to bowl at.2nd day

Scorecard
Warwickshire’s unbeaten County Championship record – dating back to the start of the 2004 season – is under serious threat after Sussex took control of their meeting at Hove. Some stubborn lower-order resistance propelled Sussex passed 400, although progress was slow with James Kirtley facing 164 balls for 30. A more aggressive contribution came from Johann van der Wath, who struck 34 from 52 balls. The tail was able to take advantage of a Warwickshire attack missing Ashley Giles, who sat out play with a muscle injury in his right leg. It is not thought to be serious but he is awaiting the results of a scan. However, he may bat with a runner and his contributions will be needed after Warwickshire struggled to 141 for 5. Once Sussex had broken the opening stand of 75 they chipped away steadily. Mushtaq Ahmed twirled through 17 overs, claiming Nick Knight and Alex Loudon.

David Smith, the Gloucestershire seam bowler who won five England caps, died in Bristol on December 17, 2003. He was 69.Smith made 357 first-class appearances for Gloucestershire between 1956 and 1970, taking 100 wickets in a season five times, including 143 in 1960. He contributed many marathon bowling spells for Gloucestershire, and slogged a few handy runs down the order. In all first-class cricket he took 1250 wickets, at the excellent average of 23.72. His best return was 7 for 20, against Sussex at Stroud in 1962. He hit 4970 runs (12.30), with a highest of 74 against MCC at Lord’s in 1961.There were also 292 catches, many of them at slip.His Tests all came under Ted Dexter in India in 1961-62. Smith didn’t find the unforgiving pitches there to his liking, and ended up with only six wickets at 59.83 although, in the absence of senior fast bowlers like Fred Trueman and Brian Statham, he toiled through a lot of overs – 162 in eight innings.A team-mate on that tour was David Allen, the Gloucestershire offspinner who had been a friend from an early age. Said Allen: “We both came through Stapleton CC together, and I had a great regard for him. As a bowler he was always quicker than you thought, and bounced the ball on the seam. David was one of the best of his kind in county cricket.”Smith was also a handy footballer, patrolling the wing for Bristol City and Millwall. After retiring from cricket, he helped his wife Peggy run their fancy-goods shop in Fishponds, not far from where he was born. According to the Bristol Evening Post, on Saturdays he tended to remain in the shop, saying “Never was much good at sitting and watching.”

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has announced the South Australian team to compete in the Under-17 Youth Championships in Perth from January 3 to 14.Captain of the side is 16 year old James Harford, who was a team member in the Under-19 Championships recently held in Canberra. James scored three half centuries in six innings during the Under-19 carnival.Ten out of the thirteen players selected were members of the SA team which won the Under-15 National Championships in 2001.The South Australian Under-17 team is:

James Harford (c – Kensington)
John Pratt (vc – Prospect)
Paul Allegreto (Kensington)
Adam Carey (Southern Districts)
Chad Harper (Sturt)
Shannon Hurn (Northern Districts)
Tom Kurzel (Prospect)
Phillip Maddocks (Adelaide)
Logan Pastyn (West Torrens)
Gary Putland (Southern Districts)
Simon Roberts (Southern Districts)
Chadd Sayers (Woodville)
Simon Wiese (West Torrens)

Cricket Officer for the SACA, Dean Sayers, will coach the side.

Looking through the categories of membership, Hampshire County Cricket Club offers a wide range of choices, depending on individual circumstances. From a single Junior Membership at £20 to Company Membership (10 transferable tickets) at £720 we can provide a broad spectrum of opportunities to suit anybody interested in becoming a member of the Club.Hampshire’s most popular membership category is the Full Membership at £95, used by those people wishing to take advantage of the full playing programme.Please note that formal nomination is not necessary.

MULTIPLE YEAR MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE

calculated at2000 rates if purchased BEFORE 31st March 2001at 2001 rates if purchased AFTER 1st April 2001If you wish to purchase further years subscription and your category is due to change because of a birthday the appropriate rates will be used to calculate your extended membership. So, whatever catagory of membership you are, you cannot lose.For members with a category change or any queries regarding membership, please contact Jill Smithers, the Membership Secretary to confirm the exact subscription payable. Telephone: 023 8047 2002.For further Information please contact:The Membership Secretary,Hampshire County Cricket ClubThe Hampshire Rose Bowl,Botley Road, West End,SOUTHAMPTON, SO30 3XHE-MAIL: [email protected]METHOD OF PAYMENTDIRECT DEBIT, Subscriptions automatically paid every year at precisely the right time. No need to write and post cheques. Most importantly – you remain in control and can cancel the instructions whenever you you wish. Only mandates received by 1st December 2001 become operative for the new season. Thereafter, the instruction is put back one year and the 2001 subscription to be paid by cash, cheque or credit/debit card. Direct Debit Mandates are available from the Membership Office. No action required by members who already pay by direct debit.Payments can also be made by cheque, credit or debit card (excluding American Express)

Frank Lampard is facing arguably the biggest challenge of his managerial career thus far as he tries to steer Everton away from the Premier League relegation zone, with a number of financial and political issues going on in the background.

It’s not helping matters that two of his star players, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, are enduring a bad patch of form at a difficult, high-pressure stage of the season.

Richarlison is in a particular poor run, registering just two goals and one assist in all competitions since the start of 2022.

Despite averaging a solid 6.82 match rating across the season in the Premier League, the Brazilian has scored just four goals and created three more, working out at a scoring frequency of one every 365 minutes. That’s not good enough for a player worth £49.5m (as per Transfermarkt) who’s playing for a team fighting for their top-flight lives.

He can still be a hit with fans and critics, with journalist David Prentice once suggesting that the forward “makes things happen” for the Toffees.

Club and international team-mate Allan also heaped praise on him last month, saying: “He’s very hard-working and I try to pass on my experience as I get older to help and guide him. I’m sure he will have a great career here at Everton and for the Brazilian national team.”

However, Lampard’s patience with Richarlison must be running out after averaging a 6.45 Sofascore match rating in his last four Premier League games, failing to find the net and missing two big chances in total during that time.

In the Toffees’ last outing, a 5-0 humiliation at the hands of an inconsistent Tottenham, the 24-year-old completed just nine passes in 90 minutes, had zero shots on target, completed zero crosses and won just 43% of his duels.

Recently, there seems to be no fight in the Brazilian. By comparison, 21-year-old Anthony Gordon won 57% of his duels, completed two crosses, made four tackles and two key passes on Monday night despite ending up on the losing team.

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Everton need more fight, particularly up top, and more players need to take it upon themselves to follow in Gordon’s lead and give everything they have for the team. While Richarlison is failing to do just that, it might be time for Lampard to make a statement and axe the 24-year-old from the starting line-up for the time being.

In other news – Imagine him and DCL: Everton surely fuming over record-breaking £16.2m-rated “animal”