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The demand for Sourav Ganguly’s head is steadily increasing with everyfailure of the Indian skipper but the team is solidly standing by him.After Ganguly was dismissed for just two in yesterday’s triangularone-day series match against Zimbabwe, Melbourne Radio rang up teammanager Chetan Chauhan to know why the stylish left-hander should notbe asked to sit out and sort out his batting blues rather than be aliability to the team.”I have a lot of time for him,” was Chauhan’s cryptic reply which putan end to the issue.A desperate Ganguly also sought to draw solace from his openingpartner Sachin Tendulkar’s clean chit to his batting technique. “He(Tendulkar) has assured me that my technique is okay and I should notworry on that count,” the skipper said, while putting up a brave faceamidst continued failures.”I know the runs would come shortly. I can feel it from inside,” saidGanguly who has led India to five wins in eight Tests.But that has not prevented the critics from raising the shrill overhis inability to get the runs. The website of the company telecastingthe series is flooded with hate mails for Ganguly and questions on hisform and captaincy are appearing on the ballot boxes of various othersites.The pressure is showing on the captain who is not leaving any stoneunturned in his efforts to get back to his scoring ways. He is havingan extra session in the nets and is usually on the ground an hourbefore the team arrives for practice.This, from a man who usually does not like to bat much at the nets. “Ido not quite like batting in the nets but if that is the answer (to mybad form), so be it,” he said.In the matches too, he has tried various methods to break the shell.He briefly toyed with the idea of going on the attack to shrug off hispoor form but discarded it quickly after it failed to click, and hedid not want to be seen as an irresponsible batsman.He did not duck his responsibility even when he had to face the newball on the fourth morning of the Harare Test though it ended in anyet another failure.But it’s not the efforts but the figures alongside his name on thescoreboard that count and Ganguly needs to get those as quickly aspossible to silence his critics.In yesterday’s match, he took two wickets while bowling and thoughtthat finally his time with the bat too might have arrived. Alas, thatdid not happen and Ganguly had to be satisfied with his bowlingcontribution only.His deputy Rahul Dravid answered his detractors in style when hescored a brilliant 180 in that epic match-winning association with VVSLaxman in the second Test against Australia in Kolkata, and Gangulyknows he will have to come up with a similar effort to turn hisfortunes around.But till that happens, his – and his fans’ – agonies will continue tohaunt him.

Following reports that Tottenham Hotspur will listen to offers for Sergio Reguilon, former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Fabio Paratici not to sell the defender.

The Lowdown: Reguilon under Conte

The left-back has been in and out of Antonio Conte’s starting XI since November. As a result, it was recently revealed that the Italian has given the green light for Paratici to listen to offers for the Spaniard in the summer.

Having joined the Lilywhites for £32m in 2020, Reguilon has nearly maintained his market value, which is currently set at £25.2m by Transfermarkt.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Robinson doesn’t want Reguilon sold

Robinson believes that letting the defender go will be a mistake by Tottenham, as it would be too expensive for the club to replace him with someone of the same quality.

Speaking with Football Insider, the ex-England ‘keeper claimed: “If you are going to let him go, you are going to have to replace like for like.

“[Ryan] Sessegnon is a quality player but he’s young and injury prone. They cannot let Reguilon go without replacing him, no way.

“It would seem senseless to let him go and then try and find somebody who is very similar.

“He is a top player. I do like him. It would be a shame to see him go because he has improved a lot under Conte. He’s brilliant going forward and offers a lot more. It would be slightly naive to sell him I think.”

The Verdict: Bad move?

Going forward, Reguilon’s statistics as a left-back illustrates how much of an attacking threat he adds to Conte’s Tottenham side.

As per FB Ref, he ranks in the 95th percentile for non-penalty expected goals, the 87th percentile for expected assists and the 93rd percentile for non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists.

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Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has praised Reguilon for a number of his “brilliant” performances, whilst pundit Micah Richards also used the same word to describe him.

With the 25-year-old earning £68,000 per week, it could be difficult for Spurs to secure a new left-back of the same quality for a similar wage packet. Therefore, they should potentially back-track on their decision to make Reguilon available for sale in the summer.

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim

	Chris Cairns is back in action against his former team-mates © Getty Images

Chris Cairns will lead the MCC against his former team-mates when New Zealand kick off their tour of England with the traditional opener at Arundel.Cairns, who retired from international cricket in 2006, is one of three New Zealanders in MCC’s squad. He will be joined by his former Test and one-day colleague, Nathan Astle, and Rob Nicol, the Auckland batsman and former MCC Young Cricketer. Darren Bicknell, who cracked 132 for the club against Scotland at Lord’s earlier this week, will open the batting, and the squad also includes Steve Elworthy, the former South Africa fast bowler, Paul Nixon, John Stephenson and Min Patel.”Touring team matches are always a highlight in the MCC cricketing calendar and Arundel is a fantastic place to play cricket,” Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “It promises to be a great day for players and spectators alike and, hopefully, an international scalp in the bag for the club.”New Zealand’s squad, depleted by five players participating in the Indian Premier League – including their captain, Daniel Vettori – arrived at Heathrow yesterday afternoon. The first Test gets underway on May 15 at Lord’s.MCC team Darren Bicknell, Hylton Ackerman, Richard Montgomerie, Rob Nicol, Nathan Astle, Sean Ervine, Chris Cairns (capt), John Stephenson, Paul Nixon (wk), Steve Elworthy, Min Patel

Michael Vaughan: standing down as ODI captain © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan has announced his intention to stand down as captain of England’s one-day side with immediate effect. Vaughan, whose place in the ODI side came under scrutiny following a poor World Cup, will not be retiring from limited-overs cricket, but anticipates that the focus for the remainder of his career will be on captaining the Test side, particularly with a view to reclaiming the Ashes in 2009.Vaughan, 32, has been in charge of England’s one-day fortunes ever since Nasser Hussain stepped down in the wake of the 2003 World Cup. He has led the side in 60 matches, winning 32 and losing 22, but in that time, he has been unable to establish his credentials as a one-day batsman. His career average is a meagre 27.15 from 86 games, and he has never made an ODI century.His hold on the one-day captaincy was weakened during the recent World Cup in the Caribbean. He managed just 130 runs in England’s first eight games of the tournament before massaging his figures somewhat with a quickfire 79 against West Indies at Barbados, and in the field he was unable to inspire his side in the wake of the infamous “Fredalo” incident in St Lucia.”Since our disappointing performances in the World Cup, I have been giving careful consideration as to what is the best way forward for the England one-day team and my own role within the side,” said Vaughan in an ECB statement. “I reached this decision some time ago, but I did not want to announce it until after the end of this Test series to avoid it becoming a distraction to the team.”However, due to intense speculation in the media about my future, I feel it is important to make my intentions clear now. Our priority is to build a one-day squad able to compete strongly at the next World Cup, and I firmly believe that the interests of the team will be best served if I step down and allow another player to gain additional experience of captaincy in the one-day international arena.”I am committed to continuing as England’s Test captain for as long as I can be successful in the role,” added Vaughan. “I enjoy the job and I also believe that I will be able to form a strong working relationship with whoever is appointed to the one-day captaincy. I will continue to play one-day cricket for Yorkshire and it is not my intention to retire from ODI cricket as a player. I do, however, fully appreciate that the new captain will need a period of time to establish his own authority over the team.”Vaughan recognises that the grievous knee injuries that forced him out of the game for 18 months will not stand up to the constant rough-and-tumble of ODI cricket, especially as it is another four years until the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. However, his hold on the Test captaincy has been consolidated since his return to the side. He cemented his place as a batsman with a century in his comeback innings at Headingley, and has since overtaken Peter May as England’s most successful Test captain, with 21 wins in 35 matches.On Friday, England’s selectors announce their squad to take on West Indies in two Twenty20 matches and three ODIs. Paul Collingwood, who made his fifth Test century at Chester-le-Street on Monday, is widely tipped to take over Vaughan’s role, although Kevin Pietersen is also considered to be in the running.

No Indian has made it to the Elite panel after S Venkataraghavan © Getty Images

Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager of cricket operations, has said that Indian umpires are not up to world standards and it is a challenge for the Indian Board (BCCI) to improve on their performance.No Indian was included in the ICC Elite Umpires panel announced in April and Richardson said it wasn’t due to a flaw in the appointment process. “We do it [appointment] as professionally as we can,” said Richardson. “Who ever does well is going to move forward. And if you are not up to the mark and there are other international umpires who are better, then you will be left out. It is a challenge for the BCCI to see that Indian umpires make it to the Elite Panel.”Richardson said that the proposal to allow players to appeal against the on-field umpires’ decisions had received mixed response. “I should say the reaction has been pretty mixed. It is split 50-50 among the players, umpires, officials and even the media. Mark Benson, an ICC umpire from England, felt that he would be better off getting decisions verified by the third umpire and be not crucified later. There are others who feel they are better qualified to make the decisions on their own.”If the proposal is passed at the ICC Chief Executives’ meeting in July, the system of appeals could be trialled at the Champions Trophy in October.

Gilchrist would like to see how the new experiments pan out © Getty Images

With players across the world coming to grips with the new proposals intended to liven up one-day cricket, Adam Gilchrist has come out and said that the players’ views should be taken on board before such experiments become legislation. The new changes, which involve changes in fielding restrictions and substitutions, could be tried out in early July when England and Australia clash in the NatWest Series.”I don’t think our guys have got a full grasp of it,” said Gilchrist, talking to . “I think it’s going to be really intriguing for the spectators and the players as to how a captain manipulates those five-over blocks. That will be really good.”It will keep people really interested and it will bring a more traditional tactical nous to the one-day game, where maybe that has slowly faded away or is not as openly evident in one-day cricket to the paying public. Traditional cricket is about out-thinking your opponent and subtle field changes. With these rules, it will have to reintroduce that skilled thinking.”The changes were suggested by a committee headed by Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian opening batsman, in an attempt to liven up the one-day game which had become drearily predictable and formulaic in the middle of an innings.Gilchrist added that while the game’s popularity and commercial considerations were important, it was imperitive that the players be consulted before any far-reaching changes were affected. “I’ve got no problem with trying things in this format of the game,” he said. “People will say it’s not cricket to substitute a player in and out but traditionalists will say one-day cricket is not cricket, so it’s here and it’s a good forum to experiment.”As long as there is an experimental period and then they go to the players to get opinion on whether it’s worked or not. The players don’t have to have the final say, but they’ve got to have a strong voice in the final outcome, along with spectators who they’ll canvass and, I’m sure, sponsors and the TV people that cover the games.”

Simply Fred: Flintoff will be key to England’s prospects in the Caribbean

It was unanimously agreed by the British press that both England and West Indies have strong batting but inexperienced bowling, and it is how the bowlers perform that will be the key to deciding the series. “It used to be throat balls rather than boat calls that welcomed England teams to the Caribbean,” wrote Derek Pringle in the , “but when Michael Vaughan’s well-rested team touch down in Jamaica tonight it will be the bowlers rather than the batsmen who feel the pressure of trying to win a Test series against that loose alliance of islands known as the West Indies.”With that in mind, featured Steve Harmison, who insisted he had left his perennial homesickness bag behind in the North East, and was raring to go after a six-week spell training with Newcastle United. “It has had a remarkable effect on the Durham fast bowler, who has been bedevilled by injuries,” wrote Pat Gibson. “Now he can hardly wait to fly off to the Caribbean at lunchtime today.”Indeed, Harmison himself said: “It was a real eye-opener for me. I came away from that thinking that, while I will still keep doing the things I’ve always done, I’ll be doing them with more of a sense of purpose.”Angus Fraser, writing in , agreed that Harmison, as well as Simon Jones, will be key players. “English cricket would be hard-pressed to find a more exciting sight that Stephen Harmison and Simon Jones bowling in tandem for England,” Fraser decreed. “No England captain in recent times has had the luxury of utilising the threat offered by two bowlers of such pace.”Mike Selvey, in , argued that “instead of setting off with the air of condemned men”, England will go with “genuine belief” that they can win a series there for the first time in 36 years. “England’s bowlers, especially the pacemen, must come of age with a rapidity that will belie their playing experience,” he said. “Much of the pressure will land on the shoulders of the two fastest bowlers in the party, Simon Jones and Steve Harmison.”, though, ran with “Flintoff’s beefed up and raring to go”, focussing on Andrew Flintoff’s pivotal role in the team, and listing him as the umpteenth new Ian Botham. That was something which Flintoff himself was quick to shrug off: “I’m trying to play like Fred, not Beefy,” he dead-batted, “and Fred’s doing all right at the moment.” However, Mike Walters insisted that “none has been sprinkled with the great man’s stardust … until now. With his brutal weight of stroke and aggression with the ball, Simply Fred is the nearest thing to Beefy since the legend himself.”Vaughan, meanwhile, while still confident of success, was also quick to err on the side of caution, and to point out that the batting will be just as important. “Our batting experience will be crucial,” he said just before departing from Gatwick. “The players’ records speak for themselves. Mark Butcher has more runs for England than anybody over the past two years, Graham Thorpe is a class act, and Nasser Hussain has a superb record over many years.”On the bowlers, he said: “We’ve got some young lads who are very exciting and hopefully we can ruffle the West Indies batsmen, but we have got to be realistic. Steve missed Sri Lanka through injury and Simon has only played one Test and been out of the game for a long time. Let’s not hype them up too much.”He also singled out that man Brian Lara, who is sure to be the hot topic in England’s team meetings. “I think Lara averages 75 against England in the Caribbean and I think he’s the key to the series. He’s just had a fantastic series in South Africa, but his team lost 3-0, so if we can get him early, that will create a bit of pressure.”The West Indies are vulnerable, but you have to get on top to attack. On home soil they are a tough team to beat. We’ll have to work hard, make plans and try to play in an attacking manner. Everyone tells me it’s a fantastic place to play cricket and, with the crowd involved, it will probably be played at a different tempo to the games we had in Sri Lanka before Christmas.”Vaughan concluded: “We obviously have an eye on the history of the game, but none of us was even born 36 years ago. The only thing we can concentrate on is the next 2½ months and we’ve got a fantastic chance of doing well.”

Claims in the Australian media that the team’s defeat in the final Test was down to fatigue have been strongly rebutted by the England coach.Duncan Fletcher insisted that England had won the game at Sydney fair and square, while pointing out that England’s own schedule this year has been hectic, and their record of injuries Down Under unprecedented.England’s overwhelming win by 225 runs was against an Australian team that lacked their two champion bowlers, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who have taken 913 Test wickets between them. Andrew Bichel and Jason Gillespie both sustained minor injuries during the match.”I see in the Australian press that the reason they lost is that they are tired and have had injuries,” said Fletcher. “It’s easy to forget what we have gone through and that we have been going for a hell of a lot longer than them.”We didn’t have a break in June and July like they did, a three-month break. We have been going since New Zealand last year.”(Sydney) was a very big win for us and I really believe we convincingly beatthem. In front of a crowd like that it showed a lot of character from the guys.”We always feel that at some stage you can beat a side. You have got to believe you can go in there and beat them and hope the rest of the guys have that same feeling.”For Australia’s captain Steve Waugh, the magnificent century he made on day two at Sydney to equal Sir Donald Bradman’s record was eclipsed somewhat by the final result.”I think the guys were a bit flat going into this game,” said Waugh, who will be pondering his international future over the next few days.”Maybe part of the attention had turned to the World Cup as well because we had won the series and the World Cup’s not far away and you don’t want guys getting injured.”I think now with the players going to the World Cup it’s about man-management, not overplaying them and making sure that they’re peaking for the World Cup. That is where they are going to be judged.”Waugh has withdrawn from the Sir Don Bradman XI to meet England in Bowral tomorrow with a groin strain.”I’ll just relax for one or two days, have a good think about it, get away from cricket and be with family and friends and talk through it,” he said. “I’ll go through the pros and cons and weigh it up. Just see what the right decision is and hopefully make that right decision.”Ronnie Irani will captain England in tomorrow’s match, while Nasser Hussain, Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Caddick, Steve Harmison and Alec Stewart are all rested. Owais Shah will keep wicket, while two members of the Test squad, Richard Dawson and Robert Key, will play before returning to England in a few days’ time.Ashley Giles could be back in action for the remaining one-day matches in Australia after recovering from a broken wrist. The Warwickshire spinner, who was injured in the nets in Adelaide six weeks ago, will rejoin the England squad this weekend.

LONDON. The statistical result of this ongoing triangular Series notwithstanding, on record is achievement of another kind. Barring very minor omissions, this contest is, so far, less acrimonious and certainly scandal free and controversy free if one discounts Shoaib Akhtar’s theatricals. The code of conduct is an effective deterrent but what one sees as a positive factor is that all teams reflect players competitive, yet keener to play and follow the spirit of the game. It is this commitment that stands out brightly in the current contests.The Australians certainly stand out as the one’s to follow in conduct and character, and the English, though not always angelic, are no less. But the surprise is the Pakistan team, a model of behaviour, even counting the Palmer ‘wide’ protest at Lord’s. They are no longer cocky, arrogant and short of patience as previously. If they had no appetite for being ‘second best’ previously, it does not feature now in their mannerism. And seems well sated due that Test series loss to England in Pakistan. They no longer think of themselves as all-conquering heroes and do not take affront to any relief denied them on the field. Humble and humane, they willingly get themselves photographed with fans and sign autographs. This has endeared them even to the local tabloids and missing are those unrelenting attacks on them in previous tours, notably 1992.Another factor that may have influenced this ‘amicable’ nature from Pakistanis, could be the approach of Alec Stewart and Steve Waugh, who like Waqar Younis, emerge as captains of heart and soul, supported by other players as keen to be honest competitors. It is this commitment that has served them well this contest and augurs well for the coming matches. And the future too.Waqar Younis, a little unsure at start of the tour, has led his charges well, leading from the front. It is no new responsibility for him, yet he so does under the shadows of living legends like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, with expectations high. A lion he may not be, yet no less a tiger he is. And his bowling under pressure at Lord’s epitomised that and reminded one and all of his last five balls at Sharjah, 1991, when hit for a six by Bishop off the first ball of the last over, bowled four dot balls before bowling Bishop last ball for a one run win for Pakistan. Wounded Lions (England) and Prowling Tigers (Australia) still await him and his team at matches ahead and he need not drop his guard.Waqar Younis’s team has given its 100% so far, sweating and straining beyond their limits and potential. They have to retain their passion to be so committed and reflect their infinite resoluteness, confidence and pluck in coming matches, more so against Australia. And even England. This because, England undeterred by back-to-back losses, plan to come back in the last match, and the Australians on the roll.Much that Pakistan takes heart from the fact that England are out of the final spot, Pakistan must maintain consistency in matches to come. They play Australia at Chester-le-Street on 16th and then days later at Trent Bridge on the 19th in a D/N encounter. First and foremost in their minds must be the heart to make a match of these encounters and not face the humiliation England suffered at Australian hands at Old Trafford. Conceded that McGrath and others reflect penetrative consistency, they also have batsmen to countermine that. Required is the application to stay at the crease and runs will flow as desired.Likewise, they should not take England lightly at Headingley on 17th June. As Steve Waugh puts it so correctly ‘if you are losing it always creates a few little doubts’. Thus a win is a must at Headingley to take Pakistan into the final at Lord’s on June 23 with an appreciably higher morale. And morale can get up if they are able to post at least one win against the Australians in the coming two matches.It has often been stated that no man or woman was ever so much deceived as by him or herself. And, that the most deluded are the self-deluded. This the Pakistan team should keep in mind. If they retain and sustain their ‘never-say-die’ attitude reflected at Old Trafford and Lord’s, there is no reason why they should not be worthy opponents to Australia in the final at Lord’s. A day, which may reverse the result of the 1999 World Cup final.

Newcastle United have signed numerous players since being promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the 2016/17 season.

However, as tends to be the case with most clubs, not every player who made the move to St James’ Park ended up having a particularly successful time there.

One player who had a spell with the Toon but has ended up finding his feet elsewhere is Mikel Merino. Signed on loan during the 2017 summer transfer window from Borussia Dortmund, the Spaniard then put pen to paper on a permanent deal with the Magpies a few months later.

With 24 league appearances to his name throughout the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, the midfielder earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.85/10, making him the joint-seventh highest rated player in the Newcastle squad according to WhoScored.

Unfortunately for Newcastle, La Liga club Real Sociedad triggered his £10m release clause in the summer of 2018. Since then, the 25-year-old – who is currently picking up £53k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in 145 appearances for the Spanish club.

Having played in 25 league games this season, the former Toon midfielder has scored three goals, provided two assists and earned an overall performance rating of 7.25/10 from WhoScored. That makes him the highest-rated player at Sociedad and the joint-fifth highest rated player in La Liga, alongside another former Newcastle man in Joselu.

In October 2017, shortly after arriving in England, Transfermarkt had Merino’s market value listed as £6.3m. It now stands at a massive £45m, highlighting a significant increase presumably based on his efforts in Spain.

This also backs up what journalist David Cartlidge had to say about the midfield gem when he tweeted that the 26-year-old’s progress on the pitch since joining Sociedad has been “immense.”

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to suggest that Newcastle had a howler in regards to having a release clause put into Merino’s contract at St James’ Park.

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Given how impressive the midfield maestro has been this season, this will certainly be haunting the Tyneside club, as the Spaniard could have been a standout figure for the team had he stayed.

In other news – Ashley howler: Newcastle will be having nightmares over “ridiculous” £90m-rated “monster”