MELBOURNE, Dec 27 AAP – Australian opener Justin Langer was nearing his second Test double century at lunch here today on day two of the fourth Ashes Test against England at the MCG.But captain Steve Waugh fell for 77, missing the chance to equal Sir Don Bradman’s record for the most centuries by an Australian, as their side reached 4-445 at the break.Langer was 191 and Test debutant Martin Love had made 21.Australia resumed at 3-356 and the batsmen continued to have little trouble.English medium pacer Craig White had Waugh caught behind at noon, with the captain unwilling to walk after he gave a faint edge to a ball outside off stump.Waugh’s innings, which featured 15 fours, undoubtedly dampened some of the speculation about his playing future.But he would probably have removed any doubt had he equalled Bradman’s mark of 29 tons.He put on 129 for the fourth wicket with Langer, who has a highest Test score of 223.Love showed few nerves in his start to Test cricket and had put on 51 with Langer.
Despite still being just 16 years of age, there is a great deal of excitement surrounding the future of Celtic’s young attacking midfielder Rocco Vata.
Indeed, the Republic of Ireland under-17 international has been earning rave reviews for his performances in both the Hoops’ academy and the B team this season, with Darren O’Dea recently stating of the teenager: “I’ve known Rocco for a while, naturally I’ve been with the U18s for the last two seasons so he’s someone I know really well. The most impressive thing about him is probably his mentality, his attitude to the game.
“He’s someone that has a killer attitude that never stops, he has a fantastic ability to beat people and create chances. On top of that, he’s someone who has a really strong mind. He’s going in the right direction, it’s a case of supporting him.
“I’m confident to say that if he reaches his full potential which is our goal as a staff to do that, that potential could take him to the top.”
However, it is not only those in the know at Celtic who are aware of Vata’s potential. The youngster has also caught the eye of Football Talent Scout’s Jake McGhee, who said of the Bhoys sensation in December: “On the ball it is clear to see that Rocco is an incredibly talented and naturally gifted footballer, possessing excellent close control and skill.
“Rocco has a keen eye for goal and has shown his ice-cold finishing from all over the pitch, he definitely has a long-range strike in his locker. His dribbling and flair are reminiscent of James Rodriguez.”
While the 16-year-old still has some way to go before he hits the heights of the player who Real Madrid signed for €90m (£71m) back in the summer of 2014, it is not difficult to see why McGhee has drawn comparisons between the two players. Vata possesses extremely impressive close control, the ability to sit down a defender and a rocket of a shot, as evidenced by the teenager’s spectacular strike for Ireland under-17s back in October, which can be seen below:
However, the youngster appears not only to be a scorer of great goals but also a great goalscorer, having bagged seven times for Celtic B in the Scottish Lowland League this season – a very impressive return for an attacking midfielder/winger.
As such, while Vata may well be a couple of years off becoming a first team regular at Parkhead, Postecoglou recently called up the academy prospect to training with the senior squad, so a Celtic debut might just be on the cards before the season is out.
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Should the Bhoys boss put his faith in the 16-year-old, he may well be rewarded with the discovery of Celtic’s next world-beater.
AND in other news: Sold for “cheap”, now worth £12.5m: Celtic had a nightmare on £58k-p/w “role model”
Brad Haddin’s elevation to the Australia Test squad has forced New South Wales to boost their keeping stocks by picking up Peter Nevill from Victoria. The arrival of Nevill, who was behind Adam Crosthwaite and Matthew Wade in the Bushrangers’ plans, will push Daniel Smith for first-team appearances as Haddin steps up following Adam Gilchrist’s retirement. Smith played three Pura Cup matches last season as cover for Haddin, but he has also played as a specialist batsman.The Blues handed a deal to the fast bowler Burt Cockley who, like Nevill, is aged 22. Cockley made his Pura Cup debut in February after impressing in the Sydney grade competition. Craig Simmons, Tim Lang and Martin Paskal were left off the 19-strong full-contract list. With ten other Blues players on Cricket Australia deals as well, the state list has been afforded a strong emphasis on youth, with seven rookies also in the fold.Rookies Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Stephen O’Keefe, Steven Smith and David Warner were rewarded with full contracts after strong seasons. Hughes averaged 62.11 in seven first-class matches, including his initial century in the successful Pura Cup final. He was vice-captain of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup side this year and won the state’s rising star award.Khawaja, a left-hander, was the leading run scorer at grade level, making 1134 runs at 59.68. On Pura Cup debut he made a mature 85 at home in February against the eventual finalists Victoria. Smith, a leg-spinning allrounder who was also in the national Under-19 squad this year, has the chance to further push his claims for a regular spot after debuting in both Pura and FR Cups last season and impressing in the Twenty20 competition.Josh Hazlewood, the 17-year-old fast bowler who was the youngest member of the Australia Under-19 World Cup squad this year, earned a rookie contract, as did Daniel Burns, a left-arm orthodox bowler who was also at the youth World Cup, and former junior internationals Sam Robson, a legspinning allrounder, and Mitchell Starc, a left-arm fast bowler.James Crosthwaite, Adam’s brother and like him a wicketkeeper, also picked up a deal after representing Scotland and ACT. Joshua Lalor, a left-arm fast bowler, and the left-hander Scott Henry complete the rookie set.The New South Wales chief executive David Gilbert is happy with the depth of the squad but warned that every player must play his part. “The absence of our Australian players will make the 2008-09 season a very challenging one,” Gilbert said, “so it will be imperative that the younger players rise to the occasion.”The Blues have lost three players from their 2007-08 group. Matthew Nicholson announced his retirement earlier this year while Aaron O’Brien and Tom Cooper have both transferred to South Australia. The Redbacks were also chasing Greg Mail and Grant Lambert but both decided to stay in New South Wales for study or family reasons.Squad Aaron Bird, Mark Cameron, Burt Cockley, Ed Cowan, Scott Coyte, Peter Forrest, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Grant Lambert, Greg Mail, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith, Steven Smith, Dominic Thornely, David Warner.Import Peter Nevill.Rookies Daniel Burns, James Crosthwaite, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Henry, Joshua Lalor, Sam Robson, Mitchell Starc.Players on the transfer list Craig Simmons, Tim Lang and Martin Paskal.
Darren Lehmann wants a specialist recruiter to help South Australia draft in talented players who might otherwise be overlooked as the state tries to drag itself out of the mire it fell into last season. Lehmann said cricketers from rural areas sometimes missed out on the first-class system.”It is something we have to look at, with the way [Aussie Rules] football is going with their recruitment,” Lehmann told . “It is something the SACA are probably looking at. It is certainly an idea, there’s a lot of good players in the country that are probably untapped and don’t come to the city often enough.”The Redbacks, who finished last in the Pura Cup in 2006-07 with only one victory, were keen to sign Lou Vincent, the New Zealand batsman, for next season but Vincent has now committed to Auckland. “We have to look at players internationally and interstate,” Lehmann said. “I think Lou Vincent was playing one off against the other and that is just the way he decided to go.”Lehmann also said blood-thinning treatment for his deep-vein thrombosis should allow him to play South Australia’s first game of the season, a Pura Cup clash with Victoria starting on October 14. Lehmann was recovering from an operation on his Achilles tendon when he was diagnosed with DVT this month.”It’s a setback but it probably helps the recovery of the Achilles with these thinning tablets,” he said. “Now it is a case of getting the Achilles right for mid-October.” Lehmann is wearing a moon boot to treat the problems but he expects he will no longer need that in about a fortnight.
Greg Chappell, India’s coach, believes that his side’s recent Test performances and their overseas record should not weigh on their minds as they attempt to win in the Caribbean for the first time since 1970-71. With India due to play five one-day internationals and four Tests against West Indies, Chappell said it was imperative that India replicate their successful streak of one-day victories in the five-day format.”People are obviously aware of the history, but we have nothing to prove barring the fact that we can win away from home,” Chappell told Reuters. “Worrying about the outcome is not going to help us win the series. You need also to be looking at developing players and the only way they can is to be playing matches under pressure.”We have made good ground in the last 12 months, especially in one-day cricket,” he added. “We need to apply the similar processes to Test cricket, bearing in mind that Test cricket is more demanding. We have got to be more aware of the flow of Test cricket, of the important moments, the important sessions in Test matches.”Under Chappell, India have set the record for the number of consecutive one-day chases (16), overhauling West Indies’ 14 chases in the mid-’80s. Chappell gave the example of West Indies sides of the 1980s and 1990s as well as Australia, who successfully transferred one-day success to Test cricket. “If you look at the great West Indian teams that dominated world cricket for two decades and the current Australian team that has been on top for nearly the same length of time, one-day cricket was the catalyst for them getting better,” he said.Chappell added that the return of Brian Lara as West Indies captain was a positive move. “I have no doubt Lara coming back as captain is a positive thing,” he said. “It will be a change for them, I’m sure it will invigorate them, invigorate him.”
Greg Chappell’s contract details have all been worked out and he will be able to continue his media commitments, the Indian cricket board has confirmed. Chappell, the former Australian captain who was recently appointed coach of the Indian national team, is expected to arrive in India on June 15 and has requested the board to enlist two experts as part of his support staff.”The contract details are all worked out and BCCI secretary SK Nair will hand it over to Chappell when he comes to India this month,” Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, told . Nair added that they were “already looking for a well-furnished flat for Chappell and his wife” and said that his daily allowance would be equal to the amount that the players receive. Chappell will be entitled to 70 days of leave every year and will also be eligible for a share in the logo money.With regard to Chappell’s media commitments, Nair said that he could “express his thoughts and expressions” through a newspaper column or news channel. However, he added that Chappell will “not be permitted to leak out any team secret”.Meanwhile the board also confirmed that Chappell has requested the services of Ian Frazer and Charles Krebs as part of his support staff. Frazer, the former Victorian player, is an expert in the biomechanics of bowling while Krebs is a specialist in Kinesiology – the scientific study of man’s movement and the movements of equipment that he might use in exercise, sport or other forms of physical activity. Jyoti Bajpai, treasurer of the board, confirmed this to and said, “We have asked Chappell to furnish details of their experience and expertise as well as the remuneration they expect.”
Canterbury took a stranglehold of their State Championship match against Wellington. It would take the escape effort of the season for Wellington to get out of the trouble they are in.Canterbury batted on to amass 499 for 8 before Chris Cairns, the Canterbury captain, made the declaration. A fine 145-run partnership between Paul Wiseman, the nightwatchman, and Chris Harris frustrated the Wellington bowlers further during the morning session. Wiseman scored 75 before he fell to James Franklin’s bowling while Harris was trapped leg before wicket to Franklin for 65.The rest of the innings petered out very quickly and Franklin had some reward for 35.4 overs of work by ending with 3 for 146. Andrew Penn took 2 for 87 and Matthew Walker 2 for 93.Wellington looked set to make a competitive response as international openers Matthew Bell and Richard Jones settled in for the long haul. However, Richard Jones got a good ball from Chris Martin and was dismissed for 20, after 71 minutes of batting, when the score was 57. Stephen Fleming, who is using the match as a fitness test before next week’s Test against Pakistan, was out for two, falling victim to Cairns’ bowling.The only Wellington defiance came from Bell, who scored 75, before he was given out to a bat-pad catch off Wiseman’s bowling. Wiseman also picked up the wickets of Grant Donaldson and Franklin to end the day with 3 for 17 from 11 overs.
Looking out from his office overlooking the County Ground on a bright sunny morning earlier today, Somerset Chief Executive turned his thoughts to the new season which is only just over two months away.Mr. Anderson told me: “Structured practice is now underway, and the attention is turning to the make-up of our best side in all competitions.”The key to it rests on the unknown factors. On the batting front will Piran Holloway rediscover his form of two years ago, when he was the second-highest run scorer in the National League in the country, will Peter Bowler in the autumn of his cricketing life continue with the form that he displayed in 2001, and will Keith Parsons develop into a top order County Championship batsman?”Will our young bowlers Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego come through to fill what is perceived to be a bowling vacancy?”Further down the line the big question is will Caddick be discarded by England after the World Cup next winter, and be available for Somerset for the whole of the 2003 and 2004 seasons? This factor alone clearly has an impact upon the expectations placed upon Bulbeck, Tucker and Trego.Mr Anderson concluded: “The players as a group all feel that we are well positioned to challenge for one or more of the one day competitions, but in the Championship we really need the gaps to be filled by people in form.”
There was nothing dramatic about the first day’s play at the NehruStadium in Indore. The medium-sized crowd that gathered was given ahint of what was actually possible. On winning the toss, Guy Whittalldecided to kick off Zimbabwe’s tour of India by having a bit of a bat.The Zimbabweans did just that. After piling up 322/6 they declared andmanaged to scalp an NCA wicket in the dying moments of the day.To start the proceedings for the National Cricket Academy team RakeshPatel and Mrithyunjay Tripathi ran in hard. Both established a goodrhythm and troubled the Zimbabwe batsmen. On a wicket that had verylittle on offer for the bowlers, Patel worked up a decent pace and histhree wickets were well deserved. If he impressed the three nationalselectors who were present at the venue, the spinners did nothing tocatch the eye. Sharandeep Singh bowling his offspinners and VidyuthSivaramakrishnan bowling left arm spin failed to make an impact. Whilebowling well in patches, the duo served up far too many loosedeliveries.Stuart Carlisle who is known for his steady approach to batting wasunusually brisk in his manner and took just 83 balls to make his 61runs. If Carlisle was steady, Alistair Campbell was the epitome ofsafety. The talented southpaw put his head down and applied himselfperfectly. Taking very few chances, Campbell chalked up the runs withease. Using his feet well to the spinners, Campbell faltered just once- when he was on 44 and edged a catch to Sriram in the slips.Fortunately for him the chance was floored and he strode resolutelyon. When he brought up his century with a well placed single the crowdcheered lustily. If nothing he was endeared to the crowd when he tooka hard knock on the helmet from Tripathi and continued manfullydespite bleeding profusely.When Zimbabwe declared their innings closed at 322/6 Campbell wasunbeaten on 114. His innings included 12 fours and three hits thatsailed over the ropes. The biggest of those was a clout off MohammedKaif that disappeared back over the bowler’s head.With just nine overs to play out and light fading gradually, SridharanSriram and Nikhil Doru came out to bat. While Doru was flamboyant,Sriram stuck to his cautious method. Driving through the off side withconfidence and skill, Doru raced to 14 in no time. Unfortunately forthe lad, he drove hard at a ball wide of off stump and dragged theball back onto his stumps. Playing away from his body, the Rajasthanopener’s first mistake cost him his wicket.Sharandeep Singh joined Sriram out in the middle and the pair safelysaw NCA to stumps. Sriram was unbeaten on a patiently compiled 8 andthe NCA were 28/1. Tomorrow will be little more than a day of bowlingpractice for the visitors. It will be interesting to see how theyadapt to conditions in the subcontinent. At a first glance, theopening bowlers looked less than sharp. Bryan Strang was accurate, butclearly lacked pace. While Travis Friend managed to get the ball tomove a shade in the air, he did not get much nip off the wicket. Ifthe Zimbabweans are to win a Test match or more on this tour, theirbowlers will have to get into groove in a hurry.