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With Sunderland currently sitting in sixth place in the League One table, Lee Johnson’s side have conceded a total of 22 goals in 17 games, more than any other side above them in the table.

This could have something to do with the fact that the Black Cats currently have a number of injured defensive players such as Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin and Denver Hume out of action, leaving Johnson having to play the likes of Carl Winchester and Luke O’Nien in the full-back positions in recent matches.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is on the horizon, one player that the Wearside club should be looking to bring in to help ease their injury crisis is Eric Lichaj.

After being linked with a move for the full-back during the previous summer transfer window after leaving Turkish club Faith Karagumruk in January, it seems as though the club could be forced into securing the defender’s signature in this upcoming window on a free transfer as a result of their current injury worries.

The 33-year-old, who is currently valued at £450k according to Transfermarkt, has a total of 345 senior club appearances under his belt throughout his career, with 257 of them coming in the Championship, showing how much experience he has that he could offer Sunderland if he joins in January.

Despite predominantly playing as a right-back, Lichaj, who was previously described as “phenomenal” by Nigel Adkins during his time at Hull City, has also played a decent number of games in the left-back position, highlighting his versatility that could be a big help for Sunderland if they still have defensive injuries in the full-back positions heading into the New Year.

On that evidence, signing Lichaj on a free transfer should be at the top of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ priority list. With injuries aplenty, he could help the team push towards promotion by the end of the season.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “unique” lightweight tonight, he could cost SAFC dearly – opinion

Sri Lanka Cricket has attributed the success of suitable replacements to the present national team to its far-sighted policy in expanding its list of contracted players from 32 to 76 since May last year

Sa'adi Thawfeeq09-Jan-2010Sri Lanka Cricket has attributed the success of suitable replacements in the present national team to its far-sighted policy in expanding its list of contracted players from 32 to 76 since May last year.Players like offspinner Suraj Randiv, allrounders Thissara Perera and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, fast bowler Suranga Lakmal and batsman Lahiru Thirimanne have lived up to expectations after filling in as replacements in the injury-stricken Sri Lankan team on their tours to India and Bangladesh. With the number of injuries mounting, batsmen Dinesh Chandimal and Mahela Udawatte have joined the national team in Bangladesh as reinforcements for the remainder of the tri-nation series.SLC’s head coach Jerome Jayaratne said the injuries helped open a window for young players to display their skills at international level. “These injuries, although it is not the right thing to say, helped us to expose these young players because they hardly get an opportunity when the established players are fit,” Jayaratne said.SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said when the present set of administrators took office in April, only the Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka A team players were on contract with the board. “We thought if we are to bridge the gap between the national cricketers and the potential national cricketers we needed to create an environment where they can compete with full-time professional cricketers and, at the same time, have a smooth transition,” Ranatunga said. “What we decided was to expand the number of contracted players with SLC and provide them with suitable remuneration and, at the same time, coaching and practice facilities as the national cricketers so that, when the call-up came, they would be ready at any given time to replace anyone from the senior squad.”Today this concept has borne fruit to the extent that the performances of these younger players is putting pressure on the seniors for places in the national team, and some of the seniors don’t even want to take a rest between matches.”Ranatunga added the number of contracted players was expanded and classified into five categories – Sri Lanka (20 players), Sri Lanka A (15), Development (17), Academy (15) and Twenty20 (9). This included 15 potential cricketers earning contracts immediately after their school careers.The top national cricketers earn as much as around US$110,000 annually, and the lowest return for an A squad player is an estimated US$10,500. The Development squad player earns a monthly wage of Rs.60,000 (approx. US$530) and a Twenty20 squad player Rs.100,000 (approx. US$ 875). Overall, SLC spends in the region of US$ 2.3 million annually on contracts alone, according to sources. In addition, the contracted players in the Development and Academy squads receive cricket equipment worth Rs.80,000 (approx. US$700) each.Randiv and Udawatte are categorized as Sri Lanka A players; Lakmal, Pushpakumara and Thirimanne are part of the Development category and Perera and Chandimal have been classified as Academy players.”What we realized is we lose several potential cricketers when they find employment elsewhere and, as a result, don’t find the time to commit themselves to playing cricket,” Ranatunga said. “To address this trend we decided to contract the potential players into the Academy and provide them with a monthly allowance of about Rs. 40,000 (approx.US$350), making them full-time professional cricketers. The game is no longer confined to the high-profile groups but has extended to middle and lower income groups.”These different squads are provided with a similar coaching staff and facilities as the senior squad and given enough exposure by way of tours. In addition they also receive training in IT (computer) and English, public speaking, etiquette, financial management, motivation etc so that they develop other skills also and gain employment in different fields after their playing career.”Ranatunga praised the role played by the junior selection committee headed by Sunil Wikramanayake in identifying the future talented cricketers.”We want to expand this concept to the provinces and have at least 100 contracted players so that the player remains in his province and develops his skills as a cricketer instead of coming to Colombo. If you take the national teams, 90% of the cricketers are from the outstation. It is a costly exercise but it is the right way forward.”

Collins Obuya’s blistering 79 not out helped Kenya to victory over a spirited Uganda side in the fourth match of the Keyna Tri-series in Nairobi

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2010
Scorecard
Collins Obuya’s blistering 79 helped Kenya to victory over a spirited Uganda side in the fourth match of the Keyna Tri-series in Nairobi. Following their heavy defeat to Kenya in the opening match of the tournament, Uganda have competed well, tying with Scotland on January 31 and rallying to 172 here.Alex Obanda got Kenya’s innings off to a flyer after the hosts were put in by Davis Arinaitwe, the Uganda captain. Obanda struck three sixes and three fours on his way to a 24-ball 45 before he was bowled by Ronald Ssemanda. The innings set the tone for Obuya, who bludgeoned seven sixes in his 45-ball innings. Maurice Ouma, the Kenya captain, proved a useful foil on his way to 39 from 32 deliveries and lifted his side’s total to a 186, comfortably the highest score of the tournament so far. Arinaitwe was the only bowler to exert any control, as his offspin went for a miserly 12 from four overs.Elijah Otieno removed Uganda opener Arthur Kyobe in the second over for 10 before Roger Musaka joined wicketkeeper Lawrence Sematimba in a 47-run stand. Sematimba’s run out for 12 sparked a minor collapse but, as wickets fell around him, Musaka continued to strike the ball well. He made his first Twenty20 fifty, before falling to the impressive Nelson Odhiambo.Odhiambo, playing his first Twenty20 International, finished with 4 for 25 and reduced Uganda to 116 for 6. It was left to Raymond Otim to rally the tail and his 25 from 18 balls, alongside a scampering 16 from 9 balls from Arinaitwe, threatened to cause an upset, but it wasn’t to be.

Crystal Palace will be hoping to end their three-game winless run when they take on Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Eagles have followed up an entertaining 3-3 draw at Burnley with consecutive defeats against Aston Villa and Leeds United in the last few days after making a very promising start to the current campaign.

Patrick Vieira is once again expected to be without key duo James McArthur and Joachim Andersen due to their respective injury issues, but he could still be confident of securing a positive result.

Palace have already pulled off shock victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City this season, showcasing their ability to cause an upset on Sunday.

Their opponents will be boosted by having new manager Ralf Rangnick in the dugout for the first time, though, and Vieira may err on the side of caution in this intriguing clash.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 45-year-old to line up at Old Trafford, with just one change from the side which started last time out against Leeds…

Vicente Guaita will keep his place between the sticks for this one, and the Spanish goalkeeper will be looking for a clean sheet after Raphinha’s injury-time penalty denied him one in midweek.

Ahead of the 34-year-old shot-stopper will be a back four made up of Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, James Tomkins and Joel Ward, with Andersen’s thigh problem keeping him on the sidelines.

Vieira’s engine room selection could have a considerable bearing over proceedings, and we fancy him to opt for the experienced and more defensive-minded Luka Milivojevic over the £8.1m-rated Jeffrey Schlupp.

Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyaté are expected to partner the club captain in the middle of the park , providing a solid foundation for the forward line from which to build.

Completing the starting XI should be a front three of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard, with the summer signing just getting the nod over Christian Benteke once again, perhaps due to the Belgian’s shocking and ultimately costly miss at Elland Road.

In other news… Palace could seal dream deal in “outstanding” 25 y/o wizard with “the world at his feet”

Illan Meslier, Diego Llorente and Kalvin Phillips struggled in Leeds United’s 2-2 draw at home to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Whites beat Crystal Palace in the dying seconds in midweek and this time it was a last-gasp equaliser for the Elland Road crowd to enjoy.

Tyler Roberts put Marcelo Bielsa’s side 1-0 up in the first half but goals from Shandon Baptiste and Sergi Canos turned the game on its head.

The returning Patrick Bamford made it 2-2 in stoppage time, though, leafing to scenes of joy inside Elland Road.

Here are Leeds’ three poorest performers according to SofaScore, only including those who played for at least 45 minutes.

Illan Meslier – 6.2

Meslier started between the sticks as usual, becoming the youngest-ever Premier League goalkeeper to make 50 appearances in the competition (21 years, 278 days).

It wasn’t the Frenchman’s best day at the office, however, with none of his intended accurate long balls finding a Leeds teammate.

On top of that, Meslier only delivered 50% of his accurate passes overall – nine out of 18.

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Diego Llorente – 6.6

Llorente was at the heart of Leeds’ defence but he was another who didn’t hit top form, as Leeds conceded twice to Brenford at home, which isn’t an ideal scenario.

The 28-year-old didn’t make a single tackle or interception against the Bees and he lost possession ten times in total, suggesting he was a little sloppy on the ball.

Llorente also failed to win a ground duel, losing his only on-field battle in that area.

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Kalvin Phillips – 6.6

Phillips has arguably been Leeds’ best player of the Bielsa era but he wasn’t at his best on Sunday, leaving the pitch with an injury in the second half.

The England international didn’t manage to play one key pass at Elland Road, losing the ball seven times and not making a single interception.

Phillips’ injury is hopefully nothing too serious but Leeds could do with his current form going up a notch.

In other news, a journalist has made a Leeds transfer claim regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Tasmania secured their second FR Cup title in three seasons and consigned Victoria to a fourth consecutive one-day final loss after Tim Paine’s century left the hosts to chase an unreachable 305

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG28-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTim Paine’s 100 set up Tasmania’s title•Getty ImagesTasmania secured their second FR Cup title in three seasons and consigned Victoria to a fourth consecutive one-day final loss after Tim Paine’s century left the hosts to chase an unreachable 305. Paine and Michael Dighton took advantage of a lacklustre start from Victoria in the field, before Gerard Denton struck three early blows with the ball to set up the 110-run triumph.Victoria severely felt the absence of their two best limited-overs bowlers, Clint McKay and Dirk Nannes, and two of their star batsmen, Cameron White and David Hussey, all of whom were in New Zealand with the Australian squad. Tasmania were also missing Travis Birt for the same reason but they covered for his loss with confident innings from Paine, Dighton and Ed Cowan.For the Bushrangers to challenge Tasmania’s 6 for 304, they needed a big innings from Brad Hodge and when he drove Denton to cover and was caught for 14, most of the interest in the chase disappeared. Denton had already taken Tasmania’s batting momentum and applied it to their bowling by removing Chris Rogers and Aiden Blizzard within the first eight overs.Rogers played on for 14 and was fuming with himself, after they had already lost Blizzard to a stunning, leaping catch from Rhett Lockyear at backward point. The wonderful take highlighted a stark difference in the fielding standard between the two teams after Blizzard himself had put down Dighton on 42.Blizzard couldn’t hang on to a low but regulation chance at point and it was the second life for Dighton, who had been spilled on 9 by the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade diving to his right. The sloppy work from Victoria contributed to Tasmania’s strong start and Dighton and Paine flew out of the blocks following their captain’s decision to bat.Dighton was the dominant partner in the 132-run opening stand and he was in a belligerent batting mood, forcing boundaries all around the ground including one straight down the pitch that nearly collected the bowler John Hastings in the head. He lifted the ball off his pads with ease and capitalised on a lifeless new-ball spell from Darren Pattinson, who in all bowled four overs for 36.Dighton missed the chance for a century when he was bowled by Hastings for 80 from 91 balls and while the scoring rate dropped a little after his departure, Paine continued to play a vital anchoring role. He was controlled and struck nine fours in his chanceless 100, which came up off 117 deliveries with an overthrow after he initially turned back trying for a single to point.Paine fell from his next delivery when Wade snared an edge behind up to the stumps off Andrew McDonald but by then the damage was done. Ed Cowan had already contributed a very useful 61 from 55 balls, which included a six down the ground off Bryce McGain, before he was caught at mid-off to become one of three wickets for McDonald.The Victorian fielding sharpened up in the dying stages, as Wade completed a wonderful leg-side stumping standing up to McDonald to get rid of Jason Krejza, and Blizzard tried to make up for his drop with a direct-hit from the outfield to find Brendan Drew short. But 16 came from Tasmania’s last over, and 103 from their final ten, to set Victoria a 300-plus chase.The early losses derailed Victoria’s pursuit and although the stand-in captain McDonald tried to fight back and made 64 alongside Wade’s 40, Denton came back to remove McDonald and any slim hopes of a home-town miracle. Denton finished with 5 for 45 as Victoria were bowled out in the 43rd over but it was Paine who was named Man of the Match for setting up the result.The 50-over format remains Victoria’s curse in a successful era during which they have claimed four Twenty20 titles and last summer’s Sheffield Shield. They have now lost three FR Cup finals at home – to Tasmania this summer and to Queensland in 2006-07 and 2008-09 – and one away to the Tigers in 2007-08 over the past four seasons.

Alastair Cook is only keeping the England captaincy hot seat warm, but he continues to sit very comfortably in the position as he maintained his impressive tour of Bangladesh with an unbeaten 158 on his first day as the Test leader

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan12-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook continued his impressive form with a century in his first Test as captain•PA PhotosAlastair Cook is only keeping the England captaincy hot seat warm, but he continues to sit very comfortably in the position as he maintained his impressive tour of Bangladesh with an unbeaten 158 on his first day as the Test leader. Alongside Kevin Pietersen’s much-awaited return to form, which ended agonisingly on 99 to a left-arm spinner, the pair formed the backbone of England’s dominant opening-day total of 374 for 3 at Chittagong.Cook became the fifth England captain to score a hundred in his first match in charge. The last one to do so was Pietersen although that innings, against South Africa at The Oval, feels like a lifetime ago. At last, though, there was a glimpse of the Pietersen flair as he and Cook added 170 in 45 overs, but that does have to be countered by the immensely dire quality of the bowling on offer. Bangladesh started poorly and didn’t get any better, finishing the day with a series of freebies for Paul Collingwood as he eased to 32 and Cook closed three short of a new career-best.It was thanks to the generosity of Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, that the visitors were able to take first use of a surface that looks certain to wear and turn considerably – albeit slowly – as the match progresses. His decision to bowl will go down among the most unfathomable calls, although it smacked largely of a lack of confidence in his own team’s batting than any belief that it was the best way to challenge in the game.However, England weren’t going to look a gift-horse in the mouth especially after packing the side with batting. Cook was barely troubled during his 244-ball innings as he continued his quietly impressive tour where he has maintained, and improved, his form despite the added burden of captaincy. During the one-day series there was a new-found freedom to his strokeplay and he brought that confidence into the five-day game, never typified better than when he reached his hundred from 148 deliveries with a slog-swept six. His first boundary was the same shot and it meant he doubled his tally of Test sixes in the space of an innings.England captains who began with hundreds

Archie MacLaren 109 at Sydney in 1897-98

Allan Lamb 119 at Bridgetown in 1989-90

Andrew Strauss 128 at Lord’s in 2006

Kevin Pietersen 100 at The Oval in 2008

Alastair Cook 158* at Chittagong in 2009-10

A sign of the confidence in Cook’s game was a return of the cover drive which he shelved in South Africa after his troubles outside off stump to the quick bowlers. However, the threat from the Bangladesh attack was far removed from that of Dale Steyn and Co. and he pierced the off side with increasingly regularity. If Andrew Strauss had woken in the early hours in the UK he will have watched contently with the team in safe hands.But while Cook came into the match with form, it was a vastly different story for Pietersen. He entered under mounting pressure having endured another lean run since arriving in Bangladesh and a continuation of his poor record against left-arm spinners. He was soon facing Abdur Razzak, but it was a missed opportunity from Shakib when he didn’t introduce himself straight away and instead stuck with Rubel Hossain after his dismissal of Jonathan Trott.Pietersen has spent hours in the nets working alongside Andy Flower on his technique against left-arm spinners and there was a clear change in method in evidence as he stayed leg-side of the ball rather that getting squared-up. He laid an early marker with a fine inside-out drive through mid off and his footwork was far more certain.In the final over before tea he reach fifty from 60 balls with some help from a misfield and after the break began moving through the gears with a hint of the flamboyance that has been missing since he lost the captaincy. He made a statement to Shakib by dispatching him for a six and two fours – all straight down the ground – in the space of four balls. It appeared he would blaze to three figures, but this isn’t, yet, the Pietersen of old and he tried to nudge his way there which resulted in him being squared-up by Razzak.Cook, though, motored on past 150 before shutting up shop as stumps approached. England batsmen don’t score many double hundreds – there’s a big one on offer here. He had been outscored during the early exchanges as Michael Carberry made a confident start to his Test career having been handed his cap alongside the Middlesex paceman Steven Finn. Carberry eased to 30 before becoming tied down by offspin and fell to an ambitious sweep against Mahmudullah.Jonathan Trott went about his innings at his own sedate pace, but looked confident after his warm-up hundred as he added 77 with Cook. He was given out caught off the helmet from a Rubel short ball which bounced as much as anything all day. There is no UDRS in this series so all Trott could do was shake his head and it was the only thing to go Bangladesh’s way. However, they didn’t deserve anything else and it is already only a question of how long they can hang on in this Test.

Rangers are enjoying a sublime season in the Premiership this term as they sit top of the table with 42 points after 17 games.

They have won 13 of their 17 matches, drawing three and losing just once. In that time, they have scored 38 goals and conceded just 18 times, with Steven Gerrard starting the campaign in charge before Giovanni van Bronckhorst came in last month.

Forget Tavernier

Captain James Tavernier may get the bulk of the plaudits with his outstanding contributions in the final third this season, but his fellow full-back Borna Barisic has also been a standout for the Gers.

Tavernier tops the Rangers squad with an average SofaScore rating of 7.86, whilst Barisic is second in terms of outfield players with a score of 7.26. The former has three goals and ten assists – from 1.8 key passes per game – in 15 Premiership appearances and averages a whopping 97 touches per match.

This shows how the ex-Newcastle man is the main outlet for the Gers in possession as he takes almost 100 touches per game despite playing at right-back.

Barisic, meanwhile, averages 76.6 touches per game and has also averaged 1.8 key passes – racking up two assists. This suggests that he has been more effective in his creation of chances in relation to the number of touches he has compared to Tavernier.

Former Gers player Alex Rae once lauded the full-back’s ‘terrific’ ability on the ball, saying: “He performs at good level week-in, week-out and has terrific quality in the final third of the park.”

Mark Wilson added: “He’s the best left-back in the country. He’s improved his defending and supplies assists and is a threat at set pieces.”

Tavernier averages 2.3 tackles and interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game, whilst Barisic averages 2.3 and 3.0 in the same categories. The Croatian has also won a higher percentage (62%) of his duels – winning 51 in total –  in comparison to the right-back (52%) in the Premiership. This shows that the left-sided defender has been stronger in his defending this season, to go along with his efficient chance creation.

Therefore, Barisic has been a standout for Rangers and is deserving of immense credit for his performances in the top-flight, potentially more so than Tavernier based on the pair’s underlying statistics.

However, both have been outstanding and are key to how van Bronckhorst’s team operates with their quality from the full-back positions.

AND in other news, Body blow: Concerning Rangers injury update emerges that’ll leave fans gutted…

Leeds United winger Raphinha is attracting interest from European giants Bayern Munich, according to a fresh transfer rumour that has emerged.

The Lowdown: Raphinha continues to shine

The Brazilian has been a wonderful signing for the Whites since joining from Rennes, providing endless quality from out on the right wing.

Raphinha has scored seven goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season, proving to be the key man in attack in the absence of Patrick Bamford.

The 25-year-old’s form has inevitably seen him linked with a move away from Leeds and more news has now emerged pairing him with yet another mega club.

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The Latest: Bayern linked with move

According to Jeunes Footeux [via Sport Witness], Bayern are ‘attentive’ to Raphinha’s current situation, as they eye up a potential move for him.

The Leeds man is seen as a possible replacement for Kingsley Coman next summer and he ‘could clearly consider a departure’ from Elland Road, allegedly finding the project in Munich ‘very interesting’.

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The Verdict: Inevitable?

Given Leeds’ current struggles and Raphinha’s wonderful ability, it is only natural that he may be thinking about moving on in the summer – clubs like Liverpool are also lurking.

The Brazilian has been described as ‘unbelievable’ by teammate Illan Meslier and he could be desperate to prove himself at a club of Bayern’s stature.

Ideally, Raphinha would commit his long-term future to Leeds but it is increasingly difficult to see that happening as the side drifts further away from the middle of the table.

For all the love between the Brazil starlet and Elland Road fans, he deserves to be playing Champions League football.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a permanent move away from the club. Find out who it is here.

Brendon McCullum will spend New Zealand’s off-season pondering his future as a Test wicketkeeper after the successful emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the shorter formats

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington24-Mar-2010Brendon McCullum will spend New Zealand’s off-season pondering his future as a Test wicketkeeper after the successful emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the shorter formats. McCullum opens in one-day and Twenty20 internationals but bats at No. 7 in the Test team and made his fifth century against Australia in Wellington this week, an innings he described as his best Test hundred.Although McCullum has for many years been considered the best wicketkeeper-batsman in New Zealand, he has expressed a desire to hang up the gloves and focus on his batting. During the Twenty20s and ODIs against Australia, Hopkins kept wicket and proved a very handy lower-order batsman and New Zealand will discuss whether that could work at Test level as well.The main problem is that McCullum’s run scoring in Test cricket has been less consistent than in the shorter formats, although in the past year he has lifted his output and has made three centuries and averaged 48.60. It appears likely that Hopkins will retain the gloves for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, but New Zealand have no Tests scheduled in the next few months, so McCullum has time to consider his five-day future.”We’ve got a few months coming up that we’ve got off, so it’s something that we’ve got to try and weigh up during that downtime,” McCullum said. “At the moment I’m very much fixed on making sure that I can make a contribution in this next Test match as a wicketkeeper-batsman. I have to continuously score runs to warrant a place in the top six.”The captain Daniel Vettori said it was a matter of team balance in each format as to whether McCullum could play purely as a batsman. The two men have spoken about the issue but have not yet come to a resolution as to what is best for the Test outfit.”It’s a tough one,” Vettori said. “Brendon and I have had a number of discussions on it. The emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the limited overs has probably made the decision a little bit easier if it does go that way. But I still think Brendon is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world.”If we can get him for all forms of the game that would be great, but we also understand that probably in one-dayers and Twenty20, his runs are the most important thing to us. If that’s the best thing for the team then I support it.”