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The organisers of the Champions Twenty20 League are gearing up for intense negotiations in the coming weeks to get the inaugural edition of the tournament back on the road

Ajay S Shankar29-Nov-2008Where will the Champions League fit in?January 3-7: Australia v South Africa, 3rd TestJanuary 4-February 19: India’s tour of PakistanJanuary 11 & 13:- Australia v South Africa, Twenty20sJanuary 16-30: Australia v South Africa, ODI seriesFebruary 1-13: Australia v New Zealand, ODI seriesFebruary 15: Australia v New Zealand, Twenty20February 26-April 17: Australia’s tour of South AfricaMarch 8-April 7: India’s tour of New ZealandApril 10-May 29: IPLThe organisers of the Champions Twenty20 League are gearing up for intense negotiations in the coming weeks to get the inaugural edition of the tournament back on the road, but it has become clear they “face a highly complex challenge”.The BCCI, which owns a 50% stake in the league, is confident it may be able to hold the postponed tournament early next year in India but sources in the governing council, the participating teams and broadcasters that Cricinfo spoke to suggest the only way out will involve a “lot of give and take” from all parties involved.The organisers are working the phone lines to first ensure a meeting of the tournament’s governing council in India or abroad. Sources spoke of “working around” a Cricket Australia board meeting on December 5, while the reported the meeting would be held on December 8 in Cape Town.The obvious concern is over finding a new window in the packed international calendar early next year (see box), though the organisers are extremely hopeful that some adjustment can be made, considering that most of these matches involve Australia and South Africa, both of whom are founding partners of the event.”We are working towards a position from where we can hold the tournament in India early next year,” Sundar Raman, the Champions League chief executive, told Cricinfo. “There will be discussions with all stakeholders in the next 10-12 days. We are working on it and we are confident that a satisfactory resolution can be arrived at.”As of now, the organisers and ESPN-STAR Sports (ESS), the broadcasters who struck a ten-year deal for US$975 million to telecast and market the event, are on the same page and relatively safe, in the sense that the financial cycle for them will continue to be that of ten years. “If it’s not Year 1-Year 10, then it’s Year 2-Year 11, so that is not really a huge worry,” a source said. “There will be some kind of financial hit because of the postponement, but the larger picture remains unaffected. If any payments have been made, they will be adjusted in the coming years.” ESS, incidentally, were yet to name a title sponsor with just a few days to go for the tournament’s original start date [it was scheduled to be held from December 3-10 in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai].The real losers, if the tournament is delayed beyond the next three-four months, could be the eight teams that qualified for the event by virtue of being the Twenty20 domestic finalists in their respective countries. “The way the cards are stacked, it looks extremely difficult,” an IPL franchise official said. First on the firing line are the four teams from Australia – Victoria and Western Australia – and South Africa – Titans and Dolphins. The current domestic schedules indicate that Australia and South Africa would have completed their next Twenty20 tournaments, which act as the qualifiers for the Champions League, by February 21, which will possibly throw four new qualifiers in the fray.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, told the that the “planned approach is a 12-month postponement”. Victoria, one of the present qualifiers, said they have got an assurance from Cricket Australia following Sutherland’s remarks. “We have made arrangements in good faith and we would certainly hope our qualification would be respected,” Tony Dodemaide, the Cricket Victoria chief executive, told the .
Brad Hodge: “It would be pretty disappointing if we [Victoria] can’t compete in it”© Getty Images
Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash is scheduled from December 26-January 24, and South Africa’s Standard Bank Pro20 event is to be held from January 21-February 21. “It would be pretty tough if we didn’t qualify in January,” Victoria’s Brad Hodge was quoted in the . “Everyone was excited about it and this competition ticks over in the back of your mind while you’re playing so it would be pretty disappointing if we can’t compete in it … I know players had budgeted for it; that is what you do. I hope they hadn’t spent it,” he said.”We don’t have any information from the organisers yet but the situation, as we see it now, is complicated,” a source in one of the participating teams said. “If the Champions League is held after these domestic tournaments, who will qualify: the new winners, assuming they are different? If the league decides to go with the old winners, you have a bizarre situation where this season’s champions qualify for next season’s Champions League. Now, if the new winners are the qualifiers, what happens to the other four teams from India, England and Pakistan? The one solution is to postpone the internal schedules of Australia and South Africa, but that – if at all possible – will only lead to further disruptions down the line.”The losses for the teams that miss out are substantial. The Champions League offers a general annual pot of US$6m, with $3m for the winners, and more importantly, a minimum guaranteed participation fee of US$250,000 for each of the eight teams.There is also individual sponsorships the teams have worked out. The two IPL teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, are believed to have sold 100% of their inventory for the tournament, mostly in the form of associate sponsors and uniform logos. Middlesex has sold at least 80% of their inventory and the Australian and South African teams have also managed local sponsorship. A large part of this is promised money, in the sense that the money will be paid during or after the tournament, but these were funds the teams had already factored in, and were banking on.In Western Australia’s case, there is more money in the balance. The team had an arrangement with Vikas Rambal, an Indian-born businessman, which saw it change its name to Rambal Warriors specifically for the event. Sources said the team was to get a few thousands more from the organisers for letting Michael Hussey, their star batsman, appear for Chennai Super Kings.For the two Indian teams, meanwhile, the primary concern is to ensure that their foreign players agree to tour India so soon after the terror strikes in Mumbai. A franchise official highlighted the immediate reaction from Shane Warne, the skipper of Rajasthan Royals, after the Mumbai strikes to indicate the current mood among these players. “It is just not worth the risk,” Warne said. “No amount of money is worth the risk with what is going on over there at the moment.”

Aston Villa have been handed a boost in their attempts to sign PSG midfielder Rafinha in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from Spain, the Ligue 1 club are ready to let Rafinha leave this summer in order to raise some funds for their own signings, and Villa could come in for the Brazilian.

French outlet Le Parisien (via AS) have now delivered an update on the situation, saying that the midfielder is on a list of players who PSG are willing to offload this summer in order to refresh Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and raise some money.

Perfect James Ward-Prowse alternative

Talking about the 27-year-old, former Barcelona team-mate Andreu Fontas once said: “Rafinha is a great player. Physically, he is a beast and, technically, he is superb.”

As per WhoScored, Rafinha boasted an impressive 90.9% pass accuracy in Ligue 1 last season (considerably better than any Villa player with more than one start), while he also averaged 2.3 tackles per match as well (only Matty Cash fared better with 2.5).

The £13.5m-rated technician could bring that same fearlessness and intensity both on and off the ball to Villa Park should Smith land his man this summer.

Given reports which have previously claimed that PSG superstar Messi rates the Brazilian very highly and was completely on board with seeing the midfielder become a prominent part of Barcelona’s side, that offers a real indication of just how talented he is.

With Southampton also confirming that former Villa target James Ward-Prowse has signed a new contract to stay at St Mary’s, signing an equally technically gifted midfielder in Rafinha would go a decent way to forgetting about missing out on the England international.

Able to cover the ground well and snap into a challenge, as well as having the ability to dictate the tempo of a game with his metronome-like passing, Rafinha seems like an ideal midfield fit for Smith and Villa.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this “phenomenal” Euro 2020 star…

Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, has predicted that there will be some new signings before the start of the 2009 season

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2008Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, has predicted that there will be some new signings before the start of the 2009 season.”We need to complete a deal for an overseas player and possibly another batsmen,” he told the BBC. “Our strength is without a doubt our seam bowling … we nearly did enough with the bat to win some competitions this year. But we still need to have an influx of quality in there to keep the pressure on the guys. You can’t just have five players knowing that they’re going to fill the five spots.”The county have also announced they will play pre-season away matches against Kent (April 1-3) Leicestershire (April 5-6) and Essex (April 6-7) prior to the start of the summer.

Pep Guardiola has revealed that it is not certain whether Manchester City will sign a striker during this summer transfer window.

Earlier this summer, the Citizens allowed Sergio Aguero to leave on a free transfer – he has since made the move to Barcelona (fcbarcelona.com). However, they have not yet signed a new centre-forward, and although results like the 5-0 win over Norwich City suggest they have plenty of ability elsewhere, the preceding 1-0 defeats to Tottenham and Leicester City indicate that they need to bring one in.

Guardiola has been discussing City’s transfer dealings, and he admitted the club will sign a new striker only if the transfer window allows (via City Xtra), saying: ““When we decided not to extend the contract of Sergio Aguero and people asked what we would do, I said many times it would depend on the market.

“Maybe we will buy, maybe not. It is still the same situation. I will never complain. I have never complained since day one and I will not do it now.”

This has not pleased some City supporters, who believe that a new forward should have been a priority. The comments were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from supporters.

These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the comments from Guardiola

“Pep Guardiola: “When we decided not to extend the contract of Sergio Aguero” – this statement hurts”

Credit: @Ke_Teboho

“You lie too much”

Credit: @Fredijeh4

“Fraud”

Credit: @BeDruyne

“Stop playing with my emotion lol”

Credit: @mathieudurand69

“Of course he will say this. End of the day its up to the club to trash a deal for a ST. If the club don’t he will need to make use of what he has.”

Credit: @CityViews88

“At least extend Aguero if you’re not going to sign a striker. You mugs”

Credit: @DeBrxyne17

In other news, lots of Man City fans want the club to sign this Champions League winner.

Kevin Pietersen has said that he was forced to resign as England captain by the ECB and had not been given any explanation as to why he was asked to stand down

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2009
Kevin Pietersen: Why was I asked to resign? © AFP
Kevin Pietersen has said that he was forced to resign as England captain by the ECB and had not been given any explanation as to why he was asked to stand down. He said he was informed of the ECB’s decision while he was on holiday by a brief phone call from Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, and that a subsequent email from the board confirmed the end of his tenure as captain.”He [Morris] said they [ECB] had had an emergency board meeting and they had accepted my resignation,” he told the . “I said: ‘Excuse me?!’ They said: ‘We’ve accepted your resignation.’ I said on what basis has it been accepted? They had no answer. Next, I received an email from the ECB saying: ‘Your resignation is of immediate effect’.”The crisis started when Pietersen informed the ECB on New Year’s Eve that he could not take the team forward if Peter Moores remained the coach. Before heading out on his African holiday, he had sent a mail detailing his strategies for England’s upcoming series, against West Indies, and also for the Ashes.Moores was sacked the day Pietersen was asked to step down as captain but Pietersen was initially unaware of that. He said he was even more puzzled at losing his job after Moores was removed. “I was surprised because after that phone call I thought Moores was still in the job, with them taking my resignation because of the strategy I had drawn up and my conclusion. So when they got rid of Moores I did ask the question — but got absolutely nothing.”Pietersen had been captain for only five months, taking over last August after Michael Vaughan’s tearful resignation. He said it was crushing to lose the job but stressed that he would have no trouble playing under new captain Andrew Strauss. “The ECB asked me about my availability and I was like ‘excuse me?’ I thought it was a threat against me but I said I will be 100% committed to winning games of cricket for England.”He said all his actions were taken in the interests on England cricket and felt he had “unfinished business” as captain. “But right now, I feel it is right for me to go back and just play – to do something that I totally, totally love, which is scoring runs and more runs for England.”Media reports have suggested that several senior members of the side, including Andrew Flintoff, were unhappy with his methods but Pietersen denied any rift with them. “I’ve got zero problem with walking back into that dressing- room. I can look anybody in the eye.”My relationship with Freddie was great and towards the end I sat down with him and I said: ‘Mate, this is what is going on.’ I explained about the meetings I’d had with the management over the situation with the coach. We had a good chat and Freddie’s parting words were: ‘You cannot leave as England captain.'”Pietersen also said that Flintoff and three other senior members of the side – Strauss, Steve Harmison, and Paul Collingwood – to whom he had spoken about his difficulties with Moores had all asked him to stay on as captain. “And they all – 100%, I promise you categorically – said to me: ‘Do not leave, please, as England captain’,'” he said. “That’s not to say they wanted Peter Moores sacked.”He was distressed at being portrayed as “the most hated man in cricket” by the media after plunging England cricket into turmoil by asking for the coach’s removal, but was gratified by the “loads of messages of support from within and from outside the game”.

Michael Clarke must have a short memory. Four days ago, Australia were beaten by New Zealand in Perth. Then they decided to rest their captain and best batsman Ricky Ponting for the next two matches

Brydon Coverdale05-Feb-2009
Michael Clarke has been handed an inexperienced side that is 1-0 down © Getty Images
Michael Clarke must have a short memory. Four days ago, Australia were beaten by New Zealand in Perth. Then they decided to rest their captain and best batsman Ricky Ponting for the next two matches. Two years ago they also let Ponting sit out of the Chappell-Hadlee Series and were beaten 3-0.And yet in the lead-up to Friday’s second ODI in Melbourne, Clarke, the stand-in captain, said it was “unthinkable” that Australia would lose the series. Perhaps nobody has told him that in the five years the competition has been going, New Zealand have a 6-5 winning record despite being the permanent underdogs.”New Zealand is a very good one-day team but I’m very confident in the Australian team at the moment,” Clarke said ahead of Friday’s second ODI in Melbourne. “We’ve got plenty of talent, plenty of potential, plenty of youth, plenty of excitement and if we play our best cricket we can beat the Kiwis. Right now for me certainly it is unthinkable [to lose].”Perhaps that’s because in his seven matches in charge of Australia at ODI and Twenty20 level, Clarke has never led a losing team. Friday will be his toughest challenge, when he is given the reins of a side extremely light on experience. Besides Ponting, Australia are also without Shaun Marsh, who has a hamstring problem, on top of their long-term injury concerns.Callum Ferguson is likely to make his ODI debut, Adam Voges could come in for his second match and Clarke will need contributions from both men as Australia aim to retain the trophy they regained in 2007-08. The New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said his squad was already visualising what Clarke felt was inconceivable.”Our team’s got to imagine that,” Vettori said. “We’ve got to think about winning this series. We’re 1-0 up and if we can grab these next two games then we win it. The Chappell-Hadlee is very important to us, and very important to the people back home. It’s one of the series that they seem to be most up for, and that’s probably because we’ve played relatively well in it over the last few years.”There is no doubt that New Zealand lift when the trophy is up for grabs. Part of the reason is that Australia, who have triumphed in all 11 non Chappell-Hadlee ODIs the teams have played since the trophy was struck, effectively treat it as a second-string event.In 2006-07, Ponting and the vice-captain Adam Gilchrist were rested, while the previous year Glenn McGrath was given a break. Vettori would not be drawn on whether it was disrespectful for Australia to leave Ponting out but he said it would be difficult for Australia to adjust to not having him around the group.”You always come back to what he brings to the table with performance and his record speaks for itself,” Vettori said. “Any time you take that out it’s always hard to adjust to. But from what I’ve seen of Michael Clarke he’s a pretty good leader and a respected guy.”New Zealand are likely to take the same XI in to the MCG match following their Perth success, which was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Brad Haddin’s involvement in the dismissal of Neil Broom. For Clarke, the challenge is to ensure his men are focused on improving, especially with the bat, and leave the off-field argy-bargy behind them.”We have been a little bit disappointing of late and we’ve got some work to do to get back to where we want to be and it starts tomorrow,” Clarke said. “We had a really good chat yesterday. All the players had a really good opportunity to get whatever was on their chest off their chest, if anything.”

Tottenham Hotspur are confident of bringing Barcelona defender Emerson Royal into the club today, whilst are ‘pushing for more’ signings, as reported by talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook on Twitter.

The Lowdown: Nuno and Paratici add final pieces to new-look squad

Set for a busy day in north London, Nuno Espirito Santo will no doubt be looking to spend his transfer kitty wisely between now and the deadline, with a focus on building a squad challenging for Champions League qualification this campaign after a strong start to the season.

Despite losing some experienced figures this summer, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss has bolstered his roster considerably, signing Bryan Gil, Cristian Romero, Pierluigi Gollini and Pape Matar Sarr, who will stay on loan at FC Metz [Transfermarkt].

With Barcelona ace Emerson expected to be next through the door, Nuno and director of football, Fabio Paratici, who has played a key role in recruitment this summer, look hungry for more additions.

The Latest: Spurs still ‘pushing for more’

Relaying information to his large audience on Twitter, talkSPORT’s Crook claimed: “THFC confident of making at least one signing today (Emerson Royal) but I’m told they are pushing for more.”

There are no clear indications as to who Paratici’s next target could be, while the likes of Ruben Neves and Adama Traore are perhaps the most recent links [The Sun].

The Verdict: Spurs fans will be pleased with transfer activity this window

In what is an exciting update for Lilywhites’ supporters, concerns about the amount of financial backing Daniel Levy may give the new manager will have been slightly allayed in what has been a positive transfer window for the club.

Solving the right-back area will have been a key priority for Nuno and Paratici in recent months, which looks to be nearing completion in the form of Brazilian talent Emerson, whilst another body in midfield would go a long way to appeasing the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful.

Only time will tell with regards to whether Spurs make any further captures, however at the very least they seem to be moving in the right direction to doing so.

In other news, Spurs face a transfer blow for a reported target. Find out more here.

Kevin Phillips has offered his thoughts on the reports of Aiden O’Brien’s failed move from Sunderland to Doncaster.

What’s the talk?

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has admitted that he was surprised by the reports that the club were willing to loan Aiden O’Brien out this summer.

A deadline day move to fellow League One outfit Doncaster was on the cards until a paperwork error caused it to break down, with Phillips now suggesting that the Black Cats may try to ship him out again in the January transfer window.

He told Football Insider:

“I am surprised to hear that, to be honest.

“This season you want people in your squad who know where the back of the net is.

“There will be times where Ross Stewart is suspended or injured this season and in O’Brien you have a player who knows League One.

“He scored a great hat-trick in the cup and he knows where the back of the net is. That’s why I’m surprised they would consider allowing him to leave on loan. He has that experience.

“Luckily it has not happened but perhaps there will be some movement in January. We will have to watch this space.”

Howler

Sunderland chief Kristjaan Speakman must avoid having a howler of a January transfer window and instead, he must keep O’Brien at the club. He must not allow the attacker to depart from the Stadium of Light, on loan or permanently, as he could be an important member of the squad this season.

There is a fair way to go until the January window, of course, but as it stands, it does not appear to be a smart decision to allow him to leave.

As Phillips said, Sunderland need depth in the forward areas as they could be left light if Stewart picks up an injury and misses five or six games. Nathan Broadhead is also in the building, but he is yet to show what he is capable of after two cameo appearances in League One since arriving from Everton on loan.

O’Brien, meanwhile, has already shown that he can score goals this season. The £6.5k-per-week dynamo has scored four goals in two League Cup matches for the Black Cats, with one against Port Vale and a hat-trick against Championship side Blackpool. This suggests that he has the quality needed to step in and score goals in the third tier should Stewart get injured.

Therefore, allowing him to leave would be a disaster for Sunderland and Speakman as it would rid Lee Johnson of key attacking depth. This is why the Black Cats chief must ensure that O’Brien remains in the squad for the rest of the campaign to help with the promotion push.

AND in other news, Forget Stewart: Sunderland dynamo with 11 chances created stole the show in August…

Chamari Polgampola and Shashikala Siriwardene took three wickets each to bowl out Pakistan for 123 and hand Sri Lanka a confidence-boosting win just before the World Cup in the tri-nation final in Dhaka

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2009
ScorecardChamari Polgampola and Shashikala Siriwardene took three wickets each to bowl out Pakistan for 123 and give Sri Lanka a confidence-boosting win just before the World Cup in the tri-nation final in Dhaka.Polgampola also contributed 19 in an opening stand of 49 and was named the Player of the Match and of the series for her nine wickets at 7.44 and 58 runs. She picked up her first two wickets off successive balls – Qanita Jalil and Bismah Maroof falling with 14 on the board – and then returned to wrap up the innings with Asmavia Iqbal’s wicket for 6. Javeria Khan, who also took nine wickets in the tournament, top scored for Pakistan with 23.Hiruka Fernando scored an unbeaten 44 and added 29 with Polgampola. Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz took two wickets in the space of three balls but Polgampola ensured Sri Lanka reached the target with more than 14 overs to spare.

The fallout from the Stanford scandal continues to be felt with reports that some of the West Indian players who scooped the US$1 million-a-head jackpot in last November’s Stanford 20/20 for 20 have not been paid

Cricinfo staff19-Feb-2009The fallout from the Stanford scandal continues to be felt with reports that some of the West Indian players who scooped the US$1 million-a-head jackpot in last November’s Stanford 20/20 for 20 have not been paid.While the bulk of the team have cashed their cheques, five of them, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, were believed to have been persuaded to reinvest their winnings with one of Stanford’s companies.It is also reported that some of Stanford’s self-styled board of legends have investments with various Stanford companies, while Lance Gibbs, who managed the Stanford Superstars, is still owed US$100,000.