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Newcastle United have been handed a welcome injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash against Leeds United on Friday night.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have endured a hugely disappointing start to the new campaign, remaining winless in their opening few games and languishing inside the bottom three.

Steve Bruce has had to contend with injuries to some key players already, not least Callum Wilson, but he offered a huge boost on another former Bournemouth player.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Leeds, the manager said: “It’s too quick for Callum, too quick for Jonjo and too quick for Paul Dummett. Ryan Fraser has trained all week.”

Fraser could lift the mood

Since joining from the Cherries on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020, it’s fair to say Fraser hasn’t exactly set the world alight at St James’ Park.

The £9m-rated Scotland international has struggled for both form and fitness on Tyneside, making just 26 appearances to date and scoring only one goal for his current club.

What Fraser desperately needs now more than ever is to stay fit and get a run of games under his belt, starting tonight against Leeds. The Whites could actually be the perfect opposition for him to come into his own, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side usually involved in end-to-end games which rely on fast, direct players on either team to make the difference – the very reason why Fraser was brought to Tyneside.

In his real standout campaign with Bournemouth back in the 2018/19 season, Fraser racked up seven goals and a whopping 14 assists, proving that he can perform at this level when he’s fit and firing.

Tonight’s game at St James’ Park could be a great chance for him to show Newcastle fans what they thought they were getting when the Magpies signed him last year, and with Wilson already out injured, the return of one of the club’s other marquee additions from summer 2020 is a major boost.

His former Bournemouth teammate Eunan O’Kane said: “Ryan has got the world at his feet. He has taken him time to settle, but he has learnt a lot in the six months he has been here. For me he is a dream. I just give him the ball and stand behind him and let him do what he does. He is an outlet and can run with the ball and gives us a different option.”

Newcastle fans should be delighted at hearing a bit of positive news on the injury front, and Fraser could well lift the mood and be a game-changer tonight for the hitherto winless Magpies.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must drop this star against Leeds tonight…

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.

Victoria lead both the Sheffield Shield and FR Cup competitions after a four-wicket victory over Western Australia

Cricinfo staff20-Dec-2008
Scorecard

Andrew McDonald’s 67 led the Bushrangers to an important victory © Getty Images
Victoria lead both the Sheffield Shield and FR Cup competitions after half-centuries to David Hussey and Andrew McDonald set up a four-wicket victory over Western Australia. The hosts were in trouble at 4 for 52 in their reply to the Warriors’ 198, but Hussey and McDonald combined in a 128-run partnership to help seal the success in the 46th over.Western Australia struggled in their innings and were deflated in the first over by the loss of Luke Ronchi to Dirk Nannes’ third ball of the game and a horrible injury to David Bandy three deliveries later. Bandy retired hurt and went to hospital for treatment for a fractured eye socket and a broken nose after the Nannes short ball missed his helmet and grille.Nannes returned to pick up Shaun Marsh for 21 before Adam Voges, the stand-in captain, guided the Warriors with an important 78. However, when he left caught-and-bowled to McDonald the rest of his team-mates struggled to lift the pace. McDonald picked up 3 for 41 while Harwood finished the innings with back-to-back wickets, capturing 3 for 32.Victoria were 0 for 36 before Brett Dorey removed Chris Rogers (14) and followed up next ball by bowling Brad Hodge. Rob Quiney and Cameron White also departed quickly, and Dorey went on to take 5 for 48, but he could not stop Hussey (66) or McDonald (67).

An update has emerged about Sunderland target Daniel Jebbison, regarding interest from the Premier League.

What’s the talk?

According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Everton are one of three Premier League clubs eyeing up a permanent deal for Sunderland transfer target Daniel Jebbison, who Sheffield United value at over £5m.

The Black Cats are reportedly keen on signing the teenager striker on loan to bolster their squad before the transfer window closes next week but it appears that there is serious interest in the forward from top-flight teams.

Fans will be gutted

This is a worrying update for any Sunderland fans hoping to see Jebbison arrive at the Stadium of Light in the next six days. Sunderland will not be able to compete financially with any Premier League clubs in terms of securing a permanent deal for the centre-forward, hence their loan interest, which means that they could now be out of the race entirely if this report is accurate.

Sunderland, if they are in the market for a new striker, will need to move on to other targets and assess their options as a Premier League move may be more appealing to Jebbison. Instead of going out on loan to the third tier, he could sign for Everton and get minutes in the Premier League whilst training alongside the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James Rodriguez.

Ex-Manchester City full-back Micah Richards called him the shining light of Sheffield United’s Premier League last term. He told Sky Sports (via Yorkshire Live): “I really like the look of him. He just gets in the right areas, and they needed that with all the negativity that’s gone on at the club.

“You want to bounce back straight away, and you want to go to the end of the season with positivity. They’re playing for pride, and he’s the shining light.”

This suggests that he does have the potential to play in the top-flight, which is why some Sunderland fans may want him to join the club in League One. He has already scored a goal in the Premier League and could, therefore, thrive in the third tier as it is two divisions lower and offers less of a challenge in terms of the quality of opposition.

Therefore, Black Cats fans will be gutted that they are now unlikely to get the chance to see what Jebbison could do in League One as the Premier League interest could end any hope the club had of signing him.

AND in other news, “Desperate”: Alan Nixon drops Sunderland transfer update which will leave fans excited…

A fine spell of spin bowling from player-of-the-tournament Mohammad Nabi helped Afghanistan clinch the World Cricket League Division 4 with a 57-run victory against Hong Kong. It completes another memorable week for Afghanistan who, along with Hong Kong, were already assured of promotion.Nabi took 4 for 9 as Hong Kong fell away to 122 all out, but it was Raees Ahmadzi who took the Man-of-the-Match award for the second consecutive game.Kabir Khan, Afghanistan’s coach, has genuine belief that his team are good enough to play in the 2011 World Cup.”2011 is a dream – I am very hopeful about it,” he said. “I want the players to be there as they really deserve to be. We are taking things as they come and obviously we have to go through Division 3 to start with. Once we have achieved that target we will be through to the World Cup Qualifier and we will make another plan for that.”Khan has already begun planning for Division 3 in Argentina in January 2009, which is a six-team event involving the two qualifiers from this event, plus Papua New Guinea, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Uganda.”We have time on our side now. The guys have already started playing as a team. We need to raise our game a bit and be a bit fitter and be more mentally prepared for the tournament,” Khan said.”We have options for our training camp. We could go to Pakistan or India. I would prefer to have a training camp with similar conditions to Argentina. If we have a camp in Afghanistan or Peshawar it will be winter and it will be cold, while the weather in Argentina will be warm.”Hong Kong coach Aftab Habib was delighted with his team’s performance despite the final defeat. Zain Abbas, Hussain Butt and Tabarak Dar have been in excellent form all week and Habib thinks his side have the ability to compete at a higher level.”I don’t want to look too far ahead but it is a dream for me and it is a dream for a lot of our players. Our next main aim is to do well in Division 3,” Habib said. “It is an achievable dream and it is just a matter of putting in a lot of hard work. Everything is achievable. I think we are getting better and better every time we play. Coming here early has really helped us and I know we can go forward.”The boys have to keep working hard at their skills and their fitness, as the higher level you go you obviously have to be a lot fitter as well.”In the final, which is used for ranking purposes, batting first on a turning track, Afghanistan made 179 all out. Ahmadzi (49) and Nowroz Mangal (40) put on a vital partnership of 66 for the fifth wicket. Nizakat Khan (4-29), a 16-year-old legspinner, showed great maturity in dismissing Afghanistan’s lower order.In reply, Hong Kong started strongly but quickly fell away as Nabi once again showcased his spinning talent. Hamid Hassan almost finished the final in grand style with a hat-trick, but he overstepped when bowling a pinpoint yorker.In the third/fourth play-off, Italy defeated Tanzania by 70 runs at University, while Fiji secured fifth place with a 27-run win over Jersey.Cassim Suliman, ICC’s regional development manager for Africa, paid tribute to the work of the Tanzania Cricket Association in the organisation of the week-long tournament.”[They] have done an excellent job in staging the World Cricket League Division 4, which provides an important opportunity for sides from across the world to gain a pathway to the World Cup and play competitive cricket in a global structure,” he said”Tanzania’s young players, many of whom have come into the game as a result of the excellent schools programme, have gained invaluable experience of playing against experienced cricketers and I am sure that this will help them improve in the future.”

Chris Martin has been ruled out of next month’s ODI series in Bangladesh due to a nagging hamstring injury

Cricinfo staff24-Sep-2008
New Zealand hope Chris Martin will be fit for the Tests against Bangladesh © Getty Images
Chris Martin has been ruled out of next month’s ODI series in Bangladesh due to a nagging hamstring injury. Martin was originally named in the limited-overs squad and while he is still aiming to be fit for the Tests that follow, his place in the one-day side will be taken by Michael Mason.Martin picked up the injury during while playing with Warwickshire this season. Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand team’s general manager, said Martin’s problem was not enough in itself to keep him off the park but for the long-term good he would end his stint with Warwickshire early.”He was able to fully contribute to their most recent four-day match,” Crocker said. “[But] we have come to the conclusion his longer term interests are best served by him cutting short his obligations at Warwickshire, returning home for full treatment and rehabilitation before hopefully being able to head to Bangladesh to take full part in the Test series.”Mason will join the squad in Bangladesh directly from India, where he is currently on tour with New Zealand A. New Zealand will arrive in the country next Tuesday before the three-match ODI series, which starts on October 9, and the two Tests that follow.

West Ham United could finally be closing in on that centre-back signing…

What’s the word?

The Irons have been left frustrated in their search for a new marquee defender over the past week or so, with Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma rejecting the opportunity to join David Moyes’ squad.

However, they have been given fresh hope after renowned Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano provided an exciting update.

“West Ham are progressing in negotiations with Fiorentina to sign Nikola Milenkovic as centre-back. Details still to be discussed to reach an agreement but talks ongoing,” he tweeted.

“Fiorentina are closing on Matija Nastasić as replacement. No Zouma for West Ham, as of now.”

Encouraging signs

With the new Premier League season just a week away, this latest development should provide some much-needed encouragement as Moyes is finally edging closer to signing a new centre-back, something which has been his priority in recent weeks.

The Hammers need strength in depth right across the pitch, especially in defence, where there is now a void following the departure of Fabian Balbuena, who left after his contract ended this summer.

Angelo Ogbonna, one of the Scot’s first-choice options, has also been dealing with an injury problem and has to be a doubt for their opening clash with Newcastle United, meaning he’ll only have Issa Diop and Craig Dawson at his disposal at centre-back.

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Milenkovic has been coveted by teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the past, so he could be seen as quite the coup for the East London outfit.

Indeed, he has been compared to Premier League legend Nemanja Vidic and described as “fearless” and as having the “physical characteristics of a beast.”

As per WhoScored, the 28-cap Serbia international averaged three aerial duels won, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per league outing, which only further highlights his imposing stature, though he was still equally adept with the ball at his feet, managing an 86% passing accuracy too.

Standing at a whopping 6 foot 5, Milenkovic could be the scary physical presence that the Hammers need going into a campaign in Europe.

Much of the London Stadium faithful have grown frustrated by the lack of transfer activity throughout the summer, especially with the season starting next week, so this news should have them a little more excited over what’s to come.

Milenkovic would be quite the coup with a fee of just €16m (£13.5m) being mooted. That’s quite the bargain.

AND in other news, West Ham can seal bargain swoop for “physical” £18m-rated beast, Moyes would love him…

India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka’s feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran27-Aug-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

The 143-run stand between Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni set up India’s match-winning total of 258 © AFP
India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka’s feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island, completing a stunning turnaround from the crushing defeat in the opener in Dambulla. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front with his batting and on-field captaincy but this was a team performance as India recovered from a shaky start to choke Sri Lanka out of the match.It turned out to be a great toss for Dhoni to win: Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis would have been virtually unplayable if they got to bowl second, and India’s strategy of going in with four bowlers would also have been exposed. It didn’t initially seem that way as India’s top order floundered in the face of some disciplined bowling. There were no yorkers, no bouncers and no slower balls, just old-fashioned line-and-length to slow down the openers – only four boundaries came in the first ten overs. Kohli survived a couple of early chances before he started to grow in confidence.At the other end, Gambhir was starved of the strike and perished when attempting to up the run-rate. That brought Yuvraj Singh to the crease for a short, troubled and runless stay. Chaminda Vaas became the fourth man to take 400 wickets in ODIs when Yuvraj was too early on an offcutter and edged it to short midwicket. Kohli unleashed some wristy shots to bring up his maiden half-century but soon paid the price for playing away from his body, an inside edge on to his stumps giving Thushara a wicket in his first over.The score read 81 for 3 before Suresh Raina and Dhoni took charge. Both were decisive with their footwork, regularly charging down the track to negate the spin, or playing right back and reading the spin off the pitch. The running between the wickets was sharp, and with Raina playing some breathtaking lofted drives, the stuttering run-rate got a lift.Vaas the workhorseWith the wicket of Yuvraj Singh, Chaminda Vaas became the fourth bowler to take 400 ODI wickets, the second Sri Lankan after Muttiah Muralitharan.Vaas is one of only four players to complete the double of 2000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs. The others are Wasim Akram, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock.His 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in Colombo in December 2001 remains the best bowling figures in an ODI.Vaas’ 23 wickets in the 2003 World Cup is the second-best haul in a single edition of the tournament; Glenn McGrath bettered it in 2007.He is one of three bowlers to have taken two hat-tricks in ODIs, Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq being the other two.Vaas has been consistent both home and away: he has taken 81 wickets at home at an average of 27.51, 151 away at 28.04 and 168 on neutral venues at 27.08.He has had considerable success against top-order batsmen of his generation: Vaas has dismissed Stephen Fleming 11 times in 29 matches, Saeed Anwar 11 times in 38, Adam Gilchrist 10 in 27, Herschelle Gibbs 9 in 24, Sourav Ganguly 9 in 33 and Sachin Tendulkar 9 in 49.They batted sensibly, cutting out the risks, and it wasn’t until India were out of trouble that the more chancy strokes – the reverse-sweep and the paddle-sweep – were brought out. While Raina played the big shots, including a massive pull for six over midwicket off Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni was content with some quick singles and twos – there were only four boundaries in his 71.The spin threat was negated and the pair had powered India to a commanding 224 for 3 in the 41st over before Thushara struck. He had Raina holing out to mid-off and dismissed a tiring Dhoni soon after, leaving two new batsmen to deal with the wiles of Murali and Ajantha Mendis. They throttled the runs, which resulted in more wickets falling, and Thilan Thushara, who had never taken more than two wickets in an ODI before, took two in the final over to complete his five-for.The tricky target didn’t seem enough as Sanath Jayasuriya started in a typically murderous mood , using his favourite cut shot to pepper the off-side boundary. As he made merry, his partner Malinda Warnapura toiled at the other end. Warnapura scratched around without scoring before finally being adjudged lbw off Munaf Patel for 0 in the seventh over.Munaf combined well with the accurate Zaheer Khan, who kept it on a back of a length around off, to stifle the runs and with only 10 runs coming in six overs, Kumar Sangakkara went for his shots. There was a cover drive for four, but his next stroke was an attempted cut, which took the bottom-edge and cannoned into his leg stump.Jayasuriya then took over. Boundaries started to flow in every over: a bouncer on leg stump was pulled over deep backward square leg for six, and an over-the-bowler’s-head drive off Praveen. The fifty came up with a pull over midwicket for four and he repeated the shot two balls later, this time for six. He had made 60 of Sri Lanka’s 74 before an outside edge off a sharply turning Harbhajan Singh delivery was superbly held by a diving Raina at slip.Sri Lanka’s hopes, as it has in several matches this series, rested with their captain, Mahela Jayawardene, but he was soon run out attempting a suicidal single. That left them at stuttering at 104 for 4, with all their big-name batsmen dismissed. The pitch had by now deteriorated to the extent that even a part-time spinner like Yuvraj was difficult to negotiate. Thushara followed up his five-wicket haul with a spirited 40 but it was too tall a task for the lower order and they ended up 46 runs short.

Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on Aston Villa’s reported interest in Axel Tuanzebe…

What’s the talk?

The former Premier League forward has urged Villa to go through with a deal to sign the Manchester United centre-back, who he feels would be a “brilliant signing” and add to their depth at the back.

Villa are reportedly interested in bringing the defender back to the club following his loan spell with Dean Smith’s side in the 2018/19 promotion campaign, and Whelan told Football Insider: “When you look at the strength in depth of centre-back, I don’t think they have enough.

“It depends if they’re going to go for a three and he goes straight into that. Maybe that is the thinking behind it. The fact he’s worked with him before, good background at Manchester United good age as well.

“You need to put pressure on two defenders there don’t really have a great deal of pressure behind them. You’ve got to start covering bases. If one of those picks up an injury or suspension, you need somebody that in there that’s going to handle the pressure.

“He covers bases in two positions for Dean Smith. I think he’d be a brilliant signing. Really young, up and coming, promising and covers two bases.”

Smith needs him

Johan Lange must sanction a swoop for Tuanzebe as Dean Smith is in need of reinforcements in that area of the pitch. Villa have just three senior centre-back options in their squad and one of them – Kortney Hause – only played seven times in the Premier League last season.

This suggests that they are lacking depth beyond their first-choice options, and that could become an issue if they pick up injuries or suspensions. As Whelan explained, there is little for Smith to choose from outside of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, which means that they do not have any great pressure on their position in the team and can play without much fear of being dropped.

Therefore, bringing in a defender like Tuanzebe who could seriously challenge the pair could do wonders for Smith’s squad as it keeps everyone on their toes. During his loan spell at Villa Park in 2018/19, the £38k-per-week powerhouse averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.75 across 28 appearances, showing that he already knows how to perform to a high standard within the 50-year-old’s system.

If Mings and Konsa know that they have Tuanzebe knocking on the door to start, it could motivate them to give that extra 10% in training and in matches to make sure they are fully concentrated and do not make any silly mistakes. Even if they do drop their standards, the 23-year-old could come into the side and provide a reliable option for Smith to call upon, which is why Lange must seal this deal before the end of the window.

In other news, Aston Villa must sell forgotten £40k-p/w man this summer; his time is up

Celtic have been name-checked with an interest in Fenerbahce winger Bright Osayi-Samuel by Turkish outlet Fanatik.

The Lowdown: Osayi-Samuel profiled

Osayi-Samuel only joined Fenerbahce in January from Queens Park Rangers and is under contract with the Turkish giants until 2025.

The 23-year-old, who has netted 19 times during his career, has struggled with his current employers. He has scored just one goal and registered a single assist in his 19 games for the club.

Described as ‘dangerous’ by QPR manager Mark Warburton last year, the Nigerian can play anywhere across the front three, with his main position coming on the right wing.

The Latest: Fenerbahce future

Fanatik shared a story on Osayi-Samuel on Tuesday morning. Within their report, they claimed that Fenerbahce are waiting for an offer for the winger, with both Celtic and Rangers credited with an interest.

A fee of €3m (£2.5m) is touted and it seems that Fenerbahce are willing to sell by evaluating any offers they receive, with Osayi-Samuel struggling to adapt to Vítor Pereira’s new system.

The Verdict: A gamble

Osayi-Samuel hasn’t had the best of years, so bringing him to Celtic Park could be a gamble. However, you’d expect that the Hoops would have looked into his career, and if he can get back to the form of the 2019/20 season, a £2.5m deal could be a steal.

He was involved in 14 Championship goals for QPR in that campaign and picked up two club accolades as a result.

Osayi-Samuel is still just 23 years of age and already has more than 200 senior appearances under his belt, so if Ange Postecoglou can get the best out of him, a £2.5m move would be seen as a great piece of business from Celtic in the long run.

In other news: Celtic now ‘in talks’ for ‘really, really good’ 6ft 3 ace; may cost ‘significant’ fee.