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MELBOURNE, March 8 AAP – Victoria is seven wickets from an outright win over Western Australia in their Pura Cup cricket match at the MCG, but it would be an empty win.Brad Hodge, who posted his highest first-class score today of 183, reflected the mood of his team-mates when he said: “It just feels awful not to be in the final.”New South Wales’ win over Queensland today at the SCG meant the Blues secured second spot on the Cup ladder ahead of Victoria.The Victorians arranged for the MCG scoreboard not to post updates from the SCG, so they could concentrate on their match, but the news at the breaks today was grim.”That was pretty disheartening, really – we tried not to listen to what was going on, but obviously everyone takes a bit of notice,” Hodge said.While pleased to end a disappointing summer well, Hodge was also dirty on himself to miss a double century.He top-scored in Victoria’s 486, which gave the home side first-inning points in reply to WA’s 275.WA was 3-88 at stumps with one day left, still needing 123 to make the home side bat again.”We owe it to ourselves to try to win,” Hodge said, adding WA had beaten Victoria three times this summer.The one bright spot for Hodge today was being able to shut up captain Darren Berry, who had chided him for having a top score of only 140.”It’s been a goal of mine for a fair while and Darren Berry also brings it up that he has a higher score than what I have – he hasn’t any more,” said Hodge, who counted down to 166 and then waved to Berry once that monkey was off his back.”I was just really determined to do well because I’ve been under a fair bit of pressure (lately).”Victoria batted until tea, with Berry making 49, Jon Moss chipping in with 47 and Cameron White adding 27.Coach David Hookes had no qualms about making WA wait for its second innings.”I don’t think (WA captain) Justin Langer would have given us Jack shit if we were in Perth in the same situation on a 40-degree day, and neither should he,” Hookes said.”Our priority, regardless of what was happening north of the Murray, was to win the game….I think Chuck (Berry) did the right thing.”Victoria’s form tapered after Christmas, while NSW surged, and Hookes conceded several of his pacemen “ran out of juice” in terms of fitness.He said it would be a “fair assessment” to rate Queensland and New South Wales the best two sides in the Cup.Hookes also wants a change to the MCG wickets next season, saying it is too difficult to gain results.”You could argue that’s the best pitch of the year…but I don’t think that necessarily suits the way we play,” Hookes said of the slow, even deck for this match.”You don’t want to be fighting, fighting, fighting for a late fourth day result, five times out of five.”

After seeing his side end the day on 291 for 6 at Taunton Somerset Coach Kevin Shine told me: “It was a good end to the day for us. ‘Dutchy’ and ‘Noddy’ played very well for us.”When asked about the innings of ‘keeper Rob Turner, who returned to form to end the day on 71 not out he said: “Rob is getting back to where he was two years ago. He’s decided to keep it as simple as possible,and as the old saying goes -‘if it isn’t broke why fix it’. Today he kept it simple and it worked.”

It may only be Wednesday but this has been another classic week in the life of a Manchester United fan.

Before their remarkable 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday, Ruben Amorim had taken aim at two of the club’s academy players in the form of Harry Amass and Chido Obi.

Why he did that is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly not the way you get players and indeed supporters onside. There’s never a dull moment at Old Trafford right now, eh?

That 4-4 draw was all rather silly. From a positive point of view, United’s forward line looked as good as it has done in years. The defence, however, is a different story. It’s a mess.

Perhaps signing a midfielder or two in January could help smooth things over.

Man United targeting a host of Premier League midfielders

Reports in recent months have suggested that two of INEOS’ key targets for 2026 are Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson.

However, it’s likely United will have to pay a premium for their services and alternatives are being sought.

One of those alternatives is said to be Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams, according to reports. Adams was named in the starting lineup by Andoni Iraola on Monday evening but his audition lasted just a matter of minutes when he hobbled off with an injury.

His replacement on the night was 22-year-old Alex Scott, the latest target said to be in Man United’s crosshairs.

That’s via Samuel Luckhurst of The Sun who reported at the beginning of the week that Old Trafford chiefs are now weighing up a move for Scott.

The report notes that United are ‘monitoring’ the player and could look to bring him in if Kobbie Mainoo leaves the club. The hope is that the Red Devils would only lose Mainoo on a loan deal for now.

Why Scott could be another Mainoo for Man Utd

Of course, all of the talk in recent months has been about Anderson and Wharton. If Amorim and Co could bring one of England’s top midfielders to the club then Old Trafford would be euphoric.

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Scott doesn’t represent a bad alternative, though. Recently handed his first England call-up by Thomas Tuchel for the November international break, it speaks volumes about his progression and potential. He really does stand a chance of being at the World Cup next summer.

Why? Well, the young midfielder has been making waves ever since he was at Bristol City in the Championship. In the 2022/23 campaign, he was awarded the second tier’s Young Player of the Year Award.

A move to Bournemouth followed and he’s quickly established himself as one of the most promising young players in the Premier League too. As Como scout Ben Mattinson put it, he has made the step between divisions “seamlessly.”

While he has only scored three goals and registered four assists during his time at the Vitality Stadium, this is a player who oozes class and brings a lot of poise to the middle of the park.

Hailed as the “Guernsey Grealish” by some, one United media personality stated during the game with Bournemouth on Monday that he “looked like prime [Roy] Keane”.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd midfield insight Get deeper context on United’s midfield picture: subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage of transfer targets, player metrics and scouting perspective. Data-driven analysis to help you parse moves like Scott vs Mainoo. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd midfield insight Get deeper context on United’s midfield picture: subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage of transfer targets, player metrics and scouting perspective. Data-driven analysis to help you parse moves like Scott vs Mainoo.

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As he battled his way through proceedings at Old Trafford, he was particularly strong in the duel and was always on the front foot, trying to play forward. That’s something United could certainly benefit from, particularly if he’s going to replace the forward-thinking Mainoo.

Scott vs Man Utd

Minutes played

85

Touches

39

Accurate passes

19/26 (73%)

Shots

2

Successful dribbles

1/1

Defensive contributions

5

Ground duels won

3/4

Aerial duels won

2/3

Stats via Sofascore.

A midfielder with a wide skillset, Scott ranks highly for some important metrics, notably when it comes to progressing the ball.

According to FBRef data, he sits inside the top 14% of midfielders in the Premier League for progressive carries per 90 minutes with 2.01, while he also ranks among the best 9% for successful take-ons with 1.01. He’s particularly adept at drawing a foul too, ranking inside the best 11% of positionally similar players in the top-flight for that metric.

Scott is also more than happy to do the dirty work, making 1.34 interceptions per 90, a stat that places him within the best 14% of midfielders.

So, he’s cut from a similar cloth as Mainoo. They both possess dynamic skillsets and while they don’t score a lot of goals, their impact on progressing and breaking up play makes them valuable players.

Related As bad as Shaw: Man Utd star had his worst game for the club vs Bournemouth

Manchester United drew again at Old Trafford in a frantic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair

Monty Panesar, England’s forgotten spin bowler, is preparing to speak out about the mental illness that led to his high-profile departures from Sussex and Essex, and says he has not given up hope of an England recall one day.At the age of 33, and with 167 wickets in 50 Tests already to his name, Panesar ought to be in the prime of his international career, not least given the otherwise barren state of English spin bowling, as evidenced by the shortcomings of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel in the recent series against Pakistan.Instead, he is without a county going into the 2016 season, having been released by Essex at the end of last summer. He played just three first-class matches in a miserable 2016 season, including one, against Kent in April in which he did not bowl in either innings.His increasingly erratic behaviour included time-keeping issues, for which he was disciplined by the club, and criticism for his attitude in the field, for which he was at one stage given a dressing-down in front of his team-mates.Panesar’s failure to settle at Essex followed on from his departure from Sussex in 2013 where, in the wake of a bitter and painful divorce from his wife, he hit the headlines on one particularly lurid night out in Brighton by urinating on a bouncer at a nightclub.However, in a bid to battle his way back into the sport, Panesar has been working with a team of four professionals – a performance coach, a hypnotherapist, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist – and hopes that his recognition of his issues is the first step towards resolving them.”For a long time I was in denial that I had a problem,” Panesar told The Times. “It was in my first session with the hypnotherapist that I began to realise that something was wrong and that I needed help.”The best way to describe it is that I have suffered from feelings of paranoia, and that these feelings were linked to my performances on the field. The worse things went, the lower my confidence went, the more paranoid I became. Things spiralled downhill so that I began to think my team-mates were all against me.”Panesar recounted one occasion in which he stormed out of a gym session after being out-performed by James Foster, the club captain, and some of his younger team-mates.”I remember thinking that they were all out to get me and then when I calmed down I was, like, ‘These guys are my team-mates, why am I thinking like that?'”Panesar’s obsessional nature impacted on his lifestyle on tour as well, where he would often retreat from his team-mates outside of matches.”I’d be in my room a lot, always thinking about cricket and bowling. I found I got on with most players, but I didn’t have any particularly close friends,” he said.”Those that I spent most time with were often tied up with my job: the wicketkeepers I’d work with, my bowling partners.”Panesar’s absence from the sport is particularly poignant given what an integral member of the team he ought to be right now. On the 2012 tour of the UAE, he claimed 14 wickets in two Tests against Pakistan, including five-wicket hauls in consecutive second innings, providing precisely the sort of impact that England’s spinners lacked on their most recent tour last month.”One part of me thought, I should be the one out there bowling 30 or 40 overs a day going for two an over,” he said. “But then another part of me was saying, ‘Come on, Monty, you’ve not helped yourself.'”

Sarwan’s team-mates look on after he injured his shoulder on the boundary edge during the second Test against England at Headingley © Getty Images

Ramnaresh Sarwan is on the verge of recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the tour to England. Sarwan damaged his right shoulder while attempting to stop a boundary during the 2nd Test at Headingley, after which he returned home.”It’s coming along pretty well. It’s about 90 per cent now,” Sarwan told . “I’ve been doing some weights and a bit of throwing. I’ve been impressed with the way things have been going so far.”Sarwan’s rehabilitation process includes running, cycling, icing and heating. While he has slight pain when he does push-ups, he has been told it would go within a week, paving his way for a return to domestic cricket.”It’s frustrating to get injured on such a frequent basis, but it’s very important that you try and stay mentally strong. You are playing sport and these things do happen. It helps you to become stronger.”Sarwan suffered a small hairline fracture in his right foot during a Test match in Pakistan last year and had to miss the five-match ODI series. He also missed this year’s Carib Beer series after he had injured his hand while batting for Guyana.The Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa will see Sarwan’s return to international cricket. “It would be great if the West Indies Cricket Board – and even if Digicel can take part a bit – to actually have a camp where we can have a couple of games before we go off, probably four or five games.”If we have a ten-day camp or a 15-day camp, it would be good to have a few games to give the guys a feel of what Twenty20 is about.”

Scorecard

Bob Woolmer: ‘Today he [Shoaib] looked trim and slim but he hasn’t bowled for six months’ © Getty Images

Shoaib Akhtar continued to ease his way back towards fitness with 11 promising overs against West Indies A at Shenley. The match was originally scheduled as a two-day game, but was switched to two separate one-day matches. However, following interruptions for rain and bad light it will go down as a limited overs game that ended in a draw.A decision on Shoaib’s fitness will be taken after he has bowled in tomorrow’s second one-day match although he remains more likely to feature in the one-day series than the final Test at The Oval.”It is less necessary to field such players after we have lost the Test series,” Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach said, “but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to win the Oval Test. We want to win the last Test to prove our critics wrong. I don’t think we have done badly, England played better.”Asked if Shoaib could be risked, Woolmer said it was still possible. “If it’s necessary,” he said. “I wonder if it is necessary, just for the sake of winning a Test then why can’t others who are match fit and doing well not do that?”Shoaib had a stress fracture and what he has to do is to play little bit of cricket, and the perfect scenario I see for him is to get fit for the five one day internationals, the ICC Trophy then the home series against the West Indies. That is really the sort of path I want for him.”I don’t want to make this judgement before talking to him. If he bowls 15-20 overs by Sunday then I will ask him because he will be in a better position to tell. Today he looked trim and slim but he hasn’t bowled for six months,”Shoaib started in style by bowling Devon Smith with the fifth ball of the day, but couldn’t add to his tally as Lendl Simmons struck a fine 106 off 122. Simmons and Runako Morton added 86 for the second wicket and both batsmen hooked Shoaib for six. Dwayne Smith then added 116 with Simmons to turn the West Indies innings around from 99 for 4. Samiullah Khan picked up three figures during a lively spell.Richard Kelly then struck with the new ball and Dwayne Smith removed Salman Butt as Pakistan slipped to 51 for 3. However, Imran Farhat enhanced his prospects of a Test recall with an unbeaten 43-ball 62 before the light closed in and the teams agreed to a one-day draw.

Dave Nosworthy has been appointed coach of Canterbury for the next three seasons starting in September.Nosworthy has coached the Northern Titans, one of South Africa’s six first-class sides, for the last five years, but they decided not to extend his contract at the end of the 2004-05 season. In addition, he has coached the national Under-19 and A teams.”Dave comes highly recommended and impressed the interview panel with his thoroughness of preparation. I’m confident he will do an excellent job,” Richard Reid, Canterbury’s CEO, told New Zealand Cricket.Nosworthy, who beat eight other applicants, takes over from Michael Sharpe.

Andy Blignaut and Geoff Marsh (Zimbabwe’s coach) ponder their futures in Harare yesterday© Getty Images

While Malcolm Speed was being given the cold shoulder by the board of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, he did meet with some of the rebel players during his 36 hours in Harare. The talks, described as amicable, remained private, but by the time he left what was clear was that the standoff between the board and the players was no closer to a resolution.The rebels remain unimpressed by last Friday’s statement from the ZCU giving them another 21 days to return to work, seeing it as little more than a face-saving exercise brought about by fears that the board had acted illegally by dismissing them in the first place.If anything, the players’ attitude has hardened. They still insist that Heath Streak should be reinstated as captain, the board is equally adamant that Tatenda Taibu, his successor, is there to stay. Asked whether they would be prepared to compromise, Grant Flower, the spokesman for the players said: “I’m not. Our captain [Streak] might be, but I think he’d be on his own.”Flower added that he feared that he, and most of the other rebels, had played their last matches for Zimbabwe. And he admitted to having grave concerns for the game’s future there. “With more experience the young guys in the team will become better players, but that will take a long while,” he said. “But I don’t know if there are enough good players in this country to keep the system going to be honest.”Although they are continuing to train, many of the rebels appear to have accepted that their careers in Zimbabwe are over and are looking for employment abroad. Sean Ervine left last week – ironically bumping into the Australian side in transit at Johannesburg airport – and is pondering playing for Western Australia. Streak has been linked with Tasmania, although he is unlikely to do anything until all hope of a deal with the board has disappeared. Others are considering offers to play club cricket.As for Taibu, he remains at the centre of the dispute but very much distanced from it. He has got on with the job of captaining the decimated Zimbabwe side, and has led by example and with great dignity. But while he is good enough to play international cricket, he is leading a team which clearly isn’t.”Obviously it has been tough, but I’m very lucky to have a bunch of young guys who are willing to represent their country,” he said. Asked whether he thought the Tests should go ahead, he said that was a decision for the ICC. But he added: “It’s disturbing … it would be disappointing for me because the Australians are the world champions and my boys need to play them to improve.”

Below you will find a full list of possible outcomes from the final matches in Group A of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 with details of the final standings in each case:

Ind beat PakAus beat EngPak beat Zim1. Aus 24, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng or Pak or Zim 12, decided by net run-rate.Ind beat PakAus beat EngZim beat Pak1. Aus 24, 2 Ind 20, 3. Zim 16.Ind beat PakEng beat AusPak beat Zim1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Eng 16.Ind beat PakEng beat AusZim beat Pak1. Aus 20, 2. Ind 20, 3. Zim 16 (Eng 16 eliminated by loss to Zim)Pak beat IndAus beat EngPak beat Zim1. Aus 24, 2. Pak 16, 3 Ind 16.Pak beat IndAus beat EngZim beat Pak1. Aus 24, 2. Ind 16, 3 Zim 16.Pak beat IndEng beat AusPak beat Zim1. Aus 20, 2. and 3. decided on net run-rate between Eng, Ind, Pak 16.Pak beat IndEng beat AusZim beat Pak1. Aus 20, 2. and 3. decided on net run-rate between Eng, Ind, Zim 16.

Note: no provision has been made for matches that are rained off or tiedAll statistics provided by Andrew Samson

Central Districts’ 52nd annual general meeting will be held in Palmerston North on Sunday, September 2 at 2pm.Nominations for officers of the Association close with the executive director Blair Furlong on August 17 at 5pm.Any notices of motion need to be received by the executive director by 5pm on August 3.On the day of the annual meeting, a meeting of the Central Districts council will be held at 11am.Nominations and notices of motion can be sent to: P.O. Box 309 Napier, Fax: (06) 835 0543, E-mail: [email protected].