Category Uncategorized

The next Xabi Alonso or Cesc Fabregas. These were the comparisons being made by fans and pundits when discussing the talent of Mikel Merino following a run of stellar performances for Newcastle at the beginning of the 2017/18 season.

His physical presence and composure on the ball, led to him becoming a fan-favourite on Tyneside.

But a back injury, which sidelined him for a month, was the start of a downward spiral for him, with the Basque play-maker never regaining the level of performance he had reached during his purple patch.

He was not able to cement a place in Rafa Benitez’s starting lineup, and on the occasions where he was given an opportunity, did not impress enough to warrant another extended run.

Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle earlier this year, he described how he still looks back fondly on his time on Tyneside, and how he still looks out for their results, seeing himself very much a member of the Toon Army now.

In the end, a move back to his native Spain, with Real Sociedad, was probably the best outcome for both the player and Newcastle, although a perceived lack of commitment to the black and white jersey, when angling for a move so soon after turning his loan spell into a permanent move, and a nominal release clause — in the modern footballing world at least — being included in the deal at the insistence of the player’s agent, left a sour taste in the mouth for many Geordies.

Since moving to Sociedad, his performances have been okay rather than spectacular.

He has largely flown under the radar since the high-level comparisons that were being aimed in his direction during his early Magpies career.

Similar to the start of his Newcastle days, he had a spell of around a month out with injury in the early stages of the La Liga season — a groin problem the culprit this time — and, again similar to his time at St James’ Park, he has struggled to reach peak levels on his return.

According to transfermarkt.co.uk Since he came back into the fray at the end of November, Merino had completed only one full 90 minutes out of 13 subsequent La Liga games (although one was an enforced absence due to suspension).

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He has, however, completed the full 90 minutes in Sociedad’s last three games, with him getting one assist in that run.

The signs of a return to his best are there, but he still has a long way to go to get back to the standard he was setting at Newcastle, during which he became a regular in the Spain U-21 side, and saw him talked about as a future superstar.

A bullet dodged, or the one they let get away? The jury is still out for Newcastle fans, but regardless, it is definitely a strange tale of what might have been.

Port Qasim Authority battle back for drawPeshawar seamer Taj Wali became the first bowler for 20 years to take four wickets in four balls in Pakistan’s domestic first-class competition. Wali blew through Port Qasim Authority’s top order on the first day at the Arbab Niaz Stadium, although his feat could not prevent the match from ending in a draw. It was the fifth instance of someone taking four wickets in consecutive deliveries, the last being Ali Gauhar in 1995.Wali struck in his ninth over, removing Test opener Khurram Manzoor, followed by Faraz Ali, Khalid Latif and Daniyal Ahsan. That reduced Port Qasim Authority to 50 for 4 and they were eventually dismissed for 107 but, after Peshawar racked up 490 for 4 declared, the visitors batted their way to safety in the second innings. Wali, who had 5 for 30 in the first innings, finished with match figures of 8 for 181.Left-armer Wali, 24, is not noted for his pace but can move the ball off the seam and averages 25.01 after making his first-class debut in 2011. A Peshawar local, he represented the inter-district Under-19s but did not reach the national side at that level. Wali was an inconsistent performer at regional level but finished the previous season as Peshawar’s leading seamer with 43 wickets at 22.11.Gul soars with nine-for in HBL winAt the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, Umar Gul marked his return to form with a nine-wicket haul and a fifty to destroy Lahore Whites in the space of three days. Gul was dropped after Pakistan’s ODI series defeat in Bangladesh earlier this year and has missed a major chunk of international cricket since 2013 over fitness and form. He underwent knee surgery but has since struggled to find his rhythm.Gul took 7 for 32 from 11.1 overs in Lahore Whites’ first inning to show his form and later bowled 20 overs in three lengthy spells, picking up two more wickets as Habib Bank Limited won by an innings, to make it a telling statement on his fitness as well. “I am feeling confident at the moment,” Gul said. “I spoke to selectors in Rawalpindi and told them that I don’t want to come back in one particular format but I am available for all three formats of cricket. My comeback had been delayed due to a nose injury otherwise I could have returned earlier. But now I have no fitness concerns.”Junaid search for form goes onJunaid Khan, on the other hand, continues to struggle for form. He remained wicketless in the first innings at Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot and finished with match figures of 22-3-91-1 against the inexperienced Federally Administered Tribal Areas team. Junaid last played for Pakistan in Colombo earlier this year and remained on the bench throughout the Test series with England in the UAE, before being released ahead of the third and final match in Sharjah.Junaid’s problems began in October 2014 when he suffered a serious knee injury that forced him to miss series against Australia and New Zealand. He recovered to be named in the squad for the one-dayers in New Zealand ahead of the World Cup, but had a fall while training at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore and was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup too. Junaid has had the leanest patch of his career since his return but was recently named captain of Pakistan A for next month’s T20 series against England Lions in the UAE.Misbah keeps eye in with SNGPLAt Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test captain who intended to retire after the England series, gave another clear indication that he is looking to extend his career by turning out for his domestic team SNGPL. Misbah never misses an opportunity to play for SNGPL if not on national duty but the last time he featured for them was at the start of 2014, after Pakistan’s series against Sri Lanka. He made 30 and 58 from 40 balls in the draw with Lahore Blues.If the India series does not happen next month, as expected, he will only have domestic cricket to keep him in form ahead of Pakistan’s next Test commitment, which is still seven months away, in England next year. Misbah has signed up for the Bangladesh Premier League and will miss the upcoming rounds of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy due to his T20 engagement. He has also been linked with playing county cricket in England ahead of Pakistan’s tour.

The Canadian board has announced that the quadrangular Twenty20 tournament this September has been postponed. Canada had hoped for West Indies and two other full-member ICC countries to play a competition in Toronto ahead of the World Championships the same month.The board says there was not enough time to obtain TV rights for such an event, but will continue to look at possibilities in 2008 and afterwards. A Canada spokesperson told Cricinfo: “Unfortunately, due to the difficulties of securing global media support in such a short timeframe, the CCA reports that it has proved impossible to bring the project to fruition in 2007.”The West Indies board apparently remains committed to working with the CCA to expand cricket in Canada, particularly through exposure to the Twenty20 version of the game, which is ideal for the North American cricket public.

Lara: ‘It’s good that we’re being able to put ourselves in winning positions, getting out of losing positions, and maybe the next step is to win Test matches’ © Getty Images

Listening to Brian Lara during this series, one’s left wondering if he is indeed the captain playing at home. He’s not got the pitches he’s wanted, and more, worryingly, he’s not got the team he wanted. At the end of the drawn encounter at St Kitts, Lara didn’t comment too much on the pitch but dropped many hints about wanting the extra fast bowler.”My only concern is the combination for the final Test,” he said while analysing his team’s performance. “We played an extra batsman here but if you want to get 20 wickets, we need to put players there to get us those wickets. It’s left upto the selectors, let’s see what happens … Guys who’ve been here have done a tremendous job throughout this series, performing on surfaces that really haven’t helped them. Two days rest between Tests and to go back to the reserves and pick fast bowlers would be showing a weakness. Very confident with the likes of Corey Collymore, [Pedro] Collins, [Jerome] Taylor – coming into his own – and Bradshaw has been good. Maybe an addition would be a good choice and we will have the final decision a day before the match.”Lara’s problem was reflected in his decision to not enforce the follow-on. Collins had hobbled off with a cramp while the rest appeared a bit bushwhacked after running in hard in torrid conditions. “My team relies on fast bowlers, they run 25 yards and need that kind of rest. If I had [Anil] Kumble and Harbhajan [Singh] who are running in from 3-4 steps it’s easy to tell them to come back out and bowl again. It’s a choice that you have to make. I’m quite happy to put myself back to bat, setting a total that is beyond them so that we can attack them.”Considering all factors, is he happy with the scoreline? “No. Simply because of the fact that we’re playing at home. The last time India were here, we won the series. Our one-day performance shows that we are a better playing team than the Indians. Having said that, at the end of the day – I’m quite happy the way it’s gone. Both sides have fought really, really hard. There’s been some intriguing cricket, unfortunately the scoreline doesn’t show it. It will be a huge disappointment if all four Tests end in draw. We hope to get some good cricket in the final Test. If you spend a month-and-a-half playing Test cricket, you’d like to see a result.”A drawn series, after four Tests, would no doubt be an unfortunate result but Lara spoke about how West Indies needed to use this as a launching pad for success. If you exclude games against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, West Indies’ last series win came way back in July 2003. “The guys are coming of age – people like Chris Gayle, [Ramnaresh] Sarwan, [Daren] Ganga, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The only problem is probably myself. We’re playing at home but it’s a step forward. We’ve been beaten badly of late, and it’s happened in quick time. It’s good that we’re being able to fight it out to the opposition – putting ourselves in winning positions, getting out of losing positions and maybe the next step is to win Test matches. I’m seeing some sort of credibility in the way the guys have performed. We’re making strides moving forward. It’s going to take some time but the players are now proving their worth.”

Ravi Rampaul, a 19-year-old fast bowler from Trinidad and Tobago, has been named in West Indies’ 16-man squad for the tour to Zimbabwe. Rampaul is the only new face in the squad, as the selectors decided to stick with the players who performed creditably in the home series against Australia and Sri Lanka earlier this year. The bowling line-up includes Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards, both of whom made their debuts in the series against Sri Lanka. Jermaine Lawson, who is undergoing remedial work on his action after being reported by the umpires during the last Test against Australia, has been omitted.West Indies will play two Tests and five one-day internationals in Zimbabwe, with the first Test starting in Harare on November 4.Squad
Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Ridley Jacobs (wk), Omari Banks, Vasbert Drakes, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul.

Yorkshire are hoping to secure Headingley’s future as a Test ground for the next 15 years by signing a deal towards the end of this month.Robin Smith, Yorkshire’s chairman, hopes to complete what he called the staging agreement between Yorkshire and the ECB shortly, and warned against complacency considering the other county grounds battling for Test recognition.”I would be very surprised if the deal with the ECB is not concluded by the end of May, but that does not mean that we can take our finger off the pulse,” Smith told the . “We are very conscious of the challenge from other grounds such as Durham’s Riverside and the Hampshire Rose Bowl, and we can’t afford to be complacent with those venues around. The only thing that will guarantee Headingley’s long-term future as a leading Test venue is the type of world-class facilities we are trying to create.”Headingley, which hosted its first Test back in 1899 has since held 64 matches, but has recently come under criticism for being behind the times. It is due to host England’s second Test against New Zealand this summer, and a day-night game between England and West Indies in the NatWest Series.

New Zealand’s selectors are still not happy with Craig McMillan’s form and have dropped him for Lou Vincent to return to the side for tonight’s important match against Australia at Port Elizabeth.Vincent has just recovered from a thumb injury but selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee said that Vincent gave the side speed, agility and accuracy in the field.Hadlee said the selectors are still concerned with McMillan’s lack of form and they felt Australia’s bowling attack would quickly expose this.”Craig has yet to address to our satisfaction some of the issues that have been hampering his form,” Hadlee said.”He is still not moving his feet or being disciplined in his application at the crease, which is why he failed on a flat wicket against Zimbabwe on Saturday.”The team for the Super Six match is: Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent. Daryl Tuffey (12th man).Kyle Mills was unavailable for selection because of injury.Hadlee said he believed the New Zealand team had improved significantly this year and the match against Australia would provide a useful guide in just how far the team had improved.The prize for success over the Australians today would be an automatic place in the semi-finals after Sri Lanka’s loss to India yesterday.”This should be incentive enough for them to produce their best performance at the World Cup to date,” Hadlee said.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks broke their duck in the Norwich Union League this season at the sixth attempt, courtesy of a three-wicket victory over Yorkshire Phoenix at Wantage Road.It was hard work for batsmen on both sides, and below-strength Yorkshire struggled to 161-8 in their 45 overs – a total made possible by all-rounder Gary Fellows with a competition-best 67 from 108 balls.Northants also found the going tough and declined from 77-1 to 120-6 in the space of 13 overs. But they were guided to their target by Mal Loye, whose unbeaten 65 off 121 deliveries with seven boundaries proved the decisive contribution.Phoenix ran into early trouble as skipper David Byas and Michael Lumb went for 14, leaving Fellows and Matthew Wood (35) to repair the damage with a stand of 83 in 21 overs. Former Sussex paceman Michael Strong snapped up for 4-28 on his first Sunday appearance of the summer for Northants.Richard Blakey’s 33 not out in 41 balls gave the visitors a chance, and once the second-wicket partnership of 59 between Loye and Russell Warren (30) was broken the match ebbed and flowed over by over.It took a sensible 20 from David Ripley to settle the hosts’ nerves, and Northants secured the points despite a fine spell of spin bowling from Richard Dawson, who claimed 3-28 in nine tidy overs.

Indian Railways denied an outside chance for Andhra Cricket Association XI to enter the semifinals by recording a 3 wicket win over the former at the AOL ground in Hyderabad on Saturday. At the start of the sixth round of matches India Pistons had to lose the encounter with Indian Oil Corporation by at least 100 runs and ACA to enter the semifinals had to defeat Indian Railways by the same margin.Electing to bat, the Andhra Cricket Association innings was soon in disarray, losing four wickets with only 47 on board in 18.3 overs. Then Venugopal Rao in the company of RVC Prasad defied the Railways’ attack for an 83 run fifth wicket stand in 13.5 overs. But after their departure the rest of the ACA batsmen could not manage to stick around and ended their innings at 155 for nine.Railways lost an early wicket that of Sanjay Bangar (5) to Panav Raju, the other opener Tejinder Singh (58) ensured that his team was on the right track with a 81 run second wicket partnership in 12 overs. VJT Rammohan then (4 for 48) triggered a minor collapse. But with only a small total on the board, Railways reached home safely in the 33rd over with 3 wickets to spare.

The MCC’s World Cricket Committee has proposed the creation of two three-week periods in the international calendar to accommodate sanctioned events such as the Indian Premier League.There is a concern that players may start preferring the riches on offer in India ahead of playing for their country because there are few gaps in the current schedule.”The committee accepts that there is a place for the IPL but that the introduction of this tournament has brought to the fore the issue of premature retirement from the international game,” read a statement today. “It is vital to ensure that there is a strategic, well-planned fixture list.”The committee proposes that the ICC identify windows in the cricket calendar to enable all forms of the game – Test, 50-over ODI and Twenty20 – to successfully co-exist. Furthermore, the committee hopes that all Member boards will work with ICC to work towards this goal.”Another recommendation was to trial day/night Tests in countries where the climate makes in feasible in order to boost attendances. “The committee recognises that there will be challenges to overcome with a proposed trial of Test match day/night cricket – such as dew, the colour of the ball and clothing used – but that efforts should be made to research and develop this option.”There was also a call to allow elite umpires to stand in matches involving their own country and that an effort should be made to ensure those umpires who don’t want to travel the world can still be used at the top level.The committee said that the minimum Test over-rate should 15-an-hour, calling the current average of 13.8 “acceptable, particularly for the paying public.”A warning on the importance of player conduct said it was vital that international cricketers set the best example, while the committee reiterated its support for the use of increased technology in decision making.