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The star-studded Mohammedan Sporting Club faced their first defeat in Premier League against Victoria Sporting Club in BNS today

Shahryar Khan01-Apr-2002The star-studded Mohammedan Sporting Club faced their first defeat in Premier League against Victoria Sporting Club in BNS today. Victoria Sporting secured full points by beating their mighty rivals by 21 runs.Minhajul Abedin got the initial luck when he won the toss and sent Victoria to bat first. Despite losing two wickets at quick succession Jahangir Alam and Nuruzzaman started to consolidate the innings. The put on 28 runs in the third wicket before Jahangir (32), the man-in-form, imprudently got himself run-out. Rashed Hanif, the younger brother of Amir Hanif, made a big mark with the bat with the assistance he received from his captain Khaled Masud and Alok Kapali.Rashed baffled all efforts and plans made by the Mohammedan bowlers, who were frantically trying to get rid of him. The Pakistani hammered 8 fours and 3 sparkling sixes all the way through his brilliant knock (114). Khaled Masud (20) and leg spinner Kapali (33) gave him good support from the other end. Victoria threw a good challenge by ending up with 258 for 6 after 50 overs.Mohammedan’s regular Haq openers, Rashedul and Ehsanul, made a quiet but steady start as they carried off an 88-run partnership from 17.3 overs. Rashed Hanif, after a brilliant show with the bat, came up good with ball too as he broke the opening stand removing Rashedul Haq (41).Ehsanul (45) wretchedly became a run-out victim after a while when he attempted to make an easy single into a tight two. Sri Lankan star Hashan Tilkaratne went in with one-down Habibul Bashar and built a 37-run stand between them. Bashar was in the best of his forms and they both looked quite comfortable against the Victoria spinners. The chipped in with singles, twos and occasional boundaries before Saiful Islam was brought on from the pavilion end.This was a judicious decision made by Khaled Masud as Manjurul Islam and Rashed Hanif were slowly becoming ineffective. Right arm medium pacer Saiful troubled both Bashar and Tilkaratne a lot by bowling in a fixed line and length. Offie Masudur Rahman came to bowl at the other end and removed danger man Habibul Bashar for 18. Saiful, who was slowly making Tilkaratne impatient, soon got his precious wicket. The left-hander was clean bowled while attempting to play the bowler across the line only to miss it completely. Tilkaratne (playing in place of Tikolo today) made 23 off 38 balls.Saiful Islam trapped Sanwar Hossain lbw for naught in the very next ball, which seemed to be the turning point of the match. The next batsmen from the front-tail could hardly do anything, as they didn’t have too many overs left to play with a cool head. Mohammedan lost their 7th wicket with the score on 160.Wicket keeper Anwar Hossain set up a blasting knock of 34 off just 34 balls that included 4 boundaries but it was already too late for Mohammedan to do any sort of miracle. At the end of they bunched up 237 for 9. The spinner trio Enamul, Rashed Hanif and Masudur Rahman rolled up wonderfully, claiming 2 wickets each. Rashed Hanif was adjudged the man-of-the-match without a shred of doubt.

We have been appraised of certain statements circulating in the Media concerning the safety of the West Indian Cricket Team touring this country

ZCU Media Release18-Jun-2001We have been appraised of certain statements circulating in the Media concerning the safety of the West Indian Cricket Team touring this country.We categorically refute the allegations that they represent the view of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.It is our position that the streets of Zimbabwe are among the safest in the World and that Zimbabwe remains the safest of all havens for visitors. This is the message that we always propagate to all our visiting teams and the approach was no different as regards our current touring teams.It also remains our policy to advise our visitors on the laws of this country on aspects in which they are likely to encounter during the course of their visit. In keeping with this policy all our guests are advised of the currency regulations pertaining to this country and the need to observe these laws.Any mischievous suggestions that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union has followed a contrary policy in this instance is therefore without foundation.ZIMBABWE CRICKET UNION 17 JUNE 2001

Talk of Roberto Martinez to Tottenham Hotspur has begun to ramp up, thanks to emerging reports this week…

What’s the word?

The Guardian’s Dave Hytner first reported on Monday that the 47-year-old, who has overseen the progress of the Belgium national team, has ‘admirers at Spurs.’

According to Belgian outlet Sport Voetbal Magazine, the groundwork now is being laid for him to return to the Premier League after this summer’s European Championship.

It’s reported that his agent Pini Zahavi is ‘close’ to Daniel Levy, having also brokered Jose Mourinho’s £15m-a-year contract back in November 2019. Martinez is said to have instructed his representative to sound out a potential switch to north London ahead of next season.

Uninspiring

The former Swansea, Wigan Athletic and Everton manager would be a far from inspiring appointment, and given recent developments over the course of the week, Levy would be dealing Spurs yet another blow by hiring him.

Mourinho was shown the exit door after 17 months and The Athletic have since revealed several underlying factors which put an end to his tenure, including claims that the Special One “sucked the culture out of the club and destroyed what Spurs have stood for for years.”

It is also suggested that the players were not only left bored by his training sessions but also his persistent criticism in the public eye.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-manager-transfer-news-and-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs manager news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Spurs were then forced out of the European Super League thanks to pressure from supporters, but it didn’t stop there. Ahead of their kick-off with Southampton on Wednesday, swarms of fans were seen outside the ground protesting against ENIC and Levy, so he will be under immense pressure to get this appointment spot on.

Martinez’s experience in England is probably most memorable for his FA Cup win at the Latics in 2013, but his stint at the Toffees was hardly anything to brag about – after signing a five-year contract extension, Everton had won just one of ten games before March and were knocked out of the Europa League early. By May 2016, he was sacked with the team in 12th place.

Eurosport went on to dissect his tenure, suggesting that the Merseyside outfit were in decline under him. “The problems seem systemic: what went wrong at Wigan is going wrong at Everton and there’s no evidence Martinez is able to fix it,” explained Jonathan Wilson.

Richard Jolley added: “Martinez has imagination, but undermines his progressiveness with an enduring sniffiness about the fundamentals.”

The Spaniard’s ‘no-fear’ style of football would match a key philosophy desired by Levy but there are some doubts too, as the Belgium boss came under fire for excluding Radja Nainggolan, who dubbed him “pathetic” for how he dealt with things in a scathing interview with ESPN.

Once lauded as a “very smart person” and a “very good coach” by former Swansea defender Angel Rangel, it’s been an age since Martinez was in the Premier League, and even then he went out in disappointing fashion.

His overall record in the English top flight is just 81 wins in 265 matches, a win rate of 30.5%. By comparison, Mourinho was given the axe at Spurs having won 52.3% of his games in charge.

Appointing the 47-year-old would open Levy to further criticism from the club’s already-enraged fanbase, and ultimately it could prove to be another nail in the coffin towards his and Tottenham’s turgid reputation.

AND in other news, Big update emerges in Spurs’ pursuit of top Mourinho successor, Levy will be buzzing…

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has completely ruled out Marko Arnautovic returning to West Ham this summer.

Arnautovic enjoyed two successful seasons at the London Stadium between 2017 and 2019 but left on bad terms just six months after signing a new long-term contract with the Hammers.

He’d scored 22 times in 65 appearances, but prior to the start of last season, the Austrian demanded a transfer away from the club and was allowed to leave to sign for Chinese Super League Shanghai Port.

Arnautovic has continued his impressive goal tally in China, netting 20 goals in 36 appearances, but has been linked with a shock return to the Premier League – with the Hammers reportedly amongst those interested.

Current West Ham manager David Moyes was in charge for the majority of his period at the club, but Windass believes there’s “no chance” that Arnautovic ends up back in east London next season.

Reports believe that Serie A outfit Bologna and Crystal Palace are both keen on the Austrian’s signature, and when asked if he could return, Windass’ view was clear.

“No chance,” he told The Transfer Tavern. “He left under a cloud. When he wanted to leave, he chucked his toys out the pram, so no.”

Lymington’s Ben Craft and Charles Forward, the hard-hitting Old Tauntonians & Romsey left-hander, made hay in the sunshine, cracking big centuries in the respective Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 victories

Mike Vimpany14-May-2001Lymington’s Ben Craft and Charles Forward, the hard-hitting Old Tauntonians & Romsey left-hander, made hay in the sunshine, cracking big centuries in the respective Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 victories.Craft flayed the Hambledon attack for 139 as Lymington swept to a second consecutive win, while Forward made 136 in OTs victory over United Services.The lanky Craft lashed three 6s and 12 fours in his 139 as Lymington rattled up 277-9 (Brian Clemow 47) before dismissing Hambledon for 197.The Don’s responded well at 103-1, but fell apart against the penetrating spin of Glyn Treagus (5-44) and Daniel Peacock (3-19).Forward led the way with 136 as OTs piled up 286-5 (Ian Tulk 55) against United Services in a match cut to 46 overs because the heavy roller broke down on the square before the start of play.South African teenager John Geoghan thumped an impressive 64, but apart from Damien Carson (35), received little support as the subtle left-arm spin of Nick Wood (4038) sent US sliding to 207 all out.An undefeated 95 by Tim Richings carried Sparsholt to a five-wicket win over Old Basing – a victory that was not without its problems.Chasing Old Basing’s 190 (Mark Richards 76), Sparsholt were plunged into trouble at 35-4 by Mark Andrews (5-59).But Richings found a reliable partner in Carl Nichols (54), whose century fifth-wicket partnership turned the tide in Sparsholt’s favour.Title favourites Portsmouth also got themselves out of jail, Raj Maru’s side collapsing to 70-7 before Paul Dew’s crucial 63 not out secured a two-wicket win over Trojans at St Helen’s, Southsea.Marvin Sandiford (4-35) single-handedly cleaned out Portsmouth’s star studded top order, removing Hampshire’s Lawrie Prittipaul (4) and former county pair Lee Savident (0), Matthew Keech (2) before having South Africa Under-19 starlet Stephen Cook (25) caught behind.Portsmouth, responding to Trojans’ 140-8 (Nigel le Bas 36, Mike Durand 25), rallied when Maru (20) joined Dew in a key 50-run eighth-wicket stand, which lifted the city club to 120-8.Pete Hayward added a further 20 with Dew to see off the disappointed Trojans.Newly promoted Easton & Martyr Worthy were put in a spin by Cove pair Matt Smith (5-22) and Joe Ashton (4-13) at Cockets Mead.The spin duo sent Easton sliding to 86 all out – and a 91-run defeat – after Hampshire Under-19 left-hander Neil Randall (43) had top scored in Cove’s 177-8.

Manchester City fans appear eager to sign Yves Bissouma after the Citizens were linked with a move for the Brighton midfielder.

The Citizens have enjoyed a fantastic campaign this term as they close in on the Premier League title and will face Chelsea in the Champions League final on May 29th. Brazil international and Etihad fan favourite Fernandinho has played his part in that success, appearing 33 times in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

However, the midfielder is now 36 years of age and cannot go on forever. In an attempt to prepare for the future, the Citizens are said to be interested in Bissouma, with the club believed to be plotting a £30m move (The Daily Star). Pep Guardiola is confident about completing the signing of the 24-year-old, who has missed just two games in the Premier League this term.

Check out the latest on Man City target Lionel Messi transfer news on the dedicated GMS Lionel Messi Transfer hub

The rumour was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Bissouma link below

“This would be a bargain”

Credit: @BKVizzle82

“He is such a good player. Pls sign him”

Credit: @stephenngalim

“THIS IS MY GUY! DO IT, City sees the vision”

Credit: @MichaelNana

“Finally the news I wanted to hear all season”

Credit: @BlessedKatsaur1

“Would be a fantastic signing and smart business from Txiki..”

Credit: @Trilo_10

“This would be an awesome signing. I have always admired the way he plays.”

Credit: @MihlotiMW

In other news, Man City fans love comments from this man’s agent.

Rangers have been heavily linked with a move for striker Jerry Yates in recent weeks and if he were to make the move to Ibrox this summer, he would arguably be an upgrade on Cedric Itten in Steven Gerrard’s side.

According to The 72, Rangers have joined the race to sign the 24-year-old Blackpool striker this summer, with Championship sides including Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City having also been touted with an interest.

The former Rotherham United man, who only joined Blackpool last summer, has enjoyed a superb season thus far and has been a key factor in the Tangerines’ impressive campaign, which sees them challenging for promotion in League One.

In 41 league appearances, the English striker has contributed 18 goals and four assists, which has helped him average an impressive 6.86 rating for his performances.

He also managed two goals in three FA Cup appearances, including one in their shock win against Premier League West Brom earlier in the season, meaning he has 24 goals and assists in total so far this campaign.

For Swindon and Carlisle United fans, Yates’ impressive season with Blackpool might not be much of a surprise, as he scored plenty of goals on loan with both sides in League Two in recent seasons.

His former manager at Swindon, Richie Wellens, was full of praise for him on the EFL highlights show Quest earlier in the season, as he said:

“He’s good at everything. He’s got decent pace, he can hold the ball up. He’s a fantastic professional that wants to get everything out of his career.”If Ross Wilson can bring Yates to Ibrox this summer, he could prove to be an upgrade on Itten, a player who has struggled to impress since joining from FC St Gallen last summer.Although the 24-year-old’s opportunities in Gerrard’s side have been limited, with the majority of his appearances coming from the bench, he has just six goals in all competitions this season and has just one goal in his last 10 appearances – a late penalty in the 5-2 win against Royal Antwerp.When he was given a rare opportunity to impress against St Johnstone last week, he earned himself a 6.32/10 rating from WhoScored and quite frankly, he never looked like scoring at McDiarmid Park.[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]Therefore, you could definitely argue that, based on their form this season, Yates would be a better player for Gerrard to have in his squad than Itten, and therefore Wilson should try and bring him to Ibrox this summer.And, in other news… Rangers handed huge transfer boost over 131-goal beast, Gerrard should already love him

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer has suggested that Celtic could look to loan Liam Shaw out after his pre-contract move from Sheffield Wednesday was confirmed last month.

Shaw, whose time at Hillsborough is coming to an end, has agreed to join Scottish giants Celtic in the summer on a free transfer.

With Celtic expected to compete for the league title next season and set to feature in Europe, moving to Glasgow is a huge opportunity for Shaw.

Palmer, though, believes it may have come too soon for the 20-year-old, feeling that he could struggle to get game time at Celtic Park.

Discussing Shaw’s transfer to Celtic, Palmer told FFC:

“Liam is going to struggle going to Celtic that age to play. He’ll probably end up going there and going out on loan, I’m assuming, I don’t know.”

Speaking on the midfielder’s move further, the former Wednesday player added:

“If I was Liam, I’d be wanting to get out on loan somewhere where it’s guaranteed that he’s going to play because you can do that. I’ve done it before where I’ve taken a player when I was manager at Stockport and the manager’s come to me and said, ‘right, listen, I’ll let the player come, but he’s got to play.’ Bit like David Beckham when he went to Preston, that’s how they develop. They’ve got to play.”

Whoever is in the Celtic Park dugout next season will be demanding a lot from Shaw and his future team-mates. The Bhoys have been extremely underwhelming this term, surrendering their title to rivals Rangers while crashing out of the Europa League in disappointing fashion.

Jamaal Lascelles has dropped a quite promising injury claim before Newcastle United hosting West Ham United in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

The clash with the Hammers will come too soon, but speaking to talkSPORT (via The Chronicle), the former Nottingham Forest central defender claimed ‘I’m not ruling out Sheff United or Fulham’, before explaining that the type of injury he has is ‘four weeks in a boot and four weeks until you are back on grass’.

The exact timescale of the latter comment would mean that he misses the rest of the 2020/21 term, but the fact that Lascelles is aiming for a potential early return for their games against both Sheffield United and Fulham, which could well be pivotal in terms of whether they avoid relegation or not, should give a lot of promise to the St. James’ Park faithful.

Newcastle need Lascelles back

There is no doubt whatsoever that Steve Bruce will want Lascelles back into the team as soon as possible, given that he is the captain and his leadership qualities could be crucial in driving the North East club away from the drop zone.

The 27-year-old, currently earning £50,000 per week on Tyneside, has not been left out of a single match in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 season when he has been fit, showing just how important he is to the side.

Nonetheless, if Lascelles were to play any part from now until the end of the season, it would certainly be a big boost to the Magpies.

In other news, find out which three clubs are ‘eyeing’ this ‘excellent’ Toon ace here!

Steve Bruce will surely be vexing the international break after Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough revealed that Newcastle United defender Jamal Lewis is injured.

That’s according to Sky Sports, who quote Baraclough as confirming that he will make a late call on whether or not Lewis will face Italy on Thursday night.

Northern Ireland begin their Group C campaign with a trip to Roberto Mancini’s Gli Azzurri in hopes of securing their first appearance at a World Cup since 1986.

Lewis is one of only three players listed in Baraclough’s squad who is a Premier League regular, making his experience in Italy vitally important.

The Toon full-back has earned 18 previous caps for the Green and White Army, and played 23 times in the English top-flight under Bruce since a £15m move from Norwich City in September.

But Lewis is a major doubt to play in Parma on Thursday night after missing training this week with a groin injury.

“We’ll decide in Italy whether we take the risk with Jamal,” Baraclough said.

“He hasn’t trained, so it’s something he’s had back at his club and we knew that coming into this camp.”

If Lewis had carried the groin problem into the international break, it would help to justify Bruce’s decision to leave the 23-year-old an unused substitute of Newcastle’s last three Premier League games.

But with Lewis now on international duty and a key part of Baraclough’s Northern Ireland squad, it is out of Bruce’s hands how much or how little the full-back plays.

Bruce will surely be vexing the lack of control he has over one of his players, knowing that Lewis featuring against Italy – or next week in a friendly with the United States before a World Cup qualifier with Bulgaria – could see the defender aggravate his issue and face a lengthy spell in the treatment room.

Newcastle have already lost a key part of their side for the remainder of the season in Isaac Hayden, after the midfielder was confirmed to have sustained a serious knee injury during last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Hayden is not currently thought to require surgery but will play no part in United’s fight for survival, removing the option whom Bruce has relied on more than all bar one of his squad with the 26-year-old featuring for 1,946 of a possible 2,610 minutes in the top-flight this term.

Only goalkeeper Karl Darlow (2,250) has played more minutes in the Premier League this season than Hayden, while Lewis (1,827) registers in third ahead of Callum Wilson (1,816).

Lewis may have been out of favour in recent weeks, potentially due to his groin injury, but being sidelined for a lengthy period will come as a blow for Bruce.

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a huge boost ahead of facing Tottenham…