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Sunderland have been gifted a potential double boost ahead of their game away at Charlton Athletic in League One this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Building momentum

Alex Neil will now be looking to build some momentum after gaining his first win as manager at the Stadium of Light, following their 3-0 win away at Wigan Athletic in the division last time out.

They are facing an Addicks side who are now looking anxiously over their shoulders after five defeats in a row in the league, and another three points would really help in terms of their play-off push.

The Latest: Two returnees?

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Neil has teased that two out of Nathan Broadhead, Aiden McGeady and Luke O’Nien could now return to the team, following periods out with injury:

“Of the three, there’s one who is nowhere near ready, there’s one who is getting there, and there’s one who is a lot closer – I’ll let you decide which one is which!”

The Verdict: Needed

Even though Charlton does look like a winnable fixture on paper, the Black Cats will no doubt be wary about their previous bad form, and so getting two of those three players back would be a welcome boost and may certainly be needed.

Broadhead, McGeady and O’Nien currently rank in the best-six performing players for the Wearside club in League One so far this term, as per WhoScored, and have scored ten goals and made a further five assists in total between them.

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Nonetheless, after Neil confirmed one of them won’t make it, we will not know who has made it into the squad until the team sheet is released, but SAFC fans will be eager to see two of those players listed.

In other news, find out whose display against Wigan was lauded by Neil here!

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRishabh Pant slammed 14 fours and two sixes for his century•ICC

Rishabh Pant continued his fine run of form in the Under-19 World Cup, slamming his third successive fifty-plus score to guide India into the semi-finals following a 197-run win against Namibia. Pant, who had blasted the fastest U-19 international half-century during the win against Nepal, scored 111 off 96 balls with 14 fours and two sixes, powering his team to a mammoth 349 for 6.India, opting to bat, did not make the best of starts, though, as the captain Ishan Kishan was dismissed for 6 in the third over. However, Pant and Anmolpreet Singh led a recovery, put up 103 runs for the second wicket. Pant added a further 62 for the third wicket with Sarfaraz Khan before falling in the 29th over. Still, Namibia failed to dry up the runs, as Sarfaraz (76), Armaan Jaffer (64) and Mahipal Lomror (41*) all chipped in with handy knocks to lift the team past the 300-run mark. Fritz Coetzee was the pick of Namibia’s bowlers, taking 3 for 78, but went at more than seven an over, as did four other players.Namibia began their huge run-chase promisingly, as the openers SJ Loftie-Eaton and Niko Davin razed 59 inside 10 overs. However, the dismissal of Davin opened the floodgates, as the team went on to lose wickets at regular intervals, eventually getting bowled out for 152. Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar shone with figures of 3 for 25, while Anmolpreet snared 3 for 27; Namibia were dismissed in 39 overs.

The Tau Devi Lal stadium in Panchkula is too small and the outfield patchy © Cricinfo Ltd

Walk into the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula and you’d think a rock concert is about to hit town. Volunteers go about their work in a relaxed atmosphere – light towers being set up, temporary stands erected, lawn-mowers puffing away – and it’s tough to miss a big dais mounted at the end of the ground. Listen carefully and names of Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor and Yana Gupta, and pop groups like Band of Boys float in the air.However, cricket tournaments, especially massively-hyped, apparently path-breaking, ones like the Indian Cricket League, deserve better. The stadium is too small – almost like one used for college games – and the outfield dangerously patchy. The organisers prefer to take refuge in the “weather hampering our plans” line but that couldn’t have been true for seven months.The vibes, though, are all gung-ho. Sandeep Patil, the former Indian middle-order batsman currently coaching the Mumbai Champs, says it’s a “miracle” that the stadium has been ready in 28 days and adds, “it’s the same outfield for all teams”. Himanshu Modi, the ICL business head, is also upbeat. “We kept in mind many things while building the stadium. We needed to make allowance for scaling it up later. It’s an architecturally well-designed stadium.”Late in the afternoon, Brian Lara, clothed in a garish orange Mumbai Champs suit, walked onto the outfield, one which was being treated with urea and other fertilisers. There was some doubt over Lara’s participation in the tournament, with the talk of him shifting to the BCCI’s Indian Premier League. Modi, however, laughed off these suggestions. “The reason I kept quiet was that I know our friends [BCCI] were trying to reach him out. I was having a daily laugh with him on the phone. And they tried whatever they could but a contract is a contract. And people want to honour it.”This isn’t Modi’s first run-in with the Indian board. In fact what irks some in the ICL camp is the board’s interference with every step. “How will you feel if someone was constantly stopping you from doing something interesting?” says Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian offspinner who’s currently a match referee at this tournament.

Modi and team will hope they can turn around to the spectators and repeat what Lara asked on the day he retired: “Did I entertain you?” In the answer may lie the success or failure of this tournament

Modi says the BCCI’s actions only endorse the good work that the ICL is doing. “It’s almost like they’re saying, ‘What they do, we will also follow’. We did ICL, they did IPL. They are endorsing our own format. We keep getting these individual comments in the press – from Rajeev Shukla, Lalit Modi, IS Bindra, Niranjan Shah – but officially from the BCCI has ICL got a letter till date? Not one. Have I written letters to them? Yes, three. I’ve not got a single official reply signed from their secretary. We’re just asking them to take an official stance. Officially our members have heard only from their state associations. Like the Cricket Association of Bengal not allowing entry into their stadium etc. But nothing from the BCCI.”A few fans mill about near the impressive practice area, most waiting to get a glimpse of Lara. He has a few knocks against throw-downs from Rajesh Chauhan, the former Indian offspinner. “We’ve had a positive response to ticket sales,” said Modi, hoping that the presence of international stars will attract an audience. “I’m sure the response will only get better because people who come for the first game will see the Bollywood entertainment that is planned.”We’ve invited filmstars, politicians and other VIPs. The Haryana chief minister is the chief guest on the opening day. He will be addressing the audience. Kareena Kapoor will be dancing too. Yana Gupta is scheduled to perform on one of the days. We’ll have our Sa Re Ga Ma Pa stars (winners of the television reality show) too. The Band of Boys will play almost every day.”There promises to be some entertaining cricket shows as well. One of the members of the commentary team, former Australian left-arm bowler Mike Whitney, said he might be moving around in the crowd and “having a bit of fun chatting to the spectators”.Modi makes no qualms about entertainment being their USP. “It’s like our singing contests. We make money out if it but provide singers with a platform to showcase their talents. We hope the cricketers take the chance.” At the end of it all Modi and team will hope they can turn around to the spectators and repeat what Lara asked on the day he retired: “Did I entertain you?” In the answer may lie the success or failure of this tournament.

Scorecard
Queensland’s bowlers have made the most of a wearing MCG pitch to claim victory in their Pura Cup match against Victoria, despite some valiant resistance by the Bushrangers’ lower order led by Adam Crosthwaite. Chasing a very difficult target of 313 Victoria were bowled out for 222 mid-way through the final session.The Bulls shared the wickets between them, with Daniel Doran (3 for 51) finishing with the best figures after he had Gerard Denton trapped lbw for 3 to give Queensland the win. Andy Bichel, Mitchell Johnson and Ashley Noffke picked up two scalps each. The Bushrangers were already staring down the barrel going to lunch at 4 for 95 and when Cameron White (16) and Andrew McDonald (14) both nicked regulation catches to Chris Hartley the situation was desperate at 6 for 134.But Crosthwaite and Jon Moss put up a good fight for 20 overs, adding 58 for the seventh wicket before Crosthwaite was out for 43, lbw to a terrific inswinger from Noffke. Moss (24) gave Noffke his second wicket when he was lbw to a short-pitched ball that failed to bounce above his knee-roll, the best example of the variable bounce that troubled batsmen throughout the match. Shane Harwood batted defiantly for over an hour for his 11 not out but ran out of partners when Clinton McKay (10) was spectacularly caught and bowled by Bichel and the injured Denton was trapped in front.The day started atrociously for Victoria when both openers were out in the first six overs of play. Lloyd Mash played on to a short ball from Bichel for 6 and when Nick Jewell also fell for 6 the Bushrangers were in trouble at 2 for 21. Jewell, who edged a simple catch to Hartley, gave Johnson his first wicket of the game.Victoria got back on track through Brad Hodge and David Hussey before a Clinton Perren run-out once again turned the match in Queensland’s favour. Hodge and Hussey had put on 41 and pushed the Bushrangers to 2 for 62 when a direct hit from Perren at deep midwicket, barely ten metres from the boundary, had Hussey (12) caught short at the bowler’s end attempting a second run.It was an even more incredible throw than in the first innings when Perren ran from the slips cordon to third-man, turned and threw down the stumps at the wicketkeeper’s end to run out McKay. Hodge made 54 and was the best of the Victoria batsmen but his day ended in the last over before lunch when he tried to drive a conventional legbreak from Doran and guided a thin edge into the waiting hands of Martin Love at first slip.Victoria’s day did not improve with the news that Denton, who left the field on Sunday with a leg injury, was likely to miss up to six weeks with shin splints in his left leg. With Mick Lewis and a host of second-string fast bowlers already out injured, the Bushrangers face an uphill battle to get themselves back in the race for the Pura Cup with just one win from four games. Queensland now have two wins from their opening four matches.

Scorecard

Phil Jaques blasted an unbeaten 152, but it still wasn’t enough to stop a Queensland victory © Getty Images

Matthew Hayden smashed a 69-ball 83 while Clinton Perren made a controlled 96 as Queensland pulled off a superb win against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Needing 276 to win, Queensland coasted home with 16 balls to spare.The result meant that a superb unbeaten 152 by Phil Jaques, the New South Wales opener, came to nothing. Jaques hit 13 fours and two sixes en route to registering his highest score in one-day matches. Simon Katich, the captain, reached 51 as the two added 89 for the first wicket, but apart from 36 from Aaron O’Brien none of the other batsmen made significant contributions.The target was a stiff one, especially given the Blues’ attack included Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and Stuart MacGill, but Hayden set the tone with a brutal assault on all bowlers, especially McGrath, whom he thrashed for 17 runs from nine balls, including two fours and a six. After Hayden was dismissed, Perren was around to guide them with a well-paced display.Lee was easily the best bowler for New South Wales, taking 3 for 30, but McGrath struggled, going for 66 off his ten overs. When Perren was dismissed, Queensland needed only 33 for victory, and though they lost four quick wickets, the win was achieved with plenty to spare.

Ozias Bvute is Zimbabwe Cricket’s new managing director© Cricinfo

Zimbabwe Cricket has appointed Ozias Bvute as their new managing director. He takes the post with immediate effect.Bvute, who has degree in banking and finance from Pune University in India, has been the acting managing director since Vince Hogg resigned last August for personal reasons. In 2001 he joined the board of directors of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, as it was then, and was placed in charge of the policy relating to the advancement of black players, and later, of marketing.Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman explained the thinking behind the appointment: “With a substantive managing director at the helm, we will now all focus on our specific tasks and intensify efforts to make ZC a leading player in the global sports and entertainment industry.”Chingoka was on the four-man panel that made the appointment, along with Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, Stan Staddon, who is the chairman of the human resources committee, and Clive Barnes.The announcement will not be universally welcomed. Bvute is widely recognised as being one of the senior board members criticised by the ICC hearing into allegations of racism against the ZCU. He has also been identified by opponents as being one of the leading figures behind the increasing politicisation of the board.

McCullum: moving from Otago to Canterbury for the 2003-04 season © Reuters

Otago cricket has suffered another body blow with Brendon McCullum’s decision to base himself in Canterbury next summer. McCullum, the New Zealand one-day wicketkeeper, will be available for selection for the State Canterbury Wizards in the coming season.A born-and-bred Otago player, McCullum has played all his representative cricket for Otago through the age groups. His departure follows on the heels of internationals Mark Richardson, Matt Horne and Paul Wiseman two seasons ago, and the allrounder Craig Pryor last summer.McCullum’s parents now live in the Canterbury area, although his father – batsman Stu McCullum – had had a long career with Otago. “My fiancee and I feel the time has come for a change of environment and I am excited about moving to Christchurch and looking forward to playing cricket for Canterbury,” McCullum said today. “I have enjoyed playing cricket in Dunedin and I am extremely grateful to Otago Cricket for the support it has shown me and contribution it has made towards my cricketing development.”Canterbury Cricket’s chief executive Richard Reid said he was delighted that McCullum would be available to play for the Canterbury side. “Brendon is a very talented cricketer and I am sure he will make a significant contribution to Canterbury cricket and the State Canterbury Wizards.”I am also confident we have the structure and support systems in place to help Brendon with his continued development as both a domestic and international player.”Otago Cricket’s chief executive Graeme Elliott said he was not surprised by the announcement, but he was disappointed. “Brendon has been a product of our coaching and development system and we are very proud that he got through to Black Cap status. We are disappointed that he has so quickly moved on to bigger and better things, in his eyes, in Canterbury,” he said.However, Otago are looking forward to the continued development of Craig Cumming, who was on the verge of New Zealand selection last season, the return of Mohammad Wasim, and the continued involvement of Jeff Wilson and Warren McSkimming in the forthcoming season.

A rather puzzling break in the South African tour has enabled me to catch up on the statistical side of things during the past week. The South Africans actually flew home after the match in Bulawayo last Sunday, and will fly back again to Harare for the two one-day matches this weekend. It could have been made a five-match series, with two matches in Bulawayo and an extra game on Wednesday in Harare, as has been done for the England tour, but fortunately for the players they were not pressed this hard in an effort to boost finance.I have now completed detailed Test career records of all current Zimbabwean players with five or more matches behind them. Included is Eddo Brandes, whose international career can now be regarded as over after the selectors failed to pick him last season despite his superb form. I heard recently he is considering a request to play for Kwekwe Sports Club in the national league this season. We will be following him up in the near future.I have also been updating all the records for both Tests and first-class cricket (the latter up to the end of last season which finished as late as 31 July!).There still remain records for Test grounds and for matches between Zimbabwe and South Africa to be updated, which should be ready for next week’s issue. Then I will need to get on to the one-day records, which will keep me busy for quite some time, especially with England here now.We haven’t had time to stop and think about the England visit yet, but in view of the paucity of our bowling against South Africa we cannot be confident of winning unless there is a major turn-around.It will be Carl Rackemann’s last assignment as national coach, and as he is primarily a bowling coach he cannot be at all happy with the way his bowlers are performing. It is a puzzle why that should be, given the high regard in which both administrators and players hold him.His replacement, Geoff Marsh, has a higher reputation internationally, and he also has more experience, having successfully captained the Australian national team. He is here for the England series in a take-over role and will be looking to identify the problems. We thank Carl for all he has done and look to Geoff to guide our players to better things in the future.

Rangers could be sweating over the future of two of Gio van Bronckhorst’s key players at Ibrox with Gers duo Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo in danger of leaving…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has claimed that teams will be eyeing up the Rangers pair during the summer transfer window. He believes that both of them will attract interest from elsewhere due to their form for the Ibrox giants this term.

Bridge told GIVEMESPORT: “I do expect Kent, and I do expect Aribo to get interest. I really do. I know you’ve touched on Aribo before with Palace, and I’m sure clubs will look at him. He’s a really, really, really good player.”

Fuming

Rangers fans will surely be fuming with this claim as both players are crucial for van Bronckhorst and losing either of them would be a huge blow.

Kent may not have found his goalscoring touch this season but he has remained a constant menace to opposing defences with his ability to take players on with the ball. He has two goals and six assists in 19 Premiership matches for the Gers, averaging 1.8 key passes per game and creating nine ‘big chances’ in total.

This suggests that he has been let down by his teammates at times as they have been unable to finish off the opportunities that he has been handing them. Whilst he has not been prolific himself, the creative threat that he offers on the wing is huge for Rangers and that is why losing him would be a major blow for van Bronckhorst and fans will be fuming with the prospect of his departure.

Aribo, meanwhile, has produced seven goals and four assists in 26 Premiership matches from midfield. He has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.12, showing that he has been consistently delivering top-class performances for the Light Blues this season.

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Therefore, selling Aribo would be a nightmare for the club as he has proven that he is an excellent player in the Scottish top-flight. It would be difficult to replace him, and Kent, in the summer and Rangers must navigate the situation carefully to avoid making any howlers ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Although, it is worth saying that interest in them does not guarantee that they will leave. Ross Wilson is not going to roll over and allow his top performers to leave for nothing, but he will also need to consider offers if and when they arrive, as he did in January when he decided to sell Nathan Patterson to Everton.

AND in other news, Possession lost 33x: Rangers gem with 6 key passes was let down by his teammates today…

Brad Hodge has a point to prove after struggling in India © Getty Images

Brad Hodge and Shane Harwood return to Victoria’s Pura Cup side for the match against Western Australia which starts on Friday in Melbourne. Hodge is back from Australia’s tour of India, and he will take the place of the allrounder Andrew McDonald, who has had a shoulder operation.Harwood slots in for Peter Siddle, who bruised his heel during last week’s FR Cup match against South Australia, in which Harwood captured five wickets to take Victoria to the 16-run win. Siddle’s loss is a blow as he impressed in the Pura Cup match, bowling sharply to take seven wickets, including five in the second innings.Hodge has a few points to prove following a less-than-impressive display for Australia. He averaged 9.83 in six one-day innings, with a top score of 20. “I’ll be looking to get my own form back on track after a disappointing Indian tour,” he said, “and can’t wait to play a four-day Pura Cup match and build on the Bushrangers’ impressive first-up win last week.” Victoria beat South Australia by 270 runs.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Robert Quiney, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Nick Jewell, Cameron White (capt), Matthew Wade (wk), Gerard Denton, Bryce McGain, Shane Harwood, Dirk Nannes, Allan Wise.