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Scotland have made four changes to their squad for the ICC World Twenty20, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup

Cricinfo staff06-May-2009Scotland have made four changes to their squad for the ICC World Twenty20, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup.The selectors have brought in Fraser Watts, Gordon Drummond, Glenn Rogers and Richie Berrington to replace Gordon Goudie (who is injured), Qasim Sheikh, Moneeb Iqbal and Calum MacLeod. Eleven of the players represented Scotland during the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007.”The selectors and the captain spent a considerable amount of time discussing the squad, as we must balance the longer-term development of the team alongside the need to perform well on the world stage in the shortest form of the game,” Iain Kennedy, the chairman of selectors, said. “We believe that Fraser and Richie will give us new batting options, as well as contributing significantly in the field, whilst Rogers and Drummond will offer variety to our attack.”There were a number of very close decisions made about the personnel required, and we are sure the selected squad will perform well against the best sides in the world.””This event will be a huge test for us all, playing some fantastic sides on the biggest stage cricket can offer,” said gavin Hamilton, who was appointed as captain last week. “We’ve made some positive steps forward in the last couple of weeks and the full squad is looking forward enormously to testing ourselves against the world’s best. It was pleasing that we had some difficult decisions to make, as this shows we have a number of players capable of playing at this level.”Scotland have warm-up games scheduled against England at Trent Bridge on June 2 and Netherlands at The Oval on June 3. Their initial group games are against New Zealand and South Africa on the June 6 and 7, both at The Oval.Scotland squad Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, John Blain, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Neil McCallum, Navdeep Poonia, Dewald Nel, Glenn Rogers, Colin Smith, Jan Stander, Fraser Watts, Ryan Watson and Craig Wright.

Rangers returned to winning ways on Wednesday night as they beat Livingston 2-0 to progress to the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup.

This came after two games without a win, drawing with Motherwell in the Premiership and losing 2-0 to Lyon in the Europa League.

Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos scored the goals for Rangers as they overcame Livingston in midweek, with Steven Gerrard now preparing his side to face Dundee in the league today.

How many changes will Gerrard make? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four changes to the team from midweek, with Borna Barisic, Allan McGregor, James Tavernier and Steven Davis coming in.

After Jon McLaughlin filled in for the cup match, we are predicting that McGregor will reclaim his place between the sticks after starting the last Premiership game against Motherwell. Both are experienced shot-stoppers and sharing the load between them in terms of minutes on the pitch could help to keep both of them in a good mood throughout the campaign.

In defence, we are predicting changes in both of the full-back positions. Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun started at centre-back and deserve to keep their places, with Jack Simpson having landed the lowest SofaScore rating of the starting XI against Motherwell. This suggests that he does not warrant a spot in the team ahead of either of them at this moment in time.

Tavernier and Barisic were rested for the clash with Livingston and they could replace Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey respectively. The aforementioned pair currently rank first and second in the Rangers for SofaScore ratings in the Premiership this season in terms of outfield players. This highlights their importance to the team and why they could come straight back into the XI.

In midfield, we are predicting that John Lundstram will be axed from the team in favour of Davis. The former Sheffield United man has only started once in the league this season, averaging an unimpressive SofaScore rating of 6.66, and we published an article explaining the 36-year-old’s importance to the team and why he should start today.

The rest of the side could remain the same, with Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Kemar Roofe, Scott Wright and Morelos keeping their places in the team.

AND in other news,  Wilson must avoid Rangers nightmare over “unique” gem, Gerrard would be fuming…

كشف محمد أسامة طبيب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك حقيقة إصابة محمود حمدي الونش لاعب الأبيض.

وفاز الزمالك على الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت على استاد القاهرة في نهائي كأس مصر.

طالع أيضًا.. جمال عبد الحميد يوجه رسالة إلى جماهير الزمالك بعد التتويج بكأس مصر

وقال طبيب الزمالك في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “صدى البلد”: “الونش تعرض لإصابة بتمزق في العضلة الضامة قبل المباراة بـ48 ساعة، وبذلنا معه جهدًا كبيرًا للمشاركة، وهو أيضًا كان مصممًا على خوض اللقاء، وكنت أنتظر تبديله في أي لحظة”.

واختتم: “سيف الدين الجزيري مهاجم الفريق لم يتعرض لأي إصابات، لكنه غادر المباراة لأسباب فنية”.

Kevin Pietersen has stepped down as England captain with immediate effect and Peter Moores has been sacked as coach after a tumultuous day for English cricket. Andrew Strauss has been named captain for the tour of West Indies later this month and the ECB will begin an immediate search for a new coach.However, Pietersen denied the reports which claimed he had resigned early on Wednesday morning and it was only after discussions with the ECB during the day that he felt his hand had been forced. “I wish to make it very clear that I did not resign as captain of the England cricket team this morning,” he said in a statement. “However, in light of recent communications with the ECB, and the unfortunate media stories and speculation that have subsequently appeared, I now consider that it would be extremely difficult for me to continue in my current position with the England cricket team.”Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, read a statement at a hastily arranged press conference at The Oval. “It’s been a complicated and difficult day. The ECB late this afternoon have accepted with regret the resignation of Kevin Pietersen as England captain.”Kevin recognised that in the present situation it was impossible to restore the dressing room unity, which is vital, if England are to win the forthcoming tour to the Caribbean, the ICC global events or regain the Ashes in the Ashes Test series.”Kevin Pietersen is highly valued as a senior and experienced player and we are delighted that he has indicated he wishes to continue to represent England in all their forthcoming international fixtures, starting in the Caribbean later this month.”The ECB were left in complete turmoil on a day of rumours, denials and high drama, following the emergency board meeting that took place on Tuesday evening to discuss the rift in the leadership of the team.In a brief statement on Wednesday afternoon, the ECB had insisted they had “no knowledge” of the departure of either Pietersen or Moores, although they admitted that Pietersen had not been prepared to tour West Indies under the current management structure.Pietersen, perhaps misjudging the mood of his employers, did not depart from his holiday in South Africa until Wednesday afternoon, by which time the 12-man board had already met, by teleconference, on Tuesday night. At that meeting, it was decided that the captain would have to pay the price for his attitude. It was felt that to accede to his demands would set a dangerous precedent for future disputes, one in which the whims of individuals would take precedence over structures.In response, it initially appeared that Pietersen had taken his future into his own hands, and handed back the role he took on from Michael Vaughan barely five months ago. At 9am GMT, Sky News reported his resignation, giving as his reasoning the fact that the ECB did not act quickly enough in responding to his demands over Moores’ future. Speaking briefly on the phone, Pietersen told the programme: “I am not in a fit state to talk.”Strauss, who captained England in 2006 when Vaughan was out of the team with injury, was the hot favourite to lead them on the tour of West Indies, which begins in exactly a fortnight’s time. His reappointment, two-and-a-half years after he was overlooked for the Ashes tour in favour of Andrew Flintoff, represents a remarkable turnaround for a player who, this time last year, was dropped from the Test side following a prolonged run of poor form.”Andrew Strauss has agreed to lead the team to the Caribbean,” Morris said. “He led the England team with distinction in 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured.”Meanwhile, Moores’ departure comes as less of a surprise. His position became untenable following the revelations of the rift, and there had been little evidence of progress under his tenure and his credibility had been damaged beyond repair.”With regard to Peter Moores, the board determined that he should relinquish his role as England team director,” Morris added. “I have the greatest respect for the dignity which Peter Moores has shown in recent days when he has found himself under extreme pressure. The ECB wish him well in his future roles.”Cricinfo understands that Andy Flower, Moores’ assistant coach, was offered the interim role for the West Indies tour, although Morris said an announcement on the coaching set-up would be made in the coming days.Speaking to the News of the World earlier in the week, Pietersen said: “This situation is not healthy, we have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before we fly off to the West Indies. Everybody has to have the same aims and pull in the same direction for the good of the England team.”Research conducted by Morris, however, suggested that Pietersen did not have the steadfast support of his team-mates or the back-room staff. The majority of the England support staff are understood to be supportive of Moores while most of the players are underwhelmed by Pietersen’s dramatic intervention, as Steve Harmison demonstrated with his ambivalent comments on Tuesday.There was also some sympathy towards Moores who, it is understood, was given the authority to select the England captain when Paul Collingwood and Vaughan resigned, and there are those within the set-up who feel that Pietersen had betrayed the coach’s trust.Attitudes towards Pietersen appeared to have hardened at board level. While few are completely convinced by Moores, they did not like the manner in which the captain has attempted to dictate events. As one board member told Cricinfo: “People who want to keep their jobs don’t issue ultimatums.”The news brings to an end a tumultuous five-month reign. When Pietersen took on the role in August 2008 following Vaughan’s resignation, he immediately declared that he intended to do the job “his way”. With a maiden Test triumph over South Africa, followed by a 4-0 victory in the ODIs, his way was the high way during a heady honeymoon period.But then came England’s disastrous showing in Allen Stanford’s 20/20 for 20 showdown in Antigua, in which England lost the chance to win US$1 million per man for a single evening’s work when they were bowled out by the Stanford Superstars for 99. Pietersen blamed the team’s performance on off-field “nonsense”, including floodlight issues and a high-profile faux pas involving the player’s wives, but there were no such ex cuses when England were subsequently thrashed 5-0 in their one-day series against India.That tour was foreshortened after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November, and though Pietersen earned huge credit for his role in persuading the team to rejoin the tour for the two-match Test series, and for his remarkable century at Mohali, his tactical nous came under scrutiny during their 1-0 defeat, especially after the team failed to defend 387 in the first match at Chennai.But all throughout his tenure, rumours of his dissatisfaction with Moores’ methods were never far from the surface. Pietersen did not accept the job until he had had “clear the air” talks with Moores in the aftermath of Vaughan’s resignation, and he later voiced his disapproval of Moores’ dogmatic training methods that sapped the team’s energy on their tour of New Zealand in March. Matters are believed to have come to a head in the lead-up to the Mohali Test, where the relationship between Pietersen and Moores reached the point of no return.Although Kent’s coach, Graham Ford, had been touted as Moores’ probable successor, his candidature had been raised with a view to finding a man who could work alongside Pietersen. Ashley Giles is another option, although Warwickshire have warned they may not necessarily keep his job as the county’s director of cricket open, should he be asked to fulfil a role as “stop-gap” coach in the Caribbean.

Evening Standard football writer Jack Rosser believes that with Kurt Zouma joining West Ham, Chelsea will be very confident of completing the signing of Jules Kounde. 

Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on his Twitter account that Sevilla President Castro said: “Kounde is our player, as of now. There’s nothing agreed or done at the moment. We always consider the offers. But the days are ending.” 

Romano also posted that Chelsea are still confident and a final bid is ready once Kurt Zouma to West Ham is completed.

Kounde has played twice for Sevilla this season in La Liga which has seen the La Liga outfit win both their opening matches against Rayo Vallecano and Getafe and also, they have kept two clean sheets in the process.

Rosser believes that Chelsea are confident of getting the Kounde deal completed with Zouma moving to West Ham, telling Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, I’ve not followed that one too closely but moving Zouma on that has been to bring Kounde in is why they’ve done it.

“So that would point to the fact that they’re very confident that they’ll get that one over the line and will only improve what’s already a very tight defence.”

If Kounde does join Chelsea, then he will become the clubs third signing of the summer window after Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Bettinelli both put pen to paper on deals at Stamford Bridge.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo perdeu por 1 a 0 para a Ponte Preta, em Campinas, mas houve quem se destacasse na equipe tricolor. Especialmente o volante Jucilei, que mostrou competência em todos os aspectos. Pelos mandantes, o zagueiro Marllon foi o melhor. Veja as notas:

SÃO PAULO

5,5
Renan ribeiro
Não teve culpa no gol e ainda fez boas e seguras defesas. Errou ao se envolver em confusão. Acabou levando amarelo.

5,5
Lucão
Fica muito mais protegido com dois companheiros de zaga ao seu lado. Aos poucos vai recuperando o moral.

6,0
Maicon
É um bom zagueiro quando se limita a jogar futebol. Fez bom trabalho de cobertura, mas estava fora da área na hora do gol.

6,0
Rodrigo Caio
É outro que fica mais confortável em campo com o sistema de três zagueiros. Além disso, ganha liberdade para sair para o jogo.

5,0
Marcinho
É rápido, tem muita disposição e dribla bem, mas perdeu muitas bolas, talvez por excesso de ansiedade em definir as jogadas.

7,5
Jucilei
Disparado o melhor em campo. Muito bem em todas as funções. Além de marcar, ainda tem disposição e qualidade técnica para armar jogadas.

5,0
Cícero
Teve um bom início, aparecendo bem próximo à área da Ponte. Conseguiu duas boas finalizações. Depois sumiu do jogo.

5,0
Thomaz
Outro que não consegue conter a ansiedade. Erra muitas vezes por abusar da velocidade.

4,5
Júnior Tavares
Parece que o interesse do futebol da Europa está atrapalhando um pouco o seu desempenho em campo. Muito tímido.

5,5
Luiz Araújo
Sempre uma boa alternativa no campo de ataque. O problema é que ele quer definir todas as jogadas e com isso perde boas oportunidades.

6,5
Lucas Pratto
Incansável na busca por espaço e por colocar seus companheiros em boas condições para definir as jogadas. O problema é que luta sozinho.

3,5
Gilberto
Pareceu estar muito nervoso desde o momento em que entrou em campo na segunda etapa. Levou amarelo no primeiro lance e desapareceu.

4,5
Bruno
Entrou para se tornar uma opção pela lateral-direita, mas não cumpriu a missão.

5,0
Léo Natel
Entrou aos 38 minutos da etapa final, mas conseguiu mostrar serviço com muita disposição.

6,0
Rogério Ceni
Começou com três zagueiros, mudou o esquema na segunda etapa, colocou dois centroavantes, mas o time não consegue reagir.

PONTE PRETA

6,0
Aranha
Muito pouco exigido. Fez duas boas defesas.

5,0
Jeferson
Ficou muito preso na marcação e pouco apareceu no ataque.

7,5
Marllon
Um dos melhores zagueiros do campeonato. Voltou a atuar muito bem.

6,0
Rodrigo
Ao lado de Marllon, o trabalho do veterano jogador fica facilitado.

5,5
João Lucas
Sofreu muito com a insistência do São Paulo pelo seu setor.

6,5
Wendel
Muito bem na marcação. Só não foi melhor porque reclamou demais.

7,0
Nino Paraíba
Muito bem como armador e também como lateral. Iniciou a jogada do gol.

6,5
Elton
Não aparece para o público, mas é muito importante para a equipe.

6,5
Lucca
Não repetiu as boas atuações, mas foi decisivo e mostrou qualidade técnica no gol.

5,0
Léo Artur
Teve espaço para jogar, mas não aproveitou.

5,5
Lins
Fechou o meio de campo.

6,0
Emerson Sheik
Catimbeiro, manhoso, mas perigoso.

5,5
Jadson
Entrou para marcar.

5,0
Fabio Braga
Pouco fez.

6,0
Gilson Kleina
Com alguns desfalques, não repetiu o esquema audacioso de outros jogos em casa.

MatériaMais Notícias

Se o técnico Mano Menezes vai mudar o esquema de jogo e adotar três volantes contra o Santos, o torcedor só saberá na véspera da partida. O mesmo vale para a escalação de Hudson na lateral direita. Nesta sexta-feira, o treinador do Cruzeiro concedeu entrevista coletiva e sua única confirmação foi a de que o meia Rafinha não vai para a partida na Vila Belmiro.

Com dores na região abdominal, Rafinha não participou do treinamento da última quinta. Nesta sexta, a atividade foi fechada na Toca da Raposa, mas Mano antecipou que não irá relacionar o jogador.

– Não estou contando com o Rafinha para este jogo. Não vai ter condições de ser relacionado para a partida. Estou trabalhando as alternativas já contando com a impossibilidade de escalar ele – falou.

Uma dessas alternativas trabalhadas por Mano é a utilização de três volantes, resgatando o esquema de 4-3-3 utilizado em sua primeira passagem pelo Cruzeiro, em 2015. Henrique, Cabral e Hudson foram testados na quinta-feira, mas o esquema não foi confirmado. Se isso acontecer, a tendência é de que Lucas Romero seja mais uma vez improvisado na lateral.Além disso, Rafael Marques também atuou como titular e pode pegar a vaga de Ábila.

– Treinamos assim ontem (quinta-feira). Numa semana cheia, se abre a possibilidade de trabalhar algumas coisas. Sejam usadas agora ou mais para frente. Também não tínhamos visto ainda como Rafael (Marques) se comportava no time. Chegou e estamos vendo as características no dia a dia. Era isso que eu estava fazendo ontem. Vamos decidir qual a formação que vamos iniciar – acrescentou.

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes West Brom fans might see a loan move for Alex Palmer this summer.

The 25-year-old featured in West Brom’s recent Carabao Cup match against Arsenal and has also played for the Baggies in Premier League 2 against Fulham.

There has been plenty of speculation this summer about West Brom number one Sam Johnstone, with BBC Sport reporting that West Brom turned down a £10m bid from West Ham United for the shot-stopper.

Baggies manager Valerien Ismael spoke to the Express and Star about a new contract for Johnstone and said: “We have a good feeling, but we need to be patient on that.”

Apart from the opening day of the season against AFC Bournemouth, Johnstone has started in goal for West Brom in the Championship, which has seen Palmer’s game time limited and Hatfield believes because of that, it’s possible he might head out on loan.

“You might see a loan move for someone like Alex Palmer who is not going to see many minutes as third-choice goalkeeper this season,” Hatfield told Football FanCast.

Palmer has had a couple of fantastic loan spells in the previous couple of years. He was with Plymouth Argyle in 2019/2020 when they were promoted from League Two, playing 41 games for the Pilgrims in all competitions and keeping 15 clean sheets.

Palmer then spent last season with Lincoln City in League One and featured 57 times for them, keeping 21 clean sheets and helping them to reach the play-off final at Wembley.

If Palmer isn’t going to get game time this season in the first team, then a temporary move away from the Hawthorns may be beneficial for him.

أكد أمير عبد الحميد لاعب الأهلي السابق، أن تصريحات بيتسو موسيماني مدرب الأهلي غريبة، مشيرًا إلى أنه لابد العودة لنظام الذهاب والإياب في بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقال أمير عبد الحميد في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “المحور”: “بيتسو موسيماني منذ فترة يقول تصريحات غريبة، وتصريحاته بشأن أن العمل صعب في الأهلي أمرًا مرفوضًا”.

وأضاف: “مدرب الأهلي لابد أن يتعامل مع الإعلام بالشكل الأمثل، ويكون هناك اتزان في تصريحاته، والأهلي أكبر نادي في إفريقيا وطبيعي أن يطالب بتحقيق الفوز وحصد البطولات بشكل مستمر”.

وتطرق للحديث عن نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا قائلا: “أرى أنه لم يتم التعامل بالعدل مع الأهلي، والأحمر لم يعترض على هذا الأمر بسبب أنه خسر اللقب، حتى لو كان حصد اللقب كان سيتعرض”.

واختتم: “لابد من عودة نظام الذهاب والإياب في نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

طالع أيضًا.. تشكيل الأهلي المتوقع أمام المصري بالسلوم في كأس مصر

جدير بالذكر أن الأهلي يستعد لمواجهة المصري بالسلوم مساء اليوم الأحد في دور الـ 32 من مسابقة كأس مصر، والتي ستقام على استاد الأهلي وي السلام.

Michael Stewart has predicted Glasgow Rangers will need to sell players after failing to reach the group stages of the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Gers receive CL blow

After winning the Premiership last term, the Gers will have been hopeful of reaching this season’s Champions League group stages and securing the financial boost which comes along with that.

However, they fell at the first hurdle, losing 4-2 on aggregate to Malmo in the third qualifying round.

The Latest: Stewart makes prediction

Taking to Twitter following the 55-time Scottish champions’ defeat to the Swedish side, Stewart wrote:

“Champions League money isn’t coming into Ibrox and surely that’ll mean they need to sell players to try and balance this years accounts. Which will obviously have an impact on the team on the pitch.”

The Verdict: Harsh but true

While this is something that many Rangers fans will not want to hear, it may unfortunately come to pass. Several Gers players have the ability to play at a higher level – Glen Kamara (Transfermarkt) and Alfredo Morelos, for example, competed at Euro 2020 and the Copa America respectively this summer and are entering the prime years of their career.

Neither have appeared in the Champions League before these two matches – they will likely want to play on that stage regularly.

Perhaps the one saving grace in some cases is that, if the Gers win the Premiership again this season, they will automatically receive a spot in the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition. Therefore, some of their top players may decide to give it one last chance at Ibrox.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL move.