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Allen Stanford has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy and obstruction

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2009Allen Stanford has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy and obstruction.Stanford, who appeared in court in Houston wearing handcuffs and leg chains and an orange jump-suit, has been in detention since he surrendered to FBI agents on June 18.He stands accused of fraud totalling US$7 billion (£4.3 billion), and the charges include seven counts of wire fraud, 10 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct an investigation for the Securities and Exchange Commission, obstruction of an investigation by the SEC and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Stanford, who was surrounded by family and friends, spoke only to answer “not guilty, your honour” when the charges were read out to him. His lawyer then claimed his client had turned to alcohol as a result of the pressure he has been under.The magistrate set a date of August 25 for the trial of Stanford and his four co-defendants. A decision is awaited whether they will be granted bail in the interim.

Leeds United winger Raphinha may have become even more crucial for the Whites than Kalvin Phillips, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Raphinha excels on Brazil debut

The 24-year-old has been superb for Leeds since arriving from Rennes in 2020 and he has taken his form with him to the international stage.

Raphinha registered two assists on his Brazil debut on Thursday evening, helping them to a 3-1 victory away to Venezuela in a World Cup qualifier.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay hails winger

It was a performance that summed up Raphinha’s brilliance, and taking to Twitter on Friday morning, The Athletic‘s Hay admitted that he could be the first name on Leeds’ team-sheet, ahead of even Phillips:

“One of the questions in the mailbag was ‘Is Raphinha Leeds’ most important player?’ and even though Phillips is the player Leeds really miss, you could easily make an argument for Raphinha.”

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The Verdict: Phillips still the key man

Raphinha is a wonderful footballer who is unquestionably one of Leeds’ star men, but Phillips is still the player they miss the most when he isn’t there, losing seven out of the nine fixtures he was absent for in the top flight last term.

That was highlighted in the 5-1 defeat at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season when the Whites’ midfield fell apart without him in the team.

Phillips has averaged 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League this season – only Liam Cooper (2.7) has more – as well as an 84.6 percent pass completion rate.

The England international brings so much energy, quality and all-round influence in the middle of the park that he has the edge over Raphinha, which isn’t to diminish his own class as a footballer.

In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to make a ‘breakthrough’. Find out who it is here.

Good bowling by Pakistan debutants and sloppy fielding made sure no team held advantage at the end of the first day

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga in Galle04-Jul-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outYounis Khan supported his bowlers by taking two wickets•AFPPakistan had a day of typical Pakistani cricket. Two of their debutants got them off to a great start, but sloppy fielding and a failure to keep a lid on the scoring meant they hadn’t run away with the game. The Sri Lankan batsmen, although never entirely comfortable in the middle, kept counterattacking, getting quick runs, making sure they got themselves a fighting total on a pitch that offered movement to bowlers of both variety.If Pakistan were slightly ahead at the end of the innings, the last half hour, when Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara took a wicket each, made sure the match was as balanced as it was when it started.Like 17-year-olds should, Mohammad Aamer sprung suddenly on Sri Lanka, taking two wickets in his first two overs. Like hardened domestic sloggers should, the 30-year-old Abdur Rauf came back to do the repair work, taking out beneficiaries of early dropped chances – Tharanga Paranavitana and Mahela Jayawardene. Even before he surprised Sri Lanka by breaking two threatening partnerships, Younis Khan had read the pitch well, played three fast bowlers, and chosen to field first.Aamer vindicated the decision right away, following his first-over success on Twenty20 international debut with the wicket of Malinda Warnapura in his first over in Tests. Right from the first over Aamer got the ball to move both ways, bowling regularly in the mid-130s.Warnapura hadn’t looked comfortable, lofting Aamer unconvincingly, barely over mid-on. The next ball was shorter, moving in sharply, cramping him, and taking the bottom edge onto the stumps. If it was the inward movement that got Warnapura, the away movement should have got Paranavitana in his next over. The batsman was on 1 then. That didn’t deter Aamer from getting new Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to edge through to third slip in the next over.Between those two events Paranavitana got another life, ballooning Umar Gul to regulation short leg, but Khurram Manzoor was placed deeper. In Aamer’s next over Kamran Akmal dropped a sitter from Jayawardene. The two looked like they would punish Pakistan bad. Their partnership moved swiftly, Paranavitana attacking off the front foot, and getting a couple of edges through the slip cordon. Jayawardene, though not always the elegant self, looked threatening.Paranavitana was particularly severe. When he hit back-to-back boundaries in Aamer’s fifth over, cutting one through gully and then whipping a half volley past midwicket, he had crossed his previous best of 21, with five fours. Longer spells from fast bowlers were not possible in hot and humid conditions, and Younis had to rotate his bowlers, even bowl himself.Paranavitana got to his half-century with another big over, taking 11 off Rauf, and reached the landmark in just 67 deliveries. Rauf, though, had another twist up his cocked wrist, getting the ball to hold its line beautifully and getting an edge from a set Jayawardene, nine minutes from lunch.Rauf’s first spell had promised such events. He bowled with an upright seam, getting movement away from the batsmen, and also good bounce. He came back, and along with the third debutant, Saeed Ajmal, created pressure. Then came an effort ball, moving away from Paranavitana sharply, and getting big on him.Younis came back for a second spell and bowled a beauty Rauf would have been proud of, to get an edge from Thilan Samaraweera. Tillakaratne Dilshan and another debutant, Angelo Mathews, known better for their limited-overs cricket, went on another counterattack. In the 5.4 overs leading up to tea the two added 34, but the first ball after claimed Dilshan. He looked to force Aamer through gully, and spooned a catch.At 194 for 6, with Gul reversing the ball, Sri Lanka seemed in a precarious state. But the day was not meant for slowing down, and Kulasekara followed the scheme of things. Both the batsmen used their feet to the spin of Ajmal, and kept scoring at a brisk pace. Mathews, who has forced his way into the side with eight first-class centuries in the last 11 months, seemed to be justifying the move of sacrificing the specialist wicketkeeper to accommodate him. He looked comfortable against both pace and spin, seemed to be reading Ajmal’s doosra, and Kulasekara fed off him.Against the run of play, after the two had added 47 for the seventh wicket, Mathews was undone by a Gul bouncer that didn’t quite come on. But more stiff resistance was in the offing. Kulasekara and Herath added 30 runs for the eighth wicket, a partnership during which Herath survived two difficult chances, with mid-off running back but failing to holding on. Younis came back to get a wicket in his first over again, taking Kulasekara for 38, whereupon Ajmal cleaned up the last two.Kulasekara carried that confidence, and bowled Salman Butt with the second ball of the innings. Butt premeditated a leave, but the ball was too close to the stumps, and the inwards shape did the rest. During a shaky half hour that followed, Younis and Khurram Manzoor played and missed, ran with uncertainty, and it all culminated in Thushara getting Manzoor with 3.1 overs to go.

Manchester United’s winless run in the Premier League extended to three games after they fell to a hugely disappointing 4-2 defeat against Leicester City this afternoon.

The Foxes scored two late goals to snatch a deserved victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges, with strikes from Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka securing all three points.

In truth, no United player can be proud of their showing at the King Power Stadium, but some members of the back four were particularly disappointing.

Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was poor in possession, completing just 50% of his dribbles and failing to pick out a teammate with any of his three attempted crosses, but it was Harry Maguire who really had an afternoon to forget.

The Red Devils captain was returning the starting line-up after being sidelined with a calf injury, and the 28-year-old looked extremely rusty against his former club.

Leicester forward Kelechi Iheanacho dispossessed the centre-back on the edge of his own box after he misjudged the weight of a David de Gea pass, setting up Youri Tielemans for the Foxes’ equaliser after Mason Greenwood had opened the scoring.

However, things went from bad to worse for the England defender. He needlessly put the ball out for a Leicester corner under no pressure in the 78th minute and was unable to clear his lines after the ball had been swung into United’s box leading to Caglar Soyuncu smashing the ball home from close range.

His desperately poor display saw SofaScore award Maguire a match rating of just 6.1 out of 10, the lowest received by any player on the pitch. During the 90 minutes, he won just 56% of his duels, made one error leading directly to a goal and was dribbled past on one occasion, highlighting his underwhelming performance at the King Power Stadium.

Questions will be asked over whether Maguire should have been starting so soon after coming back from an injury, but the 6 foot 3 gem let Solskjaer down against Leicester, piling further pressure on the Norwegian.

In other news… MUFC could secure their next Pogba in “devastating” £74k-p/w gem, Ole would love him 

The BCCI has sanctioned Rs 22 crore each to the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals as compensation for cancellation of the Champions League

Ajay S Shankar17-Aug-2009In an unprecedented financial bailout, the Indian board has sanctioned Rs 22 crore (approximately $5 million) each to the Chennai Super Kings – owned by the BCCI secretary – and Rajasthan Royals, the 2008 IPL finalists, as compensation for cancellation of the Champions League Twenty20 last November.None of the other six teams invited for the tournament’s 2008 edition, which was cancelled due to the Mumbai attacks, has received any compensation from their national boards. The tournament rules are clear that teams are not entitled to compensation from the organisers in the event of cancellation but individual boards are free to take a separate decision in this regard.Chennai Super Kings is owned by India Cements, which is headed by N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, who is also a member of the IPL and Champions League governing councils. Rajasthan Royals is co-owned by Emerging Media, a UK-based consortium, and the Chellarams, the Nigeria-based shipping owners.The cancellation of the tournament cost each team a guaranteed participation fee of $500,000 and a share of the total prize money of $6 million, apart from potential sponsorship revenue. Chennai and Rajasthan have not qualified for the 2009 edition of the tournament, scheduled to be staged across three Indian venues from October 8.When contacted, Lalit Modi, chairman of IPL and Champions League, and also a BCCI vice-president, confirmed the IPL compensation amount and told Cricinfo that part of the money has already been paid to the two franchises. Modi declined, however, to comment further on the issue or provide details.The other teams that were invited for the tournament last year were Victoria and Western Australia, the domestic Twenty20 finalists from Australia, and Titans and Dolphin, the South African toppers, Middlesex, the England champions, and Sialkot Stallions from Pakistan.Cricket Australia is planning to provide some financial compensation for Victoria and Western Australia from the revenue it hopes to gain from the tournament this year. But these amounts, which will cover advance travel booking, team preparation and lost sponsorship opportunities, are not expected to match the Indian payout. Cricket South Africa declined to comment on the issue but Cassim Docrat, chief executive of Dolphins, confirmed that he has received no information about any compensation.The BCCI is a founding partner of the Champions League Twenty20, along with Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Cricket Australia (CA), with all three countries enjoying joint decision-making control over the multi-nation, multi-club event. The England and Pakistan boards have no management stake in the tournament.An official familiar with the decision said there are two opinions within the Indian board on the compensation amount for the IPL teams. “Some feel that the compensation is reasonable considering the money that the franchises would have possibly earned from the tournament,” the official said. “But others have expressed concerns that such a move could set a bad precedent. They fear that other IPL franchises may demand similar bailouts if such situations crop up again in the future, even during the IPL.”However, a member of the IPL governing council said the hefty compensation package for the Indian franchises was reasonable given the amount they would have gained from the tournament and loss of the sponsorship money that had been committed to the two teams. The BCCI’s original agreement with the IPL franchises included a possible slot in the Champions League for the finalists, and this was factored into most of the major sponsorship agreements the franchises had entered into.”The IPL’s duty and obligation is towards its franchises and a fruitful, long-term relationship,” the IPL official said. “The IPL’s promise to the franchises was that if you qualify for the Champions League, you will play. But due to unfortunate circumstances, that didn’t happen last year and we had to honour that commitment in the best manner possible.”The Champions League Twenty20 was set to start on December 3 last year but was aborted after terrorists attack on Mumbai, one of the main venues, on November 26. The tournament has now been expanded to include 12 teams and invitations have been extended to this year’s domestic toppers from seven countries, including three teams from India, two each from Australia, South Africa and England and one each from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

With Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash in an excellent run of form, the 45-year-old would have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another positive result against a struggling Leeds United side this afternoon.

With Wolves having taken the lead through Hwang Hee-chan’s early first-half strike, a lead that Lage’s side would maintain as the clock ticked over the 90-minute mark, the Portuguese may well have believed that his team had done enough to secure all three points at Elland Road, despite having not put on anywhere near their best display of the season.

However, a surging 93rd-minute run by Leeds’ second half substitute Joe Gelhardt caused late panic in the Wolves penalty area, with Nelson Semedo clumsily bringing down the 19-year-old and gifting Rodrigo the opportunity to level the scores with practically the last kick of the game, which the Spaniard duly did.

Indeed, Semedo’s carelessness in the dying moments of the match summed up the right wing-back’s afternoon rather aptly, as the 27-year-old was something of a liability in the Wolves defence.

Just 8 passes completed

Having made a £28.8m move from Barcelona to Molineux this summer, Semedo’s Wolves career has gotten off to a rather shaky start, with the defender impressing in some fixtures – such as in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and the 1-0 win over Southampton – while he has looked some way off the pace in others, with this afternoon certainly falling into the latter category.

Indeed, over the course of the 90 minutes, the £25.2m-rated right-back completed a mere eight passes, failed with both of his attempted long balls, conceded one foul and gave away possession on 11 separate occasions.

However, it was undoubtedly the £84k-per-week defender’s carelessness at the death which let his side down the most on Saturday. If the Portugal international had kept a cooler head in the box – something Conor Coady illustrated perfectly a matter of minutes prior to Semedo’s foul, when the club captain simply shepherded Rodrigo away from goal after the forward had broken through – Wolves would have been celebrating yet another three points in the league tonight.

While there were other players in Lage’s side who turned in below-par displays on Saturday, with neither Leander Dendoncker nor Romain Saiss having their best games in a Wolves shirt, it was perhaps the player who journalist Nathan Judah dubbed “frustrating” who should be most disappointed with his performance.

In other news: Wolves’ £6.3m-rated “breath of fresh air” could cause Lage a major problem next season

Floyd Reifer has said while he is happy with the balance of the team, the top-order batting remains

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2009Floyd Reifer, the West Indies captain, has said while he is happy with the balance of the team, the top-order batting remains a concern following a 52-run defeat to Bangladesh in the first ODI in Dominica.West Indies, who lost the Test series 2-0, were chasing 247 and lost their first four wickets for 42 runs in 12 overs before Devon Smith’s 65 took them past 100. “We didn’t get the start we wanted from the top, and this is something that is worrying us at the moment,” Reifer said. “We are not getting enough partnerships at the top of the innings.”After the spinners had been successful in the Test series, it was expected the pitches for the ODIs would favour bounce and pace. The Windsor Park curator had said he would comply with West Indies coach John Dyson’s request for faster tracks. However Bangladesh opened with left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who took 4 for 39 – including two of the first four wickets.Razzak, who was suspended by the ICC for a suspect bowling action in November and cleared four months ago, said the pitches in the Caribbean favoured spin bowling and he was not surprised when his captain handed him the new ball.”When I played in the Caribbean in the 2007 World Cup, I also used the new ball, so it’s normal,” Razzak said. “But this was important for me. I was out of the team for eight months, and now I am back in the side, I am looking to do well.”Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, who scored a half-century, said the team had been confident of the total on the board since the pitch was playing slow and there were four spinners in the XI. “I have been surprised by the nature of the pitches in the Caribbean,” Shakib said. “I thought they would have had more bounce and pace. But it suited our spinners, and Razzak came back into the side, bowled well, and did a good job for us.”

Tottenham insider John Wenham has expressed his delight over a sponsorship deal that the club has agreed with Getir.

The lowdown: Tottenham and Getir partnership

In August, the north London outfit announced a three-year partnership with the Turkish ‘ultrafast grocery delivery’ service, whose branding features prominently on Spurs’ training kit.

While no figures have been publicised to quantify the financial benefits to Tottenham from the deal, Wenham – who regularly breaks news about the club on his Lilywhite Rose social media channels – has conducted his own research into the partnership and concluded that it could benefit Spurs enormously.

The latest: Wenham hails Spurs’ Getir partnership

Speaking to Football Insider on Sunday about the partnership between Tottenham and Getir, the Spurs insider gushed: “Tottenham recently announced a shirt partnership with Getir. They are a bit like Uber Eats but deliver groceries on motorbikes. There are a lot of companies like them out there but Tottenham picked these guys for a reason.

“They are a Turkish company. I looked into it because I thought they were quite small-fry. They have huge global revenue turnover and profits, from the looks of it this is a great deal.

“The club have to be so careful with deals like this because there is a lot of competition out there. From looking into this one though, it looks like a great move which is great to see. Both Tottenham and Getir will benefit from this and that’s really the aim with these things.”

The verdict: Spurs could do with a financial boost

Supporters are likely to care far more about players being signed than new sponsorship deals being struck, but with Tottenham needing to take out a £175m loan to cover the costs of lost revenue after the global pandemic hit in 2020, anything which can provide the club with a financial boost should be welcomed.

The authority with which Wenham, who is bound to have Spurs’ best interests at heart, speaks about how the Getir deal is “great” for the club and “will benefit” them offers an assurance that this particular partnership could have a ripple effect which positively affects on-field matters in the long run.

The impact of Getir’s sponsorship is yet to manifest itself, but hopefully Wenham’s confidence will prove well-placed and we will see Spurs reaping tangible value from it in the near future.

In other news: one pundit has ripped into Spurs players amid recent reports stemming from the club

The second ODI between Canada and Kenya was abandoned without a ball being bowled after storms on Thursday left large pools on the outfield

Cricinfo staff22-Aug-2009The second ODI between Canada and Kenya was abandoned without a ball being bowled after storms on Thursday left large pools on the outfield. The match has now been shifted to Saturday. The third ODI is scheduled for Sunday.Canada thumped Kenya in the first ODI, chasing down the target of 114 in 16.2 overs. Khurram Chohan picked up 4 for 26 and Rizwan Cheema was scored an unbeaten 76. However Kenya won the preceding Intercontinental Cup match by an overwhelming 247 runs.

Bangladesh A were shot out for a sorry 81 on the second day on Poona, conceding a massive 248-run first-innings lead against Maharashtra Cricket Association XI

Cricinfo staff03-Oct-2009
ScorecardBangladesh A were shot out for 81 on the second day in Pune, conceding a massive 248-run first-innings lead against Maharashtra Cricket Association XI. Ranjit Chavan and Kiran Adhav shared nine wickets between them to bundle out the visitors inside 30 overs. The hosts ended the day with an overall lead of 293.Resuming on 309 for 8, Maharashtra were bowled out for 329 with Chavan remaining unbeaten on 34. The medium pacer took the first four Bangladesh wickets to fall and the visitors were in need of repair work at 44 for 4. There wasn’t much respite for them from the other end as Adhav, the left-arm spinner, ran through the tail with 4 for 5 in a six-over spell. Only three players – Rajin Saleh, Imrul Kayes and Hannan Sarkar (all internationals) – managed double figures. Chavan finished with 5 for 27.Maharashtra lost the early wicket of Ameya Shrikandhe for 5 and ended the day at 45 for 1.