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West Bromwich Albion have now expressed an interest in an “insanely talented” manager, who could be brought in as a replacement for Ryan Mason.

Mason under pressure after Bristol City defeat

West Brom came up short in a 2-1 defeat at home against Bristol City on Boxing Day, which was their fourth loss in the last five Championship games, meaning they now sit just six points above the relegation zone.

In fact, the Baggies are now closer to the bottom three than they are to the top six, with sixth-placed Bristol City moving eight points clear courtesy of the result on Friday, and Mason has made it clear he understands the supporters’ anger.

Speaking after the latest defeat, the manager said: “I am not going to sit here and ask for patience. It’s normal. That’s football. I understand the emotion and the passion.

“If we score three of our five opportunities then the feeling, the momentum and the energy is different. We’ve lost too many games and with that comes frustration.”

Time may now be running out for the 34-year-old, with a report from Football Insider revealing he is under increasing pressure, which has led West Brom to search for alternatives, and they have now expressed an interest in appointing former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick.

Carrick was dismissed by Boro back in the summer, but he is now on the radar of two Championship clubs, with Birmingham City also keen, given that Chris Davies is also fighting to keep his job.

The 44-year-old has experience transforming struggling sides into promotion chasers, taking over at Middlesbrough when they were just one point above the drop back in 2022, before going on to lead them to the play-off semi-final.

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West Bromwich Albion must now ditch this £25k-per-week flop, who is a far bigger waste of money than Isaac Price.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson "Insanely talented" Carrick could be solid Mason replacement

Indeed, the ex-Boro boss did a fantastic job in the 2022-23 campaign, and he now has plenty of experience in management, winning 47%, drawing 18% and losing 35% of the games he’s overseen, including a three-game spell as caretaker manager of Man United.

Michael Carrick’s record as a manager

Games

139

Wins

65

Draws

25

Losses

49

Points per game

1.58

Former players have also spoken very fondly of the Englishman, with ex-Boro man Lukas Engel lauding him as “insanely talented”, while Tommy Smith has sung his praises.

Mason looks set to be given Monday’s game against Queens Park Rangers, but if he is unable to turn things around in the near future, Carrick could be a solid replacement, and West Brom should move swiftly to secure his signature before Birmingham.

A scintillating unbeaten century by Test discard Younis Khan (146) enabled Peshawar amass 352 for four wickets against Lahore Whites on the first day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy match at the LCCA Ground on Monday.At close of play, Younis and Taimur Khan (50) were at the creae having piled up 168 runs in their 149-minute unbroken fifth wicket stand.Younis Khan came at the crease 10 minutes before the lunch interval when Wajahatullah Wasti (34) and Rifattulah (31) were back in the pavilion after Peshawar were put into bat by Lahore Whites’ captain Aamir Sohail.Younis batted with authority and belted 22 boundaries and one six during a stay of 234 minutes. He consumed 190 balls. Taimur’s 50 contained six boundaries.

ScorecardAssam lost three quick wickets towards the end of the day as Services, who had earlier taken their innings to 406, pressed home their advantage. Although Services lost two quick wickets in the morning after starting the day on 272 for 5, Ashish Mohanty and Surender Patwal added 86 for the eighth wicket to put Services in charge. Mohanty scored 57 and Patwal 34. Kushaljit Das took four wickets for Assam.Assam had made a good start as S Suresh and Palash Das made Services wait for 18 overs for the first wicket. But then three came in the space of 16 runs, Rakesh Kumar taking two in three overs.
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Haryana dismissed half the Jammu & Kashmir side for 92 after they had posted 404 to tighten their hold over the match. Jitender Billa, in his second first-class match, struck thrice to leave J&K reeling, despite a half-century by Arshad Bhatt.Earlier overnight batsmen Sachin Rana and SS Viswanathan strengthened Haryana’s position before Amit Mishra scored 54 to take them past 400. Rana scored 132 and Viswanathan 65.
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Manish Vardhan, the Jharkhand captain, scored an unbeaten century to take Jharkhand to 213 for 1 and to give them every chance to secure a first-innings lead against Goa’s 336. Vardhan batted at a fast pace, hitting 15 boundaries in his 157-ball 113. He was supported well by opening partner Subroto Ghosh who scored 57. For the first wicket, the duo added 103 runs.Earlier, thanks to Aditya Angle’s cameo, Goa took their overnight 251 for 7 to 336. Angle scored 45 off 60 deliveries 50 runs for the last wicket with Harshad Gadekar.
ScorecardVidarbha took the last five Gujarat wickets for 40 runs and their batsmen turned in a steady performance to put them in a position from where they can go for the first-innings lead. Gujarat could add only 42 to their overnight 270 for 5 as Mohammad Hashim took four of the wickets to fall today to finish with figures of 4-63.After Vidarbha lost their first wicket for one, Faiz Fazal put them on the recovery track. Ravi Jangid, making his first-class debut, came in at 84 for 3 and scored an unbeaten half-century to see Vidarbha attain the upper-hand in the match.
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The Railways lower-order frustrated Madhya Pradesh, and added 208 runs resuming from 256 for 5. Raja Ali and Karan Sharma scored half-centuries and Mahesh Rawat added 25 to his overnight 50. Ali missed his century by 12 runs and Sharma scored 61. Sanjay Pandey took three of the five wickets to fall today to add respectability to his figures.In reply, MP made a steady start as they finished the day at 50 without loss.

“There was plenty to admire about Astle the cricketer” © Getty Images

The retirement of Nathan Astle will create mixed emotions among New Zealand cricket fans. New Zealand are undeniably a weaker team without his experience, but at the same time it is also undeniable that Astle was a batsman on the wane.Less than two months out from the World Cup the timing is hardly ideal, but you have to admire a man who goes with the courage of his convictions. And there was plenty to admire about Astle the cricketer, too.Statistically he retires as New Zealand’s greatest one-day batsman. His 7090 runs are second only to Stephen Fleming, but his 16 centuries are ten better than Fleming and 12 better than the likes of Chris Cairns and Martin Crowe. Added to his 11 Test centuries (third on the list behind Martin Crowe and John Wright), Astle has 27 international hundreds, six better than Crowe.But statistics are cold, they tell nothing of the excitement Astle brought to the crease when he was in his pomp. He could take good length balls with a minimum of width and dispatch them through the covers for four in the blink of an eye. There was nothing flamboyant or affected about his manner at the crease but he was, particularly in one-day cricket, a brutally effective run gatherer.He was a sound bowling option too, as his 99 wickets and economy rate of 4.71 demonstrate. His Test career was never quite as impressive but he will be fondly remembered for two of the more remarkable innings.In 1997, in a test against England at Eden Park, New Zealand began their second innings 131 runs behind England, effectively having to bat out the final day on a deteriorating pitch to save the match. At 105 for 8 and then 142 for 9 New Zealand’s chances were gone, but rabbit Danny Morrison joined Astle in a remarkable unbroken 106-run stand. Astle hit the last ball before stumps were drawn for four to bring up a richly deserved century.Five years later, against the same opposition but this time on his home ground at Jade Stadium, Astle was presented with another lost cause. Chasing 550 to win, New Zealand were 119 for 3 when Astle strode to the crease. When he was last man out with the total at 451, Astle had smashed a scarcely believable 222 off 168 balls – the fastest double-century in Test history – with 28 fours and 11 sixes.

“He was a pretty simple sort of bloke who could have happily gone through life without ever giving an interview” © Getty Images

Those who were lucky enough to be at the ground that day testify to the incredibly ‘clean’ sound the ball made every time it found its way into the middle of Astle’s bat. Despite his one-day prowess that innings, in a losing cause, will stand as Astle’s legacy.Off the field Astle could often appear a dry personality. The truth was he was a pretty simple sort of bloke who could have happily gone through life without ever giving an interview. He liked playing cricket but not necessarily the peripheral stuff that came with it. As it is, anecdotes involving Astle are hardly thick on the ground.Instead he left it to his bat to do the talking. At his best Astle was an uncomplicated combination of power and timing. Unfortunately, as Astle’s reflexes dulled with age he didn’t have the bedrock of a sound technique to fall back on. He still had enough experience and savvy to knock out decent innings, but they were fewer and further between.Bowlers and captains had his number, stacking the cover-point region and refusing to give him the width he had made a living off. The sight of the ball angling in and thudding into Astle’s pads became more common.But that’s not what we will remember Astle for. Instead we will remember his blazing bat that often kick-started New Zealand’s success. We will remember some spectacular outfield catches, most notably the one-handed grab which robbed Dwayne Smith of a six at Jade Stadium last year.And most of all we will remember double-century.

Misbah-ul-Haq compiled a splendid double-hundred but Sufyan Munir fell in the nervous nineties as Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) amassed a first-innings score of 498 for 8 against Pakistan Customs on day two of their second round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match at Karachi.Misbah maintained his fine run on the domestic circuit with his 21st first-class century – and third double-hundred – which is now his highest. Batting for just over nine hours, he faced 397 balls and hit 12 fours and six sixes. Misbah was particularly severe on Murtaza Hussain’s offbreaks, launching him for for three sixes, and Stephen John, the fast bowler, who was twice struck out of the ground. Murtaza, who had five wickets in his last match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), finished with none for 105 in 37 overs.Playing in his 99th first-class match, Misbah was first associated in a 166-run partnership in 288 minutes for the third wicket with Munir before putting on a further 165 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Salman, the wicketkeeper, to build a big total for his team.Munir was unlucky to miss what would have been his career’s eighth hundred when he was bowled by Imran Ali’s medium pace for 91. Sufyan clubbed 13 boundaries in his 91 off 250 balls while occupying the crease for almost five and a half hours. Misbah too fell just before the close, offering a return catch to Afsar Nawaz, the part-time offspinner, trying to pull him over midwicket.Salman hit an attractive 72 in 126 deliveries, with four boundaries and three sixes. Imran Ali, with a marathon 41 overs sent down so far, has been the most successful bowler with three wickets for 109 runs.Habib Bank nosed ahead of Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) to take a 21-run lead on the second day of their second-round Patron’s Trophy match at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex in Karachi.After having dismissed KRL for a rather modest score of 247 on the opening day, Habib Bank reached 268 for the loss of six wickets by the close of play yesterday. Farhan Adil, the middle-order batsman, was still at the wicket with an unbeaten 73 off 134 balls with six fours. After a useful start, Hasan Raza, the Habib Bank captain, and Aftab Khan came together for an 84-run partnership for the third wicket. Aftab’s 59 runs saw him negotiate 156 balls in just over three-and-a-half hours as he hit eight boundaries.Raza followed his knock of 178 in the first-round match against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with a useful 44 off 87 deliveries with two fours. Another 62 runs came for the fourth-wicket stand between Aftab and Adil, who played for Pakistan in a Test match against Bangladesh two years ago.In their first-round match, a tall-scoring affair, Habib Bank – record seven-time Patron’s Trophy winners – claimed the three first-innings points from a draw against PIA.Service Industries were hurtling towards a certain defeat as the second day of their match against National Bank came to a close at the Sheikhupura Stadium.National Bank first gained a big 164 runs first-innings lead over Service, who had been dismissed for a mere 72 on the opening day, and then restricted them to 90 for 5. Service still need another 75 runs to make National Bank bat again. Wasim Khan, the fast-medium bowler from Lahore, proved to be Service’s tormentor yet again, taking 4 for 39 to add to his first innings 6 for 38.National Bank, five-time Patron’s Trophy winners, had equalled the Service first-innings total by stumps on the first day, for the loss of only two wickets. Yesterday, they took their tally to 236 all out but still attained a substantial advantage. No National Bank batsman crossed 50 but there were three individual scores in the 40s. Mansoor Amjad, the allrounder, top-scored with 47 from the No.7 spot, with five fours and a six. The Service bowlers were wayward, conceding 26 no-balls as the extras column reached a shocking 44. However, Rizwan Akbar, the young fast bowler, achieved first-class career-best figures of 6 for 76 from 11.5 overs.Earlier, Imran Nazir, the former Pakistan opener, hammered a characteristic 46 off 64 balls with seven boundaries. Naved Latif, who has also represented Pakistan, needed a mere 28 deliveries to smash 42.Service qualified for this season’s first-class circuit after having won the Patron’s Trophy Grade-II tournament in 2004-05. They were beaten by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) in their first-round Group B encounter.Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) cleared the first hurdle when they gained the first innings advantage over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), on the second day of their clash at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.PTCL finished the day’s play at 265 for 6 – which took them six runs ahead – after ZTBL made 259 on the opening day. PTCL’s sound position was made possible by a 116-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Zulqarnain Haider, the wicketkeeper, and Aamer Bashir, the captain. While Bashir hit a quick 77 off 114 deliveries with 12 fours, Zulqarnain remains at the wicket with an unbeaten 88 runs to his name.PTCL had started the day precariously placed at 3 for 2 before a third-wicket stand of 82 between Zulqarnain and Ashar Zaidi, the left-handed opener, steadied them. Zulqarnain, who has so far faced 250 balls and hit seven fours, found another able partner in Shahzad Malik (33) as 44 runs were added for the fifth wicket. Shahzad got his runs off only 36 balls with two fours and a six.ZTBL, who have won the Patron’s Trophy title four times, were beaten by their 2003-04 runners-up Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the first round. PTCL, however, took six points from their win over Service Industries in their opening game.

Scorecard

Mark Vermeulen: unusual end © Getty Images

Namibia finished their tour of Zimbabwe with a good match against Matabeleland, although they lost in the end by 23 runs with 13 balls unbowled. The decisive performance was a century from Mark Vermeulen, who should have played his way into the national team for the upcoming one-day series against England. He made a rapid century, although the most notable incident was the unusual manner of his dismissal.Namibia were required to field first for the only time on their tour. Matabeleland’s openers battled through some very good early bowling, with Tinashe Hove going on to make an impressive 80. This laid the foundation for Vermeulen’s 105 off 96 balls, with ten fours. He was finally dismissed when he went for a hasty second run to his partner’s hit into the deep. He was probably not in real danger of being run out, but as the throw passed him, with the bowler preparing to receive it, he thrust his bat at it and deflected it to the boundary. On appeal he was given out obstructing the field.Matabeleland totalled 272 – exactly the same score as in their previous game, in which Vermeulen made 91 – but Jan-Berrie Burger gave Namibia a rollicking start with 71 off 58 balls. The rest put up a good effort right to the end, but did not have quite enough batting depth to pull off an unlikely victory. Chris Mpofu was the best of the bowlers with 3 for 45.
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In a good match at Kwekwe Sports Club, Midlands beat Manicaland by 65 runs. It was a good allround performance, with the most encouraging individual effort being a disciplined 64 from the often-prodigal prodigy, Vusi Sibanda.Midlands, batting first, scored 254. Besides Sibanda, Conan Brewer made 46, and Prosper Utseya contributed an aggressive 41 from just 24 balls. Manicaland looked in the hunt at 135 for 3 at the halfway stage, with Stuart Matsikenyeri going strong. But Matsikenyeri was then dismissed for 59, and the rest of the batting failed sadly, with the offspinner Hilary Matanga returning the best figures of 3 for 27.

Adrian Le Roux, who has taken up the position of physical trainer with the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) after vacating the similar post he held with the Indian cricket team, has termed his decision as a personal one. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo from South Africa, Le Roux said: “I sat down with my family and we decided that the opportunity to work for one’s own country will be something that I might not get again. It has nothing to do with the BCCI or the Indian cricket team … it’s just a personal one.”The Indian board had offered him a one-year extension after the World Cup, but Le Roux clarified that there had only been a “verbal conference with the BCCI”. Refuting statements by the Indian board officials that they were kept in the dark, Le Roux said that he informed the BCCI as soon as he made up his mind to take up the South African offer. “Once I had my talks with the UCBSA, I sent an e-mail and a fax to the BCCI office informing them of my decision.”Le Roux also clarified that the issue of late payment of salary had no role to play in his decision. He stressed that his relationship with the board and the players had been excellent. “In my opinion, I’ve done a good job for them, and we’re good friends. I have a very good working relationship with the board and the players.”Le Roux was unhappy with reports in the Indian media which suggested that he had “dumped” the Indian team. “I don’t think that’s the correct phrase to use. It’s an opportunity that I have [to work with the South African team], and it’s a long-term career decision.”Le Roux was offered a one-year contract with the Indian board after working with the team on their tour to South Africa in 2001-02. Along with Andrew Leipus, the physiotherapist, he improved the fitness levels of the Indian team significantly. Now, the Indian board have the onerous task of finding a replacement.

National first league Champions Old Hararians recovered from their disappointing start to the season with a 39-run home win over Bulawayo Athletic Club in the second round of matches.OH, who lost their opening game to Kwekwe Sports Club by seven wickets, opened the batting and compiled 220/6 in a 45-over match. Opener Ryan Butterworth top-scored with 96 while all-rounder Paul Strang weighed in with 50. Trevor Penney took three wickets for five runs off 2.1 overs while Nyasha Chari claimed three for 38 off nine overs.While Old Hararians got back to winning ways, it was a different case with Bulawayo side Queens Sports Club, runners-up last season, as they slumped to their second successive defeat of the new season. Queens, who lost to Mutare Sports Club in the opening week, suffered an embarrassing 82-run home defeat to Kwekwe Sports Club.The only success story of the Queens performance was the bowling of former national team paceman Mpumelelo Mbangwa who took four for 35 off 10 overs in Kwekwe’s total of 240/8. The hosts were dismissed for 158 in 47.3 overs with spinner Raymond Price claiming four wickets for 30 off 10 overs.Takashinga continued their fine start to the 2001/02 Castle Lager National First League season with a 47-run win over visiting Bulawayo Sports Club at Eaglesvale on Sunday. It was the second straight win for the Highfield-based outfit who won only two matches during the whole of last season. Last week Takashinga beat another Bulawayo side, Bulawayo Athletic Club, by six wickets.On winning the toss, Takashinga batted first and made 267/8 with opener Tatenda Taibu top-scoring with 102. The Sixth-Form Churchill High School student featured in a 70-run first wicket partnership with EltonChigumbura, who made 23. Givemore Makoni made a quickfire 65 batting at number five, smashing seven sixes. Dash Vaghmaria, the BSC captain, was the pick of the visitors’ bowlers with four wickets for 37 off 10 overs.In reply, Bulawayo Sports Club were dismissed for 220 in 47.1 overs. Taibu was once again the best bowler for Takashinga, taking four wickets for 41 off 6.1 overs. Taibu had been the wicketkeeper until the middle of the innings when he handed over the gloves to Alester Maregwede.Mutare beat Old Georgians by 21 runs, their second win in as many matches. Mutare batted first and were dismissed for 229 in 49.5 overs with Richard Sims making 51. The hosts could only score 208/9 off their allotted 50 overs. Former national team vice-captain Guy Whittall was the pick of the bowlers with three for 27 off 10 overs, while colleague Alistair Campbell took three for 54 off 10 overs.At Alexandra Sports Club, the hosts beat Harare Sports Club by 35 runs, while Universals recorded their first win of the season, beating Macdonald Club by 33 runs in Bulawayo.Results from the Second Round of National First League played on 28 October, 2001.Winstonians v Bulawayo Sports ClubWinstonians won by 47 runs.Winstonians 267 for 6T Taibu 102, G Makoni 65, W Chawaguta 37D Vaghmaria 4 – 20B.S.C. 220 all outT Sibanda 38, M Kenny 35, M Ranchod 31T Taibu 4 – 41Mac Club v UniversalsUniversals won by 33 runsUniversals 294 for 9 in 50 oversC Coventry 63, D Matambanadzo 30, B Mahwire 97, N Chouhan 37Mac Club 261 for 9 in 50 oversW Siziba 55, H Price 35, S Wilson 56*D Mutendera 3 – 58Alexandra Sports Club v Harare Sports ClubAlexandra won by 35 runsAlexandra 220 all out in 49.5 oversB Benhura 39, C Anticevich 57*, S Marillier 35A Hoffman 3 – 35H.S.C. 185 all out in 46.2 oversB Taylor 33, M Brundle 49G du Plessis 3 – 41, C de Grandhomme 3 – 26Old Hararians v Bulawayo Athletic ClubOld Hararians won by 40 runsO H 220 for 8 wickets in 45 oversR Butterworth 96*, P Strang 50N Mukondiwa 3 – 54B A C 181 all out in 43.1 oversG Manchip 32, C Williams 62N Chari 3 – 38, T Penney 3 – 5Queens Sports Club v Kwekwe Sports ClubKwekwe won by 82 runsKwekwe 240 for 8 in 50 oversT Duffin 41, D Viljoen 70, D Houghton 35M Mbangwa 4 – 30Queens 158 all out in 42.3 oversR King 32, N van Rensburg 48, O Msundire 32C Sanders 3 – 30, R Price 4 – 30Old Georgians v Mutare Sports ClubMutare won by 21 runsMutare 229 all out in 49.5 oversR Sims 51, K Went 47, L Soma 31A Mackay 3 – 48, B McCoun 3 – 37O G 208 for 9 in 50 oversL Malloch-Brown 31, B Rogers 67, W Mwayenga 31A Campbell 3 -54, G Whittall 3 – 27

Tottenham Hotspur shockingly crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship outfit Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, adding to manager Antonio Conte’s ongoing woes in 2022.

It’s now five defeats in seven outings across all competitions for the north London outfit as they watched their only real chance of silverware slip from their grasp.

Their wait will now extend to a 15th season with only the top four left to play for.

In front of a sell-out crowd at the Riverside Stadium, Boro ran out triumphant in extra time after substitute Josh Coburn latched onto Matt Crooks’ pass, firing past Hugo Lloris in the 107th minute.

It was a well-deserved victory for the second-tier side and one that’ll leave Conte teeming with anger, especially given his reaction after Burnley. As such, he ought to be considering the long-term futures of several of his disappointing stars.

One of which being Harry Winks, who endured an absolute nightmare up in the northeast. Before the Italian’s arrival, he was close to the exit door, having fallen heavily out of favour under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo.

Now it’s easy to see why.

Against lower league opposition, the 26-year-old failed to win a single one of his eight duels, meaning a Championship midfield effectively ran the show on his behalf.

That much is reinforced by the fact that he was also dribbled past a whopping five times – more than anyone else on the pitch, as per SofaScore.

Elsewhere, he failed to register a single tackle, despite averaging 1.1 per game in the Premier League last campaign, so that’s well below the low standard he’s already set.

‘Squandered possession too often and gave away some cheap fouls in dangerous areas during an underwhelming showing,’ is how the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick described it, whilst football.london reporter Alasdair Gold dubbed him “sloppy.”

Overall, it was a disastrous outing for the Englishman, who is thought to be earning around £91k-per-week at the club.

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Time and time again he has proven that he’s just not good enough to be regularly starting matches and if you can’t do it against Boro – with all due respect – then what hope do you have?

Conte must not turn to Winks again this season once his other midfielders return from injury. He was badly let down by the midfielder.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth Spurs’ next Kane in 17 y/o “diamond” who can save Levy millions…

ScorecardBangladesh U-19 overcame a top-order wobble on the final day to draw their only Test against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi.Having eked out a narrow first-innings lead of 15, Bangladesh found themselves struggling at 80 for 5, Mohammad Rameez continuing his impressive form and picking up two wickets. At that point, Bangladesh were effectively 95 for 5, with much of the day still remaining.But Marshall Ayub and Rony Talukder organised the fightback, steering the lower order into adding another 190 runs and essentially saving the game. Ayub’s 59 came in a little over two and a half hours, while Talukder added to his hundred in the first innings with another fifty.Rameez, who took four wickets in the first innings, added another three as Bangladesh were finally dismissed, setting Pakistan an improbable 289 from 23 overs. Ahmed Shehzad used the time for further batting practice, adding to his first-innings century, an unbeaten 46 as the sides agreed to call off the match with seven overs remaining. Still enough time, however, for opener and vice-captain Shan Masood to bag a pair.