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Newcastle United picking up a rare away win in the Premier League should’ve been a joyful night for those of a Magpies persuasion.

Indeed, before this trip to Turf Moor, Newcastle had suffered back-to-back defeats on the road to Sunderland and Manchester United, so it would have been a relief that they managed to get the better of Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Burnley side 3-1.

Still, it was far from a vintage Magpies showing, with journalist Craig Hope – come the end of the topsy-turvy contest – stating that the final scoreline was “not a reflection of how this game played out”, with Burnley spurning several chances to snatch a share of the points, or even a win.

Thankfully, there were enough positive performers from the away side’s perspective to clinch all three points, as Joelinton, Yoane Wissa, and Bruno Guimaraes shared out the goal load.

But the lack of a cutthroat nature deep within the Newcastle ranks will irk Howe as he contemplates changes for the Toon’s return to St James’ Park versus Crystal Palace in the New Year.

Newcastle underperformers who could be dropped

Having watched their rampant side race into a two-goal lead after seven minutes, the travelling Newcastle faithful would have wanted to see their clinical side wipe the floor with their lowly hosts.

Instead, Burnley were afforded a way back into the contest, and if it hadn’t been for some sloppy Burnley defending for both Wissa’s first-ever Magpies goal and Guimaraes’ fortuitous match-winning moment, Parker and Co could have collected only a fourth league win of the season.

Harvey Barnes was notably out of sorts throughout, as the ex-Leicester City winger could only manage a forgettable 27 touches of the ball, as per Sofascore, to try and add to his seven-goal tally for the season.

Moreover, Sandro Tonali fell way below his usual energetic standards when only winning two of his six duels on the night, with Howe perhaps prepared to drop both these usual members of his starting XI as the games come thick and fast.

Newcastle World’s Jordan Cronin would even note, in his post-match musings, that the Italian has been “iffy” for some time now, meaning a shock removal from the main lineup could soon be on the cards.

He’s far from the only first-team stalwart frustrating those on Tyneside, however, with another below-par showing put in from this £150k-per-week attacker at Turf Moor only solidifying further why Newcastle need some reinforcements in January.

The flop who showed why Howe needs to sign an upgrade

Newcastle have already been linked with a long list of attacking names as the chaotic transfer window edges ever closer to reopening, with both Bazoumana Toure and Oscar Bobb tipped to join Howe’s ranks to enhance the manager’s options down either flank.

Based on Anthony Gordon’s showing in Lancashire, Newcastle desperately need to sign an upgrade on their hit-and-miss forward in the New Year.

Indeed, the ex-Everton attacker was a very frustrating player to watch, as an assist after two minutes for Joelinton’s breakneck opener ended up being a rare bright spark.

Gordon’s performance in numbers

Stat

Gordon

Minutes played

80

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

53

Shots

2

Shots on target

0

Accurate passes

23/28 (82%)

Accurate crosses

0/5

Possession lost

17x

Total duels

5/12

Stats by Sofascore

After that glimpse of quality, Gordon offered very little else, with the lacklustre number ten coming off on the 80th minute mark with zero accurate crosses registered and just two shots attempted at Martin Dubravka’s goal.

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Additionally, his passing was largely haphazard all night as he gave away the ball a careless 17 times, while the England international also only won five of his 12 duels, as he often shirked the responsibility of rolling his sleeves up and getting dirty for the cause.

He was also, arguably, at fault for Josh Laurent’s sweetly struck volley beating Nick Pope, with the aforementioned Cronin accusing him of being “lazy” when trying to shut down the goalscoring number 29.

Gordon would be handed a low 4/10 post-match rating by Cronin, consequently, with Newcastle desperately needing some fresh blood down the right flank at this stage, so they don’t have to over-rely on their hit-and-miss winger to deliver the goods.

With only three goal contributions picked up all season long in the Premier League, there must be an upgrade out there somewhere for Newcastle when the window reopens, with Gordon suffering from another “all over the place” outing against Burnley, as journalist Adam Clery criticised him earlier in the season.

Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom, as Newcastle did at least sign off on 2025 with a win, even if Gordon did put in another worrying performance.

Related Woltemade 2.0: Newcastle chasing "one of the most exciting young wingers"

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Graeme Smith scored 40 in Rajasthan’s eight-wicket win © Getty Images (file photo)

Rajasthan Royals strolled to the top of the table with an eight-wicket win over Deccan Chargers, who offered little resistance in a match that was effectively decided in the first innings. Deccan posted a below-par 140 and looked listless as Rajasthan’s efficient batting chased the target with four overs to spare.After their batsmen collapsed in spectacular fashion following Adam Gilchrist’s dismissal, Deccan’s fielders, perhaps hindered by the dust storm blowing across the stadium, failed to save runs and apply any pressure on Rajasthan. Deccan have now lost six matches out of eight and, with six games to play, their chances of making the semi-finals look dim.It all looked very different at the start. Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, said his batsmen had the challenge of putting up a total that his bowlers could defend. He led the way, starting off the evening with a cover drive off the first ball and following it with a cut to backward point as Sohail Tanvir went for eight runs in the opening over. Shane Watson was flicked for a massive six to square leg when he sent down a half-volley and Munaf Patel was glanced for a four to fine leg.Herschelle Gibbs joined the fun by lifting Watson for four over cover soon after he was dropped by Graeme Smith when attempting the same shot. Gibbs struggled to pick Shane Warne and was nearly stumped off Warne’s first delivery – his foot was in the air and Mahesh Rawat removed the bails just as he brought it down to the ground. Gilchrist had no trouble negotiating Warne, but fans eager to watch a contest between the legspinner and the man who kept wickets for him, were to be disappointed for Gilchrist only faced four balls from Warne; he took singles from each.Only after he reached his fifty did Gilchrist, dropped on 52 by Siddharth Trivedi, start throwing his bat at nearly every delivery. He was dismissed when, in reaching for a wide one off Trivedi, he edged the ball to the keeper.At the end of ten overs, Deccan were at 74 for 1. When Gilchrist was dismissed, four overs later, they were 97 for 3. In the next three overs they lost three wickets for five runs – Shahid Afridi, who charged down the track to Warne and edged to third man, Rohit Sharma, run out by a direct throw from Warne, and Sanjay Bangar, who edged Watson to the keeper.

	Adam Gilchrist’s fall triggered a collapse, with Deccan Chargers losing six wickets for 43 runs © Cricinfo Ltd

Much of this was, however, down to Rajasthan’s bowlers and fielders, who kept their cool while Gilchrist was batting and put the brakes on the scoring after his dismissal. Watson and Tanvir went for 20 and 16 respectively in their first two overs but they came back for their second spells determined to make amends. In his third over Watson picked up Bangar’s wicket and after Venugopal Rao hit Tanvir for successive fours, the bowler countered with skidding yorkers to slow Deccan.Deccan appeared uninspired by their low score and their lack of confidence may have worked to Rajasthan’s advantage as Smith and Yusuf Pathan edged and slogged their way to a 109-run opening stand. Yusuf lifted a good-length delivery off Scott Styris for six just after he was nearly stumped by Gilchrist. He then targeted Pragyan Ojha, hitting him for 17 runs in one over where he pulled a short ball for six, slog-swept to mid-off for four and then had a two converted to four after Rohit Sharma touched the boundary rope with his foot while fielding the ball.There was little answer to the attack. Gilchrist spent a lot of time talking to his bowlers – six were used in the first ten overs – and fielders but nothing seemed to work. Their spirit – or lack of it – was best summed up in the life given to Yusuf at 30. He top-edged a delivery from Afridi to midwicket and DP Vijaykumar ran uncertainly towards it and slowed down just as the ball fell in front of him.Deccan now lie just above the Bangalore Royal Challengers at the bottom of the points table and winning this game would have eased a little pressure in their bid to avoid elimination. They now face three tough games – two at home, against the resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians and one in Delhi against the Daredevils.

Shane Warne may look to extend his county contract © Getty Images

Shane Warne has rejected the comfort of the commentary box in Australia to spend more time with his children. With long-term links to the broadcaster and an easy-going style, Warne was heavily tipped to join Richie Benaud’s team when he retired after the Ashes.”We have said no to TV commentary,” Warne told News Ltd papers. “If I wanted to be in Brisbane for the first Test, then Adelaide and Perth and Melbourne etc, I may as well have kept playing.”The reason I retired was to have more time to myself for the children. I want to be there for the concert, I want to be there to play with them. That’s what I want to do with my time.”Warne, 37, is currently captaining Hampshire and is enjoying it so much he is considering extending his playing time in England. “We’ll see how it works out on our children,” he said. “For the short term, if the kids are happy, I have got a year to go on my contract but we could go longer than that if we’re happy. Everything is about enjoyment.”To see the full interview go here.

Day 3
Scorecard

Cullen Bailey set Pakistan A back with four quick wickets © Getty Images

A four-wicket burst by the legspinner Cullen Bailey orchestrated a lower-order collapse as Pakistan A conceded a first-innings lead of 79 on the third day of the Top End Series match against Australia A at Darwin. Mohammad Hafeez anchored the innings and fell 20 short of what would have been his first double-century in first-class cricket. Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, took two wickets in successive overs late in the day as Australia finished at 2 for 57, with an overall lead of 136.Earlier, Hafeez and Shahid Yousuf continued their good work from yesterday and made the most of the drop-in pitch which favoured the batsmen. The pair added 78 before Yousuf was trapped leg before to the Australia offspinner Dan Cullen for 71. After captain Misbah-ul-Haq departed 13 overs later, Bazid Khan and Hafeez had a good partnership going till Mitchell Johnson got the prized scalp of Hafeez, caught behind by Brad Haddin. His knock included 19 fours and three sixes. Pakistan felt the pressure when Hasan Raza was dismissed soon after with the score at 5 for 353, but Bazid and Mohammad Salman restored some order with a 52-run partnership. Bazid reached his half century, but his dismissal, trapped leg before to Bailey, sparked the collapse. Bailey ran through the lower order, picking the last three wickets to fall and finished with figures of 4 for 71 as Pakistan finished with 431. Johnson had the next best figures of 3 or 93.Australia got off to a steady start in their second innings, with the openers Chris Rogers and Phil Jaques putting on 53. However, they were jolted by a double strike by Rehman, who first had Rogers caught by Rafatullah Mohmand. Mark Cosgrove didn’t last long, and was caught for two in the fag end of the day.

Beige Brigade co-founder Paul Ford who made such an impact on Australasian cricket grounds last summer will have a new role this summer.Ford has been appointed by the Auckland Cricket Association to its position marketing and communications manager.Sporting the infamous first colours of beige and brown devised by the Australian marketers for New Zealand when they first entered World Series Cricket back in 1980/81, the Beige Brigade became the unofficial supporters group for the TelstraClear Black Caps last year.Ford replaces Jason Cameron, who is leaving the position to pursue his athletics career.Ford has been working in Wellington for professional services firm Ernst & Young since 2000, specialising in the writing and production of various communications materials, as well as industry analysis. He holds university degrees in Law and English, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Journalism.His new role with Auckland Cricket will start on November 4. Cameron will continue in the position until then.

Nasser Hussain – no more pulling of punches© Getty Images

Freed from the constraints of his ECB contract, Nasser Hussain has launched his career as a Sky TV commentator with a stinging attack on the ICC for their handling of the Zimbabwe crisis. His words are sure to have an impact on his former team-mates’ decisions, when they are asked later this year to tour the country.Hussain, who resigned the one-day captaincy after last year’s World Cup before throwing in the towel completely two months’ later, has described the ICC’s actions during the World Cup as "diabolical", adding that it was “a low point for world cricket, the ICC and the ECB”.”I can’t see how any side, Test or one-day, could possibly go to Zimbabwe and play cricket now,” he said during an interview on Sky. “There are a multitude of reasons – from the moral down to the fact that you’re not playing against their best side. And that’s just about selection of their team, let alone everything else that’s going on behind the scenes in the country.”At the height of England’s World Cup crisis last year, Hussain had an angry confrontation with Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, whom he accused of "hanging his team out to dry". An apology was subsequently offered by the ECB, but without Hussain’s knowledge, which merely infuriated him even further.”People would come into our room and say ‘whatever happens you’re going to Zimbabwe, it doesn’t matter what’s happening or what you think, we’re taking you there’," said Hussain. "The way they went about it and their attitude since about the whole thing has been very poor. I think if you go round asking people in general about what they think about it, they would agree.”

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was left lamenting the fact his batsmen had not been able to score another 40-50 in their runs to shut New Zealand out of the second National Bank Test in Hamilton yesterday.New Zealand got home by four wickets today in their quest for 160.The result had been very disappointing, he said.But those extra runs would have made them competitive.He had been disappointed that more batsmen could not stay with Rahul Dravid to get those extra runs but he didn’t blame his lower-order players as he doubted they had the techniques to get by in the conditions.Ganguly said he didn’t want to make any excuses but there had been two 50s from the Indian batsmen and one from the New Zealanders in four innings for each side in the series.”That would show that it was not an easy time for the batsmen,” he said.Indian coach John Wright said in his experience, when playing in New Zealand, the Basin Reserve wicket had been something like those in the series, but today’s pitch had been a good one for Test cricket.”What was interesting from my point of view was that both the wickets were watered three or four days before both Test matches. The one in Wellington had been watered the day we turned up for training two days before the Test match, covered with scrim the day before the Test match and this one was watered before we arrived because the groundsman had said he was worried it would dry out too quickly and obviously the weather before the Test match probably delayed the pitch recipe or preparation.”Today was about right for a good Test wicket,” he said.The formula appeared to be one that was working for New Zealand from the way they picked their side and it was successful and he congratulated them on their success because India hadn’t been good enough to win on either occasion.While more runs were needed in the second innings, he had been very pleased with the way the side competed in the match, especially in the field. To get New Zealand out for a score less than their own in the first innings had been a good effort.Batting conditions today had probably been the best in the match but his players had stuck at it very well.”We had no complaints. We could make some observations but we are certainly not complaining,” he said.Ganguly explained the reason Virender Sehwag was dropped down the order in the second innings with Parthiv Patel opening.Patel had shown good technique in the first innings and it was thought if Sehwag could come in later he might be able to score 50 or more runs that could be useful. But, unfortunately, for India he got out before he could give them what might have been a winning advantage.Wright looked ahead to the one-day series and hoped that good wickets would be available for the series.”I think it is very important for both sides heading into the World Cup that they go in there with batsmen in form. From what I understand the wickets in South Africa are going to be very flat and so the preparation and for the sake of a good series I hope the wickets are really batsmen friendly, which will suit us.”But if you are going to win a World Cup you’ve got to put big scores on the board so from that point of view I imagine the New Zealanders perhaps will be thinking along the same sorts of lines,” he said.India were looking forward to the one-day series and he remained hopeful that the New Zealand public would yet see his batsmen in full cry.

Graeme Hick’s 113th first-class century took Worcestershire to the brink of wiping out Warwickshire’s first innings total of 277 at New Road.The former England batsman completed his hundred from only 101 balls and reached an unbeaten 116 before bad light and rain halted the home side at 273 for three in a 52-over rampage.If Hick’s innings was the centrepiece with 17 fours and two sixes, the impetus was provided by Philip Weston in launching the reply at six runs an over.The left-handed opener is not renowned as a free-scoring batsman, but an eye-catching performance included a six off Dougie Brown and three fours in Vasbert Drakes’ first over after lunch.In all, Weston plundered 58 of his 74 in boundaries while sharing in partnerships of 66 in 12 overs with Anurag Singh and 115 in 20 with Hick.Warwickshire’s bowling left much to be desired and their wickets came at a fearful cost. Melvyn Betts went for 70 runs in exchange for Singh’s edge to second slip and Weston’s dismissal at slip was Drakes’ only compensation for conceding 76.And so it went on. Vikram Solanki hit England’s fitness-seeking spinner, Ashley Giles, for a huge six in making 29 out of 81 with Hick before top-edging Brown to mid-on.Hick was equally dismissive of Giles with 19 runs in the left-armer’s two overs before lunch but he survived a chance at 100 when Dominic Ostler got both hands to a nick off Brown.The rapid scoring by the hosts devalued Keith Piper’s earlier efforts in batting on to make an unbeaten 92 for Warwickshire before Betts was last out after a stand of 61.

Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic has had to pull out of the Australia squad due to an ankle injury, The Daily Record has reported.

The Lowdown: Maeda withdrawal

The Hoops sealed an impressive 4-0 win on Saturday, ensuring that they remained three points clear of their Glasgow arch-rivals before the teams’ Ibrox showdown straight after the international break.

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Daizen Maeda got on the scoresheet for Ange Postecoglou’s side at the weekend and was set to join up with Japan for games with Australia and Vietnam.

However, the Japanese FA have confirmed that the forward won’t be joining up with the national squad due to concerns with his fitness, and things have since gone from bad to worse for Celtic.

The Latest: Rogic also pulls out

The Daily Record’s Fraser Wilson shared a story on Monday evening regarding Rogic, who was forced off at the weekend following a heavy tackle from Kayne Ramsay.

Postecoglou was confident that the midfielder would be fine to head off on international duty, but the 29-year-old has now pulled out of the Australia squad due to an ankle problem.

The Verdict: Nightmare start

The international break has only just begun, but Celtic already have two big injury worries ahead of the crucial clash with Rangers on April 3.

Rogic and Maeda have been regulars in recent weeks, helping the Hoops to drop just two points following the winter break, with star duo Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull sidelined since December.

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You’d expect that Rogic and Maeda could now face a race against time to be available for the trip to Ibrox, and Celtic will have their fingers crossed for their remaining international stars, praying that they all report back at Lennoxtown next week without any further problems.

In other news: Insider claims there is a ‘realistic’ chance that Celtic will smash transfer record this summer; target now ‘keen’

	Packing plenty of oomph: Cameron White’s big-hitting exploits in Twenty20 cricket marks him as one to watch for Bangalore © Getty Images

Match facts

Friday, April 18, 2008Start time 20:00 local time (14:30 GMT)

The Big Picture

After months of hype, excitement, controversy and speculation the high-profile Indian Premier League kicks off in Bangalore with the Royal Challengers hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders. “Eight teams, without any players, only warriors” is the maxim for the inaugural tournament and there’s plenty riding on it. Fans from all around the world will zoom in to see players who have squared off on the international level come together to try and trump others, and many, not least the organisers who have gone to town promoting the event, will follow with bated breath. Not since Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket has an event so divided and stirred up the fraternity. It might be too much for a traditionalist but against the backdrop of a cricket-crazy host country, and with plenty of huge names involved, there’s little going against the lucrative tournament.

Watch out for …

After the Chinnaswamy Stadium is plunged in darkness, a spotlight will focus on the rival captains, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. The duo has been solid for India for over well over a decade and would’ve played against each other on the domestic front but this is something completely new.Dravid and Jacques Kallis are champions for their respective countries, one recently going past 10,000 Test runs and the other soon to get there, but they’ve done little of note in Twenty20 cricket. Kallis was unceremoniously axed from the ICC World Twenty20 at home and has only played seven matches; Dravid has played only two domestic matches. Pitted together in the same team, its going to be interesting to see how they adapt.Just 21 years and six first-class games old, young Debabrata Das could be forgiven for being a bit overawed around some of his acclaimed Kolkata team-mates. But with Pakistan’s Salman Butt on international duty, Das finds himself on the verge of playing in the big opener. He’s up against fellow Bengal batsman Wriddhiman Saha, but being a wicketkeeper may go against Saha given that Kolkata have Brendon McCullum. It’s a great opportunity to impress.Not many in India would’ve followed Ashley Noffke’s career. Ushered in for Bangalore as cover for fellow Australian Nathan Bracken, he can be expected to play the first game. Noffke, 30, has played one ODI and two Twenty20s for Australia, and apart from his skills with the ball he is also a capable lower-order batsman, with two first-class centuries.

Team news

With only four overseas player allowed in a team, its unlikely that Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Cameron White will both play and White’s excellent Twenty20 record puts him ahead. With Anil Kumble ruled out through injury, White is also placed to take the lone spinner’s slot ahead of local lad KP Appanna. Kallis and Mark Boucher were expected to leave for the South African domestic Twenty20 competition but will now stay back but with Dale Steyn absent, Noffke could easily fill in. Misbah-ul-Haq will miss the opening clash because of the ongoing series in Pakistan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul is reportedly carrying an injury so another of the local boys, B Akhil or Bharat Chipli, could come into the middle order.Bangalore (likely) 1 Praveen Kumar, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Rahul Dravid (capt), 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Cameron White, 7 B Akhil, 8 Mark Boucher (wk), 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashley Noffke, 11 R Vinay KumarKolkata are without Butt and Umar Gul, in Bangladesh, and that opens up slots for young Das and Ashok Dinda, the Bengal medium pacer. Ganguly has said he will open, which means the explosive McCullum would come in after Ricky Ponting at No. 3. David Hussey and an in-form Laxmi Ratan Shukla strengthen the middle order. Shukla will assist Ishant Sharma and Ajit Agarkar and Murali Kartik – with Twenty20 experience in England – adds variety with his left-arm spin and handy lower-order batting. Chris Gayle has yet to arrive for the match and so his place in some doubt.Kolkata (likely) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Brendon McCullum (wk), 5 David Hussey, 6 Debabrata Das, 7 Laxmi Ratan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda.

Stats and trivia

White has a record 55-ball Twenty20 century on the English county circuit and with a batting average of 43.90 in this format he’s clearly one to watch. He has hit 62 fours and 49 sixes in 546 balls faced in Twenty20 cricket – that’s a four or a six every 4.92 balls.

The last time Gayle played in the first match of a Twenty20 tournament, he blasted a 57-ball 117 v South Africa in the World Cup; the 10 sixes he struck is the highest in a Twenty20 innings.

In 21 overs that Kartik has bowled in Twenty20 games, he has only gone at 5.90 per over, taking nine wickets at 13.77

Quotes

“The opening ceremony is expected to only be a short function. I don’t think it will affect the game that follows. Kolkata has a good side and we are prepared with strategies for them.”
Dravid, Bangalore captain“There is no clear favourite in the shortest version of the game. Difference between teams lessens in the T20 format as the contest is too short. I consider this event as a contest between state sides with world-class players.”
Ganguly, Kolkata captain“Sourav is a very cool-headed captain. He is very experienced. We expect him to lead from the front.”
John Buchanan, Kolkata coach