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Crystal Palace haven’t made contact over a summer move for Flamengo striker Pedro, according to recent reports.

The Lowdown: Palace interest in Pedro

Journalist Guillem Balague said that the Eagles are in the chase for the 24-year-old Brazilian striker, who is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

Brighton, Southampton and Wolves have also been name-checked with an interest, with Palace shareholder John Textor recently purchasing a large stake in Brazilian club Botafogo.

Rumours have claimed that Textor could buy Pedro for Palace before loaning him to Botafogo, who are Flamengo’s local rivals.

The Latest: No contact for Pedro

Sport Witness relayed an update from journalist Jorge Nicola, who asked Pedro’s staff about Palace.

They claimed that there hasn’t been any contact from Selhurst Park so far, with Pedro’s current contract not expiring until 2025.

The Verdict: One to watch?

Although there hasn’t been any contact as of yet, it could still be one to keep a close eye on heading into the summer transfer window.

If the signing is made, Palace fans may want to keep hold of Pedro instead of loaning him back to Brazil due to the fact that he has scored 56 goals during his club career.

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Reports have hinted that Christian Benteke could leave Selhurst Park this summer, and if he does, Pedro could turn out to be a shrewd replacement for the Belgian.

In other news: Textor now lining up big Crystal Palace move for ‘phenomenal’ 152-goal star this summer

Jamaican opening batsman Brenton Parchment is the sole newcomer in a 15-member squad chosen by the West Indies selectors, only for the tour of Zimbabwe which starts at month-end.Though averaging below 30 since making his first-class debut during the 1999-2000 domestic season, Parchment’s batting has shown signs of maturity over the past two seasons and culminated with scores of 111 and 168 in his last first-class game in the Carib Beer series back in February at the Alpart Sports Club in his homeland. The 25-year-old right-hand batsman made 154 runs at just under 39.00 with one half-century to help Jamaica win the recent KFC Cup regional one-day competition.Making a return to the team is Guyanese batsman Narsingh Deonarine. Though selected for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September, the 24-year-old has not featured for the West Indies since his debut in 2005 when he played four Tests and four ODIs in the Caribbean and on tour in Sri Lanka.Veteran Grenadian legspinner Rawle Lewis has again found favour with the selectors. Since making his Test and ODI debut in 1997, the 33-year-old has played a mere four Tests, taking a solitary wicket, and 20 ODIs, gaining 14 wickets and 172 runs. His last ODI was on the 2006 tour of New Zealand. Lewis has remained a consistent performer at the regional level and his leadership capabilities are expected to be invaluable on tour.Two noticeable absentees from the squad are Barbados’ captain Corey Collymore and allrounder Dwayne Smith. Collymore, though considered a miserly bowler in the shortened version of the game, hardly bowled a ball during the recent KFC Cup tournament and his omission has not come as a total surprise.Smith has huffed and puffed without blowing much down for the better part of three years, since his promising debut on the African continent in 2004. Considered an ODI specialist, he now pays the price for a record that reads 71 matches and a mere 791 runs at an abysmal average of 14.92. His improved bowling and brilliant fielding that compensated for his exasperating batting failures, and seemingly kept him in the side, were apparently unable to do so this time around.Though originally believed to be unavailable for the tour because of injury, Jamaican batsman Marlon Samuels has retained his place in the side after joining the squad at the training camp in Barbados last week. There was no word yesterday from the WICB about his fitness.Barbados’ Henderson Springer and Trinidad and Tobago’s David Williams will serve as the coaches on the tour.West Indies’ opening match is on November 30 at Harare Sports Club and they will play the second ODI two days later at the same venue. They play the final games at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on December 5, 9 and 17, respectively. They then go to South Africa for three Tests and five ODIs but changes to the team could be made.Squad for Zimbabwe one-dayersChris Gayle (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Runako Morton, Rawl Lewis, Brenton Parchment, Darren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor

Northants have agreed to release Shafayat so he can be closer to his family © Getty Images

Nottinghamshire have announced that Bilal Shafayat has rejoined the club in a three-year deal.Shafayat, 22, is a former England Under-19 captain and began his career at Trent Bridge but moved to Northamptonshire in 2004.Northants announced earlier this week that they had agreed to release the player so that he could be closer to his family.He said: “During the season I tried to focus on my cricket, but once that had finished and I had time to sit and reflect, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be closer to my family in Nottingham.”I am grateful to Northants for agreeing to my release and am glad to have been able to return to Trent Bridge and the county where I grew up.”Now that I’ve signed, I can’t wait to start working again with Mick (Newell), Paul Johnson and the rest of the players. I’m really excited about playing at my home ground next season and continuing to improve as a cricketer.”Nottinghamshire coach Newell is pleased with the recruitment: “Under different circumstances, I don’t think he would have left in the first place, but he has definitely had more opportunities to play first-class cricket than we would have been able to offer him, and I’m sure that will have helped him advance his game.”His talent has always been clear and I see him becoming a top quality number four in the end, but he does also offer the option of wicketkeeping in one-day matches if Chris Read is not available.”Shafayat has so far failed to live up to the rich promise he showed as a youngster, scoring 75 on his County Championship debut in 2001 as a 17-year-old. In 2003-04 he toured with England A, but has a first-class average of only 31.61 from 61 matches. He scored 885 runs in the County Championship in 2006 at 32.88.He will take his place in a new-look Nottinghamshire top-order as the county rebuild following relegation in 2006. They have signed Will Jefferson from Essex and Mark Wagh from Warwickshire while Will Smith has joined Durham.

Makhaya Ntini was one of the players affected by the abuse © Getty Images

South Africa have complained that some of their players were subjected to racial abuse and chants on the third day of the first Test at Perth. They informed Chris Broad, the ICC match referee, and the regional anti-corruption and security manager, John Rhodes, about the abuse that Ashwell Prince, Garnett Kruger, Shaun Pollock, Justin Kemp and Makhaya Ntini received on the boundary.The South African management requested preventative measures and increased security to avoid a repetition for the rest of the first Test and at the next two matches in Melbourne and Sydney. These measures were put in place for the remainder of the match, and assurances were given that they would be in place for the rest of the tour.”We regard racial abuse in a very strong light, “Gerald Majola, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa, said. “We deplore in the strongest terms the racial abuse by some of the spectators against our players. We hope that this will not happen again, and appeal to all to abide by the ICC’s anti-racism policy. We thank the relevant authorities for the assurance that the necessary protection for our players for the rest of the tour will be place.”Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed it has a zero tolerance approach to racist behaviour anywhere in Australian cricket, including among spectators. Spectators who indulge in racist comment about other patrons or about players face immediate action, including ejection from grounds.”There is no place in Australian cricket for racism, whether it be on or off the field,” said Peter Young, CA general manager of public affairs. “Cultural diversity is one of global cricket’s strengths and enduring characteristics, the spirit of cricket demands that the game be played and staged in a good spirit and CA wants all cricketers and cricket lovers to feel welcome wherever they play or attend international games.”Young said CA had liaised closely with the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) after the complaints made by the South Africans. WACA security personnel were briefed about specific insults which might not be familiar to Australians but which are offensive to visiting players, and have been instructed to take swift action against any offenders. Other venues around Australia are being similarly briefed.In a statement issued by the ICC, Malcolm Speed, the chief executive, said: “Cricket is an international game which is played by a diverse range of cultures and communities. Respect for each other is a key component of the game and racist comments have no place in cricket.”The fact that this is an isolated incident by a small number of people in one country does not lessen the game’s resolve to address the issue. We have in place an international anti-racism policy which all of our Members have signed up to.Speed added that there have been discussions between the ICC, CA and the South Africa board to prevent a repeat of the incident. “Cricket Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to the ICC’s Anti-Racism policy and has emphasised that it is taking the matter very seriously. It has also briefed the ICC on the steps that it is taking to deal with this issue and I would hope that all cricket fans in Australia will support Cricket Australia’s efforts to avoid a repeat of this behaviour.”

Brett Lee: a one-day specialist© Getty Images

A review of the Australia domestic cricket schedule will take place at the end of the season as it seems increasingly likely that Brett Lee will not play a Pura Cup match or a Test at home in 2004-05. Yesterday John Buchannan, the national coach, asked for the schedule to be more accommodating for players who are on the verge of the Test team.Last week New South Wales were not allowed to have Brett Lee turn out for them although it seemed clear that he would be 12th man for the Test against Pakistan at Perth. NSW’s game against Tasmania at the SCG started on the same day as the Test, and even though state officials were willing to delay the start of their game to accommodate Lee, their suggestion was turned down by Cricket Australia.Discussions will happen at the end of the season between the board and their Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA). Tim May, the chief executive of the ACA, who is a member of CA’s programming committee, indicated that he would look favourably at a submission that permitted that internationals to return to his state team during a match.”We are trying to do the best for the end product, which is the Australian cricket team,” he told . “The elite players are the revenue driver. “We need to do whatever we can to enhance a player’s ability to spend time on the track.”Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s operations manager, wants to preserve the integrity of interstate competitions. “We don’t support players just nicking in on the last day of a match because they need a bit of a bowl or a bit of a hit,” he told . “We have to look at this very carefully. A lot of research and understanding of the situation is required.”Buchanan had hoped that in future players like Lee might be released in time for domestic games. “Ideally, that would be the case,” he told on Tuesday. “When you try to mix all those games together it becomes quite difficult [but] what I’m sure the administrators will consider is this question of: ‘If you’re not playing what’s the chance of returning for a state game or two’.”Under current regulations, Lee would not have been able to bat or bowl if he started the Pura Cup game as a substitute on the second day. NSW officials have indicated an interest in an England-style regulation which would enable Test discards to participate in a match that is already underway.

ScorecardMashonaland, after conceding a first-innings lead of 19 to Matabeleland, followed this up with their usual trick. After lulling Matabeleland into a false sense of security, they killed them off second time round. At the close, they had reached 134 for 1.Fifties from Gavin Ewing, an offspinning allrounder, rather belatedly given a chance at international level with his selection for the Australian tour, and CFX Academy graduate Greg Strydom gave Matabeleland a small lead. Ewing was particularly impressive, hitting 82 off 66 balls, which included 21 runs off an over from the wayward Andy Blignaut.Blignaut took three wickets, though, as did Elton Chigumbura in Matabeleland’s 279. In Mashonaland’s second innings, the match lacked any true competitive spirit, as Dion Ebrahim, Brendan Taylor and Stuart Carlisle played soundly and without risk to make Mashonaland’s grip on the game secure again.

Auckland begin their quest for a third consecutive State League women’s cricket title when they open their campaign with four home games at North Harbour Stadium and Melville Park this weekend.The State Auckland Hearts play the State Canterbury Magicians at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday and Sunday followed by the State Otago Sparks at Melville Park on Monday and Tuesday. It will be the first time a provincial women’s cricket match is played at North Harbour Stadium.The State League will be played over four rounds with the final taking place on February 3.Auckland captain, Kathryn Ramel says the team are greatly looking forward to the challenge of defending their title against the best of New Zealand’s provincial women’s cricket teams. The team are also the current holders of the Sport Auckland WestpacTrust Team of the Year Award for their efforts in winning the title in 2001.”Winning our third consecutive State League title is the primary goal, however, we will also be striving to achieve the high standards we set ourselves in batting, bowling and fielding during matches,” Ramel said.”We will be fielding a team with a mix of youth and experience. Some of the players will have their first experience of playing cricket at this level. In combination with the more senior players we have created a really committed and supportive team environment to work with,” she said.While top order batting is a strength for Auckland, a new and untested bowling attack is one of the areas being targeted for specific focus by Ramel and the team.CLEAR White Ferns Emily Drumm, Ramel, Rebecca Rolls and Helen Watson will all be in action for Auckland in the January/February competition.The Auckland team to play Canterbury in the first match at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday is: Kathryn Ramel (captain), Ingrid Cronin-Knight, Emily Drumm, Shelley Fruin, Paula Gruber, Kelly Hill, Michelle Lynch, Deb Ramsey, Rebecca Rolls, Natalee Scripps, Megan Tyler, Helen Watson.The full Auckland programme is:Saturday: Auckland v Canterbury, North Harbour Stadium 12 noon. Sunday: Auckland v Canterbury, North Harbour Stadium, 10.30am. Monday: Auckland v Otago, Melville Park, 10.30am. Tuesday: Auckland v Otago, Melville Park 10.30am.

For six uplifting hours at Kensington Oval yesterday, Wavell Hinds transformed the West Indian pessimism of the recent past into real hope for the future, immediate and long-term.The tall, slim, 23-year-old left-hander’s commanding 165, his first hundred in his fourth Test, was the backbone of a total of 283 for five that carried the West Indies to a lead of 30 when fading light brought an end to the second day of the second Test 3.2 overs before the scheduled, extended close.Ever eager to take on Pakistan’s varied, high-class bowling on a batsman-friendly pitch, Hinds used his bat with such effect that his chanceless innings was embellished with 24 resounding boundaries in almost every direction.He disdained the modern practice of applying the pad as first, not second, line of defence and was only troubled by the late left-arm inswing of Wasim Akram, one of the game’s most successful bowlers in his 94th Test.Whenever he had the chance, he thumped the ball with genuine power.Just as significant, his performance was an irrefutable indication that worry over the present state of West Indian batting, especially at a time when the future of the mercurial Brian Lara remains in considerable doubt, has been somewhat exaggerated.The optimism was boosted over the final hour and 50 minutes by the mature debut Test innings of Ramnaresh Sarwan, at 19, slim and diminutive and seeming to be a boy on a man’s mission.His approach belied the appearance. Like Hinds, it was positive and his right-handed technique was solid and attractive.He despatched Abdur Razzaq and Wasim Akram for two disdainful boundaries through midwicket and aided Hinds in a fifth-wicket partnership of 69 at a time when the West Indies have been so often been inclined to go into terminal collapse.He resumes this morning on 28 with a heavy obligation since the current advantage of 30 is negligible for a team that must bat last.Curtly Ambrose is by his side, having fulfilled his nightwatchman role, with Ridley Jacobs and the other three fast bowlers to follow.The West Indies’ situation would have been considerably more comfortable had Hinds not failed by ten minutes to last out the day.He fell to a tired hook shot off Waqar Younis with the second new ball that lobbed from the splice of the bat to mid-on.It was a stroke the Pakistanis had fed him throughout with varying results. Some were airily miscued but short of fielders, others were thumped to the boundary, none with more authority or relish than three in one over from Wasim Akram.Hinds began his critical innings quarter-hour into play when left-handed opener Adrian Griffith’s fine leg-glance off Waqar Younis was taken down the leg-side by the tumbling wicket-keeper Moin Khan.Enjoying the benefits of an accommodating surface from which even the tried and proven Pakistanis could make little impression, Hinds outlasted his three senior partners: Sherwin Campbell, who made 58 and with whom he added 133 for the second wicket, and fellow left-handers Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Jimmy Adams, both dismissed cheaply.He immediately advertised his approach with two confident off-side boundaries in the same over from Waqar and, by lunch, already had nine fours in 51, three off Mushtaq Ahmed whose leg-breaks and googlies had so confused him in the rain-ruined first Test in Georgetown.In his 40th Test, Campbell carries a heavy burden of responsibility but he has had an indifferent season. Kensington is his home, and favourite, ground where he has gathered two of his four Test hundreds and, once settled after a difficult opening salvo from Wasim Akram, he indulged himself in his preferred backfoot strokes and looked better and better on the hard, true, grassless pitch.He hooked Waqar and Akram for sixes and, when Mushtaq’s leg-break justbefore lunch dropped short enough, he sent that over the square-leg boundary.A fourth six came from the unusual device of a straightforward leg-glance to long-leg. Akram’s return cleared Moin’s head, a clutch of slumbering fielders failed to back up and, as Waqar set off towards long-off in pursuit of the wayward ball, Campbell and Hinds converted the original single into six.As the partnership developed, frustration clearly set in for the Pakistanis.Twice, Hinds mistimed strokes that just eluded fielders, while four times Moin and Akram argued over the state of the ball with umpires Rudi Koertzen and Eddie Nicholls before they finally had their way and it was replaced.They regained their composure during the lunch interval and batting was not nearly as easy on resumption.Once more, Akram posed difficult questions with his late swing that confused Hinds and brought three lbw appeals in the same over, one of which, off a full toss, was as close as they get. Hinds was then 62.At the opposite end, Campbell’s dismissal after a steady innings was unlucky. He played Saqlain into his pad and could not prevent the ball rolling back to dislodge the off-bail.When Abdur discomfited Chanderpaul with a wicked bouncer that brushed the glove on the way through to Moin just before tea and Adams was given out 35 minutes into the final session to a slip catch off a prodigious off-break from Saqlain that television replays clearly showed missed the bat, the West Indies were still 40 behind.It was a difficult time for two young batsmen. But Hinds and Sarwan saw it through like veterans.

Jordan Campbell has been buzzing over the UEFA Europa League draw involving Glasgow Rangers on Friday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Rangers’ Europa League route plotted out

After knocking out Red Star Belgrade 4-2 on aggregate, the Ibrox faithful were drawn against Braga in the quarter-final stage.

Should they go through again, they will then play either Atalanta or RB Leipzig in the semi-finals, before potentially facing West Ham United, Lyon, Eintracht Frankfurt or Barcelona in the final.

The Latest: Campbell buzzing

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Campbell was left buzzing with the draw, claiming that it is now an ‘exciting’ month ahead for the Gers, with the quarter-finals set to take place in April. He said:

“Braga, the only other team in the draw not from a big five league, is the best Rangers could have wished for.

“They’ve also avoided Barcelona, Lyon and West Ham who are in the other half of the draw. Exciting month ahead.”

The Verdict: Could go all the way

It is safe to say that the draw was relatively kind to the Light Blues, first of all by drawing Braga, given that they only rank 39th in the UEFA club coefficient table. Several of the other remaining Europa League teams are ranked higher, including the Gers.

They also avoided the likes of Barcelona and Lyon on the other side of the draw, each with a rich history in European competition, and also West Ham, who are flying high once more in the Premier League.

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Nonetheless, the draw has presented Rangers with a decent opportunity to go all the way to the final, and maybe even win it.

In other news, these were Rangers’ three worst performers on Thursday

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik, his opposition counterpart, played down talk of the series being bigger than the Ashes © AFP

Six months ago, India and Pakistan were coming to terms with their early World Cup exits. All seemed to have been forgotten when, a little over a month ago, they battled for the World Twenty20 title. Then Australia came to India and South Africa to Pakistan. And both sides are back to learning from their mistakes. It’s these glorious cycles that grips both nations.Surely it allows the teams to understand each other, as evinced by the camaraderie this evening. Once both sides finished warming up, Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar, standing close to the pitch for close to 20 minutes, seemed to be discussing life, the universe and everything. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Yousuf greeted each other like long, lost brothers. And Sourav Ganguly couldn’t get enough of watching Sohail Tanvir’s wrong-footed action. Such .Geoff Lawson recently said that an India-Pakistan series is “bigger than the Ashes” but Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik, the captains in charge, claimed otherwise. “It’s like playing any other team,” Dhoni said casually. “Maybe for you guys [the media] it’s bigger than the Ashes. But personally it doesn’t matter if it’s Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe or any other team. Also, we’ve played against Pakistan a lot recently. It eases the pressure.”Team talkSreesanth, while bowling at the nets in the eastern side of the ground, came perilously close to making news. A swinging yorker crashed into Sourav Ganguly’s right ankle and had him hobbling. A quick spray and a ginger massage later, Ganguly was smiling again, going on to have a bowl.If he plays, which he should, the problem could arise at No.3. Gautam Gambhir or Virender Sehwag? Recent form points to Gambhir, past record to Sehwag. Dhoni said it was a toss-up between the two, adding that Sehwag, despite losing his father a few days back, was in “good nick”.The short square boundaries could dissuade India from playing two spinners, though the pitch could aid turn later on. “This is one of the grounds where we could have extended the boundary ropes,” Dhoni said. “It’s quite a small ground, and both sides have spinners who will have a big impact on the game. Definitely they will suffer a bit if it turns out to be a flat wicket. A 60-65 yard outfield is worrying for bowlers.”Pakistan, though, might go with two spinners irrespective – both Abdur Rehman and Shahid Afridi troubled South Africa recently. “I don’t think our spinners will struggle in these type of grounds,” Malik said. “We had tried different combinations in the series against South Africa, and that was partly keeping the series against India in mind,” said Malik. “Now, we have an idea about the combination and I am confident that we have players for every role.”

Don’t expect Shoaib Akhtar to show any mercy if he bowls to Irfan Pathan during the match © AFP

No politics, please
Pakistan’s media manager Ahsan Malik made it clear that the political situation back home wasn’t going to affect the series. “We are here to play cricket and the team is focussing only on that.” He also requested that the Pakistan captain be questioned only on cricketing matters. Dhoni didn’t say much except, “How the players handle it is up to how mentally tough they are. I am only looking forward to the cricket.”Dewy start
The sun went down at around 4:40 pm on match eve and it’s prompted the two teams to agree to an 8:30 am start. “The first hour is crucial” is normally brushed aside as a plain cricketing cliché but it’s of significance here. Eight of the eleven games here have seen captains inserting the opposition (including the previous completed match here, when Australia were reduced to 61 for 4 before Michael Bevan undertook his customary rescue mission.Anticipation unlimited
Hardly has one commented about the chaos at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati, what with fans clamouring for autographs and thousands of security men for space, than a seasoned observer points out: “Wait for tomorrow. You haven’t seen anything yet.” If we go entirely by captain talk, this is another run-of-the-mill series. No frills, no hype, no anticipation. But one sight of the stadium and you’re convinced that’s plain claptrap. Expect the pleasantries to be left back in the hotel rooms. India v Pakistan doesn’t come with as feverish an edge as ten years earlier but it’s not all about either.Teams (probable)
India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 Virender Sehwag,4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Robin Uthappa, 7Irfan Pathan, 8 Murali Kartik, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11Sreesanth.Pakistan 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Salman Butt, 3 Younis Khan, 4Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik (capt), 7 ShahidAfridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Rao Iftikhar Anjum, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11Shoaib Akhtar.