All posts by h716a5.icu

Losses during the Test series contributed to the formation of a “losing dressing room” says allrounder

Mohammad Isam30-Oct-2017The negativity among the Bangladesh players spread like a “virus” as they got thrashed one game at a time on their South Africa tour, according to Shakib Al Hasan, . The four weeks of woeful cricket finished with the 83-run defeat in the second T20 in Potchefstroom.Shakib said that once they were handed the drubbings in the two Tests, the morale within the group started to go down, and it culminated in poorer performances in the ODIs, Bangladesh’s favoured format, and T20s. None of Bangladesh’s batsmen made more than 300 runs across formats on this tour, while their highest wicket-taker, Rubel Hossain, took just seven wickets.Shakib observed that those in the dressing-room started to speak about personal things when things didn’t go their way, which inevitably contributed to low moods and an atmosphere of defeat.”I think a big reason [for the performance] was that we didn’t do well in Tests, and when the ODIs came around that mood lingered into that format,” Shakib said. “Similarly, when we did not do well in the ODIs, it lingered into the T20s. It’s like a virus. If we did well in Tests, then we could have done even better in ODIs, and even better thereafter in the T20s.”That’s how these things work; it is so critical that if you are in the dressing room. You can tell from the atmosphere. The mentality is different in a winning dressing room; everyone talks about winning. In a losing dressing room, people talk about personal things, and unwittingly negative things come in. Atmosphere is important. More than one or two people performing, it is important that the team performs.”Bangladesh’s batsmen, especially Mushfiqur Rahim, had his moments including the century in the first ODI, which was the first by a Bangladeshi against South Africa. Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah and Liton Das had one good innings each, while Soumya Sarkar concluded a poor series with two scores of 40-plus. They never put up substantial, match-changing partnerships which the South Africans did in abundance.The bowlers however had a terrible time. Collectively, the bowlers conceded the fourth-highest average in a Test series. For the first time, they went on to concede 1,000-plus runs in an ODI series. They were also on the receiving end of the fastest T20 international hundred. Shakib said that the most worrying thing was the lack of fight they posed to South Africa.”The records will show that no team has performed well in away series in the last three or four years. But we were not able to compete in this series, which is frustrating. We played well in the last 2-3 years which is why we expected to fight here. But unfortunately we were not able to get out from the losing streak,” he said.Shakib, however, warned against massive changes in the Bangladesh setup for their next assignment, which will be next year against Sri Lanka at home. He said that they have to make a combined effort to put things right.”People will have personal opinions but I won’t say that we have to start thinking about sea changes after just one series. It is a little normal that results like this will happen on overseas tours. Maybe it was expected that we would lose, but we did not expect to play the cricket we did to lose the way we did.”We all know what our ability is, and none of us could perform up to that. So in that regard I am sure that everyone – starting with the BCB, the coaching staff and us players – will work hard to overcome it, which is important if we want to move forward,” he said.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has "validated the profile" of Gent striker Gift Orban with Spurs now "in contact" to sign him.

Who else will Spurs sign?

Spurs have completed a plethora of transfer deals for Postecoglou as chairman Daniel Levy attempts to back his new head coach.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, youngster Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon and striker Alejo Veliz have all now officially joined the north London club, but there may well be more soon.

Postecoglou, speaking to the press last night after Tottenham's entertaining friendly against Barcelona in Catalonia, claimed there may well be another defensive addition if the club can sort more outgoings.

"We've to see what happens with outgoings," explained the Spurs boss.

"But the potential is there to bring in one more centre back after van de Ven"

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

The north Londoners may also sign a new midfielder, as Spurs regular Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is still attracting serious interest from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

Amid all of the noise surrounding Harry Kane's future, as Bayern prepare to mount yet another attempt to prise him away from Spurs, the club have been looking at possible forward options as well.

Orban, who finished the 22/23 season in electric form, is one attacker who's been linked with a move to Tottenham and journalist Sacha Tavolieri has an interesting update.

The reporter believes Spurs are now in contact over a deal for the Nigeria international, with Postecoglou giving the green-light after he "validated the profile" of Orban.

Tottenham have held verbal discussions with Gent for the player, where they have apparently disclosed their intent to go as high as €30 million (£26m), including bonuses.

"Tottenham in contact with KAA Gent for Gift Orban!," wrote Tavolieri on X.

"Spurs could go as high as €30M (including bonuses) according to the latest oral discussions undertaken with their Belgian counterparts.

The profile of the Nigerian striker has been validated by Ange Postecoglou. The green light to send the written offer is obviously linked to the Harry Kane affair. The English are anticipating the market by paying €30m in 2023 than have to offer the double once Orban has exploded in an intermediate league… Wait&See."

How good is Gift Orban?

The wonderkid is a player of real quality, as displayed by his numbers for Gent last term, with Orban scoring 20 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.

Orban has also been praised by members of the press as one of Nigeria's latest dazzling talents, as journalist Ryan Taylor points out.

Gift Orban, Victor Boniface & Tolu Arokodare. Remember these names," wrote Taylor.

"Making waves in Belgium & on European stage. Throw in Victor Osimhen & Terem Moffi – future looks very bright for Nigeria. Quickly approaching a golden generation for the Super Eagles."

Meanwhile, Sport 1 reporter Patrick Berger has branded Gent's star as one of Nigeria's "very interesting" crop of new players to have emerged in the last 12 months. Orban could be a promising capture for Spurs, especially given his sky high ceiling, for just £26m.

Leeds United “like” Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis as they consider a move to bring him to the Championship, according to reliable journalist Beren Cross.

Who is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Harwood-Bellis is primarily a centre-back who graduated from the academy at the Etihad Stadium to get promoted to the first team fold back in 2021, but having only ever made eight senior appearances under Pep Guardiola, he’s spent the majority of his career out on loan trying to gain as much experience as possible.

The England youth international has carried out four respective spells with Blackburn Rovers, Anderlecht, Stoke City and most recently last season he was at Burnley, and as a result of his contract with his parent club expiring in less than a year, his future is looking extremely uncertain.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…

According to 90min, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford and Newcastle are all interested in a swoop for the 21-year-old whilst the Clarets want to take him back on a permanent basis, and even though the report states that the talented prospect wants to succeed at City, he knows that he’ll have to complete a move elsewhere should he want to receive regular game time moving forward.

Are Leeds signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Taking to Twitter, Cross revealed that Leeds have now identified Harwood-Bellis as an ideal summer target alongside Liverpool’s Nathaniel Phillips, who is also being closely assessed. He wrote:

“Centre-back seems where Leeds are focusing energy next in the window. Phillips and Harwood-Bellis among names they like. Elsewhere, we've been here before with injured strikers. Radrizzani never got on top of it. 49ers have a month to put it right.”

How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Leeds are extremely short in the centre-back department having sanctioned the temporary exits of Robin Koch and Maximilian Wober ,so the club are in desperate need of reinforcements in the heart of the defence, and having been dubbed a “warrior” by journalist Josh Bunting, Harwood-Bellis would be a fantastic recruit should he sign on the dotted line.

The Stockport-born talent, whose price tag is £15m, last season averaged 3.1 clearances and 2.8 aerial wins per match in his 32 second-tier appearances for Burnley, via WhoScored, so isn’t afraid to put his body on the line and is a strong physical presence off the ground, but he’s also capable of getting involved with the action in the final third.

The 6 foot 2 colossus has racked up 15 goal contributions (ten goals and five assists) in 176 appearances since the start of his career and ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive passes, highlighting his desire to push his team as high up the pitch as possible when playing out from the back.

Furthermore, Harwood-Bellis already knows what it takes to seriously compete and be successful in the Championship having been a part of Vincent Kompany's squad who achieved promotion back to the Premier League last season so he is the perfect profile of player for 49ers chiefs to be targeting, though whether an offer will be submitted yet remains a mystery.

Lyon’s five-for threatened to derail Bangladesh, but they were rescued by a 105-run sixth-wicket stand from half-centurions Mushfiqur and Sabbir

The Report by Daniel Brettig04-Sep-2017Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:01

Isam: Mushfiqur showed the value of his experience

Nathan Lyon set a world record, Matthew Wade produced two of his best moments behind the stumps for Australia and Pat Cummins toiled manfully to carry the burden of being his side’s lone paceman. However, Bangladesh’s captain Mushfiqur Rahim provided the spinal contribution of the innings to keep the hosts afloat on an enervating day one in Chittagong.Needing a win to avoid handing Bangladesh only their fourth Test series victory, Australia’s selection of just one fast bowler in Pat Cummins left them relying heavily on their spinners on a surface that so far has offered precious little turn or variable bounce.Bangladesh’s top four: lbw b Lyon

1- Nathan Lyon became the first bowler to dismiss each of the first four batsmen lbw in a Test innings. There have been 17 instances previously in which bowlers have dismissed the first three batsmen LBW. The last bowler to do this was Harbhajan Singh against South Africa in Cape Town.
3- Consecutive Matches in which Lyon has taken a five-for. Lyon took a five-wicket haul against India in Dharamsala and has taken two in the first two Tests against Bangladesh. Glenn McGrath was the last bowler from Australia to achieve a similar feat in 2001 when he took four consecutive five-wicket hauls.
1938 – Previous instance of Australia opening with a spinner in the first innings of a Test match. Similar to Lyon, Bill O’Reilly bowled the second over against England in Nottingham.
2006- Last instance of Australia playing three specialist spinners in a Test. Incidentally that was also against Bangladesh in Chittagong. Shane Warne, Stuart Macgill and Dan Cullen were the three spinners.
3 – Test Matches in which the first five top-order batsmen were left handed. Previously, West Indies had five against Sri Lanka in Pallekelle in 2010.

In fact, Australia’s selection seemed geared better towards that previous surface than this one, including a third spin bowler in Steve O’Keefe, who bowled to the sort of level that might be reasonably expected of a bowler who this time last week was watching on his couch in Sydney, seemingly at peace with the conclusion that his Test career was at an end. At the same time, Usman Khawaja was left to wonder how much better he might have fared on a pitch that allowed rather more liberties for batsmen.All this made the captain Steven Smith grateful that Lyon bowled with impressive accuracy and persistence to claim the first four wickets of the match through lbw verdicts, a first in Test match history. The last two of which arrived either side of lunch ended promising starts by Soumya Sarkar and Mominul Haque. Bangladesh took a conservative approach in line with their selection of no fewer than eight batsmen in the Chittagong XI, and it took the arrival of Sabbir Rahman to join Mushfiqur for a more nimble tack to be taken by the batsmen.Sabbir played some of the day’s most fluent strokes in a stand ultimately worth 105 and ended only when Wade accomplished an outstanding legside stumping when the batsman overbalanced after attempting a pull shot. Wade celebrated with all the glee of a wicketkeeper who knew he had influenced proceedings, but also the relief of a man who was in serious consideration to be dropped for a part-timer in Peter Handscomb.Australia must avoid defeat in order to avoid dropping to sixth on the ICC Test rankings, their lowest spot since the system was introduced in 2003. Knowing this, the selectors dropped Khawaja and replaced him with the allrounder Hilton Cartwright, whose ability to bowl seamers allowed for the recall of O’Keefe, the injury replacement for Josh Hazlewood. The hosts included an extra batsman in Mominul at the expensive of the seam bower Shafiul Islam, meaning both sides chosen only one frontline paceman each.Cummins took the new ball but the second over was bowled by Lyon, who quickly found the ball did not deviate off the surface anywhere near as dramatically as it had done last week. That meant adjustment for both bowler and batsmen, and Lyon was able to adapt most quickly by whirring in towards the stumps.He claimed Tamim with a delivery that the opener misjudged, though not before he had been missed by Maxwell from a prancing Cummins delivery. Lyon’s breakthrough spared Maxwell too much worry, and a further incision was made when Imrul Kayes tried to sweep and was given out via DRS – replays showing that a double noise had been a case of the ball striking both pads.Soumya and Mominul were largely untroubled for more than an hour, but the former played down the wrong line to another straight delivery and was struck on the back pad. The batsmen deliberated long and hard before electing not to review, thereby allowing Bangladesh to preserve their two referrals for the afternoon.Soon after resumption, Mominul was pinned on the back foot by another delivery that skidded on, meaning Lyon became the first bowler in Test history to claim the first four batsmen in an innings all lbw. It was a fitting record given his disciplined lines and lengths, with subtle pace and spin variations to keep the batsmen guessing – in the process passing Jason Gillespie (269 wickets) on Australia’s all-time list of Test match wicket-takers.Shakib was involved in a few niggling exchanges with the Australians, not least when he and Mushfiqur briefly considered a single after a rebound off the striker from a return throw by a fired-up Cummins. The visitors will feel justified in attempting to distract the world’s No. 1 allrounder after Shakib got a thin edge when fiddling at an Agar delivery outside the off stump, leaving Wade to take a very good catch, staying low with the chance and keeping his footing.Mushfiqur and Sabbir were thus left with an unpromising platform, but responded with more positive intent to move the scoreboard along, not least in the last over of the second session when the young allrounder Cartwright was hammered for nine runs in his only over of the day up until then. More unthreatening overs in the evening session demonstrated that he was only able to offer Cummins the most rudimentary seam-up support.O’Keefe meanwhile struggled to find the sort of rhythm that helped reap him 12 wickets against India in Pune earlier in the year. His return took place while he is still suspended from playing in New South Wales’ next assignment, the domestic limited overs tournament, after offensive behaviour towards a female Australian cricketer at the end of season awards night in April.Mushfiqur’s patience contrasted neatly with Sabbir’s more assertive ways, which seemed set fair to take Bangladesh through to stumps when Cummins looked notably stiff and fatigued in delivering the second new ball. But that was the cue for Lyon to spear one down the leg side and allow Wade to have Sabbir stumped by a matter of millimetres and milliseconds.Nasir Hossain accompanied his captain to the close, leaving open the possibility of greater runs for Bangladesh on the second morning – every one of which will make it harder for Australia to force victory.

West Ham are one of several clubs in the race for Samuel Iling-Junior this summer.

Who wants to sign Samuel Iling-Junior?

According to Il Bianconero (via Sport Witness), the Hammers, alongside Fulham and Everton, are keen on Iling-Junior and have made 'concrete' moves to try and bring the player to England.

The English sides have all ‘concretely come forward’ to assess the youngster and their respective next moves.

It is understood that Juventus are flexible in allowing the 19-year-old to leave, either through a permanent sale or a loan with an obligation to buy.

The Old Lady values the winger, who can also play as a left wing-back at around €20m (£17m) and his contract in Italy doesn’t expire until 2025.

What is Samuel Iling-Junior's style of play?

Iling-Junior began his career in Chelsea’s academy system in 2011, spending nine years with the West London outfit.

However, in 2020, he decided to leave the Blues and signed a deal later that year with Juventus. In 58 appearances for the Italian youth teams, he registered 29 goal contributions.

Thanks to this string of impressive performances, he made his Serie A debut in October 2022, coming on as a late substitute for Filip Kostic against Empoli. Later that month, the 2003-born gem then made his first Champions League appearance against Benfica, and within six minutes, he created an assist for Arkadiusz Milik.

At the end of last season in May, Iling-Junior made his first Serie A start and netted his first goal with the Senior side in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

In a short space of time, the forward has already forged a promising reputation thanks to his exciting talent and buzzing dynamism.

Michele Neri from Eurosport Italy has eulogised his potential, saying: “He has a great sense for dribbling and a speed from a standing start that other Juventus players do not have.

“He is an assist machine, but he can also score, especially when his movements off the ball allows him to find space in the penalty area.

“However, with the first team he has only scored one goal so far… so in terms of the next thing to work on I would say he can turn more chances into goals.”

From a West Ham perspective, Neri’s most telling comment is that the £11k-per-week starlet is a “very quick player, who loves to take on opposing full-backs and attack the vertical spaces, in a very direct way.”

This description bears much similarity to Jarrod Bowen, who has been of the Irons’ most important assets in recent times.

In the 2021/22 season, the 26-year-old recorded 24 goal involvements in the league and became the first West Ham player to record ten goals and assists in a single campaign since Paolo Di Canio in 2000. That year, Bowen was named the Players’ Player of the Season.

He continued the most recent campaign in an instrumental, as he was the club’s top league scorer with six goals, and engrained his name into Hammers folklore with a last-ditch winner in the European final against Fiorentina.

If the four-cap international ever possibly saw his future away from the London Stadium, then Iling-Junior, who has been described as “flamboyant” by Jacek Kulig, could be the heir to step into his claret throne.

India would not have expected their successes to come quite as easily as they have so far on this tour. There’s little to suggest the trend will be bucked in Pallekele

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Aug-20172:27

Maharoof: SL look depleted, a turnaround will be difficult

Match FactsAugust 24, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)Big Picture
If anything, the first ODI was even more of a pounding than the Tests had been. After Sri Lanka’s batsmen had taken turns torching their own innings in quick succession, India appeared as if they could have doubled Sri Lanka’s score in the fifty overs. Sri Lanka might not even have taken a wicket had Rohit Sharma’s bat not got been lodged in some sticky Dambulla soil. Then, completing the embarrassment, the team’s bus was held up by demonstrators, who demanded that Sri Lanka’s cricket be pruned of politics, and voiced their raucous displeasure at the team. Sri Lanka Cricket has been unpopular in the past, but it’s fair to say now that this particular board’s reputation is in tatters – worse than ever before.Pandya with the new ball is a great option – Kohli

Virat Kohli believes Hardik Pandya, the new ball bowler, will lend a new dimension to India’s bowling attack as they look to narrow down on options ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Pandya has opened the bowling in six of his 18 ODI appearances so far.
“It’s quite possible, because he has the ability to swing the ball and he can bowl consistently over 135 kmph,” Kohli said. “With the new ball he can get a bit of extra bounce because of his height. We certainly look at it as a great option for us.
“If the teams try going after him, he can pick up a couple of wickets. Also (Jasprit) Bumrah is your strike bowler and he comes in one-change. The teams obviously will be a bit more wary against him so that really gives us good balance in terms of who to use when.”

It is a tour of increasing ease for India, who were always favourites, but would not have expected their success to come quite this easy. Shikhar Dhawan has buffed his stats beautifully in the island, hitting two hundreds in the Tests, and now posting a rapid ton in the first ODI. Virat Kohli might also have moved to triple figures on Sunday had the target been large enough to accommodate it. And Sri Lanka’s batsmen seem all too willing to lose wickets to whoever India throw the ball to.In the first match, they surrendered to the left-arm spin of Axar Patel, and the decidedly part-time stylings of Kedar Jadav. Beyond runs, wickets and rankings points, what are India themselves gaining from the contest? How will feasting on a meek Sri Lanka serve them as they build towards the 2019 World Cup?Sri Lanka have now returned to the site of their worst Test defeat in the island in the recent Test series (and in recent years), and must summon up the resolve to raise all three disciplines of their cricket out of their present shambles. The fielding hasn’t been talked about so much recently because the batting and bowling have been so bad, but with Upul Tharanga’s reprieve of Shikhar Dhawan, they have dropped no fewer than 63 catches (across formats) since the start of the year.Where, usually, when a team is struggling, the senior players might be expected to lead the way with good performances, it is Sri Lanka’s youngsters – Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and the like – who seem most capable of lifting Sri Lank out of their pit.Form guideSri Lanka LLLWW(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWIn the spotlight
Nine matches, seven wickets, an average of 61.71 and an economy rate of 5.93. There lie Lasith Malinga’s returns since his ODI comeback this year. What these numbers don’t tell you is that Malinga has had no fewer than eight catches dropped off his bowling (at least half of them easy chances), but still, he is very reliant on his wiles now, where once he also had the option of blasting batsmen out with raw pace. Given the inexperience of the remaining bowlers, Sri Lanka need Malinga to spark the attack into form. It has often been said that thanks to the IPL, no one has seen more of Malinga than India’s batsmen, but it is also true that Malinga knows those batsmen better than anyone else.While one limited-overs legend wanes, a bowler that has benefited from Malinga’s mentorship aspires to fulfil a similar role for his team. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t had the best 2017 so far, perhaps, claiming only 11 wickets at 41.81, but took 2 for 22 from 6.2 overs at Dambulla, and the Sri Lanka innings didn’t even get to the death-overs stage, where Bumrah ordinarily prospers. Having had an excellent start to international cricket last year, Bumrah will now hope to lock down a place in the XI for that 2019 campaign. His yorkers are already pinpoint, but a little more menace with the new ball could potentially see him become one of the best ODI bowlers around.Team news
Sri Lanka have said that changes are on the way, and this generally means the attack is about to be switched up. Akila Dananjaya could replace Lakshan Sandakan on the spin-bowling front. Thisara Perera’s place could also be in question following his modest performance with ball and bat in the previous match. Milinda Siriwardana seems likeliest to replace him, provided Sri Lanka are happy to field three spinners.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Kapugedara, 7 Milinda Siriwardanan 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Vishwa FernandoKohli also hinted that India would try a few things in this series, but perhaps they will hope to win it first before any experiments are carried out. Their XI might be very similar to that which played at Dambulla. No one really had a poor game.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditions
The Pallekele pitch can often be seam-friendly under lights, but that does not mean spinners cannot be very effective there. As ever, with this stadium, there is a chance play will be interrupted by rain.Stats and trivia India have now won 15 of the last 19 ODIs between these two sides. For the year, they have won nine games and lost four. In 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan has hit 757 runs at an average of 84.11 and a strike rate of 96.67. Among teams he has played more than one match against, Sri Lanka are easily his favourite opponent. India, meanwhile, are Lasith Malinga’s least-favourite opponent. He averages 43.88 and has an economy rate of 5.99 against them. The match will be Sri Lanka’s 800th ODI.Quotes
“I havent had a look at the wicket yet. If the wicket is similar to Dambulla I don’t see any reason to change the team just after one game. As I said, it was a near perfect game for us… I wouldn’t say perfect because we came back into the game beautifully and then consolidated it with the bat. We looked really sharp in the field as well. I am very happy with how we went in the first game, and then we will decide after having a look at the wicket.”
“Malinga is a leader in the change room. We don’t look purely at what he can do with the ball, but also look at what he does for the young bowlers, and we have got a young mob of them. Stats may show that he hasn’t performed like the Lasith of three years ago, but what he does add in value is immeasurable. His stats would also look different if we held the catches off his bowling.”

Major financial institutions and private individuals have shown interest in supporting the players, according to the ACA

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-20173:46

What is the pay dispute all about?

Most of Australia’s cricketers are out of contract but they are unlikely to be out of pocket, as various sources of funding emerge to help tide them over during the impasse between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA).”The ACA is in the process of securing a multimillion-dollar line of credit to support the unemployed players to counter attempts by CA to starve them out,” an ACA spokesman said.”Major international financial institutions have shown strong interests in supporting the players at this difficult time. The ACA is fielding support from private individuals who are also willing to back this move.”With little headway being made in the deadlock – the players want to retain the existing revenue-sharing model, while CA does not – 230 of Australia’s cricketers, including all the top players on central contracts, have been without a contract since July 1. Ordinarily they would have been paid on July 15 but with that agreement now invalid, the also reported the “injection of millions of dollars in ‘loans’ from several wealthy backers” into a hardship fund set up by the ACA that could, according to the report, last “until Christmas.”Currently, only the Australia women’s team is in action, in the ongoing World Cup in England. They came to an agreement to do so with CA, but will be out of contract if the dispute isn’t resolved by the time the tournament ends. The first casualty of the pay dispute was Australia A’s tour of South Africa, which was scheduled to begin on July 12 but has been called off after the Australian players refused to tour.The Australia senior men’s team are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in August, but that series is dependent on the ACA and CA arriving at an agreement. And though the Ashes, to be hosted by Australia later this year, is still some time away, the spectre of it not going ahead looms uneasily.

Manchester United left-back Alex Telles is set to depart the club to join Al Nassr as the Glazers start a summer clear-out of Erik ten Hag’s squad, according to Manchester Evening News.

Who have Manchester United signed in 2023?

The Red Devils have really kick-started their business in the summer transfer window this week with a move for Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana, following on from the big money signing of Chelsea’s Mason Mount.

Ten Hag was delighted with the arrival of Cameroon star Onana, saying: "I think with his physical presence and also with his personality, he is so keen on winning. He's so, so eager to win trophies and he will help the team and he will help the squad to get to higher levels."

The manager is far from done adding to his squad though, with rumours he could sign another more experienced goalkeeper in Sevilla and Morocco star Bono, while there is also expected to be some action in the centre-forward department, with Rasmus Hojlund seemingly the top target there.

The club are in pole position to sign Hojlund, but with a price tag rumoured to be around €90m (£78m) they will have to get busy in the outgoing department in the coming days and weeks, looking to clear space on the wage bill and recoup some funds.

How much is Alex Telles worth?

According to Samuel Luckhurst, writing for MEN, Telles could be the first senior squad member sold for a fee this summer, as the Brazilian looks all set to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the same club Cristiano Ronaldo plays for.

However, the Glazers aren’t going to get much profit back on the deal, as the former FC Porto man will generate a fee of just £6m after three years at Old Trafford.

This is of course a far cry from some of the funds flying around to Premier League rivals in deals with the Middle East – Jordan Henderson and Fabinho look set to generate over £50m for Liverpool, Allan Saint-Maximin’s move from Newcastle is said to be worth around £26m, while Chelsea have sold several players for big money.

There is however some Saudi interest in Eric Bailly, while Anthony Elanga looks set to join Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Dean Henderson could soon follow suit too, so perhaps the manager could have a few more funds to work with before too long.

Telles was far from a success story at Old Trafford, never really budging Luke Shaw off the top spot in the left-back pecking order and playing just 30 times in the Premier League.

However, the 30 year-old did rack up 50 outings in total in the northwest, scoring once and racking up eight assists, so the end product that made him so exciting at Porto did rear its head at times.

The main beneficiary from Telles’ exit will presumably be Tyrell Malacia, who joined the club from Feyenoord last summer and had an up and down first campaign in England, showing flashes of his potential but recording zero goals or assists from 39 games.

Leicestershire’s dreadful start to the second day gave Northants the advantage at Wantage Road

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2017
ScorecardMohammad Azharullah took three wickets•Getty ImagesNorthamptonshire took hold of the pink-ball Specsavers County Championship match on the second day against Leicestershire, reaching 60 for 3 in their second-innings and a lead of 164 before rain curtailed play.With a first-innings advantage of 104, Northants were reduced to 12 for 2 before Alex Wakely’s unbeaten 34 – featuring a top-edged pull over the wicketkeeper – steered them to the close in steady shape. But setting a target above 300 will still be a challenge if cloudy floodlit conditions remain on day three.Northants were set for a much bigger first-innings lead when Leicestershire, having resumed day two 65 for 4, slumped to 86 for 8 before lunch but a stand of 60 for the ninth wicket between Lewis Hill and Matt Pillans ensured the follow-on would not be of concern.More pink ball theories

Richard Gleeson, Northants seamer: “I think with this pink ball it tends to bounce a little bit more so everyone has been saying you need to get the ball up there a bit more and not let players just hang back and that seemed to work.
“It’s more like the Readers club ball I used to use: the seam seems to stay up a little bit longer. The new ball has been very difficult but after that it depends on the conditions and the overheads have definitely helped the ball swing here.”

Conditions favoured the bowlers all day with the floodlights on under gloomy skies and Leicestershire responded with two early wickets. Rob Newton was lbw to Klein for the second time in the game and Ben Duckett, after a first-inning century, was taken at second slip off Clint McKay for a second-ball duck.Max Holden’s 37-ball stay featured countless plays-and-misses, driving McKay in particular to distraction. He eventually edged Pillans to first slip to give Leicestershire a third wicket and further hope. Their chances of getting deeper into the Northants middle order were denied by rain.It was the Northants’ bowlers who enjoyed the conditions in the opening session of the day – during the first 25 minutes, 33 balls were bowled, Northamptonshire didn’t concede a single run and took three wickets.The first of those was McKay, who was dropped to the final ball of day one but caught off the first ball he saw of day two – driving loosely at Richard Gleeson and edging to first slip Chesney Hughes, the same man who dropped McKay the previous evening.Gleeson struck again when Ned Eckersley tamely chipped a catch to point. Between those dismissals, Sanderson nipped a ball back into Colin Ackerman, forcing an inside edge into the off stump.When Azharullah trapped Neil Dexter lbw for 11 – the decision appeared to be a marginal call – Leicestershire were facing the prospect of being asked to follow-on. But Hill rode his luck and with Pillans, who found five boundaries from No. 10, avoided being asked to bat again and kept a finger-hold on the game for the visitors.The second session was delayed by 55 minutes by the lightest of drizzle but when play did resume, Northants took only six overs to remove the Leicestershire tail. Sanderson, who probed away without full reward before lunch – nine overs for just eight runs and one wicket – changed ends to send a ball from wider on the crease through bat and bat and into the bails of Pillans. He finished with 3 for 36 from 20 overs.Azharullah cleaned up No. 11 Dieter Klein and Leicestershire’s 157 all out still gave Northants a very good first-innings lead.

Chelsea look set to be ramping up their efforts to lure more talent to Stamford Bridge as Mauricio Pochettino aims to build a team which can challenge for domestic honours during 2023/24.

Having already signed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, a move for Ajax starlet Mohammed Kudus could be next on the cards for the Argentinian as he continues his summer overhaul at the Blues.

How much could Mohammed Kudus cost?

According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea have ‘held talks’ with Kudus over a potential move to the Premier League this summer, although Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion may potentially provide stiff competition with regard to securing his signature.

He rejected a contract offer from the Dutch side back in April, expressing his desire to leave the club during the transfer window.

The Ghanaian attacking midfielder has been valued at around £40m, which is a fee that Chelsea could certainly afford, especially since they have raised £219m from player sales already this summer.

What could Mohammed Kudus offer Chelsea?

One of the more highly publicised departures from Stamford Bridge during the transfer window was that of Kai Havertz, with the German international moving to Arsenal for £65m following three seasons at Chelsea.

Although showing glimpses of his talent which convinced the Blues to splash out £71m for him in 2020, including scoring the winner during the 2021 Champions League final, he couldn’t quite live up to expectations in England.

Registering 47 goal contributions – 32 goals and 15 assists – does sound like a decent figure across 139 games, yet he failed to score more than ten league goals in a single campaign during his three seasons at the club, something which he did during his final two years at Bayer Leverkusen.

Kudus could be an excellent heir for the 24-year-old, not only due to his ability to operate in an attacking midfield role, but also because of his positional versatility, being able to play as a centre-forward or on the right wing.

Both players pose a danger in the final third, although Kudus did score more often last term than Havertz (18 to nine), while also grabbing more assists (seven to one) and these aren’t the only attacking metrics in which he held an advantage over the former Chelsea star.

Indeed, the Ajax starlet also registered more shots per 90 (3.09 to 2.61), more shot-creating actions per 90 (3.04 to 2.48) and succeeded with a higher percentage of successful take-ons (59.8% to 34.9%), not only indicating that he was a greater threat in front of goal but that he had more confidence when coming up against opposition defenders.

Former Ajax striker and Dutch legend Marco van Basten praised Kudus after comparing him to current Manchester United winger Antony, saying: "I find Mohammed Kudus a much better football player than Antony. Antony has his skills, but he is confused with the things he is trying to do!

"Kudus has much better technique and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical. He is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team. In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He’s more fun to watch play."

For a fee of £40m, Pochettino could potentially sign one of the bargains of the summer in the 22-year-old gem, while subsequently turning him into an ideal Havertz heir.