All posts by h716a5.icu

Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand got off to an inauspicious start as they went down by three wickets against the New Zealand XI in a rain reduced 43-overs a side practice match at the Cobham Oval in Whangerai

Mohammad Isam22-Dec-2016 ScorecardMustafizur Rahman bowled seven overs in his first competitive game in five months•AFPBangladesh’s tour of New Zealand got off to an inauspicious start as they went down by three wickets against the New Zealand XI in a rain reduced 43-overs a side practice match at the Cobham Oval. But they will at least leave Whangarei with the confidence that Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets in his first competitive match in five months following a recovery from shoulder surgery.Mustafizur had Ryan Duffy caught down the leg-side off his fourth delivery before Henry Shipley skied him in fading light. But Ben Horne, who was unbeaten 60 off 53 balls, guided the hosts to their 246-run target with eight balls to spare after he and Brett Hampton knocked off the remaining 47 runs in 6.4 overs. Hampton, like Horne, struck five fours in his unbeaten 21-ball 29.Shakib Al Hasan finished with three wickets in the game, having bowled Ben Smith for fifty, and later getting Bharat Popli and captain Cole McConchie both caught by Tamim Iqbal. Ken McClure was run out for 10 after getting into a mix-up trying for a second run while the other New Zealand XI wicket went to Mahmudullah when Shawn Hicks pulled him to deep midwicket powerfully but was caught by Rubel Hossain.Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings couldn’t start on time due to rain. Then there was another delay after they had batted 11 overs. Imrul Kayes-and Soumya Sarkar added 55 for the second wicket to steady the innings. Sarkar made 40 of those before pulling Shipley to mid-on. Mahmudullah then made a sprightly 46-ball 43 before retiring out to give others an opportunity to bat. Mushfiqur Rahim top scored with 45 off 41 balls with two fours and a six but the likes of Shakib, Sabbir Rahman and Tanbir Hayder couldn’t cash in.Bangladesh will travel to Christchurch on Friday for their first ODI against New Zealand on Boxing Day. The second and third ODI will be played at Saxton Oval in Nelson on December 29 and 31 respectively.

Sunderland enjoyed an impressive return to life in the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign as they battled early disruption to reach the play-offs.

Alex Neil quit the Stadium of Light to join Stoke City in the first month of the season and Tony Mowbray came in to lead the Black Cats to sixth before losing to Luton Town, who went on earn promotion to the Premier League.

The head coach and Kristjaan Speakman now have the summer transfer window to bolster the squad again with the aim of going all the way and moving up to the top-flight at the end of 2023/24.

One player the club have been linked with a swoop for ahead of next term is Universidad Católica prospect Alexander Aravena, who could be the dream heir to a current Sunderland ace.

How would Alexander Aravena fit in at Sunderland?

The 20-year-old right winger could come in and eventually replace Patrick Roberts on that side of Mowbray's attacking line-up next season or in the years to come.

In the Primera Division in 2023, the exciting youngster has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 and chipped in with seven goals and two assists from out wide in 13 outings. The number 18 has created one chance per game for his teammates and showcased his ability to open up the opposition for his fellow attackers.

His form this year comes after an impressive 2022 in the top-flight of football in Chile.

Aravena averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the league last term and contributed at the top end of the pitch with 11 goals and three assists in 30 matches as a winger.

These statistics show that the young ace, whose intelligence was once praised as "magnificent" by press officer and scout Salvatore Gandhi, has the quality to be a big goal threat, whilst also being able to provide creativity, as a right winger.

Roberts, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.83 and racked up five goals and seven assists in 42 appearances in the Championship in the season just gone.

This suggests that the Chile international could provide more than him in front of goal if the 20-year-old is able to adjust to English football, based on his return of 18 goals and five assists in his last 43 league games is more impressive than the Englishman's statistics in the second tier.

Aravena's age, however, means that Mowbray would not have to rush him into the starting XI or expect him to hit the ground running on Wearside. Sunderland could take their time with the prolific magician and bed him in slowly as the long-term heir to Roberts' position on the right flank.

WICB president Dave Cameron has said Darren Bravo was offered a Grade-C contract because his “poor” recent performances did not merit a higher pay grade

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2016WICB president Dave Cameron has said Darren Bravo was offered a Grade-C contract because his “poor” recent performances did not merit a higher pay grade. Cameron also revealed that of the 15 players who were recently offered WICB contracts till September 2017, only Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels had received contracts higher than the C category. Along with Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite and Samuels, who was given a Grade-B contract, had declined the board’s offer.This is the first time that the WICB offered an explanation of the contract Bravo was offered. “It is explicit that if your averages are not above a certain level it tells you what contracts you get. It is very, very explicit,” Cameron told , a Caribbean television network. “His averages in the last two years have been declining, so what do you do? Reward poor performance or do you encourage him to get better?”Bravo is one of the most experienced players in the West Indies Test squad and when Cameron asked if it was demotivating for the batsman to be offered a low contract, he said: “If you continue to keep giving him an A contract then what is the motivation to get better? He has been on an A contract and he hasn’t done well.”Bravo responded with a tweet saying he had never been offered a Grade-A contract. “You hav been failing 4 d last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51,” he said on Twitter.Bravo, 27, was West Indies’ second-highest run getter in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Before that, he had a poor Test series against India at home, scoring only 139 runs in seven innings. Since November 2014, Bravo scored 1089 runs in 17 Tests for West Indies, a tally that is second to Kraigg Brathwaite’s 1258 runs in 20 matches. Bravo scored two centuries and seven fifties in this period, and was also the second-highest run getter for the side in away Tests in this period, with 391 runs at an average of 43.44. Bravo’s overall batting average in overseas Tests is 51.18.The WICB retainers comprise five categories – A+, A, B+, B and C – and the eventual grades are based on a points system used for players. These points are calculated by an appraisal formula that compares the player’s performance over the last 12 months to his overall career figures. In 2015, Bravo scored 644 runs in nine Tests at an average of 35.77, with his best performances coming overseas. In Sri Lanka, he scored two half-centuries from four innings before racking up 247 runs in five innings at 49.4 in Australia. In, Bravo aggregated 300 runs in five matches at an average of 37.50.Cameron did not provide the specifics of how many points Bravo had scored. “Every single player got C contract except Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels,” he said.

Tottenham Hotspur are a side who have been mentioned in the expected pursuit to sign James Ward-Prowse this summer following Southampton's relegation.

How much is Ward-Prowse worth?

It was a season to forget for both Spurs and the Saints with both hugely underwhelming their fanbases, however, Southampton's will provide bigger consequences.

The Saints ended the campaign rock bottom of the Premier League table and, therefore, will play second-tier football next season and likely lose some of their star players.

Although Spurs will have to go into the new campaign without any European football to look forward to, it will provide Ange Postecoglou with an opportunity to instil his philosophy at the club.

And it will be intriguing to see what changes he brings over the coming months in the transfer window as he will likely be keen to stamp his influence on the starting XI.

One player who is expected to bring in big money for the south coast side is the Englishman, Ward-Prowse, with reports (via SportBible) suggesting the Saints will be looking for a bid in the region of £52m for his services.

Whether or not a team will be willing to part with that sum of money for him is another question, though.

However, it is apparent he will have a lot of potential suitors as insider Alex Crook explained when speaking about the 28-year-old on TalkSPORT:

"Newcastle have got him on their list, as I understand it. I don't believe he's at the top of that list. And again, Southampton I think are asking for quite a substantial fee.

"Tottenham have been mentioned as well and you could see him improving their midfield. Wolves would like to sign him, as I understand it, but they think he might go to a club higher up the food chain."

How much does Ward-Prowse earn?

The £100k-per-week England international has played a huge role in Southampton's side for a number of years now having started every single game in the Premier League this season (via Transfermarkt).

And during his time on the south coast, Ward-Prowse has established himself as one of the league's most fierce free-kick takers.

But it is not just free-kicks in which he scores with the 28-year-old chipping in a total of nine goals in the Premier League alone this season (via Transfermarkt).

Upon his arrival at Celtic, Postecoglou made some major changes in the Bhoys' midfield with the additions of Reo Hatate and Matt O'Riley.

So it will be interesting to see if he also looks to do similar at Spurs when he has the chance to assess his options of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp.

However, if the Saints are holding out for in excess of £50m this summer, then perhaps this is a deal which Spurs may have to forget about considering they are reportedly in talks to sign the £60m-rated James Maddison.

But this is a player who has been hailed as a "machine" by some in the media despite the struggles Southampton endured over the course of the 2022/23 campaign.

Manchester United will need to pay in excess of £60 million this summer if they are to land a new striker at Old Trafford, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest transfer news on Manchester United's striker search?

Manchester United have been linked with several strikers this summer as they look to add an elite forward to their attack, with Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane being among the leading names, though the Red Devils will need to part with around £100 million to land the England international, as per The Daily Mail.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is also a target for Erik Ten Hag heading into the forthcoming transfer window alongside Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund and Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani, according to The Manchester Evening News.

As per The Mirror, Benfica frontman Goncalo Ramos is also highly thought of at Manchester United and is seen as a 'brilliant prospect' for the future by Old Trafford chiefs.

Calciomercato claimed in March that Juventus hitman Dusan Vlahovic is also being considered by the Red Devils, providing an intriguing mix of strikers that Manchester United could choose to pursue once the window opens for business.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that Manchester United may have to shell out a significant sum of cash to be in with a chance of landing any of these reported targets.

Jacobs told FFC: "I think the last point I would make is that Manchester United are going to have to balance lots of priorities here. If they, for example, want a traditional number nine striker, which is a key and urgent priority position, should that opportunity present itself early in the window. Whether that is for a Kane, which we know is going to be difficult, or Victor Osimhen, which we know is going to be expensive, Gonzalo Ramos, which again will come with a big price tag or a Dusan Vlahovic, which there's a real possibility he'll leave, but again, it's going to be well in excess of £60 million at a minimum."

Who is the most likely target to end up at Manchester United?

All strikers who have been linked with Manchester United will prove to be difficult to attain; however, this may well become an easier task to manage financially once the ownership situation at Old Trafford has been rectified.

One thing we do know is that Red Devils boss Ten Hag is said to be 'obsessed' with Tottenham icon Kane and will act early as they try to secure a deal to entice the 29-year-old away from N17, as per The Guardian.

It is easy to see why Kane is so highly rated by the Manchester United boss, given that he managed to notch 32 goals and five assists from 49 appearances in 2022/23 for a struggling Spurs side, as per Transfermarkt.

Kane may prove to be one of the more tricky deals to complete, though the fact that he is desperate to become the all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League may just give Manchester United enough leg room to seriously tempt him into considering his future this summer.

Saqlain Mushtaq is set to join the England squad again as a consultant, as he will join the squad for the India tour on November 2

George Dobell29-Oct-20161:01

Quick Facts: Saqlain Mushtaq from player to coach

Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will join up with the England squad on November 2 as they prepare for the Test series in India.Saqlain made a good impression in a brief stint as England’s spin bowling consultant during the home Test series against Pakistan. The ECB made no secret of their desire to utilise his experience ahead of the series in India but had expressed some concern over whether they could secure a visa for him.With that issue now resolved – it is understood he has a 15-day visa – he will join the England squad in Mumbai ahead of the first Test in Rajkot on November 9.England hope that Saqlain can help England’s relatively inexperienced spin attack prepare for a series in which they will be required to play a substantial part. Gareth Batty, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari have played just 14 Tests between them – in Batty’s case, seven out of eight came more than a decade ago – while Moeen Ali admitted on Friday that he was “nowhere near where I want to be as a spinner.”It may also be that Saqlain proves of benefit to England’s batsmen. During Mushtaq Ahmed’s spell as spin-bowling consultant, he helped the batsmen work out methods of attack against spin bowling.Saqlain, who claimed 208 wickets in a 49-Test career, has previously had spells as a spin consultant with New Zealand and West Indies.The England Test squad has not had a dedicated spin-bowling coach since Mushtaq left the role in early 2014.

A round-up of the second day’s play in round one of Ranji Trophy Group C matches

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016Group CAshutosh Singh stood out with 140 on first-class debut as Chhattisgarh consolidated their position with a 137-run lead at stumps against Tripura in Ranchi.The overnight batsmen – Ashutosh and Mohammad Kaif – extended their partnership to 62, before seamer Abhijit Dey removed Kaif for 27. Dey then dismissed Ajay Mandal for 5 and reduced Chhattisgarh to 124 for 5 en route to career-best figures of 4 for 26.Ashutosh, however, held the innings together. He struck 16 boundaries and a six and took his team to 255, before he was the last man dismissed. Dey was supported by Rana Dutta, who claimed 3 for 39. Tripura closed the day at 10 for 0.Opener Akshath Reddy’s 11th first-class ton gave Hyderabad the first-innings advantage against Goa in Nagpur. In reply to Goa’s 164, Hyderabad progressed to 188 for 4 at stumps on the second day. Reddy was unbeaten on 105 with Bavanaka Sandeep for company.Having started the day at 28 for 1, Hyderabad lost Vishal Sharma to seamer Rituraj Singh for the addition for just five runs. Rituraj struck again when he dismissed B Anirudh for 5 to leave Hyderabad at 49 for 3 in the 20th over.Reddy and captain S Badrinath, who was playing at his former home ground, put on 90 runs for the fourth wicket to revive their team’s hopes. Left-arm spinner Darshan Misal broke the partnereship when he had Badrinath stumped for 41, but Reddy and Sandeep pushed Hyderabad towards 200.Haryana dismissed Services for 197 and then sliced 117 runs off the deficit for the loss of three wickets at Bradbourne Stadium in Mumbai.After Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Rajat Paliwal shared most of the wickets, opener Shubham Rohilla drove Haryana with an unbeaten half-century. He added 52 runs for the first wicket with Nitin Saini before debutant left-arm spinner Vikas Yadav struck to remove Saini (25) and Chaitanya Bishnoi (7) quickly. Yadav then got rid of Himanshu Rana (18) off the last ball of the day to finish with 3 for 31 in 10 overs.Earlier, Services added 54 to their overnight tally of 143 for 6 before being bowled out in 73 overs. Shamsher Yadav stayed unbeaten on 29 off 72 balls. Formerly of Services, Paliwal applied the finishing touches for Haryana when he had No.11 Poonam Poonia caught by Rohit Sharma for 8.Only 7.2 overs were possible on the second day in Kalyani as Kerala moved to 282 for 7 from an overnight 263 for 7 against Jammu & Kashmir. Sanju Samson remained unbeaten on 142 off 277 balls, including 22 fours and a six.Rain wiped out the second day’s play between Himachal Pradesh and Andhra in Bhubaneswar. Centuries from Prashant Chopra and Sumeet Verma had helped Himachal recover from 103 for 5 to 318 for 7 on the opening day. While Chopra (117) became medium-pacer Ashwin Hebbar’s maiden first-class victim, Verma remained unbeaten on 116.

From a creative standpoint, the likes of Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold must have felt like Atlas, the Greek titan tasked with holding the world on his shoulders, at times during their respective Liverpool careers.

While Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino both boast more assists with Jurgen Klopp in the dugout, Alexander-Arnold's assist rate of 0.26 per 90 and his Scottish counterpart's rate of 0.24 per 90 are bettered – marginally – only by the world-class Egyptian's rate of 0.27 per 90, and Salah is one of the the most prolific in the business.

Auxillary support from the central midfield has been in short supply for Liverpool over the past several years, as Klopp's system is steeped on industrious midfielders churning the engine at full throttle while the wide players assume creative responsibility, with Robertson and Alexander-Arnold indeed taking precedence in this regard with their unceasing output.

And according to 90min, RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo could rewrite this narrative, with Merseyside scouts – alongside those of Arsenal and Newcastle United – observing the Spaniard during a recent victory over Bayern Munich; a sum of €30m (£26m) could be enough to prise him away from Germany with just one year left on his contract.

How good is Dani Olmo?

Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League illuminates the need for change, and Klopp might be inclined to revisit the early success of Philippe Coutinho, who was sold to Barcelona for £146m to catalyse the ensuing illustrious exploits at Anfield.

Coutinho's assist rate of 0.25 per 90 under Klopp demonstrates how effective he was as the German's dynasty took flight, also scoring 37 goals from his 89 outings, hailed as a "genius" by his manager before departing for La Blaugrana.

Olmo, who has now racked up 122 appearances for Leipzig, has been in fine form this season and plundered five goals and ten assists from 17 starts across all competitions during an injury-hit campaign.

The 30-cap maestro ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of assists, the top 24% for progressive passes and the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, described as a "magic" midfielder by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The 24-year-old possesses a similarly natural grace, an elegance on the pitch that complements an intellect that ensures he picks out the right pass at the right time, while also knowing the opportune moment to strike the ball himself.

Once dubbed an "outstanding footballer" by Julian Nagelsmann, Olmo is yet to quite reach the crest of the wave but has already exhibited highly promising facets to his game, and would be an exemplary signing for Klopp and co.

When Coutinho plied his trade under the German, Liverpool were chaotic and enthralling, but unbalanced, and while the 22/23 season has been a detrimental setback for the club, requisite moves will be made this summer to steady the ship.

And if the equilibrium can be reinstated before swooping for Olmo and injecting fresh potency into the Anfield centre, the Reds could unearth the formula for an incredible new wave of success.

Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunnette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2016Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics.Viljoen, 33, finished second behind Croatia’s Sara Kolak, with her best throw of 64.92 metres compared to Kolak’s 66.18 metres. Viljoen’s medal was the ninth for South Africa who are currently placed 34th overall with one gold, six silvers and two bronze medals.She had come agonisingly close to winning a medal at the London 2012 Olympics but finished fourth with a best throw of 64.53 metres, behind Germany’s Linda Stahl, who finished third with 64.91.Viljoen played her only Test against India in March 2002 in Paarl, scoring 17 and 71. She had made her ODI debut in 2000 and finished her ODI career two years later with 198 runs and five wickets.

Javelin: Sunette Viljoen takes SILVER, brilliant effort, another medal, congratulations Sunette #teamSArise

— TeamSouthAfrica (@teamsa16) August 19, 2016

Leeds United could lose a number of key first-team players this summer should they suffer relegation to the Championship.

Only a win against Tottenham Hotspur, combined with Leicester City and Everton dropping points, will be enough to keep Sam Allardyce's side in the Premier League for another season.

With the final day rapidly approaching, a number of Leeds players are perhaps already thinking about where they might be when the 2023/24 campaign rolls around.

One man, who may have already played his last game for the Yorkshire outfit due to the likely interest that will be shown in him this summer, is USA international Tyler Adams.

Could Adams have played his last Leeds game?

The defensive midfielder was signed from RB Leipzig in 2022 and is perhaps one of few players from the current campaign that can escape with any credit, in what has been an excellent debut season at Elland Road.

As per WhoScored, no player in Allardyce's squad has earned a higher average rating than Adams (6.73), while he also boasts the most tackles per game, an attribute that has been badly missed in Leeds' midfield in recent months.

He also excelled at the World Cup with Gregg Berhalter's side as they reached the round of 16, with American legend Alexi Lalas dubbing him a "monster" on Twitter, and it is perhaps no surprise that he has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle United in recent months as a return to the Championship draws nearer.

Leeds fans have been well accustomed to seeing their top talents leave in recent seasons but losing Adams so soon after he signed, with just 26 appearances to his name this term, is a cruel blow following a disastrous campaign which will surely end in relegation this weekend.

Unfortunately for Leeds, the 24-year-old picked up a season-ending injury at the worst possible time, with the midfielder pulling up in the warm-up ahead of the 4-2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in March.

It is clear the influence that he had at Leeds, as the Yorkshire outfit have won just once since then, with the 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest nowhere near enough to preserve their Premier League status.

There is no way that Adams will be fit enough to feature against Spurs this weekend and therefore, Leeds fans may have already seen the last of their £55k-per-week midfielder. Indeed, he has shown with his performances this terr, that he is more than capable of playing in the top flight, and deserves to be playing for a club that can provide that next year.