All posts by h716a5.icu

Rangpur Riders topped the BPL points table with a seven-wicket cruise against Khulna Titans

Mohammad Isam22-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShahid Afridi took two wickets and struck a 20-ball 26 in Rangpur’s win•BCBRangpur Riders cruised to a seven-wicket win over Khulna Titans and replaced them at the top of the points table. A strong bowling performance restricted Khulna to 125 for 7, before Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Shahzad contributed 49 not out and 37 respectively to ease Rangpur past the target with an over to spare.The Khulna bowlers had previously defended two low totals earlier in the tournament, but this was a task that quickly got out of reach after a 74-run second-wicket stand between Mithun and Shahzad.After opting to bat, there seem to be very little intent from the Khulna batsmen. Abdul Mazid and Andre Fletcher were both dismissed by Arafat Sunny. Mahmudullah gave deep midwicket a simple catch in the eighth over before Rikki Wessels and Taibur Rahman added 56 runs in the 55 balls.Wessels’ only six came off a switch hit in his 33-ball 27 while Taibur, who top-scored with 32 off 37 balls, struck a six over midwicket and also hit three fours. Both their sixes came in the 15th over, in which Liam Dawson conceded 19 runs.The two other sixes in the innings came in the last over when Ariful Haque slammed Shahid Afridi straight both times before being run-out off the final ball. Afridi, Sunny and Rubel Hossain finished with two wickets each.Shahzad and Mithun made light work of Khulna’s total after they got together in the fourth over. Shahzad quickly got over Soumya Sarkar’s wicket with a huge six over long-on before hitting over point twice.Mithun had struck three sixes in the span of five deliveries, pulling Alok Kapali twice and hammering Mosharraf Hossain over long-off. Shahzad holed out to long-on for 37.Afridi, promoted to No 4, survived twice in the 15th over, first being bowled off a no-ball by Benny Howell before the bowler dropped a skier off the last ball of that over. Dawson’s edged four completed the win with an over to spare. Mithun was unbeaten on 49 off 41 balls.

West Ham United may have knocked back Arsenal's first bid for Declan Rice, rumoured to be in the region of £80m with add-ons, but it is becoming increasingly likely the central midfielder will not be at the London Stadium next year.

Losing Rice will be a major blow for West Ham given the England international's qualities on the field, including what he brings in terms of leadership.

The good news for the Europa Conference League winners is they have time on their side to bring in new players, and potentially a lot of cash to help strengthen in other areas.

While not strictly a like-for-like replacement, The Telegraph reported last week that West Ham were leading the race to sign Harvey Barnes from Leicester City following the Foxes' relegation to the Championship.

Should Rice's departure be confirmed in the coming days, Leicester could do with getting a deal over the line for Barnes – supposedly valued at £40m by Leicester – to help keep the feelgood factor around the club alive.

What can Harvey Barnes bring to West Ham United?

Barnes' best efforts were not enough to keep Leicester in the Premier League, with his team-high 13 goals and one assist proving to be in vain. With 0.43 goals per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, the Englishman was on par with Ollie Watkins and Cody Gakpo.

In short, then, Barnes can add some goals to a West Ham side that managed just 41 of them last season across their 38 matches – a worse tally than relegated pair Leicester (49) and Leeds United (45).

As pointed out by WhoScored owner Martin Laurence, Barnes "combines pace and intelligent movement", while also being a "decent finisher". Indeed, that is backed up by his combined goals and assists stats across the past four seasons: 14, 13, 16 and 13 from 2019-20 through to 2022-23.

It is quite apparent that Barnes can bring something to United that they otherwise lack. The 25-year-old found the target from 47.2% of his shots last season – a huge increase on West Ham's best-performing attacking player in that area, with Said Benrahma doing so 33.3% of the time.

Barnes also averaged 24.4 carries per 90 minutes last time out. To put that in perspective, Jarrod Bowen – who could be under threat by Barnes' arrival – averaged 20.4.

As Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp put it two years ago: "Barnes is probably one of the biggest talents. I'm not sure if he is respected or appreciated as much as he should be. He is an unbelievable player."

The world is now more aware of Barnes' talents, as reflected by his fairly sizable valuation, but if West Ham mean business this summer then they must soften the Rice blow by bringing in a new exciting homegrown asset; that of Barnes.

The offspinner has set his sights on hitting the splice of the bats, and bringing the close-in catchers into play in the day-night Test in Brisbane

Brydon Coverdale12-Dec-20161:37

‘Young guys have been fantastic’ – Lyon

Statistics can tell a story, but which story depends on which statistics. For example, how should Nathan Lyon expect to go against Pakistan at the Gabba this week? Badly, if you look at his Test record against Pakistan: three wickets at 140.66. Brilliantly, if you consider his Test record at the Gabba: 24 wickets at 23.95. It is the latter that gives Lyon confidence after he struggled against Pakistan in the UAE in 2014.”They play spin well but hopefully I can generate a bit more bounce than I did in the UAE,” Lyon said in Brisbane on Monday. “Hopefully there will be a little bit more pace in the wicket as well so if there are any nicks they will carry and I will be able to hit the splice of the bats with a few bat-pads and a few caught I hope.”Lyon is far from the only spinner who has enjoyed working at the Gabba: at no venue did Shane Warne take more Test wickets than the 68 he accumulated in Brisbane. And yet, every year Lyon is bemused – and amused – by the media’s preoccupation with pace at the Gabba. Will Australia play four fast men? Lyon hasn’t missed a Gabba Test, and he’s not about to now.”I’ll tell you one thing, this is my sixth [Gabba] Test and every year you guys seem to write that,” Lyon said. “So I’ll leave you guys to write that, that there’s going to be four quicks and stuff. I’m confident of playing, I’ll put it that way.”The Gabba pitches prepared by curator Kevin Mitchell Jr typically offer some movement off the surface and plenty of bounce – Lyon especially enjoys running his fingers up the back of the ball to get the ball to kick off the pitch. And he will do so this year with a certain monkey off his back, having picked up four wickets in the Adelaide Test against South Africa.Lyon may have more than 200 Test wickets but still was likely to be axed for the Adelaide Test had Steve O’Keefe not suffered a calf niggle that rendered him unavailable for selection. When Lyon finally took his first wicket in the Adelaide Test, it ended a drought of 660 first-class deliveries without a wicket, stretching across Test and Sheffield Shield play.”I felt like I was bowling well,” Lyon said. “There were a couple of chances that went down here and there but I’m never going to sit here and blame anyone for missing a chance. We train hard enough and that’s just the way cricket goes.”I was actually happy with the way I was bowling and to be able to come out in Adelaide and contribute to a Test match win, that’s my biggest thing. My biggest thing is bowling well in partnerships and going out there and taking 20 wickets as a bowling group.”

Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 80 accounted for two-thirds of Peshawar Zalmi’s runs in a successful seven-wicket win over Karachi Kings with nine balls to spare

The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellPeshawar Zalmi survived a spell of fierce new-ball fast bowling from Mohammad Amir as they beat Karachi Kings by seven wickets. It was England’s limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan who steered Peshawar to a modest chase of Karachi’s 118, which looked anything but when he came in after two overs with his side wobbling at 2 for 2.In the end, Kumar Sangakkara’s team could never quite recover from a horror start, falling to 12 for 4 inside five overs after being sent in at the toss. Mohammad Hafeez, who mystifyingly didn’t bowl on Thursday in Peshawar’s defeat to Islamabad, opened the attack and dismissed Shahzaib Hasan in the first over to place Karachi under immediate pressure.Babar Azam, Sangakarra and Gayle followed swiftly before veteran allrounders Shoaib Malik and Ravi Bopara helped Karachi regroup. However, that came at the cost of a run rate under six throughout the partnership, and the 118 Karachi mustered by the end didn’t look nearly enough. An exquisite opening spell from Amir temporarily delayed the inevitable and the Kings were ultimately powerless against a superb T20 knock by Morgan, who scored over two-thirds of Peshawar’s runs to end unbeaten on 80.Where the match was wonThis one is straightforward: the first five overs of the contest gave Peshawar an advantage that ultimately proved unassailable. Much has been made of Karachi’s high-profile batting lineup, but contests are not played on paper. With the Kings’ celebrated top four falling inside the first twelve runs, it was all they could do to ensure defeat didn’t turn into humiliation. The lower order did well to take the side past 100 and see to it that they batted their full allotment. But Peshawar, still licking their wounds from a contest one night earlier that they should probably have won, are too good a unit to let two games in a row go by. Once they had their foot on Karachi’s throats, they never quite let go.The men that won itMorgan dominated every aspect of Peshawar’s chase. After seeing off a menacing spell from Mohammad Amir in which the Karachi seamer repeatedly beat Morgan’s outside edge in the third over, the Irishman settled in. He was quick to dispatch any short balls and particularly sublime in cutting late through backward point. At the same time, he let his experience shine, not taking any risks while Imad Wasim and Abrar Ahmed bowled a tight line even as the run rate began to climb. Dawid Malan and later Haris Sohail were content to play second fiddle in a mature, clinical Peshawar batting performance.The double ducksWhile Morgan demonstrated his class – and, as he admitted afterward, a little bit of luck – to see off Amir with the new ball, it was more than Hafeez could manage. The Pakistan opener, who departed for a golden duck on Thursday against Islamabad, nearly befell the same fate as umpire Ahsan Raza turned down an extremely close lbw appeal on the innings’ first ball. Three deliveries later, Amir got another one to angle in to the right-hander and this time Raza had no hesitation determining that the ball would hit leg stump, sending Hafeez to the pavilion for his second duck in as many matches.In the second over, Kamran Akmal – who made an exhilarating 88 on Thursday – was caught off the bowling of Sohail Khan for a duck trying an ugly slog that went straight up. It completed a dismal day for the Akmals; his brother Umar also fell for nought in the afternoon game for Lahore Qalandars playing an equally ungainly shot that was snared by mid-off.The moment of the matchPeshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy doesn’t drop many, but in letting an edge from Dwayne Smith slip through his hands at first slip 24 hours earlier in the opener against Islamabad, the lanky West Indian probably cost his side the match. On Friday he made amends for that, diving to his right from first slip to hold on with one hand to a thick edge from Babar in an early contender for the catch of the tournament. If he had lost some goodwill with the Peshawar fans for dropping Smith on Thursday, his catch off Babar made up for it and then some.Where they standPeshawar Zalmi join Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on two points, though Peshawar have played one more game than the other two. Karachi and Lahore keep each other company at the bottom of the table with both yet to register any points. The same two sides finished last year’s PSL fourth and fifth respectively and so far that hasn’t changed in 2017.

Manchester United's proposed new contract for their goalkeeper David de Gea is ready to go but just waiting on the club to make their final decision.

How much does David de Gea earn?

There were a lot of positives to take from Erik ten Hag's first campaign at Old Trafford after the Red Devils lifted the Carabao Cup and secured Champions League football.

However, the Premier League giants go into the summer transfer window with a lot of significant questions still lingering over the club.

Of course, the future of the current ownership will remain the biggest concern for most fans at Old Trafford with still no real indication as to whether the Glazers will stay or sell.

But another question will remain whether De Gea will be provided with a new deal following the conclusion of his contract at Old Trafford which is set to expire at the end of the month.

It is believed the Spain goalkeeper has been earning in the region of £375k-per-week on his current deal which is set to expire.

However, a potential new deal for the 32-year-old is expected to see him take a significant pay cut which would still see him take home around £200k-per-week.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the proposed contract is ready to go but United are still deciding on whether to stick with the Spaniard:

"I told you guys, the situation looks strange around De Gea because the agreement between De Ge and Man United is almost done; it's about the final details since the end of March.

"But it's also real that at the moment they are not signing the contract and so De Ge is a potential free agent. But at the moment the situation looks really strange more on the club's side than the player's side. De Gea will be ready to sign but at the moment it still doesn't have the final green light from Man United."

What goalkeeper could Man United sign?

Although the Red Devils are said to have this proposed contract at the ready for De Gea this summer, they have been linked with a number of potential options.

Indeed, reports have suggested Ten Hag holds a keen interest in the England and Everton shot-stopper Jordan Pickford this summer.

The report claims the former Sunderland goalkeeper could be made available over the coming weeks for a fee in the region of £30m given the Toffees financial issues.

But it is not just Pickford who has been linked with a potential move to Old Trafford this summer.

Indeed, talkSPORT's report has suggested there is an interest in the 34-year-old Yann Sommer and Inter Milan's Andre Onana.

It was not a season which De Gea will look back on as one of his best – ironically despite winning the Premier League Golden Glove – given some of the criticism he received.

However, it does seem as if he could still be set to ink a big-money deal to extend his stay at Old Trafford.

Leeds United could consider an outside “shout” for Lee Bowyer to become their new manager, according to BBC pundit Matthew Kilgallon.

Where is Lee Bowyer now?

Bowyer started his career in the dugout as assistant boss at Charlton Athletic before going on to take to the helm himself at The Valley and later at Birmingham City where he left back in July 2022 and has been out of work ever since, as per Transfermarkt.

The Guardian reported that the 46-year-old was in the conversation to be appointed as Javi Gracia’s successor, and whilst he missed out on the post to Sam Allardyce, it sounds like he’s more than open to making a second attempt to secure the role at Elland Road.

Speaking to TalkSPORT earlier this month, the former professional midfielder confirmed that he would “jump at the chance” to take the reins if given the opportunity, and even though the main three candidates have been Daniel Farke, Patrick Vieira and Scott Parker, he’s still potentially being talked about internally.

Are Leeds appointing Lee Bowyer?

Speaking to The Daily Mail (as quoted by MOT Leeds News), former Whites defender Kilgallon reacted to Farke seemingly being the current front-runner but name-checked Bowyer as a candidate that he’s heard whispers about, saying the fans would love the former midfielder.

“The Leeds United fans need a lift and Farke would provide that. He’s got a proven track record of winning promotion from the Championship. I’ve also heard Scott Parker and Patrick Vieira mentioned, plus a cheeky little shout for Lee Bowyer. The fans would love someone like Bowyer, but it’s looking like it could be Farke.”

Could Bowyer be the right candidate for Leeds?

Leeds supporters will no doubt hold a fondness for Bowyer with him having been a player at the club from 1996-2003, but when it comes to his track record in the second tier, it’s not as good as someone like Farke, so the 49ers should avoid a move.

In the Championship, the SMI Sports Management client, whose preferred formation is a 3-4-1-2, has taken charge of 102 games but recorded 28 wins, 28 draws and suffered 46 defeats, taking just 112 points from a possible 306 available, via Transfermarkt.

The Canning Town-born talent has also only ever got one of his old sides promoted, so he doesn’t hold a huge knowledge of what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level, therefore the hierarchy should appoint someone with the correct experience and proven history of achievements, with Farke being a prime candidate after leading Norwich to two Championship titles.

Sarkar’s error in judgment – attempting to pull a Suranga Lakmal ball though it was too close to his hip – added to the list of his soft dismissals in the recent past

Mohammad Isam in Galle09-Mar-2017Soumya Sarkar, whose lapse in concentration at the start of the third day started Bangladesh’s slide, has lauded his captain Mushfiqur Rahim for helping the side avert the follow-on in Galle. Mushfiqur played the ball on merit and ultimately fell 15 short of his third century in three Tests.He took 89 balls to score his first boundary – a clean six over Rangana Herath’s head in the 72nd over – and then picked up the pace. He managed only 22 off his first 88 balls and then struck 63 off the next 73 to finish with 85 off 161 balls. Sarkar said that the rest of the batting line-up didn’t have a set plan to attack or even play cautiously. That the batsmen still got early boundaries was down to a supply of bad balls from Sri Lanka. Conversely, Mushfiqur assessed the conditions well and built a steady innings.”Mushfiqur played proper Test cricket today,” Sarkar said. “He took his time at the beginning. Although many of us hit a boundary at first, he survived for a long time and then hit a four [six]. Of course there is a lot to learn from him. He is an experienced player and he is our captain.”Maybe some of us got a bad ball at the start and we hit a boundary, and maybe they bowled better at Mushfiqur . In Tests you have to wait for the bad ball but maybe he got fewer bad balls. The ones who came later like Liton [Das] or [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz maybe got a bad ball early. But we didn’t plan to attack while Mushfiqur defended.”Sarkar’s error in judgment – attempting to pull a Suranga Lakmal ball though it was too close to his hip – added to the list of his soft dismissals in the recent past. “It was the first ball of pace I faced today, so I shouldn’t have played that shot,” Sarkar said. “If I had maybe taken some more time before playing that, then maybe I would have connected.”Since it was the first ball, maybe I did not connect. It was a mistake. If I didn’t play that, it would have been good for me and even better for the team.”Shakib Al Hasan too fell to a soft dismissal, tickling left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan down the leg side to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. Sarkar, however, put the dismissal down to misfortune.”Since there was no fielder at fine leg, Shakib was able to read the wrong’un and may have thought that since it’s away from the stumps he will get two runs from it,” Sarkar said. “There was little chance to get out to that delivery.”It was very unlucky. It’s not a matter of experience; he is obviously a very experienced player. He was unlucky not to have connected, if he had connected it would have been good for everyone.”Mahmudullah then missed the line of the ball and was bowled while Liton Das played too far away from his body and nicked behind. When asked why Bangladesh haven’t come to grips with building or re-building a Test innings, Sarkar said they were still working on it.”We are trying; how much we are succeeding is for others to judge. We will try to bat longer than we have been.”Having conceded a 182-run first-innings lead, Bangladesh now need a massive effort to turn the tables on the hosts. “We have to give even more than we did when we started,” Sarkar said. “If before we would have given 100 percent, then we have to give 120-150 percent to bring the match back in our favour or to win. So, of course, tomorrow there will be an effort to execute the plans we have so that we can bring the match back in our favour as soon as possible.”

Liverpool are believed to have triggered Dominik Szoboszlai's €70m (£60.1m) release clause at RB Leipzig, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Szoboszlai off to Liverpool?

Reds supporters found themselves in an exciting position on Friday, as various reports suggested a deal to sign the 22-year-old was edging closer all the time.

Having seemingly been battling with fellow Premier League side Newcastle United for Szoboszlai's services, it soon became apparent that there was only going to be one winner in the deal.

The Leipzig star is arguably one of the most exciting young players in the Bundesliga, and Jurgen Klopp has seemingly picked him out as a standout option for Liverpool this summer, as their much-needed midfield rebuild continues.

Szoboszlai's release clause at his current club has been a talking point, with it expiring on June 30th, but a key update suggests that the Reds have got there in time.

What's the latest on Szoboszlai to Liverpool?

Taking to Twitter on Friday evening, Romano dropped an exciting update regarding Liverpool's pursuit of the Hungarian, saying his release clause has been met by the Reds:

"BREAKING: Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool, here we go! Understand RB Leipzig are now informed that Liverpool have triggered the release clause. €70m deal done, to be signed soon. Personal terms agreed, Szobo’s ready for medical tests soon. Huge signing for £LFC."

This is fantastic business by Liverpool, not only lying on the verge of signing a fabulous young prospect, but also acting quickly enough to trigger the release clause and snap him up for a cheaper amount.

The 32-cap and seven-goal Hungary international could be a wonderful addition to the Reds' team next season and beyond, combining creativity, endless product and pressing ability in attacking midfield areas. He has been hailed as the "future icon of Hungarian football" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also described him as "special" at one point last season.

Liverpool suddenly having Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to call upon in the No.8 roles in midfield has the potential to transform the Reds in the middle of the park, not only providing more of a spark in the final third, but allowing the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to be more effective with extra legs around them. At 22, the Leipzig ace is primed to come in and become a star at Anfield, acting as a poster boy for his next era under Klopp on Merseyside.

Western Australia knocked off the target of 54 within 10 overs to seal a comfortable nine-wicket win against Tasmania in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Simon Milenko struck 75 off 62 balls and took a wicket on the third day•Getty ImagesWestern Australia completed a nine-wicket thumping of Tasmania inside three days at Bellerive Oval to notch their third consecutive Sheffield Shield victory and pull back into contention for the competition final.Western Australia were again well served by their seam attack, the debutant Cameron Green added two wickets to his first-innings five while David Moody claimed four to help round up Tasmania’s second innings for 265, despite a firm rearguard effort from Simon Milenko that ensured the hosts would avoid an innings defeat.That left a target of only 54 for Western Australia to seal victory, with Hilton Cartwright wasting little time on the requirement after Cameron Bancroft fell to Milenko. Cartwright earned Man-of-the-Match honours for his first-innings 94 when batting conditions were at their most difficult.WA remain fifth on the table, but are now within an outright win of second place with three fixtures remaining.

Liverpool will not be bringing Romeo Lavia to the club anytime soon it seems, with The Athletic reporting that the Reds don't feel the need to bid for the midfielder.

What are the latest Liverpool transfer rumours?

Liverpool have already moved swiftly to add two midfield talents to their ranks this summer, with Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister and RB Leipzig's Dominik Szoboszlai both arriving at Anfield on permanent deals. However, that does not appear to be the end of the Reds' business, with the club still linked with several players in multiple areas of the field.

The Anfield outfit have turned their attention to their backline it seems, with the club now weighing up moves for different targets. One name is Levi Colwill at Chelsea, with the Premier League side having already made contact with the youngster's party over a potential transfer deal. It also appears they would stump up a "record price" to bring him in this summer.

Another English defender linked with the Reds is Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace. They aren't the only side chasing after the Eagles man, with Newcastle also keen, and it appears as though he too could cost a vast amount with Palace wanting £60m for his signature.

Are Liverpool signing Romeo Lavia?

Another name that had been mentioned is that of Romeo Lavia at Southampton. Even with two other midfield additions, it looked as though Liverpool had been keen to sign the EFL star.

Now, according to a report from James Pearce for The Athletic, the Premier League outfit actually won't be bidding for the youngster this summer. It states that they don't see a place that needs filling by Lavia and also that club chiefs aren't prepared to pay such a high price – Saints want £50m for the player – for the Belgian considering his youth and level of experience in England. It means that whilst they are fans of the Southampton man, they won't be bidding for him as things stand.

The 19-year-old only made his top flight debut in 2022/23 with his current club, featuring 29 times as the side were relegated down to the Championship. Prior to that, he had never played a minute in the Premier League and had instead had to make do with appearances for both the Saints' reserve side and Man City's reserves too. Now that he has been given the chance on the big stage though, the midfielder has already caught the eye and likely won't remain in the Championship.

Lavia is regarded as a real talent by those who have seen him, and that is why there is now such a scramble for his signature. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that the midfielder is "underrated" in terms of his passing and even added that the player will end up being a "future leader" in the centre of the field for both his country and a "top Premier League club".

That could happen sooner rather than later if a big team stumps up the cash for his signature – it just won't be Liverpool going by this report.