All posts by h716a5.icu

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, as Monchi eyes his first transfer window masterclass during his first window in charge.

The Spaniard alongside former colleague Unai Emery will fuse together to ensure the Villans are in good stead ahead of next season, as the Midlands club prepare to endeavour on their first European journey since 2010.

Laporte has been on Villa’s radar since earlier this month, when 90min revealed the club’s interest in the central defender.

An update provided by Football Insider this week cemented the Claret and Blues’ desire to sign the 29-year-old, claiming that the club had ‘set sights’ on the Manchester City star and were ‘considering a move’.

The report adds that the Spaniard ‘ticks a lot of boxes’ wanted by Emery, with the four-time Europa League-winning manager hoping to sign a left-sided centre-back this summer.

Valued at £60m by the treble winners, as per the Mirror, the defender could be Villa’s record-breaking signing this summer, however, he’s not the only centre-back linked to Villa Park.

Indeed, Pau Torres looks as though he's also on his way to the Midlands, with reports emerging on Thursday that an agreement is in place to land the player from Villarreal.

The links to the two centre-backs is exciting news for the Villans, who could see a complete shift in defence with two experienced upgrades potentially incoming.

What could Aymeric Laporte and Pau Torres offer Vila?

While Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings have been a revelation at the back for Emery, the Spaniard could present Villa Park with two world-class signings in a rebuild of the defence this summer.

Hailed as the “best left central defender in the world” by treble-winning manager Pep Guardiola, the City star could be just what Emery requires to take Villa forward.

Despite falling down the pecking order at the Etihad, Laporte possesses quality that could see him dominate in most defences in Europe, seeing him lauded a “beast” by journalist Muhammad Butt.

The 29-year-old won an average of 60% of his total duels in the Premier League last season, cementing himself as a competent defender before anything else, however, his attributes go way beyond his defensive capabilities.

Similarly to Torres, Laporte flexes a powerful progressive ability, acting as a defender that can transition the ball upfield competently, in skills honed by the genius of Guardiola.

When comparing the two Villa targets based on their respective seasons and minutes via FBref, it makes for fascinating reading for those associated with the Midlands club, who could see a complete revamp of the defence as they know it.

While Torres’ 4.30 clearances and 1.74 aerials won along with Laporte’s 2.72 clearances and 2.18 aerials won per 90 communicate their defensive knowhow, their competency on the ball highlights just how much they could add to Villa Park.

As per FBref, the Villarreal gem averaged a monstrous 5.81 progressive passes and 2.24 progressive carries per 90 in La Liga this season, closely followed by the City ace who scored an average of 7.70 progressive passes and 2.72 progressive carries per 90.

By introducing two experienced players in quality and efficiency, Emery could equip his side with strength that could bolster all areas of the field, with two players boasting the ability to move the ball and dictate play from the back. This is surely a mouthwatering prospect for everyone associated with the club.

In a repeat of last year’s knockout match, Quetta Gladiators beat Peshawar Zalmi by one run to make their second successive PSL final

The Report by Danyal Rasool28-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:45

Highlights – Gladiators grab unlikely victory

In a nutshell
This was nothing like Quetta Gladiators’ one-run win over Peshawar Zalmi at the same stage last year. Boundaries flowed seemingly on demand, and ten an over was par for the course. And yet what was the result? Quetta beat Peshawar by one run to qualify for the PSL final on March 5 in Lahore.The scale of run-scoring and power of ball-striking was on a different level to what had been seen in their clash last year, but there was always a hint of déjà vu. After an early blip, Peshawar took control of a chase of 201 with Mohammad Hafeez and Dawid Malan putting on one of the partnerships of the tournament. Their 139 runs from 72 balls wrenched the momentum back from Quetta, whose bowlers were hamstrung by the heavy dew on the Sharjah outfield.When Shahid Afridi arrived, and looked in his absolute six-hitting best, the target was brought to almost a run a ball. The wheels turned, however, with his dismissal. With Peshawar needing seven off six, left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who had gone for 46 in his first three overs, triggered three wickets to fall in the last three balls to seal the game.Quetta had done most of their damage with the bat in the first 10 overs. Ahmed Shehzad and Kevin Pietersen ransacked 90 runs in only 42 balls for the second wicket to take the score to 121 for 1, prompting Peshawar to take a time out. Darren Sammy rallied his troops and they responded beautifully, with only two boundaries coming off the next eight overs. However, Quetta had gained such a sizeable advantage in terms of run-rate in the first half of the innings that they still made 200 with simple rotation of strike and some streaky fours in the end.Where the match was won
After a couple of games where Quetta appeared too timid to take charge of the big moments, their aggressive intent from ball one was a pleasant change.With one of the best in this regard, Viv Richards, watching from their corner, Shehzad and Luke Wright set up a rapid start, and when Pietersen came to the crease, Quetta surged into top gear, showcasing some of the cleanest hitting of the PSL this year. Seventy-seven runs were scored between the fifth and tenth overs and however well Peshawar did to pull them back after that, Sarfraz’s men had given themselves enough of a cushion.File photo: Ahmed Shehzad made 71 off a mere 38 balls•Chris WhiteoakThe men that won it
Nawaz’s figures today might be some of the more forgettable ones of his career, but what 4-0-51-3 doesn’t reveal is his work in the final over. He was having a bad night but against all logic Sarfraz trusted him to bowl under the highest pressure. Sammy, one of the fiercest strikers in T20 cricket, was on strike. The ball was so soaked with dew that it was hard to grip.Yet the 22-year old left-arm spinner managed to hit his lengths more often than not and, by refusing to let the batsman get leverage to hit him over those inviting short boundaries in Sharjah, pulled off a memorable heist. Nawaz also held on to a steepling catch in the 19th over to dismiss Afridi for 34 off 13 balls.Quetta were perhaps helped by Sammy’s refusing to take a single off the first ball of the over though his partner Chris Jordan is a decent lower-order batsman. Peshawar eventually lost by one run.Moment of the match
Riling Pietersen up when he has the bat in hand is not a very good move for a bowler and Wahab Riaz found that out on Tuesday. In the sixth over of the match, Wahab bumped into Pietersen while he was trying to sneak a single and then hit the batsman with a throw aimed at the non-strikers’ end. As if that wasn’t enough, he appealed to the umpire for an obstructing-the-field dismissal, which was turned down.Two balls later, Pietersen launched Wahab for a six that flew out of the stadium and landed on the side of the street outside the stadium.Where they stand
Quetta secure their place in the final of the PSL with this win. Peshawar will now have to beat either Karachi Kings or Islamabad United in the eliminator on Friday for a shot at the trophy.

England’s first win on the India tour came by a margin of only five runs as they staved off a fightback from Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav, who scored 90 and came close to winning the match for India

The Report by Andrew Miller22-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:42

Agarkar: Need more pitches like at Eden Gardens

Chris Woakes pulled off the Kolkata grandstand finish that had eluded his team-mate, Ben Stokes, in last year’s World T20 final, as he held his nerve in the face of a supreme onslaught from India’s man of the moment, Kedar Jadhav, and delivered for England their first victory in India in eight matches and more than 10 weeks of touring.The end, when it came, was anticlimactic to all but the 11 relieved Englishmen in the outfield, and their nerve-shredded dressing room. With 16 runs to defend, Woakes recovered from being slammed for six and four in the first two deliveries of the game’s final over to chalk up four consecutive dot-balls, including the vital scalp of Jadhav for 90 from 75 balls, to seal a consolation win in the three-match ODI series.It was a supremely hard-earned victory at the end of an extraordinary series that has featured a grand total of 2090 runs in six innings – a record for a three-match rubber. And England’s effort was all the more impressive given that they lost the toss (and with it the chance to pace their innings against a measurable end-point) as well as one of their frontline seamers, David Willey, who had to withdraw from the attack with a shoulder injury after two overs.However, thanks to another tapestry of hard-hitting cameos all down the order – from Jason Roy against the new ball to Woakes and Stokes at the death – England ended up with just enough runs on the board. And when 321 for 8 on a sporty seamer’s surface equals “just enough”, you know the format has entered a new dimension.The foundations of England’s victory were laid by the opening pair of Roy and Sam Billings, who was playing in his first match of the series after Alex Hales’ withdrawal with a broken hand. From the outset, India’s seamers found bounce and movement from a probing line and length outside off stump to force a naturally aggressive duo to sit tight for their opportunities.Jonny Bairstow struck a brisk 56 to guide England’s innings•AFPTo both men’s credit, they did just that. Roy once again took the lead with his third fifty of the series while Billings played the holding role, contributing 35 to a 98-run stand that was only broken by the advent of the first drinks break.Bairstow, a late replacement for Joe Root, made 56 from 64 balls to keep England ticking along in the middle over, while Morgan, a centurion in Cuttack, showed once again that he’s rediscovered that pocket-battleship power that once set him apart among England one-day batsmen.The return of Hardik Pandya threatened another decisive momentum swing, as he picked off both set batsmen, plus a slightly subdued Jos Buttler, in a brilliant six-over spell that proved both incisive and restrictive. England, however, no longer know how to stop attacking in the closing overs, and Stokes in particular served notice of his intention to banish the memories of his last visit to Kolkata. He finished unbeaten on 57 from 39 balls, with Woakes chipping in with 34 from 19, as England posted a total that would have counted as formidable in any series.Nevertheless, having demonstrated the potency with the new-ball in defeat at Pune and Cuttack, the onus was on England’s seamers to strike hard and strike fast in the most favourable conditions they had encountered all winter. And they should, by rights, have done so with the very first delivery, when Woakes was shown on replay to have grazed Ajinkya Rahane’s glove with an off-stump lifter, but nobody thought to appeal.Rahane, however, did not detain them for long. He had been brought in as a replacement for the out-of-sorts Shikhar Dhawan, but managed just 1 from six balls before being bowled by a big inswinger from the left-arm seam of David Willey. Willey, however, struggled with his line, conceding five wides in two overs before clutching at his shoulder and leaving the field for treatment, never to return.His departure could have been a devastating blow for England in less conducive conditions, but fortunately their remaining four seamers closed ranks to good effect, allowing the spinner Moeen Ali to get through an impressive eight-over spell of Jadeja-esque pace and purpose that covered off Willey’s remaining workload.But India just kept coming. KL Rahul took a block-or-blast approach against the new ball, slotting a monstrous six over the covers in Woakes’ first over before falling to a similarly aggressive wallop when Jake Ball entered the attack as Willey’s replacement in the sixth.Virat Kohli calibrated the conditions in his inimitably forensic fashion, and set about pacing the chase with his second half-century of the series. On 35, Ball at deep backward square dropped a clanger as Plunkett banged in a bouncer – a terrible miss from a fielder who clearly had too long to think about the stature of the man who had launched the ball his way – but for once such a let-off wasn’t overly costly.Kedar Jadhav camped on the back foot and waited for England to bang the ball halfway down the track•AFPUnlike Pune and Cuttack, Kolkata kept on giving if the seamers were willing to bend their backs. And, in the 20th over, Stokes struck the big blow, luring Kohli into the drive with a bit of width outside off, for Buttler to complete a high take to his right as the ball kicked off the outside edge.Yuvraj Singh kept India’s innings ticking along for a while, climbing into a rare Moeen long-hop to batter a huge six over midwicket. But, on 45, he aimed in the same direction off the extra pace of Plunkett, and could only pick out Billings on the edge of the rope.MS Dhoni, too, was a victim of that extra spring in the pitch, as he climbed into a drive against Ball to snick another flying edge to Buttler. However, before his departure, he had demonstrated that Plunkett’s pace and bounce could work in India’s favour too, when he top-edged a pull that sailed over the keeper’s head for six. And Jadhav was in the mood to take that tactic and run with it.With Pandya a slap-happy accomplice, India’s sixth-wicket pair camped themselves on the back foot and waited for England to bang the ball half-way down the track. From a dicey scoreline of 173 for 5, they carved 104 runs from the next 83 balls, with a fusillade of boundaries to keep an asking rate of nine an over in constant sight.Jadhav smashed Woakes for back-to-back fours in his eighth over before bringing up his fifty with a stunning back-foot smash over long-on off Stokes from 46 balls, but Pandya was the revelation on this occasion – connecting with ferocity regularly, not least with a duck-and-pull six over fine-leg off Plunkett that brought up his maiden ODI fifty from 38 balls.A change of plan was needed as India brought the requirement down below fifty with five overs remaining, and Stokes once again delivered, finding a fuller inswinging length to beat Pandya’s ambitious wipe across the line and bowl him for 56 from 43 balls. One over later, Jadeja was gone as well, caught in the deep by Bairstow, but not before he had slaughtered Woakes’ fuller length for two of the hardest-hit boundaries of the night.Jadhav toasted Woakes’ final delivery straight down the ground, making it 16 off the over, and leaving India needing a very gettable 27 from the final three overs. Morgan responded by turning back to Stokes – the man whose death skills had deserted him so fatefully on his previous appearance at this venue, in last year’s World T20 final.This time, Stokes responded with skill and nerve, limiting India to four singles – one of them a harshy judged wide – in an over that also included the scalp of Ravi Ashwin, caught off a steepling top-edge as he tried, but failed, to take on the length ball just as Carlos Brathwaite had so triumphantly achieved nine months earlier.Still Jadhav wasn’t done, inside-edging another four past the keeper to keep India within reach, but a diet of low full-tosses from Ball kept his more aggressive intentions at arm’s length to leave Woakes defending 16 runs from the final over of the night.Cue Jadhav’s most outrageous stroke of the night – an open-shouldered slam for six over wide long-off, to reduce the requirement to 10 from five, and revive agonising memories of Stokes’ own implosion nine months earlier. When Jadhav followed up one ball later with another flat-bat for four over mid-off, Eden Gardens was ready for lift-off.But Woakes and his captain Morgan weren’t done yet, knowing full well that, at eight-down, one good delivery could still derail the chase. Instead, Woakes offered four, finding a consistently awkward length outside off that forced Jadhav to reach for his strokes. He reached, fatefully, with a drive into Billings’ midriff at long-off, and with him went the game.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane signing a new contract at his boyhood club at some point is a 'possible', according to journalist Dharmesh Sheth.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harry Kane?

According to The Independent, Manchester United have decided to drop out of the race to sign Kane this summer due to his current employers, Tottenham, adopting a tough negotiation stance involving the England international.

The report adds that Manchester United are 'conscious' of Manchester City's failed pursuit of the 29-year-old back in 2021 and don't want to waste their off-season trying to land Kane only to be rebuffed by Spurs continually.

Le Parisien via GOAL detail that Kane has admirers from the continent in the form of Paris Saint-Germain and the Ligue 1 giants are said to want to make Kane a 'marquee' addition despite not currently having a manager in place at the Parc des Princes.

It is expected that Kane would cost the French giants in excess of £100 million to acquire, which is a big part of the reason Manchester United pulled out in their attempts to tempt him to Old Trafford.

Capology understand that Kane has one year left on his deal at Tottenham and is believed to pocket £200,000 per week in north London.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Sheth has revealed that there is a possibility Kane could now commit to a new contract at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sheth stated: "Tottenham do not want to sell Kane, least of all to a Premier League rival.

"I see a few scenarios that could happen with Kane, and they’re obvious really. Tottenham's number one choice would be Kane signs a new contract at Spurs and spends the rest of his career at the club. It's possible, but how likely, I don't know.”

Should Tottenham Hotspur look to tie Harry Kane to a new deal?

Spurs should look to tie Kane to a new deal with every fibre of their being, as he is an elite striker with the propensity to produce moments of magic consistently in the Premier League.

In 2022/23, despite Tottenham's underwhelming season, Kane recorded 32 goals and five assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Unsurprisingly, Kane was Spurs' most consistent performer during the season and obtained an average match rating of 7.52/10 for his exploits on the pitch, according to WhoScored.

Leading the line with efficiency, Kane also managed to successfully lay on 159 shot-creating actions combining his time on the field in the Premier League and Champions League, as per FBRef.

Nailing down Kane for the rest of his career at Tottenham will undoubtedly be a major priority for Lilywhites' chiefs; however, it will be easier said than done and they will need to match his ambition at the club to win trophies in order to stand a chance of being successful in their endeavours.

South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series by claiming the last six wickets before lunch on the fourth morning as Sri Lanka continued their ill-disciplined ways

The Report by David Hopps05-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKagiso Rabada made short work of Sri Lanka’s middle order•AFPSouth Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series by claiming the last six wickets before lunch on the fourth morning at Newlands as Sri Lanka continued their ill-disciplined ways, a Test side irredeemably trapped in limited-overs mode. On the evidence of their tour of England last summer, and now here, in a changing cricketing world their appetite for the Test game cannot entirely be taken for granted.The chief beneficiary of Sri Lanka’s faulty mind-set was fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took four more wickets to finish with 6 for 55 and ten in the match for next to nothing.Rabada’s graceful fast bowling has been one of the delights of the past year. That said, he is too talented and level headed to become over-excited about the praise that will fall upon him. A gentle shake of the head at a gimme wicket after Dinesh Chandimal chipped a stray delivery to square leg served as the perfect image of a morning when several gifts were bestowed upon him. His realism did him great credit.Sri Lanka had anticipated a possible Test return to South Africa next year, but suggestions are growing that they might be jilted in favour of India. A 206-run win in Port Elizabeth has been followed by a 282-run margin in Cape Town. Big countries like to win; they also like to feel they have been in a fight.Far from being a surface that was unfairly doctored to home team demands, this Newlands pitch possessed enough pace and bounce to provide captivating cricket and reward good batsmen and bowlers alike. Vibrant cricket is interesting cricket. Concentration needed other companions, not least cricketing nous and bloody-mindedness. Sri Lanka, overly given to limited-overs habits, were not up to it.Rabada has looked a grand fast bowler in the making ever since he made his mark in Test cricket in South Africa’s home series against England, his action smooth, his development fast and his demeanour underlining that successful fast bowling does not necessarily have to come with glares and curses.Sri Lanka, resuming on 130 for 4, retained three specialist batsmen as they sought to delay South Africa’s victory. All tossed their wickets aside like picture cards on top of a trump. Within 40 minutes, Rabada had dismissed not only Chandimal, but Upul Tharanga and the captain Angelo Mathews.If anybody still wondered why Tharanga, a one-day opener, is carded in a Test to follow a group of ingénues and bat at No 7, his innings provided the answer. Met by a posse of close fielders, Tharanga struck three of his first balls for four with the air of a man who had no intention of hanging around. His downfall came in Rabada’s next over when he cut at a wide one which did not get up and under-edged to the keeper.Rabada’s next two wickets did have intrinsic worth. Mathews’ attempt to drive a back-of-a-length ball of the back foot was exposed by challenging pace and bounce. And the dismissal of Suranga Lakmal was excellent: two hostile short balls in a row, the first of them fended uncertainly to short leg, the second deflecting off the glove to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. Even then, with four wickets in a spell, Rabada’s response was gentle.Amid all this mayhem, Kyle Abbott’s final Test could hardly have been more commonplace. Abbott pounded a challenging line, but to no avail: wicketless in the match, the only figures that mattered being the financial ones variously on offer from Hampshire and Cricket South Africa.Rangana Herath collected an unbeaten 35 while South Africa awaited the kill. It came with de Kock’s stumping of Lahiru Kumara as he made room to drive Keshav Maharaj through the off side and, finally, the splaying of Nuwan Pradeep’s stumps by Vernon Philander. And Johannesburg is next, the most demanding test of all.

Newcastle United could look to target another Leeds United player besides Brenden Aaronson this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Brenden Aaronson and Newcastle United?

According to Football League World, Newcastle United are eyeing up a double swoop for Aaronson and his Leeds United teammate Tyler Adams this summer.

The report states that Adams may be the more likely target at this point; however, £45k-a-week ace Aaronson could emerge as a candidate to bolster their midfield if they fail in proposals to higher-profile targets.

90min also detail that Aaronson and £55k-a-week earner Adams are both admired by the Magpies alongside attacker Jack Harrison and defender Robin Koch.

Newcastle United are looking at several players from recently relegated clubs to add depth to Eddie Howe's squad, with the likes of Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, Leicester City playmaker James Maddison and his teammate Harvey Barnes have all being namechecked at St James' Park.

Football Insider claim that Aaronson could be moved out of Elland Road on loan this off-season before a permanent exit from Leeds United in 2024.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Newcastle United will be in the market for at least two Leeds United players this summer.

Jones told FFC: "Brenden Aaronson, I think, has probably flown under the radar a little bit because he didn't have a great season in the end, but a lot was thought of him when he first went to Leeds. He's shown enough throughout the course of his early career, that there will be belief that he could get back there. I would just look out on the fact that Newcastle might end up looking at two Leeds players, not just one"

How did Brenden Aaronsen and Tyler Adams fare during 2022/23?

Neither player had a happy ending to the campaign as Leeds United suffered relegation from the Premier League, though both are talented in their own right and have the capacity to perform in the English top flight.

In the case of Aaronson, he made 42 appearances across all competitions during this term, registering two goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Aaronson was able to provide plenty of opportunities for his teammates across the season and completed 95 shot-creating actions in total, as per FBRef.

On the other hand, Adams featured on 26 occasions for his current employers, as shown on Transfermarkt. WhoScored show that the 24-year-old enforcer was a keen ball winner for the Whites, snapping into an average of 3.7 tackles per match in the Premier League.

Newcastle United look to be in the hunt for several additions this summer; however, both Aaronson and Adams seem to prominently feature on the Magpies' radar, making it an intriguing prospect to see if either will pitch up at St James' Park in the off-season.

Tim Southee credited the wind and also praised the his fellow bowlers for the strong performance that resulted in New Zealand dismissing Pakistan for 216

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Hamilton27-Nov-2016New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee said he had the aid of the wind at Seddon Park, as well as the support of his seam-bowling compatriots, as he claimed 6 for 80 in the first innings – his best-ever figures at home. Southee’s performance helped the hosts dismiss Pakistan for 216 and take a lead of 55 on the third day in Hamilton.Southee is familiar with Seddon Park, which is the home ground for his Northern Districts domestic team for whom he had taken a first-class five-wicket haul at the venue in early November. The wind that blows in from the North-West has also been a near-constant presence in the first three days of the Test. It helped Southee take balls away from right-hand batsmen, particularly early in Pakistan’s innings.”I play a lot here, and it’s always nice because it’s one of the few grounds in the world where the wind actually assists a right-arm outswing bowler,” Southee said. “It was nice to pick up wickets, but it’s just good to contribute to the bowling performance. Bowling second on that pitch and taking a 55-run lead into the second innings just shows how well we did as a bowling group. Matt Henry didn’t get a wicket but I think he bowled exceptionally well throughout – most of it was into the wind. He did a great job and deserves a lot more credit than his figures show.”Southee had been especially effective with the new ball, removing openers Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali in the same over, before having Younis Khan caught behind to leave Pakistan 12 for 3. The away-swingers that took Azhar and Younis’ edges had been preceded by balls that seamed towards the batsmen. It is a ploy Southee has often used before.”Each bowler has different strengths, and those are things that have worked for me in the past,” he said. “The new ball period was crucial for us. We knew if we took wickets with the new ball it put pressure back on them. You have plans for certain batsmen, and it’s nice when they do come off.”Southee bowled 21 overs in the innings, but had conceded 32 of his runs in the space of three overs on day three. Sarfraz Ahmed plundered six fours off Southee early on day three to force him out of the attack – though the batsmen did also almost lose his wicket in the process.”Personally I was a little bit off in that first spell,” Southee said. “The rest of the guys bowled pretty well throughout that first innings. There were five overs in the start of the day where we missed a little bit. They [Pakistan] had a positive mindset and put the bad balls away. The nature of Sarfraz is that he’s an aggressive player. If you do miss, he’s going to look to put it away. We did that a few too many times.”Southee said New Zealand remained wary of Pakistan’s attack as they head into the third innings of the match, but said the surface had become much better for batting. Only one ball of the New Zealand innings was bowled on Sunday, before rain washed out the remainder of the day’s play. The forecast for the remaining days is promising, however.”If you have positive intent and the bowlers are a little bit off, you can score on this pitch,” Southee said. “It’s not a big ground. I think the pitch has settled down a bit. There will still be some assistance there with the new ball, but once it becomes reasonably old – we saw today how guys could get in and play their shots.”

An update has emerged on Celtic and their efforts to find a new first-team manager after Ange Postecoglou's departure earlier this month…

What's the latest on Daniel Farke to Celtic?

According to the Daily Mail, former Borussia Monchengladbach head coach Daniel Farke is one of the names that Dermot Desmond has under consideration for the job, alongside Brendan Rodgers and Kjetil Knutsen.

The report claims that the ex-Norwich manager has thrown his hat into the ring after he left his post in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

This comes after Sky's Florian Plettenberg reported that the Hoops held initial talks with the German boss, who is also wanted by English side Leeds United, over replacing Postecoglou.

What is Daniel Farke's style of play?

The 44-year-old coach typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation that requires building out from the back and line-breaking passing across the pitch to create attacks and this could spell bad news for Joe Hart.

Celtic's current number one was ditched by Premier League giants Manchester City as Pep Guardiola did not trust his distribution skills and he could befall a similar fate under Farke if Desmond decides to go with the German tactician.

Experienced goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann appeared to suffer a similar fate during his short-lived stint in Norfolk whilst the ex-Borussia Dortmund reserve coach was in England.

Prior to joining the Canaries on loan from Schalke in 2019, the German shot-stopper had never completed more than 69.3% of his passes over the course of a season and made four errors that directly led to a shot or a goal through poor distribution in the Bundesliga in the 2018/19 campaign.

He was unable to dislodge Tim Krul from Farke's starting line-up as the Dutchman went on to play 36 times in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign and only made one error.

The towering 6 foot 6 colossus then completed 77% of his attempted passes and made two errors that led to a shot or goal in 36 Championship matches the following term.

This indicates that Farke, who was hailed as a "world-class" coach by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, preferred the former Newcastle United titan between the sticks as he made fewer mistakes with the ball at his feet and completed a higher percentage of his passes.

Hart, therefore, could be in trouble as the 36-year-old made four blunders that led to shots in the Scottish Premiership and one mistake in six Champions League outings last season.

Such errors in goal and previous issues with distribution could put Farke off wanting the 6 foot 5 shot-stopper to be his no.1 at Celtic, based on his style of play and the battle between Fahrmann and Krul, and that is why his appointment could be terrible news for the ex-England international.

The Delhi High Court has lashed out at the DDCA for “crossing its limit” and undermining the authority of Justice Mukul Mudgal by sacking the selectors appointed by him

PTI07-Nov-2016The Delhi High Court has lashed out at the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) for “crossing its limit” and undermining the authority of Justice Mukul Mudgal by sacking the selectors appointed by him. The court said the association’s move “attracts contempt of court”. The bench comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Deepa Sharma suspended the decision of the DDCA, restoring the selection panel appointed by Justice Mudgal.The court said the DDCA was “testing everyone’s patience here”. It slammed the DDCA for “targetting” Justice Mudgal, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court who was appointed by the Delhi High Court to oversee the functioning of the association, which is plagued by alleged financial irregularities and nepotism in selection of players.On November 5, the sports working committee of DDCA removed former Indian cricketers Maninder Singh, Atul Wassan and Nikhil Chopra from their roles in the senior and junior selection panels, stating conflict of interest issues. The bench said: “DDCA should have informed the court about such a move when the order was reserved so that it could have taken preventive steps at that time only.”The bench said of the selectors: “Various selections have been made by them and they are doing their job properly and there is no chance of any misconduct.”The high court also made it clear that the DDCA will not interfere with the working of the selectors and asked them to proceed with the selection of Under-14 and Under-16 players.While allowing the selection panels to continue till further order, the bench said: “We really don’t know where things are going. It is unfortunate. You [DDCA] are after the committee, you are targetting Justice Mudgal.”Justice Mudgal, through his counsel Nitin Mishra, had moved the court seeking direction to declare the DDCA’s decision as “null and void”.In a status report filed with the court, Justice Mudgal had said: “Selectors, who were appointed under my supervision through the process of interview by a selection panel, are in process of picking up senior and junior teams at the moment. The act of removing the selectors unanimously by certain directors and the convener, sports working committee (DDCA), without any approval from the selection panel formed by me or by the Delhi HC is only aimed to scuttle the domestic season.”He said the selectors were appointed by the selection panel keeping in mind the recommendations of the Lodha Committee on conflict of interest norms.Considering Justice Mudgal’s report that the DDCA has not paid the players’ dues, the bench also directed the association to make immediate arrangements for cricketers playing or staying at hotels, and clear the dues within 48 hours.The bench also asked DDCA to clear, within a week, the dues of vendors and caterers that have been pending for the last three years.

West Ham United are keen on making a move for Nottingham Forest talisman Brennan Johnson this summer, according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail.

Who is Brennan Johnson?

Johnson is one of Nottingham Forest’s own. Born in Nottingham, the forward entered the academy and hasn’t looked back ever since.

The Englishman was a crucial part of Forest’s shock promotion from the Championship in the 2021/22 season, with 19 goals in all competitions, including two in the play-offs.

Is Brennan Johnson leaving Nottingham Forest?

Whilst Johnson’s Nottingham Forest exit is far from a guarantee this summer, given their Premier League status, the Wales youngster has reportedly attracted plenty of interest.

This comes as little surprise, too, given the exceptional campaign that the "unbelievable" forward – as once hailed by former boss Sabri Lamouchi – had in the Premier League for the first time – scoring eight goals and assisting a further three to help keep Forest afloat.

Still young, Johnson has plenty of time for improvement, meaning that any club that did swoop in this summer would have themselves a player for both the present and the future.

As per Jones, West Ham are interested in the forward, though do face competition from Everton. Both clubs could battle it out for Johnson, who is reportedly valued at £40m by Forest.

The Hammers could certainly do with the goals that the Forest man could bring, that’s for sure – last summer’s £30.5m flop – Gianluca Scamacca – found the back of the net just three times in a total of 16 Premier League appearances.

Meanwhile, Michail Anontio’s form began to spiral slightly when it came to domestic action, only scoring on three occasions, despite making 33 appearances in the league last season.

Their lack of goalscorer very nearly cost the Hammers the ultimate price of relegation, before David Moyes guided them to safety. But, nonetheless, this is a precarious feeling they won’t want to face again, meaning that reinforcements are a must this summer.

With Forest’s valuation of Johnson reportedly as high as £40m, however, West Ham may need the financial boost of potentially winning the Europa Conference League if they are to consider pursuing the deal further.

Those at the London Stadium showed last summer that they are willing to break the bank for quality, though, having hit a new transfer record with the deal for Lucas Paqueta, which saw them splash out a record £51.3m.

Johnson may well find himself amongst West Ham’s most expensive signings, if the Hammers continue their interest in the forward and complete a deal.