All posts by h716a5.icu

The ICL’s second season has some improvements over the first, but there’s a fair amount of work left

Sriram Veera18-Oct-2008

The ICL is hoping the inclusion of “national” teams, like the Dhaka Warriors, will be a draw © ICL
The first leg of games in the second season of the Indian Cricket League is over. The caravan now moves from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad. Cricinfo looks at how the tournament has progressed so far
The timing
The big question is why the ICL hosted the tournament at the same time as the India-Australia series. “We thought about it long and hard. Test match cricket does not clash with our cricket. The evenings are free,” Tony Greig, who is on the ICL’s executive board, said. “We tend to play in the back end and in the front end of English season.”The media strategist for the ICL, Manoj Mayani, adds, “If we are going to wait for everybody to give us a clear time, it would be difficult. The Champion’s League was originally scheduled for last month.”Crowd interest
The tickets have been priced at Rs 100 each. The opening day, obviously, had the biggest audience: 20,000 people packed into the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium.The matches featuring Hyderabad Heroes, the home team, and Lahore Badshahs had decent turnouts. There was a threat of rain on the first Sunday, which affected attendance, but the subsequent games brought in 8000 to 9000 spectators on average.Last year the games moved from one venue to another without a sustained run in any one city, which affected spectator interest. This year they are playing a week in each city.Television viewership
The organisers claim that, according to the rating agency TAM, the opening game registered a rating of 0.76, which jumped to 1.9 for the close game between Hyderabad and the Dhaka Warriors. Himanshu Mody, the ICL’s business head, is looking to reach a rating of 3, but without star power, it remains to be seen how that is achieved.Quality of cricket
“The best teams in the ICL will finish mid-table in the English County Championship,” says Paul Nixon, the former England wicketkeeper who plays for Delhi Giants. It’s a fair assessment. The average innings scores are rising slowly.”The number of runs scored has not reflected the standard of the surface: 130-140 when the pitch [in Hyderabad] suggested 160-170,” Greig says. “But it is getting better.”IPL v ICL
The IPL has bigger stars, which was reflected in the TRP ratings last year. The ICL has tried to offset that disadvantage by introducing teams like Lahore Badshahs and Dhaka Warriors, thus trying to position it as a battle between nations.”IPL will have bad matches, ICL will have bad matches. The format is like that,” Greig said. Even in the IPL, most games involving Bangalore and Hyderabad, and some of the Mumbai games, were duds. In the ICL, the Mumbai Champs look the weakest team, though they featured in a last-over thriller in the first round. And importantly, Lahore is yet to get going. That apart, the games have been of decent quality.Overseas professionals
The overseas pros have shown impressive commitment. Players like Jason Gillespie, Shane Bond, Craig McMillan, Chris Harris and Damien Martyn have led from the front. They have thrown themselves around on thefield, encouraged the local cricketers, and taken their mentorship role very seriously. The coaches, like Steve Rixon and Michael Bevan, are working hard too. The practice sessions have been intense and purposeful.

Jason Gillespie and the rest of the old hands have taken their task as mentors seriously © ICL
Facilities

There’s no cause for complaint with the infrastructure in the teamenvironment. Every side has professional coaches, physios, trainers, masseurs, the works. “The local Indian cricketers have relied too much on natural talent. Nowit’s a leap from amateurism to professionalism,” says Deep Dasgupta who plays for the Royal Bengal Tigers.However, the Hyderabad ground twice suffered technical glitches with the lights – the first game had to be abandoned mid-way during the chase and decided on the VJD method, and the overs were reduced in the second match.
In Hyderabad there were giant TV screens suspended from the roofs at different points in the stadium, apart from a huge, centrally located screen. However, after a couple of games these just became advertising screens.The cheergirls are ubiquitous . Food and water were available for purchase, and the sanitary facilities were conveniently located.The ICL has reportedly spent Rs 100 million in refurbishing their new stadium in Ahmedabad.Marketing
The promotion spend has been increased to Rs 500 million. There are more adverts and billboards, and large pullout spreads have been booked in many newspapers.In keeping with the tournament’s USP, the promotions have centred on the local cricketers.The telecast net has spread. More than 100 million people in four continents can, in theory, follow this year’s tournament.Highlight
Aging stars are usually considered a negative for a tournament. In this case, though, watching them made for a pleasant experience. Perhaps because this is the only place, barring the odd county game, that you can see these players in action anymore. Watching Saqlain Mushtaq, Gillespie and Bond bowl, or Inzamam-ul-Haq and Martyn bat has been a nostalgic experience.

Another century from Mayank Agarwal set up India A’s match-winning 309 for 6, as the Lions lost for the first time in the tri-series

Jon Culley at Grace Road26-Jun-2018
ScorecardEngland Lions were beaten for the first time in the tri-series after India A, whom they had beaten comfortably at Derby last week, emphatically turned the tables in the wilting heat at Grace Road.Chasing a total that they would have fancied themselves to reach on what was essentially a good batting surface, the Lions made a miserable start by losing their top three batsmen in the first eight overs and never recovered.It means that they must beat West Indies A at Northampton on Thursday if they are to be sure of their place in the final at The Oval on Monday, although they would still qualify even if beaten, having won both their opening two matches, if India beat West Indies on Friday.’Enjoying batting here’ – Agarwal

India’s century-maker Mayank Agarwal said he had been troubled by a muscle strain in his lower right side, for which he needed treatment on the field, but did not expect it to rule him out of playing should India qualify for next Monday’s final.
“I had a little issue but it is okay,” he said. “I will be assessed by the team doctor but I don’t expect it to be a problem. I was very pleased with my innings, it’s good to get back-to-back hundreds. That’s three here now – I’ve enjoyed batting here.
“England outplayed us last week but we have been playing good cricket since we have been here, in the warm-up games too, and it is good to be rewarded with back-to-back wins because everybody is putting in the effort, putting in the performances at crucial times.”

Given that this talented India side has been in impressive form these last two days at Leicester, you would expect that to happen. They saw off the West Indians with almost 12 overs to spare here on Monday and defeated England by a comfortable margin, even after leaving out Deepak Chahar, who had taken five wickets in that game.They did not, however, leave out Mayank Agarwal, their other key man on Monday, and how wise they were. Despite needing treatment for a back injury during the innings and subsequently being unable to field, the opener made his second century in consecutive days.It was as impressive a performance by India A as it was a disappointing one by the Lions, who had left the field relatively pleased with themselves at the end of their opponents’ innings.India A had been 100 without loss after 15 overs, and may actually have felt they ought to have built more handsomely on such a start.The precociously talented Shubman Gill contributed 72 in an opening stand of 165 with Agarwal but the Lions fought back well, with Worcestershire’s Ed Barnard impressing on his senior representative debut, Matt Fisher taking his first Lions wickets and the spinners, Liam Dawson and Matt Parkinson, playing a key role in frustrating the India batsmen in the middle phase of the innings, even if neither took a wicket.Parkinson, the 21-year-old Lancashire legspinner, had shown impressive character, taking a mauling in his opening three-over spell, which cost 28 runs after both openers went after him, but conceding only 35 more in seven overs after Steven Mullaney brought him back in the 32nd over and stuck with him.Barnard, who was added to the squad after the opening two matches in the tri-series following an injury to Craig Overton, was the best of the four seamers used, producing probably the delivery of the innings, finding extra bounce to have Gill caught at short third man having shaped to cut.But England’s innings was never able to gather any momentum after a fine opening spell by Shardul Thakur had accounted for both openers and Sam Hain, whose unbeaten 145 at Derby was the foundation of the Lions’ win over West Indies A, was unable to get past 1 before having two stumps uprooted by Chahar’s replacement, Prasidh Krishna.The biggest source of frustration in the England dressing room will be that most of their batsmen played themselves in but that Dawson’s 38 was their highest score, and that the top three apart they were mostly the architects of their own demise.It had been good watching, though, especially for the schoolchildren, mainly wearing India replica shirts, who had a special day out. Gill, aged 18 and the leading batsman in India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup team, is not long out of school himself yet is clearly a top-class player in the making, while Agarwal’s frustrating wait for international recognition at the top level must surely end soon.The 27-year-old ended the Indian domestic season with 2,141 runs, a record aggregate for an individual batsman across all formats. His first-class average was 105.45 and his 723 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was the most by any Indian player in a List A tournament, topping Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 at the 2003 World Cup.

Leeds United are embroiled in a battle for promotion under Daniel Farke; however, they could now have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one first-team player, according to a report.

Leeds prepare for January window…

Excitingly, the Whites will finally get the opportunity to strengthen their squad in the coming hours once the January window officially opens for business as they look to build on a respectable first half of the campaign in the Championship.

On the face of it, Leeds have coped admirably with life in the English second tier and can be proud of their showing that has them sitting fifth in the division; nevertheless, consecutive losses on the road against Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion have left food for thought heading into January.

Leeds United keen on signing "very talented" ace wanted by multiple clubs

Leeds United are in the market as Daniel Farke looks to strengthen his side’s promotion bid…

BySean Markus Clifford Dec 4, 2023

Incomings and outgoings may be expected during a busy period at Elland Road. According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Leeds and Southampton are both keen on Bournemouth attacker David Brooks, who they are keen to try and secure on a loan deal, as he stated on social media platform X:

Cape Town Spurs forward Luke Baartman has also been linked with a move to Yorkshire in the last few months; however, he would surely be regarded as a prospect to develop at Thorp Arch over the coming years.

Nevertheless, departures could also form part of the Whites' activity this window and one man could now be set to walk through the exit door, with interest in his services from elsewhere now coming to light, as per a report.

Charlie Cresswell open to Leeds exit…

According to The Sunday Mirror cited via MOT Leeds News, Charlie Cresswell is open to leaving Leeds United in January either on loan or permanently and the England Under-21 international is believed to have major interest in his services from clubs in the Championship.

Five similar players to Charlie Cresswell (FBRef)

Player

Club

Fernando Alarcon

Club Atlético Central Córdoba

Xavier Mbuyamba

Volendam

Joaquim

Santos

Cristian Lema

Lanus

Ryan Flamingo

Utrecht

Ipswich Town have entered the race for his signature; meanwhile, Sunderland, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Scottish side Rangers are also vying for the 21-year-old, who hasn't received regular senior minutes this campaign under Farke and is reportedly open to an exit.

Labelled "excellent" by former boss Gary Rowett, Cresswell has been on the periphery in Yorkshire this campaign, making just six appearances in all competitions (Cresswell statistics – Transfermarkt).

Of course, Cresswell isn't the only man keen on seeking a new challenge away from Elland Road. Recent claims have suggested that Italy international Wilfried Gnonto has designs on departing the club amid Lazio and Fiorentina being keen on acquiring the attacker's services.

Looking ahead, losing Cresswell alongside Gnonto could potentially prompt Leeds United to enter the market to bolster their squad depth in January, making these ones to watch.

Wolverhampton Wanderers became a driving force in England behind signing and developing Portuguese talent under Nuno Espirito Santo, with an influx of players from his home nation welcomed to Molineux during his reign and beyond.

The influence of renowned agent Jorge Mendes made the Old Gold the ideal spot for both upcoming and certified talents from Liga Portugal, in the bid to make themselves known in the Premier League.

Some stars took the route with Nuno from the Championship to the top flight, with the likes of Ruben Neves making his name in the second tier before exerting his quality in the Premier League to eventually become captain and leave for £47m.

Neves’ success story was shared by a host of Portuguese talents at Molineux over the years, although not every talent from the nation had a similar outcome, with one name now playing back in the second tier in England.

Ruben Vinagre was one of the highly promising talents unearthed by Nuno from Portugal, and despite all the signs being there for the defender to thrive at Molineux, things didn’t quite go to plan for the full-back.

When did Wolves sign Ruben Vinagre?

Rewind to 2017 and Wolves had just announced the loan signing of 18-year-old Vinagre from Monaco’s academy, a versatile left-back who had joined the French outfit’s academy from Sporting CP in 2014.

It quickly became apparent how highly regarded the teenager’s talents were in Nuno’s side, as he recorded five consecutive appearances at the start of the Championship campaign playing at both left-back and left-midfield.

After the quick spell, the youngster’s game time became more sporadic as he continued to develop in both the youth and first team, however, he made his mark with his electric performances when called upon in the senior side.

On only his sixth appearance in the Championship, Vinagre registered his first goal for Wolves in fine fashion, highlighting just how dangerous of an element he could be to Nuno’s promotion-pushing squad.

By that summer, the Old Gold had secured promotion back to the big time and sealed the permanent signing of Vinagre from Monaco for a fee of just £2m, a worthy acquisition for a reliable young fringe player.

How did Ruben Vinagre perform at Wolves?

Despite the former Sporting CP starlet only making nine appearances in the second tier during his debut campaign, the manager’s faith in him was rewarded with 17 Premier League appearances in the 2018/19 season.

The versatile defender’s progression was highlighted the following year, as he became a more prominent member of the squad, as suggested by his 33 appearances in all competitions.

That term, the youngster was faced with a host of challenges to maintain his position in the pecking order at both left midfield and left back, finding himself in a duel with the likes of Jonny Otto throughout the campaign.

Speaking to the media during the season, Nuno was full of praise for the starlet, calling him a “massively important” member of the squad for his versatility, branding him as “special”.

As Wolves’ success began to grow, by reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2019/20 campaign, the need for added quality in the squad became a paramount target for Nuno in the transfer window.

The summer of 2020 proved to be pivotal for Vinagre’s future at Wolves, as the club welcomed two players deployable at left-back in Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcal, automatically pushing the youngster further down the pecking order.

What happened to Ruben Vinagre?

In October 2020, Wolves sent the promising defender on loan to Olympiacos in a bid to continue his development away from Molineux, where the squad had been bolstered without his involvement in mind.

At the time, journalist Josh Bunting admitted he was sad to see the Portuguese leave England, explaining that he had shown “so much potential” during the time he spent discovering the boundaries of his game under Nuno.

Unfortunately for Vinagre, life in Greece did not go to plan, as he struggled for game time at Olympiacos, resulting in him returning to Wolves in December after just four appearances in all competitions.

The Old Gold sought the sanctuary of home comforts as the next destination for the defender to thrive, as he spent the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Portuguese side Famalicao.

The Wolves loanee was handed 20 Liga Portugal appearances during his time at the club, where he recorded three assists, which inspired his next journey in the summer of 2021 as he returned to his boyhood club of Sporting CP.

How much did Wolves sell Ruben Vinagre for?

In July 2022, the end of Vinagre’s critical time at Molineux came to a permanent end, as Sporting paid a fee of €10m (£8.5m) to welcome him back to Lisbon, where he remains as a player today.

Despite being a representative of the Lions, the full-back has played all of his football in England since his permanent transfer, however, the extent of his playing time is rather small.

Last summer, Vinagre returned to the Premier League to join Everton on a season-long loan, however after playing just 24 minutes of league football in the campaign, the Portuguese left Goodison wishing his time could’ve “been different”.

An achilles problem kept the 1999-born ace away from the action in what was a failed loan spell, resulting in him having to take a step backwards in order to push on again in the future.

Where is Ruben Vinagre now?

After returning to Portugal from Merseyside, the 24-year-old was shipped away once more to rediscover his form and fitness, returning to where it all began at senior level in England with the Championship.

Currently, the left-back is playing for Hull City on a season-long loan from Sporting, having made six appearances in the league so far for the Tigers in an encouraging start to the season.

With an average Sofascore rating of 6.53 in the Championship this term, it’s suggested that there is a long way to go for Vinagre to rediscover his level of performance on show at Wolves, but he is finally on the right path.

At times there was hope that Vinagre could be one of the best left-backs in England at Molineux, however, squad competition and failed loan spells have caused the 24-year-old to take a very different path back to the top.

Everyone at Wolves can only look back at the youngster’s time in the Midlands with fond memories, with the hope that he can fulfil the potential he showcased under Nuno’s guidance.

Last season, depth was not a word used when discussing Liverpool's midfield, at least not in a positive light.

Jurgen Klopp's side failed in their seasonal goals and finished fifth in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League, with the sapped and stuttering midfield at the core of the issue.

This season, there is optimism anew with a fresh crop of players restoring the Anfield centre, but the younger stars remain beneath the new additions.

Harvey Elliott is one such player, with his recent performance for England U21s showing that he can perform in the role that £60m summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai plays so astoundingly in the midfield.

How good is Dominik Szoboszlai?

Not has there arguably been a more transformative signing at Liverpool since Virgil van Dijk joined from Southampton for £75m, transcending the defence's past performance.

The Hungary captain arrived from RB Leipzig having earned acclaim for his prowess as a “magician” by the likes of talent scout Jacek Kulig, posting ten goals and 13 assists and winning this second successive DFB Pokal.

Since arriving on Merseyside, the 22-year-old has been sensational, starting all eight of Liverpool's Premier League matches thus far, completing 87% of his passes, making 2.1 key passes, 1.6 tackles and 7.4 ball recoveries per game and, perhaps most importantly, bringing energy and intelligence to turbo-charge the engine.

Described as "a young Steven Gerrard" for his playing style by former England striker Natasha Dowie, the £120k-per-week gem currently ranks among the top 12% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 10% for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions, the top 15% for successful carries, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

He's simply untouchable in the starting squad, but given that he can't be expected to start every match, Klopp will be delighted with Elliott's stunning display against Serbia for his nation this week.

How good is Harvey Elliott?

It's easy to forget that Elliott is still only 20 years old, having been a member of Klopp's squad for several years now after joining from Fulham aged just 16 in 2019.

A Premier League champion, Elliott has already made 75 appearances for the Reds and been hailed as a "special" talent by Fabrizio Romano, and while Liverpool struggled last term, he was entrusted with a prominent role – playing 46 times.

The dynamic midfielder still has strides to make in his defensive game but will continue to improve and boasts the technical prowess to serve as Szoboszlai's understudy.

Indeed, he ranks among the top 8% of midfielders for total shots, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 3% for blocks per 90.

Such metrics evidence his creative skills and energy and enthusiasm on the pitch, and with a little bit more work he really could knock on Klopp's door for a regular starting berth.

The £40k-per-week ace was simply sensational for England U21s as they trounced Serbia 9-1, performing at the very heart of the game and excelling with his all-consuming performance.

Scoring two goals and registering an assist, the 5 foot 6 talent complemented his direct return with an 86% passing accuracy, five key passes, success in five of his eight duels, also taking 94 touches and winning both of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.

Such a display led Paul Dalglish to dub him an “incredible talent”, and while Elliott is undoubtedly not the finished article, his potential is boundless and he is edging closer and closer toward the level Klopp knows he can reach.

If the German coach is looking for a dream understudy to Szoboszlai, then the youngster is arguably that man.

Northamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2018
ScorecardNorthamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road to claim their first win in the Specsavers County Championship this season.Having resisted on the second evening to take the game into day three, Gloucestershire could last only another 17 balls to be bowled out for 250, leaving a target of only 31 that Ben Duckett knocked off himself in just four overs.Brett Hutton removed the final two wickets within three balls to finish with 8 for 57 – the third-best figures for Northants this century.”We’ve played very well this week, we’ve been disappointed in the Championship so far but we showed if we play somewhere near our best cricket we’re capable of winning games.”Ben and Brett will take the headlines but the whole attack did their bit and added to the pressure and they never got away from us,” head coach David Ripley said. “We took the majority of our catches as well, the surface offered a bit more carry which brought the cordon into play so a great effort from the groundsman as well.”We need to back up this performance now at Cardiff and it’s about building the confidence up and we can take that into the T20s too.”Matt Taylor only added a single to his overnight 37 before pushing at a length ball and edging to second slip where Richard Levi dived to his right to take a sharp catch. No. 11 Chris Liddle then lost his off stump for a duck leaving Craig Miles stranded on 38 not out.The chase was over very quickly as Duckett played an emphatic extra-cover drive off Miles, a flick through midwicket and two top-edged pulls over the wicketkeeper’s head. Another pull off Miles took Northants to within one hit of victory before an outside edge found the third man fence to complete the win.Northants, who took 21 points from the match, now head to Glamorgan on Monday while Gloucestershire are left to concentrate on the T20 Blast that begins in two weeks.Gloucestershire head coach said: “We’ve been outplayed, and it’s more to do with the ball – it wasn’t a 280 wicket. We didn’t exert any pressure with the ball, we bowled two sides of the wicket and the wrong length.”We were a bit more up for the fight in the second innings but day one we were behind the eight ball and couldn’t recover from that.”We’ve got the T20 coming up but also the Cheltenham festival and we want to be playing some good cricket in the Championship there so by no means will we just be focussing on T20.”

The impressive young allrounder took six wickets but Worcestershire’s batsmen struggled in turn

David Hopps at New Road04-Sep-20181:56

Burns piles on the runs after England snub

ScorecardIt’s September, the pitches are seaming and Worcestershire are bottom again, in obvious danger of relegation. Not much changes, you might assume. Except it does because this time nobody in county cricket is blithely assuming that it is Worcestershire plus one other for the drop. This time, a talented young side suggests it is as well-equipped as anybody to survive.But Worcestershire’s defeat against Lancashire at Southport last week felt like an opportunity wasted, as well as Dane Vilas and Josh Bohannon must have played to turn the game in Lancashire’s favour. It left Worcestershire and Hampshire in the bottom two, and encouraged the feeling that this is crunch time. With Hampshire dismissed for 191 and Worcestershire subsiding to 68 for 4 in return, both sides suffered some first-day bleeding.A first appearance at T20 Finals Day in the Vitality Blast is also looming and for Worcestershire if the glass half-empty interpretation is that it could be a diversion from the task ahead, the half-full conclusion sees it as a statement of the development of a young side which Kevin Sharp, as head coach, has inherited so calmly since the removal of Steve Rhodes in unfortunate circumstances last winter.Talking T20

Dan Norcross and Matt Roller start the build-up to the Vitality Blast Finals Day
Listen on ESPN Radio

When Worcestershire lost their captain Joe Leach to injury in early season, they lost the heartbeat of the side, taker of 193 championship wickets in the past three seasons. It felt like a blow they could not withstand, but on the first day against Hampshire Leach could stroll around the outfield with Winnie, his Mum’s dog, with reason to hope that they can survive without him.By the time of Winnie’s perambulation, Hampshire had just been dismissed and Ed Barnard, an attacking allrounder with bat or ball, had returned the second six-for of his career, his 6 for 50 outdone only by his 6 for 37 against Somerset at Taunton earlier this season. Barnard epitomises the dash of this young Worcestershire side, relishing the fight and increasingly equipped to come out on top.He knew, nevertheless, that it had taken Worcestershire, hmself included, a session to settle to their task. “We probably had the best of the conditions and didn’t quite utilise them as we would have liked,” he said. “But we came back strongly in the second session and have managed not to lose too many wickets tonight because that was a real tough session for the batters to go out and face those 20 odd overs.”Ed Barnard celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesHampshire were in reasonable order at lunch, at 81 for 2, Barnard having removed Joe Weatherley with one that bounced a bit, but they proceeded to lose their last eight wickets for 110 in the afternoon, grateful for Sam Northeast’s resistance before he was last out, driving at Wayne Parnell, for 48 as the last two wickets added 65, particularly tough for Worcestershire to take as they had coveted his signature so much in the winter.Barnard found movement from an attacking length, Hampshire drove ambitiously and by the end Ben Cox, the wicketkeeper, and Mitchell, at second slip, had seven catches between them and Barnard had a post-lunch spell of 5 for 21 in nine overs.Division One’s leading wicket-takers make interesting reading. Barnard now lies fourth, with 41 at 20.31, trailing the Essex offspinner Simon Harmer, who has 44 and who has sustained his Championship-winning return unlike many of his colleagues. Most eye-catchingly, the top two are Lancashire’s pair of Graham Onions and Tom Bailey.Hampshire’s afternoon collapse began with the loss of their Championship debutant, Oliver Soames, a 22-year-old student at Loughborough, who had grafted through the morning for 23, fancied letting his hair down against Barnard in the afternoon and immediately paid the price .James Vince fell in similar fashion to Barnard, a little refinement fell out of the day and perhaps, over in the cathedral, a chorister dropped a book of psalms as if to reveal God’s disappointment. Tom Alsop and Ian Holland nicked in turn and Liam Dawson, coming in at No 8, drove Barnard to cover. Five wickets in 12 overs, four to Barnard, had changed the complexion of the game.Worcestershire struggled in turn and would have been grateful when bad light cut 13.2 overs from the day – two overs too late, they might have thought, after Daryl Mitchell’s judicious 41 from 66 balls came to grief when he chipped a leading edge back to Fidel Edwards.

Pep Guardiola says everybody "loves" Bernardo Silva and urged him to stay at Manchester City after his brace against Newcastle United in the FA Cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man City beat Newcastle 2-0Silva scores brace in FA Cup winGuardiola urges him to extend stayGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

FA Cup holders City advanced to the semi-finals of the competition following their 2-0 victory over Newcastle at the Etihad on Saturday. Two deflected goals from Silva secured their passage into the next round and with the 29-year-old likely to be linked with a summer transfer, manager Guardiola has called on the playmaker to stay put.

AdvertisementWHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

After the match, Guardiola said: "This team, this club, has something special, it's incredible. I know we play to win the finals, but to win it, you have to win the earlier rounds. We won four Carabao Cup finals in a row and now we're in six FA Cup semi-finals in a row. To run and play the way they did is incredible, congratulations to the team, no one has done that before. We played really well, we were so safe with the ball. Mateo (Kovacic), Rodri and Bernardo kept the ball so well. The game was really good. You see us when we come back every three days, three days, three days, three days."

On Silva, he added: "Everybody loves him and we want him. He's really important for him to stay with us."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Guardiola's City are aiming for back-to-back trebles after winning the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup last season – and they are in the running to secure that prestigious footballing triumvirate this term, too. If they want to continue to be successful, keeping Silva – whose City contract runs until 2026 – will be key. He has previously been linked with Paris Saint-Germain.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT?

Next up for third-placed City is a huge clash with top of the table Arsenal – who are just a point ahead of them – at the Etihad on March 31. They will face their FA Cup semi-final opponent on either April 20 or 21 at Wembley.

Rudi Second made a combative 94 again but South Africa A were bowled out with seven balls remaining on the final day

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru07-Aug-20181:16

My job is to challenge the India A and U-19 teams – Dravid

South Africa A wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second wore down India A’s attack for the second time in the game and threatened to hold them off to a draw amid fading light at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. But Mohammed Siraj’s maiden first-class ten-wicket haul sewed up the hosts’ thrilling innings victory with 1.1 overs remaining on the final day.Yuzvendra Chahal, who was playing his first red-ball match since the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jharkhand in 2016, bowled as many as nine front-foot no-balls in the game and struggled for rhythm, but he struck when it mattered, to nab Second and leave him six short of a hundred again.”Chahal has had a lot of success in white-ball cricket,” India A coach Rahul Dravid said after the win. “Even for us, I have been seeing from two-and-half years, when he first came to Australia, he wasn’t considered a red-ball player as such. But we wanted to give him opportunity to showcase how he does in red-ball cricket. It’s about what he can do in red-ball cricket and that’s really what A team is about. We are here to supplement and do what is best to make the national team stronger. We want to create good options for India team. Chahal, they [selectors] were very keen to know how he performs in red-ball cricket. The more he plays red-ball cricket, the more experience he gets.”When the last hour began, South Africa A were 286 for 7 in 115 overs, still facing a deficit of 52. Soon, Chahal trapped Second with a slider to break the game open for India A. Malusi Siboto, Beuran Hendricks and No. 11 Duanne Olivier ate up 93 balls collectively and ticked down the overs, defending resolutely. However, Siraj, who had set the game up for India, fittingly returned to provide the coup de grace.”Maturity is one thing [that stands out about Siraj],” Dravid said. The last three four-day games, in England and here has been terrific. To get 26 wickets in the last three games is terrific.”He is someone who has played very less first-class matches. He hasn’t been really part of the system as he hasn’t played much junior cricket. So he is learning all the time. So even in white-ball cricket I won’t be too harsh on him too quickly because he hasn’t played that much, maybe a little bit of IPL, he had one good season and then he was in and out. It’s been great to give him the chance to perform. He has been bowling in much better areas and he has grown better physically.”Such a tense finish did not appear as likely in the morning, when Vidarbha’s Rajneesh Gurbani had overnight batsman Zubayr Hamza jabbing a catch behind for 63. At that point, South Africa A were 121 for 5. The overnight rains in Bengaluru had juiced up a pitch that already provided seam movement and variable bounce to the bowlers. Siraj, Nitin Saini and Gurbani simply did their thing: throwing the bait outside off but the other South African batsmen showed greater restraint outside off.Second, who displayed the tightest defensive technique among the South African batsmen, however, held nothing back against the loose balls. He cracked a Chahal full-toss through midwicket and then eased him through the covers.While Chahal did turn some past the outside edge of Shaun von Berg, he could not find it. Whenever Chahal overpitched outside off, Second and von Berg leant into the drive and handsomely stroked the ball through the covers. Second also employed the flat, hard sweep effectively: the shot that brought him his fifty off 115 balls. Von Berg, who had conceded 107 in 20 overs with his legspin, had some joy with the bat and scored a fifty of his own.All told, the Indian bowlers could not find a way past Second and von Berg for 50.4 overs. They even resorted to the short-ball attack but the two batsmen evaded them or comfortably fended them off. Von Berg is a fairly competent batsman with five first-class hundreds to his name, and he reminded everyone of that when he slapped Siraj on the up through the covers.Gurbani then returned, after another spell of rain that had forced early tea, to have von Berg nicking off twice in two overs. While R Samarth dropped the first chance, a more difficult one diving to his left from slip, he pouched the second without any fuss at the same position. The reprieve cost India A nothing: von Berg’s innings ended on 50 off 175 balls, the sixth-wicket partnership on 119, the visitors’ only century stand in the match.Second continued to give South Africa A hope of pulling off a coup, when he stretched forward and drilled a drive between Siraj and wide mid-on for four in the 109th over. However, seven overs later, Chahal, who had frequently erred in lines and lengths in the first two sessions, finally found his groove and bowled an accurate flat dart to leave Second and his team heartbroken.

It’s nearly a month now until Sunderland kick their Premier League season off on home turf versus West Ham United as the Black Cats’ transfer business continues at a hundred miles per hour.

Six new faces have joined the ever-expanding Stadium of Light ranks so far, with the pick of the recent bunch who have relocated to Wearside being Simon Adingra, as the Premier League-capable attacker left Brighton and Hove Albion behind for a fresh adventure up North.

Don’t be surprised if the number of exciting bodies to join the building rises into the double-digit range very soon, with more and more high-profile signings expected to be made before August arrives.

£9m star now on the Sunderland shopping list

Whilst the cash thrown around to land Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi would have caught the eye of those with connections to Sunderland, as £67m was excessively splashed, the pick up of Adingra will be the most pleasing capture to date, considering his wide knowledge of the top-flight.

Aaron Ramsdale might well add to that if he joins Regis Le Bris’ camp very soon, with new rumours seeming to suggest that the goalkeeper might be the new number one the Black Cats desire when climbing back up to the Premier League.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has even been allegedly on the Sunderland shopping list as well. However, the European markets will no doubt still be tapped into again as Le Bris and Co now enter the race to try and snap up Spezia gem Salvatore Esposito.

As per a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, the one-time Italy international is firmly on Sunderland’s summer radar, with the likes of Brighton, Burnley, Brentford, Everton, and Fulham all also interested in the 24-year-old after Spezia failed to win promotion to Serie A.

Valued at just £9m – as per Transfermarkt – this could well prove to be a great steal on the end of Sunderland if Esposito instantly acclimatises to the demands of the English game and shines, with the Spezia number five perhaps going to be an even better talent than the £30m-rated Diarra down the line.

How Esposito could be even better than Diarra

Of course, Diarra does have plenty of top-flight experience under his belt that will help him when trying to become an instant success on Wearside.

Indeed, the 21-year-old had amassed 94 Ligue 1 appearances for Strasbourg with a hefty tally of nine goals and ten assists also coming his way lining up for Liam Rosenior’s side.

Games played

30

34

Goals scored

4

7

Assists

5

10

Touches*

43.5

80.6

Accurate passes*

26.3 (87%)

48.8 (85%)

Big chances created

9

18

Ball recoveries*

3.0

6.3

Total duels won*

3.3

7.3

Yet, it’s very clear when looking at the above table – even if Esposito has played the majority of his career in the Italian second tier to date – that the 24-year-old definitely has a higher ceiling than the Serie B, with a ridiculous 17 goal contributions next to his name from 34 league clashes last season.

The most exciting takeaway from the table, however, will be how well-rounded Esposito’s game looks as a midfielder who is capable of dazzling crowds with that output, but he is also a talent hungry to battle away for his team’s cause, as seen in his mammoth 7.3 duels being won per game last campaign as Spezia gunned for promotion.

Diarra’s numbers do fall flat in comparison, with the former Inter Milan man even going on to win that solitary Italy call-up when he was known as a rising gem.

Therefore, the “elegant” midfielder – as he’s been lauded in the past by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – should be able to make the first-team cut under Le Bris very soon, even if the jump up in quality is disorientating at first.

Diarra could well find that transition to be even trickier, considering he has that lavish £30m price tag above his head.

Whereas, for only £9m, Esposito – who has also been labelled as a “technical genius” by football analyst Ben Mattinson – won’t have that same level of anxiety on his shoulders, with the 24-year-old hopeful he can be an immediate success story that helps Sunderland to survive.

Contact made: Sunderland prepare bid to sign £25m star who is open to move

The Black Cats are making plenty of impressive moves…

1 BySean Markus Clifford Jul 13, 2025