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Jhon Duran could make a quick Premier League return with six clubs circling as Al-Nassr prepare to offload the £71m striker just months after signing.

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Duran open to Premier League loan after £71m Al-Nassr moveWest Ham still keen on signing, with six clubs interested

Colombian striker seeking more minutes in a familiar setting

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Duran completed a blockbuster £71 million switch from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr in January, just days after West Ham reportedly failed with a £57 million bid for the striker. The Colombian international signed a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia worth £330,000 per week but could now be on the move again, with Al-Nassr exploring loan options for the 20-year-old.

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Despite the hefty transfer fee and salary, Duran is said to be open to a return to the Premier League, just five months after leaving, as per TeamTalk. The Colombian youngster has struggled for consistent minutes in a star-studded Al-Nassr attack led by Cristiano Ronaldo and is reportedly eager to reignite his career in a more familiar setting.

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As per the report, at least six Premier League clubs are believed to be monitoring Duran's availability, with West Ham, who now have a new manager in Graham Potter, still keeping tabs. Sources suggest a loan deal is being explored, although his wage demands and the original transfer fee complicate negotiations. While the other five clubs remain unnamed, the reports have hinted at two of those clubs being Wolves and Fulham.

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As Duran and his representatives consider their options, it is anticipated that discussions will intensify in the upcoming weeks. Relocating back to England appears more conceivable for the Colombian, as clubs look to finalise a deal before serious preseason planning begins.

Mohamed Salah has equalled the record for the most goals and assists in a Premier League season, matching Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

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• Salah joins select group
• Liverpool won the Premier League title
• Salah involved in 47 goals

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Salah scored on the final day of the season as Liverpool drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace and, in doing so, matched the record for the most goal involvements in a single Premier League season, that was previously held by both Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. The trio all contributed 47 goals, but Cole and Shearer did it in 1993-94 and 1994-95 respectively, meaning Salah is the first to do so in 30 years.

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  Salah has scored 29 goals and registered 18 assists in an incredible individual season for the Reds superstar. He has also signed a new contract, meaning he can attempt to break the record next season, having committed his future to the Reds.

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  Salah has only failed to score a goal or register an assist in 10 Premier League games, and went on a run between October and January in which he scored or assisted in 12 consecutive fixtures.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Salah will likely head for a break before returning to prepare for the 2025-26 season as the Reds aim to defend their Premier League title under Arne Slot.

West Indies, who had threatened to take a bigger lead at various stages of their second innings, folded for 193 after tea on the third day

Tristan Lavalette27-Jan-20241:53

McGlashan: There could yet be some nervy moments for Australia

Stumps Steven Smith made a positive start to Australia’s chase of 216, but a shorthanded West Indies attack hit back late on day three to breathe life anew into the second Test at the Gabba. Australia reached stumps at 60 for 2 and need a further 156 runs to claim a sweep of the home Test summer. But this unpredictable contest may have more twists and turns with heavy showers forecast on days four and five due to the after-effects of Cyclone Kirrily.New-ball bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph started sluggishly and failed to make the most of favourable conditions under lights. Australia rattled off 24 runs before opener Usman Khawaja tickled Alzarri Joseph down the leg side.West Indies’ hopes of ending a two-decade Test drought against Australia were further raised when Justin Greaves squared up Marnus Labuschagne, whose edge was brilliantly snaffled by Kevin Sinclair in the slips. Sinclair – not for the first time in his debut Test – celebrated by crossing his arms after he rose from the turf.Smith and Cameron Green survived a probing examination before stumps. Green was all at sea and struck on the pads by Greaves, but West Indies were unsuccessful in their review. He then edged the next delivery in front of second slip.In contrast, Smith looked technically sound and hit the ball crisply to finish unbeaten on 33 from 56 balls.Kavem Hodge was brilliantly run out by Travis Head from forward short-leg•AFP/Getty Images

It was a resilient effort from West Indies, who were without quick Shamar Joseph after he was struck on the toe on his right foot by an inswinging yorker from Mitchell Starc. It was initially given out lbw but Starc had overstepped. He had to retire hurt to end a West Indies second innings that fell away.They had moved to 148 for 4, with a lead of 170, when the in-form Kavem Hodge hit to Travis Head at forward short-leg and took a couple of steps forward with the stroke, and Head quickly flicked the ball at the stumps. A desperate Hodge dove back but his bat was in the air when the ball hit the stumps in what might prove a match-turning moment.It followed a trend where West Indies lost wickets almost out of nowhere and were left to rue four of their top six batters scoring between 29 and 41 but not kicking on.No. 3 Kirk McKenzie, who drove well during his stay, top-scored with 41 and along with Alick Athanaze played attractively and threatened substantial scores before they both fell to Nathan Lyon either side of the dinner break.Australia’s attack toiled in oppressive conditions, but managed to conjure breakthroughs at crucial junctures much like they did when challenged against Pakistan earlier in the summer.Nathan Lyon had a big job to do as the quicks suffered in the heat•AFP/Getty Images

With the quicks feeling the effects of the hot and humid weather, Lyon was relied upon and he threatened on a ground he has a terrific record at. Bowling quicker than usual, Lyon produced sharp turn and bounce to finish with 3 for 42 from 22 overs.After a frenetic day two, the match returned to normalcy as the surface settled and West Indies eyed batting long. Resuming at 13 for 1, West Indies needed to survive the new ball onslaught and reached the 25-over mark, after which batting has proven easier, relatively unscathed.But the surface did not offer as much zip as it did late on day two when Australia had declared 22 runs behind and Josh Hazlewood had sent back Tagenarine Chanderpaul.McKenzie motored along to thwart Australia’s pace attack. In contrast, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was anchored to the crease and scored just six runs off his first 33 balls before whacking Starc uppishly through the covers for his first boundary of the innings.The batters defied probing hard-length bowling from Pat Cummins and notched a half-century stand before Brathwaite chipped Green to cover.Kirk McKenzie played a flurry of check-drives down the ground•Getty Images

McKenzie slowed down and on his 50th delivery, he missed an attempted sweep to be trapped lbw on Lyon’s second delivery. McKenzie decided to review, having been hit high on his back leg, but ball tracking showed it to be clipping the off bail and the decision was upheld.Athanaze, who has had limited impact in the series, showed glimpses of why he is highly rated with several attractive strokes and combined well with Hodge after dinner to rattle Australia.Australia’s frustrations boiled over when Mitchell Marsh made a hash of a fielding attempt leading to Lyon, the bowler, gesticulating in annoyance.But Lyon’s mood soon brightened when he dismissed Athanaze on 35 after tossing up a delivery that was edged to slip, where Smith took a sharp catch.It was a relief for Smith, who had earlier in the innings dropped Athanaze and Brathwaite, as West Indies fell away before their late fightback left the match delicately poised.

Charli Knott produced a decisive all-round contribution as Brisbane Heat confirmed their standing as the early-season pacesetters in the WBBL with victory over Melbourne Stars to make it four wins from four.Knott gave a stuttering Heat batting performance, which had included just eight runs off the two power surge overs, a late boost with 31 off 14 balls. She dominated a stand of 43 alongside Georgia Voll that enabled 51 runs to come from the last five overs.Opening the bowling, she then gave Heat the ideal start as a viciously-spinning offbreak ripped through Sophia Dunkley to leave the England batter perplexed at what had happened.Heat’s spinners had a major say in the chase with Knott, Sarah Glenn and captain Jess Jonassen taking six wickets between them.Glenn claimed the huge wicket of Meg Lanning when she missed a sweep while Jonassen removed Maia Bouchier with a low caught-and-bowled opportunity. Knott’s second wicket came courtesy of a stunning running catch at deep square leg by Nicola Hancock to haul in Nicole Faltum’s powerfully struck sweep.While Alice Capsey remained there was hope for Stars, but when she was stumped off Jonassen for a 43-ball 52 there was too much left to do despite Kim Garth’s best efforts.Heat had made a strong start with the bat and reached 49 without loss in the sixth over before Ellie Johnston, playing in place of the rested Georgia Redmayne, top-edged a short ball from young quick Milly Illingworth having pulled her for six earlier in the over.Grace Harris couldn’t quite find her stride before playing across a full delivery from the impressive Annabel Sutherland. Stars continued to chip away with the ball and at 99 for 5 in the 16th they were on top, but Heat’s late flourish changed the complexion.

India strongly back Suryakumar Yadav to bring his game-changing ability to the World Cup despite the slow start to his ODI career. Suryakumar is the No. 1 T20I batter on the ICC rankings, but he hasn’t yet found the same gear in ODIs, where his first 25 innings have only brought two fifties and an average of 24.40.Head coach Rahul Dravid has no doubt, however, of the qualities Suryakumar brings to the table, which he feels could make a significant difference for India from No. 6. He said India had no second thoughts about Suryakumar’s place in their World Cup 15 – which they will need to finalise by September 27.Related

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“I don’t think he needs to worry about the 27th; we’ve picked our team for the World Cup and Surya is in it,” Dravid said ahead of the first ODI against Australia in Mohali. “We’ve made that decision and we completely back him because he’s got a certain quality and ability that we’ve seen. Yes, we’ve seen those qualities at the moment in T20 cricket, but we know the kind of impact a player like him can make batting at six.”He can change the course of a game, so we’ve completely backed him. We’re very clear about that. There’s been total clarity on the fact that we’re completely behind him and we know hopefully he’ll be able to turn it around.”Suryakumar is presently not part of India’s first-choice top six, but Dravid indicated he will be part of the starting XI against Australia, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya rested for the first two ODIs.”These three games, he is someone who will get all three games, or at least the first couple certainly to be able to again develop and keep growing in his journey as a one-day cricketer, but in terms of selection, no, we’ve made our decision.”Rahul Dravid has indicated that Suryakumar Yadav will start the ODI series against Australia, and bat at No. 6•AFP/Getty Images

Dravid was also asked about the decision to rest senior players such as Rohit and Kohli ahead of what could be some “tough games” against Australia before India’s World Cup campaign officially kicks off with their first warm-up fixture on September 29.”With people like Virat and Rohit specifically, from our perspective, it’s really important that we get them to the first game of the World Cup physically and mentally in the space they want to be in,” Dravid explained. “At this level, the amount of cricket that they’ve played, they know how they need to prepare themselves. A lot of these decisions are made in discussion with them in an effort to try and get… all our players, obviously not only the two of them, but certainly the senior and the more experienced guys kind of have their routines and know what they need to do to get into the first game in the right frame of mind.”So a lot of these decisions we discuss with them on how best they would like to prepare in the lead up to big events like the World Cup. Based on those discussions, we come up with some mutual decisions on deciding probably these two games were good games to take off, just to refresh mentally more than anything else, and then come back from [the third ODI in] Rajkot, and then it’s going to be a tough couple of months ahead of us.”The one other major talking point at the press conference was R Ashwin, who will be auditioning for a spin bowler’s berth should the need arise, with Axar Patel nursing a quadriceps strain. Ashwin hasn’t played an ODI since January 2022, but Dravid isn’t worried; he echoed Rohit’s thoughts that an experienced player such as Ashwin doesn’t need too much game time to get back into the groove.”Having someone of Ashwin’s experience to come back is always good for us,” Dravid said. “Also, he’s got the ability to be able to contribute with the bat at No. 8. He’s someone who we’ve always thought of where in case there were certain injuries or opportunities opened up, he was always part of our plans. I know he hasn’t played a lot of one-day cricket in the last bit, but someone of his experience can deal with that really well.”

Veteran strikes with three quick wickets but Hannon-Dalby five-for gives Warks the edge

Andrew Miller19-Sep-2023Warwickshire 72 for 4 (Rhodes 36*, Murtagh 3-17) trail Middlesex 121 (De Caires 40, Hannon-Dalby 5-29) by 49 runsThere’s a chance that Tim Murtagh was feeling rather sheepish when, shortly after 4pm, he stepped out of the pavilion as Middlesex’s No. 11 to witness – in the middle distance, and on the most central and prestigious strip that Lord’s has to offer – a guard of honour lined up to mark his impending retirement.The gesture was touching, as was the roar of approval when he blocked his one and only delivery from Chris Rushworth straight back down the pitch, but the timing was a touch discombobulating. After all, at 100 for 9 on the first day of Middlesex’s – and therefore, potentially, Murtagh’s – penultimate match of the season, it wasn’t as if the prospect of a later, and more terminal, visit to the crease was off the table just yet.And besides, there was something about Middlesex’s distracted display up to that point – even by the standards of their flatlining season – that had reeked already of “benefit match”. Murtagh’s inclusion, for his 264th first-class appearance and his 91st at Lord’s, had come at the expense of the club captain Toby Roland-Jones, and so (apart from anything else) had further weakened one of the most brittle batting line-ups in the land. On the face of it, it seemed an odd moment to ignore the realities of their ongoing race to the bottom with Kent.Warwickshire’s Oliver Hannon-Dalby duly reminded them what was at stake with a route-one haul of 5 for 29 in 10.5 overs: each of his first four wickets was the reward for a hint of movement on a probing off-stump line, until Josh De Caires, counterattacking gamely at No. 7 for an enterprising 40 from 58 balls, clipped him low to midwicket to leave Murtagh high and dry on 0 (1). All out for 121 then, with an uptick of zero batting points to Middlesex’s survival bid.But with Kent’s own bonus-point quest being stymied by Tom Lammonby and Lewis Goldsworthy down at Taunton, up stepped Murtagh for his main event, and for the penultimate time on his favourite stage. Seven overs and three wickets later, he’d shown once again that – in bleak autumnal conditions and in your county’s hour of need – sometimes a timeless display of ball-on-a-string seam bowling is all a team needs to get back on an even keel.Murtagh is 42 years old now, and has effectively been a Lord’s specialist this season, with five of his six Championship appearances now coming at HQ. But what a specialist, and how effective! His ten-wicket haul against Kent in April remains the key reason why Middlesex are not (quite) in the relegation positions, and on this evidence – though Warwickshire closed the day with a degree of poise through Will Rhodes’ 36 not out – it’s not out of the question that Murtagh ends up accounting for half of Middlesex’s four Championship wins in this campaign. There’ve been 14 wickets on this first day, after all. Even allowing for a two-hour rain delay, it’s hard to see this one finishing as a draw.Murtagh needed a solitary ball to sow those familiar seeds of doubt, as Rob Yates flinched outside off to a delivery that typically was there to be hit until it was not. His next offering was more inviting still, swinging across the left-hander and gathering shape as it did so, to induce an uncertain flat-footed cut and a fat inside-edge into his stumps – Warwickshire were 0 for 1 after two balls, and the game was unquestionably afoot.Three overs later, with just one run chiselled from his offerings, Murtagh struck again, courtesy of a superb diving take from John Simpson, flinging himself low to his right to scoop up a snick off Kraigg Braithwaite that was never destined to reach the cordon. Alex Davies then flapped his second ball over the cordon for four as Murtagh hit the seam and found extravagant bounce outside off; that shot was almost certainly on his mind six balls later, as he stabbed a fat front pad down the line to be pinned for the plumbest lbw imaginable.Even when his spell was done, Murtagh’s impact was arguably still apparent. Ethan Bamber replaced him at the Nursery End, and duly struck with his second ball – from round the wicket, with a touch more pace behind his nip off the seam, to crash past Dan Mousley’s defences and into his off stump. At 42 for 4, the contest was properly in the balance, but Rhodes and Ed Barnard quelled the threat as the light faded, to leave much more of the same required on Wednesday – at Lord’s and at Taunton – if Middlesex are to keep their hopes alive.If, however, the worst does come to pass for the club, then there’s really no escaping where the fault will lie. Another sickly batting card has left them relying on a soon-to-be-retired stalwart for one more bail-out, and even that is unlikely to be enough if the second innings serves up a similarly passive display.Warwickshire won the toss and the wickets were quickly passed around, not unlike a puppy at a primary school – soft and moreish. Rushworth struck the first blow, snicking Mark Stoneman’s edge for 13, one ball after he’d induced an almighty waft outside off. Hannon-Dalby bagged the second, as Sam Robson planted his front foot on off stump and was surprised by a hint of nip back into his pads. Craig Miles then came round the wicket to unroot Jack Davies’ off stump, before Ed Barnard struck one over later, condemning Ryan Higgins’ own stump to a similar fate.Barnard then made it two in four overs as Simpson wafted into a flimsy cramped cut and feathered an edge through to Michael Burgess for a duck, as Middlesex limped to lunch, five-down and freefalling.And once the afternoon rain had abated, it was over to Hannon-Dalby, flapping his limbs like a latter-day Bob Willis as he cantered in from the Nursery End, hounding a succession of techniques with high-kicking, stump-threatening line and length. Only De Caires, in the midst of a fine late-season flurry with bat and ball, found the gumption to resist, with a deft scoop over the keeper among his five fours, and a flat slam into the Grandstand for six for good measure. But Murtagh aside, not too many of his team-mates have yet found the fight to match their team’s needs.

No batter has averaged as much going into his 100th Test, while his unbelievable six-year peak and his stats against the best bowlers make him one of the greatest

S Rajesh (with inputs from Shiva Jayaraman)05-Jul-2023When Steven Smith was dismissed for 34 in Australia’s second innings at Lord’s, it meant that he would miss out on being the first batter to go into his 100th Test with a 60-plus average – he fell short of that mark by 67 runs.That was an opportunity missed for Smith, but the mere fact that he got closer to this feat than any batter in Test history speaks of the staggering numbers he has racked up. Smith will enter his 100th Test with an average of 59.56; before him, the highest any batter had achieved going into the landmark game was 58.16, by Rahul Dravid. Dravid eventually finished with a career average of 52.31, which was still wonderful, but in his last 64 Tests, his average dropped by almost six runs.Can Smith maintain these exceptional standards all the way till the end of his career?ESPNcricinfo LtdThe dizzying highs
All top-class batters have periods in their career when they strike extraordinary form. With Smith, what stands out is how high that peak has been, how long he has maintained it, and the different conditions he has conquered during this period.Through a six-year period from 2014 to 2019, he averaged 72 from 56 matches, scoring 24 centuries, which works out to a hundred every 2.3 matches. Not bad for a player who started off as a legspinner, batted at Nos. 8 and 9 on debut, and bowled more overs (21) than he scored runs (13) in that Test. Since 2020, the numbers have dropped a bit, but he still averages very nearly 50 in those 27 Tests.