Crystal Palace are one of several teams closely monitoring the availability of Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.

What’s the latest on Matheus França to Crystal Palace?

According to AS, the South London outfit, as well as Real Madrid, Lyon, Newcastle, and Bayer Leverkusen are all keenly tracking the 19-year-old.

The outlet revealed that the Brazilian's current contract runs until 2028, and he has a termination clause of a whopping €200m (£176m) but Palace are still “determined” to find an agreement for the player.

The Eagles hierarchy had reportedly sent a representative across the globe to scout Franca in Flamengo's 2-0 Copa Libertadores victory over Nublense at the Maracana.

However, this talent has a range of admirers and Los Blancos have supposedly followed this saga since 2021, whilst Newcastle and Leverkusen have had offers of around €20m (£18m) rejected.

To the delight of Palace fans, it has been suggested that the Flamengo board “does not look badly” on opening negotiations with the English side.

What would Matheus Franca bring to Crystal Palace?

The playmaker made his senior debut for Flamengo in December 2021 in a Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A match against Santos.

In his homeland, he established a hugely popular and esteemed reputation and is considered one of Mais querido do Brasil’s finest young products after Real Madrid phenom Vinicius Junior.

The £4m-rated prodigy has also represented Brazil at various youth levels, including the U16, U17, and U20 levels.

To showcase his ridiculous gift, 30 games into last season, Franca had registered 29 goal contributions, which led football scout Jacek Kulig to describe the player as “one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil”, who can “play almost everywhere.”

His pace, unteachable skill, close control, and agility would perfectly complement fellow playmaker Eberechi Eze, who is another maestro brimming with irresistible mastery.

The Englishman has recorded the second-highest rating (6.94) of any Palace player this season and is the club’s top league scorer with eight goals, as per WhoScored.

The 24-year-old has also created 42 chances in all competitions this season at a rate of 1.27 per 90 to underline his formidable creativity.

The Eagles have only netted 31 top-flight goals this term, which is the 14th lowest in the division, so an injection of the Brazilian's dynamism, alongside the graceful and unparalleled natural ability of Eze, could be an unrelenting partnership.

However, this saga remains a hotly contested race and Palace would do tremendously to beat off the interest from other European giants who are also eyeing a summer move.

Promotion and relegation could be introduced into Test cricket as early as 2019, if ICC chief executive David Richardson has his way

George Dobell01-Jun-2016Promotion and relegation could be introduced into Test cricket as early as 2019, if ICC chief executive David Richardson has his way. Richardson admitted that Test cricket required added “meaning and context” if it is to survive and revealed that the ICC hopes to unveil plans for the introduction of two divisions and, potentially, a number of new Test nations within the next few weeks.Speaking to promote the 2017 Champions Trophy, Richardson also confirmed an intention to stage an extra World T20 tournament in 2018. The event would, he said, involve “a minimum of 16 teams” and be staged in either South Africa, Sri Lanka or the UAE. The final decision over the event’s go-ahead will be made by the ICC’s broadcasting partner, Star.But it was the plans to reinvigorate Test cricket that were the most eye-catching and radical. Accepting the diminishing returns of current bilateral series, Richardson offered the prospect of Test status to the likes of Nepal, Ireland and Afghanistan, but warned more established nations – notably West Indies – that they could find themselves playing Division Two cricket if they are unable to improve their red-ball form.”There’s a general realisation now that, if we’re going to keep Test cricket going well into the future, we can’t just say it’s going to survive on its own,” Richardson said. “Unless we can give some meaning to these series beyond the rankings and a trophy, then interest in Test cricket will continue to waver. The same applies if we allow uncompetitive Test cricket to take place too often.”If we really want Test cricket to survive, we can’t have the number of Test teams diminishing. We have to create a proper competition structure which provides promotion and relegation and opportunities to get to the top.”A number of member countries are finding that they’re not getting as much from their TV rights for bilateral cricket and they see the need to change and introduce some meaningful context.”The beauty of leagues is that, in theory, you will have a more competitive competition and teams playing each other that are of a more equal standard.”They will all be striving for something. There’s something at stake. They will be thinking ‘We could end up in the Intercontinental Cup if we’re not careful here.’ Hopefully that will inspire performance and make the matches more competitive.”While the details of the plan remain open to debate – Richardson hopes they will be agreed by the end of this month – there is a favoured option, involving the introduction of a top division of seven teams and a second division of five teams. It is likely that the plan would see one team promoted and relegated in each two-year cycle, though it remains possible that a second team could be promoted if the ICC embraced a play-off model with the sixth team in Division One playing the second team in Division Two.Richardson hopes that each qualifying Test series would consist of a minimum of three Tests, though he acknowledged that the growth of domestic T20 leagues might render that impractical. The Ashes series would still consist of five games, with every Test carrying ranking points but the overall number of points in the series not exceeding those available in a three-Test series.”The feeling is that if you want to sustain interest in a competition, you probably can’t go longer than two years with it,” Richardson said. “If you had a top division of seven teams, you’d have six tours – three home, three away – over a two-year period. It works well mathematically.”We could probably make it work in 2019 because hopefully whatever we implement will be better than the current arrangement. It’s the sooner the better as far as we’re concerned. We might need to have some negotiations with broadcasters who have deals in place, but they might be willing to change. This is a marvellous opportunity for the game.”There are two catalysts to the changing mood of an ICC board who, only a few months ago, appeared to have little concern for any interests beyond their own. The first is the election of the new chairman, Shashank Manohar, who seems genuinely committed to growing cricket as a global game and running the ICC as a governing body for the good of all 105 members rather than a favoured few.The second is the diminishing financial value of bilateral series to the Full Member boards, which has allowed Manohar fertile ground on which to plant his ideas.The combination has offered the prospect of unprecedented opportunities for Associate nations in the next few years.Ireland and Afghanistan have ambitions to play Test cricket•ICC/Saleem Sanghati”The new chairman has gone out of his way to reverse the sense that the ‘Big Three’ are in control,” Richardson said. “There is a bigger desire to regard the ICC as an organisation with 105 members, not just 10 Full Members who are a select, secluded club with no one else allowed in. We want to be more encompassing and allow opportunities for Associate Members to graduate.”We have 105 members at the moment and we want 105 members to be able to play T20 internationals. Obviously not all against each other at the same time but everybody should want to play the T20 format and it will appeal to all of our members. Then the better ones, the top 30 to 35, would graduate to the 50-over game and be involved in global competitions catering to approximately that number of teams.”And then Test cricket is towards the other end of the spectrum, where the top 18 teams perhaps are playing a multi-day format of the game, be it the Intercontinental Cup or part of a Test league.”Countries that you never thought would have ambitions to play multi-day cricket actually have got the potential. Countries like Nepal, Afghanistan and Ireland are keen. But Ireland and Nepal aren’t getting any opportunities. Zimbabwe hardly play. West Indies are focusing more on T20 cricket. Creating a competition and a financial model that underpins it, it will allow them the resources to fund a team and provide incentives for their players to be available to play Test cricket for them.”Richardson also suggested that membership rules could be changed, to decouple Test status and Full Membership.”We’re reviewing the criteria for Full Membership, which will enable countries like Ireland and Afghanistan to become Full Members. But we don’t want to link it to Test cricket. The competition structure is set separate to membership status. It’s about voting or funding opportunities.”As the ICC’s original broadcast deal did not include plans for a global tournament in 2018, it will have to gain permission from its broadcast partner, Star, before confirming the World T20 for 2018.”We’re having discussions now with broadcasters about having a second World T20 in a four-year cycle,” Richardson said. “If they agree – and the board agrees – it would be in 2018 and the venue needs to be decided. The broadcasting agreement says we can’t hold another event without them agreeing to it. So they will have a say in where the event will be held.”The broadcasters obviously want the matches to be played at times which are good for the broadcast market in India. But it probably won’t be India as we’ve just been there. And the timing issue rules out West Indies, Australia and New Zealand. We’re currently unable to play in Pakistan, so that leaves Sri Lanka, South Africa or the UAE as the only options probably. It is too early for America.”It also emerged that England, the hosts of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup, retain hopes of hosting a possible World T20 in 2022, and the World Cup qualifiers in 2018. Those qualifiers are currently scheduled to be played in Bangladesh but if Bangladesh qualify automatically – they are currently ranked seventh and on target to do so – it is likely the qualifiers would be moved to the country where the main tournament will be played the following year.

Newcastle United will head to Merseyside for their Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park this evening and Eddie Howe will surely be going into the game with confidence.

The Magpies were back to winning ways at St James’ Park last weekend, delivering an incredible 6-0 thriller against top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur and are now six points clear of the north Londoners.

The dream of Champions League football is looking more and more likely to become a reality for Newcastle and they could even further cement their spot by taking another three points away from home tonight.

Unfortunately, Howe has had some injury issues to contend with over the last few weeks, with key players like Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron sustaining issues.

Now, Fabian Schar could be set for a spell on the sidelines too, after sustaining a fresh hamstring concern in the latter stages of the Spurs game.

Howe took to his pre-match press conference to reveal an update on the centre-back’s condition yesterday, confirming that he remains a doubt: “Fab is one we have to check on and make a late call.”

As a result, it could be the perfect opportunity for the Newcastle boss to unleash club captain Jamaal Lascelles in place of Schar.

Will Lascelles start vs Everton?

There is no doubt that Everton have played their best football at Goodison Park this season with five of their six victories secured on home turf.

However, the Toffees have struggled to trouble their opponents in front of goal, with only two scored in their last four games, as well as having the lowest goal tally in the entire Premier League at present.

Under those circumstances, it would seem that losing Schar for the outing on Merseyside tonight may not be the worst outcome, as Lascelles should be able to use his experience and 6 foot 1 presence to handle Everton's goal-scoring talisman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The £40k-per-week titan – hailed as “heroic” by Howe – ranks in the top 9% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for aerial duels won, blocks, clearances and touches, proving that he has some of the best physicality on offer when it comes to defensive play.

Not only that, the Newcastle boss has previously heaped praise on Lascelles for the importance of his leadership skills on and off the pitch, despite only making two Premier League starts this term so far:

“His attitude has been spot on. He’s obviously our captain and he’s led like a captain even in a difficult moment for him because he would want to play every game.

“I always think that’s a true test of a leader is in the difficult moments and I think Jamaal has been absolutely superb – he’s been positive in the changing room before the game, during training – I cannot speak highly enough of his reaction to that.”

With that being said, there is no doubt that Lascelles can comfortably work alongside Sven Botman to form a brick wall against Everton tonight and will deservedly earn some much-needed minutes in the starting XI.

ScorecardSam Billings•Getty Images

Unbeaten centuries from Kent’s Sam Billings and Joe Denly counted for nothing as Colin Ingram’s ice-cool unbeaten 95 steered Glamorgan to a thrilling three-wicket win over Kent in a rain-affected Royal London One-Day Cup south group clash in Canterbury.In a game reduced to 42 overs per side following the loss of 90 minutes to drizzle mid-way through Kent’s innings, Ingram proved the immovable bedrock of the Welsh reply, hitting four fours and six sixes to clinch victory with seven balls to spare.Chasing a revised target of 293 from their 42 overs, Glamorgan openers Jacques Rudolph and David Lloyd took a sensible and pragmatic approach as they pursued at an asking rate of almost seven-an-over.With the floodlights on in relative gloom, the pair played themselves in before pressing the run-rate accelerator toward the end of their nine-over powerplay.Lloyd, the right-hander with an unfeasibly wide stance, was quick to straight-drive Matt Coles, then pulled viciously for another boundary when the Kent paceman dropped short.Rudolph (24) was caught on the sweep at deep square leg from James Tredwell’s second delivery of the day to make it 63 for 1and Tredwell should also have removed Will Bragg without scoring, only for Billings to miss a sharp stumping chance.Lloyd moved to a 48-ball 50 with a pulled four off David Griffiths and Bragg upped the tempo further with a 56-ball half-century with five fours and a six.The pair added 86 before Lloyd (65), in attempting a flat-bat pull against Coles picked out Latham at square leg then, two balls later Bragg (52) was caught at mid-wicket when attempting a reverse lap against Tredwell.Tredwell took a third wicket having Aneurin Donald (9) caught at long-off but Glamorgan’s fifth-wicket partners Ingram and Chris Cooke combined to rekindle the run chase and, with 10 overs required, had reduced their victory target to 86 runs.Ingram, the elegant left-hander, continued to show consummate timing in reaching a 30-ball 50 with three sixes but, with 55 needed Cooke (21) needlessly heaved across the line to be bowled by Coles then, with the target reduced to 36, Graham Wagg (8) was run out by Coles’s under-arm shy to the non-striker’s end after Ingram demanded a single.With three overs remaining Craig Meschede (8) ran himself out attempting two to deep cover, but Griffiths’s over ended with Ingram clubbing four over point and a six into the building site.In the penultimate over, Ingram steered another brace of boundaries to third man leaving Timm van der Gugten to win it.Batting first on a slow pitch that had had the sting taken out of it by Saturday’s thunderstorms, Kent’s openers Tom Latham (9) and Daniel Bell-Drummond posted a half-century first-wicket stand, only for both to fall in quick successionLatham flicked lazily off Wagg to be caught at long leg then Bell-Drummond nicked to the keeper after Michael Hogan got one to seam away using the Canterbury slope.Denly might have joined them back in the hutch when, with his score on 11, he sliced to point where Dean Cosker downed a tough overhead chance.Sam Northeast (26) pulled a length-ball from Van der Gugten straight into the hands of deep mid-wicket just before Denly posted a 64-ball 50 with four fours and a six.Rain arrived just before 1pm, leading to the loss of eight overs, forcing Kent to up their tempo after the 2.30pm re-start.Billings also enjoyed a let off when, on 27, Hogan dropped a skier at mid-off off the bowling off Meschede and took advantage by scampering to a 36-ball 50 with a six off Cosker that flew onto the Kent players’ balcony.The milestones continued when Denly moved to the fifth List A hundred of his career with eight fours and a brace of sixes.Billings continued to show why the Delhi Daredevils invested in his services in the 2016 IPL with a stunning display of clean, inventive hitting. His 53-ball 100 came with a the biggest six of the day off Hogan and took just over an hour.The pair went on to add 170 off 92 deliveries coasting past Kent’s previous List A fourth-wicket record against Glamorgan of 146 set by Alan Ealham and Chris Tavare at Swansea in 1980 as the hosts scored at 14 an over from the final five overs. In the end though, it all proved to no avail.

Former Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera has been working with some Australia Test players ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka, in his brief consulting stint at Australia’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2016

Former Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera is working with some Australia Test players ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka, in his brief consulting stint at Australia’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.Samaraweera has been hired as a consultant for the academy from June to August. Though his role is not specifically geared towards preparing Australia Test players for the forthcoming tour, he has already begun to work with Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, and Jackson Bird, as they prepare for the tour.”At the moment I’m involved with the National Cricket Academy in Brisbane,” Samaraweera said. “I’m working with a few Test players who are not involved in that West Indies tri-series. They are just coming here to train.”Samaraweera, who lives in Melbourne, said he was unlikely to accompany the Australia team on their Sri Lanka tour, and that he was also working with Australia’s A team players. He had had a previous stint at the academy, ahead of the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, which the Australia Under-19 side eventually withdrew from.Cricket Australia has also prepared two turning pitches at the academy in order to emulate Sri Lankan conditions. It is on these surfaces that Samaraweera has been working with the Test players.”I’ve had a hit on the spin wicket here and it’s very good – very similar to what you get on the subcontinent and it was a challenging net session,” Marsh said. “Samaraweera was throwing a few offies as well, and it’s been really good to chat to him and get a bit of an insight into the sort of conditions we’ll be facing in the next couple of months. He’s been helping with advice on how to play spin, he’s good to chat about that with.”Hiring coaches accustomed to local conditions isn’t a new concept for Australia. S Sriram, the former India batsman, was consultant of the A team for their tour of India in 2015 and the senior squad for the World T20 in 2016, Muttiah Muralitharan, the former Sri Lanka spinner, was roped in to work with the spinners during Australia’s Test tour of UAE in 2014. Allan Donald, in April this year, was appointed as the team’s fast bowling mentor for their tour of Sri Lanka.Australia arrive in Sri Lanka in early July, well ahead of the first Test, which begins in Pallekele on July 26.

Arsenal have been given a boost in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt's Djibril Sow, as the midfielder is now believed to be keen on a move, according to a report from Sport1.

Which midfielders could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners have their eye on a number of midfielders ahead of the summer transfer window, with it recently being reported they have opened talks with Leicester City's Youri Tielemans, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

The Belgian is one potential option, however Mikel Arteta may also consider a swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, as it has now been reported a summer deal is still possible, at which point the Seagulls would accept a £70m offer.

Of course, West Ham United's Declan Rice remains a key target, and it has been detailed that Arsenal are now willing to pay the "jaw-dropping" price tag of at least £100m, as Arteta is personally a huge admirer of the Englishman.

However, the Gunners have also identified a cheaper player to bolster their options in the engine room this summer, as Sport1 report Sow will now be available for the knock-down price of €15m (£13m), having previously been valued at €35m (£31m)

The price tag has fallen as the 26-year-old's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2024, meaning the upcoming window is the last opportunity Frankfurt will have to receive a fee for the central midfielder.

The Bundesliga club will not prevent the Switzerland international from leaving this summer, and moving to the Emirates Stadium would apparently be "exactly the next step he wants to take."

Should Arsenal sign Djibril Sow?

Given that Caicedo is valued at £70m, and Rice could cost more than £100m, the Zurich-born maestro could be a decent alternative option, should the Gunners be priced out of competing for their main targets.

Journalist Sam Smith has hailed the former Borussia Monchengladbach man as "progressive on the ball and combative", indicating he would have a lot to offer Arsenal in both an attacking and defensive sense.

That said, the Frankfurt ace ranks lower than Rice for interceptions, tackles and pass-completion rate per 90 over the past year, while he also has no experience playing in the Premier League.

As such, Sow should only be targeted if the Gunners miss out on their main midfield targets this summer.

South African David Wiese hit boundaries of successive deliveries in the final over to ease Sussex to a four-wicket win over Kent in a low-scoring thriller in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2016
ScorecardTymal Mills took three wickets and bowled a maiden in his four overs•Getty ImagesSouth African David Wiese hit boundaries of successive deliveries in the final over to ease Sussex to a four-wicket win over Kent in a low-scoring thriller in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove.Chasing 141, after Tymal Mills had again impressed with 3 for 15, Sussex needed eight off the final over but after David Griffiths conceded a single and then bowled a wide, Wiese – who has extended his stay as second overseas player at Hove for another two weeks – drove to the extra cover boundary before guiding the next delivery to the third man rope to seal victory with three balls to spare.It was Sussex’s other overseas player, Ross Taylor, who set up the win with a measured 62 off 50 balls. Sussex were struggling on 68 for 4 after 12 overs in their response when Taylor was joined by Chris Jordan in a match-winning stand of 61 from 39 balls.Taylor struck offspinner James Tredwell for 16 off three balls in the 16th over to tilt the contest Sussex’s way and although both he and Jordan fell to catches in the deep off Mitch Claydon in the penultimate over, Wiese held his nerve to secure a third win out of four in the South Group for his side.Claydon took 3 for 25, having earlier bowled Ben Brown while Matt Coles also impressed, finishing with 1 for 17 and claiming the key early scalp of Sussex skipper Luke Wright, who was caught at deep square leg for 3.Kent had been bowled out for 140 off the final ball of their innings, having been put in, after some impressive work from Sussex’s seamers on a slow pitch.England international Jordan led the way with 3 for 18. In his first spell he removed Daniel Bell-Drummond with a slower ball and returned to the attack to have Alex Blake caught at cover and Darren Stevens at midwicket.Jordan was well backed up by left-armer Mills, whose searing pace made it tough for the Kent batsmen. Mills yorked Coles and then removed Tredwell and Griffiths in his final over to finish with 3 for 15 while Wiese took 2 for 33 including Kent captain Sam Northeast, who returned to form with 53 off 33 balls which included two fours and four sixes, all struck in the area between long on and mid-wicket before he mis-timed a leg-side pull allowing Wiese to take a simple return catch.Sussex’s seamers were well supported by leg-spinner Will Beer, who had the dangerous Sam Billings lbw sweeping as Kent’s innings tailed off alarmingly, with the last five wickets falling for nine runs.

Chelsea chiefs are monitoring Brentford striker Ivan Toney ahead of a potential move to Stamford Bridge, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

What's the latest on Toney to Chelsea?

The Blues currently have Frank Lampard in charge but regardless of whoever is set to take over in the summer, attacking reinforcements will be needed given the uncertainty surrounding the futures of both Romelu Lukaku and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.

The Bees forward won’t be out of contract at the Community Stadium until 2025, but being Thomas Frank’s overall and offensive best-performing player this season with a match rating of 7.27, has been identified as a possible target by the Premier League giants.

The Mirror reported last August that the SW6 outfit had joined the race alongside Manchester United and Everton to sign the 27-year-old, and having since made his debut for England at the Euro 2024 qualifiers he has re-emerged onto the radar of Todd Boehly and his team.

According to Jones in his column for GiveMeSport, Toney has “caught the eye” of Chelsea’s recruiters and they believe that he would be a “good fit” with the other attacking options currently available to them. The Blues have been “crying out” for a natural centre-forward who has a “confidence in his own ability”, but Brentford won’t let him leave without a fight.

With Ollie Watkins previously bringing in £33m when he left the Bees to join Aston Villa, it’s believed that the striker is “easily” valued at £50m as a result of him eclipsing “anything he had achieved”, so the owner will need to dig deep should he want to secure his services.

Should Chelsea sign Toney?

Toney certainly might not be as high-profile as some of the other big names like Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic, who Chelsea have been linked with, but we feel they should empty their pockets to move him across the capital this summer.

The Three Lions international has clocked up an outstanding 87 goal contributions (66 goals and 21 assists) in 120 Brentford appearances and he is currently the third-highest scorer in the top-flight this season just behind Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

The Northampton-born talent has also recorded 81 shots since the start of the term which is higher than any of his fellow teammates, and this collective form and effort has seen him dubbed a "monster" by Bees reporter Billy Grant, so this deal really is a no-brainer to complete should the opportunity present itself at the end of the season.

Anil Kumble remained coy about Ravi Shastri being overlooked, but was more comfortable talking about his own role in his first press conference as India’s head coach

Sidharth Monga in Bangalore29-Jun-2016The last time Anil Kumble was part of an India camp was at his home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, in 2008. Two men were under immense pressure to keep their places in the side: Captain Kumble and former captain Sourav Ganguly. Just before the series both had struggled in Sri Lanka: Ganguly had scored 96 runs in six innings, and Kumble had taken eight wickets for 400 runs in three Tests. Just before the home series against Australia, Kumble answered in the negative when asked about retirements. A few days later, Ganguly announced this series was to be his last, and an injured Kumble ended his career even before Ganguly.Eight years later, Kumble and Ganguly have emerged as an unlikely duo shepherding the Indian team from the management perspective. Unlike Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, Ganguly has turned out to be pretty hands-on as a state association president and a member of the cricket advisory committee. Kumble, too, has had a stint as a state association president, actually winning an election, willing to put his reputation on the line by entering the contest. Now Ganguly is believed to have played a key role in getting Kumble as the coach of Indian team.Sitting in the same spot that Ganguly had been in when he uttered words that still resonate – “just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series,” Kumble was asked for his opinion on the way Shastri had been overlooked. Shastri had alleged Ganguly was not even present to interview him when he made his presentation. The underlying suggestion being that the decision had already been made before the interview process.Kumble was a relentless bowler, always at the batsman, but here he did a good impression of leaving this swinging ball alone outside off. “I was the first one to call Ravi after I was chosen as head coach,” Kumble said. “He did a wonderful job with the Indian team. It is not about Anil or Ravi, it is not about the head coach. It is about the players, it is about the team. And from my point of view, whether it is me or Ravi or any Indian, we all want the Indian team to do well. We all want the Indian team to perform at its best. We all believe that there is potential for the Indian team to be the best in all three formats.”And If I’m part of the journey, that’s all I have to say. He congratulated me. I told him it’s a fantastic team, a young team that we have. It could be someone else tomorrow [in place of me]. I’m not permanent in this role. I have an opportunity to make a difference. I have an opportunity to be part of the journey and if I can be part of the journey where we see Indian cricket rise to where we all want it to be, then I think it’s wonderful. I feel privileged, like I already mentioned. And an honour again to be a part of the team.”Kumble was more comfortable and open talking about his own role. At the outset he repeated that he and his support staff were going to be in the background, that his legendary status as a cricketer himself was not going to overpower his team. About his preferred support staff – Sanjay Bangar and Abhay Sharma as batting and fielding coach are temporary appointments for the upcoming West Indies tour – Kumble didn’t reveal much except that he was keen to work with the bowlers himself. A fast-bowling coach couldn’t be ruled out, though.”At this point in time, I thought I can get close to the bowlers, for a start,” Kumble said. “Yes, we are considering options, I don’t want to say what because this is my first trip as coach with the team and I’d like to observe and try and see how the team is shaping up. At this point in time, I thought that with the bowlers, it is the strategy that I can certainly play a part of and that’s something which I am looking at, trying to get closer to the bowlers, understanding what their needs are and then looking at probably bringing in, if you are looking at a fast bowling coach I think is what you are trying to say. There are considerations that I am thinking of but at this point, I don’t know if it will be possible to take someone to the West Indies. If that doesn’t happen, then certainly I am keen to look at the bowlers. I feel that that is certainly an area where I can contribute a lot more.”Kumble was asked what he, as a player, used to look for in a coach. The answer to this was the most definitive in his 20-minute press conference. “As a coach, all I sought was organised preparations for the team and informed inputs to the captain and the team to strategise better. Inclusive of every player. You have to include every player. It’s not about just the 11 who are to play. Also abut the six or seven who are not going to play.”That’s something I sought as a player because it was not always that I played in every team that played for India during my time. I was dropped, I was not chosen for tours. So I understand [what it means to] be the most important member in the team to being dropped. I understand all of that, I understand that communication at such times is very critical. For the coach to pick up the phone and send the message, ‘Don’t worry you are still part of the team.’ That’s what I will look to do. Hopefully I will be able to succeed in telling people who are part of the system that they will always be part of it.”Kumble had earlier remarked it felt a little odd being interviewed by three of his long-time team-mates. Having stepped into the team atmosphere, though, Kumble doesn’t feel odd at all. “Obviously you know the roles and boundaries as a coach,” Kumble said. “Other than that it’s no different. All of us want Indian cricket to be doing really well, and these are exciting times. I feel privileged to be a part of that journey, and in whatever way I can help Indian cricket achieve that. It was no different walking into a meeting room with the entire team, although the faces were different. I’ve played with some of them; I’ve mentored a couple of them in various capacities. To be back in the changing room is always special.”

Otago Volts have appointed Rob Walter, the former South African conditioning coach, as their head coach for the next two seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2016Rob Walter has quit his job as coach of the Titans in South Africa to move to New Zealand and coach the Otago Volts instead. Walter, who was also a conditioning coach with the South African national team previously, will begin his two-year term with the New Zealand domestic side in September. He will take over from Nathan King, who had also been a member of South Africa’s support staff between 2009 and 2012.Walter is the third person South African cricket has lost to New Zealand since June. Pete de Wet, chief executive officer of the Dolphins, is going to head Central Districts, and the South African national team logistics manager Riaan Muller took the same job with the New Zealand team.”It was a very tough decision because I have had immense joy,” Walter told ESPNcricinfo. “I felt for my growth as a coach it would be good for me to experience coaching in a different environment. Like any coach, I aspire to coaching a national team and through conversations with various people I could see that in the short-term coaching the Proteas was not going to happen for me. By coaching in New Zealand maybe I can put myself in a better position to do that in the long-term. I can’t say I am leaving for lack of opportunity because I got the Titans job early in my career.”Jacques Faul, the Titans’ chief executive officer, paid glowing tribute to Walter’s work with the South African franchise. “Rob pioneered a new spirit in the Titans cricketing family,” he said. “He has transformed the franchise in many ways. It was evident in the way the franchise batting improved the past two seasons, as our top- and middle-order produced 22 centuries in two seasons. We also improved our consistency in the bowling department.”It is indeed a dark day for Titans cricket to lose a coach of Rob’s stature. We want to pay tribute to his enormous contribution. We wish him and his family well when they embark on a new chapter of his cricketing odyssey in Otago, New Zealand.”Mike Coggan, Otago Cricket’s chief executive, welcomed Walter’s appointment. “We’re thrilled to secure the services of Rob for at least the next two years,” Coggan said. “Rob is highly respected and will certainly add a competitive edge and an entirely new learning environment for the Otago Volts group and our wider staff. His experience and desire is first class.”