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Negotiations are "ongoing" over a contract extension for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to an encouraging update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

How good is Bruno Guimaraes?

The Brazilian moved to St James' Park back in January 2022, and it's fair to say that he has made an enormous impact since arriving at the club. He has added a huge amount of quality in the middle of the park, but also brought fight and team spirit to the team, immediately becoming one of the most popular players among the fanbase.

Last season, Bruno scored four goals and registered five assists in the Premier League, with his influential box-to-box performances playing a huge role in Newcastle finishing fourth in the table and securing a return to the Champions League.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

The 25-year-old's importance is going to be just as great in 2023/24, and he goes into the campaign as arguably one of the standout midfielders in the country. That means that there is always going to be potential interest in him from big clubs around the world, and while his current Magpies deal doesn't expire until 2026, those high up at the club will want to retain his services for as long as possible into the future.

Will Bruno Guimaraes sign new Newcastle deal?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano claimed that talks over a new deal for Bruno are progressing well, with an extension looking likely currently:

"Negotiations are ongoing at Newcastle over the new contract of star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The club are confident of reaching an agreement with the player, as their first proposal in terms of salary was not at the level Bruno expected, but talks continue.

"For Newcastle, the Brazilian’s contract is a priority; therefore, they are not currently searching the market for replacements should Guimaraes decide not to sign a new deal."

This is great news for Newcastle, with Bruno's long-term future being tied down arguably as important as any new signing through the door this summer, whether it be Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes or a potential new arrival between now and the end of the transfer window.

The Brazil international has been such a fantastic addition to Eddie Howe's side – Alan Shearer has hailed him as "superb" – proving to be a footballer who shines in all facets of his games, and he has been a major reason for the Magpies' recent resurgence and top-four finish last season.

Bruno certainly appears to be happy at Newcastle, and there is no reason why any player would want to leave at the moment, given their upward trajectory as a club, but a new contract would just give the club that extra security when it comes to the bargaining position they are in, should a club like Real Madrid tempt him in the future.

At this point, though, it would be a major surprise if Bruno moved away from St James' Park any time soon, as he continues to be one of the poster boys for this exciting new era, preparing for what will hopefully be his best season yet in a Magpies shirt.

AFC Bournemouth will host West Ham United on Saturday 12th August as the two teams kick off their Premier League campaigns. Here's everything you need to know about the history of this fixture.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best head-to-head record?

These two clubs haven't typically been playing at the same level throughout their respective histories. There aren't too many fixtures to go on, then – only 17 competitive meetings, in fact.

The majority of those have come since the Cherries made it to the Premier League, of course. This will be their seventh season in the top flight.

The Hammers have been a better side and there were a couple of seasons in that span where they were much better. Overall, though, their records when going head-to-head are quite similar.

West Ham have won eight of the 17 games, with Bournemouth winning four. That leaves five as draws, for those keeping count.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best record at the Vitality Stadium?

Eight of the 17 fixtures have come at Bournemouth – where the 12th August meeting will also take place. The record there is perfectly split, though, suggesting there's no great advantage for either side.

West Ham have won two, Bournemouth have won two, and the other four have all been draws. The latter feels like a relatively safe choice for anyone predicting a result on the opening weekend.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best record at the London Stadium?

However, unlike at Bournemouth, there is a clear advantage to the Hammers when the fixture takes place in east London. Nine of the games have taken place there and the home side have won six of them.

Bournemouth have managed two wins, to their credit, but this one typically sees West Ham claim the victory. 2018 saw the single draw in that particular fixture, and the return game is currently stapled in for 30th January as the Cherries seek to improve their record.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: When did the sides first meet?

Despite recent fixtures dominating the history of this fixture, you do have to go back nearly a century for the first meeting between the two. It came in the FA Cup back in 1929.

It was the Round of 16 and the two sides were pitted against one another at Bournemouth. That game finished 1-1, however, meaning they returned to West Ham for a replay shortly afterwards. West Ham saw the Cherries off in that one, winning 4-1 at home to progress to the quarter-finals.

Portsmouth would then knock them out, if anyone was wondering, with the south coast outfit eventually losing to Bolton Wanderers in the final.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How many competitions have they met in?

While there have only been 17 fixtures between the two, they've managed to spread them across several competitions, with the sides meeting in four tournaments.

The Premier League has seen 12 clashes, all coming since Bournemouth's 2015 promotion. But as mentioned earlier, West Ham and Bournemouth did first meet in the FA Cup nearly a century ago.

It would be 60 years before they'd come across one another again, though. They were both in the old Second Division for the 1989/90 season, playing each other twice in their first league meetings. They'd draw at Bournemouth before West Ham won 4-1 at home.

Another 10-year break followed, as the next fixture between the two didn't come until 1999 as they were drawn against one another in the League Cup 3rd round. Again, West Ham would win 2-0 at home to progress in that one.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is their Premier League record?

We've now had six seasons of Bournemouth vs West Ham and things have been very even so far. Of the 12 games, West Ham have won the most with five, while Bournemouth have picked up four wins, with only the three draws so far.

But breaking this down further, Bournemouth things are literally even – two wins each, two draws from the six games. That changes a little when the fixture is at West Ham as the Hammers have won three to their opponent's two (one draw).

This one has been pretty difficult to predict, then. The two clubs are about as even as you can expect over 12 games of football.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Which team has the most goals?

17 fixtures doesn't exactly allow for a mountain of goals in this fixture, of course. We've seen 59 in total, spread in favour of West Ham.

And that's perhaps the biggest revelation here. Despite results being quite even, West Ham have managed 37 goals to Bournemouth's 22. When the Hammers win, they tend to win big.

In the Premier League alone, the 12 top-flight games have seen West Ham net 26 times to Bournemouth's 18. Funnily enough, they've scored fewer in east London than they have away from home – 12 to 14. Bournemouth, though, do tend to score more at home, with 11 to their 7 away strikes.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is Bournemouth's biggest win?

Bournemouth's biggest win in this fixture is fairly modest. It came in January 2019 as they beat West Ham 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Joshua King.

Other than that, the Cherries' wins have always been by the odd goal. Thus, their biggest away win is just a 2-1 victory, with Steve Cook scoring the winner after Wilson cancelled out Marko Arnautovic's opener.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is West Ham's biggest win?

West Ham's biggest win in this one is 4-0 – a feat they've achieved twice. The first came in January 2020 at home. This was a season that would eventually see Bournemouth suffer relegation and this result set them well on their way.

Mark Noble scored twice, Sebastien Hallér grabbed one and Felipe Anderson rounded off the scoring.

The other 4-0 thrashing came at Bournemouth, meaning West Ham's biggest away win is the same as their biggest home win. This one happened in the most recent clash between the two teams, too.

Michail Antonio opened the scoring back in April, with Lucas Paquetá, Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals also finding the net – a dominant display that will carry West Ham into the season opener with confidence.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What were the recent results?

Bournemouth's relegation in 2020 means the last few games between the two have seen a big gap between them. Only the last two feel particularly relevant, as a result.

And last season was West Ham's without a doubt. They won 2-0 at home before smashing the Cherries 4-0 away; 6-0 across two games, six points – you can't really ask for much more.

The last game before that relegation – the third-most recent fixture – was also a dominant 4-0 West Ham win.

But things were brighter for Bournemouth up to that game. In fact, the first of those 4-0 wins was West Ham's first victory in the fixture in seven attempts. They drew 2-2 in late 2019 after Bournemouth beat the Hammers 2-0 earlier that year.

Those results had followed two more draws and a Bournemouth win dating back to early 2017. The Cherries do have a period of success in this fixture, then.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How did the Cherries do last season?

Bournemouth would eventually finish five points clear of the relegation zone but things were incredibly dicey for a while. A 9-0 defeat to Liverpool early in the season saw manager Scott Parker depart, reportedly over transfer plans.

Gary O'Neil stepped into his shoes and did very well, all things considered, even getting a Manager of the Month nod. It wasn't quite enough to keep him in the job this season, however, as he left the club in June to make way for Andoni Iraola.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How did the Hammers do last season?

In the Premier League, West Ham were massively disappointing. Their previous seasons suggested they'd compete for European football. Instead, they finished 14th – six points above relegation and just a single point ahead of Bournemouth.

But that isn't the whole story, of course. David Moyes would guide West Ham to the second-ever Europa Conference League title, bringing home a European trophy for the first time since 1965 (not counting the Intertoto Cup, sorry).

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who are the favourites?

History suggests this one could be close, given it's at Bournemouth. At the same time, West Ham won there 4-0 last season and they'll be entering the new season with plenty of confidence.

Though, at the same time, the influx of cash from selling Declan Rice means no one can be sure what West Ham's team will even look like come the opener. They'll surely make a few signings between then and now – who knows what effect that will have?

Bournemouth, on the other hand, will certainly be an unknown quantity. They've appointed Iraola as their new manager, on top of a few first-team signings that could change the squad quite significantly.

And so, as with most season openers, this one has a lot of questions around it. We likely won't really know what the two teams are like until the game is over.

When is Bournemouth vs West Ham?

Bournemouth will host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday 12th August at 3pm UK time. It'll be the 18th competitive meeting between the two sides.

This is the season opener for both sides, with each undergoing big changes over the summer transfer window.

Both will surely feel they have points to prove this coming term, with West Ham looking to return to prominence following their European glory and the Cherries hoping to consolidate themselves as a solid top-flight outfit once again under new management.

One of Australia’s most familiar cricket curators, Kevin Mitchell Jr, will retire after this year’s Ashes Test in November.

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2017One of Australia’s most familiar cricket curators, Kevin Mitchell Jr, will retire after this year’s Ashes Test in November.Mitchell’s departure marks the second retirement of an Australian Test curator this winter, after Tom Parker announced in June that he was stepping down after 20 years of preparing the SCG’s pitches.Mitchell has been in charge of the Gabba playing surface for 27 years, having started as assistant curator under his father and predecessor, Kevin Mitchell Sr, in 1984.”In the ’80s we had the really good West Indies teams touring with the likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and the big four fast bowlers and that was an eye-opener for me, I thought what a great place to work,” Mitchell told the . “Then in 1995 we won our first Sheffield Shield final and that was really game-changing for Queensland cricket.”The Gabba pitch has typically been regarded as one of the best in Australia, offering seam movement and spin, but also opportunities for big totals. The ground has been nicknamed the “Gabbatoir” for Australia’s dominance in Test cricket at the venue in recent decades: the last team to beat Australia in a Gabba Test was West Indies in 1988. Only two of the past 13 Tests at the ground have been drawn.”Kevvie Mitchell has meant so much to the Gabba and his work on the playing surface has really been instrumental in a lot of our success as a venue,” Gabba manager Blair Conaghan said.”It’s been a fantastic journey for him, from the days when it included the old greyhound track to its transformation into the more modern facility it is today and to consistently deliver over such a long period of time is an incredible achievement.”

The senior bowler said Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah will have to lead the way against the first Australian Test side to visit Bangladesh in 11 years

Mohammad Isam14-Aug-2017

The role of Bangladesh’s most-experienced Test quartet will be vital to their chances of success against Australia. Mashrafe Mortaza, former Test and current ODI captain, who was part of a training camp in Dhaka over the last five weeks, believes Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah will have to lead the way against the first Australian Test side to visit Bangladesh in 11 years.”I expect our four senior players to put a price on their wicket,” Mashrafe told ESPNcricinfo. “They must put up a statement in the middle that the young players can follow. Tamim is in the best form of his career. He and Imrul can provide a good start. We have Shakib and [Mehidy Hasan] in our spin department. If one of the fast bowlers have a good spell of three or four wickets, there will be a possibility for us. These will be expected when the situation arises in the match.”Mashrafe said that Bangladesh’s improved mindset has put them in a position of strength ahead of the Test series. The confidence, he believes, has soared after they convincingly beat England and Sri Lanka in the last ten months. Although the losses in Christchurch [against New Zealand], Hyderabad [against India] and Galle [against Sri Lanka] were largely due to poor performances their valiance in the Chittagong [against England] and Wellington defeats didn’t go unnoticed.”More important than winning or losing is their mentality. I am witnessing in the dressing room that their mindset is setting them apart from previous teams, and they are in the making of bigger things in the next two years.”It is encouraging enough to think that they will fight, which is a better expectation than only hoping for a result. This has also been their best preparation ahead of any Test series,” he said.Mashrafe said that the batsmen have to continue to be hungry and not be complacent with a milestone but go on to make a bigger score each time they are settled at the crease.”I think they have been working on their mentality, which has been an area of concern for the last 15 years. We never had the patience. After scoring a century, a batsman has to think of coming back the next day and converting it into a big score. Why not a double-hundred? It doesn’t happen every day but utilising an opportunity properly is vital.”Say someone scored a double-hundred but the others haven’t contributed as much. The team score comes to 400-450, so it becomes important for the set batsman to make it count. Someone who gets out in the forties has to think of playing a long innings, not just be happy with a fifty,” said Mashrafe.Mashrafe believes Bangladesh will have to raise their game against Australia more than what they did against England at home last year. He said that tackling Australia’s bowling attack, even without Mitchell Starc, will be critical to doing well in the two Tests.”I don’t want to create unnecessary pressure on the players but I am expecting a good Test series,” he said. “Australia is the most passionate Test team in the world and their best possible team is coming to Bangladesh. They have Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon in the bowling line-up.”The work for our team isn’t going to be easy but if we play one level better than what we did against England, it would be possible to win, but I am not going to put any pressure on them in terms of results.”

Sikandar Raza’s adventurous 97 not out helped Zimbabwe recover from 59 for 5 on the third day at Khettarama

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo16-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Sikandar Raza stalled Sri Lanka’s charge with a selection of cross-batted strokes•AFP

All through the tour, Sri Lanka have had Zimbabwe cornered, and games have threatened to follow a familiar, one-sided form. Yet all through the tour, Zimbabwe have found ways of resisting, of stubbornly holding out, and eventually fighting back.Day three at Khettarama saw perhaps their most impressive turnaround yet. Having eked out a 10-run first-innings lead in the morning, Zimbabwe found themselves 23 for 4, then 59 for 5. But for the remainder of the day, the middle order would rally around an adventurous Sikandar Raza, and turn the match in dramatic fashion. Having played definitive hands in Zimbabwe’s ODI series, Raza stood on the verge of a vital maiden Test ton, finishing the day on 97 off 158 balls. Peter Moor struck 40 and joined him for a sixth-wicket stand of 86. Malcolm Waller did even better, cracking 57 off 76 deliveries in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership worth 107.All this means that Zimbabwe now control the Test, and may even have put themselves in a position to pull off the unexpected result of the year. Overturning Sri Lanka in ODIs was surprising enough, but in Tests, the hosts may not have dreamed they would be challenged by the lowest ranked team – one they have consistently thrashed over the past two decades. But with Zimbabwe’s lead at 262 their target is already a challenging one. If the score grows by another 100 runs, could become a near-impossible pursuit.Unusually, Sri Lanka have caught well in this Test, but the bowling has been consistently menace-free. Of the 16 Zimbabwe wickets to have fallen, Rangana Herath has claimed nine. For the second half of day three, he seemed the only bowler capable of beating the Zimbabwe batsmen, and had he not run riot in the first session, Sri Lanka’s position would have been even bleaker. Dilruwan Perera was not miserly enough for a bowler who isn’t taking wickets, Lahiru Kumara’s lines have been too wayward, and Suranga Lakmal has been modest in unhelpful conditions. Sri Lanka are also missing the bowling of Asela Gunaratne, whose tweaked hamstring had substantially hampered his running between the wickets, and now has kept him off the field in the second innings.The first 10 balls of Raza’s innings defined his approach. First ball, he had picked a single to fine leg. After three further singles off the next five balls, he punched a ball out to the cover sweeper and took two. Though his team was threatening to be all out for 120, Raza took seven off the first 10 balls, and batted as if they were 300 for 5. He favoured the lap sweep and the drive off the spinners, and rarely failed to find gaps when he was looking for them.Rangana Herath claimed three wickets in four overs before lunch•AFP

Perhaps the only real chance in his innings came when he was 31, when he attempted to reverse sweep Herath, but only ended up top-edging the ball. Slip fielder Dimuth Karunaratne – who had already taken two excellent catches in the innings – might have been in a position to make a third take, had he not begun moving squarer in anticipation of where he felt the ball may travel. As it happened, the ball bisected the keeper and slip before skimming away to the third man fence. Raza would hit two more fours in that over to make it Herath’s most expensive of the innings. Outside that over, Raza only struck four fours and a six.Waller was more openly aggressive – but only by a little bit – as he hit eight fours, and repeatedly put bowlers under pressure by scoring singles and twos freely as well. His fourth Test fifty had come off just 54 deliveries, before the final overs of the day prompted a slowdown from both batsmen. Beyond Waller, Zimbabwe also have Graeme Cremer and Donald Tiripano, both of whom have first-class centuries to their names.Before Raza came to the crease, Herath had knocked out Zimbabwe’s top three in his first four overs, before Perera also took a wicket. By lunch, Sri Lanka had had them by the collar, at 23 for 4. Taking the new ball, Herath needed an over to settle, but the first delivery of his second over was of a higher quality than Regis Chakabva had the ability to handle. Breaking more sharply than any of his deliveries in the first over, the ball missed Chakabva’s defensive shot, and hit the top of the off stump. That over would go on to be a wicket-maiden, which Herath’s next would be as well. This time, having beaten Tarisai Musakanda’s inside edge with a slider, Herath tossed the ball up slightly wider, tempted Musakanda into an expansive drive, and then had him caught sharply by Karunaratne at slip.Herath’s next dismissal – in his following over – was perhaps the most controversial wicket of the wicket-filled session. Attempting a big sweep, Hamilton Masakadza was struck in front. There was no doubt the ball would go on to hit the stumps, but perhaps feeling it brushed his glove on the way, Masakadza reviewed the out decision, and there was not enough evidence to overturn the on-field call.All this followed a milestone for Cremer who became the first Zimbabwe captain to take a five-wicket haul. He had taken two of the last three Sri Lanka wickets in the morning, and had helped eke out a 10-run first innings lead. Cremer now will have plenty to defend as Zimbabwe set their sights on a rare victory against a top-eight team.

Middlesex pushed on to a second declaration after Steven Finn’s four-wicket haul and set Essex 452 or a day to survive at Lord’s

Tim Wigmore at Lord's23-Apr-2017
ScorecardIf it is the start of the English season, it must be time to talk about Steven Finn. Every summer it is a source of fascination whether Finn can channel his palpable gifts – pace, bounce from his 6ft 7in frame and the outswing that he has honed in recent years – and become the bowler England supporters have long seen in their mind’s eye. A man not flitting between squads but one who is, instead, a persistent menace in international cricket.It remains far too soon to tell whether this is the summer when Finn makes that transition, rather than just tantalisingly hinting at it, but on a docile Lord’s pitch, he produced a performance of hostility and great skill. It was not so much the four wickets he took – a quick, short ball that Simon Harmer pulled to midwicket; Dan Lawrence deceived with a ball that held its line, rather than swinging away; and a ball that slanted into Neil Wagner and uprooted off stump, to add to the wicket of Tom Westley on the second evening – as his parsimony and immaculate control.Even when bowling loosely, he has always been able to produce brilliant deliveries. But seldom can he have bowled so few poor balls. In 22.1 overs, he conceded just 51 runs; yielding 2.30 an over, Finn was the most frugal of Middlesex’s bowling quintet.”It’s as good as I’ve felt for a while,” Finn said. “Across my career it’s the one side of my game that has not been my best, my economy rate. It’s about keeping it simple, it doesn’t just happen. Without chasing wickets you get your rewards later in the day.”I felt in good rhythm at Hampshire without getting too many rewards and yesterday as well. Today I bowled two long spells and then came back to get wickets at the end.”Few cricketers are aware of the vagaries of professional sport like Finn. The 46 Test wickets at 26.23 apiece he took in 2010, his first year of international cricket, remains his best annual haul for England; last year, he took just 17 Test wickets at 46.64 apiece. Yet his talents are so seductive that England’s interest has never gone away, and here he produced a performance to gladden the selectors’ hearts. If he does it again on the final day, Middlesex will record their first Championship victory of the season, and the case for including Finn in the Champions Trophy squad will become even stronger.”There’s enough eyes around, and people in the know realise when you’re in good rhythm and bowling well,” he said, with the sense of a man who has been here before. “I don’t think everything depends on tomorrow but if you have another good day it furthers your claims even more.”The rest of Middlesex’s bowlers were impressive, too, as they needed to be to restrict Essex to 295 on a picturesque Lord’s day. Toby Roland-Jones generated persistent swing, Ollie Rayner showed his nous, James Franklin embraced bowling with the older ball and Tim Murtagh bowled an expert spell up the slope with the second new ball to account for Ryan ten Doeschate.Against such a well-balanced attack, Lawrence and Adam Wheater needed to summon all of their resolve after Ravi Bopara’s early dismissal, driving indolently at Roland-Jones.Lawrence has won rightful acclaim as one of English cricket’s most promising talents. Perhaps his defining quality is how quickly he judges length, as revealed by a sumptuous push through midwicket for four when Franklin slightly overpitched; a shot to savour. And, just as in a match-saving 141 not out against Lancashire a fortnight ago, Lawrence married such strokeplay with technical fortitude and equanimity rarely spotted in a 19-year-old.Wheater’s contribution was particularly welcome. Having helped to end the career of the brilliant wicketkeeper Michael Bates at Hampshire, his return to Essex has dislodged James Foster, widely acclaimed as the finest of his generation. And Wheater was not even able to score the runs needed to justify the decision, mustering only six in his first three innings of the season.His jittery start betrayed a man woefully short of form, and one badly in need of fortune. That he got, and in bountiful quantity, when he was dropped three times over three consecutive overs off Roland-Jones – by Rayner at second slip, by John Simpson, diving to his right in front of first slip, and by Sam Robson at third slip. In between times Wheater drove with class and swept dexterously, as befitting a man with a first-class average not far shy of 40.Yet Wheater’s dismissal, rather irresponsibly caught at square leg sweeping Ollie Rayner just before the second new ball, triggered the loss of Essex’s last five wickets for 42 runs. A lead of 212, though, was not enough to entice James Franklin to make Essex follow on. It was a “50-50 decision,” Finn said, and cautious, especially with the threat of rain on the final afternoon. Still, Middlesex ought to have claimed the first of the ten wickets needed, only for Nick Browne to be reprieved by Rayner when he edged Roland-Jones to second slip.After Middlesex decided to bat again, what came next was utterly predictable. With the intensity seeping out of the game, their top three all made breezy half-centuries; all squandered the chance to score twin hundreds in the match, Sam Robson coming closest with 77. The only puzzle was why they felt the need to bat on past a target of 420, which Essex’s openers doubtless appreciated.Only one passage of play is worth recalling. In the 33rd over, Stevie Eskinazi scooped Jamie Porter for six, then went down on his front knee to launch him over midwicket, just as Mal Loye once did to Glenn McGrath, before clipping the next delivery over square leg for another six. After launching Harmer over midwicket next ball, Eskinazi was then caught on the extra cover boundary attempting a fifth six in five deliveries. Most remarkable of all was the notion that Eskinazi is normally regarded as relatively sedate, so much so that he has only played a single white-ball game for Middlesex. That will surely change soon.

The batsman, who also contributed with his medium-pace bowling, last played an international match for West Indies in March 2015 at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket. Smith, 33, who is playing for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, confirmed the decision before the start of the second qualifying final against Karachi Kings in Sharjah. His last West Indies appearance came at the 2015 World Cup.Smith made his international debut on West Indies’ tour of South Africa 2003-04, beginning with the New Year’s Test in Cape Town in January 2004, after Marlon Samuels flew home with a knee injury. He made an impression straightaway, scoring a century on debut – a run-a-ball unbeaten 105, his only international century – in the second innings of the game, to help West Indies draw the match and end their streak of seven successive Test losses in South Africa. The team, however, did lose the series 3-1. Smith played only nine more Tests, scoring a total of 320 runs in the format. His last Test appearance for West Indies was in March 2006, against New Zealand in Napier.Smith had a far more substantial run in the limited-overs sides, where he also made useful contributions with his medium-pace, although his batting returns remained modest. Having begun in the lower order, Smith was promoted to the top order, including as an opener, after 2014 and did better there. Six of his eight ODI fifties came when he batted in the top three, and his average of 25.27 was better than his overall career average of 18.57. Overall, he played 105 ODIs scoring 1560 runs at a strike rate of 92.69. He also took 61 wickets in ODIs, with a career-best of 5 for 45 and three four-fors.Smith was part of two World Cup squads for West Indies in 2007 and in 2015, where his final appearance came against UAE in Napier. Following West Indies’ early exit from the 2007 World Cup, Smith spent close to three years out of the ODI and T20I squads before making his return in 2010.He was part of three World T20 squads – in 2007, 2012 and 2014. While he played only one match during West Indies’ title run in the 2012 World T20, he was picked in the next edition as the side’s designated opener and scored 125 runs in five matches. In 33 T20 internationals, he scored 582 runs at 18.18 with a strike rate of 122.78, although he only made three fifties.Smith has been a popular cricketer on the T20 circuit, over the last few years, turning out to play for franchises in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, as well as the NatWest Blast in England.

A round-up of the action from day 4 of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2016Railways won their first match of the season by seven wickets, as they reached the 113-run target set by Baroda early on the final day in Nagpur.Railways started the day on 90 for 2 and added the required 23 runs in just 20 balls, with the loss of a wicket. Opener Shivakant Shukla was unbeaten on 56, his 16th first-class fifty, as Railways collected six points and leapfrogged out of last place, where Baroda replaced them.Debutant Aditya Dhumal picked up five wickets as Mumbai beat Uttar Pradesh by 121 runs in Mysore to remain on top of Group A.UP started the day on 43 for 1, needing 232 more to win. Overnight batsmen Shivam Chaudhary (50) and Samarth Singh (42) added a further 42 to their second-wicket partnership, taking it to 81, before Dhumal dismissed both of them with his left-arm spin, to reduce UP from 87 for 1 to 105 for 3. Dhumal then combined with Vishal Dabholkar (4-43), Mumbai’s other left-arm spinner, and the pair struck regularly as they shared the last nine wickets between them to bowl UP out for 173. Dhumal’s 5 for 53 gave seven wickets on his first-class debut.Suryakumar Yadav was declared Player of the Match for his knocks of 99 and 90 in the match.K Vignesh was named Man of the Match for Tamil Nadu as they took three points from their draw against Bengal in Rajkot.Vignesh followed up his 4 for 70 in the first innings with an unbeaten 34 at No.10, that led the 44-run stand for the last wicket with T Natarajan (12) which had taken TN past Bengal’s 337. The stand ended early on the final day, as Natarajan fell to medium-pacer Sayan Ghosh (5-123), who completed his first five-wicket haul.Shreevats Goswami (61) and Aamir Gani (45) put on 87 for the sixth wicket, after TN entertained the hopes of an outright victory when they reduced Bengal to 66 for 5 in the 31st over. The partnership played out a valuable 23.3 overs before Gani was dimissed, and Goswami’s seventh-wicket stand with Ashok Dinda (28) frustrated TN for a further 13.4 overs, as Bengal managed to hold on and force a draw.Harpreet Singh’s second century of the season helped Madhya Pradesh survive an early scare in their chase, and draw their game against Gujarat in Nagathone. Gujarat picked up three points from the game.Hapreet Singh came in at 36 for 4 in the 17th over, after MP were set 375 to chase in 57 overs. Rush Kalaria was the wrecker-in-chief, adding three wickets to go with his four-for in the first innings. But Harpreet joined hands with Naman Ojha (52) and was the dominant one in their partnership of 113, that could only be broken in the 52nd over. Ojha’s 52 took 135 deliveries, in contrast to Harpreet’s unbeaten 103 that came off 129 and featured 17 fours and a six. MP lost no further wickets and play ended when they were on 176 for 5.Earlier, Gujarat added 96 runs in 22 overs to their overnight score of 228 for 2, as they pushed for a declaration. Both overnight batsmen brought up centuries, although Samit Gohel (104) fell in the third over of the day, while Parthiv Patel (139*) remained unbeaten.

Harbhajan Singh, India’s most successful offspinner at the moment, has opposed the kind of surfaces the team has played on at home over the last ‘four’ years. He’s stated as much in several interviews. He used the hash tag ‘tailor-made conditions for spinners’ while referring to the Indore surface. He went on to say his and Anil Kumble’s wickets tally would have been “something else” if they had bowled more on such pitches. Virat Kohli, to whom the mention of the word ‘pitch’ is a red rag, was told of Harbhajan’s comments after India had completed the whitewash of New Zealand inside four days in Indore.Kohli was then asked if he attributed these wins to pitches or “something else”. “Who made that statement?” Kohli shot back. “Harbhajan Singh,” he was told. “Oh? Okay,” he stopped.It must be mentioned that while the conversation around pitches has been subdued this season because they haven’t been as dramatic as they were against South Africa last season. Kolkata, in fact, was a seaming pitch, which brought the New Zealand fast bowlers into the game. However, Harbhajan’s is the first instance of someone criticising the pitches from inside the system. He is an active cricketer who was a part of the India squad in the Asia Cup played in Bangladesh earlier this year. Kohli refrained from directly reacting to Harbhajan’s statement although he did sound a little taken aback.”Obviously, I mean,” Kohli paused. “See even if it is a turning pitch you have to bowl well. There is no… spin doesn’t happen only off the pitch. Spin is about how many revs you impart off the shoulder first. And then the ball will do something off the pitch. I quite clearly remember after we lost to New Zealand in the World T20, suddenly their spinners were quality and we were found out. I don’t see anyone talking about that now. The same spinners have played. Why have they not been able to pick wickets? It is as simple as that. Our fast bowlers picked wickets everywhere. We never complained about anything. So… see you can give a guy a cement track to bat on. He [still] needs to have the mindset to score runs. It is as simple as that.”Earlier when asked about complete team performances on three different tracks and how much confidence that gives India for the England series, Kohli once spoke about the pitches. “Well, we knew before the series that people are going to start talking about pitches,” Kohli said. “But we made it a point that we… we knew that there are monsoons everywhere, wickets are not going to be as dry. Especially in Kolkata, we knew that it wouldn’t be dry; it was a newly laid wicket. We didn’t say anything once. We believe in our abilities, we should be good enough to do it on any surface and against any team.”That is a step in the right direction as far as our team is concerned. We believe in our skill much more, and not focus on creating atmosphere or conditions that might suit us partially. We just wanted to express ourselves the way we can on a cricket field. We finished two games in four days on perfectly fine Test cricket pitches. That gives us a lot of confidence.”

The USA selectors have narrowed down their initial 30-man squad down to 22 for a five-day national-team camp from September 17 to 21 in Indianapolis

Peter Della Penna15-Sep-2016

USA’s 22-man squad

Danial Ahmed, Timroy Allen, Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Davion Davidson, Akeem Dodson, Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Naseer Jamali, Ali Khan, Prashanth Nair, Timil Patel, Usman Rafiq, Saqib Saleem, Srini Santhanam, Hammad Shahid, Jasdeep Singh, Nicholas Standford, Steven Taylor, Ravi Timbawala, Shiva Vashishat
In: Abdullah Syed
Out: Adil Bhatti, Japen Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Keon Lake, Aman Lobana, Francis Mendonca, Nisarg Patel, David Pieters, Arjun Thyagarajan

The USA selection panel headed by Ricardo Powell has narrowed down its initial 30-man squad from July down to 22 for a final five-day national-team camp from September 17 to 21 in Indianapolis, which will be used to pick a 14-man squad for USA’s Auty Cup series against Canada in mid-October followed by World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles from October 29 to November 5.According to multiple sources, only 20 players were originally invited to Indianapolis, but an opportunity was given to players participating in tour matches against the MCC in New York last weekend to earn a last-chance opportunity in front of new USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake. Two players did enough to get a late call – offspinner Muhammad Ghous and batsman Abdullah Syed.Ghous was named captain for last summer’s squad that competed at the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland and is one of USA’s most experienced players – he has taken 30 wickets in 39 T20s and 35 wickets in 32 50-over games for USA – but his spot has increasingly come under threat due to recent sub-par performances. He chose not to bowl his full quota of four overs in three of USA’s six games at the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland, and finished with four wickets, tied for third on the team.Ghous beat the CPL-contracted offspinner Nikhil Dutta for a spot in a combined ICC Americas team that played in the WICB Nagico Super50 in January, but played in just two games and was ineffective with combined figures of 0 for 53 in 7.5 overs. However, in the first of the two 50-over MCC tour matches played at Baisley Pond Park in New York on Saturday, Ghous took 3 for 20 in 10 overs with three maidens. It was enough to convince Dassanayake and national selector Barney Jones, who was also present in New York, that Ghous should still have a chance to compete in Indianapolis to retain his place in USA’s squad for Division Four.Syed, a hard hitting right-handed batsman, struck 34 off 23 balls, including three fours and three sixes, in the first match against MCC on Saturday and followed it up with 23 off 26 balls on Sunday, striking another two sixes. Former USA U-19 batsman Randall Wilson, who top-scored against the MCC with 76 off 105 balls while opening the batting alongside Syed on Saturday, was not invited to Indianapolis.According to multiple sources, Wilson was one of several players, including Syed, whom selectors wanted to have a further look at evaluating as a middle-order option on Sunday’s second match, taking into consideration USA’s top-order batsmen – Steven Taylor, Akeem Dodson, Fahad Babar, Alex Amsterdam – are unlikely to change. While Syed seized the opportunity to bat in the middle-order playing against the MCC on Sunday, Wilson chose to play for his local club side Atlantis CC in their league final on Sunday – he made a second-ball duck – rather than suit up once again for the New York XI and thus missed out on an opportunity for a final middle-order audition.In addition to Dassanayake, the camp will also have Trevor Penney serving as guest fielding coach. Penney, who is based in Montreal, Canada, has previously served as fielding coach for numerous international sides, most recently Sri Lanka. He was also India’s fielding coach from 2011 to 2014.