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Despite having a decent County Championship season at best, Zafar Ansari has impressed the England management with his temperament and all-round skills, and is in line to play his maiden Test

George Dobell26-Oct-2016It will come a year later than anticipated, but Zafar Ansari looks set to make his Test debut in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday.But for a badly-broken left thumb, Ansari would almost certainly have played his maiden Test in the UAE 12 months ago. But, just hours after he was picked for the tour, he sustained the injury in the field, and was subsequently obliged to undergo two operations. Samit Patel was recalled, instead, and he played the Sharjah Test.While Ansari enjoyed a decent rather than spectacular season for Surrey in the County Championship – he averaged 27.43 with the bat and claimed 22 wickets at 31.40 – the England management admires his calm temperament almost as much as his all-round abilities. While they were reluctant to thrust Jack Leach, the Somerset spinner, who enjoyed a more remarkable season – he claimed 68 wickets in the first-class season at an average of 22.58 – into international cricket, they seem to have no qualms about Ansari.The case of Simon Kerrigan continues to influence selectors in such cases. Kerrigan, drafted in for his debut in the final Ashes Test of the 2013 summer, was mauled by Australia’s batsmen, and appears to have never fully recovered from the experience. Even Leach’s captain at Somerset, Chris Rogers, remarked that “emotionally, he still has a bit of a way to go” before he would consider him suitable for selection. He will instead be given an opportunity to familiarise himself with the England environment as part of the Lions programme.Ansari, though slightly younger, is seen as more worldly and experienced. He gained a first from Cambridge University, and, having graduated through the England age-group system – he played for England at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels – made his international debut in the rain-ruined ODI in Ireland in May 2015. He bowls at a relatively sharp pace, and, as a left-arm spinner whose turn will take the ball away from the right-handers, could prove more useful than a second spinner when England face an Indian top-order heavily stocked with right-handers.Ansari fits the mould of this team, too, in that he can bat, bowl and field to a decent standard. Generally patient and compact in red-ball cricket, he has opened the batting for Surrey. But, after a modest County season – his highest score was 53 – it seems Ansari will bat at No. 8 for England. That will move Chris Woakes to No. 9, and Adil Rashid, a man with 10 first-class centuries, down to No. 10. It seems Gareth Batty will be the unfortunate one to make way.There might have been a good case for resting Rashid instead. The pitch looks remarkably dry and cracked already, and, while the weather forecast for Dhaka is not wonderful – the city is braced for cyclonic storm Kyant – it seems likely that Bangladesh may take a bit of a risk in preparing a result-surface in the hope that they can square the series. On such turning surfaces, the control of Batty might prove more useful than the turn of Rashid, though Rashid did look as though he would benefit from anther long bowl ahead of the India series.England are also set to recall Steven Finn. He has been bowling with good pace in the nets and will probably replace Stuart Broad, who will have to wait until the India Tests before gaining his 100th Test cap. While there will be a temptation to give Jake Ball a game and rest Chris Woakes, the team management may be wary of making too many changes against an improving Bangladesh side that went within an ace of achieving their first Test victory against England in Chittagong.That means little opportunity for Jos Buttler. While he continues to hit the ball well in the nets – as one of the local net bowlers discovered on Wednesday when he received a black eye after being unable to get out of the way of a straight drive – Jonny Bairstow took another step towards cementing his place with the gloves with an impressive performance standing up to the stumps in Chittagong. And Trevor Bayliss has already indicated that he is keen to stick with the top-six in the batting line-up for the Dhaka Test.

Everton will host the highly-anticipated climax to the Premier League relegation battle at Goodison Park this afternoon in their clash with Bournemouth, and it will be a nail-biting 90 minutes for their loyal supporters.

The Toffees have their fate firmly in their hands with a victory today securing top-flight football for another season and will ultimately relegate their bottom-of-the-table rivals Leeds United and Leicester City.

Indeed, a draw could also keep them up if Leicester don’t take all three points from their clash with West Ham United, but Sean Dyche should not be willing to take the risk of sharing the spoils with Gary O'Neill's side and instead ensure his team can’t be caught with a win.

Since confirming their safety in the top flight, Bournemouth have lost their last three league outings so Everton will be hoping they can capitalise on their opponents' poor form to get the result they desperately need over the line.

The Everton boss has been dealt two major injury blows as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nathan Patterson will be unavailable for selection in the final fixture of the campaign, so it will be interesting to see how Dyche sets up his team, especially in the final third.

Having said that, Vitaliy Mykolenko is expected to be available for the clash after recovering from a thigh injury which will be a huge boost considering Ben Godfrey, Seamus Coleman and Patterson are all injured.

Will Vitaliy Mykolenko start vs Bournemouth?

The 23-year-old left-back has been a consistent feature in the starting eleven and his timely return could see him play a key role in keeping Everton up on the final day.

Over 34 Premier League appearances, the £58k-per-week gem – hailed “outstanding” by Frank Lampard – has averaged 49.4 touches, 1.4 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 2.6 clearances and 3.4 duels won per game, proving that he is a strong defensive presence on the pitch.

Not only that, Everton have kept seven of their eight clean sheets this season when Mykolenko has been deployed in the left-back role, further demonstrating the positive impact the Ukrainian can provide in the back four.

A solid defensive performance will be just as important as a hungry attacking threat for Everton today and tallying up a ninth clean sheet against the Cherries would put the Merseyside club in a great position to survive relegation.

With that being said, it will be a no-brainer for Dyche to unleash Mykolenko in the starting eleven should he be ready to start this afternoon, as his dominance in his position could be integral in Everton’s survival.

Pakistan, in their first T20 under Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy, secured a thumping nine-wicket victory with a massive 31 deliveries to spare

The Report by Andrew McGlashan07-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSharjeel Khan reached his half-century from 30 balls•Getty ImagesNew captain, new Pakistan? It’s always dangerous to look too far ahead as far as their cricket is concerned, but after one night in Manchester Sarfraz Ahmed has a 100% record as T20 skipper.It can be difficult at the end of a long tour to lift for a one-off T20 – the Super Series, of course, had already been decided lest anyone forget – but, amid the most frenzied atmosphere of the tour, which was marred by late pitch invasions, Pakistan secured a thumping nine-wicket victory with a massive 31 deliveries to spare.They produced their most vibrant bowling and fielding display of the limited-overs leg of the trip to restrict England, who fielded the side which played the World T20 final in April, to 135 for 7: just 58 came off the final ten overs and only three boundaries were struck after the Powerplay.The chase was a canter. Neither Sharjeel Khan nor Khalid Latif needed to bother with much running, by the end of the fourth over they had equalled England’s paltry tally of 10 fours. Both reached their fifties with sixes, Sharjeel off 30 balls and Latif, who only flew in for this match, brought up his maiden half-century off 34 deliveries.With the ball Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz, the latter smartly held back for the latter half of the innings as he bowled all his overs from the 11th onwards, produced the telling contributions. Imad, who bowled the first over then returned after the Powerplay (and a clonk on the head at point) did not concede a boundary and removed both England openers. Wahab generated fearsome speed, upwards of 95mph on occasion, mixed with smart changes of pace, to leave the middle order in a tangle.After a couple of early overs of assessing conditions, England initially made good progress as Jason Roy and Alex Hales took them to 53 without loss in the Powerplay. Then Roy was lbw trying to reverse sweep Imad and from there England almost went into reverse. Hales fell slog-sweeping at Imad, as he did at Lord’s, and next ball Joe Root uppercut Hasan Ali to third man.Jos Buttler, who missed the final two ODIs with a hamstring niggle, looked in the mood for a rebuilding job, but 9 off four balls became 16 off 14 after two tight overs by Wahab and Hasan. He then carved the first delivery of Wahab’s second over to deep point.Neither Ben Stokes or Eoin Morgan could get going and the harder England tried to hit the ball the worse off they became. England’s batting depth came to their aid in the World T20, most notably against Afghanistan, but there was no late charge on this occasion.When David Willey clubbed Sohail Tanvir through the leg side it was the first boundary for 7.3 overs – and it would be the only one of the final 10 overs, an extraordinary statistic whether you are looking at from an England or Pakistan perspective.Given England’s struggles to find the boundary after the first six overs, it felt a waste to see Liam Plunkett, who has shown this season he can clear the rope from the outset, only come in with three deliveries remaining and end up not facing a ball.Pakistan dealt exclusively in boundaries until the third ball of the third over when Latif, who had taken 20 off Chris Jordan’s first over, tapped a single off Plunkett. The bowler was so shocked, that two balls late he flung a bouncer for five wides down the leg side.After the fours came the sixes. Sharjeel deposited Stokes, playing his first T20I since the World T20 final, over long leg then twice took Adil Rashid over the leg-side boundary. Rashid, at least, had a modicum of revenge when another attempted smite down the ground was skied to cover. He should have had a second wicket, too, but Buttler missed a stumping chance off Babar Azam. It summed up England’s night, as their season ended with a whimper.

Liverpool are monitoring Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Hayden Hackney?

Hackney is an academy graduate at the Riverside Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks, including going out on a season-long loan to Scunthorpe United, before returning to make his breakthrough into the first team last summer, as per Transfermarkt, registering 41 senior appearances during his debut campaign.

The Scotland U21 international still has another three years remaining on his contract in the north-east, but with Michael Carrick’s side having failed to achieve promotion to the top-flight, they could be forced to cash in on some of their prized assets should any sizeable offers arrive during the upcoming window.

The Reds have already confirmed the imminent departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, alongside Arthur Melo more recently, so central reinforcements will be needed, and being his side’s second-best performer in midfielder, the 20-year-old has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Are Liverpool signing Hackney?

According to 90min, Liverpool, alongside top-flight rivals Arsenal, have both “checked” on Hackney, whilst Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have also “taken an interest” in securing his services. The Boro starlet could yet still be “rewarded” for his impressive performances with a new contract, but his boyhood club are aware that a “large offer” could be enough to sanction his sale as they are not in a financial position to turn down “reasonable” bids.

Liverpool will know that Hackney is set to be a much cheaper central midfield alternative as a result of him being a less high-profile name compared to the likes of Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and as a player that can positively impact the game at both ends of the pitch, FSG should definitely consider testing the waters this summer.

The Redcar-born talent, who earns £4k per week, has recorded a total of 67 tackles since the start of the term, which is higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBref, but going forward, he’s posted seven goal contributions (four assists and three goals) in 34 Championship appearances this season.

Middlesbrough’s “quality” academy product, as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, would also provide Klopp with wonderful versatility having operated in six different positions since bursting onto the scene, including everywhere across the centre and even out wide on the left wing, so he would be a great acquisition for the long-term future on Merseyside.

WV Raman, the India Green coach, has said playing with the pink ball will test the adaptability of players as they enter a relatively less-trodden territory

Arun Venugopal22-Aug-2016WV Raman, the former India batsman and coach of India Green, has said playing with the pink ball will test the adaptability of players as they enter a relatively less-trodden territory. In what will be a maiden first-class match in India with a pink ball, India Green will take on India Red in the Duleep Trophy opener, beginning on Tuesday in Greater Noida.’Better off with pink ball trial in T20s’ – Harbhajan

Harbhajan Singh, who opted out of the Duleep Trophy to spend time with his recently-born daughter, was concerned with how the spinners would come to grips with the Kookaburra ball. He pointed out that the experiment to use the red Kookaburra in the Duleep Trophy in 2006-07 had proved to be unsuccessful.
“It is going to be a nightmare for the spinners,” Harbhajan told ESPNcricinfo. “The seam is not that great on the Kookaburra ball, and only people who have played with it for a long period of time will be able to adjust. When I was new, I felt this was quite hard to grip because it slips from your hands. It was only after a few years that I got used to it and started bowling well with the Kookaburra ball. A pink Duke ball would be much better or pink SG ball has a lot more to offer for the bowlers. I hope this experiment will be a good one.”
Harbhajan also felt the pink ball would be put to better use in the shorter formats, especially Twenty20 cricket. “Pink ball in Twenty20 will add some more excitement: it’s a different format, a fast game with a lot of colour,” he said. “If you can trial pink ball in Twenty20 cricket as well, nothing like it; we might end up playing IPL with pink ball. The only problem would be coloured jerseys.”

Raman felt it was difficult to form an opinion of the ball after just one practice session, but said players would be a “lot wiser” after the first game. “One thing is the visibility of the ball is going to be good. So I don’t think that is going to be a problem,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But, in the match, there is a possibility that the breeze can be on and off which means the ball sometimes can swing, sometimes not swing. Even while fielding the ball might swirl a bit [for] the tall catches, sometimes it may not swirl. You never know.”While the pink ball has piqued the curiosity of players and fans, the BCCI’s ambition of staging a day-night Test with a pink ball during a long home season hinges heavily upon the successful trial of the ball during the tournament. Raman said the durability of the pink Kookaburra ball in Indian conditions would be a big factor in determining its success.”The one big challenge is to see how long the ball lasts in our conditions,” he said. “We have not seen a lot of wear and tear if there is a whole lot of dew and moisture in a day-night four or five-day game. That means the wear and tear that you expect on the last and penultimate days of a five-day game may not be there.”There are a lot of unknowns. One thing for sure – the adaptability of the players will be tested. It will be interesting to see the unknowns unfold, based on which players will have to adapt. That will make it quite exciting to watch.”Raman also felt the pitch itself might not be a huge contributor to the wear and tear of the ball. “It is more of the outfield being good enough to preserve the colour and the hardness of the ball,” Raman pointed out. “I think, according to the manufacturers, that is what they are looking at – [if] the venues and the outfields are conducive to the ball retaining its colour, hardness and shape. We have to wait and see.”Robin Uthappa, the Karnataka batsman who has played with the pink Duke’s ball in the Karnataka Premier League, said fast bowlers and batsmen would be faced with equal challenges. “Back then it swung a lot, there was a lot of extra bounce,” he said recently. “It will be a very good challenge for the fast bowlers and top-order batsmen. We will have to wait and see how we shine the ball; how we can maintain that kind of ball. A lot of these finer details you will only really understand once you have really played with it for a certain while.”From a top order batsman’s perspective I am just trying to understand how much the ball is going to swing. It will be interesting to see how different is it, how long is this going to swing – is this going to swing like the SG ball where it doesn’t swing the first few overs and then swings for the next 35-40 overs, or will it be that Kookaburra ball where it swings the first 20 overs and after that it doesn’t do much. The more we practice with the ball the more understanding we have.”

A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2016A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup. Surrey, last year’s beaten finalists, sneaked above their London rivals into fourth place in the South Group, securing a last-eight trip to face North Group winners Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Royal London Cup QFs

Somerset v Worcestershire, Taunton, August 17, 11am

Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston, August 17, 11am

Kent v Yorkshire, Canterbury, August 18, 2pm

Northamptonshire v Surrey, Wantage Road, August 18, 1.30pm

Confirmation that Somerset would top the South Group, setting up a quarter-final with Worcestershire at Taunton, came with the abandonment of Essex’s game at Gloucestershire earlier in the day.Essex were then left waiting on results elsewhere to see if they would go through; Kent’s victory at Sussex moved them up to second but Hampshire narrowly failed to beat Somerset, sending Essex to play Warwickshire in the last eight and turning the match at Lord’s into a straight knockout.Kent will host Yorkshire in their quarter-final. Yorkshire had gone into the final round of North Group games on Monday hoping to secure a home fixture but a heavy defeat to Warwickshire at Headingley saw them slip to third.The first two quarter-finals, at Taunton and Edgbaston, will be day games played on August 17; the games at Wantage Road and Canterbury will start in the afternoon on August 18. The semi-final draw sees the winner of Warwickshire v Essex playing either Somerset or Worcestershire, while Kent or Yorkshire will go on to face one of Northants or Surrey, with the ties taking place on August 28-29.

Celtic have another player on their transfer radar it seems, with Hungarian media source Nemzeti Sport reporting that Eduvie Ikoba is a name currently interesting the Scottish side.

Who is Celtic target Eduvie Ikoba?

The striker currently plays for Zalaegerszeg in Hungary but has made quite the impression for the side since his arrival. This campaign, the giant 6 foot 3 forward has produced eleven league goals and one assist for the club in just 27 appearances. In addition to that, the player has also helped his side to win their first-ever trophy, contributing to Hungarian Cup success with two goals and one assist in five games.

Prior to arriving at the club, he played in the USA, the country of his birth, for Black Rock FC. He left to make the move to Hungary but had a short stint away from the side with AS Trencin. Having continued to plunder the goals there – he scored twelve in total during his tenure with the side – he then returned to Zalaegerszeg and has gone from strength-to-strength there.

Now, a chance to make the move to Europe could beckon for Ikoba. According to Hungarian media outlet Nemzeti Sport, both Celtic and Stuttgart are interested in potentially signing the striker this summer, with head of recruitment Mark Lawwell seemingly marking him up as a target for Ange Postecoglou.

It doesn't state that any formal offers or bids have been made yet but it seems as though he is a player that both clubs are keeping an eye on ahead of a potential move.

How much is Eduvie Ikoba worth?

The forward has bagged the goals on a regular basis in Hungary this summer but it hasn't made his value sky high due to the quality of the league. Transfermarkt place the player's value at around the 500,000 Euro mark (£434,000) which suggests that a deal to send him to Scotland might not cost too much. However, Football Observatory's value tool places it at a much higher 5 million Euros (or £4.3m). The real answer could be somewhere in the middle, but judging off these two valuations, a deal might not break the bank for the Scottish Premiership champions.

It would be worth it either way, with the 13 goal striker showcasing this season that he can score goals and lead a line with his current club. If Celtic are after some striking depth, then Ikoba could be worth the risk given Lawwell and Ange's recent record for signings from lesser leagues.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans to bolster their attacking options in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Arda Guler to Newcastle?

According to Turkish outlet Fotomac, the Magpies are one of the clubs in the race to land Fenerbahce attacking midfielder Arda Guler ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that Napoli and Borussia Dortmund are among the other European clubs eyeing the teenager but the Toon Army are said to be leading the charge as it stands.

It is stated that an offer in the region of €20m (£18m) could be on the table from Eddie Howe's side as they attempt to win the race for his signature, although the Turkish giants are not eager to cash in on their prized youngster without a fight.

Who is Arda Guler?

The talented young midfielder is a left-footed senior Turkey international who predominantly plays as either a no.10 or as a right winger.

Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth could now land the perfect heir to Miguel Almiron by signing Guler as the Fenerbahce star is another player who can use his left foot to cut inside from the right, which then opens space for Kieran Trippier to bomb on from right-back – from where he has created 22 'big chances' in the top-flight.

The 18-year-old wonderkid has averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.44 across 17 appearances in the Super Lig – scoring four goals and creating 1.7 opportunities per match for his teammates.

He has racked up nine goals and nine assists in 46 outings for the club at senior level in all competitions to date, which shows that the gem has quickly adapted to life in the first team by regularly contributing in the final third.

Almiron has scored 11 goals and provided one assist in 31 Premier League matches for Newcastle this term but has only scored twice since the turn of the year and this summer could be the perfect opportunity to bring in his eventual heir.

Guler, who has been lauded as an "elite talent" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is 11 years younger than the Paraguay international and could come in as the winger's long-term replacement.

Like Almiron, the teenager could line up on the right of the front three and use his left foot an eye for a goal to cause problems by cutting inside, which would then allow Trippier the space to double up and make runs down the flank.

It is now down to Ashworth to beat off competition from Napoli and Dortmund to secure a deal to sign the Turkish phenomenon ahead of next term.

Jerome Jayaratne, the former seam-bowling allrounder, has been appointed the chief operating officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, the board announced through a release on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2016Jerome Jayaratne, the former seam-bowling allrounder, has been appointed the chief operating officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, the board announced through a release on Saturday. Jayaratne will immediately take over in his new role, in which he will supervise several SLC divisions including human resources, marketing, media and IT.Jayaratne is a veteran in cricket administration, having coached and served in varying capacities for over a decade. His first role with SLC was in 2000, and in 2008, he was appointed the board’s head of coaching. Jayaratne had also worked with the ICC, on their global development management team in 2001.In September 2015, following Marvan Atapattu’s resignation, Jayaratne was appointed interim head coach of the Sri Lankan national team. His stint included the home series against West Indies and the tour to New Zealand in December-January. His former long-term job as head of coaching has effectively been dissolved after Simon Willis was appointed high performance manager.Jayaratne is also an accomplished player, having represented the Sri Lanka under-19, with whom he toured Australia in 1984, and Under-23 teams. He ended his first-class career with 391 runs from 22 matches to alongside 34 wickets. He played only three List A games in which he scored 27 runs and took a solitary wicket.

Arsenal have made a "proposal" to Barcelona starlet Ilias Akhomach who looks set to leave as a free agent in June, according to reports out of Spain.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Premier League title-chasers could still make history, having waited nearly 20 years for another league crown, but as things stand, Man City are firmly in the driving seat.

Boasting a game in hand and one-point advantage, the race is in Pep Guardiola's hands, and Arsenal have to be perfect to stand any chance of pipping them to top spot.

Mikel Arteta's side have it all to do, but even if they miss out, you can make the strong argument that this has been a simply brilliant season with Champions League football guaranteed.

In the background, sporting director Edu will be working on summer transfer targets ahead of next campaign, with midfield reinforcement thought to be a top priority.

West Ham star Declan Rice, alongside Brighton's Moises Caicedo, have been heavily linked with a move to north London – meanwhile Arteta is also said to want additions further forward.

According to a report by Sport, Barca prodigy and exciting young attacker Akhomach is a player of real interest, with the 19-year-old apparently receiving a "proposal" to join Arsenal.

There isn't any further detail on this alleged offer, but he could well be on the move this summer, as his renewal is proving complicated.

Arsenal have also been boosted by Leeds' collapsed move for Akhomach, but they aren't the only elite side who have made an approach.

Both Sevilla and AC Milan are also in the running, making proposals of their own, with this update hinting the teenager's future could be far away from Catelonia.

What could Akhomach bring to Arsenal?

Despite not exactly having the season of his life over 2022/2023, scoring just one goal in 23 league appearances for Barca's youth side, Akhomach still arguably possesses plenty of promise.

Xavi has even handed the Spaniard his first team debut already, in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, with former Barcelona B manager Francisco Javier García Pimienta tipping Akhomach to be a big success back in 2020.

Pimienta explained (via Sport):

“He’s a cheeky, brave player with a lot of quality, but he’s only 16. We have very young players and we can’t load them with too much responsibility.

“What’s clear is that the academy is bringing through a lot of players and he’s one that we will have in mind this season, for sure.”

Perhaps Akhomach can re-discover his best form in England and working under a manager like Arteta, especially since Barca youth boss Rafa Marquez apparently views the player as expendable.