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It's set to be a big campaign for Tottenham Hotspur next season, as Ange Postecoglou has had a year to settle into life in the Premier League, and fans will be looking to him to guide the team back into the Champions League at the second time of asking.

However, to do that, he needs Daniel Levy and Co to do their jobs in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window, as at the moment, they have not sufficiently improved the Australian's squad.

Fortunately, reports suggest that the club are working hard to bring in the right players, one of whom could be a real game-changer for the club and help bring the best out of some of their players, including Dejan Kulusevski.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham have intensified their interest in Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke and are ready to make an offer for his services.

The report claims that the Lilywhites are prepared to offer £50m plus a player to help 'sweeten the deal', which could be one of Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, Oliver Skipp, Djed Spence or Alejo Veliz.

This is an ambitious move, as previous reports suggested that the Cherries wanted £65m for their star striker and nothing less.

That said, even at this newer price, this transfer would still represent a significant investment from Spurs, but given Solanke's form last season, it is probably worth making, especially as he could help revive some of the club's other attacking players, such as Kulusevski.

Why Solanke would be a great dream for Kulusevski

Now, when it boils down to it, there is one primary reason Solanke could help get the best back out of Kulusevski next season: his output.

Only two Tottenham players, Son Heung-min and Richarlison, scored more than ten goals across all competitions last season, which means that the club's wingers were starved of an effective goalscorer to play off down the middle.

We can see this regarding the Swedish international from Understat's data, as they have him down as underperforming his expected assists figure in the league by a massive 5.62, whereas last season, when Harry Kane was in the team, he overperformed by 1.52.

21/22

8

4.15

22/23

7

5.48

23/24

3

8.62

So, if the Lilywhites could introduce a Premier League-proven out-and-out number nine into the squad, then we could expect to see the former Juventus ace's assist tally start to creep back up, and luckily, in Solanke, they could have exactly that.

For example, in just 42 appearances for the Cherries last season, the "predatory" marksman, as dubbed by former professional Kris Boyd, scored 21 goals and provided four assists, equating to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games.

Appearances

42

Goals

21

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.59

Moreover, this haul saw him finish joint-fourth in the Premier League's top scorer list and would have been enough to make him the Lilywhites' top goalscorer.

Ultimately, Tottenham need a clinical number nine to move up the table next season, and Kulusevski needs one to get on the end of the chances he creates, and while he might not have the reputation of some of the other strikers on the market at the moment, Solanke has proven that he has what it takes to score bags of goals in the Premier League.

Better than Chiesa & Neto: Spurs could sign £60m PL star

Spurs are in the market to sign a new winger this summer.

1 ByMatt Dawson Aug 5, 2024

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to ensure this deal gets over the line.

For the home side, defeat in either this Test or the next one will mean missing out on the WTC final spot

Hemant Brar23-Feb-20219:24

Preview: Do England have the upper hand in the pink-ball Test?

Big pictureBefore the start of the series, England’s best chance of winning a Test in India was the day-night Test in Ahmedabad. The fact that England go there with the series level at 1-1 has changed the dynamics in a big way.England know this could be the series-defining Test and their opportunity to do what India did in Australia. On the other hand, India’s chances of earning a World Test Championship final spot are a little bit in jeopardy. If they lose this Test (or the next), they will be out of the race.India, though, are expected to stick to their blueprint at home, which is to score big in the first innings and back the bowlers to take 20 wickets. While it may not look like their batsmen have dominated so far, each of India’s top six has got at least one 50-plus score in the series. What India would want them to do is to convert those starts into big, match-winning knocks as Rohit Sharma did in the second Test.Related

Stokes: England's seamers are 'licking their lips' to use pink ball

Umesh added to Test squad, Shardul released

What can we expect from the pink ball at Motera?

Anderson doesn't expect reverse swing to play a part

Another thing in India’s favour is that they will field their strongest bowling attack of the series so far. After a break of one Test, Jasprit Bumrah is back in the squad and will lead the pace attack alongside Ishant Sharma, with R Ashwin and Axar Patel manning the spin department. Then they have the option of playing one of Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj as the fifth bowler, or, possibly, even Hardik Pandya.For England, Jonny Bairstow’s availability will somewhat reduce the burden on Joe Root, while a returning James Anderson will buoy them further. Anderson was rested for the second Test, which became a talking point given the six-day gap between the second and the third Tests. England, however, stuck to their rotation policy and now have a fresh Anderson at their disposal.While the jury is out on where Anderson ranks among the best fast bowlers to tour India, there is little doubt about his mastery with Dukes balls. And three days out from the Test, Anderson did say the SG pink ball “feels very similar to the Dukes in the hand”. It was Anderson’s spell on the fifth day that punctured India’s hopes of drawing the first Test and England will be hoping for a similar performance from their seamer.Seeing the assistance their seamers got with the pink ball under lights during practice sessions, the visitors may be tempted to even play three specialist seamers. But they must keep in mind the actual pitch may turn out to be vastly different from the practice pitches.Form guideIndia WLWDW
England LWWWDJasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma should be back leading the pace attack•BCCIIn the spotlightThe twilight. If the pink-ball Tests are a lottery, then twilight is the time when they are won or lost, with batsmen trying to adjust to the artificial light. So far, it has been observed that the pink ball swings and seams more under lights than otherwise. But will it behave the same even if there is hardly any grass on the pitch and dew in the outfield?Virat Kohli may not have scored an international hundred for a while now but given his form one doesn’t seem far away. Before leaving Australia for paternity leave, Kohli scored a masterly 74 in the first innings of the day-night Adelaide Test. He looked in absolute control during his 72 on the fifth day of the first Test of the current series, and his 62 on a rank turner in the second innings of the second Test helped India shut the door on England. Kohli would know it’s time to take it one notch higher.Team newsBumrah’s return means the only decision India need to make is about their fifth bowler. Given the pink ball and the dew factor, India may go with three seamers and two spinners. In that case, Kuldeep is likely to miss out, leaving Siraj and Umesh contesting for the lone slot.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahApart from Anderson, Archer and Bairstow walking into the XI, England could consider going in with just one spinner in Jack Leach. But Root said they would make the final decision after the final practice session. Zak Crawley, meanwhile, could replace Rory Burns at the top of the order.England (probable): 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Dom Bess/Chris Woakes, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James AndersonPitch and conditionsThe Motera pitch does have some live grass, so while spinners will come into play later in the Test, one cannot discount the impact of the new ball and fast bowlers, especially under lights. The refurbished stadium boasts a capacity of 110,000 spectators but given the Covid-19 concerns, only half of those seats are going to be filled. The weather forecast is sunny throughout the Test, with the temperature hovering around 35-degree Celsius during the day and dropping by ten degrees in the evenings.James Anderson tunes up for the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad•ECBStats and trivia Kohli’s last international hundred was against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019, in what was India’s first-ever day-night Test. Since then, he has played 34 innings without scoring a century – his longest barren streak in international cricket. This will be Ishant’s 100th Test. Among Indian fast bowlers, only Kapil Dev has played more Tests (131). In the 15 pink-ball Tests so far, fast bowlers have picked up 354 wickets at an average of 24.47, and spinners 115 at 35.38. Coincidentally, the last Test Motera hosted was also between India and England, in 2012. In that game, Cheteshwar Pujara struck 206 not out and 41 not out as India beat England by nine wickets. With 26 wins from 48 Tests, Root is level with Michael Vaughan for the most Test victories as an England captain.Quotes”You can’t play for those kinds of reasons. We are not looking to win one and draw one. We are looking to win both. For us, these are two games of cricket, and the only thing we are focused on. What it does afterwards is a conversation for later. That is a reality not present right now. In the present moment, we are preparing for tomorrow, ready for the grind for five days, wanting to win a Test match for India and then move on to the next one. One day at a time is something we have followed for years now. There is no point running far ahead into the future where you have no idea what’s going to happen. We are going to focus on what we can do as individuals in the present moment and let other people think of scenarios and what if and what if not.”
“There has been a trend of collapses in pink-ball Test matches. One thing that stands out is those vital first 20 balls, making sure you get used to tracking the ball, get used to the conditions and being very aware of how things can change throughout the day. It’s not necessarily just that one moment under lights or that twilight period. Sometimes it’s been right at the start of the game in the morning session, or late on day four, that these strange passages of play have happened. When you get that opportunity, and you’re on the right side of it in the field, you have to take every opportunity and really make that count in your favour.”

The challenges facing Cricket Australia to keep the BBL running became clear again amid the wider impact of three-day lockdown imposed on Brisbane following the emergence of a case of Covid-19 from strain that originated in the UK.The tournament remains on track for now with Sunday’s match on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers able to go ahead as it is outside the lockdown zone but players will be under stricter restrictions.”Both teams are safely located in their bio-secure hub on the Gold Coast and are preparing as normal,” Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said. “Strict provisions will be put in place to ensure the safety of those attending and working at the game. Ticket holders from Greater Brisbane will not be able to attend.”Sydney Thunder, who played at the Gabba on January 4, have been given approval to play their next match against Perth Scorchers in Perth on Saturday despite Western Australia imposing a hard border to the whole of Queensland and back-dating restrictions to January 2. The Thunder will not be allowed to leave their hotel other than for the match and training.CA’s biosecure plans have again shown their value after they also helped the BBL navigate the recent cases in Melbourne when some players had returned to the city in time off while other clubs had people join their squads.There has been some impact on players during the tournament, though, with Alex Carey and Harry Conway forced to sit out an Adelaide Strikers game and Imad Wasim was unable to travel to Perth with Melbourne Renegades due to having come from New Zealand.Some fixtures have also been forced to move due to the border restrictions imposed following the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney last month with three games moved to Canberra.The fate of the remaining matches in Sydney has not yet been decided but it remains probable that they will need to be relocated as well.The three games currently moved are:January 13: Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground Stadium
January 16: Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground
January 18: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground StadiumManuka Oval has already staged six matches in this season’s tournament with the Thunder, for who the ground is effectively a second home, having played in five of them. However, the subsequent impact of the Brisbane lockdown will mean that the Sixers will now need exemptions to travel to Canberra with the ACT having imposed restrictions.”The decision to move these three matches from Sydney to Canberra has been taken to ensure the continuation of the BBL season despite the ongoing public health situation and related state border closures,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the Big Bash, said. “As part of our ongoing monitoring of the situation in Sydney, we will consider whether or not we need to make any decisions on the remaining matches in Sydney in due course.”

West Ham have reportedly held talks to sign a £30m-rated Premier League defender this summer, wanting to bring him in alongside Max Kilman, who has already been linked with a switch to east London.

West Ham transfer news

The Hammers are preparing for an exciting new era with Julen Lopetegui in charge, with the Spaniard embarking on his first season at the London Stadium. He is a statement appointment after coming in for David Moyes, having won the Europa League during his Sevilla days.

However, in order for West Ham to have as much success as possible under their new boss, they will need to back him with the right signings. Numerous players continue to be linked with summer moves, including Wolves centre-back Kilman, who is considered a top target who could come in sooner rather than later.

Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka has emerged as a possible option at right-back and an alternative to Southampton ace Kyle Walker-Peters, with that position a clear area of focus before next season gets underway.

Meanwhile, Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki is considered an ideal replacement for Lucas Paqueta, drawing comparisons with former West Ham hero Dimitri Payet, who used to light up Upton Park with his magic. The 20-year-old registered six assists in Ligue 1 last term and is seen as a player with a big future in the game.

West Ham told talks with "integral" £30m ace

According to a key claim from reliable Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath, West Ham and technical director Tim Steidten have now "held talks" with Southampton defender Walker-Peters over a summer move.

It is also stated that it is a deal that "would see Flynn Downes move in the opposite direction on a permanent transfer", with the Hammers midfielder impressing on loan for Saints in 2023/24, playing an important role in them getting back into the Premier League.

The £30m-rated Walker-Peters could be a brilliant signing by West Ham this summer, bringing a mix of defensive solidity and attacking quality from right-back, and acting as a younger alternative to 31-year-old Vladimir Coufal, who could yet depart.

The 27-year-old started all 46 matches for Southampton in the Championship in 2023/24, showing what an important figure he was, and journalist Adam Blackmore has praised his ability, saying:

"I wonder how important he's become. You look at what happened in the summer [rumoured transfer interest] and you just wonder by the end of the season how important keeping him will have been. He's such an integral part of what they're doing. It's almost like the team is built around him to get the most out of him."

Appearances

46

Starts

46

Goals

2

Assists

4

Tackles per game

1.8

Dribbles per game

1.8

Pass completion rate

91.1%

Walker-Peters already has plenty of Premier League experience, making 115 appearances in the competition to date, so there is no reason why he can't arrive as an immediate key starter for West Ham, providing genuine quality from his right-back berth and being an important figure for a number of years to come.

Team Buttler claim victory in 40-over game after Joe Root, Sam Billings half-centuries

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2020England began preparations for their white-ball series against South Africa with a 40-over intra-squad game at Newlands in which all 23 players in the touring party enjoyed a run-out. The team led by vice-captain Jos Buttler prevailed, their 50-run win built on the foundations of a century partnership between Joe Root and Sam Billings.Root, who is only part of the ODI squad, quickly found his form after a two-month break from the game with a run-a-ball 77, as he and Billings lifted Team Buttler from 88 for 3. They were eventually bowled out in the 40th over, with Tom Curran taking 4 for 25 in his 6.1 overs.In their response, Team Morgan slipped to 102 for 6 before a stand of 79 between Chris Woakes and Tom Curran added a level of respectability to the encounter. The wickets were shared around, with Jofra Archer bowling a tight opening spell, Lewis Gregory claiming three-for and Olly Stone bowling quickly in taking 1 for 27 from his six overs.England had pressed ahead with their scheduled warm-up game despite South Africa cancelling a similar fixture due to a second positive Covid-19 test in their camp. Buttler won the toss and elected to bat first at Newlands, where the first T20I will be staged on Friday.Early wickets for Reece Topley, Mark Wood and Tom Curran kept Team Buttler in check before Root and Billings produced a stand of 103 inside 14 overs. Billings struck sixes off Moeen Ali and Jake Ball on the way to a sparky 52 from 44 balls, but the Team Buttler innings fell away at the death.Wood claimed 3 for 48 from seven overs – the most by any bowler involved – while Curran proved difficult to get away on a slow surface as his four-for wrapped up the innings.Scoring quickly proved a challenge in the second innings, too, and Team Morgan were soon behind the required rate. Eoin Morgan’s 20 was the highest score among the top six, as Archer and Sam Curran struck during new-ball spells and then Root’s part-time spin tempted Ben Stokes into a mishit down the ground. Woakes crunched 55 from 41 before being stumped off Adil Rashid and Gregory cleaned up the tail with 4.1 overs left unbowled.England will next play back-to-back T20 warm-up games in Paarl on Monday, before returning to Cape Town ahead of start of the three-match T20I series.

The opener has spent pre-season and quarantine training working closely with new coach Chris Rogers

Alex Malcolm28-Oct-2020Victoria opener Marcus Harris is hopeful a set-up adjustment he has made with new state coach Chris Rogers will help propel him back into Test calculations.Harris hasn’t played Test cricket since the 2019 Ashes where he made just 58 runs in six innings. Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer dismissed Harris five times between them, all from around the wicket and all where he was squared up.Harris identified that he needed to make a technical adjustment but found it difficult to do last season with less than a month between the Ashes and the start of the domestic summer.”Pretty much since the end of the Ashes almost I’ve been trying to work on how I can stay a little bit more side-on and some stuff like that,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “It was hard to try and work at it in season, so I never did much of it during the season.”ALSO READ: Cameron Green set to return to bowling crease for Western AustraliaHarris did score a century in his first Shield innings last summer but it came on a lifeless Junction Oval pitch where six players reached triple figures, two of which were double centuries, and only 12 wickets fell in four days.He made four more half-centuries for the summer in 10 innings but none exceeded 70. He missed out in the tour match against Pakistan in Perth and lost his Test spot to Joe Burns.Harris was keen to work on getting more side-on in his set-up and strokeplay over the winter but coaching changes in Victoria and the Covid-related state lockdown provided some hurdles.Harris’ long-time batting mentor Lachlan Stevens moved from the Victorian men’s program to the women’s program while and one of Harris’ other sounding boards, Andrew McDonald had left Victoria’s senior coaching role early last summer to join the Australian team as an assistant coach.ESPNcricinfo LtdVictoria were without a senior coach right up until mid-August when former Victoria and Australia opener Rogers was appointed. Harris worked diligently with Victoria assistant coach Andre Borovec in the interim.Under the McDonald, Stevens, Borovec and Mick Lewis coaching unit Victoria’s batsmen in particular had been given the freedom to explore their own technical preparation within reason, with the coaches fully supporting and working with the player-made plans and only intervening when form issues demanded it.Rogers has a different philosophy having come from coaching Australia’s Under-19 team.”He’s very different to [McDonald],” Harris said. “He’s very technical and he likes tweaking. He’s very focused on that sort of stuff. Which is not wrong or right, every coach is different. He’s been good.”He has just helped me a little bit with my alignment and just getting myself in a better position. That’s been really good. I just work with whoever. All our staff are all very helpful.”Rogers stated when he got the job that developing Victoria’s young batsmen into long-term Test players was his top priority and he specifically mentioned that he had “some ideas about how Marcus can go about it.”The pair have worked very closely together during the 14-day quarantine period Victoria had to undergo in Adelaide ahead of their Sheffield Shield return. They could only train in groups of four under South Australia’s government guidelines that changed just prior to Victoria arriving in Adelaide, and it forced Cricket Australia to reschedule the Shield fixtures as a result.”Buck [Rogers] was in my group of four so it was good to spend some time with him and just work out how he goes about it with his coaching,” Harris said. “He asks a lot of questions just to see what response he gets out of people.”You could have a group in the gym, a group in the outdoor nets, and a group on the outfield, but you couldn’t all be in the same place at once. So it was pretty hard. It didn’t make much sense. You’d all come to ground on a bus but then you weren’t allowed in the same place outdoors. But the rules are what they are.”While Harris enjoyed the technical coaching, he wasn’t sold on Rogers’ taste in music. “In the two weeks that we had in the nets he had his disco music on every day so if that means anything I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t had any coaches who have listened to that stuff.”Marcus Harris loses his off stump to Stuart Broad•Getty ImagesWith CA rejigging the schedule Victoria had nine days out of quarantine before starting their Shield season against South Australia at Glenelg on Friday. South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia have each played two matches already while Queensland and New South Wales have both played one.Victoria held a centre-wicket practice at Adelaide Oval No.2 last Saturday where Harris was able to implement his new set-up.”It feels good,” he said. “I started working on it six weeks ago and for the first little bit it felt uncomfortable, but then we had a good centre-wicket on Saturday on a wicket that was doing plenty and I think I batted for 30-odd overs and got retired. It was good in those two weeks to put some work in and be able to knuckle down a bit.”As for his Test aspirations, Harris is crystal clear on where he sits in the pecking order after discussions with national coach Justin Langer and Rogers, among many others.”There’s just a few things that I need to tweak a bit and also I know that it’s pretty simple,” Harris said. “If I just make runs that will put me in a position to at least be spoken about and if you don’t you find yourself not in the side.”It’s pretty easy. I think you’ve got to be making hundreds and hundreds that people take note of. [Travis Head] made 171 not out and Cam Green got 197 so you’ve got to do things like that if you want to get back in the side or push your way in. That’s what I’ve got to do but I also know I can do it.”

After a disappointing season, Sunderland could be in for more bad news with a Premier League sporting director now attempting to convince one Black Cats star to leave this summer.

Sunderland transfer news

It's been a frustrating few months for those at the Stadium of Light, who are facing the consequences for their Michael Beale experiment, having parted ways with Tony Mowbray when they were competing among the Championship play-off spots. Finishing in the bottom half as a result of that decision, the Black Cats remain without a permanent manager heading into the summer transfer window.

Related Sunderland in talks to sign "incredible" partner for Clarke

Sunderland could finally strike gold and sign a prolific striker with this summer buy.

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The likes of Paul Heckingbottom, Will Still, Liam Rosenior and Bo Svensson have all been mentioned, but Sunderland are yet to make their pick. Rosenior is, of course, a particularly interesting option given that he was nominated for the Championship's Manager of the Season before being sacked by Hull City for failing to guide them into the top six. Their loss could now be Sunderland's gain, however.

As a fresh face emerges in the dugout though, a familiar face could be heading in the other direction and out the door this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman is working to convince Jobe Bellingham to leave Sunderland and join Crystal Palace, with Brentford also reportedly interested in the young midfielder.

With Jude Bellingham starring for Real Madrid, it is Jobe who now has the chance to steal the headlines and take his first steps into the Premier League this summer.

Sunderland must work to keep "great" Bellingham

It may be easier said than done, but Sunderland must do everything in their power to keep hold of Bellingham this summer. One way they should be focusing on doing just that is by finally appointing a permanent manager, handing players such as Bellingham a clear project and path to follow rather than the current unpredictability within the Stadium of Light.

Not many will be surprised by the Premier League interest in the 18-year-old, including former boss Mowbray, who was instantly full of praise for Bellingham at the start of his Sunderland career, telling The Northern Echo: "He acts like a seasoned pro, and demands standards, even in small sided games he wants to win.

"You can see he has a very focused driven thought pattern on where he is going and how he is going to get there. And that is to try to be excellent in everything you do. It’s a great mentality. It helps our team to have someone so young."

Losing a player with such mentality who still has plenty more levels to reach would be a major blow for the Black Cats, but they could face an uphill battle if Palace push on for Bellingham's signature this summer.

Five other promising players, who will now work with the High Performance coaches, have been also named on the list

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2020New Zealand allrounder Jess Watkin, batter Katie Gurrey, and the 16-year-old uncapped Auckland Hearts left-arm spinner Fran Jonas are among eight up-and-coming young female players to have been offered financial support through the NZC’s development contracts for the 2020-21 season.The contracts, introduced in October last year, two months after the announcement of the Women’s Master Agreement, give the NZC High Performance coaches a chance to work with the next generation of female cricketers and learn more about their all-round abilities and potential. Part of the criteria for selecting the development contracts list is that the players have the potential to become centrally contracted with the NZC in the future.While Watkin (Central Districts) and Gurrey (Northern Districts), who have represented Zealand 15 and two times respectively, are the only two internationals in this year’s pool, Jonas, who made her Hearts debut last season, is the youngest among them. Other contracted players include Bella Armstrong and Skye Bowden (Auckland), Rebecca Burns (Wellington), Eden Carson (Otago) and Jacinta Savage (Canterbury).”Fran is most definitely a promising young cricketer with a calm, relaxed temperament,” Nick White, the Hearts head coach, said. “She has a fluent, economical action and an excellent work ethic and this is sure to be a great opportunity to continue her development in the game.”For us as coaches it’s about ensuring we look after not just her cricket but also her well-being. She’s still a 16-year-old and we need to be mindful of that as she progresses with her cricket.”Ant Sharp, the NZC’s head of Women’s High Performance, said the development contracts are part of the board’s commitment to inject resources into the women’s game.”It’s exciting to see a new wave of women’s cricketers coming through our Major Association system,” Sharp said. “Fran is perfect for this programme. We get to learn more about her as a person as well as developing her already exciting skill set.”These contracts are about giving up-and-coming female cricketers a chance to develop their games by utilising the best coaching resources in the country.”

علق أحمد حسام ميدو مهاجم منتخب مصر الأسبق، على الأداء الذي يقدمه بعض لاعبي الزمالك خلال الفترة الماضية، وظهورهم بمستوى متواضع.

وقال ميدو في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس” عن تقييمه لمستوى بعض لاعبي الزمالك مؤخرًا: “أرى أن الزمالك يجب أن يصبر على زياد كمال، لأنه من الممكن أن يتطور، ولن يستفيد النادي أي شيء لو قطع إعارته، لأنه تم سداد ثمنها”.

وتابع: “مصطفى شلبي في محنة كبيرة، إنه يلعب في مستوى عال وهو غير مؤسس فنيًا، هو لاعب جيد لكن من كل 5 كرات على المرمى يفعل 4 كرات خاطئة”.

وأكمل: “المباراة الماضية أمام المحلة وقبلها بلاك بولز، دائمًا ينطلق في الثلث الأخير لكن عرضياته سيئة، اللقطة الأخيرة تظهر إنه ليس عنده تأسيس”.

وواصل: “هناك لقطات يظهر فيها مصطفى شلبي أنه غاضب، أعتقد أنه يكون غضبان من نفسه، و(لازم مصر تعيد إنتاج لاعبين مثل عبد الله السعيد)”.

طالع | أحمد فتحي: ثنائي الأهلي كان ينتمي لـ الزمالك.. ويوضح تفاصيل رفضه الانضمام للقلعة البيضاء

وعن تصريح أحمد فتحي بانتماء محمد بركات وإسلام الشاطر للزمالك قبل انضمامها للأهلي، قال ميدو ضاحكًا: “أحمد فتحي (خلص على محمد بركات وإسلام الشاطر بتصريحه إنهم زمالكاوية، مش هيعدوها لفتحي)”.

Rajapaksa, Oshada, Rajitha left out for the two-match series against West Indies

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Feb-2020

Thisara Perera has made a return to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad after missing the series in India, while fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep and spin-bowling allrounder Shehan Jayasuriya also earn recalls.There was no room, however, for batsmen such as Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Oshada Fernando, who had both impressed in the series against Pakistan last year. Opener Danushka Gunathilaka continued to be unavailable through injury.Thisara last played a T20 international back in March last year, and has been overlooked since then largely on account of poor returns. He appears to have regained form in the past week, however, playing two important lower-order innings in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, in addition to doing a decent job with the new ball. With him in the squad, Sri Lanka have three seam-bowling allrounders to choose from, with Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka retaining their places.On the fast-bowling front, Sri Lanka opted for the experience of Nuwan Pradeep over Kasun Rajitha, who has been omitted. Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana and Lasith Malinga are the other frontline options. Wristspinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan headline the slow-bowling contingent, with off-spinning allrounders Jayasuriy and Dhananjaya de Silva also around.The first of two T20Is, both of which will be hosted by Pallekele, is set to be played on March 4, after the ongoing ODI series concludes. Sri Lanka have already won the ODI series 2-0, with one game to play.Sri Lanka squad: Lasith Malinga (capt.), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara