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Trent Boult took three wickets after New Zealand made West Indies follow-on

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Dec-2020Bad light and an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 74 between Jason Holder and Joshua da Silva have moved the Wellington Test into the fourth day, with West Indies following-on and still trailing by 85 runs. New Zealand seemed on course to finish the match well before stumps, but Holder and the debutant da Silva looked in little trouble on a pitch that had eased out considerably, and against an attack that seemed to have tired a little from bowling in back-to-back innings in back-to-back Test matches.The telltale sign of this possible tiredness was the lack of venom when the fast bowlers bowled short to Holder, which they did frequently with plenty of protection on the leg side. Holder was seldom troubled by this mode of attack, with the ball usually either bouncing too high to trouble him or not bouncing high enough. He hit eight fours and two sixes in scoring an unbeaten 60 off 89 balls, and eight of those ten boundaries came via the pull or the hook.Da Silva joined Holder at 170 for 6 – New Zealand’s lead at that point was 159 – in the third over after tea, after Jermaine Blackwood had been bowled slogging at a full inswinger from Trent Boult. The end seemed near, but da Silva – who often opens for Trinidad & Tobago in domestic cricket – showed impressive technique and composure, seeming to have plenty of time to play both attacking and defensive shots, moving confidently forward or back and getting into compact positions. He ended the day batting on 25, his only moment of discomfort coming while on 11, when he swiveled too early into a pull against Tim Southee to get smacked on the helmet.Trent Boult is elated after dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite•Getty ImagesWhen play resumes half an hour early on Monday, New Zealand will remain favourites to knock off the four remaining wickets and take a full 120 points from this series to enrich their chances of making the World Test Championship final at Lord’s. But West Indies will begin the day knowing that the Basin Reserve has seen plenty of epic third-innings rearguards in the last six years: Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling against India in 2014, Kane Williamson and Watling against Sri Lanka in 2015 and Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews against New Zealand in 2018.Getting anywhere near the magnitude of those partnerships, however, will require something of a miracle from Holder and da Silva, because the New Zealand attack – conditions notwithstanding – has been outstanding all series, and were outstanding for most part on Sunday too.Southee took the last two first-innings wickets within the first five overs of the day to complete his five-wicket haul and wrap up a 329-run lead. There wasn’t a whole lot of seam movement to work with when West Indies followed-on for the second successive Test, but New Zealand’s fast bowlers are used to home pitches that get better to bat on in the second half of Test matches.Their pace quartet continued to swing the ball even when it had lost most of its shine, varied their lengths and angles cleverly to ensure the batsmen didn’t get into a rhythm, and used the short ball with purpose. Boult got New Zealand two early breakthroughs, and after John Campbell and Shamarh Brooks had resisted a searching pace examination and put on 89 in 23.1 overs, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson burst through the middle order before Holder, along with Blackwood and then da Silva, repelled their seemingly irresistible momentum.Southee and Boult caused Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite moments of discomfort with their control and new-ball swing, but the openers got past that and seemed in better rhythm than in the first innings while putting on 37 in 11 overs. Then Boult found success by working away at a plan, targeting Brathwaite’s tendency to flick in the air without getting his weight onto the front foot. A full ball at the stumps flew to the left of Will Young, stationed at leg gully for just that sort of shot, and he completed a stunning low catch with a full-length dive.Three balls later, Boult struck again, with a spiteful short ball that reared towards Darren Bravo’s face. He threw his hands up reflexively to protect himself, only to glove the ball to gully.Campbell and Brooks survived until lunch, and then on to the drinks break midway through the second session never entirely comfortable, but finding a way to stay in. Campbell batted out of his crease to counter the late swing and grew more confident with his footwork as his innings progressed. He got his weight forward when the ball was pitched up, bending his front knee fully as he drove Jamieson through the covers shortly before lunch, and later, when Wagner looked to test him with the short ball, he pulled him for successive fours to bring up his fifty.John Campbell swivels to pull•Getty ImagesThe pulled fours came midway through an absorbing 12-over spell from Wagner, who, rather than use the short ball as his stock weapon as he typically does, mixed them up with swing and fuller lengths. Brooks also went after him – but with mixed results – square-driving him for three fours in the space of two overs, while also getting beaten multiple times on the outside edge while playing for non-existent swing. On one of these occasions, the left-armer’s angle took it past Brooks’ closed bat face and hit back pad, provoking a massive lbw appeal. It wasn’t given, with umpire Chris Gaffaney probably reckoning the ball might have pitched outside leg stump or that it might have carried on past or over off stump.New Zealand didn’t review – they had just used one up for a caught-behind appeal when Southee had grazed Brooks’ thigh pad with an outswinger – and ball-tracking suggested the ball pitched in line and would have hit the top of off stump.But the fired-up Wagner didn’t take long to get back at Brooks. Having just been driven to the cover point boundary, Wagner produced a ball that kicked up off a length and went with the angle across the right-hander. Brooks played forward in defence, looking for swing, and edged behind off the shoulder of his bat.Having created this opening, New Zealand burst through it, as Jamieson picked up two in the space of two overs. First he got one to straighten and bounce in the corridor to get Roston Chase nicking to second slip to complete a pair, before Campbell played on while cramped for room and jabbing with an angled bat.Blackwood and Holder then added a brisk 36 either side of tea, before a rush of blood from Blackwood gave Boult his third wicket as da Silva joined his captain at the crease to take the fight into another day.

Manchester United are close to signing a new teenage winger, according to reliable reporter Samuel Luckhurst.

Man Utd making academy moves

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is into his first transfer window as co-owner of the Red Devils and is yet to make a senior signing for Erik ten Hag. The new co-owner has recently said that it will take two or three summer windows to complete an Old Trafford rebuild when it comes to the playing squad.

"I don't think the solution is to buy an Mbappe. We are more grassroots than that. One player is not going to solve the problem at Manchester United. The first thing we need to do is build a balanced squad and ultimately maybe top it off with one or two players like Mbappe. It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place.”

It looks as if a new centre-back and centre-forward are on the to-do list at Old Trafford after Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial left upon their contracts expiring at the end of June. Ten Hag could target his fellow countrymen when it comes to defensive and attacking reinforcements, Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt two heavily linked players.

However, alongside senior signings, the club have also been working to secure the services of potential stars in the making at academy level. The club have already sealed deals for teenager Silva Mexes, the son of former Cardiff and West Brom striker Rob Earnshaw, and Australian James Overy, whereas Camron Mpofu from Reading is also expected to sign.

Now, another teenager has emerged on the Carrington radar, and it looks as if a move could be a matter of when he signs for United, not if.

Man Utd close to signing teenage winger

According to The Manchester Evening News’ chief reporter Luckhurst, Man Utd are close to signing Crystal Palace gem Samuel Lusale. The 16-year-old plays as a winger and recently represented Slovakia at the Under-17 European Championship in May.

Interestingly, Lusale is represented by the agency Roc Nation, which was founded by American rapper Jay-Z. On their website for Lusale’s profile, they describe the Palace gem as a quick winger who can play on either side.

“Samuel is a quick, dynamic winger who is regarded as one of the most exciting attacking players in the UK at under-16 level. Comfortable playing off the right or left wing, his electrifying pace and direct running with the ball makes him a constant threat to the opposition defence. He is often the source of goals and assists for his team.”

Man Utd chiefs ready to sell £190,000-p/w star who Ten Hag called "massive"

Ruthless from the Red Devils.

2 ByTom Cunningham Jul 4, 2024

His next move could be north to Manchester by the looks of things, and who knows, he could be the next wide teenager to progress into the first team after spending time in the academy after Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.

Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi has delved into the reason Mason Greenwood was hooked at half-time in the humiliating defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

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De Zerbi explains Greenwood substitutionForward hooked at half-time in PSG defeatBoss unhappy with lack of 'courage' shownFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Marseille lost 3-0 at home in Le Classique, French football's biggest derby, playing 70 minutes with 10 players and trailing by three goals at the break. When the hosts re-emerged for the second half, Greenwood was not among them after a ruthless De Zerbi opted for a double half-time substitution. The Italian implied post-match that the forward played without courage.

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Greenwood had made a good start to life in France after completing a permanent transfer to Marseille in July, scoring five times in his first three Ligue 1 appearances. With the team flying as they bid to return to the Champions League next season, the 23-year-old had hardly missed a minute until being hooked early on Sunday. But he's also only scored once in his last six games since August.

WHAT ROBERTO DE ZERBI SAID

"I didn't like the way he played," De Zerbi told reporters when asked why he subbed Greenwood. "If we want to compete for the title we have to push in all matches. He's a good guy but I expected a lot more from him this evening."

De Zerbi went on to talk more generally about the team in comments to broadcaster but it highlighted further why he didn't want Greenwood on the pitch in the second half.

"At 11v11, we weren't up to par," he said. "We need to make more runs, sacrifices, I told the players. We got a lot of red cards. I don't want to know if it was fair or not. We weren't able to do like in Lyon. We didn't play with courage like my team should play. We had to play with courage, that's why it was more difficult. We're going to have to keep working and do more. We need to have more personality and play better. We weren't able to be competitive. We had prepared well to play with courage. If we don't play with courage, we can't wear this jersey."

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Marseille sit third in Ligue 1 and now trail leaders PSG by six points. They are back in action on November 3 with a trip to mid-table Nantes, before they host the similarly mediocre Auxerre the following week. Both games will be seen an opportunity to return to winning ways going into the next international break.

Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim also gained after Bangladesh’s sweep of West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2021Bangladesh offspinner Mehidy Hasan and Ireland batsman Paul Stirling have made notable gains in the ODI rankings for bowlers and batsmen, respectively, after the latest round of bilateral engagements. Shakib Al Hasan, who returned to international cricket after a one-year ban during Bangladesh’s series against West Indies, also moved up two places to No. 13 among bowlers.Mehidy, who was the highest wicket-taker against West Indies with seven strikes – including a career-best 4 for 25 in the second ODI – has climbed up nine spots to No. 4, while Stirling’s three centuries in his last five ODIs against the UAE and Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi helped him rise eight steps to No. 20 among batsmen. His 131 not out against UAE was followed by scores of 128 and 118 against Afghanistan, though all three knocks came in losses.ICC ODI Bowling Rankings•ESPNcricinfo LtdShakib, meanwhile, was just behind Mehidy with six wickets against West Indies – four of which came in the first ODI. In other gains for Bangladesh, left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman – who also claimed six wickets in the three matches – has jumped 11 spots to No. 8 among bowlers, while wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, captain Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mohammad Saifuddin also made slight gains in the charts.Though West Indies comprehensively lost all three ODIs against Bangladesh, Alzarri Joseph moved up by 11 places up to No. 34 among bowlers.

The American duo enjoyed some bright moments but were unable to affect the result as Paulo Fonseca's side settled for a tie

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Christian Pulisic started, had limited impactYunus Musah seldom involved in 10-minute cameoMilan seventh in Serie A after 11 gamesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. international Christian Pulisic endured a frustrating evening for AC Milan in the Serie A side's 3-3 draw against Cagliari, enjoying a flurry of bright moments but failing to materially contribute.

Starting once again as a No. 10, the American was rather starved for space, and was unable to affect play in the final third. The closest he came was a neat right-footed effort, which was parried to the feet of Tammy Abraham – who turned home to give Milan a 3-2 lead. That might have been the winning goal, but a late volley from Gabriele Zappa salvaged a deserved point for the home side.

Musah, for his part, had to watch most of the game from the bench, and was hardly involved in a 10 minute cameo – by which point his side had lost control of the game.

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The result could prove to be costly for Paulo Fonseca's tenure as manager at AC Milan. The former Lille boss has struggled in his first season, and with his team outside of a European spot less than a third of the way into the season.

Milan's inconsistency through his first season at the club has led to multiple reports of him potentially facing the sack.

DID YOU KNOW?

Although his performances in the Champions League have impressed, Pulisic's production in Serie A has rather dropped of late. The American has now failed to score or assist in three straight in the Italian top flight. Milan have failed to win all three.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC AND MUSAH?

The American duo's attention now turns to USMNT duty. Both will likely be named in Mauricio Pochettino's upcoming squad for the U.S.'s Nations League quarterfinal tie with Jamaica. The first leg is set for Thursday in Kingston, while the second will be on Monday in St. Louis.

Having already welcomed six fresh faces this summer, Derby County are now reportedly "tracking" a potential seventh in the form of a Premier League midfielder.

Derby transfer news

Finally back in the Championship, Derby intend to stay there at worst and perhaps even kick on towards the second-tier playoffs next season. In pursuit of doing just that, Paul Warne has enjoyed a busy summer of arrivals. Jerry Yates, Kayden Jackson, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Ben Osborn, Kenzo Goudmijn and, most recently, Ebou Adams have all arrived to hand the Rams quite the boost.

Adams returns to Pride Park on a permanent basis from Cardiff City, having enjoyed an excellent loan spell last season. He spoke about his ambition to progress ahead of the Championship campaign, telling RamsTV: "I think that's a target, it has to be for me, because last year I was doing alright, I guess.

"But I think for me it's important just to be consistent, keep putting in the performances I have been, because I know a bit of the level and it will be tough. We need to just enjoy the moment, like I said, Derby are back where they belong. Let's see what we can do. I'm looking forward to it, I can't wait."

Club chief confirms "interest" in 26 y/o star as Derby submit first offer

The Rams are looking to sign their seventh signing of the summer…

ByTom Cunningham Jul 19, 2024

The former Cardiff man could yet be joined by a Premier League gem in midfield too. According to Darren Witcoop, Derby are now "tracking" David Ozoh ahead of a potential loan move from Crystal Palace this summer.

The defensive midfielder has impressed in brief appearances for Crystal Palace, becoming their youngest ever Premier League player, and could now get a season of first-team action at Derby.

"Excellent" Ozoh is ready for senior minutes

Having already broken a significant record at Selhurst Park, Ozoh now has the chance to progress even more on loan and starting most weeks. The midfielder even earned the praise of former manager Roy Hodgson last season.

The veteran manager told the club's official website after his display against Manchester City: "I was really pleased with them. I thought David Ozoh was excellent. The ones that came on in the end, in particular Franca… he had a very good cameo. I’ve been expecting that.

"I’ve said to him on many occasions ‘when you get your chance ‘you’ll be okay’… Before that, we were reliant on [Jeff] Schlupp and Jaïro Riedewald, who did an excellent job for us."

Just 19 years old, there's no doubt that Derby now have the chance to land a gem in the middle of the park to add the additions of Adams, Osborn and Goudmijn this summer.

Robin Uthappa and Sachin Baby makes fifties as Kerala go to eight points

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2021Fast bowler S Sreesanth was among the heroes for Kerala as they beat Uttar Pradesh by three wickets to register their second win in two games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Sreesanth took 5 for 65 as Kerala bowled UP out for 283, before fifties from Robin Uthappa (81 off 55) and Sachin Baby (76 off 83) laid the foundation for a chase that went deep.Sreesanth is playing in his first full domestic season for Kerala since 2013 following his ban in relation to the IPL spot-fixing episode. He played the entirety of the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that preceded the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the 50-over competition, he now has seven wickets in two games.This was the 37-year-old Sreesanth’s second five-wicket haul in List A cricket, the first one being his ODI-best 6 for 55 against England in 2006. He dismissed two of UP’s half-centurions, opener Abhishek Goswami and middle-order batsman Akshdeep Nath, and took the last four wickets of the innings, including that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.In their chase, Kerala lost Vishnu Vinod early to Bhuvneshwar, but a brisk 104-run stand between Uthappa and Sanju Samson kept them on track with the required rate. Two quick wickets followed, however, and it took consolidation from the middle order before No. 9 M Nidheesh struck an unbeaten 13 off 6 to help them get over the line.

Clubs in England's top flight are worried semi-automated offsides will not be implemented until next season after a problem in La Liga.

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Premier League waiting on new technologyControversy in Spain may cause new delayBarcelona saw goal wrongly disallowedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Premier League had been set to implement semi-automated offside technology after Christmas but that date could now be pushed back until next season, according to . Fresh concerns about the technology have been raised after Robert Lewandowski saw a goal controversially ruled out for offside against Real Sociedad due to a 'glitch' in the system. Barcelona fans were left raging at the technology after it appeared to wrongly confuse Lewandowski's boot with defender Nayef Aguerd's.

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Barcelona have also demanded answers from the RFEF over the incident, and the controversy could have ramifications back in England. According to the report, Premier League clubs "want to ensure the new system is foolproof" before it is implemented in order to avoid such incidents happening in the English top flight.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Barcelona sporting director Deco has called for more clarity in the aftermath of the disallowed goal. He told : "Why is it semi-automatic? I am lost. I still don't know if the boots were yellow or black. We don't want to go there because we don't want excuses, but there's a question: what happened? Where's the error occurred, if there's an error? If not, no problem, but we need an explanation because we're lost with what semi-automatic means. If there's an involvement from VAR, if the referee really can't do anything. If the semi-automatic system doesn't work, then we need to return to another system. This isn't a Barca issue, it's about improvements for all teams. Some things have improved, but in other areas we still have one person's interpretation. We still have controversial decisions, like the one at Anoeta on Sunday, which was probably incorrect."

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Premier League bosses are expected to discuss the current situation around semi-automated offsides and the recent controversy in La Liga before making a decision on when the technology will be brought to the top flight, meaning it could well be delayed until next season.

Southampton have reportedly already made contact with their next target after Ben Brereton Diaz in the shape of an "amazing" 25-year-old winger.

Southampton closing in on Brereton Diaz signing

Saints have already completed some significant transfer business in recent weeks, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes both arriving on permanent deals. The pair shone on loan last season, playing a key role in Russell Martin's side returning to the Premier League, so nailing them down feels like a huge positive.

Now, it also looks as though Brereton Diaz is close to becoming Southampton's next signing, with the Chile international set to undergo a medical imminently and seal a loan move from La Liga side Villarreal.

The South coast club have reportedly been in pole position to sign the 25-year-old in recent days, with his current club seemingly willing to sanction a temporary exit in the current transfer window.

Should Southampton sign Brereton Diaz, he could be an excellent addition, having scored six goals in 14 Premier League appearances on loan at Sheffield United last season, doing his best to keep them from heading back to the Championship, which ended up being unsuccessful.

Southampton make contact with "amazing" player

According to a new report from Football Insider, Southampton have made contact with Sassuolo forward Armand Lauriente over a move to St Mary's this summer.

Saints have "registered their interest" in the winger, who is "available" after his side suffered the disappointment of being relegated from Serie A last season. Martin is believed to be "searching for more wide attackers before the transfer window shuts", although the report adds that "Lazio and top clubs in the Turkish Super Lig are also keen" on snapping up the Frenchman.

Lauriente could be such an eye-catching signing for Southampton, proving to be the type of player who can get supporters off their seats with his attacking brilliance.

He has been hailed as "amazing" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who was wowed by a "Juninho-esque" free-kick, in reference to the former Lyon and Brazil star who is arguably regarded as one of the greatest set-piece takers in football history.

Lauriente has a tally of 24 goal contributions (12 goals and assists apiece) in 68 appearances for Sassuolo, which is a good return for a player who has often been performing for a struggling team, and he also has two caps to his name for France's Under-21s, which suggests he has always been a talent for a number of years.

The Sassuolo star's ability to thrive in a central attacking midfield role and also out wide would also give Martin extra attacking depth, which can only be a good thing back in the Premier League, so it is hard to see there being many negatives to signing him.

Southampton leading race for "wonderful" gem who is better than Doak

Southampton could be better off attempting to strike a deal for this tricky gem over pursuing Ben Doak’s signature.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 29, 2024

If Southampton manage to get both Lauriente and Breteton Diaz this summer, it would further suggest that this is one of the most productive windows at St Mary's in some time.

La Liga giants and European champions Real Madrid, following their links to Reece James over the years, have set their sights on another highly-rated Chelsea player who has been compared to Manchester United summer signing Leny Yoro.

Real Madrid linked with move to sign Reece James from Chelsea

Since as far back as last year, the Galacticos have been sporadically linked with a move for the £250,000-per-week Chelsea right-back, with Carlo Ancelotti's side also having their eyes on Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold for the role.

"Hard to believe" – Sky pundit "surprised" by transfer news out of Chelsea

The Blues have been very busy this window.

ByEmilio Galantini Aug 8, 2024

The latter has been seen laughing off a move to Spain, though, and Liverpool are quietly confident that Alexander-Arnold will sign a new contract with his current deal set to expire next year as things stand.

James could be viewed as an alternative full-back solution for Madrid, who are reportedly keen to snap up a long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal. The 32-year-old's contract is also set to run out next year, so it is believed Real are scouring the market for potential Carvajal successors.

When fit and available, James is arguably a world-class player in that position, but the England international defender has a major achilles heel in his torrid injury record. Indeed, James practically missed the entirety of last season through injury, with surgery required on a persistent hamstring problem.

Depending on his performances next season, and whether James can stay fit, he could well be a sound option for Ancelotti. Journalist Dean Jones, speaking on the Ranks FC Ultras podcast earlier this year, tipped the Premier League star to make a move to Real Madrid on one crucial condition.

Moises Caicedo

£115 million

Enzo Fernandez

£107 million

Mykhailo Mudryk

£88 million

Wesley Fofana

£72 million

Marc Cucurella

£58 million

“He’s made his comeback and he’s back in the team, but can we see the real Reece James for a long period of time? If we do then he will end up at Real Madrid," said Jones.

"Genuinely, they’ve wanted him for two or three years if he could become the man he could become, but he’s had setback after setback. He’s so good and if he starts the last game of the season then he’s fit for selection in Gareth Southgate’s eyes. I don’t know, I think there’s a huge temptation to take him.”

Real Madrid looking at signing Josh Acheampong from Chelsea

Interestingly, a new report from The Independent and journalist Miguel Delaney claims that James isn't the only Chelsea right-back who Real are considering.

Indeed, it is believed Real are now looking at signing highly-rated young Chelsea right-back Josh Acheampong, who Delaney writes is tipped for big things at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old's sale would count as pure profit in the eyes of PSR, with Chelsea making a habit of selling academy players in recent years through their agreed exit deals for Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount and others.

Acheampong is valued at around £13 million, according to Delaney, and is seen as a youngster with a similar profile to Man United's Leny Yoro ass he can play as a centre-half in addition to right-back.