Batting coach Grant Flower reckons SL’s inexperience has played a role in their first series loss against Bangladesh

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-May-2021The lack of experience in the top order may have played a role in Sri Lanka’s poor batting performances in Bangladesh. And the door’s not closed on the seniors who were left out of this series. These are the conclusions Sri Lanka’s coaches have come to after a dispiriting series loss against Bangladesh (their first ever), in which a relatively green top order collapsed twice in pursuit of testing totals.Sri Lanka had left out the likes of Angelo Mathews for this series, and for batting coach Grant Flower, having batters with experience in situations such as facing good spin bowling after early wickets had fallen, could have led to better results.The absence of seniors has been made particularly stark by the excellent innings produced by Bangladesh’s most-experienced players – Mushfiqur Rahim in particular, who has hit 84 and 125 so far in the series, to win both Player-of-the-Match awards.”[The lack of experienced batters] looks like it’s had quite a big impact at this stage,” Flower said on the eve of the third ODI. “The young guys who were selected are good players, but are lacking a lot of experience. When you look at Mushfiqur’s experience or Tamim Iqbal – they’ve played a hell of a lot of cricket.”Related

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Flower’s comments chime with those made by head coach Mickey Arthur earlier in the day, who had emphasised that although senior players had been left out for this series, they are not totally out of selection contention. (Arthur, to be fair, had said similar things about Mathews even before the series loss.)”The door’s not closed for anybody – certainly not,” said Arthur. “We’ve started on a journey with what we think is a team that will play in 2023, but the door’s no closed on anybody. Certainly some senior players can come at any given time depending on performances. We’re trying to create depth within our side, so everybody puts pressure on each other.”Flower commented on Mathews specifically, whose omission always seemed the harshest, from among the senior lot. Not only was Mathews by far the most experienced player in Sri Lanka’s ODI player pool, with 218 appearances, he’d also averaged 52.57 with the bat in the four years between 2016 and 2019, though with a strike rate of 79.61.”Someone like Ange could come off and he is still a fine player,” Flower said. “His record suggests that just recently in the contractual period, he’s done ok. But over time, the selectors and director of cricket thought it was time to blood some new people. Whether or not they change their minds and ask Ange to come back, I’m not sure.”As far as the third ODI goes, Flower said he wanted batters to play more aggressively than they had in the previous two games. In both chases so far, Sri Lanka had stuttered in the early overs and allowed the required rate to climb rapidly past a run-a-ball early in the middle overs. They were chasing 258 and 247.”Definitely take more calculated risks and play the way they do in the nets – that’s what you work on. Good bowlers at this level are going to keep landing it on the spot. But you have to be proactive and move your feet, or play the odd sweep, or get deep in the crease. Mushfiqur, for example, is not a big hitter but he manipulates the ball brilliantly. The boys have got a great example playing against them.”Offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been Sri Lanka’s prime destroyer, taking seven wickets in the two matches so far.”Mehidy’s just got to No. 2 in the rankings, so he’s a very good offspinner. I think we’ve played him with too much respect.”

The franchises had requested the PCB to shift the games out of Karachi because of the pandemic

Umar Farooq07-May-2021

Only 14 matches of the 2021 season of the PSL could be completed before it was postponed•Pakistan Super League

The PCB has approached the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to host the remaining games of the rescheduled 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE. The original plan had been to play the matches in Karachi, but the PCB has decided against it following a request from the six franchises as well as advice from the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), which asked the board to avoid playing in Karachi because of the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.Upon the franchises’ request to move the matches out of Pakistan, the PCB met with all the teams via video conference to discuss the financial implications of postponing the tournament. The PCB has agreed to look beyond Karachi, with UAE as a preferred venue for the games. The UAE was where the PSL began, its inaugural edition in 2016 held there while international cricket was not taking place in Pakistan.Karachi had originally been announced as the venue for the tournament and even till last week, the PCB was proceeding on the basis that tournament would be held there, with the board making arrangements for a hotel. But earlier this week, the PCB met with the NCOC, whose forecast of the Covid situation in Pakistan over the next 20 days wasn’t reassuring. The NCOC informed the PCB there might be a rise in cases post-Eid, and that the government might subsequently enforce a stricter lockdown in the country. Already a nationwide lockdown has begun from today, to be in place until May 15.”We had an interactive and productive meeting in which we considered a number of factors,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said. “While the UAE has emerged as a preferred venue, a number of challenges remain, which will be worked through over the coming days. We remain committed to doing everything possible to complete the HBL PSL 6.”The tournament was initially slated to start from June, but with the change of venue, the PCB will work on a revised schedule. The window to host the tournament is unlikely to alter too much though, as Pakistan are scheduled to begin a tour of England from June 23. Though the PCB and PSL have both agreed to playing in UAE, a final confirmation will be made only when the franchises give their approval upon seeing the revised opportunity costs of playing abroad.”The PCB will carry out a detailed financial and risk assessment as well as cost analysis before reporting back to the franchises, who will then review before a decision on the event venue is confirmed,” the PCB said.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the franchises had written a letter to the board last week, asking for the tournament to be played in the Emirates.The 2021 edition of the PSL was suspended after 14 games – played between February 20 and March 3, all in Karachi – following an outbreak of cases among players and support staff. After a date for resumption was finalised – June 2 to June 20 – the franchises took part in a replacement draft to plug holes in their line-ups because a number of overseas players would not be able to take part in the games on the new dates.The changed situation with the pandemic, however, made franchises nervous about the situation, which led to them approaching the PCB.Pakistan, meanwhile, has announced a decision to curtail inbound flights to the country from May 5 to May 20.A move to the UAE would not be without its own logistical and operational issues, though. Flights to the country from Pakistan are currently operating at a severely reduced frequency. And June is not a month in which top-level cricket is often played in the UAE, because of the oppressive heat at that time of the year.

Manchester United are believed to be pursuing a late move for a "big talent" on deadline day, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Man Utd eyeing last-gasp signings

The Red Devils have enjoyed a strong summer in the transfer market, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe making his presence felt by bringing in some exciting names. Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt have been eye-catching additions at the heart of United's defence – the former is unfortunately injured for a sustained period, though – while Manuel Ugarte has added much-needed legs and tenacity to Erik ten Hag's midfield. Joshua Zirkzee has been a key attacking signing, too, scoring on his debut in the 1-0 win over Fulham on the opening night of the Premier League season.

There is still just about time for the Red Devils to complete some last-minute business, however, with various rumours emerging recently. Sverre Nypan is a young talent who United are said to be in the mix to sign, with the 17-year-old Rosenborg ace also wanted by Arsenal.

Another report has linked them with a last-minute move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, although it now looks as though the England international will be on his way to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ahli in the process. There have also been constant exit reports surrounding Jadon Sancho's future, with a switch to Chelsea far from out of the question.

Man Utd "exploring" move for "big talent"

Taking to X on Friday afternoon, Sheth claimed that Manchester United are looking to sign Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, in a new separate deal from the one potentially involving Sancho moving to Stamford Bridge:

Chukwuemeka is a gifted player with a potentially high ceiling in the game, so the idea of United striking a deal for him has to be considered exciting. Admittedly, he wouldn't be arriving as a guaranteed success, considering he is still a 20-year-old with a lot to learn in the game, but Steven Gerrard spoke highly of him during their time together at Aston Villa.

Chukwuemeka could see United as a better club to be at than Chelsea, in terms of earning more regular minutes, given the constant spending of the Blues and the fact that they are arguably less likely to promote youth than the Red Devils.

England Under-20s

7

0

England Under-19s

13

6

England Under-18s

1

1

England Under-17s

2

0

Over time, it could prove to be a masterstroke of a signing, with the £4.3m-a-year-earning Chukwuemeka capped for England across four different youth teams, making a total of 23 caps combined, and picking up 37 Premier League appearances to date.

Leeds United ended their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 campaign with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Elland Road in the Championship on Saturday.

Daniel Farke’s side had drawn against Portsmouth and West Brom and beaten Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City in their first four matches of the season.

That run came to an end, however, as Luca Koleosho scored the only goal of the game in the first half, with a composed finish into the bottom right corner after a slip from Manor Solomon at the other end.

The Tottenham Hotspur loanee had an unfortunate moment for the goal but he was not the worst player on the pitch for Leeds, as the rest of his performance was promising.

Manor Solomon's game in numbers

Solomon lost his footing around the halfway line to allow Koloesho to race through and score past Illan Meslier, with weak covering defending from his teammates.

However, the winger had plenty of positive moments in the game and showed nice touches and turns on the ball to make things happen for Leeds in the final third.

The Spurs loanee created three chances and completed 86% of his chances, whilst completing all three of his dribble attempts, and this shows that he was largely impressive in his use of the ball.

He also won six of his seven duels on the ground and made two tackles to help out his team defensively, which shows that the forward was strong out of possession and worked hard for the team.

Meanwhile, Wilfried Gnonto, on the other flank, was the real villain for the Whites with his disappointing performance at Elland Road on Saturday.

Wilfried Gnonto's performance against Burnley

The Italy U21 international struggled to make any impact at the top end of the pitch and will surely be frustrated with his lack of threat in the final third.

Gnonto had one glorious chance to find the back of the net in the first half, after Brenden Aaronson slipped the ball through to him, but he failed to beat James Trafford with a left-footed effort that hit the goalkeeper.

The Italian winger had three shots in total and failed to score, missing one ‘big chance’, and also ended the match with zero key passes (chances created) to his name.

Vs Burnley

Wilfried Gnonto

Minutes played

90

Pass accuracy

81%

Key passes

0

Big chances missed

1

Duels won

7/14

Possession lost

16x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the attacker endured a rough afternoon, losing half of his duels and giving the ball away 16 times, without making any real contributions in the final third.

Whereas, Solomon, despite his slip for the goal, created three chances for his teammates and won the vast majority of his duels to keep hold of the ball for Leeds.

These statistics show that Gnonto was even worse than the Spurs man and that it was a performance that may now leave Farke thinking about whether he should remain in the starting XI next time out.

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Posts ByDan Emery Sep 12, 2024

Pep Guardiola remained cautious ahead of facing a tricky Everton side as Manchester City look to end their recent slump on Boxing Day.

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• Guardiola admitted he is wary of Everton
• City won one game out of their last 12 games
• Face the Toffees on Boxing Day

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City are going through their worst phase in the Guardiola era as they have managed to win just one game out of their last 12 across all competitions. Their sudden dip in form started with a loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on October 30 and since they have gone down on the Premier League table and currently find themselves seventh, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

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  The defending champions will now look to end this slump and get back to winning ways. Their next fixture is against an Everton side who have held giants Arsenal and Chelsea to goalless draws in their last two league fixtures. Ahead of the Boxing Day clash, Guardiola admitted his fear of facing the Toffees and revealed how they can overcome the barrier.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the City boss said: "They are not the perfect opponent. It is about us to come back to our best. It will take time. We have to get results as quickly as possible. We are facing Everton and they are in a good moment, their results and performances show it."

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  After the Boxing Day fixture at home, the Cityzens will play their final game of 2024 on December 29 as they take on Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

Mason Greenwood’s 11th goal of the season means that he is second only to Didier Drogba when it comes to flying starts at Marseille.

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Moved to Stade Velodrome from Old TraffordHas made a flying start to life in FranceClose to emulating iconic Ivorian strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The one-cap England international agreed to take on a new challenge in France when completing a big-money transfer from Manchester United in the summer of 2024. He earned Player of the Year honours at La Liga side Getafe last season and has picked up where he left off at Stade Velodrome.

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Greenwood scored on his Ligue 1 debut for Marseille, while netting five times through his first three appearances. An uncharacteristic drought was endured from there, but a spark has been rediscovered since mid-October.

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The 23-year-old remains a reliable source of end product for Marseille, with his goal tally for the campaign being taken to 11 through 16 outings. Only club legend Drogba, who also starred for Chelsea in his glittering career, can claim to have bettered Greenwood’s return – having registered 12 goals through the same number of games during his time in the south of France.

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Greenwood will believe that there is plenty more to come from him, as full potential is unlocked, with there already talk of Barcelona shooting admiring glances in his direction ahead of future transfer windows.

Kirstie Gordon finishes the job as Thunder are rumbled by 134 runs

ECB Reporters Network06-Jun-2021

Tammy Beaumont plays to the leg side•Getty Images

Half-centuries for Tammy Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce and four wickets for spinner Kirstie Gordon ensured Lightning posted their first victory in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after a one-sided clash with North West Thunder at Chester Boughton Hall.Beaumont confirmed her status as one of the finest batters around with a chanceless 89 before Bryce’s 74 took Lightning to a daunting total of 259 for 5 off their 50 overs. Gordon then claimed 4 for 23 as Thunder slumped to 125 all out with Katie Higham’s 3 for 10 also contributing to the 134-run win.Earlier, Beaumont had begun the day in confident fashion in sharp contrast to her opening partner, Sarah Bryce, who took until the eighth over to get off the mark.But once the pair got into stride the runs came easily with both Kate Cross and Piepa Cleary struggling to make an impact as the stand advanced to 74 before Bryce hit Alex Hartley straight to Nat Brown at mid-off for 24.Kathryn Bryce replaced her sister at the crease and with Beaumont continuing to show her class, 98 runs were added for the second wicket until the World Cup winner fell 11 short of a deserved century after Hartley took a superb tumbling catch off Sophie Ecclestone.England spinner Ecclestone was proving the one thorn in Lightning’s side and she picked up a second victim by bowling Abigail Freeborn for 0.Related

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When Sonia Odedra fell soon after to a sharp caught-and-bowled chance taken by Emma Lamb, Thunder looked to be dragging themselves back into the contest with Lightning 187 for 4 with less than nine overs left.Bryce had other ideas and the attacking shots began to come out as she reached 74 before hitting a Hartley delivery to Ecclestone in the deep.Teresa Graves and Lucy Higham continued the momentum allowing Lightning to set 260 to win which proved far beyond the host’s capabilities.Thunder did enjoy a decent start thanks to Lamb and Georgia Boyce and the opening pair had compiled a stand of 39 when Gordon bowled the latter for 13.It was the start of a golden spell for Gordon who quickly rearranged Ellie Threlkeld’s stumps before Graves claimed Cleary and Lamb, who undid her good work by slogging one to Gordon on the midwicket boundary for 42.Higham chipped in with the wickets of Ecclestone and Danielle Collins either side of two more scalps for Gordon as Cross and Laura Marshall both went without scoring.All of a sudden Thunder had lost four wickets for 13 runs and the game was over bar the shouting with only Brown’s 24 and Hartley’s 28 lending respectability to the Lightning scorecard.

West Ham United have had an extremely busy summer transfer window, already acquiring nine signings for new boss, Julen Lopetegui, as he targets a return to European football for the Hammers.

The club is currently trying to manage outgoings, in order to add a final few additions to the squad before the window slams shut, one of those being Kurt Zouma, who has been subject to interest from clubs abroad.

Zouma made 39 appearances for West Ham in all competitions last season, scoring three goals, and contributing to four clean sheets in his 3,379 minutes played.

West Ham transfer news

According to reports relayed by The Guardian, West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Galatasaray defender, Victor Nelsson. It is believed a deal could be done for a fee in the region of £12m, but the Hammers are currently reliant on sales before making a move.

Other interested clubs include Spanish side Sevilla, French side Lille and Italian side Bologna.

Nelsson made 46 appearances for Galatasaray in all competitions last season, scoring two goals, and contributing to 20 clean sheets in his 3,448 minutes played.

Current West Ham centre back options compared

Once described as "exemplary" by Jacek Kulig, the Danish defender has been highly rated for some time now, attracting interest from top European clubs.

The only current senior right-footed centre-back options at West Ham are Zouma (who could be on his way out) and new signing Jean-Claire Todibo. Therefore, if Zouma was to leave, West Ham would like to address the depth in this area, with someone more comfortable on the ball.

Zouma and Todibo in comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	Zouma	Todibo
Progressive Carries	0.20	1.08
Progressive Passes	1.55	5.08
Passes Attempted	36.3	84.3
Pass Completion %	83.7%	89.6%
Tackles	0.76	1.97
Interceptions	0.96	1.27
Blocks	1.18	1.15
Aerials Won	1.89	1.32
Stats taken from FBref

From these metrics, you can see how Todibo is a better-suited centre back for Lopetegui's system, where he will be required to play out from the back. His 84.3 passes attempted per 90 compared to Zouma's 36.3, and his 5.08 progressive passes per 90, compared to Zouma's 1.55 show their stark contrast in passing ability.

Where Zouma does excel, is in aerial duels, winning 1.89 per 90, and physically imposing himself with his 6 foot 3, powerful frame. However, the difference between the two in the air isn't a big enough reason to prefer Zouma, when you compare the other factors needed for a Lopetegui defender.

This is where Nelsson comes in, who averaged 4 aerials won per 90, more than double the amount of Zouma, and 51.8 attempted passes per 90, whilst playing in the Süper Lig last season.

Whilst only being 6 foot 1, compared to the 6 foot 3 frames of Zouma and Todibo, the Danish defender still puts his stamp on the game physically, showing his ability to win aerial duels. But he also brings a more comfortable option on the ball than Zouma, which would be better suited to Lopetegui's system.

West Ham's ability to get rid of players surplus to requirements, and replace them with younger, more suitable profiles for their new brand of football, could be a season-defining moment for them, and make it a whole lot easier for Lopetegui to implement his ideas faster.

West Ham and Lopetegui eyeing move for "superb" £12m player alongside Soler

The Hammers could be in for a busy end to the window.

By
Tom Cunningham

Aug 23, 2024

Manchester City have identified a £97,000 per week international as a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, according to a new report.

The Blues have made a very good start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, and that continued on Saturday as they claimed a 2-1 win over Brentford to make it four wins from four.

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1 ByHenry Jackson Sep 15, 2024 Possible Kevin De Bruyne replacements

No transfer business can be conducted now until January, but that hasn’t stopped the transfer speculation from continuing. Man City added just two players to their squad over the summer, so they could have their eye on potentially one or two additions in the new year.

One area that Pep Guardiola could be looking to address is finding a suitable replacement for De Bruyne. The Belgian international is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad, but he has indicated that talks over a new deal will likely proceed during the campaign.

However, it is unlikely going to be a long-term deal, given the players’ age and injury problems. Therefore, Man City are looking at long-term replacements for De Bruyne, and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is said to be open to joining City in 2025. The German has delayed agreeing a new deal with the Bundesliga giants, meaning he will enter the final year of his contract next summer if a new deal isn’t agreed. That has alerted City, and they could be ready to make a move in the summer.

But while the Blues and Guardiola look at Musiala as a possible replacement for de Bruyne. They have also said to have identified another player, who could be in the running as well.

Man City identify £97k-p/w international as possible de Bruyne successor

According to Football Insider, Manchester City have set their sights on signing PSG midfielder Xavi Simons as a long-term replacement for De Bruyne. The 21-year-old is said to be a priority target for the Premier League side, but they face competition from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Simons, who is said to be on a weekly wage of £97,000, has been at PSG since July 2023, when he re-joined the club from PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch international spent last season on loan at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, where he scored eight goals and recorded 13 assists in 32 league games.

The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich this summer, but a move never worked out, and instead, he has re-joined Leipzig on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.

Apps

47

Goals

11

Assists

16

Simons, who was once described as being a “complete” player by former teammate Dani Olmo, has started all three of Leipzig’s games this season in the Bundesliga but is yet to get on the scoresheet. Simons, who can operate in a number 10 role as well as out wide, is contracted to PSG until the summer of 2027. The 21-year-old had an impressive summer away with the Netherlands, as he started five of his country’s six games in the tournament, scoring in the semi-final against England.

Leeds United have submitted a late £13m offer to sign a Championship star, with the 49ers Enterprises already receiving a reply.

Leeds win race to sign Solomon and want more

The Whites have so far brought in five new players, with Largie Ramazani being the latest from Almeria last week. Daniel Farke’s side won 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening, with Ramazani in attendance, and the boss said after the game that a few more will need to join the Belgian before the deadline.

"I don't want to speak too much about the players not involved with us today and who will come in the next days, obviously from tomorrow he [Ramazani] will train with us.

"I want to spotlight a bit more the players who were involved and perhaps in the next weeks are not that much in the spotlight, like young players like Sam Chambers, or Alex Cairns.

“Obviously it's good we have Largie signed and [I] have made it clear we definitely need a few more if we want to be ambitious. Just with a squad of 12, 13 senior players, for this emotional and ambitious club to be successful it's not possible.

“We have a good group to build on, we showed this today but we will also need a few additions and then we speak about them when they have trained with us. At the moment all the players deserve to be in the spotlight that were involved tonight."

One of those to link up with the Leeds squad is Tottenham winger Manor Solomon, with the Israel international set to join on a season-long loan without the option to buy.

However, a midfielder and full-back are also wanted at Elland Road, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, and it looks as if a bid has been made for a midfield target.

Leeds make £13m offer for Sheffield United star Hamer

According to The Star, Leeds have made a bid worth £13m for Sheffield United midfielder Gus Hamer, one which has been rejected by their Yorkshire rivals. This comes after Blades boss Chris Wilder said the club have had a bid “a million miles off” for one player, which could be Hamer.

“There have been a couple of bids for players; one was pretty close and another was a million miles off. If and when decisions on players get made by the board then I'll get notified and we have to have a plan and be ready. It's a bit of me looking into the future and trying to see who potentially might go.”

Hamer did have a release clause after Sheffield United were relegated but that has expired, with Adam Pope claiming that it is unlikely Leeds go back in with an improved offer.

"I’m told Leeds United unlikely to go back with an improved offer for Sheffield United midfielder Gus Hamer after initial bid for him rejected by Blades."

The 27-year-old, called "unbelievable" by former teammate Oli McBurnie, can play as a holding, central or attacking midfielder, but as things stand, he won’t be signing for the Whites before Friday.