All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United have had to 'pivot' their interest in Bristol City playmaker Alex Scott and Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun due to being relegated to the Sky Bet Championship, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Who are Alex Scott and Folarin Balogun getting linked with this window?

Earlier this year, Leeds United held reported interest in Bristol City ace Scott and Arsenal striker Balogun when they still held hope of being able to cling on to their Premier League status.

Since then, it has been revealed by Football Insider that Wolverhampton Wanderers are 'closing in' on Scott and will submit another bid for his services following two declined offers this window, with the second proposal said to be worth £20 million.

The report states that the Guernsey-born man is valued at £25 million by his current employers. At the same time, Bournemouth are also keen to offer Scott a route to the English top flight; however, Wolves look to have the edge in proceedings just now.

In the case of Balogun, he is attracting attention from Italian giants Inter Milan, though his £50 million asking price has led the Italian giants to assess alternative options to bolster their striking department, according to The Evening Standard.

West Ham United forward Gianluca Scamacca has been earmarked as a potential arrival at San Siro and Roma are also in pursuit of the Italy international.

CBS Sports detail that Balogun is sought after by Premier League trio Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and West Ham United; nevertheless, Arsenal are not expected to rush into any prospective sale.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has indicated that Leeds United moving for either player is now completely off the table due to their fall into the Sky Bet Championship.

Jacobs told FFC: "They've had to pivot, Leeds, that's the thing to say, because some of the players that they were looking at were with a view to staying in the Premier League. They wanted, for example, Bristol City's Alex Scott; they were even considering Balogun and now they've gone down, neither of those players are going to be a possibility."

Who have Leeds United turned their attentions towards?

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has begun work in recruiting bodies for the 2023/24 campaign and made his first signing of the summer earlier this week with the addition of Wales international Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea, as per BBC Sport.

Former Whites ace Sam Byram has returned to the club on a trial basis and has the chance to win a deal at Elland Road following his departure from Norwich City at the end of last term, according to Football Insider.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has detailed on Twitter that Leeds United are keen to add Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Edouard Michut to their ranks, stating: "Excl: Leeds United are among several clubs interested in Edouard Michut from Paris Saint-Germain. Deal will depend on conditions decided by PSG in the coming days."

AC Milan striker Divock Origi has emerged as a slightly ambitious target, according to Sport Mediaset via Sport Witness, signifying that plenty is going on with regard to recruitment in the building at Elland Road just now.

CoA chairman Vinod Rai has stated he did not have the “foggiest idea” about the total breakdown in talks between Indian captain Virat Kohli and former India coach Anil Kumble

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2017If there is one thing Vinod Rai, the chairman of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), has learned from the chaotic episode that led to the appointment of Ravi Shastri as India coach, it is to not take “anyone at face value” in the BCCI. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Rai said the CoA did not have the “foggiest idea” about the total breakdown in talks between Indian captain Virat Kohli and former India coach Anil Kumble, which eventually forced the latter to step down; statements that reveal the extent of the lack of communication and trust between the various power centers running Indian cricket.According to Rai, the CoA was not informed originally about Kumble’s contract being valid for a year. And by the time they were told, it was “late” and they were left with just one choice: to put in place a process to pick a new coach. “The only thing it has taught me is that I shouldn’t have taken anyone on face value,” Rai said about the way the BCCI works. “I did not know about the conditions of Kumble’s contract that it was one year. I did not have the foggiest idea of whether there was any dissonance between the coach and the team in the dressing room. At the late time that we got to know it was only fair that we follow a process to bring about either a change or extend Kumble. It was quite evident that there was disharmony in the dressing room and that the team could not continue with it.”The BCCI advertised twice for a new coach, first on May 25 and then when Kumble stepped down immediately after the Champions Trophy in June. Shastri didn’t apply the first time, thinking that Kumble’s reappointment was a done deal. In fact, Kumble had applied for the job as soon as the first advertisement came out despite the BCCI telling him that he was a “direct entry” into the shortlist. But as soon as he realised his relationship with Kohli had become “untenable” Kumble stepped down.Shastri was one of five candidates the three-man Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) interviewed on July 10. Initially, the CAC – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – sought time to deliberate on their final choice. However, Rai intervened and asked the BCCI to announce the new coach immediately. Shastri, who the CAC felt was the “best choice”, was promptly unveiled by the BCCI as the new coach till the 2019 World Cup.The saga did not end there though. The BCCI media release to formalise Shastri’s appointment added that Zaheer Khan would be the side’s bowling consultant while Rahul Dravid would be the batting consultant on overseas Test tours. The two were finalised by the CAC, acting on the belief that it had been given a carte blanche by the BCCI and CoA in appointing the coaching staff.But Rai clarified their ambit did not stretch to support staff appointments. “The CAC was not created by us, it was already in existence,” he said. “And I had total faith in all the CAC members. They were supposed to choose the coach, which they did. Fair enough. They had full authority to choose the coach. But after choosing the coach they have given us two more consultants, which is not the normal pattern.”A CAC member told ESPNcricinfo last week that Shastri, Kohli and the BCCI were all kept in the loop over the appointments of the consultants. But Rai stressed that the CAC could only recommend and that the final authority to appoint remained with the CoA.To that end, the CoA formed a four-member committee to finalise Shastri’s coaching staff. The committee met Shastri in Mumbai on Tuesday and retained the existing pair of Sanjay Bangar (assistant coach), R Sridhar (fielding coach) and brought back Bharat Arun as the bowling coach. These three, Shastri said, would be his “core” set of coaches. Shastri also said he had spoken both to Dravid and Zaheer and welcomed them to provide “inputs” as and when they wanted. In doing so, Rai argued that neither the CoA nor the BCCI had u-turned.When asked whether the CoA actually needed to be involved in the coach appointment process, Rai said there was nobody else the Supreme Court had given authority to. “Otherwise who would do it? The CEO? But we supervise the CEO. Left to myself, I don’t want to be involved in any of these issues, but if it lands in our lap what do we do? The Supreme Court order says the CoA will supervise the administration of the BCCI through the CEO. It also mentions that on the CoA taking charge, the existing office bearers shall also function subject to the supervision and control of the CoA. Hence, we do have to assume the responsibility.”For the rest of the CoA’s tenure, Rai has decided to conduct all meetings in future in the presence of three BCCI office bearers. “Henceforth, I have said all CoA meetings will also be attended by the BCCI office bearers. I did that because I take them along and also not give an opportunity to say that we took a decision behind their back and all that. As it is we have been transparent by putting out the minutes of our meetings on the BCCI website. I don’t need to hide anything from them while I take the benefit of their presence to help us sort out matters.”

Everton could finally be set to solve a long-term problem area of theirs, as they hone in on a top striking target…

Who are Everton signing this summer?

That's according to Italian outlet La Nazione (as relayed by Firenze Viola), who detail the Toffees' continued interest in Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia.

Whilst his €25m (£22m) release clause is noted to have expired this week, his club have slapped a new mouth-watering €40m (£35m) figure on his head and the cash-strapped Merseyside outfit still remain in the race to bring him to Goodison Park.

In fact, the report even states that they have 'come forward' to negotiate a deal this summer, with Neal Maupay a potential makeweight that they could use.

The Italian club were noted as interested in the Frenchman in January, who has struggled to make his mark since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion last summer.

Having already welcomed Ashley Young as their first deal of the window, the Senegalese international could mark the newest addition to follow the freshly-announced Arnaut Danjuma.

How good is Boulaye Dia?

With the persisting injury woes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin having plagued him for a second straight year, the English forward can no longer be relied upon as the sole number nine.

Sean Dyche, as a pragmatic man unwilling to take such a risk, seems to understand that better than any of the recent coaches to have graced the Goodison Park dugout.

As such, Dia would mark a welcome addition to spearhead a new-look front line that now consists of a certain maverick Dutchman at last.

Should these two former Villarreal stars both be welcomed, they could strike up another fine partnership to help fire the famous club to comfortable safety in the same way they aided the Yellow Submarine to the Champions League semi-finals.

After all, Danjuma boasts the necessary danger and creativity to forge plenty of chances for the 26-year-old finisher, who has impressed since moving to Italy. With 16 goals and six assists last season in Serie A, already the forward has showcased his adaptability to switch between leagues.

Just the year prior he had boasted ten goal contributions in LaLiga too, suggesting that the Premier League could be just as easy a conquest.

It was during the 2021/22 campaign that the former AFC Bournemouth dynamo enjoyed his standout year in Spain, recording 16 goals of his own alongside four assists across all competitions. In the league, the 26-year-old would maintain a 6.97 average rating too, buoyed by his 54% dribble success rate and 0.7 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

His dynamism and direct play style would make him a constant threat down either flank, in turn providing space for Dia to work his lethal magic. He managed a prolific 33% goal conversion rate last term in Serie A, which was actually higher than Erling Haaland's in the English top flight.

It is therefore no surprise to see him lauded by many, with journalist Josh Bunting having highlighted a key asset that will undoubtedly have Dyche thrilled:

"Boulaye Dia the key man for Salernitana a goal and two assists so far since joining, a handful to deal with due to his hold up."

With his ability to bring others into play alongside his clinical nature, he could be the man who provides for Danjuma in key areas, later popping up to finish the chances forged by such a dynamic new addition.

Should the Toffees welcome both of these forwards this summer, it poses an exciting prospect for a fanbase starved of any excitement in recent years.

Liverpool have started their midfield rebuild this summer with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining the Merseyside giants and now a new update has emerged on another potential transfer target.

Is Cheick Doucoure joining Liverpool?

According to Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, Liverpool are now showing "interest" in signing Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure.

Mokbel took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to reveal:

"Crystal Palace value Cheick Doucoure between £70m-£80m amid interest from Liverpool. No club-to-club contact as yet but Palace and Doucoure aware of Liverpool’s initial interest."

How good is Cheick Doucoure?

Jurgen Klopp and his sporting director Jorg Schmadtke have been forced to re-evaluate their transfer business this summer, due to the imminent departure of Jordan Henderson and the expected exit of defensive midfielder Fabinho too.

After missing out on Liverpool's first pre-season friendly against Karlsruher SC on Wednesday, it was confirmed by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano that there is now a full agreement in place for the club captain to make a move to Al-Ettifaq to join fellow former Reds skipper Steven Gerrard – with a transfer fee of around £12m reported.

Brazilian mainstay Fabinho is also destined for a move to the Saudi Pro League too and did not travel with Liverpool at all on their trip across Europe, due to a potential £40m move to Al-Ittihad and has already agreed personal terms with the Saudi Arabian club.

As a result, the signing of Doucoure would be a great piece of business for Liverpool, as he has the Premier League experience and the perfect profile to replace Fabinho in the deep-lying role of the Merseysiders' midfield.

Crystal Palace snapped up the services of the former Lens star for £21m last summer and over his first full season in the top flight has been a stand-out performer despite the south London club's initial struggles over the 38-game campaign.

Over 34 Premier League appearances, the 23-year-old – hailed "combative, intelligent, and consistent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – registered three assists, successfully completed 71% of his dribbles and won 54% of his duels combined, proving he is a dominant presence in the centre of the pitch.

When comparing Doucoure's output to Fabinho's last season, the Palace powerhouse outperformed his Liverpool positional peer in a number of key attributes including shot-creating actions per 90 (1.98 v 1.85), percentage of dribblers tackled (55.8% v 38.7%) and successful take-ons (71.4% v 46.7%), as per FBref, indicating that he is a more well-rounded asset.

Not only that, the Mali international ranked in the top 20% of his Premier League positional peers last season for successful take-ons, interceptions, ball recoveries, shots blocked and tackles in the defensive third per 90 minutes played, further demonstrating his outstanding ball-winning abilities.

With that being said, if Liverpool can agree on a deal with Palace to sign Doucoure this summer it would be a major addition for Klopp, as it would provide him with a worthy successor to Fabinho who could be the final piece of the puzzle in the club's youthful revolution in midfield.

A multi-day intensive “summit” between negotiators for CA and the ACA has been discussed as a possible way of moving forward from the current pay dispute

Daniel Brettig09-Jun-2017A multi-day intensive “summit” between negotiators for Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has been discussed as a possible way of moving forward from the current pay dispute, less than four weeks away from the June 30 expiry of the current MoU.Tentative talks between the board and the players have been going on for a little more than a week, in spite of continued public sparring taking the shape of fresh videos and graphics released by CA’s lead negotiator Kevin Roberts and subsequent ripostes by the ACA.While Roberts has met with the ACA’s legal counsel Joe Connellan and a mediation lawyer, John Whelan, who has been consulting for the players’ association, ESPNcricinfo understands that the ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson and his CA counterpart James Sutherland have also spoken in recent days about ways to find progress.It was Sutherland’s letter to Nicholson on May 12, threatening to leave players unemployed if an agreement to CA’s terms was not reached by the end of June, that escalated tension between the two parties after six months of largely fruitless meetings, claims and ambit proposals.Apart from the major difference between the parties – CA’s desire to breakup the fixed revenue percentage model and the ACA’s equally strong intent to retain it – there have also been disconnects around how talks should be structured. CA has expressed a preference for starting the process by discussing many of the areas in which the two parties share common ground, allowing these details to be ticked off while building a better relationship dynamic with which to tackle the more difficult issues.However, the ACA is understood to prefer dealing directly with the fundamental differences between the parties to begin with, allowing for a shared position on revenue sharing to underpin and underline all subsequent talks. The players’ association is believed to have suggested getting the two parties together earlier in the process without either side bringing their respective pay proposals with them – a request that was not granted by CA.The prospect of a long-haul summit over two days or more, in order to thrash out many of the issues currently dividing the board and the players, has been raised between the two parties as one option to find a workable passage towards an agreement.A similar approach was taken earlier this week in concurrent pay talks between Australia’s rugby league governing body, the National Rugby League (NRL), and the Rugby League Players Association. The opposing sides devoted two days to intensive talks in Sydney, concluding the summit by releasing a joint statement to say talks had been “constructive” though plenty of work remains to be done.The announcement of a pay deal in the Australian Football League is also imminent, with the league and the AFL Players Association set to unveil a deal that will bring in elements of revenue sharing to their next collective bargaining agreement – something NRL players are also seeking. All Australian sports have looked towards cricket’s 20-year model as a way of balancing prosperity with a prolonged period of industrial relations peace.

The ICC’s new constitution moved a step closer to reality on a dramatic late afternoon in Dubai, as cricket’s Full Members exercised their collective will to outvote the BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Apr-2017The ICC’s new constitution moved a step closer to reality on a dramatic afternoon in Dubai, as cricket’s Full Members exercised their collective will to outvote the BCCI.The Indian board was the only Full Member to object to the new financial model, and was one of only two Full Members to vote against the new governance changes. The financial model, with which the BCCI has been unhappy, received overwhelming support from Full Members, who voted to pass it 9-1 in favour, while the proposed governance changes to in the new constitution were passed by an 8-2 margin.The next step as far as implementing the constitution now will come at the annual conference in June, where it will be approved formally after being ratified. That day will mark the formal end of the Big Three era, two years after it came into effect.The day’s biggest reverberations will come from the failure of the BCCI to push through a financial model they could be happy with. Indeed, not only did they fail to get the $570 million cut from ICC revenues that they demanded when they arrived in Dubai, they failed to secure the compromise offer that the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar had put forward.In that, he was willing to up their share by approximately $100 million. Instead, in the model that has been voted through the Indian board’s share from ICC revenues in the next rights cycle will be $293 million, a little more than half the amount the Indian board wanted.The behind-the-scenes developments in how BCCI was muscled out offer an intriguing contrast to past ICC meetings where the BCCI has held sway. Manohar arrived in Dubai last weekend and is understood to have had lengthy meetings with BCCI office bearers as well its chief executive Rahul Johri. The ICC’s compromise offer, which would fetch the BCCI nearly $400 million, was made to Choudhury by Manohar, the most prominent figure behind the new changes. That deal, incidentally, was one the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) – which is overseeing the board’s operations -was happy with when Manohar ran it by them in March.The BCCI was asked to respond on Monday, as the ICC working group was meeting to finalise the resolutions based on the feedback given by all Member boards including the Associates. The BCCI then approached most of the major Full Members with their counter offer: they get $570 million but none of the other Full Members get anything less than what they were assured in Manohar’s model. But the other Full Members stood firm and rejected the BCCI’s offer, leaving the Indian board in a tight position hours before the ICC Board meeting began on Wednesday morning.”The alternative left for them was to adopt the middle ground,” one official familiar with the situation said. The BCCI was told it would do well to consider Manohar’s offer. “It is INR 700 crore ($100 million), and they were told to consider hard before making a move.”Another source said: “Shashank was trying to get them (BCCI) across the line, but they declined.”Though BCCI office bearers have previously blamed Manohar for harming their interests, Choudhury did not take an aggressive stance during the ICC Board meeting. Officials present said he was “friendly and very charming,” and that he said though he wanted to find a solution he had to disagree with the finance model and the governance structure.”He was restating the BCCI’s reservations expressed last month,” one source said. Neither Choudhury nor any of the BCCI administrators in India made a statement in response to the developments in Dubai. According to PTI, the BCCI will call a special general meeting to decide on the next step.Ultimately, only marginally less significant than the financial model going through was the fact that a major portion of the governance changes did so as well, and with such majority: only Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) joined the BCCI in not supporting it. Some will be tweaked and the ICC did agree to remove one significant proposal – the potential reclassification of Full Member status to Associate membership if a set of criteria was not met when a board was evaluated. Many Full Members including the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Zimbabwe Cricket and SLC were against it.But also approved was a resolution to expand the composition of the ICC Board which sees an increase in the number of votes from 10 (Full Members only) to 15 – 10 Full Members, three Associates, one independent female director, and the chairman. Potentially, that could change the nature of decision-making at the highest levels of the game, making it more difficult for just one or two boards to dominate. On the day at least, that message resonated loudest.

West Ham United boss David Moyes is 'pushing to sign' Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria this summer as he looks to fill the void that Declan Rice will leave at the London Stadium, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

How good is Denis Zakaria and are West Ham United keen on bringing him in?

Zakaria is a combustible defensive midfielder who has plenty of distinguishable qualities to offer, even though he failed to make an impact on loan at Stamford Bridge last term due to constant injuries.

In his time at Chelsea, the Switzerland international made just 11 appearances in all competitions, getting on the scoresheet once against Dinamo Zagreb in the group stage of the Champions League, as per Transfermarkt.

As per WhoScored, Zakaria, who was hailed as an "absolute machine", still managed to make his presence felt in the engine room for the Blues, racking up around 1.3 tackles per match in the Premier League.

West Ham officials have held a meeting with Juventus to discuss the possibility of bringing in Zakaria as a potential replacement for Arsenal-bound Rice in what could be an initial loan deal with a purchase option of £16 million attached, as detailed by The Evening Standard.

Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is another midfielder that West Ham are keen on acquiring, while Bristol City's Alex Scott, Manchester United ace Scott McTominay and Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse are all being monitored, according to various sources.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Sheth thinks that Zakaria will definitely be one man that West Ham will push to bring to the London Stadium in the summer window.

Sheth stated: "The focus would seem to be on the midfield. Joao Palhinha is a player that West Ham are looking at — massive gap in valuation by all accounts. Fulham are under no pressure to sell; he's still got four years left on his contract. It's definitely one to watch that position, but Zakaria looks like one that West Ham will be pushing to sign."

Who else are West Ham United looking to bring in?

West Ham look to be in the market for several additions this summer and are closing in on a deal to bring in Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe for a fee in the region of £17 million, as per The Mirror.

According to a report from Tuttosport, the Hammers have been offered the chance to sign Liverpool flop Arthur Melo as the Brazil international looks to find a new challenge away from Juventus.

The east London-based outfit are also on the lookout for a striker this window and Strasbourg forward Habib Diallo is believed to be a 'firm target' for West Ham boss Moyes, who is keen to add some extra firepower to his attack, as per Football Insider.

Brentford and Crystal Palace will rival West Ham in their pursuit of the Senegal international as they aim to add offensive depth. Diallo notched 20 goals in 38 appearances in 2022/23 and helped Strasbourg to steer themselves clear of the Ligue 1 relegation zone.

BBC Sport understand that Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is on the radar of West Ham and Fulham following his Under-21 European Championship triumph with his native England, indicating that some exciting arrivals could be on their way to the London Stadium in the near future.

They have a squad studded with the biggest names, but they will need to do much more than they did last year if they are to declare their season a success

Deivarayan Muthu04-Apr-20175:02

Agarkar: Pune need Stokes’ bowling to fire

Likely first XIAjinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith (capt), Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Shardul Thakur, Ankit Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Imran TahirReservesBatsmen – Usman Khawaja, B Aparajith, Ankush Bains, Manoj TiwaryBowlers – Ishwar Pandey, Saurabh Kumar, Adam Zampa, Jaskaran Singh, Deepak Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, Lockie Ferguson, Rahul ChaharAllrounders – Dan Christian, Rahul Tripathi, Milind TandonStrengthsThey have arguably the best batsman in the world, the best finisher, and the best allrounder. Smith, Dhoni and Stokes form the crux of a robust middle order that is capable of blitzing targets as well as accumulating scores. Then there is the legspinner Tahir, the current No. 1 bowler in T20 cricket, who was rather surprisingly overlooked at the auction in February. Zampa was the surprise package in IPL 2016, peeling off 12 wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.76, and he enters this season with an enhanced reputation after productive stints with the Australian team and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL. He could even jostle Tahir out of the playing XI should Supergiant opt to play just one spinner.WeaknessesNo less than six Supergiant players – du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, M Ashwin and Deepak Chahar – suffered injuries in 2016 with all four overseas names pulling out midway through the last season. They have now lost R Ashwin and Marsh even before the start of this season. Sports hernia has stripped Supergiant of their only frontline offspinner while their two left-arm fingerspinners, Ankit and Saurabh, lack T20 experience – the latter is yet to play an IPL match. Supergiant’s worries extend to their seam attack too. Thakur, who was acquired from Kings XI Punjab, might feel the aftereffects of a long domestic season as the IPL wears on: he bowled 417.3 overs across formats – the second-most by a seamer. Unadkat and Pandey are similar bowlers to RP Singh and Ishant Sharma, who were released from the squad.Dan Christian was on fire at the BBL but will he be able to overturn an otherwise lacklustre IPL career with a new franchise?•Getty ImagesWhere they finished in 2016, and what’s different this year?Seventh. They were the first side to be knocked out last season.For starters, the management has changed the team’s name from Rising Pune Supergiants to Rising Pune Supergiant, and made Smith captain in place of Dhoni on the eve of the auction. Having released Thisara Perera, Albie Morkel and Irfan Pathan from the squad, Supergiant then splurged INR 14.5 crore (approximately USD 2.16 million) on Stokes, making him the most expensive overseas player ever bought at an IPL auction. They also spent a crore on Victoria and Hobart Hurricanes allrounder Dan Christian, who might be thrust into the spotlight when Stokes takes up national duty. That Supergiant shelled out millions for just two players meant they could not bid more aggressively for fast bowlers like T Natarajan and Basil Thampi. As a result, the seam attack remains largely unchanged. The top order, though, has been bolstered by the acquisition of Agarwal from Delhi Daredevils.What have their players been up to? Stokes was distraught after being hit for four successive sixes in final in Kolkata last year, but a brutal fifty and the wicket of Virat Kohli, which helped England sew up a high-scoring thriller this year, came as a soothing balm. His hit-the-deck bustle challenged India in the limited-overs series before he showed innings-building skills while scoring a fifty against West Indies in Antigua. Christian had a fruitful BBL season with the Hurricanes, performing the dual role of taking wickets and curbing the run rate. He claimed nine wickets, including 5 for 14, the third-best figures in the history of the BBL. His batting wasn’t as sparkly in the tournament, but when Christian hits the ball, it stays hit. Case in point: this 117m monster at – or – the Gabba in 2015. On the flip side, Christian has struggled in the IPL, managing only 341 runs in 22 innings for Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore at a strike rate of 116.78. Dhoni smashed a half-century in his most recent T20I, then led Jharkhand to the semi-final of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. He finished as his state’s second-highest scorer with 330 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of nearly 100.Overseas-player availabilityStokes will be available to the franchise for the entire group stage, before returning to England on May 14 to prepare for three ODIs against South Africa in late May that serve as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy. Tearaway quick Lockie Ferguson will be with Supergiant until May 10, before linking up with New Zealand for a tri-series against hosts Ireland and Bangladesh.Home and away record in 2016Supergiant fared equally badly both at home and on the road. They were swept clean at the MCA Stadium in Pune, before they won two out of three games in their second home in Visakhapatnam and avoided a bottom-place finish. They also won three away matches, all while chasing.Poll

Manchester United have made a new offer to sign Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, according to Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio.

Are Man United signing Andre Onana?

The Red Devils have made a start on their summer business by securing the services of midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea. The England international is set to cost Man United an initial £55m fee, bringing an end to his 18-year spell on the books at Stamford Bridge.

After Mount, Erik ten Hag and those at Old Trafford look like they are turning their attention to a new goalkeeper, with David de Gea currently a free agent.

Onana has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester to reunite with Ten Hag, however, a transfer, like Mount, is proving complicated.

Personal terms have recently been agreed between the Cameroon international and Man United, but shaking hands on a fee is proving to be a problem.

Recent reports suggested that the Red Devils were submitting an opening €40m offer for Onana, but it looks to have already been increased. According to Di Marzio of Sky Sports, Manchester United have “verbally increased” their bid to €45m, but it still doesn’t look to be enough.

“Discussions are still in progress between @ManUtd and @Inter for Andre Onana: MUFC have verbally increased their offer at €45m.”

Within his report, the Sky Sports Italy journalist said:

“Manchester United’s pursuit for Onana continues while Inter still want €60m for the goalkeeper.

“The Red Devils verbally brought an offer of €45 million for the former Ajax goalkeeper. Inter's demand, however, is higher, in order to let go of the Cameroon national.”

What has been said about Onana?

Inter Milan will feel under no pressure to sell, as Onana is still under contract until 2027. The 27-year-old appears to be attracting interest from Saudi Arabia as well, so Inter may be hoping for teams to get involved in a bidding war for their star ‘keeper.

Should Onana move to Old Trafford, though, you could say that Ten Hag would be getting an extremely high-level goalkeeper ahead of his second season in charge.

Ten Hag will know all about the player from his time at Ajax, and Mark Goldbridge is also a fan of Onana, recently saying he’d prefer him over Porto’s Diogo Costa as e is “box office” on the ball.

“I'd prefer Onana over Costa. Mainly because he's just box office to watch when he's got the ball under pressure.”

As per FBref, Onana likes to play out from the back and made fewer launches than both De Gea and Costa last season, showing how he could fit into Ten Hag’s style of building from the back. Pep Guardiola is also a fan of the shot-stopper’s ball-paying ability, hailing him following the Champions League final in Istanbul.

“Identifying the space and emptying the midfield is a special quality. Normally, teams have great keepers, but he [Onana] is exceptional with his feet.

“When you have a goalkeeper like Onana who can read perfectly where everyone is to pass to, with Calhanoglu and Barella, then the strikers hold it up and move the ball around. It is very, very difficult. It would be a tiny bit easier without this goalkeeper, but still very tough.”

Therefore, a move could be a wise one for United and co, especially given their shortage of options at this moment in time, however, they may once again need to up their bid if they are to be successful.

Scott Kuggeleijn has been found not guilty of rape by a jury at the Hamilton District Court

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2017Scott Kuggeleijn has been found not guilty of rape by a jury at the Hamilton District Court.Kuggeleijn, 25, an allrounder, plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic circuit and is the son of former New Zealand Test cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn.The case dates back to an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with the not-guilty verdict.In a release following the verdict, Northern Districts’ chief executive Peter Roach said: “This has been a terribly difficult situation for all concerned. Northern Districts is an organisation which embraces inclusivity and promotes respect towards women. As such, the charges against Scott were a grave concern.”The case had to be re-tired after a jury could not reach a verdict in August 2016.