A Europa League club have held talks over a move to sign a Wolverhampton Wanderers player who Molineux chiefs are ready to sell, and it’s not Matheus Cunha.

Wolves could cash in on Cunha as numerous Premier League clubs circle

Despite signing a contract extension earlier this year, there has still been plenty of talk about Cunha leaving Wolves this summer.

The Brazilian penned new terms until 2029, however, importantly, the new contract to includes a release clause. Cunha, talking in recent weeks, admitted the “need to take the next step” and “fight for titles” in his career, hinting at a Molineux exit.

“I had a lot of offers but I wouldn’t feel well if I had done it (left Wolves). Some things you can’t control but I couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone. Now, we’re close to achieving our goal (of staying up). But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”

There is plenty of interest in Cunha as well, with reports recently saying both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are ready to pay a huge £75m to sign the Wolves star over the coming months.

Both Villa and Forest could be able to offer Champions League football ahead of the new season, so Vitor Periera may soon lose his star striker.

£23m Wolves star is going to swiftly become more important than Cunha

Wolves could be set to lose Matheus Cunha this summer…

ByRoss Kilvington Apr 15, 2025

However, another forward on the books at Molineux, Fabio Silva, could also be about to find a new club. Currently on loan in Spain at Las Palmas, recent reports have claimed that Wolves are ready to sell Silva for £25m.

That would be a loss for the Old Gold, and one club have made their move for the Portuguese attacker.

Wolves may sell Fabio Silva as Eintracht Frankfurt hold talks

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Eintracht Frankfurt have held “initial talks” over a move for Wolves forward Silva.

Currently in the Europa League quarter finals, Frankfurt see Silva as a “very interesting option”, although there are more clubs keen on the 22-year-old.

Things haven’t gone to plan for Silva in England after signing for a then record €40m (£33.4m) from FC Porto in 2020.

He’s scored just five goals in 72 Old Gold appearances, whereas on loan at Las Palmas this season, Silva has already netted 10 times.

Therefore, it could make sense for Wolves to cash in on Silva, and who knows, with Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike linked with a move to the Premier League, the Wolves man could be seen as his replacement in Germany.

He was expected to step up to the next level after his epic fourth-innings hundred in Brisbane three years ago, but things haven’t gone to plan

Danyal Rasool20-Nov-2019Perhaps he could have ducked out of the way. Maybe, with a fresher mind and quicker footwork, he could have got on top of it and fended it into the leg side; there was no short leg after all. Or possibly, that delivery from Mitchell Starc to Asad Shafiq was so ruddy unplayable that every possible universe had him edging it into the air, with a gleeful David Warner positioned directly underneath it.That was Brisbane 2016. Australia like to call the ground the Gabbatoir, as they well might; the home side has not lost a Test match here in 31 years, a streak that stretches to 30 games. But for a while at the end of the fourth day and that fateful fifth morning, Shafiq had Australian necks on the line. Coming in at number six and batting with the lower order, each tail-ender improbably giving him better company than the previous, Shafiq inched towards his hundred, and then surged well beyond it. Pakistan sneaked up on 400 – just 90 short of their target, and what would have been the biggest-ever fourth-innings Test chase – and then surged well beyond it.They were 41 runs away when Starc produced that magical ball to end the most extraordinary resistance. Four balls later, the game was won. The Gabbatoir was intact.It is tempting to wander down an alternate history where Shafiq took Pakistan over the line, just to see what would have happened to his personal career. This intensely private man would have likely seen his face staring back at him from billboards and cheesy television ads across the country, opportunistic politicians garlanding him with awards and cash prizes. It is possible he would have been appointed Pakistan captain at some point. It is possible he would have been called back into the limited-overs side for no reason whatsoever. But what would it have done for, and to, Shafiq the cricketer? In all probability, absolutely nothing.It feels odd to even be discussing Shafiq. He is one of the first names on the team sheet – and yet arguably the least talked about among all of them. Naseem Shah has probably received more attention this past fortnight than Shafiq has in his entire career, the buzz around Brisbane 2016 excepted.He has played 64 consecutive Tests and counting – well over any sustained run any Pakistani player has ever made, and yet decent money can be wagered over the idea that more people in Pakistan recognise Shaheen Afridi by face than do Shafiq. In a single-sport country where the media obsessively scrutinises what every player does on the field or off it, the mention of Shafiq’s name provokes only half-hearted chatter before everyone moves on. For most of his career, he was shunted down to No. 6 like an afterthought. He only earned a promotion from No. 6 after that innings in Brisbane, by which time he had broken Sir Garry Sobers’ record of scoring the most hundreds from that position.There’s every possibility the lack of attention has been beneficial to Shafiq’s career. When players are built up excitedly in Pakistan, they get torn down with even more frenzy, and in a country where what the press says has always had a not insignificant effect on selection decisions, it is better to fly under the radar, a technique Shafiq has perfected in the eight unbroken years he has been with the Test side.Tim Paine looks on as Asad Shafiq lunges forward to defend•AFPBut while the unassuming, private nature of the man could be spoken of as virtues, there’s also the fairly irrefutable point that he isn’t talked about because he hasn’t done much worth speaking of. Shafiq’s technique is stronger than most Pakistan batsmen’s, though his footwork while facing the moving ball still never feels quite certain. He has the tendency to take a half step either back or forward, without ever really committing to either footwork or shot. But there’s more to it than that, a sense of something elemental missing, something the best batsmen have. He should be in that category, but he has never taken that step up.If anything, his career since Brisbane has gone in the other direction. After that innings, his Test average stood a shade under 42. In 18 Tests since, he averages 32.09.Brisbane was been the perfect time for Shafiq to push his average closer to 50, with the promotion up the order imminent, and the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq only a few months away. It was when we were supposed to see him realise the potential that had been in gestation for six years. It hasn’t happened, and it makes you wonder if winning that Test, or being made captain, would have made any difference after all.There are mitigating circumstances still. Shafiq is a Test specialist in a side that plays that format far too infrequently for any player to be able to build up any sort of momentum or rhythm. The gulf in quality between Pakistan’s first-class competition and Test cricket is vast, and he has to make that step up before every series he plays. It is perhaps what has driven Yasir Shah’s recent inconsistency too. Pakistan last played a Test in January this year, away in South Africa. Shafiq scored 186 runs in that series at 31.00, with no centuries and two fifties. In a series dominated by seam bowling, they were decent numbers, good enough to ensure there was no pressure on his place, and yet nothing really remarkable. Just standard, Asad Shafiq numbers.And as Brisbane beckons to him once more, he strides into another series against Australia doing what he does best: looking good, and showing promise. It feels depressing to talk of a 33-year old in language reserved for someone of Naseem Shah’s age, but that is what you get with Shafiq. He comes in on the back of two exquisite centuries in warm-up games against Australia A and a CA XI in Perth, and, alongside Babar Azam, he is arguably Pakistan’s best hope of ensuring this isn’t going to be yet another Australian tour of misery, recriminations and inevitable, hopeless defeat.The introvert who shone on the most extrovert stage in world cricket, Asad Shafiq’s story threatens to take flight once more. The appetiser in Perth, as ever, has been salivating; you just have to hope that, at the Gabbatoir, there’s enough meat in the main course too.

يقود الألماني هانز فليك فريقه برشلونة مساء اليوم الأحد في مباراة ببطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2025-2026، أمام خيافي.

ويستقبل برشلونة نظيره خيتافي على ملعب “يوهان كرويف” ضمن مباريات الجولة الخامسة للدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

وعاد برشلونة إلى سكة الانتصارات في الدوري بالجولة الماضية بفوز ساحق على فالنسيا، بسداسية دون رد، وسيسعى لتحقيق فوزه الثاني على التوالي ضد خيتافي.

وبعد فوزه على نيوكاسل بهدفين لهدف في الجولة الأولى لمرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، ينصب تركيز برشلونة على الدوري الإسباني ومواجهة خيتافي.

وقد تشهد تشكيلة برشلونة تغييرات طفيفة، في خط الدفاع نظرًا لإصابة باو كوبارسي في الركبة يوم الخميس، والتي لا تُعتبر خطيرة، لكن قد يفضل فليك إراحة لاعبه. تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام خيتافي

حراسة المرمى: خوان جارسيا.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، رونالد أراوخو، أندرياس كريستينسن، جيرارد مارتن.

خط الوسط: فرينكي دي يونج، بيدري، فيرمين لوبيز.

خط الهجوم: رافينها، فيران توريس، ماركوس راشفورد.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Hugo Ekitike's previous comments about Manchester United have got fans very interested as a summer transfer saga threatens to heat up.

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• Ekitike admires Man Utd
• Red Devils have made 'direct contact'
• Liverpool & Chelsea also interested

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In an interview at the end of 2024, Ekitike revealed his personal longstanding admiration for Manchester United, which has now come to light once more after his words were reshared by reporter Florian Plettenberg.

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• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT EKITIKE SAID

  "My favourite club as a child was Manchester United. I've always admired them," Ekitike told German broadcaster in December of last year.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Plettenberg additionally reported that Manchester United are so far the only club to have made "direct contact" with Eintracht Frankfurt over Ekitike. Fellow suitors Liverpool and Chelsea are said to have only been in touch with the player's representatives, and not his club, up to now.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR EKITIKE & MAN UTD?

  Whether Ekitike's childhood preferences and Manchester United's initial contact will put the Premier League club at any kind of an advantage remains to be seen. Ruben Amorim's side are seeking a new striker this summer after struggling for goals from existing frontmen Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in 2024-25. Matheus Cunha has already been brought in, while there is interest in Bryan Mbeumo, Eberechi Eze and Antoine Semenyo as alternative targets.

MI have been boosted by the return of Nicholas Pooran but they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins

Himanshu Agrawal16-Feb-20243:24

Pooran: ‘I’m a son of franchise cricket’

Big pictureIPL team owners sensed an opportunity, and expanded their network last year. Mumbai Indians took a seat in each of SA20, ILT20, WPL and MLC. Not to be left too far behind, Delhi Capitals, too, boarded the flight to South Africa and the UAE, while also spreading their reach in India through WPL.Come Saturday, MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals, both UAE affiliates of the respective franchises, will be meeting in the final of the second edition of the ILT20.MI Emirates and Capitals have been reinforced with the return of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell respectively. But amid modern players criss-crossing the globe like the snake in that game on the screens of Nokia phones, there is also the departure of Tim David, David Warner, Kusal Perera and Fazalhaq Farooqi that the teams have to deal with because of the clash with international cricket.Just like in Qualifier 1, MI Emirates will be having both Nicholas Pooran, who is back from West Indies duty, and Kieron Pollard, who liked up with MI Emirates after his SA20 side MI Cape Town couldn’t make the playoffs. MI Emirates have a varied spin-bowling attack in left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein, left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil and legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.But they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins. All but out of the final-four race at one stage, Capitals hit back by hunting down 172 against Desert Vipers and defending 147 against MI Emirates, no less. They then registered massive wins in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to make the final.So who takes the ILT20 trophy home could be intriguing to watch. Capitals, who are yet to win a tournament across any of their investments, will be itching to get their hands on a silverware while MI’s cupboard is already brimming with five IPL titles, and the inaugural WPL and MLC trophies.Form guide
MI Emirates: WLLWW
Dubai Capitals: WWWWL
Nicholas Pooran and Sam Billings pose with the ILT20 trophy•ILT20In the spotlightHe might have had underwhelming returns with scores of 18, 18 and 1 for West Indies in the T20Is against Australia, but Nicholas Pooran remains a threat. His strike rate of 164 and average of 42 are the highest for any batter to have scored at least 250 runs in this season’s ILT20.And while Pooran brings rich form, his counterpart Sam Billings knows how to win the big matches. He is already a holder of the T20 Blast, the PSL and the Hundred titles, and would spare no effort in adding the ILT20 trophy to the list. As with Capitals this time, Billings was Kent and Oval Invincibles captain when they won the final. But his returns in those games add up to merely 21 at an average of seven. So chasing another trophy aside, Billings has a personal record to improve too.Probable XIIsMI Emirates: 1 Muhammad Waseem, , 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Dan Mousley, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Nicholas Pooran (capt, wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Jordan Thompson, 9 Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, , 11 Trent Boult, 12 Muhammad RohidDubai Capitals: 1 Leus de Plooy, , 3 Tom Abell, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Sam Billings (capt, wk), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Rahul Chopra, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Olly Stone,11 Scott Kuggeleijn, 12 Stats and trivia MI Emirates had lost all three of their group games in Dubai this season, before beating Gulf Giants there in Qualifier 1.Capitals’ Sikandar Raza is the only player to have scored at least 300 runs and taken at least ten wickets this season. The top three wicket-takers in the ILT20 so far are all from MI Emirates: Farooqi, Salamkheil and Trent Boult. Capitals’ captain Billings had also played in last year’s ILT20 final, although he was representing Vipers at the time.Quotes”I think a lot of people underestimate franchise cricket. I have been a son of franchise cricket. Yes, cricket is a sport; but it’s also a business. Even team owners want to win… [It’s about] playing in different conditions against different bowlers. It definitely helped me – because at one point in my career, I was on the bench. And the bench is not nice – because when you’re on the bench, you are staying in the hotel sometimes. You’re watching your team play on the TV. I felt like I wanted to be a part of the XI. I wanted to feel that winning spirit.”

We’ve just crossed the ten-year mark in IPL history. How well do you remember the first game? Take our quiz to find out

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2018

Lucknow Super Giants will take a late call on KL Rahul’s participation – whether in part or more – in Tuesday’s away fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rahul played as an impact substitute in Saturday’s home game against Punjab Kings, with the LSG management keen on “easing him back” from injury.IPL 2024 is Rahul’s comeback tournament after a quadricep injury ruled him out of the last four Tests of the five-match series at home against England earlier this year. Rahul had pulled up with the same injury – against RCB, incidentally – during IPL 2023, and had to undergo surgery followed by lengthy rehabilitation.”We’ll see how he goes at training,” stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran said when asked about Rahul’s availability on Tuesday.Related

• RCB hope for batters to fire in unison against dangerous LSG

• Ferociously fast and thrillingly direct – Mayank Yadav

• Rahul hands over captaincy to Pooran for game vs Kings

• LSG sign Henry as Willey withdraws from IPL 2024

At training, Rahul did not keep wicket for most of the session. He first underwent a series of timed sprint and mobility drills that were monitored by head coach Justin Langer. Rahul then practiced the full range of his body movements while playing the sweep in particular and felt his left hamstring repeatedly. He then occupied a quiet corner of the field and kept a close eye on the session for more than an hour. Later, he examined at length the slightly unusual M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch that had more than a smattering of grass right through the 22 yards.Rahul also padded up and went out for a hit against the team’s net bowlers and throwdown specialists. After a 15-minute session, he got back to finishing a few more rounds of mobility drills before walking off to have another long chat with Langer. Only towards the very end of the day did he have a short go with the gloves.”It’s always tough when you have to change combinations,” Pooran said when asked how Rahul’s absence on the field had impacted the team so far. “Obviously, it’s different with KL on the field. But our senior players came together and assisted me in making decisions as well. It’s something that happens. Sometimes when your captain isn’t available, all the senior players stand up, and try and make up for his absence.”KL Rahul scored 58 in 44 balls in LSG’s season-opener against Rajasthan Royals•BCCI

LSG have one win and one loss in two games so far, with Rahul returning scores of 58 (in 44 balls, vs Rajasthan Royals) and 15 (in nine balls, vs Punjab Kings). He kept wicket only in the first game, before handing over the responsibility to Quinton de Kock for the second.Rahul is among the contenders for the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot in India’s T20 World Cup squad.Leading into the IPL 2024 season, there had been debate among observers whether he would bat in the middle order to play a similar role he plays for with the national team. So far, Rahul has opened in both matches.”I am not going lose one second’s sleep over KL Rahul,” Langer had said on his regular captain last week. “He is a beautiful player, he’s an outstanding player. There’s a reason he’s had so much success for India and I’m blessed to have him in our team, not only as an opening batsman or a batsman and wicketkeeper, but also as the captain. He is so calm. He’s a wonderful person.”

Liverpool are reportedly ready to offer Scottish winger Ben Doak as a makeweight to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this summer. The Reds are planning to sign a central defender after Jarell Quansah decided to join Bayer Leverkusen. The English champions will face competition from Newcastle United and Manchester United in the race to sign Guehi.

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Liverpool ready to let winger departWant to sign Guehi from PalacePalace keen on signing DoakFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Palace are keen on signing Doak this summer after his impressive performance in the Championship last season, while on loan with Middlesbrough. He scored three goals and provided seven assists as Boro finished 10th in the second division.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite the FA Cup winners' interest in Doak, Liverpool might find it difficult to include the winger in any deal for Guehi, who is rated by his club at £50 million ($68m). The England international is entering the final 12 months of his existing deal and will be willing to run down his contract if he is not sold this summer.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite winning the English top-flight title for a record-equalling 20th time last season, Liverpool have been extremely active in the summer window as they have already completed the signings of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Freddie Woodman.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Arne Slot's men will reconvene in the first week of July before playing their first pre-season friendly against Preston on July 13. They will then head to Hong Kong and Japan for a couple of friendly matches before returning to the UK.

Jones, whose place in the T20I side was under scrutiny, said he showed he was “good enough” to play at the highest level

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-20243:20

Finch: Jones and Gous fed off each other

USA batter Aaron Jones hoped that his knock in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Canada “opens eyes of some people around the world” that he is “good enough” to play T20s.Jones struck an unbeaten 94, the second-highest individual score on T20 World Cup debut, after walking in at 42 for 2 in the seventh over, when USA’s target of 195 seemed a step too far. But not only did the co-hosts end up getting there but they did so with seven wickets and 14 balls to spare.”Sometimes as a cricketer, you could go a bit under the radar if you have a few low scores,” Jones said. “I always back myself and know that I am capable of performing at every level. [I am] happy that I came out on top and won the game for USA. Hope it opens the eyes of some people around the world that I am good enough to play T20 cricket.”I believe in myself, I work hard and I just use [criticism] as motivation. I know that I’m good enough to play at the highest level, and whenever given the opportunity, I’ll do my best for sure. When I went out to bat tonight, I just saw it as another game to fight for me and bring my team as close as possible to the line, and if we get as close as possible to the line and over the line, it’s great for the team.”Related

• Aaron Jones gets the big American cricket party started, and how

• Jones, Gous' spectacular show hands USA opening win

• Stats – Aaron Jones second only to Chris Gayle after blitzing Canada

The innings from Jones in front of a buzzing home crowd at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, Texas, came at a crucial time for Jones. He was part of Seattle Orcas in the inaugural Major League Cricket, USA’s T20 league competition, but was released and not selected by any of the teams in the MLC draft earlier this year. An additional draft will be held on June 16 for teams to complete their squads. His place in the T20I side was also under scrutiny.”When I wasn’t selected in the Major League, I just took it as a stepping stone in the journey,” he said. “I would have loved to get drafted, so it goes sometimes. Hopefully tonight’s innings will probably open the eyes of those who don’t know me or USA cricket. We have great players here and that we have a lot of talent here and are willing to play at the highest level for sure.”Jones was involved in a 131-run third-wicket partnership off just 58 balls with Andries Gous, who scored a 46-ball 65. When they got together, the Canada fast bowlers had their tails up; when their partnership ended, USA were in sight of a famous win.Aaron Jones’ innings summed up in a picture•Associated Press

“When I went out to bat, I told Gous, ‘right now we are in a spot of bother’,” Jones said. “If we want to win the game, we got to be aggressive, we got to be positive. Either we go down, die hard and we get bowled out for whatever score, or we try to get the score. We want to be fearless, we want to be positive, we want to play smart cricket. In being fearless, we want to have good shot selection as well. If you know you don’t sweep, don’t sweep. If you know you don’t use your feet, don’t use your feet, but be aggressive regardless.”Is this his best knock for USA?”It’s up there, to be honest,” Jones said. “Probably the best knock for me as a player for USA, or maybe it can come second to the hundred I scored when we gained ODI status. This one is special because it is a World Cup and we know Canada are our rivals, we are playing the first game of the World Cup and everybody’s watching us.”USA next play Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday, and Jones said that they will continue to play fearless cricket against them as well as against India in ten days’ time.”We just want to keep winning as much as possible, of course we can’t win every single game for the rest of our lives,” he said. “I don’t think our plan [for the rest of the tournament] is going to change much. We want to play fearless cricket, we want to play hard cricket, we want to play smart cricket. We are going into the Pakistan game with the same mindset. We want to play fearless cricket, regardless of who we play against.”

The drop-in pitches at the venue haven’t produced ideal T20 cricket, and the relentless schedule of eight matches in ten days isn’t helping

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jun-2024 • Updated on 17-Feb-20254:23

Rohit: Even the curator is confused how the pitch will behave

First, what is a drop-in pitch?A drop-in pitch is the same as a normal 22-yard cricket strip, but is prepared and kept encased in a steel tray and not developed at the ground, as is traditional. It is prepared in favourable conditions – it can be outside the ground or at a turf farm – and comprises layers of soil, clay and grass that are bedded in together for a period of time. Once it is “dropped in” on the main square, the pitch gets the same care as a traditional pitch. This includes rolling, watering, and cutting the grass before match days.Related

Two great cricket rivalries have fizzled out at the T20 World Cup, but there's still one to watch

The curious case of Pakistan's World Cup 15

Pakistan's predicament adds spice to India match-up in New York

New York's beautiful monster

Undercooked pitch could undermine India-Pakistan spectacle

Why were drop-in pitches chosen for New York?While the ICC had cast the net wide to identify the right big venue for the World Cup in 2021, it was only in September 2023 that the Nassau County venue, located in Eisenhower Park in Long Island, was finalised. Mindful of the tight timeline, the ICC decided on drop-in pitches as a turnkey solution. Accordingly, ten drop-in pitches – four for the main ground and six for the practice facility in Cantiague Park, a few miles from the main venue – were used.The original trays were prepared in Adelaide by Adelaide Turf International, which also oversees the preparation of the drop-in pitches at Adelaide Oval. The trays were shipped in December 2023 to Florida because it is sunnier and warmer there compared to New York, which has freezing temperatures from December to March. The pitches were then moved to New York at the end of April before being fixed in the main square and practice venue in early May.Is it usual for international cricket to be played on a drop-in pitch before any trial games?Usually, a fresh, relaid pitch at a stadium’s main square will be tested with several practice matches and even domestic games before international cricket is played on it.In the case of the New York project, the organisers had to raise the entire venue from scratch in just 106 days between January and May before South Africa played Sri Lanka on June 3. Two days prior to that, Bangladesh and India played a warm-up match at the venue – it was the first proper match there.Eight of the 16 matches in the USA leg were allotted to the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York•ICC via Getty Images

What is the nature of the drop-in pitches at Eisenhower Park?Damian Hough, the head curator at Adelaide Oval, who made the drop-in pitches for the New York project, explained that strips usually need high clay content to facilitate good pace and bounce. In this case, for the soil, Hough used the local American variety of soil called BlackStick, which has a clay content of over 60% [considered high], similar to the Adelaide Oval. Bermuda grass has been used both for the pitch and the outfield, which is commonly used for cricket grounds.Was there an ICC inspection before the venue got the go-ahead?As part of its protocol, the ICC sends an expert team to carry out due diligence at all their venues – including the ground itself, the pitches and practice facilities – before granting them international status. While there was no formal announcement of the New York venue getting international status, on May 15, the ICC launched the stadium for the World Cup.Is the scheduling an issue?Yes. Eight of the 16 World Cup matches of the USA leg of the T20 World Cup were allotted to New York, and these have been scheduled across ten days between June 3 and 12, with the last six matches – including the marquee game between India and Pakistan on June 9 – on consecutive days. Such a schedule is unprecedented at an ICC event. This has been the biggest challenge for Hough and his team, because it is not just one pitch, but the entire square comprising all four strips that need attention at all times.India will play Pakistan in New York on June 9•ICC/Getty Images

How many pitches have been used so far?Three*. Pitch No. 4 has been used for three matches so far: Bangladesh vs India warm-up (June 1), India vs Ireland (June 5) and Canada vs Ireland (June 7). Pitch No. 1 was used for the South Africa vs Sri Lanka game on June 3. Pitch No. 2 was used for the Netherlands vs South Africa game on June 8. Pitch No. 2 was a more true pitch than the others, but fast bowlers still had a bigger say.Has the ICC identified any factor(s) contributing to the variable bounce?ESPNcricinfo has learned that Hough had spotted lines of grass sprouting in the cracks in some spots on the pitch, which he suspected could have contributed to the uneven bounce that frequently caused distress to batters in the South Africa vs Sri Lanka and India vs Ireland matches. Another contributing factor was the overcast conditions – the moisture played a role in the exaggerated sideways movement, and the swing the fast men generated.Was any remedial work carried out?It is understood that ahead of the Canada vs Ireland match on Friday, Hough covered the areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks with topsoil and rolled it to make the surface much flatter.Did it make a difference?On Friday, while the odd ball did keep low, the surface was much truer, albeit a bit sluggish as a consequence of overnight rain. Ireland captain Paul Stirling pointed out that the pitch looked totally different to the one used for the India match, with much of the greenish tinge wiped away.