Amad Diallo sent a message to Mason Greenwood after the Manchester United loanee scored a stunner for Getafe on Saturday.
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Three-time champions Leicestershire got their latest NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a flyer by beating Lancashire at Liverpool, chasing down 174 off the last ball
ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2017
ScorecardJos Buttler was one of two big scalps for Callum Parkinson [file picture]•Associated PressThree-time champions Leicestershire got their latest NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a flyer by beating Lancashire at Liverpool, chasing down 174 off the last ball.The Foxes have not qualified out of the North Group since their last success in 2011.But they will be more confident of doing so this year having upset Lancashire by three wickets as Colin Ackermann led the way with a measured 62 not out off 41 balls.The South African even hit the last ball of the match for six with two needed.The Lightning, who won their opener at Durham on Friday, posted 173 for 9, having been invited to bat, with Liam Livingstone hitting 48 off 33 balls and Jos Buttler 39 off 21.They shared 72 in 6.1 overs for the fourth wicket, but visiting captain Clint McKay impressed with 3 for 29 as Lancashire struggled in the second half of their innings.Lancashire lost three wickets in the power play, including McKay getting Arron Lilley and Steven Croft in the space of two balls in the fifth to leave the score 40 for three.Pinch-hitter Lilley had hit 30 off 17 balls from number three, but Livingstone and Buttler shared 72 in 6.1 overs for the fourth wicket, both hitting two sixes, to really get things going on a glorious Merseyside day.Buttler hit his third ball over long-on off former Red Rose Academy graduate Callum Parkinson, the left-arm spinning twin of Lancashire’s Matt.Parkinson then got both Buttler and Livingstone, caught at long-off and stumped respectively, to spark the Foxes fightback.All-rounder Danny Lamb pulled Gavin Griffiths for six in the 17th over, but that was the only boundary from midway through the 13th as Lancashire fell from 112 for 3.McKay, an expert when it comes to change of pace, only conceded five off the last over as the Lightning tail failed to regain earlier momentum.The Foxes chase got off to the perfect start as Luke Ronchi lofted the first ball from off-spinner Lilley for a straight six, and he shared 42 inside four overs for the first wicket with Cameron Delport.But the pair fell in the space of three balls at the end of the fourth and start of the fifth. Delport drove Lamb (three for 30) to mid-on for 19 and Ronchi was caught at cover for 17 off left-arm spinner Stephen Parry’s first ball as the score fell to 42 for two.Mark Cosgrove, however, hoisted Parry for six at the start of the ninth over as he and Ackermann settled quickly and put the Lightning back under pressure with a 61-run stand. They helped reach halfway at 99 for two.Not even the loss of Cosgrove for 34 off 21 – caught at wide long-on off Lamb – Ned Eckersley and Lewis Hill could derail the Foxes, who fell to 128 for five in the 15th.With Ackermann still there on 38, they needed 43 off 30 balls. The contest became much closer than expected with some tight bowling at the death, and the visitors made hard work of six needed off the last from Kyle Jarvis.Mat Pilans was run out off the penultimate ball, leaving two needed. But Ackermann hit the last over cover for his second six to clinch a win which had always looked likely throughout the chase.Lancashire’s captain Steven Croft confirmed that overseas all-rounder Ryan McLaren missed the game with a tight hip flexor, while fellow overseas bowler Junaid Khan should arrive from Pakistan in time for Friday’s Roses clash following visa issues.
Prices to watch Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi in action continue to soar, but Don Garber has explained why MLS will not change its ways.
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Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati is staring at a lengthy period on the sidelines after suffering serious injury with Brighton against Nottingham Forest.
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Fati limped out against ForestWill be out for three monthsJoins lengthy injury list at BrightonWHAT HAPPENED?
Roberto de Zerbi has been handed a double blow before they face AEK Athens in the Europe League on Thursday as the Spanish forward joined Tariq Lamptey in the treatment room. Fati limped out during the first half at the City Ground during a slender 3-2 win over the Tricky Trees after lasting for just 21 minutes and could be out for three months. He was replaced with Joao Pedro who made the most of the opportunity by scoring a brace for the Seagulls.
AdvertisementWHAT ROBERTO DE ZERBI SAID ABOUT FATI & LAMPTEY
Speaking to reporters ahead of the AEK fixture, De Zerbi informed: "Ansu and Lamptey are both injured. We've lost them for a long time. The focus is on the players who can play tomorrow. We will have enough to compete. I don't know if we will win but we will fight to win the game.”
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
De Zerbi has several reasons to fight for a win, despite going to Greece with a depleted squad, as three points on Thursday evening might propel them to the top of Group B given Marseille drop points against Ajax. However, it will be a tough task for the Premier League outfit as they will be without Danny Welbeck, Solly March and Pervis Estupinan apart from the recently injured Fati and Lamptey.
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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BRIGHTON?
Brighton will have to be on their toes when they take on the Greek side as they were beaten in the reverse fixture by 3-2 at the Amex Stadium back in September. However, they are unbeaten in their last six matches and if they continue their rich vein of form, De Zerbi's troops could avenge their earlier defeat.
An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to bolster the playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign…
What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?
According to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset, Spurs are one of three English top-flight teams to have made an offer to sign Juventus centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic.
The report claims that Manchester United and Chelsea are also 'at the window' with an 'important offer' for the Serbian international striker, with all three clubs keen on a deal for his signature.
It states that they have offered no less than €65m (£56m) and that the Old Lady are willing to be reasonable in negotiations as they now eye their own targets to potentially replace the former Fiorentina marksman.
Although, it remains to be seen whether or not £56m would be enough to tempt the Italian giants into parting ways with him, 18 months on from their initial £58m outlay on his services.
How many goals has Dusan Vlahovic scored for Juventus?
The 23-year-old dynamo has plundered 23 goals in 63 appearances for the Serie A side to date and his form in recent years suggests that he would come in as a big upgrade on Richarlison for Ange Postecoglou.
Vlahovic scored ten goals in 22 league starts for Juventus last season whilst the Brazil international struggled badly during his debut campaign at the club – with one goal in 27 Premier League appearances, including 12 starts.
Spurs signed the striker from Everton for a fee in the region of £60m last summer after he produced 17 strikes in 61 league outings for the Toffees over the previous two campaigns combined.
The 26-year-old dud's horrendous form in front of goal last term meant that Tottenham did not have another scorer to back up Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, as they were the only players at the club to end the season with more than five league goals.
Vlahovic, however, is a player who has the quality to provide a third reliable scoring option for Postecoglou, based on his Serie A form over the last three years.
Prior to his ten-goal haul during the 2022/23 campaign, the impressive left-footed marksman scored 45 goals in 67 league starts for Fiorentina and Juventus combined throughout 2021/22 and 2020/21.
He proved himself to be a prolific scorer in Italy as the 6 foot 3 monster found the back of the net over 20 times in both seasons, whilst Richarlison has never scored more than 13 league goals in a single term over the course of his career in Brazil or England to date.
These statistics suggest that the Serbian hotshot, who was once hailed as "incredibly prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the quality to offer far more than the Brazilian flop at the top end of the pitch.
Vlahovic is yet to prove himself in England but his form in the Serie A indicates that the quality is there for him to be an exceptional goalscorer for Postecoglou, which is why Spurs must push to win the race for his signature in order to land a big upgrade on Richarlison ahead of next season.
With the new season fast approaching, Leeds United will seemingly need to dip into the transfer market sooner rather than later if they are to have any chance of promotion, with new boss Daniel Farke no doubt requiring sufficient backing if he is to lead a successful charge back into the top flight next term.
One area that the Yorkshire giants particularly need to address is the forward ranks, with the likes of Jack Harrison and Wilfried Gnonto set to be on their way – amid interest from Everton – while both Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford are also likely to seek out pastures new.
That possible exodus will likely leave the ex-Norwich City coach rather thin on the ground in that department, hence just why suitable replacements must be found as a matter of urgency, with pre-season already now underway.
According to reports in his native Nigeria, Nottingham Forest marksman, Emmanuel Dennis is potentially set to be the subject of an offer from those at Elland Road, with the 25-year-old all but certain to leave the Premier League side this summer after just a solitary season at the City Ground.
The former Watford man had initially signed for the Midlands outfit a year ago, although went on to play a bit-part role under Steve Cooper in the 2022/23 season, having been restricted to just six league starts.
Despite those recent woes, the striker's prior form at Vicarage Road – and during his time in Belgium at Club Brugge – should be cause for excitement among Leeds supporters, as should his likeness to a current Elland Road star in the form of Crysencio Summerville…
How much is Emmanuel Dennis worth?
Despite being valued at just €5m (£4m) by CIES Football Observatory, it was only 12 months ago that the eight-cap hitman had sealed a move to Forest for a fee of around £20m, having netted ten goals and laid on six assists during the previous season for the Hornets.
The 5 foot 9 machine had initially caught the eye after registering 42 goal involvements in 116 games in all competitions in Bruges, memorably scoring twice in a 2-2 draw with La Liga giants Real Madrid in a Champions League tussle at the Bernabeu in 2019.
A player of great pedigree, the "stunning" striker – as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting – would also represent an astute move for Leeds due to his similarity to the aforementioned Summerville, according to FBref, with the pair both undoubtedly exciting attacking assets.
That likeness is particularly showcased by the duo's willing work ethic on the flanks across the last 365 days, with Dennis ranking in the top 10% for tackles made and the top 5% for aerial duels won among his European peers, while Summerville ranks in the top 15% for tackles made, as well as in the top 15% for interceptions.
The current Whites star – who has been tipped to go "right to the very top" of the game by club insider, John Wenham – enjoyed a promising, albeit unspectacular 2022/23 season after scoring four goals and laying on two assists in 28 league outings, albeit with only 12 of those coming from the start.
The hope will be that a more consistent run of games at a lower level could allow the Netherlands U21 international to truly blossom, with the winger likely to benefit from the loss of the likes of Gnonto, Harrison et al.
For Summerville to then be joined by the £40k-per-week Forest man could prove a menacing combination in the Championship next season, with that the type of partnership that could steer Farke and co to promotion.
Cheteshwar Pujara, the India batsman, has confirmed his return to Trent Bridge for the final four Specsavers County Championship games of the 2017 season
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2017
Cheteshwar Pujara continued his impressive form in Sri Lanka•AFP
Cheteshwar Pujara, the India batsman, has confirmed his return to Trent Bridge for the final four Specsavers County Championship games of the 2017 season, as Nottinghamshire look to seal their immediate return to the top flight following last season’s relegation.Pujara recently returned from India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka – he made 309 runs at 77.25, including two centuries, in their 3-0 series win – and will be available for the home and away fixtures against Northamptonshire, as well as the matches against Worcestershire (at Trent Bridge) and Sussex (at Hove).He has already played an important role in Nottinghamshire’s march to the top of the Division Two table, scoring 223 runs at 44.6 in four matches at the start of the season, including 112 in the victory over Gloucestershire in late May.”The great thing is that he has already been in the squad this season and he fitted in so well both on and off the field,” said Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach.”He is a fantastic player, and since he has been away he has had a great time of it in the Test matches for India. So we are getting a guy who is coming back in form and for the team spirit, Pudji coming back in is a huge boost for everybody.”We have got two really big home games against Northants and Worcester, because it is a chance for us to put pressure on two sides that are up there with us.”Runs on the board at Trent Bridge is always a big influence and having a player of Test-match quality in Pudji is a real bonus.”
Arsenal have “held talks” to sign Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, reports 90min journalist Graeme Bailey.
Which players are Arsenal signing in 2023?
The Gunners have been on fire in the transfer market so far this summer, splashing the cash to ensure their incredible 2022/23 season under Mikel Arteta is no flash in the pan.
The north Londoners have already announced the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea – a sure sign of the power shift in the capital – and deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are thought to be all but done.
Arteta and Edu’s work won’t finish there however, due to the fact that they are also set to lose some key players from the team that performed so well last term. Granit Xhaka has left the club to join Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen while Thomas Partey is also thought to be likely to leave, so the addition of Rice may need to be accompanied by another new arrival in the centre of the park.
And that’s where Lavia could come in, with the Southampton youngster expected to depart after the Saints’ relegation from the Premier League. The 19 year-old is one of several midfield targets to be linked – the likes of Moises Caicedo and even Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni have been mentioned – but the Belgium international appears to be the most advanced.
Are Arsenal signing Romeo Lavia?
Indeed, the Gunners have actually “held talks” to sign the former Manchester City starlet, reports Bailey, but they aren’t alone as Chelsea and Liverpool have also made the same steps.
Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle are also keeping an eye on the situation, with the teenager “emerging as one of this summer's most in-demand players”. Saints apparently expect to recoup £50m to sell their prized asset.
It’s hard to imagine Lavia coming in and starting week in week out for the Gunners – he is outperformed by Rice in all but three of FBRef’s key metrics for defensive midfielders – but he would be an excellent option to have in the building depending on the opposition, especially with tricky European ties on the way.
The three areas he actually betters Rice in are tackles, blocks and successful take-ons, painting the picture of a player who is excellent at shielding the back four, breaking up play and then weaving out of tight situations to retain possession once he has taken it.
With Rice sure to be striding forward and aiding the more attack-minded players in the XI, having a pure number six behind the England international in certain games would allow him to focus more on those attacking phases of play, and Lavia looks the perfect candidate.
You don’t need to look far to find plaudits for the tough-tackling ace either, with Pep Guardiola saying this earlier this year: “We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him, but maybe he would not (get) enough minutes like he has in Southampton.”
Many pundits and fans alike have pointed out the similarities between the way Arteta’s team operates and Pep’s City, so it is no surprise to see the boss looking to recruit a player valued so highly by his former mentor, and the interest from various big six rivals shows exactly how Lavia is seen by those around the game.
The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman meets in Mumbai on Monday to scrutinise candidates for the high-profile job of India’s coach. Former team director Ravi Shastri has emerged as the frontrunner.The BCCI received 10 applications – from Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Lance Klusener, Rakesh Sharma (Oman national team coach), Phil Simmons and Upendranath Bramhachari (engineer with no cricketing background). It is learnt that the CAC will interview six of these 10 candidates. As per sources, the six likely candidates are Shastri, Sehwag, Moody, Simmons, Pybus and Rajput.The position for the coach had fallen vacant after Anil Kumble resigned from the post before the West Indies tour due to what seemed like differences in the dressing room.Shastri had initially not applied for the post but when the BCCI extended the deadline to accept applications till July 9, the former India captain jumped into the fray and suddenly became the hot favourite. Given his cordial equation with captain Virat Kohli, Shastri, who had a successful tenure as team director with India reaching the 2015 World Cup semi-final, is the favourite.
South Africa wrapped up England’s innings midway through the afternoon session on the fourth day, leaving themselves a target of 331 to win the first Test
The Report by Alan Gardner09-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:15
‘Moeen at his best when he is aggressive’ – Root
Do you remember the first time? Joe Root certainly will after England swept South Africa aside to mark his captaincy debut with a crushing victory as 19 wickets fell in a day at Lord’s. Moeen Ali, taking full licence of the attacking brief given to him by Root, ran through a mesmerised South Africa batting order to claim 6 for 53 on the way to a maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests.Having been set 331 to win the first Test, with almost 150 overs in which to get them, South Africa were unable to even take the match into a fifth day. With the pitch offering appreciable assistance for the spin of Moeen and Liam Dawson, they subsided to 119 all out in 36.4 overs, with Temba Bavuma’s 41-ball 21 providing the most prolonged resistance. Faf du Plessis, looking on from the balcony having returned to lead the team at Trent Bridge next week, was left with much to ponder.
England have named an unchanged squad for Friday’s second Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge, in the wake of their 211-run victory at Lord’s.
“I didn’t know what to expect but what was pleasing was everything I asked of the lads they were very open to do and responded to it,” Joe Root, England’s captain, said.
“I wanted us to be proactive, to stay ahead of the game and when there was an opportunity, to take responsibility. Everyone at certain points did that and it can’t be a bad thing moving forward.”
Squad Joe Root (capt), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Toby Roland-Jones.
South Africa were in trouble early in their innings, going to tea on 25 for 3, with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock their main hope of giving Root and England a fright. Only once had a team chased as many in the fourth innings to win a Lord’s Test, though Root may have recalled for a moment the occasion when he filled in as Yorkshire captain in 2014 and saw Middlesex ease to a target of 472 three wickets down on this ground.That gained him the nickname “craptain” in the Yorkshire dressing room, but it looks like England will have to come up with something more generous. In truth, Root did not have to resort to much in the way of tactical genius, as his two spinners bowled in tandem for 24 overs to finish off South Africa with time to spare on another sun-drenched evening in north London. South Africa had not lost a Test at Lord’s since 1960 but they broke that record in style.It meant their fightback during the first half of the day, when they claimed England’s last nine wickets for the addition of 114 runs became a distant memory. It could have been better still but Jonny Bairstow, who scored a vital half-century, was dropped on 7 as South Africa replicated the mistakes that were so costly to their chances in the first innings.After James Anderson had made the initial breakthrough, Heino Kuhn removed via a fine, diving catch from Bairstow down the leg side, Moeen picked up his first wicket when he brilliantly held a reflex return catch off Dean Elgar. South Africa’s stand-in captain must have feared the worst at that moment, and their fortunes sunk further when JP Duminy pulled Mark Wood straight to midwicket on the brink of tea.Moeen Ali celebrates his five-wicket haul as South Africa are rolled aside at Lord’s•Getty Images
The selection of Dawson, who made a pair with the bat, was not widely lauded beforehand but he delivered for Root when he plucked out the key wicket of Amla shortly after the interval. Moeen’s first four overs were maidens, bottling up South Africa from the Nursery End, and Dawson then produced a ripping delivery that pitched on middle and leg, spun past the groping bat and hit the back leg in front of off; Amla reviewed but in vain.De Kock and Bavuma dug in for more than 10 overs, lifting the score from 28 for 4 with a 36-run stand, but an increasingly confident England had Mo-mentum on their side. When de Kock tried to relieve some of the pressure by pulling, he only succeeded in dragging the ball into his front leg, from where it fizzed back into his stumps.Bavuma also fell trying to force an attacking shot to break England’s chokehold, a precise delivery hitting the top of off, and Moeen then had Theunis de Bruyn caught at slip and Keshav Maharaj bowled off an inside edge to record his maiden Test ten-for. Having contributed 87 to the first-innings total of 458, he became the first England player to score a fifty and take ten wickets in a Test since Ian Botham in 1980.Botham-like heroics will help keep most Test captains feeling chipper and, following his first-innings 190, Root could reflect on a perfect start to his tenure. It had been a slightly bumpier beginning to the day, however, as England lost nine wickets in 36.1 overs – though the consolation for Root was that the procession of batsmen returning to join him in the dressing room could attest to the increasing difficulty of the pitch.Bairstow was last man out, stumped off Maharaj, the spinner’s four-wicket haul a harbinger of what was to come. At lunch, England’s lead had been 279 but Bairstow and Wood scraped together valuable extra runs during a brisk ninth-wicket stand of 45. Apart from Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance, who added 10 and 11 respectively to their overnight scores, no other England batsmen managed to get into double-figures on the day.Maharaj might have removed Bairstow right at the start of his innings, only for Vernon Philander, who was fit to bowl after injuring his hand batting on the third day, to drop a simple catch at long-off. Maharaj claimed three of the seven wickets to fall in the first session, amid increasing signs of the pitch breaking up. The dismissal of Cook for 69, caught at cover attempting to lift the scoring, precipitated an England collapse of 4 for 10 in 39 balls – which would have been 5 for 19 had Bairstow’s offering been held.The evidence of the first over of the morning was that the Lord’s baize was by now a little rumpled. At least two deliveries from Philander kept low before the last jumped to hit Ballance on the glove. When Maharaj came into the attack shortly before the hour mark, the first ball of his second over went directly to slip out of the rough; the same over concluded with Root being bowled by one that didn’t turn.Cook and Ballance picked up initially in much the same mood as they guided England to the close on the third evening, a couple of tugboats towing their barge along the Thames. They had added a boundary apiece, taking their partnership to 59, before Cook suddenly weighed anchor and drove aerially into the covers, where Bavuma snaffled a sharp, diving catch.Morne Morkel continued his impressive Test by having Ballance caught behind with another exacting delivery that straightened from round the wicket and England slide’s continued with the dismissal of Root for 5 in the following over. Having seen Maharaj spin the ball sharply, Root swept a boundary but was then caught playing back and got an inside-edge on to his stumps.Ben Stokes did not have much time for reconnaissance, pinned lbw for 1 by a delivery that shot through low from Rabada. Stokes started walking as soon as it hit him, while Rabada – suspended for the next Test due to his outburst after dismissing Stokes in the first innings – kept his counsel. That left England 149 for 5 and it ought to have been 158 for 6 when Bairstow lofted Maharaj towards Philander, only for the fielder to drop it on to the rope. He gestured towards the skies, seeming to suggest that Spidercam had distracted him – but little could excuse the scale of South Africa’s defeat.