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Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has been tipped to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich when the German departs in the summer.

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Zinedine without a job currentlyTuchel steps down in the summerEx-Bayern star "could easily imagine" Frenchman at BayernGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Bundesliga giants announced last month that Tuchel would be stepping down from his role as head coach at the end of the season, opening the door to a whole host of managerial candidates. Zidane, meanwhile, has been out of work since his second stint as Real boss came to an end in 2021. The Frenchman, who won three successive Champions League trophies in his first spell in Madrid, has been touted to replace Tuchel by former Bayern star Mario Basler.

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The 55-year-old told German outlet : "There aren't too many alternatives on the coaching market. I also believe that Xabi Alonso will stay at Leverkusen or go to another club – perhaps Madrid or Liverpool. Maybe he'll stay at Leverkusen for another year and then go to Madrid when Carlo Ancelotti retires. The only person I could easily imagine would be Zinedine Zidane."

However, Basler feels that Bayern shouldn't have been so hasty with letting Tuchel go, drawing parallels with the handling of Julian Nagelsmann last year. He added: "I don't understand Bayern's personnel decision. Bayern have once again made quick decisions, just like they did with Julian Nagelsmann back in the day. That was also very incomprehensible to me. If that scenario [Bayern winning the Champions League] materialises, I would be curious to see whether Bayern Munich would have the character to say: 'We made a decision too early. We want to reverse the decision'. Maybe they'll sit down with Tuchel again and see if they might not continue for another year or two."

(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

As Basler references, Bayern are in with a shot at Champions League glory – a competition Tuchel has already won once with Chelsea – after overcoming Lazio in the last-16. However, Leverkusen's escapades under Alonso mean they are ten points behind in the Bundesliga, as those performances have seen the Spanish coach linked with a move away in the summer. Bayern are among those potential suitors, as they look set to rival Liverpool this summer or Real Madrid the next.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Other names linked with the Bayern job, apart from Zidane and Alonso, include Jose Mourinho and former Die Roten boss Hansi Flick. Ex-Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was incredibly mooted earlier this season, before Tuchel's fate was revealed.

Wolverhampton Wanderers would have feared a relegation battle in the Premier League this campaign and those fears are coming to fruition having recorded four losses from their first six matches.

The latest of those poor results came at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon as the Old Gold stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Luton Town, although after spending the whole second half with ten men, Gary O'Neil would have seen that result as one point gained rather than two dropped.

On Tuesday evening, the Old Gold can put their disastrous league form to the side and focus on their trip to take on Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The Tractor Boys have announced their return to the second tier in exceptional style, winning seven of their opening eight matches with their only defeat coming against Leeds United.

A distraction this competition may be – but it isn't any easy one at that for Wolves – and they'll have to be on the ball against a side brimming with confidence who will sense an upset could be in the offing.

What is the latest Wolves team news?

With the chance to utilise the full depth of his squad, O'Neil is expected to make several changes against Ipswich but at least one of those will be enforced.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Wolves' outstanding performer from their 3-1 defeat against Liverpool, followed that terrific display up with a shocking one against Luton as the midfielder was sent off for making an inexcusable challenge on defender Tom Lockyer.

On a much brighter note, midfielder Joe Hodge, who caught the eye in their 5-0 thrashing of Blackpool in the previous round, is working his way back from a muscular problem – which he sustained in the last round – and has a slim chance of returning for this tie.

Elsewhere, Matt Doherty, Boubacar Traore, Toti Gomes, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic should all get their chances to impress O'Neil from the off, as could on-loan Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle, who has featured twice off the bench in the Premier League so far.

Should Tommy Doyle start vs Ipswich?

After joining on loan with an option to buy for £4.3m, Doyle's opportunities in the Wolves team have been limited thus far, however, with a suspension to Bellegarde and Mario Lemina likely to be rested, the Englishman could get his chance to shine.

The 21-year-old starred in the Sheffield United side that was promoted to the Premier League last season, scoring four goals and registering seven assists, as he impressed at Bramall Lane in a Paul Heckingbottom system that allowed his technical attributes to flourish, operating in a dynamic midfield three with James McAtee and Sander Berge.

Possessing the technique and superb passing range to dictate the tempo of matches – as taught at Man City – the midfield metronome looked a cut above at Championship level when compared to his positional peers, ranking in the top 5% for expected assists, top 12% for shot creating actions, top 13% for passes into the final third and top 15% for progressive passes, as per FBref.

At times this campaign, Wolves have struggled in the absence of the technically astute Ruben Neves and although Doyle is unable to replicate the impact of the Portuguese, he can offer O'Neil a calmness on the ball in midfield and that could be key tonight with Ipswich likely to start fast out of the blocks.

The 5 foot 8 "set-piece specialist" – as lauded by England under-21 teammate Charlie Cresswell – can provide Wolves with quality from dead-ball situations too, which is also something they've missed in the absence of Neves.

Doyle was one of the stand-out players in the Championship last term and earned his move to a Premier League side on the back of his consistent displays. Now, the stage is set for him to show O'Neil what he can offer the Old Gold in future matches.

Dhanmondi topple table-toppers Abahani, while Rupganj and Gazi Group pick up comfortable victories

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2018

In his first game after the gates closed on Zimbabwe’s entry into the World Cup following a heartbreaking loss to UAE, Sikandar Raza’s breezy 90 helped Gazi Group Cricketers to a 34-run win over Kheleghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the Dhaka Premier League’s Super League.Raza struck seven fours and four sixes in his 84-ball innings that powered Gazi Group to 304 for 6 in 50 overs. Raza built on a solid platform of 108 for 2 in the 21st over, laid by Imrul Kayes (63) and Mominul Haque (47). He put on 55 with Asif Ahmed for the fourth wicket and then added another 71 runs with Nadif Chowdhury, before falling in the 47th over. Nadif struck three sixes and a four in his 35-ball 45.In reply, Khelaghar openers Robiul Islam and Mahidul Islam put together 108 runs for the opening stand. Both batsmen were dismissed in the 60s, but the middle-order couldn’t build on the good work. That meant Mausam Khan’s 44 off 41 balls at No. 7 went in vain as Khelaghar still fell well short. Abu Hider took three wickets, while Mahedi Hasan got two.Unmukt Chand’s second successive hundred helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat table-toppers Abahani Limited by 26 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Batting first, Dhanmondi Club reached 256 for 8 in 50 overs, with Chand top-scoring with 101 off 138 balls that included eight fours and three sixes. He shared a 90-run opening stand with Shykat Ali, and an 81-run third wicket stand with Tanbir Hayder, before Dhanmondi went on to lose six wickets for 81 runs.Mashrafe Mortaza, who had just taken three wickets, then went out to open the batting for the first time in his List-A career. But he had a short stay, as did many of the other top and middle-order batsmen. The lower order fared much better with solid contributions but Abahani were limited to 230 nonetheless. Abu Jayed and Robiul Haque took three wickets each.Mohammad Naim’s stroke-filled 88 took Legends of Rupganj to a five-wicket win over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Batting first, Doleshwar reached 257 for 5 in 50 overs on the back of Liton Das’ third century in the tournament. He struck nine fours and two sixes in his 126-ball knock. After putting on 69 runs for the first wicket with Imtiaz Hossain, Liton put together a 113-run second wicket stand with Fazle Mahmud (46). Prime Doleshwar lost four wickets in the last 10 overs, but quick bursts from Iqbal Abdulla (42* off 22) and Farhad Reza (29 off 22) ensured it didn’t hurt the finish.Chasing 258 to win, Naim and Abdul Mazid started very well with a 140-run opening stand. Naim struck six fours and five sixes in his 101-ball knock. Mazid was a lot more sedate, collecting 58 off 90 balls. After their dismissals, Mushfiqur Rahim (41) and Naeem Islam (31) took Rupganj closer before they won with eight balls to spare.

Journalist Dean Jones has shared some imminent news on a possible Jesse Lingard transfer decision at West Ham United.

Who have West Ham signed 2023?

The summer signings of Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez, ex-Southampton star James Ward-Prowse, defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and the highly-rated Mohammed Kudus have bolstered manager David Moyes options to no end.

West Ham's quartet of new arrivals come in for around £119 million, coming after they sold Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic and Arthur Masuaku for a grand total of £134 million.

So far, these off-field calls have been totally justified, as Moyes's side currently sit fourth in the Premier League table with three wins out of their opening four league games.

West Ham's impressive victories over Brighton, Chelsea and Luton Town showcase the real promise of this side after last season's unexpected UEFA Europa Conference League triumph in Prague.

Reports have also suggested that the east Londoners could move to re-sign former star Lingard as a free agent, coming after he left Nottingham Forest in late June.

Will West Ham sign Jesse Lingard?

The 30-year-old has been training with West Ham recently, both in a bid to improve his fitness and display his full ability on a sort of trial basis.

Lingard featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich Town last week, which ended 1-1, and it is believed he impressed in flashes before being subbed off.

Moyes provided a small update on the midfielder to talkSPORT this week, refusing to rule out the possiblity of a short-term contract.

“Jesse has trained with us for three weeks and he’s improved greatly from when he first came in," said Moyes.

“He’s in really good condition – much better condition than he was when he first came in. I have to say, when Jesse joined us two years ago I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and was probably the difference between us getting into Europe for the first time.

“I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does."

Speaking to GiveMeSport in the last few days, reporter Jones has shared his own update on Lingard and West Ham.

He says a decision could now be made imminently, after hearing news from a "contact" of his at the London Stadium.

"They're making a very full assessment of it," said Jones.

"Obviously, they've been getting a close-up look at him in training and also in games behind closed doors. I don't think a decision is very far away and it might even be at the back end of this week.

"One contact was saying that West Ham might make up their mind on what they do with Lingard. There isn't a rush on it, but the longer it drags on, the more uncertainty it causes and the more of an issue it potentially becomes over why he hasn't signed a contract."

The former Man United star scored nine goals and assisted four others in 16 league starts during a 2021 loan spell at West Ham. If he can rediscover that kind of form, Lingard could prove a real asset for Moyes ahead of a long season.

Suranga Lakmal decked the Bangladesh top order, Thisara Perera struck blows in the middle, before Dushmantha Chameera and Lakshan Sandakan wiped out the tail and a hail of sixes carried Sri Lanka’s openers to a paltry target of 83

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated PressSuranga Lakmal decked the Bangladesh middle order, Thisara Perera swung blows in the middle, Dushmantha Chameera and Lakshan Sandakan wiped out the tail, and a hail of sixes carried Sri Lanka’s openers to a paltry target of 83.All up, Sri Lanka required only 35.5 overs to complete the 10-wicket win – 24 overs to dismiss the opposition, and 11.5 to run down their score. The hosts, meanwhile, were guilty of complacency perhaps, their place in the final long secured, and with little to gain from this game. It is these two teams who will now contest Saturday’s final.Kayes added back to squad

Imrul Kayes has been added to Bangladesh’s squad for the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Imrul had been excluded from the team for Bangladesh’s third and fourth matches. He struck a first-class century in the BCL in that period.

Having conceded 320 to the same opposition only six days ago, Thursday was a Sri Lanka bowling fantasy. The short ball proved profitable for the quicks again, as it had done against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Lakmal, Chameera and Thisara were sharp and intense, and Sandakan extracted rapid turn from a wearing Mirpur square. So effective were these four bowlers that Sri Lanka’s other frontline spinner – Akila Dananjaya – was not required to bowl a single delivery. Lakmal took 3 for 21, and the others two wickets apiece.It was in the third over that the mayhem began, when Anamul Haque threw his bat at a Lakmal delivery and redirected it to the stumps via his inside edge. This united Bangladesh’s best batsmen of the series – Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal – but they would soon be parted by a piece of electric fielding by Danushka Gunathilaka. Tamim pushed a ball square on the off side and set off for the run, but swooping to his left from point, Gunathilaka pulled off a velvet-smooth pick-up and threw down the stumps, leaving Shakib several metres short of his ground. Tamim himself would soon be victim to another piece of Gunathilaka athleticism. Unable to control a bouncer from Lakmal, he sent the ball high off the splice, behind square on the off side. Tracking the ball from backward point, Gunathilaka dived to complete the catch.Mushfiqur Rahim was the only Bangladesh batsman to make an attempt at piecing together the innings, batting securely for a while after his team had slipped to 34 for 4. His efforts, however, were not supported by the men at the other end. Sabbir Rahman soon ran at Thisara and hoisted him to mid-on. Abul Hasan then edged Thisara to the wicketkeeper, to leave Bangladesh at 71 for 6. Suddenly, with only the tail for company, Mushfiqur himself was soon out attempting a scoring shot, when he bunted a slower Chameera ball to short midwicket.That was Chameera’s first wicket in eight matches, and he soon had another – Nasir Hossain caught behind on the leg side. Sandakan, who had been menacing throughout his six overs, closed out the innings, spinning one ball past Mashrafe Mortaza’s swing, before Rubel Hossain holed out to long-on.Gunathilaka – playing this match in place of the injured Kusal Perera – ensured the chase began quickly, as he struck Mashrafe Mortaza for successive leg-side fours at the end of the first over. Upul Tharanga had himself began to open his shoulders when he was dropped at cover by Tamim, but the remainder of the chase was as smooth as it was fast-moving. Gunathilaka struck three sixes – off spinners and quicks – the most impressive of which was the swat off Mustafizur Rahman over deep midwicket. Tharanga’s two sixes came down the ground, and all told, the pair hit 46 of their 83 runs in boundaries.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rohit Sharma headlined a match that saw 31 sixes and a slew of records being broken, battering a 35-ball century, the joint-fastest in T20Is, in a ground whose short boundaries were purportedly the reason why Thisara Perera had decided to put India in for the second game in a row. While Sri Lanka did manage to score at nearly 10 an over, they failed to last 20 overs again, this time in a steeper chase of 260, eventually losing by 88 runs.Rohit had smiled sheepishly at Thisara after the visiting captain had called correctly again. But the smiles were of a different kind after he walked out to a quick wicket, where Angelo Mathews welcomed him with sub-115kph short balls. The Indian captain used that start to transcend into a state of demolition, with shots we’re accustomed to seeing when he’s been around for more than half an ODI innings.On Friday night, he didn’t need anywhere near that much time.While KL Rahul brought the allure early on, Rohit had the better strike-rate, swatting the short balls away with characteristic disdain, before resorting to caressing length balls over his favoured midwicket region. He even took 15 runs off his first five balls against Akila Dananjaya’s legspin, the form of bowling that was routinely talked about as his weakness in the IPL earlier this year.By the end of the ninth over, Sri Lanka had used seven bowlers, a number that indicated they had enough options to warrant bringing in an extra batsman, but one which, on the flip side, glaringly exposed their decision to drop a specialist in Vishwa Fernando. Four men apart from the new-ball bowlers had gone for at least 16 in their first over. Asela Gunaratane went for 21 in his opening over, which started with Rohit slapping a loopy one over midwicket to reach his fifty in 23 balls, before sending the next ball over midwicket for a big six to bring up the century opening stand.Off his next 11 balls, only three failed to breach the boundary. The most delightful of them came at the end of the streak, a slap on the up over cover which brought up his hundred, and the two sixes off the balls before, carved on either side of sweeper cover. It was the earliest century scored in a T20I innings, coming in the 12th over.With that much time remaining, thoughts of another double-hundred in limited-overs cricket had begun but Dushmantha Chameera bowled the most effective change up of Sri Lanka’s innings, a short slower ball that Rohit couldn’t ramp over third man. As he walked off, he responded to a question from Ravi Shastri in the dressing room, cupping his hands like a wicketkeeper to signal he wanted MS Dhoni in at No. 3.At the other end, Rahul played watchfully, visibly bothered by horizontal-bat shots, several of which he under-edged into the turf as Sri Lanka resorted to slower balls early in the innings. He would’ve fallen to one too, but Sadeera Samarawickrama dropped him at point on 6.BCCI

He switched tactics and decided to go straight, which resulted immediately in the shot of the evening. He walked at a 140kph delivery from Chameera that was prime for a cut – short and a tad wide. Except, his hands came from under the ball rather than above it, and he punched it over the long-off boundary, all the way into the top-tier. He then launched a Nuwan Pradeep slower ball straight over the bowler’s head for six, having just tickled a slower ball past short fine leg off his hips.In fact, he didn’t bring out the pull till Rohit was dismissed, following which he dominated a 78-run stand with Dhoni. He was given another reprieve on 83, when Gunaratne, who had lined up under a flick at deep square, seemed to completely miss it as it approached him, letting it sail over his head. But Pradeep had his man the very next ball, inducing a thick outside edge that was taken by Niroshan Dickwella with a leap to his right. India lost four wickets in the last ten balls, but finished with the second-highest total in T20I cricket.The indignity of conceding 260 notwithstanding, Sri Lanka did make good of their prophecy that this was a chasing ground. Dickwella tried a series of scoops, including one off the first ball of the innings in his 25 off 19 balls. He didn’t make full use of his chance – Rahul returned Sri Lanka’s favours with a drop of his own – though and was dismissed in the fifth over.Kusal Perera lasted the longest of all Sri Lankan batsmen in the last game, but was the most troubled of them. He turned that around dramatically in Indore, muscling several deliveries over the wide mid-on boundary. He took a liking to Yuzvendra Chahal in particular, using his reach to cart the bowler into the leg side despite being beaten in flight several times. Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t spared either, despite taking the ball away from the left hander.Kusal’s blitz somewhat made up for Upul Tharanga’s early struggles, but the opener soon got into the act, as they added 109 for the second wicket at more than 12 an over to leave their side with an outside chance. But it took one wicket – Tharanga top-edged a hoick off Chahal – to set a collapse in motion. The next over, Kuldeep’s last, saw three wickets, starting with the promoted Thisara top-edging one to Hardik Pandya’s right at long-on off his first ball. Kusal then skewed one to long-off, and Gunaratne missed a googly to be stumped.Chahal then picked up three wickets in the next over to finish with four. With Mathews absent hurt – and out of the series according to Thisara – Sri Lanka folded from 145 for 1 to 172 all out in 25 balls

A report has revealed how West Ham United could still make a move for Man United midfielder Scott McTominay despite James Ward-Prowse's signing.

Who will West Ham sign?

The Hammers finally sealed their first major signing of the summer window earlier this week with a move for Mexico international midfielder Edson Alvarez, who was given the number 19 shirt.

His move from Ajax marked the true beginning of West Ham's transfer window as manager David Moyes, technical chief Tim Steidten and sporting director Mark Noble were made to wait.

This could've been down to the delay in Declan Rice's £105 million switch to Arsenal, and with Gianluca Scamacca departing as well, West Ham now have a sizeable transfer kitty.

Moyes, speaking to the press on Friday, admitted West Ham were closing in on deals for both Man United defender Harry Magure and Ward-Prowse.

"James Ward-Prowse is having a medical just now," said the Scotsman.

"We've agreed a fee but it's not right I speak about him as he's not yet our player.

"We've had a bid accepted from Manchester United [for Maguire], but while he's not our player I'm not in a position to discuss him really."

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

Meanwhile, West Ham's manager also admitted that midfield star Lucas Paqueta has been subject to a bid from English champions Man City, but it is nowhere near their valuation.

He said: "We've had an offer from Manchester City [for Paqueta] but at the moment it's not anywhere near meeting our valuation."

There are still a few weeks left of this transfer window and anything can happen, with reports suggesting Paqueta is very keen on a switch to Eastlands.

As a result, West Ham may need to sign a replacement in the event of his departure.

According to 6 foot 2.com, despite Ward-Prowse's signing, the Irons could still make a move for United ace McTominay – especially if Paqueta were to leave for Manchester.

However, the sticking point is his price tag, as Erik ten Hag's side apparently value him at around £45 million.

There is also a question as to whether McTominay would agree personal terms.

What's been said about Scott McTominay?

The Scotland international made 26 league appearances for United last term, with ten Hag deploying him fairly regularly in the Red Devils midfield.

McTominay has dazzled at international level for under manager Steve Clarke as well, perhaps most notably scoring a brace against Spain earlier this year.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, commenting on the 26-year-old's former partnership with Paul Pogba at United, called both players some of the best midfielders in the world.

"They [Manchester United] have an incredible midfield," explained Simeone.

"I am incredibly impressed with the work rate. Pogba and McTominay are two of the best midfielders in the world with a great balance."

Meanwhile, former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez showered McTominay with praise as an "all action" midfielder.

"He is all action," said Martinez on Amazon (via The Metro).

"He makes the front four better. It’s important when you have creative players that you have other players who are willing to work."

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale will have a new-look set of attacking options at his disposal for the start of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign.

Alfredo Morelos departed Ibrox on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at the end of last season and Antonio Colak has since joined him in leaving the club with a permanent switch to Italian side Parma.

Which strikers have Rangers signed this summer?

The Light Blues head coach has replaced the two centre-forwards, who plundered a combined 25 league goals for the club last term, with Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers.

Feyenoord number nine Danilo is also reportedly closing in on a £6m switch to Glasgow, which would mean that Beale has three new strikers to pick from for the upcoming season.

The 42-year-old tactician could also bring through another fresh option in that position in the future by promoting 17-year-old forward Zak Lovelace, who could be the dream heir to Dessers at Ibrox.

How many goals did Zak Lovelace score last season?

The London-born dynamo scored 18 goals in 37 appearances for the first-team and B-team combined after his move from Millwall last summer.

His impressive goalscoring record for the young Light Blues, which included 15 goals and six assists in 26 Lowland League matches, suggests that the potential is there for him to develop into an excellent player for Beale if he can translate that form over to the senior squad.

No Rangers striker managed more than 14 league strikes last season and the prolific teenager has showcased his ability to find the back of the net with greater regularity than that, albeit at youth team level, which is why the head coach could already have the dream long-term heir to Dessers.

At the age of 28, the former Cremonese ace is by no means at the end of his career but the Nigerian international will be 32 by the end of his contract with Rangers in 2027, at which point Lovelace will be 21.

This means that the stars could align for the ex-Lions prospect to breakthrough into the first-team as Dessers comes to the end of his time with the Gers, should he stay for the entirety of his deal, as the B-team star would be heading into his formative years as a professional.

Lovelace, who was handed his senior debut by Beale against Celtic in May, was hailed as an "exciting" player by former sporting director Ross Wilson and the lethal teen marksman has lived up to the hype so far.

His return of 16 goals in 29 'B' team matches works out at an average of one strike every 1.81 games. Whereas, Dessers has scored once every 2.52 outings on average throughout his whole senior career, with 111 goals in 280 appearances.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Lovelace will be able to carry his sublime goalscoring form into professional football but his outstanding performances for the club's academy suggests that the potential is there for him to make the step up.

He could now have four years to continue his development, whether that is with the Gers' academy side or out on loan, before looking to step up to replace Dessers in 2027.

Little more than a week ago, England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, stated that playing eight batsmen was “almost a waste” and amounted to “papering over the cracks” and “saying we’re not confident with our batting line-up.”Yet on Wednesday Joe Root, the England captain, admitted England were considering playing eight batsmen. Dawid Malan, Root said, may come into the side, shunting Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali back to No. 7 and No. 8 respectively and provide more batting depth. A final decision will only be made having inspected the pitch on Thursday morning and ascertained how much value could be gained from playing two spinners.Little more than a week ago, Bayliss talked of Liam Dawson as England’s “first choice spinner,” described Moeen Ali as “a batter who bowls a little” and suggested the balance of England’s side “you could pretty much pick on any type of wicket.”Yet on Wednesday it became plain that Dawson’s place was on the line, that Moeen was still first choice spinner and that the balance of the side could easily change.On Tuesday, England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace stated that Mark Wood would “have to be managed carefully” and that there may be times when he is considered for “only two games in a four or five match series.”Yet the week before, England picked him for back-to-back Tests despite his injury record – he has undergone three ankle operations in the recent past – and his going into the second Test with a sore heel. “He went into that last game with a sore heel,” Farbrace said on Tuesday. “He could have easily pulled out and said he wasn’t fit.”All of which raises the questions about the consistency, vision and progress of the England management. It is increasingly hard to avoid the conclusion that, in red-ball cricket at least, they have made no progress at all. Not with finding a balanced side, not with helping new players settle and not with preventing a recurrence of familiar mistakes.For here we are, going into the third match of a series, with the possibility that the England side will contain three debutants.To some extent that is down to injuries.But only to some extent.It would be disingenuous to pretend that Gary Ballance – or Keaton Jennings, for that matter – had made his position in the top three safe. And it would be disingenuous to pretend that Wood or Dawson have made their places their own, either. More than two years since Bayliss took over as coach, nearly every hole that existed in the England line-up then remains now. They are still a talented, exciting, flawed team in development. And the mixed messages coming from the management can be doing nothing to aid clarity.For all that, it is possible England might stumble across a balanced line-up on Thursday morning. If Malan is given a cap – and it still seems slightly more likely that Dawson will retain his spot on an Oval surface that has provided some assistance for spinners this season – England will lengthen their batting line-up and add just a bit of solidity to a team that has been rather stronger on style than substance.While they will lose a left-arm spin option it might be compensated, in part, by the addition of two more part-time spinners in Malan and Tom Westley.The one consistent message that has come out of the England camp this week is the sense that they let themselves down a bit at Trent Bridge. They feel, as Root put it, that they are “a better side than we showed last week.” They are smarting from the defeat and itching to make amends.But for all they claim, as Ben Stokes did on Tuesday, that it was something of an aberration – “We have had one poor performance,” he said. “We have a good performance we are the best team; we have a bad performance we are the worst team. It’s quite hard to win with you guys sometimes” – it’s not entirely true. England have actually won only one (and lost six) of their most recent eight Tests. And if they lose at The Oval, they will have won none of their four most recent series. It is a record that suggests they are what they were in early 2015: a talented side, yes, but one in development and one with holes to fill.As they go into this Test, the sense is growing that it is not just a couple of the players – notably Jennings and Dawson – who are fighting for their future. If England continue to suffer from batting frailty – and this South African attack looks well-capable of exposing any weakness – the questions about Bayliss might start to mount, too. He is all but certain to lead England into the Ashes but he will do so with more confidence and credibility if one of these major series can be won ahead of them. All of a sudden, this Oval Test is looking like a pivotal game for England in particular.

Afghanistan lost their trial by pace and the second T20 to West Indies by 29 runs in a shortened game at Basseterre

The Report by Varun Shetty03-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChadwick Walton’s cameo at the top gave West Indies the momentum straightway•AFPWest Indies clinched the T20 series with a game to go, brushing Afghanistan aside for the second night in a row. With a combination of Samuel Badree’s discipline and the pace of Jerome Taylor and Kesrick Williams, the hosts struck thrice inside four overs in Afghanistan’s chase of 123, setting the tone for a comfortable defense.The target was revised, adjusted to amplify West Indies’ 112 for 3 in 15 overs, after rain took away nearly two hours from the fixture. Evin Lewis and Marlon Samuels got starts after wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton had powered West Indies in the Powerplay. Rashid Khan, Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib, though, reversed the advantage with strong performances with the ball.Afghanistan’s chase was a scattered display of anxiety against pace and hare-brained running – perhaps the two were correlated. They slipped to 19 for 3 quickly and the recovery never came. Captain Carlos Brathwaite, who had chipped away at the lower-middle order, took the final catch to notch up a series win.West Indies begin brightlyChadwick Walton led the charge with four pulled boundaries as Afghanistan’s new-ball duo insisted on bowling short at him. Having forced the early introduction of Amir Hamza, Walton clubbed a full delivery from the left-arm spinner onto the roof over long-off.A mix-up between the openers should have resulted in the run-out of Evin Lewis, who responded slowly as Walton tried to pinch a single in front of square leg; it ended with a bad throw, as well as a bad collision at the non-strikers end when Lewis ran into Samiullah Shenwari. The resultant stoppage disturbed Walton’s momentum, and he holed out to long-on next ball. But when Lewis stepped out to Nabi immediately after to smash him over long-off, West Indies were destined for a solid start. They made 52 for 1 in the Powerplay.Rashid, Naib tidy upWest Indies looked like they had one plan against Rashid Khan – to play him out. By the time Ashgar Stanikzai brought the legspinner on, West Indies were cruising at 71 for 1 in eight overs. Rashid hit his signature line, at the stumps, and pushed them through quickly to cut out any heaves across the line. Both Lewis and Marlon Samuels prodded from the back foot with minimal impact; Rashid snuck in tidy figures of 2-0-4-0. In between his two overs, Lewis had holed out to deep midwicket.After the match was reduced to 15 overs, Gulbadin Naib brought out a top spell, bowling seven dot balls in his two overs and going for just ten, with the wicket of Samuels.Fire in BasseterreSix-and-out, four-and-out, six-and-out. Naib, Noor Ali Zadran and Stanikzai finished their respective innings in similar fashion. It was an accurate representation of Afghanistan’s chase – a cycle of long periods of strangulation with the occasional release.The chase started with a typically tight over from Badree, which went for only one. Taylor shared the new ball and chose to begin from around the wicket. His first short ball was met with a swipe across the line by Naib. What should have been a simple catch for Sunil Narine at long-off almost turned into a spectacular catch by Brathwaite running back from mid-on. Badree had Naib in the next over.This was followed by a brutish over from Williams where the default shot was now set to awkward fend. Noor Ali didn’t conform, and for his rebellion he got a four before being cramped on a hook that lobbed up for short fine leg. Shenwari feathered one to Walton first ball. There was nearly a third wicket that over – but Mohammad Nabi’s glance off the hips landed short of Taylor.