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In February, Steven Smith led Australia to a famous Test win in Pune. Now, he returns to the city as Rising Pune Supergiant’s new captain

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan05-Apr-2017Match factsRising Pune Supergiant v Mumbai Indians
Pune, April 6, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)
1:41

Most of our players have enough game time – Rohit

Head to headOverall: Both sides have one away win apiece against each other.In the newsMS Dhoni will not be leading an IPL team for the first time after Rising Pune Supergiant handed the captaincy to Steven Smith. There are two others – Faf du Plessis and Ajinkya Rahane – who have captaincy experience, so the team won’t be short of ideas.Supergiant won’t have R Ashwin for the season because of a sports hernia, and Mitchell Marsh is also injured, but they signed the current No.1 T20 and ODI bowler Imran Tahir.Mumbai Indians had a change of guard, with Mahela Jayawardene replacing the 2015 title-winning coach Ricky Ponting. Mumbai don’t have players on the injury list, but do have a few returning from it.Rohit Sharma has played only two competitive matches since undergoing thigh surgery in November and scored 20 runs in them. He’s lasted two warm-up games without discomfort and said he’s overcome fears to last the season and beyond. Lasith Malinga will also be returning from an injury layoff but is likely to join the team on April 7, after finishing Sri Lanka’s home series against Bangladesh.The likely XIsRising Pune Supergiant: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Jaydev Unadkat 9 Ankit Sharma, 10 Ashok Dinda, 11 Adam ZampaMumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Jos Buttler, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Tim SoutheeStats that matter The average first-innings score at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune since 2014, in the IPL, has been 170. The team chasing has won five out of the eight games Ben Stokes has never bowled to Jos Buttler in a T20 game. Of all the current IPL teams, Mumbai Indians have managed the second-worst run rate at the MCA Stadium – 6.92, across three matches. Sunrisers are the only team to have done worse – they scored 119 for 8 (at 5.95 per over) against Pune Warriors in the 2013 season. Krunal Pandya’s strike rate of 191.12 in the 2016 IPL was the best among batsmen who faced at least 50 balls. Rohit Sharma is Mumbai’s most prolific away batsman with 1301 runs in 48 matches at 35.16. Ambati Rayudu, who has 1213 runs in 55 matches at 30.32, is second. Rajat Bhatia is one of three bowlers against whom Rohit has scored 100 IPL runs – the others are Piyush Chawla and Morne Morkel. Against Bhatia, Rohit has scored 100 runs in 63 balls, and has been dismissed twice. The only three bowlers to have dismissed Faf du Plessis more than once all currently play for Mumbai Indians – Harbhajan Singh (3 times), Mitchell Johnson (2), and Lasith Malinga (2). Against Harbhajan, du Plessis has been out three times in seven innings, and has only scored 49 runs off 47 balls. In the IPL, Steven Smith has scored at more than eight an over against each kind of bowler apart from right-arm spinners, against whom he has only managed a run rate of 6.52.

Aston Villa have 'definite interest' in signing Barcelona forward Ferran Torres this summer as Unai Emery looks to beef up his forward line, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Ferran Torres?

One report in Spain claims that Aston Villa are keen on Torres this summer, though any move to try and bring him to Villa Park just now 'does not convince Barça today' despite their apparent willingness to part ways with the Spain international.

Last term, Torres made 45 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona, registering seven goals and three assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

Mundo Deportivo via Birmingham Live add further scope regarding the Villans' interest, stating that Aston Villa offered to take the £165k-a-week ace on loan and insert a €25 million (£21.3 million) buyout option into any prospective deal.

Torres, who has been called an "A-lister", joined Barcelona for an initial £45.9 million from Manchester City back in 2021 after the Catalan giants successfully secured a bank loan to help them complete the move, as per The Guardian.

Contrary to Aston Villa's admiration of the 23-year-old, Torres is not believed to be keen on a switch to Villa Park at present and is content to stay at Barcelona for the foreseeable future, as per 90min.

In an interview quoted from Spanish media, Torres stated on his future: "Today, I am at Barça, but football takes many turns. I have the phone on airplane mode, on July 10, I will open it. "I'm just focused on what's mine, training, taking advantage of the pre-season that I couldn't do last year [due to injury] and from here on, showing that I'm a great footballer. In the next few days you will have news."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones has revealed that Aston Villa are keen on offering Torres the chance to move to the West Midlands.

Jones said: “There's definite interest there, and they feel he could be a really good player for their system. Getting the two Torres players could be a real good make-up for Aston Villa going forward next season.”

Who else are Aston Villa keen to sign this window?

Torres would definitely be a high-profile signing to excite the Villa Park faithful and would add another quality body into Emery's squad by accompanying new signing Youri Tielemans, who has joined from Leicester City on a free transfer.

The Express & Star report that Villarreal defender Pau Torres is set to follow Tielemans to Aston Villa and will officially undergo his medical at the club later this week.

Corriere dello Sport via TEAMtalk claim that Roma defender Roger Ibanez is another name that may end up swapping continental shores for the Villans over the next few weeks.

At maximum, Aston Villa would need to shell out around €30 million (£25.7 million) to acquire the 24-year-old, which is deemed well within the reach of their healthy transfer budget.

Leeds United enforcer Tyler Adams is also being courted by Aston Villa as they look to take advantage of the Whites falling into the Sky Bet Championship, signifying that plenty of exciting incomings look to be on the way ahead of 2023/24 commencing.

West Ham United can be forgiven for being distracted by negotiations with Arsenal over a payment structure for £105m midfielder Declan Rice, but David Moyes' side are at risk of being left short come the start of the new Premier League season.

What new players have West Ham bought?

With five weeks to go until their trip to Bournemouth to kick off the 2023-24 season, West Ham have yet to make any signings this window.

That will surely frustrate manager Moyes, who will be fully aware that his squad is in need of freshening up, with May's Europa Conference League triumph papering over the cracks of a poor Premier League season.

A new central midfielder is top of Moyes' list of targets – or indeed a couple if a like-for-like Rice replacement cannot be found – with Ajax's Edson Alvarez, Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Everton's Amadou Onana all rumoured targets.

According to The Guardian, West Ham also hold an interest in Bristol City's Alex Scott, who is on the radar of fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

How much is Bristol City's Alex Scott worth?

Scott may have spent his senior career to date in the Championship, yet he is reportedly worth at least £20m to Bristol City due to the fact he has two years to run on his Ashton Gate contract.

Despite being just 19 years old, Scott already has 81 Championship appearances under his belt, having been a regular for the Robins over the past two campaigns.

The teenage midfielder rose to prominence earlier this year after impressing Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in an FA Cup tie, with the Catalan describing him as an "unbelievable player".

As pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after Scott was named the Championship's Young Player of the Year, he has a "big future ahead" of him.

Scott cannot be expected to slot straight in and take over the role of Rice, of course. Then again, who could?

Instead, the Guernsey native can provide some versatility for Moyes, given he featured in defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and on both flanks last season, as per WhoScored.

Versatile he may be, but it is as a pure central midfielder that Scott thrives. The Englishman ranks in the top 11% of all midfielders in the eight competitions most similar to the Championship for progressive carries (2.34 per 90 minutes), as per FBref, and in the top 16% for successful take-ons (1.22).

In that aforementioned FA Cup tie with Man City last season, which Bristol City lost 3-0, Scott's five dribbles were the joint-most of any player on the field, level with opponent Phil Foden – quite the company.

As per WhoScored, Scott's pass accuracy of 83.3% that day was also the third-most of any Robins player to attempt 10 passes or more, which is made all the more impressive when you factor in he was playing as an attacking midfielder.

Scott is not exactly a hidden gem, which explains his price tag, but he could be a very smart option for West Ham to kick off their transfer business in the post-Declan Rice era.

Riki Wessels made an unbeaten 202 to lift Nottinghamshire clear of trouble before three late wickets had Sussex reeling on the first day at Trent Bridge

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge21-Apr-2017
Scorecard1:42

County Championship Round-up: England hopefuls make their case

Given they were relegated, it might be argued that every Nottinghamshire batsman paid the price for the collective underperformance that defined their 2016 season, yet it was Riki Wessels who found himself carrying the can, dropped for the last four matches after scoring just 489 runs at 25.73, of which 159 came in one innings.After two exceptionally good seasons, across all formats, it came as a painful blow, especially since there were several other experienced hands in Nottinghamshire’s misfiring middle order who might equally have been singled out as the county sought to give younger players the chance to prove their worth.So when, during a pre-season interview, he suggested that it would be folly for Nottinghamshire to trust young players to lead them back into Division One he must have known he would need to produce supporting evidence of a pretty compelling nature.It is to his great credit, then, that as Trent Bridge witnessed Division Two cricket for the first time in 10 years it was Wessels who responded to a familiar crisis with the innings that transformed the day, leaving the dressing room just as 84 for 4 was about to become 88 for 5 and not returning until Nottinghamshire were 447 all out, by which time, unbeaten, he had crafted his maiden double-hundred – at quicker than a run a ball, too.He has only once before come close to such riches in first-class cricket in England and Wales, coincidentally against Sussex, when he was out on 199 at Hove in May 2012. He must have feared he would run out of partners this time but with Stuart Broad making 57, Luke Fletcher 25 – after his extraordinary 92 at Chester-le-Street last week – and Jake Ball 18, he will have several drinks to buy.There was one obvious moment of good fortune, when Harry Finch spilled a fairly routine chance at slip, off the promising young pace bowler, Jofra Archer. Wessels was on 47 at the time, and had that one stuck Nottinghamshire would have been 174 for 7, facing the prospect of making not one batting point, let alone five.Yet that moment apart, this was the Wessels of 2014 and 2015, his footwork and timing increasingly impressive, mixing power with ingenuity as the confidence flowed back.Riki Wessels made a maiden first-class double-hundred•Getty ImagesPoor Sussex, who must struggle to remember when they last had a full complement of fit bowlers. Vernon Philander and Ajmal Shahzad have joined the injured list since last week’s heavy defeat against Kent. Steve Magoffin returned but otherwise they arrived with a hugely inexperienced attack in which Adam Barton, a 21-year-old left-arm seamer who had bowled against Nottinghamshire for Cambridgeshire MCCU last month, was making his Sussex debut.Barton took a mauling, suffering the indignity of being scooped for six twice by the imperious Wessels, although the heaviest toll was inflicted on Stuart Whittingham, another seamer with only a handful of matches, punished to the tune of 43 runs from just 20 deliveries to Wessels, 40 of them in boundaries. In a way, they perfectly illustrated his point about trusting to youth.It was unfortunate for Sussex that Magoffin, the principal architect of Nottinghamshire’s rocky morning session, was unable to bowl more than 18 overs, leaving the field after taking his fifth wicket soon after lunch.Yet even without that setback, Sussex’s decision to leave out David Wiese, their South African Kolpak, seemed a gamble. Archer had his moments, including the wickets of Alex Hales and Jake Libby with the first four balls of his second spell, but took some punches too.Under a heavily cloudy sky and with Nottinghamshire willing to risk preparing competitive pitches, Luke Wright’s decision to forego the coin toss and bowl was the right one, of course. Indeed, the scorecard did nothing but endorse it until Wessels and Broad put on 132 for the eighth wicket.Five wickets for 37-year-old Magoffin, putting all his experience to good use in a textbook display of quality seam bowling, underpinned it beyond argument and at 180 for 7 the only interruption to the dominance of Magoffin had been provided by Hales, whose 45 off 39 balls was also mostly at the two rookies’ expense.Magoffin, the man who denied Wessels on 199 in 2012, has taken five wickets or more on 27 occasions, including six times in his last 11 innings. He took 12 in the match, six in each innings, when he last bowled at Trent Bridge two years ago.Yet he was on the losing side then and it will take a mighty effort from here by Sussex for there not to be a repeat as Nottinghamshire look to consolidate their start with a third win in three. Two wickets for James Pattinson, in what will now be, at least for the time being, his final Championship match for Nottinghamshire, and one for Broad left them 11 for 3 at stumps.

Liverpool are considering a move for out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer, according to reports. The Reds will be looking to cover the potential departures of club captain Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho.

Is Kalvin Phillips joining Liverpool?

As of right now, any potential Liverpool move is in the earliest of stages, with Fabinho and Henderson not even officially out the door as of yet. However, Phillips joins Ryan Gravenberch and Cheik Doucoure among the options discussed by those at Anfield, according to Dominic King of The Daily Mail.

Given that the price-tag set on Doucoure is reportedly as much as £70m, Liverpool could set their focus on Phillips or Gravenberch this summer, with the Reds "considering" a move according to King.

"Liverpool considering options for reinforcements including Cheick Doucoure, Ryan Gravenberch and Kalvin Phillips," the reporter said on Twitter on Wednesday evening.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are indeed looking to seal Henderson's departure to Al-Ettifaq, whilst also working on the departure of Fabinho to Al-Ittihad for a reported £40m fee.

Should the duo depart as expected, Jurgen Klopp's side will be left short in the middle of the park, despite securing the signatures of both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer.

With Romeo Lavia also linked with a move to Anfield from Southampton in the current window, it will certainly be interesting to see the route that Liverpool go down when it comes to replacing their departing stars.

Should Liverpool sign Kalvin Phillips?

In truth, Phillips has struggled ever since swapping Leeds United for Manchester City in a deal worth around £50m last summer. The England international was hit with an injury blow at the start of his time at The Etihad, and things haven't improved from there.

Making just 21 appearances in all competitions last season, as City won the treble, Phillips has every right to believe that maybe his career is better off elsewhere.

And that's where Liverpool could come in. The Reds will be short on midfielders – especially those that are experienced – come the start of the forthcoming Premier League campaign, which makes Phillips an ideal option.

It remains to be seen just how much City will ask for the out-of-favour midfielder, but they may at least want to recoup close to the inital £50m fee that they spent just one year ago.

If Klopp and co pursue a move this summer, it's certainly a deal that could set them up for a season back among the title contenders. The midfielder has attracted plenty of praise in the past, with former England boss Fabio Capello calling him "phenomenal" and current gaffer Gareth Southgate saying back in 2021, via TeamTalk: “He’s been excellent.

“He’s a very, very good player and he’s been a really important part of this – we’re 16 games unbeaten [in regulation time] now and he’s been a huge part of that.”

Unlike the team’s 2013 and 2015 IPL title runs, in 2017 Mumbai did not rely on individual brilliance to carry them to the championship, a point of pride for Rohit Sharma

Arun Venugopal in Hyderabad21-May-2017Mumbai Indians’ third IPL title was a product of a united group combining teamwork with intelligence, their captain Rohit Sharma believes, and this was best exemplified by their plucky one-run win over Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 final on Sunday night. While Mumbai’s earlier title wins in 2013 and 2015 were driven by strong individual performances, Rohit took pride in how the latest conquest was achieved by a collective assault.”I personally feel it is how you prepare at the start of the tournament – getting your combinations right and going on to the field is the most critical part of winning the tournament,” Rohit said. “Individual brilliance can win you a few games, but what is required to win this championship is team unity, team work and intelligence.”We spoke about it at the start of the tournament. If you look at the first two titles we won, we probably had one batsman in the top five [leading run-getters]. We didn’t have [even] one batsman in the top-five this time which is a little bit sad, but that goes to show that different individuals have come up at different times and taken up responsibility. That is the hallmark of this team, especially this year.”We’ve never relied on one individual to win us the game. Today was the perfect example. The bowling unit came in together. Again, we have got a few youngsters, a few inexperienced players and a few legends in our bowling unit. It was a combination of both, and we gelled quite nicely. We mixed it up nicely.”In their previous two finals, Mumbai set a target and let the bowlers do their thing. So when Rohit elected to bat on Sunday night, they were merely sticking to a tried and tested template.”In a big game, it’s good to put runs on the board,” he said. “The history at this place is such that there have been 200 runs scored in an innings and also just 140. So if you don’t bat well, you won’t make a big target.” There was acknowledgement in the team talk at the halfway mark that, with 130, they had given themselves only a below-par total to defend. But, that wouldn’t deflate their morale.

“Both Pandya brothers have something special in them. When you see them on the field, they are so excited to play the game. They want to contribute in some or the other way.”Rohit Sharma

“I don’t think we applied ourselves too well. Our target was between 140 and 160. If we had tried to overreach to 180, then you could’ve been bowled out for 120,” Rohit said. “So our talk was that we try and make 140 so we may even get to 160. One-hundred and sixty on this wicket would’ve been a match-winning score, as you saw.”When you are playing on a slow pitch, it’s important to believe you can defend any target when you are fielding. So that was the talk when we came into the change room after our poor batting display. We spoke about how we played our last game against one of the better batting units in the tournament – KKR – and bowled them out for 105 [107]. Why can’t we do it here? The guys knew the challenge but they rose to the occasion”.Mumbai’s defence began in nervy fashion with a few fielding lapses. The most glaring mistake was made by Krunal Pandya, who fluffed a simple chance offered by Ajinkya Rahane, who was then on 14, at short extra-cover in the fourth over. Rahane went on to make 44. Rohit said the team had to regroup at the first strategic time-out and address the anxiety. The message was simple: don’t overreach, just force the batsmen to make mistakes.”When you are defending such a low target, it’s so important for the fielders to try and create some magic – taking a brilliant catch or stopping those crucial runs,” Rohit said. “We spoke about it in the change room that we wanted to add 20 runs extra with our fielding. But yeah, the first ten overs we were a little sloppy in the field.”These things can happen, sometimes you are so nervous you try and overdo it. [During] the break we had after six overs, we just got together and asked everyone to be calm. You can’t come and play your shots; it’s such a slow wicket. We always had that belief that things can change anytime.”We had to stay in the game for 20 overs. [It] didn’t matter if they create a partnership for 10 overs or whatever, we wanted to stay in the game. One wicket here and there and things can change. And that’s exactly what happened. We squeezed in and spinners came in and bowled those dot balls, created pressure, which made them play big shots. That’s where they made mistakes.”Rohit Sharma: ‘We always knew we had a great backup in Johnson’•BCCIOne of the key architects of Mumbai’s successful night with the ball was Mitchell Johnson. Entrusted with defending 10 runs off the last over, Johnson conceded four runs off the first ball but hit back with the wickets of Manoj Tiwary and Pune captain Steven Smith off successive deliveries. With four required to win off the last ball, Johnson held his nerve.”Mitchell McClenaghan, who was playing well for us, was injured and unfortunately he couldn’t find a place in the finals, but we always knew we had a great backup in Johnson, who is again a proven customer,” Rohit said. “He has done it for Australia and Mumbai as well. He has been in this atmosphere as well. I could happily rely on him when I needed him the most. The last over was very crucial. Steven Smith was set, batting really well. So is Dan Christian, he has played against him on many occasions.Rohit also lauded the Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – for contributing in every facet of the game. While Hardik has played the finisher’s role and scored 250 runs at a strike rate of 156.25, Krunal has clicked with both bat and ball in the tournament. He made 243 runs from 11 innings with the bat and picked up 10 wickets while being the team’s second most economical bowler behind Harbhajan Singh. In the final, it was his 38-ball 47 that nudged Mumbai towards a decent total following which he bowled a typically tight spell of left-arm spin.”I think both Pandya brothers have something special in them,” Rohit said. “When you see them on the field, they are so excited to play the game. They want to contribute in some or the other way. It’s just not about bowling or batting; they contribute in fielding as well which is such a critical part in this format.”Krunal has become mature now. Last year he was nervous to start with. Now he knows he is a core member of the squad. He just goes out and plays freely. He has got no pressure. Of course, if you drop the catch, there is a chance of coming back and bowling a good over. That’s exactly what he did.”

Solomon Mire’s belligerent 112 and half-centuries from Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza helped Zimbabwe run down Sri Lanka’s 316 and register the highest successful chase by any team in the country

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSolomon Mire and Sean Williams razed Sri Lanka with a third-wicket partnership of 161•AFPA belligerent 112 from Solomon Mire set Zimbabwe on track, Sean Williams’ 65 provided stability, and Sikandar Raza’s sparkling 67 not out laid out the finishing touches as a fearless Zimbabwe ran down Sri Lanka’s score of 316 to make history in Galle.Not only was this Zimbabwe’s first ODI victory against Sri Lanka on the island, it was also the first time any team successfully pursued a score in excess of 300. In the end, the chase seemed virtually nerveless. Raza and Malcolm Waller accelerated through the final overs to reach the target with the only six of the innings, with 14 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.Nothing Sri Lanka tried in the back half of the innings worked. Angelo Mathews tried switching his bowlers haphazardly, bringing his wicket-takers back early, and bowled seven men in the innings, but none could shake Zimbabwe’s resolve.As ever, dropped catches will haunt Sri Lanka. Mire was dropped on 17 and 94 – the first of those a difficult opportunity to the wicketkeeper, but the second a straightforward chance to Lasith Malinga, who made a mess of an overhead catch from short fine leg. Williams was also dropped on 13 by Danushka Gunathilaka at point. Had that chance been taken, Williams and Mire would only have had 37 together. Instead, their third-wicket stand of 161 off 133 balls would form the spine of Zimbabwe’s rousing victory.Perhaps you could argue that Sri Lanka should have scored more than 78 in the last 10 overs, given the number of wickets they had in hand, but that is a minor quibble. With Kusal Mendis hitting 86, Gunathilaka joining him for a century stand, and Upul Tharanga making 79 not out, the batsmen largely did their part.Zimbabwe’s innings began inauspiciously, Hamilton Masakadza gloving a legside Malinga ball to the wicketkeeper, before Craig Ervine top-edged a sweep off Akila Dananjaya to deep square leg just after the first Powerplay had finished. With the score at 46 for 2 in the 11th over, 317 looked distant indeed. But in that same over, Mire hit successive boundaries, and followed those up with a reverse sweep for four soon after.Suddenly, batting began to appear much easier. Mire and Williams rotated the strike fluently, and Sri Lanka’s two inexperienced spinners were perhaps guilty of a little indiscipline – Aponso particularly expensive through those early overs. Dananjaya at least seemed to draw regular mistakes from the batsmen, and perhaps could have been used more intensively when Sri Lanka were searching for wickets. By the time he was brought back, the match had largely slipped.It was the legside Mire preferred by far – 87 of his runs coming there. He was ruthless on anything that strayed into his pads, but fetched plenty of balls from wide outside offstump as well. Williams strove largely to turn the strike over. Between overs 15 and 30, the pair added 108 runs, and that, effectively, is where the match was won.Although both batsmen were gone by the end of the 35th over – Mire having completed his maiden ton in the 31st – Raza had the time to work himself into the innings, before he heralded his charge with three boundaries off Asela Gunaratne in the 39th over.Kusal Mendis became the joint second-fastest Sri Lankan to 1000 ODI runs•AFPWhat was probably most impressive about the 102-run stand that took Zimbabwe home was how toothless they made Sri Lanka’s bowlers seem. Malinga’s slower balls were expertly parsed, and his swinging yorkers were not merely defused; some were heavily scored off. The spinners were manipulated and picked off, and even Nuwan Pradeep – who was Sri Lanka’s best bowler in the Champions Trophy – began to err towards the death. Zimbabwe, in playing intelligent, percentage cricket, took the game firmly by the collar, and Sri Lanka wilted quickly under pressure.For much of the chase, Zimbabwe needed about a run a ball, but when Waller hit three fours in the 43rd over, bowled by Aponso, he brought the equation down to 33 off 42 deliveries, and it was always going to be a cakewalk from there. Raza completed his half century in the 45th over, and wound up hitting the winning blow over long-on.It had seemed inconceivable that this total would be mowed down with so many balls to spare when Sri Lanka’s batsmen had walked off the field. Their innings was founded on a flowing 117-run second-wicket stand between Mendis and Gunathilaka – Mendis nearly flawless until his leading edge was sharply snaffled by Graeme Cremer in the 32nd over.The two had negotiated Zimbabwe’s coterie of spinners on a track that afforded some slow turn, and had seen out the moving new ball. Gunathilaka drove effortlessly, while Mendis swept and pulled disdainfully. Crossing 28 with an especially ravishing shot through midwicket, Mendis became the joint second-fastest Sri Lankan batsman to 1000 runs, one innings slower than Roy Dias, who had achieved the milestone in 27.Later in the innings, Tharanga would cross 6000 career ODI runs as well, batting from the No. 4 position after ceding his opening spot to Gunathilaka. Mathews cracked 43 off 30, and Gunaratne made a spry 28, but they were all let down by the bowling and fielding effort.On the bowling front for Zimbabwe, seamer Tendai Chatara returned the best figures of the innings – and indeed the game – claiming a wicket at either end of the innings, and going at only 5.44 an over.

To say that Mykhailo Mudryk didn’t exactly have the best start to life in a Chelsea shirt last season would be quite the understatement.Arriving for a reported £88.5m, whilst still a young player, he was expected to turn the Blues’ fortunes around. Instead, however, nothing changed, apart from the lower amount left in the transfer budget at Stamford Bridge as he failed to score a goal in his first 17 outings.In truth, though, it was always going to be difficult for Mudryk to hit the ground running mid-season in a dressing room overfilled and under-motivated under Graham Potter, and then Frank Lampard.With Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival, the Blues have at least made space in the dressing room, waving goodbye to a total of 16 players so far this summer, and welcoming just four new signings.As the chaos is slowly but surely organised, Mudryk has the chance to get a good pre-season under his belt, and, as a result, find his best form. If Chelsea’s friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion is anything to go by, too, he is nearing his best with every game.

Mykhailo Mudryk impresses against Brighton

Taking on Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton side, Chelsea came out on top, winning 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair.

Initially taking the lead through Danny Welbeck, the Seagulls were soon hit with a four-goal reply, as Christopher Nkunku found the back of the net, before Mudryk scored his first goal for the club, and strikes from Conor Gallagher and summer arrival Nicolas Jackson followed.

Brighton threatened to complete a comeback when Joao Pedro scored from the spot, before Deniz Undav slotted past Kepa Arrizablaga, but it wasn’t enough as Chelsea secured the win.

One particularly impressive moment from Mudryk came with his incredible show of pace – as shown in the footage above. The winger looked to have knocked the ball too far down the line at first, before somehow turning on the afterburners, and catching the ball with relative ease. The change of pace led to his teammate, Angelo Gabriel, labelling him “Naruto” and “very fast” on his Instagram story.

Whilst we haven’t seen his pace very often in the Premier League, it should not come as any surprise, considering the fact that Mudryk was one of the Champions League’s fastest players last season, coming in at second in the competition (only behind Alphonso Davies) with a speed of 36.6 KM/H.

Mudryk’s goal was also impressive, too, as he struck on the volley from range.

What is the market value of Mykhailo Mudryk?

Arriving at Stamford Bridge for a reported £88.5m in January, Mudryk’s struggle for form has seen his transfer value decrease in the last seven months. According to Transfermarkt, the Ukraine international is now worth €50m (£43.20m), which is less than half the amount that Chelsea initially paid for his signature back in January.

Pochettino will be hoping to see the Ukrainian finally live up to that price tag next season, however, as he looks to take the London club back into the Premier League’s top four at the first time of asking.

Even though it was only a pre-season game, defeating Brighton would have handed Chelsea quite the boost ahead of the season. It’s the type of confidence they can take into their opening-day clash against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

If they can defeat Jurgen Klopp’s side in their first game, too, then they may just enjoy an unexpectedly quick start to the new campaign.

Josko Gvardiol's proposed move to Manchester City is still on, according to Fabrizio Romano.

There were rumours that everything was agreed upon, however, those appear to be wide of the mark.

Will Josko Gvardiol join Manchester City?

The Manchester club remains committed to completing a deal for the defender.

Last week, Romano stated that a deal had been agreed between both clubs for the Croatian, with the player having already completed the first part of his medical and agreed personal terms. The Italian journalist even used his trademark phrase 'Here we go'. However, since then nothing has moved forward.

Following Romano's tweet, RB Leipzig director Max Eberl stated:

"There is no agreement with Manchester City. Not even close." as well as saying: "The fact is that Manchester City would like to have him. Currently, we are still very far apart. The transfer of Szoboszlai has secured us financially. We don't need the money. We would prefer Josko to stay."

New reports now suggest that the move is close, with the reported fee set to be €100m (£86m) plus a percentage of a fee from Gvardiol’s future sale, after talks were re-opened via ‘new contacts’ who reportedly should ‘give a new acceleration’ to the transfer being completed.

Should the move be completed for the reported fee, it would make the 21-year-old the most expensive defender in football history, surpassing the £80m fee that city rivals Manchester United paid Leicester City back in 2019 for English centre-half Harry Maguire.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that the deal is "absolutely still on" with the leak earlier on having caused some problems, however the transfer is still expected to be completed:

"Let me say, from what I’m told, the deal is absolutely still on, Manchester City and Leipzig are working to complete the package for Josko Gvardiol, so the deal, whilst I’m speaking is not off and the ‘Here We Go’ remains in terms of the agreement reached one week ago, we are now waiting for the two clubs to discuss about some details because the leak created some big problems for the deal."

How will Gvardiol fit in at Manchester City?

Gvardiol would be a fantastic addition to an already incredible Man City side.

The defender was called "incredible" for his performances at the 2022 World Cup with Croatia as the nation made their second consecutive semi-final. The defender also impressed at club level, and memorably scored against City in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash last season, with his goal proving decisive in the game ending as a draw.

Over the past year, the Croatian has attempted 87.18 passes per 90 according to FBref, which ranks him in the top one percent compared to all other centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues, while he also ranks in the top 16% for pass-completion, showcasing that he will be a fine fit in the City possession and passing system.

Gvardiol would most likely come in and battle with Dutch defender Nathan Ake, who enjoyed a fantastic season last year, and when comparing the two via FBref, Gvardiol beats the former Chelsea man out in blocks, clearances, tackles, and interceptions per 90, suggesting that manager Pep Guardiola has managed to find an upgrade on a player who was very hard to upgrade, whilst also managing to find someone six years younger than his current option.

The Croatian's versatility will also be a big factor behind the move, with his ability to perform at a high level at both left back as well as centre-back giving the Citizens more options going into next season.

There may have been more high-profile matches since his comeback when Mohammad Amir has revived memories of his fast-bowling prowess but surely few where he exuded such joy in his bowling

David Hopps at North Marine Road07-Aug-20171:21

County Championship round-up: Amir completes Yorkshire demolition

There may have been more high-profile matches since his comeback when Mohammad Amir has revived memories of the fast-bowling prowess that filled the cricketing world with so much excitement.But there has been nothing more full of verve, more glad-to-be-alive than his hounding of Yorkshire at the Scarborough Festival. He has sniffed the air of this much-loved coastal town and, with a fresh breeze at his back, the ball swinging and the pitch offering decent bounce, he has occasionally felt unstoppable again.If Amir’s 5 for 18 in the first innings, as Yorkshire crumbled for 113, brought as many reflections about Yorkshire’s bad batting against the swinging ball as the admirable quality of Amir’s bowling, his second-innings follow-up as he returned 5 for 54 – career-best match figures of 10 for 72 in the match – accentuated the feel of a fast bowler reinvigorated.Yorkshire were dispensed with in less than two days, Essex winning by eight wickets after cutting them down to 25 for 5 in the first innings, 37 for 6 in the second. Jamie Porter, a handful when there is movement to be had, also had a fine match but it was Amir’s sails that billowed.With their Championship lead extended to 46 points and Amir showing such prowess in only his second Championship game, Essex’s coach Chris Silverwood and captain Ryan ten Doeschate had reason for the broadest of smiles.A partisan crowd will not accept such an overwhelming defeat easily, especially as Yorkshire do not have the look of title contenders. It is also money that the Festival can ill afford to lose. But perhaps most will grudgingly accept that Amir, lithe and dangerous, had been worth it: a performance to add to Festival history.Amir’s pace – top-side of 140kph – has been largely present since his international return, but the snaking swing so reminiscent of Wasim Akram at his finest has been harder to master. It was largely absent, by his own admission, on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2016 and he says it will not often be seen in T20 cricket where he tends to bowl with a different arm action.At Scarborough, his swing at high pace was evident. Yorkshire, shorn of their Test trip of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance, had a guileless feel to the middle order, but such was Amir’s threat that many a Test batting line-up might have perished in the same circumstances.Dashing in with intent from the Trafalgar Square End, he removed Alex Lees with his second ball, a hangdog push at a wide ball which left him from a left-handed opener whose career – hopefully only temporarily – has headed into a siding.Mohammad Amir ripped through Yorkshire for a second time•Getty Images#Tom Kohler-Cadmore, enticed back from Worcestershire this season, might enliven Yorkshire’s T20 cricket, but he has yet to prove his worth in the longer form. Amir snared him by lunch, snaking a delivery in from around the wicket to have him lbw, half forward.But it was the ducks for two England allrounders shortly after the break which most indicated that Amir was at the top of his game.Tim Bresnan’s heroic century almost won the Championship for Yorkshire in the winner-takes-all clash against Middlesex at the end of last season; this season, he has collected the first two pairs of his career.Amir was roused by a refused lbw appeal – a good decision because the ball struck him outside the line. Two balls later, from around the wicket, he made one bounce and leave Bresnan to have him caught at second slip. Adil Rashid had no answer in Amir’s next over, dangling his bat blindly to be caught at the wicket.He did not find things all his own way as Yorkshire, from 86 for 8, evaded the likelihood of an innings defeat, adding 46 for the ninth wicket in the persons of Jack Leaning and Ben Coad. Coad, struck on the body twice in three balls as Amir became increasingly frazzled by his ill luck, edged him to second slip. Leaning, unperturbed and selective, reached 70 before Amir held the final catch at long-on, punching the air.Yorkshire had not had a two-day finish in the Championship since 2003 when they lost to Worcestershire on this ground, Curtly Ambrose to the fore. The pitch was blameless, encouraging cricketing excellence with bat and ball.Since he returned to international cricket 19 months ago, tasked with putting that calamitous Lord’s Test of 2010 behind him, there have been moments when Amir has asserted that his talents will rise again.There was his Test-best 6 for 44 in Kingston in April this year, his fifth wicket causing him to fall to the ground and perform the sajdah, but the weather was wet and mournful and any achievement spread over three days never quite feeds the soul.Most stirringly, there was the Champions Trophy final at The Oval in June, 3 for 16 in six overs against India, a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s victory as he marked his return after missing the semi-final against England by dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply.The Oval was Amir’s redemption: Rohit, the maker of a century in the semi-final, defeated by pacy inswing; Kohli, the best batsman in one-day cricket, dropped then dismissed in successive balls. A victory in a global tournament to savour.At the 131st Scarborough Festival, where competitive cricket has often been played with an underlying sense of fun, Amir was exultant as he advanced Essex’s prospects of their first Championship since 1992.Scarborough drew large crowds for the 131st Festival•Getty ImagesImmensely foolish at a young age, not to say immoral, yet also coerced by those entrusted to care about his welfare when he became embroiled in an imagined betting scam, he will never persuade everybody that he should not have been banned for life. But what he can do is reward those who felt that his ban should not last for ever, who had faith that he would win forgiveness in the second phase of his career and that his greatness would serve the general good.There were a few derisory cries of “no-ball” as Amir hunted down the last two wickets – this is a holiday crowd after all, where decorum falls well below banter in the great scheme of things – but they were not particularly malevolent and they were largely drowned out by the seagulls.Such cries will remain part of Amir’s soundtrack until the day he retires. Perhaps that is how it should be. But there is also a chance for derring do, and those who watched him at North Marine Road surely left the ground in evening sunlight aware by what he might yet achieve.