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Tom Latham, the New Zealand batsman, will join Durham as their overseas player for the second half of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2017

Tom Latham, the New Zealand batsman, will join Durham as their overseas player for the second half of the season.Latham will arrive after the Champions Trophy and will be available in the County Championship and the NatWest T20 Blast. He will replace Stephen Cook, the South Africa opener, who has been signed for the first stage of the summer before linking up with South Africa for their Test series against England.Durham, who were relegated to Division Two of the Championship as part of the sanctions for an ECB financial bailout, have focused on their top order in the off-season following the departures of Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick to Surrey.Latham’s arrival will also help cover for the potential absence of Keaton Jennings, who could be part of England’s Test side following his century on debut against India. Latham has strong links with Durham having played for the academy side in 2010 and also had spells in the North East Premier League with Gateshead Fell in 2010 and South Shields in 2013.”Tom is someone who we know well and we were very keen to renew the relationship,” Jon Lewis, the Durham coach, said. “He has potential to build on his excellent record up to now and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to the club.”Last season, Latham had a spell with Kent where he scored 374 runs at 46.75 in the County Championship, although his T20 output was less eye-catching with 128 runs from six innings.Latham’s recent form for New Zealand has been impressive with 302 runs in the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which has pushed his average above 40.

Leeds United seem to be honing in on their final managerial targets, with the 49ers deliberating carefully over who they should offer the job…

That's according to the Daily Mail, who suggest that former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke has now emerged as the Whites' leading candidate after meeting with the hierarchy on Friday.

It is noted that the Yorkshire outfit has already opened talks over terms with the German, who has pulled ahead of the other candidates to become the outstanding favourite.

Would Daniel Farke be a success at Leeds United?

His experience within the Championship is thought to be vital, as well as his distinct 4-2-3-1 play style and charisma that could overhaul this squad. Such an appointment, therefore, might mark the first masterclass under the new ownership, as the 49ers and co seek to secure an instant return to the big time.

Although his most recent managerial venture was not as successful as he would have hoped, a stint in his homeland did offer further top-flight experience away from England that could prove vital should he guide Leeds back to that level.

After all, during his previous successes at Carrow Road, the 46-year-old earned two promotions from the second tier and yet struggled to then gain a footing in the Premier League.

His team were brutally relegated in 20th after his first advancement, and upon earning their swift return the year after, he was not even allowed to see out that term due to poor results.

That may well seem worrying, but many commended the Norfolk club for retaining Farke's services after the first demotion, as pundit Chris Sutton took to Twitter to praise his side: "Norwich City ridiculous performance. What a brilliant job Daniel Farke has done this season."

A fine record at the Championship level speaks for itself and is exactly why it makes perfect sense for the 49ers to opt for him. Fans need not worry about risky and foolish appointments that will leave them stranded at this level; it seems the hierarchy are well aware of what it will take to make their stay in this division as short as possible.

Across 138 games managing at this level, Farke boasts 71 wins and a points-per-game average of 1.82. Transfermarkt even ranks him within the top ten most successful coaches in the history of the league, to only emphasise his suitability for this job.

Whilst it may not be the most attractive or exciting appointment, it is certainly the smart one. For so long under the stewardship of Victor Orta saw sensible moves neglected.

The managerial situation that played out last season only supports this, with Jesse Marsch and then Javi Gracia being given the boot in the same year.

Certainly unlike the former in English football, Farke is tried and tested, and a promotion specialist to boot. He will give the Whites the best possible chance of earning an instant Premier League return, immediately endearing the 49ers to this fanbase.

M Vijay has been named in Tamil Nadu’s squad for their remaining matches in the south zone leg of the inter-state T20 tournament

Arun Venugopal30-Jan-2017

India batsman M Vijay has been named in Tamil Nadu’s squad for their remaining matches in the south zone leg of the inter-state T20 tournament. This will mark Vijay’s return to competitive cricket after spending more than a month on the sidelines with a shoulder injury he sustained during India’s final Test against England in Chennai.His first match is expected to be against Goa at the IC-Guru Nanak College ground in Chennai on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu have one win and a loss in their two outings so far.Vijay, 32, replaced Dinesh Karthik, who will miss the rest of the tournament to attend his sister-in-law’s wedding. Tamil Nadu chairman of selectors S Sharath confirmed Vijay’s availability for the remaining matches.Vijay injured his shoulder while fielding in the fifth and final Test against England, and didn’t open the batting. He eventually came out to bat at No. 6 and made 29. On the third day of the Test, Vijay, along with R Ashwin, was included in Tamil Nadu’s squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final clash against Karnataka, but were subsequently withdrawn three days later.While Ashwin suffered from sports hernia, Vijay was deemed to not have recovered completely.Meanwhile, Karthik didn’t keep wicket during Tamil Nadu’s 72-run loss to Hyderabad on Monday and N Jagadeesan stood behind the stumps in his stead. “Yesterday Karthik had a collision with [Baba] Aparajith while taking a run [against Karnataka],” Tamil Nadu coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar told ESPNcricinfo. “He had a bit of a trouble in crouching and moving, so that’s the reason why he didn’t keep wicket.”After the Goa game, Tamil Nadu have a one-day break before they take on Andhra (February 2) and Kerala (February 3).

Chelsea have been one of the busiest clubs on the continent in terms of transfer activity so far this summer, with Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic the latest big names to depart.

Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have all moved to clubs in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, and it looks likely that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be next out the Stamford Bridge exit in a move to AC Milan.

Mauricio Pochettino is no doubt eager to replenish the squad, which was in clear need of a facelift, having so far brought in only Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig – a deal sanctioned well before he arrived at the club.

Who is Chelsea target Angelo Gabriel?

According to Nizaar Kinsella in a report for the Evening Standard, Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos in a deal worth around £15m.

It is unclear whether Angelo will slot straight into Chelsea's first-team squad ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season, or instead go out on loan to affiliate club Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

As someone with 129 senior games to his name despite not turning 19 until December, it might well be that Pochettino – a coach well known for giving youngsters a chance – decides to see what the teenager is all about during pre-season.

Is Angelo Gabriel a good fit for Mauricio Pochettino?

Angelo, as he is known, has been on the radar of major clubs such as Real Madrid and Liverpool ever since becoming the youngest goalscorer in Copa Libertadores history at the age of 16 two years ago, a record that Madrid-bound Endrick has since taken.

In terms of his playing style, Angelo plays out wide and thrives when it comes to beating his opponent, as highlighted by his 4.55 successful take-ons per 90 minutes over the past year. Indeed, as per FBref, that places him among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across the eight leagues most similar in quality to the Brasileiro Serie A.

As pointed out by his former coach Betinho in an interview with Goal in 2021, Angelo "is like Neymar in terms of his dribbling at speed and his change of direction". Neymar, it is worth pointing out, did not make his Santos debut until a year after Angelo.

That is not to say Angelo is necessarily on the same path as his compatriot, who has starred for both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but Pochettino appears to be the dream manager to ensure he lives up to the hype.

After all, there are plenty of previous examples of Pochettino getting the most out of big-money players and indeed forwards looking to make their way in English football, arguably the biggest of all being Son Heung-min at Tottenham.

Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m in 2015 and initially struggled, but he became one of Europe's hottest talents in his four years working with Pochettino.

As Son said in 2016, he is "very grateful" that Pochettino persuaded him to stay at Spurs and become the player he is, with the South Korean going on to find the net 145 times for the Lilywhites to date, 75 of which came under the new Chelsea boss.

Known for his fleet-footed nature, it's easy to see how he and Angelo are alike.

Being compared to Neymar and Son means Angelo has a lot to live up to, but if he remains patient and takes the advice on board, Pochettino can make him a Premier League star.

Arsenal making an offer to sign French international Aurélien Tchouaméni from Real Madrid is "hard to believe", according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Arsenal transfer news – What's the latest on Aurélien Tchouaméni?

It has been a brilliant start to the transfer window for Arsenal fans, as the club have already sewn up the £65m deal to sign Kai Havertz and look to be incredibly close to signing West Ham United captain Declan Rice for £105m and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber for £40m.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the Gunners aren't finished yet, and the next transfer could potentially be the most shocking yet.

According to Spanish outlet DefensaCentral, the Premier League runners-up have made the player a 'priority objective' and are looking to submit a bid in the region of €80m to €90m (£69m-£77m) for the Los Blancos star.

However, the same report also states that the Spanish giants view the player as an 'indisputable' part of their team and that the ex-Monaco man wants to remain and 'succeed at Real Madrid.'

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Aurelien Tchouaméni to Arsenal?

Jones was upfront about his general surprise at the rumour, pointing out that the Gunners have already spent a huge amount of money this summer, making a deal for the Frenchman unlikely.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I mean, in terms of Tchouaméni, I find it hard to believe that Arsenal could afford a deal like that on the back of what they've just had to do to be able to afford Declan Rice.

He points out that while you can convince certain clubs to accept specific payment structures, Real are a different kettle of fish, adding: "The way that the cash flow is working at the moment, it's unlikely that you can just knock on the door at Real Madrid, and propose taking one of the young stars off him that you're playing over six years or something. For some clubs. Yeah, that works. And that's feasible. But at Real Madrid, I'm not so sure."

Would Aurelien Tchouaméni be a good signing for Arsenal?

In short, yes. Tchouaméni would represent an unbelievable signing for the Gunners, especially in a window that has already seen them spend big on Rice, Havertz and Timber.

The French international has taken a little bit of time to settle into life at the Bernabeu, but he still had a great season overall last year, with WhoScored giving the player an average rating of 7.04 for his 24 starts in La Liga.

His underlying numbers are outstanding as well, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing him in the top 1% for pass completion and interceptions, the top 5% for attempted passes, the top 8% for clearances and the top 11% for aerial duals won, all per 90.

With numbers like that, it's hardly surprising that back in his Monaco days, his former boss Niko Kovac waxed lyrical about the star, saying:

"For me, he is already the best midfielder in Ligue 1 today."

Alongside his coach, he was also lauded by the pundits, with French football expert Tom Williams telling Football Espana that he was "an absolute machine when it comes to ball recovery."

If Edu and Co can get this deal over the line and play him in a midfield with Rice and Martin Odegaard, the Gunners might be able to go that one step further next season.

تحدث بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي، في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم الجمعة، قبل مباراة فريقه المرتقبة أمام آرسنال بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويسعى مانشستر سيتي لحصد النقاط الثلاث أمام آرسنال لإزاحته عن صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويحتل آرسنال الصدارة متقدمًا بفارق الأهداف عن ليفربول الذي يواجه برايتون بالجولة ذاتها، ومانشستر سيتي في المركز الثالث بفارق نقطة عن المتصدر والوصيف. 

وفي حديثه في مؤتمره الصحفي قبل المباراة مع آرسنال، قال جوارديولا: “من الجيد أن نكون هنا، لقد كان الموسم جيدًا حقًا، حيث فزنا بلقبين بعد ما حدث الموسم الماضي، نحن نتنافس على ثلاثة ألقاب رئيسية لهذا الموسم”.

وأضاف: “نحن نقوم بعمل لا يصدق، آخر 10 مباريات في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، نبدأ وقتًا مهمًا، أنا متأكد من أن الجمهورسيعطينا ما نحتاجه لتقديم أفضل ما لدينا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أرتيتا: جوارديولا الأفضل بفارق أميال.. ونحاول أن نكون مثل مانشستر سيتي ونتغلب عليهم

وأردف: “في الوقت الحالي، كل مباراة مهمة للغاية، إذا تمكنا من القيام بذلك، فإن المباراة القادمة ستكون مهمة جدًا أيضًا”.

وردًا على سؤال حول مدى اختلاف آرسنال عن نفس المرحلة من الموسم الماضي، أجاب جوارديولا: “لديهم نفس المدرب، واللاعبون الجدد، إنهم يسيطرون على العديد من جوانب المباراة”.

وأردف: “عندما يكون لديك اتساق من حيث الأفكار والمدربين ونفس الأنماط، في النهاية أنت تتحسن دائمًا، عندما تقوم بتغيير الكثير من اللاعبين والمديرين، يكون الأمر صعبًا للغاية”.

وأكمل: “لقد لعبنا بشكل جيد حقًا خلال الشهر الماضي، لكن دائمًا في المباراة الأولى بعد فترة التوقف الدولي، لا نعرف ما سيحدث لكننا تدربنا جيدًا ونحن مستعدون”.

وعما إذا كان يتفهم شعور المشجعين بالإحباط بسبب ارتفاع أسعار التذاكر الموسمية، أفاد مدرب مانشستر سيتي: “بالتأكيد، أعلم أنها قضية حساسة لكنهم سيكونون معنا، الناس يدعموننا دون قيد أو شرط”.

Rangana Herath took the last four wickets to seal a big win for Sri Lanka after Bangladesh’s top collapsed in the first hour of the final day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle11-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:48

Fernando: Herath a fourth-innings force of nature

Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.Leading the final charge was Rangana Herath. He was unstoppable as ever in defence of a score, and picked up record for most career wickets for a left-arm spinner en route to figures of 6 for 59. This was his 29th five-wicket haul overall, and his 10th in the fourth innings – no one in the history of the game has got more than seven.Batting in the fourth innings in Galle is among the most daunting of Test cricket’s challenges, and although Bangladesh suggested they might approach the task with spunk on the fourth afternoon, fell away quickly on Saturday. This was their third day-five collapse in four matches, having also failed to draw matches in Wellington and Hyderabad. Save for a 19-over stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, there was little in the way of resistance. They were eventually all out for 197 – 259 runs short of Sri Lanka.Their woes had begun immediately on day five. Soumya Sarkar, who had sped to fifty the previous afternoon, almost sent a catch to short leg off Asela Gunaratne first ball, but was out next ball in any case, Gunaratne’s offbreak jiving away from his defence to shave the top of off stump.The top order then quickly succumbed. Dilruwan Perera came to the crease to bowl to Mominul Haque, and trapped the batsman with much the same delivery that had got him out in the first innings. Flighted in to pitch on around middle stump, Perera turned the ball, beat the shot, and rapped a leaden-footed Mominul dead in front of middle stump. So scrambled was the batsman’s mind, that he even ventured a heedless review of that lbw decision though he never really thought he had a chance of surviving it – walking most of the way to the boundary before the third-umpire could even run the simulations.Tamim Iqbal soon sent a catch to slip off Perera, before Herath made his presence known with a double-strike that drew him level with Daniel Vettori’s career wicket tally of 362. Shakib Al Hasan was caught at leg slip off one that turned a little more than the batsman expected, then two balls later, Mahmudullah was lbw to a delivery that spun past his defence as well. At that stage, Bangladesh had lost five wickets in 12.4 overs.Mushfiqur and Liton mounted a brief fight through the back end of the first session, lending hope that Bangladesh might be able to survive until the afternoon rains came. But by now Galle’s pitch – itself often a force of nature – had become unfriendly, and even the bad balls turned far enough to draw mistakes. Lakshan Sandakan turned a ball way down the legside in the over after lunch, and Mushfiqur got himself out chasing it and offering a thin edge to the keeper. Sandakan had dismissed Shakib in similar style in the first innings.Herath then soon had Liton caught off the leading edge at cover to take his 363rd Test wicket – which made him the game’s most successful left-arm spinner – and the tail exposed now, the result seemed inevitable. Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman all fell to Herath. All up, Bangladesh could only last 45.2 of the 98 overs they were due to bat on the day.

M Vijay, who missed the Bengaluru Test with a shoulder injury, kept his place in a 15-man squad chosen for the final two matches against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2017

M Vijay, the India opener, has kept his place in the squad for the final two Tests against Australia. He had picked up an injury to his left shoulder while fielding in Pune and had to miss the Bengaluru Test, but with a week left until the start of the next one in Ranchi, he appears to have time to recover and become the 29th Indian to 50 Test caps.India squad

Virat Kohli (capt), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav
Out: Hardik Pandya

Allrounder Hardik Pandya, who has shoulder troubles of his own, was the only player to be cut from the 16-man squad chosen at the start of the tour.Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami, who have recovered from protracted thigh and knee problems respectively, have played List A cricket over the past week but they are yet to prove their fitness over the course of a first-class match; that could perhaps be the reason they have not been picked here.Head coach Anil Kumble had stressed on a protocol by which first-choice picks could walk back into the XI after injury provided they play the same format in domestic cricket and prove their fitness. Rohit made 4 and 16 for Mumbai in one-day cricket while Shami picked up 0 for 36 for Bengal and practiced with the Indian team at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, though he mostly bowled off a short run-up.India retained Abhinav Mukund as the third opener despite his underwhelming returns in the second Test; he made 0 and 16 in his first international game in over five years. The extra opener is especially needed given the recent niggles for their top-order batsmen – apart from Vijay’s injury, Rahul’s left shoulder caused him some concern in Pune and Cheteshwar Pujara said he had to fight a sore neck during his match-winning 92 in Bengaluru.India’s bowling line-up was unchanged. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuneshwar Kumar were the seamers. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, both No. 1 on the ICC rankings for Test bowlers, led the spin department which also includes offspinner Jayant Yadav and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.The series is square at 1-1 and is set to resume on March 16 with the first Test ever to be played in Ranchi. Then Dharamsala makes its debut on March 25.

اقترب ظهير أيمن برشلونة الأسبق، داني ألفيس، من الخروج من السجن بعد 14 شهرًا بسبب اتهامه بالاعتداء الجنسي على إحدى الفتيات في المدينة الكتالونية.

وتم الحكم على ألفيس قبل أسابيع قليلة بالسجن لمدة 4 سنوات ونصف قضى اللاعب منهم ربع المدة، وقام المحامي الخاص به بالاستئناف وحكم بكفالة للخروج قيمتها مليون يورو.

ولن يستطع ألفيس دفع تلك الكفالة إلا بمساعدة والد نيمار دا سيلفا، صديقه المقرب في العديد من الأندية وأيضًا منتخب البرازيل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سيميوني يُطالب بحل سريع لقضية جواو فيليكس وأتلتيكو مدريد يعارض مخطط برشلونة

حيث إن ألفيس لا يمتلك سوى حسابين، وفقًا للمحامية الخاصة به، الأول بدون رصيد والثاني بمبلغ 51 ألف يورو مع قرار قضائي بمصادرتهم، مع حظر جميع أمواله بسبب مشاكل مع زوجته السابقة، دينورا سانتانا.

اليوم، دفع مدافع برشلونة الكفالة المطلوبة ومن المتوقع أن يغادر السجن الذي دخله في يناير 2023 بتلك التهمة بعد تسليم جوازي السفر الخاصين به للسلطات الإسبانية، وفقًا لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية.

كانت هناك شروط أخرى أمام ألفيس للخروج من السجن أهمها هي أن يبقى بعيدًا عن ضحيته بمسافة 1000 متر في جميع الأماكن التي تتردد عليها.

Since the takeover of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham, the Welsh club have enjoyed a fitting Hollywood script, which is yet to reach its end. Last season saw things get even better, with Phil Parkinson’s side securing the National League title, and, therefore, promotion to League Two, and back to the Football League for the first time since the 2007/08 season.Ending 15 years of misery, it seems as though the actors are only just getting started, with their sights firmly set on League Two, and ensuring success in the next few years.When the Hollywood duo first arrived, there may have been some hesitation when it came to supporting them. After all, why Wrexham? And then when the cameras came out for the documentary, more fans may have been slightly wary. Yet, so far, they’ve simply understood the club from the bottom to the very top.They arrived without an ounce of knowledge about a sport they even called soccer previously. Now, it could be said that Reynolds and McElhenney are one of the best ownership partnerships in football, based on just how far Wrexham have come.In League Two, such is their ambition, they’ll be looking to do more than just survive. And, with that said, Phil Parkinson recently revealed his transfer plans for this summer.

Who are Wrexham going to sign this summer?

Speaking to the TWS Sports Podcast, Parkinson said: “I don’t think we need loads of players. I think we already got 20-plus players and if we can bring one or two key players, then I will be happy. If we didn’t and we continued with the same squad, I won’t be complaining.

“We are looking abroad as well. So we are looking at those markets as well. There’s been new rules brought in recently, the rules to bring in a couple of foreign players have been relaxed, so we are looking at those markets as well. Obviously, it’s quite complex judging players at those levels. We are looking across the board really, and we are trying to get the best quality we can in our budget.”

Is Wrexham the oldest football stadium?

Playing at the Racecourse Ground – the oldest international football ground still in use since hosting its first international match on 5 March 1877 – the club will hope to see some exciting new faces arrive over the coming months.

With the summer transfer window well underway, Wrexham are reportedly interested in making a move for Bristol City’s Kai Naismith this summer, according to Thomas Wynne Lewis of North Wales Live.

The versatile defender made 25 appearances for the Robins in the Championship last season, and would be an incredible coup for the Welsh side, given his quality to play far higher than the League Two level.

The fact that Wrexham have even been linked with a Championship defender shows just how far they’ve come. Players are attracted to the Reynolds and McElhenney project. They are willing to drop a level or two just to benefit from where the duo could take the club in the future.

We saw Paul Mullin make the drop-down to the National League in 2021, and he has thrived since, finding the back of the net a sensational 74 times in just 90 appearances for the club.

So, whether it be transfer targets in England or abroad, the attraction to play for Wrexham is there for all to see this summer.