All posts by h716a5.icu

Send For Tredders sounds like a school story from the 1920s but it might be just what Kent need if they are to win promotion from Division Two

Paul Edwards at Cardiff11-Sep-2012
ScorecardJim Allenby’s unbeaten hundred held up Kent’s promotion challenge in Cardiff•PA PhotosSend for Tredders sounds rather like a school story from the 1920s, evoking a vanished world of bounders, beatings and dorm feasts after lights-out. Yet if Kent manage to achieve promotion to Division One of the County Championship, the words may come to be seen as the rallying cry that helped them over the line.Last week James Tredwell was drafted into the Kent team in the middle of their vital game against leaders Derbyshire after playing for England in a one-day international the previous evening. His only obvious contribution to Kent’s eventual win was to take a couple of slip catches – but the Peakites’ protests were long and strident.Tredwell’s work on the first day of Kent’s equally important game against Glamorgan at Cardiff was much more obvious, and this time nobody doubted its legitimacy. His final figures of 3 for 61 from 27 overs represented another fine day’s work by a spinner much of whose winter may be spent on the subcontinent.But Tredwell’s efforts were countered by those of Jim Allenby, whose side is battling to avoid Division Two’s wooden spoon. Coming to the wicket in mid-afternoon, Allenby hit his first ball, which was bowled by the off-spinner, straight for four and in the last over of the day he hoisted Tredwell over long-on for six to bring up a century that also contained 13 boundaries.The Glamorgan No 6 had batted aggressively – he faced only 132 balls in his 100 not out – but he had played in an orthodox and sensible fashion quite at variance with the technique of his some of his colleagues. By the close, tailender John Glover had helped Allenby add 82 for the ninth wicket and Glamorgan had taken back the initiative on a day which had mixed the excellent with the execrable. Victory must seem a somewhat distant goal for Rob Key’s men at the minute.Yet at one stage it seemed that Allenby’s straight, strong hitting would hardly be needed, so great had been the mastery of the Glamorgan top order over the wayward Kent seamers.Key had been forced to bring Tredwell into the attack in the 20th over of the innings when the home side were 96 for 1, not so surprising on a very flat wicket perhaps, but the pitch Keith Exton has prepared for this game is well-grassed and bouncy. It is far from a seamer’s heaven but it is not one on which bowlers of the stamp of Mark Davies and Charlie Shreck should be going for five an over.Nevertheless, Glamorgan’s Will Bragg and Nick James gorged themselves on a diet of half volleys to the extent that 50 came up off only 53 balls. Darren Stevens’s removal of James, wafting outside the off stump, offered some respite but it had not staunched the flow of runs in the first innings of a game Kent may need to win if they are to mix it with English cricket’s elite next season.Tredwell’s introduction had an immediate impact. His first three overs were maidens and in his fifth he had Bragg lbw for 59 attempting an expansive sweep square of the wicket. At lunch Glamorgan were 133 for 2 but Tredwell had barely begun his work. Bowling unchanged from the River End throughout the afternoon session, he took the wickets of both David Lloyd, who collected his third duck in his third first-class innings, and Mark Wallace, who was embarrassingly bowled for 16 attempting to hit the twirler over the top against the spin.Tredwell’s accuracy added to the pressure on Glamorgan’s batsmen and helped to take wickets at the other end. After helping Bragg build foundations for a total well in excess of 350, Stewart Walters hooked Shreck to long leg where Mike Powell took a good running catch. The same bowler somehow induced Ben Wright to attempt a crass and crooked drive which only inside-edged the ball to Geraint Jones behind the stumps. Glamorgan were 243 for 6 at tea; some of their batting had voyaged to the depths of the dire.The evening session was briefly punctuated by Matt Coles taking two wickets in successive overs, the second of them that of Robert Croft, whose penultimate first- class innings lasted just six balls. The 42-year-old had been greeted with a bouncer from Coles and edged it high over slip for a single. One off the mark, it wasn’t. Croft’s sixth ball was also a bouncer and he gloved it to Jones. Professional cricket remains a hard school, which is just how Croft likes it and just what he will miss like hell come next April.More significantly in the context of the match, however, the final session saw Allenby score 59 runs in a manner both controlled and relatively untroubled, even against the new ball. And the sight of Tredwell bowling the final over of the day to the Glamorgan all-rounder was only appropriate: it brought together two fine professionals whose efforts had made the day memorable

Mahela Jayawardene has said that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but he knows his side needs to start winning games

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval14-Feb-2012It was a bittersweet night for Sri Lanka.They were set for a big total at 3 for 168 after 35 overs with the batting Powerplay at hand, but they contrived to end up with only 236. Angelo Mathews, the man who brought Sri Lanka heartbreakingly close in Perth against Australia, let the game slip with two full tosses in the 49th over of the chase, and then pulled it back with two direct-hits. Lasith Malinga bowled these four overs towards the end to keep Sri Lanka alive: four runs in the 39th, a maiden with a run-out in the 41st, five in 45th, and four and wicket in the 48th. Then, in the final over, he failed to make two collections and would have got them run-outs, and went for three over extra cover off the last ball. And spare a thought for the young Dinesh Chandimal. Yet another good innings, but one that ended in a suicidal run-out and short of being the decisive one.The overall fielding, too, went from being flash to flaccid. There were four direct-hit run-outs, but Kumar Sangakkara dropped a sitter, and then Malinga missed those two run-outs. It can be difficult to decide how to feel after such a night. Mahela Jayawardene wouldn’t blame the fielding for sure. “But I think the fielding got us into the game,” he said. “The run-outs and the way we stopped at least 20-25 runs on the field, on a hot day, on a bigger ground as well. We didn’t give them any easy twos. Only the last few fumbles. That’s the thing. Make or break situations. We have got to be ruthless.”Jayawardene said his instinct told him to trust Mathews, and that he will learn a lot from this night. Mathews bowled the 49th over with 24 runs required and Malinga to bowl the last. He slipped up, though, and bowled two full tosses – one of them a no-ball – that went for six and four. “This is how these guys are going to learn,” Jayawardene said. “The more games these guys play, they will become better finishers and they will take more responsibility. That’s probably why I had my gut feeling, giving the ball to Angie in the 49th over.”I feel he is ready now to take more responsibility. Apart from those couple of bad balls, I thought he bowled a very, very good over. So let’s put them in these situations, let them learn. I am quite happy, we are headed in the right direction, we are close, playing two top teams. Once we get that win we can get come momentum going.”Malinga’s bowling is the reason why Sri Lanka not only came back from the dead but were the favourites in the last over. With the ball, Malinga hardly faltered, except – if you were harsh – with the final ball, which Dhoni went deep into his crease to get under. “He [Malinga] bowled beautifully,” Jayawardene said. “I mean, you love to have a guy like that in the field. You know he is going to deliver for you. He did in the last three-four overs.”He changed ends as well. It wasn’t a problem for him. He didn’t give a single loose ball. He created the pressure for us. Otherwise we probably would have lost in the 46th-47th over. Lasith has been the difference. He has been in these situations, you know. We have lost some matches, he has won some matches for us, no issues with him. He will come back strong.”However, with Malinga, when you have three runs to defend off the last ball, you expect him to pull through. Jayawardene thought so too. “Well, 10 overs to go, they had a run a ball, I am sure they will be disappointed,” Jayawardene said. “I was disappointed when we had one ball, four runs. I would back Malinga to finish it off. I am happy with the two points after the amount of mistakes we made in the last few overs and in the entire game. To come back with two points, it is always good. But not a win in our column. Hopefully we get that and some momentum going forward.”Jayawardene felt that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but know his side needs to start winning games. They now need four wins from their last five games, which is a tough ask. “The last bit, we aren’t finishing games off, we are making mistakes,” he said. “But overall I thought we came back strongly in this game. 230 was not good enough on this surface. After making so many mistakes, I should be happy, but at the same time the way we are making mistakes we need to be a bit more focussed. And try and be ruthless in finishing games off. That’s what you expect, especially with these two teams.”

The fast bowler Brendan Drew and the batsman Nick Kruger are among eight players who will be axed from Tasmania’s contract list for next summer

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2012The fast bowler Brendan Drew and the batsman Nick Kruger are among eight players who will be axed from Tasmania’s contract list for next summer. A fortnight ago, Drew and Kruger were playing in the Sheffield Shield final but neither man did enough to encourage the selectors to retain them on the contract list.The wicketkeeper Brady Jones, the opening batsman Jon Wells, the seamer Ben Laughlin, the batsman Ashton May, the allrounder Matthew Day and the rookie spinner Marc Simonds will also be delisted.”While we are hopeful that some of these players remain in Hobart to chase their dream of playing cricket at the highest level, Cricket Tasmania wishes those who do not all the best with their cricket futures,” Tasmania’s chairman of selectors, Michael Farrell, said.The axing of state players is expected to be significant across most states this year with Cricket Australia keen to reduce the number of players offered central deals. That will create a knock-on effect with many players who were on national contracts needing to be squeezed into state lists.While 32 players held CA contracts by the end of the summer, including seven who were upgraded due to playing enough matches for Australia, that number could be slashed to as few as 15 when the new list is revealed. Tasmania are expected to have to find room on their state list to accommodate Tim Paine and Jason Krejza, both of whom hold CA contracts that are unlikely to be renewed.

Fifteen-year-old legspinner Shaquana Quintyne has been included in West Indies Women’s 14-woman squad for their home one-day series against Pakistan that starts later this month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Two uncapped players from Barbados – Shaquana Quintyne, a 15-year-old legspinner, and Kycia Knight, a 19-year-old wicketkeeper – have been included in West Indies’ women’s squad for their home one-day series against Pakistan that starts later this month.The two players impressed for Barbados during the recently-completed WICB Women’s Championships. Knight also plays football for Barbados. The other twelve players were all part of the squad for the tour of India early in the year.The team will be led by Merissa Aguilleira, who was one of six women cricketers given a central contract by the WICB last year. The other five players – allrounders Stafanie Taylor, Stacy-Ann King and Shanel Daley, batsman Deandra Dottin, and offspinner Anisa Mohammed – are also part of the squad for the four ODIs against Pakistan. The first match is on August 28.West Indies Women’s squad: Merissa Aguilleira (capt & wk), Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Pearl Etienne, Stacy-Ann King, Kycia Knight, Anisa Mohamed, Juliana Nero, Shaquana Quintyne, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor

The Bangladesh Cricket Board is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board about a short tour to the country next month

Mohammad Isam14-Dec-2012The Bangladesh Cricket Board is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board about a short tour to the country next month. BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that the talks are now all about a suitable timeframe for the tour.”We can’t go in December so we will speak to the PCB today, about whether we can fit in a small tour before the BPL,” Hassan told ESPNcricinfo.Bangladesh’s proposed tour to Pakistan hit a snag earlier this year when, on April 19, a Dhaka court order embargoed a series between the two scheduled for the end of April.In November, Hassan said that the BCB had made a “written commitment” to the PCB to go ahead with the tour.On Friday Hassan explained that they are now in the second phase of talks with the PCB because the first phase, which dealt with security issues, was satisfactory. “I have spoken to those who went for the security assessment and they are quite satisfied,” he said. “If we can agree on a time, we will go next month.”He also said that the players and the support staff will be spoken to about the tour, but no one will be forced to go on the tour. “The last time when we discussed [touring Pakistan], we wanted to talk to the players and find out their opinion. We will also speak to foreign staff but it is highly likely that they won’t go. That we can understand. We don’t want to force them.”Back in March, the ICC had introduced a “special dispensation” to be made only in “exceptional circumstances” that allowed bilateral series to take place even if the ruling body determined it “unsafe” to appoint its officials for these series. This would allow such series to be manned by “non-neutral match officials”, a departure from the ICC’s Standard Playing Conditions.Hassan said the dispensation will take effect if the ICC doesn’t send its officials to conduct the matches. “They [ICC] are quite clear about it. They want us to decide if we want to go or not. We will submit a security plan to them, after which they will decide whether they will send their match officials or not. If they don’t, we will have to appoint match officials.”

A blistering opening partnership between Robin Uthappa and S Anirudha set up an impressive win for India Green against India Blue in Nagpur

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Robin Uthappa struck a blistering ton and was involved in a double-century opening stand•Sivaraman Kitta/K SivaramanA blistering opening partnership between Robin Uthappa and S Anirudha set up an impressive win for India Green against India Blue in Nagpur, and secured their place in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. India Green were asked to bat first once again, however, this time they made better use of the fine platform laid by their openers and piled up 348 for 9 in their 50 overs to all but shut India Blue out of the match at the halfway stage.Uthappa carried his form from the first match into this game, launching his aggressive knock with a lofted four to long-off and a well-executed pull off Irfan Pathan. Anirudha played the support role in the pair’s century stand in the previous game, but here he matched Uthappa shot for shot. He struck Irfan for two boundaries as well, before depositing a short ball on the leg stump from Pradeep Sangwan beyond long-on.The pair was aided by some wayward bowling from Irfan early on, as he repeatedly strayed on to the pads in an attempt to get the ball to swing in. India Blue captain S Badrinath tried to stem the flow of runs by bringing on Amit Mishra in the fifth over, but Uthappa and Anirudha continued to pick up fours and sixes at will. After the openers pummelled 34 runs off two overs, India Green had raced to 86 after eight. Unlike against India Red though, they did not waste their fine starts and pushed on to centuries, bringing the 200 up as early as the 23rd over.The bowlers finally found some relief after Uthappa retired. Mohammad Kaif struggled to keep the momentum going before rushing down the track and playing down the wrong line to hand Mishra his first wicket. Anirudha gifted his wicket away, lofting a full toss on the leg stump to midwicket off part-timer M Vijay. Uthappa returned after India Green lost Mohnish Mishra and Ishank Jaggi in quick succession, but could not match his early tempo, striking just one more four before P Parameswaran had him bowled. Sangwan claimed wickets late in the innings as the batsmen looked for quick runs, to finish with 4 for 58 form his ten.India Blue, who needed to win to make the final, made a poor start in the chase as Tanmay Srivastava edged behind off left-arm medium pacer Samad Fallah, with CM Gautham completing a spectacular diving catch. Vijay and Saurabh Tiwary did not let the asking-rate get out of reach though, in an 87-run stand for the second wicket at better than a run-a-ball. After Vijay fell, beaten by Iqbal Abdulla’s turn, Dinesh Karthik provided Tiwary with adequate support. The pair added 48 before Tiwary hit straight to Jaggi at long-off, cutting short his promising innings of 74 off 70. India Blue had one last go at the target through Karthik and Manish Pandey, before Karthik was adjudged lbw off Abhimanyu Mithun for 49.From then on, wickets fell at regular intervals and the required rate soared, and India Green closed out the game in the 42nd over courtesy a fine tumbling catch by Kaif to get rid of Sangwan. Badrinath, who had gone off the field during the first drinks break of the India Green innings, did not bat. Uthappa was named Man of the Match.India Green will play India Red in the final on Thursday at the same venue.

This Test is unlikely to linger long in the memory but that won’t bother Jonathan Trott who continued to satisfy his insatiable hunger for runs with a second double-hundred in Test

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan29-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott pushed England into a useful lead with his second Test double•Getty ImagesThis Test is unlikely to linger long in the memory but that won’t bother Jonathan Trott who continued to satisfy his insatiable hunger for runs with a second international double-hundred. Ian Bell, meanwhile, ended the day unbeaten on 98 after the pair added 160 for the fifth wicket to take England into a 91-run lead, from where they may be able to put pressure on Sri Lanka during the final day although the forecast is again poor.Trott’s 200 came from 398 balls and followed his previous double against Bangladesh, at Lord’s, last year and although he didn’t remain unbeaten his average still stands at 66.77. It wasn’t such a good day for Kevin Pietersen as his problems against left-arm spin came back into view when he fell to Rangana Herath for 3. Instead it was down to the two Warwickshire team-mates to consolidate the record stand between Trott and Alastair Cook which had ended on 251. Sadly there was a sense of futility to England’s boot-filling but if nothing else they have laid down a marker for the series.The biggest issue in this match is the time lost and another dank day meant there was no action before lunch while the poor forecast for Monday doesn’t bode well. Unless Sri Lanka collapse in their second innings there won’t be a result so it is likely to become an exercise in taking psychological points ahead of Lord’s on Friday. In that respect Sri Lanka will take heart from Pietersen’s failure when he couldn’t get his bat down on a ball that skidded through from Herath and got him in a tangle.Initially, Billy Doctrove gave him not out because bat was very close to the pad and the ball, but the DRS showed a hotspot on the pad fractionally before Pietersen’s bat came down. The third umpire, Rod Tucker, took a long time to assess the decision before relaying the information back to Doctrove and Pietersen – who had watched Cook and Trott bat for 77 overs – hauled himself slowly off the pitch.Farveez Maharoof had made the first breakthrough when Cook, having added four to his overnight score, top-edged a cut to Prasanna Jayawardene when the ball bounced a little more than expected. Although not much more than medium-pace, Maharoof maintained a consistent line and found a hint of unpredictable bounce in a tight 12-over spell as he operated throughout the afternoon session.Progress was slow for England, but Bell gave a lesson in how to play left-arm spin when he skipped down the pitch to loft a straight six off Herath who bowled a 21-over spell. Trott moved along at his own pace, content to pad or block away Herath’s leg-stump line, and it wasn’t until the 14th over of the day when he added to his boundary count with a straight drive.Smart Stats

England’s 491 for 5 is their fifth-highest total in Tests against Sri Lanka. Their top seven scores have all come in England.

Trott’s 203 is his second double-century in Tests and the highest score by an English batsman in Tests against Sri Lanka surpassing Graham Gooch’s 174.

The 160-run partnership between Ian Bell and Trott for the fifth wicket is the second-highest for England against Sri Lanka in Tests behind the 173 between Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen in 2006.

Pietersen’s troubles against left-arm spinners continued as he was dismissed by Rangana Herath. He has been dismissed by slow left-arm bowlers 19 times in Tests and 18 times in ODIs.

Trott’s tempo remained consistent throughout the innings and one of his best shots was the on-drive that took him to 178, the highest individual score for England against Sri Lanka, beating Graham Gooch’s record of 174. However, he couldn’t set himself a new career-best mark when he tried to give himself room against Tillakaratne Dilshan as England hustled a little more.Bell’s batting was the most enjoyable part of a dreary day. He twice gained boundaries off the inside edge that just evaded off stump and the keeper, but he was in prime touch with the silky timing that was a hallmark of his play in Australia. He was given a life on 19 when a well-hit cut was put down at gully by Kumar Sangakkara, however there was a sense of inevitability about the fifty that arrived from 88 balls.At least there was an eight-over spell from Thisara Perera that made Bell work quite hard as Perera located a tricky length on a surface that offered some variable bounce. It was an indication that this could have been an interesting pitch if there had been the full amount of play, and offers something for the England bowlers to aim for. One delivery climbed to strike Bell on the bottom hand, and Perera was also the bowler for one of the inside-edged boundaries.During the latter part of the final session Bell started to bring some innovation to his batting after England moved into the lead. He reverse-swept Herath and switched his stance to dispatch Dilshan through the covers as he approached three figures in the closing overs. Eoin Morgan did his best to feed him the strike, but with three balls remaining he couldn’t find the three runs he needed for a 13th Test hundred. Getting a chance on the final morning depends on Andrew Strauss and the weather.

Canada ended the first day of their two-day game against USA in Toronto in a commanding position, scoring 273 for 4 in reply to the visitors’ 166 all out.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Canada 239 for 4 (Patel 75) lead USA 166 by 73 runs
ScorecardCanada ended the first day of their two-day game against USA in Toronto in a commanding position, scoring 273 for 4 in reply to the visitors’ 166 all out. The first innings of both sides was limited to 45 over by arrangement, and so when play resumes USA will be starting their second innings.USA won the toss and stuck the Canadians in, but their bowlers failed to make much impression. Hiral Patel and Khushroo Wadia put on 71 for the first wicket, and then Patel and Rustam Bhatti 67 for the second. Patel was in particularly good form, smacking 75 off 85 deliveries before his innings was ended by a run-out. There was little respite for the USA, however, as Bhatti and Nitish Kumar added 71 for the third wicket.USA lost early wickets and the innings never regained anything like enough momentum. At 24 for 4 they seemed in deep trouble, but Jignesh Desai and Anand Tummala stopped the rot in a fifth-wicket stand of 61 but they were always off the pace and were eventually bowled out with 15 balls of their 45 over remaining.

ESPNcricinfo previews Canada’s chances in the 2011 World Cup

Faraz Sarwat12-Feb-2011Canada deserve to be in this World Cup. They earned their place through a daunting qualifying tournament in 2009 where they were runners-up to Ireland, and made sure that upstarts Afghanistan were kept in check. The Canadian team proved that it knew how to win in difficult circumstances and moreover showed the promise of being equipped to deal with sterner challenges. The pity is that Canada have not selected key members of that battle-hardened team that got them into this tournament.The official line is that Canada are aiming for a quarter-final spot and that this will be Canada’s best ever showing in a World Cup. It is good to have goals, but one can’t help but get the feeling that the line has been crossed between healthy ambition and outright delusion. Thrusting five players from the Under-19 team into the World Cup squad was wholly unnecessary and puts a lot of pressure on the experienced players. That is not to say that the young players are not talented. One or two of them deserved to make the 15-man squad, but the rest simply aren’t ready. The veteran players like John Davison and Ashish Bagai know this and will concede it in private, but they now have their game-face on and will be doing their best to keep the vibe positive and the performance respectable.World Cup Pedigree
This will be Canada’s fourth World Cup. In 2003, Canada, playing their first World Cup in 24 years, made a grand return to the tournament by beating full-member country Bangladesh. And while the team saw some awful depths too (36 all out against Sri Lanka), John Davison played one of the great knocks in World Cup history with a magical 76-ball 111 against West Indies. In 2007, Davison led a significantly stronger team to the World Cup, but the format did not allow the team to flourish, and after three quick losses it was sent packing.Recent Form
Not good. In a recent Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies, Canada pulled off a comfortable win against Hampshire, before losing their next three games. A two-match ODI series at home last summer against Ireland was split at one game apiece.Expert Eye
Sunil Dhaniram: Canada must open the batting with Davison. He’s got to be up at the top where he’s been successful for Canada. Generally the batting lacks toughness and there will be pressure on Bagai in the middle-order. The young players must realise that the full-member countries will show no mercy – they will want to win early and get off the field. So Canada will need to show toughness. In the bowling, Henry Osinde is the key. He needs to see bounce in his first over and if he gets a wicket he’ll be fired up for the rest of the match, but if he gets stick early on, we’re done. Canada’s best chance of victory lies against Kenya, but only if they can get Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo out cheaply.Where they are likely to finish
In the bottom three of Group A, if not dead last.Watchability
Canada will be a fascinating team to watch. Whoever Canada play, there will be runs and wickets galore. The Canadians are not shy about trying to play their shots and if the ball is there to be hit they go for it. In fact they will even try to hit balls that should be left well alone. Most of the batsmen are attacking in nature, but two are exceptionally good at it – and if one or both of Davison and Rizwan Cheema get set at the crease, it will be highly entertaining. The new-ball bowlers, Osinde and Khurram Chohan are only in it for wickets, and that has its own charm.Players in Focus
Davison’s return to Canada has been an unhappy one. He walked away from the team when the 30-man squad was announced, upset at the manner in which important and experienced players Ian Bilcliff and Geoff Barnett were excluded. Davison is a pro and will be focussed on the task at hand, but knowing that the team could have been stronger will no doubt irk him. Canada will depend on him for runs at a healthy strike-rate, and when he bowls he will be expected to keep things under control. His legacy as a World Cup hero is secure courtesy of his exploits in 2003 as well as scintillating half-centuries against New Zealand in that same tournament and in 2007. At 40, this is his last World Cup and he will want to leave his mark.This tournament is important for Cheema who has endured something of a lean patch of late. He started his career in 2008 with a bang, quickly building a reputation as someone who could take on world-class bowlers and win. He loves the spotlight and is chomping at the bit to play on batting tracks against the world’s best bowlers. If Cheema comes off, it will be a respectable day for Canada.Ruvindu Gunasekera is the most promising of Canada’s younger players. He deserves his spot in the World Cup team and has a taste of success having scored two solid fifties in back-to-back ODIs against Ireland at home. He will be keen to test his mettle against stronger teams, and a good showing at the tournament will cement his place in the team.

West Ham United are reportedly interested in a deal for Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile, according to the latest reports…

What’s the word?

As per Calciomercatio, the Hammers are believed to be one of the clubs keeping an eye on the 21-year-old, with Serie A giants Juventus and Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund also credited with an interest in the Frenchman.

Previous reports have suggested the 6 foot 4 colossus could be available for a fee in the region of £33m, with two years still to run on his existing deal at Stade Louis II, making him an attractive option in the upcoming window.

The France U21 international had seemingly come close to a Premier League switch in January, with Newcastle United heavily linked with securing his services, albeit with the St James’ park outfit eventually settling on a move for Brighton’s Dan Burn.

Ogbonna Upgrade

With a top-four place still potentially within their grasp and with a Europa League semi-final clash on the horizon, things are currently going swimmingly for David Moyes’ side, with the Scotsman having worked wonders since the start of his second stint in charge.

Much of the former Manchester United manager’s success has been in recruitment, with the 58-year-old continually making astute moves in the market after a scattergun approach under his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.

In Badiashile, the Hammers boss could well have found his next perfect acquisition, with the youngster having previously been dubbed a “great talent” by Monaco vice president Oleg Petrov, following his eye-catching displays for the Ligue 1 outfit.

As evidenced by his soaring market valuation – the £14k-per-week star having seen his value rise from £135k to £25.2m in the space of just three years – the starlet is only seemingly going to keep progressing in the coming years.

At just 21, he also represents an ideal and timely replacement for current first-team favourite Angelo Ogbonna, with the Italian central defender set to turn 34 at the end of May and with possible doubts over what his level will be once he returns from his long-term absence.

Both left-footed and of similar build – with the more senior man marginally shorter at 6 foot 3 – the two have very similar playing styles, making the younger man a potentially ideal replacement for the long-serving veteran.

Equally, there is also evidence to suggest that the potential new arrival is already outperforming the one-time Torino man.

In the 11 games the current West Ham man has played in the top-flight this season, he has averaged just one interception and 0.6 tackles per game, as per SofaScore, while by contrast, Badiashile has registered 1.1 interceptions and 1.4 tackles per 90, in his 19 league outings.

Even in his youth, the Limoges-born star already offers a wealth of experience, having already made 114 appearances for his current side – chipping in with three goals and three assists in that time – since making his senior debut back in 2018.

With just three clean sheets to his name this season and a fairly meagre 6.93 match rating, as per SofaScore, in the French top-flight, there is obvious room for improvement, although Moyes has already shown he can coax the best out of those at his disposal.

AND in other news, Time to go: Moyes must ruthlessly axe WHU’s £61k-p/w “monster” as big claim emerges…