All posts by h716a5.icu

Crystal Palace have said goodbye to club legend Wilfried Zaha and may be about to lose Marc Guehi to circling Premier League rivals, but Roy Hodgson's side could have a defensive alternative lined up.

What players have left Crystal Palace?

The Eagles have so far brought in only Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer following the midfielder's departure from fellow top-flight side Bournemouth.

Zaha is the most notable of those who have departed Selhurst Park, the forward officially joining Galatasaray on Monday, while the likes of Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur and Jack Butland have also reached the end of their contracts.

Guehi may be the next player to leave Palace, though the ball is very much in the South London side's court as the centre-back has three years to run on his deal.

According to The Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea are all interested in the 23-year-old, who is valued at £50m by the Eagles.

Palace could in turn make a surprise move for Aymeric Laporte, with the Daily Star reporting that the Eagles may move for the Manchester City defender in a cut-price £35m deal – a £22m loss for the European champions on what they paid Athletic Bilbao five years ago.

What is Aymeric Laporte's contract situation?

The French-born Spain international has two years to run on his City contract, meaning Pep Guardiola's men are certainly in no desperate need to offload this summer.

Laporte recently admitted he did not enjoy last season as much as his previous campaigns at the Etihad Stadium, having started just 11 Premier League games in City's treble-winning campaign.

Despite his relatively limited action in the top flight last season, Laporte still showed he is among the best centre-backs anywhere on the continent when used.

The 29-year-old ranks among the top 1% of all defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted (86.43 per 90), as per FBref, the top 3% for pass completion (92.7%) and the top 1% again for both progressive passes and progressive carries.

Laporte completely outperforms Guehi in each of those categories, the latter completing 'only' 85.3% of his passes, though there is nothing between the pair when it comes to tackles won per 90 (0.73), as is also the case in terms of aerial duels won (55.8% and 55.7% respectively).

Guehi does edge things in terms of blocks per 90 (1.22 v 0.91), which goes to show that, even at six years younger than Laporte, Guehi is an incredibly talented player in the purely defensive metrics – going a long way to explaining his hefty valuation.

For the here and now, though, there is no denying that Laporte is the better all-rounder for Hodgson. Indeed, the fact Guardiola would be reluctant to sell a player he previously described as "incredible" says an awful lot about the former Athletic Bilbao ace's stature.

Laporte's performances have been consistently strong across his six campaigns at City, five of which have resulted in him lifting the Premier League title at the end of the season.

Should Palace match the Citizens' valuation, and indeed persuade Laporte to join them over a bigger-name club, it could prove to be the biggest coup of the transfer window.

Alastair Cook’s impressive form in the Royal London Cup has earned him an automatic spot in next year’s North v South one-day series

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2017Alastair Cook’s impressive form in the Royal London Cup has earned him an automatic spot in next year’s North v South one-day series.Cook, who was sacked as England’s one-day captain shortly before the 2015 World Cup, scored 503 runs in Essex’s group stage campaign, from which they secured a home semi-final. That tally put him third in the PCA’s MVP rankings, thereby qualifying him for the pre-season series. Only England-qualified players are eligible to play for the North and South with four spots in each side determined by the MVP rankings. The rest of the names are decided by the England selectors.The matches are billed as a chance to push for England selection with the PCA release saying they will be “watched closely by the England selectors and management in their planning for the 2019 ICC World Cup.” But while Cook has never officially retired from ODIs, it would be far-fetched to suggest he will come into the reckoning.It is also possible that the North v South contests – which this year were held in the UAE in late March – will clash with England’s Test series in New Zealand, set for the end of March. Although Cook stepped down as Test captain in January, barring an unlikely sequence of events or injury he will be involved in those Tests which follow the Ashes in Australia.The other players to qualify through the MVP rankings for the South are Hampshire’s James Vince, Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond and Essex allrounder Ravi Bopara.The North are set to include Test batsman Keaton Jennings, Sam Hain from Warwickshire, Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance and Derbyshire allrounder Shiv Thakor. However, as with Cook, England commitments could impact the availability of Jennings and Ballance.Jennings, Hain, Bell-Drummond and Vince were involved in the first North-South series. Batsmen have dominated those qualifying automatically from this year’s group stage in what has been a high-scoring competition. Last year, seam bowlers Matt Coles, Tim Groenewald and Harry Gurney earned automatic selection alongside left-arm spinner Graeme White and allrounders Tim Bresnan, Lewis Gregory and Liam Dawson.

Tottenham Hotspur could make Harry Kane the highest-paid player in the Premier League to keep him in north London, with the club willing to offer a deal in the "ballpark" of £400,000-a-week, claims transfers expert Graham Bailey.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur?

It has been an excellent start to the summer transfer window so far for Spurs this year.

The club have added genuine first-team quality to the side with the £40m signing of England international James Maddison from the recently relegated Leicester City.

The window has also seen the addition of Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli and Israieli international Manor Solomon, who looked good for Fulham last season when he was fit and playing.

However, all of that could mean very little if the club can't keep a hold of their talismanic striker and all-time record goalscorer, Kane.

The England captain has been the subject of many a transfer saga over the years, but with just 12 months left on his current deal, it feels different this time.

So far, he has been the subject of interest from both Manchester United and Real Madrid, but both clubs have seemingly cooled their interest over the price or the reluctance to enter into negotiations with Daniel Levy.

However, one club that has not been put off so far is German giants Bayern Munich, who have already made two bids for the player, with the second reported to be worth €94m (£81m), according to ESPN.

With both offers being rejected by the Lilywhites, ESPN have also reported that the Bundesliga champions will submit a third offer as they further test the resolve of the Spurs board.

It sounds like it might all be for nothing on the side of the Bavarians, though, as the North London side look to stick to their plan of keeping Kane over the summer before offering him a new and improved contract, per Graham Bailey.

He explained the situation on the Talking Transfers podcast:

"We're being told roughly the ballpark would be £400,000-a-week. That's what Tottenham would be willing to go to.

"Would he be the highest paid in the Premier League on that terms? I think he probably would."

Who earns the most in the Premier League?

While £400,000 would certainly make Kane one of the Premier League's highest earners of all time, and certainly Tottenham's all-time highest earner, according to French publication L'Equipe (via the Daily Mail), it would only be enough to make him the third highest paid player currently playing.

The highest-paid player in the league is Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, who earns an eyewatering £424,000-a-week at the Etihad. The 31-year-old has probably been the most important player at the club during Pep Guardiola's silverware-laden tenure, so it's hard to say it hasn't been money well spent in a footballing sense.

The man in second place has only been in England for a single season, but for his inhuman scoring ability, it's hardly surprising to see Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland make the list.

The former Borussia Dortmund man is on a reported £402,250-a-week in Manchester, and considering he is still only 22-years-old and showing no signs he's hit his ceiling, that wage will likely go higher still as the years roll on by.

The third spot on the list is where the Spurs legend would find himself should he accept the rumoured £400,000-a-week offer he might receive.

It would represent a 100% increase on his current £200,000-a-week pay packet and dwarf Spurs' next best-paid player Tanguy Ndombele who currently earns £200,000-a-week.

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie as the Catalan giants bid to offload talent due to financial pressures.

Unai Emery and Monchi are more than familiar with identifying talent in LaLiga, with the two holding extensive experience in Spain which could now be transferred to the Midlands.

With Pau Torres reportedly en route to Villa Park, the Villans could pull off a masterclass in exploring Kessie, who could seriously bolster Emery’s midfield.

Could Aston Villa sign Franck Kessie?

Reports from Spain claim that Emery is an admirer of the Ivory Coast international, claiming that the Spaniard ‘wants’ the midfielder in his squad.

It’s also thought that the Spanish champions would not be open to selling the 26-year-old for a price below €30m (£26m), with the report speculating that negotiations ‘are open’ between the two clubs.

Valued by FootballTransfers at €36.8m (£31.4m), Monchi could capitalise on Barcelona’s struggles by snatching the talent at a lesser price than his market value.

How good is Franck Kessie?

Having been previously lauded as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Ivory Coast machine has worked his way to being regarded as a top midfielder in Europe by developing his career in Italy.

Signed by Barcelona last summer from AC Milan, the 26-year-old titan was initially signed by Milan on a two-year-loan deal with an obligation to buy from Atalanta, however after one season in LaLiga, Kessie could be on the move again.

Making just seven league starts in his debut campaign in Spain, the midfielder averaged just 36 minutes per game placing him further away from contention for a starting spot at the soon-to-be revamped Camp Nou.

Barcelona’s financial pressures off the pitch could come as a plus for Villa, who had Kessie on their radar prior to the January window as the Spanish giants were speculated to have interest in Douglas Luiz.

Monchi could win the battle for the Ouragahio-born gem by capturing his signature to play alongside Luiz at Villa Park.

Deployable as a more attack-minded central midfielder, Emery could unearth a stylish pivot between the Barcelona whiz and the Brazilian, who has been defensively solid for Villa in the Premier League.

The 2020/21 Serie A campaign was a dominant one for Kessie in the final third, highlighting his ability going forward, scoring 13 goals and registering six assists for Milan, via Transfermarkt.

Displaying a passing accuracy of 85.6% in LaLiga last season, the 6-foot midfielder excels in all areas required in the engine room, averaging 1.36 tackles per 90 as well as being an assured passer.

Also hailed as being a player that “controls and leads” in midfield by writer Maxi Angelo, Villa could equip Luiz with a similarly rounded talent, after the 25-year-old shone during Emery’s first season at Villa Park.

With an average match rating of 7.10 last term, the Brazilian gem was a reliable figure in midfield in claret and blue, and could have his ability furthered with the presence of Kessie.

Having registered as many as six goals and six assists for the Villans last campaign, Luiz is similarly effective in the final third to Kessie, as well as being defensively competent.

Winning 52% of his total duels during the 2022/23 Premier League season, Emery could add a similar calibre of player to partner the Brazilian to allow him to explore new levels to his individual game.

It could be a smart move for Monchi to explore the availability of Kessie, who could depart the Catalan giants for a slim price this summer.

Former Hyderabad wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel and former Windward Islands legspinning allrounder Camilus Alexander are in line to make their debuts for USA next month

Peter Della Penna24-Apr-20171:33

‘No results without hard work’ – Mrunal Patel

Former Hyderabad wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel and former Windward Islands legspinning allrounder Camilus Alexander are in line to make their debuts for USA next month after being included in a 14-man squad for ICC WCL Division Three in Uganda.Khaleel, 34, and Alexander, 35, are two of three uncapped players in the squad with left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige also coming into the squad. One other change was made from the squad that won WCL Division Four in November as left-arm spinning allrounder Mrunal Patel, who last played for USA at the 2015 World T20 Qualifier in Ireland, has been recalled. Batsmen Abdullah Syed and Ravi Timbawala and left-arm spinners Danial Ahmed and Prashanth Nair are the four players dropped.USA squad

Steven Taylor (capt), Camilus Alexander, Timroy Allen, Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Akeem Dodson (wk), Elmore Hutchinson, Nosthush Kenjige, Ibrahim Khaleel (wk), Ali Khan, Mrunal Patel, Timil Patel, Jessy Singh, Nicholas Standford

Khaleel’s eligibility for Division Three was touch and go because he did not meet the ICC’s four-year residency requirement for non-citizen players classified as nationals, despite officially having “green card” permanent resident status in the USA, because he had spent too much time out of the country during his final season with Hyderabad in 2014-15. However, he obtained his USA citizenship and passport on April 14, removing him from the four-year category and making him fully eligible.Alexander moved to Atlanta from Grenada in 2012 and qualifies as a four-year resident. Alexander earned his spot after he excelled with the bat at a pair of USA national team camps in Houston in March and April when he was in a head-to-head competition with former Sri Lanka first-class batsman Roy Silva. Both Khaleel and Alexander are expected to fill key middle-order batting positions, something coach Pubudu Dassanayake had identified as a problem area that needed to be addressed when selecting a squad for Division Three.”We feel these players will boost the squad’s batting depth and also its flexibility, with additional spin bowling options,” said Ricardo Powell, USA national selection chairman. “We wish the selected players and coaching staff all the best for their preparation and a successful event.”Ibrahim Khaleel will add first-class experience to USA’s squad•Peter Della PennaWhile Khaleel and Alexander have lengthy resumes in first-class cricket prior to being picked for this tour, Kenjige’s expected debut provides a bit of intrigue. The 26-year-old took eight wickets in three trial games during the first Houston squad camp in March. That included a five-wicket haul in which he claimed the wickets of USA captain Steven Taylor as well as fellow squad members Nicholas Standford, Akeem Dodson and Khaleel.Though he was born in Alabama, Kenjige played most of his developmental cricket in Karnataka before resettling in New York in 2016, where he first caught the attention of selectors at an ICC Americas regional combine last June. He is expected to be a significant upgrade over Ahmed, who took 1 for 135 in 32 overs across five games at WCL Division Four in November, and is also a superb fielder.One other player whose availability had been in question was batsman Alex Amsterdam, who led USA’s scoring at Division Four with 213 runs at 53.25. According to several team sources, the middle-order batsman was struggling to get time off work for Division Three after spending a month in Barbados earlier this year playing for the ICC Americas squad at the WICB Regional Super50. Amsterdam did not come to the initial USA camp in March and was not among the original 18 names invited to a further selection camp in Houston in April, owing to time off work, but was a late addition to the April camp and will be touring Uganda.USA will have a weeklong camp in Los Angeles beginning on May 6 to kick off their final preparations for Division Three. They are then scheduled to land in South Africa on May 16 for a pre-tournament camp and warm-up matches at North West University in Potchefstroom before arriving in Uganda on May 21. Their first match at WCL Division Three is against Oman on May 23. USA will also be competing with Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the hosts for a top-two finish to secure promotion to WCL Division Two.

Celtic are reportedly leading the race to sign Watford forward Jack Grieves this summer.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

The Hoops have made a head start on their transfer business, with two players already through the door at Parkhead ahead of Brendan Rodgers' second tenure in charge following his return.

The club have confirmed the arrivals of midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and winger Marco Tilio from Valerenga and Melbourne City, with the pair seemingly long-term signings after penning five-year deals.

There have been some departures, though, with star winger Jota signing for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m. That looks set to boost the club’s finances even further, with reports prior to Jota’s exit claiming Rodgers has been given a £30m transfer kitty this summer.

As a result, a new attacker appears to be on the radar for Celtic in Gangwon FC forward Yang Hyun-jun. The 21-year-old is keen on making the move to Glasgow and a £2.1m fee had been agreed between the two clubs.

Gangwon did want to keep the forward until January when the K League 1 season finishes, but it looks as if a summer swoop could now be on the cards. There has recently been a transfer ‘breakthrough’, with reports suggesting that Gangwon are now ready to allow the forward to leave immediately.

Yang could be about to move to Scotland, and it looks as if Celtic also want another forward in Grieves.

According to Football League World, highly-rated teenage forward Grieves is wanted by a number of clubs this summer. The report states that Celtic and Premier League side Brentford are leading the race for his services and are trying to get a deal done over the coming weeks.

Grieves had been offered a contract by Watford, as the Championship side look to keep hold of the attacker, who is a Hornets fan, but it seems as if he is weighing up his future due to interest from a number of sides.

Who is Jack Grieves?

Grieves has been described as a versatile forward and is the great-great-grandson of former Watford goalkeeper Reginald 'Skilly' Williams, who made close to 400 appearances for the club.

He made it four generations of his family to play for Watford following his debut last season. The 18-year-old made three senior appearances for the Hornets, two in the Championship and one in the FA Cup.

Should he make the move to Scotland, you’d expect he could initially ply his trade in the Scottish lowland league with Celtic’s B team, looking to progress through into the first team. Celtic have enjoyed recent success in bringing young players from England to Scotland and transforming them into first-team stars, most notably Jeremie Frimpong.

The full-back arrived from Manchester City without any real first-team experience and went on to star for the Hoops before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £11.5m in 2021, so who knows, Grieves could be the next future star to head north, and by the looks of things, a move is one to keep an eye on.

Bangladesh were in a difficult position when the third day of their 100th Test, against Sri Lanka, began but with Shakib Al Hasan’s century and debutant Mosaddek Hossain’s 75, they were able to recover

The Report by Mohammad Isam17-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:33

Isam: Bangladesh did many things right on day three

Bangladesh made a memorable comeback in their 100th Test as their last five wickets nearly batted through the entire day. Shakib Al Hasan was at the centre of it all, making his fifth century in the format and ensuring his team took the first-innings lead for only the second time while batting second away from home.When they were bowled out for 467, Bangladesh had pulled ahead by 129 runs and had just enough time for a quick burst at Sri Lanka’s openers too. Dimuth Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga, though, were able to withstand the hostility and reach stumps at 54 for 0. That the hosts were forced to play catch up in Colombo – they were still 75 runs behind – was largely because of Shakib.With Bangladesh starting the day 214 for 5 and 124 runs away from parity, they needed a senior batsman to show them the way. Shakib took the responsibility and the most striking aspect of his innings was that though he didn’t necessarily bat slowly, he didn’t play too many reckless shots. He persevered through the quiet periods to make a substantial contribution, one that he might remember for a long time considering the landmark occasion.Sri Lanka might remember it too, much to their chagrin, because they had dropped him on 11 and 67 and missed a run-out attempt when he was on 40.Mushfiqur Rahim also made an important contribution, hitting a half-century of his own and sharing in a 92-run partnership with Shakib. It was broken by Suranga Lakmal, who armed with the second new ball, induced a false shot and bowled the Bangladesh captain through the gate. If Sri Lanka had thought they might roll the rest of the batting line-up over, considering it was just a debutant and the tail to follow, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.The 21-year old Mosaddek Hossain showed great application to make 75 off 155 balls in his first Test innings to propel the total past 450. With plenty of their batsmen stepping up, Bangladesh added 102 runs in the first session, a further 112 in the middle session and each time they lost only one wicket.Galle 2013 was the first time in Bangladesh’s history that they had taken a first-innings lead batting second in an away Test but with Shakib and Mosaddek’s 131-run stand for the seventh wicket, they were able to emulate that feat in Colombo.Sri Lanka had an entry into the record books as well. Rangana Herath became only the second man from his country to take 1000 first-class wickets. He claimed the record by trapping Mustafizur Rahman lbw and finished with 4 for 82 in 24.1 overs. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan also finished with a four-for.Given the slowness of the P Sara pitch so far, the fate of the Test now depends on which team can hold their nerve better. Sri Lanka had done well to get through to the end of play without any mishaps – although Karunaratne did give a chance, tickling Subashis Roy down the leg side only for the wicketkeeper Mushfiqur to fumble a very difficult catch – but if Bangladesh’s bowlers can match the discipline shown by their batsmen they can look forward to causing some damage on the fourth day.

Glasgow Rangers were poised to secure a deal for talented Honduran winger Luis Palma just a matter of weeks ago, yet the move appears to have gone cold.

The Ibrox side stated their interest back in April, as Michael Beale sought a replacement for Ryan Kent on the left wing, as it was growing increasingly likely he would be departing the club. However, recent reports now claim that any potential deal for Palma is off due to Greek side Aris Thessaloniki demanding a fee of around £4.5m for the winger.

Having registered 13 goals and eight assists across just 36 matches for the Super League side – eight more than Kent achieved last term – he was looked upon as an ideal heir to the Englishman on the left wing. His statistics certainly suggested he could add some attacking dynamism to the wing which was sorely lacking during 2022/23.

It now appears as though Beale will have to look for an alternative to Palma, and he may already have a player in mind as the Light Blues have been linked with a move for LAFC winger Kwadwo Opoku, with a potential deal costing them €4.8m (£4m) as per the report.

This would work out cheaper than Palma, and with Opoku three years younger than the Aris star, it could even be a better long-term deal for the club.

Could Rangers sign Kwadwo Opoku this summer?

There is a big void to be filled on the left wing following the departure of Kent, and even though new signing Abdallah Dima can play across the front three, he is most productive on the right wing, signifying the need for Beale to splash out on a left-winger this summer.

The Gers face competition from Celtic for the LAFC starlet and will need to make a solid pitch about why choosing Ibrox is a better proposition than Parkhead, but it could certainly be worth the battle.

He played a key role for the club as they won the MLS Cup in 2022, registering 12 goal contributions across the whole campaign – eight goals and four assists – and he has carried this momentum into the 2023 season.

Across 26 matches so far, he has scored four goals and grabbed three assists, meaning he is fast on his way to improving on last year's totals. The Ghanaian also ranks fourth in the squad for successful dribbles per game (1.4) and sixth for big chances created (six), indicating that even though he is still developing, Opoku still has a high level of influence in the squad for these attacking metrics.

Lauded as “magnificent” by journalist Owuraku Ampofo after helping LAFC win the MLS Cup last year, it’s evident that the 21-year-old gem could be an excellent signing should Beale make a move for the youngster and one that could take the Premiership by storm.

A round-up of the first round of games from the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, held on February 8, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2017Mansi Joshi, the medium pacer, took three wickets in a single spell as India shot out Thailand for 55 and then completed the chase in 12.4 overs to register their second successive win. Thailand, who elected to bat, lasted just 29.1 overs, with only two batsmen getting into double digits. India’s spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad picked up two wickets each.Harmanpreet Kaur, promoted to open, fell for 15, but MD Thirushkamini and Veda Krishnamurthy struck cameos – unbeaten on 24 and 17 respectively – to complete the formalities. India, who beat Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on Tuesday, are all but through to the Super Six stage.File photo – Ayabonga Khaka took astonishing figures of 10-6-9-2•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaSouth Africa’s new-ball bowlers Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka claimed five wickets between them to dismantle Scotland for 142 and give their side a six-wicket win at Mercantile Cricket Association ground in Colombo.Ismail picked up 3 for 30 in 10 overs; Khaka’s figures were more astonishing: 10-6-9-2. Having opted to bat, Scotland were reduced to 74 for 5 in 28 overs with Ismail and Khaka doing the bulk of the damage. Kari Anderson and Elizabeth Priddle then briefly rebuilt the innings by adding 58 runs in 16.5 overs. The stand ended in the 45th over when Priddle was run-out for 19. Anderson was bowled by Khaka in the next over, and Scotland crashed to 142 all out, Kirstie Gordon falling off the last ball of the innings.Dane van Niekerk, the legspinner, assisted Ismail and Khaka by taking two wickets. Chasing 143, South Africa lost Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez early but 35 each from Laura Wolvaardt and Trisha Chetty put the side back on track. Chloe Tryon then bashed 45 not out off 40 balls, including eight fours and a six, to seal South Africa’s second win in two days with six wickets and 101 balls to spare.Pakistan bounced back from their 63-run loss against South Africa to beat Bangladesh by 67 runs at the P Sara Oval. Legspinner Ghulam Fatima took three wickets while left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu and offspinner Sana Mir picked up two wickets each to dismiss Bangladesh for 160 after a string of cameos from the top and middle order guided Pakistan to 227.Having opted to bat, Pakistan started solidly with Ayesha Zafar and Nahida Khan adding 76 for the first wicket. Bismah Maroof, Rabiya Shah, Aliya Riaz all made thirties before Pakistan lost their last five wickets for just 15 runs.Bangladesh later collapsed in their chase, going from 62 for 2 to 160 all out. Sanjida Islam (34) and Nigar Sultana(41) were the only batsmen to pass 20, and apart from them only opener Sharmin Akhter and Fargana Hoque reached double-figures.File photo – Prasadani Weerakkody hit eight fours during her 81-ball 61•International Cricket CouncilFifties from Prasadani Weerakkody and Dilani Manodara, and a three-wicket haul from Inoshi Priyadharshani, headlined Sri Lanka’s rout of Ireland at Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.Having chosen to bat, Sri Lanka lost their openers early, but Weerakkody and Mandodara lifted the innings, then cameos from the lower order pushed the score to 239. Isobel Joyce was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, taking 4 for 39.Priyadharshani then ripped out the Ireland top order in the chase, and Weerakkody then took care of the middle order as the score became 69 for 7 in the 28th over. Ireland added only 24 more runs before they were wiped out with nearly 15 overs to spare in their innings. Clare Shllington – one of the two Ireland batsmen to move to double-figures – stayed unbeaten on 36 off 37 balls, including six fours.

The pitch for the second Test between India and Australia in Bangalore is expected to behave better than the rank turner in Pune

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2017The spotlight on pitches has returned to Indian cricket following their defeat inside three days on a rank turner in Pune by an unfancied Australian team. Preparations at the venue for the second Test, Bangalore, though suggest the playing surface might not be as extreme.R Sudhakar Rao, secretary at the Karnataka State Cricket Association, said that the groundstaff at M Chinnaswamy stadium were working towards providing a strip that helps a Test match last its entire duration. He also said the Indian team has not arrived on site yet and have not left any instructions to be followed either.”So far we have not been told anything,” he told , “Once they arrive, we have to see if they make any suggestions.”Our intention is to prepare a sporting, Test-match pitch. We want a five-day match. We definitely don’t want to see the match end in two and a half days.”The last Test match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, between India and South Africa in 2015, was washed out with only one day’s play possible. That prompted a large-scale renovation and though the pitches on the square were untouched, the outfield itself was dug out to install a state-of-the-art drainage system. Bangalore has already hosted an international match since then – the T20I between India and England – but this will be its first Test since its makeover. PR Vishwanathan, the South Zone head of the BCCI’s ground and pitches committee, is expected to oversee preparations before it begins on March 4.For now, the Chinnaswamy deck, under the supervision of the in-house curator K Sriram, continues to get water. “We like to keep some moisture underneath. So we haven’t stopped watering it,” Rao said. “We’ll water it until two or three days before the match. Then we will see what the pitch looks like, two days out, and take a call.”On the first two days, the pitch should be good for batting and help medium-pacers. On days two and three there should be slow turn. Then on the last two days there should be more turn. I have told Sriram to prepare that kind of wicket,” Rao said “At least, that is our intention.”