Rookie batter rallies Sussex’s tail to turn a rout in an agonising three-run loss

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2021Gloucestershire 218 for 8 (Taylor 52) beat Sussex 214 (Brown 63, Carter 59, Smith 3-28) by three runsGloucestershire kept alive their Royal London Cup chances with their second win in four matches when they beat Sussex by three runs in a thrilling match at the 1st Central County Ground. Sussex, though, without a win in five games, saw their chances fade away.But an heroic half-century from 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Carter almost snatched an astonishing victory for Sussex after they looked out of the contest at 141 for 8. The one-top order Sussex batsman to play an innings of substance was Ben Brown, who scored a fine 63 from 78 deliveries, with six fours. But the other big guns Travis Head and David Wiese failed and it looked all over when Brown played on to Jared Warned as he tried to run the ball down to third man to make it 124 for six.Dan Ibrahim and Will Beer soon perished. But then a partnership of 62 between Carter, going in No 7, and No 10 Archie Lenham almost took Sussex to a famous victory. Carter faced just 48 balls for his 59 and hit five fours and three sixes as 20 came off one Matt Taylor over.When Carter was out, yorked by Warner, 15 runs were still needed but 17-year-old Lenham and last man Henry Crocombe kept Sussex alive with six needed off two overs. Then Lenham was run out by Tom Lace’s fine throw going for a second run off the fifth ball of the penultimate over. If they had settled for one Lenham would have needed to score just four off the last over.The best Gloucestershire batting came at the end, with a stand of 71 for the sixth wicket in nine overs between Jack Taylor and George Scott but they only really got after the Sussex bowling in the dying overs.Taylor left it late to show his clean-hitting skills as he reached his first 50 of the summer off 60 deliveries, with three fours and a six. Scott made 38 off 28 balls, with two fours and a six.The most fluent Gloucestershire batting came from their opener Ben Charlesworth, who hit seven fours in an innings full of fluent drives that looked destined to produce a major score.At 71 for 3 from 17 overs there was a 70-minute rain break which resulted in the match being turned into a 42-over affair. The Gloucestershire batsmen were expected to increase the tempo when play resumed but they were strangled by the trio of Sussex spinners, Beer, Lenham and James Coles. The very consistent Beer was exceptional with figures of 2-30 from nine overs.

da supremo： An "absolutely outstanding" Everton player has reportedly seen a bid accepted for him by a European club, with a medical already being lined up.

Everton transfer news

da aposte e ganhe： This summer is a case of the Blues making new signings but also trying to keep hold of important current players, even though that may be difficult for them to comply with the league's PSR guidelines.

Jarrad Branthwaite is one such figure who could be sacrificed, being linked with a move to Manchester United, and Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards has apparently been lined up to replace him, being backed to play for England one day.

Similarly, star midfielder Amadou Onana could also need to be replaced, with a switch to another Premier League club mooted throughout the summer to date, and Leicester City ace Wilfred Ndidi has emerged as a strong option to come in for the Belgian, filling the void left by him in the middle of the park.

Seamus Coleman isn't the force he used to be for Everton at right-back, which is only natural given his age, and Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka is reportedly being lined up to come in during the current transfer window. He found himself behind Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at Old Trafford last season, and his expert one-on-one defending could make him a shrewd addition for Sean Dyche.

"Outstanding" Everton man closes in on exit

According to a new report from Football Insider, Ben Godfrey is on the verge of leaving Everton for Atalanta, with their improved bid for him accepted. It is claimed that the Englishman "will arrive in Milan at 10am on Friday to undergo an Atalanta medical and finalise personal terms", with a fee of "£9m including add-ons" agreed.

This does feel like the right time for Godfrey to move on and enjoy a fresh challenge, not only allowing him more regular football but also ensuring that Everton receive a healthy amount of money for his services.

The 26-year-old hasn't been considered a key man under Dyche, only starting 13 out of a possible 38 Premier League games last season, although there could be a risk in selling the defender, considering Rio Ferdinand once heaped praise on him.

"You’ve got two centre-backs playing at full-backs. Ben Godfrey has been absolutely outstanding. The pace he has shown in the last couple of games…were against Timo Werner, Chelsea, the last game against Arsenal.

"You look at the pace of the kid. Pepe, £72m worth, I am sure Mr Godfrey would be looking at his pocket and thinking ‘where is he? Someone causing me a bit of friction in my pocket."

Related Everton could axe £25m flop who earns more than Branthwaite

He has struggled to find his feet this season

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Jun 28, 2024

That being said, it is still the right decision by Everton, and it will be interesting to see how the £75,000-a-week Godfrey fares in Italy. He should be remembered as a solid servant for the Blues, making 93 appearances since arriving from Norwich City back in 2020, and the hope is that the funds can be used to bring in a superior replacement.

Leeds United will have plenty of names drafted up on their shopping list, with every possibility mapped out as to who they can go after if a key member of the camp ends up leaving.

The likes of Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville receiving interest this coming transfer window was to be expected, and many a suitor has already begun to test the waters with Daniel Farke's men, but Ilia Gruev being eyed up by recent Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund might have taken some by surprise.

If Leeds are to lose the Bulgarian midfielder in the summer, the German boss could be eyeing up a transfer reunion with one of his former Norwich City stars to plug this gap in the middle of the park, who could end up being a dream replacement down the line.

Leeds looking at Premier League midfielder

As per the Athletic, Leeds are eyeing up a move for Oliver Skipp to improve the holding midfield positions in West Yorkshire ahead of next season, with that not being the only new recruit they want to take from the North London titans.

The same report notes that Joe Rodon is also on Leeds' agenda, but that move could be dead in the water, owing to a new development suggesting Ipswich Town are in for the defender.

Leeds will hope they are at least successful in their pursuit of Skipp if Rodon doesn't end up relocating, with the 23-year-old only making five starts for his current employers in league action last season, and in dire need of breathing life back into his career consequently.

How Skipp fits into the Leeds team

Farke could be the perfect man to get Skipp back to his best, having managed the tenacious midfielder at Carrow Road during the 2020/21 season in the second tier, which ended in the Canaries being crowned as champions of the tricky division.

Helping himself to a place in the Championship Team of the Season off the back of his heroic displays in Norfolk, Farke will hope he's the missing piece of the jigsaw for his current Leeds side, in getting over their play-off final heartbreak and returning to the Premier League.

Tim Krul (Norwich)

Max Aarons (Norwich)

Ethan Pinnock (Brentford)

Grant Hanley (Norwich)

Rico Henry (Brentford)

Emi Buendia (Norwich)

Michael Olise (Reading)

Oliver Skipp (Norwich)

Ivan Toney (Brentford)

Adam Armstrong (Blackburn)

Teemu Pukki (Norwich)

Gruev potentially exiting the club would also be forgotten about in an instant if Skipp did join the building, as well as offering Leeds another tough defensive midfield option, away from attempting to get Kalvin Phillips back.

Along the way to Norwich winning promotion, Skipp would garner the reputation for being a disruptor of play in the centre of the park, winning an average of 2.2 tackles per game, across his stellar 45 games.

In contrast, Gruev would win just 1.6 per game last season, with Skipp taking over his duties like a duck to water, if he is signed up by Farke's men.

Games played

36

45

Goals scored

1

1

Assists

1

1

Big chances created

1

3

Touches*

47.1

68.1

Key passes*

0.5

0.6

Interceptions*

0.9

1.1

Tackles*

1.6

2.2

Blowing his Bulgarian counterpart out of the water in various other aspects of their midfield games, Skipp – who was referred to as being a "top player" by Farke during their Norwich days – could be a perfect recruit to reinvigorate a Leeds side down on their luck, to push on and go again next season.

He could well add another promotion to his career CV in the process if he does join, with Gruev simply a distant thought, if a move does end up being finalised.

Skipp – a player with six appearances to his name in the Champions League as a marker of his quality – will unlikely be the only bit of business Farke and Co make this coming transfer window, as Leeds look to strengthen ahead of another gruelling 46-game season, hopeful that they aren't broken again at the end of it all by slipping up once more.

Alongside Aaronson: Leeds must bring back star who's "too good" for the EFL

The Whites should bring the impressive central defender back to Elland Road next season.

ByDan Emery Jun 12, 2024

However you want to slice it, he is a three-format monster and Sri Lanka’s first serious entry into the space-age batting genre

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jun-2025Roughly 70 overs into a scorching third day against Bangladesh in Galle, Pathum Nissanka smokes Bangladesh’s fastest bowler through the covers, flicks him past the keeper next ball, and soon speeds from the 150s into the 160s.He had faced a little over 200 deliveries by this stage, but even this far into a long day, Bangladesh’s bowlers are finding there is still so little room for error with this guy. While they labour in their run ups, feet picked off the ground as if out of wet sand, Nissanka is taut, poised and clinical. If your length is off, he has laid into a crisp drive, a rasping cut, and a dismissive pull, almost before you’ve looked.Bangladesh’s seamers are tall and imposing. Nissanka is compact and lean. But in this moment, on a flat Galle surface, Nissanka strikes you as the bully. In some passages, he is so intent on working every possible scoring opportunity that on his own he feels like a SWAT team storming every room of a building in search of suspects (runs).Related

Pathum Nissanka is raising his bar one notch at a time

Nissanka 187 leads SL's solid reply after Bangladesh post 495

His first 50 took 88 balls, as he let Lahiru Udara make the early charge while he settled in, but his next 50 took 48 balls, the next one 74, and he was roughly on track to make another 75-ish ball 50 when he was dismissed late in the day. His 187 off 256 balls (a strike rate of 73), is largely why Sri Lanka traveled at close to four runs an over, giving them a greater chance of moving into a winning position. But this 187, his third Test hundred in as many continents, is not Nissanka’s highest international score. That would be his 210 not out in ODIs.Any way you slice it, Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s first serious entry into the space-age batting genre. You know the type by now, right? The Harry Brooks, Glenn Phillips, Yashasvi Jaiswals of the world – the kind possessed of an ultramodern batting brain that takes the lessons from the shorter formats and sprinkles them effortlessly into the longest. Already, batters such as Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, and even Babar Azam, feel like prototypes of these. With the newest generation, the batting IQ is more elastic, the skills are more transferable, and the transitions are observably smoother. Getting stuck? Hitting a wall? Retreating into your shell? Ew. What is that?Sri Lanka have had three-format monsters before, but for the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, they had had to go through the effort of embracing aggression and innovation. For Nissanka, rapid and emphatic evolution is a natural component of his cricketing journey. Nissanka’s first Test hundred had been a hugely stodgy 252-ball 103 in the Caribbean, after he had broken into the red-ball team on the back of a first-class average in the mid 60s.Following that, he had a lean spell in Tests, and became a white-ball specialist while he overcame a bad back injury. Having picked up new skills, he returned to Tests, and hit a 127 not out at better than a run-a-ball at The Oval last year, in what was Sri Lanka’s funnest Test win of 2024.

“Until this match, I’d never hit a Test hundred in Sri Lanka. I’d wanted to break my own mental barrier. Thankfully, today I was able to do that.”Pathum Nissanka after his 187

He may be 27, but it is clear that already, we are looking at Nissanka 2.0. Cricket may still be lugging an almost 150-year old multi-day format, but as more nations are drawn into the sport’s gravity, and the populations in cricketing centres continue to explode, even the oldest format is probably changing as quickly as it ever has.If we are to be critical of the batter that has top-scored in this match so far, it is that he didn’t score enough runs down the ground. Yes, Nissanka has strong wrists and prefers the funkier anglings of the bat, even against the juiciest half volleys. But modern batting is also about accessing all 360 degrees of the ground. So sorry, we will be filing the wagon wheel of Nissanka’s biggest Test innings under “Areas for improvement”. When you are a three-format batter in the third decade of the three-format age, these are the breaks.Nissanka, helpfully, also thinks of his batting as having format-specific holes that need to be filled. “Until this match, I’d never hit a Test hundred in Sri Lanka,” Nissanka said after his 187. “I’d wanted to break my own mental barrier. Thankfully, today I was able to do that.”Another of Nissanka’s answers reveals a generational change. Asked how he and Dinesh Chandimal had planned to bat in what turned out to be the biggest partnership of the innings so far – a 157-run stand – Nissanka said they had planned to “just bat normally”. Chandimal was once one of the most aggressive Sri Lanka batters of his youth. But to him, batting normally meant hitting 54 off 119 balls. Nissanka also faced 119 balls in that partnership. But he crashed 103 runs.Pathum Nissanka brought up his fifty in 88 balls•Ishara S Kodikara/AFP via Getty ImagesScoring faster is actually a team directive, Nissanka revealed. “When we came into this series, we had a target that in this [World Test Championship] cycle, we’d raise our run rate. We tried that, and we have been successful so far. Hopefully, we can take that forward into other matches.” This, actually, is pretty standard stuff for a Test team in the mid 2020s.It took an exceptional second-new-ball delivery from Hasan Mahmud to dismiss Nissanka. It snaked in viciously, flicked the edge of his front pad, and crashed into the stumps. Nissanka missed out on a Test double century by 13 runs, and did express regret about it. But he didn’t seem that cut up. Don Bradman has 12 double-hundreds on his own, and Kumar Sangakkara has 11. Only ten batters ever have made ODI double tons. Nissanka is already part of the more elite club.If Nissanka’s goal is three-format domination, this innings, his biggest in Tests, is a good staging post. Sri Lanka’s hope is that for him, as for some hypermodern others, success in one format carries seamlessly into match-winning batting in another, and another. Sri Lanka don’t have any Tests to play in the next ten months after this series ends. But with huge T20 assignments coming up, they still desperately need Nissanka in roaring form.

MatériaMais Notícias

da mrbet： O Flamengo realizou, nesta quarta-feira, o segundo treino no gramado do Ninho do Urubu sob o comando de Paulo Sousa. A atividade desta manhã contou com uma novidade: a utilização do telão, instalado ontem, nas proximidades do campo para dar instruções aos jogadores. Veja no vídeo acima.

O Flamengo ainda não definiu quando Paulo Sousa estreará com o time titular na temporada. Nos primeiros jogos do Carioca, a equipe será comandada por Fabio Matias, cujo grupo alternativo tem treinado à parte – ou em outro período, o que não ocorreu nesta manhã, em que ocorreu treino no campo 4 do Ninho.

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Despite recent struggles with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, Everton look set to open the chequebook this summer and bring a number of reinforcements to the club.

Fresh faces expected to arrive at Goodison

One name linked with a move to Merseyside is former Liverpool loanee Arthur Melo. The midfielder boasts 22 caps for Brazil and whilst his spell at Anfield was marred by injury, he would no doubt be a massive asset in the Toffees' midfield.

Dyche personally monitoring Everton move for £20m Branthwaite successor

Everton are eyeing up a replacement for their star man amid intense interest from Manchester United.

ByJosh Barker Jun 17, 2024

A midfielder clearly ranks high on Everton's shopping list with recent reports also linking the club with a move for Matteo Guendouzi and Khephren Thuram. Whichever midfielder ends up joining the club will likely be arriving to replace Amadou Onana, with the Belgian attracting interest from a host of top clubs.

North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur look set to battle it out for the 22-year-old with the Toffees reportedly asking for a fee in the region of £50 million to secure his services. Onana made 30 league appearances for Everton last season, proving a vital part of Sean Dyche's side as they fought off relegation in spite of multiple points deductions.

With Onana's exit now likely, it appears that Everton have agreed a deal to sign a midfielder from a side that secured Champions League football last season.

Everton agree deal for Aston Villa's Tim Iroegbunam

As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Everton have agreed a deal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Tim Iroegbunam. The 20-year-old central midfielder is set to join the Toffees in a deal worth somewhere in the region of £10million after a "breakthrough" in talks.

The young Englishman is said to be highly rated at his current club however a number of factors have led to him being shown the door at Villa Park this summer. Most prevalent is Iroegbunam's lack of game time during his time in the Midlands, with the midfielder managing just nine league appearances as the Villans finished fourth in the Premier League.

The second reason behind his exit is Villa's need to sell players to satisfy FFP rules. An earlier report by Football Inisder suggested that the Villans need to raise £60 million in player sales this summer before they can start to bring fresh faces in. With Unai Emery unlikley to want to lose any of his key players, it is inevitable that promising but non-essential talents like Iroegbunam will be sacrificed in order to balance Villa's books.

Despite struggling for game time at his parent club, Iroegbunam has excelled out on loan in particular during a spell with QPR in 2022/23. The midfielder made 32 appearances for the Hoops and earned the plaudits of then manager Michael Beale in the process.

Speaking to the press following Iroegbunam's debut, Beale was quick to praise the midfielder: "Tim's a very good player and we're fortunate to have him. We can't rush him. He's 19 but I think he's going to have a good season here with us."

In this situation, Villa's loss will certainly be Everton's gain with the Toffees getting their hands on a quality talent for a cheap price.

Brazil icon Neymar has backed compatriot and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Neymar backs Vinicius Jr. to win Ballon d'Or
• Feels Brazilian 'deserves' the award most
• Real winger currently out injured with a neck problem

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Several top players are in contention to win the prestigious award on October 28, however, Vinicius Junior and Rodri are considered to be the two frontrunners. While Vinicius played an important role in Los Blancos winning La Liga and Champions League titles, Rodri helped Manchester City win their fourth consecutive Premier League title and then starred for Spain in their Euro 2024 winning campaign.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier Ederson had picked Vinicius Jr. over club colleague Rodri to win the award and now Brazil legend Neymar has shown his support towards his compatriot as he feels that the Real star deserves to win the Golden Ball this time.

• WHAT NEYMAR SAID

  As per , the Al-Hilal attacker said: "He had a great season, he played a lot of games and I will be supporting him because he will definitely win the Ballon d'Or. I hope he returns to Brazil soon with the trophy, he is a guy who deserves it because he is a fighter, he suffered a lot throughout his life, he was able to exceed all expectations, he overcame all the criticism they made about him."

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR VINICIUS JUNIOR?

  The 24-year-old is currently out of action due to a neck injury that he suffered during Real Madrid's last La Liga outing against Villarreal. It remains to be seen if he regains his fitness before the club's next game against Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Everton have been heavily restricted as to what they can spend in recent transfer windows, following their recent financial situation which resulted in an eight-point deduction last season.

Sean Dyche’s side have desperately lacked investment, with the club needing to act in a sensible manner this window if they are to pull further clear of any looming relegation worries.

He brought in Udinese striker Beto for £30m last summer, but the 26-year-old only managed to score three times in the Premier League in a disappointing campaign for the Portuguese frontman.

It was certainly a bold move from the club to splash that amount of money on a new talisman given their PSR troubles and it appears to be a move that has backfired considering Beto failing to make the impact he would have envisaged.

However, despite his failings at Goodison Park, Dyche and Co are looking to recruit another high-profile talent who could form a partnership with one player currently on Merseyside.

Everton interested in signing Belgian talent

According to reports in Belgium, Everton are interested in signing Vfl Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx this summer.

The Belgian talent, who also has admirers from Napoli and Fiorentina, only has one year left on his current deal, with the Toffees looking to sign the 21-year-old for a cut price this summer.

Vranckx made 24 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, as Wolfsburg registered a 12th-placed finish under boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Whilst there’s no rumoured fee for any potential deal for the youngster, he’s valued at £13m by CIES Football Observatory, with Dyche’s side getting a potential bargain should they sign him for another around that price mark.

Why Vranckx would be the perfect partner for Onana

Everton midfielder Amadou Onana has been a crucial player on Merseyside in recent years, featuring 72 times for the club since his £33m move back in the summer of 2022.

His subsequent form under Dyche has seen constant rumours of a £60m move away from Goodison, with Arsenal one of the sides queuing up for his signature during the transfer window.

However, it’s not impossible that the Belgian stays at the club beyond the transfer window, with the youngster able to form a deadly midfield partnership with his compatriot next campaign.

The Wolfsburg “wonderkid”, as described by one source on social media, has produced some excellent stats this season, allowing Dyche to operate with a ball-winner and ball-player in the centre of midfield.

Vranckx achieved an 85% pass completion rate, with an average of 3.8 progressive passes per 90 – allowing for more of an attacking option alongside Onana in the heart of the Toffees side.

Games

24

Pass accuracy

85%

Progressive passes per 90

3.8

Successful take-ons per 90

1.3

Tackles per 90

2.5

Interceptions per 90

1.1

However, he’s also excelled defensively, winning an average of 2.5 tackles per 90, whilst making 1.1 interceptions per game – evidence he can still fit into the Everton manager’s philosophy of being solid defensively before transitioning into attacking areas.

Although they may be faced with some financial troubles once more this season, the signing of Vranckx would be phenomenal business, with the youngster able to transform Dyche’s side and push them towards a mid-table finish.

His contract situation could allow the Toffees to strike a cut-price deal but the club must act quickly if they are to win the race for his services.

Everton can forget about Broja by signing £40m "goal machine"

The club have been targeting reinforcements for their attacking department this summer.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 13, 2024

Eight close contacts of the allrounder, most of them players, are also in isolation

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Jul-2021

Krunal Pandya had tested positive on Tuesday•BCCI/IPL

Krunal Pandya has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the second T20I between Sri Lanka and India, scheduled for Tuesday evening, to be pushed back by a day.Pandya’s positive test result came not too long before the scheduled start of play – 8pm local time – and eight other members of the Indian contingent have so far been identified as Pandya’s close contacts and asked to isolate in their hotel rooms.It is understood that Pandya complained of a sore throat on Tuesday morning, after which the Indian medical staff asked him to take the rapid antigen test, which came out positive. It is also understood that Pandya also underwent the RT-PCR test, globally recognised as the gold standard in Covid-19 testing, and that came out positive too.Related

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BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release that the entire Indian squad would also undergo the RT-PCR test to “ascertain any further outbreak” in their camp. The BCCI did not identify the eight people who had been asked to isolate along with Pandya, but a board official told PTI that the majority of those were players. “The reports (of today’s tests) will come in the evening (around 6pm) and if everyone is in the clear, we can have the match on Wednesday. Maximum among the eight close contacts who are also in mandatory isolation are players.”It could not be confirmed how long Pandya and the eight others are going to be in isolation, but one person privy to the discussions in the camp said that the period would be determined based on the strain of Covid-19 in question.There are no reports of positive results among the Sri Lankans, who are scheduled to be tested next on Wednesday morning.Professor Arjuna de Silva, who overseas SLC’s bubble protocols for international tours, told ESPNcricinfo that it remained a mystery as to how Pandya could have contracted Covid-19, as there have been no reports of the bubble being broken, nor any other significant irregularities. The series has been played behind closed doors and both teams have been operating out of a bio-secure bubble with their movements restricted to only the team hotel and the ground.The India team has a hotel – the Taj Samudra – to themselves, and even the staff working in the hotel are essentially in the bubble, and undergo frequent testing. de Silva said that no one else, including staff, had tested positive so far.Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav were scheduled to leave for England immediately after the Sri Lanka series•Getty Images

This is the second time Covid-19 has forced Sri Lanka Cricket to tweak the itinerary of the six-match series. The ODI series was originally meant to commence on July 13, but had to be pushed to July 18 after a few positive cases emerged in the Sri Lankan group.This is also the second time in the last week that an international match has been postponed because of a positive Covid-19 test: the second West Indies vs Australia ODI in Barbados had to be postponed after the toss had been conducted because a non-playing member in the West Indies camp had tested positive.As things stand, the second and third Sri Lanka T20Is will now be played back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday. Though Pandya and some other players are likely to be unavailable for the last two games following the latest developments, India have enough back-up to field an XI, as they have travelled with an expanded squad of 20, plus five reserve bowlers.Though the series will end on schedule despite the postponement, the Indian team’s return home, slotted for Thursday, is likely to be delayed. The development is also set to impact plans for Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, the two batters who were selected to join the Indian Test squad in England. Shaw and Yadav were scheduled to travel to England at the end of the tour of Sri Lanka.India, who earlier won the three-match ODI series 2-1 – despite being in Sri Lanka with a squad missing many first-choice players, who are in England to play a five-Test series in August-September – are 1-0 up in the T20I series following their 38-run win in the first fixture.

Chelsea's on-pitch performance has been the direct inverse of the investment and ambition shown in recent years under Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Co.

Albeit improved form in the months building toward Mauricio Pochettino's departure salvaged Europa Conference League football after spending much of the campaign on middling ground, but this is hardly a shining achievement despite improving on the dismal 13th-place Premier League finish of 2022/23.

But Chelsea have now secured their project manager in Enzo Maresca, joining from Leicester City after winning the Championship with the Foxes in his maiden helmsman year, another acolyte streaking away from Pep Guardiola's all-engulfing managerial influence.

Supporters will hope for streamlined recruitment, and indeed the club are hoping to secure a transformational signing in the weeks to come.

Chelsea eyeing Premier League star

According to respected insider Simon Phillips, Premier League star Michael Olise is leaning toward a transfer to Chelsea over Manchester United, should he leave Crystal Palace this summer.

He stated: "A second source has now added more confidence that Olise will pick Chelsea over Manchester United, following on from my top source saying that last week. We will have to see how that one unfolds in the next days/weeks.”

Believed to have a £60m release clause with the high-flying Eagles, Olise is a long-term target at Stamford Bridge following his Cobham release in 2016, with the Blues even failing to convince the 22-year-old last summer despite meeting his £35m release clause. He then penned new terms.

Chelsea's instability likely deterred the winger from making a return, but Stamford Bridge is now confident of a resurgence and Olise could head the new era under Maresca's wing.

Why Michael Olise is so good

Micah Richards has already declared that Olise "is going to be world-class… he's going to be a superstar" back in February, and indeed the evidence suggests that Palace have a player of elite-level ability on their hands.

This season, Olise has scored ten goals and added six assists in the Premier League despite only starting 14 matches, honing his skill in the final third after an impressive 2022/23 season under Roy Hodgson, where he posted just two goals across 37 matches but did supply 11 assists for his teammates.

Typically found on the right wing, the £100k-per-week star is fast and furious, intelligent with his distribution and incisive in key moments, unleashing strikes and defence-splitting passes to equal effect.

As per FBref, the ace ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 3% for assists, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for passes attempted, the top 18% for progressive passes and the top 13% for successful take-ons per 90.

He's electric. Olise is headed right for the op and Chelsea would score an almighty success in bringing him back to the place where he cut his teeth as a teen. Every effort must be exhausted in making it happen.

How Michael Olise could fit in at Chelsea

Chelsea are already closing on their first signing of the summer in Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who is opting for a cross-London switch despite the vested efforts of Newcastle United.

But when have the west London giants ever rested on their laurels? Paul Winstanley and the rest of the recruitment team will fix the wrongs of recent years and ensure that Chelsea do not drift to and fro – instead lifting themselves back to the forefront of domestic and continental competition.

Olise, it could be posited, would be the catalyst in ensuring such lofty dreams become actuality, with the right-sided attacker utterly brilliant for the Eagles this season. Sure, his fitness record leaves plenty to be desired but Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke are among the subsidiaries to balance the workload on the right flank.

Olise's creative genius – he has been described as "one of the best wide playmakers in Europe" by talent scout Jacek Kulig – was showcased during the 2022/23 campaign but he demonstrated his dynamism and stretched his wings onto a wider canvas this year, painting the Premier League in hues of his choosing.

Michael Olise PL Comparision: 22/23 vs 23/24
Statistic	22/23	23/24
Matches played	37	19
Matches started	31	14
Goals	2	10
Assists	11	6
Big chances created	11	9
Pass completion	78%	81%
Shots per game	1.4	3.0
Key passes per game	1.9	1.9
Dribbles per game	1.5	2.1
Recoveries per game	5.4	4.8
Tackles per game	1.6	1.0
Duels won per game	5.4	5.7
Stats via Sofascore

Statistical deep-diving has already been covered but just take a look at the improvements made this season, taking his clinical level to soaring heights, sharpening his technical ability and proving more relentless in his desire to push play forward.

While he only featured in half of the Premier League's fixtures, Olise has proven himself worthy of a leading role in a project such as Chelsea's, where he could rival even Cole Palmer for a place as Maresa's attacking talisman.

Palmer signed from Manchester City in a £42.5m deal last summer and while his talent had been shown in flashes, few foresaw the staggering quality that has taken the division by storm.

Plainly, few have been able to withstand the torrent of Palmer's prolificness, the 21-year-old scoring 25 goals and supplying 15 assists from 45 matches for the Blues.

Premier League 23/24: Most Goals & Assists
Rank	Player	Apps	Goals	Assists	G/A
1.	Cole Palmer	34	22	11	33
2.	Erling Haaland	31	27	5	32
2.	Ollie Watkins	37	19	13	32
4.	Mohamed Salah	32	18	10	28
5.	Phil Foden	35	19	8	27
5.	Heung-min Son	34	17	10	27
Sourced via Statmuse

Manchester City's goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland boasts the best goal-per-match rate of any player on that list at 0.87, so it's rather telling that Olise's rate across the recently concluded Premier League campaign stands at 0.84.

Sure, he only featured throughout half of the campaign but the Les Bleus-aspiring phenom has proven himself – he is the real deal.

Chelsea would complete their attack by securing his signature, landing a versatile forward with potency to rival Palmer, who has even been hailed as "one of the best players in the Premier League" by pundit Jamie Carragher.

Olise has also found himself at the heart of such effusions, with Kulig dubbing him "one of the EPL's best players in recent weeks" back in January as he blitzed through opposition.

Chelsea must spend wisely to narrow the gap between themselves and the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, but with this signing, that might just happen.

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By
Tom Lever

May 29, 2024