Manchester United have enjoyed a positive campaign in Erik Ten Hag's first year in charge and stand on the brink of being able to secure Champions League qualification for next term.

The Red Devils have already achieved silverware in the form of the Carabao Cup and also have the chance to claim the FA Cup trophy if they can get past Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in early June.

Looking ahead to the summer transfer window, bringing in a few quality additions will be on the mind of Ten Hag as he looks to build a squad capable of taking Manchester United back to the top of the tree in English football.

Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane has been linked with a blockbuster move to Old Trafford and could provide the x-factor in attack that has been missing at times in 2022/23.

From a defensive standpoint, The Sun claim that Napoli man Kim Min-Jae could be on his way to the Premier League giants, with Manchester United said to be keen to 'table an offer' to try and entice the 26-year-old away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

What's the latest transfer news on Kim Min-Jae and why is he so highly regarded?

The Sun report states that Paris Saint-Germain also have a keen interest in the South Korea international and have held talks with his entourage amid the fact that he has a release clause worth £40 million that activates in July. Manchester City are also keeping an eye on his situation, though RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol is their preferred choice.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones thinks that Kim would be a statement signing by Manchester United that could help to take them to the next level after hearing he could be on his way to Old Trafford.

Jones told FFC: "I just think having someone on that level would be hugely significant in terms of upgrading the squad if they could actually make it happen."

In 2022/23, Kim has made 44 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, registering two goals and two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

ESPN estimate that Red Devils boss Ten Hag will have between £100-£150 million to spend on rebuilding his squad in the summer, though this may dramatically increase if a deal is completed by the Glazer family to relinquish their majority ownership of the club.

In terms of who Manchester United could upgrade on by bringing Kim to Old Trafford, Harry Maguire springs to mind as an obvious candidate, as he has been linked with a move to either West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur, as per FootballTransfers.

Comparing the two players via WhoScored, Kim comes out on top in aerial duels won, clearances completed, pass success rate and average match rating, scoring 2.7 in aerial duels, 3.6 clearances, 91% pass completion and earning a match rating of 7.10/10.

On the other hand, Maguire comes in at 1.3 successful aerial duels won, 2.5 clearances per match, 85.8% passing success and being given a match rating of 6.57/10.

€61,731 (£53,637) per week earner Kim has also excelled in the art of passes attempted compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions, having tried an average of 80.23 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the third percentile for this metric, according to FBRef.

As per Tuttomercatoweb via OneFootball, former Manchester United favourite Ji Sung-Park was full of praise for Kim's qualities as a domineering defender, stating in an interview: “Extraordinary, what a talent." He then added: “There is no doubt that he is doing extraordinary things, as a technical leader and personality in Naples.”

Journalist Fabrizio Romano shared quotes from Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti claiming that nobody in the world is a better defender than Kim at present, which read: "Kim Min-Jae is the best centre-back in the world right now. Kim does at least 20 incredible things per game. When he starts the run with the ball at his feet, he can get it into the opposition penalty area in 5 seconds flat!"

Manchester United are set for a huge summer as they find out who will control the purse strings at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future and Kim would be a major signing to kick off a new era for the club.

Tim Bresnan made an unbeaten 72 to keep Yorkshire’s Championship hopes alive, as Nick Compton’s dropped catch cost Middlesex

George Dobell at Lord's21-Sep-2016
ScorecardHe may have scored two Test centuries and played a part in England series victories in India and South Africa but, around these parts at least, Nick Compton is in danger of being remembered as the man who dropped the 2016 Specsavers County Championship.Had Compton, in the slips, held on to the relatively straightforward chance offered by Andy Hodd on 22 off Steven Finn, Yorkshire would have been 87 for 5 and in danger of seeing their relatively long tail exposed. One of the runners in this three-horse race may well have fallen away.Instead, the chance went down and Hodd, in partnership with the wonderfully resolute Tim Bresnan, added 116 for Yorkshire’s fifth wicket to keep their side in the game. The extent of the dent put into Middlesex’s Championship aspirations remains to be seen but it may well be that Compton has inadvertently done his former club, Somerset, a huge favour. A future in ‘He should have gone to Specsavers’ adverts is unlikely to provide much consolation.Such a reputation would be harsh, of course. Compton played crucial roles in two recent victories against Durham and Nottinghamshire and may yet have a defining contribution to make here. But when title races become as tight as this – and this one is beautifully, breathlessly tight – the importance of such moments is magnified.The concern for both these teams is that their excellence – and this has been a terrific game of tough, high-quality cricket albeit one marked by some significant dropped catches – is in danger of cancelling each other out. While Somerset do battle with a foe currently boasting the resilience of a butterfly, these two teams are bashing each other into a double knockout.For victory alone is unlikely to be enough for Yorkshire. With Somerset seemingly on course for victory at Taunton, Yorkshire need to not only win but win with a minimum of four batting bonus points. They therefore have to score 350 (or more) within the first 110 overs of their first innings here. With 115 more runs required from 41 more overs and three bowlers with modest batting pretensions to come, much remains required of the two batsmen who will resume in the morning.That Yorkshire remain in the race at all is largely due to Bresnan. Having bowled with skill and persistence to help squeeze the life out of the Middlesex batting, he then produced his highest score of the campaign – and his fifth half-century – to take his side within sight of first-innings parity.It’s hard to imagine Bresnan pulling out of a game like this due to weariness or lack of focus. Indeed, you imagine he may well report for duty with an arm hanging by a thread or nursing a nasty attack of the bubonic plague. While there were some murmurs ahead of the game that he was a little high at No. 5 in the batting line-up, he justified his promotion with a mature innings featuring much patient defence and some fine shot selection.Six of his seven fours came on the off-side – a couple of meaty drives, a couple of beefy cuts and a well-judged reverse sweep the most memorable of them – with one laced through midwicket. Reflecting the improvement in his batting, he took his career average above 30 for the first time during the course of this innings and, if he makes the 100 his side probably requires, it will stay there.He came to the crease with the three batsmen above him in the order having failed to contribute a run. Toby Roland-Jones, comfortably the pick of the Middlesex seamers, had defeated Alex Lees with a full ball and drawn edges from hard-handed prods by Gary Ballance and Andrew Gale. By the time the previously fluent Adam Lyth played on in Steven Finn’s first over, perhaps slightly surprised by the pace of a fuller delivery, Yorkshire were 53 for 4 and in danger of seeing their challenge fall away.Had Compton been able to cling on to the chance offered by Hodd – instead he seemed to go at it with hard hands – Middlesex may have taken an unassailable advantage in this match. But, as the sun came out and the ball softened, so batting started to look a little easier and the teams go into day three with the game all but even.Hodd played Ollie Rayner especially well. Refusing to let him settle, he scored at almost a run-a-ball off him, hitting him off his line with reverse sweeps and punishing him if he dropped short. Even after he departed, beaten by a full one from Roland-Jones that he tried to force, Rayner was unable to gain much purchase from the dry-looking square and was twice thrashed for sixes – one drive, one pulled – by David Willey. Though Willey also departed before the close, Azeem Rafiq gave Bresnan good support to keep Yorkshire’s hopes just about alive. Still, 350 looks some way distant.”We just tried to take the game situation – and the table situation – out of it,” Bresnan said. “We tried to focus on little goals: ten runs at a time. They bowled really well at us for a little spell and made it really tough for us. But cricket is about little battles and we managed to overcome that challenge and kick on.”With the clientele we’ve got in dressing room we never say never. We’ve managed to win from some unbelievable positions this season and if we can get up to 350 we’ll be in a good position. We’ve got 40-odd overs left to get 350, which should be plenty of time. We’ll just take it in tens.”Yorkshire’s bowlers were little short of magnificent in the morning session. While Jack Brooks, as accurate and whole-hearted as ever, finished with career-best figures of 6 for 65, he would be the first to admit he was the beneficiary of a sustained performance by all five seamers that never allowed Middlesex to score at even 2.5 an over. It was relentless in the way Test bowlers tend to be relentless: building pressure; forcing batsmen to earn every run. Even with little help from the pitch or the overhead conditions, they were so disciplined that Middlesex were never able to get away from them. Yorkshire aren’t giving up on their status as champions without a hell of a fight.Eventually that pressure showed. Nick Gubbins, perhaps mindful of Middlesex’s sluggish run-rate and keen to gain at least a third batting bonus point, was drawn into a loose drive that ended his fine innings, before James Franklin edged a good one that demanded a stroke. Unsure whether to go for a third batting point or deny Yorkshire a third bowling point, Middlesex blocked for a while only to then give it away when Tim Murtagh slogged to mid-off with just 20 balls left before the cut-off. It may yet prove to be crucial. In all, Middlesex were able to add only 62 runs for the loss of five wickets in 26.3 overs in the morning session. Without Gubbins’ century – and the dropped catch that allowed him a life on 22 – they would have had no answer to Yorkshire’s fine attack.”We’re in a dogfight, but we’re hanging in there,” Brooks said. “We didn’t let them get away and we’re still in there fighting. Bressy has worked his way up from eight to five with his batting and he’s probably been our best bowler in this game as well after coming in as fifth seamer. It shows what a world-class bowler he is.”The equation for Middlesex is, at least, simple. If they win this match, the Championship is theirs. The winning bit is far from guaranteed, though.”It’s nicely poised,” Roland-Jones said in understated fashion afterwards. “We’re trying to treat it as if it’s any other game when it’s obviously an experience you want to be part of and it’s quite high pressure.”You try not to pay too much attention [to what has been happening at Taunton], but of course you see it there. Our attitude coming into the game was to win it. If you come into the last game and dangle the carrot that if you win it you win the Championship, you take that. It’s not a bad place to be.”It will probably be no consolation to any of the sides that fall short – and truly, all three deserve better than disappointment – but the quality and intensity of this encounter reflects wonderfully well on English cricket. Perhaps familiarity has invited a certain complacency (if not contempt) to England’s first-class competition but if we still value developing Test players we will tinker no further with this great competition. The 9000 or so spectators who have attended over the first two days know this already; it’s a shame not all those inhabiting the ECB offices just beside the Nursery Ground share their enthusiasm.

Feyenoord are very worried Tottenham Hotspur managerial target Arne Slot could join the north Londoners, according to reports.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

The Lilywhites and chairman Daniel Levy have commenced their search for Antonio Conte's replacement, but over a month after his departure, they're still yet to make an official announcement on who will come in.

In the meantime, it has been a turbulent time at Tottenham, with Spurs seeing two interim managers take charge.

Former temporary head coach Cristian Stellini, after a dismal 6-1 battering away to Newcastle United, was relieved of his duties after that result severely dampened Spurs' hopes of a top four Premier League finish.

Tottenham are now outside contenders for a Champions League place at best, with Man United possessing two games in hand on them whilst sitting nine points clear of Spurs in fourth.

The club are without a win in their last four league games with current interim boss Ryan Mason now more realistically fighting for a Europa League place.

Tottenham must also look ahead to next campaign and consider which manager is the best option to take them forward, with reports suggesting that former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is a prime contender for the job.

As well as Nagelsmann, it is believed that Slot, who is leading the Eredivisie with Feyenoord, is well and truly in Tottenham's thinking.

Now, journalists Etienne Verhoeff and Johan Inan have discussed the topic of Slot to Spurs (via Feyenoord Pings and Sport Witness).

There is a belief Feyenoord are 'holding their breath' and waiting for Tottenham to make a move for the tactician, with Inan getting the feeling for some time that Slot feels ready for another challenge – especially if an English club come calling.

What could Slot bring to Spurs?

The former AZ Alkmaar boss has been praised for both his attacking style and 'maniac' approach to games, witb Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan claiming just this to talkSPORT.

"He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.

“He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."

Van der Kraan, speaking to the same outlet, has also called Slot the 'most exciting' manager he's seen in the last 10 years.

He is arguably unlucky to not have more silverware in his locker, with Feyenoord reaching the Europa Conference League Final last season to unluckily lose to Jose Mourinho's Roma.

Jake Ball defied cramp and sapping humidity to mark his one-day debut with record figures of 5 for 51, as England snatched an extraordinary 21-run victory in the first ODI against Bangladesh

The Report by Andrew Miller07-Oct-2016 England 309 for 8 (Stokes 101, Buttler 63, Duckett 60) beat Bangladesh 278 (Kayes 112, Shakib 79 Ball 5-51) by 21 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJake Ball defied cramp and sapping humidity to mark his one-day debut with record figures of 5 for 51, as England snatched an extraordinary 21-run victory in the first ODI against Bangladesh at Mirpur.Powered by a brilliant century from Imrul Kayes, and with Shakib Al Hasan providing experienced support in a fifth-wicket stand of 118, Bangladesh appeared to be marching up a mountainous run-chase of 310, and living up to their newly minted reputation as a tough nut to crack in one-day cricket.But then, with victory in sight, Bangladesh suffered a throwback to their fragile old days to squander their last six wickets for 17 runs in 39 balls. The collapse of their resolve mirrored that of the atmosphere at the National Stadium in Mirpur, where thousands of fans had put aside the inconvenience of a kilometre-wide exclusion zone to cheer on a side that has not lost a home ODI series for two years and counting.For more than 91 overs of the 97.5 in the match, the mood in the ground had been akin to a national celebration, as Imrul confirmed the richness of his current form with an astounding display of clean hitting, particularly through the leg side, to take command of what looked certain to be their highest successful run-chase against a senior Test nation.His first scoring shot was the most startling statement of intent of the whole match – a murderous second-ball pull over midwicket off Chris Woakes that embedded itself so deep in an advertising hoarding that an BCB official had to reach through the hole to retrieve it. On his watch, there could be only one winner, as he brought up his hundred from 105 balls with his 11th four, before passing the baton to Shakib, whose volley of five fours and six in 12 balls seemed to have torched the asking-rate.But then, with the requirement a trifling 39 from 52 balls with six wickets still in hand, Shakib suffered a debilitating bout of cramp in his fingers, and, in a jolt of realism that popped the fans’ party mood in a trice, Ball capitalised to stunning effort. The very delivery after receiving treatment from the physio, Shakib miscued a pull to David Willey at midwicket to depart for 79 – and one ball later, the stands were in full panic mode as Mosaddek Hossain was bowled off the splice by a perfect lifting nipbacker.Imrul was still in situ at this stage, but having also cramped up late in his innings, he urgently needed someone else to stay with him and keep the boundaries coming. The captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, was unable to be that man – he guiltily grazed a loose cut to the keeper as Adil Rashid ripped an illegible legbreak out of the rough, moments after planting a seed of doubt with his googly, and the game was as good as over in Rashid’s next over, when Imrul charged out of his crease in desperate need of a boundary, and was stumped off a wide as Rashid speared the ball out of his reach.Next to go was Shafiul Islam – the hero of Bangladesh’s two-wicket win in the 2011 World Cup – who was run out without scoring, and victory was duly sealed from the penultimate ball of Ball’s spell, as Taskin Ahmed grazed an edge through to Jos Buttler, England’s stand-in captain, whose typically powerful 63 from 38 balls had earlier lifted his side to an imposing total of 309 for 8.Jake Ball finished the match and ended with a five-for•Getty Images

Ball himself could barely stand by the end of the match, and he was rightly named as Man of the Match after becoming the first England bowler to claim five wickets on debut. However, the foundations of England’s victory were laid by Ben Stokes, who anchored their innings with his maiden ODI hundred, and Ben Duckett, the day’s second debutant, whose 60 from 78 balls was a vital and mature contribution to an agenda-setting stand of 153.Stokes made 101 from exactly 100 balls – a performance that might pale statistically compared to some of the masterful feats of run-making in England’s ranks in recent months. However, given the brutality of the conditions – the humidity was measured at one stage at 90% – and his previous fallibility against spin, most notably on the tour of Sri Lanka in 2014, it was a formidable performance.It also began in some adversity, as he and Duckett came together following a collapse of 3 for 21 in 31 balls. James Vince had once again looked fluent without entirely convincing in his 16 from 20 balls, and when Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow departed in quick succession, the latter to a third-ball run-out, England were 63 for 3 in the 13th over and in need of some shoring-up.Bangladesh used seven bowlers in all, with the third seamer, Taskin Ahmed, held back until the second half of the innings as Mashrafe leaned heavily and predictably on his quartet of slow men. Aside from their drip-drip accuracy, the speed with which they burned through their overs was especially telling. There was little opportunity to think between deliveries, but Stokes was in the mood to trust his instinct, particularly on the reverse sweep, with which he picked off four of his eight fours.Duckett, meanwhile, was quite content to play the anchorman. After his eye-popping scoring feats for Northamptonshire and the Lions this summer, this was all about bedding into the international arena, and he passed his first test with aplomb.His five fours were timely pressure releases, including one cute scoop over the wicketkeeper’s head off a Taskin short ball, but after reaching his half-century from 63 balls, his battery visibly went flat in the final minutes of his stay. He managed one run from his last nine deliveries before missing a leg-stump full-toss to be bowled round his pads.By the end of their fielding stint, however, Bangladesh were visibly tetchy after letting several crucial chances slip through their fingers – most tellingly, two lives in the space of five balls to Stokes, on 69 and 71 respectively – a low drill to mid-on and an ugly skew to deep cover.Inevitably, the man best placed to cash in in such a moment was Buttler, who arrived at the crease with eight overs remaining and a licence to go loco, but it was a tribute to the efforts of his team-mates higher up the order that he was initially forced to rein in his aggression.In fact, it wasn’t until the back end of the 47th over that Buttler flicked on the Beast Mode. After 25 runs, including a solitary boundary, from his first 26 deliveries, he signalled his change of tempo with consecutive sixes off Shakib, before two more fours and an inside-out six over extra cover off Shafiul completed a startling 33-ball fifty, which became 63 from 38 balls all told.It wasn’t apparent then, but that switch of tempo would prove to be the difference between the sides in the final analysis. That, of course, and the temperament required just to get the job done, come what may. Bangladesh have come a long, long way in the past couple of years, and their proud home record is still intact for now. But, much as was the case in their devastating collapse against India at the World T20, there remains a fragility at their core that can crack in an instant.

Alex Moir had taken 6 for 155 against England in Christchurch in 1951. Sixty-five years later, Colin de Grandhomme took 6 for 41 to finish with the best figures by a New Zealander on debut; Pakistan were bowled out for 133

The Report by Shashank Kishore17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:36

Fernando: Vintage New Zealand medium-pace bowling

It was a tale of two debutants on a fascinating day of Test cricket where ball dominated the bat. Although the final analysis of 13 wickets for 237 runs would suggest a menacing surface, the truth was that a lot of batsmen, especially from Pakistan, were out poking or trying to play expansive drives. New Zealand fared much better with the bat, and held the aces as the first Test moved forward at a breakneck speed despite an entire day being washed out by rain in Christchurch.Colin de Grandhomme, the Harare-born Auckland allrounder who had previously taken just one five-wicket haul in 83 first-class games, had the best figures (6 for 41) by a New Zealand debutant. It meant Pakistan, sent in to bat, were rolled over for 133. Misbah-ul-Haq, captaining his country for the 50th time, top scored with a typically feisty 31 off 108 deliveries during the course of which he proved it was the top order’s impatience and not a menacing Hagley Oval green top that contributed to their downfall; no other batsman crossed 20.In reply, Jeet Raval, the other debutant, replacing Martin Guptill, overcame a testing new-ball burst to finish 55 not out as New Zealand recovered from early losses of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to end on 104 for 3, trailing by just 29 runs. Playing late and committing himself wholeheartedly to his strokes, both off the front and back foot, he picked off seven boundaries and looked at ease even as his partners largely struggled; particularly against Mohammad Amir in a probing opening spell that read 6-2-6-1.Things could have been much worse for New Zealand had Henry Nicholls, replacing Luke Ronchi, not substituted flamboyance for grit and patience to finish unbeaten on 29. The fourth-wicket pair added 64, but in blunting out 19.4 overs, they ensured New Zealand had limited the new-ball damage to potentially make run-scoring a lot easier on the morrow.The surface demanded patience which Pakistan clearly lacked, as their top order crumbled after a solid 31-run opening stand that frustrated New Zealand. In trying to bowl full and swing the ball late, their new ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult either slipping the ball down the leg side or bowl it full and wide in the first hour as Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali went into their shell, seemingly happy to blunt the new ball.Ina ddition to a half-century on debut, Raval also took two excellent catches in the slips•AFP

Then Williamson turned to de Grandhomme’s seam-ups over Neil Wagner’s bustling pace, and the move worked immediately. After two poor overs in which he sprayed the ball, de Grandhomme broke through when he scythed through Azhar’s defence with an in-dipper. The old adage of ‘one brings two’ ensured when Southee, brought back form the other end, sent back Aslam, who jabbed hard to get a thick edge to Raval at second slip.Babar Azam was reprieved on 4, but couldn’t curb his instincts of trying to drive on the up as he was also pouched in the slips. When Younis Khan’s flashy cover drive to a delivery he could have left alone off de Grandhomme was pouched by Raval in the cordon, Pakistan had sensationally slipped from 31 without loss to 56 for 4.Pakistan slowly rebuilt through a 32-run stand, but the lunch break came to New Zealand’s rescue as Asad Shafiq, demoted to No. 6 after a fruitless stint at No. 3 in the UAE, poked one to gully. Sarfraz Ahmed tried to unsettle the bowlers by walking outside the crease, giving bowlers the charge and play a typically aggressive game. Not even being hit on the helmet by a steep bouncer altered his approach. Eventually a tame waft resulted in a simple catch at gully to a relieved Todd Astle, who put down a chance earlier in the day.Watching the carnage unfold, Misbah continued to bat on in the hope that he would find some support from the tail. But such was the nature of Pakistan’s collapse that Williamson resisted temptation to give his faster men a break, and go for the kill. Boult and Southee overcame insipid starts to finish with two wickets apiece.For a while it looked like New Zealand’s top order would match Pakistan’s indiscretions. After Tom Latham was lbw to Amir, Williamson, in particular, fell tamely when he pushed away from the body – neither attempting a punch nor a full-blooded cut shot – to be caught at slip. Ross Taylor, all at sea against Sohail Khan’s late away-swing, was snaffled down leg side to extend his lean patch to 10 innings now to open up the game.With over 25 overs left, two more wickets then may have tilted the scales Pakistan’s way. That it didn’t was largely due to Raval’s steadfast determination and Nicholl’s grit that capped off an eventful day.

ScorecardKumar Sangakkara pulls off a last-over ramp for six•Getty Images

Kumar Sangakkara’s masterful 130 not out saw Surrey into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup in a thrilling one-wicket win over Northamptonshire achieved off the last ball of the match.With Surrey looking likely to crumble in a lower-order collapse, Sangakkara finally found a partner in No.11 Jade Dernbach and the pair found the 27 runs needed for victory.Chasing 277, Surrey slid from 234 for 5 to 250 for 9 with two catches behind the wicket and two run outs as Sangakkkara looked on in frustration from the non-strker’s end.Twelve were needed from the final over and Sangakkara leapt across his stumps to paddle sweep Azharullah into the sightscreen for six over the wicketkeeper’s head. It was an extraordinary shot at such a tense moment. Then with two to get from the final ball – although one would have brought Surrey victory by virtue of fewer wickets lost – he carved a boundary wide of point.It left Northamptonshire heartbroken after a fine comeback in the field and Ben Duckett rueing his dropped catch of Sangakkara on just 7. It came straight to him, albeit firmly, in the gully. It was one a number of moments Northants were left to look back on with regret in the field in a match in which they conceded 13 wides and seven no balls.David Ripley, Northants’ coach, said: “I’m very proud of the effort but we made too many individual errors throughout the game – soft dismissals, catches went down, too many extras. But as a collective effort to fight our way back was phenomenal.”With three overs to go we were favourites, so it’s a double-whammy to have it taken away from us. Kumar was sensational in everything he did and it was a wonderful innings.”It appeared Surrey were cruising to victory after the chase swung their way in the 21st over. Richard Gleeson was brought back to bowl it. He pulled up with a side strain and left the field. Alex Wakely tried to finish the over but it proved a complete disaster with two high no-balls that were swung for six and four by Sangakkara. Another boundary saw 24 come off Wakely’s four legal deliveries. It left 129 to get in 29 overs.Sangakkara was composed and classy, working the bowling around and taking very few risks. A slog sweep against Graeme White brought him fifty in 61 balls. After flogging Wakely, he reached a third one-day century for Surrey in 116 balls. It did not seem then that it would take all of his experience to haul Surrey over the line.Northants were bowled out for 276 with an over to spare – and their total looked light on a good batting surface. Josh Cobb gave them a steady start having lost the toss but regular wickets fell throughout the innings and the hosts were in danger of posting a total well below par without Rory Kleinveldt’s fine late-order effort.Kleinveldt’s 76 in 62 balls gave the Northants innings a late revival. It was flagging at 227 for 9 but he found Azharullah for steady company and he blocked up an end to allow Kleinveldt to find the boundary. He carved Tom Curran wide of extra cover, and slapped a six over midwicket.It followed Cobb’s 66. He injected some life into the innings in the 19th over bowled by Gareth Batty. A straight drive beat mid-off for four, a waist-high full toss slapped over midwicket for another boundary and the subsequent free hit was launched far over long-on as 19 came from the over.Cobb made his way to a smart half century in 54 balls but Tom Curran returned to angle a delivery into his middle-and-off stumps to break a stand with Alex Wakely worth 69. Wakely fell four overs later to a superb cutter from Sam Curran.Cobb and Wakely began to move the Northants innings along after Jade Dernbach claimed two early and very important wickets, both of them bowled to the batsman’s strengths. A ball on the pads of Richard Levi was flicked into the hands of James Burke at deep square leg; another outside off stump to Ben Duckett was slapped to cover diving forward, Burke again the catcher. Dernbach returned to finish the innings off and claim 4 for 39.Rory Kleinveldt hammered vital late runs for Northants•Getty Images

The ECB’s proposal for a new city-based T20 competition, which had originally been slated for a launch season in 2018, may now be postponed until 2020 to coincide with a new broadcasting deal.The go-ahead to further explore the eight-team proposal was given by a 16-3 vote at the ECB board meeting at Lord’s in September, following discussions between the 18 first-class counties, the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and MCC.The ECB hierarchy, led by chairman Colin Graves and chief executive Tom Harrison, have been keen to push through a new T20 league to rival the success generated by the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash, despite fears from many counties that it would undermine their raison d’etre.

Championship by night

A round of Championship matches will be played under floodlights in 2017 – possibly in late June, the brightest time of the year.
The matches will be played using pink Dukes balls, so keeping faith with the make of ball used in the county game. Dukes have yet to be tested under lights with all previous experiments using a Kookaburra.

Surrey, Kent and Sussex were reportedly the three counties who opposed the proposal, although several have since expressed reservations about the lack of detail.The original plan had been for the competition to be shown on Sky Sports for at least the first two seasons, with few England players likely to be involved due to an overlap with international commitments. However, the delayed start may now encourage a terrestrial broadcaster to come forward, in line with the ECB’s desire to use the competition as a vehicle to attract new audiences to the game.In a separate development, the ECB board today ratified a recommendation from the Cricket Committee that the option of allowing the visiting team to bowl first in County Championship fixtures should be retained for the 2017 season.The proposal caused some controversy when it was brought in for the start of the 2016 season. However, the stated aim of encouraging home counties to produce better four-day pitches – and improving the conditions for spin bowlers – were broadly considered to have been a success.The Cricket Committee – which included Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon, Leicestershire’s chief executive Wasim Khan and David Leatherdale, the chief executive of the PCA – studied a range of data that showed, among other factors, that a total of 10,094 overs of spin had been bowled across the season, compared to 8,643 in 2015 – the highest since 2011.Peter Wright, the chairman of the Cricket Committee, told ECB.co.uk: “In many ways the statistics merely reinforced the feeling we had been picking up around the game throughout the summer, that the experiment was working in beginning to rebalance the game.”As we stressed when we introduced the new options for visiting captains, this was not all about spin. We wanted matches to last longer, and to become more thorough preparation for international cricket.”That meant better, four-day pitches, which would mean bowlers had to work harder to take wickets, and would encourage a greater variety of bowling, whether spin in its various forms, genuine pace or reverse swing from more abrasive pitches.

Chelsea bringing in Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen would be a statement signing this summer, presenter Terry Flewers has claimed.

What's the latest on Chelsea and Osimhen?

New manager Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly keen to add to Chelsea's strikeforce, after a nightmare of a season in which they scored just 38 times in 38 league games, and the Napoli hitman is of interest.

Osimhen has made himself a hero in Naples, helping his side win a historic Serie A title with 30 goals in 38 games across all competitions this season.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, Flewers highlighted that if Chelsea can sign the 24-year-old, it would be a statement signing for the club having missed out on European qualification in this dismal campaign.

"Chelsea are now ready to sign the Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. That would be a massive statement of intent," he stated.

"Victor Osimhen is the guy that they may chase. Of course, there's links to Harry Kane because of the Pochettino connection, but they're going to explore the option of Victor Osimhen."

Could Chelsea sign Osimhen?

It would be something of a surprise if Osimhen elects to depart Napoli for Chelsea this summer after the contrasting seasons both clubs have had.

Although manager Luciano Spalletti will depart the club, Napoli will be competing in the Champions League as the Italian champions, with Osimhen a key player who has written himself into club history.

Leaving this project to join Chelsea, who are out of Europe, and who are going through a transitional period off the pitch, may not be a move that appeals to the 24-year-old.

Given that Napoli spent a club record fee on Osimhen three years ago, it would take a hefty amount to convince them to part ways with their star player, and Chelsea currently have to sell players in order to meet financial fair play rules.

If Chelsea are able to sell enough players to fund a move for Osimhen, it still remains to be seen whether they can convince the Nigerian to join.

Although they may be able to offer a significantly higher salary than the £91k-per-week he earns in Naples, interest from the likes of Manchester United could be more appealing, and if Osimhen is settled in Italy, he may choose to reject any move this summer.

If he continues his incredible form in front of goal, a big move will still likely be on offer further down the line, and he could have his pick of Europe's biggest clubs. Leaving Napoli for Chelsea now, therefore, seems to be a big risk for the striker, and Chelsea may have to look elsewhere.

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A consistent team effort by England Lions gave them a 16-run win against UAE in Dubai and with it a 3-0 win in the series

ECB Reporters Network05-Dec-2016
ScorecardJoe Clarke top scored before he was bowled•Getty Images

England Lions completed a clean sweep of their one-day series against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai thanks to the depth of their batting and the quality of their bowling and fielding.The Lions top order failed to fire for the second game in succession after they were put in on a tricky pitch, with only Joe Clarke of the top five passing 30. But they still posted a decent total of 223 for 8, the highest of a low-scoring series, thanks to handy contributions lower down the order, led by 40 for the Surrey allrounder Sam Curran, who later impressed with the ball, alongside Craig Overton and Ollie Rayner, who both took three wickets.The UAE threatened to pull off an unlikely win led by Adnan Mufti, a 31-year-old left-hander from Rawalpindi, on his debut, but Mufti was run out by Liam Livingstone’s powerful throw from the long-on boundary with the UAE still 16 runs short.”I think it was quite good for us to be in a tight game at the end there,” said Rayner. “Their left-hander played really well and we had to work hard to get the win. Through the series we’ve had lots of different guys taking wickets with Stuart Meaker in the first game and Tom Curran in the second, and a few of us shared them out a bit today.”Overton is on his fourth Lions tour even though he is still only 22, and aiming to make up for lost time after suffering injuries in each of the last two winters. “It’s been frustrating with the injuries the last two years, but I had a good season with Somerset and so far things have been going well,” he said.Curran, returned to the team with his older brother Tom rested following his five wickets as the Lions clinched the series on Saturday, made the first breakthrough courtesy of a low one-handed catch by Clarke, who was keeping for the first time on the tour.Ben Foakes, who had worn the gloves in the previous two matches, then showed his ability in the outfield with a sharp catch at midwicket to give James Fuller his first success.Rohan Mustafa, the opener who has been UAE’s best batsman all series, was leading the charge again until he launched Rayner straight down the ground and Overton intercepted just inside the boundary. With the first ball of his next over, Rayner had Mohammed Usman, another left-hander, lbw sweeping, and when Overton claimed a deserved wicket in a probing opening burst of 4-2-2-1, UAE had slumped from 71 for 2 to 81 for 5.Rayner claimed a sharp return catch for his third wicket, and Tom Alsop snapped up Saqlain Haider at point to give Fuller his second. Then Overton returned to collect a couple more, although the Lions were relieved when Livingstone ended the last-wicket resistance.Livingstone had also made an impression with the bat, hitting two sixes in a fourth-wicket stand of 65 in 14 overs with Clarke. But they fell in quick succession to leave the Lions on 115 for 5, and they were indebted to Curran, the youngest member of the squad, for showing maturity as well as ability in partnerships of 45 with Foakes and 34 with Fuller.The Lions must now switch quickly to red-ball mode, with practice at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday before a four-day match against Afghanistan.

Newcastle United have scheduled talks regarding a new long-term contract for Fabian Schar, according to reports.

Is Fabian Schar leaving Newcastle?

The Magpies centre-back first arrived in the Premier League from Deportivo de La Coruna back in 2018 and has since gone on to make a total of 141 appearances to date, establishing himself as a regular feature in Eddie Howe’s side having made 36 top-flight starts from 38 games last season.

The Switzerland international, however, will be out of contract at the end of next season meaning that the upcoming window could be the northeast outfit’s last chance to cash in, should they not want to extend his stay, nor risk losing him for free, but it sounds like they don’t plan on letting the 31-year-old go anywhere for the foreseeable future.

Are Newcastle giving Schar a new contract?

According to Football Insider, Newcastle, and by extension owners PIF, are “keen to discuss” fresh terms with Schar and plan to open talks over the summer in a bid to tie him down at St. James’ Park. PIF are not only hoping to “protect” the defender’s value, but also “reward” him for his excellent standard of performances under Howe.

The 6 foot 1 titan can begin talks regarding a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs as of January 2024 due to his situation, but the board are no doubt hoping that he will decide to commit his future to the long-term project in the black and white stripes.

Should Newcastle keep or sell Schar?

Newcastle are reportedly confident of agreeing a new long-term contract for Bruno Guimaraes, and having once been hailed a “solid” centre-back by journalist Josh Bunting, Schar is definitely another player that deserves to stay longer.

The Puma-sponsored colossus, who earns £40k-per-week, averaged 3.8 clearances and 3.1 aerial wins per top-flight game last season, via WhoScored, so was a real rock at the heart of the backline, but he can equally be a threat pushing up the pitch.

The Sports360 client, who has the versatility to operate in defensive midfield, ranks in the 99th percentile for three different statistics, including total number of shots, not to mention that he posted four goal contributions (three assists and one goal) last term in the Premier League.

The Magpies will know that Schar isn’t getting any younger, so there’s a chance that he could be offered more of a short-term deal, but regardless of the length of the contract, it’s still fully warranted for the positive impact he has on Howe’s side.