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Robin Uthappa effected four dismissals behind the stumps and struck 52 off 36 balls for Saurashtra while Krunal Pandya took 2 for 23 with the ball to stifle Gujarat

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2018Uttar Pradesh captain Suresh Raina’s poor form continued as his team went down to Madhya Pradesh by seven wickets in Raipur. This was Uttar Pradesh’s second defeat in as many matches at this venue. Following his 13 against Rajasthan on Tuesday, Raina contributed only 1 to Uttar Pradesh’s total of 108 after they had been sent into bat.Coming in at the fall of Sarul Kanwar in the fourth over, Raina lasted only two balls as he was trapped lbw by seamer Ishwar Pandey. Raina, who was recently retained by Chennai Super Kings for INR 11 crore, had a poor Ranji Trophy season as well, averaging 11.66 from five matches.Sarfraz Khan, a surprise retention for Royal Challengers Bangalore, top-scored with a 19-ball 20 even as Uttar Pradesh slumped from 17 for 1 to 83 for 7. Each of Madhya Pradesh’s frontline seamers – Pandey, Avesh Khan and Puneet Datey – picked up a wicket before spinners Ankit Sharma (2 for 22) and Mihir Hirwani bored through the middle order. An unbeaten half-century from opener Rajat Patidar meant Madhya Pradesh completed their chase with seven wickets and 18 balls to spare.BCCI

Kedar Devdhar’s 61-ball 100, his maiden T20 century, helped Baroda beat Gujarat by 36 runs and condemn them to their third successive defeat in the West Zone league.While IPL stars Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya managed only single-digit scores, Swapnil Singh chipped in with a 28-ball 44 to propel Baroda’s total to 175 . Krunal, though, had a better outing with the ball to finish with figures of 2 for 23 as Gujarat were bowled out for 139 in 18 overs. Gujarat’s two major contributions came from Chirag Gandhi (52 off 41 balls) and captain Axar Patel (33 off 19 balls). Baroda now lead the West Zone standings with eight points from two games.Seamer Shaurya Sanandia’s four-wicket haul and Robin Uthappa’s all-round effort led Saurashtra to an eight-wicket win over Mumbai in Rajkot. After opting to bat, Mumbai suffered a middle-order collapse to go from 65 for 2 to 66 for 5 in less than two overs. Only captain Aditya Tare (39 off 23 balls) and Siddhesh Lad (38) made sizeable contributions for Mumbai. Uthappa finished with four dismissals before muscling a 36-ball 52 to ensure Saurashtra won with 16 balls to spare. Saurashtra have now won both their matches so far.

While there will be those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion still hoping that club-record scorer, Harry Kane will be a part of Ange Postecoglou's side beyond the September deadline, it is looking increasingly likely that the England skipper will be on his way as a matter of when and not if.

Amid reports that chairman Daniel Levy could be forced to cash in on the long-serving striker rather than allow him to leave for nothing next summer, it would appear that the only question now is where the 30-year-old ends up, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United still circling.

If the 6 foot 2 marksman is to depart over the coming weeks then Postecoglou will need to find a new attacking figurehead who can ease the goalscoring burden on Heung-min Son, with there perhaps other members of the current squad who could step up to the plate.

Last year's £60m summer signing, Richarlison did only recently net a hat-trick in the 5-1 thrashing of Lion City Sailors, although it is yet to be seen if the mercurial Brazilian can replicate that form in the Premier League, having scored just a solitary top-flight goal last season.

Rather than attempting to rely on the 26-year-old, a possible surprise package may have presented itself in the form of former Fulham loanee, Manor Solomon, with the recent free transfer arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk having made a strong early impression on pre-season.

How good is Manor Solomon?

Described as "really exciting" by Postecoglou, the 24-year-old has also been the recipient of notable praise from journalist Paul Brown, with the respected insider telling Football FanCast that the Israeli international can be something of a "weapon" for the north Londoners next season.

Asked whether the 5 foot 7 ace is a bargain signing, Brown stated: "Yeah, I think he's a really good little player. He, in limited minutes, did really good things for Fulham and scored a lot of goals off the bench for them. I think in a similar role at spurs, he could be quite dynamic.

"I think bringing him on against tired defenders at the end at the end of the game would be a good weapon for the new manager to have, so I can see why they did that one."

How has Manor Solomon performed in pre-season?

That glowing praise is a sign of the potential gem that Postecoglou has on his hands, with Solomon having shown glimpses last season while at Craven Cottage that he can offer a real goal threat in his new home at N17.

While Richarlison failed to catch fire for the Lilywhites, the Israeli sensation scored four Premier League goals in 2022/23 despite missing the first half of the season through injury, with that impact also coming despite being limited to just four starts in the competition.

Barring another injury setback, the £13m-rated speedster looks likely to have a bigger role to play this time around if his pre-season form is anything to go by, having been hailed as a 'constant threat' on the right flank by football.london's Alasdair Gold following the recent win over Lion City – who also awarded him an 8/10 match rating.

The diminutive, wing wizard had also shone on the opposite side against rivals West Ham United last week, with the Evening Standard's Simon Collings writing that he was 'just about Tottenham’s best player during the first half and looked very lively cutting inside.'

While it remains to be seen which wing the one-time Maccabi Tel Aviv menace will line up on moving forward, such versatility is evidence of just what a 'weapon' he is, hence the excitement over his potential influence in 2023/24.

Although it may be Richarlison who is likely to be the direct, positional replacement for Kane through the middle, Solomon is already showing signs that he can lead the charge from the flanks.

Harry Kane has already become the “face of Bayern Munich” and an English “ambassador” in Germany, says Lothar Matthaus.

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Superstar striker left Spurs for BavariaMade a stunning impact in the BundesligaCould compete for prestigious awardsWHAT HAPPENED?

The England captain severed career-long ties with Premier League side Tottenham when completing a €100 million (£86m/$109m) transfer to the reigning Bundesliga champions in the summer of 2023. He has made a stunning impact at the Allianz Arena, hitting 24 goals through 21 appearances, and is expected to take his game to even greater heights once he has been joined in Bavaria by his wife Katie Goodland and their four children.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MATTHAUS SAID ABOUT KANE

Bayern legend Matthaus has told of ‘King Kane’ taking over in Munich: “He is so well, very well – not only on the pitch, he is the face of Bayern Munich. It’s not only in Germany, he is good for the Bundesliga, to make us internationally more present, get more interest. Harry is a really good transfer, we are very happy. He has scored now in 15 games, he has scored 20 goals in the Bundesliga, top scorer. He is very close with the fans, he is good with the media – he gives the interviews. He is a great ambassador, we cannot have a better ambassador from England than Harry Kane at this moment.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane could come into contention for Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best recognition if his current standards are maintained, but Matthaus is not convinced that those awards are being given to the right person in 2023. He added when asked to pick out the best player over the last 12 months: “Erling Haaland? When you see 2023 – with the titles for Haaland, what he won with Manchester City and how he scored in England. For me, the best player in 2023 was not [Lionel] Messi. [Jude] Bellingham did a great job in Dortmund, in Real Madrid, but he didn’t win titles in 2023 and Haaland won everything with Man City. And the [goals], the number of [goals], how he played for City and his national team. He is a special player and I think in 2023, the best player for me was Erling Haaland.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Inter Miami superstar Messi collected his eighth Golden Ball on the back of helping Argentina to World Cup glory at Qatar 2022. He is in the running for the FIFA Best prize, but that prestigious honour could still be awarded to prolific City striker Haaland or Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe – as they make up the final shortlist.

In a relief to fast bowler Sreesanth, the Kerala High Court has ordered the BCCI to lift the life ban on him for his alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013

Arun Venugopal07-Aug-2017In a relief to fast bowler Sreesanth, the Kerala High Court has ordered the BCCI to lift the life ban on him for his alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013. The order was issued after he had moved the court challenging the BCCI’s decision to not lift the ban despite his being cleared by a Delhi trial court in 2015.”Many people supported me [through] thick and thin,” the quoted Sreesanth as saying. “They stood with me. I am really indebted to them and I will not let them down.”According to media reports, the Kerala High Court observed that the BCCI’s refusal to lift the ban was a violation of natural justice. After Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals bowlers – Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila – were arrested for alleged fulfilling promises made to bookmakers in May 2013, they were banned for life by the BCCI.The court’s observations took into account that in 2015 Sreesanth was exonerated of spot-fixing charges by a Delhi trial court due to insufficient evidence under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), a special law passed by the Maharashtra state government to tackle organised crime syndicates and terrorism.The BCCI, though, is yet to make a decision on allowing his return to cricket. The BCCI’s acting president CK Khanna said the board’s legal team would study the order and furnish a report on the matter. “Once we get their opinion, we will take it up in the appropriate forum,” Khanna told ESPNcricinfo. “There is no time frame as such but we will do it at the earliest.”Another BCCI official said the option of an appeal to the Supreme Court couldn’t be ruled out. “One has to see the order first. Before that, anything is a matter of conjecture.”The BCCI’s position in the past has been to delink its decisions from any legal proceedings. In 2013, the board’s investigation, conducted by the BCCI’s then anti-corruption unit chief Ravi Sawani, only needed to focus on the conduct of the players and not their alleged connections to organised crime syndicates. The BCCI’s decisions were therefore “independent to any criminal proceeding” and “based on its independent disciplinary action, shall remain unaltered.”As a result, Sreesanth’s request for a no-objection certificate to play league cricket for Glenrothes CC in Scotland was shot down in January. With a similar request having been denied the year before as well, Sreesanth told ESPNcricinfo that he had not received any formal communication from the BCCI. He last played official cricket during the 2013 IPL.

Faf du Plessis is comfortable with the selection process in South African cricket and believes transformation targets are not stopping them from fielding their best teams. The South Africa Test captain was responding to fresh criticism by Graeme Pollock of a system that requires the national side to field a minimum average of six players of colour (including two black Africans) over the course of a season.Speaking at an event in London earlier this month, Pollock said South Africa would become a “middle of the road” Test team in future if the transformation policy remained in place. Du Plessis said he had not heard “the context in which Pollock was speaking” so it would be “unfair” to respond to Pollock personally but said that the team understood the policy.”We as a team understand what we need to do and how we need to take the country forward,” he said. “We get on with our business as usual. We play the best team and we try and win every game we play.”In 2016 the South African government banned four major sports – cricket, rugby, athletics and netball – from bidding for or hosting international events for not having done enough in terms of transformation. Each sport signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the sports ministry, the terms of which remain private. CSA has, however, made public the targets they decided to implement at national level and after exceeding them in the 2016-17 summer the ban was lifted.”The major thing is the problem with the politics and interference with the selection of players,” Pollock had originally said. “It’s affecting the performance of the side – they don’t put the 11 best players on the field. It’s never going to change. As South Africans, we’ve got to accept that South Africa are going to be middle of the road in their future Test cricket.”He took issue with the domestic set-up, where targets are applicable per match and require each franchise and provincial team to field six players of colour including three black Africans. Pollock said this created an inherently weak structure which produced below-par cricketers of all races.”You are going to pick a guy like Heino Kuhn, the opening batsman, who got a couple of hundreds in first-class cricket. He’s not good enough to play Test cricket. The guys are playing in a bad standard of first-class cricket in South Africa because of the politics and interference in selection.”A week after Pollock’s comments were first published, however, his spokesperson Basil O’Hagan issued a statement which claimed the quotes were “totally misconstrued”, issued an apology and said Pollock is in favour of transformation.”Graeme extends his sincerest apologies to CSA Board and the South African cricketing public for the manner in which his comments at recent function in London were totally misconstrued. Graeme fully supports the endeavours of the transformation process,” O’Hagan said.When asked by ESPNcricinfo which part of Pollock’s original statement was misconstrued, O’Hagan said he would not respond to every paragraph of the original article but called it “incorrect” as a whole. O’Hagan also said Pollock “maintains transformation is the way to correct decades of oppression of black South Africans and marginalisation of black cricketers.”The clarification did not prevent strong criticism from former Test player and current Cobras coach Ashwell Prince in the where Prince detailed his own struggles across a two-decade long career.”Pollock’s comments most definitely struck a nerve. Not just with myself, but it seems the overwhelming majority of South Africans. Quite frankly, as a former Protea, one has reached the point where you simply just cannot sit back and allow people with these kind of mindsets to keep feeding the world this kind of rubbish and just let it be,” Prince said.”People who were disadvantaged under the previous political regime simply have to be given opportunities which in the past were reserved for a privileged minority.”South Africa will have five players of colour in their side for the third Test against England at The Oval with Kagiso Rabada’s return following his suspension. They fielded four at Trent Bridge with JP Duminy dropped, but with the targets being assessed over a whole season whether they have been met or not for 2017-18 will not be known until after the home summer against Bangladesh, India and Australia.

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