All posts by h716a5.icu

Ashley Giles’ rebuilding of Warwickshire has continued with the announcement that batsman William Porterfield and allrounder Ateeq Javid will both leave the club at the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2017Ashley Giles’ rebuilding of Warwickshire has continued with the announcement that batsman William Porterfield and allrounder Ateeq Javid will both leave the club at the end of the season.Warwickshire’s ageing squad, refreshed by Giles during his return to Edgbaston as sport director, is facing relegation from Division One of the Championship, although Birmingham – the club’s T20 alter ego – did reach the final of the NatWest Blast on Saturday before losing to Nottinghamshire.Ireland captain Porterfield joined the club ahead of the 2011 season, from Gloucestershire, and until this season was a regular in all formats. He plans to return to Ireland to play first-class cricket.Javid is a product of Warwickshire’s academy and made his senior debut in 2009, making 32 first-class, 39 List A and 53 T20 appearances for the Bears without ever quite holding down a regular place. He is joining Leicestershire on a two-year contract.Giles said: “William and Ateeq have been great servants to the club and have been instrumental in our success in recent years, being part of the teams that have won all major trophies across the three formats of the game in a five-year period.”In addition to his contributions with the bat, William has been our vice captain in white ball cricket for the last two years. His leadership experience and support in the dressing room has been a great asset for the club and we wish him the very best in his career with Ireland.”Ateeq grew up in Birmingham and is a Bear through and through. It’s always sad when we see homegrown players leave the club, but we recognise the opportunity for him at Leicestershire and wish him every success in the future.”Offspinning allrounder Javid made his England Under-19s debut at 17. He scored 619 runs in Division One of the Championship in 2013 at an average of 44.00, including two centuries, and helped Birmingham to their NatWest T20 Blast title win in 2014; the dismissal of Kevin Pietersen with his first ball of the semi-final against Surrey was a key contribution.”The time is right to make a move, fight for a place and hopefully play regular cricket across all formats,” Javid said.Leicestershire needed a lift after the departure of coach Pierre de Bruyn after relationships broke down with several senior players. Chief executive Wasim Khan said: “We know that Ateeq is talented in all formats of the game. He is a very versatile player who can adapt to different roles in different competitions. We have been following his progress for some time.”

West Ham United currently have Arsenal's American forward Folarin Balogun on their "radar" this summer and would want to be part of any "conversation" with the Gunners should they wish to sell him, claims journalist Alex Crook.

Is Folarin Balogun joining West Ham United this summer?

The Hammers have had a strange transfer window this summer, as despite making a massive profit on their club captain Declan Rice, thanks to a £105m offer from Arsenal, they are yet to make a single signing in the window.

So far, they have made several bids for players across the country, such as Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, Manchester United's Harry Maguire, and Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, only to see each one rejected in turn.

And they now look likely to lose their Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca – who only arrived last year- to Serie A giants Inter Milan, meaning they'll need to add a new goalscorer onto their shopping list this summer.

Read the latest West Ham United transfer news HERE…

And according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, they might've identified a new potential target for that position, Arsenal's promising youngster Balogun. However, the issue, as it is for most transfers, is the price, with the Gunners valuing the youngster at £45m and some within the club wanting £50m as a minimum.

That said, while it does look like the New York-born prospect will be moving on this year, there is a chance he remains for a little while longer following the injury to Gabriel Jesus earlier this week, but should the North Londoners press on with a sale, West Ham "want to be a part of that conversation", per Alex Crook.

He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip being posted to their YouTube Channel:

"One player we believe is on West Ham's radar is the Arsenal Striker Folarin Balogun. He had such a good season in the French League last year. Will he get the opportunity at Arsenal?

"Well he might you know because Gabriel Jesus is injured for the start of the season but if they are open to offers, West Ham will want to be part of that conversation I'm told."

Would Folarin Balogun be a good signing for West Ham?

While the east Londoners were able to pull themselves out of a potential relegation scrap earlier than the year before last season, they were still in a perilous position for much of the campaign, and one of the reasons for that is their lack of goals.

Across the entire season last year, the club scored just 42 goals, with only seven teams scoring less than them; even the relegated Leeds United and Leicester City found the back of the net more often than David Moyes' side.

Unsurprisingly, the individual scoring statistics aren't much better, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma ending the year as the Hammer's league top scorers on a paltry six goals a piece and Michail Antonio following close behind with just five.

From looking at these numbers, it's easy to see just how Balogun could dramatically improve the side's overall attacking performance.

In just 34 Ligue 1 starts for Stade Reims, the 22-year-old "golden" talent, as described by scout Jacek Kulig, scored 21 goals, provided two assists and won four Man-of-the-Match awards, per WhoScored.

If the Irons lose Scamacca, as it looks like they might, Balogun could be the ideal replacement and dramatically improve their attacking output next year.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in Brazilian starlet Marcos Leonardo, as Steve Cooper bids to add firepower to the front line at the City Ground.

The Reds will want to push on from securing survival in their Premier League return last season, however, reinforcements must be made to add further quality to the side.

What’s the latest on Marcos Leonardo to Nottingham Forest?

As reported by news in Brazil, relayed by Sport Witness, Forest are ‘observing’ Santos forward Leonardo in a potential summer swoop.

The report claims that the Midlands side are weighing up whether to make an official offer for the youngster, with some reservations over his suitability for the English game.

Earlier in the year, the 20-year-old was linked with a Premier League move with Arsenal being the side in question, suggesting the quality of the striker who is valued by FootballTransfers at €21.1m (£18m).

How good is Marcos Leonardo?

Lauded as being a “natural goalscorer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the forward could be the perfect acquisition for Cooper’s side.

In the Brazilian Serie A, the Santos forward has made eight goal contributions in 11 appearances, securing him an average match rating of 7.15 in the league competition, via Sofascore.

While his movements in the domestic schedule are impressive, the budding talent shone at the U20 World Cup, in which he scored five and assisted once in just five games for his country.

Clinical in nature, the dynamic forward has been dubbed as a “killer in the penalty area” by Kulig, providing an obscene amount of threat in the final third for a player so early into his career.

For Forest, it’s integral to add goal-scoring options considering the calibre of the creative individuals on show at the club who could take the side to the next level if handed a competent goal-getter.

While nominated striker Taiwo Awoniyi netted ten goals last term in the Premier League, the robust line leader lacked the ruthless edge that could make the difference between survival and relegation next season.

As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old missed eight big chances and registered only 0.6 shots on target per game in the league, calling for further reinforcements to challenge the Nigerian.

Cooper could strike gold by capturing a rival in Leonardo, who averaged 1.2 shots on target per game for Santos in Serie A, highlighting that he could fulfil expectations in areas lacking by Awoniyi.

Described as “frightening” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the 20-year-old is identified to have strengths in agility, reactions and decision-making, as per scouting site Total Football Analysis.

A forward that excels in reading the game could be fundamental to Forest’s progression, as well as getting the best out of star attackers Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson, who could benefit from the signing of the young Brazilian.

Highlighted as being a player that enjoys helping his teammates build attacking scenarios, the two Forest playmakers could flex their status in the final third with the added flair of the Santos star.

With 47 goals in his career already, the 2003-born ace could be the perfect target for Cooper to chase this window.

Ian Bell has stepped down as captain of Warwickshire in all formats of the game having been dropped from their T20 side

George Dobell19-Aug-2017Ian Bell has stepped down as captain of Warwickshire in all formats of the game having been dropped from their T20 side.Bell, aged 35, has not made a Championship century since the first match of the 2016 season and, in this year’s campaign, is averaging just 24.64. Warwickshire, bottom of the Division One table, are deep in relegation trouble.Jonathan Trott will captain Warwickshire’s Championship side until the end of the season. Grant Elliott has taken over as the T20 captain, with the Bears set to play a NatWest Blast quarter-final against Surrey on Friday.The decision comes after a difficult few months for Bell. Dropped by England in both Tests and ODIs in 2015, it was anticipated that he would plunder county attacks on his return to the domestic game. But the runs have simply not come and, since the start of the 2016 season, he is averaging only 30.02 in first-class cricket.It is understood Bell was highly disappointed with the decision to drop him from the T20 side, although it is not impossible he will be recalled before the season’s end.As part of the deal to bring Adam Hose to Warwickshire this season, it was agreed he would not play against Somerset. With both Somerset and Warwickshire having qualified for the T20 quarter-finals, they could well meet on Finals Day when Bell would be the obvious option to replace Hose.Meanwhile, Warwickshire have made an approach for Durham’s T20 captain Paul Coughlin. Coughlin has developed into a crucial player for Durham but, given their parlous financial state and lowly position in the Division Two table, a further exodus of players from the club is a distinct possibility.

Shafiul Islam has also found a spot in Bangladesh’s 14-man squad for the Test series beginning on August 27

Mohammad Isam19-Aug-20171:15

Isam: Questions over Mominul’s omission

Bangladesh have recalled allrounder Nasir Hossain, who last played a Test in August 2015, and medium-pacer Shafiul Islam, who last played in October 2016, for the first Test against Australia in Mirpur from August 27.Squad changes

In: Shafiul Islam, Nasir Hossain

Out: Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Subhasis Roy and Rubel Hossain

Mominul Haque was dropped from the squad for the first time since his debut in March 2013, alongside senior batsman Mahmudullah, who was dropped after the first Test in Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. Imrul Kayes, who batted at No. 3 as a replacement for Mominul in the second Test in Sri Lanka, was retained in the 14-man squad.After the end of the Sri Lanka tour, Mahmudullah scored a match-winning hundred against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy and helped Bangladesh reach the semi-final, but his return to the Test squad based on ODI form had been unlikely.Mominul was the subject of a number of questions during the press conference in Mirpur on Saturday. Chief selector Minhajul Abedin and coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who is also part of the selection committee, maintained that they didn’t want to change the winning combination from the Colombo Test in March. Mominul’s form in the last two Tests was given as a reason too.”Mominul made just one fifty in the last six innings,” Abedin said. “He was dropped because of his form. Imrul and Soumya are ahead of them. Soumya has four fifties in the last eight innings during this period, averaging 45.75. So that’s why Mominul went below in our consideration. He is our first choice among those not in the team. It is not the end of his career because he is dropped for the first Test.”Mominul is not unlucky because based on current form, others are ahead of him. There’s less pressure playing in away Test than a home game, so we didn’t take that into account.”Nasir last played against South Africa in 2015 while Shafiul played the Chittagong Test in October last year. The pair impressed in domestic limited-overs tournaments last season, as well as practice matches in the ongoing training camp in Dhaka and Chittagong. Nasir did well in the National Cricket League, averaging 109.33 in four innings, but in the Bangladesh Cricket League, he averaged just 30.87 in eight innings. Shafiul took 11 wickets in three matches in this season’s BCL.Hathurusingha informed that Nasir was picked as a like-for-like back-up for Mosaddek Hossain, who is suffering from an eye infection.Squad for the first Test: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Shafiul Islam.BCB XI for 2-day practice match against Australians: Mahmudullah (capt), Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Irfan Sukkur, Mohammad Saifuddin, Subashis Roy, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Tanbir Hayder, Jubair Hossain, Abul Hasan

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their efforts to bolster the club's ranks during the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

According to the Daily Mail, the Light Blues are one of the clubs interested in signing Sunderland attacker Tom Watson to improve their academy options ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Teddy Bears boss Michael Beale is eyeing up a swoop for the 17-year-old marksman alongside a number of unnamed Premier League sides, who have been alerted to the player's contract situation.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

The report claims that the talented starlet is now in the final year of his deal at the Stadium of Light and talks have stalled over an extension with Tony Mowbray's side, which has opened the door for the Gers to move in.

He is yet to put pen to paper on a professional deal with the Black Cats and this means that Beale would be able to sign him for a 'minimal' fee due to it being a cross-border switch.

How many goals did Tom Watson score last season?

The exciting young forward reportedly struck 13 goals at U18 level and chipped in with two goals in seven appearances for Sunderland's U21 outfit as he made the step up towards the end of the campaign.

Watson's impressive progression at such a young age suggests that the dynamo has the potential to be Zak Lovelace 2.0 for the Light Blues.

His compatriot joined the Gers from Championship side Millwall last summer, at the age of just 16, and enjoyed a phenomenal debut campaign in Scotland.

The 17-year-old prodigy plundered 18 goals and ten assists across 36 academy appearances, which earned him a first-team debut against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership in May.

Lovelace showcased his versatility across the frontline during the 2022/23 season as he played at least five matches as a right winger, left winger, and as a centre-forward. This makes his return in front of goal all the more impressive as the prolific finisher maintained consistent form despite being deployed in different areas of the pitch.

Watson, meanwhile, has played in all three of the aforementioned positions for Sunderland's academy over the years and displayed his ability to score and create goals.

The Black Cats teen scored seven goals and assisted nine in 20 league appearances at U18 and U21 level combined last term, which caught Mowbray's eye as the English manager decided to reward him with a first-team bow against Huddersfield in the Championship in April.

These statistics show that the emerging hotshot, who scored eight goals in 19 U18 league matches throughout the 2021/22 campaign, is a versatile attacker who can contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis, like Lovelace.

Watson, who was hailed as "inventive" by journalist Josh Bunting, has clearly shown enough promise to attract interest from Rangers and the Scottish giants must now push to win the race for his signature.

The England U17 international could be Lovelace 2.0 for the Light Blues if he is able to adapt to life in Scotland in the same way that the ex-Lions prodigy did last season, which could leave Beale with two terrific young prospects with the potential to break into his first-team over the years to come.

Leeds United defender Maximilian Wober is “close” to completing a temporary summer move to Borussia Monchengladbach, according to reliable reporter Phil Hay.

When did Maximilian Wober join Leeds?

The Whites centre-back only arrived in Yorkshire from RB Salzburg back in January and was a regular feature of the first-team for the remainder of the season having made a total of 19 appearances, but despite him still having another four years to run on his contract, there’s a chance that he could be set for an early departure.

The Austria international was originally signed by former boss Jesse Marsch and has since had to deal with plenty of inconsistency in the dugout having also been managed by Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, a situation that regardless of Daniel Farke being appointed, has seen several other players leave Elland Road.

So far this summer, Brenden Aaronson, Marc Roca, Robin Koch and Rasmus Kristensen have all secured loan exits, whilst Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts have both completed permanent switches to Al Rayyan and Birmingham City respectively, as per Transfermarkt, and the 25-year-old could be about to follow in their footsteps if the following update is to be believed.

Is Maximilian Wober leaving Leeds?

Taking to Twitter, Hay revealed that Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach are circling for Wober’s services and are set to finalise his signature despite club chiefs wanting to retain him at Leeds. He wrote:

“Max Wober close to joining Borussia Monchengladbach on a season-long loan. Clubs discussing a permanent option. Leeds planned to keep him but he told them ahead of the friendly with Monaco that he wanted to take the move.”

As a result of only been appointed over the summer, Farke won’t yet have had the chance to see what Wober is capable of in matches first hand, but the centre-back wasn’t short of praise from former boss Marsch, who claimed: “The one thing I know about Max is he's a leader. He is a very intelligent player and he's gifted. In that sense, he can play multiple positions.”

Leeds’ 6 foot 2 colossus, who pockets £35k-per-week, does indeed bring wonderful versatility to the squad having operated at left-back, defensive midfield and left midfield alongside his natural role throughout his career, but that’s not the only reason why the board should be doing everything they can to keep him beyond the summer window.

The Forza Sports Group client last season ranked in the 99th percentile for blocks and was averaging four clearances per top-flight game, highlighting just how much he put his body on the line to help the side, despite his individual and the team’s collective failed efforts to avoid relegation to the Championship.

The Whites even considering sanctioning the temporary sale of Wober seems crazy, let alone being in the process of negotiating a permanent clause within the terms of his prospective switch, so it certainly looks like the 49ers would be making a huge mistake by letting the defender go in the days and weeks ahead.

The former Saurashtra Cricket Association secretary becomes the eighth member of the panel, even though he is 73 years old, and as such over the age cap (70) suggested for BCCI office bearers

Arun Venugopal28-Jun-2017Niranjan Shah, the former Saurashtra Cricket Association secretary, has been added to the BCCI’s new committee to identify the difficulties in implementing the Lodha recommendations even though he is 73 years old, and as such over the age cap (70) suggested for BCCI office bearers. A board official, however, clarified that Shah was brought in as “an invitee” – which meant – “he will deliberate in the committee, but won’t have a vote in case it comes to it”.Shah joined a panel led by Rajiv Shukla, which also included BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, vice-president TC Mathew, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, Nabha Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Meghalaya Cricket Association, Jay Shah, the joint-secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association and Sourav Ganguly, president of Cricket Association of Bengal and the only cricketer out of the eight.Shah’s presence is understood to be a shot in the arm for the old guard of the BCCI which has resisted the reforms. According to sources, he, along with fellow disqualified office-bearer N Srinivasan, who isn’t a part of the committee, will look to check the influence of Shukla and Choudhary, who are seen by some members to be in favour of adopting the Lodha reforms.”Now that Niranjan and N Srinivasan are on the same page, the opposition to the Lodha report at the SGM gained momentum,” a senior state association official from the south zone had told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. Another official from the west zone said that Srinivasan had suggested the inclusion of a few members to the committee at the SGM. “Apart from Shah, he wanted the likes of Ranjib Biswal to be added to it”.The committee is set to have its first meeting on July 1 – the same day the Committee of Administrators, which has been overseeing BCCI affairs, has scheduled a meeting of their own. With Shah joining in as an invitee, it is expected that there will be considerable debate over at least two stipulations the BCCI is unwilling to adopt – the age cap of 70 years for office bearers and the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between. Shah is understood to be opposed to both.The board’s new committee has to submit its report on July 10, with the next hearing of the Supreme Court case involving the Lodha recommendations on July 14.

Mark Cosgrove has a new contract that will keep him at leicestershire until 2019 and he also has another century

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2017
ScorecardMark Cosgrove will stay at Leicestershire until the end of 2019•Getty ImagesMark Cosgrove’s unbeaten century helped leave Leicestershire in a healthy position following the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship against Sussex, for whom Jofra Archer shone with the ball.It was confirmed before play that Cosgrove had signed a one-year contract extension with Leicestershire, tying him to the Foxes until the end of 2019, andthe Australian celebrated with a masterful 122 not out at Grace Road.That was the 32-year-old’s second century in successive matches and allowed the Leicestershire captain to guide his side to 322 for seven at stumps.Opener Paul Horton (71) and number nine Zak Chappell, who contributed 40 to an unbroken 51-run stand with Cosgrove, also impressed as Sussex paceman Archer threatened to run through the hosts.The 22-year-old, playing only his 12th first-class match, bowled with intelligent accuracy as well as hostility on an essentially good pitch to finishwith five for 61 from 25 overs of unremitting effort.Without his contribution, Sussex’s acting captain Chris Nash may have been left to rue his decision to exercise the away team’s right to bowl first.The morning had seen Leicestershire openers Horton and Harry Dearden bat through a rain-interrupted session during which only 17 overs were possiblewithout being parted.Once the shower clouds had cleared, however, Archer struck twice in a spell of eight consecutive overs from the Bennett End, during which he conceded only 11 runs.He dismissed Dearden with a quick, rising delivery which seamed away from the left-hander, Chris Jordan holding a smart catch to his left at first slip, andproduced a similar ball which took the shoulder of Colin Ackermann’s bat to give Stiaan van Zyl a simple catch at third slip.Cosgrove then had to fight hard to preserve his wicket, and was fortunate to survive after being squared up on a number of occasions, but once Archer came out of the attack, the Australian played with fluency and freedom, hitting eight boundaries in reaching his 50 off just 70 balls.At the other end, the experienced Horton dug in, taking 126 balls to reach his own half-century, but was bowled driving loosely at an Archer delivery thatseamed back to hit the top of off-stump.Ned Eckersley was caught at mid-on trying to hit spinner Danny Briggs out of the attack, and both Mark Pettini and Tom Wells looked to be beaten by pace as they were trapped lbw by Archer.Cosgrove stood firm, however, reaching his century off 144 balls, and with Archer finally tiring, Chappell’s late contribution saw the Foxes through to athird batting bonus point.

Tottenham Hotspur might have to start preparing for life without their main man, and yet the potential replacements being touted would go a long way towards easing fan worries.

What players are Tottenham Hotspur signing?

The latest regarding this search for a Harry Kane successor comes from French outlet Foot Mercato, who claim that, should the England captain depart north London, Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani is one such option.

Ange Postecoglou is reportedly ready to move should the unthinkable happen, which has been made more likely given Bayern Munich remain undeterred by Spurs' apparent reluctance to sell, with a third bid is expected soon.

Having already welcomed James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon this summer, as well as turning Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro's loans into permanent deals, this window has already proved revolutionary for the new head coach.

However, the arrival of the French forward could be truly instrumental in ushering in this promising new era, which could begin without their star striker.

How good is Randal Kolo Muani?

Back in May, it was revealed that Daniel Levy had held talks with various data experts, in an effort to replicate the success currently enjoyed by the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford, starring on relatively shoestring budgets.

The latter have been lauded for this 'Moneyball' approach, in which they offload their big assets for huge profits, and replace the output of one player with numerous cheaper ones. The sales of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma, whilst painful at the time, paved the way for their eventual promotion from the Championship.

It could be argued that finally, fans are starting to see this kind of intelligence, which saw the Seagulls actually finish above Spurs last season, showcased in their own transfer strategy.

Although Richarlison endured a tough debut campaign in north London, it could be argued that by giving him the right environment to shine, which Kolo Muani would only encourage with his entrance, the combined efforts of these forwards could more than make up for the gaping vacancy Kane would leave.

Last term, for a side that finished just seventh in the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old posted a mouth-watering 40 goal contributions (23 goals, 17 assists) across all competitions from both central striker and on the right wing.

He has swiftly grown to become one of the outstanding stars of German football, with Kylian Mbappe having even praised him as he burst onto the national scene too:

"He is a striker who offers different game options to our team. He is very complete and has an impressive volume of play."

To place the £45m-rated livewire, who also ranks in the top 3% for assists and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90 when compared to other forwards across Europe, alongside their Brazilian marksman, it is clear to see how his arrival could be the catalyst that truly kickstarts a stuttering career.

Last campaign Richarlison scored just one Premier League goal all season, whilst the year before he notched ten with a further five assists for a struggling Everton side that narrowly avoided the drop.

In the right conditions, which Postecoglou will now seek to foster, the 26-year-old finisher could finally recapture that form that spurred Levy to spend £60m for his signature last summer.

Should they both hit the ground running in the coming term, which could be devoid of the man who scored 30 league goals just last year, then fans would at least have their pains eased through the combined exploits of these two lethal assets who could create for one another.