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There has been an update in Arsenal's pursuit of Brentford goalkeeper, David Raya, with the Gunners seemingly closing in on the signing of the contract rebel…

How much is David Raya worth?

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the north London outfit having seemingly moved a step closer to sealing a move after agreeing personal terms with the 27-year-old, with the Spaniard seemingly destined for an exit with just a year left on his existing deal in west London.

Writing on Twitter, the respected insider stated: "Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms. Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate."

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

This claim has also been supported by the Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, who revealed that the ex-Blackburn Rovers stopper – who is valued at around €20m (£17m), according to CIES Football Observatory – is set to command a fee of £40m.

Is Raya better than Ramsdale?

While that figure may appear rather steep for a player who is approaching the end of his current contract, there is an argument to be made that the Barcelona-born ace could represent a big upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates, with Raya having been branded a "better keeper" by talkSPORT pundit, Gabby Agbonlahor.

Although Ramsdale was crucial in the Gunners' attempted push for the Premier League title last season – having been branded "phenomenal" by club legend David Seaman – the England international did endure something of a rough patch in the latter stages of the campaign.

Despite his heroics away at Anfield in April – in which he was "fantastic" according to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – the 24-year-old was culpable after conceding a goal inside 27 seconds in the 3-3 draw to bottom side Southampton, having been punished amid his attempt to play out from the back.

That had come after the former Sheffield United man had also failed to keep out Jarrod Bowen's equaliser in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United, with Jamie Carragher stating on commentary at the time that Ramsdale would be "disappointed" not to have kept the attempt out.

Those woes have continued on pre-season as the one-time Bournemouth 'keeper also failed to save Bruno Fernandes' long-range effort against rivals Manchester United, while he 'could arguably have done better' for Jadon Sancho's subsequent strike, according to football.london's Kaya Kaynak.

To then oust Ramsdale from his starting berth with a player who made the most saves in the division last season in the form of Raya could be a wise move, with the Bees ace having also been hailed as "top class" and "one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League" by pundit, Michael Owen (Premier League Productions, 06/03/2023, 19:35).

Raya's notable strength appears to be his ease at playing out from the back as he ranks in the top 6% among his European peers for touches made, while the current Arsenal man, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 12% in that regard.

Crucially, however, the Gunners target is also adept at keeping the ball out of the net as he ranks in the top 8% with regard to save percentage and in the top 7% for crosses stopped as a sign of his ability to dominate his area, while Ramsdale ranks in just the top 23% and the top 50% for those same two metrics, respectively.

With Raya also a master at racing off his line to sniff out danger, as he ranks in the top 20% for defensive actions outside of the penalty area – in contrast to Ramsdale (top 40%) – it may be that the one-time Southport loanee is set to be more than just a quality backup option next season.

The city might be gaining a new familiarity with the feeling of hosting international cricket, but there is additional meaning to this latest match, given the identity of the visiting team

The Preview by Danyal Rasool28-Oct-2017Big PictureAnd so it comes again: for the fifth time this year, Gaddafi Stadium will attract global attention for doing what it was first built to do over 50 years ago: host an international cricket match. Sri Lanka are the visitors this time, the team that has been least fussy about playing cricket in Pakistan over the years. That was to their detriment in 2009, with the attack on their team bus, and Pakistan’s status as a venue has been paying the price ever since. A number of big names from Sri Lanka’s line-up are missing, not able to bring themselves back to the scene of the devastation their peers faced on a bleak March morning on their way to play a cricket match.But Pakistan have been more determined about getting international cricket back, particular this year, no matter the cost. The security detail and lockdown of the city in preparation is something Lahoris are beginning to get used to; it comes with the territory these days. It would perhaps be best to focus on what takes place inside Pakistan’s most famous sporting venue as a Thisara Perera-led Sri Lanka look to avoid yet another 2017 limited-overs whitewash. Dead rubber it may be, but the Gaddafi Stadium tomorrow will be brimming with life.Sri Lanka will be bitterly disappointed there isn’t more at stake, given their position of dominance for large parts during the second T20I in Abu Dhabi, where only a penultimate-ball six from Shadab Khan allowed Pakistan to sneak to victory. The visitors needed the win much more, for both confidence and pride. This is a young team put together under exceptional circumstances, expected to play against one of the world’s most in-form teams, and pushing them as they did last night was no mean feat.Pakistan will be eager to take advantage of a rare opportunity to play at what really is home, and should need no further motivation to turn up.Each of these players are aware that these crowds may only be able to see them a handful of times in their careers, and do their best to grab the opportunity. In any case, it would be a bit of a shame for them to amass such a long winning streak in the UAE, only to see it snapped in Lahore.Form guideSri Lanka LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWLWIn the spotlightAhmed Shehzad has found himself pushed out of the ODI side by the dashing young Imam-ul-Haq, and only played the T20Is because of his form in the format against the World XI. However, two disappointing scores against a depleted Sri Lanka side means he should be dreading the axe in the shortest format too. With competition for the opening slot heating up, he needs a big performance to end the series on a high note, and to make a stronger case for T20I selection even as younger players look to take his place. His form in Lahore last month was outstanding, and returning to the Gaddafi may rekindle the confidence he has clearly been lacking of late.Seekkuge Prasanna is one of the more experienced players in Sri Lanka’s side, but his numbers haven’t done that experience justice. He played the last two ODIs as well has both T20’s, but has picked up only one wicket – none in the T20I series. He hasn’t compensated with runs either, never reaching 25 and averaging 15. Yet he has shown glimpses of why he’s in the side, and why the captain appears to trust him. But if Sri Lanka are to cause an upset, he’ll need to do more than that, and a high-profile game like this would be a good time to do it.Team newsWith the series wrapped up, Pakistan may experiment, although given the unique nature of this ‘dead’ rubber, everyone will want to start. Therefore, it isn’t unlikely that Pakistan may reward the side that won the series with a starting place in Lahore, going unchanged for three games straight.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Khan.Sri Lanka looked good in the second game, and might rely on the momentum they’ve built to challenge tomorrow. As such, the same eleven wouldn’t be a total surprise, although Lahiru Gamage bowled well in the ODIs and may merit a place.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Dilshan Munaweera, 3 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 4 Ashan Priyanjan, 5 Seekkuge Prasanna, 6 Mahela Udawette, 7 Thisara Perera (capt), 8 Dasun Shanaka/Lahiru Gamage, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Sachith Pathirana, 11 Vikum Sanjaya.Pitch and conditionsThe start time was brought forward by an hour for fear of excessive dew playing spoilsport in Lahore. The weather in the evening is much more pleasant than anything the players will have experienced in the UAE, and the ball is likely to come on to the bat much better. The winner of the toss is likely to bat first.Stats and trivia If Pakistan make no changes to their side, Usman Khan will play an international in Pakistan for the first time. The other ten players haveall played international cricket in their home country. If Sri Lanka lose tomorrow, it will be their 16th straight defeat in a limited-overs international.

Sri Lanka have become the eighth and final team to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup, following West Indies’ seven-wicket defeat against England in the first ODI at Old Trafford.With September 30 set as the cut-off date, West Indies (78 points) now cannot move ahead of Sri Lanka (86 points) in the ICC ODI rankings, irrespective of how their remaining matches against England pan out.They had gone into the five-match series needing to win by either 4-0 or 5-0 to amass enough points to leapfrog Sri Lanka, but their fate was sealed in a 42-over-a-side contest in which a Jonny Bairstow century guided England past their victory target of 205 with more than 19 overs remaining.Sri Lanka, World Champions in 1996, now join Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa as the confirmed participants in the 2019 event, which will be held in England between May 30 and July 15.West Indies, two-times champions in 1975 and 1979, must now compete in a 10-team qualifier in 2018, where they will be joined by the bottom three sides in the ICC team rankings – Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland – as well as the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League Division 2. The top two sides will complete the World Cup line-up.”You always know there’s the potential of that [not qualifying direct], we knew it was going to be a tough ask,” said Toby Radford, West Indies’ batting coach. “But we are very positive as a group and are trying to develop in all formats. If it means the qualifiers next year, it means the qualifiers next year and we’ll build our way back up.”Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka’s ODI captain, was relieved to have avoided that fate: “It’s no secret that we have been going through a tough time, but I want to say a big, big thank you to our fans who’ve kept faith with us when things looked bleak.”ICC events have always brought out the magic in Sri Lanka cricket, and I look forward to proving that once again.”We have a clear plan toward the World Cup, and we will work hard at achieving each step. As we say in the dressing room, – Little ‘w’s [wins] add up to make the big ‘W’ – so that’s what we’ll be focusing on and I know you will see Sri Lanka’s special brand of cricket out there once again soon.”

If Vernon Philander could do The Oval Test all over again, he would. And he would do it feeling the way he does now because that is infinitely better than the way he felt last week.Philander spent most of the third Test in the toilet, “losing quite a lot of fluids, top and bottom”. The same could be said of South Africa’s performance.The top order was guilty of not posting enough runs, especially in the first innings, and the bowling lacked the discipline required to contain England. Philander’s all-round ability was missed and he knew it. “In any bowling line-up, if there’s a link missing, you feel it and I’m quite an important part in that line-up,” Philander said. “I could feel my intensity was missed.”Don’t read that as a man talking himself up, read it as an international sportsperson speaking from a place of professionalism. Philander was picked to play – and the merits of including someone who was obviously ill have already been discussed on these pages – so that is what he wanted to do.He fronted up on the first morning and took the new ball even though South Africa’s initial hope was that they would bat first and he would have some extra time to recover. That day, Philander bowled 12 overs; in the innings, he bowled 17; and in the match, 32, which amounted to 17.4% of the total overs South Africa sent down. It cannot be a coincidence that at Lord’s, where Philander was coming back from an ankle injury sustained in a county stint and where South Africa also lost, he only bowled 13% of the total overs whereas at Trent Bridge, where Philander was Man of the Match, he delivered 23.9%, almost a quarter.Perhaps the more telling impact of Philander’s absence was that the most he could provide in a single spell at The Oval was five overs. While he could create pressure early on, he was unable to sustain it and neither was anyone else in the attack despite tailor-made conditions. Under thick cloud and in humidity, Morne Morkel turned in one of his best performances for little reward but Kagiso Rabada struggled for rhythm and Chris Morris with inconsistency. All Philander wanted to do was get better enough to get in on the action. “It was frustrating not to be out there or to bowl longer spells,” he said.It was even more frustrating watching the chance to win the series slip past South Africa, especially as Philander knows what victory in England tastes like. He is one of only three members of the current squad who played in the 2012 matches and took the Test mace off England at Lord’s. Philander had one of the most important hands in that victory after scoring fifty and taking a five-for. Then, a South Africa side that shone with superstars like Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn may not have realised how much they relied on Philander. Now, they know exactly how much they do. It is more than they should be comfortable with because, as demonstrated last week, if Philander is unavailable, South Africa need to have other options.It may be something that comes up in their team talks, which Philander explained involved severe self-reflection. “We’ve had a few hard chats,” he said. “We have an honesty policy and we all admitted it wasn’t our best Test match. We let ourselves down with the bat in the first innings and that’s something we would like to correct.”Philander will have a role to play in that regard because he has been promoted to No. 7 and, now that he is healthier, he can show why he has long wanted to bat higher up. “I think No. 7 is ideal for me. I enjoy having to bat longer periods,” he said. But his main role will remain with the ball in hand.With heavy cloud hanging over Manchester, rain in the week prior to the team’s arrival in the city hampering pitch preparation and drizzle expected throughout the final Test, Philander may get the chance to do at Old Trafford what he would have done at The Oval. And this time, he thinks, “there’s everything to play for”.

Ramachandra Guha, the prominent historian who stepped down from the Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators (CoA), has left with a scathing resignation letter that expresses frustration with inaction over conflicts of interest, superstar culture, poor treatment of domestic players who don’t play IPL, among other issues.”It has been clear for some time now that my thoughts and views are adjacent to, and sometimes at odds with, the direction the Committee is taking as a whole,” Guha wrote.Here is a summary of Guha’s concerns:Conflict of interest of coaches
Guha was unhappy with the system where national coaches are contracted for 10 months a year and then go away for IPL duty. Rahul Dravid, R Sridhar, Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun are examples of coaches who are, or have been, part of the support staff of both national teams and IPL franchises.Guha also alleged preferential treatment when it came to awarding these contracts. “The more famous the former player-turned-coach, the more likely was the BCCI to allow him to draft his own contract that left loopholes that he exploited to dodge the conflict of interest issue,” he wrote. “I had first raised this issue to my COA colleagues in an email of 1st February, and have raised it several times since. I had urged that coaches and support staff for national teams be paid an enhanced compensation, but that this conflict of interest be stopped.”Guha went on to mention an NCA camp where at least one national coach was not available because of IPL duties.Conflict of interest of commentators
Guha said Sunil Gavaskar was a BCCI-contracted commentator and the director of PMG, a player management company, which has Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan on its rolls.”Sunil Gavaskar is head of a company which represents Indian cricketers while commenting on those cricketers as part of the BCCI TV commentary panel,” Guha had written to his colleagues on March 19. “This is a clear conflict of interest. Either he must step down/withdraw himself from PMG completely or stop being a commentator for BCCI.”Without naming possibly Sourav Ganguly, Guha wrote: “One famous former cricketer is contracted by media houses to comment on active players while serving as President of his State Association.”Superstar culture in awarding national contracts
Even though the new contracts rewarded Cheteshwar Pujara’s Test performances, Guha also noted: “As you will recall, I had pointed out that awarding MS Dhoni an ‘A’ contract when he had explicitly ruled himself out from all Test matches was indefensible on cricketing grounds, and sends absolutely the wrong message.”Ramachandra Guha questioned awarding a Grade-A contract to MS Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket in 2014•AFP

Superstar captain
In all likelihood, India’s coach Kumble will not get an extension of his contract even though India have won every series bar one – a rain-affected T20 dash against West Indies in USA – under his watch. The reason being given by BCCI officials is that Kumble has lost the trust of the captain Kohli. The news broke a day after Kumble made a presentation for better contracts for all stakeholders.”Kumble was left hanging, and then told the post would be re-advertised afresh,” Guha wrote. “Clearly, the issue has been handled in an extremely insensitive and unprofessional manner by the BCCI CEO and the BCCI office-bearers, with the COA, by its silence and inaction, unfortunately being complicit in this regard.”Guha questioned the timing and intent of the advertisement for the coaching job. “If indeed the captain and the Head Coach were not getting along, why was not this attended to as soon as the Australia series was over in late March?”Surely giving senior players the impression that they may have a veto power over the coach is another example of superstar culture gone berserk?”Poor payments for domestic cricketers
Domestic cricketers end up making about INR 1.4 lakh for a Ranji Trophy match, but they are paid only INR 10,000 upfront. The balance is often delayed.”There are many more Indian cricketers who make their living via the Ranji Trophy than via IPL; besides, for us to have a consistently strong Test team (especially overseas) we need a robust inter-state competition and therefore must seek to compensate domestic players betters,” Guha wrote. “And yet, shockingly, Ranji match fees have remained at a very low level (a mere Rs 30,000 odd for each day of play); moreover, cheques for match fees sent by the BCCI are sometimes not passed on by the state associations to the players.”CoA complicit in Champions Trophy pullout threats
Guha did not spare the CoA for its inaction until the last minute when the BCCI delayed the team selection for the Champions Trophy because they were unhappy with the outcomes of the ICC meetings.The BCCI meetings that decided this course of action were attended by disqualified officials such as N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah. “All these illegalities were widely reported in the press; yet the COA did not bring them to the notice of the Court, and did not issue clear directions asking the offenders to desist either,” Guha wrote.Not everyone kept in loop
In perhaps the most damning indictment of the CoA, Guha accused the commitee of changing its lawyer without informing him. “There were several crucial decisions made where all the COA members were not brought into the loop,” Guha said. “For instance, a capable, non-political Senior Counsel representing the COA and the BCCI in the Supreme Court was abruptly replaced by another Senior Counsel who is a party politician.”Male cricketer missing
Guha said he believed CoA’s inaction was down to the absence of a senior male cricketer in the committee. He said he had suggested the names of Bishan Bedi and S Venkataraghavan to the committee, but both of them were disqualified by the virtue of their age over 70. He then suggested the name of Javagal Srinath, but this was not acted upon. He ended the letter saying he hoped he would be replaced by a senior male cricketer.

Nobody got too excited when Lancashire signed Ryan McLaren but he made a major contribution to their first Championship win for almost a year

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford24-Apr-2017
ScorecardRyan McLaren might be unsung but he made a matchwinning contribution•Getty ImagesThe signing of Ryan McLaren as Lancashire’s overseas player last October did not prompt wild rejoicing in Chorley or street-parties in Bacup. “Who’s this McLaren, then?” was the gruff reaction among members more used to watching cricketers like Ashwell Prince or VVS Laxman display their skills at Emirates Old Trafford.Lancashire, though, knew what they were about. McLaren’s full-hearted performances for Hampshire had earned their respect and he was precisely the type of cricketer they needed for the scraps ahead in an eight-team First Division.So when their new signing shattered Tim Groenewald’s stumps at precisely 4.35 on Monday afternoon, Lancashire’s hierarchy, which had included Ashley Giles last autumn, could feel that their judgement had been vindicated. McLaren’s accurate, canny medium-fast bowling on a pitch offering variable bounce had earned him match figures of 8 for 113 and it had also played a major role in securing one of the most remarkable victories in the county’s history. A first Championship win, indeed, for almost a year.Just for a moment, let us rewind a little. On Friday Lancashire were bowled out for 109 on a helpful pitch. However, as head coach, Glen Chapple, said later it was not the sort of surface to justify that miserable total. By Saturday afternoon Somerset had carved out a first-innings lead of 169 only for Lancashire to amass 463 in their second dig and then bowl them out for 130. Tom Abell, Somerset’s young skipper, is discovering that it is a tough world.Much of the credit for the win will go to the centurions, Alex Davies and Liam Livingstone, and rightly so. Indeed, Livingstone’s efforts last season and this were acknowledged on Monday evening when he was awarded his county cap. But Lancashire’s batsmen had only made defeat less likely; victory was achieved by the bowlers on the final afternoon and it left the Lancashire coach struggling to remember a comeback of similar proportions.”After the first innings the remainder of the game has been a sustained effort of determination, quality cricket and a team unit sticking together,” said Chapple. “The lads are delighted and it’s a fabulous way to win. It needed a remarkable effort from the batting unit and the partnership between Alex and Liam was of high quality. It was what was needed if we were going to have any chance.”Everyone can see that Liam is a big occasion player as well as a quality player but the responsibility of captaincy will help. He seems really driven and determined to do well for Lancashire and obliviously he is now a talking point for further honours. How quickly they come I’m not sure. It came a lot faster than we expected and we thought it would go down to the last few overs but it is great to get over the line early.”It is probably understandable if Chapple’s comments revealed a degree of shock. When Lancashire lost their last three wickets for seven runs halfway through the first session, Somerset needed 295 at a rate of 3.83 runs per over to win the game. It looked like a decent contest, the type that batsmen of the pedigree of Marcus Trescothick and James Hildreth might relish. Yet from the moment Dean Elgar played across the line to Kyle Jarvis just after lunch, Somerset’s batsmen were placed under pressure that never slackened.Abell was probably unlucky, as are most batsmen who are strangled down the leg side. But McLaren’s removal of the Somerset skipper was the prelude to a wonderful seven-over spell from the Pavilion End by James Anderson who accounted for Trescothick, caught at slip by Livingstone for 36, and Steven Davies, who failed to jab down on one that kept low.”You look back at phases of the game which change the course and Jimmy Anderson’s spell was certainly one of them,” said Abell. “But it was always going to be tough today and there were balls which had people’s names on them unfortunately.”Abell’s judgement is fair but it also does a little less than credit to the efforts of McLaren and Jordan Clark, the latter’s inclusion perhaps made possible by the fact that more bowlers can be accommodated if your wicketkeeper, Alex Davies in this case, is a quality batsman who can open the innings.Clark, indeed, made the next breakthrough when Peter Trego’s tentative push only edged the ball to Livingstone, for whom batting, captaincy, cricket and life in general must be something of a doddle these days. McLaren then removed both Hildreth and Josh Davey leg before wicket and at tea Somerset could reflect on a session in which they had lost seven wickets for 78 runs. Friday morning must have seemed the most distant of memories.The cricket after tea was notable for the exotic dismissal of Jack Leach, caught at third man by Haseeb Hameed off Clark for nought, but otherwise it was taken up with the game’s last knockings. Before long Lancashire’s players were in a joyous huddle on the Old Trafford outfield and no player seemed more delighted than Anderson, whose explosion of joy when he removed Trescothick was both a demonstration of his gut loyalties and a recognition of how important his wicket remains, at 41, to Somerset’s cricket and morale.It was Lancashire’s first win in 14 County Championship games, a run stretching back to May 24th last year. Three players, Dane Vilas, Rob Jones and McLaren were able to sing the club’s victory song for the first time. This made no great demands on their memory, for it consists of the single word “Lancashire”. Apparently Stephen Sondheim helped with the lyrics. For McLaren the joy must have been especially sweet; Lancashire supporters know who he is now alright.

Mohammad Irfan has been banned from all forms of cricket for at least six months after he pleaded guilty to failing to report details of two approaches to corrupt the game

Umar Farooq29-Mar-2017

Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been banned from all forms of cricket for a year after he pleaded guilty to failing to report details of two approaches to corrupt the game. He can return, however, after six months if he assists the PCB in their ongoing investigations into the PSL corruption scandal, and if he doesn’t breach the board’s anti-corruption code in that time. He has also been fined PKR 1 million. His ban is effective from the day he was provisionally suspended on March 14.A PCB press release said Irfan was found to be in breach of “failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.””I was approached twice and it was my mistake that I did not report it to PCB’s anti-corruption unit,” Irfan said at a press conference in Lahore. “I admit my mistake for not reporting. I ask the whole nation to forgive me if anyone is hurt by this mistake of mine.”The ban will come as a blow to Irfan as well as to Pakistan. Though he last played for Pakistan in an ODI last September and had been falling out of favour, he was recalled to the ODI squad in January for the series against Australia. He had to return home almost as soon as he arrived, however, following the death of his mother.Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami took more wickets than him in the PSL this season, but after an uncertain start following his questioning in relation to the corruption investigation, Irfan looked to be bowling somewhere near his best. Instead, he will now have to hit restart after at least a six-month break, a period in which his only cricketing activity will be to deliver lectures under the PCB’s anti-corruption education programme.Irfan, along with Shahzaib Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar, was initially questioned by the PCB’s anti-corruption unit during the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League, but was allowed to continue playing in the tournament. Earlier this month, however, Irfan was provisionally suspended from all forms after he was summoned to appear before the anti-corruption committee.Shahzaib, provisionally suspended, is also facing charges of having breached the anti-corruption code of conduct and he has till the end of this week to respond. Meanwhile, Irfan’s Islamabad United team-mates Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif are already facing up to a three-man tribunal looking into more serious corruption charges laid against them.

Sri Lanka unravelled again, losing 10 for 103 and the series in the third ODI in Johannesburg

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnother day on tour, another collapse – Sri Lanka sank from 60 for no loss to 163 all out at the Wanderers, mis-hitting short balls, hanging their bats out to give catches behind the wicket, and in general committing the same batting mistakes that will have become familiar to their fans during the past six weeks. Of their diminutive target, South Africa made short work. AB de Villiers produced a clinical 60 not out to bring his team home in 32 overs, seven wickets in hand.The hosts were far from their best in their pink gear, dropping catches and attempting needless runs, but they did not need to be at their best. They have won the series now. The two remaining games are dead rubbers.De Villiers’ hot streak at the Wanderers

100.85 Average of AB De Villiers at the Wanderers . He has three hundreds and three fifties from 10 innings.

108 Balls remaining in South Africa’s innings. This is their fifth-quickest win against Sri Lanka. Two of these wins have come at the Wanderers.

3 Number of lower scores than 163 for Sri Lanka against South Africa while batting first. Incidentally in 2002 they were dismissed for 128 at the Wanderers.

7 Consecutive series wins for South Africa at home since 2013. They have won 20 out of the 25 matches played during this period.

The hosts’ bowlers were disciplined – Imran Tahir miserly and menacing in equal measure, as usual – but there was little in the surface to warrant Sri Lanka’s loss of 10 wickets for 103 runs. A little extra bounce – hardly a surprise at the Wanderers – was responsible for the wickets of Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne and Suranga Lakmal. Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva were caught behind. Sachith Pathirana left a stock legbreak which turned to hit his off stump. Such was the quality of their batting.If it wasn’t for a 65-minute delay due to the arrival of a swarm of bees, Sri Lanka’s innings would have been even shorter. Plenty noted that the bees had spent more time in the middle than most batsmen. Only Dickwella resisted for any notable length of time, his 74 studded with spunky square-of-the-wicket shots – usually timed impeccably. Of his teammates only three others made more than five, and only Tharanga breached 20.It was Dwaine Pretorius, playing in his fourth ODI after replacing Wayne Parnell in the XI, who took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19. He was tight with the new ball, and although not especially quick, was accurate with his variations. Tahir claimed 2 for 21 in 9.2 overs, and Kagiso Rabada got two scalps as well. South Africa’s fielding was not as effective as usual, but in his 100th ODI, Faf du Plessis nevertheless managed to complete his third spectacular one-handed grab of the series, when he sprang horizontally from second slip to intercept an edge from debutant Lahiru Madushanka.Though the scorecard will suggest Sri Lanka squandered a good foundation – the openers having made 60 together – in truth, their start was inauspicious. The first boundary came off a Dickwella top edge, and Tharanga was dropped on 11 soon after – the one-handed grab at second slip too tough for du Plessis, for once.At the end of the first Powerplay, however, Sri Lanka were well-placed at 54 for no loss, both batsmen having found some fluency. Pretorius bowled tightly from the beginning, but Rabada, who would have been seen as the primary wicket-taking threat in the innings, had even been a little expensive in those early overs.But when the openers both sent catches into the air off their top edges in the 12th over, things began to unravel quickly. The first of those chances – off Dickwella on 25 – was spilled by JP Duminy, who had backtracked from backward point. The second was secured by Pretorius, and the rapid fall of wickets had begun.Dwaine Pretorius, replacing Wayne Parnell, took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19•AFPAndile Phehlukwayo removed Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal in the space of three overs with two unremarkable deliveries. Chandimal, especially, will be unhappy with this dismissal on what has been a poor tour. Seeing a full, wide delivery, he went down on one knee and nailed it in the air straight to the deep cover sweeper.When de Silva fell, and following the delay, Gunaratne also went, Sri Lanka had slid to 125 for 5. Dickwella attacked for a little while, perhaps knowing there was not much batting to come, and fell by his sword when he gloved a Pretorius bouncer to the keeper. The tail barely resisted. It was all done inside 40 overs.Lahiru Kumara bowled with characteristic spirit on ODI debut, and claimed the wicket of Quinton de Kock in the fourth over with a 142kph short ball. But though he continued to threaten through the remainder of his overs, was wayward between the good balls, and conceded more than six an over.Kumara’s opening partner Suranga Lakmal was unlucky, as he has been through the tour, gleaning an edge off Hashim Amla on 12 only for wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal to grass the diving chance. But with so much batting in South Africa’s line-up, perhaps it wouldn’t have made a major difference to the final score. Amla ran himself out for 34 anyway, though by that stage de Villiers had already begun to take the chase by the collar.Early in his innings, de Villiers dominated Lakshan Sandakan, who had dismissed him in the previous ODI, and after about 20 balls at the crease, there was no bowler that de Villiers didn’t seem capable of dictating to. He was especially active on the legside – each of his five boundaries coming there – but that was more a reflection of the lines Sri Lanka bowled to him. He took clutches of singles out to deep cover as well, and generally made a small chase seem even smaller.Sri Lanka may take heart in the bowling of Madushanka, who swung the ball away, albeit at gentle pace, and seemed a player worth a few more games at least. Apart from him and Dickwella’s innings, there was precious little to salvage from this match.

Pep Guardiola's team are on track to complete the treble thanks to the out-of-contract midfielder's stunning double at Wembley

Ilkay Gundogan was the decisive figure once again for Manchester City as they beat Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final to keep their hopes of completing the treble alive.

The 32-year-old fired the Premier League champions to an immediate lead with a record-breaking strike from distance after just 13 seconds and followed it up with another from outside the box in the second half. He now has six goals in as many games, showing once again that City cannot afford to let him leave for free this summer.

Gundogan did more than score, though, as he kept the ball moving in midfield and linked up expertly with Kevin De Bruyne, who grabbed two assists and was a constant threat with his deliveries and runs at United's defence. The pair stepped up to make the difference in place of Erling Haaland, as the super striker had a quiet game with only a couple of chances.

Two down and one to go for City, who turn their attention to the Champions League final against Inter next week.

GOAL rates City's players from Wembley Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Stefan Ortega (6/10):

  Had few shots to save until the penalty but he rushed out to stop RVarane in stoppage-time and keep his team ahead.

  Kyle Walker (7/10):

  Tasked with keeping Sancho quiet and he did a great job, giving his fellow England international no time to threaten.

  Ruben Dias (7/10):

  Another classy display in the centre of defence as he was strong in the tackle and always comfortable on the ball.

  Manuel Akanji (6/10):

  Looked sound in defence as he gave nothing away and partnered Dias well.

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  Midfield

  John Stones (7/10):

  Had a solid game in midfield, making some excellent stops in deep roles, composed on the ball and getting forward to support the attack.

  Rodri (7/10):

  Looked strong at the base of midfield, pitching in with plenty of strong tackles to protect the back line.

  Kevin De Bruyne (8/10):

  Always a danger, he set up both goals plus made some dangerous passes and deliveries from set-pieces to keep United under pressure.

  Ilkay Gundogan (9/10):

  His phenomenal end to the season just keeps getting better. Sent an incredible strike sailing into the net after just 12 seconds and then had another bounce into the bottom corner to restore the lead.

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  Attack

  Bernardo Silva (6/10):

  Escaped punishment for a kick at Shaw and was unusually quiet for the most part.

  Erling Haaland (6/10):

  Won the ball in the build up to the opener, made some smart runs but found it impossible to get enough space to be a direct threat until a shot was saved by De Gea in the 72nd minute.

  Jack Grealish (5/10):

  Felt hard done by when his handball gave United the penalty that tied things up and had a hard time getting on the ball beyond setting up Haaland for a shot in the second half.

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  Subs & Manager

  Phil Foden (6/10):

  Looked bright after replacing De Bruyne for the final 13 minutes.

  Nathan Ake (N/A):

  Came on for Grealish for the last few minutes to protect the narrow lead.

  Aymeric Laporte (N/A):

  A last-minute introduction in place of Walker.

  Pep Guardiola (8/10):

  His team had a perfect start thanks to Gundogan and were on top for large parts. Next stop: delivering an incredible treble to enhance his legendary status at City.

Somerset are preparing to stage their first England fixture next season buoyed by further proof that they are one of the most financially-stable counties in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2016

Somerset are preparing to stage their first England fixture next season buoyed by further proof that they are one of the most financially-stable counties in the country.The 2016 accounts show a pre-tax surplus of £596,700 for the last fiscal year. Earnings before taxes, interest and depreciation were £670,111, compared with £411,681 twelve months ago.Continued evidence that Somerset remains a hotbed for professional cricket comes ahead of their staging of a T20I between England and South Africa on June 23 as well as hosting matches in the women’s World Cup in England, a tournament which runs parallel to the Champions Trophy and staged in England for the first time since 1993.Somerset reported that the club benefited from the opening of the new Somerset Pavilion and exceptional NatWest T20 Blast sales with every fixture sold out. Although Somerset’s T20 form was disappointing, a late challenge for the Championship, conceded only on the final day, helped to ensure satisfactory catering and commercial revenues.Somerset’s Chairman Andy Nash said: “These excellent results crown a decade of significant financial progress. The strong growth in turnover and profit last year allow us to continue investing heavily in our cricket squad and press ahead with further significant improvements to facilities at the Cooper Associates County Ground, while paying down our borrowings on schedule.”