Wolves forward Hee-Chan Hwang has been praised for his performance in his side's draw at Molineux, with his work-rate and energy drawing particular applause from journalist Liam Keen.

How did Hwang play against Everton?

Everton scored a late equaliser to deny Wolves a win in their final home game of the season, but Hwang gave a good account of himself, and opened the scoring in the first half, finishing as the ball rebounded to him after a sensational run and shot from Adama Traore.

The 26-year-old was given a 7.2 rating by SofaScore, as he scored, completed 82% of his passes, and won two fouls in a toughly contested battle.

Speaking on Express & Star after the match, Keen singled out Hwang as Wolves' best player, and praised his commitment to the side.

"Four goals this season, three in the Premier League. all three of them have been tap-ins. I can't criticise Hwang for not scoring worldly goals either, he's in the right place at the right time," he stated.

"He has good instincts, good finishing and on his overall play today, Hwang, I thought he was excellent. He was probably Wolves' best player, he ran himself into the ground and had to come off in the second half because he was so knackered."

Can Hwang be an option for Wolves next season?

Hwang's strike was his third of the season in just ten league starts, with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Diego Costa and Raul Jimenez preferred to him throughout the campaign.

The former Salzburg forward has hardly been prolific for Wolves, scoring just eight times in 61 games, and despite his strong display against Everton, it remains doubtful that he can be a starter for Julen Lopetegui's side next season.

Jimenez may depart the club as he enters the final year of his deal, and Wolves could dip into the market for a more prolific goalscorer, but Hwang could prove to be a solid rotational option.

The South Korea international can provide cover across the front line, having played near-equal amounts on either wing or through the middle, and if he can continue to deliver committed displays like he did against Everton, he could endear himself to Lopetegui and the Wolves fans for next season.

Wolves secured Premier League safety, but will be looking to kick on next season and avoid a relegation battle again, and more quality additions are necessary in the summer.

Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali says his side is excited about the opportunity to take part in a day-night Test for the first time, a sentiment echoed West Indies batsman Darren Bravo

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali has said his side is excited about the opportunity to take part in a day-night Test for the first time, a sentiment echoed by West Indies batsman Darren Bravo in Dubai less than 48 hours before the first Test in the three-match series kicks off under the lights at Dubai Sports City.”Obviously it’s different. It’s a first game for us with a pink ball and it’s a day-night game,” Azhar said at a press conference in Dubai on Tuesday. “We played one or two games, players have had experience with the pink ball in the domestic circuit but internationally it’s the first game. It’s a different challenge but we’re all excited about it and I think it will be very exciting for the crowd as well to come and watch this game.”I think the game is important but we had enough time in the middle. We had five to six sessions with the pink ball. The players also played in the first-class final and a few other games. They do have a little experience of that as well. We have been practising really hard and have had quite long sessions, so I think we have enough idea of this ball.”Though reviews from players have mostly been positive regarding the overall visibility of the ball during night-time training sessions, Azhar said one issue that had popped up was the ability to recognise the seam of the ball, in part because it is black on the pink ball whereas the seam is white on a red ball. Azhar felt it may pose a slight advantage for spin bowlers.”The seam is different,” Azhar said. “It’s hard to see the seam, especially with the spinners. You can’t really spot the seam. It’s a different challenge and we will get to know it better as we play more.”Bravo also said players from the West Indies had similar experiences with picking the seam, both in some first-class matches played in the West Indies last season as well as during the three-day warm-up match that concluded on Sunday.”I think most of the guys have complained about the fact that they’re not really able to pick up the seam that well,” Bravo said. “I don’t know for whatever reason but we can’t do anything about it. It is what it is and we need to accept the challenge as quickly as possible and just go out there and give it our best shot.”The West Indies batsman also stated that, despite some reservations about playing at night with a pink ball, he maintained a positive outlook for the concept, especially if it can help revitalise crowd numbers in places where attendances have been on the decline.”We played a couple first-class [day-night] games back home,” Bravo said. “It had a few crowds. Most of the guys had their take on it. It had some positive feedback, it had some negative feedback to be honest but whatever is put in place to encourage a crowd is definitely beneficial to Test cricket.”

New Zealand Cricket has announced its domestic T20 tournament will run from December 4 to January 7, coinciding with the Christmas holidays

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2016New Zealand Cricket has announced a revamped schedule for its domestic T20 tournament, in a bid to make it more family-friendly and convenient to attend. The 2016-17 McDonald’s Super Smash – there has been a sponsor change, too – will run from December 4 to January 7, coinciding with the Christmas holidays. Also, the matches will mostly be played in the afternoons, and will be held at popular holiday spots – including Central Otago, Nelson and Mt Maunganui – to allow vacationing families to attend.The final will be played at the home venue of the top-placed team at the end of the round-robin stage – this team gains automatic entry into the final – to avoid poor attendances at the title match. In all, of the 32 games, 15 will be televised.Last year, the tournament was held from November 5 to December 13.NZC chief executive David White said of the changes: “There has always been a ‘happy days’ element to that time of the year and we think it’s perfect for attracting New Zealanders of all demographics – mums, dads, teen and tweens.”The twenty-over format is all about entertainment and having fun, and we have unashamedly built the competition around that.”

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.”

Newcastle United 'will be looking' at Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer as Eddie Howe seeks to strengthen his squad in the summer at St James' Park, according to journalist Keith Downie.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harvey Barnes?

As per Football Insider, Leicester City are set to demand over £50 million for Barnes this summer, regardless of whether they stay in the Premier League or suffer relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

The outlet report that Newcastle United are keen on the 25-year-old, who is also attracting attention from Tottenham Hotspur and a number of clubs in the English top flight.

90min claimed last month that the Magpies were tracking Barnes ahead of the off-season as they plan to 'invest heavily' in squad additions in order for Howe to beef up depth on Tyneside ahead of 2023/24.

Barnes is open to a new challenge and is willing to leave the King Power Stadium and could be joined by teammate James Maddison, who has also attracted interest in his services, namely from Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Downie thinks that Newcastle should be targeting players like Barnes and Maddison as they prepare for next term: “For any of these players, Newcastle must be an appealing place to come right now, with everything you see on matchdays.

“They could be playing Champions League football next season, and the club is on the rise. Without a doubt, those are the sort of players Newcastle will be looking to bring in.

“The biggest challenge is whether they can fit into the wage structure.”

How has Harvey Barnes faired for Leicester City this season?

Barnes, who has been described as almost being a "superstar", has been a rare bright spark for Leicester City this season, though he may not be able to dig them out of their relegation trouble.

In 2022/23, the England international has made 38 appearances in all competitions, registering 12 goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored shows that Barnes has been a constant offensive threat for the Foxes this term, managing to take an average of 2.2 shots per match in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, his high goal tally means that Barnes, compared to his positional peers, ranks favourably in the metric of non-penalty goals across Europe's top five divisions, as he has achieved 0.40 per 90 minutes over the last 365 days, placing the £35k-a-week ace in the tenth percentile for this statistical curation, as per FBRef.

Newcastle United may need to enter the market for a winger this summer as uncertainty over the future of Allan Saint-Maximin continues and Barnes could fit the bill as a capable replacement.

Vietnam's recent rise has been impressive, but they'll need a miracle to make it through the group stages

Vietnam are one of eight teams making their Women's World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Making it to the grandest stage of them all, though, would have seen fancical when they played their first ever game in 1997.

However, steady improvement over the past decade means they will be mixing it with some of the best players on the planet in Group E. The United States, the Netherlands and Portugal are their opponents – three extremely tough tests on paper.

Vietnam will therefore need a minor miracle to make it through to the knockout stages, but the fact that they have made it here at all is a source of enormous pride back home. Their journey begins with a daunting match against reigning champions, the U.S., where they'll be hoping to avoid a heavy defeat in front of a global television audience.

• Getty
  

  How they got here

  The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup was used to determine World Cup qualification in Asia. The tournament was hosted by India and each squad was subjected to strict coronavirus rules. The hosts themselves even had to withdraw from the competition after a spate of Covid-19 cases decimated their playing ranks.

  Vietnam were placed in Pot Three for the draw and ended up in a strong group alongside 2011 World Cup winners Japan, South Korea and Myanmar. As expected, they found it tough. Japan and South Korea each helped themselves to 3-0 victories over Vietnam, with their game against Myanmar ending 2-2.

  Despite earning just one point, they squeezed through to the knockout stages as the second-best third-placed team, due to Iran losing each of their group games. Vietnam met eventual winners China in the quarter-finals, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat.

  However, salvation came in the form of another safety net. As a result of the World Cup being expanded to 32 teams, an additional automatic place was available via a round-robin play-off contested between each of the fallen quarter-finalists – minus Australia, who qualified automatically as hosts.

  Vietnam began with a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over fierce rivals Thailand and a second win over Taiwan meant they topped the group and progressed to their maiden World Cup. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy was the hero in the second, decisive game, dedicating her winner to her late father, who passed away in 2016.

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• Getty Images
  

  A rising power in Asian football

  Although they remain well behind China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, Vietnam have emerged as the leading footballing power in Southeast Asia in recent years.

  They have won the women's football tournament in each of the past four SEA Games, most recently defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the 2023 final in Cambodia. Vietnam also won the 2019 AFF Women's Championship, shocking hosts and bitter foes Thailand in the final.

  The fact that they have made it to the World Cup, and their long-time rivals have not, makes their maiden tournament appearance all the sweeter. The next step in their development will be looking to challenge the AFC's big four, though this is easier said than done due to the vast resource gap.

• Full squad

  Position	Player	Club
  Goalkeeper	Tran Thi Kim Thanh	Ho Chi Minh City
  Goalkeeper	Khong Thi Hang	Than KSVN
  Goalkeeper	Dao Thi Kieu Oanh	Hanoi
  Defender	Chuong Thi Kieu	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Tran Thi Thu Thao	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Tran Thi Thu	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Luong Thi Thu Thuong	Than KSVN
  Defender	Le Thi Diem My	Thank KSVN
  Defender	Tran Thi Hai Linh	Hanoi
  Defender	Hoang Thi Loan	Hanoi
  Defender	Nguyen Thi My Anh	Thai Nguyen T&T
  Defender	Tran Thi Thuy Nga	Than KSVN
  Midfielder	Duong Thi Van	Than KSVN
  Midfielder	Tran Thi Thuy Trang	Ho Chi Minh City
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy	Ho Chi Minh City
  Midfielder	Thai Thi Thao	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Ngan Thi Van Su	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung	Phong Phu Ha Nam
  Forward	Huynh Nhu	Lank Vilaverdense
  Forward	Pham Hai Yen	Hanoi
  Forward	Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang	Than KSVN
  Forward	Vu Thi Hoa	Ho Chi Minh City

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• Getty Images
  

  The MVP

  This wasn't a hard choice. Huynh Nhu is Vietnamese football's first superstar. Not only is she her country's all-time leading scorer with 67 goals in just 103 caps, Nhu is also the only player in the squad who plies her trade overseas.

  In August 2022, she was snapped up by Portuguese side Lank FC Vilaverdense. Located in Braga, the team are reported to be increasing her salary to around $3,200 per month next season following an impressive maiden campaign in Europe.

  The move is a source of enormous national pride back home, with coach Mia Duc Chung telling FIFA.com: "It is a great honour when a European country signs a South-east Asian player, a Vietnamese one. It’s a big achievement for Huynh Nhu and I think it's an honour for our country. She is a good example for our female players to follow and it will help Vietnam women's football to be well known and respected."

  The five-time Vietnam Golden Ball winner is a set-piece wizard and chipped in with some vital goals in qualifying. If they are going to make the net bulge this summer, she is the most likely player to do it.

Aston Villa qualified for the Europa Conference League on the final day of the campaign with a 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz both got on the scoresheet to ensure that the Villans finished seventh in the top flight, which means that European football will be coming to Villa Park next season.

Unai Emery must now use that to his advantage by bolstering his squad with new signings in the upcoming summer transfer window to make sure that his team is ready to compete on multiple fronts in 2023/24.

The Villans were linked, in April, with a possible €30m (£26m) swoop to sign Valencia central midfielder Andre Almeida and the gem could be a long-term replacement for current captain John McGinn.

Who is Andre Almeida?

He is a combative 23-year-old maestro who could come in as competition for the spots in the middle of the park with a view to him taking the skipper's place in the future.

McGinn turns 29 later this year and the Valencia star could come in to put pressure on the Scotland international before eventually taking his starting berth.

In La Liga this season, the youngster has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 33 appearances and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game.

McGinn, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match across 34 outings in the Premier League for Villa.

These statistics suggest that there is not much to separate the pair from a defensive perspective as they are both capable of winning the ball back for their side multiple times throughout clashes at the top level.

Almeida, who journalist Zach Lowy once described as one of the Portuguese top-flight's "breakout" stars, is also able to provide creativity in possession. The former Vitoria maestro has created 1.3 chances per game and registered four assists in the top tier of Spanish football.

He has also racked up 9.71 progressive passes and carries combined per 90 over the last 365 days, which places him in the top 15% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions, and this means that the ace regularly progresses the ball up the pitch with his passing and dribbling qualities.

Whereas, the Villa captain produced 0.6 key passes per match for Emery's side in the Premier League and has managed 5.82 progressive carries and passes combined per 90 over the last 365 days, which leaves him in the bottom 50% of players in his position.

This indicates that the Valencia ace would offer more quality on the ball than the Scotsman in terms of being able to open up the opposition's defence and drive his team forward.

Therefore, Almeida could be a dream replacement for McGinn as the Portuguese dynamo has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop and could grow into being a midfielder who can offer as much as the Villa ace defensively whilst being able to provide more in possession.

Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s four-for and Veda Krishnamurthy’s half-century sealed a 3-0 series win for India against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Veda Krishnamurthy struck her second fifty in the three-match series•IDI/Getty Images

Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s 4 for 34 helped India women defend 199, after Veda Krishnamurthy’s 71 had helped set it up, as West Indies women were whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI series. The duo had led India to win in a similar pattern in the first ODI as well – Gayakwad had taken a four-for and Krishnamurthy had scored a fifty.This was both teams’ final ICC Women’s Championship game. West Indies, who needed just one win at the start of the series to seal automatic qualification to the World Cup next year, remain in fourth place with 22 points. They now have an outside chance of missing out on automatic qualification, should South Africa whitewash Australia in the three-match series beginning from November 18. India finished the campaign with 19 points, and will have to earn their qualification to the World Cup.Put in to bat, India suffered a top-order wobble as no batsman from the top four went past 25. India were crawling at 52 for 3 in the 21st over before Krishnamurthy salvaged the innings. She first took the score past 100 along with Harmanpreet Kaur in a stand of 51 for the fourth wicket, and then past 150 in the company of debutant Devika Vaidya with whom she put on 57 for the sixth wicket.India managed 39 runs in the last 31 balls, after Krishnamurthy fell for 71 (79b, 10×4) in the 45th over. Vaidya finished unbeaten on 32 off 45, and Jhulan Goswami scored a useful 18 off 16. Chedean Nation, returning to international cricket after seven years, took 2 for 21 from her seven overs.West Indies’ top order gave them a steady start in their chase. Hayley Matthews (44) put on 49 for the opening stand with Shaquana Quintyne (18) and 20 for the second with Kycia Knight (55), before Gayakwad trapped her in front. West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor and experienced batsman Deandra Dottin scored 14 each, but there were no significant partnerships till Merissa Aguilleira (22) put on 46 with Knight for the sixth wicket.They kept the chase alive, before Aguilleira was run out with West Indies still needing 34 off 32. Gayakwad then removed Knight, followed by Britney Cooper, in the 47th over. She also removed Anisa Mohammed in the 49th in between two run-outs, that saw West Indies lose their last five wickets for just 18 runs.

Liverpool have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Lazio phenom Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after his value has been slashed with just one year left on his current contract.

What's the latest on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Liverpool?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Serbian gem could be available for just €26m (£22m) this summer, amid mounting interest from Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all played their final game for Liverpool and will depart Anfield, along with forward Roberto Firmino, at the conclusion of their contracts in a few weeks, and the 28-year-old Lazio star could be an astute addition to replenish the ranks.

Lazio will listen to offers and would rather sell him than allow him to depart for nothing in one year, especially given the Eagles have returned to the Champions League and are one match away from securing second place in Serie A.

Should Liverpool sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Milinkovic-Savic has enjoyed a blistering campaign and ostensibly been the centrepiece of Lazio's seasonal success in returning to the Champions League after a two-year absence – on course for their highest finish since winning the Scudetto in 1999/00.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the machine has scored nine goals and supplied eight assists from 35 Serie A matches this term, averaging 1.7 shots and 1.2 key passes per match and making 1.6 tackles and 1.3 clearances per game, earning an average rating of 7.16.

He has donned the captain's armband on 14 occasions this season too, and could bring both leadership and attacking quality to Liverpool's centre as Klopp seeks a resurgence to lift his outfit back to the forefront after the summer.

As such, he could be Klopp's own version of Manchester City phenom Ilkay Gundogan, with the first-rate German midfielder among the creme de la creme on a global scale and imperative to the illustrious success of his team, having notably gleaned five Premier League titles and the FA Cup – also in the final of the latter competition again and the Champions League this season.

The 32-year-old actually used to play for Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, where they won two Bundesliga titles and the DFB Pokal together, which bodes well for Milinkovic-Savic, with the Reds' German boss perhaps best fit to unlock the full scope of his skill set on Merseyside.

The £99k-per-week Serb, hailed as a "different beast" by journalist Sacha Pisani, ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for rate of assists, the top 12% for touches in the attacking box and the top 2% for aerials won, illustrating his devastating box-crashing prowess as a progressive central force.

Gundogan, comparatively, ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 20% for rate of assists and the top 3% for touches in the attacking box, and it's clear to see that both aces are superlative forward-thinking midfielders.

Klopp could unlock a "magic" new dimension – as he was dubbed by teammate Ciro Immobile – with the acquisition of Milinkovic-Savic, and must seek to emulate Pep Guardiola's success with the Citizens by providing his team with a new midfield general to orchestrate a resurgence.

A wrap of all the Group A fixtures from the third day of second round matches in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2016Centuries from Abhinav Mukund, the captain, and Dinesh Karthik helped Tamil Nadu set Railways an improbable 401 for victory in Bilaspur. Railways, who took the first-innings honours, were driven by Saurabh Wakaskar (54) and Shivakant Shukla (52) as they ended on 108 without loss.Tamil Nadu resumed on 161 for 1 and lost Abhinav in controversial circumstances in the first over of the day, as soon as he had brought up his century. Abhinav, who wandered outside the crease in celebration after completing the second run, was run-out when the wicket-keeper collected the throw and relayed it back to a fielder, who took the bails off at the non-striker’s end. Abhinav argued that the ball was dead, only for the umpires to rule in favour of the fielding team since the ball was in play.It was the Karthik show from there on, as he smashed 24 boundaries in a 145-ball 163 to drive the game forward. He was assisted by Kaushik Gandhi (42) and Baba Indrajith (52) as Tamil Nadu declared on 424 for 7, leaving Railways with the task of surviving close to four sessions to walk away with three points.Kedar Devdhar’s century kept Baroda alive in their quest to pull off an unlikely win after Mumbai took an 18-run lead on the third day at Palam grounds in New Delhi. Baroda ended on 321 for 5, leading by 303 at stumps.Devdhar (145) was complemented by Aditya Waghmode (66) in a 177-run opening stand before Akhil Herwadkar’s part-time offspin separated them in the 54th over. Deepak Hooda built on the solid start to remain unbeaten on 66. Earlier, Mumbai, resuming on 313 for 8, were bowled out for 323. That they forged a recovery from 172 for 6 was largely due to the efforts of Herwadkar (106) and Balwinder Singh Sandhu (64).Yuvraj Singh’s 76 helped Punjab set up a bold declaration on 175 for 9, leaving Madhya Pradesh with a target of 307 in Lahli. They ended on 26 for 1.Punjab, who took a 131-run lead, were tottering on 66 for 4 before being rescued by Yuvraj and Taruwar Kohli, who put on 90 for the fifth wicket. Ishwar Pandey, the medium-pacer who picked up eight wickets in the first innings, took his match tally to 11 for 127, his second-best figures in first-class cricket.Uttar Pradesh came within 56 runs of taking a lead, but it was Bengal who took the first innings honours on the penultimate day of their Group A fixture in Jaipur. Bengal ended the day with an overall lead of 86 with all wickets intact.UP, resuming on 126 for 3, were bowled out for 410. They were driven by Umang Sharma’s 136, and his 139-run fourth-wicket stand with Sarfraz Khan (85). Kuldeep Yadav raised hopes of UP taking an unlikely lead with his 63, but Aamir Gani, the offspinner, dismantled the tail to finish with 3 for 72.