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Rangana Herath took the last four wickets to seal a big win for Sri Lanka after Bangladesh’s top collapsed in the first hour of the final day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle11-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:48

Fernando: Herath a fourth-innings force of nature

Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.Leading the final charge was Rangana Herath. He was unstoppable as ever in defence of a score, and picked up record for most career wickets for a left-arm spinner en route to figures of 6 for 59. This was his 29th five-wicket haul overall, and his 10th in the fourth innings – no one in the history of the game has got more than seven.Batting in the fourth innings in Galle is among the most daunting of Test cricket’s challenges, and although Bangladesh suggested they might approach the task with spunk on the fourth afternoon, fell away quickly on Saturday. This was their third day-five collapse in four matches, having also failed to draw matches in Wellington and Hyderabad. Save for a 19-over stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, there was little in the way of resistance. They were eventually all out for 197 – 259 runs short of Sri Lanka.Their woes had begun immediately on day five. Soumya Sarkar, who had sped to fifty the previous afternoon, almost sent a catch to short leg off Asela Gunaratne first ball, but was out next ball in any case, Gunaratne’s offbreak jiving away from his defence to shave the top of off stump.The top order then quickly succumbed. Dilruwan Perera came to the crease to bowl to Mominul Haque, and trapped the batsman with much the same delivery that had got him out in the first innings. Flighted in to pitch on around middle stump, Perera turned the ball, beat the shot, and rapped a leaden-footed Mominul dead in front of middle stump. So scrambled was the batsman’s mind, that he even ventured a heedless review of that lbw decision though he never really thought he had a chance of surviving it – walking most of the way to the boundary before the third-umpire could even run the simulations.Tamim Iqbal soon sent a catch to slip off Perera, before Herath made his presence known with a double-strike that drew him level with Daniel Vettori’s career wicket tally of 362. Shakib Al Hasan was caught at leg slip off one that turned a little more than the batsman expected, then two balls later, Mahmudullah was lbw to a delivery that spun past his defence as well. At that stage, Bangladesh had lost five wickets in 12.4 overs.Mushfiqur and Liton mounted a brief fight through the back end of the first session, lending hope that Bangladesh might be able to survive until the afternoon rains came. But by now Galle’s pitch – itself often a force of nature – had become unfriendly, and even the bad balls turned far enough to draw mistakes. Lakshan Sandakan turned a ball way down the legside in the over after lunch, and Mushfiqur got himself out chasing it and offering a thin edge to the keeper. Sandakan had dismissed Shakib in similar style in the first innings.Herath then soon had Liton caught off the leading edge at cover to take his 363rd Test wicket – which made him the game’s most successful left-arm spinner – and the tail exposed now, the result seemed inevitable. Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman all fell to Herath. All up, Bangladesh could only last 45.2 of the 98 overs they were due to bat on the day.

Leeds United's transfer policy for this summer window has already been well-documented, with interim sporting director Nick Hammond seeking to hone his focus on domestic markets.

Already the Whites have largely been linked with lower-Premier League or upper-Championship talents, in an effort to escape the latter at the first time of asking.

However, the 49ers must first choose the new manager who will hopefully spearhead this venture before they can truly delve into the market.

That is not to suggest that they will not still gather options, as one report from early June suggests that Sory Kaba is an anomaly within their list of targets.

Despite spending half of last term on loan at Cardiff City, the hulking striker has now returned to his parent club FC Midtjylland, fresh off some blistering form in the English second division.

Should the Yorkshire outfit make a move to bring him back to the league, it could mark the acquisition of a man already well-versed in finding the net at this level as well as the end of the line for Patrick Bamford.

Who is Sory Kaba?

The 29-year-old forward endured arguably his toughest year since moving to Elland Road, having struggled with injuries and then failing to recapture any semblance of form when it mattered.

Many would look to his high-profile misses as a huge factor in their relegation, given the forward failed to score a whopping 13 big chances across the league campaign.

This understandably fed into his 6.60 average Sofascore rating, given the nearest tally within the squad for such a miserable metric sat at just four.

Whilst the England dud was squandering sitters, the 27-year-old Bluebirds ace was finding the back of the net with some regularity. As such, he could well be the striker that finally sends Bamford packing.

Eight goals and one assist in 17 Championship appearances marked an admirable return, and across all competitions including his initial spell in Denmark, he would notch 18 goal contributions.

Blending this lethal nature with a 6 foot 3 frame too, he clearly boasts the physicality to compete within English football, with manager Sabri Lamouchi praising the in-form front man in March:

"This is the challenge for him, to be the best scorer for this team. He can do that. He's scored important goals, he's given us important points and is doing a job. I'm happy for him and happy for the team."

Leeds will be desperate to secure a consistent source of goals for the coming season regardless of who ends up in charge, and this £15k-per-week finisher offers a perfect option to provide just that.

A round-up of the Group D games in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, which took place on February 25, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017Hyderabad seamer Ravi Kiran and left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan took three wickets each to help their side bowl out Jammu & Kashmir for 228 and set up a 29-run win. A 70-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Parvez Rasool and Ahmed Bandy, which came at more than eight runs an over, had put J&K’s chase of 258 back on track after quick wickets. However, once both batsmen were out, the lower order slumped quickly – J&K lost their five wickets for 22 runs to fold in the 43rd over.Earlier, fifties from openers Tanmay Agarwal and Akshath Reddy carried Hyderabad to 257. Their 127-run opening partnership gave Hyderabad a platform strong enough to survive a brief slide where they lost four wickets within five overs, before S Badrinath and Hasan nudged the score past 200. Hasan remained unbeaten on 28 off 26 balls, having seen the side through to 257.MS Dhoni’s 50-ball 43 and Saurabh Tiwary’s 68 were not enough to help Jharkhand chase down a target of 267 against Karnataka, who won by five runs with only one ball to spare. The pair came together with Jharkhand at 79 for 4 in the 20th over and added 81 runs to put the chase back on track. After Dhoni fell, Tiwary kept the chase alive with a rapid 39 runs for the seventh wicket with Shabaz Nadeem off 26 deliveries. However, Tiwary’s dismissal in the 42nd over left Jharkhand with another 63 to get and although the lower order strung up partnerships, the side was eventually dismissed off the penultimate ball of the game. Rahul Shukla was the last man to fall, run out for 23 off 20 balls, having driven the lower-order partnerships. K Gowtham had returns of 4 for 58.Shukla had earlier taken 4 for 45 in his nine overs as Karnataka were bowled out for 266. Ravikumar Samarth (71) and Manish Pandey (77) struck fifties and shared a 116-run partnership for the third wicket. Pavan Deshpande, too, chipped in with 36 off 34 balls.Seamer Suraj Yadav and wicketkeeper-batsman Nakul Verma played stellar hands in Services’ 48-run victory over Saurashtra.Yadav struck three times in his first two overs – including two wickets off two balls in the first over – to leave Saurashtra’s chase of 263 in trouble. Their score of 6 for 3 soon became 44 for 5 and they only managed to limp to 215 due to half-centuries from Prerak Mankad (58) and Jaydev Unadkat (57). Yadav returned to pick up one more wicket for figures of 4 for 47.Earlier, Verma’s second List-A century, 124 off 132 balls at the top of the order, set the base for Services’ total of 263 for 9. The remaining Services batsmen got starts but only Soumya Swain made a substantial contribution among them, with 32 off 36 deliveries. Seamer Shaurya Sanandia took 4 for 67 for Saurashtra

Cobras continued their strong show in the second half of the Sunfoil Series to complete a 151-run win over Knights in Paarl inside three days

Firdose Moonda04-Feb-2017Cape Cobras’ stunning second-half-of-the-season surge continued as they beat log-leaders Knights in Paarl to lie in second-place with one round to play. Cobras were last on the points table at the halfway stage, with little over half the points of their nearest rival, but have reeled off three wins in a row under new coach Ashwell Prince and new captain Dane Piedt, and are now serious title-contenders.On a juicy surface, Cobras chose to bat against the competition’s best attack and struggled to cope. Duanne Olivier (4 for 43) and Shadley van Schalkwyk (4 for 40) sliced through them to dismiss the hosts for 154 in 52.2 overs. Justin Ontong’s 38 was the top score with only four other batsmen getting into the 20s.Knights’ joy was shortlived, though. They finished the first day on 137 for 6 with wickets shared among four of Cobras’ frontlines including franchise debutant Kyle Simmonds. Things did not get easier for Knights on the second morning – they lost their last four wickets for 16 runs and were bundled out for 153, giving Cobras a one-run lead.Play was briefly interrupted by smoke from a nearby bush fire which allowed Cobras to compose themselves after they slipped to 22 for 2 in their second innings and they went on post the highest total of the match. Kolpak signings Stiaan van Zyl and Dane Vilas made 106 and 62 respectively and contributions in the 40s from Ontong and Jason Smith pushed their total over 300.Olivier was among the wickets again and finished the match with seven to extend his lead at the top of the bowling charts but Knights were given a tough target of 332 to win. With more than a day to play, time was on their side but Piedt had other ideas. He took 6 for 87, while Simmonds chipped in with the other four, to dismiss Knights for 180 on the third afternoon and dent their hopes of claiming the first-class cup.

Tottenham Hotspur target Conor Gallagher may be a 'better signing' for the Lilywhites than Leicester City playmaker James Maddison but the latter is more likely to sign, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest transfer news involving Conor Gallagher and James Maddison?

According to Football London, Tottenham have identified Chelsea midfielder Gallagher as a target this summer as they look to strengthen their engine room under Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs have shortlisted the £50k-a-week earner following a meeting between Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy to discuss their transfer priorities for this window.

On the other hand, The Northern Echo claim that Tottenham are now 'strong favourites' to sign Maddison from Leicester City in the off-season amid interest from Newcastle United in his services.

The England international reportedly has designs on moving to London and that is said to have put Spurs in pole position to land Maddison despite the Magpies being able to offer him Champions League football in 2023/24.

Contractually, Maddison has one more year on his deal at the King Power Stadium before it expires in June 2024 and he pockets around £110,000 per week, as per Capology.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks that Gallagher may actually be a 'better signing' for Spurs than Maddison this summer.

Brown told FFC: "Of the two, you could argue that Gallagher might actually be a better signing for Spurs. That being said, it does seem that Spurs are trying harder to get Maddison than they are for Gallagher. I haven't heard they're out there pushing for Conor Gallagher right now. So, of the two, I think that it's more likely that Maddison goes there."

Would Conor Gallagher and James Maddison both improve Tottenham Hotspur?

Gallagher and Maddison could both add some fresh energy to Spurs' midfield heading into next term, which will be needed as they try to recover from a disappointing eighth-placed finish last time out.

In 2022/23, Gallagher made 45 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, registering three goals and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Maddison enjoyed a productive campaign at the King Power despite suffering relegation, notching ten goals and nine assists in 32 outings for Leicester City, as per Transfermarkt.

Movement with regard to outgoings in midfield at Tottenham may be a key factor in whether Gallagher or Maddison pitches up at Hotspur Way this summer.

SPORT BILD journalist Christian Falk has confirmed on Twitter that experienced Spurs ace Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg could be one name to make way this window amid interest from Bayern Munich in offering him an escape route from N17.

Nevertheless, it will become more apparent in the next few weeks where Tottenham's transfer priorities lie as they get ready for the new season under Postecoglou.

Warwickshire have appointed Jim Troughton in a newly-created role of first team coach – but they are still waiting on the future of Ashley Giles

George Dobell15-Dec-2016Warwickshire have appointed Jim Troughton in a newly-created role of first team coach – but they are still waiting on the future of Ashley Giles.Troughton, who led Warwickshire to the County Championship title as captain in 2012, was previously assistant coach and has been associated with the club since he was 11. He will oversee all first team issues and work with the club’s existing coaches Alan Richardson (bowling) and Tony Frost (batting and second team). He is well thought of by the players.While Warwickshire still hope to appoint Giles as their new director of cricket – he is very much their first choice – Lancashire remain reluctant to release him from the final year of his contract. Giles is currently contracted to Lancashire until the end of 2017, with the club insisting they had a verbal agreement for a longer deal. Conversations between the clubs continue.It was originally hoped by Warwickshire that Giles would be party to the appointment of the new first team coach but, with players now back in training, the club felt it was necessary to provide some stability.Injury forced Troughton to retire from playing prematurely in 2014, and he has since worked as assistant coach and recently completed his ECB Level 4 coaching qualification.”Jim is widely recognised as one of the finest leaders in the club’s history and the team made outstanding progress during his time as captain,” Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire CEO, said. “He has been a Bear since the age of 11 and so understands the unique culture of the club and has worked closely with our captain Ian Bell for many years as a player and coach. We are very confident that they will form a strong partnership to take the team forward.”Jim has continued to demonstrate his leadership qualities since moving into coaching and, in accepting this new role, he will take control of all matters relating to the senior men’s squad including preparations for the new season and our pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This is a key appointment for the club that has been made both with a focus on the 2017 season but also with an eye to the future and we look forward to Jim working closely with our new director of cricket once he has been appointed.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the verge of their squad taking a huge hit this week as captain Ruben Neves is set to complete a move away from the club.

The Portuguese midfielder is poised to join Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in a deal reported to be worth €55m (£47m) as the Premier League side have decided to cash in on the former Porto prodigy with one year remaining on his contract.

Julen Lopetegui will now be in the market to replace the 26-year-old with The BBC claiming that the funds from the sale will be used to strengthen the squad.

Who could replace Ruben Neves at Wolves?

Wolves could find their heir to the current skipper by securing a deal to sign reported transfer target Kouadio 'Manu' Kone from Borussia Monchengladbach, who is valued at £35m by the German side.

The 22-year-old dynamo is a defensive-minded midfielder who could unlock the best out of Old Gold forward Matheus Cunha by providing a shield in front of the back four to free up the attackers to do what they do best in possession.

He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match in the 22/23 Bundesliga campaign and this suggests that the French talent is able to have a similar impact to Neves, who made 3.7 per Premier League outing in the season just gone.

His ability to drive forward with the ball could also mean that Cunha is able to take up better positions in the final third instead of needing to drop deeper in order to get involved in the game.

Kone ranks in the top 4% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues over the last 365 days for successful take-ons completed per 90 (1.97) and has made 2.04 progressive carries per 90 in that time.

Whereas, Neves has averaged 0.57 successful take-ons and 0.83 progressive carries per 90 in the Premier League for Wolves over the last 365 days, suggesting that the Gladbach powerhouse would be a significant upgrade in terms of moving the team up the pitch to open up space for others to thrive in the final third.

Cunha only scored two goals in 19 domestic matches for the club in 22/23 but his tally of 13 goals and 11 assists in 56 league games for Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin combined through 20/21 and 21/22 suggests that there is far more to come from the Brazilian ace.

Kone, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once described as a "one-man army", could slot in behind Cunha in the team and use his defensive screening and progressive dribbling to provide the ex-LaLiga ace with a better platform from which to build a successful Wolves career next term.

Cameos from Darren Sammy and Umar Akmal late in Rajshahi Kings’ innings gave them enough momentum to beat Rangpur Riders by 12 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDarren Sammy’s 18-ball 44, along with Umar Akmal saw them add 70 runs in the last 37 balls•BCBRajshahi Kings’ bowlers latched on to the momentum of Darren Sammy’s late assault to defend 162 and beat Rangpur Riders by 12 runs. Rajshahi rose from 94 for 5 to post 162 thanks to a 70-run partnership between Sammy and Umar Akmal for the sixth wicket, which came off only 37 deliveries. That was sufficient to put Rangpur under pressure, given their most successful chase in this season was 126.Losing Mohammad Shahzad in the seventh over was a blow for Rangpur but Mohammad Mithun and Nasir Jamshed led a brief recovery, adding 40 runs for the second wicket. Mithun waged a lone battle after Jamshed fell, and then watched as Soumya Sarkar, Anwar Ali and Liam Dawson were dismissed, leaving the score at 119 for 5 in the 17th over. With a six over long-on, Mithun reached his fifty in the 18th over, and Rangpur went into the last two overs needing 28.Mohammad Sami, however, bowled a tight penultimate over, giving away just three singles. Mithun slammed his fourth six in the final over but his unbeaten 64 off 36 balls was not enough to take Rangpur over the line.Earlier, Rajshahi’s innings got off to a rollicking start as Sabbir Rahman struck four boundaries and a six before falling in the seventh over for a 24-ball 31. Rangpur fought back in the next seven overs to reduce Rajshahi to 94 for 5.Sammy and Akmal hit a flurry of boundaries, taking 17, 15 and 23 off the last three overs. Sammy struck three fours and four sixes – over long-off, square-leg and midwicket – in his unbeaten 44 off 18 balls, while Akmal hammered two fours and a six in his 33 not out

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale has made a head start to his transfer business at Ibrox, signing Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling and Kieran Dowell on free transfers, and they have all been tied down before the transfer window even opens.

Unfortunately, the Light Blues don’t have a mass fortune to spend in the transfer market, meaning free transfers will potentially make up the bulk of the incomings and any other business will largely be assisted by the 42-year-old moving on some deadwood in the squad that is surplus to requirements.

The likes of Scott Wright and Jon McLaughlin are likely to be sold, while Antonio Colak, who only joined last summer, could also depart. Another name who should be let go is Kemar Roofe, as the striker could still bring in a decent transfer fee.

He only played six times last season, struggling with a variety of injury issues which kept him out for 35 matches in total, hardly justifying his £26k-per-week wage.

There is no doubting his quality, with the 30-year-old netting 36 times in just 78 appearances, yet, having another season where he barely features will be a waste of precious funds which could be spent elsewhere, especially with the Ibrox side looking for new strikers following the departure of Alfredo Morelos.

Could Rangers sign Nikola Krstovic this summer?

The Gers were linked with Krstovic as far back as February according to Football Insider, with the same outlet claiming the club had scouted the 23-year-old on ‘several occasions’ with a view to signing him this summer, although a reported fee of between £4m-£5m was being demanded by his club, Dunajska Streda.

Beale looks like he is about to agree a deal to sign Sam Lammers from Sampdoria, however, his goal record isn’t nearly as good as the Streda hitman, netting only twice all season compared to the 26 goals the Montenegro international has scored.

He obviously knows how to find the back of the net on a regular basis, having scored a total of 81 club career goals and with five caps for his country too, he has emerged on the international scene, further underlining his capabilities.

A goal every 117 minutes in the Slovakian top flight last term was better than all but one player in the Gers side who played over five Premiership matches, suggesting that he could be a regular scorer under Beale if he maintained his current form.

Journalist Josh Bunting had plenty of praise for the 23-year-old last year, saying: “Nikola Krstović scoring again for DAC 1904, I honestly can see a big enough side take a punt on him sooner rather than later, only 22 but what a talent he is and he’s showing it in Europe this season. He’s aggressive and he’s clinical. Has all the attributes you want in a striker.”

Roofe underwent surgery back in March to sort out his hip injury, however, there is no set timeline on his return to the first team picture and perhaps Beale may be best moving him on in order to launch a move for a player such as Krstovic this summer.

Manchester United fans are desperate to see Paul Scholes come out of retirement after he scored a fantastic goal in Soccer Aid last night.

Who won Soccer Aid?

The Charity football match took place at Old Trafford on Sunday evening with global superstars such as Usain Bolt, Liam Payne, and Mo Farah involved – while former players like Gary Neville, Francesco Totti, and Jack Wilshere all took part as well.

In the end, The World XI beat England 4-2 but the home nation did actually lead the match at one point and it was all thanks to a throwback moment from Scholes.

Indeed, as captured in the official Twitter footage below, the ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty box with the 48-year-old arriving just in time to lace it into the bottom corner with trademark quality.

Scholesy rolling back the years â¤ï¸Donate to #SoccerAid for @UNICEF_uk👉 https://t.co/5N6Vi0ty0U pic.twitter.com/up2GTArO7k— Soccer Aid (@socceraid) June 11, 2023

It was quite reminiscent of the 2008 Champions League strike against Barcelona – albeit, that effort flew into the top corner and came in a far more important fixture.

Even so, it certainly served as a fine reminder of the technical quality Scholes possessed as a player and it seems that ability hasn’t left him even in retirement.

Unsurprisingly, a number of fans flocked to social media to enjoy the footage. Here are some of the best Twitter reactions…

Some even think he’d still do a job in the current team and is better than some current stars.