Brendon McCullum’s injury reduces Lions’ pool of fit overseas players to four: Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and Chirag Suri
ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2017Brendon McCullum will miss the last three matches of Gujarat Lions’ IPL 2017 season after suffering a left hamstring strain in the match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday. Lions were knocked out of contention for playoffs after their seven-wicket defeat to Daredevils.McCullum’s injury reduces Lions’ pool of fit overseas players to four: Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and UAE’s Chirag Suri. Injuries had earlier ruled out allrounder Dwayne Bravo and fast bowler Andrew Tye, while Jason Roy has returned to England on international duty.In a tweet, McCullum stated that the “compressed tournament and long travel” had taken a toll.
Injuries are not ideal but part of our sport. Compressed tournament & long travel can be gruelling. Sorry for not being there all the way.
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) May 5, 2017
With 319 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 147, McCullum is currently the second-highest run-getter for Lions this season, following up on the 354 runs he hit last season.The side, however, has struggled to match its performance from 2016 when they had reached the playoff stage. So far this season, they have three wins in 11 matches.They are also expected to be without fast bowler Nathu Singh for the rest of the tournament, reportedly due to back spasms.Lions are scheduled to play one away match – against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali [May 7] – followed by two home matches against Daredevils [May 10] and Sunrisers Hyderabad [May 13] in Kanpur.
With outgoings aplenty and reports of replacements on their way, Chelsea could field a much-changed line-up on the opening day of the Premier League season against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
It will be the start of what will be a crucial first season for Mauricio Pochettino and the Blues, who will be looking to make an instant return to the Champions League. It may take time for a new-look squad to gel, however, as the new boss attempts to find his strongest starting line-up.
With that said, we've taken a look at the potential new additions to Pochettino's line-up after the summer transfer window.
4 GK: Mike Maignan
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Following the pending departure of Edouard Mendy, Chelsea are short on a goalkeeper to compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga next season. And that's where Mike Maignan could come in, with the shot-stopper valued at £30m (via Yahoo).
According to The Telegraph, the Blues are considering making a move for the AC Milan shot-stopper this summer with Kepa's number-one spot in doubt under Pochettino.
3 CB: Levi Colwill
Not exactly a new signing, but Levi Colwill more than showed that he's capable of stepping into Chelsea's side next season after playing a key role at Brighton under Roberto de Zerbi in the last campaign.
The young defender can form a solid partnership with Wesley Fofana next season, finally adding some much-needed stability to the backline at Stamford Bridge.
It makes sense for Chelsea to keep hold of Colwill after letting Kalidou Koulibaly leave to Saudi Arabia this summer, too. The last thing they want is to be short on options.
2 CM: Moises Caicedo
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.
After playing a pivotal role in Brighton & Hove Albion's Europa League qualification last season, Moises Caicedo is unsurprisingly a man in demand this summer. And, according to reports, it is Chelsea who lead the way.
As per Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are set to open talks with Brighton for the midfielder and personal terms are not an issue as the London club prepare to go full steam ahead for a deal – though a fee will reportedly cost over £80m.
Caicedo would likely replace N'Golo Kante in Chelsea's side after the Frenchman swapped London for Saudi Arabia this summer.
1 ST: Nicolas Jackson
Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson.
According to Romano and Will Unwin of The Guardian, Chelsea have completed the signing of Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson for £31.8m, as they look to solve their goal-scoring issues.
Scoring just 38 goals last season, the London club are in desperate need of a capable goalscorer, especially with Kai Havertz on the verge of joining Arsenal.
The hope will be that Jackson, who scored 12 La Liga goals last season, can take things up a level or two under Pochettino and become the striker that's needed at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino's potential line-up: Mike Maignan; Reece James; Levi Colewill; Wesley Fofana; Ben Chilwell; Moises Caicedo; Enzo Fernandes; Conor Gallagher; Noni Madueke; Nicolas Jackson; Raheem Sterling
Yuzvendra Chahal returned the stunning figures of 6 for 25 in four overs – the best by an Indian bowler in T20I history, and the third best overall – as England’s batsmen capitulated in woeful fashion at the end of a long and fruitless tour
The Report by Andrew Miller01-Feb-2017 Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:23
Agarkar: Always an advantage to have a legspinner
Yuzvendra Chahal returned the stunning figures of 6 for 25 in four overs – the best by an Indian bowler in T20I history, and the third best overall – as England’s batsmen capitulated in woeful fashion at the end of a long and fruitless tour. In a remarkable finale, India claimed eight wickets for eight runs in 19 balls to derail what had, up to the start of the 14th over, been a spirited pursuit of 203 in the series decider.Instead, India wrapped up a sweep of all three formats – following their 4-0 Test series win before Christmas and their high-scoring 2-1 win in the ODIs – to send Eoin Morgan’s men home empty-handed. And, as had been the case in each of the other two series, it was England’s fallibility to spin that proved their undoing, with Chahal’s flight and variation proving illegible to a succession of weary England batsman for whom the flight back to England now cannot come soon enough.Responding to India’s imposing 202 for 6 – which had been built on half-centuries from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni (remarkably his first in 76 T20Is spanning more than a decade) – Jason Roy once again set the tempo for England’s chase, and in a misleadingly eye-popping fashion. With Chahal taking the ball for the second over of the innings, Roy flipped his stance to the very first delivery and battered a switch hit into the stands for six. The more apposite moment of that same over, however, would prove to be the dismissal of Roy’s partner Sam Billings for a first-ball duck – caught in the gully by Raina as he inside-edged a drive onto his boot. Billings would turn out to be the first of five ducks in England’s innings, and none of them lasted more than two deliveries.Root, who had been in decent form without quite hitting the sweet spot in the first two matches, appeared at first to have benefited from an early introduction to the chase – a first-ball mix-up with Roy notwithstanding. After all, his cool head had guided England to their thrilling pursuit of 230 against South Africa in the World T20 last year.However, where he hadn’t once missed a beat against South Africa’s pace-dominant attack on that occasion, this time he couldn’t help but telegraph his unease as Chahal’s fellow leggie, Amit Mishra, twirled his way through a fine and constrictive four-over spell that set the stage for the carnage to come. His second ball did for Roy – who top-edged a slog-sweep to Dhoni for 32 – and his final over should have done for Root as well, only for Yuvraj Singh to drop a chance at backward point as the debutant, Rishabh Pant, charged over-eagerly into his peripheral vision.Morgan did his utmost to maintain England’s tempo, carving Mishra for back-to-back fours through point before turning up the heat in Raina’s solitary over of offspin – three sixes in consecutive legal deliveries brought the asking rate back within two a ball. But, with the onus on more boundary-clearing, Morgan chanced his arm once too often against Chahal’s googly, and was caught in the deep for 40 from 21.It was the incision that turned the game, and broke England’s resolve for the final time in an arduous campaign. One ball later, Chahal fizzed in a quicker delivery to pin Root lbw for 42, and in the very next over, Jasprit Bumrah’s reintroduction accounted once again for the dangerous Jos Buttler, who climbed into a second-ball pull to be caught by Kohli at mid-on for a duck.Three wickets for no runs had left England’s morale in freefall, and worse was soon to follow. Moeen Ali galloped down the track to toe-end a Chahal googly to Virat Kohli at long-off, and though Ben Stokes picked off a rare drive for four, he was brilliantly caught in the same over as Raina contorted himself at deep midwicket to keep his balance as he intercepted a slog to the rope.Chris Jordan then ran past a Chahal legbreak to be stumped for a second-ball duck and complete only the third six-wicket haul in T20 history, whereupon it was back to Bumrah to apply the mercy killing. Liam Plunkett missed a swipe across the line to be bowled first ball before, fittingly, it was the captain Kohli who wrapped up the winter with a fizzing catch in front of his face at slip as Mills gave himself room but found only a thick edge.Having come within a couple of boundaries of winning the series in Nagpur, England ended up looking miles adrift of their first limited-overs victory in India since 1984-85. But the denouement wasn’t a true representation of the contest that had been unfolding up to that point, with India’s veteran middle-order forced to reprise some of their very finest form to secure their hefty total.Despite the obvious advantage of chasing in T20 cricket, Morgan’s decision to bowl first wasn’t exactly a disappointment to a fervent Chinnaswamy crowd, who had instead settled back in the expectation of watching their local hero, Kohli, replicate his derring-do for Royal Challengers Bangalore. They weren’t, however, ready for what followed, as Kohli – eager to get a move on – called for an impossible leg bye against Chris Jordan and was left flailing his displeasure as his partner, KL Rahul, rightly declined the opportunity as Jordan swooped to fling off the bails in his followthrough.Raina made it his duty to revive the crowd’s morale after that shock to the system. A sliced drive to cover off Plunkett eventually did for him in the 14th over, but with five towering sixes in his 63 from 47 balls, he had set the stage for a crowning cameo from Yuvraj, a man well used to bringing out his long handle in T20s against England.Lurking deep in his crease to negate Chris Jordan’s search for the fuller length, Yuvraj sprang through his stance to crash six, six, four, six in consecutive deliveries – none of them an especially poor delivery. It took an obscene piece of trickery to prise him from the crease, as Tymal Mills returned for his final over, and immediately unleashed an illegible slower ball. Setting himself for an 150kph exocet, Yuvraj instead fenced a looping edge to the keeper to depart for 27 from 10.Dhoni, by this stage, had chalked off an improbably belated milestone by reaching his maiden T20 fifty from 32 balls with four fours and two sixes. After his departure in the final over, Hardik Pandya applied the gloss finish with a smoked six through the hands of Roy at long-on, while Pant had a brief opportunity to acquaint himself to international cricket by pulling second ball for four en route to 6 not out from three balls. It may have been a scant contribution, but only three of England’s batsman managed to outdo him. It was that sort of a day, to crown that sort of a tour.
An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to find a replacement for recently-departed manager Ange Postecoglou this summer…
What's the latest on Rik de Mil to Celtic?
According to Football Scotland, the Hoops have added Rik de Mil to their list of targets as they attempt to draw up a shortlist of coaches to take over at Parkhead.
The report claims that the club have been keeping tabs on the Club Brugge assistant manager and are joined by a number of European and Belgian teams in doing so.
It states that the 41-year-old is one of a number of candidates being considered by the Scottish giants with Brendan Rodgers, Enzo Maresca and Graham Potter named as other possible contenders for the job.
Would Rik de Mil be a success at Celtic?
Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond could uncover a dream replacement for Postecoglou by swooping for De Mil as could be a big success in Scotland.
The Club Brugge assistant, who Football Scotland claim is a "serious prospect with a top coaching career ahead of him", was given an opportunity to shine as the first-team manager for the first time earlier this year after Scott Parker was relieved of his duties and made an instant impact.
He won four of his six regular season games in the Pro League after the English head coach won two of his ten matches in the Belgian top-flight, but that was not enough to stop the club from appointing ex-Hoops boss Ronny Deila.
De Mil, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, described his Brugge side as a "team putting forward pressure, trying to pin back its opponent high upfield."
Club Brugge assistant manager Rik de Mil.
He added: "There's still room for improvement when it comes to transition. Play it out a bit better at some moments, would have resulted in more goals. Those are some working points, absolutely, but I did see a dominant team in possession, finding space more easily."
These comments suggest that the Belgian tactician wants his team to dominate games and press high up the pitch to push the opposition's defence back and prevent them from building attacks of their own, which is akin to the way that Postecoglou set up his Celtic side with his high-pressing attacking style.
De Mil's limited experience as a senior manager means that it would be a gamble for Desmond to appoint him but the same could have been said about the club's last boss as the Australian had never managed in Europe but the 57-year-old ended up winning five trophies in two seasons at Parkhead.
Therefore, this could be a risk worth taking for Celtic as the talented Belgian has shown promise in his short managerial career to date and has a style of play that the supporters could connect with given the similarities to Postecoglou's philosophy of dominating with a high press.
Kevon Cooper and Arafat Sunny have been reported by the umpires for suspect bowling actions in the BPL
Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2016Kevon Cooper and Arafat Sunny have been reported by the umpires for suspect bowling actions in the BPL.In the case of Sunny, Rangpur Riders’ left-arm spinner, one delivery, the first ball of the 19th over in Rangpur’s match against Rajshahi Kings on November 28, raised suspicion.Video footage of Khulna Titan’s allrounder Cooper’s bowling has been sent to the WICB, the BPL technical committee chairman Jalal Yunus said.”Sunny was reported once, in their last game [on November 28],” Yunus said. “The next step would be for the BCB’s bowling action review committee to analyse video footage of the delivery, which we will do soon after the end of the tournament. We have sent Cooper’s footage to the WICB.”Sunny was suspended for an illegal action during this year’s World T20 in March but cleared to bowl by the ICC in international cricket on September 23.After Sunny and Taskin Ahmed were suspended by the ICC, the BCB formed a bowling action review committee which found five bowlers to have illegal bowling actions during last season’s Dhaka Premier League.Yunus, who is also the chairman of the bowling action review committee, said that they will be stricter on suspected bowling actions.West Indies’ Cooper, too, was reported for a suspected bowling action during this year’s Pakistan Super League. Yunus said the BPL wanted to cases such as Cooper’s in future.”In the next BPL, we hope to do the video analysis of suspected bowling action during the tournament itself,” Yunus said. “We will also have to be aware of foreign players who has been reported previously, so that we can inform our franchises beforehand. We don’t want to have such bowlers in future tournaments.”
انتهت مباراة بيراميدز وزد بالتعادل السلبي في المواجهة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.
وأقيمت مباراة بيراميدز وزد مساء اليوم على أرضية استاد القاهرة في إطار لقاءات الجولة الـ12 من الدوري المصري الممتاز.
وحاول لاعبو الفريقين التسجيل خلال المباراة إلا أن جميع المحاولات باءت بالفشل خلال أحداث الشوطين.
وبهذه النتيجة وصل فريق زد للنقطة الـ20 في رصيده محتلًا المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، بعد الفوز في 5 لقاءات والتعادل بمثلها وتلقى هزيمة وحيدة.
بينما يتواجد فريق بيراميدز بالمركز الرابع ولديه 18 نقطة، جمعها من الفوز في 5 لقاءات وتعادل بـ3 مواجهات وتلقى هزيمة وحيدة، وتتبقى له 3 مباريات مؤجلة.
Newcastle United have been personally given the green light to complete a deal for Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney this summer, according to reports.
Will Kieran Tierney leave Arsenal?
The Scottish international’s contract at the Emirates Stadium still has another three years remaining, but after falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta having recorded just six starts this season in the Premier League, he could be a player on the move during the upcoming window.
Simon Collings, who is a reporter for the Gunners, previously admitted that the 25-year-old could be “tempted” to swap the capital for the northeast in search of regular minutes, with the Magpies being touted as a potential destination on several occasions over the last few months.
The Sun have since claimed that the left-back is at the top of the list of targets in his position for Eddie Howe, with sources close to the player having stated that the chances of a deal getting completed are now increasingly likely.
Are Newcastle signing Tierney?
According to The Times (via CaughtOffside), Arsenal’s manager Arteta has “given the green light” for Tierney to join Newcastle at the end of the season. The N7 defender is “expected to leave” after significantly dropping down the pecking order “in favour of a switch” to the northeast. The £110k-per-week ace is viewed as a “bit-part” squad member by his boss and it’s expected that he would slot straight into Dan Burn’s role should he make the transition to St. James’ Park.
Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney.
Newcastle are in desperate need of a first-choice left-back with Burn having played the majority of the season out of position, and Tierney already having plenty of Premier League experience makes him the perfect candidate for Howe.
The Arsenal “baller”, as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has won 11 of his tackles from 20 players challenged since the start of the term which is a decent return considering he’s only made six starts, but he’s also capable of delivering in the final third with 19 goal contributions (14 assists and five goals) to his name in 121 senior appearances at the Emirates.
Tierney, who has the versatility to operate higher up in left midfield and even at centre-back alongside his natural position, additionally knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured 13 trophies since bursting onto the professional scene, so would match that fighting spirit and winning mentality of the squad already in the northeast.
Arsenal are keen on a move for Manchester City loaner Joao Cancelo, though there are doubts over whether Pep Guardiola would sanction his sale to a direct rival given their previous history, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Joao Cancelo?
As per Sky Sports, both Cancelo and his teammate Sadio Mane are said to not be part of Bayern Munich's long-term plans and will depart the German giants in the summer as Thomas Tuchel eyes a squad rebuild.
Of course, Portugal international Cancelo is on loan at Bayern Munich, having joined from Manchester City in February in a deal that includes a buy option of £61 million.
According to The Mirror, Cancelo doesn't have a future under Guardiola at the Etihad and will be moved on in the forthcoming transfer window and they instead want to try and move him and his £130,000 per week pay packet off the books.
90min claim that Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are interested in signing him permanently in the off-season, though it remains to be seen where his long-term future will lie.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones thinks that Cancelo would raise the standards in the building at the Emirates if he was to joining Arsenal.
Jones said: "But at some point, we get to the stage of asking, are Man City going to keep providing talent for Arsenal to put title challenges together?
"The message out of City is always that they don't show fear when it comes to selling players, and that they don't stand in the way of players that want to leave. But given the helping hand that they've given Arsenal to be their main title competitors, by selling Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, there's got to be a point at which you consider, do you really want to do that again?
"The problem they’ve got is, there aren't that many clubs that would pay what they're going to want for Cancelo and you're only really going to get that within the Premier League.
"There aren't many teams that actually need that type of player, so you'd probably rather he goes abroad. There’s a bit of a conundrum there, but I think if Arsenal could get Cancelo, he would be starting every single week and I think that again, just raises the levels of that team.”
What have Joao Cancelo's stats been like at Bayern Munich?
Since joining Bayern Munich mid-season, Cancelo has proved to be a useful presence at full-back as they endeavour to win their 11th successive Bundesliga title.
In his time at the Allianz Arena, the 28-year-old has made 19 appearances in all competitions, registering one goal and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite most of his teammates in Bavaria having a head start on him, WhoScored shows that Cancelo has become Bayern Munich's third-most consistent performer this term, earning a rating of 7.31/10 for his efforts on the pitch.
As per FBRef, the Portugal international has also faired well in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions for progressive passes in the last 365 days, completing an average of 6.91 per 90 minutes, putting him in the fourth percentile for full-backs in this metric.
Though there will be doubts over Manchester City's willingness to sell Cancelo to Arsenal, the Gunners definitely have the right idea in scoping out the possibility of a deal.
Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith has noted David Moyes was furious after Eberechi Eze won a controversial penalty for Crystal Palace.
What's the latest on Eberechi Eze and Palace?
The Eagles played host to West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday in what turned out to be a thriller at Selhurst Park.
Despite falling behind, Roy Hodgson and co raced to a 3-1 lead after 30 minutes thanks to goals from Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha and Jeffrey Schlupp before Michail Antonio pulled one back for the Hammers before the break.
Palace, however, kept their nerve and scored once more in the second 45 to win 4-3 after Nayef Aguerd netted late on to make for a tense ending.
Perhaps the key moment of the game was when £30k-per-week star Eze won a penalty, which he converted himself in the 66th minute to give Hodgson's men a two-goal cushion once more.
Not everyone seems to think it should have been a spot-kick, though. Indeed, while reporting on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, Smith noted just how angry the West Ham manager was.
She said: "Moyes is absolutely furious, it is a slight touch from Aguerd on Eze, who goes down and Pawson pointed to the spot straight away. But it is a soft penalty."
Did Eze deserve the penalty?
It's safe to say there wasn't a huge amount of contact from Aguerd on Eze as he seemed to slightly tug at the Palace man who hurled himself to the ground without hesitation.
VAR did check the decision though, but decided not to overturn the initial call made by referee Craig Pawson.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Mark Schwarzer certainly seemed to think it was dubious at best, saying: "I don't think there's any challenge whatsoever. There's a grab of the arm, but I don't think it's a penalty."
David Moyes manages West Ham in their Premier League victory over Fulham.
With that being the case, you can understand why Moyes was so angry – but it didn't seem to bother Eze after full-time.
Indeed, when talking to BT Sport (via BBC Sport) after the Palace win, he seemed to have enjoyed the outing.
He said: "It was absolute madness, we worked hard and gave everything. They’re good at set pieces but we did all we could and happy to get the three points.
"We’re thriving under Roy, we're creative and positive when we have the ball.
"I think it’s a credit to all of us, we're all working so hard on the processes not just the results, trying to improve and get better. Just happy to get the three points."
Journalist Dean Jones has been left 'surprised' by rumoured Arsenal talks to sign Leicester City star Youri Tielemans, sharing his own update.
What's the latest on Tielemans to Arsenal?
The midfielder has been repeatedly linked with a move to north London this summer as his Foxes contract ticks down to expiry this summer. Indeed, there have been claims of Arsenal negotiations with Tielemans' representatives recently from a variety of different sources.
Both TEAMtalk and Football Insider reported last week that the Gunners have held discussions with the agents of Tielemans, coming after he was a real transfer target for Arsenal last summer. Ben Jacobs even stated at the time that he would love to join them with links re-emerging this year.
Tielemans has been tipped as a summer target amid sporting director Edu's alleged search for midfield options. The likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, to name a few, are also apparently in Arsenal's thinking for the 2023/24 season.
The 25-year-old will be available on a Bosman deal at the end of this season as things stand, potentially motivating the Gunners to reignite their interest according to recent reports.
However, speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Jones has offered quite a different update of his own contrary to the aforementioned claims of talks being held.
He says that Arsenal hold a long-standing interest in Tielemans, calling it 'common knowledge', but also explains there is now 'desire' to move beyond the Leicester dynamo.
Jones explained:
"I have been surprised to see reports of talks being opened around this because as far as I'm aware, any talks with Tielemans aren't that recent.
"Arsenal do have a long-term interest in him, they obviously know about his availability, that's common knowledge.
"But, there has also been a desire to move beyond him now because of the way the team has progressed so fast."
Should Arsenal move on from Tielemans?
The former Monaco star hit double figures for goal contributions in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Premier League campaigns (WhoScored).
However, Tielemans hasn't been able to hit those same heights this year, scoring just three goals and assisting one other in the top flight.
He does still stand out as one of Leicester's best-performing players by average match rating, though, with the international's status as a soon-to-be free agent coming as an attractive incentive for clubs to move.
There are both pros and cons to this potential swoop from an Arsenal perspective as Tielemans' debatable drop in form could deter Edu and co. Yet, his availability without a transfer fee could also be quite enticing.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal do end up considering a move after being so heavily linked last year, but going by Jones' update, their interest isn't quite as intense as previously suggested.