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Manchester United could add a free agent to their squad this summer, with a report from Sport (via Sport Witness) stating that the Red Devils are one of the potential landing spots for Jordi Alba.

Is Jordi Alba leaving Barcelona?

The defender has been with Barcelona for 11 seasons now and has played in 312 league fixtures for the Catalan giants during his time there. That run has seen him amass 17 goals and 61 assists – a superb record for someone who has predominantly played as a left-back for the Spanish side. Not only that, but the player has also won the La Liga title six times – as well as claiming Champions League glory with them back in 2014/15.

However, Barcelona have now decided not to renew Alba's deal, and it means he will be leaving as a free agent when the current season comes to a close. The 34-year-old will have to try and find himself a new team this summer and it appears that a move to the Premier League for the first time is not out of the question.

That's because a report from Sport (via Sport Witness) suggests that Premier League side Man United are one of the potential destinations that the defender could end up at. It adds that there is interest from a number of teams – including Champions League finalists Inter – but that the prospect of a switch to England does "attract" the left-back. If that is the case and the Red Devils are keen to do business, a switch could be on for the player.

Are Man United signing Jordi Alba?

It is not known if there is interest from Erik ten Hag's side, though the Red Devils would get themselves an experienced, capable player if they did opt to bring in Alba.

Despite his age, he has still produced a WhoScored rating of 6.79, which actually puts him above the likes of Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto and Ferran Torres in terms of performance this campaign. He is still within the top 15 performing players at the club and his rate of 0.7 dribbles per game ranks within the top five at the club. This suggests he is still the bombarding full-back that he always has been, can drive the ball forward and can often do it better than a lot of his younger Barcelona colleagues.

The CIES Football Observatory also suggests that he still holds a value of €10m (£8.6m). This suggests that whilst he's no longer one of the most highly rated players in the game, to pick him up on a free would be good business nevertheless.

Whilst United wouldn't get many more years out of Alba and his best days may be behind him, he is a good depth option to have and his experience and knowledge of the game could be perfect to pass on to some of the younger members of the Red Devils' squad if they signed him.

Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third afternoon at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s hopes of victory with a brilliant 218

The Report by Andrew Miller13-Aug-2016England 328 and 88 for 4 (Bairstow 14*, Ballance 4*, Yasir 3-15) trail Pakistan 542 (Younis 218, Shafiq 109) by 126 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt the age of 38, and in the final Test of a tour in which most sage judges feared that his imperious talents were beginning to fade, Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third day at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s ambitions of another come-from-behind victory with a brilliant and match-defining 218.By the close, England – who had still harboured realistic expectations at the start of an enthralling day’s play, given the greater strength in depth of their batting line-up – were instead bracing themselves for the prospect of another bruising defeat in the capital. Twin losses at Lord’s and The Oval in the 2015 Ashes were followed by last month’s first-Test defeat to Pakistan, who are now closing in on what would be one of the most highly acclaimed 2-2 draws to have been sealed in south London since England’s own comeback against West Indies in 1991.Nothing can be predicted in a Pakistan Test match except unpredictability itself, especially with the twin architects of last week’s third-Test revival at Edgbaston, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, yet to be implicated in England’s latest collapse.Nevertheless, with Yasir Shah emerging from his mid-series slump with three massive breakthroughs, including the key scalp of Joe Root for 39, and with Wahab Riaz once again showing the value of extreme speed in blasting Alastair Cook from the crease for 7 with his third delivery of the innings, England limped to the close on 88 for 4, still 126 runs from asking their passionately focused opponents from batting again.This is how Pakistan operate, in bursts of unanswerable brilliance, but for all the harrying skill that Yasir in particular demonstrated as the shadows lengthened in the evening session, it was the events before tea that ripped this contest from England’s grasp.With 31 fours and four belligerent sixes off the spin of Moeen, Younis soared past his previous series haul of 122 runs in three Tests with a supreme 218 from 308 balls – including 90 from exactly 100 deliveries in conjunction with Wahab and Mohammad Amir, two members of a Pakistan tail that had proven so wafer-thin in their losses at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.On Younis’s watch, Pakistan transformed a slender overnight advantage of 12 into a formidable lead of 214, and until James Anderson finally crowbarred an lbw decision from Marais Erasmus with ten minutes of the afternoon session remaining, England had looked bereft of ideas on a pitch that, as Wahab and Yasir would later demonstrate, was unquestionably offering more life than Pakistan’s formidable first-innings total of 542 seemed to suggest.Having played second fiddle to a typically pugnacious cameo of 44 from 78 balls from Sarfraz Ahmed in the morning session, Younis took command of both the scoring and the strike as the afternoon wore on, adding 37 in 11.3 overs with Wahab, who made 4 from 32 balls, then 97 in 20.3 with the steadfast Amir, who waited 23 balls to get off the mark as he helped his senior partner power through to his sixth Test double-hundred, before joining the celebrations three balls later by lashing Moeen over deep midwicket for the most unexpected six of the day.Younis Khan takes the applause for a magnificent innings of 218•AFPWhen Pakistan’s last man, Sohail Khan, holed out to mid-on on the stroke of tea, Amir was the last man standing, unbeaten on a career-best 39 not out from 70 balls, his initial caution having given way to a florid range of strokes that ramped England’s frustrations up to boiling point.But Younis’s magnificence transcended everything else. He had begun the day on 101 not out, his confidence restored after a torrid series, and while Sarfraz dominated their morning partnership of 77, he bided his time, ensured his eye was fully in, then climbed into a tiring and tetchy England attack with a breathtaking shift of his gears.Having waited 13 balls to add to his overnight total, and with a handful of cherry-picked boundaries to keep his innings ticking along, the first real indication that Younis was set to produce a masterpiece came in the final over before lunch. Moeen was thrown the ball for an exploratory over of offspin, but Younis lashed him for two fours in three balls – a crushing drive through the covers and a rubber-wristed sweep past backward square – to go to the break on 147 not out.Soon after the resumption, he passed 150 for the 12th time in his formidable Test career, with a full-throated pull through square leg off Stuart Broad, then repeated the trick in Broad’s next over as the long-suffering Moeen at fine leg receiving a tongue-lashing from the bowler for failing to cut off the boundary.England’s mood worsened before could improve, as Cook shelled England’s fourth catch of the innings as Wahab poked outside off to Moeen, only for the opportunity to burst through his fingers at slip. Though Wahab fell two balls later without addition – slightly fortuitously stumped off Bairstow’s gloves as the ball deflected back into the stumps – the arrival of Amir was Younis’s cue to go into overdrive.The score at that stage was 434 for 8, the lead a healthy but still potentially precarious 106 – only three runs more, in fact, than the deficit that England had overcome at Edgbaston last week. But with a qualified faith in his team-mate’s durability, Younis took it upon himself to farm the strike as best he could, seeking to limit Amir to one or two balls per over, while cashing in at the business end of each over.While he picked a brace of boundaries off the quietly fuming Broad – a calculated edge through gully and a sumptuous full-faced four through the covers – it was Moeen, inevitably, who bore the brunt of Younis’s aggression. Cook kept faith in his offspinner’s ability to wheedle out important wickets – Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq have both fallen twice to him in the series to date – but Younis treated his offerings with contempt, battering him for three massive sixes in the space of five overs, the last of which – high and mighty over wide long-on – brought up his double-hundred, from 281 balls.It was, genuinely, a chanceless performance. Younis’s only real moment of alarm had come on 133, with 15 minutes to go until lunch, when Pakistan’s lead had stood at a relatively manageable 75. Steven Finn, who finished with 3 for 110 in another quietly encouraging display, rapped Younis on the pads as he hopped into line in front of middle and extracted a raised finger from umpire Bruce Oxenford. However, replays showed that the ball was bouncing straight over the top of middle stump and the moment was lost.And by the close so too, it seemed, was the match. With the onus on batting time, first and foremost, the stage appeared set for another of Cook’s masterful rearguards – it was on this ground, in the same innings six years ago, that he produced arguably the most important century of his career. But, having lined up the left-arm offerings of Amir with some success, leaving the ball with familiar poise outside off, he had no response when Wahab – in another of his erratic full-throttle moods – followed a first-ball no-ball long hop with a scorching lifter that Cook could only deflect at high velocity to Iftikhar Ahmed at first slip.Alex Hales, his place under pressure after a disappointing series, and with his conduct under scrutiny too following his contretemps with Yasir in the first innings, resisted as best he could but never looked likely to be England’s hero in this contest. Having flirted with danger outside off to the seamers, he fell, with some predictability, to the wiles of Yasir, playing all around a straight one to be pinned lbw for 12.One over later, Yasir had his second, as James Vince once again found a weak-willed means to leave the crease, drawn into a pretty-looking drive outside off but skewing a dolly straight to Misbah at cover. And though Root once again looked a class apart in reaching 39 from 46 balls – including his 4000th Test run – England’s dismal day was complete when Yasir, throttling back his pace to maximise his impact off the pitch, skidded one into his pads to extract another lbw. Gary Ballance and Bairstow clung on to the close but England – not for the first time in recent memory – are finding the final Test of a series strangely difficult to close out.

Celtic are monitoring Manchester City’s assistant manager Enzo Maresca as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou should he leave the Scottish Premiership, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

Who is Enzo Maresca?

Maresca is an Italian former professional midfielder turned coach who joined the Sky Blues last summer to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium, but he’s already got experience under his belt prior to linking up with the Premier League champions.

At the beginning of his career, the 43-year-old started out as assistant boss at Ascoli, Sevilla and West Ham United before going on to take the roles of City’s U23s main manager followed by Parma, as per Transfermarkt, and in the past few days, he’s rejected the chance to join Southampton having been approached over their vacancy.

Postecoglou is one of the names to have been heavily linked with the role at Tottenham Hotspur, and whilst he’s publicly reaffirmed his commitment during an interview with Sky Sports, the hierarchy are still sounding out possible successors should he be tempted to embark on a new challenge.

Are Celtic appointing Maresca?

According to Football Insider, Celtic are “keeping tabs” on Maresca in case of the event that Ange is “lured away” by the opportunity in N17. The Hoops “fear” that the Australian could leave at the end of the season and are therefore “assessing the market” to see who’s available.

Man City’s coach is one of those “well-regarded” behind the scenes at Parkhead, especially because recruitment chief Mark Lawwell came from the Etihad so will already know his managerial target, and it’s stated that the club are “aware” of the qualities that he possesses.

Pep Guardiola previously claimed that Maresca, who was wanted in Glasgow prior to Postecoglou's arrival, will go on to become an “extraordinary” manager, and one day that might well be the case, but at this stage, he’s not a candidate that Celtic should be pursuing if Postecoglou was to move onto new pastures.

The Pontecagnano Faiano native, whose preferred formation is a 3-4-1-2, was sacked after just 14 games at Parma, winning four, drawing five and losing five during his reign at the Ennio Tardini Stadium, averaging 1.21 points per match and taking 17 points out of a possible 42, via Transfermarkt.

Furthermore, Maresca’s only silverware that he’s ever won is this year’s top-flight title, so he doesn’t have any trophies off the back of his own work at the helm, making him way too much of a downgrade on the 57-year-old that’s already in the dugout in Glasgow.

Pakistan seamer Sohail Khan, who returned to Test cricket recently, has said doing his homework on England batsmen helped him reap rewards in the two Tests he played

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2016Pakistan seamer Sohail Khan, who returned to Test cricket recently, has said that doing his homework on England batsmen had helped him reap rewards on the tour. Sohail first played in the third Test at Edgbaston, where he troubled England’s top order and took 5 for 96. He followed that with another five-for in the next Test at The Oval, where he was instrumental in limiting the top and middle order.”I had done my homework about their [England batsmen] strengths and weaknesses,” Sohail told . “All I did was bowl in the right areas. Of course, there were runs taken off me because they are fine players, but bowling a tight length reaped me a lot of success.”My aim was to bowl consistently at my line and length. I had told myself to not deviate from it and thankfully it paid off. The English batsmen don’t gift away their wickets. You have to think out of the box to get their scalp. Arriving in England a month ahead also helped me a lot to get acclimatised and understand the Duke ball better.”Before the tour of England, Sohail had last played a Test in 2011, in Zimbabwe, taking only one wicket in a match Pakistan won by seven wickets. After almost a five-year hiatus, Sohail was drafted into the Test XI at Edgbaston in place of Wahab Riaz, with the series level 1-1. He broke the opening partnership by having Alex Hales caught behind and also got the big wicket of Joe Root, for 3, by inducing an outside edge. He took the last wicket of the innings – that of James Anderson – as England were all out for 297.During the long day in which he bowled 23 overs, Sohail hit fuller lengths for lateral movement and said he was not tired though there had been questions over his fitness.”I wasn’t tired at all,” he said. “I was bowling with the new ball. In English conditions you need to give more air to the ball so it can swing. It is all about the understanding of the game. Bowling is not only about hammering short-pitched balls at the batsmen or generating pace. It is about varying your pace according to the situation.”To further prove his fitness levels, Sohail celebrated his five-for on return with a set of push-ups, a trend his captain Misbah-ul-Haq started after scoring a century at Lord’s.”The push-ups I did (with a clap in between) were hard and not everyone can do them. I wanted to prove my fitness to the world that even after bowling long spells, I could still go on.”After Pakistan lost at Edgbaston by 141 runs, Sohail took 5 for 68 in the last Test at The Oval to finish the series with 13 wickets at an average of 25 and strike rate of 40.4. His performance helped Pakistan win the fourth Test by ten wickets and level the series 2-2.Sohail had taken five wickets on his ODI return too – against India in the World Cup last year – dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane.Sohail, however, did not want to settle for just bowling rewards. He said he wanted to become an allrounder. “I am working on my batting these days. I aim to become a successful allrounder since modern-day cricket demands from a player to be on top in all facets of the game. I have also been scoring runs in the domestic circuit.”

Hampshire were relegated as Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman – both bound for Surrey – left Durham with a victory farewell at the Ageas Bowl

Will Macpherson at the Ageas Bowl23-Sep-2016
ScorecardScott Borthwick left Durham with a departing gift•Getty ImagesFor Hampshire, the equation was simple, but the task was not. They had 78 overs to take 10 Durham wickets, but managed just four. As a result, they will play their cricket in Division Two in 2017.The Ageas Bowl pitch, spitting and spiteful on day one, had not deteriorated enough, and Durham’s departees Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick signed off in style, with 137 and 88 respectively, in a simple six-wicket win.In the latter part of this partnership, the remaining Hampshire fans – so full of optimism after an outstanding opening day – were thumbing their Who’s Whos and their Playfairs researching which of the second tier’s delicious outgrounds (will we get Arundel? Or Tunbridge Wells? Or even Cheltenham?) they could visit next year, and trying to work out how a 10-team Division Two will even work.Either way, they will be back: “See you in spring,” they said on the final shirt-sleeve day of the summer, and off they went, having been wished a Happy Christmas by the ground announcer. What a world.How Hampshire toiled, but to no avail. They began the year unable to score runs, and end it still beset by injuries and still struggling to take 20 wickets. Mason Crane took the only wicket of consequence, Keaton Jennings’ famous season ending trapped plumb in front by a turner, before Stoneman and Borthwick bedded in to add 162.There were chances, but they were hardly clearcut: lbw appeals turned down, and edges not finding the men round the bat, while Stoneman twice – to reach 50, then on 67 – drove millimetres over James Vince’s head peddling back from mid-off. The pair’s method was to bat time and frustrate Hampshire, and slowly but surely Hampshire’s vim and vigour evaporated.Eventually Stoneman, having cut and driven beautifully, and swept the spinners – both reverse and orthodox – gloved Liam Dawson to short-leg, before Graham Clark, skipping down and stumped, then Borthwick lbw, both fell to Crane with the finishing line in sight. Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood – who else? – were on hand to finish the job off.Surrey-bound Stoneman and Borthwick have both received abuse for their decisions to leave. Watching them accumulate steadily but stylishly must have been a slightly melancholic experience for Durham fans, purely serving as a reminder of quite how much they will be missed, even if Clark and Michael Richardson enjoyed fine games. They take 27 Durham centuries with them, and four consecutive seasons of more than 1,000 runs each. Having enjoyed a farewell dinner on the second evening, they sang the team song one final time.”It was a little bit emotional,” said Borthwick, “I knew it would be, especially if we won and sung the song. It’s been a fantastic game of cricket for four days, and it was a nice send-off. We needed a good partnership and it was good that it was me and Mark doing it, it was a nice way to finish my career with Durham.”I’m sad because I’m leaving the club I have loved and played for since the age of 10 but it’s a new challenge, I’m excited for. It’s not just team-mates that I’m leaving behind but my best mates, and even the coaching staff are great friends. That said, it’s really exciting to have a new chapter and Durham have some top players coming through.”Oddly, Hampshire’s future – personnel-wise, at least – is a touch more certain. This season has seen the emergence of Lewis McManus, whose excellent 67 set up the target Durham knocked off, Brad Wheal – who has an excellent short ball – and the classy top order bat Tom Alsop, as well as the continued development of Crane. A decent squad remains – if a touch light on bowling, although Reece Topley, the 12th man here, should help that – and an immediate return to the top flight seems likely.”If we had taken early wickets today we might have been able to put them under pressure,” said the director of cricket, Giles White. “But they played with a lot of skill and a bit of luck and the breakthrough didn’t come until it was almost too late.”We’ve got a good group of players and a very good spirit. We’ve had a difficult season and maybe not coped with the injuries as well as we might have done. We’ve got four really good young players and we decided to go that route. We want to bring through our own players and surround them with quality. Those four are a major positive. If the story had been different they may not have played as much.”Ultimately, however, there have been too many injuries, and too much incident to overcome: it seems no coincidence that both relegated sides have seen a key player suffer life-threatening illness (Michael Carberry for Hampshire and James Taylor for Notts). These are occurrences that shake dressing rooms. For Hampshire’s there’s been more still, in the death of prospect Hamza Ali, and the comparatively trivial departure of coach Dale Benkenstein.”The dressing room is very disappointed, deflated,” said White. “It’s very tough on the players. They’ve had a pretty tough year. It’s been exhausting for them. We’ll let the dust settle and go again.”

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.

ESPNcricinfo looks ahead to the prospects of Comilla Victorians, Barisal Bulls and Chittagong Vikings in the 2016-17 Bangladesh Premier League season

Mohammad Isam02-Nov-20161:58

Isam: Player payments, security still main concerns

Comilla VictoriansBig pictureAllrounders will once again be the key for Comilla as they approach their title defense. Mashrafe Mortaza continues as captain, and he will have Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Ashar Zaidi and Nuwan Kulasekara among those who were part of their championship team from last year. The additions of Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saifuddin and Nabil Samad strengthens their squad.Mashrafe will be keen to use Rashid’s legspin while also hoping Liton Das can score some runs unlike last year. Imrul is also in good form, enjoying the rewards of changing his approach and going after the bowling more regularly.Position in BPL 3ChampionsKey playerMashrafe Mortaza will have to juggle a strong overseas contingent as well as a talented bunch of local players. His commitment to the team last season was beyond measure, as he played many of the matches with injury, but this time he might need to be a little more judicious given Bangladesh’s busy season after the BPL.CoachComilla continued with a local coach despite losing Mohammad Salahuddin to Chittagong, going for Mizanur Rahman Babul. The Bangladesh Under-19 coach took the side to the World Cup semifinals earlier this year, causing his stocks to rise significantly. Known to exert a calming influence, he will take on his first head-coach role in the BPL.One that got awayIt was odd to see Comilla not retain Abu Hider though he was their best bowler last season. Hider was adjudged the best emerging player, and his yorkers were a revelation for a little-known Bangladeshi fast bowler. Hider has been picked by Barisal this season.Below the radarYoung batsman Al Amin did very well in the Dhaka Premier League last season, making a number of fifties for Victoria Sporting Club. He is quite good against spin but will need some adjustments against pace, which he is likely to face a lot of during this tournament.The acquisition of Abu Hider from Comilla Victorians has added pace and verve to Barisal Bulls’ bowling stocks•BCBBarisal BullsBig pictureIf the local players perform to their potential, Barisal Bulls stand a chance to make the last four of this season’s BPL. Mushfiqur Rahim will lead a side that has experienced players such as Shamsur Rahman, Nadif Chowdhury, Shahriar Nafees and Al-Amin Hossain. They will need to combine well with an overseas brigade that includes Rumman Raees, Dilshan Munaweera and Josh Cobb, with the likes of Carlos Brathwaite and Mohammad Nawaz adding firepower.Taijul Islam and Abu Hider are talented bowlers on whom much of Barisal’s bowling strength will depend. It looks like an out-and-out T20 squad on paper but the BPL is such a hectic tournament that form slipping away from players is a common phenomenon, so Barisal must remain wary.Position in BPL 3Runners-upKey playerMushfiqur Rahim has always been a strong performer in the BPL, and he will have to bring his A-game to a franchise that is looking for success this season. His triple role as captain, wicketkeeper and batting mainstay could once again weigh down on him, so there could be a case of giving the wicketkeeping duties to someone else because his batting form is most important to the side.CoachDav Whatmore is back in Bangladesh with a coaching job for the first time since his four-year stint as the senior team’s coach ended in 2007. He has a heavy resume, and has tasted success in a number of cricketing cultures, and knows franchise cricket well, having coached Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. He will reunite with Faruque Ahmed and Athar Ali Khan, selectors during his time as Bangladesh coach and now part of Barisal’s management.One that got awayBarisal have a revamped squad with big guns like Chris Gayle, Kevon Cooper and Evin Lewis missing but they will most miss the services of Mahmudullah, their captain from last year who has redefined his approach to T20 in the last 12 months.Below the radarMahedi Hasan is a promising top-order batsman who also bowls offspin, and opened the batting for Gazi Group Cricketers in last season’s Dhaka Premier League. He still has to develop power in his game, which must have been addressed during his stint with the BCB’s High Performance unit this year.Chittagong Vikings have a strong squad led by Tamim Iqbal, who will hope he can carry on the form he showed last season•BCB MediaChittagong VikingsBig pictureThe presence of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Nabi combined with Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak and Taskin Ahmed gives the Chittagong side a high chance of winning the title this year. They have a squad for every situation, so the trick will be to use them properly. Even someone like Chaturanga de Silva was picked because of his outstanding Dhaka Premier League season.Chittagong also selected Jubair Hossain as their last draft pick, to add to the variety of a bowling line-up that also includes the pace of Taskin, Tymal Mills and Imran Khan jnr and Razzak’s fastish left-arm spin.Position in BPL 3SixthKey playerDespite having a strong side that will get better as the tournament progresses, much of Chittagong’s fortunes will depend on how Tamim Iqbal performs as opener and captain. He had a good BPL last time but the team didn’t do well, so he will need to maintain his high standards while pulling the rest of the team along with him.CoachMohammad Salahuddin was the first acquisition of the Chittagong franchise ahead of the 2016-17 BPL, mainly because of his success with Comilla Victorians who lifted the title last season. Salahuddin has been tasked to bring the trophy to Chittagong, for which he has already build a strong team from scratch.One that got awayMohammad Amir was Chittagong’s star performer last season, taking 14 wickets in nine matches. The 2015-16 BPL was his first overseas tournament after returning from his spot-fixing ban. Despite Chittagong building a fine team, they will miss Amir.Below the radarWicketkeeper Zakir Hasan was a revelation during the U-19 World Cup, calm behind the stumps and classy with his strokes in front of it. He is likely to be Anamul Haque’s understudy as wicketkeeper but that might not be for too long.

Tottenham Hotspur are among the sides pushing hardest to sign Southampton star James Ward-Prowse this summer, according to reports.

Who will Spurs sign this summer?

Spurs can now turn their attentions towards strengthening in the summer transfer market after finally confirming their next manager after Antonio Conte.

Former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has now joined the north Londoners, ending Tottenham's long and drawn out search, with the Australian set to commence work on July 1.

Chairman Daniel Levy spoke of his excitement regarding Postecoglou's appointment at Spurs, claiming his arrival marks the return of attacking football, whilst also highlighting his ability to nurture young players (via tottenhamhotspur.com).

The Lilywhites are identifying targets for the 57-year-old, who seems set to have a real say on who Spurs sign this summer. It is believed that he is already personally keen on signing Man United's Harry Maguire with Brentford keeper David Raya also attracting serious interest.

Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie and Leicester City star James Maddison have been linked most recently as well, with a report by Football Insider now sharing news on another potential target.

According to their information, Southampton's Ward-Prowse is firmly on Tottenham's radar, with the north Londoners and West Ham "pushing the hardest" to sign him.

It is believed both Spurs and David Moyes' side lead the race for Ward-Prowse as things stand, despite multiple clubs expressing an interest in the 28-year-old.

Ward-Prowse has just been relegated with Southampton but Spurs could offer him an opportunity to bounce straight back up to the Premier League.

Who is James Ward-Prowse?

The midfielder was, by some distance, Southampton's star player over the course of 2022/2023 – standing out as their best-performing player by average match rating (WhoScored).

He finished the campaign with 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) and made more key passes per 90 than any other Saints player – backing his real creativity in the final third (WhoScored).

Called an "unbelievable player" by teammate Oriol Romeu, Man City boss Pep Guardiola has also lavished praise on Ward-Prowse before.

"Southampton have the best free-kick taker I have ever seen, or at least he is in the world right now," said Guardiola."He is so good that maybe you miss a little bit of the footballer player. He is a team player of great quality, without the ball and with the ball."He really understands the game but it is his free-kicks, set-pieces, and corners that people pay more attention to."

Steven Smith has conceded that the time may have come for “getting some younger guys in and getting some experience at this level” after Australia’s crushing loss in Hobart

Daniel Brettig in Hobart15-Nov-20163:20

Chappell: Smith needs to step up and take charge

Angry, embarrassed, frustrated, disappointed, upset, hurting. These were the words synonymous with Steven Smith’s Australians in the aftermath of defeat to South Africa in Hobart. Another, resilient, is not.Smith cut a bewildered and downtrodden figure as he sorted through the wreckage of a humiliating fifth Test match defeat in succession, the national side’s first innings loss at home since the fateful Ashes summer of 2010-11. Clearly angry with the performances of his players, he suggested it may be time for widespread personnel changes.”I am embarrassed to be sitting here to be perfectly honest with you,” Smith said. “Too many times we have lost wickets in clumps, 8 for 30 today, 10 for 85 in the first innings, and you are not winning any games of cricket when are you doing that. And it is happening way too consistently for my liking.”We are not being resilient, we are not willing to tough it out and get through tough periods and the longer you spend out there things get easier, albeit the wicket was doing quite a bit and it was hard. But, the boys have got to start being a bit tougher and getting in a grind and getting in a contest and try to build a few partnerships because right now it is not good enough.”Asked directly about the tenure of the national team coach Darren Lehmann, who signed a contract extension in August to take him through to 2019, Smith was adamant in his support. “I think he’s been terrific over a long period of time,” he said. “It’s not his fault we’re not playing well, it’s up to us to go out there and do the job. He does everything he can for us in training and preparation.”We prepare well, it’s just at the moment when we get out in the middle we’re not executing our skills well enough and not handling the pressures of international cricket well enough. As a playing group that has to change, and from my point of view I have absolutely no problem with anything Darren is doing at the moment.”Smith was less effusive in his words about the way the selection panel was operating, declining to answer the question of whether he was getting the teams he desired. “It’s obviously talked about and I do talk to the selectors quite a bit and in the end it is up to them to pick the team that they think best,” he said. “I have got to back their job and go out there and support our guys and do whatever we can to win cricket matches but obviously we’re not doing that and it is not working.”With the knowledge that Australia are currently mired in the sort of slump that costs careers, Smith admitted that all manner of issues, from selection and schedules to the personnel in and around the team and at Cricket Australia would all be under heavy scrutiny.”Yeah, it is not working,” Smith said when asked if the time had come to rip up existing plans and start over. “So, obviously on the back of five losses there is going to be a lot talked about in regards to selection and things like that. And we’ve got to start finding a way to turn things around.Hapless batsmen to be sent back to Shield

Australia’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it defeat to South Africa in Hobart has had the consequence of ensuring the team’s out of sorts batsmen will now have time to play in the Sheffield Shield round due to begin on Thursday.
The captain Steven Smith said that in a change from original plans, the likes of David Warner, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Callum Ferguson and the gloveman Peter Nevill will be set to appear in the Shield in an attempt to regain confidence.
“The next week I reckon there’s actually a pretty good chance that a lot of the batters are going to go back and play some Shield cricket,” Smith said. “Try and spend some time out in the middle and score some runs. it’s not happening at the moment, so we’ve got to try and find a way to get better and spend some time in the middle and I guess concentrate on some of the things that I’ve talked about to the team.
‘That’s being able to be resilient, spend long periods out in the middle and get some big scores and put some big partnerships together. I think a lot of the batters, I’m not sure about the bowlers, I don’t think they’ll play. but I think the batters are going to end up playing Shield cricket this week.”

“Whether the ball is seaming or spinning or swinging we don’t have an answer at the moment. We are not resilient enough, we are not digging in enough, we are not having the pride in our wicket, we’re just not being resilient enough and something has got to change. We have got to play a lot better than we have been if we are going to beat any opposition around the world at the moment.”Smith agreed that the present batting rut suggested the team had not earned the right to play with the sort of flair and aggression usually associated with Australian cricket. In conditions conducive to bowlers but far from impossible, he said that the players in the team had to think more keenly about their approach.Thirty-two years apart, two Australian captains had to face the media after losing five straight Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I think that depends on conditions, if the wickets are flat and there is nothing happening fine you can play aggressively and positively,” he said. “But if there is anything in the wicket: spin, swing, seam, at the moment we are not adapting well enough, we are not willing to grind it out and spend enough time out in the middle to be positive.”It comes down to that resilience and having a good defence, at the moment our defence is being challenged and it hasn’t been good enough. You can play that positive brand once you get in and things get easier, but we have got to be willing to do the hard yards to be in a position where we can be positive and drive the game.”Looking more widely around Australian cricket, Smith said he wanted to see more evidence of hungry batsmen in domestic cricket. “There’s some guys there that are scoring some big runs on occasions and then probably not being as consistent as they would like to put their names up there,” he said. “That’s what I mean when I say no one is really jumping out of the pack and getting big hundreds or three hundreds in a row.”At the moment what we’ve got going on is not working so it might be about getting some younger guys in and getting some experience at this level, you never know, guys might really step up to the plate and step up to the level of international cricket.”

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be inching ever closer to wrapping up a deal for Brentford goalkeeper, David Raya, with the Spaniard having been earmarked as the top target to replace long-serving skipper Hugo Lloris at N17.

What's the latest on Raya to Tottenham?

According to Italian journalist, Rudy Galetti, the Lilywhites are said to be nearing an "agreement" with the Bees regarding the signing of the Spanish stopper, with the deal potentially set to cost in the region of just €25m (£21m) – despite a £40m fee having been mooted of late.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "#Tottenham and #Brentford are closed to reach an agreement for David #Raya. As told few days ago, only #THFC have been involved in the talks for the [Spanish] GK.

"The cost of the operation is around €20-25m: developments expected soon."

This comes amid a report from The Telegraph which revealed that the north London outfit are leading the race for the 27-year-old's signature, albeit with Premier League rivals Manchester United also still in the running at present.

Would Raya be a good signing for Tottenham?

There is no doubt that a new first-choice option is needed in the sticks next term for Ange Postecoglou's side, with the aforementioned Lloris having endured a miserable, injury-hit 2022/23 campaign in which the Frenchman made four errors leading to goals in the league – the most of any player in the division.

With the 36-year-old having publicly stated his desire to move on after 11 years at the club, the addition of Raya – who made the most saves in the top-flight last term – could be a dream solution as far as Postecoglou is concerned.

The former Blackburn Rovers man is not only an effective shot-stopper – as he ranks in the top 8% among his European peers with regard to his save percentage – but he is also adept at playing out from the back, with that willingness to receive possession showcased by the fact that the 6 foot 1 ace ranks in the top 6% for touches made per 90.

Those all-round attributes could well make Raya a vital part of Tottenham's backline over the coming years, with there a potential for the Barcelona native to form an immense partnership with the club's current centre-back option, Cristiano Romero.

Although the latter man did endure a difficult campaign having been described as playing like a "reckless teenager" by journalist Sam Dean, the 25-year-old is still a dominant force at the heart of the defence, as he ranks in the top 6% for tackles and the top 20% for interceptions.

Evidently intent on thwarting the opposition wherever possible, Romero also mirrors the Brentford ace due to his ability to play out from the back, with the Argentine notably ranking in the top 17% for successful take-ons, as well as in the top 20% for progressive passes received – further showcasing that front-foot approach.

With new man Postecoglou set to implement a "fast, attacking style of play" – according to chairman Daniel Levy – to be able to rely on the likes of Romero and Raya to thrive in that progressive system will be crucial, with the pair both evidently comfortable in possession, while also thriving in their defensive duties first and foremost.

As such, the signing of the "top-class" asset from west London – as described by pundit Michael Owen (Premier League Productions, 06/03/2023, 19:35) – could be integral to what the ex-Celtic boss wishes to achieve in his new surroundings.