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Three years on from having arrived in north London from Sporting CP, Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro could be on his way in 2026, if reports are to be believed.

The Spaniard – who is having a “disaster of a season”, in the view of podcaster Seb Martin – is said to be attracting interest from LaLiga giants Real Madrid, with Xabi Alonso’s side already considering replacements for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.

While the nature of that interest might suggest it would be a significant loss for Spurs to lose their starting full-back on that right flank, as Martin alluded to, it hasn’t exactly been a positive 2025/26 for the 26-year-old.

Indeed, for all Porro’s attacking thrust, he has actually only registered a solitary assist in the Premier League, while ranking in the bottom 10% of top-flight full-backs for pass completion, as per FBref.

With Djed Spence also waiting in the wings, there would be adequate cover if Porro were to depart, be it this month or over the summer, not least if Thomas Frank’s side also acquire a perfect replacement.

Spurs in talks to sign Porro replacement

Full-back looks likely to be a priority area for the north Londoners in 2026, not least with Destiny Udogie still making his way back from injury, ensuring veteran left-back Ben Davies started – and scored – in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

That need for another genuine option on the left flank has led to Spurs moving for Santos teenager, Souza, with the club having already had an £8m bid rejected for the 19-year-old.

On the opposite side, Spurs could also turn to an exciting Brazilian talent to help send Porro on his way, with TEAMtalk reporting that talks have been held regarding AS Monaco defender, Vanderson.

Indeed, the report suggests that the Lilywhites and ENIC have been contacted by intermediaries regarding a possible move for the 24-year-old, with top-flight rivals Everton also among those to have been approached, alongside Crystal Palace and Brighton.

The piece notes that the player is seeking to leave the Ligue 1 side this month, with Monaco likely to cash in at the right price, amid the suggestion that a £20m fee could be enough to strike a deal.

How Vanderson compares to Pedro Porro

Gone are the days of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier at Tottenham, with the full-back berths still proving somewhat problematic for a succession of managers now at N17.

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In the case of Porro, the attack-minded asset isn’t without quality, having registered six assists and created ten ‘big chances’ last season, as per Sofascore, although it’s hard to ignore his woes defensively, having been dribbled past 1.1 times per game in 2025/26.

Vanderson, meanwhile, has only played eight times in Ligue 1 this season, but he has showcased a fine balance between attack and defence, bettering the Spurs man across a string of metrics.

Vanderson vs Porro – 25/26 League stats

Stat (*per game)

Vanderson

Porro

Games

8

20

Starts

5

18

Goals

0

0

Assists

2

1

Big chances created

3

4

Key passes*

1.1

1.4

Pass accuracy*

80%

74%

Possession lost*

10.6

19.2

Dribbled past*

0.5

1.1

Stats via Sofascore

Indeed, despite his limited game time, the seven-cap Brazil star has still registered two assists, while having been dribbled past just 0.5 times per game in France.

Equally, when comparing the pair to their peers in Europe’s top five leagues across the last 12 months, as per FBref, it is again Vanderson who has been far more impressive, albeit while also lining up as a wing-back at Stade Louis II.

The £20m man notably ranks in top 3% of European full-backs for interceptions, and in the top 13% for tackles, with Porro, by contrast, ranking in just the bottom 32% and the bottom 48% for those same two metrics, respectively.

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In the final third too, Vanderson ranks in the top 13% for successful take-ons, as well as boasting a far superior pass accuracy rate (77.3%), while Porro ranks in just the bottom 52% for successful take-ons, alongside recording a 71% pass accuracy, across the league and Champions League.

In essence, the wantaway Monaco star is a real all-round, balanced option on that right flank, while also providing the benefit of his “obscene pace”, as noted by scout Antonio Mango.

With 24 goals and assists in 137 games in total for his current side, he would be able to get close to mirroring Porro’s attacking threat, albeit while appearing far less of a liability defensively.

And so, with Madrid calling to take the Spurs struggler back to Spain, Frank and ENIC could speed up the process by signing off on a ready-made replacement.

Related Kudus upgrade: Spurs now intensifying plans to sign £50m "magician"

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank needs more quality in and around the final third.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair

Scorecard

	Chris Read: his 12th first-class hundred put Yorkshire onto the back foot © Getty Images

A superb fighting century by Chris Read, England’s forgotten wicketkeeper (by the selectors, if nobody else), lifted Nottinghamshire from a position of danger to one of dominance against Yorkshire on the third day at Headingley.”It’s not an easy pitch to score runs quickly on” seemed to be the common verdict. To all appearances, though, the pitch underwent quite a transformation after lunch, as Read and his enterprising sixth-wicket partner, Graeme Swann, tucked into the hapless Yorkshire bowling attack, which was missing Morne Morkel with a hamstring strain. For the first time in the matchthe scoreboard fairly galloped along as the pair added 136 runs, and in the process turned the match on its head.Until Read and Swann joined forces, Yorkshire were taking a grip. Their bowling was useful rather than threatening, while Nottinghamshire’s top order, with the exception of Mark Wagh, had disappointed. Matthew Hoggard and Morkel made the batsmen fight for runs, with Morkel wayward in direction at times, but then producing the odd vicious rearing delivery reminiscent of an inspired Steve Harmison.Wagh made a steady start to a solid innings, reaching fifty off 125 deliveries, but was handicapped by a heavy outfield. Darren Gough did not take the new ball for Yorkshire, but when he did come on, he proved expensive. In his second spell, though, he immediately took the vital wicket of Wagh, whose low slash to gully was splendidly held by Adil Rashid. Without his 56, the heroics that followed might never have occurred. Nottinghamshire were reeling at 115 for 5.Swann was the man who first began to change the complexion of the match. Until then, no batsman had really taken the bowling apart successfully, though Gerard Brophy had not done too badly on the first day, but Swann was not prepared to bow to convention and soon pulled Gough for six. In fact, apart from Wagh’s wicket, it was not destined to be a good day for the Yorkshire captain with the ball. Read decided to join the party, as the modern saying goes, and smackedhim for three fours in the next over.Legspinner Rashid was the next bowler to suffer, as Swann hit him for two sixes, over long-on and then straight, as he ran to his fifty off 57 balls. Read joined him in the following over, taking 80 balls. In all, 147 runs came in the afternoon session for just one wicket, by far the most productive batting period of the match.Morkel said after close of play that the pitch had become slower on the third day, while the bowlers were no longer able to get the ball to swing and they found conditions less favourable, especially with the old ball which lost condition badly.It took a surprise delivery from Anthony McGrath to break the stand: a quicker, straight ball kept a little low and trapped Swann lbw for an invaluable 68. But there was no respite for Yorkshire’s suffering bowlers, as Read had his sights set high and Stuart Broad looked every inch an allrounder, especially when he drove with power and élan through the covers.Read survived a difficult chance at second slip on 93, but reached his 12th career century with a handsome boundary through extra cover. It took him 168 deliveries, and Broad soon arrived at his fifty off 70 balls.The pair batted through a period of dim light until the sun-bathed close of play, by which time all Yorkshire had left to hope for was a salvaged draw. Nottinghamshire were 57 runs ahead with four wickets still standing, and everything to play for on the final day.

Outgoing West Indies Cricket Board president Ken Gordon last night gave his final address to the Board of Directors meeting at Hilton Trinidad, Port of Spain. In his speech, Gordon sought to outline the challenges he faced and the achievements that were made, and which could now serve as a road map for his successors.

Ken Gordon: “The WICB can look forward to being clear of all major debt for the first time in more than a decade and operating in a healthy financial environment” © Getty Images

One of the major commitments I made at the time that I assumed the Presidency of the West Indies Board was that there would be full transparency in the manner in which the Board conducted its affairs…We are pleased to take that promise of transparency to a new level with a resumption of the West Indian Cricket Board’s Annual Report. This will hereafter be done on an annual basis. The consolidated accounts for the years 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 are both contained in this Report. They tell a dismal story. But they represent the recent history of the organisation, not its current financial realities.The significant turn around of the WICB commenced during the second half of the 2005/2006 financial year and will be fully captured when the accounts for the current financial year, September 2006-August 2007, are published. Our focus in this report will therefore be on the major activities, including management accounts, of the current financial year and the foundation which has been put in place for the future.The process of transforming the WICB into a result-driven organisation has begun. At the beginning of my term I asked to be judged on the basis of results and now as I depart, this statement will report on what has been achieved and the structures, which have been in place for the development of West Indies cricket.1. Cricket: The performance of our team on the field has been for the most part disappointing. We have changed captains, altered selectors, lost one of the best batsmen the world has seen, had our coach depart prematurely, appointed a cricket committee and made innumerable adjustments to our team, but the results continue to be up and down and far more often down. With some exceptions, we remain a tragedy of unfulfilled potential. There were moments before the World Cup when we dared to dream of winning it. More recently there was the outstanding performance of the team in winning the ODI series in England. Hopefully, that may represent a new beginning, but the evidence suggests that with the best of intentions we have been tinkering for too long with a problem that requires a fundamental change of culture and commitment. A change that will impose discipline as a matter of course and make people accountable for their behaviour.Our team lacks the toughness, mental and physical, of professional sustainability. At a time when our players are amongst the best paid in the game, we hear complaints that a “curfew is too restrictive”, “training standards are too vigorous”, “the fellas need a break”. All this while we remain at the lower end of the international scale and the leading teams conform to the demands of today’s professional cricket as a matter of course.

Our team lacks the toughness, mental and physical, of professional sustainability. At a time when our players are amongst the best paid in the game, we hear complaints that a “curfew is too restrictive”, “training standards are too vigorous”, “the fellas need a break”.

Our performance in the World Cup was our moment of truth. Now we must acknowledge the failure of not only our cricketers, but even more pointedly the failure of those of us who have had the responsibility to do the things we have not done.The other fundamental objective to which I committed myself at the beginning of my term was to pull together a foundation from which West Indies cricket could be rebuilt. Too many things flowed in different directions. Cricket was and still is all over the place and because of the intense emotion it generates in our six million-plus people whatever goes wrong is fed into a media circus. Those with agendas feed this and there is little breathing space to take considered coordinated action when addressing one or other of the myriad problems which occur daily.But the truth is that it is impossible to do so when you are also insolvent and kept alive only by the good will of your debtors. You live in a state of firefighting rather than managing effectively. Clearly then the underlying problem in the belly of it all was the finances of the WICB. And that had to be the first order of transformation, for without it nothing else was possible.2. Finance: The parlous state of WICB’s finances was accelerated on its downward slide with the introduction of the Future Tours Programme.The past ten years have been a building financial disaster. When our administration took office in August 2005, the WICB was bankrupt. That is a simple statement of fact. We were unable to pay our bills, lines of credit had dried up, we had suffered a loss of US$6.5 million the previous year and there was in addition a consolidated loss built up over the preceding years of US$15 million. After two frequently unpleasant years the situation has been fundamentally altered: Our credit is good, we made a profit of US$1.5 million at the end of 12 months (Sept 05-Sept 06), an improvement over the previous year of US$8 million, and we are on target for the current financial year with a small profit. This during a year when there were no “at home” games and therefore a notoriously difficult financial period. Also, assisted by the returns from the World Cup we have discharged our liabilities and subject to final audit we expect our consolidated loss of US$15 million to be virtually discharged.It is important to emphasise that the World Cup assisted. It was not responsible for the turn around which had commenced one year earlier with an improvement of US$8 million in our performance between 2005-2006 and the previous year. The WICB can therefore look forward to being clear of all major debt for the first time in more than a decade and operating in a healthy financial environment.3. The World Cup: Before I comment on the structure and changes that must prepare the foundation we need for our cricket, let us look at the World Cup as the major project of the WICB calendar. This event has been heavily criticised for its rigidity, high prices, being too up market, not delivering opportunity to the small man, and requiring too heavy an investment. Some of the criticisms are not without merit. We must acknowledge that there were weaknesses which might have been addressed differently and from which we must learn for future planning of mega events. I will not explain the circumstances which led to these problems, for this is not a World Cup Report. But it is necessary to put these criticisms into perspective. Let us therefore quickly look at some of the achievements of the World Cup:- On time delivery of 12 world-class stadiums and 22 practice grounds and facilities.- The skills development benefit from producing one of the largest events in the world, which has never before been attempted across nine sovereign states and which many thought was impossible.- The recruitment, training and outstanding performance of 4,300 volunteers- Training and certification of over 3,000 security personnel across the region delivering an incident-free match day operation- Global execution of the largest ticketed event in Caribbean history with almost flawless distribution of 672,000 tickets.- The movement of 16 teams and officials with “plane side pick up” throughout the region over 57 days with a 90 per cent on time record for all flights.- Moving 7,000 pieces of baggage across the region without losing one.- The management of over 9,000 men and women across the region- Delivery to cricket Boards a sum expected to be in excess of US$6 million for cricket development.- Delivering to LOCs a benefit of some US$32 million in ticket sales.Earning an estimated profit of US$59 million from the project as compared to South Africa’s US$27.2 million in 2005 and England’s US$22.3 million in 1999. Further, the benefits of destination exposure simply cannot be quantified, neither can the benefit to sport, if we manage our stadiums right.Much can be added, but what has been said makes the point. Our World Cup was much more than a learning experience. The WICB fought to get it. We won it, managed it and we delivered the approximate results we said we would. This was corporate achievement at its best and of which we can all be proud. I thank our CWC Board, CEO Chris Dehring and his able staff for their outstanding performance.

The Academy will not only train and develop, it will give cricket a home. The debates on issues need no longer be conducted as a knee jerk reaction in the public gaze. When former West Indies Test players can be programmed to meet systematically with current younger players, this lifts the level of communication, assists understanding and tends to shift us all closer to the same page.

4. The Academy: Now I turn to the foundation we must put in place. Over the past two decades all the major cricketing nations of the world, other than the West Indies, have established cricket academies. That is where they work on developing the whole cricketer: the player, his mind and the man the type of development we have been talking about for 22 years, according to Clive Lloyd. It is long overdue that we broaden the horizons of our players and lift them above learning on the job.Now finally it is going to happen. The Academy will operate on the basis of a hub, with five spokes. The hub will be in Barbados and it is proposed that the spokes be in Jamaica, Leewards, Windwards, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.The University of the West Indies and the WICB have already signed a MOU which makes the facilities at the 3Ws ground in Barbados available to the WICB. Similar assurances have been given by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda for the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and with the Trinidad and Tobago government for the Brian Lara Stadium. We are pleased to advise that a Caribbean company has now agreed in principle to the sponsorship of the Barbados hub for the first five years and this is likely to be confirmed in a matter of days. We also hope to be in a position to shortly announce the sponsors of the spokes in the other five countries.The Academy will not only train and develop, it will give cricket a home. The debates on issues need no longer be conducted as a knee jerk reaction in the public gaze. When former West Indies Test players can be programmed to meet systematically with current younger players, this lifts the level of communication, assists understanding and tends to shift us all closer to the same page. Less tangible, perhaps, but in the longer term an unquantifiable benefit.A project which has been talked about for more than a decade will now ensure the ongoing viability of the Academy. The Governments of Caricom have collectively made a commitment to assist in its financing. They have agreed to make a percentage of the funds from a Caribbean Superball Lottery available for this purpose. The Trinidad and Tobago government, which will not be participating in the lottery for policy reasons, has made a commitment to provide an annual sum via a Trust Fund or otherwise, equivalent to what would have been earned had they participated. Finally therefore, Caribbean people will have the long awaited opportunity to demonstrate their support for Cricket by participating in the lottery. We expect their response to be loud and tangible.Professor Beckles of UWI, who has done an excellent job in developing the 3Ws Centre of Excellence in Barbados, has been appointed Chairman of the Committee responsible for implementation and will shortly be meeting the media to outline the details of the Academy Structure. The sum expected from the lottery is US$6 million per annum and the start-up date to which Caricom Governments have committed is October 1, 2007.5. Restructuring: We undertook a major restructuring of the WICB management team which took longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, this exercise contributed significantly to the success of our cost reduction efforts and is now near completion with the recent appointment of an experienced CEO heading our team. Mr Bruce Aanensen has come in to face a strong headwind with many internal distractions. Even so he has made a good start and I have every confidence in his ability to get the job done.6. WICB/WIPA: Our relationship with WIPA continues to be a matter for concern. The arbitration process has assisted in that strikes have been avoided. But communication between the two organisations remains adversarial. There are reasons for this which I will not address in this report. But I recommend to the new administration that this remains at the top of the list of priorities.

We admire the Stanford initiative and we are happy to hear that Mr Stanford is having fun, but however attractive the short-term benefits, these must fit in the overall plan for rebuilding West Indies cricket, not the other way round.

7. Stanford 20/20: We continue to hope that we may find common ground with Mr Stanford. We have done everything possible to do so and accommodate his requests but our overriding concern must be the growth and development of West Indies Cricket and this is not limited to a four- or five-year cycle. Neither can it be restricted to 20/20 cricket. It is unfortunate that the position of the WICB has from time to time been misrepresented in the media, so it may be helpful to restate our position.We have from day one sought whatever approvals were requested of us on behalf of the Stanford organisation from our international allies on the ICC Board. Where these were not forthcoming it was not from lack of effort on our part.Of course there is an inescapable reality in all this which is that Mr Stanford is a businessman. Whatever his desire to assist West Indies cricket this cannot be expected to occur without concern for a return on his investment. He has frankly acknowledged this. But marketing strategies, important as they are, can never be more important than the right development plan and scheduling for our teams and this has to be our primary consideration.We support 20/20. We admire the Stanford initiative and we are happy to hear that Mr Stanford is having fun, but however attractive the short-term benefits, these must fit in the overall plan for rebuilding West Indies cricket, not the other way round. Once this is understood and remains the common objective of us both, there is no reason whatever why a satisfactory formula should not be found.8. Digicel Contract: This contract has been a source of concern and has not operated in our favour. It has now been renegotiated with more favourable results for WICB. We expect to earn approximately US$2.6 million more per annum as a consequence. Even more significantly we have been able to negotiate out of the contract the offending clauses which had been inherited and we have included a termination clause which had not previously existed. Perhaps it is necessary to add a further word particularly since its passage was only secured by the use of my casting vote as president, the only occasion on which I have done so in my two-year term.Our administration met this contract mired in controversy. There was ongoing conflict over various interpretations resulting in unfavorable consequences to the WICB which led to earning even less than was expected from the contract. This led to high level intervention and eventually a complete transformation of Digicel’s approach which resulted in the renegotiation to which I have referred. Now a completely new environment exists between Digicel and ourselves and they have committed to additional projects which have already commenced. We now have a contract which is vastly superior and one we can with appropriate notice end when it is in our interest to do so.

We have been able to negotiate out of the [Digicel] contract the offending clauses which had been inherited and we have included a termination clause which had not previously existed. Perhaps it is necessary to add a further word particularly since its passage was only secured by the use of my casting vote as president, the only occasion on which I have done so in my two-year term.

9. Business Plan: The ingredients for our business plan are now all in place. This will be one of the early tasks of our CEO and his team and should prove an invaluable guideline to plot the way forward.10: Governance: And finally I address the issue of the governance of West Indies cricket. We commenced a review of the governance of the WICB a little more than one year ago. It was intended initially to reduce the size of the board by having one representative, instead of the two who now sit from each regional Board. It was proposed to fill the six vacancies that would have been created with a mix of outstanding achievers from throughout the caribbean. Immediately before the meeting it became clear that this proposal would not have obtained the necessary support. Our options were therefore to continue as we were going or add brandy to the water. We chose the latter and increased the existing number of directors by three. These gentlemen have served us most ably and I publicly thank Sir Alister McIntyre, Dr Grenville Phillips and Mr Clive Lloyd for their important contributions.Now we have moved to the second phase of the Governance review: A small high-powered committee led by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Honourable PJ Patterson, has been appointed to undertake this exercise and to make appropriate recommendations. The other members are Sir Alister McIntyre and Dr Ian McDonald. This is probably the most important committee the WICB has ever appointed for its remit is to chart a course that will move the structure of WI cricket from its largely untouched colonial antecedence into the challenging new world of highly-competitive professional cricket.The preliminary report which was submitted to the WICB on Saturday July 14 speaks volumes for the manner in which they have approached their task. Their Report was warmly received by the board.The opening statement of their report is “West Indies cricket does not belong to the WICB; it belongs to the people of the West Indies”. A message that goes to the heart of the wider involvement in the decision-making process which is now required.The Patterson committee has promised its final report by September 15. Meanwhile, the interim report will be discussed at the levels of the regional boards and their comments will have the opportunity of shaping the final recommendations of the committee. I have requested Mr Patterson to make one or other members of his committee available to the regional boards when the matter is being discussed and he is agreeable to doing so.It is also important to add that as popular as it has become to be critical of the West Indies Cricket Board, the decision to appoint this committee was one which was freely taken by the board of the WICB and the board must be commended for this.Gentlemen, let me end by saying that it has been an honour to have served West Indies Cricket. We have not achieved the ultimate objective of turning around the performance of our team, which has been sliding for more than a decade, but then it was always more a hope than an expectation that this could be done in two years. We have neither the foundation, the facilities for preparation and certainly not the professional end product which is so much more evident in the other major cricketing nations. Even more fundamentally we have not had the money to do these things and have barely been able to survive. But now we have changed that. There is a new dawn, with new opportunity to rebuild West Indies cricket and we must move forward aggressively to build on what is now in place.We can take satisfaction in the knowledge that we have lifted our environment from bankruptcy to financial viability; that the challenge of the World Cup has been successfully met and we have delivered where so many expected us to fail; that our 22-year discussed Academy will now become a fact of life on September 14; that the governments of the caribbean continuing the unprecedented collaboration inspired by the World Cup are committed to a start-up date of October 1, 2007 for the Caribbean Lotto; that the controversial Digicel contract has been favourably revised: that the path for the future can be guided by a realistic business plan and that the long overdue examination of the structure of West Indies Cricket, which is perhaps the most fundamental initiative of them all, is fully under way.These are conditions precedent to any serious expectations that West Indies Cricket can be restored to its former glory. Unfortunately, without foundation and structure, many have behaved like crabs in a barrel, who fight because they do not know how to get out of the barrel. Now, hopefully, that will begin to change for we have a road map.So it has not been smooth sailing and there have been very difficult moments. I have no apologies for this, for our structure has outlived its usefulness with its limitations and qualitative shortcomings. It is a sad truth that it is virtually impossible to discuss any serious matter at board level without having this leaked to the media. On one occasion a sensitive decision was leaked and reproduced in the media while the meeting which took the decision was still in progress. At another level, one of our independent members was sufficiently moved recently to write to another director who was the source of some 14 emails sent over eight days to remind him that our role is to serve West Indies cricket rather than feed individual egos and that behaviour is all part of a deliberately disruptive pattern. Fortunately, it comes from a very small pocket of the board.So the governance/constitutional exercise now taking place is of critical importance and cannot be over emphasised for I am convinced that without changes to the structure in place everything else would have been in vain. The ultimate challenge then is one to which you the people who love cricket in the West Indies must respond.The WICB has opened the door for fundamental change, the Patterson Committee is in place to facilitate a new direction now, you must ensure that the process of consultation be widespread, constructive and successful.I say farewell. I thank PM Keith Mitchell of Grenada who, as chairman of the caricom prime ministerial sub-committee on cricket, has been of tremendous assistance in mobilising the support of Caribbean prime ministers. I thank so many of you on the board for your support. I thank the CEO and his team which I am confident will serve you well and wish the new President and his administration every success.”

Steve Harmison dusts off the cobwebs at Trent Bridge © Getty Images

Division One

The Roses match at Headingley ended in stalemate even though Lancashire took the one wicket they needed this morning to make Yorkshire follow-on. Matthew Wood fell shortly after lunch, but then Joe Sayers (75*) and Matthew Wood (81*) added an unbeaten 147 for the second wicket before the captains agreed to an early end. The loss of 124 overs to bad weather made the draw almost inevitable.At Trent Bridge, most eyes were on Steve Harmison and his return to action, and he worked through 15 overs in two spells without alarm – and without a wicket – as Nottinghamshire avoided the follow-on after Durham had declared on 404 for 8. Darren Bicknell got the champions off to a good start with a brisk 40, and then Jason Gallian and Will Smith (41) took them to 163 for 1 before Gareth Breese (4 for 77) snatched three quick wickets to put Durham in the box seat. Gallian completed his hundred, the 34th of his career, but fell to Mick Lewis for 114 as Nottinghamshire ended on 255 for 6.

Division Two

There was no play before lunch at DerbyWhere Derbyshire maintained their good early-season form by taking a commanding grip against Leicestershire. Declaring on 401 for 6 after two balls, Derbyshire reduced the visitors to 49 for 4 before John Sadler (52*) and Jeremy Snape (30*) finally offered some fight. By the time bad light brought a premature close, they had taken their fifth-wicket stand to 88 and the score to 137 for 4.The weather also had a say at The Oval where overnight rain delayed the start, and when they did get going Worcestershire’s batsmen frustrated Surrey. Phil Jaques (61) and Stephen Moore (75) put on 109 for the first wicket and all Worcestershire’s top order got starts, with the spin of Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi accounting for the six wickets that did fall. Worcestershire, needing 352 to avoid the follow-on, closed on 314 for 6, and with heavy rain forecast for Saturday, a draw seems to be on the cards.

Canada 284 (48.1 overs, Davison 125, Billcliff 90) beat Namibia 282 (49 overs, Keulder 83, Sandher 5-57) by two runs
ScorecardsCanada got just the start they needed against a powerful Namibian side in the opening round of the ICC Trophy. A century by Man-of-the-Match John Davison, well supported by 90 from vice-captain Ian Billcliff, allowed Canada to set a big total. Namibia came within two runs of victory, but brave captaincy, coupled with five wickets at the death from Kevin Sandher, gave Canada a thrilling win.Canada were put into bat by Deon Kotze and immediately Davison celebrated Canada Day by smashing two boundaries off the first over. However Desmond Chumney was dismissed in the third, caught by Louis Burger off the bowling of Sarel Burger. The other opening bowler, Kola Burger, struck next, with Zubin Surkari judged lbw for 4, leaving Canada on 26 for 2 in the sixth over.Billcliff also started aggressively, taking two boundaries from Kola Burger’s fourth over. The fifty came up in the 11th over, and Davison reached his personal half-century (out of 73) four overs later. Davison treated the bowling of his counterpart, Kotze with scant respect, and the hundred came up in the 20th over. At the halfway stage of the innings Canada were 141 for 2.Davison completed a superb 86-ball hundred, including four sixes and 12 fours, and with Billcliff added 169 before he was caught by Stefan Swanepoel off the fourth Burger to bowl. His 125 equalled the third-highest innings by a Canadian in the ICC Trophy (Muneeb Diwan made 125, also against Namibia in 1996-97). Billcliff reached his half-century and brought up the 200 in the 35th over, but Namibia halted the Canadian acceleration with three quick wickets. When Billcliff fell for an excellent 90 in the 44th over a post-300 score seemed possible, but Canada failed to bat out their overs and it almost cost them dear.When Namibia batted, Don Maxwell made the initial breakthrough, bowling the dangerous Andries Burger for just 8. Sarel Bruger (42) and Keulder (83) however were harder to dislodge, but tight bowling meant they gradually slipped behind a challenging run-rate, and both were dismissed as they tried to accelerate.George Codrington, a late addition to the touring party, proved his worth as he came on third change and bowled his first five overs for eight runs, capturing the wickets of Danie Keulder and Gerrie Snyman. As the required crept towards double figures, Louis and Kola Burger were forced to hit out, which they did to some effect. Kotze came in and took up the challenge, taking on Davison, and hitting a quick 22.Davison persevered with the initially expensive Kevin Sandher, and that faith was rewarded as he grabbed wickets as Namibia hit out, taking his fifth with the final ball of the penultimate over as Canada squeaked home by just two runs.A win over one of the strongest teams in the group is the perfect start for Canada. Assuming that they have no trouble with Papua New Guinea or Oman (both crashed to heavy defeats), Canada can assure World Cup qualification with a win over Scotland or Netherlands.

Zimbabwe were bowled out for 35 in their last match© Getty Images

Sri Lanka have decided to rest five of their key players, including their captain Marvan Atapattu, for the fourth one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare tomorrow. In Atapattu’s absence, Mahela Jayawardene will captain his country for the first time, but even with a second-string team at his disposal, defeat is inconceivable against a side that was bundled out for 35 in the third match on Sunday.Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Zoysa have all been rested to give opportunities to the lesser names in the squad. The uncapped left-hander Thilina Kandamby, the fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and the legspinner Upul Chandana will all play.Vaas has been the star of the series so far. He has picked up successive Man-of-the-Match awards on the way to becoming only the sixth bowler in one-day international history to take 300 wickets. "There is probably a lack of experience in the side," admitted Jayawardene, as he looked forward to his captaincy debut. "But the guys who are playing tomorrow have enough experience going on A tours and I hope they use it and do well."Meanwhile, the onus falls on his opposite number Tatenda Taibu to provide the runs, if Zimbabwe are to be remotely competitive – his first-ball duck on Sunday sounded the death knell for his team’s hopes. "The batting in the first 15 overs has been a concern," he admitted. "It is the main area we are concentrating on. We haven’t given the bowlers enough runs to play around with. It is up to the individuals really to find out how they can play their best cricket."Before this series we said to ourselves we are young, we are inexperienced. Let’s not hide from the fact that we will face some tough times and we will have some interesting and good times as well," said Taibu. "But the main thing was to stay together throughout every stage. It is good to see that the boys have listened and are giving their 100 percent."

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has named the 12-man squad to take part in the ACB Cup match against NSW from Monday, February 17 on Adelaide Oval.The team sees the debut for South Australia of former Kenyan player Muhammad Sheikh who plays for Grade side University.The left-arm orthodox spinner has played 21 One-Day Internationals for Kenya and was the youngest member of Kenya’s 1999 World Cup squad.For University this season, 22-year-old Sheikh has taken 31 wickets including 3/24 against Adelaide last weekend.The South Australian second XI is:

Ben Higgins (c)	Mark Higgs
Shane Deitz	Trent Kelly
Callum Ferguson	Muhammad Sheikh
David Fitzgerald	Mike Smith
Daniel Harris	Lachlan Stevens
Ryan Harris	Wes Thomas

South Australia is leading the ACB Cup competition going into this final game for the season.The match runs from February 17 to February 20 and play starts at 10.30am each day.

Sussex could make no headway through the defensive batting of the Middlesex middle order which held out through the final session to get a draw in their CricInfo Championship match at Lord’s.Middlesex, having begun their second innings ten minutes before lunch, which was taken on twelve without loss, lost three wickets in a space of 21 runs during the second session of play.An hour after the break the first wicket went down with Mark Robinson, who replaced Jason Lewry for the thirteenth over, trapping Michael Roseberry leg before for eight. The next fell five runs later on 38 with Owais Shah pushing half forward to a ball that left him slightly and Chris Adams at second slip took the catch inches from the ground.To complete the trio of wickets that fell during that period, Andy Strauss, who had opened his account before lunch with three boundaries, hung his bat outside his off stump and once again a ball that swung away caught the outside edge on its way to first slip. From 54 for three, Middlesex moved on to 65 when tea was taken.The solid fourth wicket stand of 81 in 34 overs between Robin Weston, who top scored in the first innings with 83 and Ben Hutton ensured that Middlesex were not going to suffer their first championship defeat of the summer. They took no chances; there was hardly a risky stroke as they waited for the right balls to hit.They were neck and neck, for most of their stand, in the rate of scoring. After fifty overs they had 31 runs apiece with the total 125.Finally, with a draw becoming inevitable, Richard Montgomerie was given the last over to bowl for a light-hearted finish and his first ball trapped Weston, 34, leg before wicket, ending a two-and-a-half-hour stay at the crease during which he received 106 balls.Hutton, having faced 120 balls, remained not out with 36, in two hours, and with Middlesex on 135 for four, the captains decided to call an end at 5.30pm.Earlier, Middlesex bowlers, who struggled for wickets, claiming just one in almost the entire third day’s play, were more successful today. They dismissed five Sussex batsmen in a little over an hour-and-a-half, despite the absence of Phil Tufnell who has a hamstring strain.The unbroken overnight stand of 109 between Montgomerie and Bastiaan Zuiderent did not progress much further. In the sixth over of the morning, after Zuiderent had added six to his fifty, Angus Fraser claimed the first of his two wickets with Jamie Hewitt diving forward at mid-on to take a low catch.Montgomerie, meanwhile, reached his fourth first-class century of the season and on 116, looking for quick runs, he swung at a Paul Weekes’ ball and failed to connect. He had hit twelve boundaries in his 271-ball innings. Sussex were 262 for three.Adams’ reverse sweep at Weekes didn’t work as the ball popped up into the hands of Shah at slip. Fraser got his second wicket when Umer Rashid’s firm pull was knocked upwards by Weston at mid-wicket and held at second attempt. The fourth and fifth wickets had gone quickly on 285 and 292 respectively.Four runs after Matthew Prior was run out on 311, the declaration came, setting Middlesex 313 to win in a minimum of seventy overs. But on a slow wicket and in overcast conditions which assisted ball movement, as seen later, this was a far from easy task for the home side.

Chelsea are now aiming to sign an “excellent” midfielder in the January transfer window, and there is a belief he would “thrive” in the Premier League.

Giroud makes it clear where Chelsea need to strengthen

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Olivier Giroud suggested the Blues need to bring in an experience striker if they are going to compete for the Premier League title, given that Enzo Maresca is currently working with a lot of young players, who haven’t been consistent in front of goal.

Pedro Neto has been the west Londoners’ top scorer in the Premier League this season, scoring five goals, one more than Joao Pedro, who has often been deployed in the number 10 role, rather than as a centre-forward.

Liam Delap, on the other hand, has struggled on the injury front, with the Englishman currently out due to a shoulder problem, and at 22-years-old, the former Ipswich Town man may lack the experience to be Maresca’s main striker.

In midfield, however, the Italian is blessed with some top-quality options, with Jon Obi Mikel suggesting Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are building “something special” as a partnership.

Despite Chelsea having Caicedo and Fernandez at the base of midfield, they remain keen on bringing in a new central midfielder, according to journalist Dean Jones, who told TEAMtalk they are now aiming to sign Lens’ Mamadou Sangare in the January transfer window.

The likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are also in the race for Sangare, who only joined the French club in the summer, arriving from Rapid Wien in a £7m deal, but his impressive performances this season have caught the eye of some top clubs.

The Malian is regarded as a good-value option, and the interested Premier League sides could step up their interest when AFCON reaches its climax in the middle of January.

"Excellent" Sangare "could thrive" in England

Journalist Bence Bocsak certainly believes the 23-year-old could kick on if he were to move to England, saying: “I think he’s the type of profile who would thrive in the Premier League in the future.”

Bocsak praises the maestro for his “great speed and acceleration” and describes him as “a nightmare to play against”, while he has also displayed his dribbling and tackling ability on a regular basis over the course of the past year.

Mamadou Sangare’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

3.67 (98th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.32 (94th percentile)

Blocks

1.54 (83rd percentile)

Sangare has been a key player for Lens this season, featuring in all 15 Ligue 1 matches, and the French side are flying high, currently sitting at the top of the table.

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As the stats prove, he’s a tackling machine, much in the mould of a Caicedo or Chelsea great N’Golo Kante. Caicedo ranks in the 94th percentile himself for tackles while according to StatMuse, Kante is the player who’s won the most tackles (175) in a single Premier League season. That came in 2015/16 when he won the league with Leicester.

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That said, there are question marks over whether Chelsea need to bring in another new central midfielder, given that it will be difficult to displace Fernandez and Caicedo in the starting XI, and they also have Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia on the books.

Match facts

Tuesday, May 6 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

	It’s time for Stephen Fleming to fire after Matthew Hayden’s departure © Getty Images

The Big Picture

Four days ago, the Chennai Super Kings were sitting on top of the points table with four wins out of four. Two defeats and a Trans-Tasman exodus later, they’ve slipped to No. 4. Chennai’s loss of form, with the bat in particular, has been dramatic. They were swung out for 109 by Sohail Tanvir in their previous game, the lowest score by a team batting first in the IPL. On paper, they have batsmen who can fire, and bowlers who have shown the ability to contain. All teams are entitled to their bad days and Chennai would do well to erase those bad memories as soon as possible. They will take heart from the fact that their opponents Deccan Chargers are languishing right at the bottom of the points table. However, Deccan have several impact players such as Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi who, can single-handedly change the course of a match. The middle-order also needs to back up the efforts of Rohit Sharma, who is among the leading runscorers of the tournament.

Watch out for …

… Adam Gilchrist taking on Makhaya Ntini. Ntini bowled a maiden over against Rajasthan Royals and was one of the few bowlers who returned decent figures after the assault. Rohit taking on Muttiah Muralitharan should be another interesting battle in the middle overs.

Team news

Shahid Afridi has had a rough time with the bat so far but his saving grace is his contribution with the ball so one would expect him to retain his place. Chamara Silva has been warming the bench since he arrived in India and could be slotted in instead of Herschelle Gibbs. Moreover, Rohit could use some support in the middle order and Silva’s finishing abilities could be just what Deccan need.Deccan Chargers: 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 VVS Laxman (capt), 3 Scott Styris, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Shahid Afridi, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Arjun Yadav, 8 Sanjay Bangar, 9 RP Singh, 10 P Vijaykumar, 11 Pragyan OjhaAs the only specialist foreign batsman in the side, Stephen Fleming needs to fire after two failures. Parthiv Patel hasn’t really pushed on after making starts. With only four overseas players to choose from, they are likely to retain their line-up from the previous game.Chennai: 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Stephen Fleming, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Vidyut, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 S Badrinath, 8 Joginder Sharma, 9 Manpreet Gony, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Makhaya Ntini

IPL form (last five matches)

Chennai Super Kings: WWWLL
Deccan Chargers: LLWLL

Stats and trivia

Rohit Sharma is one of the contenders for the orange cap, having scored 235 runs at a strike-rate of 153.

Parthiv Patel has scored only 92 runs in six innings at an average of 15.33.

Quotes

“I am doing well opening the innings, but if the situation requires, then we will certainly change the order. Perhaps even Afridi will open the innings, if necessary.”