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West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree has described Pakistan as a “very, very dangerous team” which can “demolish any opposition.”

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2016Legspinner Samuel Badree has described Pakistan as a “very, very dangerous team” which can “demolish any opposition.” West Indies face them in three T20Is from Friday in the UAE and Badree insisted his side was”wary of the challenge” posed by Sarfraz Ahmed and his men despite the gap in rankings. West Indies, having won the World T20, are at No. 3 and Pakistan are No. 7.”On their day, they can demolish any opposition, and we are wary of that challenge,” Badree said. “We respect every opposition that we come up against, and we are going to do the same against Pakistan. We are going to prepare well, knowing that Pakistan are a very, very dangerous team.”The responsibility of living up to that reputation has fallen on a few rookies, and Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur gave them a glowing recommendation. “The players we have brought in – Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Sohail Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz – they take the game on. They don’t fear failure, which is fantastic. They are the guys we want to build this one-day cricket brand around.”West Indies, however, would have to find a way to cope without two of their best T20I players. Chris Gayle is injured and Andre Russell withdrew from the tour for personal reasons.”It’s a different team from the team that won the World T20,” Badree said. “We have a lot of new guys, a few players who are making their debuts on this tour. A number of our guys have been here before – the likes of [Sunil] Narine, [Dwayne] Bravo, [Kieron] Pollard. So we are looking forward to some very good games of cricket and, of course, we’d like to win the series and remain as one of the best T20 teams in the world.”One of the newer faces is opening batsman Evin Lewis, who made his maiden first-class, List A and T20I centuries in 2016 and has been named player of the year by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. That maiden T20I ton came against India in Florida in which Lewis and Johnson Charles shared a 126-run opening stand to lay the platform for a match-winning total of 245.”I said [to myself] that this could be my opportunity to put myself on the world stage and I went out there and played positively and it paid off for me so I was happy about that,” Lewis said of the knock. “Johno [Johnson Charles] is a pretty attacking batsman like myself so there is less pressure on me. When he scores, it makes it easier for me to score also.”A factor that could make this series, which also includes three ODIs and three Tests, compelling could be the mercurial nature of both sides.”Pakistan are very similar to us in terms of their consistency – or lack, thereof,” Badree said. “One day they will give a brilliant performance, just like us, then the next, they leave a lot to be desired.”West Indies begin the tour with a warm-up match against Emirates Cricket Board XI on September 20. There is a day-night Test in the schedule as well.

An update has emerged on Everton and their plans to bolster their attacking options in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on El Bilal Toure to Everton?

According to the Daily Mail, the Toffees are stepping up their interest in Almeria centre-forward El Bilal Toure as they eye a swoop to sign the ace.

The report claims that the club are keen on the 21-year-old as they want a replacement for current striker Neal Maupay, who could leave to join Salernitana in Italy.

It is stated that the La Liga outfit value the young forward at £25m and it remains to be seen how much Sean Dyche's side are willing to splash out on him this summer.

Who is El Bilal Toure?

He is a 6 foot 1 number nine who currently plays in the top-flight of Spanish football with Almeria and the marksman could be a huge upgrade on Maupay.

The Frenchman, previously of Brentford, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.56 across 27 appearances in the Premier League and contributed with one goal and zero assists, starting 11 times, as the flop failed to consistently make an impact at the top end of the pitch.

He missed seven 'big chances' and did not create a single one for his teammates over the course of the campaign, which shows that the dud was wasteful in front of goal and offered almost nothing from a creative perspective, as he made 0.3 key passes per match.

Toure, meanwhile, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.79 and plundered six goals and two assists in 20 outings in La Liga – starting 14 times. This suggests that the titan could provide more quality than Maupay in the final third if he can translate his form for Almeria over to England.

The youngster, who has completed 71% of his passes, was once dubbed a "major talent" by journalist Graeme Bailey and his form in 22/23 has started to back that up as the ace is making a big impact in a major European league despite his young age.

Maupay, 26, struggled badly in the top flight and did nowhere near enough to prove himself to be a reliable option for the manager heading into next season.

Therefore, Dyche swooping to bring Toure to Goodison Park could improve the club's squad as the Mali international has the ability to offer far more in front of goal than the ex-Brentford man.

This means that ruthlessly ditching the current Toffees striker in favour of a £25m swoop for the La Liga hotshot could be a terrific piece of business by Everton.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and interest in one of their stars ahead of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Ridvan Yilmaz's future at Rangers?

According to Fotomac, Turkish giants Galatasaray are eyeing up a swoop to sign Light Blues left-back, Ridvan Yilmaz to bolster their squad for the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the Super Lig side are plotting an official bid to sign the former Besiktas ace, although it does not state how much they are willing to offer.

He joined the Gers for an initial fee of £3.4m in the 2022 summer transfer window and Fatih Terim is aiming to bring the defender straight back to Turkey after one year.

How has Ridvan Yilmaz performed this season?

The 22-year-old enforcer endured a difficult debut campaign with the Light Blues. He missed 29 competitive matches through injury between October and March of 22/23 but did end the season as Michael Beale's first-choice left-back.

Yilmaz only made nine appearances in the Scottish Premiership and registered his first two assists in the competition in the final match of the season against St Mirren on Saturday. The gem provided two excellent assists for Fashion Sakala and that was, hopefully, a sign of things to come next season.

Beale and Rangers must not give up on the defender after one year of struggles as the club made a similar error with centre-forward Cedric Itten.

Former sporting director Ross Wilson decided to cash in on the Switzerland international last summer after he scored two goals in 11 appearances for the Gers in the 2021/22 campaign.

This is currently looking like a disaster of a decision by the club and their former chief as Itten has plundered an eye-catching 23 goals and 12 assists in 39 appearances for BSC Young Boys this term – a goal involvement every 1.1 games on average.

The 26-year-old is thriving in his home country and Rangers may be wondering whether they made an error in allowing him to leave, which is a mistake that they must now avoid with Yilmaz.

Last season, the Gers full-back created five 'big chances' and registered four assists in 27 matches in the Super Lig for Besitkas. He also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per outing and these statistics show that the gem has the potential to make a big impact at both ends of the pitch.

However, the youngster, who Wilson once dubbed "high-quality", only created one 'big chance' and made 1.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premiership, which suggests that Rangers have not seen the best of the Turkish international.

Therefore, Beale must not repeat Wilson's Itten disaster as Yilmaz could go on to be a success next season, and they must not deny themselves the opportunity to watch him do it at Ibrox.

India A’s bowlers picked up the last eight Australia A wickets for just 71 runs to bowl them out for 228 and script a stunning comeback, earning a two-run first-innings lead

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2016
Scorecard3:10

Highlights – India A trip up Australia A to take slim lead

India A’s bowlers picked up the last eight Australia A wickets for just 71 runs to bowl them out for 228 and script a stunning comeback, earning a two-run first-innings lead. Australia A’s seamers responded strongly, removing India A’s openers within 11 overs. India A had raced away to 2 for 44 for an overall lead of 46, before bad light brought a premature end to the second day in Brisbane with 18 overs still left in the day.Resuming the second day on 0 for 25, Australia A lost two early wickets in economical opening spells from Varun Aaron and Shardul Thakur. However, captain Peter Handscomb and Joe Burns struck brisk fifties to put Australia A in a commanding position.The duo counter-attacked, striking 15 fours between them to take Australia A to 2 for 117 at lunch. They added a further 40 after the break before Burns was caught for 78 – his second-highest score in any format this year – triggering Australia A’s collapse. Handscomb was run out for a 93-ball 87 that featured 15 fours and a six.Offspinner Jayant Yadav and Aaron picked up three wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Thakur chipped in with two and one respectively.

Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani's Nine Two Foundation could walk away from the Manchester United ownership race if they feel that they will not eventually win the battle, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What's the latest on Man United's ownership situation?

There is still no clear picture on who will eventually win the battle to acquire ownership of Man United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's consortium's bid potentially allowing the Glazer family to retain some shares, whilst Sheikh Jassim's bid would see his group complete a full purchase.

It has now been mooted that the Nine Two Foundation, Jassim's group, could eventually pull out of the race, rather than waiting to be rejected, if it does not appear that their bid will be successful.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs revealed that the drawn out process could lead to them ending their pursuit of Man United.

"I don't think the Nine Two Foundation will necessarily want a scenario whereby they're rejected," he stated.

"I think it's more likely that they'll do everything in their power to win. If they feel like the process is just not geared towards them winning because the Glazers want to stay, and with time running out because they don't want this to overshadow the whole of the summer window, at that point I can see the Nine Two Foundation feeling like it's more in their interests to just walk away.

"That would be normal because they're looking at making a world record sale and are pushing to get in as soon as possible because they know how important the early part of the window is.

"If it gets to a point where they no longer feel like they can buy the club because the Glazers are looking in a different direction or the process is just not geared towards getting anything done that benefits them, and quickly, at that point I don't think the Nine Two Foundation would just wait to watch somebody else come in and be rejected. I think they would pull out of the process first."

What next for Man United?

Erik ten Hag's side will be aiming to build upon their season of progress, which has seen them win the Carabao Cup, secure a top-three finish and reach the FA Cup final, but they will need reinforcements in the transfer window.

The ownership situation will need to be resolved quickly in order to facilitate this, as they aim to complete a number of big signings, and the outcome of the takeover could determine who they target in the window.

Ten Hag's top priority is Harry Kane, whilst there have also been strong links with Mason Mount, and it has been mooted that if Jassim's group wins the battle, the Qatari owners could target Neymar.

A quick resolution from the Glazers is necessary, regardless of the decision, as the process continues to drag on with no end in sight.

Following India’s 19-run loss in Ranchi, India captain MS Dhoni has said patience must be shown with India’s new-look middle order, especially given it’s not easy to finish games on tricky tracks like the one used in this ODI

Arun Venugopal in Ranchi26-Oct-20161:51

‘Hard to bat down the order on these wickets’ – Dhoni

MS Dhoni has asked for more patience to be shown with India’s inexperienced middle order after they couldn’t complete a chase of 261 on a sluggish Ranchi pitch. Dhoni backed the young players to find their own method of finishing games, even if it meant going for big shots, referring to the dismissals of Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya at a critical juncture. While Pandey lofted a slower ball from Tim Southee to mid-on, Pandya’s inside-out strike off Mitchell Santner was pouched by Tom Latham at long-off, and with this wicket India had slipped from 128 for 2 to 167 for 7.”Cricket has changed, people like to play big shots. It is important to not tell them to stop playing the shots; you don’t want them to go into their shells,” Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony. “They played their shots when the ball was in their area. The Nos. 5 and 6 are quite new, they will learn their own way. Some will play big shots, some will take it deep. Once they have played 15-20 games, they will figure out what works for them.”Dhoni’s post-match press conference was along the same lines; he reiterated the difficulty of batting down the order on such a sluggish pitch. “It’s important they get games like these and finally they’ll figure out a way what suits them best to chase down a total like this,” he said. “Unless they get an opportunity like this it will be very difficult because that’s how you get experience. You can learn a lot by watching but ultimately when you feel the pressure and go through that motion, that’s where you learn a lot. It will be a good learning curve for them. Give them some time.”Dhoni saw parallels with the defeat in Delhi, and said the loss of wickets in clumps hurt the team. He also hit out at India’s profligacy with the ball – they conceded 13 wides in the afternoon. “I think it was the first 10 [overs] where we gave away a lot of runs and the extras,” he said. “The wicket was best to bat on in the afternoon, and it kept getting slower and slower. On a wicket like this when the score is not too much – we were not chasing anything over 6.5 or 7 runs an over – you need partnerships.”Also, you need to realise that with two balls it initially comes on to the bat better and as the game progresses the wicket slows down and the ball doesn’t come that well. That’s where it becomes difficult to freely rotate the strike.”India’s innings received an early jolt after Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the fifth over. But, the chase was kept on track by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, who put on 79 runs for the second wicket. However, once Kohli was caught behind attempting to cut Ish Sodhi, India’s innings fell apart. Dhoni disagreed with the suggestion that India’s chases were overly dependent on Kohli.”If you see the last one to one and a half years, we haven’t played a lot of ODI cricket,” he said. “In between we had Zimbabwe, we had three games so… I can say that the stats actually don’t reflect the exact scenario because also in that period I have batted at a different position and our top order was batting brilliantly. So everything is very different. Just in this series, if you see, there have been a couple of games where the wicket was on the slower side.”It’s when the wickets are slow and when the required run rate is not high, you calculate and at times you play out a few overs thinking if you have a partnership at this moment, with more wickets in hand in the last few overs, you can look to chase down something that’s even seven to seven and a half [runs per over]. We have got quite a few batsmen who can do the job. It’s just that we have to give them more time. Batting down the order is one of the toughest things to do. You don’t get a [ready-made] player who’s complete, who bats at No. 5, 6 or 7, all the time.”

Trent Boult and Tim Southee may be the spearheads of the attack, but on Saturday, it was Neil Wagner who first rattled Pakistan, and in so doing, beat his more illustrious team-mates to a milestone

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch19-Nov-2016Trent Boult and Tim Southee may be the spearheads of the attack, but on Saturday, it was Neil Wagner who first rattled Pakistan, and in so doing, beat his more illustrious team-mates to a milestone.Babar Azam and Azhar Ali had settled into a partnership, when Wagner began to direct balls at their ribs. One of those caught Azam’s gloves and sailed through to the wicketkeeper, and gave Wagner his 100th wicket in his 25th Test. Boult and Southee had both needed 29 matches to rack up triple figures.”I don’t think in my wildest dreams I’d thought about getting 100 wickets,” said Wagner. “I’m pretty pleased. Whichever way I can play a part for the team and deliver in a role, I’m happy. Whichever way it goes I want to keep contributing.”Wagner was the second-fastest New Zealand bowler to the milestone, behind Richard Hadlee, who had achieved the feat in 24 games. “I’m more than happy for Sir Richard Hadlee to keep that record, because he’s an absolute legend,” Wagner said. “I’m stoked to get to 100, but there’s still a long way to go.”The dismissal of Azam had in fact been the first of a bouncer double-strike, which also accounted for the wicket of Younis Khan. Wagner had a short ball leap at Younis’ throat early in his innings, and the batsman could do nothing more than attempt to fend it away. The ball collected the glove en route to the wicketkeeper.”That’s just my job to do something different,” Wagner said. “We know how it works out here – today there was a bit of wind, and that stops the ball from swinging. When conditions start getting a little easier to bat on, I’ve got to try and make something happen. It doesn’t always happen, but luckily today was one of those days when it paid off. I think we had to work long periods of time to get that success, and we did.”In between wickets New Zealand were relentlessly disciplined, with each of the quicks bowling a very high percentage of dot balls. Of the 66 overs bowled in Pakistan’s second innings, 25 were maidens – the visitors’ run rate a mere 1.95. A late flurry of wickets also meant Pakistan were left seven down, with a lead of only 62.”I thought we bowled exceptionally well in partnerships,” Wagner said. “It was some quality fast bowling. We created pressure for long periods of time and got rewards for it towards the end.”Boult had the innings’ best figures of 3 for 18 at stumps, though Southee had bowled the highest percentage of maidens, delivering 10 scoreless overs out of 19 in total. Wagner said the opening pair had set the tone.”The way Tim and Trent opened the bowling – they are two of the best bowlers going around when they bowl like that. They’re just absolute class. Seeing them go about the work they did and pressure they built – I think at the start they were going at one run an over – it just shows the class of those two bowlers.”

Manchester United will be hoping to put their disappointing FA Cup final defeat in the rearview mirror as they head into the summer break following a solid debut campaign under Erik ten Hag.

Not only did the Dutchman win the Old Trafford side their first trophy since 2017, but has also guided them into the Champions League group stages, and with his first season behind him, he will be aiming to take the Red Devils to the next level during 2023/24.

To do this, however, he will have to add a few more fresh faces to the squad, while shipping out some deadwood. Given that he lured players such as Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro to United last summer, there will be a similar hope that signings of this stature could be made again.

They may well raid Real Madrid once more, as United have been linked with midfielder Federico Valverde according to reports in Spain, although president Florentino Perez has claimed that it will take an offer of around €80m (£69m) in order for negotiations to begin.

Could Federico Valverde improve Manchester United?

The 24-year-old Uruguayan is entering the prime years of his career and has enjoyed a wonderful period of success at Madrid, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League crown – ensuring that if he joined United, they would benefit from his winning mentality in the heart of the midfield.

Another reason why the midfielder could improve the Red Devils is his similarities to Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, who according to FBref, is the most comparable player to Valverde. Given the German's incredible career, in which he has won 13 major honours and become the beating heart of Pep Guardiola’s City juggernaut, it certainly isn’t a bad comparison to have.

Indeed, over the past year, Gundogan ranks in the top 10% across Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals, touches in the attacking penalty area and total shots per 90, while the Uruguayan ranks in the top 10% also for non-penalty goals and total shots, while dropping to the top 21% for touches in the opposition box per game, suggesting that the pair offer an excellent goal threat from the centre of midfield overall.

This is something United could benefit from as none of their central midfielders scored more than seven goals across all of last season. Valverde showcased his importance to Madrid by ranking as their third-best player in La Liga, fifth for goals and assists and sixth for key passes per game, with Gundogan offering a similar influence at City, ranking similarly highly for the same metrics, suggesting that Ten Hag could have a world-class operator as the fulcrum of his side should he sign him this summer.

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole hailed Valverde as “unbelievable” late last year, and having showcased his abilities at the Bernabeu, a move to Old Trafford surely wouldn’t faze the 24-year-old.

Jimmy Adams, 49, has been confirmed as the new director of cricket for West Indies, taking over the role from the departing Richard Pybus

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jan-2017Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams has taken over as the director of cricket at the West Indies Cricket Board. Adams, who turned 49 on Monday, replaces Richard Pybus, who opted to not renew his contract having served in the role for three years.Last week, ESPNcricinfo reported Adams had accepted the job but was negotiating the terms. On Tuesday, the WICB announced Adams’ appointment stating his contract was for three years.Adams had stepped down last October as the head coach at Kent, a role he had served in since 2012. The timing of his departure from Kent was not lost on many as it had come less than a month after the WICB had sacked Phil Simmons as the West Indies coach.Adams did apply for the vacant head coach position of the West Indies, but was persuaded to take up the role of the director of cricket instead. Incidentally, Pybus was part of the selection panel that picked Adams.”Jimmy thinks the timing is right for his new role with the WICB,” the WICB media release said. Adams said he was looking forward to contributing to the growth of West Indies cricket. “I am very excited to be directly involved in Caribbean cricket once again, and I look forward to working with all those committed to moving the game forward in the West Indies.”His predecessor, Pybus, acknowledged the scope of the challenge Adams faced, but felt the Jamaican was well suited to take over the role.”I look forward to Jimmy bringing the breadth of his international experience and knowledge of cricket in the Caribbean to continue the work of rebuilding West Indies Cricket,” Pybus said in the release. “It is an exciting time for cricket in the region, with the momentum of the [T20] World Cup’s success and the professional cricket structures beginning to produce players capable of competing and excelling at international level.”Prior to returning to the West Indies to take on the director of cricket role, Adams served West Indies cricket in a variety of positions including West Indies U-19 manager. As a player, he made his Test debut in April 1992 and played 54 Tests, with a highest score of 208 not out against New Zealand, and also played 127 ODIs.

West Ham United have their sights set on Joao Palhinha and are now preparing to make an initial offer for the player, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Are West Ham United signing Joao Palhinha?

The Portugal international, who currently stars for Fulham, had an excellent first campaign in the Premier League in 2022/23. The Cottagers surprised many by not battling near the relegation zone after their promotion from the Championship and instead bursting into the top ten in the top flight. Palhinha had a key role to play in that success, as he featured on 35 occasions for the club in the league and even bagged three goals along the way.

Not only did he produce a joint-best individual year in terms of his goal haul but he also had plenty to contribute in defence too. When you compare Palhinha to others in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe, he is one of the most eye-catching prospects out there at the moment. With a superb rate of 4.26 tackles per 90, it means that he sits in the top one percent in that area for midfielders. With 2.06 aerials won too, he also sits in the top eight per cent for that category.

The 27-year-old then has certainly caught the eye of other clubs and it's the Irons who are the most heavily linked. According to reliable journalist Romano, an initial opening bid be made soon. He states that the Hammers are lining up an offer and that he is seen as a good replacement for Declan Rice, who appears to be heading out of the exit door.

Romano said: "West Ham are preparing their first approach for João Palhinha. Not an easy deal with Fulham but he's top of the list for West Ham to replace Declan Rice. Edson Alvarez remains in list but Borussia Dortmund are pushing to agree personal terms after proposal sent."

What is Joao Palhinha's transfer value?

There is no potential fee or asking price mentioned in terms of a bid and although CIES Football Observatory suggest that his value could be about 20 million Euros (or £17m), one would expect that to be much higher in reality considering the Cottagers paid £20m for the player last summer and he's only gotten better since.

It could well be worth splashing out big though when you consider how well he has performed. He's been hailed for his form in the Premier League for example, with football journalist Josh Bunting calling the midfielder "outstanding" and adding that he is "top class" in a variety of different areas. David Moyes then would no doubt love to add such a fantastic player to his side and if he can get a deal done, the worries over a Rice departure might ease for the Hammers.