All posts by h716a5.icu

Getting off on the right foot with supporters can be the start of a journey towards legendary status for a new player. Instantly form a good relationship with the fans, and they’ll be far more forgiving should anything go wrong throughout the season. Get off on the wrong foot, however, and you could quickly become public enemy number one.Pre-season gives supporters from across the world to get a glimpse of new arrivals for the first time, too, and line up, ready to get the latest shirt signed, or photo taken. There is a fine line between wanting a signature and simply failing to leave a player alone, though.It’s perhaps key to remember the human side of players, as shown by Manchester United’s summer arrival, Mason Mount.The midfielder couldn’t help but snap at United fans who had been asking for a signed shirt whilst on a pre-season tour.

What did Mason Mount say to a fan?

Snapping at fans, who had crossed the line with their desire for a piece of memorabilia by following him for three days, Mount refused to sign the shirt, relaying the fact that they had been following him, which you can see in the footage.

The midfielder was being pestered by fans after saying no multiple times and adding “sorry, lads”, he finally snapped, saying: “I ain’t signed for the last three days so I don’t know why you lot keep coming back.”

Whilst the fans will be left disappointed, following Mount for three days was always going to anger the midfielder, who, like anyone, is still entitled to a bit of privacy.

The former Chelsea man made his Manchester United debut in a recent friendly against Leeds United, as the Red Devils defeated their rivals 2-0, courtesy of goals from Joe Hugill, and Noam Emeran.

Rivals fans were quick to criticise his debut display, even putting together a compilation of some of his moments to forget.

Such is the case with many pre-season games, something tells us fans have been quick to jump to conclusions about a player’s performance. The real time to judge, however, will be throughout the forthcoming Premier League campaign.

What is the market value of Mason Mount?

Joining Manchester United for a reported £55m, Mount left Chelsea for fairly close to his current transfer value.

According to Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old is currently worth €60m (£51.36m), meaning that the Red Devils only paid an extra £3.64m than arguably warranted.

Considering the fact that Mount joined from a rival club, though, we’d say that Erik ten Hag and co got themselves quite the bargain this summer.

Speaking on joining United, Mount said in his first interview with the club: “It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.

“Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I’m joining, and I can’t wait to be part of this group’s drive to win major trophies.”

Ahead of next season, he will hope to play a key role in taking things up another level at Old Trafford, building on the work that took place in the previous campaign under Ten Hag.

Simon Katich has attacked Cricket Australia over the board’s claim that it is being generous by offering pay rises despite losing A$33 million over the early seasons of the Big Bash League

Daniel Brettig31-May-2017Simon Katich has attacked Cricket Australia over the board’s claim that it is being generous by offering pay rises despite losing A$33 million over the early seasons of the Big Bash League. Katich contended that the announcement of the figure in CA’s MoU offer to players was “either an MoU negotiating tactic or a serious case of mismanagement”.Players have already rejected offer – ACA

Alistair Nicholson, the ACA chief executive, has reminded Cricket Australia that the players have already rejected their pay proposal, after the board’s attempts to resell it publicly over the past week.
“This is simply rehashing their offer from March in a different format,” Nicholson said. “Same numbers, same lack of transparency and same philosophies that the players have categorically rejected. Surely there is a point at which the penny has to drop and CA stop haranguing the players and come to the table to mediate.
“The players are resolute behind the Revenue Sharing Model, but we have also expressed flexibility at evolving this in to a model that supports investment, boosts grassroots funding and shares further risk in times of uncertainty. This is a very reasonable approach but CA do not appear to be serious about getting this done before June 30.”

CA has invested heavily in the BBL since its 2011 inception, but at the end of its second season in 2013, announced an overall profit of A$1.5 million for “domestic T20 operations”. Later that year, the board signed a five-year broadcast deal with the Ten Network worth $20 million a season, and the growth of the tournament on free-to-air television has led to widespread expectation its value will rise to up to $60 million a year during the next deal, due to be struck in 2018.Upon hearing of the purported $33 million loss, Katich argued that such a claim needed independent investigation, and added weight to the players’ claim for independent mediation to settle the present pay dispute. “The claims that CA has managed to lose money on the biggest success story in world cricket must be independently investigated,” he said. “Record crowds, record ratings, record sponsorships and merchandising sales each and every year, yet CA are claiming a loss. It defies logic and good business sense.”CA countered Katich by asking why the players had not previously raised the issue when it was disclosed in the board’s initial proposal last year. “The ACA were given this information six months ago, as part of Cricket Australia’s initial MoU submission,” a CA spokesman said. “They have not raised this issue once in that time, and it suggests they still do not understand that it takes 71% of cricket’s total investment to run elite cricket.”It also demonstrates why the current fixed-percentage model is hurting cricket, when the players are guaranteed a quarter of revenue regardless of the costs associated with putting on the game. The BBL, and now the WBBL, are an investment in growing the game. In particular, ticket prices have been kept low because the primary purpose is to attract more fans and families – and it has been hugely successful at that.”The board’s pay offer to the players, which it has pushed aggressively over the past week via media interviews and the release of a video featuring CA’s lead negotiator Kevin Roberts, offers guaranteed amounts over the next five years but locks all players out of a fixed percentage share of revenue that goes up or down depending on the game’s financial fortunes. International male and female players are offered a capped bonus system to access some of the game’s blue sky, but domestic players have been offered fixed wages. State contracts in particular are indexed to rise by less than CPI (Consumer Price Index of inflation) over the next five years.”It also defies logic that you would claim a financial loss, yet not recommend a model that shares the risk,” Katich said. “It may well be an ill-conceived negotiation tactic, which itself is silly given mediation is the way to go. The BBL and WBBL provide the best platform to promote cricket to kids and families given they are turning up to these events in their hundreds-of-thousands over the course of the season.”Katich, who previously took aim at CA with considerable effect in 2011 after he was unceremoniously cut from the list of centrally-contracted players, asked how a game flushed with funds over the past five years could chronically under-fund grass roots levels of the game – something CA has argued is a cornerstone of their push to break up the fixed revenue percentage model that has been at the heart of pay deals between the board and the players for the past 20 years.”The recurring question that keeps arising is, where does all the money go?” Katich said. “Is it drained by too much bureaucracy, executive salaries, entitlements and bonuses. One thing is for sure, it’s not drained by either the players or grassroots investments, which together account for less than 30 cents in the dollar. I have called for a cap on CA administrative costs before and this is more evidence of the need for that. And it is also now clear evidence of the need for an independent investigation.”

Everton midfielder Dele Alli is facing a 'tall order' to get into Toffees boss Sean Dyche's plans this campaign and is more likely to leave the club than stay put at Goodison Park, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Does Dele Alli have a future with Everton?

Recently, Dele sat down with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville on The Overlap YouTube channel, in which he bravely spoke about issues with his state of mental well-being, various issues surrounding his personal and professional life and his hopes for the future in the game.

Winning plaudits for his bravery and honesty, the 27-year-old now finds himself at a crossroads in his career after returning from a loan spell at Besiktas, where he scored three times from 17 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Besiktas chairman Ahmet Nur Cebi revealed in an interview with BeIN Sports cited by The Liverpool Echo, that Dele wouldn't return to the Vodafone Stadium this season, stating: “Our contract with Dele Alli is over. He was a player we were very excited about when he came. He won’t come back. We didn’t get what we expected from him. I hope he recovers as a human.”

Nevertheless, despite his openness surrounding his struggles, Dele cuts a determined figure and looks to be in a much better place psychologically, being one of the first players to report back to pre-season with Everton, as again relayed by The Liverpool Echo.

In his time at Everton, Dele has made just 13 appearances for the club following his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in February 2022 in a deal that could rise to £40 million based on performance-related add-ons, as per Sky Sports.

Despite his new-found attitude to succeed, journalist Brown thinks that Dele is 'more likely' to leave Everton this window than stay due to the hefty financial cost of his add-ons if he makes a certain amount of appearances.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown stated: "I still think it's a tall order really for him to get back on track and force his way into this team, just because Everton are, I believe, still on the look for quite a lot of money for Dele if he plays a certain number of games, and it doesn't really make a lot of financial sense for them to give him a terribly large role in the team.

“I think he's got a lot to prove. I think if he sorts his life out, comes back strong and proves a point to Dyche, he's got a shot. But I think it's more likely that we eventually see him leave for a new start and a new challenge. I do though just hope that he gets everything else sorted out, because obviously, it's not a very good place for him to be in.”

What next for Everton as they prepare for the new campaign?

Everyone connected with Everton will wish Dele, who allegedly earns £100k per week, nothing but the best of fortunes as he aims to re-ignite the spark that saw him become one of the most eye-catching players in English football in the earlier stages of his career.

In other matters, Dyche will be looking to add some additional quality to his squad this window to ensure they don't land in a relegation battle for the third campaign running. According to Football Insider, the Toffees have 'registered their interest' in acquiring Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who has one year left on his deal at the King Power Stadium.

Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto is also a target at Goodison Park; however, the Whites have booted out a bid in the region of £15 million for the Italy international, as per 90min.

Free agent Moussa Dembele and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy have been mentioned in connection with the Blues and could be sought after to add some much-needed depth to their slim options in the final third, as per FootballTransfers.

Billy Godleman led a Derbyshire fightback after Leicestershire had passed 600 on the second day of the Division Two County Championship match at Derby

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2017
ScorecardNed Eckersley’s 91-ball hundred was part of a rapid double-century stand•Getty ImagesSkipper Billy Godleman led a Derbyshire fightback after Leicestershire had passed 600 on the second day of the Division Two County Championship match at Derby.Godleman marked his 50th first-class appearance for the county with an unbeaten 60 as Derbyshire closed on 154 for 1 in reply to Leicestershire’s 619, still 465 behind.Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove top-scored with 188, adding 239 in 38 overs with Ned Eckersley who made a career-best 158 while Sri Lankan allrounder Jeevan Mendis took 6 for 204.It was a question of how many Leicestershire would score at the start of another hot day and the answer was plenty as Cosgrove and Eckersley plundered 100 in the first hour.Cosgrove passed his previous best for the county of 156 at Derby two years ago with a pull for four off Tony Palladino and he launched Mendis for two sixes to bring up the 500 before he was caught at long on.The fourth-wicket stand beat the previous highest for the county against Derbyshire of 207 by Maurice Hallam and Willie Watson in 1959 and there were more records as Leicestershire erased their previous highest score at Derby of 552 for 6 declared 12 years ago.When Eckersley completed his first hundred of the season from only 91 balls, it was only the 13th time in Leicestershire’s history that three batsmen had scored centuries in the same innings and another declaration looked like the only way Derbyshire would get off the field until Eckersley clipped Tom Taylor to deep midwicket.His departure sparked a collapse that saw the last six wickets go down for 38 with Mendis the main beneficiary of Leicestershire’s pursuit of quick runs as he returned the best figures by a Derbyshire legspinner since Kim Barnett, now director of cricket, took 6 for 28 against Glamorgan at Chesterfield in 1991.It was also the most expensive analysis by a Derbyshire bowler in 113 years although he had bowled 52 overs, 24.3 of them in one spell from the Racecourse end broken only be lunch.But the most relevant figure for Derbyshire was 470, the runs required to avoid the follow-on, and Slater and Godleman gave them a solid start although both had some narrow escapes before Slater was caught at short leg off Zak Chappell for 42.Shiv Thakor played and missed several times but hit Chappell for three successive fours although Derbyshire have a lot of batting to do to save the game.

India are 2-0 up and cannot lose the series; will they finally give Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik a look-in?

The Preview by Sidharth Monga01-Jul-2017Match FactsSunday, July 2, 2017
Start time 0900 local (1300 GMT)Will India finally give Rishabh Pant a game?•Getty ImagesBig PictureWest Indies must feel this is just a surreal nightmare. They are playing in the rainy season and at 9am in front of no crowds to adjust to the opposition’s schedule and to finish at least half the match before the opposition fans go to sleep. In the first half they try their best, flailing their limbs, trying to wake up from the nightmare, trying to bowl with discipline, and then when seemingly nobody is watching – little live crowd, little TV following in India – they slip back to the nightmare, with their inexperienced batting letting them down.Friday was their best chance to put one past India – they had got the first use of a damp pitch and had taken two early wickets – but they seem almost scared of aiming too high. If you looked at the fields and the kind of bowling West Indies employed, you wouldn’t guess it was a difficult pitch to bat on. They have now not won an ODI series in three years, and are playing like it.India, on the other hand, are enjoying a dream. Pristine islands, no crowd to haunt them for selfies, a small press contingent, an easy opposition, and their internal troubles far far away for the moment. The only dilemma they might be grappling with is when to give Rishabh Pant a go. They have avoided adventure on the field so far, but if they don’t try out Pant, now that they can’t lose the series, this trip will be wasted. India need to keep giving the youngsters game time to stay prepared for the contingency of realising in early 2019 that one of their two middle-order giants can’t make it to the World Cup. The other, smaller question will be if they should allow Kedar Jadhav more batting responsibility higher up in the order and test him for a bigger role.Form guideWest Indies LLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWIn the spotlightIt’s like wine, MS Dhoni said, referring to getting better with age, after he had converted a slow start into a near run-a-ball 78 and had given India a match-winning total. However, he is an uncorked wine; at this age – 35 now, 37 during the next World Cup – Dhoni will know he is as good as his last couple of innings. The good thing is, his keeping has shown no signs of deterioration and he was back to providing running commentary as he kept wicket in the third ODI. He will need all this in the coming two years if he is to make it to the 2019 World Cup.Jason Holder has an unenviable task of leading an inexperienced West Indies side, and he tried to do the noble thing of leading from the front. However, he might perhaps be better off being a little more practical and not bowl himself at the death. In the last two ODIs, he has been targeted by India. In Port-of-Spain he had to be taken off after he bowled three beamers – one of them was so slow Dhoni pulled it. His 4.5 overs at the death in the last two matches have cost 65 runs.Team newsWest Indies made three changes in the last match. None of the newcomers did awfully. Kesrick Williams had an impressive debut, bowling five overs in the last nine. It might just help them to stick with the same players for a while. The only question will be if they want Alzarri Joseph back.West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Kyle Hope, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jason Holder (capt.), 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Kesrick Williams, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Miguel Cummins,Will either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik get a chance now that India can’t lose the series? Is there scope to try Ravindra Jadeja again?India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Yuvraj Singh/Rishabh Pant, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Umesh YadavPitch and conditionsThe previous ODI in North Sound was played on a damp pitch, which explains the low scores, but this one should be better to bat on.Stats and trivia MS Dhoni is now behind only Kumar Sangakkara for ODI runs as a wicketkeeper. West Indies have lost 10 and won two ODIs in North Sound.Quotes”We’ll surely look into [making changes]. We have quite a few players who haven’t had a game in a while.”
“We’ve got to come hard, we’ve got to address our batting. In the end we’ve got to bat well.”

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly showing a strong interest in Eintrach Frankfurt star, Randal Kolo Muani, with the Frenchman being lined up as a possible replacement for contract rebel, Harry Kane.

What are the latest transfer Tottenham rumours?

While there have been somewhat audacious claims that the Lilywhites are interested in a move for Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, journalist Sacha Tavolieri has revealed that it is Kolo Muani who is the "priority" target for Ange Postecoglou and co, with negotiations having already taken place regarding a potential €80m (£69m) deal.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider stated: "EXCL. Randal Kolo Muani to be the priority target striker for Harry Kane's replacement at #Tottenham ! Interest's huge and talks on player's side has just started. I understand this deal could happen as ENIC Group gave green light to Daniel Levy for a sale of Harry Kane.

"It's an 80M€ deal. Eintracht Frankfurt have already discusses with clubs before. Not yet from Spurs. The French striker's keen to the move. Wait&See"

This comes amid reports that Spurs are looking to sell Kane if the Englishman does not agree to extend his contract at N17, hence the need to line up a suitable successor to the free-scoring marksman.

How many goals has Randal Kolo Muani scored?

There's likely to be some real excitement among Spurs supporters amid the club's tentative links to the aforementioned Mbappe, although questions will have to be asked as to whether the 24-year-old is actually a viable option, considering the sizeable fee that it would likely take to prise him from the Parc des Princes.

If a deal for the former Monaco ace – who has been the subject of a £260m offer from Al Hilal – is ultimately too much of a pipe dream, then Postecoglou has seemingly lined up a worthy alternative in the form of his compatriot, Kolo Muani.

While the latter man is arguably not of the same ilk as his international colleague – who boasts 310 goals and assists in just 260 games in all competitions – the former Nantes ace did catch the eye with 40 goal involvements in just 46 games in Germany last season, a haul not too far off that of Mbappe (51 goals and assists in 43 outings).

Lauded as "ice-cold in front of goal" by German legend, Lothar Matthaus, Kolo Muani had previously scored 23 goals and contributed 16 assists in just 83 outings for his former employers, although he truly came alive in the Bundesliga last time out.

With both men able to operate in a central role or on the flanks, they have unsurprisingly earned comparisons to French icon, Thierry Henry in recent times, with pundit Joe Cole noting Mbappe's likeness to the ex-Arsenal man, while the Bundesliga website previously said of Kolo Muani:

'Much like Kolo Muani, legendary France striker Henry started his career by impressing with his pace and trickery out wide before being repurposed as a centre-forward. Both players also clock in around the 6'2" mark and cut very similar, rangy figures.

'Kolo Muani also has a languid dribbling style and immense turn of speed that were hallmarks of Henry's game – especially at a young age. He bears similar strength on the ball and a cheekiness to his play that will leave Bundesliga defenders both in his wake and cutting frustrated figures.'

What the duo share, in particular, is there innate dribbling ability and direct nature in attack, with the Frankfurt ace ranking in the top 7% among his European peers for progressive carries and in the top 5% for successful take-ons, while Mbappe is only slightly ahead as he ranks in the top 5% and the top 1% for those same two metrics, respectively.

As such, the likeness between the pair could suggest that even if Tottenham can't get Mbappe in the door this summer, they could be set to snap up the next best thing instead…

Tottenham Hotspur have pulled the plug on signing Galatasary defender Victor Nelsson with Ange Postecoglou's side "no longer in talks" this summer.

Who will Tottenham sign?

Spurs are attempting to back Postecoglou with more fresh faces, but with just two more games of their pre-season remaining and the start of 2023/2024 just next month, they will want to make more headway soon.

The north Londoners have seen goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfielder James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon join the club this window – following on from permanent deals for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski.

Next on chairman Daniel Levy's transfer agenda is the signing of a two star centre-backs, and there have been a succession of defenders linked.

Postecoglou has admitted that is something the club are currently looking at, coming after Spurs conceded a pretty woeful 63 league goals last campaign.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Tottenham have been seriously interested and in talks for Micky van de Ven of Wolfsburg, but reports from The Athletic this morning suggest a deal could now be off.

However, rhe long list of alternative centre-backs linked with a move to N17 includes Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona'a Clement Lenglet, Juventus defender Gleison Bremer and Nelsson.

On the latter defender, there were reports of Spurs nearing a deal to sign the 24-year-old, but journalist Charlie Gordon of The Daily Express has a contrary update.

Taking to Twitter, Gordon says Tottenham are "no longer in talks" to sign Nelsson – with Postecoglou's side seemingly giving up on a deal.

"Update on Victor Nelsson," wrote the reporter.

"Told that Tottenham are no longer in talks for the Galatasaray CB, dismissing recent reports of an agreement between the clubs."

There is little background as to why Spurs have backed away, which we find bizarre considering his contract possesses an affordable £21 million release clause.

How good is Victor Nelsson?

The Denmark international, who featured at last year's 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has been a star player for Galatasary at club level.

Boasting some impressive stats from last season's Turkish Super Lig campaign, Nelsson made more blocks per 90 and won more battles in the air than any other Galatasary player (WhoScored).

An undroppable under manager Okan Buruk, Nelsson featured over more league minutes than any of his outfield teammates last campaign – surely highlighting his importance to Galatasary and quality as a player.

The former FC Copenhagen ace has been called one the "star player" of Galatasary by sections of the Turkish press, making Spurs' decision to back off a rather curious one.

Perhaps, and this is just speculation, they edging towards an agreement for other targets like Lenglet or Tapsoba.

West Indies’ batsmen looked in good order and Kieran Powell struck a century as a less-than-testing warm-up against a weakened Derbyshire side ended in a tame draw

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2017West Indians 427 for 3 dec (Chase 110*, S Hope 107*) and 327 for 6 dec ( Powell 100 ret hurt, Chase 60*) drew with Derbyshire 181 (Brodrick 52, Holder 3-48) and 51 for 0
Kieron Powell led an untroubled West Indies batting display [file picture]•AFPThe form of Shannon Gabriel was again a worry for the West Indians as the day/night floodlit game against Derbyshire at Derby ended in a tame draw.With the First Test at Edgbaston four days away, the tourists main strike bowler rarely threatened during a four over burst in which he bowled four no balls and conceded 24 runs .Gabriel’s problems will be a concern but at least the batsmen are in good form with opener Kieran Powell scoring a century and all-rounder Roston Chase making an unbeaten 60 to add to his first innings hundred.Skipper Jason Holder did not declare until tea at 327 for 6, a lead of 573, and Derbyshire reached from 51 without loss from 14 overs before the teams shook hands at 8pm.Powell, who was named man of the match, said: “We’ve had valuable match time in the middle and all the batters have had an opportunity to see what the pink ball does and how it operates in these conditions.”It’s going to be different to the Caribbean so it’s valuable experience. It was interesting , in the first innings the ball didn’t swing and in the second innings it did a bit so I guess at different points in the game you can expect the ball to react differently.”I’m not sure how much to read into that if the conditions at Edgbaston are similar to here so I guess it’s just something for us to have in the back of our minds that these things could happen but we still have to go in with an open mind.”The tourists went into the final day with a lead of 306 and they batted through the first two sessions with Powell and Chase taking the opportunity to further boost their confidence ahead of this week’s opening day/night Test.Powell had missed out on a hundred by eight runs in the first innings but the 27-year-old left hander became the fourth West Indian in the match to score a century before he retired hurt with cramp.He drove and pulled Tom Taylor for three consecutive fours as he accelerated to three figures off only 102 balls after Jermaine Blackwood had been well caught at extra cover for 29.Jason Holder fell to left-arm spinner Matt Sonczak just before lunch and Derbyshire took three wickets in four overs before Chase asserted himself to pass 50 for the fourth consecutive innings.Shane Dowrich edged a drive at Sonczak and Shai Hope failed to clear wide mid on before Kyle was caught at slip two balls later.But that was Derbyshire’s last success as Chase and Kemar Roach shared an unbroken stand of 104 in 29 overs before Holder gave his bowlers a work-out under the floodlights.After his problems on the second day when he bowled 20 no balls in nine overs, all eyes were on Gabriel who needed a decent spell ahead of the Test.But the big Trinidadian again struggled for rhythm, overstepping three times in his fourth over when he was also hit for two fours by Ben Slater and the tourists had turned to spin from both ends by the time the match petered out in stalemate.

The 17-year-old Mumbai batsman and his captain added 211 at a run-rate of just over four on a dry, grippy first-day pitch in Lucknow

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu25-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:20

Who is Prithvi Shaw

All of 17, Prithvi Shaw added another chapter to his rise: a hundred on Duleep Trophy debut, which led India Red’s dominant batting display on a dry, grippy red-soil pitch in Lucknow. Shaw’s sparkling 154 followed a match-winning hundred on Ranji Trophy debut against Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals earlier this year. Breaking into the India Red XI in the absence of Sudip Chatterjee, Priyank Panchal and Rishabh Pant – who are all with the India A side – Shaw combined with his captain Dinesh Karthik – who made his second hundred in Duleep Trophy finals – and punished an India Blue attack that lacked penetration and direction for most parts.Vidarbha offspinner Akshay Wakhare and Andhra left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt, though, helped India Blue regain some lost ground under the floodlights. They removed the two centurions and B Indrajith, who prodded a bat-pad catch to short leg off what turned out to be the last ball of the day.The pitch had shown signs of deterioration as early as the sixth over when Wakhare bowled a flat dart on off stump and induced a weak drive from Akhil Herwadkar and a puff of dust from the surface. He found immediate turn – of the slow variety – as did Bhatt but they kept erring in lines and lengths in the first two sessions. Shaw was severe on anything that was remotely full and outside off, drilling drives between backward point and mid-off. All told, he hit 10 of his 19 boundaries in that arc. While some of his strokes were sublime, others were fraught with risk like the one that made him the youngest centurion in a Duleep Trophy final: an audacious slash over wide slip. Shaw celebrated by holding his hands aloft and tapping the bat on his chest.He had endured a nervous start, though, letting his hands wander away from his body, and having his splice jarred by fast offcutters and short deliveries from Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh. Shaw then bedded in and got stuck into Ishant, taking him for 36 off 49 balls, including seven fours. His Mumbai team-mate Herwadkar, who was more assured in defence, was happy to ride in Shaw’s slipstream. They added 74 for the first wicket before Herwadkar set his sights on a non-existent single and was run out for 25, 10 minutes before tea.Bhatt then had Suryakumar Yadav nicking a catch to slip with the fifth ball after the break. Instead of tightening their grip, Bhatt and Wakhare conceded 48 runs in the ten overs they bowled in tandem after tea. Karthik, in particular, threw them off their lengths with signature sweeps and reverse sweeps. He pressed on to bring up his fifty off 69 balls with a fierce upper cut to the third-man boundary.Shaw, at the other end, continued to drive on the up, and India Blue captain Suresh Raina threw down the gauntlet by installing two gullies. The Mumbai batsman took on the challenge and punched Jaydev Unadkat into the gap between the two fielders. By the end of the second session, Raina had deployed as many as eight bowlers, including himself.India Red’s tempo, though, dipped in an extended last session, which saw several interruptions: repairs on the bowlers’ run-ups and landing areas, comfort breaks, and Karthik needed medical attention for cramps. That the pink ball skidded on under lights might have also contributed to the slowdown. Bhatt and Wakhare bowled largely in line with the stumps and gave away only 23 in nine overs after the dinner break. Karthik then found a release by foraying down the track and driving Bhatt against the break through midwicket. As he approached the nineties, he struggled to run between the wickets and even collapsed twice.Karthik reached his 27th first-class century and second in three matches when he pulled Unadkat to the midwicket boundary in the 77th over. He followed it with a deft dab to third man and a short-arm swat over square leg. Just as he looked set to crank up the tempo again, Wakhare pinned him in front for 111 with a quicker offbreak and ended a 211-run stand. Three overs later, Bhatt drew Shaw forward with flight, created distance between the bat and the pitch of the ball with dip, and shaved the outside edge with sharp turn. Shaw, having thrilled a small crowd with his eye-catching strokeplay, exited for 154 off 249 balls. Bhatt proceeded to dismiss Indrajith – fresh off a double-hundred in his previous game – with an arm ball to embolden his side on an otherwise sapping day.

There has been an update in Arsenal's pursuit of Brentford goalkeeper, David Raya, with the Gunners seemingly closing in on the signing of the contract rebel…

How much is David Raya worth?

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the north London outfit having seemingly moved a step closer to sealing a move after agreeing personal terms with the 27-year-old, with the Spaniard seemingly destined for an exit with just a year left on his existing deal in west London.

Writing on Twitter, the respected insider stated: "Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms. Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate."

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This claim has also been supported by the Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, who revealed that the ex-Blackburn Rovers stopper – who is valued at around €20m (£17m), according to CIES Football Observatory – is set to command a fee of £40m.

Is Raya better than Ramsdale?

While that figure may appear rather steep for a player who is approaching the end of his current contract, there is an argument to be made that the Barcelona-born ace could represent a big upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates, with Raya having been branded a "better keeper" by talkSPORT pundit, Gabby Agbonlahor.

Although Ramsdale was crucial in the Gunners' attempted push for the Premier League title last season – having been branded "phenomenal" by club legend David Seaman – the England international did endure something of a rough patch in the latter stages of the campaign.

Despite his heroics away at Anfield in April – in which he was "fantastic" according to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – the 24-year-old was culpable after conceding a goal inside 27 seconds in the 3-3 draw to bottom side Southampton, having been punished amid his attempt to play out from the back.

That had come after the former Sheffield United man had also failed to keep out Jarrod Bowen's equaliser in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United, with Jamie Carragher stating on commentary at the time that Ramsdale would be "disappointed" not to have kept the attempt out.

Those woes have continued on pre-season as the one-time Bournemouth 'keeper also failed to save Bruno Fernandes' long-range effort against rivals Manchester United, while he 'could arguably have done better' for Jadon Sancho's subsequent strike, according to football.london's Kaya Kaynak.

To then oust Ramsdale from his starting berth with a player who made the most saves in the division last season in the form of Raya could be a wise move, with the Bees ace having also been hailed as "top class" and "one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League" by pundit, Michael Owen (Premier League Productions, 06/03/2023, 19:35).

Raya's notable strength appears to be his ease at playing out from the back as he ranks in the top 6% among his European peers for touches made, while the current Arsenal man, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 12% in that regard.

Crucially, however, the Gunners target is also adept at keeping the ball out of the net as he ranks in the top 8% with regard to save percentage and in the top 7% for crosses stopped as a sign of his ability to dominate his area, while Ramsdale ranks in just the top 23% and the top 50% for those same two metrics, respectively.

With Raya also a master at racing off his line to sniff out danger, as he ranks in the top 20% for defensive actions outside of the penalty area – in contrast to Ramsdale (top 40%) – it may be that the one-time Southport loanee is set to be more than just a quality backup option next season.