The batsman, who also contributed with his medium-pace bowling, last played an international match for West Indies in March 2015 at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket. Smith, 33, who is playing for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, confirmed the decision before the start of the second qualifying final against Karachi Kings in Sharjah. His last West Indies appearance came at the 2015 World Cup.Smith made his international debut on West Indies’ tour of South Africa 2003-04, beginning with the New Year’s Test in Cape Town in January 2004, after Marlon Samuels flew home with a knee injury. He made an impression straightaway, scoring a century on debut – a run-a-ball unbeaten 105, his only international century – in the second innings of the game, to help West Indies draw the match and end their streak of seven successive Test losses in South Africa. The team, however, did lose the series 3-1. Smith played only nine more Tests, scoring a total of 320 runs in the format. His last Test appearance for West Indies was in March 2006, against New Zealand in Napier.Smith had a far more substantial run in the limited-overs sides, where he also made useful contributions with his medium-pace, although his batting returns remained modest. Having begun in the lower order, Smith was promoted to the top order, including as an opener, after 2014 and did better there. Six of his eight ODI fifties came when he batted in the top three, and his average of 25.27 was better than his overall career average of 18.57. Overall, he played 105 ODIs scoring 1560 runs at a strike rate of 92.69. He also took 61 wickets in ODIs, with a career-best of 5 for 45 and three four-fors.Smith was part of two World Cup squads for West Indies in 2007 and in 2015, where his final appearance came against UAE in Napier. Following West Indies’ early exit from the 2007 World Cup, Smith spent close to three years out of the ODI and T20I squads before making his return in 2010.He was part of three World T20 squads – in 2007, 2012 and 2014. While he played only one match during West Indies’ title run in the 2012 World T20, he was picked in the next edition as the side’s designated opener and scored 125 runs in five matches. In 33 T20 internationals, he scored 582 runs at 18.18 with a strike rate of 122.78, although he only made three fifties.Smith has been a popular cricketer on the T20 circuit, over the last few years, turning out to play for franchises in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, as well as the NatWest Blast in England.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to have moved ahead in the race to sign Leicester City midfielder, James Maddison, with the playmaker looking set to leave his current home this summer.

What's the latest on Maddison to Tottenham?

That's according to journalist Scott Wilson, who revealed that the Lilywhites have nudged in front of Newcastle United in the battle to land the 26-year-old, with the England international said to favour a move to north London ahead of making the switch to St James' Park.

Writing on Twitter on Monday, the transfer insider stated: "Tottenham ahead of #NUFC in the battle to sign James Maddison – with the Leicester midfielder preferring a move to London to a switch to the North-East. Suspect things might move fairly quickly once tonight's England game is out of the way…"

In his attached piece for the Northern Echo, Wilson went on to add that Spurs are seemingly ready to offer a more 'lucrative' salary in order to tempt the Coventry-born gem into making a move, with the player set to cost in the region of £50m with only 12 months left on his current contract.

Would Maddison be a good signing for Tottenham?

Despite the overall disappointment of slipping to relegation at the King Power Stadium, Maddison did enjoy a standout 2022/23 campaign on an individual basis after chipping in with ten goals and nine assists in just 30 Premier League games, taking his total tally for the Foxes to 96 goal involvements in only 203 outings across all fronts.

While the highly-rated "baller" – as described by The Athletic's Carl Anka – is likely to operate in an attacking midfield role in Ange Postecoglou's preferred 4-3-3 formation at N17, the £110k-per-week man has also been utilised in a wide berth in recent times, scoring three goals and registering four assists in seven outings as a right winger last season, as per Transfermarkt.

The former Norwich City man's quality on the flanks is also illustrated by his statistical likeness to his compatriot, Bukayo Saka, as he boasts an 89.4% similarity to the Arsenal wizard – according to Opta's Player Radars – with that seemingly making the 21-year-old the closest match to the Leicester ace.

That comparison can be seen by the fact that the latter man ranks in the top 4% for goals, while Saka ranks in the top 3% in that regard, with the pair also alike due to their creative quality, as Maddison ranks in the top 6% for chances created, while the Gunners dynamo ranks in the top 12% for that same metric – as per Opta.

That likeness to Saka is particularly noteworthy amid the youngster's recent standout display for the Three Lions against North Macedonia on Monday evening, with the fleet-footed gem bagging a hat-trick in that thumping 7-0 win at Old Trafford.

Such a stellar performance followed what was a largely standout season for the 5 foot 10 speedster as he registered 14 goals and 11 assists in the top flight as part of Mikel Arteta's ultimately failed title challenge, having been lauded as "exceptional" by national team boss, Gareth Southgate.

For Postecoglou to be able to land his own version of Saka with the signing of Maddison could prove to be a particularly special piece of business, with the hope being that the three-cap menace can prove just as influential in north London as his international colleague.

An update has emerged on Manchester United and their pursuit of a deal to sign Mason Mount during the summer transfer window…

What’s the latest on Mason Mount to Manchester United?

CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that the Red Devils are set for discussions with Chelsea over a possible deal to sign the England international in the coming days.

The reporter told Caught Offside:

"Manchester United haven’t yet walked away from pursuing Mason Mount and there will be further club-to-club talks this week.

"Their latest £50+5m offer, despite being officially rejected, remains on the table. There is frustration from Manchester United that it wasn’t accepted given Mount only has a year left on current his Chelsea deal.

"Manchester United still want to get a deal done, so this could yet prove a big week, but they refuse to accept Chelsea’s £58+7m counter. This should come as no surprise. Manchester United have never been willing to pay more than £60m for Mount."

Would Mount be a good signing for Manchester United?

The 24-year-old maestro has the potential to be an exceptional addition to Erik ten Hag’s side as his previous form indicates that he could be the manager’s own version of Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne.

Mount is coming off the back of a disappointing Premier League season.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05 across 24 league outings and contributed with three goals and two assists for the Blues.

The Chelsea academy graduate did not make a big impact in the final third on a regular basis and would not be a worthwhile signing for the Red Devils based on that form, as at least five United players managed more goals or assists last term.

However, Mount's exceptional performances during the 2021/22 season would indicate that he is worth taking a gamble on.

The 5 foot 11 dynamo averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.43 – a score that would place him second in Ten Hag's squad in 2022/23 – across 32 league appearances and chipped in with an outstanding 11 goals and ten assists from his midfield position.

FBref have listed De Bruyne as one of the most similar players to the English whiz based on their respective displays that term, as the Belgian phenomenon scored 15 goals and assisted eight in 30 top-flight matches for City, and they both ranked in the top 7% of players in their position for progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League that season.

This shows that both players are creative playmakers that have the quality to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis while also being able to progress the play at an outstanding rate with their passing ability to get their teammates into positions higher up the pitch in order to give them a greater chance of being able to make things happen in the final third.

No United player, aside from Marcus Rashford, scored more than eight league goals during the 2022/23 season, and no one produced more than eight assists.

Therefore, the potential is there for the Blues magician, who was once hailed as "outstanding" by ex-Arsenal attacker Paul Merson, to be a De Bruyne-esque player in midfield for Ten Hag with his goal contributions and progressive play, if the manager can help him back to his best.

A round-up of South Zone matches in the Inter State T20 tournament played on January 31, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2017

Tamil Nadu completed a comfortable nine-wicket win over Goa, who lost nine wickets for 19 runs. Goa’s implosion began in the 11th over with the run-out of the set Swapnil Asnodkar for 33. It took only six overs for their innings to crash from 88 for 1 to 107 all out, with three run-outs in all. Six of the seven wickets that fell to bowlers came courtesy the spinners, with M Ashwin, Rahil Shah and B Aparajith taking two wickets each. Tamil Nadu knocked off the 108-run target in 13.1 overs, riding on Abhinav Mukund’s 68 not out, which came off 52 balls and included six fours and two sixes.File photo – R Vinay Kumar struck a couple of boundaries towards the end of Karnataka’s innings to take them to 177•PTI

Pavan Deshpande’s 28-ball 51, his maiden T20 fifty, and Mayank Agarwal’s brisk 46 underpinned Karnataka’s total of 177 for 8 in their 37-run win over Andhra. Agarwal’s 57-run partnership with Shishir Bhavane helped Karnataka recover from the loss of R Samarth in the first over. Deshpande then consolidated this position through a 52-run partnership with CM Gautam for the fourth wicket. Deshpande fell in the 18th over, having guided the side past 150 and R Vinay Kumar helped Karnataka score a few quick runs by hitting a couple of boundaries. Karnataka’s bowlers then collectively stifled Andhra, especially in the middle overs. Hanuma Vihari (55 off 39 balls) and Srikar Bharat added 59 runs for the second wicket, pulling the team to 61 for 1 in the tenth over, before Andhra quickly stumbled to 98 for 5 by the 16th. T Pradeep was the only Karnataka bowler to finish wicketless, while J Suchith had the best returns with 2 for 30.Kerala bungled a chase of 127 after they were 99 for 1 as Hyderabad pulled off a stunning five-run victory in Chennai. Sachin Baby was run-out off the first ball of the 20th over to leave the score at 117 for 6. Off the next delivery, medium-pacer Mohammad Siraj dismissed Fabid Ahmed and allowed the remaining batsmen to take only seven runs to finish on 121.Openers Vishnu Vinod (37) and Jalaj Saxena (34) put up a 60-run partnership for Kerala but the comfortable chase went downhill as they lost four wickets in the two overs between the 16th and 18th.Hyderabad had their own batting collapse when they batted, falling to 36 for 4 in the seventh over. Kolla Sumanth scored 46 off 37 balls but six batsmen were dismissed without getting to double-digits. Fabid Ahmed’s 3 for 19 troubled Hyderabad but they finished with just about enough courtesy a late hand from Mehdi Hassan (25 off 22).

Trent Boult has conceded that sitting out some matches in the ODI series against South Africa could have kept him fit for all the Tests, but admitted it would be difficult to pick and choose which matches to play in tightly contested series.Boult was forced to sit out the second Test in Wellington with a groin injury which prevented him from bowling on the fourth afternoon of the Dunedin Test. It came on the back of a hefty workload in the opening match of the series – 47.4 overs – where he was one of two frontline quicks alongside Neil Wagner as New Zealand played two spinners.”It’s a tough one. No-one wants to be rested or put aside or put on ice at any stage,” Boult said while on a guest commentary stint on during the first day’s play between South Africa and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve. “Ideally I want to play every game in every format but realistically it’s not going to happen. All those one-day games in the South Africa series were big games but if I missed a couple of those, I might be out there today,”He is hopeful of being fully fit for Hamilton, the last Test of New Zealand’s summer. “It’s a big one for us. I am doing everything right to make sure I can be out there and doing my thing.”Ironically, doing everything he can actually means doing as little as possible because rest between games is what Boult has identified as the crucial factor in maintaining bowling fitness. “It’s about managing loads where you can at training. If you’re playing majority of the games, you can easily take off on the training loads and save yourself for the match.”His bowling partner Tim Southee said similar when asked about workload management. Speaking the day before the second Test, Southee explained that during a match, it’s difficult to limit the number of overs any bowler delivers, but they can be monitored between fixtures.”In the Test match you want to be bowling as much as you can. If you are not bowling, you are not taking wickets and all of the bowlers, during a Test match, it’s quite difficult to get the ball out of their hands. That’s a good trait to have,” Southee said. “I don’t think you can go into a test match worrying about workloads. That’s something that can be monitored between Test matches.”Southee had the opportunity to put his feet up last week, when he was left out of the first Test to accommodate for the two specialist spinners. It meant Boult had to send down some lengthy spells which was “quite tough” and it was unusual without his sparring partner. “Generally Tim is always out there with me. To have him fully fit and miss out on selection was a shame,” he said.But he had no complaints about his new-ball partner on that occasion, Neil Wagner, who has become a mainstay in the New Zealand attack. “All the effort that he puts in – he literally keeps coming. To have someone like that in your side is immensely important,” Boult said.While Wagner will enjoy some time off after the current Test series, Boult and Southee will both play at the IPL. From there, they head straight to the Champions Trophy where Boult, who is ranked No.4 on the ODI rankings, will want to make an impact. “I gained a lot of confidence in ODIs under Brendon [McCullum’s] captaincy. Everyone knows how well the side did over those weeks at the World Cup. He taught me back myself to pitch the ball up against quality batsmen and to get them out.”

His second stint as BCCI chairman lasted just seven months, and now his time as independent ICC chairman is over after eight

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2017

Who is Shashank Manohar?
He’s a 59-year old lawyer from Nagpur who has been involved in cricket administration since 1996. He has been BCCI president twice and became ICC chairman in November 2015 by virtue of taking over as president of the BCCI. He then became the independent ICC chairman in May 2016, but resigned on March 15, 2017 citing personal reasons.Why is he important?
Two reasons: First, he became the ICC’s first independent chairman when he was elected unopposed to the post in May 2016. Before that, the chairmanship or presidency of the ICC was rotated between the heads of Full Member cricket boards. Second, he spearheaded the ICC’s efforts towards the proposed dismantling of the Big Three structure that gave the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB a greater share of the ICC’s revenue and more power.How did Manohar go about trying to rollback the Big Three model?
He stated his opposition to the structure in November 2015, when he became BCCI president for the second time, saying the richest three boards were “bullying” the others. As independent ICC chairman, he headed a committee that drew up a list of recommendations to alter the Big Three model. A new constitution and financial model that significantly reduced the BCCI’s share of the ICC revenues was put to a vote at an ICC Board meeting in February 2017. Seven Full Members voted in favour of the new constitution and model; the Indian and Sri Lankan boards voted against it, while Zimbabwe’s board abstained.So, Manohar has done what he set out to before leaving?
Not quite. A final decision on the new constitution will only be made in the next round of ICC meetings, in April.Why is the timing of his departure odd?
There are only a couple of months to formalise the new constitution he helped draft. The BCCI has objected to the method used to arrive at the proposed revenue-distribution model, and there are negotiations going on between the Indian board and the ICC. It is in cricket’s interest to have the BCCI at least partly satisfied with the new model, so whoever replaces Manohar will have the task of building bridges with the Indian board.What are a few other things one should know about Manohar?
He became head of the Vidarbha Cricket Association in 1996 and has been influential in Indian cricket ever since. Manohar has been a long-time ally of veteran cricket administrator and Indian politician Sharad Pawar, backing him when Pawar became BCCI president in 2005. He then succeeded Pawar as president in 2008. When Manohar became BCCI president a second time, in November 2015, he resigned after seven months. At the time, the board was in turmoil because a Supreme Court-appointed panel had recommended sweeping changes to the functioning and governance of the BCCI. Has Manohar been involved in any controversies or battles with other administrators? During his first stint as BCCI president, the IPL faced several controversies related to financial dealings. Manohar blamed these wholly on Lalit Modi, IPL chairman between 2008 and 2010. He vocally opposed N Srinivasan when the latter stayed on as BCCI president despite allegations that Srinivasan was the de facto owner of Chennai Super Kings, an IPL franchise that was suspended in the aftermath of the corruption scandal in 2013. He called Srinivasan an autocrat at the time.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in Montpellier forward Elye Wahi, with reports from France linking the player to Molineux.

If speculation is to be believed, it could be a marquee signing for the Old Gold, as Julen Lopetegui faces the task of bolstering his front line this summer.

The Spaniard pulled off an impressive feat in keeping Wolves up last season, after the club sat rock bottom on Christmas Day.

Despite his hard work, there is still a long way to go for the Midlands side should they wish to return to familiar heights in the league, with a lack of goals weighing heavy on the minds of Molineux.

While Wolves managed to free themselves from the bottom of the Premier League table, they were unable to rise from the ashes of the goal-scoring table, ending the 2022/23 campaign as the league’s lowest-scorers.

Lopetegui could solve his issues by signing Wahi, who was speculated to be wanted by the Midlands club as per journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter late last month.

The journalist claimed that Wolves’ interest is ‘real’ with Jorge Mendes reportedly keeping a ‘hand on the file’ of the player, who has a price tag of around £30m.

How good is Elye Wahi?

Lopetegui must target a goalscorer this summer, which was rumoured to have been in the works earlier this summer when the Old Gold were linked to Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres.

It’s now expected that the Championship marksman will sign for Portuguese outfit Sporting CP, meaning that Wolves must continue their pursuit of a goalscorer.

Links to Wahi are promising, especially after the disappointment of missing out on Gyokeres who had proven his worth in the second-tier last season, scoring 21 goals in 46 league appearances for the Sky Blues.

Despite flexing a superior goal tally over the Frenchman, the Swede played 11 more games than the 20-year-old, who scored 19 goals in Ligue 1, a league packed with some of the best talent in the world.

Averaging a goal every 133 minutes in the top-tier of French football, Wahi could prove to be a stronger option for Lopetegui to look to, possessing qualities that could suggest he has the edge on Gyokeres in terms of his suitability for Wolves.

Hailed as “incredible” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the rising star has been identified as having strengths in his pace and “explosiveness” by journalist Fintan O’Reilly, via Total Football Analysis.

The youngster's acceleration and clinical nature in front of goal could be vital for Lopetegui, who must get his side firing next season.

Wolves have plenty of creative outlets, with the likes of Daniel Podence averaging 1.90 passes into the penalty area per 90 last season, as per FBref, highlighting just how useful an energetic and clinical presence could be up front.

At just 20 years old, Lopetegui could capture the signature of a player established in leading the line against some of Europe’s elite, packed with confidence and precision in front of goal.

Wahi could provide the Spaniard with a chance to forget Gyokeres, by continuing his goal-scoring success at Molineux.

Aston Villa have started to make early moves in an attempt to bring Juventus star Federico Chiesa to the Premier League, according to reports.

What happened to Federico Chiesa?

Chiesa is a left-sided winger who currently plays his football at the Allianz Stadium, having permanently moved there last summer following a successful loan from Fiorentina.

Across both spells, he’s been a regular feature of Massimiliano Allegri’s squad when fit, making 94 appearances to date but missing large parts of the last 18 months due to a nasty ACL injury suffered mid-way through last season.

The Italy international’s contract with the Serie A outfit isn’t set to expire for another two years, but the level of his performances have attracted the attention of a couple of clubs in England, one of those being Unai Emery's side in the Midlands.

Speaking to Steve Wraith, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs name-checked the Villans as the “ones to watch” in the race for the 25-year-old despite also crediting Newcastle United with an interest, and NSWE already appear to be trying to convince him to join.

Are Aston Villa signing Chiesa?

According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have made "concrete steps" for Chiesa and are, at present, the most interested suitor in the forward even though he's being targeted by Liverpool and the Magpies.

However, Juventus' star has assessed the project and has decided that it "does not convince" him, nor is he "enthusiastic" to complete the switch, so it doesn't sound like he will be putting pen to paper unless Monchi can do some serious convincing.

Aston Villa and indeed new President of Football Operations Monchi are showing plenty of ambition by targeting a player whose calibre is as high as Chiesa's, having been hailed as "one of the most exciting players around” by journalist Josh Bunting.

And despite the fact he’s not open to the move at this stage, he could be a fantastic recruit should he have a change of heart.

The Italy star, who pockets £153k-per-week, racked up seven goal contributions (five assists and two goals) in 21 Serie A outings last season and was averaging 4.34 shot-creating actions per 90, which was the third-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef.

The 2022/23 Champions League participant is also an extremely versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so all in all, he would be a great option for Emery to have at his disposal.

يستمر الحديث عن مستقبل تشافي هيرنانديز مدرب برشلونة، وإمكانية استمراره في منصبه، رغم إعلانه رحيله بنهاية الموسم الجاري.

وأعلن تشافي في وقت سابق أنه قرر ترك منصبه كمدرب لبرشلونة بنهاية الموسم الحالي، لكن تشير تقارير إلى أن إدارة النادي بقيادة خوان لابورتا ترغب في استمراره لموسم آخر، حيث ينتهي عقده.

وبحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، لا تتوقف المحاولات في برشلونة لإقناع تشافي بالبقاء واتمام السنة المتبقية في عقده.

يوضح التقرير أن بقاء تشافي هو الخيار الأول لبرشلونة في الوقت الحالي، قبل التفاوض مع مدير فني آخر.

اقرأ أيضًا | برشلونة مهدد بخسارة أولى صفقاته الصيفية لصالح بايرن ميونخ

على الرغم من ذلك، فإن نية تشافي واضحة ولم تتغير، حيث يصر المدرب على قراره بالرحيل عن برشلونة في نهاية الموسم الحالي.

وأفادت الصحيفة بأن برشلونة يواجه صعوبة كبيرة في العثور على بديل مضمون لأن بعض الخيارات الأولى للمدربين رفضت العرض بخلافة تشافي، في حين أن بقية البدائل إما لديها شكوك أو تأتي الشكوك من برشلونة نفسه.

وأتم التقرير أن لابورتا المتفائل دائمًا يعتقد أنه قادر على اقناع تشافي بالتراجع عن قراره، لكن لم ينجح حتى الآن.

Arsenal have been slowly building year-on-year under Mikel Arteta, with that culminating in last season's unexpected title charge to which they were narrowly edged out by Manchester City.

Their rivals were vastly more experienced in such a situation and in the end it showed, as Pep Guardiola's team finished five points ahead of the Gunners, before going on to win the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Whilst many factors aided such a historic campaign for the Manchester club, undoubtedly one of the most important was the decision to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

How many goals has Erling Haaland scored?

The Norwegian forward had lit up the Bundesliga following an imperious spell in Germany where he scored 86 goals in 89 games for the club, and his switch to the Etihad cemented his rise to the top. However, few could have expected the 22-year-old would come to dominate English football with such speed.

He would finish the term on 52 goals across all competitions, having broken the league's scoring record alongside numerous others.

Shifting from playing with no striker to a 6 foot 4 one was drastic for Guardiola, but ultimately it proved to be the difference.

Now, in an effort to emulate such success and once again seek to replicate the style that his former mentor has made, Arteta could replicate this by turning their rumoured interest from this year in Dusan Vlahovic into a reality.

Are Arsenal signing Dusan Vlahovic?

Although his €80m (£70m) price tag might put many off given what the north London outfit are already set to spend this summer with their various ongoing deals, if he was to have a similarly revolutionary effect like Haaland, it would be more than worth it.

After all, the Spanish head coach had reportedly made it clear that a taller, more aggressive striker was an important target for this summer back in March.

Given that the Serbia international stands at 6 foot 3, just one inch shorter than the Citizens' striker, he immediately ticks that box.

Not to mention he is also blessed with that same frightening speed that makes Haaland such a physical marvel and allows him to pin defenders, bully them in the air and run them in behind.

Given he is just 23 years old, the future remains bright for this young finisher to continue his development which has seen him also shoot to the top of the game.

In what was his true breakout year for Fiorentina, where many took note of this hulking forward, the left-footed star notched 21 league goals before earning his move the year following.

However, despite switching to Juventus mid-season, he would still record another 24 goals in Serie A to supplement his ever-growing reputation.

Podcaster Tom Rooney sought to outline his qualities back in 2021, forecasting such a high-profile transfer: "I thought Vlahovic was just exceptional tonight before Mitrovic came on, surely on the move from Fiorentina in the summer? Plays with proper bite, uses his size but can really play ball too."

With a freakish physique, blistering speed and an uncanny ability to find the net with regularity, there are few in world football who profile as close to the relentless Haaland.

Perhaps under Arteta, he could reach new heights and set up a new striking rivalry for the ages.