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Hemantha Devapriya said that competing with the top countries was an invaluable experience even though Sri Lanka came home with only one win in seven matches

Sa'adi Thawfeeq22-Jul-2017Sri Lanka may have won only one match out of seven in the Women’s World Cup, but coach Hemantha Devapriya believes the experience of playing against the top seven countries was an invaluable learning curve.”The tournament enabled our players to really see the standards of the other teams,” he said. “It’s a big demand for them to work hard and get into that level within a very short time. They have been talking to players from other teams and they know the areas they have to work on and they are ready to learn.”Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in their final league match before returning home, and Devapriya contended that they could well have beaten West Indies and India too if not for a couple of issues. “Overall I am happy with their performance but we could have done a little better if our middle-order batting and fielding came up to their capabilities.”We were struggling to put 200-plus runs on the board and only two players had strike-rates of over 50 – Chamari Atapattu and Eshani Lokusuriyage,” he said. “However, if you see during the tournament, we crossed the 200-run mark on four occasions and the girls have shown improvement in their strike-rates. Some batters’ strike-rates have gone up to 85-90 and that is a good indication.”Where, in the past, Sri Lanka have struggled to the match power-hitting in modern cricket, at the World Cup, they had one of their key players, Atapattu, slam an unbeaten 178, with 22 fours and six sixes, against a full-strength Australian attack. Devapriya noted this as an improvement, but highlighted that there were other aspects of batting that needed work.Chamari Atapattu’s breathtaking knock against Australia has won praise from the Sri Lanka women’s coach•Getty Images/ICC”We did practice a range of shots and I can see that they are now capable of using those shots,” he said. “We worked a lot on playing off the back foot and how to use the pace of the ball especially the flat bat shot and the sweep shot and inside out shots. The players are now taking calculated risks and playing those shots little by little.”We are concentrating now on taking more singles because the confidence is not there. We have given them a lot of singles targets, which quietly they are improving but still we are not up to international standards. Placing the ball and working with soft hands those are the areas we are working on.”Another lesson learnt was the importance of facing up against quality sides and battling it out. “We noticed that against sides like Australia, England, India and New Zealand very hardly do you get a loose ball,” Devapriya said. “They are accurate and they are well ahead in the practical and mental game. Our players aren’t powerful strikers of the ball. We have to put the players through special exercises to get more power into their shots and bowling. Fielding is coupled with fitness. The players now have a better understanding of what is required of them to become better cricketers.”As much as improvements need to be made to the current squad of players, Devapriya was conscious of highlighting the need to build the necessary infrastructure that will feed new players into the system.”If you notice our present side has aging players,” he said. “India has several players who played in the last World Cup because they introduced them as youngsters. Now they have a lot of experience behind them and their mental and tactical game is streets ahead of us. India has developed fast. They were a little ahead of us when we played them in the last World Cup, but now for us to get there it’s going to take some time.”The first steps towards that goal have been taken. “Sri Lanka Cricket, in the recent past, has introduced an under-23 tournament,” Devapriya said. “There was no tournament like that before. The selectors picked 60 players from the tournament called the development squad and after further trials pruned it down to 30. Of that we are hoping to get at least another 5-6 players from the emerging squad. We’ll have to work closely with them and see how they can fit into the national squad.”What is encouraging is leading girls’ schools have now taken up to cricket. At the moment we have about 2500 girls playing and Sri Lanka Cricket is working hard to promote the game. If all goes well we might see some good players coming through the schools.”Sri Lanka are next scheduled to tour the Caribbean for a series of five ODIs in October. The tour, however, is yet to be finalized by the two cricket boards.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in the running to sign Conor Gallagher from Premier League rivals, Chelsea, with the Englishman looking set for a departure from his current home.

What's the latest on Gallagher to Tottenham?

According to journalist Nizaar Kinsella, the Lilywhites are set to fight it out with West Ham United for the signing of the 23-year-old, with the Blues believed to be open to moving on the former Crystal Palace loanee this summer.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "Chelsea are ready to sell Conor Gallagher despite his preseason appearances. It's a direct battle between Tottenham and West Ham for his signature. He'll cost around £35m with two years left on his Chelsea deal."

In his piece for the Evening Standard, Kinsella writes that the north Londoners are in need of homegrown players as well as a possible replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the Danish maestro having asked to leave the club in order to join Atletico Madrid.

If Ange Postecoglou's side are keen to get their hands on Gallagher over the coming weeks they may well need to get a move on, with West Ham having already stolen a march by lodging a £40m bid, which has been rejected by those at Stamford Bridge.

Should Tottenham sign Conor Gallagher?

Postecoglou has already moved to strengthen his midfield ranks with the signing of James Maddison from Leicester City, although the playmaking ace – who finished tenth in the division for chances created last term – could well be aided by a relentless, "box-to-box" presence, as described by writer Zach Lowy, alongside him, such as Gallagher.

With Maddison typically being deployed in a right-sided midfield berth – or on the flanks – during his time with the Foxes, it is likely that the Chelsea man would slot in on the left of Postecoglou's three-man midfield, allowing him to strike up an exciting partnership with wing wizard, Heung-min Son down that side.

The latter man enjoyed a below-par season by his standards last time out after scoring 'just' ten league goals – having netted 23 times the previous campaign – although he could well be rejuvenated by the change in the dugout, having already been hailed as an "elite" talent by Postecoglou as a sign of the important role that he is set to play next term.

With the South Korean star undoubtedly a real "goal threat" – according to his manager – the aim will be to keep the 31-year-old operating at the top end of the pitch whenever possible, hence having a workmanlike presence behind him such as Gallagher to put in the hard yards defensively.

Previously lauded as a "sensation" by Lowy during his loan stint at Selhurst Park in 2021/22, the Epsom-born ace is a truly relentless presence in the centre of the pitch, with Chelsea legend Pat Nevin having recently stated:

'If you need someone to cover ground, go from box to box, make tackles, be a threat in the opposition box one minute and making superb defensive blocks in his own area the next, then Conor is your man.'

That ability to cover ground with ease should allow Son the freedom to wreak havoc in the final third, while Gallagher could also offer support to the long-serving Spurs ace when needed, with his desire to get forward showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 3% among midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for touches in the attacking penalty area.

That all-action style will not only be beneficial to Postecoglou, but it could also ensure that Son is able to shine even brighter from the flanks next term.

Yorkshire and Lancashire shared a tie in their Roses T20 in front of a record crowd at Old Trafford after heavy rain forced the result to be decided on the Duckworth-Lewis method

Jon Culley14-Jul-2017
ScorecardKarl Brown gave Lancashire a lightning start•Getty ImagesYorkshire and Lancashire shared a tie in their Roses T20 in front of a record crowd at Old Trafford after heavy rain forced the result to be decided on the Duckworth-Lewis method.The largest attendance for a Blast match outside of London watched these two rivals repeat the T20 tie at Headingley four years ago as a compelling contest was curtailed in the ninth over of Yorkshire’s reply.After Lancashire had made 176 for 4, Karl Brown top-scoring with 61 off 47 balls, Yorkshire’s reply began under a threatening sky and it was not long before the first hint of what was to come as spectators began to reach for their waterproofs.Umpires Rob Bailey and Martin Saggers kept the players on the field for as long as possible, mindful that a sell-out crowd of almost 20,000 had come to be entertained and has a different attitude to the time-honoured assumption that rain should immediately drive the players from the field.At the end of the eighth over, half an hour into a Manchester downpour that was showing no sign of easing off, Yorkshire were suddenly one run ahead on the score chart at 63 for 2, nudged in front by a soaring David Willey six over midwicket off Junaid Khan.Conditions by then were becoming farcical, posing problems for batsmen, bowlers and fielders alike. As it happened, a single to Shaun Marsh off the next delivery, from Steven Croft, changed the D-L equation again so that the scores were effectively level, the umpires determining as the rain strengthened that this was an appropriate moment to lead the teams off.The rain did not relent and an abandonment was inevitable. It denied Yorkshire what would have been only a fifth win in 14 away fixtures against their fiercest rivals in the shortest form of the game but on this occasion it felt that the result was a fair one.Ryan McLaren had taken both Yorkshire wickets, bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore with a full delivery before Adam Lyth, who made half-centuries against Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in Yorkshire’s two completed matches so far, was caught by Arron Lilley, getting under a steepler at cover.Lyth’s shot was hard to understand from the outer as it instantly put Yorkshire behind the D/L calculation with the chance seemingly that the umpires could leave the field at the end of the over.But Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s coach, explained: “Lythy spoke to the umpires and they said they had no intention of coming off. What do you do? knock it around or play the game as you see it. He was in control of the situation. The umpires said they wanted to play for as long as they could. If he goes into his shell and we get behind the Duckworth Lewis and it stops raining, we could have been in a bad position.”At least the dominant home contingent in the crowd, easily identifiable by the red Lancashire baseball caps supplied by the club, had seen a full innings from their own side.And it had started superbly, Brown driving England’s Willey for three powerful cover boundaries in the opening over, setting a pace they maintained throughout the six Powerplay overs, at the end of which they were 59 without loss with a score of 200+ looking within their range.Liam Livingstone fell in the next over after Yorkshire introduced spin for the first time, Adil Rashid reading his intention to come down the pitch and finding just the right degree of turn to pass the edge of the right-hander’s bat, Peter Handscomb reaching out for the ball to complete the stumping.Nonetheless, with 34 off 24 deliveries, including 15 in one over against Tim Bresnan, Livingstone had given his side the start they required and there was scarcely any loss of momentum after his departure as Brown responded with a couple of boundaries off Steve Patterson.What’s more, Brown now had Jos Buttler for company and the England white-ball specialist signalled his intentions by lofting Azeem Rafiq beyond the reach of Lyth and into the stands at long-on.After 10 overs the score was 93 for 1, to which Buttler promptly added a dozen more as he teased Ben Coad, including a couple of brilliantly executed scoops to the boundary in which his footwork will have surely impressed the twinkle-toed Ryan Giggs, the former Manchester United winger, who was spotted in the crowd.But between them Rashid and Rafiq – with an over in between from Patterson – pegged back the assault. Overs 12 to 16 yielded only 27 runs for Lancashire, during which Buttler sliced Rafiq straight to Kohler-Cadmore at deep extra cover and Dane Vilas gave the off-spinner his second wicket as Lyth took a brilliant diving catch at deep mid-wicket.Brown then enjoyed the second escape of his innings. Put down by Willey at short mid-wicket on 15 off Coad, he was dropped by Kohler-Cadmore on 56, the fielder never in position as Brown skied one from Rashid.The pace picked up as Willey returned to the attack, Ryan McLaren picking up four from a no ball signalled for above waist height and taking four more from the free hit but then Patterson dismissed Brown, the batsman playing an attempted ramp into his own stumps.After where they had been at the halfway stage, Lancashire’s total felt 20 runs or so short of what it should have been – although as it happened, it could be argued that it was precisely right on the night.Lancashire have explained, meanwhile, that wicketkeeper Alex Davies has been left out of the NatWest Blast thus far as part of his fitness management programme following the knee surgery he underwent last year.Davies has played a full part in Lancashire’s Specsavers Championship cricket this season and the Royal London One-Day Cup but the club want to protect him from the rigours of fielding in T20.Head coach Glen Chapple said: “Alex has worked hard to recover from last year’s knee injury and we’ve been delighted with his form already this season but following medical advice, we have taken the decision to rest him.”

Chelsea are "moving concretely towards" signing the French striker and wonderkid Elye Wahi after his breakout season for Ligue 1 side Montpellier, claims journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Elye Wahi joining Chelsea this summer?

After selling enough talent to create an entire starting eleven of Premier League quality players over the last month or so, Chelsea look to have finally turned their focus to signings and bringing new faces to the club this summer.

They have already welcomed a few new names to Stamford Bridge thus far, with Nicolas Jackson joining from Villarreal, Diego Moreira from Benfica and Christopher Nkuku from RB Leipzig, who had agreed a deal to join the club earlier in the year but couldn't be officially announced until the season's conclusion.

Even with these attacking additions, the Pensioners are looking to add at least one more number nine to the squad before the new campaign gets underway.

The club were initially interested in signing Juventus' Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic, but with the news that Paris Saint-Germain have agreed personal terms with the forward, they have instead turned their attention to Montpellier's 20-year-old striker, Wahi.

According to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are now "advancing in talks" with the Ligue 1 outfit over the youngster's move, with plans to loan him out in the first year of his contract to get him more experience of first-team football.

The Daily Mail have also reported that the Blues are closing in on a deal for the player but that Serie A giants Inter Milan are also interested in bringing the young star to the San Siro next season, so the West Londoners better get a move on if they want to seal this deal.

What has Rudy Galetti said about Chelsea's striker search?

Galetti explained that the Blues were stepping up their striker search and that the Montpellier man was indeed a player they were looking at as one of the potential options.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Chelsea have started to explore alternatives, and now Wahi is gaining a position on their strikers list.

"The Montpellier player could leave for around €35m (£30m) and Chelsea are moving concretely towards him. It cannot be excluded that the player could also go on loan somewhere."

How good is Elye Wahi?

There is a reason so many top clubs are circling the 20-year-old striker, and that's because he had an outstanding breakout year with Montpellier last season, only being slightly overshadowed for those outside of France by the performances of fellow youngster Folarin Balogun.

In his 33 league games for La Paillade last year, the 6 foot forward scored 19 goals and provided five assists, giving him a goal contribution every 1.3 games, seeing him earn an average match rating of 6.87, per WhoScored.

Although impressive for his age group, his underlying numbers aren't quite as good as you might expect given his output and could suggest an element of good fortune last season.

The counterargument to that is that he is just an incredibly clinical striker, which could undoubtedly be the case; it will just take another season or two to see which it is.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the dynamic forward sits in the top 7% for non-penalty goals, the top 23% for progressive carries, the top 30% for assists, the top 31% for progressive passes received, the top 35% for successful take-ons, and the top 36% for non-penalty expected goal, all per 90.

He's been a player that scouts have been aware of for some time, with Antonio Mango saying in 2022:

"He's a superstar, remember the name."

Should Chelsea decide to sign Wahi, it could be a decision that pays dividends in years to come, but it might be too soon to call it yet.

Another ruthlessly efficient bowling performance from Nottinghamshire swept them to their fifth victory of the Specsavers County Championship season and strengthened their lead at the top of the Division Two table

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2017
ScorecardJames Pattinson claimed an eight-wicket match haul•Getty ImagesAnother ruthlessly efficient bowling performance from Nottinghamshire swept them to their fifth victory of the Specsavers County Championship season and strengthened their lead at the top of the Division Two table.After being bowled out for 134 in their first innings Leicestershire struggled just as badly the second time around and, with Ben Raine unable to bat due to injury, they succumbed for exactly the same total, to lose by an innings and 280. Luke Fletcher took 3 for 16 and James Pattinson bagged 3 for 38 – giving him a haul of 8 for 71 – as the match was wrapped up just after lunch on the third day. Clint McKay hit his way to an unbeaten 41 from 24 balls but by then the contest was almost over.Stuart Broad only bowled one over before leaving the field but by that stage the visitors were five wickets down and spiralling to their second heavy defeat against Notts this season.Pattinson had helped himself to five Foxes wickets during the previous day and needed only five deliveries to add to his tally as Leicestershire began their second innings after being made to follow-on 414 behind. Pattinson took eight wickets when the sides met at Leicester in early April and another four in the Royal London Cup clash between the two sides at Welbeck and made the early breakthrough by having Paul Horton caught behind for 6.Jake Ball also struck in his opening over, with Brendan Taylor taking a sharp catch at third slip to remove Harry Dearden, who has fallen for 12, 0, 6 and 0 against Notts this season. Mark Cosgrove made 22 before falling lbw in Luke Fletcher’s first over to leave the innings in tatters at 49 for 3.Fletcher struck twice more, dismissing Colin Ackermann by the same method and then had Mark Pettini caught at second slip. Steven Mullaney removed Ned Eckersley for 20 and with the final ball of the morning session Pattinson nipped out Lewis Hill to bring the finishing line even closer.Hill had received treatment earlier in the over after being struck on the helmet and had earlier survived a catch at slip after the umpires ruled it had come off the forearm rather than the glove or bat.McKay hit Mullaney for two sixes in a bold act of defiance but at the other end Dieter Klein was yorked by Pattinson and then Gavin Griffiths nicked Ball into the hands of second slip, condemning Leicestershire to their heaviest innings loss since 1932.Nottinghamshire gained the full 24 points from their victory and face promotion rivals Kent under the Trent Bridge floodlights next week, whilst Leicestershire only gathered two bonus points ahead of their next fixture against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Manchester United have made just one summer signing so far during this transfer window, with Mason Mount arriving from Chelsea and with the Premier League campaign just a few weeks away, Erik ten Hag will need to act swiftly to improve his squad.

With reinforcements required across all areas of the first team, bolstering his attacking options seems to be at the forefront of the Dutchman’s mind and United have offered Atalanta a players-plus-cash deal for striker Rasmus Hojlund, however, the Serie A outfit are demanding a cash-only bid in a saga which threatens to rumble on for the next few weeks.

Could the Old Trafford side perhaps look at alternative options should a move for the Dane fail to materialise?

Man Utd transfer news – Goncalo Ramos back on the radar

According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, the Red Devils could go back in for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos – speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:

“Manchester United are looking for a new striker, at the moment there are two names on the shortlist, and one is Goncalo Ramos.

"After a few weeks of silence, the English club is ready to reopen talks with Benfica again. At the moment the position of the Portuguese team is quite adamant: the player has a release clause of €120 million (£102 million) and this value represents his price.

"However, Manchester United will try to figure out the room for negotiation to lower the price, even if at the moment there is not much confidence.”

Will Man Utd sign Goncalo Ramos?

The urgent requirement for a striker ahead of the 2023/24 campaign certainly suggests that a move could go through this summer, especially considering they scored only 58 Premier League goals last term.

Hojlund appears to be the main target, but Ramos could sparkle at Old Trafford if given the opportunity to shine under Ten Hag, and he could form a dream partnership with Marcus Rashford.

The Englishman was in the form of his life last season, having registered 41 goal contributions – 30 goals and 11 assists – across all competitions, and he ranks in the top 8% across Europe’s big five leagues for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (6.92), suggesting that he does get into scoring positions often.

The 25-year-old machine also ranked third across the United squad for league assists (five) and sixth for big chances created (five), indicating that Ramos would benefit from his ability to generate opportunities from the left wing.

Across the next big eight competitions on the continent, Ramos ranks in the top 1% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.75) and in the top 7% for total shots per 90 (3.87). In contrast, his 27 goals last season demonstrate that he is certainly proficient in front of goal and Ten Hag needs an out-and-out striker with this sort of ability.

Rashford was either deployed on the left wing or as a centre-forward last term, yet it is clear his best position is out wide, having scored 16 of his goals from there during 2022/23.

With Ramos leading the line, it would take the pressure from the United gem that was clearly abundant during Ten Hag’s maiden campaign.

Journalist Josh Bunting once lauded the young forward as “powerful” and as a “top prospect” last year and there is no doubt he is ready to make the step up to performing for a club such as United.

The next few weeks will be interesting regarding who Ten Hag manages to lure to Old Trafford, and Ramos may not only be an ideal alternative to Hojlund but a perfect partner for Rashford heading into the new campaign.

Liverpool will only strengthen in central defence if Jurgen Klopp finds the 'right player' to fit his vision, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Who are Liverpool signing in 2023?

Liverpool have been busy making inroads in the summer transfer market and have confirmed two signings in the form of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Reds' manager Klopp has his eye on bolstering his midfield further and Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia has emerged as another potential addition at Anfield, as per Football Insider.

The report states that Lavia is keen to join Liverpool over any other prospective suitors that are keen to secure his signature, which include the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Intriguingly, Liverpool have also been linked with an ambitious swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and even submitted an enquiry to the Spanish giants before being rebuffed, as per 90min.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Manchester City also made approaches to Real Madrid; however, it is believed that Valverde is completely against the idea of leaving the Santiago Bernebau.

Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram had been linked to Liverpool earlier in the window and was even thought to have verbally agreed personal terms with the club, as per FootballTransfers.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer guru Romano has indicated that midfield signings will take precedence and thinks that Liverpool will only enter the market for a central defender if Klopp thinks they are the correct fit at Anfield.

Romano said: “But let me say that Liverpool will only do that if they find the right player. They don’t want to put money in a player who is not 100% their important target, so this is the idea. But again, now the focus is on completing the midfielder and then moving to the new centre-back.”

Who are Liverpool looking at with regards to defensive additions?

Even though midfield reinforcements look likely to be the focus of recruitment for Liverpool just now, they have still been linked with plenty of defensive targets.

As per The Evening Standard, Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is one name that continues to be mentioned in connection with a surprise potential move to Anfield, though Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City are also in contention to sign the England Under-21 international.

The Times have shared quotes from Colwill talking about where his future may lie, as the 20-year-old stated: “I’ll speak to my family, speak to everyone I need to and make a decision. I’ve got to play at the end of the day to hopefully get there and go to the next camp.”

Football Insider claim that Torino defender Perr Schuurs is a 'top target' for Klopp and could be a cheaper alternative to some of the high-profile names being floated this summer as recruits to slot into the Reds backline.

Sporting Lisbon ace Goncalo Inacio and Wolfsburg young star Micky van de Ven are also admired by Liverpool and appear on a shortlist of names identified by the club.

In the coming weeks we will likely find out more about who may pitch up on the red half of Merseyside as the 2023/24 campaign edges closer to kick-off.

The former West Indies captain, who joined the Kings XI Punjab squad on the eve of their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, could be a like-for-like replacement for the out-of-form Marcus Stoinis

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu27-Apr-2017Match factsKings XI Punjab v Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mohali, April 28, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)
3:31

Bangar: Would like to see Henry play and test batsmen with the short ball

Form guide

Kings XI Punjab (third) : defeated Gujarat Lions by 26 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by eight wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five runs
Sunrisers Hyderabad (fifth) : lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by six wickets, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs, defeated Kings XI Punjab by five runs

Head-to-headThis season: Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 5 for 19 eclipsed Manan Vohra’s 50-ball 95 and helped Sunrisers defend 159 at home.
Overall: Sunrisers have an enviable 7-2 win record.In the newsWest Indies allrounder Darren Sammy, who missed the first three weeks of this IPL due to injury, joined the squad on the eve of the first match in Mohali this season. Sammy could be a like-for-like replacement for Marcus Stoinis who hasn’t fired with bat or ball. The Australian allrounder has limped to 17 runs off 24 balls in three innings, and has taken only two wickets at an economy rate of 10.47.Sunrisers fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was set to join the Bangladesh squad on Tuesday for a preparatory camp ahead of the tri-series in Ireland, and the subsequent Champions Trophy, but will now be available until May 4.However, there is uncertainty over Yuvraj Singh’s availability. It remains to be seen if he has recovered from the flu, which forced him out of Sunrisers’ previous match against Rising Pune Supergiant last week.The likely XIsKings XI Punjab: 1 Manan Vohra, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis/Darren Sammy, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 KC Cariappa, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T NatarajanSunrisers Hyderabad 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Moises Henriques, 5 Yuvraj Singh/Deepak Hooda, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Bipul Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Siraj/Ashish Nehra, 11 Siddarth KaulStrategy puntSince Sunrisers have two left-hand batsmen at the top, there is, perhaps, a case for Kings XI to open the bowling with an offspinner in Glenn Maxwell and attack the stumps. Mumbai Indians offspinner Harbhajan Singh maintained a stump-to-stump line with the new ball and kept Warner and Dhawan to only 22 runs off 18 balls while also dismissing Warner earlier in the league. More recently, Rising Pune Supergiant offspinner Washington Sundar stifled Sunrisers’ openers in the Powerplay.Stats that matter Warner has excellent numbers against Kings XI in the IPL: 617 runs in 14 innings at a strike-rate of 143.15, including fifty-plus scores in his last five innings. Maxwell has scored 78% of his runs this season in boundaries. He has hit 150 of his 193 runs in fours and sixes. The average runs per wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in IPL 2016 was 31.36, in seven matches, the third highest behind the MCA Stadium in Pune and the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Sunrisers have the second-lowest run rate – 7.38 – in the first six overs this season. They try to make up for the slow start by going big in the middle overs. Sunrisers’ run rate of 8.87 during this period is the second best in the league this season. Kings XI have been the worst team in the slog overs this season, leaking 11.62 an over and picking up only eight wickets. Sunrisers have fared much better in this phase, conceding 9.54 runs an over while picking up 19 wickets. Shikhar Dhawan continues to be troubled by left-arm quicks in the IPL. Four bowlers have dismissed him three or more times. Of the four, three – James Faulkner, Zaheer Khan and Mitchell Johnson – are left-arm seamers. Dhawan v T Natarajan, who has the best economy among Kings XI’s seamers, might be an interesting contest.

Liverpool have wasted no time at all in getting their business done in the summer transfer window and have already made the signing of two exciting young midfielders with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining the squad for next season.

The Reds failed to maintain their high standards both in the Premier League and on the European stage last season which left many supporters hoping that the club would look to iron out the issues and uninspiring performances by acquiring fresh talent.

Indeed, the Anfield faithful will be thrilled with the signing of the two attacking-minded midfielders, however, there is still plenty of work to be done to bring the team back to life and deliver on the expectations that have been set over Jurgen Klopp's tenure so far.

The Athletic's Liverpool reporter James Pearce claimed in an article this week that the club are no longer making the signing of a third midfielder a priority and instead are more likely to focus on bringing in a centre-back who can inject some youth into the defensive set-up.

Both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip are well into their 30s at this point with the latter set to be out of contract at the end of next season, so there is a real opportunity to strengthen the personnel and provide Ibrahima Konate with another young prospect to work alongside as part of the long-term future of the team.

One player who has been linked with a move to Merseyside this week is Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

How much is Marc Guehi?

A talented centre-back who has been going from strength to strength over the last two seasons, the Englishman has become a huge asset to the South London club.

Football Insider report that Liverpool are interested in signing Guehi this summer, however, Palace will command a whopping £60m fee to part ways with their defensive prodigy.

How good is Marc Guehi?

Owing to his expensive price tag it would seem unlikely that FSG would sanction the funds to snap up the services of Guehi this summer, however, this will depend on just how urgent the need is felt to strengthen the centre-back role and whether Klopp can trust his current crop of players.

Should Matip be allowed to leave on a free next summer, it would leave Klopp's options limited to Konate, Van Dijk, Nat Phillips and Joe Gomez, unless of course, the club decide to invest in the 2024 transfer windows.

This would also be without taking into consideration potential injury issues, something that plagued Konate's ability to be a consistent presence over last season with only 18 appearances and 17 starts in the Premier League last season.

As a result, the signing of Guehi – dubbed "composed" by Patrick Vieira – could be the perfect opportunity to bolster the centre-back options with a Premier League-proven defender who could not only maintain the quality needed when others are injured but would be a great upgrade on Gomez.

When comparing the positional peers' output in the league last season, Guehi comfortably outperformed the Liverpool centre-back in a number of attributes including percentage of dribblers tackled (61.9% v 57.9%), aerial duels won (55.7% v 54.8%), interceptions (45 v 25) and ball recoveries (241 v 126), as per FBref.

The 22-year-old has been the recipient of high praise over his career so far, with Club Brugge 'keeper Josef Bursik naming Guehi when asked to pick the strongest player in England's U21 squad a few seasons ago:

"Marc Guehi. He’s an absolute tank, It’s like having a brick wall in front of you, he’s massive."

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Liverpool to sign Guehi this summer as it could well be a move that facilities an exit for Gomez.

Bangladesh have drafted in Sunzamul Islam and Shuvagata Hom and have left out Mehedi Hasan and Tanbir Hayder for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka later this month

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2017Bangladesh have drafted in uncapped left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam and recalled allrounder Shuvagata Hom to the 16-man ODI squad for the three match series against Sri Lanka starting on March 25. Mahmudullah remained in the ODI squad after the BCB president Nazmul Hassan insisted he wouldn’t be dropped from the format.There were reports in some Bangla newspapers on Monday that Mahmudullah would be dropped from the ODI and T20 squads. From the squad that played against New Zealand in December, Bangladesh have axed Mehedi Hasan and Tanbir Hayder, both spinning allrounders.Ins and outs

In: Sunzamul Islam, Shuvagata Hom
Out: Mehedi Hasan, Tanbir Hayder

Sunzamul’s inclusion comes on the back of his exceptional form in domestic cricket in the last five seasons. In the recently-concluded domestic first-class competition, he took 25 wickets, including his first 9-wicket haul in an innings. He is also a handy batsman down the order.Shuvagata has also been in decent form in the domestic first-class tournament. He made 265 runs with one century, and took 25 wickets. However, he last played an ODI in 2011.Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan has been retained in the squad. He had played the last two ODIs in New Zealand after Mushfiqur Rahim was injured in the first game.Bangladesh ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Sunzamul Islam, Shuvagata Hom, Nurul Hasan