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India Blue’s marathon innings ended on 707 at stumps on the second day of their 2016-17 Duleep Trophy match against India Green, after centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Cheteshwar Pujara scored his 32nd first-class century from his favoured No. 3 position•Associated Press

India Blue’s marathon innings ended on 707 at stumps on the second day of their Duleep Trophy match against India Green. Cheteshwar Pujara (166) and Sheldon Jackson (105) joined Mayank Agarwal as first-innings centurions as India Blue ground India Green into submission in Greater Noida on Monday.On an unhelpful surface that offered neither swing nor turn, India Green made matters worse for themselves, handing reprieves to batsmen through no-balls and dropped catches. Some of the batsmen who benefited from these lapses did not capitalise, but these were small mercies for India Green.India Blue’s towering first-innings total gives them a significant advantage as they look to push for a lead that would take them through to the final against India Red. India Blue are already ahead of India Green on the points table, by virtue of the point they earned through the washout against India Red.Resuming on 63, Pujara played a chanceless innings, almost never taking the aerial route – he hit 24 fours, but not a single six. Pujara seemed equally at ease against spin and pace and didn’t seem troubled at all, irrespective of the length. He eventually fell for 166 off 280 after an inside-edge onto the stumps. Failing to pick a Shreyas Gopal googly and seeing that it was short, Pujara made room to cut. But with the ball spinning back in, it was too close to the body and he chopped on. “Even when I was facing spinners, it was very difficult to pick the googly under lights,” Pujara said after his dismissal. “A little difficult to pick the seam on the pink ball.”Pujara said that facing up to the new ball under lights on the opening day was the toughest phase of his innings. “This was my first game with the pink ball. I enjoyed batting on this wicket. There wasn’t much help for the fast bowlers. The most difficult session was the third session [on the first day], under lights, when they took the second new ball. It moved about and came on faster.”Pujara’s 32nd first-class century came from his preferred No. 3 position, although he acknowledged the importance of being adaptable. “Sometimes, you have to be prepared to bat at any number. If given a choice, and because I have scored so many runs at No. 3, I know how to bat there, I know how to build an innings. Given a choice, I would like to bat at No. 3, but I’m happy to bat wherever.”By the time Pujara was dismissed, Jackson had already raced to 26 off 31 balls and had added 46 runs for the sixth wicket. Jackson brought a different style to the table, stepping down to the spinners at will and unafraid to launch the ball in the air. Where Pujara was all patience and grind, Jackson provided a neat study in contrast with his brute force and muscle. He had his slice of luck – he was dropped by M Vijay at slip on 74 – but otherwise provided a brilliant display of clean hitting. He brought up his 10th first-class century with a drilled boundary down the ground off Shreyas.”I consider myself lucky; I was dropped in the 70s,” Jackson said. “The wicket was good and the ball was coming on nicely. When the new ball comes, it gets difficult [to sight it] because the speed changes, the ball skids on at good pace, so making the minor adjustment takes a little bit of time.”Every match I score is important, but to score in such matches is very important because it is live and people are watching. It [the surface] should behave a little differently on days 3 and 4. Both the sides [of the ball] are scuffed up a little bit.”Jackson found good support from Parvez Rasool, who scored 25, and Karn Sharma, who stroked his way to 57. By the time he fell – holing out to long-on to give Shreyas his fifth wicket and bring the innings to a close – he had ensured India Green were buried under a mountain of runs.

The BCCI has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking review of its July 18 verdict in which it had accepted most recommendations of the Lodha panel. The BCCI said the bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had “a prejudiced approach” against the board and he should recuse from hearing the matter.The BCCI also contended that the judgement was “unreasoned” and “seeks to frame legislative measures for a private autonomous society in a field already occupied by legislations, both parliamentary and state”.The board further said the judgment authored by Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifullah, since retired, has “neither noted the contentions and facts correctly, nor dealt with the same”.”The judgment is unconstitutional and contrary to many binding precedents of this Court and adversely affects and nullifies the fundamental rights granted to citizens under Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution,” the plea said, adding “the judgment outsources judicial power to a committee of retired judges, which is impermissible in law.”The judgment is a nullity as the judges were functus officio after passing of the main judgment of January 22, 2015 and the matter could not have been revived suo motu as no provision of law empowers the same and is contrary to the doctrine of separation of powers and contrary to settled law that the judiciary cannot make laws.”However, the most important aspect of the review petition, which also demanded an open court hearing, is the plea for recusal of the Chief Justice of India.”Chief Justice T S Thakur seems to have a prejudiced approach to BCCI which is evident by statements such as ‘BCCI treatment’ is to be meted out to another entity i.e. the All India Football Federation in another case, ex-facie shows that the Chief Justice has a closed mind and will summarily dismiss the review petition without listing the same before another bench of five judges for hearing in the open Court,” the plea said.The Supreme Court, on July 18, had accepted major recommendations of the Lodha Committee on reforms in BCCI, including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above 70 years of age from becoming its members, but left it to the parliament to decide whether it should come under RTI and whether betting on the game should be legalised.

Simon Helmot has been appointed head coach of Bangladesh’s High Performance programme which will run from August to October 2016

Mohammad Isam11-Jun-2016

Simon Helmot has been appointed head coach of Bangladesh’s High Performance Programme, which will run from June to October 2016. Helmot arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to finalise the deal, and will begin work at the end of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, when there is a new intake for the programme.BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that Helmot is being contracted on the basis of number of days.”According to his performance, we will think of his long-term responsibility,” Chowdhury said. “We have a plan with him, but for now it is based on the number of days he can be available. The HP programme will begin after the Dhaka Premier League, and the squad will be announced beforehand.”Helmot currently coaches the CPL side Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, and also serves as assistant coach with the IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad and the BBL team Hobart Hurricanes. He has previously worked as an assistant coach of Australia’s 2010 World Twenty20 side has also been head coach of Australia A.Helmot succeeds former England batsman Mal Loye, who was HP head coach from June to September last year. He ended his stint with satisfaction and had hoped to return to the same job this year.

Lancashire are unlikely leaders of Division One after promotion last season but in a stop-start season they refuse to be cowed

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge05-Jul-2016
ScorecardStuart Broad clubbed useful runs•Getty ImagesA persistent breeze stiffened enough from time to time to ask less hardy spectators to consider putting on a jacket but at least it was a day that looked like summer. On the field, Stuart Broad worked up a sweat, eager to show his county the commitment that comes naturally to him in Test cricket. But an increasingly benign pitch was giving him very little back.Steven Mullaney, captain against his former county in the absence of Chris Read, was proactive, rotating the bowlers, frequently tweaking his fields, trying to make something happen. Broad ran willingly to where he was directed, chipping in too with suggestions on tactics to try. Deep into the last session, though, Lancashire’s openers had their sights on batting through to the close, determined that their concentration would not crack.They look like a side who believe in themselves. Promoted teams tend these days to find the step up a difficult one but Lancashire have established themselves among the front-runners. It would be a surprise if they are in first place at the end of the season but their players are not easily cowed.Tom Smith, a solid professional in the best traditions of county cricket, turned 30 now and with the wisdom and experience to go with it, locked horns again with Imran Tahir, as he had in the first innings. After a protracted battle, the legspinner had the last word then but this time Smith, so far, has the upper hand.At the other end, moreover, he had an ally who already looks equally at home playing the long game. Haseeb Hameed is not yet 20 in years but temperamentally seems much older, at least with bat in hand. The pair have been Lancashire’s best opening partnership so far this year, the first to put 100 or more on the board.In doing so, they have probably saved this game for Lancashire, who trailed by 198 on first innings, a scenario that looked unlikely after Nottinghamshire had lost half their wickets while still 35 runs behind.Steven Croft, as willing and versatile as he is, is not a wicketkeeper and it is a demanding position from which also to captain a side. Whether he could have done much differently, though, is a moot point, given that of all the things Mullaney tried later, none achieved a breakthrough.It has been a different match for Neil Wagner, who took 11 wickets when Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire handsomely at Old Trafford in May. His reward for 33.1 overs of toil this time was 3-107.”It was hard out there, on an unresponsive and flat wicket,” he said. “I thought we bowled well, we asked questions and we bowled better than we did yesterday, when we did not hit our lengths consistently and got hurt.”We thought if we could get a couple of quick wickets this morning we might be in with a shout but credit to Nottinghamshire they batted very well. Riki and Samit batted really well, as did Broady and the others who came in after. They never really gave us a chance.”But it was a great partnership between Haseeb and Tom and although there is a lot of work to do yet hopefully we are in a good position now to save the game.”Patel and Wessels could not be parted for more than an hour, adding 43 to an overnight lead of 27 before Patel, who had been watchful for the most part, feathered the thinnest of edges to Croft off Smith, who dismissed Wessels soon afterwards. Looking to accelerate the pursuit of bowling points, Wessels went after Smith and picked up his ninth boundary but was undone by the next delivery, which pushed him on to the back foot and took the edge, Liam Livingstone backpeddling from slip to take the catch.Wessels had to leave the field with a finger injury later in the day, handing the wicketkeeping gloves to Brendan Taylor for a period, but was able to resume after treatment.The end of one significant partnership, one that was worth 105 runs, merely introduced another. Broad, who has given good value to his county with the bat as well as the ball this season, combined with Brett Hutton to add another 79 for the eighth wicket, 31 of which came within the space of 18 deliveries, 24 from Broad’s bat, to clinch maximum batting points for Nottinghamshire with just one ball to spare.In an innings notable for unconverted starts – nine players made between 30 and 67 – neither Broad nor Hutton reached 50 but the lead kept stretching. Even Harry Gurney, a genuine number 11, made it into double figures, for only the eighth time in 95 first-class innings.The win that Nottinghamshire need rather more urgently than their opponents seems unlikely, however, unless Tahir can do something remarkable on the final day.

Glasgow Rangers were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by their Old Firm rivals on Sunday and are now on course to end the campaign without a trophy to show for their efforts.

The Light Blues are 13 points behind their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership, with five games left to play, and a summer overhaul is on the cards at Ibrox.

Michael Beale is expecting a big "rebuild" in the transfer window and some first-team players could be moved on to make way for fresh recruits.

Borna Barisic, who joined the club for £2.2m in 2018, has been named by the Daily Record as a player who the Gers could cash in on, and he could be replaced by academy full-back Kevin Ciubotaru.

Is it time for Barisic to leave Rangers?

It could be the right time to ditch the Croatian dud after a series of questionable defensive performances in big games for the club in recent seasons.

Ex-Celtic winger Kris Commons criticised the left-back earlier this year, writing: "He nods off like a security guard trying to catch a quick nap on the night shift. It's just not acceptable at a club like Rangers.

"When Celtic do their analysis ahead of next month's final, you can guarantee they will identify Barisic as the weak link in this Rangers defence."

Commons also claimed that Celtic forwards have exposed Barisic as a "poor" defender and, at the age of 30, the battler does not have a lot of time to develop and improve that side of his game.

Who is Kevin Ciubotaru?

The Light Blues have a 19-year-old Romania youth international in their B team who is a natural left-back and has made 12 appearances in the Lowland League this season.

He has been called up by Romania at U15, U16, and U18 level and has been competing with Robbie Fraser for a starting berth in the development squad this season at Ibrox.

Although Fraser has been the first-choice, with 33 league appearances, Ciubotaru is a player with unearthed potential and could be someone who Beale is able to work with to develop into a first-team performer.

Kinetic academy co-founder Harry Hudson previously stated that the Romanian gem has an "exceptionally high ceiling" and described him by saying: "Very attack-minded. Powerful runner, good dribbler, gets forward well and contributes really well in the offensive phases."

The player himself also claimed that his style is like AC Milan star "Theo Hernandez", who has produced three goals and three assists in the Serie A this season from left-back, and these comments highlight the gem's untapped potential and illustrate the kind of player the head coach could unearth by bringing him into the fold.

Beale could place his trust in the quality of his academy options to come up and compete with Ridvan Yilmaz for a place at left-back in the first-team, which would allow him to ditch Barisic on a permanent basis this summer.

Glasgow Rangers are eyeing a move for Barcelona youngster Pablo Torre as Michael Beale aims to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.

What’s the latest on Pablo Torre to Rangers?

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Rangers are looking at signing Barcelona sensation Torre on a loan deal for the 2023/2024 campaign.

The report states that the Ibrox side were interested in luring him to Scotland last summer and could try their luck again at the end of the season.

With Sporting director Ross Wilson having recently left the club to join Nottingham Forest, Beale could be given more of a free rein when it comes to transfers and Torre may be the one to benefit.

Could Rangers sign Pablo Torre from Barcelona?

There is certainly a chance of the club managing to secure the young prodigy on a season long loan deal similar to the one that brought Bayern Munich talent Malik Tillman to the club last year.

With Champions League football a possibility, this could further entice Torre, who would surely be given a starting berth under Beale should he join. If the Light Blues did secure his signature, they could be repeating their Mikel Arteta masterclass from 2002, when the Spaniard signed from the Catalan club for a fee of just £5.8m and he enjoyed two seasons at Ibrox.

The current Arsenal boss scored the title-clinching goal against Dunfermline back in 2003 that is still fondly remembered by the Ibrox supporters and despite spending just two years in Glasgow, he was one of the clubs standout performers during that spell.

There is no doubt Torre would shine in Scotland having already experienced Champions League football with Barcelona this term.

Across three appearances in Europe’s premier club competition, the 20-year-old has scored once, averaged 29.7 touches per game, completed 90% of his passes and made 0.7 tackles each match, not bad for someone who has averaged just 32 minutes in these three matches.

Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie dubbed the 5 foot 8 Torre a “conductor” when he played for Racing Santander back in 2021 and his signing could be especially pivotal if Rangers can't agree to a deal to sign Tillman on a permanent basis.

The youngster could be given a free role behind the striker under Beale which would allow him to flourish and during his final season for Racing, he scored ten goals and registered 11 assists across all competitions, suggesting he could add goals to the Rangers attack.

With Tillman’s success, a year-long loan move would be the ideal scenario for both clubs and the Gers could potentially hit new heights next season.

Leeds United's struggling form has seen them slip into the relegation zone in recent weeks, as results for their fellow strugglers have started to pick up.

The likes of Everton and Bournemouth earning unexpected victories does little to offset their albeit impressive point gained against the high-flying Brighton and Hove Albion, as they still fall further behind.

There are numerous factors that are contributing to their abysmal season, with Javi Gracia desperately scrambling to find solutions to all of them in time to save them from a return to the Championship.

Although they are already set to be without Tyler Adams today due to injury, perhaps the Spaniard could look to completely refresh his midfield in favour of some youthful exuberance. Whilst the American has shone and his absence will be missed, to remove Marc Roca as well would hardly change much given how he has underperformed of late.

Brought in from Bayern Munich in the summer, his experience was expected to be invaluable in the engine room as a metronomic presence that would allow them to dictate the play. That has not been the case, and soon he must lose his place because of these consistently poor displays.

Who will play in midfield for Leeds?

Journalist Phil Hay offered a glimpse into what Gracia might be thinking for this clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as he relayed the following information on Twitter:

"Gracia says Darko Gyabi and Archie Gray are midfielders he'll think about using while Adams is out."

Whilst this could at face value be seen as a sole replacement for their one absentee, given none of Roca's past five displays has surpassed a 6.8 rating, he too could be in the firing line.

In fact, his performance in that aforementioned draw with the Seagulls was particularly abhorrent, as he earned a 6.1 rating underpinned by just one duel won all game as he touched the ball just 42 times (via Sofascore).

Only in January had journalist Beren Cross slammed the £50k-per-week dud too, as he spoke on the LeedsLive Facebook stream after their FA Cup exit:

"Roca, I felt faded. I thought he had a pretty good first half, Marc Roca. Certainly not as refined in his tackling as [Tyler] Adams. But he got about the pitch well, put his foot in, was a disrupter to Brentford when they were trying to build attacks.

“But in the second half, he started to look quite leggy and tired and made some quite tired challenges which left Leeds in the lurch at times."

This was a sentiment journalist Jonny Buchan echoed, who lambasted the set piece takers, namely Jack Harrison and the Spaniard, for their "unforgivable" poor deliveries, when speaking on BBC Radio Leeds [28 February 2023, 25min].

With the media clearly clocking on to his consistently poor showings, surely Gracia will be too. It might be a bold move, but there is no point relying on experience when the quality is so clearly lacking.

Leeds United welcomed four new faces to Elland Road in January during a transfer window which seemed incredibly significant in safeguarding the future of the football club.

The Whites currently sit just one point outside the relegation places and it was clear that the squad needed bolstering in all areas, so Jesse Marsch duly added an attacker, a midfielder and two defenders to quell those issues.

It leaves his squad in a better place than they were before the World Cup, but they were forced to say goodbye to one of those figures who earned cult hero status for their role in the return to the Premier League in 2020.

Mateusz Klich had starred for Marcelo Bielsa, and alongside Kalvin Phillips embodied everything for which the legendary Argentine stood. He was hard-working and tough-tackling but had enough finesse to contribute to the transition too.

Although his game-time had diminished, with the Poland international not making a league start this season and featuring for only 266 top-flight minutes, he still arguably yielded more influence and minutes than Adam Forshaw, who remained at the club.

The 31-year-old also used to be an important figure for the Yorkshire outfit, but a string of injuries meant that he struggled to ever recapture his past displays, in turn seeing him feature for only 157 league minutes so far this season.

Even now the Whites are struggling to comprehend exactly what his latest ailment is, as injury expert Ben Dinnery claimed: “It’s a very difficult situation for Leeds and Forshaw. The surgery that he had back in 2019 kept him on the sidelines for the best part of 18 months and it was highly disappointing.

“He’s had his fair share of injuries since that problem too and whenever he seems to be able to establish himself in that starting lineup he picks up an injury. The concern comes from not being able to identify the underlying cause – Leeds can’t address the issue if medical staff are confused about what is causing it.”

With a case which is so perplexing that it seemingly cannot be fixed, it begs the question as to why he remains and Klich’s exit was sanctioned.

Even at their best, which for Forshaw was the 2018/19 season and for his former team-mate was the following campaign , the two are incomparable.

The now-DC United maestro earned a 7.07 average rating during that year, playing a huge role in their comfortable Championship triumph as he scored six goals, set up five and recorded 1.8 key passes and 1.9 tackles per game (via Sofascore).

Meanwhile, in the campaign prior, Forshaw could only muster a 6.91 rating whilst not offering a single goal contribution. He did record 2.2 tackles per game, which is not even that much of an improvement on his Polish counterpart (via Sofascore).

To compound this further, as of last year, the former Everton academy graduate’s £20k-per-week salary far outweighed Klich’s £7.7k-per-week. 

With both players past their peaks, surely it made sense to retain the better-performing option of the two and instead ditch the injury-ridden financial burden who has little to offer nowadays.

Leeds United have rejected Leicester City’s £20m bid for Jack Harrison, according to The Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Harrison’s new role

The winger has been a regular at Elland Road after first moving to the club in 2018, making a total of 186 appearances for the Whites.

The 26-year-old, who mainly lines out on the wing, has been used in a new central role by Jesse Marsch in recent weeks, especially impressing in the FA Cup. He has contributed to four goals in as many games in an attacking midfield role (as per Transfermarkt), with Harrison now into the final 18 months of his Leeds contract.

The Latest: £20m bid rejected for Harrison

The Daily Mail shared a story on Sunday night, mainly looking at Patrick Bamford’s return to fitness for the club.

Within their report, they said that Leeds have rejected a £20m offer from Leicester for Harrison and hope that his goal against Accrington Stanley on the weekend won’t be his last in a Whites shirt.

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The Verdict: Right decision?

Harrison could have been the club’s fourth-most expensive sale of all time (behind Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Rio Ferdinand) if that £20m offer were accepted.

However, he has shown his versatility in recent weeks by adapting wonderfully to his new role and has been in fine form this season, with Conor McGilligan labelling the 26-year-old as ‘superb’ earlier in the campaign.

He is currently the Whites’ fourth-best performer in the Premier League ahead of the likes of Wilfried Gnionto, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Sinisterra and Brenden Aaronson (as per WhoScored), so keeping hold of his services appears to be a shrewd move, especially as it is so late in the transfer window.

Elland Road chiefs may need to look into a new contract relatively for him soon, though, as otherwise speculation over an exit could continue heading into the summer.

Leeds United could ‘take advantage’ of Nicolo Zaniolo’s situation at Roma and sign him on deadline day, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with late Zaniolo move

On a tense Tuesday deadline day, a number of reports have emerged regarding the Whites’ pursuit of the 23-year-old, as Jesse Marsch looks to conduct some late business.

Zaniolo hasn’t always managed to be a regular under Jose Mourinho, starting 12 Serie A matches and only featuring in three Europa League games this season.

It could be that the Italian wants a fresh challenge before the January transfer window ends – especially after Mourinho publicly lambasted him – and Leeds could be his most likely destination as the hours tick by.

The Latest: New update emerges

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that the Whites could yet pounce and sign Zaniolo, taking advantage of his preference to leave Roma:

“Leeds could take advantage of a tricky situation but they only wanted a loan and other clubs, including some in Italy, are having a look. We know Zaniolo is stuck between a rock and a hard place because he needs to leave Roma.”

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The Verdict: Worth the gamble?

At 23, Zaniola remains a young footballer with great quality despite falling out of favour under the mercurial Mourinho, with Roma legend Daniele De Rossi once lauding his ‘incredible natural physique’.

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The biggest risk surrounding a move for the midfielder is his fitness history, with two serious cruciate ligament issues on his record, but he has shown this season that he can be available often, mostly left out due to the manager’s preference rather than concerns over his physical condition.

The positives certainly outweigh the negatives with Zaniolo, who has scored 24 goals and registered 18 assists for Roma, and he could add some unpredictability and guile to Leeds’ midfield.