All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur could hijack Fulham's free transfer bid to sign forward Manor Solomon following his impressive Craven Cottage loan spell, according to reliable journalist Nizaar Kinsella.

Who will Spurs sign after Maddison?

Spurs, much to the delight of new manager Ange Postecoglou, have moved swiftly for some of their top targets in this last fortnight.

Guglielmo Vicario joins from Empoli to shore up their goalkeeping options, while chairman Daniel Levy also managed to sign playmaker James Maddison from Leicester City for £40m.

These two transfers, coupled with the permanent signing of Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus, mark a solid start to this summer transfer window and reports suggest they're also after a star centre-half.

Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven and others have been linked with moves to north London while there is a belief that Postecoglou wishes to add attacking reinforcements as well.

The departures of both Arnaut Danjuma, who has returned to parent club Villarreal, and winger Lucas Moura on a Bosman have left Spurs slightly short of wide forwards.

As a result, the north Londoners are said to be keen on a move for Shakhtar Donetsk's Solomon, coming after a FIFA ruling allowed players to leave Ukraine freely amid the ongoing war with Russia.

The legislation allows Solomon to halt his contract, without approval from Shakhtar, and move wherever he pleases – meaning Tottenham can sign him for free.

As a result, The Evening Standard and Kinsella claim Spurs are "interested in hijacking" Fulham's "free transfer bid" for the Israel winger, as the Whites are also keen on him following his 2022/23 loan spell in west London.

While not much is added beyond that, it does appear Postecoglou and Levy are eyeing fresh faces in the forward areas.

Who is Manor Solomon?

Solomon scored in five straight games between February and March, bagging four overall in the league, with the 23-year-old impressing during his temporary Fulham spell last campaign.

The winger has also been heralded by sections of the Israeli press, as sports journalist Josh Halickman describes Solomon as an "exceptional athlete" and puts him up there with his country's most influential sportspeople of recent times.

Fulham boss Marco Silva also praised Solomon for his flair and capability in one-on-one situations.

"He has scored some important goals for us," said Silva.

"His one-v-one situation is really strong and coming from the left he is important."

Canterbury clinched their third Plunket Shield title in four years despite suffering a seven-wicket loss to Wellington in Christchurch. The winners were decided after defending champions Auckland conceded a three-wicket defeat to Central Districts in Napi

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2017The winners of the Plunket Shield were decided in the last hour of the last round of matches as Auckland, who needed a win to lift the trophy, went down to Central Districts by three wickets and Canterbury clinched their third title in four years. Canterbury were leading the table with 101 points before the last round, followed by Auckland with 93 points. While Canterbury went down to Wellington by seven wickets, taking four points to finish on 105, Auckland’s loss meant they finished third with 98 points after being overtaken by Northern Districts, who beat Otago by three wickets.Auckland had a sniff of victory and the title by reducing Central Districts to 281 for 7 in the chase of 301 before an unbeaten 43 from Tom Bruce steered Central Districts home, in Napier. The chase was led by George Worker’s 130 off 144, his sixth first-class hundred, but they stuttered from 192 for 2 to 213 for 5, and soon 281 for 7, before Bruce’s rescue act earned them 16 points. Earlier, Auckland were restricted to 200 for 9, thanks to a five-for from Navin Patel, after a rain-affected first day. But they fought back by dismissing Central Districts for 181 as Colin Munro (3 for 22) and Tarun Nethula (4 for 49) disturbed the opposition’s top and middle order. With a slender lead, Auckland had a shot at victory by declaring on 281 for 7 after fifites from Michael Guptill-Bounce (52), Munro (56) and Mark Chapman (55) but Central Districts overhauled the 301 target in under 70 overs by scoring at 4.37 runs per over.In Christchurch, Canterbury began the final day leading Wellington by 59 runs with only four wickets in hand. Troubled by the Wellington quicks, none of Canterbury’s top five could score in excess of 15 in the second innings. Captain Andrew Ellis, however, stretched his overnight score of 34 to 110 – his ninth first-class century – while No. 9 Logan van Beek added an unbeaten 54 to his first-innings score of 66, pushing the lead past 200, prompting Canterbury to declare on 293 for 8.Chasing 227, Wellington secured the victory for the loss of only three wickets, piloted by an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 170 between Hamish Marshall (105* off 94) and Tom Blundell (63*). It was the second win in ten matches for Wellington, whose tally of 86 points earned them a fourth-place finish.Blundell had earlier anchored Wellington’s reply to Canterbury’s first-innings tally of 197 with a 113. He added 184 runs for the sixth wicket with Peter Younghusband, who fell three short of a maiden first-class century. The duo helped their side take a 67-run lead, before Canterbury medium-pacer Will Williams rolled them over over with a career best 4 for 37.Northern Districts, meanwhile, stole a three-wicket win against Otago, with heroic centuries from Daryl Mitchell (106) and Tim Seifert (151) in the fourth innings in Dunedin. Like Central Districts, Northern Districts were set a stiff target – of 347 – but the twin centuries meant three wickets from each of Michael Rae and Rhys Phillips went in vain.Northern Districts’ fourth win of the tournament was set up by 11 wickets from Ish Sodhi. Otago had earlier secured a first-innings lead of 157 after a double-century from Anaru Kitchen (207) helped them score 432 for 8. Northern Distrcits were bowled out for 275 in reply, only Dean Brownlie scoring a half-century, with Nathan Smith and Rae striking thrice each. However, Sodhi’s 7 for 59 in the third innings meant Otago declared at 189 for 8, despite strong contributions from the top order, and Northern Districts aced the daunting chase by losing no more than seven wickets.

Tottenham Hotspur are confident about signing Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo this summer, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has now identified Cameron Carter-Vickers as a potential target at centre-back, with the Australian keen to reunite with his former player, who he signed for Celtic on a permanent deal last summer.

Micky van de Ven is another option for Spurs, with the Wolfsburg defender being placed on the shortlist, following recent talks, however they will have to do battle for his signature with Liverpool, who have now joined the race.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently detailed that Adarabioyo has "decided" to leave Fulham this summer, rather than seeing out the one year remaining on his contract, potentially opening the door for a move to north London.

As a result of the Fulham defender's contract situation, Football Insider report that Tottenham are confident they will be able to lure him to N17 this summer, however he is not near the top of their shortlist, with the transfer window still at an early stage.

The 25-year-old could become a "real option" for Postecoglou later this summer, and Spurs feel he could be available for a cut-price fee, as this window may be Fulham's last chance to cash-in.

It is also detailed that Postecoglou has made bringing in a new centre-back one of Tottenham's main priorities.

Should Tottenham sign Adarabioyo?

The centre-back managed to cement himself as a key player for Fulham in the latter stages of the 2022-23 season, starting the last ten Premier League games, and he put in a string of quality performances.

In the Cottagers' final home game, the £41k-per-week defender recorded a 7.4 Sofascore match rating, winning a whopping ten of the 13 duels he contested, while he also displayed his dominance in the air by winning eight aerial duels in a 3-1 win at Everton.

Hailed as "magnificent" by members of the media, the 6 foot 4 colossus ranks in the 76th percentile for aerials won per 90 in the past year, and in the 98th percentile for clearances, however he does not rank highly for tackles, interceptions or blocks.

That said, Adarabioyo's performances in the second half of last season indicate he could be ready to make the step up to a club the size of Tottenham, at least as a back up option, and it could be a low-risk move, if he is available for a cut-price fee.

On a difficult batting pitch, Australia fought hard to secure a 48-run lead at stumps on the second day in Bengaluru

The Report by Brydon Coverdale05-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:17

Chappell: Conceding lead of 100 will be terminal for India

It is hard to believe this series is only five days old, such is the drama that has already been witnessed. And such has been the unexpected dominance of Australia that this fifth day of the campaign – and the second day in Bengaluru – began with ominous predictions that India’s hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy would be dead unless they had launched a fightback by stumps. Does six wickets constitute enough of a fightback? The jury is out.Certainly, India’s bowlers deserve credit for their persistence. All day they maintained pressure on Australia’s batsmen, and the pressure was particularly intense during a gripping morning session. But by stumps, the cold reality was that Australia held a lead that was already useful, and which on the third morning may yet progress to become match-winning. They went to stumps 48 runs in front, with the total on 237 for 6, and with Matthew Wade on 25 and Mitchell Starc on 14.Ashwin gets Warner, again

8 Instances of R Ashwin dismissing David Warner in Tests. That is also the most times Ashwin has gotten rid of a batsman, and Warner has fallen to a bowler

5 Times in nine innings that Matt Renshaw has faced 100 or more deliveries. Renshaw has played a total of 1058 balls in Tests. Since his debut, only Steven Smith has faced more for Australia (1135).

18 Runs scored by Shaun Marsh in his last five innings from the No. 4 position – 0, 0, 0, 2 and 16. In this match, he struck a fifty from the same position.

8 Partnerships of 50 or more for Australia in this series so far, including three in the first innings of this Test. India have only had two such stands in three innings.

The anchors of Australia’s day had been the oldest and youngest members of the side. Matt Renshaw, the 20-year-old opener, showed maturity and patience in compiling 60; Shaun Marsh, the 33-year-old recalled for this series, was equally respectful of the bowling and ground out 66 of his own. Both men fell as they approached 200 deliveries, their concentration perhaps waning, but they were to be commended for their efforts.The pitch was cracking like a dry river-bed: spinners threatened with sharp turn and fast bowlers sent through the occasional skidder. No delivery summed up the batting challenge better than the last ball before tea, when Ishant Sharma had Mitchell Marsh lbw for an 11-ball duck to a delivery that barely bounced above his ankles. It was the last ball of the 80th over, and thus the last ball before the teams had their reviews renewed, but Marsh was so plumb that he just walked off.If that ball demonstrated the danger of low bounce, R Ashwin’s dismissal of David Warner showed how spinners can use the surface. During the morning session, Ashwin attacked the footmarks outside the leg stump of Australia’s left-handers and after a number of searching deliveries caused problems, Warner lost his off stump when one pitched outside leg and ripped across and past his outside edge.These deliveries also served to highlight how invaluable runs on the board might become over the remainder of the Test. Should Australia’s lower order find a way to lift their advantage up to triple-figures on the third day, it would be a long, hard road for India to fight back into the series. Still, India at least kept themselves in the match on day two, and that was more than could be said of their second day in Pune.The day had started with Australia at 40 for 0; the 197 runs they added for the loss of six wickets were the product of impressive resilience. The morning session was particularly enthralling. It was one of those times when the raw numbers fail to tell the story – Australia crawled along by 47 runs, India managed only two wickets. But the intensity of the contest was undeniable. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found sharp turn, Ishant and Umesh Yadav found edges and up-and-down bounce.There were tight lbw appeals, edges through the cordon, words exchanged, more exaggerated facial expressions than in an acting class for beginners. Both teams wanted to pretend the other was under all the pressure. The reality was that all 13 players on the field were under the pump. Ashwin got Warner, and Steven Smith edged onto his pad and up to the wicketkeeper for 8 off 52 balls, yet by lunch neither team had struck the vital blow.Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh put on the longest partnership of the match – 52 runs in 25.1 overs•Associated PressImportantly for Australia, Renshaw had batted through the session, and after the resumption he brought up a fine 183-ball half-century. He was edgier than a Richard Pryor comedy gig – four of his five fours went through gaps in the cordon – but it was not until the 67th over of his innings that his focus appeared to lapse. He advanced to lift Jadeja down the ground for six, then two balls later was stumped coming down the wicket again, as Jadeja turned one past his legs and Wriddhiman Saha did the rest.Peter Handscomb played positively and struck a couple of boundaries before he too fell to Jadeja, flicking on the up to midwicket where Ashwin took a good juggling catch. But Marsh stepped up where Renshaw had left off, as Australia’s rock, repeating his mantra to watch the ball, and doing so for 197 deliveries.Marsh had some nervous moments. On 14, he fended at a delivery from Umesh that hit a crack and jagged away; India’s half-hearted appeal was turned down, but replays suggested the ball had kissed Marsh’s glove on the way through. Then on 44 he had two lucky breaks: he was given out lbw to Umesh but a review found the ball had struck him outside the line of off stump, and in the next over he was trapped plumb by Ishant – who had over-stepped and been no-balled on-field.Marsh went on to bring up his fifty from his 162nd delivery, but on 66 his time – and perhaps his energy – ran out when he flicked a catch to midwicket off Umesh. It was the first wicket of the innings for Umesh, who like his team-mates bowled tightly and created opportunities, though whether enough opportunities remains to be seen.That only one wicket – Marsh’s – fell in the final session gave Australia the edge. India would have hoped for more than six wickets in a day on a difficult batting pitch, in a series that has been played at breakneck speed. They remain in the match, but only if their batsmen show vast improvement in their second innings.

Upul Tharanga struck his first Test century at home, as Sri Lanka set Bangladesh 457 to win the Galle Test

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle10-Mar-2017Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:22

Fernando: SL could have declared at 350

A sparkling Soumya Sarkar fifty set Bangladesh’s fourth innings off apace, but the visitors remained 390 runs adrift, on a pitch expected to become prickly on the final day. That they had as many as 457 to chase was partly thanks to Upul Tharanga, who sailed to his first home Test century in the afternoon session, as well as a conservative declaration from Rangana Herath. At the time of declaration, 125 overs remained in the match, but it is highly unlikely so many will be possible – bad light and rain ate up 12 overs at the tail end of day four.Tharanga’s maiden home ton

1 Upul Tharanga scored his maiden Test century at home. He averages 27.66 after 24 innings at home, compared to an away average of 41.28 from as many innings.

4 Instances of an opening stand of 50-plus in both innings of a Test for Bangladesh. Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar put together 118 in the first innings, and their unbroken stand in the second innings has been worth 67 so far. They have not had century opening stands in both innings of a Test yet.

2012 The last time Sri Lanka had a bigger opening partnership in Galle than the 69 by Dimuth Karunaratne and Tharanga. Since 2013, this was only the third 50-plus stand for the home team in 16 innings at the venue.

99 Highest successful run-chase in Galle, by the home team against Pakistan in 2014. Bangladesh need 457 in this match – the second-highest target at the venue. The highest fourth-innings total at Galle is 300.

Having been somewhat watchful in the first session, it was after lunch that Tharanga opened his shoulders. He cracked successive fours off Mustafizur Rahman and then routinely strode down the pitch to meet the spinners. Especially severe was he on errors of length, creaming languid boundaries through midwicket and square leg, though he also used the cut and sweep to good effect. He used up 109 balls to reach his half century; his next 47 runs were studded with five boundaries, and came off 44 deliveries. Tharanga paused briefly on the brink of his century, then immediately began to attack again, launching Shakib Al Hasan over long-on. Two more fours were smoked off Mehedi Hasan next over, before Tharanga was bowled trying to attempt a third – Mehedi tossing the ball bravely up, and beating the batsman in the air.Mehedi had in fact been among Bangladesh’s most impressive bowlers on a difficult day. He claimed two wickets under duress, delivering a good mix of turning balls and straighter ones, with an in-out field in place. Shakib took two wickets as well, but it was Mustafizur Rahman who delivered the most immaculate lines and lengths – in the morning session he had delivered four successive maidens, and he conceded only 24 in his nine overs in the day.Sri Lanka’s declaration did not come until after Dinesh Chandimal got to fifty after tea, but nevertheless, they batted most of the afternoon session like a declaration was imminent. Thanks largely to Tharanga, they had hit 160 runs at 5.16 an over, and happily did they burn four wickets in the pursuit of these quick runs. Sweeps and reverse sweeps against the turn were attempted. Bowlers often had batsmen running down the pitch at them. For the first time there appeared to be substantial purchase off this pitch as well, so the contest between bat and ball was roughly even. If Bangladesh had held chances off Dinesh Chandimal, who was dropped on 11, or Dimuth Karunaratne, who was dropped on seven, they may have been more successful in slowing Sri Lanka’s advance.Upul Tharanga struck his third Test century as Sri Lanka piled on a substantial lead on the fourth day•AFPSri Lanka, though, were themselves unsatisfied with a lead of 350 – though no team had ever scored more than 300 at this venue – or even 400. Herath’s thinking, perhaps, was to eliminate the chance of a Bangladesh victory almost entirely, which might allow him to ring the batsman with fielders with little consequence.This is in fact what he did in the 15 overs Bangladesh batted, and perhaps it is what allowed Sarkar to hurtle to 53 off 47 balls by the close of play. He hit six fours and one six – all off the spinners, and all square of the wicket. Herath did not bring the younger, more attacking bowlers on before stumps; Lakshan Sandakan and Lahiru Kumara would be reserved for the big push on the final day.In the morning session, neither opening batsman had seemed fluent, and with both their places in the side under some pressure, had not ventured many attacking strokes. In fact one of the few occasions that Karunaratne attempted to hit out, he supplied Bangladesh an opportunity to get him out: Shakib going on to drop the mis-hit lofted drive at short cover to deny Mehedi a wicket. He was moved to caution by that scare, but did not make much use of the second life, swatting a Taskin Ahmed ball carelessly into the legside, where Mahmudullah ran in off the rope to complete and excellent diving catch. Though Bangladesh also made plenty of fielding mistakes, there would be an even better catch later in the day, when Liton Das lunged to his left to intercept a reverse-paddle from Niroshan Dickwella.More rain is forecast for the fifth afternoon, but to defy Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will have to resist Herath – the bowler with the most fourth-innings five-wicket hauls in cricket, bowling on a favourite strip.

Declan Rice's future continues to dominate the transfer columns, but West Ham United may well have already found an ideal replacement for their departing captain.

England international Rice is certain to move on this summer – chairman David Sullivan confirmed as much earlier this month – but United are continuing to haggle over a fee for a player they value at a nine-figure sum.

It seems likely they will get their wish, with Arsenal now joined by Manchester City in the bidding, meaning plenty of money will be available to bring in a new central midfielder.

What's the latest on West Ham's hunt for Declan Rice's replacement?

According to The Sun reporter Alan Nixon, David Moyes is hopeful of raiding former club Everton for in-demand Amadou Onana, who is also being eyed up by Chelsea and Manchester United.

Moyes is said to have missed out on Onana last summer when Everton signed him from Lille for £30m, and his valuation has now climbed to as much as £50m.

Given that will potentially be just half the amount they get for the sale of Rice, it surely makes sense for West Ham to move quickly and bring in the Belgium international, rather than being left stranded come the second half of the transfer window.

Is Amadou Onana a good replacement for Declan Rice?

Onana has taken no time at all to settle into the Premier League, as reflected in a number of key metrics. For example, he ranked in the top 10% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won last season, as per The Analyst.

Rice was only in the top 40%, though he does, of course, thrive in other areas. There are plenty of similarities between the two men, however, such as direct goal involvement (0.14 per 90 minutes for Rice, 0.11 for Onana), pass completion rate (86.5% v 83.3%) and take-ons attempted (1.73 v 1.88).

As per FBref, both players find the target at an identical rate (0.22 per 90 minutes) and, while Rice edges things in terms of shot-creating actions – which factors in passes and take-ons leading to a shot – at 2.75 per 90 to Onana's 1.63, the latter comes into his own in the tackles won per 90 metric (1.56 v 1.04).

As the Manchester Evening News reporter Tyrone Marshall put it in October, Onana is a "supreme athlete and very mobile", which would also be a good way to describe Rice.

Whoever is brought in by West Ham will have to hit the ground running if they are to come anywhere close to replacing fan favourite Rice. In Onana, they have a Premier League-ready option waiting to do exactly that.

Manchester United are still positive over their pursuit for Mason Mount, despite their latest bid being rejected, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What's the latest on Mason Mount?

The Chelsea star looks set to leave the club as he has no intention to renew his £80k-per-week contract, as he enters the final year of his deal.

The Blues are seemingly keen to offload players this summer with a number of their players headed for new experiences in Saudi Arabia.

Man United are heavily interested in the 24-year-old, and have seen two bids rejected, but remain confident that they will land the midfielder.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Mount has agreed personal terms with the Red Devils, and that United will not be swayed in their attempts to sign him despite Chelsea's strong stance over the transfer fee.

"There was also an official bid from Manchester United, the second to Chelsea for Mason Mount. Bid rejected, because the Manchester United proposal was still not what Chelsea wanted, it was around £45m fixed fee, so this was the idea of Manchester United for Mason Mount, but also with some add-ons," he stated.

"This is still not enough because Chelsea want more. Now the feeling is still positive around Mason Mount and Manchester United, because the player agreed 100% all the personal terms with Man United, so the contract is ready, it is done.

"Everything is okay between Mount and United, and Mount's camp confirmed again to Chelsea in recent hours that he's not signing a new deal, at least this is the situation as of now."

Will Mount be a good signing for Man United?

The midfielder would arrive on the back of one of the worst seasons in his career, as injuries limited him to just 24 league appearances, where he notched up just three goals and two assists as Chelsea finished in 12th place.

The Champions League winner has been a strong servant for Chelsea over the years, providing 70 goals and assists in 195 appearances, and he could slot straight into Man United's midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.

Erik ten Hag is seemingly aiming to bolster his midfield, and the arrival of Mount could see Fred depart, as the Brazilian has been linked with Fulham.

Despite his relatively young age, Mount will arrive with plenty of experience domestically and in Europe, and if United can get a deal over the line soon, he could be a top signing to kick off what will be an important summer transfer window for the club.

The Supreme Court, in a significant reprieve to BCCI and state office-bearers, has allowed them to serve separate nine-year terms at central and state level

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jan-20171:58

Ugra: Attorney general’s intervention a sign of government backing BCCI

The Supreme Court, in a significant reprieve to BCCI and state office-bearers, has allowed them to serve separate nine-year terms at central and state level, permitting a total of 18 years in cricket administration. The clarification on Friday contradicted the Lodha Committee’s interpretation of the court’s order on January 2, when the committee said an office-bearer would be ineligible to continue if he had served nine years in total, whether at BCCI or state level or combined.The confusion over tenure arose after the court modified its January 2 order, which had originally said: “A person shall be disqualified from being an Office-Bearer if he or she has been an Office-Bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years.” On January 3, the court modified that to: “Has been an Office-Bearer of the BCCI or a State Association for a cumulative period of 9 years.”The original Lodha Committee recommendation regarding eligibility, which was passed by the Supreme Court on July 18 last year, had made it possible for an individual to serve nine years each at both BCCI and state level. A BCCI office-bearer’s cooling-off period could have been a three-year term at their state association, after which they could once again contest an election for a BCCI position. And if they won the BCCI post, the ensuing three-year term would serve as their cooling-off period from holding office at state level. An individual could therefore have spent 18 years in Indian cricket administration between the BCCI and his state association.Such a scenario was possible once again after the Supreme Court clarified the uncertainty that arose following the order on January 2 and 3, and reverted the terms of tenure to the original recommendation of the Lodha Committee.The purge of the existing BCCI and state leadership may not be as severe as previously thought•PTI The Supreme Court also put off finalising the committee of administrators (COA) to supervise the BCCI to January 24. The court had asked amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium and senior legal counsel Anil Divan to nominate people for the COA, which they did by submitting nine names in a sealed envelope on Friday. The court asked the parties not to disclose the names, and pointed out a nine-member panel was “too big”.Upon studying the names, the court asked Subramanium if any of the candidates were over the age of 70, because the Lodha Committee had recommended that BCCI and state office-bearers should be under 70. Subramanium said a few names were over 70 and that the reasons for their inclusion were also listed.On January 2, the court had dismantled the existing power structure of the BCCI by removing the board’s president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke for impeding the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. The court said the board would be supervised by a committee of administrators until new office-bearers were elected once the BCCI implemented the recommendations. The court had directed the COA to supervise the administration of the BCCI through its chief executive Rahul Johri.The COA’s other key function was to ensure that the Lodha Committee’s recommendations passed by the court order on July 18, 2016, were implemented by the BCCI and state associations.Last week RM Lodha, the former chief justice of India and chairman of the Lodha Committee, said the COA would issue a fresh set of guidelines for the BCCI and state associations to adopt the new constitution in accordance with the recommendations. “There has to be [fresh timelines], but that will be done by the administrators. We said we don’t have that much of time, and that there has to be layers of administrators,” Lodha said. “The changes will happen. We will be there to supervise and guide the administrators.”The Lodha Committee was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court of India approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board did not cooperate because it said that its state associations objected to the recommendations. This impasse eventually led to the Supreme Court removing Thakur and Shirke from office on January 2, 2017.

Former Australian pacer joins Justin Langer to take over for Australia’s T20 series against Sri Lanka in February 2017 which clashes with Australia’s first Test in India

Daniel Brettig29-Dec-2016Jason Gillespie will join Justin Langer as Australia’s interim coaching duo to oversee the three Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka that conflict with preparations for the Test tour of India.Langer (Perth Scorchers) and Gillespie (Adelaide Strikers) are both coaches in the Big Bash League, and the team performance manager Pat Howard said he was hopeful they would duly be able to take a strong T20 mindset into the job while Darren Lehmann and David Saker are minding the Test side in the UAE and India.”Jason has significant experience as a coach around the world and with his skill-set, we believe he and Justin will work well together,” Howard said. “With Jason’s appointment alongside Justin, it means that not only will we have two terrific home-grown coaches to oversee the side but also that we have two individuals who will be coming off the sharp end of the BBL season.”It means they’ll be immersed in the T20 format ahead of the series which will hopefully help them to help us hit the ground running when the action gets underway.”Gillespie, who has been a successful all-format coach of Yorkshire over the past five years, said he was particularly eager to work with Langer, a former Australia teammate.”For me, the chance to be working with Justin Langer is terrific,” Gillespie said. “Of course he’s a friend and a former team-mate, but he’s also someone who’s had success in this form of the game and if I can learn anything from him and his approach then that would be great.”I’m there to support and hopefully play my part in achieving some positive results for us and that is something that is important because Australia hasn’t had the success any of us would like in T20 cricket. A series like this is the ideal way for us to try and get better and refine our approach.”With some players likely to be away in India it really will be a shop window for players from the BBL to showcase their skills, and to show the selectors and the Australian public what they can do. It’s a chance for those selectors to see how, in the case of any new players, they deal with international cricket.”The three T20 matches are at the MCG on February 17, Kardinia Park in Geelong on February 19 and Adelaide Oval on February 22. The Adelaide match takes place the day before the start of the first Test in India.

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for the signature of AS Roma centre-back, Roger Ibanez, according to Italian outlet Roma Giallorossa, via Sport Witness.

What is the latest on Ibanez to Spurs?

The report from Italy explains that Roma director Tiago Pinto was in London last week, and is believed to have spoken with Spurs chiefs about Ibanez. Spurs are said to be in pole position "above all (the other suitors)" in the transfer race, but not for the current price tag.

The fee quoted for the Brazilian defender is a minimum of €30m (£25m). This however is a fee which Daniel Levy is unwilling to commit to, instead planning to sign the 24-year-old for around €20m (£17m).

Tottenham are not the only club in the chase for Ibanez, with London rivals Chelsea and West Ham United also showing an interest. Therefore, Roma are hopeful that there is a "revival" of interest from the other interest clubs who could be willing to offer more than Spurs.

What would Ibanez bring to Spurs?

Ibanez is among the best defenders in Serie A, and a player that should he leave, will be sorely missed in the Italian capital.

He played a pivotal role in Roma's run to the Europa League final, prior to defeat against Sevilla, and nobody will be sadder to see him go than his current boss. Jose Mourinho, speaking in a press conference last year, was incredibly complimentary to his defender, as reported on the AS Roma official website.

"For me, he is untouchable." Mourinho said, revealing his next line-up would be Ibanez "and 10 others”.

The defender stands at 6 foot 1, which isn't massive for a Premeir League centre-back, but utilises his height well, winning 1.96 aerials per 90 as per FBRef, which places him about middle of the pack for that metric.

While a tremendous physical defender, being both quick and strong, Ibanez also boasts the qualities necessary to be a top level modern centre-back.

Averaging an 87.7% pass completion rate (73rd percentile), along with ranking in the 65th percentile for progressive carries (0.74 per 90) and the 77th percentile for successful take-ons, he is talented on the ball.

Off the ball, the Brazilian averages two tackles per game (82nd percentile) and 2.19 interceptions per game (97th percentile) and therefore is clearly a defender who can read the game just as well as he plays it.

Ibanez will be a major building block for Ange Postecoglou's new-look Spurs side, but it sounds like it will only happen if Levy and Roma can close a roughly 33 per cent difference in their valuations.