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Ravindra Jadeja was penalised 50% of his match fees and slapped with three demerit points by the ICC for “causing avoidable damage to the pitch during an international match.”

Sidharth Monga in Indore09-Oct-2016Ravindra Jadeja was penalised 50% of his match fees by the ICC for “causing avoidable damage to the pitch during an international match.”While making 17 off 27 balls in the Indore Test, he was pulled up by umpire Bruce Oxenford for running down the middle of the pitch repeatedly which led to New Zealand being awarded five penalty runs.The ICC release said “Jadeja, after previously receiving two informal and one official warnings, infringed the protected area for the fourth time and damaged it.” As per a revision of the code of conduct, Jadeja has also been slapped with three demerit points. If he receives one more demerit point, within a two-year time frame, he could be suspended from one Test, or two ODIs, or two T20Is, whichever comes first.This is not the first time Jadeja has been in such trouble in this series. In Kolkata, he was warned twice for cutting across the pitch and the danger area when appealing for a wicket.The umpires don’t need to attach motive to the transgressions of players, they are there to penalise the actions, but for a Test player to run on the middle of pitch even after being warned has rung the alarm bells for New Zealand.Their coach, Mike Hesson, said only a few words but he got the message across. “Surface is still pretty good, I think it’s fair to say footmarks are building as they tend to do, but the body of the surface is still very good. I’m sure the umpires will maintain that.”If a bowler encroaches upon the danger area, he is taken out of the attack for the rest of the innings after due warnings. However, a similar transgression from a batsman costs the team only five runs. In terms of keeping an ongoing match even – and since suspensions affect a totally different match – it is perhaps one of the anomalies of the cricket rules that might need revisiting.When asked about the discrepancy, Hesson said: “In countries where the wickets deteriorate like this, the umpires have to be very decisive around how they look after the middle of the wicket. There are rules in place and the need to stick to those.”For a little while, Indian pitches have come under scrutiny. They have contributed to a change from the old ways when big hundreds and totals above 500 were routine. Virender Sehwag, who used to score a lot of the former, and play a part in the latter, told the host broadcaster before the second day’s play that he used to make his runs on surfaces that began breaking up late in the third day whereas now they are so worn they offer turn from ball one.Perhaps these pitches were a response to improving bats, a more cavalier attitude of the batsmen towards spin and to teams knowing Indian conditions better than they used to. Or maybe it was just the desperation to win.Whatever may be the case, the pitch in Indore didn’t turn from ball one. Yet the footmarks can be seen and there were puffs of dust by the end of day two. New Zealand, who are trailing by 529 runs, might have to get as much as possible in their first innings because batting last might become an ordeal. They were given five bonus runs, though, even before they had walked out to bat.This has been a series played in tough conditions, but it has largely been carried out in good spirit. That doesn’t mean teams won’t look to take any advantage they can get. Hesson had earlier acknowledged that India managed to get reverse swing soon after getting the ball changed, and that that was something they had tried to do as well. Appealing has been a bit of an issue, but Ross Taylor laughed it off saying his side was always going to be out-appealed in India.As India push for a whitewash having put the runs on the board, they will look for every advantage staying within the limits of the laws. The onus will be on the umpires to enforce those laws and playing conditions.

Manchester United only scored 58 Premier League goals during 2022/2023, the lowest out of any side in the top six and there is no doubt Erik ten Hag needs to sign a top-quality striker or two during the summer transfer window.

Indeed, out of those 58 goals, only seven of those were scored by out-and-out centre forwards, with Cristiano Ronaldo (one) and Anthony Martial (six) getting on target, further emphasising the point that the Dutchman needs proper firepower if he is to mount a title challenge next term.

With regard to this, the Old Trafford side have set their sights on Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic according to Gazzetta dello Sport and any potential move may cost Ten Hag around €90m (£78m), however this is much cheaper than the reported £100m it could cost for United to sign Victor Osimhen this summer, a known transfer target.

This suggests that the Serbia striker could be an ideal Osimhen alternative for the Dutchman ahead of 2023/2024 and could allow him to focus on other areas of the team rather than splurge the majority of his budget on just one player.

Could Manchester United sign Dusan Vlahovic?

With the Bianconeri failing to qualify for the Champions League due to a fresh ten-point deduction, the Serie A side could be willing to sell Vlahovic during the transfer window, just 18 months after signing him.

There is no doubt Osimhen has enjoyed the better campaign out of the duo, scoring 30 goals compared to the 14 for Vlahovic.

However since 2019/20, there hasn’t been much of a difference in their total goal record, with the Nigerian international finding the back of the net 76 times compared to 72 for the 23-year-old, proving that he is a more than adequate alternative.

Indeed, even this term, there isn’t much in it with regard to goal-creating actions per 90 (0.33 to 0.29), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.67 to 2.1) and shots per 90 (1.84 to 0.94), with the Serbian coming out on top for the first metric.

Journalist Emmet Gates lavished praise upon him last year, saying:

“Dusan Vlahovic has the ability to be a generational talent, but he's suffering in this iteration of Juventus.

“To paraphrase a famous Zlatan line: He's a Ferrari being driven like a Fiat.”

Perhaps a change of scenery would do him the world of good, and a talent like his deserves to be showcasing his ability in the Champions League.

Those statistics show that there isn’t much difference between him and Osimhen in various metrics this term, and as he would cost significantly cheaper, Ten Hag must make the move as soon as possible.

A staggering innings by Ashar Zaidi that defied both Middlesex, and more pertinently a tired Lord’s pitch, carried Essex to a crucial victory

Freddie Wilde28-Jul-2016

ScorecardA staggering innings by Ashar Zaidi that defied both Middlesex, and more pertinently a tired Lord’s pitch, carried Essex to a crucial victory to keep their hopes of a top four finish and a place in the quarter finals alive.Zaidi hit nine boundaries, four fours and five sixes, in just 24 balls–one fewer than Middlesex managed in their entire innings–transcending the conditions to score 59 not out and single-handedly propel Essex beyond their target of 127 in a 16-overs-a-side match.Zaidi, who has been a key player in Essex’s T20 campaign, scoring 357 runs at a strike-rate of 167 and bowling economical overs, scored 38 off the last 9 deliveries he faced to reduce an equation of 37 runs required off 18 balls to a victory with three balls remaining.The 18th and the 19th overs of the run-chase brought 14 and 20 runs respectively–the first and second most expensive overs of the match as Zaidi launched his assault. Zaidi combined raw power with intelligent sweeps to do what no other player in the match could do and find the boundary with regularity.Truth be told, Zaidi’s pyrotechnics aside this was a disappointing evening. In yet another week in which incessant debate about the structure of England’s domestic T20 tournament overshadowed the actual cricket, a frenetic finish to a tight match failed to mask the reminder that whatever the make-up of the competition if it is played on tired, tacky pitches it is unlikely to be much of a hit.Exactly a week ago for a televised match in front of a record crowd Lord’s got things so right. Seven days later, again for a televised match and in front of a near-capacity crowd, things were just a little underwhelming in a 16-over-a-side contests.Lord’s is uniquely positioned in that it hosts so much cricket that preparing consistently good pitches can be a challenge, but for the richest cricket club in the world it is a challenge that should be overcome.It is not that the cricket was not skilled – if anything playing on pitches such as this, where the ball doesn’t come onto the bat, where cross-batted shots aren’t rewarded and where edges don’t fly for six demands more of a player than truer pitches – but they are skills that you suspect a big mid-week T20 crowd, even at the Home of Cricket, find harder to appreciate.Essex, who won the toss, opted to field, possibly due to the forecast rain, which proceeded to fall shortly after the toss and delayed then shortened the match. Middlesex, having picked two spinners, said they were happy to bat first but in the end the clarity provided by a run-chase on a pitch such as this probably gave Essex the edge.It was perhaps revealing of qualities that should have caught the eye of England’s selectors that Dawid Malan was the only Middlesex player who could cope with a pitch that required more than clearing the front leg and swinging. If it wasn’t for him they may have struggled to make three figures.Essex deserve credit for bowling intelligently, especially in the Powerplay when they used the large boundary towards the Tavern Stand by bowling lines to suit and Middlesex, Malan aside, struggled to mount a response.For the twenty or so overs between the end of Middlesex’s Powerplay and Zaidi’s assault there was a similar and underwhelming theme. The pitch was slow, the bowlers bowled tight lines, cutters and slower balls as the batsmen swung too hard, too often and were rarely rewarded.The defeat for Middlesex prevents them a home quarter-final but if this pitch is anything to go by, then that should be a relief for everyone.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is closing in on his second Scottish Premiership title in as many seasons as his side are sitting 13 points clear with five games left to play.

The Hoops can secure the title this weekend if results go their way and one of the keys to the club's impressive form in the division has been the manager's superb recruitment since arriving in the summer of 2021.

Postecoglou has brought in a number of excellent gems to bolster the squad, including the likes of Jota, Liel Abada, and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and he will be hoping that his latest batch of January recruits turn out to be just as effective.

Yuki Kobayashi joined from Vissel Kobe at the start of the year and he could be one of the next success stories as the youngster has the potential to be the dream heir to 27-year-old Carl Starfelt's position on the left-side of the centre-back pairing.

How has Yuki Kobayashi performed for Celtic?

The 22-year-old defender has only played three times in the Premiership since making the switch to Scotland but has caught the eye in his limited minutes.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 in those matches and completed 93% of his attempted passes, whilst also winning 44% of his individual duels.

These statistics indicate that the defender is still adjusting to the physicality of the Scottish top-flight but his 68% success rate in his battles in the J1 League in 2022 suggests that the potential is there for him to be a dominant defender.

Starfelt has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.25 in the Premiership and won 67% of his defensive duels in the division but has been playing on the left of Carter-Vickers despite being naturally right-footed.

The Japanese enforcer has shown signs of being able to perform at a similar level, with his three displays in Scotland so far and his impressive dominance at his previous club, and he also has room to improve at the age of 22.

Bhoys teammate Greg Taylor recently heaped praise on the "unbelievable" Kobayashi and hailed the "balance" that having a natural left-footed player in defence can provide the team.

The £1.2m-rated defender could slot in on the left side to be the long-term heir to Starfelt's position in the team, with the Swedish international possibly moving to the bench or to the right centre-back position in the years to come, if he is able to adapt to Scottish football and find his best form.

At 22, the 6 foot 1 warrior still has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and grow and Postecoglou may have brought him in with a view to taking over on the left of Carter-Vickers in the future.

Aston Villa's ten-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came crashing to an end last weekend as they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes' goal was enough to secure all three points for the home side on the day and Unai Emery's men now have an opportunity to return to winning ways this afternoon as they travel away to play Wolverhampton Wanderers.

They are up against Julen Lopetegui's team after a 6-0 drubbing against Brighton and should be wary of a strong reaction from their opponents.

Keeping this in mind and the result against the Red Devils last time out, Emery may look to make some changes to his XI to keep the competition for places strong and avoid complacency.

Will Jhon Duran start against Wolves?

The Spanish head coach should start young forward Jhon Duran as the boss could unlock an exciting partnership with Ollie Watkins at the top end of the pitch.

Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendia lined up behind the England international last time out and both struggled – recording Sofascore ratings of 5.9 and 6.5 respectively.

The latter has one goal contribution in his last five starts and his lack of involvement in the final third indicates that it could be time to give another player the opportunity to prove their worth in that position behind the number nine.

This could open up the door for a change in the set-up behind Watkins and Emery must finally unlock the rarely-seen Duran, who is yet to start a match in the division, ahead of Buendia.

The Colombian international, who was once hailed as "powerful" and an "aerial threat" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has not had the chance to showcase his ability at Villa yet, due to being restricted to substitute appearances, but impressed in the MLS for Chicago Fire last year.

Duran scored eight times and provided three assists in 14 starts, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.91, in the division in 2022 and these statistics show that the potential is there for the forward to make a big impact in the final third.

The teenager, albeit in another country, has shown that he has the quality to score and assist goals in a professional environment in spite of his young age and the marksman could provide Watkins, who has scored 14 top-flight goals this term, with the support that Buendia has been unable to in recent weeks.

Now, imagine the £18m gem and the Englishman lining up against Wolves this afternoon and causing their troubled defence constant problems with their goalscoring threat.

أبدى طارق يحيى لاعب ومدرب الزمالك السابق، رأيه في موقف إدارة القلعة البيضاء من تجديد عقد الظهير الأيسر للفريق أحمد فتوح بعد أزمته الأخيرة.

وكان الزمالك قد أعلن عن تجديد التعاقد مع أحمد فتوح لمدة 3 سنوات، وذلك بعد أزمة اللاعب الأخيرة بشأن ترك معسكر الفريق قبل مباراة زد بالدوري.

وقال يحيى خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب” المذاع على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “طالما اعتذر لا أعتقد لا أنه يوجد شيء آخر، القصة تمت بشياكة واحترافية من إدارة الزمالك”.

وأضاف: “قرار مجلس إدارة الزمالك بعرض فتوح للبيع وإيقافه قلل من فرص انضمامه إلى أي نادي أخر، وقلل من قيمته التسويقية”.

وأكمل: “كان هناك نوع من العقاب القاسي جدًا من إدارة الزمالك تجاه أحمد فتوح”.

وتطرق للحديث عن لاعب الأهلي إمام عاشور، أوضح: “لم أُصدم من انضمام إمام عاشور للأهلي، طبيعي نحن في عصر الاحتراف، جمهورنا عاطفي، هو قدم مباريات عظيمة مع الزمالك لذلك الحزن كان على قدر المحبة”.

وأتم حديثه: “إذا استطاع نادي الزمالك حل أزمة إيقاف القيد، من الوارد أن يلحق بالمنافسة ويحقق بطولات”.

Leeds United looked to have uncovered another potential gem when Ian Poveda joined from Manchester City back in 2020 but his lack of appearances at Elland Road since suggests that he has rinsed the club of a salary.

How has Ian Poveda performed at Leeds?

The winger, who had previously spent time at Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona, joined the Yorkshire outfit on a four-and-a-half-year deal in January 2020, having failed to make the grade in Pep Guardiola's side.

He would go on to make just four appearances in Marcelo Bielsa's Championship title-winning side that season, which perhaps did not bode well for his chances of making it as a Premier League regular in the future.

However, he did muster 16 appearances in all competitions the following campaign but failed to contribute a single goal or assist, averaging a woeful 6.23 rating from WhoScored across his 14 substitute appearances in the Premier League.

In fact, Poveda has managed just one league start in his three-and-a-half-year spell at Elland Road, as he has spent the last two seasons out on loan in the Championship, where his performances have done little to suggest that he could still make it at Leeds.

Last year saw the young winger manage one goal and two assists in just ten second-tier outings for Blackburn Rovers, while he has two goals and two assists in all competitions this season for struggling Blackpool.

While he has caught the eye of manager Mick McCarthy, Poveda is 23 now and looks unlikely to displace the likes of Jack Harrison or Luis Sinisterra at Elland Road, while young talents such as Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto have clearly progressed far quicker than the 2020 signing.

McCarthy said: "I think he wasn’t that consistent and I don’t think he’d been that good and it can be difficult with loan players.

“They come in and if they’re not playing, they think ‘why should I be here?’ and it affects the performance. I think when they went to Spain, he’s really knuckled down and what I’ve seen of him in training is different class He really is a good footballer. He’s got a lot to offer us.”

While he might be starting to find his feet in the Championship, one league start in nearly four years speaks for itself, and Gracia should look to sell the £8.2k-per-week Poveda permanently this summer rather than allowing him to continue rinsing chairman Andrea Radrizzani.

Journalist Ross Gregory has claimed that Newcastle United "rate" Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott ahead of a possible summer transfer.

What's the latest on Alex Scott to Newcastle?

With the Magpies making the League Cup final this season and pushing for a spot in the Premier League top four, their growth under the new ownership has been swift.

No doubt, though, they'll want to keep on this upward trajectory and will likely aim to do so with some big spending in the summer – just like they did last time when players like Alexander Isak were signed for notable transfer fees.

With that in mind, you can expect a number of players to be linked with a move to St James' Park over the coming months. And Bristol City's Scott is one name that could come in and add some depth to the Newcastle United midfield if the latest rumours are to be believed.

Indeed, while talking about the player on NUFC Matters, Gregory explained: "I suppose that Newcastle will be looking for, like we said, some midfield reinforcements in an attacking sense – whether that's a James Maddison or whoever it may be. Alex Scott at Bristol City is another one that they rate."

How much will Alex Scott cost for Newcastle?

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has already helped drum up the hype for the 19-year-old midfielder as he called him "an unbelievable player” after his team beat Bristol City 3-0 in the FA Cup.

On top of that, it sounds as though Newcastle won't find it easy to land Scott as a number of other top English teams are likely to be in the race for his signature too.

Indeed, as per Fabrizio Romano, there is "big interest" from Premier League sides and the Robins will be asking for "at least" £20m-£25m for their key man.

With all that in mind, it's not hard to see why Eddie Howe and co may well rate the teenager, but they certainly aren't alone in that. Consequently, this could be a rather interesting saga to watch develop when the summer market opens.

However, last summer the Magpies saw a bid in the region of £50m reportedly turned down for long-term target James Madison. And if the Leicester City ace is unreachable once more, perhaps Scott could be a cheaper alternative even if they do have to outbid other interested parties.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea could be in with a chance of signing Jeremie Frimpong this summer, but top-flight rivals are also keen on the defender.

What’s the latest on Jeremie Frimpong and the Chelsea rumours?

Even though the Blues agreed to pay £26.3m plus add-ons for Lyon right-back Malo Gusto in January, it seems as though the club may be in the market for another fullback in the near future.

To be fair, Reece James has struggled for fitness of late and Cesar Azpilicueta isn’t getting any younger at 33 years of age, so 22-year-old Frimpong may be viewed as a good long-term prospect.

However, it sounds as if the Bayer Leverkusen ace is a wanted man with Premier League rivals Manchester United also “keeping an eye on” the right-back.

That’s what has been reported by Romano recently anyway. Indeed, while speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained: “Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen. He’s doing very well.

“We know also Chelsea appreciate the player. In the summer, he could have the possibility to move, but Manchester United are keeping an eye on him.”

Will Jeremie Frimpong join Chelsea?

Despite his young age, Frimpong has already established himself as a regular both in Germany with Leverkusen and in Scotland with Celtic, having initially come through the Manchester City academy.

That experience will no doubt make the player an attractive prospect for both Chelsea and United, while he would also count as a homegrown player due to his ties with the English game as a youngster.

Seeing as Chelsea already have three players who can play right-back, it remains to be seen if Frimpong would feel as though he would have a pathway to regular first-team minutes under Graham Potter.

Still, the Blues evidently “appreciate” the player, so perhaps Todd Boehly has a plan to fit him into the Blues’ already bloated squad. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if a bidding war happens for the player this summer with Man Utd also in the mix.

Presenter Joe Wainman has expressed his concern that Nuno Espirito Santo may not be interested in a short-term role as Leeds United manager.

Could Espirito Santo join Leeds?

The former Wolves and Spurs manager has been linked with the vacant role at Elland Road as a replacement for the recently sacked Jesse Marsch, and he is currently head coach of Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Leeds may turn to the Portuguese coach as a short-term solution to help keep them up before looking at long-term targets in the summer, but this may not be desirable for the 49-year-old.

However, Alfred Schreuder is in serious contention to become the Leeds head coach.

Speaking on the Just Joe Football Show, Wainman claimed that if Espirito Santo was to join and help Leeds survive, that he would want to stay at the club beyond the summer.

“It’s just difficult right now. That’s what I’m mean, if Nuno keeps you up, you have to keep him,” he stated.

“You have to keep him. I don’t know if he’d agree to an 18-month deal, he might want a longer one.”

A poor fit?

Although he was an overall success at Wolves, helping them get promoted and even reaching a Europa League quarter-final, the style of play he employed is a heavy contrast to the high-energy football Leeds played under Marcelo Bielsa, and Marsch.

Leeds have averaged the eighth-highest possession in the league this season, with an average of 50.3%, whilst Wolves came 13th in this regard in Espirito Santo’s first Premier League season with Wolves in 2018-19, with an average of 47.4%.

Leeds focused a lot of their recruitment in recent windows on players suited to Marsch’s style, with the likes of Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams arriving having previously worked with the American, and Espirito Santo may provide too much of a stylistic clash to have a positive impact with their current squad during this season.