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A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Group B matches played on March 1, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017

Tripura needed only two bowlers – pacers Abhijit Sarkar and Ajoy Sarkar – to sweep Himachal Pradesh away for 68 in 15 overs in their 138-run victory in Cuttack.Abhijit was on a hat-trick twice in Himachal’s innings. He began the innings with two wickets off the first two balls and then, in the 11th over of the innings, took wickets off the second and third deliveries. The 11th over ended as a triple-wicket maiden and, with Ajoy having taken a wicket on either side of that over, resulted in a slump where Himachal lost five wickets without adding a run on the board. Abhijit ended with career-best returns of 6 for 31 in eight overs, while Ajoy took 4 for 37.Earlier, Tripura recovered from a shaky 54 for 4 to post 206 runs after being put in to bat. Nirupam Sen Chowdhary (51 off 72 balls) was the common factor in two partnerships that helped Tripura recover. He added 41 for the fifth wicket with captain Yashpal Singh (47), followed by a sixth-wicket partnership off 55 with Gurinder Singh (33).Four wickets from Shrikant Mundhe led Maharashtra to their fourth straight win, when they beat Tamil Nadu by 22 runs at the DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack. Chasing 271, Tamil Nadu got decent starts from the top three batsmen but Mundhe dismissed two of them by the 21st over. The middle and lower orders were led by B Indrajith’s 49 even though he was running out of partners as Nikit Dhumal and Shamshuzama Kazi struck twice each. Once Indrajith was gone for 49 in the 41st over, leaving them on 193 for 8, M Mohammed scored a quick 33 off 24 but they were bowled out with five balls to spare.Maharashtra were steered by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century after they opted to bat even though Vijay Zol, Ankit Bawne and Kedar Jadhav scored only 48 runs among them. Once Gaikwad fell for 82 off 76, Naushad Shaikh’s quick 68 off 66 took them past 250 before they were dismissed in 48.5 overs.Uttar Pradesh registered their first win of the tournament by amassing 387 for 5 with the help of Akshdeep Nath’s 143 off 117 before bowling Kerala out for 142 at the KIIT Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Once UP captain Prashant Gupta was dismissed early, Nath stitched partnerships of 142 with Shivam Chaudhary (63) and 135 with Eklavya Dwivedi (75) as he scored his maiden List A hundred. Once Nath fell after smashing 19 fours and three sixes, Sarfraz struck an unbeaten 45 off 22 and Rinku Singh chipped in with 29 off 12 to lead UP past 350.Five Kerala batsmen scored in double digits, including their top three, but none of them could convert them into big scores as Piyush Chawla dismissed three of the top four batsmen. Shivam Chaudhury removed Sachin Baby and Sanju Samson with his offspin in consecutive overs, leaving them on 141 for 6 and the last four partnerships could only survive 14 more balls to score one run, being bowled out in 32 overs.

Fulham are now "serious contenders" to sign Southampton star James Ward-Prowse, and it is believed he is keen to make the move to Craven Cottage.

Who will join Fulham this summer?

Marco Silva is keen to make sufficient squad upgrades after a very successful first full campaign back in the Premier League.

Fulham secured an impressive mid-table finish and were never in any real danger of the drop. The Whites also contended for a European spot over much of the season, but were ultimately beaten to it by Brentford, Aston Villa and Liverpool.

As a result, star players of theirs like midfielder Joao Palhinha are attracting serious interest from the likes of West Ham, Liverpool and Man United – but Fulham won't be bullied and are set to demand around £90 million for his services.

When it comes to who Fulham could actually sign this summer, rumours have been circulating the past week involving United midfielder Fred, Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne, Coventry City's Viktor Gyokeres and Norwich full-back Max Aarons.

Silva and club chiefs appear to be chasing options defensively, further forward and in the centre of midfield – with a new target in Ward-Prowse now coming to light.

According to the Belfast Telegraph and PA news agency, Fulham are "serious contenders" to sign the Englishman this window and could be in pole position above the likes of West Ham.

This is because Ward-Prowse actually favours a move to west London over the Hammers, who would come in as a replacement for Palhinha if he were to depart.

The Saints skipper is interested in making the move to Fulham, mainly because he sees Silva'a brand of football as the best fit for him as he seeks a route back into the top flight.

Who is James Ward-Prowse?

Ward-Prowse, as proven by his 22/23 performances at St. Mary's, is Southampton's star player.

As per WhoScored, the 28-year-old racked up 13 goal contributions and stood out as their best-performing player by average match rating.

Former Southampton manager Nathan Jones, speaking to the press, also called him "vital" last season.

"He’s vital, I like to get to know my captains and have a real relationship with them, a real personal relationship so they understand decisions we make," said Jones.

“Sometimes we’ll make tough decisions, out there tactical decisions, but he is one that takes everything on board and understands. You see how the group is."

علق أحمد خليل كالوشا لاعب إنبي، على هزيمة فريقه أمام الاتحاد السكندري في إطار لقاءات الدوري المصري، موضحًا موقفه من الانضمام لمنتخب مصر.

وتلقى إنبي هزيمة صعبة أمام الاتحاد السكندري بنتيجة 2-1 في المباراة التي جمعتهما مساء الأحد الماضي.

وقال أحمد كالوشا في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة صدى البلد: “اتفقنا كلاعبين أن نفوز على الاتحاد وفاركو، وهزيمتنا أمام الاتحاد كانت مُزعجة جدًا، لم نكن موفقين وخسرنا بـ كرة في آخر لحظة”.

وتابع: “كنا نريد أن نحصل على الـ 6 نقاط من أجل الاستمرار على المنافسة في المربع للمشاركة في البطولات الإفريقية في الموسم الجديد”.

وأوضح: “شرف لأي لاعب التواجد في منتخب مصر، لكن حتى الآن لم يتواصل معي أحد من الجهاز بشكل رسمي، شرف لي التواجد تحت قيادة حسام حسن الذي فتح الفرص أمام جميع اللاعبين للانضمام”.

واستطرد: “أنا جاهز للانضمام لمنتخب مصر، هذا سيفرق معي ومع أي لاعب في طموحه، لأن الانضمام للمنتخب يفتح الباب أمام اللاعب لصناعة التاريخ”.

وبسؤاله هل تخطيت مرحلة عدم انضمامك إلى الزمالك؟، أجاب: “لو لم أتخطاها إذًا فأنا سأضيع ما فعلته، لن أظل أقف في نقطة ألوم فيها الناس، لا يوجد في الكرة ظُلم، وطالما تجتهد أي شيء سيأتي لك”.

وبسؤال هل ستنضم للزمالك في الموسم المُقبل؟، أردف: “هذا الأمر يعود لإدارة نادي إنبي”.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was in agreement with the club not to overpay for Manuel Ugarte amid the competition from Paris Saint-Germain.

How much are PSG paying Ugarte?

The Blues endured a hugely underwhelming 2022/23 campaign which saw them finish in a disappointing 12th spot of the Premier League table.

But it is apparent Todd Boehly will not allow that to happen again with the American owner already putting plans in place to bring change ahead of next season.

Indeed, Pochettino has already been appointed as the new Chelsea manager and they have been involved in a transfer saga this early in the summer.

However, this was not a transfer saga which ended in Chelsea's favour after they bowed out of the race to sign the Uruguay midfielder, Ugarte, following the competition from the Ligue 1 champions.

Although the west London side had submitted a significant bid for the 22-year-old, they were forced to move away from the negotiations after PSG trumped their financial proposal to the player.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has provided an insight to the discussions behind the scenes at Staford Bridge amid their negotiations with the Sporting CP midfielder.

It is apparent the Blues were keen to strengthen their midfield with the addition of Ugarte, however, Pochettino was not in favour of overpaying for the 22-year-old with PSG offering a reported £2.6m more in annual salary:

"I wanted to tell you something behind the scenes about the situation that Chelsea had regarding Manuel Ugarte."

"I can tell you that Mauricio Pochettino was always involved in the conversation with the Chelsea board. Of course, Pochettino will be into the market this summer together with the board, and also Pochettino when Chelsea told him: 'We are not going to make another bid [for the] player because the idea is not to match Paris Saint-Germain's salary proposal for Ugarte'.

"Also the position of Mauricio Pochettino was like: 'Okay, Ugarte is a great player, but we don't want to enter into any crazy proposal to players, especially'."

Will Chelsea sign Moises Caicedo?

Now the Blues are expected to see N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic depart the club over the coming days, midfield reinforcement will be on the mind for Pochettino.

And with that in mind, it is believed the west London side are eyeing a potential move for the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.

However, the Blues are not believed to be the only London side keen to potentially bring Caicedo to the capital with Arsenal all credited with interest.

But this is a deal which will not come on the cheap with the 21-year-old having signed a new deal on the south coast following the January transfer window.

As a result, it is suggested the Seagulls will be looking for a fee in the region of £80m – all in – for their midfielder.

The Ecuadorian is believed to be earning in the region of £60k-per-week at Brighton, so if he is to make a big-money move to Stamford Bridge it would be expected his wages will increase significantly like his former teammate, Alexis Mac Allister.

Netherlands medium-pacer Mudassar Bukhari announced his retirement from four-day cricket and 50-over cricket on Tuesday. Bukhari, 32, said, however, that he will remain available for Netherlands in T20 cricket.Bukhari is the leading wicket-taker for Netherlands in ODIs, having taken 57 wickets in 46 matches from 2007 to 2014. A steady performer, he took three wickets on eight different occasions in the format, though never more than that in a match.Netherlands lost ODI status after being knocked out in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, but Bukhari’s best performances in 50-over cricket came more recently in List A matches for Netherlands. The bowler took a List-A best of 6 for 24 against UAE during a WCL Championship win in January.Overall Bukhari took 148 wickets in 116 List A games for Netherlands. He also played 12 Intercontinental Cup matches for Netherlands, claiming 34 wickets with a best of 6 for 43 against Afghanistan in 2012.Increased competition for pace-bowling spots, with the emergence of Paul van Meekeren and Vivian Kingma, as well as the return of Ahsan Malik after his bowling action was cleared by the ICC meant Bukhari was dropped for Netherlands’ most recent WCL Championship match against Nepal, a 19-run loss. He finished with 0 for 33 in 11 overs opening the bowling during his final Intercontinental Cup appearance for Netherlands against Afghanistan in July.Bukhari remains committed to T20Is for Netherlands and is currently tied with Malik as the side’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is. Bukhari has 43 wickets in 38 games, and his best bowling performances in the format came in the past year with 4 for 7 against UAE in February and 4 for 28 against Ireland in Malahide in the semi-final of last year’s World T20 Qualifier. Bukhari also played a starring role in Netherlands’ win over England at the 2014 World T20, where he was named Man of the Match after taking 3 for 12.

Leeds United picked up their first point under manager Sam Allardyce, salvaging a draw late into the second half against high-flying Newcastle United thanks to Rasmus Kristensen's thunderous deflected strike.

It was a turbulent affair of the highest magnitude, with the Whites desperately battling to stave off the all-engulfing threat of relegation from the Premier League and the Magpies hoping to secure a return to the Champions League after a two-decade absence.

Leeds captain Luke Ayling reacted the quickest to thump into the net from close range after Nick Pope made a fine save from Rodrigo's header, and talisman Patrick Bamford had a sterling chance to double the lead from the penalty spot before his tame effort was parried away by the Newcastle 'keeper.

Moments later, the away side won a penalty of their own, with Callum Wilson coolly converting his first of two spot-kicks before the aforementioned Kristensen salvaged a draw with his effort.

Left-back Junior Firpo was sent off late on to cap a frankly shambolic defensive display, but it was central defender Maximilian Wober to have ignited Elland Road in ignominy for his dreadful lunge to concede the early penalty and give Eddie Howe's side a route back into the game.

How did Wober perform vs Newcastle?

The Austrian defender was signed from RB Salzburg in a deal worth roughly £11m in January and has made 14 Premier League appearances for the Whites as the West Yorkshire side sought reinforcements to help navigate away from danger.

The 25-year-old has impressed in spells, but against Newcastle he was at fault in what could yet prove to be a detrimental lapse in his defensive awareness.

As per Sofascore, the ace recorded a woeful match rating of 6.1 – the lowest of any Whites player on the afternoon – and exacerbated his "shocking" attempt at a tackle which led to the first Toon penalty by committing two further fouls, failing to win a single tackle and winning just one of his seven duels.

The 29-touch dud also only managed to complete 56% of his passes and failed with six of his seven attempted long balls, exacerbating Leeds' struggles with an overtly calamitous individual display.

Leeds Live said of his performance: "Can look clumsy and awkward with his execution, see the first penalty conceded, but generally effective in getting the ball out of harm's way."

Wober certainly did pull his weight by eradicating the danger on several occasions with four clearances and four interceptions, but he will need to improve the overall scope of his game if he is to play a pivotal part in the outfit's fight to preserve their top-flight status, with time now running out for that elusive victory.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has “every club in the entire world” trying to steal him away from Turf Moor, according to former NFL star and new Clarets investor J.J. Watt.

Will Vincent Kompany leave Burnley?

The Belgian only arrived in the Championship back in July 2022, but having achieved promotion to guide his team back to the top-flight at the first time of asking, has been attracting significant interest in recent weeks.

Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea were both reportedly interested in securing the 37-year-old’s services in their hunt to find a permanent coach, with Manchester City even earmarking him as a potential boss for the future, as per Sky Sports. However, this outside speculation of an exit was soon put to bed after the former centre-back put pen to paper on a new five-year contract which keeps him in Lancashire until at least 2028.

Speaking on the Pardon My Take podcast on Monday, Watt, who recently bought a stake in Burnley alongside his wife Kealia, an ex-USA Women's international, dropped an intriguing comment on just how badly teams want to steal Kompany away. He said:

“Our coach is pretty good. I’m trying to knock his value down because every club in the entire world is trying to take him away from us right now. Everybody is trying to take him and he’s been very loyal.”

Will Burnley stay up?

Burnley not only getting promoted back to the Premier League but also securing the Championship title ten points clear of rivals Sheffield United was a result of Kompany’s tactics and instant impact on the squad, so the hierarchy offering him a fresh deal was nothing less than he deserves.

The Clarets boss won 34, drew 15 and lost just five of his 54 games in charge, averaging 2.17 points per match, via Transfermarkt, and this consistent run of form has seen him receive bundles of praise from journalist Josh Bunting. Taking to Twitter, he said:

“I think that’s the most impressive thing about what Vincent Kompany has done, he’s changed their culture and play style and the players bought right into it. The transition was excellent, really looking forward to seeing what they can go and do in the top flight under him.”

Kompany, whose preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, will no doubt already be underway with his transfer plans for the upcoming summer window as he looks to recruit fresh faces to help maintain his team’s status next season, but should they replicate the same high standard of performance as this term, Burnley should have no worries during the 2023/24 campaign.

It seems clear that whoever takes over at Chelsea in the summer has a huge job on their hands if they are going to transform the Blues back into challengers at the top of the Premier League.

The decision to appoint Frank Lampard as an interim manager has certainly not paid off after four defeats from four, which has left the west London outfit languishing in 11th position in the top flight, with no trophies to compete for.

The millions spent by Todd Boehly has not produced the expected results, while his gamble on Graham Potter did not pay off, which has left the American with a significant decision to make in the summer if he wants to restore Chelsea to their former glory.

If he wants to build for the long term, then former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann could be the ideal man to take over from Potter at Stamford Bridge.

What's the latest on Chelsea's interest in Nagelsmann?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones provided his thoughts on the potential appointment of Nagelsmann at Stamford Bridge.

He wrote: "Sources have explained how Nagelsmann is seen as an improved version of Graham Potter and that Chelsea believe his style of coaching could mean that groundwork already put in over past months is less likely to be abandoned under his leadership.

"They have put in work too to understand exactly why his Bayern Munich reign did not work out and learnings at this moment suggest they do not feel the reasons would impact on them if he took charge of Chelsea.

"Managing so many personalities and egos is a potential problem in this situation and as part of the process Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have been undertaking key conversations around recruiting a manager that can handle this.

Would Nagelsmann get Chelsea back to their best?

Nagelsmann would certainly arrive at Chelsea with a big reputation, having first taken Hoffenheim to the Champions League before the age of 30, which saw him described as a "genius" by the Athletic's Raphael Honigstein.

The 35-year-old averaged 1.53 points per game in his time at Hoffenheim, before steering RB Leipzig to a hugely impressive 1.94 points per game in his time with the Bundesliga outfit.

That remarkably saw the club leapfrog perennial runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, into second place in the German top flight, suggesting he knows how to get the best from his players.

This earned him a move to Bayern and despite him averaging a phenomenal 2.31 points per game there, he was sacked earlier this year.

Nagelsmann had achieved great things again in Munich, leading the German powerhouse to the top of the league and a Champions League quarter-final.

Given Potter mustered just 1.42 points per game at Chelsea, it definitely seems fair to suggest that Nagelsmann would be an improved version of the Englishman, with his attacking style and youth policy – something seen at Leipzig – also making him an ideal target for Boehly who has invested so heavily in the stars of tomorrow.

Thus, if the German is given time to adjust to Premier League football and is able to trim the squad accordingly, then he could be the ideal man to get the best out of the incredible players Chelsea have at their disposal.

He has already proven in Germany he can do exactly that; it's now time to transfer and hone those skills in English football.

Aston Villa's rise to become European challengers has been nothing short of meteoric, with Unai Emery the mastermind behind one of the Premier League's great success stories from this campaign.

Having started the season under Steven Gerrard, his October sacking gave way to the experienced Spaniard, whose main initial goal was just to avoid the drop.

Whilst this was expected to be a simple task for someone of his pedigree, few could have predicted just how quickly the 51-year-old would engineer a turnaround at Villa Park.

Players who had struggled under the previous regime became instant stars, and those who might have been heading for an exit were afforded crucial second chances.

With that freedom and a newfound opportunity to impress the new man, few have opted against taking that chance.

There have been standout players since that impressive appointment, with Ollie Watkins likely to steal the headlines for his fine goalscoring run. However, arguably one of the greater comeback stories given how his form has faltered in recent years, Tyrone Mings also deserves immense praise for his work in reigniting his career.

How did Tyrone Mings play vs Newcastle?

This success culminated in yesterday's unprecedented victory over Newcastle United, where every man in Claret and Blue put on a faultless display.

In a game that finished 3-0, with Watkins scoring twice, once again many rushed to laud the English forward. However, it was journalist Henry Winter who instead turned to the £80k-per-week defender as someone worthy of his praise.

He wrote on Twitter: "Mings the merciless, on the ground and in the air, AVFC defender absolutely dominated NUFC strikers. Read danger, threw his body into blocks, made clearing headers and played some neat passes to build attacks. Outstanding performance. Only Watkins was better today."

The 7.5 rating he earned from that display more than supports this glowing endorsement, as the Englishman completed six clearances, three blocks and two tackles to keep a vital clean sheet, via Sofascore.

This marked the fourth game in his last five Premier League appearances where he had earned a Sofascore rating of 7.2 or higher, truly outlining just how he had birthed such a renaissance.

Emery is deserving of widespread praise for many of his acts since moving to the Midlands, with their unlikely push for Europe sitting atop that list. But considering how only in September the 30-year-old was lambasted by Danny Mills, his work in engineering this turnaround is up there too.

The pundit had suggested: "He’s terrible. I think Maguire is better on the ball." However, with the Villans sitting at the pinnacle of the form table, and Gareth Southgate having watched over his most imperious recent performance, perhaps he is set to prove the former Leeds United defender wrong.

Chelsea are interested in making a move for Portugal and Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos during the summer transfer window, according to a new update.

Do Chelsea need a striker this summer?

The Blues have had a season to forget so far, with Champions League glory the only thing that can save their campaign, although that feels unlikely at this point given their form. Performances and results have simply not been good enough and there have been problems all over the pitch, from out-of-form goalkeepers to injured midfielders.

Another issue has been a lack of an out-and-out goalscorer leading the line. Kai Havertz has proved to be effective at times, but is not a natural in the role, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been cast aside completely. This summer, it is imperative that a top-quality No 9 comes in and solves this problem as Chelsea look to get back towards the top four next season.

The Blues have been linked with a number of players in recent weeks, with Napoli star Victor Osimhen arguably the standout attacking option, and now a new update has emerged.

Could Ramos move to Stamford Bridge?

According to Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness), Chelsea will send representatives to watch Benfica in action against Porto on Friday evening, with Todd Boehly's presence even a "possibility". They will be there to view Ramos, although it is also stated that they will "take notes" on other players, too.

The Blues have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old attacker in the past and it looks as though he remains a primary target ahead of the summer transfer window.

Ramos could be a really exciting signing for Chelsea if they manage to get a deal over the line considering the seven-cap Portugal international would likely arrive as a long-term acquisition as well as a key man amid their striking woes.

He has been a force in the Primeira Liga this season, scoring 17 times in just 22 appearances, but he also shone on a huge stage at the World Cup last winter, memorably scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland after taking Cristiano Ronaldo's place in the starting lineup – with Gary Lineker hailing his performance in Qatar as "remarkable".

While Osimhen would arguably remain the best possible option for the Blues to sign given the fact that he is slightly more experienced and enjoying a superb campaign for Serie A champions-elect Napoli, Ramos would also be a strong addition to the squad, bringing the goals, youth and natural attacking instincts needed at Stamford Bridge before the beginning of next season.