Rohit Sharma has credited MS Dhoni for ‘changing his career’ by asking him to open ahead of the Champions Trophy in England, a move that made him more secure as a batsman

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2017

India batsman Rohit Sharma has said MS Dhoni improved his ODI career by asking him to open the batting in the format before the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. In his first match after the move, Rohit struck 83 off 93 balls against England in a successful chase of 258.”I believe the decision to open in ODIs changed my career and it was a decision taken by MS Dhoni. I became a better batsman after that. In fact it helped me understand my game better, react better according to situations,” Rohit told .”He (Dhoni) just came up to me and said ‘I want you to open the innings as I am confident that you will do well. Since you can play both cut and pull shot well, you have the qualities to succeed as an opener’,” Rohit said. “He told me that I shouldn’t be scared of failures or get upset by criticism. He was looking at the bigger picture as the Champions Trophy was scheduled in England that year.”With no disrespect to other great Indian captains, I was blessed to play under MS all these years. His calmness in pressure situations helped us. He always led from the front. There won’t be one like him.”In India’s successful campaign in the Champions Trophy, Rohit scored 177 runs and two fifties in five matches at an average of 35.40, including 65 off 81 balls in the tournament opener against South Africa. Later that year, he also scored 209 while opening against Australia in Bangalore and set a world record a year later against Sri Lanka by amassing 264 runs on his own.”The Champions Trophy in England made me confident that I can open and ready to face challenges of playing the white ball in English conditions in the morning,” Rohit said. “I got 65 against South Africa, who had Morne Morkel, Ryan McLaren, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rory Kleinveldt. Morne and McLaren were hitting a three-quarter length and Tsotsobe was swinging it. The skipper was confident that I could handle the situation and I did.”Rohit, currently recovering from a thigh surgery, a result of a muscle injury he suffered during the ODIs against New Zealand, said he required an additional “six to eight weeks” to regain full fitness.”You can’t do anything about it and I have been in situations like this before,” Rohit said. “What disappointed me was the fact that the injury happened just when I was in rhythm scoring three successive fifties against New Zealand in Test matches.”I have started running and from next week I will start with my batting drills. First the basic drills, followed by batting against bowling machine followed by proper net session.”

Arsenal are now "willing to go over £100 million" for long-term transfer target Declan Rice, claims journalist Graeme Bailey.

The West Ham United captain has been linked to the north London club for months, but Bailey now understands they are willing to break their transfer record to secure the deal.

Arsenal transfer news – Declan Rice

The first rumblings of a potential deal to bring Rice to the Emirates emerged in the closing days of the January transfer window, and since then, the murmurings have turned into a constant stream of updates and rumours.

It now looks as if that might be coming to an end as the Gunners are preparing to offer the east London club a deal in excess of £100m if certain add-ons are met to secure the services of their player, per the Guardian.

Mikel Arteta's side weren't the only ones interested in the "destroyer", as labelled by ex-Tottenham Hotspur keeper Paul Robinson, with Chelsea and Bayern Munich linked with the player.

However, the Premier League runners-up look to be in a strong position to land the midfielder with Chelsea offering "no indication" that they will prioritise Rice.

What has Graeme Baily said about Arsenal's pursuit of Declan Rice

Bailey gave a promising update to Arsenal fans that the club was now willing to reach the asking price requested by West Ham.

Speaking on the Talking Transfers Podcast, Bailey said: "Arsenal has been his first choice for quite a while, and he doesn't want to leave London. It's a straight choice between Arsenal and Chelsea, really, and Arsenal are willing to go over £100 million for him now. That's our understanding.

"West Ham have always demanded that, and they're getting the breakthrough. I think it's a spectacular deal for West Ham."

Bailey gave his opinion on the deal, adding: "I like him, but I don't think he's a £100 million footballer, but if he's the player you want, Arsenal, you pay. If he can take you to that next level, you pay it, and I think they're getting very close to doing so."

How much is Declan Rice earning at West Ham, and what will he likely make at Arsenal

According to Spotrac, the Kingston-upon-Thames-born midfielder is currently on the relatively modest sum of £60,000-a-week in east London.

He had reportedly turned down an eight-year contract worth around £200,000-a-week two years ago to keep his options open for a move.

He would've lost around £14.5m worth of wages in the two years since.

However, the decision not to sign has paid off, as any move to the Gunners will likely result in him becoming one of their highest-paid players.

The current best-paid player at the north London club is Bukayo Saka, who is on an estimated £300,000-a-week.

With such a big-money move potentially on the cards for Rice, surely the big wages would come with a possible move to the Emirates.

Tottenham Hotspur are going into this summer's transfer window with two new centre-backs on their wishlist for Ange Postecgolou.

Who do Spurs want to sign this summer?

Postecoglou has not even officially started his work as the new Tottenham manager as the Australian awaits 1 July before being able to start his duties.

However, there is the expectation that he will be working behind the scenes to provide his influence as Tottenham look to attack the summer transfer window.

And it seems as if that may already be taking effect with the Lilywhites believed to be in talks with Brentford to agree a fee for their goalkeeper David Raya.

Indeed, it has been reported by Fabrizio Romano that the Spaniard is keen to make the move to north London and has already agreed personal terms with Spurs.

Brentford are believed to value the goalkeeper at around £40m but the Lilywhites are hoping to see that price tag reduced given the 27-year-old only has one-year remaining on his current deal.

However, it is seemingly not just between the sticks where Postecoglou is eyeing improvement over the summer window.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has claimed the north London side are targeting the addition of a further two centre-backs:

"Obviously, they're going to have to bring in centre-backs. I said the plan way back previously was that they were going to try and bring in two centre-backs in this window. I think that remains the same because purely the higher line that Postecoglou will play. That's not going to suit a lot of the defenders that are there."

Will Spurs sign Clement Lenglet?

Last summer, it was believed Spurs were keen to bring in Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, however, the Italian ended up remaining at the San Siro.

Instead, the north London side were forced to settle for Barcelona's Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan which did not include the option to make his stay permanent.

The Frenchman is now set to return to the newly-crowned La Liga champions with his loan deal coming to an end, but there is the belief that Spurs are looking to secure his services permanently.

Indeed, it has been claimed Tottenham have held talks with Barcelona and could even see Lenglet sign permanently for around £4m as Barca look to clear the decks.

Defence is certainly an area which is in dire need of improvements this summer after what proved a dreadful campaign for Tottenham's backline.

The Lilywhites ended the campaign having conceded a whopping 63 goals in the Premier League which was only beaten by five other teams.

However, what will be interesting to see is whether Lenglet could potentially be counted as one of the two desired centre-back arrivals if he is to join.

This will surely not go down too well with the Spurs supporters considering he spent the 2022/23 campaign in north London.

كشف نادي سيمبا التنزاني منافس الأهلي في مرحلة دور الثمانية من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، عن موعد مباراة الذهاب في العاصمة دار السلام.

موعد مباراة الأهلي وسيمبا التنزاني في دور ربع النهائي ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأسفرت القرعة يوم أمس، الثلاثاء، عن وقوع الأهلي وسيمبا وجهاً لوجه وهي مباراة اعتاد عليها الجمهور في القارة الإفريقية كان آخرها في بطولة دوري السوبر الإفريقي.

وكان الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم قد وضع مواعيد مقربة للمباراة الأولى 29 أو 30 مارس الجاري، لكن سيمبا هو من سيختار الموعد المحدد بالفعل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميدو يُحذّر الأهلي والزمالك قبل المشاركات الإفريقية

وتواصل “btolat.com” مع المتحدث الرسمي لنادي سيمبا التنزاني، أحمد علي، وقال: “نحن سعداء للغاية بمواجهة الأهلي مرة أخرى في ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

وتابع: “نحب اللعب أمام فريق كبير مثل الأهلي، نحن نتفهم مدى صعوبة المباراة ولكن هدفنا الرئيسي الآن هو إقصاء الأهلي”.

واستمر: “المباراة كتاب مفتوح بالفعل، لقد لعبنا مع الأهلي 6 مرات في آخر 5 سنوات، لذلك كل منا يعرف بعضنا البعض”.

وعن موعد وتوقيت المباراة بالتزامن مع شهر رمضان: “بالطبع، أريد أن أهنئ الشعب المصري بالشهر الكريم”.

وأضاف: “التوقيت لم يحدد بعد، ربما يتحدد غدًا أو بعد غد، لكن الموعد هو ما حددناه بالأمس سيكون يوم الجمعة 29 مارس”.

وأتم: “بالطبع، سنضع شهر رمضان في الاعتبار، لأن هناك عددًا كبيرًا من اللاعبين لدينا يصومون أيضًا، هناك مناقشة في الوقت الحالي حول التوقيت ولكن لم يُتخذ القرار حتى الآن”.

The Scorchers avoided a repeat of last year’s semi-final to chase down a modest 124 and storm into the final

Will Macpherson at the WACA24-Jan-2017
Scorecard
2:10

Macpherson: Tight bowling set the base for a Scorchers’ win

Perth Scorchers romped to a comprehensive victory – by nine wickets and with 4.2 overs to spare – over Brisbane Heat to book their place in the final of the second edition of the Women’s Big Bash League.Twelve months ago, Scorchers limited Sydney Thunder – the eventual champions – to an under-par score in a semi-final at Adelaide Oval, only for their vaunted batting lineup to be bowled out for 110. That was the only occasion in the first two seasons of the competition that Scorchers have failed to chase 125.This time, they once again limited their opponents to a light-looking score but had no problems in the chase. Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani put on 67 in 9.2 overs to set things up, then Suzie Bates joined the latter to finish the job. It had been close to the complete performance, full of tight bowling and expressive batting.Kirby sells Heat ShortOn a flat pitch with a rapid outfield, Kirby Short and Beth Mooney were quick out of the blocks with some beautiful cover drives. But when Mooney picked out the lone fielder in the leg side out at deep midwicket off Piepa Cleary – whose fine form continued – captain Short slowed up. By the time she fell to the last ball of the 16th over, 25 of the 49 balls she had faced were dots, and Jess Jonassen and Lauren Winfield had both been caught in the deep trying to push the score along. Scorchers, particularly spinner Emma King, who smartly caught Short off her own bowling, had bowled well, but not well.Perhaps worst of all, the slow-scoring and lack of strike rotation kept Deandra Dottin from the middle, which was neatly summed up by Scorchers’ fielder Elyse Villani, mic’d up and chatting on-air. “We don’t mind Short being out there compared to Dottin,” she said. “Personally I don’t mind if she [Dottin] sits there all day.”The late pushFortunately for the Heat, Dottin did not sit there all day. After Short fell, she and Delissa Kimmince put on 34 from the final four overs. Dottin walloped her first ball down the ground for four and ran hard between the wickets, but Kimmince – who took 20 off her 10 balls from Anya Shrubsole – was the aggressor-in-chief. Heat had something to defend. Not much – they were at least 20 short of par, thanks to the 50 dot balls they played – but something.Emma King bowled a tight spell during the Scorchers’ convincing win and was Player Of The Match•Getty ImagesThe chilled chaseIn the absence of the injured Holly Ferling, Heat’s bowling lacks bite and Bolton and Villani barely broke sweat under the searing Perth sun. Bolton looked in particularly fine touch, with flowing fours on the pull and on the drive, before being run out by a piece of smart work at backward-point by Jess Jonassen. Bates struggled initially, but played herself into form – another boon for the finalists – with some wristy flicks through midwicket. The winning runs, a hard sweep off Jonassen, brought up a fifty for Villani full of clever improvisation and bunts to midwicket.What next for Scorchers?Well, there are two things at play. Who will they face in their first WBBL final? That depends on who wins the game between Sydney Sixers – who finished top of the table – and Hobart Hurricanes in Brisbane on Wednesday. Hurricanes have never beaten Sixers in five attempts.Next, where will that final be played? If Scorchers’ male counterparts beat Melbourne Stars, Saturday’s final will be at the WACA. If Stars win, the final will take place at the home of the winner of tomorrow’s men’s semi-final, which is between Heat and Sixers.Whoever they play, and wherever it is, Scorchers will be tough to beat.

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."

Andrew Flintoff has urged the ECB to resist the introduction of new teams into the domestic T20 tournament and rely instead on a restructured tournament involving the current 18 first-class counties

George Dobell10-Feb-2017

Andrew Flintoff has urged the ECB to resist the introduction of new teams into the domestic T20 tournament and rely instead on a restructured tournament involving the current 18 first-class counties.Flintoff, the former England captain and current PCA president, believes some supporters will be “alienated” by new team identities, especially if they named after cities, and warns that the charm of the game will be diminished if players’ loyalty towards their local side is abandoned.”I wanted to play for Lancashire all my life,” Flintoff told former England team-mate, Rob Key, in a Sky Sports podcast. “I didn’t want to play for Manchester. I’d play for Preston, don’t get me wrong. But Manchester doesn’t have that same thing for me. You look at Yorkshire: are you going to play as Leeds and alienate everyone from Barnsley? If you call it Manchester, you’re going to alienate the Scousers.”You turn it into a football scenario. Loyalty goes out of the game. You just go to the highest bidder. Year in, year out, you’re playing for a different teams.”This is where cricket is separated from the likes of football. Look at the top football teams: you’re telling me Sergio Aguero, as a kid, wanted to play for Man City?”Why does it matter? Because I find in football, the fans are the most loyal people. Not the players or the managers or anybody else. In cricket, we still have an element of loyalty. You played your whole career at Kent; I did the same at Lancashire. The Yorkshire lads are the same. There’s a real pride in playing for your county. I wouldn’t want that to be lost. It’s something that is quite charming about cricket.”Claiming the standard of the Big Bash League was no better than the NatWest Blast – he has appeared in both in recent years – Flintoff cautioned against applying the Australian model in England.”Everyone looks at the Big Bash and says ‘this is brilliant’ and ‘this is what we should do in England’ but I don’t think the standard is any better,” Flintoff said. “The pitches are a lot better.”But the worst thing you can do is compare the Big Bash. Let’s get ours right. The Big Bash has been six years in the making and has started making a profit in the last two years. Before that it was running at a loss.”And, 9pm on Friday at Old Trafford: if you’re watching Lancashire or Manchester, it’s still going to be cold. The weather isn’t going to be any better.”Flintoff did suggest that some aspects of the Big Bash League could be copied, though. But while he appreciated the briefings from commercial teams about the importance of the players understanding the need to reach out to a new audience, he still concluded that a system of promotion and relegation involving all 18 first-class counties would serve English T20 better than a new team competition.”Before we bowled a ball at Brisbane Heat, the commercial department came in and told us what was required of us on and off the field to grow the fan base,” he said. “I’ve never done that with Lancashire. They sat us down and told us about all the interviews we would be doing and what we were expected to do. All the players bought into it. I’d never had that in the county system. Nobody had ever told me what they expected beyond a few runs and wickets.”Why do you need city cricket? I don’t think the NatWest Blast has been done as well as it could. Let’s get the NatWest Blast right, let’s get the format right and put a load of energy into that rather than worrying about a new tournament. Play it in a block. Two divisions, up and down.”Northamptonshire won last year. But will Northants, the best team in the country, be one of the cities? Will they heck. And another thing: you’ll have 200 lads, during the summer, not playing cricket. What are they going to do?”I don’t know if they’ve done this, but they should go to Surrey and see what they’re doing. They play in front of packed houses week in, week out. You see a Surrey game on TV and there’s life and atmosphere and they get full houses.”While Flintoff is a bit loose on a few details – the ECB are looking more at regional rather than city identities for the new teams and those players not involved are scheduled to play a 50-over tournament instead – his words will strike a chord with many traditional cricket lovers. That is not the audience the ECB is targeting with the new team competition, however, and it seems all but inevitable that the new tournament will be launched in 2020.It must also be noted that the company that manages Flintoff is chaired by Surrey chairman Richard Thompson. Surrey have been the strongest opponent of the new team competition among the counties.

Paul Grayson has been named as the new head coach of Yorkshire Diamonds on a three-year deal.Grayson, 45, spent six seasons as a player at Headingley between 1990 and 1995, before moving south to Essex where he was head coach for eight years until his departure in 2015.He takes over as Diamonds boss from Richard Pyrah, who is moving across to the men’s squad to work as assistant to the new Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale.Grayson will combine his new role in the Kia Super League with his current post at Durham University MCCU.”I am delighted to be joining as head coach for the Yorkshire Diamonds,” said Grayson. “The opportunity to work with an elite female team is really exciting for me and a role which gives me a fantastic opportunity to use my first-class coaching experience.”I am looking forward to meeting up with players and the Diamonds support staff very soon and preparing for Super League competition.”Jane Hildreth, Yorkshire Diamonds General Manager added: “I am thrilled that we have been able to recruit Paul as Yorkshire Diamonds head coach.”Paul has a wealth of experience in the game having had a successful coaching career with Essex County Cricket Club and Durham University MCCU. Paul will take the Yorkshire Diamonds forward and build a team who will be challenging for the title in 2017.”We are all excited to be working with Paul and look forward to welcoming him back to Headingley”

Chelsea are considering a move to sign bring AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Mike Maignan?

Maignan is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football at the San Siro Stadium having moved there from Lille back in 2021, and despite not being Stefano Pioli’s official number one, he’s the manager’s current first-choice having made 22 Serie A starts last season when he wasn’t on the sidelines with his calf injury.

Earlier this month, 90min reported that the Blues hold an interest in the 27-year-old and had enquired about his availability during negotiations for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but despite this quickly being shut down, Mauricio Pochettino has since been handed a huge boost.

The France international still has another three years to run on his contract in Italy, though it’s been claimed that he’s refused to discuss an improved deal which has prompted the belief that he could want to leave this window, with his decision having once again alerted chiefs at Stamford Bridge.

Are Chelsea signing Maignan?

According to The Telegraph (via CaughtOffside), Chelsea are "considering" a swoop for Maignan ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Pochettino was reportedly "content" to head into the new term with Kepa Arrizabalaga as his number one, but having "impressed" during his time at AC Milan, the shot-stopper appears to be a target who the boss believes can strengthen his options in the net.

With Edouard Mendy closing in on a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, Chelsea will know that they need to enter the market to find a suitable replacement and Maignan, who appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €45m Transfermarkt bvalution, could be a replacement for the Senegalese and also a serious challenger for Kepa.

The 6 foot 3 “giant”, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, kept eight clean sheets from 22 Serie A outings last season and made 40 saves from 62 shots on target giving him a save percentage of 69.4%, higher than the 64.1% that was recorded by Mendy.

The 2022/23 Champions League participant, who pockets £59k-per-week, also has an extremely strong range of passing having completed 133 of 134 short passes and 354 of 360 medium, via FBRef, so he has an eye for dispatching balls to his outfield players, and by the looks of things, Todd Boehly may look to capitalise on this to bring him to SW6 over the coming months.

Tottenham Hotspur have instigated "conversations" with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen over the services of the centre-half Edmond Tapsoba, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – What's the latest on Edmond Tapsoba?

It's been a busy start to the transfer window for the Lilywhites, with the club confirming the signing of Italian international keeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli earlier this week for a fee of £17m.

Not to be outdone by their free-spending neighbours, Tottenham went big themselves and announced the marque signing of England international James Maddison from the relegated Leicester City this week for a fee of £40m.

For as good as those signings are, the area of the team in desperate need of attention is defence.

With the side shipping a disastrous 63 goals in the Premier League last season and the departure of Clement Lenglet, who has returned to Barcelona, it's an area of the team that could cost them next season if not addressed as soon as possible.

However, Daniel Levy and Co. seem to be well aware of this and have identified 24-year-old Burkina Faso international Tapsoba as one of a few potential targets for the heart of the defence, per football.london.

A deal to sign the Leverkusen star could also be cheaper than one might first expect, with the Express reporting that Ange Postecoglou could land his man for as little as £25m this summer.

There have been two other defensive names linked to Spurs this window, the first being Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, and the other Fulham's want-away Tosin Adarabioyo.

What has Dean Jones said about Tapsoba?

Jones revealed that whilst there have been links to van de Ven and Adarabioyo, Tapsoba was still the most likely of the three players to join the Lilywhites' defence this summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Tapsoba is the one I've heard the most about in terms of the three of those."

The respected journalist also revealed that conversations between the sides have commenced, adding: "Conversations are open now, so it'll be interesting to see how those progress and whether Tottenham become convinced that he is the player that they want to go ahead and sign."

Would Tapsoba be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur?

The 24-year-old has excelled during his time in Germany, playing 137 times for the Die Schwarzroten since joining just three years ago.

Last season was another great year for the 6 foot 4 "monster" – as once described by journalist Antonio Mango. According to WhoScored, across his 33 Bundesliga games, he averaged a good match rating of 6.64.

It was even better in European competitions, as in his eight games in the Europa League, he averaged a seriously impressive match rating of 7.28.

His underlying numbers are equally brilliant.

According to FBref, who comp[are players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Tapsoba sits in the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 6% for successful take-ons, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 10% attempted passes, and the top 15% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.

Those numbers highlight that alongside his defensive nouse, the defensive gem could also thrive in a more attacking set-up, something that would pair perfectly with Ange Postecoglou's footballing philosophy, one rooted in entertaining football.

If Spurs can get this deal over the line, it could prove excellent business for years to come.