B Indrajith and Washington Sundar led Tamil Nadu’s fightback against Mumbai, while Rajat Patidar and Harpreet Singh Bhatia shored up Madhya Pradesh against Tripura

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2017Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari (302*) slammed his maiden triple-hundred and propelled his team to 584 for 5, before declaring the innings against Odisha in Vizianagaram. Resuming on 278 for 2, Vihari put on a 208-run stand with Ricky Bhui (100) and deflated Odisha, who had to wait 43.3 overs for their first wicket of the day. During the course of his 456-ball knock, Vihari smashed 29 fours and two sixes and added 159 to his overnight score. This was Vihari’s 13th first-class ton and second consecutive score of 150 or more.Bhui, meanwhile, brought up his fourth first-class hundred before Odisha captain Govinda Poddar trapped him lbw in the 134th over. In the next over, seamer Suryakant Pradhan dismissed D Ravi Teja to pick up his second wicket, but nothing was going to stop Vihari’s march. Odisha suffered an early jolt in their first innings when left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt had opener Natraj Behera lbw in the fourth over. Sandeep Pattanaik and Poddar, however, ensured there was no further damage as Odisha went to stumps at 32 for 1.B Indrajith (105*) and Washington Sundar (69) mounted a rescue effort with a fifth-wicket partnership of 157 runs to lift Tamil Nadu from 69 for 4 to 239 for 5 by stumps against Mumbai. Indrajith’s sixth first-class hundred, which included 12 fours, stood out as much for its elegance as its risk-free nature. While he mostly preferred to hit down the ground, he wasn’t averse to playing the horizontal shots on either side. Giving him useful company was Sundar, who drove and cut confidently, and responded swiftly to his partner’s calls for tight singles. Sundar, however, fell with 6.2 overs left in the day, after a half-hearted pull off Dhawal Kulkarni found deep square leg.Mumbai had hit the ground running in the morning with some quick wickets after being bowled out for 374. Seamer Akash Parkar cleaned up captain Abhinav Mukund in the fourth over before M Vijay (11) was caught behind by left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil in the 11th over. Mumbai captain Aditya Tare juggled the ball on a few occasions before snaffling it.After Kaushik Gandhi fell three overs later, Vijay Shankar, who had recovered from an injury scare to pick up his fourth wicket in the morning, looked to have settled down in the company of Indrajith. However, he gave Gohil the charge in the 25th over and was stumped. Indrajith, though, remained steady and took Tamil Nadu to safety in the company of R Ashwin.A 62-run partnership between opener Bishal Ghosh (65) and Gurinder Singh, who smashed a 55-ball 57, helped Tripura finish on 220 against Madhya Pradesh in Agartala after tottering on 88 for 6 at one stage.Tripura’s bowlers then reduced Madhya Pradesh to 200 for 7 to set up an interesting battle for the first-innings lead. Ishwar Pandey and Ankit Sharma finished with three wickets each for Madhya Pradesh. In their reply, Madhya Pradesh got off to a shaky start, as they lost opener Wasim Ahmed and Shubham Sharma inside the first 10 overs. With Naman Ojha (8) and captain Devendra Bundela (3), too, falling cheaply, it was left to opener Rajat Patidar (79) and Harpreet Singh Bhatia (70) to resuscitate the innings with a 104-run alliance for the fifth wicket.However, Gurinder trapped Patidar in front with his left-arm spin in the 52nd over before Ankit Sharma and Bhatia were dismissed in quick succession.

The six-team franchise competition was originally due to be played in 2018 from March 14 until April 15 but could be brought forward by four months

Firdose Moonda13-Oct-2017South Africa’s domestic 20-over competition is likely to be moved into the window left vacant by the T20 Global League, which was postponed earlier this week. The six-team franchise competition was originally due to be played in 2018 from March 14 until April 15 but could be brought forward by four months, subject to a final board approval.In a teleconference on Thursday, the franchise CEOs were asked to confirm the feasibility of hosting the domestic T20 in that time and assured CSA it could be done. The only outstanding tick in the box is to check with the broadcasters but unlike the T20 Global League, CSA will not need to sign a new partner. SuperSport already hold the rights of all cricket played in South Africa.A massive boost for the domestic tournament will be that all the national players will be available to participate, which is usually not the case. That means South Africa’s players will not be granted NOCs to play in other leagues, such as the Bangladesh Premier League, in that time. It is also unlikely that international opposition will be sought over that period.”If there is an international tour in that time, only 12 or so guys will be playing. What about the rest of the players? They can’t sit around for six weeks and not do anything,” a source told ESPNcricinfo.CSA was believed to be exploring options for hosting one of Pakistan or West Indies but acting CEO Thabang Moroe said the board will not enter into an endeavour which will cost them money. Only incoming tours against India, England and Australia make CSA money, so any other opposition would be loss-making and CSA cannot afford to incur more expenses. Instead, they will spend money they would have spent anyway on the 20-over competition. All that remains is for them to find a sponsor for it. Courier company Ram opted not to renew their deal last season, and it was played without a corporate backer.When the competition was called the Ram Slam, it made headlines for the wrong reasons. A protracted match-fixing investigation took place from late 2015 until July this year during which seven players including four former internationals, Gulam Bodi, Alviro Petersen, Thami Tsolekile and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, were banned for between periods of two and 20 years. CSA maintained that no actual fixing took place but there were attempts made. Last season’s 20-over tournament was a low-profile affair which was played in November-December, while the Test team was in Australia.

The captain also said the onus was on the fast-bowlers to make the best use of the slightly more seamer-friendly conditions a day-night Test offers

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai06-Oct-2017Sri Lanka stand on the verge of a rare feat. Since beating Pakistan in Pakistan at the turn of the century, they have won only one away series against opposition excluding Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. That was the 2014 series against England and like the 1999-00 series against Pakistan, it was a humdinger – both triumphs built in equal parts skill, wit, will and grit.That is probably the best way to get a measure of the scale of their achievement in Abu Dhabi last week, inflicting on Pakistan their first defeat at the venue. Look where it leaves them. And Look at the circumstances out of which it was born.The temptation will be to put that win down to Pakistan doing another Pakistan, or to Sri Lanka relying on some late-career Rangana Herath magic. Neither are untrue. But there was more to it.They were in control of their destiny until that fourth afternoon collapse and throughout Pakistan’s chase. From Dimuth Karunaratne’s first-day calm through Dinesh Chandimal’s nine-hour epic via two essential (and responsible) contributions from Niroshan Dickwella right down to Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep outbowling Pakistan’s pace attack, this was much, much more than just Herath.Not the best time then, you might think, to be playing your first day-night Test. Sri Lanka did arrange a pink-ball trial in their last domestic season but, bizarrely, it was a day game. The tourists enter this as good as blind.They continue to put faith in their traditional strengths, and go in with three spinners on a surface Chandimal noted for being “really dry”, as much as the one in Abu Dhabi. The pitch will, he predicted, bring spinners into play over the last couple of days.Last year, in Pakistan’s day-night Test here against West Indies, Pakistan scored nearly 600 in their first innings, for the loss of only three wickets. They crumbled for 123 in their second, Devendra Bishoo’s legspin accounting for eight wickets. But the pitch was still firm enough over the last two days for West Indies to get within 56 runs of chasing 346 on the final day.Plenty of responsibility will still fall on Lakmal and Pradeep. “I think especially with the pink ball, I played one game in domestic cricket, and I feel the first 20 to 25 overs there is a bit seam and swing,” Chandimal said. “I mean more helpful for the fast bowlers and especially when the ball gets old there is a lot of reverse swing. Nothing that much for the spinners so I think it is really helpful for the fast bowlers as far as I am concerned.”They have the benefit of being able to pick nearly the same XI – only Lahiru Thirimanne is a doubt. Some stiffness in his back kept him off the field on the final day in Abu Dhabi and if he doesn’t wake up well tomorrow, it could mean a debut for wicketkeeper batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama.Ultimately, personnel issues and even conditions may not matter as much as the approach they take. Few teams nowadays set out to draw Tests but for a side in the kind of form Sri Lanka is in, unfamiliarity with winning can seep into how they approach sessions or days. Sri Lanka don’t have to look too far or long back – it was in Sharjah in January 2014 where Angelo Mathews’ defensiveness resulted in a series levelled rather than one won.”Actually we are looking to win so we are not going to play for draw,” Chandimal said. “That is our main target that we are going to [go for a] win. We just need to go back to our basics.”In Abu Dhabi the pitch was totally different to the last two series. We saw on the last day there were so many cracks. When we come to Dubai it normally suits the spinners, lot of grip so this will be a really good game for both sides.”The final word then, as it was in Abu Dhabi, as it is so often with Sri Lanka and especially so in this rivalry, for Herath.”As far as I am concerned throughout my career normally the Pakistan batters they really struggle against left-arm spinners. We all know Rangana is a legend and he is an outstanding bowler so I am sure he will be a really good asset for this game as well.”

Karnataka rookie D Nischal brings up maiden first-class ton; Hyderabad enforce follow-on against Assam

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2017

Manish Pandey’s counter-attacking 238, his highest first-class score, ran Uttar Pradesh ragged for a second day running in Kanpur. Karnataka, resuming on 327 for 3, were still going strong at 642 for 7 at stumps on day two. Pandey was well complemented by rookie D Nischal, who struck his maiden first-class ton (195) – as the pair added 354 for the fifth wicket.Pandey, who wasted a strong start and was out for 70 in his first Ranji outing of the season last week in Alur, rattled along, striking 31 fours and two sixes in his 301-ball knock before falling to seamer Imtiaz Ahmed. In comparison, Nischal, who was returning to fill the void left by KL Rahul’s departure to join the Test team, battled along for 425 deliveries. He hit 23 fours in his knock. Not even the pair’s dismissal with Karnataka well in control forced R Vinay Kumar, the captain, to insert Uttar Pradesh in towards the fag end of the day. Imtiaz and Dhruv Pratap Singh, the seamers, picked up six wickets between them.With 23 points in four games, Karnataka are currently Group A toppers. A first-innings lead will seal their quarter-final berth. Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, are placed sixth with little but pride to play for.Hyderabad kept themselves in contention for a quarter-final berth with a superb bowling display that helped them enforce the follow-on against Assam in Guwahati. Fast bowler Mohammad Muddassir ripped through Assam’s line-up to return five wickets on first-class debut and bowl them out in just 48.5 overs for 136. Ravi Kiran, their other frontline seamer, took 3 for 30.Having to wipe out a 190-run deficit, Assam continued to falter in the second innings, slipping to 36 for 2 at stumps. Riyan Parag, the 16-year-old who was part of India’s Under-19 squad that returned from the Asia Cup earlier in the week, had a forgettable first-class debut, falling for 3 to take his match tally to 12 runs. Sibsankar Roy was the second batsman to be dismissed, with Ravi Kiran and Ravi Teja taking one wicket apiece. Assam still need to score 154 to prevent an innings defeat.Hyderabad, currently on nine points in four games, will look for a bonus-point win that could bring them back into the mid-table jostle with Delhi and Railways for the second qualification spot from the group. But the two washouts earlier in the season mean Hyderabad’s hopes are also hinged on how Delhi fare.

Kostas Tsimikas has broken his collarbone after colliding with boss Jurgen Klopp in Saturday's game against Arsenal, the Liverpool boss confirmed.

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Tsimikas takes out Klopp and injures collarboneNudge from Saka sends defender into managerLiverpool's left-back woes continueWHAT HAPPENED?

Tsimikas and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka were chasing a loose ball when the Arsenal forward bumped the Greek defender off balance and into Klopp. Tsimikas was in visible discomfort and had to be withdrawn. It was revealed at half-time on that he had been taken to hospital and the manager has since confirmed the worst.

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Klopp told : "It was massively overshadowed by Kostas Tsimikas collarbone issue, definitely broken, so he is out for a long time. The other issues we will have to see. It is hard for us to swallow with the Robbo [Andy Robertson] situation."

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The injury to Tsimikas adds yet another headache at full-back for Klopp, who is already missing his starting left-back, Andy Robertson, with a shoulder injury. Joe Gomez, who replaced Tsimikas, is not a natural left-back and won't be seen as a long term solution in that position.

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The Greek full-back will be out for an extended period of time after suffering the latest injury in what will come as a huge blow to an already depleted Reds team.

Tamim aggravated the injury he suffered during the second Test, forcing him to miss the rest of the South Africa tour and at least two weeks of Bangladesh’s premier domestic T20 tournament

Mohammad Isam20-Oct-2017Tamim Iqbal has been ruled out of the rest of Bangladesh’s tour to South Africa after aggravating the injury on his left thigh muscle for the second time in two weeks. He will return home on October 22, and is set to miss at least the first two weeks of the Bangladesh Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on November 4.Tamim had first injured his left thigh during the practice match at the start of the tour in Benoni and in the first Test in Potchefstroom, which he played carrying the injury. Both instances occurred when he was fielding.Despite not being 100% fit, he played the second ODI in Paarl. Before the game however, he had said that he was risking another injury.At the time, Tamim said: “If I get injured again [in the same spot], then I will be out for two months which I hope the team management doesn’t want and neither do I.”When he played in Paarl, there were many who were dismayed by the team management’s decision to risk an in-form batsman, like Tamim, who had already aggravated the injury during the first ODI. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have also lost Mustafizur Rahman due to an ankle injury.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin, on the South Africa tour as manager, has said that Mominul Haque, who is in the ODI squad, will remain with the team for the T20Is as Tamim’s replacement.

As well as finding a Declan Rice replacement, the other pressing concern for the West Ham hierarchy will be to sign a new striker.

Last season, the attacking trio of Michail Antonio, Gianluca Scamacca, and Danny Ings only netted ten Premier League goals between them. David Moyes will be on the hunt for a more consistent and dynamic focal point to spearhead the club’s domestic and European challenges.

One man tipped to do this is Armando Broja.

What’s the latest on Armando Broja to West Ham?

According to ExWHUEmployee, the Hammers welcome an opportunity in bringing Broja to the London Stadium on loan.

Last summer, West Ham tried to sign the striker on a permanent deal for around £30m. The youngster had told Chelsea he didn’t want a season on loan and stayed at the club.

Nevertheless, the East Londoners have reignited their interest in exciting young forward Broja.

Speaking exclusively to The West Ham Way podcast, Ex said: "We’ve also looked at youngsters from other clubs, mainly Chelsea. Obviously, they’ve got Armando Broja who we tried to sign last summer, if he was to be available for a loan and maybe one of our forwards was to move on then he would be another that we would look to sign."

Who can Armando Broja replace at West Ham?

Last season was hugely challenging and disappointing for Broja. After consecutive loans, the frontman was finally spending a full year with the Chelsea first team.

However, a chaotic term under new ownership coupled with a devastating knee injury that kept him out for over six months meant he only mustered three starts in all competitions.

Nevertheless, in the previous campaign, whilst on loan at Southampton, the attacker demonstrated he was an effervescent and troublesome top-flight striker, with nine goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.

This form generated large applause, with Alan Shearer saying that the £40k-per-week prodigy made an “immediate impact” whilst on loan at Southampton, adding: “Let me tell you, this lad is clinical. Broja is a young striker with an eye for goal and has a bright future in the Premier League.”

This sentiment was echoed by his former manager Frank Lampard, who said: “He is a very talented young boy. He’s fast, strong, has a real eye for goal, and he’s a very, very good young player.”

A player of this energetic, pacey, and physical profile could be the perfect heir for Antonio.

The Jamaica international has been a fantastic servant for the Irons – he has been there since 2015 and is the club’s record Premier League goalscorer, netting on 61 occasions.

But, the 33-year-old’s contract expires next summer, and he is reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.

Although Antonio’s commitment can never be questioned, it seems the logical time for the era of a new striker at the London Stadium.

He ranks within the lowest 26% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90, total shots per 90, shot-creating actions per 90, progressive passes per 90, and touches in the attacking penalty per 90.

Meanwhile, Broja can replicate Antonio’s trademark hold-up play, whilst also providing a more compelling outlet with his lightning acceleration.

South Africa opener Hashim Amla has been rested for the final ODI against Bangladesh on Sunday. He has been replaced in the squad by Aiden Markram.Amla, 34, was given a break after he scored a century in each of the two Tests against Bangladesh, and 110 not out and 85 in the first two ODIs of the three-match series. South Africa won the Tests 2-0 and have already taken a series-winning 2-0 lead in the ODIs.Markram, 23, had made his Test debut in the two-match series against Bangladesh, scoring 97, 15 and 143 in his first three innings. He then made 82 for a Cricket South Africa XI in a 50-over warm-up game against Bangladesh, and is now set to make his limited-overs debut for South Africa in the third ODI at Buffalo Park in East London.

Life at Manchester United does not seem to be getting any easier for former skipper, Harry Maguire, with the struggling Englishman seemingly in need of a fresh start amid his mounting woes at Old Trafford.

Having recently been stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag, the 30-year-old – who started just eight Premier League games last season – was also on the receiving end of a visible rant from new signing Andre Onana during the recent 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in pre-season.

It would appear that the former Leicester City man – who has been the subject of a £20m offer from West Ham United – has fallen way down the defensive pecking order of late, with rumours rife that he could be on his way before the September deadline.

Read the latest Manchester United transfer news HERE…

If the £80m signing is to find a new home over the coming weeks, Ten Hag will likely be keen to find a suitable replacement to help bolster his centre-back options ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who could replace Maguire at Man United?

The Red Devils had been heavily linked with a move for Monaco star, Axel Disasi, in recent months, although as journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed, despite showing an "interest" in the Frenchman, it would appear that he is on his way to rivals Chelsea on a €45m (£38m) deal.

Amid that potential setback, reports in Spain have indicated in recent days that United are among the clubs to have made an offer for RB Leipzig sensation, Josko Gvardiol, with both Manchester City and Liverpool also keen on signing the exciting 21-year-old.

Although valued at a rather steep €100m (£86m), as per the report, the signing of the Croatian international could allow the Old Trafford outfit to forget all about the Stamford Bridge-bound, Disasi.

Should Man United sign Josko Gvardiol?

A player currently "at the beginning of something very special" in his career – according to talent scout Jacek Kulig – Gvardiol could prove to be a dream fit for Ten Hag due to his ability to feature as a natural, left-sided defender, unlike Disasi, with the former Ajax boss having previously outlined his preference to have a left-footer in that role.

With Lisandro Martinez currently the only other left-footed option at the heart of the defence – excluding usual full-back Luke Shaw – it would make sense to bring Gvardiol into the fold to provide further competition and cover, with Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane to be deployed on the opposite side.

The Leipzig rock's quality on the ball would make him a particularly astute option for United as the youngster regularly looks to play out from the back, notably ranking in the top 1% among his European peers for attempted passes, as well as in the top 4% for successful take-ons.

Disasi, by contrast, ranks in just the top 46% and the top 7% for those same two metrics, respectively, thus indicating that Gvardiol would be a worthy alternative in the search to find a replacement for Maguire.

Also able to offer the benefit of his ability to feature at left-back, the versatile, Zagreb native also showcased his defensive class in the Bundesliga last term after averaging 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game, with Disasi only just ahead after averaging 2.3 in that regard in Ligue 1 – as both men performed better than Maguire (1.3 tackles and interceptions per game in 2022/23).

Those similarities between the pair with regard to their ball-playing and ball-winning quality would suggest that even if United are forced to watch Disasi head to west London, they could forget all about the former Reims ace by snapping up a younger option, like Gvardiol, instead.

West Ham have shown interest in making a move for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah this summer.

How much is Trevoh Chalobah worth?

According to the Guardian, David Moyes is in the market for a new centre-back and has shortlisted Chalobah as a possible option.

The 24-year-old is also being targeted by Internazionale, and faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.

It was previously reported the Chelsea hierarchy was open to selling Chalobah, who is now behind teammates Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, and Levi Colwill in the pecking order.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to head into the season with four centre-backs in the squad, but this plan has been thrown into question due to Fofana’s long-term injury.

With Badiashile also to miss the start of the season through injury, the Argentine doesn’t want his defensive options further depleted.

Nevertheless, Chalobah remains a target for the Hammers, and he could be available for around £25m.

The £50k-per-week gem could be swayed by a move to the London Stadium as he will be eyeing an England debut ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament next summer.

West Ham also have Harry Maguire and Taylor Harwood-Bellis on their radar this summer, according to the same report.

Who can Chalobah replace at West Ham?

The 6 foot 4 titan has been at Chelsea since 2007 and is one of the very few academy prospects to make a notable breakthrough into the first team.

His career in West London began in emphatic fashion when he netted on his Premier League debut in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season.

In total, he has made 63 appearances across all competitions for the Blues, and although he isn’t a regular starter, he has emerged as a dependable squad option.

Last campaign, Chalobah was Chelsea’s second most-used defender (only behind Silva) and occasionally deputised at right-back for the injured Reece James. On that evidence, he'd provide David Moyes with plenty of versatility, something that could be key as the Irons embark on another voyage in Europe this season.

Former manager Graham Potter is one notable fan of the Englishman’s composure and positional awareness, saying: “I’ve been very impressed from day one. He’s trained really well, very professional, very determined. He’s an impressive character, very focused on his football. He’s a bit of a soldier.”

From a West Ham perspective, someone of this durability and versatility would be the perfect long-term replacement for Angelo Ogbonna.

The Italian is in the twilight years of his career and looks set to struggle with another year of domestic and European football.

The 35-year-old only started 13 Premier League matches last season and Moyes opted for alternative defenders in the crucial, latter stages of the club’s Europa Conference League triumph.

Chalobah can be deemed a certified upgrade due to his superiority in a number of metrics. Defensively, the Chelsea star outranks Ogbonna for tackles per 90 (1.71 vs 0.8), interceptions per 90 (1.28 vs 1.24), and blocks per 90 (0.92 vs 0.8).

Moreover, the former Ipswich loanee is also far more accomplished on the ball, comfortably trumping the veteran for pass completion per 90 (88.1% vs 80%), progressive passes per 90 (3.65 vs 0.8), and progressive carries per 90 (1.01 vs 0.00).

Judging by these statistics and his profile, If West Ham can persuade the Chelsea owners to sanction Chalobah’s departure, it would be an extremely shrewd piece of business.