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Manchester City are eyeing a move for Bayern Munich target and Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in the January transfer window.

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• Man City eyeing move for Palhinha
• Will compete with Bayern for him
• Ready to pay £50m for midfielder

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The reigning English champions are reportedly ready to pay £50 million ($63m) for the Portuguese international as the club eye him as a replacement for outgoing Kalvin Phillips, according to the . Despite being handed a rare start by Pep Guardiola in the club's final Champions League group stage clash against Red Star Belgrade in the midweek, Phillips is almost certain to leave the club in the upcoming transfer window.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 28-year-old was very close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer but the deal collapsed on the transfer deadline. Despite missing the opportunity to sign the midfield star, the Bundesliga champions remain interested in him. Bayern are also being linked with Phillips and if they manage to sign the English international, it will clear City's way to rope in the Fulham star.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  City have kept Fluminense star Andre on their wishlist in case they miss out on Palhinha. The Brazilian wonderkid is likely to cost the Premier League giants £30m ($38m).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The Sky Blues are in trouble at the moment having won just one of their last six Premier League games. On Saturday, they squandered a two-goal lead and dropped important points against Crystal Palace at home. If Liverpool beat Manchester United on Sunday, they will extend their lead to six points over the reigning champions.

A measured all-round display of 78 runs and figures of 10-3-46-1 from Deepti Sharma led India to their fourth straight win, beating Sri Lanka by 16 runs in Derby

The Report by Annesha Ghosh05-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDeepti Sharma’s 78 was her sixth ODI half-century•Getty ImagesIf four top-order half-centuries had powered Sri Lanka’s 138-run shock knockout blow to India in the 2013 World Cup in Mumbai, this time around their middle and lower order made a spirited attempt to bring India’s winning streak to an end in Derby. But that was not to be as Deepti Sharma set up a 16-run victory – India’s fourth successive one in the tournament – courtesy a 78-run knock and 10 crucial overs that returned 1 for 46.After India opted to bat on a fresh pitch that barely had any tinge of green, Deepti’s 118-run third-wicket partnership with captain Mithali Raj laid the platform for India’s 232. While the total was 18 short of what Raj had originally intended to get, her decision to introduce legspinner Poonam Yadav in the 16th over proved crucial in ensuring it was enough. Yadav’s mix of legbreaks and wrong ‘uns sniped out two top-order batsmen in Chamari Atapattu and Nipuni Hansika, and bumped up the required rate with a flurry of dots.To begin, it was Sri Lanka who kept a tight leash on things. Medium-pacer Sripali Weerakkody and left-arm spinner Chandima Gunaratne bothered Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut in dominating opening spells with well-planned lengths, sending them back for 8 and 16 respectively. That India were off to a shaky, sluggish start at 39 for 2 in the 11th over was also down to Sri Lanka captain Inoka Ranaweera’s attacking field placements. She ensured a short cover and short leg breathed down the batsmen’s necks relentlessly even well after the first Powerplay.Dropped on 5, Deepti initially struggled to put away both full and short deliveries, managing to score only 16 off 39. A release shot – a lofted sweep over square leg for four – off Weerakkody in the 15th over helped her find fluency. Thereafter, her strokeplay revolved around lofted shots over midwicket and the cover region, and singles off the back foot that were converted in twos. She brought up her sixth ODI fifty off the 89th ball of her innings, and took another 28 runs off the next 20 deliveries before failing to execute a lofted drive in the V.With 13 overs left and only on 156 on the board, India experimented with the batting order and Jhulan Goswami came in at No. 5 ahead of the more-established power-hitters Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy. The move didn’t quite work out, and the loss of wickets in pairs during that period further hurt India’s chances of a late flourish. Goswami’s run-a-ball 9 came to an end in the 40th over, only to be followed by Raj’s dismissal for 53 the next ball. While Ranaweera removed the veterans, Weerakkody accounted for Harmanpreet and Krishnamurthy, who shared a 54-ball 50 stand before falling for 20 and 29 in the 49th over.With the ball, too, India deviated from their set formula of introducing spin within the first six overs. Raj, instead, let her medium-pacers – Goswami and Mansi Joshi – share the new ball for a greater part of the Powerplay. Mansi swung the ball into the left-hand batsman Hansika and struck her plumb in front with the first delivery of her opening spell, but a stifled appeal and the lack of intent to review the umpire’s decision meant Hansika could press on to score a 66-ball 29. Goswami’s dismissal of Hasini Perera in the fifth over, however, dealt Sri Lanka a first blow, before Deepti, Yadav, Harmanpreet and Ekta Bisht began to operate in tandem to choke the chase with spin.By the time Goswami came back in the 37th over, the required rate had climbed up to 9.28. Shashikala Siriwardene, the former captain who had played a substantial part to stun India in the last World Cup, however, refused to give in. Her 60-run stand with wicketkeeper Dilani Manodara inspired a late fightback. Siriwardene clobbered two fours apiece in the 37th and the 38th over and survived a couple of run-out chances before falling for 37 to Goswami.Despite the breakthrough, Manodara motored on and kept the chase alive with a second ODI half-century that featured a healthy tally of inside-out drives, reverse sweeps and paddle scoops. Her resistance towards the end was made easier by a rather casual approach from India. A spread-out field ensured singles didn’t dry up, and some sloppy fielding – including Goswami’s boot-work in the outfield that gave away a four, and a missed stumping to reprieve Manodara – kept Sri Lanka in the game. It took a flighted offbreak from Deepti to end Manodara’s 61-run innings in the 48th over and the lower order then managed only 25 runs out of 42 required off last 17 deliveries.

Manchester United tying down Marcus Rashford to a new deal at Old Trafford will be an 'exception to the rule' regarding any notion of a salary cap at the Red Devils, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Marcus Rashford?

According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano writing in his exclusive column for Caught Offside, Rashford is now close to finalizing new terms at Manchester United.

Romano detailed: "I can confirm that Marcus Rashford is really close to signing new long term deal at United, though when it’ll be announced is up to the club. It’s technically not done yet, some details have to be clarified soon but talks are very advanced. Man United believe this is like a new signing because Rashford was out of contract in 2024 and many top clubs including PSG were keeping close eye on Marcus’ situation."

The Daily Mail also report along similar lines, revealing that Manchester United are in the latter stages of being able to tie Rashford down on a new deal and that discussions between the club and Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund are continuing to take place.

Capology understand that Rashford earns around £200k-a-week on his current terms at Old Trafford that are set to run until June 2024.

Back in January, The Daily Mail indicated that Manchester United had introduced a new salary cap dubbed the 'Ronaldo rule' that would forbid playing staff from earning over £200,000 per week.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones believes that any notion of a salary cap would exclude Rashford due to his importance at Manchester United.

Jones said: "I was always told as part of this is the general salary cap, yes, will be £300,000, but there always has to be, one, two or three players that are an exception to the rule.

"Marcus Rashford is absolutely an exception to the rule. This is a player that you can't allow to leave the club."

Should Marcus Rashford be excluded from Manchester United's salary cap?

In short, Rashford, who has been hailed as a "standout" player by Declan Rice, is too important to Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag to have any limits bestowed upon his attempts to make sure the England international stays at Old Trafford for the long term.

Last campaign, Rashford racked up 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, as per Transfermarkt.

The 26-year-old was also Manchester United's third most consistent performer during the season gone behind Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, picking up an average match rating of 7.08/10 for his exploits on the field, according to WhoScored.

FBRef illustrate that Rashford played a crucial part in chance provision for the Red Devils as well, successfully carrying out 120 shot-creating actions in total.

Manchester United fans will be relieved to see Rashford being on the verge of signing a new contract at his boyhood club, as his goals proved vital to their eventual qualification for Champions League football in 2023/24.

All focus at the club will now be on trying to improve on their efforts in the 2022/23 campaign and seeing how close they can push their rivals for the Premier League crown.

Many felt that the Blues had overpaid for the 21-year-old attacker but he stole the show at Stamford Bridge on Sunday

"I'm tired," Mauricio Pochettino said in his post-match press conference. And who could blame him? With Monday's emotionally-draining Tottenham victory still fresh in the memory, the Argentine was subjected to another tortuous 90-plus minutes against Manchester City on Sunday.

However, thanks to Cole Palmer, at least the Blues came away with a 4-4 draw and a point to show for their efforts. The former City man netted from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time to cap off another crazy game of Premier League football, after Ruben Dias had chopped down Armando Broja in the area.

Before that, this one had pretty much everything. As you might expect in a game with eight goals, Erling Haaland found himself on the scoresheet twice, though not without controversy, and Palmer was not the only ex-City man that proved a point against his former employers.

England boss Gareth Southgate would have watched on with particular interest too, with Raheem Sterling making another strong case for his return to the national team. But, in the end, this one was all about Palmer – a young man proving that not all of Chelsea's summer signings are doomed to failure.

Below, GOAL runs down all the winners and losers from Stamford Bridge…

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  WINNER: Erling Haaland

  Haaland has scored two or more goals on 36 occasions since joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020 – more than any other player across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues. Obviously! The man is a goalscoring machine, operating in a league of his own. It really is as simple as that. Like the Terminator, there is just no stopping him – no matter how little the Norwegian is involved in his team’s build-up play. However, while Haaland is sometimes criticised for his lack of touches, particularly since arriving at Manchester City, he was excellent at Stamford Bridge in every sense.

  His hold-up play was fantastic – he was heavily involved in the move that led to City’s fourth goal – and he never gave Thiago Silva & Co. a moment’s piece. On days such as these, he really does look like a cheat code. City didn’t play particularly well at all yet they still managed to claim a point almost exclusively because of the phenomenal No.9.

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  LOSER: Manchester City's defence

  When Pep Guardiola claimed that Manchester City were "in trouble” following an injury to John Stones, many people scoffed. After all, the Catalan is in possession of one of the most expensively assembled squads in football history. The man is renowned for stockpiling £50 million defenders – and only this past summer he signed a centre-back, Josko Gvardiol, for nearly twice that figure.

  However, Stones was undeniably conspicuous by his absence at Stamford Bridge, with his defensive excellence and composure on the ball in midfield sorely missed by a team that looked unusually ragged. The aforementioned Gvardiol continues to flatter to deceive but the real story was City being let down by some of their most reliable players, namely Ederson and Ruben Dias.

  The former was at fault for Nicolas Jackson’s goal, while the latter was atrocious throughout, with his miserable evening capped by a terrible challenge on Armando Broja that allowed Palmer to level the game from the penalty spot. Maybe Guardiola was right. Maybe the treble-winners really are in trouble…

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  WINNER: Cole Palmer

  Of all the signings Chelsea have made in the Todd Boehly era so far, few have generated as muted a reaction as when Palmer arrived from Manchester City in a £42.5m ($51.9m) deal. Dismissed as an overpay at the time, the silky forward is making his critics eat their words lately – and Sunday was his best display yet.

  Palmer clearly wanted to prove a point to his former club. His energy never dipped and he was involved in many of Chelsea’s best moves, linking up sublimely with Reece James down the right-hand side in particular. Midway through the second half, it appeared he’d created his crowning moment, jinking past a host of sky-blue shirts and into the box. However, off balance, he scuffed a tame effort at Ederson.

  Thankfully, Dias was on hand to ensure his ex-team-mate went home happy. His foul gifted Chelsea a penalty at the death and despite a lengthy delay, Palmer kept his nerve, stepping up to smash home and earn his side a point. This young team desperately needs leaders – and Palmer can be exactly that. City might have made a massive mistake in not fighting harder to keep him around in the summer.

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  LOSER: Levi Colwill

  Colwill has not had the best week on a personal level. After putting in one of his shakiest displays in a Chelsea shirt against Tottenham on Monday – which resulted in him being dragged off at half time – he was absent from the squad entirely against City. The talented young defender suffered a minor shoulder injury in the lead up to the game and was not risked this weekend.

  Colwill was milling around the press area with fellow absentee Wesley Fofana before the match and seemed in decent-enough spirits – particularly when he got to spend some time with rap superstar and Chelsea fan Jack Harlow. However, the knock comes at a less-than-ideal moment.

  He was once again called up by England boss Gareth Southgate for next week’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta and although there is little to play for – with the Three Lions progression already secured – the warning Southgate issued to clubmate Reece James will be ringing in Colwill’s ears this evening. It’s not long until the action gets going in Germany and every single player will be laser-focussed on impressing Southgate. Colwill seems to have been deprived of that opportunity this month.

The 39-year old record-breaking left-arm spinner also said he considers his future before every series he plays

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle 11-Mar-2017

Rangana Herath conceded 400 career wickets would be “nice to have”, while reiterating that at 39, he considers his future in the game after every series. Having taken 6 for 59 in Sri Lanka’s victory in Galle, Herath is now the most successful left-arm spinner in Tests, surpassing Daniel Vettori’s career tally of 362. This was also his 29th five-wicket haul – only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee and Anil Kumble have achieved more.”If you can get to a target like that it would be terrific, because very few people have taken 400 Test wickets,” Herath said. “I’d love to get there, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be in this form forever. But I’ll keep playing and contributing as I can for the team and for the country, and hope that the wickets keep coming.”That Herath is now among the most successful bowlers in the game is all the more extraordinary, given he did not have a long run in the team until he was 31. Before 2009, when he became a fixture in Sri Lanka’s Test XI, Herath had played only 14 Tests at sporadic intervals.”I have no regrets about starting late,” he said. “I have already played 79 Tests and I am happy with what ever I have achieved so far.”Herath needs 34 more Test wickets to get 400, and if matches are played per-schedule, Sri Lanka play six further home Tests this year before they are due to go overseas for a bilateral tour. In those matches, Herath may find himself sharing the spin duties with two other slow bowlers, however – Sri Lanka now having fielded three specialist spinners in each of their last four Tests on the island. Unusually, in this match, they also played two seamers, bringing the number of frontline bowlers to five. As acting captain, Herath said having so many bowlers at his command provided him with a wealth of possible strategies.”We talked a lot about playing six batsmen and five bowlers, and ultimately it was the selectors who made that decision,” Herath said. “I look at it the positive way. I have loads of options when you have three spinners. When we bowl long spells bowlers will get tired, so in that situation having five bowlers is a clear advantage.”As you saw today, playing against three spinners with such a large score to get is difficult for the opposition. The pitch wasn’t turning as much as usual, but we had the bowlers who did well – Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan gave a lot of support.”Though Sri Lanka were rarely pushed in this match, they did drop three catches in the first innings. Catches had been liberally spilled in recent tours of South Africa and Australia as well. 

”After a game we look at the weak points in all three departments, and we have to be more cautious when it comes to fielding, as we missed a few chances,” Herath said. “But we are learning. We will work hard and come good.”

A round-up of the third day of Group C matches in the fifth round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2016A 160-run seventh wicket stand between Samar Dubhashi (97) and Shadab Jakati (92) helped Goa put up 270 in their first innings and gain a 72-run lead over Chhattisgarh after they were reduced to 70 for 6 on the second day.The pair had already added 57 when the day began, with Goa on 127 for 6 in reply to Chhattisgarh’s 198. They batted out the first session without being separated to give their team the lead. Jakati, the dominant partner, hit nine fours and two sixes in his 92 before falling to the part-time offspin of Sahil Gupta. Wicketkeeper Dubhashi played a more sedate 97 off 283 balls and was the last batsman out, three short of his maiden century, when he was bowled by Pankaj Rao (4 for 95).In reply, Chhattisgarh were reduced to 7 for 2 in the third over, before Sahil’s unbeaten 50, and captain Mohammad Kaif’s unbeaten 38 – his highest score this season – took them to 95 for 2 at stumps.Jammu and Kashmir rode on half-centuries from Ian Dev Singh (99), Shubham Khajuria (86) and Parvez Rasool (68) to end the third day on 337 for 4 in their second innings against Himachal Pradesh in Ranchi.J&K had ended the second day on 39 for no loss after conceding a first-innings lead of 208. Their opening pair of Shubham Khajuria and Umar Nazir brought up the 50 of the stand, before being separated within the first three overs of the day. That brought Ian Dev and Khajuria together, and the pair added 155 for the second wicket. It was their second consecutive stand of more than 150 this season.Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma removed Khajuria with the score on 205. Ian Dev ensured his team knocked off the deficit, before Bipul struck again, having Ian Dev caught, one short of his 14th first-class century.Rasool’s 68 off 72 balls helped J&K accelerate towards the end of the day, and go into stumps with a 129-run lead.Kerala built on their strong start against Haryana to secure a 101-run first-innings lead in Jaipur.Kerala resumed the day on 170 for 1 in reply to Haryana’s 303. They started patiently, scoring only 45 off 30 overs in the first session, for the loss of Rohan Prem (64).Haryana fought back with quick strikes after lunch, dismissing Bhavin Thakkar, the other overnight batsman, for 79, and Sanju Samson within five overs after the break as Kerala slipped from 203 for 1 to 220 for 4. But Sachin Baby scored 52 and added 46 with N Surendran (28) for the fifth wicket, and 65 with Iqbal Abdulla for the sixth to take them past Haryana’s score. Abdulla then added useful runs with the tail, and scored 61 himself to help stretch Kerala’s score to 404 for 9, before they declared.Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal took four wickets each for Haryana, who ended the day on 6 for no loss, trailing by 95 runs.It was another slow day at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, where Andhra responded to Services’ 446 with 177 for 1 in 79 overs.Andhra opener Prasanth Kumar scored an unbeaten 90 off 236 balls. He put on 80 for the opening wicket with KS Bharat (42), and 97 for the second wicket – 35 with captain Hanuma Vihari who retired hurt on 18, and 62 with KR Sreekanth, who was unbeaten on 24 at stumps.The day began with Services resuming on 400 for 8. Rahul Singh, unbeaten on 95 overnight, completed his second first-class century, and was unbeaten on 127 when Services folded for 446, having batted out 188.5 overs. CV Stephen (3 for 87) and DB Ravi Teja (3 for 25) took the two Services wickets to fall on the day.

Dougie Brown has emerged as a front-runner for the Netherlands coaching role

George Dobell and David Hopps28-Dec-2016

Dougie Brown has emerged as a front-runner for the Netherlands coaching role.Brown, the former England and Scotland all-rounder, was sacked as Warwickshire’s director of cricket at the end of the 2016 season despite the club lifting the Royal London One-Day Cup.After protracted discussions with Lancashire over compensation, Ashley Giles returned to Warwickshire in the role.Andy Moles, who has previously coached New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, Kenya and Hong Kong, is also believed to be under consideration by Netherlands.While Chris Adams has enjoyed coaching success with the Netherlands – they won WCL Div 2 and the World T20 qualifier (shared with Scotland) in 2015 – he is understood to be reluctant to relocate to Holland.Adams will be in-charge for a tour to the United Arab Emirates in January in which the Netherlands will contest the Desert Twenty20I tournament, also involving Ireland, Scotland, UAE, Oman, Namibia and Hong Kong. They will then travel to Hong Kong for matches in the Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League.He assumed the role of interim coach when Anton Roux stood down from the position in August this year to work with the Otago Volts. Roux worked with Netherlands cricket for three years from 2013 and was part of memorable wins, including the ones over England in the 2009 and in World T20 2014.Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, have also begun searching for a replacement for Wayne Noon as their assistant coach. Karl Krikken and Ben Smith are understood to be among those under consideration.

India have retained 15 of the 17 players who formed the Test squad for the tour of West Indies, for the upcoming three-Test series at home against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-20163:22

Agarkar: Rahul and Vijay should open

India have retained 15 of the 17 players who formed the Test squad for the tour of West Indies, for the upcoming three-Test series at home against New Zealand. The players to miss out were allrounder Stuart Binny and seamer Shardul Thakur.Binny and Thakur played only one game in the Caribbean – the tour match against the WICB President’s XI. Binny was later included in the T20I squad for the matches against West Indies in the USA, while Thakur joined the India A team on their tour of Australia.Rohit Sharma is part of the Mumbai squad for a tour match against the New Zealanders in Delhi from September 16. When asked if Rohit would play, a Mumbai team official said they were waiting for confirmation from the BCCI about his availability.”Rohit is a fabulous player, immense talent he has got, but he hasn’t got a longer run in Test cricket,” chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “What we have seen with Rohit Sharma is, he has been picked for one Test and then rested an entire season and again picked. So the selection committee, along with coach and captain, have decided that whoever is be picked will be given a fair amount of chances.”Perhaps the biggest question ahead of the selection of India’s XI for the first Test is about who will open. M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan opened in the first Test on the tour of West Indies, but Vijay was injured for the second Test and KL Rahul took his chance and made 158 in Jamaica. Vijay was then left out of the third Test while Rahul and Dhawan opened, but returned for the final match in Trinidad, where he was slotted to open with Rahul before rain ruined the game.Cheteshwar Pujara, who was replaced by Rohit in the third Test against West Indies because India were playing five bowlers, and then did not bat in the fourth Test, returned to form by scoring 166 and 256 at No. 3 in the ongoing Duleep Trophy in Greater Noida.The squad contains three spinners – R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra – and four seamers – Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – giving India the option of several combinations should they choose to play five bowlers.The series against New Zealand is the beginning of a home season in which India will play 13 Tests until March next year. The first match against New Zealand will be played in Kanpur from September 22, while the second and third Tests will be held in Kolkata and Indore.India are currently ranked No. 2 on the ICC Test rankings, only a point behind Pakistan, while New Zealand are placed seventh. India had briefly occupied the No. 1 ranking during the Test series against West Indies, following Australia’s 3-0 defeat to Sri Lanka. They had a chance to consolidate their top spot with a win in the fourth Test in Port of Spain but the match was drawn because of rain and a wet outfield, and Pakistan climbed to No. 1 having drawn their series against England 2-2.Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, M Vijay, Umesh Yadav

Former India team director Ravi Shastri has applied for the post of national head coach

PTI06-Jun-2016

Former India team director Ravi Shastri has applied for the post of national head coach. Shastri, who worked with the team from August 2014 to April 2016, confirmed his application to on Monday. His contract as team director had ended with India’s exit from the World T20 in March.”Yes, I have applied for the chief coach’s post today morning. I have e-mailed all the requisite documents that were asked for in the advertisement,” Shastri said.Asked if he had prepared any presentation or roadmap, Shastri said: “Whatever is required by the BCCI, I have provided them. If you ask me whether I am confident or not, all I can say is that my job was to apply for the post and I have done that. I cannot comment on anything else.”Under Shastri, who had taken over as director in 2014, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016. In this period, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, by whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in a T20 series.Apart from Shastri, current chairman of selectors and former India coach Sandeep Patil has also thrown his hat in the ring. Patil had earlier coached India back in 1996, taking over from Ajit Wadekar who stepped down after India’s semi-final loss to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semi-final. Patil’s tenure was a forgettable one; he was replaced within six months.However, Shastri’s team of support staff – Sanjay Bangar, R Sridhar and B Arun – have not yet applied as BCCI sources believe that they would like to continue in their earlier roles depending on the requirements of the board.

Charlotte Edwards is a Southern Viper, Katherine Brunt a Yorkshire Diamond and Sarah Taylor will rumble for Lancashire Thunder. Not an ECB marketing gimmick but confirmation of the allocation of England players to teams in the inaugural Women’s Super League.The six teams have been assigned between three and four players from the England Performance Squad, with overseas signings to come further down the line. The T20 tournament is scheduled to take place in July and August and is aimed at increasing the standards and opportunities for the women’s game in England.

WSL England allocations

Lancashire Thunder Kate Cross, Sarah Taylor (capt), Danielle Wyatt
Loughborough Lightning Georgia Elwiss, Rebecca Grundy, Amy Jones, Beth Langston
Southern Vipers Charlotte Edwards (capt) Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway
Surrey Stars Tammy Beaumont, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver (capt)
Western Storm Heather Knight (capt), Anya Shrubsole, Fran Wilson
Yorkshire Diamonds Katherine Brunt, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Lauren Winfield (capt)

Edwards, the England captain, has just returned from India were her side were knocked out in the semi-final of the Women’s World T20. She has long played for Kent and will lead the Southern Vipers – who are based at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl – in the WSL.”With three or four England players, plus three overseas players, per squad the standard of the Kia Super League is going to be very high; exactly what’s needed to take our game forwards,” Edwards said. “I’m really excited and happy to be a Southern Viper. The Ageas Bowl is somewhere that I’ve always enjoyed playing and I have particularly fond memories of winning the Women’s Ashes there in 2013.”I’ve also done a lot of work in the area with the Hampshire Cricket Board and Chance to Shine, so it’s somewhere that I already feel really at home. I cannot wait to play there as a Viper this summer.”Among other key England players, Nat Sciver will continue her Surrey association with the Stars, and Heather Knight will captain the Western Storm – a partnership between Somerset, Gloucestershire and University of Exeter. Yorkshire Diamonds and Loughborough Lightning are the two teams with four England players.Jo Kirk, the WSL general manager, said: “The key considerations when initially approaching the player allocation process were to ensure an even balance of talent across the six teams, alongside factoring in the local allegiances of the players as much as possible.”Each of the teams will have a squad of 15 players, which will consist of a maximum of four centrally contracted England women’s players, three overseas players, and a maximum of three England Women’s Academy players. The remainder of players will come from the England Women’s Development Programme and a comprehensive county talent identification process.”By the end of this process, the ECB will have collaborated extensively with the six hosts to select 90 players from a talent pool of nearly 200 from this country and across the world. Players will receive a standardised match fee for each game that they compete in, plus expenses will be paid to all players throughout the preparation and competition phases.”The six WSL teams have been awarded hosting rights for a four-year period from 2016-2019 inclusive, with the competition set to expand from T20 only in its inaugural year to both T20 and 50-over cricket in future seasons.