All posts by h716a5.icu

A round-up of the third day’s play in round one of Ranji Trophy Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016Dhawal Kulkarni’s six-for and Abhishek Nayar’s unbeaten 45 led Mumbai to a tense two-wicket win on the third day against Tamil Nadu, to start their title defense in Lahli. Once Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 185, Mumbai stuttered on their way to chase 97, being 35 for 5 at one point, before Nayar saw them through.Mumbai had a shaky start to their chase, as Aswin Christ removed the openers and K Vignesh got rid of Kaustubh Pawar, Armaan Jaffer and Suryakumar Yadav, leaving Mumbai still 62 adrift with five wickets left. Nayar, who was promoted from No. 7 to 5, held one end with a brisk innings. He got brief support from Aditya Tare’s 23-ball stay, but Crist had the captain caught behind after the team crossed 50. Kulkarni was then caught behind off Vignesh, before Balwinder Sandhu’s eighth-wicket stand of 30 with Nayar took the score to 90. Sandhu fell for 12, but Nayar, on his 33rd birthday, used five fours and two sixes to earn six points for Mumbai.Tamil Nadu started their day on 153 for 6, ahead by only 64, and could add only 32 more as Kulkarni ran through the tail. B Aparajith, who was on 15 overnight, kept resisting, but ran out of partners. He was unbeaten on 28 as Kulkarni dismissed J Kousik, Christ, M Mohammed and Rahil Shah. Kulkarni finished with his 13th five-for in first-class cricket, and maiden match haul of 10 wickets, his 6 for 47 having come on the back of 4 for 31 in the first innings.Uttar Pradesh were left with a daunting task to save the match after conceding a first-innings lead to Madhya Pradesh and being asked to follow on in Hyderabad.Bowled out for 176 in the first innings, UP ended the day at 118 for 2, still trailing Madhya Pradesh by 171 runs. Opener Tanmay Srivastava (60*) and Sarfaraz Khan (18) were at the crease, having added 38. A call on whether Suresh Raina can bat will be taken on the morning of the final day. Raina is recovering from a mild fever and didn’t bat in the first innings.Wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi was the top-scorer in UP’s first innings with 37, while Kuldeep Yadav made 36. MP’s new-ball pair of Ishwar Pandey (3 for 65) and Gaurav Yadav (4 for 44) did bulk of the damage. Gaurav had last played for Madhya Pradesh in November 2014.Gujarat made slow progress, but were still in the fight for the first-innings lead against Baroda after half-centuries from Bhargav Merai (70) and Manpreet Juneja (66 not out), in Jaipur. They went into stumps on 277 for 4, still needing 267 runs to pocket three points.Their hopes will hinge largely on Juneja and Rujul Bhatt (38 not out), who shared an unbroken 100-run stand after the Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – removed Merai and Parthiv Patel, the captain, in quick succession to leave Gujarat at 177 for 4. Irfan Pathan was wicketless, while Munaf Patel had one.Railways consolidated their position against Punjab with a 116-run lead on the third day in Delhi. Shivakant Shukla, who made 128 in the first innings, built a solid opening stand with Saurabh Wakaskar, before the latter retired hurt on 56. Shukla ended the day unbeaten on 86, with Railways at 180 for 2 in their second innings.Earlier, Punjab, who resumed on 154 for 4, added only 61 to their overnight total as medium-pacer Manjeet Singh Choudhary picked up three of the six wickets to fall, including the wickets of Gurkeerat Singh Mann (66) and Uday Kaul (61). Choudhary finished with 4 for 56, while Anureet Singh and Deepak Bansal picked up two wickets apiece.

An update has emerged on Burnley and their plans to bolster their midfield options in the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Fabio Carvalho to Burnley?

According to Football Insider, the Clarets are interested in a deal to sign Portuguese attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Premier League giants Liverpool.

The report claims that the club are keen on adding the ex-Fulham starlet to their squad for the 2023/24 campaign and are willing to bring him in on loan or on a permanent basis.

It is stated that manager Vincent Kompany wants to add a cutting edge to his midfield and would like to recruit a player who can play in a multitude of roles.

Who is Fabio Carvalho?

He is a 20-year-old midfielder who is capable of playing in multiple positions across the middle of the park and attack. The ace has been deployed as a number ten, on both flanks, up front, and as a central midfielder, in his short career to date.

Carvalho has only played 727 minutes, across 22 appearances, in the Premier League this season but caught the eye with his sensational performances for Fulham in the Championship in 2021/22 and could form an exciting partnership with current Burnley star Josh Brownhill.

The Englishman scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 41 outings in the second tier for the Clarets to help them on their way to the title. He has proven himself to be a player who can burst forward from midfield positions to make telling contributions in the final third with goals and assists, which is a skill that Carvalho could also provide.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the youngster, who Liverpool pundit Paul Machin dubbed "tremendous", scored ten goals and assisted eight in 36 appearances for Fulham in the Championship. He created a whopping 13 'big chances' for his teammates – four more than Brownhill this term – and these statistics show that the prodigy has the potential to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch.

The £40k-per-week wizard has also shown signs of promise at the top level at Anfield this season. Carvalho has scored 0.39 non-penalty goals per 90 – two in 17 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League combined – and this places him in the top 1% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.

This suggests that the potential is there for him to score goals in the top-flight and that is why the magician could be an excellent addition to Burnley's squad and form an exciting partnership with Brownhill.

The attacking midfield pairing could provide a huge goal threat from the middle of the park to go along with their excellent creativity in possession, which could be vital in helping the Clarets to avoid relegation back to the Championship by scoring and assisting match-winning goals next season.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is seemingly ready to raid his former club Ajax once again, amid claims that the Dutchman is keen on a reunion with Mohammed Kudus this summer.

What's the latest on Kudus to Man United?

According to journalist David Ornstein – writing in his weekly column for The Athletic – the Red Devils are reportedly among the clubs who are keeping tabs on the Ghanaian international, with the 22-year-old seemingly intent on leaving the Eredivisie side at the end of the season.

The report claims that the 23-cap gem – who is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Newcastle United – only recently rejected a new one-year extension on his current deal, with the player's existing contract set to expire in the summer of 2025.

As such, the Amsterdam outfit could well sanction a sale for the former Nordsjaelland ace if he does not agree to a renewal, with the piece noting that a fee of around £40m could be enough for the likes of United to strike a deal.

Who could Kudus replace at Man United?

The 5 foot 9 sensation appears to be a player that Ten Hag is keen to link up with in the near future, with Manchester Evening News having reported back in February that the Dutchman believes the versatile forward has the 'attributes to excel in the Premier League'.

With the 53-year-old having already prised both Lisandro Martinez and Antony from his former employers last summer, it would be no surprise to see him again return to the Johan Cruyff Arena in order to snap up Kudus, with the exciting talent having enjoyed a stellar campaign thus far.

The much-coveted dynamo has scored 18 goals and provided six assists in 42 games across all fronts this season, proving an invaluable asset due to his ability to feature in a playmaking role, on the flanks or as a centre-forward.

The youngster's attacking flexibility could well make him a dream replacement for Anthony Martial in the forward line, with the injury-prone asset – who has missed 27 games this season – looking set for an exit from Old Trafford ahead of next season.

The long-serving Frenchman has scored only eight goals and provided only three assists in 27 games in all competitions so far this term, notably scoring just twice in his last ten league outings as a marker of his lack of consistency.

A major benefit of snapping up Kudus in his place would be the Ajax man's superior creative prowess as he has averaged 3.38 progressive passes and 3.38 progressive carries per 90 over the last 365 days, as per FBref, while Martial by contrast, has averaged just 2.97 and 1.66 for those same two metrics, respectively.

Equally, the Ghana international – who has been hailed as "fun to watch" by Dutch icon Marco van Basten – also seemingly possesses a great work ethic having averaged 1.27 tackles per 90, while the current United man has averaged just 0.44 for the same metric.

With Martial's time seemingly up after almost eight years in Manchester, Ten Hag could put the final nail in the striker's Man United career by turning to the fleet-footed Kudus this summer.

Sharjeel Khan struck 152, the third highest score for Pakistan in ODI cricket, and Imad Wasim bagged 5 for 14 as they crushed Ireland by 255 runs

Tim Wigmore in Dublin18-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ballSharjeel Khan pulls during his century•AFPIn the list of the fastest ODI centuries by Pakistan and you will see a familiar name: Shahid Afridi. Afridi is still the owner of the three fastest hundreds, but now there is a new man lurking behind him: Sharjeel Khan, who is now the proud owner of the fastest century by a Pakistani not named Afridi and the architect of the heaviest victory by runs in the country’s ODI history.The tempo of Sharjeel’s innings – and the utterly one-sided nature of this match – was established in the first over. Undeterred by muggy skies or the threat of seam, Sharjeel scythed his second ball, from Tim Murtagh, through the offside and then launched the over’s final delivery for a straight six.That same impudent spirit defined the rest of his innings. Sharjeel treated Ireland’s bowlers as if he was range-hitting against local net bowlers. The shot with which he brought up his century, a sweep to leg that was misfielded, actually had a subtlety out of sync with the rest of his stay; this was an innings of unrelenting brutality, defined above all by Sharjeel’s brazen, clean hitting to the leg side, pulling imperiously and launching the ball over long on with impunity.The violence was also out of sync with the bucolic setting at Malahide. This is the venue that Ireland hope to turn into their fortress, yet not only were their team humiliated on the pitch, their ignominious batting collapse made all the more unpalatable by coming in the best conditions of the day, yet here the home fans were outdone – if not in number, then certainly in noise – by Pakistan’s supporters. When Sharjeel raised his helmet and performed the in celebration at his maiden ODI century, coming off only 61 balls and four days after his 27th birthday, he did so against a backdrop of chants of “Pakistan! Zindabad”.He only became more merciless after reaching his century. Twenty-five balls later he had sailed past 150, greeting the slow emergence of the sun with a series of shots that not merely cleared the boundary at Malahide, but would have done so at any ground in the world. While Sharjeel was batting, there seemed not so much one game of cricket being played as two: the bedlam when he was at the crease, and the relative tranquillity when he was not, as Mohammad Hafeez took 59 balls over 37.Perhaps Sharjeel’s impact was overdue. He made his ODI debut three years ago but, after a sparkling 61 on debut, his form collapsed, and he was dropped after 11 ODIs brought an average of just 17.63, and, in the process ditched from T20 cricket too. The creation of the Pakistan Super League created a new platform for him to impress the selectors, and a 62-ball 117 against Shaun Tait and Wahab Riaz gave note of his talent. He was recalled to Pakistan’s T20 side and performed encouragingly in their dismal World T20 campaign.But many considered him a little on the rotund side for an international cricketer. When Pakistan went on their army boot camp, to Abbottabad, in preparation for their tour to England, Sharjeel struggled, and was given a tailor-made programme to make him fit for international cricket. During Pakistan A’s tour of England, he made plenty of runs, including 125 against the England Lions, but more important was the 5kg he lost.”That boot camp was really special, and the fitness work is really helping us on this tour,” he said after his memorable day. “I need to improve my fitness more day-by-day.”Not that Sharjeel did much running here, too busy exploiting the shoddy length of Ireland’s bowlers – too full or, more often, too short. Even in a match reduced to 47 overs a side, Sharjeel was on course to waltz past Saeed Anwar’s 194, and set a new record for Pakistan’s top individual score in an ODI before, attempting to hit his 10th six, he top edged Barry McCarthy to Niall O’Brien.By now, though, Ireland had cause to fear a chase as onerous as the 378 they were set by Sri Lanka at Malahide exactly two months ago. William Porterfield later reckoned that the game was actually lost in the first 20 overs, when Ireland’s bowlers failed to exploit the seaming conditions that had led him to insert Pakistan. For Peter Chase, heaved for 70 in seven overs, matches such as this are indeed “a tough school,” as Porterfield reflected; what he would have given to be able to summon Boyd Rankin instead.The skill of Tim Murtagh and the zest of McCarthy, whose four wickets lifted him to 18 in seven ODIs this summer, created a brief period of calm after Sharjeel’s dismissal, but it did not last long. Shoaib Malik, playing his 233rd ODI, and Mohammad Nawaz, playing his first, added 105 to leave Ireland needing to chase over seven an over.Few gave them a chance of doing so, but nor did they envisage Ireland being bundled out within 24 overs. Imad Wasim feasted on the frailties in Ireland’s batting, though he can surely never had to do so little to take a five-wicket haul in professional cricket. The match ended with three Wasim wickets in four deliveries: each came from little more than innocuous arm-balls, as Porterfield later admitted. It summed up a desolate Ireland performance.While Sharjeel had lifted Pakistan to their insurmountable total, another Pakistan returnee, Umar Gul, ran through Ireland’s top order, with a hostile spell of swing bowling in his first ODI for a year. The most mesmerising bowling, though, was reserved for Mohammad Amir, who swung the second ball of the innings to uproot Paul Stirling’s off stump, and then had Ed Joyce, defeated by a ball so quick that he could not get his bat out of the line in time, dropped at second slip.That Amir was only needed to bowl four overs was the final indignity for Ireland. The day ended not merely with their lowest ever total in a home ODI and second lowest anywhere, but the second largest defeat by runs in their history. It also ended with new urgency imbued into the fear that the opportunities that Ireland have craved for so long have come at a time when the team is in decline.

Presenter Conor McGilligan has claimed current Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce would be a "big fish in a small pond" if he stays with the club after relegation.

What is the latest manager news for Leeds?

Having burned through former head coaches Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia already this season, the Whites are onto their third manager of the campaign.

And in a position of real trouble, the board have turned to Big Sam to try and get them through. A loss to Manchester City in his first game in charge, followed by a draw with Newcastle United this weekend, now means they have just two Premier League games left to play but remain one point from safety.

With that being the case, there is every chance that Leeds will be relegated at the end of the month and it remains unclear who will guide them in the Championship if that happens.

While talking about it all on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan pondered the idea of Allardyce staying on.

He said (40:52): "Would he fancy it? Who knows.

"I'd be more confident with him maybe in the Championship than I would in the Premier League.

"I think he'd be one of those in the Championship where people turn around and go you know, at the end of the day – I know he only had one game – he's still an ex-England manager, isn't he?

“So it's a big fish in a small pond you could say in the Championship."

Will Allardyce stay at Leeds?

Allardyce has only signed an initial contract until the end of the season with the Daily Mail claiming he will be paid £500,000, plus £2.5m in bonus if he can keep them up.

Should they go down, though, there is a chance the 68-year-old could hang around. After all, this is his first job in management since 2021 and even admitted he was "shocked" to be offered the role.

With that in mind, he might want to stick about and perhaps Leeds will be happy to have him in charge as he does at least have experience in the Championship.

Indeed, over the course of his career, he has coached 46 games in that division – all with West Ham United – also winning all three playoff games to get promoted back into the Premier League.

All in all, it's not impossible to see a scenario where the Englishman is handed the job on a permanent basis regardless of what happens in Leeds' final two games.

Twenty-year old Suné Luus became only the second player to make a half-century and take a five-for in a women’s ODI as South Africa Women crushed Ireland Women by 89 runs in the first ODI in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Suné Luus emulated Heather Knight’s feat of scoring a half-century and register a five-wicket haul in a women’s ODI•Getty ImagesTwenty-year old Suné Luus became only the second player to make a half-century and take a five-for in a women’s ODI as South Africa Women crushed Ireland Women by 89 runs in the first ODI in Dublin. Luus, the legspinning allrounder, struck her maiden ODI fifty to help South Africa post 283 for 7 after they were put in. She followed it with 6 for 36 – the second-best figures by a South African in women’s cricket – as Ireland were bowled out for 194 in 44.5 overs.With South Africa reduced to 106 for 5 halfway into the 26th over, following the dismissal of captain Dinesha Devnarain, Luus added 142 for the sixth wicket with Chloe Tryon, who struck 92 off 68 balls. The stand ended when Luus was run-out for 52 by Kim Garth in the 48th over. Three balls later, Tryon was dismissed, but by then, South Africa had passed 250.Garth had earlier produced a double-strike in the 11th over to undermine South Africa’s solid start, which was facilitated by opener Laura Wolvaardt’s 55. Garth, however, was among three Ireland bowlers to concede over six runs an over.Gaby Lewis pitched in with a wicket, but was the first to depart in Ireland’s chase of 284. Luus then struck in her first over to get rid of Cath Dalton for 12. She struck in her second over to account for Cecelia Joyce. When the other Joyce – Isobel – fell to Luus, Ireland were reduced to 54 for 4.Luss went on to cut through the middle and lower order, even as Garth provided some fight with a career-best 72 not out, off 80 balls. Seamer Masabata Klaas complemented Luus with two wickets.The second ODI will be played at the same venue on Sunday.

Sam Allardyce has just two games left to save Leeds United's status in the Premier League and with tough games against West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to come, he will need to drum up something special to keep them up.

The vastly-experienced Englishman has already shown a willingness to try something different by starting Robin Koch in midfield and Rasmus Kristensen at centre-back but it has done little to improve Leeds' defensive woes, as they were perhaps lucky to only concede a combined four goals in games against two top-three teams in Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Naturally in a season where things haven't gone to plan, certain players become scapegoats for fans and one man who has seemingly been written off is summer signing Brenden Aaronson.

However, the 22-year-old's displays have not been as bad as people think, and he could prove to be an unlikely saviour for Allardyce in the final two games – if he opts to give him some first-team minutes.

Should Allardyce start Aaronson?

The USA international, who earns £45k-per-week, has made 34 appearances in the Premier League this season, mustering just one goal and three assists, with a disappointing 6.45 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Given Leeds spent around £25m to sign him from RB Salzburg last summer, you would have perhaps hoped for more from the young midfielder but it must also be remembered that it is his first season at this level, and he will no doubt have been hit hard by the exit of former manager and American compatriot Jesse Marsch.

It's been a disappointing season for more than a few members of Leeds' squad, which is why they are in the position that they're in but Aaronson can at least boast to be one of the most creative outlets at Elland Road.

The 22-year-old currently ranks second for key passes, second for dribbles and fourth for shots per game in Leeds' squad, which suggests that he can definitely offer Allardyce something from an attacking perspective.

The former Philadelphia Union star's only goal of the season came just in the third game against Chelsea. However, this emphasised just what he is capable of, as he closed down Edouard Mendy and tapped the ball in on the line.

His impressive work rate, which once saw him lauded as a "pressing machine" by The Athletic's Phil Hay, could be vital in the final two games of the season as Leeds look to cause problems for their opponents, both of whom could well have very little to play for.

With fellow midfielders Weston McKennie and Sam Greenwood failing to make much of an impression in the midfield against the Magpies, having completed just 17 passes between them, it must be time for Aaronson to get his first start under Allardyce.

If he can reproduce some of his early-season form and give Leeds an energy boost in the middle of the park, it could just be enough to keep them in the Premier League in what would be a bold and questionable call.

David Warner has emphasised the need to be patient in order to be successful in slow and low subcontinent conditions

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele24-Jul-2016David Warner, patient? In Sri Lanka, he knows he needs to be. Almost two years since his last Test hundred overseas, Warner is emphasising long innings and strike rotation as the keys to Australia’s success in Sri Lanka, and also in India next year.Not since a century in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai in October 2014 has Warner topped three figures away from home ports, scoring minimally in the West Indies last year and then squandering plenty of starts in the Ashes as he tried to adapt his game. While conscious of not losing his natural attacking instincts, Warner said there would need to be more nuance to the way the Australia’s top order confronts Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers in particular.”The challenge for us is about batting long periods of time,” Warner said in Pallekele. “We know that’s what wins games in these conditions. You’ve got to be able to bat well into the next day and that’s the focus for us. It’s about adapting to these conditions, adapting to the things that are thrown at us and we have to take those challenges. It’s not about challenging specific bowlers. There are times in games when you might need to apply some pressure.”You’ve got to be patient enough. You’ve got to rotate the strike. Your patience comes with hitting your four-balls, your boundary balls. They’re the ones you’ve got to really wait on. That’s what we’re talking about with patience in this game, especially over here. You’ve got to bite the bullet.”[Rotating the strike] is the key, especially with a right-hand, left-hand combination, to try to mix it up a bit with the bowlers. These days a lot of teams either have a left-arm orthodox [spinner] or a right-arm offie. You’ve always got to try to rotate the strike and that’s the most important thing when it comes to playing spin or playing fast bowlers as well. Try to put the bowlers off a little bit.”Asked about his lack of hundreds away from home in recent times, Warner said he would be trying to balance attack and defence. “I always try my best,” he said. “If I have to bat for a day or a day-and-a-half, I go out there and I try to do that. But the element of my game is to try to score runs. I try to apply pressure on the bowlers and that has always been my game plan. That’s what I always set out to do and I probably won’t change that. It has been a while since I’ve scored a hundred outside the country. We’ve got to start well, bat long periods of time.”Tactically, Warner is expecting the series to be fought on an attritional basis at times, as the Australians try to adapt to a slower Asian Test match tempo while Sri Lanka set defensive fields and seek to prey on the visitors’ patience. “You’re going to have to be prepared for some boring fields. Both teams are going to use that,” he said. “You’re going to have your sweepers out there, especially for the spinners. You are going to have your fielders in the deep, so you have to be prepared to get your runs in ones and twos.”Whoever is the fittest team will probably win the games. It can be like that in these conditions. Unless you’re going to blast them out of the park with the bat or your quicks somehow manage to go through them on low tracks, it is going to be a big grind. It is going to be a big grind. That’s where the spinners play a big role.”Warner believes the IPL experience has helped him approach spin better•BCCIWarner excelled as a captain earlier this year when he led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first IPL title. As deputy to Steven Smith for Australia, he is looking to provide an example to players further down the order, making use of the Indian experience he has gleaned over the past decade. Tellingly, he said that practice pitches were often more useful than the strips used for matches.”Times have changed. It’s a bit different,” Warner said of how his methods against spin had evolved. “That’s the fortunate thing for us to go over and play IPL. I’ve been over for eight years, nine years in a row now. It’s the experience you gain from training on the wickets there, you can actually use that to your advantage. Yes it’s a white ball, but still the conditions and the surfaces, once they deteriorate, get quite challenging.”In that form of the game, you have to try to score. So it gives you a bit of an advantage to actually, one, look to score but then improvise as well when you play Test cricket. The game’s about moving forward and we try to get on with the game and try to score. It gives you an advantage to look for those scoring options rather than just trying to survive. But then again, it does suit you in certain areas to get back in your crease and use your feet to survive as well.”Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe have trained with near-new balls in the nets at Pallakele, and Warner said there would be times when both sides throw the ball to the spinners early on. “A lot of teams have done that in the past in subcontinent conditions – we also saw that with Pakistan in the UAE,” he said.”I think the harder the ball, the more inconsistency with spin and variation and that’s probably the main thing that skippers like to use. Plus the bounce. I think you’ll see that more in the second innings of the game; in the first innings, you probably won’t see it too much unless we’re trying to dry up one end for both teams.”Warner is entering the series with a fractured finger in the final stages of healing after he broke it during the ODI series in the West Indies. This is added to the thumb he has broken more than once, meaning he needs special reinforcement in his gloves and can expect to be dealing with pain when he bats and also, at times, in the field. Usman Khawaja has been practising to field in the slips, but Warner will be closer to the bat for the spinners, either at leg slip or second slip.”It’s going well at the moment. A couple of times when I’ve hit on the toe [of the bat] it’s been a bit painful,” Warner said. “I’ve experienced that before with the thumb but just with the game moving forward I’ll do the same thing I did with the thumb – put a guard over the top that’s underneath the glove and has a bit of silicon feel to it and stops a bit of vibration. But I should be ready to go.”

Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of Julian Nagelsmann has been well-documented, with the north London outfit having engaged in talks with the German just last week.

However, given there has been little update since, it seems chairman Daniel Levy is not prepared to wait around to appoint a manager before beginning the rebuild of his playing staff.

In fact, any acquisitions he makes could serve as an added incentive to convince one of the higher-end bosses to trust in the process being crafted at Spurs.

This was at least the thought process being reported by Football Insider last month, as they suggested that the board are already sold on the signing of James Maddison, and are not keen to wait around for the approval of their next manager.

The Leicester City midfielder has been in imperious form this season despite featuring for a relegation-threatened side, and as such has garnered interest from other Premier League clubs, front-runners Newcastle United included.

Should Levy and the board manage to push this deal through, with which the Foxes are reportedly holding out for around £50m, it could present Nagelsmann with a fine asset to mould in the image of another of his successful former players in Serge Gnabry.

How has James Maddison played this season?

Despite recording ten goals and nine assists from an attacking midfield role this season, the England international's outfit are actually languishing in the relegation zone.

To think how these numbers might elevate further when supplying the likes of Harry Kane makes for an exciting future, with journalist Nizaar Kinsella suggesting he boasted the ability to play a "killer ball" when fit and firing.

The comparisons that the 26-year-old share with the German winger is more with regard to their technical proficiency rather than physicality, as despite the electric pace of the Bayern Munich star, Maddison is not blessed with such speed.

What he has been given instead though is an immeasurable ability to dribble with the ball, weaving and fainting to create space for himself and others, and convincing analyst Statman Dave that he is a "magician".

When compared to other attacking midfielders across Europe, the Foxes' "creative genius" – as further hailed by Statman Dave – actually ranks in the top 9% for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 4% for assists per 90, via FBref.

Such a consistent offensive threat has even seen Gnabry mentioned within FBref's similar players model for the former Norwich City ace, with the two made to seem even more similar as the 27-year-old has recorded 14 goals and 11 assists this season across all competitions; a similar return to Leicester's main man.

Both players have also been deployed in alike roles, either through the middle as a no.10 or secondary striker or out on the right flank.

When Nagelsmann was in charge of the trickster, who featured 107 times under the 35-year-old, his philosophy to narrow the pitch and forge intricate plays between his players was when the former Arsenal gem truly showcased his technical proficiency.

Therefore, Maddison would likely thrive in this sort of environment, as a similarly right-footed player able to come inside from the left with an eager eye and his decisiveness.

If Spurs can push this deal through with immediacy, the out-of-work manager could well walk into the job with a very exciting player already at his disposal and in transitioning his tactical beliefs at Hotspur Way, the young mastermind could well unearth his next Gnabry-like threat in the final third.

Rohit Sharma spoke highly of incoming India head coach Anil Kumble, describing the former India captain as an “inspiring” figure from whom he had learnt a lot

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2016India batsman Rohit Sharma has spoken highly of the side’s new head coach Anil Kumble, describing the former India captain as an “inspiring” figure from whom he had learnt a lot.Rohit played alongside Kumble towards the end of the legspinner’s India career. The two renewed their professional relationship when Kumble served as Mumbai Indians’ team mentor from 2013 to 2015, a period during which the team won two IPL titles and a Champions League T20 title. Kumble’s first assignment as India coach is the four-Test series in the West Indies in July and August.”I have two [three] years of experience [with him] at Mumbai Indians and I know the kind of things we spoke about. I was the captain and he was the coach and mentor of the team. I got to learn a lot from him,” Rohit said at an event in Mumbai. “I was fortunate enough to play with him during the last months before he retired. I remember in 2008, I was part of the Test squad to Sri Lanka and he was the captain. And he always had this attitude of never giving up, which as a young player is so inspiring.”You have to keep fighting no matter what. If the game is slipping away from your hands, don’t give up till the last ball is bowled. That’s how he played his cricket. You get the feeling that he was someone who wouldn’t let go too easily. That’s the kind of message that he wanted to send across. That’s the kind of message we also want as young players. He’s very inspiring.”Rohit was also full of praise for Ravi Shastri, whose 18-month tenure as India team director came to an end after the World T20 earlier this year. Shastri had been appointed to the role in August 2014, after India’s dismal loss in the Test series in England. During Shastri’s tenure, India made it to the semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20 – and briefly occupied the No. 1 Test ranking earlier this year. Shastri had applied for the position of head coach in June, but his application was ultimately unsuccessful as Kumble was chosen.”[Shastri] took up the responsibility when we were in a shambles,” Rohit said. “As soon as he came, he created a positive atmosphere around us.”Rohit added that Shastri had been “a big influence on Indian cricket for the past 18 months.”