Everton have been strongly linked with a move for Mexican winger Hirving Lozano, and the 22 year-old’s incredible World Cup has shown he could be the signing of the summer for the Toffees.

While there will be plenty of teams sniffing around Lozano after his incredible World Cup, the winger’s relationship with Marcel Brands could still push the scales in the Toffees’ favour.

Lozano was brought to PSV by Everton’s new director of football, and the player has commented on Brands’ desire to see him in blue.

Barcelona have also been linked with a move, but the prospect of being the star of the show at Goodison rather than a depth addition at the Camp Nou could push him towards Merseyside.

The young winger scored 17 and added eight assists in the Eredivisie last season, and has carried that form into some sensational performances in Russia.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

The 28-cap Mexican scored one of the most memorable goals of the tournament thus far, downing Germany in his side’s 1-0 win to kick off group F.

He has shown exactly why he’d be the perfect fit to get fans off their seats at Goodison though, as it’s not all about the goals he scores.

The youngster has completed ten dribbles across the three group games, and added five key passes. Everton have far too many players with poor end product, so a young winger who can not only beat his man but find the right pass afterwards would be a welcome addition.

His assist to Javier Hernandez in the 2-1 win over South Korea showed his composure when carrying the ball forward, and one can only imagine the amount of chances he could create for the likes of Cenk Tosun, chances that were sorely lacking for the big Turk last season.

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Aforementioned, it’s going to be quite the battle to win the race for Lozano, but if Brands can work his magic it could the signing of the summer.

So, Everton fans, do you think you can win the race for Lozano with Barcelona sniffing around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

If Rafael Benitez makes the right signings this summer, Newcastle could have a good enough squad to be a huge threat on the European spots, much to the excitement of the Toon faithful in the Transfer Tavern. 

The surprising departure of Mikel Merino has left a reasonable hole in Newcastle midfield. The Spaniard had a solid season with the Toon and now Rafael Benitez needs to find a replacement. He hasn’t been linked with a move for the club but Everton’s Muhamed Besic is someone they Magpies should be targeting.

Although he hasn’t consistently shown his quality, Muhamed Besic has the talent that could play in any of the top Premier League sides. However, after struggling with injuries at Everton, the Bosnian international has never managed to remain in the Everton side. Indeed, Besic played 23 appearances in the league in his first season at the club but has since never even got close to reaching that number.

In the second half of last year, Besic was sent to Middlesbrough where he played 15 games and helped the side get to the playoffs. With a new boss at the Toffees, Besic may see that his future lies elsewhere, given his lack of action at the club over the years.

As a player, Besic is ideally suited to playing at the base of a 4-2-3-1. Within Benitez’s system, he would be a great partner next to Shelvey as he has the mobility and pace to cover. With the ball, Besic is also very talented and is comfortable starting attacks from deep.

If Newcastle can get him fit, a cut-price deal could be a steal for the Magpies.

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So Newcastle fans – should Rafa splash the cash?

Jacques Kallis appears to be winning his fitness battle to play some part in the first Test against England although he remains extremely doubtful to bowl at Centurion Park.

Andrew McGlashan in Potchefstroom13-Dec-2009Jacques Kallis appears to be winning his fitness battle to play some part in the first Test against England although he remains extremely doubtful to bowl at Centurion Park. Kallis had another lengthy net on the final day of South Africa’s camp in Potchefstroom and will now travel with the squad back to Johannesburg.It seems likely that Kallis will take his place as a specialist batsman on Wednesday with South Africa shaping up to have a four-man attack. Dale Steyn bowled at full tilt on Sunday and barring any late reaction to his hamstring problem is ready to be unleashed on England’s batsmen.”The position is that everyone is on track to be fit for the Test,” said a South Africa team spokesman. “Kallis has had two lengthy nets, yesterday and today, and will continue to build up as we get nearer the time. Dale is bowling full out and everyone else is where they should be.”The spokesman confirmed that Kallis hadn’t bowled during the training camp, but couldn’t elaborate on the chances of him playing as a full allrounder next week. However, team sources have indicated to Cricinfo that this remains a distant prospect.Sunday was billed as d-day for Kallis, but given that he is due for another session in an oxygen chamber on Monday it was always unlikely that South Africa would have made a drastic decision three days out from the Test, unless he had broken down again in Potchefstroom. Also, heading into such an important series, there is the possibility of some mind games over what role Kallis will play. South Africa don’t need to give England any extra boost by putting out too many negative ideas.While Steyn’s recovery is also crucial for South Africa, the most eye-catching bowling effort during the two days of skills practice was that of Morne Morkel who extracted considerable bounce from a centre-wicket session. A recall for Morkel, who was dropped for South Africa’s last Test against Australia in March, would keep Wayne Parnell out of the final XI.When Morkel was brought back for the one-day series he made life uncomfortable for a number of England batsmen, notably Andrew Strauss when he came round the wicket at the England captain. There have been questions asked recently about the potency of South Africa’s attack, with Steyn having had a dip in form and Makhaya Ntini’s productivity decreasing, so Morkel will be needed to add another edge. Paul Harris, the left-arm spinner and fourth member of the probable four-man unit, can expect an increased workload if Kallis is unable to bowl.Both teams have lingering injury concerns heading into Centurion with England keeping close tabs on James Anderson’s knee after his workout in East London. It isn’t an ideal way for teams to prepare and the final answer on both fronts probably won’t be 100% clear until Wednesday morning.

A round up from the latest matches in the Faithwear Metbank One-Day Competition

Cricinfo staff30-Nov-2009Mountaineers made light work of a difficult run chase to defeat Southern Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club. Craig Ervine, the brother of former Zimbabwe and Hampshire player Sean, had given the Rocks an excellent chance of victory when his unbeaten 103-ball 111 lifted the home side to 278. It was his maiden one-day century and continued his good run of form.Yet top-of-the-table Mountaineers were undaunted as fifties from Tetenda Taibu, Timycen Maruma and Tino Mayowo took them to the target with four overs to spare. Mayowo was unlucky not to reach a hundred of his own when he was run out for 97.The Mashonaland Eagles overcame a stiff target against Mid West Rhinos to give them victory at the Harare Sports Club. Captain Elton Chigumbura played the decisive role, guiding his side home with a scintillating and unbeaten 90 from 55 balls. There were also useful contributions from wicketkeeper Forster Mutizwa (49) and Ryan Butterworth (44).Earlier in the day Ray Price, the combative left-arm spinner ranked 3rd in the world in ODI bowling, was the pick of the bowlers taking 2 for 27 in ten overs. The win closes the gap between the two sides to two points, as they vie for second position.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Mountaineers	6	5	0	0	1	24	+1.042	1092/203.2	1082/250.0
Mid West Rhinos	6	3	3	0	0	12	+0.006	1425/297.3	1365/285.2
Mashonaland Eagles	6	2	3	0	1	10	-0.063	1225/247.1	1228/244.4
Southern Rocks	5	2	3	0	0	8	-0.387	1193/248.3	1233/237.4
Matabeleland Tuskers	5	1	4	0	0	4	-0.555	1182/250.0	1209/228.5

A round-up of the first day’s action in first round of the Regional Four Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff09-Jan-2010Nikita Miller gave Jamaica a strong start to their title defence on the first day of the Regional Four Day competition before Windward Islands hit back towards stumps on a low-scoring day in Spanish Town. The hosts’ decision to field first initially seemed to have backfired as Devon Smith and Tyrone Theophile added fifty for the first wicket. Miller then snaffled four wickets in quick succession with his left-arm spin as the visitors slumped to 69 for 5. He warmed up to the task by dismissing both openers before snaring Andre Fletcher for a first-baller. Darren Sammy’s exit sealed a great morning session for the hosts and things got better when Keddy Lesporis fell to Odean Brown. Windwards’ 181 owed a lot to Rawl Lewis who fought back with an unbeaten 82 that included eleven fours and two sixes. Miller mopped up the tail to finish the innings with 7 for 28 in his 27th over. Spurred by the Lewis-inspired resurgence, the visitors struck early in Jamaica’s reply, with the opening bowlers combining to send back the openers before stumps.Opener Omar Philips’ chancy 88 and offspinner Amit Jaggernauth’s spell of 3 for 56 were the highlights as Combined Campuses and Colleges(CCC) finished with 191 for 7 at stumps on the first day against Trinidad & Tobago(T&T) in Montego Bay. After the start was delayed due to a moist wicket, T&T took advantage of the conditions after winning the toss with Richard Kelly picking the wicket of Simon Jackson early. Imran Khan’s dismissal of Nekoli Parris reduced CCC to 46 for 2 and in need of a steadying stand. Philips and Romel Currency provided their side exactly that, adding 94 runs. The conditions eased out considerably, making life easier for the batsmen while the CCC fielders let their side down, dropping Philips five times. Philips cashed in, striking 10 fours before falling to Jaggernauth when in sight of a hundred. Jaggernauth also took out the other settled batsman, Currency, as CCC lost five wickets for 51 to slip from a healthy 140 for 2. Chadwick Walton held one end up with 25 and will look to take his side close to 250 on the second day.Leeward Islands were let down by their batsmen, several of whom wasted starts, as they conceded the opening day’s honours to Barbados in Kingston. Leewards had everything going for them, including the coin-toss, but they did not take their opportunities. Kieran Powell and Montcin Hodge added 25 before they were both sent back. No. 3 Runako Morton seemed to have gauged the conditions well to reach 30, the only batsman in the top five to cross 13, before he was run out. Tonito Willett then became the first of Ryan Hinds’ three wickets and Pedro Collins struck to remove Steve Liburd and reduce Leewards to 86 for 5. The second half of the Leewards line-up fared marginally better, as Omai Banks and Devon Thomas added fifty runs to lift the innings from the rut. However, the malaise of throwing away good starts continued to hold sway, with Justin Athanaze and Gavin Tonge becoming the fourth and fifth batsmen to fall in the thirties. A score of 236 was a distinct under-achievement considering that all the top nine batsmen reached double figures. Barbados grabbed the opportunity to dictate terms, with their openers adding 74 to put their side firmly in control. Dale Richards was five short of a half-century and Jason Haynes was giving him good support at stumps.

Bangladesh now have it in their control to put up a tough, competitive show against the No. 1 side in the world

The Preview by Sidharth Monga16-Jan-2010

Match facts

January 17-21, 2010
Start time 0930 (0330 GMT)

Big picture

Tamim Iqbal has yet to play a Test against India, but fancies his chances of tempering his game•AFP

It’s reality-check time for Bangladesh. This is the first time they will be playing Tests after their historic series win against a replacement West Indies side last July. Opinions were divided on whether to see that success as a big step forward for Bangladesh cricket, the opposition notwithstanding.While they couldn’t control the murmured asterisks that were being put next to the most glorious moment of their young cricket life, Bangladesh now have it in their control to put up a tough, competitive show against the No. 1 side in the world.In a harsh sort of way – such is the nature of the beast – Bangladesh will add more credibility to their West Indies success by pushing India in this series. They know if they are rolled over without a contest, time will not be wasted in reminding them of the pedigree of the team they beat in the Caribbean.Their opponents, who are without their captain MS Dhoni, out due to a back strain, know better than to take them lightly, not least because of the 2007 World Cup debacle which they can never forget. What is less documented, however, is how immediately after that exit India struggled to put Bangladesh out in their last, albeit rain-affected, Chittagong Test. The first Test of the 2007 series started with Wasim Jaffer shouldering arms and getting bowled first ball, and ended with India never being able to create enough distance to win the match. Normal service was resumed in the next Test, but India know that if a No. 1 side takes so long to warm up, it is not allowed to remain at the top for long.

Form guide (last 5 completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WWLLL
India WWDDD

Watch out for

Virender Sehwag doesn’t have an international century against Bangladesh. In two Tests against them, he has managed 23 runs, and even his ODI average against Bangladesh is lower than his overall average. Some correction of those stats might be in order.Tamim Iqbal’s case is inverse. When playing India in ODIs, his average, his strike-rate, and his adrenalin, all shot up. In the lead-up to his first Test against his favourite opponents, Tamim has been talking about the importance of bringing more patience to his game, of “controlling” his mind. This Test won’t be a bad time to start.

Team news

The one big change for Bangladesh from the ODIs will the inclusion of Enamul Haque jnr for Abdur Razzak. One of the part-timers should make way for another specialist batsman, Junaid Siddique in all likelihood. Shahadat Hossain, who was in the squad for the tri-series but not used, should take back his Test spot.Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 9 Enamul Haque jnr, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Rubel Hossain.Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will replace Dhoni, while Sehwag takes over the reins. The other selection issue will be whether to play two spinners or one, and if they opt for two, then who to pick as the second spinner. Tradition suggests they will go with two spinners, and Amit Mishra won the toss-up between him and Pragyan Ojha for the first Test. Ojha played in India’s last Test, and then lost his place in the ODI team to Mishra, who had originally lost that place to Ojha after having only travelled with the squad without getting a game.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8, Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Sreesanth 12th man Ishant Sharma

Pitch and conditions

The Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, previously the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, and even more previously Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, has traditionally been good for spinners. This is the same venue where Shakib Al Hasan took 7 for 36 against New Zealand, the best innings figures by a Bangladesh bowler in Tests. Despite the ground’s proximity to the sea, there is nothing in the forecast to suggest any loss of play over the next five days.

Stats and trivia

• When Bangladesh won the series in the West Indies last year, it was the first time in their 61-match career that they had won back-to-back Tests.
• Outside the matches against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh have managed three draws, and one of them came against India.
• Gautam Gambhir scored his first Test century against Bangladesh, and then started his international comeback with an ODI ton against them, his second overall.

Quotes

“We might possibly go with three quicks and have Shakib [Al Hasan] and Mahmudullah share the spin bowling. The pitch might keep low on days three, four and five and seamers might be handy. But again, nothing is fixed, we might go with three spinners.”
“In one-day [cricket] they can surprise anybody but not in Test matches. It’s an ordinary side. It’s difficult for Bangladesh to take 20 Indian wickets. The kind of batting line up we have, I don’t think so. Even Sri Lanka can’t do that.”

Mahmudullah’s ecstatic on-field celebrations were followed by a chirpy press conference after stumps

Andrew Fernando in Hamilton17-Feb-2010Mahmudullah had cut a disappointed figure at missing out on a maiden Test century by four runs against India recently, but he only had to wait one more match to get to the coveted landmark. After his 115 helped Bangladesh avert the follow-on on day three at Seddon Park, Mahmudullah’s ecstatic on-field celebrations were followed by a chirpy press conference after stumps.”I was happy that this time I got the century after missing out against India … this one might have been my best innings so far because I came into a difficult situation with us six down for around 200, and we batted well,” he said.Mahmudullah also commented on his record-breaking partnership with his captain Shakib Al Hasan. “We had fun, it was a good partnership. We just tried to keep positive and go for the bad balls and were happy to make the runs. If you look at the scorecard, everyone in the top order made a start but didn’t capitalise. So it was good, the way that Shakib and I batted well.”Shakib’s controversial dismissal was played down by Mahmudullah, who believed the ball had carried to the keeper initially. “I thought it was a fair catch the way the New Zealanders were coming [into the huddle], but I was unhappy that Shakib couldn’t also make a century. All the boys were a bit disappointed, but that’s just a part of life.”New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori also weighed in on the issue saying, “I haven’t seen the replays, but Brendon was unsure about it so I went to the umpires and talked to them and they were confident about the decision,” pointing out that Bangladesh “still had a review up their sleeve” but opted not to use it.Vettori also praised the 145-run stand between Mahmudullah and Shakib. “It was a very good partnership. They were busy at the crease and put away every bad ball and put the pressure back on us.”Vettori revealed some of New Zealand’s plan of attack for the rest of the match. “We’ll try to bat out the first two sessions tomorrow and see where we are from there,” he said. “We got a few to turn today, but there is still a large role for the seamers to play. They need to execute better in the fourth innings when we are trying to bowl them out.”

Karnataka fast bowler Vinay Kumar is the only new face in India’s 15-man squad to the World Twenty20 while legspinner Piyush Chawla has been handed a recall

Cricinfo staff26-Mar-2010Karnataka fast bowler Vinay Kumar is the only new face in India’s 15-man squad for the World Twenty20, while legspinner Piyush Chawla returns to the national side after nearly two years. With both Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra declared fit, the rest of the squad pick themselves, Rohit Sharma retaining his place under massive pressure from Virat Kolhi through ODI runs, and Manish Pandey through a bumper Ranji season and impressive showing in the IPL. Vinay has edged out Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth, both part of India’s last Twenty20 squad.Parallels could be drawn with India’s selection of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, who were still recovering from injuries, for last year’s World Twenty20. Then, as the selectors said later, India had taken the risk and paid for it: Sehwag didn’t manage a single game, and Zaheer was not at his best. This time, though, Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of national selection committee, confirmed all players had sent in their fitness certificates, and that there were no fitness worries in the squad.The selectors resisted the temptation of looking outside the 30 probables they had earlier announced, after Robin Uthappa’s fireworks in the IPL, and Irfan Pathan’s return to fitness. Instead they went for the tried and tested names there: Rohit in the middle order, and Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja as allrounders. As expected, Jadeja’s controversial omission from the IPL didn’t hamper his future with the national side.While the selectors didn’t get carried away by a few good performances in the first third of the IPL, Vinay’s impressive bowling in the event so far, in addition to yet another big domestic season, was enough for the nod. Vinay, the fourth seamer in the squad, picked 46 Ranji wickets, and as a timely nudge, is currently joint-second on the IPL wicket-takers’ list, bagging eight for Royal Challengers Bangalore.The same formula didn’t work for his state-mate Pandey, though. He was the leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy, and has been valuable for Bangalore in the IPL so far. The selection committee, however, went for the batsman more experienced at the international level, in Rohit.The choice of back-up spinner, which has been this selection committee’s weakest suit, continues to baffle. Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra, who have been taking turns in travelling as the back-up spinner without actually getting a decent run in the team, were both overlooked in favour of Chawla. All three spinners have been in reasonable form in the IPL, with Mishra leading the way. Chawla last played for India during the 2008 Asia Cup in Pakistan.”I had a really good Ranji Trophy season after a good county stint at Sussex. So I was confident about my cricket but about this Twenty20 selection it was 50-50,” Chawla told Cricinfo. “So this call is a big surprise. I knew I would come back in the Indian team but I was not very, very confident about making it to the Twenty20 squad.”That MS Dhoni is returning from an injury must have prompted the selectors to pick a reserve wicketkeeper, although they don’t lose much by way of a batsman because Dinesh Karthik has proved to be a good batsman in the Twenty20 format.The World Twenty20 starts on April 30, five days after the end of the IPL; India are grouped with South Africa and Afghanistan.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma

The PCB has confirmed the appointment of former fast bowler Waqar Younis as Pakistan coach, replacing Intikhab Alam

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2010The PCB has confirmed the appointment of former fast bowler Waqar Younis as Pakistan coach, replacing Intikhab Alam. Waqar has been offered a contract till December 2011 and comes to the helm after a disastrous tour of Australia, which Pakistan finished without a win. Former Pakistan batsman Ijaz Ahmed, who was in charge of the national Under-19 team which reached the final of the World Cup in New Zealand, will be the batting and fielding coach.PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, said the board had also considered Waqar’s new-ball bowling partner in the 90s, Wasim Akram, for the post. “We had a choice between Younis and Wasim Akram,” Butt said, “but since Akram was busy with his commitments in the media we decided to appoint Younis as the new coach.”Waqar has already had a couple of stints as bowling coach, first between March 2006 and January 2007 when Bob Woolmer was head coach, and then on the recent visit to Australia. He is being offered a monthly salary of 650,000 rupees (US$7600). His first challenge will be to prepare the team for the defense of their World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean in a couple of months.Waqar’s appointment comes after the PCB failed to convince former Australian captain Greg Chappell to take up the coaching job. “Foreign coaches were demanding big money and were willing to work with our team only when its touring some other country,” Butt said. “This was not acceptable to us.”

Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, is a clear front-runner for the post of IPL chairman but there are a few dark horses

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Apr-2010There is no sign of a compromise between Lalit Modi and the BCCI over the IPL with a day to go for the crucial IPL governing council meeting. On Saturday, the BCCI top leadership was huddled in a series of meetings planning their strategy for Monday; by the evening Modi ended his silence of several days by sending out a message through his Twitter feed that he would not be backing down in what he called a “trial by media”.Adding to the complexity of the situation were the statements of support for Modi from franchise owners, whose role in resolving the crisis – by way of compatibility with any future leadership – would be crucial.Amid the shadow-boxing and unstated positions was the question of how Sharad Pawar – officially the ICC’s president-elect but de facto still the most powerful man in Indian cricket – would defuse a crisis that has seen his family and that of his party and cabinet colleague Praful Patel dragged in. There were reports that Pawar was working on a compromise formula that would see Modi exit the IPL without being disgraced but it is not clear whether such a deal would stand scrutiny from those more hostile to Modi both within the board and – given Pawar’s political avatar – in the public sphere.On record, the most dramatic statements were from Modi, who broke a five-day silence by coming out on Twitter. “People pressurising me to resign – I can tell you will not happen. Let them remove me then,” he tweeted. “Truth will prevail soon. Trial by media and no chance to present the facts is like the wild west.”Wait for the IPL to finish,” he said, “I will reveal the men who have tried to bring disrepute to the game and how we stopped them from doing it.”His messages came a day after the IPL’s awards ceremony, where the BCCI’s top two officials were missing, and a day before the tournament final. On Friday night, his speech at the awards ceremony was interpreted as a sort of farewell speech and the tone continued in Saturday’s tweets. “What we have done has been there for all of you to see for the past 4 years. No one can take that away.”The men who would take that away spent the day first at the BCCI headquarters and later, reportedly, at a city hotel trying to sort out the legal, administrative and political issues. The IPL’s governing council will meet formally on Monday morning – BCCI president Shashank Manohar confirmed the meeting would go ahead as scheduled – to discuss the issue but they would like a plan in place by then.Speculation has begun on who will replace Modi as IPL chairman, with Manohar a clear front-runner for a role in an overseeing capacity, and Ravi Shastri, the former India all-rounder, an outside bet for an executive position. Those familiar with the situation suggest that Manohar’s name will be nominated for the chairman’s position as soon as a consensus is taken on Modi.”Shashank Manohar should be the first choice,” one of the IPL governing council members told Cricinfo. “In whatever capacity he is willing to serve, he is the ideal replacement.”Punters had already tipped Manohar as a favourite for interim chairman of the IPL as Modi’s grip over the IPL weakened by the minute in the last week over numerous allegations that have federal agencies like the Income-Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate investigating all aspects of the league’s operations.Unlike the high profile that Modi has maintained, Manohar is low key, almost austere and inscrutable. A lawyer by profession, he mostly operates from his hometown of Nagpur. His biggest strengths are his simplicity and discipline – and, perhaps, his reluctance to entertain the media. “He is honest and has no allegiance to anyone else. Also his untainted image is necessary for the board at the moment,” said the source.But not everyone is entirely sure if Manohar’s clean image by itself makes him a suitable choice. “A large part of working in the IPL is you are dealing with team owners who are not used to taking no for an answer,” a franchise official said. “You need somebody who is used to dealing with the corporate world. People who works for only the BCCI or for himself like Shashank Manohar, who is a lawyer, is used to diktats and not used to dealing with industry bosses. If you don’t understand their problems then there will be huge differences.”A better choice, according to the official, would be Shastri, whose cricketing background coupled with his diversified interests in the corporate field make him a good proposition. Shastri has logged in more than a decade in the corporate industry in areas such as television, and event management. “The IPL sits on a huge bridge between industry and cricket. Being a man who has his own event management company, knows the showbiz, has worked on both sides, Shastri is not a bad choice. That in this case could prove to be a vital difference,” the franchise official pointed out.The franchises are a big factor in this issue and on Saturday there was some support for Modi, who has been the target of what some have called a witch-hunt, from two franchise owners. Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise, met Pawar and is believed to have pleaded Modi’s case. “Modi must be given an opportunity at some point of time to explain himself. This whole controversy has become an unnecessary toofan (storm). Yes, there may be some questions about the way in which IPL runs. Clearly, some governing council members may not be happy. Let all that be properly investigated,” Mallya said after the meeting.Also on Saturday, the actress Preity Zinta, a co-owner of the Punjab franchise, said Modi has been unfairly singled out and deserved credit for making the IPL what it is. Her comments echoed those of Jay Mehta, the co-owner of the Kolkata franchise, on Friday; he said, “To make one person the fall guy for this is unfortunate”. There were also tweets from Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty, stakeholders in the Kolkata and Jaipur franchises, supporting Modi.