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Hales’ decision to become a white-ball specialist has been rewarded with a Sunrisers contract which will mean he misses at least two Royal London Cup matches for Notts

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2018Notts Outlaws batsman Alex Hales has been signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad as a replacement for David Warner. The former Australian vice-captain was set to captain the franchise, but resigned and was then banned by the BCCI from playing in the tournament for his part in the ball-tampering scandal that emerged in South Africa this week.Sunrisers’ move for Hales means that his gamble to become a white-ball specialist despite missing out in the IPL auction has paid off – stressing his availability in the event of any replacements being needed. He was bought for his base price of INR 1 crore (USD 154,000) from the available player pool list.Hales’ failure to win a spot in the initial auction caused some surprise in England. He remains the only England player till date to score a T20I century and is also the only England batsman to feature in the top-10 list of the ICC T20I rankings.Hales, 28, had recently signed a two-year deal to play only white ball cricket for Notts Outlaws, but as is common these days, it included a clause stating his right to sign an IPL deal if offered one.Notts director of cricket Mick Newell said: “Although Alex missed out in the IPL auction, we knew there was a chance he could be signed up as a replacement, given his excellent record in the T20 Blast last summer and with England.””Clearly, we would have loved Alex to be around for the whole of our own 50-over campaign, but we still go into that competition with a very strong squad and his absence for a period opens up opportunities for others.”Hales will miss two Royal London One-Day Cup matches, and maybe more if Sunrisers reach the playoff stage in late May. Hales will miss the fixtures against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford and against Northamptonshire at Welbeck.He will leave for India as soon as possible. The IPL begins on April 7, while Sunrisers’ first match is on April 9 against Rajasthan Royals.Sunrisers will now be captained by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, another consequence of the ball-tampering fallout.Hales said: “I’m excited to be given this opportunity. While it’s disappointing to miss matches for Outlaws, when I return to England I will be match-hardened and ready to give my all to their cause.”

The visitors piled up 9 for 375 on a free-scoring first day at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Victoria 9 for 375 (Dean 111, White 57, Stoinis 3-63) v Western Australia
Scorecard
A patient hundred from Victoria opener Travis Dean was an outlier on a freewheeling day of scoring for the Bushrangers against Western Australia at the WACA.Dean made 111 from 195 balls with 18 fours and one six to help the Bushrangers to a strong position midway through the first day after Aaron Finch won the toss and chose to bat. Dean and Marcus Harris put on 113 for the opening wicket. Glenn Maxwell made an entertaining 47 from just 52 balls to push the score to 1 for 193 after 50 overs of play.But Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Dean were dismissed in the space of 12 overs to halt Bushrangers’ momentum. Dean fell to a stunning diving catch from Simon Mackin at mid-on. Cameron White steadied with his fourth consecutive 50-plus score. Wicketkeeper Sam Harper played a late cameo to push the total to 9 for 375 at close.The Warriors used seven bowlers, all of whom conceded more than 3 runs per over.

Newcastle United splashed the cash once again in the summer transfer window, welcoming exciting arrivals like Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes. The reinforcements were made to ensure that the Magpies would be capable of competing on all fronts – so far this season, they have struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe's side got off to the perfect start against Aston Villa, brushing Unai Emery's side aside with a dominant 5-1 victory. Things went downhill from there, however, as Newcastle suffered a narrow defeat against Manchester City, before conceding two late goals to lose against Liverpool at St James' Park, before an Evan Ferguson hat-trick saw Brighton & Hove Albion defeat the Magpies in convincing fashion.

Their weakness has come in the backline, with their lack of depth in the centre-back role becoming more and more apparent. This is a problem that Newcastle are well aware of, and, according to reports, they made an offer for a potential solution late on in the summer transfer window.

What's the latest Newcastle United transfer news?

Newcastle's lack of depth in central defence was exposed for all to see against Liverpool when Sven Botman was forced off through injury, and Dan Burn was forced to come across to fill in. It was then Burn who was unable to catch Darwin Nunez for the Reds' late winner.

The left-back was then forced to fill in again against Brighton, resulting in a 3-1 loss, as Ferguson ran riot. Given the fact that Newcastle spent a reported €153m (£131m) on reinforcements in the summer transfer window, one of those arrivals should have been a centre-back early on.

Instead, the Magpies waited until it was too late. According to reporter Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, PIF failed with a late bid for Joachim Andersen of Crystal Palace, which was reportedly in excess of £30m.

Howe was personally keen to strengthen his defensive options, but as the window closed, was forced to settle for the options that he currently has at his disposal in his backline.

Should Newcastle have pushed the boat out for Andersen?

Whether it was Andersen or another option, Botman's injury – even though it wasn't long-term – should have resulted in a centre-back coming through the door at Newcastle.

If they want to compete on all fronts, then attempting to shoehorn Burn into central defence is unlikely to do Newcastle any favours, as already proved against both Liverpool and Brighton.

Andersen would have been an ideal option, too. Statistically speaking, the Palace defender even outperformed Botman in certain areas last season, as per FBref.

Player

Progressive Passes

Progressive Carries

Clearances

Joachim Andersen

105

16

188

Sven Botman

87

8

126

It's clear that by signing Andersen, Howe wouldn't just have depth in his defence, he would have someone capable of pushing both Botman and Schar for a starting place. For now, however, he remains a Crystal Palace player who Newcastle simply failed to sign.

When January arrives, though, if the Magpies are still in need of a defender, then turning to Andersen once more could be the way forward.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is moving closer to confirming another summer signing and the Clartes have now reached an agreement on personal terms with a key target, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Burnley?

The Clarets have made some major changes to the structure of their squad over the window and Kompany has acted to bring in Lawrence Vigoroux, James Trafford, Zeki Amdouni, Sander Berge, Aaron Ramsey, Jordan Beyer, Wilson Odobert, Dara O'Shea, Michael Obafemi, Hannes Delcroix, Luca Koleosho, Nathan Redmond and Jacob Bruun Larsen to strengthen his squad, as per Transfermarkt.

Clarets boss Kompany has spoken about whether his side could make late moves in the window in a recent interview cited by The Burnley Express, stating when asked about further incomings:

"It depends who it’s up to. If it’s up to me, maybe not. But in the end we’ve really been able to attract a lot of players who we thought would be really exciting to work with, both in the short-term and in the long-term, with growth definitely everywhere in the club. If we can add to it, we’re not going to turn it down."

According to Football Insider, Burnley, Sheffield United and Fulham are all vying for the signature of out-of-favour AC Milan striker Divock Origi, who is free to leave the San Siro this window due to not figuring in manager Stefano Pioli's long-term plans at the Italian giants. Saudi Pro League side Al Fateh are also keen on the Belgium international, who is contracted to his current employers until the summer of 2026.

talkSPORT also understand that Burnley have shortlisted Leicester City frontman Patson Daka as another option that could bolster their ranks in the final third late in the window.

L'Equipe have claimed that Burnley are advancing in talks to sign free agent Han-Noah Massengo and contact is believed to be at an 'advanced' stage between both parties. Massengo spent the second half of last campaign on loan at Auxerre from Bristol City and opted to leave Ashton Gate upon the conclusion of 2022/23.

Who else could Burnley sign this window?

According to HLN, Burnley appear to be making progress over a move for Genk attacker Mike Tresor to help bolster options on for Kompany, with an excerpt from the report reading:

"The Red Devil remains awaiting his transfer to Burnley in Belgium. Trésor found a personal agreement with the Premier League club and the talks between the clubs are constructive."

Tresor, who has been labelled "sensational" by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, has become a master of laying on goals for his teammates in his time at Genk, registering nine goals and 33 assists in 84 appearances across all competitions for the Belgian giants, as per Transfermarkt.

The Belgium international has already started to generate momentum in the Jupiler Pro League in 2023/24, recording an average of 4.5 key passes and two shots on goal per match in his opening two divisional outings, according to WhoScored.

Burnley may need time to adapt to the Premier League, however, the addition of Tresor could certainly go down well among fans at Turf Moor, and it looks as if it could go through before Friday's deadline.

New Zealand produced an immense performance against Kenya, their top three batsmen raining 14 sixes at Hagley Oval to rack up the highest total of this Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2018
New Zealand produced an immense batting performance against Kenya, their top three batsmen raining 14 sixes at Hagley Oval to rack up 436, the highest total of this Under-19 World Cup so far. The result was a formality after that, and with two wins in two games, the hosts have qualified for the quarter-finals. They will top Group A if they win their final match against South Africa.Kenya were made to rue their decision to bowl first, as Jakob Bhula and Rachin Ravindra added the highest-ever first-wicket partnership of 245 in 35.5 overs. Ravindra made 117 off 101 balls before he was stumped. There was no respite for Kenya, though, as No. 3 Finn Allen cracked 90 off 40 balls, his six sixes giving him a strike rate of 225.The score was 401 in 47 overs when Bhula was eventually dismissed for 180, the highest score in all Under-19 World Cups, off 144 balls. Allen was dismissed off the next ball, the first of the 48th over, and Kaylum Boshier was run out the delivery after that, meaning New Zealand had suddenly lost three wickets in three balls. Dale Phillips gave the innings a powerful finish, though, with 26 off 12 balls. Kenya used eight bowlers and not one of them went for under 6.50 runs an over.Ravindra had a good outing with the ball too, dismissing Kenya opener Rene Were lbw in the sixth over, and then returning to trap the other one – Aman Gandhi – for 63 in the 35th over. New Zealand were able to take only four wickets, though, as Kenya batted their 50 overs to score 193.

The aggressive Australia opener has not been as much of a pivotal influence as he would have liked to be in the series but aims to back his game and correct the trend

Daniel Brettig24-Dec-20171:45

‘England aren’t used to producing fast bowlers’ – Warner

It rather summed up David Warner’s series to date that he spent much of Sunday speaking about the Australian captain Steven Smith’s freakish blow to the hand from a stray ball.While Smith and the home side’s fast bowlers have been the main protagonists in this series, Warner’s has been an intriguing subplot, as he has dealt with England’s efforts to restrict his ability to score runs with damaging speed. A series ledger of 196 runs at 49.00 still makes Warner the fifth most prolific batsman in the series, but it is some way short of the pivotal influence he would like to have had.Joe Root’s approach to Warner has mirrored that of South Africa in the preceding season, aiming to dry up his boundary count and prey on his patience. His dismissal in Perth, pushing out at a Craig Overton delivery that he might just as comfortably have left alone, was a sign that England’s tactics have been working, and Warner knew it. Another is his series strike rate – 54.44 as against an eye-popping career rate of 76.22.”I was quite gutted with my dismissal in Perth – the wicket was nice and flat and I love batting in Perth,” Warner said in Melbourne. “They’re trying to get me out the way I got out in Perth. I’ve got to take my ego out of it and just try to keep hitting the ball.”I’m not worried about that [England trying to restrict his scoring] – I feel like come the first Test I’d won the battle before they even started bowling. And in the back of your mind as an opening batter that’s a lot of respect.”I look back to a guy like Virender Sehwag. Australia set the same fields to him, South Africa were the first team to do that. They had third man, two square legs and a deep point. They kept on bowling to his areas and strengths and he ended up getting out a couple of times but he worked it out himself. It’s upon me to keep backing my strengths and playing my game.”Warner’s summer started with three Sheffield Shield games on challenging pitches for top order batsmen, and even in his top score he was fortunate to edge Chadd Sayers through the South Australian slips cordon early on. That hard graft prepared Warner nicely for the Ashes, but on flatter pitches and against more defensive field settings he has faced a different set of obstacles.”I’m hitting the ball well. Sometimes you go into the nets, hitting the ball as well as you can, then you get into the middle and go searching for basically each delivery,” Warner said. “I feel like my preparation has been fantastic. I go back to Shield cricket – we’ve had to be patient, the wickets produced were conducive to fast bowling, we had to leave a lot of balls and bat time.”I felt like I’ve done a lot of that in the middle. I’ve done a lot of batting in the nets, now it’s about staying out there and grinding it out and batting my way. I love batting everywhere in Australia, it’s about taking my ego out of it and playing each ball on its merits.”Getty ImagesAs a sometime “attack dog” in the field for Australia, Warner reflected on the latest barbs flung across the Ashes battle line by James Anderson, who made a point of going after Smith verbally in Adelaide, had little to say in Perth and then ramped it up again in Melbourne by questioning the hosts’ depth of pace bowling.”Conditions must have suited Jimmy there [in Adelaide], that’s generally what happens,” Warner said. “He talks about us being up all the time when we’re in front but different story there – he was firing shots at the captain apparently, then went very quiet as soon as he saw the wicket was quite flat at the WACA. That’s what happens in this form of the game, sometimes you can ride the coattails of being in front and what not, but it’s Test cricket, it’s hard-fought out there.”Sometimes you pick your times when you want to go at people, sometimes you go into your shell like a turtle. We’ve probably shut them up a little bit at the moment, hopefully this gets them up and going and they fire some barbs at us, because I love that, I love whenever we’re in a contest and I feel like they were quite flat in WACA, that’s for sure.”We don’t dwell on what he says at all. He can fire those barbs at us. When you do bowl 145kph plus, you tend to get a couple of injuries. Everyone has had their fair share of injuries. Our depth is fantastic, we know what Australian cricket has to offer. I just think England aren’t used to having or producing fast bowlers.”As for Smith’s hand, which has been cleared of any structural damage by team medical staff, Warner said the ricochet blow from a Cameron Bancroft shot that bounced back off the nets had been as much a shock as a source of pain. “He’s fine. You’ve seen he’s a very fidgety character, he’s fine,” Warner said. “He said before ‘What’s the chance of him getting hit on my sore hand?'”There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him, he’s fine. He was confused how it actually got there. I think we all were. It hit the top of the rail and then just flicked up. I was a bit worried because Smudge [Smith] said ‘heads’ and it actually hit him. I was a bit dumbfounded.”Warner, of course, has a history of dumbfounding opposing bowlers with big runs in Melbourne (144 against Pakistan last summer) and Sydney (centuries in each of his last three SCG Tests). Smith’s support act may be about to assume centre stage.

Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United have a long history that stretches back to their first encounter in October 1903 – a game the south coast club won 3-2.

Football FanCast has everything you need to know about the Premier League fixture before the two sides clash at the Amex on Saturday.

While it's hard to extrapolate too much in terms of form from just two league games, both sides should be going into the contest feeling confident.

The Hammers come into the game fresh from a brilliant 3-1 home win over Chelsea, while the Seagulls bagged a 4-1 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Brighton vs West Ham: What's their head-to-head record?

Despite first meeting in 1903, the two sides have only played one another 32 times in all competitions in the intervening 120 years.

This lack of games is partly due to the massive 45-year gap between their clashes in 1933 and 1978 and a 13-year break between 1991 and 2004 without a match-up.

Indeed, made their way up and down the English football pyramid before breaking back into the top two tiers in the late 1970s.

By the late 80s, they were back in Division Three, and after another relegation to the third tier in 1992, the sides didn't meet again until they were both Championship sides.

The Seagulls took the long way back to the big time via League One, and are now a fixture of the top flight alongside West Ham after over three decades out.

When they have played each other, it has generally been a closely fought affair, with Brighton just edging it in terms of overall wins at 11, while their east London competition have won ten, leaving 11 encounters as draws.

Brighton wins: 11 Draws: 11 West Ham wins: 10 Brighton vs West Ham: What's their record on the south coast?

15 of the 32 fixtures have come at Brighton's various home grounds, and have unsurprisingly been where the Seagulls have had the most amount of luck. They've won eight games when playing as hosts – more than double what they've managed in the capital.

There have been five draws along the way, and perhaps most impressively, just two defeats.

Brighton wins: 8 Draws: 5 West Ham wins: 2 Brighton vs West Ham: What's their record at Upton Park/London Stadium?

This fixture has been played at Upton Park or the London Stadium 17 times since 1903, and the results are pretty much just a reverse of the ones on the south coast.

The Hammers have come out on top in eight of their matches against Brighton in east London, drawing six and losing just three – although that is still one more loss than Brighton have suffered at home.

West Ham wins: 8 Draws: 6 Brighton wins: 3 Brighton vs West Ham: What's their Premier League record?

While the overall picture between these two sides is one of balance in terms of results, that certainly hasn't been the case in the Premier League, as since Brighton won promotion to the top flight in 2017, it has very much been one-way traffic.

In their 12 league meetings since that promotion, Brighton have found themselves on the winning side six times, drawing the other six games – meaning their claret and blue opponents have yet to beat them in the league since their return six years ago.

Interestingly, the six draws all came consecutively between August 2019 and December 2021, suggesting that there has still been some competition, there. However, the last three games have all been convincing wins for Brighton.

Brighton wins: 6 Draws: 6 West Ham wins: 0 Brighton vs West Ham: Which team has the most goals?

With the two sides being pretty even over the last century, with periods of dominance for both teams, it's not all that surprising to see that their goalscoring records are also incredibly similar.

When Brighton play host, they have scored 27 goals across all competitions, conceding just 13. West Ham have scored one more when hosting at 28, but have also conceded more, letting in 18 as being the home team.

Brighton vs West Ham: What happened in last season's fixtures?

Brighton came away with six out of six points last season, edging out West Ham early on in the season at the London Stadium and completely blowing them away at the Amex seven months later.

In the first encounter, Alexis Mac Allister gave the visitors the lead from the spot in the 22nd minute following a foul on Danny Welbeck from Thilo Kehrer. They doubled their lead in the 66th minute thanks to a brilliant strike from Leandro Trossard.

The reverse fixture was a demolition job by the Seagulls, becoming their biggest-ever win against the Hammers.

Brighton vs West Ham: What is Danny Welbeck's record?

Welbeck tends to excel against West Ham, regardless of who he is playing for. In total, the former Arsenal man has come up against the east London outfit on 21 occasions – the most he has faced any team other than Tottenham Hotspur – and has been on the victorious side 13 times.

The Hammers are also the team that Welbeck has scored the most goals against in his career, finding the back of the net seven times and providing four assists for his teammates.

The Irons might be hoping Roberto De Zerbi opts for Evan Ferguson or Joao Pedro up top for this one.

Brighton vs West Ham: What is Michail Antonio's record?

Michail Antonio has played Brighton more than any other side in his career, but probably doesn't look forward to the fixture too much considering he has been on the victorious side just three times out of a possible 19.

The other 16 fixtures have resulted in eight defeats and eight ties, with the Jamaica international scoring just two goals and providing another two assists over that period.

Brighton vs West Ham: What is Brighton's biggest win?

As alluded to above, the Seagulls' biggest win over their east London opponents came earlier this year when they won 4-0 at home in early March.

Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 18th minute, converting from the penalty spot for a second time against the Hammers last term after Jarrod Bowen bundled over Kaoru Mitoma.

Fans had to wait until the 51st minute for another goal, but once Joel Veltman doubled his side's lead, it was plain sailing, with Mitoma and Welbeck also getting involved in the action to complete a comprehensive win.

David Moyes' team will have to forget about that performance if they want to get anything out of the game this weekend.

Brighton vs West Ham: What is West Ham's biggest win?

While Brighton's 4-0 win is undoubtedly impressive, the Hammers have been able to go two better in the past, smashing six past Peter Brezovan in April 2012 to win 6-0 in the Championship.

The scoring was opened by Ricardo Vaz Te in the third minute, with the tricky winger going on to add another in the eighth minute and a third in the 62nd minute, with the rout rounded off with a Gary Dicker own goal in the 78th minute.

Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole were the other goalscorers on the day, with the Hammers boosting their promotion bid, which was eventually successfully achieved through the play-offs.

Brighton vs West Ham: What are the recent results?

It's pretty clear that between these two teams, Brighton have pretty much dominated the Premier League era, and that is clearly reflected in the recent results between the sides.

The most recent game – in March – ended 4-0. The two preceding results finished 2-0, and 3-1, both in Brighton's favour – with West Ham only able to score a single goal in reply to the Seagulls' nine across those three games.

The six matches before that run of Brighton victories were all score draws; however, the three before which preceded that were also all Brighton wins – leaving the Hammers winless in the last 12.

Brighton vs West Ham: When is it?

Brighton & Hove Albion host West Ham United on Saturday 26th August at 5.30pm (UK time), and will be broadcast on Sky Sports.

It may not be one of the marquee matchups in the Premier League, but it's a tie that has served up plenty of goals and action in the past, and both teams have a lot to play for this season.

Brighton are still under the guidance of the charismatic and intriguing De Zerbi, who is tasked with taking them on a European journey this year without their midfield stalwart from last season, Moises Caicedo.

However, the arrival of Joao Pedro promises to add even more attacking threat to one of the league's most entertaining sides to watch.

On the other hand, West Ham will also have a European journey of their own to contend without last season's midfield general, this time Declan Rice.

That said, when it comes to their league campaign, Moyes' men will likely be aiming to simply avoid another relegation battle this season and to bed in their new talent.

The arrivals of James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez have given many fans reason to be excited, and after the side's excellent performance against the free-spending Chelsea last weekend, there is no reason not to be.

AB de Villiers is expected to play in a three-day match against the touring Zimbabweans next month, before the four-day Boxing Day Test

Firdose Moonda28-Nov-2017AB de Villiers is expected to play in a three-day match for the South African Invitation XI against the touring Zimbabweans next month, in a bid to make a Test comeback. South Africa take on their neighbours in the inaugural four-day day-night Test starting Boxing Day, and to prepare for the fixture, Zimbabwe will play a three-day practice match in Paarl from December 20 to 22 where de Villiers may play.”We’d like to get him back in whites as soon as possible and we have some plans in place. There’s the practice match which will be good for him,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors told ESPNcricinfo.Zondi has kept an eye on de Villiers’ performances in the Ram Slam T20 matches – he has scored 130 runs with a half-century in three innings – and is satisfied that de Villiers has sufficient match fitness. “The manner in which he has played has shown that he is ready. It was never a case of him being rusty but just about getting him match fitness,” Zondi said.De Villiers has not played a Test since January last year because injuries kept him out of series against New Zealand and Australia in 2016 and a self-imposed sabbatical from the longest format has seen him sidelined throughout 2017. As a result, it was widely speculated de Villiers would retire from the format, something even former captain Graeme Smith confirmed he had heard, but in August de Villiers stepped down as ODI captain and committed to play across all formats. This week, he explained to reporters in Centurion that the long break had done him good.”I’ve had time at home to get fresh, time to work on my body, and time to work on skills I’ve not worked on in many years.,” de Villiers said. “I’ve sort of rediscovered that love of the game. I’ve not had an off-season where I’ve gone to nets to work on my skills and technique for ages. Last year, in the peak of the season, I was less ready for Test cricket than I am now.”Though de Villiers has played international cricket this year – he was part of the ODIs in New Zealand and the limited-overs matches in England – he has had most of the year, especially the winter, off. On comeback this summer, he struck 176 in an ODI against Bangladesh in Paarl and has since been back to his aggressive best. Since his last Test, de Villiers has only played one first-class game, for Titans, but still feels he is ready for a longer stint and the warm-up match will help.”It will be nice to go out there and spend some time on my legs. Form-wise I feel ready, but it’s important to stand in the field for a while and hopefully get a long knock,” he said.The only question that remains is how (not if – because coach Ottis Gibson made it clear de Villiers and Dale Steyn would play as soon as they were available) de Villiers will slot back into the Test XI. Not even Zondi has a proper answer yet. “For us as selectors, it’s about getting him into the squad and then it will be worked out from there. It’s a nice problem to have,” Zondi said.South Africa’s Test team composition has shifted from seven batsmen, three seamers and a spinner to six batsmen, two allrounders, two frontline quicks and a spinner in recent months which has complicated the case for de Villiers’ return. The six incumbents are Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, and of those, only Bavuma did not score a century against Bangladesh. Bavuma also occupies the No. 4 position that used to belong to de Villiers, so it would seem he is the likeliest to go. But Bavuma had only recently been promoted to the position and dug South Africa out of several holes and is seen as someone to invest in for the future, leaving South Africa with a conundrum.A possible solution could present itself if du Plessis is not declared fit for the start of the Test summer. Du Plessis suffered a lower-back injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh in late October and was ruled out of action for six weeks, which puts his comeback sometime in December. He has since also had surgery on a troublesome shoulder and is not expected to participate in the Ram Slam at all. Though Zondi is hopeful du Plessis will be available to lead the Test team against Zimbabwe, some of South Africa’s de Villiers puzzle may be solved if he is not. And then it remains to be seen how South Africa will line-up for the three Tests against India in January.

Wolverhampton Wanderers could sign an instant heir to departed winger Adama Traore, with journalist Rudy Galetti providing an update on the Old Gold’s potential movements in the summer window.

The Midlands outfit have endured a nightmare situation so far this transfer window, losing manager Julen Lopetegui due to increased concerns over squad size due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions surrounding the club.

With new manager Gary O’Neil at the helm, Molineux was handed something to cheer about, however after a controversial opening day defeat to Manchester United, there continues to be doubts over the strengths of the squad at present.

Who could Wolves replace Adama Traore with?

According to a report from GIVEMESPORT, the Italian journalist has since linked Wolves with AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers.

Valued around the £28m mark by FootballTransfers, the 24-year-old could be a huge reach for the club considering their financial situation, however, Galetti reinforced the appreciation for the Belgian in the Midlands.

“A new name, another name is Saelemaekers of AC Milan. That is another player who is appreciated. Let's keep an eye on him." he said.

“He is on the sideline in the project of the Italian club of the Rossoneri. So, this is the overall situation of Wolves."

How good is Alexis Saelemaekers?

A product of Anderlecht’s academy, the dynamic right-winger made the move to the San Siro on a permanent basis in 2020 after a successful half-season loan spell with the club earlier that year.

Deployable on both the left and right side, the Belgian has previously been praised for his exploits in Italy by former national team coach Roberto Martinez, who described the forward as having “transformed at Milan”.

Despite breaking into the senior team at one of Europe’s best clubs, the 24-year-old has fallen down the pecking order after suffering a significant knee injury in September 2022 that saw him miss 16 games for both club and country.

The wide player made just 14 starts last term, contributing to five goals by scoring two himself and registering three assists from the flank, via Sofascore.

While the numbers sound underwhelming, the winger could still be an improved addition at Wolves in place of Traore, who left Molineux as a free-agent at the expiration of his contract and has subsequently signed for top-flight rivals Fulham.

Last season, the 27-year-old netted twice in the Premier League for the Old Gold, accounting for a fifth of his career total of goals in the English top-flight, where he has found himself on the score sheet just 10 times over seven seasons.

Replacing the Spaniard’s end product would be the less-difficult hurdle to overcome, however, his one-versus-one ability will be missed in the Midlands.

In Saelemaekers, O’Neil could find an equally as threatening wide player as Traore, as suggested by 2.26 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, compared to the former Wolves star’s 2.95 per 90, via FBref.

By capturing the Belgian dynamo, the Old Gold could integrate another versatile wide player into their side in place of Traore, in a talent that could prove to be the natural successor to the long-serving Spaniard.

The two openers scored centuries while the fast bowler picked up a five-for to lead Central Districts to a victory by an innings and 86 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2017Central Districts held sway of their match from the moment the coin came down in their favour. They chose to bat, put up a mammoth total, with their openers and No. 3 providing 325 of their 498 for 7 declared, and used scoreboard pressure to buy themselves a win over Canterbury by an innings and 86 runs.George Worker and Greg Hay set the ball rolling, scoring 111 and 140 respectively. And when the third-change bowler Tim Johnston broke through their partnership with the score on 188, the record-breaking Brad Schmulian came out and threatened the score a century to back up his double on debut last month. He fell 26 runs short, but had set up Central Districts to dictate terms for the rest of the game.The bowlers played their part as well, allowing only three Canterbury batsman – Michael Pollard (62), Cole McConchie (56), Cam Fletcher (50) – to reach fifty in two innings. Seth Rance picked up a five-for to ensure his side gained a whopping 304-run lead and Blair Tickner took the reins after the follow-on was enforced, picking up 4 for 41. It was Canterbury’s second loss of the tournament, and totals of 194 and 218 suggests their batsmen had succumbed fairly meekly.