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Goal readers voted for their favourite players of African origin in the Premier League this week.

Ahead of the 2018 Best of Africa Awards, an evening to honour and celebrate the philanthropic endeavours and achievements of African football players, Goal fans voted through our Instagram account for their own Best of Africa XI – a team made up entirely of Premier League players of African origin.

Due to the lack of African goalkeepers in the Premier League, fans were tasked with choosing between the best African keepers set to appear at this year’s FIFA World Cup to fill the spot between the posts.

It has been a great year for Africans in the Premier League, with Mohamed Salah scoring 31 Premier League goals and putting Liverpool on the cusp of a Champions League final. 

Team-mate Sadio Mane has built on last season's successes, while Wilfried Zaha has become Crystal Palace's key man in their surge towards Premier League survival as almost 300,000 votes were received.

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Chris Morris hammered 82 not out off a mere 32 balls – the third fastest fifty in IPL – but he and Delh Daredevils fell short by one run

The Report by Alagappan Muthu27-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Morris struck the third-fastest IPL fifty•BCCIIt was IPL in a nutshell. A big name – Brendon McCullum – bossed the start, so much that Gujarat Lions recorded the fastest hundred of the season. A helpless collapse then killed the prospect of a one-sided game and Delhi Daredevils would have fancied chasing 173 with dew gathering at Feroz Shah Kotla. However, they slipped to 16 for 3 and the home fans despaired. The game, though, wasn’t done playing with everyone’s emotions.Out walked the million-dollar man Chris Morris with 116 needed off 56, and walloped the third fastest fifty in the IPL, off 17 balls. When the match ended, he was unbeaten on 82 off 32, but there was no smile on his face. It was stolen by Praveen Kumar and Dwayne Bravo, who gave away only 16 off the final two overs to pull off a one-run win for Lions.Morris had come in at No. 6 and launched his second ball into the second tier of the stands behind long-off. Very few of his eight sixes and four fours were mistimed, but a lot of them came as a result of his being able to get under the ball. Praveen prevented that in the penultimate over of the chase, conceding only four to leave Daredevils needing 14 off six balls. Bravo, bowling from around the stumps, then hit the blockhole repeatedly to deny Morris’ sublime innings the status of match-winning.Suresh Raina gave his frontline spinners – Ravindra Jadeja and Pravin Tambe – only one over each and they cost a combined 31 runs. Bowling with the wet ball, they stood very little chance against Morris, armed with a crowd that was bellowing his name. His reach was handy, his balance at the crease was pristine and his clarity of thought handling a required rate that was above 12 was downright chilling.Morris’ first two sixes dragged the equation down from 101 off 48 to 85 off 42. Two against Tambe in the 15th over brought it to 57 off 30. A hat-trick of them in the 17th over bowled by Dwayne Smith sealed his fifty and left Daredevils needing 29 off 18. But JP Duminy, who had begun Daredevils’ revival, was undone by a Bravo slower ball for 48 which provided just enough of an opening for Lions to sneak through.Their victory had almost seemed a formality when McCullum smashed Lions’ fastest fifty, and Smith usurped him a few minutes later. Along the way Lions had reached 100 for 0 in a mere nine overs.This batting line-up had beaten perhaps the best one in the IPL on Sunday, when a Virat Kohli century had not been enough. Daredevils were looking at a target of 220, as a best-case scenario. But Morris did what Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowlers couldn’t; he had set plans and executed them very well. He dismissed McCullum and Raina in the 12th over; Lions were short-circuited and could only manage 55 runs in the remaining 48 balls.Morris knew McCullum thrived on fast bowling, so he produced an offcutter that dipped under the bat swing and broke the stumps. He targeted Raina’s body and had leg gully in place to take the catch. That gave the Daredevils spinners some freedom.Imran Tahir added to his reputation of being one of the best bowlers in T20 cricket with a spell of 3 for 24, the hallmark of which was his ability to vary the pace and time the googlies and flippers that surprised the batsmen. Where his slow-bowling partners Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem bowled flat in the hopes of containing the batsmen, Tahir backed his skill to confound them. He had Smith lbw with a ball that skidded through off the pitch and removed Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik off successive balls in the 17th over.Much like Tahir, Dhawal Kulkarni relied on his strength – swing – to topple Sanju Samson, an in-form Quinton de Kock and Karun Nair to lift Lions in the chase but his 3 for 19 wouldn’t have mattered much until his new-ball partner Praveen bowled an excellent final over to strangle Morris and finish with 4-0-13-0.

Sergino Dest boasts “extraordinary qualities”, according to PSV boss Peter Bosz, with the USMNT star delivering a no-look assist in his latest outing.

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Defender loaned out again in 2023-24Impressing back in the NetherlandsSale expected to be sanctioned at some stageWHAT HAPPENED?

That impressive piece of skill allowed the 23-year-old full-back to tee up United States international team-mate Malik Tillman. Dest has endured a tough time of late, with La Liga giants Barcelona sending him out on loan again for the 2023-24 campaign.

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Dest disappointed at Serie A giants AC Milan last season, but has rediscovered a spark since returning to the Netherlands – the land of his birth and a country he has previously thrived in with Ajax. The versatile defender has been catching the eye for PSV, with his head coach very much part of a growing fan club.

WHAT THEY SAID

Bosz told reporters after seeing Dest produce a Man of the Match display in a crushing 4-0 win over PEC Zwolle: “He is a versatile player who can occupy both the right and the left-back spot. We help him improve as a defender. He has extraordinary qualities when he has the ball. Just look at the no-look assist he had for our fourth goal, scored by Malik Tillman.”

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Dest lined up on the left for PSV against Zwolle, but has forged his reputation in a right-back berth. Barca acquired him to fill that role in 2020, but have restricted him to 72 appearances and appear eager to put a permanent transfer in place during one of the windows in 2024.

Kent were bowled out for 67, their second-lowest score in List A cricket, as they lost to New Zealand A by 172 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2014
ScorecardDean Brownlie made his second List A hundred of New Zealand A’s tour•Getty ImagesKent were bowled out for 67, their second-lowest score in List A cricket, as they lost to New Zealand A by 172 runs. The innings lasted for less than half the allotted overs and only two players, openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Rob Key, made double-figures.The 50-over match had replaced the scheduled three-day fixture, after the first two days were washed out. Kent chose to deploy something approaching a full-strength side, in preparation for their Royal London Cup quarter-final on Friday, but Brendan Nash was unable to bat due to injury and the ten other batsmen failed to make much more of an impact on the scorecard.New Zealand offspinner Mark Craig picked up three wickets in his three overs to finish the innings, after the pace trio of Hamish Bennett, Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry and shared the first six. At 56 for 7, Kent were in danger of being dismissed for less than the 60 they made against Somerset at Taunton in 1979.After being asked to bat, the New Zealand A effort was founded on a stand of 124 in 20 overs for the second wicket between Hamish Rutherford and Dean Brownlie. Three wickets then fell for seven runs, during a typically miserly spell from Darren Stevens, but Brownlie went on to reach his second century of the tour before becoming a third victim for David Griffiths.New Zealand A were dismissed with ten balls unbowled but their score of 239 was to prove more than enough. Kent will hope for a better performance when they take on Gloucestershire at home on Friday.

Lionel Messi raged at Brazil forward Rodrygo while backing up Argentina team-mate Rodrigo De Paul after a delayed start to the game at the Maracana.

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Rodrygo and De Paul in heated discussionMessi comes to aid of Argentina team-mateAlbiceleste go on to celebrate 1-0 win over rivalsWHAT HAPPENED?

Tuesday's World Cup qualifier was pushed back half-an-hour following clashes with Albiceleste supporters at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium – and the hostilities didn't end there. Immediately after the players returned to the pitch, De Paul and Rodrygo could be seen in deep – and antagonistic – conversation, before Messi rushed over to support his Argentina colleague.

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According to reports from , Rodrygo accused Messi, De Paul and Argentina of being "cowards", after the Albiceleste captain threatened a walk-off due to continued brutality from Brazilian police. In response, Messi is said to have retorted: "We are the world champions, why are we cowards? Watch your mouth."

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The match was eventually played despite the initial lengthy delay, and a Nicolas Otamendi goal was enough to consign Brazil to their third straight defeat and their first ever at home in World Cup qualifying. The rivalry was far from over after the full time whistle, as Messi took to Instagram to call out the "crazy" violence suffered by Argentina fans at the hands of Brazilian authorities.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches played on January 2, 2015

Mohammad Isam02-Jan-2015Prime Bank Cricket Club put themselves in a strong position to win their maiden Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League title with a 20-run win over Mohammedan Sporting Club in the competition’s penultimate round of Super League matches. They are now on 24 points, two points ahead of Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club while Abahani remain on 20 points.This means that in the last round on Sunday, a win over Abahani will make Prime Bank champions. But if they lose and Prime Doleshwar beat Mohammedan Sporting Club, the title will be decided over net run-rate. The head-to-head record, the first criteria for deciding between teams with equal points, is equal for Prime Bank and Prime Doleshwar who beat each other once in the first phase and Super League.Prime Bank won the battle of the all-round performances with Mohammedan as Farhad Reza’s performance outdid Mashrafe Mortaza’s.Farhad struck 76 off 56 balls with eight fours and four sixes after Prime Bank slipped to 144 for 7 in the 38th over. He added 46 for the eighth wicket with Taijul Islam and 40 for the ninth wicket with Taskin Ahmed to help the side score a below-par 230, a score that had seemed improbable after Mashrafe’s four-wicket haul.Mohammedan’s chase was stuttering at 91 for 6 in the 22nd over when Mashrafe joined Ariful Haque at the crease. The pair added 110 for the seventh wicket with Mashrafe making 62 off 76 balls with five fours and four sixes.Prime Bank were back in the game after that wicket and it was Farhad’s double-wicket over, which included the wicket of Ariful who made 60 off 70 balls, that gave Prime Bank the crucial win. Mohammedan lost their last four wickets for just nine runs in the space of 18 balls.There was more drama at the Shere Bangla National Stadium where Kalabagan Cricket Academy ended Abahani’s title hopes with a one-wicket victory.Nasir Hossain’s first century of the season got Abahani close to a big score in the slog overs, but they ended up on a modest 247 for 9 in 50 overs. They were comfortably placed at 202 for 3 in the 43rd over but lost their last six wickets for 42 runs. The collapse was Sabbir Rahman’s doing, as he bowled legspin after more than a year and finished with 6 for 43 from 10 overs, his best List-A bowling performance.Abahani were never out of the game, and took wickets at regular intervals as KCA struggled to put a partnership together. Abahani could have thought of two points when they took the sixth wicket in the 38th over with the score at 156, but Mahmudul Hasan and Irfan Sukkur batted valiantly in fading light.The pair used the sweep shot and the inside-out over cover to get boundaries as they added 64 for the seventh wicket and swung the game KCA’s way. Abahani fielded laboriously throughout the stand, giving away needless singles and doubles.With 28 runs to win, Mahmudul fell trying to sweep Mosaddek Hossain, caught at short fine-leg after making 82 off 107 balls with seven boundaries. Irfan, however, held firm as he farmed the strike with the tail-enders. He struck his only six of the innings when KCA needed 13 off nine balls, and though Mehrab Hossain was run-out attempting a second off the next ball, the six had deflated Abahani.At the start of the last over, Irfan struck Mosaddek over cover once again, and after playing out three more dot balls, slammed him straight for the winning run.The Abahani supporters were irate and some of their anger was directed towards the decision to give Mosaddek, who had bowled just five overs this season, the vital last over.The story was completely different in Fatullah where Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club crushed Legends of Rupganj by eight wickets.Batting first, Rupganj made 221 for 9 in 50 overs with Abul Hasan’s 51 the top score of the innings. Delwar Hossain, Asif Ahmed and Elias Sunny took two wickets each.But the match belonged to Mehedi Maruf who struck his second century of the league. He made 118 off 119 deliveries with 14 fours and three sixes. He first shared a 61-run opening stand with Rony Talukdar, before adding 135 runs for the second wicket with Mominul Haque, who made his first fifty in the Dhaka Premier League.The two points kept Prime Doleshwar in the hunt but they now need to win their next game handsomely and hope Prime Bank lose their match in Mirpur.

Brendon McCullum’s days as an international wicketkeeper appear over after the New Zealand coach Mike Hesson conceded he was too valuable as a captain and batsman

Andrew McGlashan16-Dec-2013Brendon McCullum’s days as an international wicketkeeper appear over after the New Zealand coach Mike Hesson conceded he was too valuable as a captain and batsman to risk behind the stumps with a long-standing back problem.Barring one stand-in appearance at Headingley when BJ Watling was injured, McCullum has not kept in Tests since 2010 but had been keen to continue with the role in white-ball cricket after resuming the job in Bangladesh following a break earlier this year in England.However, being forced home from Bangladesh when the protruding discs in his spine caused him severe pain, and prompted a bout of soul-searching about his future, appears to have helped him make a final decision.”We’re unlikely to use him as a keeper,” Hesson said. “He’s too valuable a player for us to consider using him as a keeper.”There is rarely a day where McCullum isn’t in some discomfort from his back and Hesson added that he may not be able to play every match during the season. “We’d only rest him if his back was at a point where he couldn’t play. That could well occur. He’s made some good progress. He’s always a bit stiff but it doesn’t seem to affect his movement too much.”The end of McCullum as wicketkeeper means that Luke Ronchi, who made his New Zealand debut in the one-day series against England earlier this year before playing in the Champions Trophy, is set for a second chance to establish himself in the 50-over side.Ronchi’s initial stint in the team during the England tour saw him struggle as an opener, making 47 runs in six innings, and he was left out of the squad for the Bangladesh series until being summoned as cover, firstly due to Kane Williamson’s broken thumb and then the keeping slot opened up again.He returned to the side in a middle-order role, which he admitted was more comfortable for him, and improved his output with scores of 49 and 23 in the one-day series against Sri Lanka and an unbeaten 34 in the Twenty20.Ronchi is not the only option for the gloves in the one-day team, which will be named on Thursday in Hamilton. Watling’s Test form makes a strong case while Tom Latham, who toured England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is another in the frame.However, Latham’s route to a regular spot is hindered by a log-jam at the top of the order. He opened with Anton Devcich in the series against Sri Lanka, where New Zealand fielded an experimental line-up, and made 86 off 68 balls in the second ODI.But Martin Guptill has recovered from injury and shown form in domestic cricket while the selectors are also keen to get Jesse Ryder back into the international fold ahead of the India series in January. Hamish Rutherford appears to have drifted down the pecking order for ODIs.Earlier this year Guptill hit back-to-back hundreds against England, including a New Zealand record 189 not out in Southampton but missed the Bangladesh tour due to an ankle injury.

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Everton are attempting to sign Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea and have learned that they will have to pay £35m for the forward, according to The Guardian.

What’s the story?

Everton’s problems in the final third this season have been well documented.

It is true that Richarlison has been a revelation following his summer move from Watford, but the likes of Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have struggled.

The Toffees are said to be keen to sign a new striker on deadline day and according to The Guardian, are attempting to bring Batshuayi to the club.

The Belgium international is back with Chelsea having spent the first half of this season on loan in Spain with Valencia.

It would be fair to say that the 25-year-old struggled at the Mestalla, managing just one league goal during a disappointing loan spell.

Batshuayi’s Chelsea record is 19 goals in 53 appearances, which is not exactly terrific, but he did score goals on loan at Borussia Dortmund last term.

Should Everton move for the striker?

Batshuayi is certainly capable of being a success at Everton, but £35m is a lot of money for a player who has not been in good form this season.

A move for the Belgian on transfer deadline day does make sense for Everton, but the Toffees must attempt to negotiate a lower price.

According to The Guardian, West Ham United had wanted to take Batshuayi on loan, but Chelsea are keen on a permanent sale, with Everton seemingly the only serious contenders at this stage of the transfer window.

The Londoners are in a strong negotiating position though, considering that Batshuayi still has more than two years left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

If the asking price stays the same then Everton should dodge a move, but anything around the £27m mark should be seriously considered by the Toffees.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to the foot injury he picked up during a practice match last week, and Sri Lanka Cricket has replaced him with seam-bowling allrounder Dilhara Lokuhettige

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013Sri Lankan fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara is unlikely to travel to England for the Champions Trophy, after failing to recover sufficiently from an ankle injury he sustained on May 18. Welegedara failed a fitness test on Wednesday morning, and Sri Lanka Cricket have since named seam bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige as a replacement. The selection was cleared by the sports minister, but has not yet been approved by the ICC.Lokuhettige, 32, played eight ODIs for Sri Lanka in 2005, and two Twenty20 internationals in 2008. He has six ODI wickets at 36.83. He has largely been picked on his form in the recently concluded List A tri-series in Pallekele, where he was the joint highest wicket-taker: nine scalps at an average of 17.66. If approved, he will be one of four pace specialists on tour, with Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Kulasekara also traveling. Allrounders Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews are part of the squad as well.”SLC have written to the ICC Event Technical Committee regarding this replacement,” an SLC statement said. “The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.”Welegedara had picked up the injury during the penultimate match of the tri-series, which he left, in pain, during his third over. His chances of traveling to England had looked promising on Tuesday after scans revealed no breaks or fractures, but inflammation persisted and he was unable to put sufficient weight on his landing foot.Welegedara, also 32, was the leader of Sri Lanka’s Test pace attack, but has been plagued by injury in the last 12 months, in which he only completed one Test match. He strained his groin playing England in March last year, before tearing a shoulder muscle before the Pakistan series in July. He recovered in time to travel to Australia at the end of the year, but tore a hamstring early in the second Test in Melbourne, and has not played any international cricket since. Largely regarded a Test specialist, Welegedara has not played limited-overs international cricket since June 2010.The Sri Lanka squad leaves for England in the early hours of Monday morning.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained India batsman Shikhar Dhawan and South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn ahead of the IPL 2014 auction. They will have two right-to-match cards available to them at the auction, on February 12

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2014Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained India batsman Shikhar Dhawan and South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn ahead of the IPL 2014 auction. They will have two right-to-match cards available to them at the auction, on February 12.Dhawan’s profile shot up in 2013, when he established himself in the Indian team across all formats. It began with the fastest century by a Test debutant, against Australia in Mohali, and he followed that up with a Man-of-the-Series performance in the Champions Trophy. He was also elevated to the captaincy of Sunrisers during the Champions League of the 2013 season, and was one of the few marquee Indian names in the squad.Steyn has been the world’s leading fast bowlers for several years, and had turned in several match-turning performances last season. He was signed for $1.2m in the 2011 auction, and would have expected similar, or perhaps better, returns in this auction.Sunrisers coach Tom Moody tweeted: “Great news at @SunRisers we’ve retained Shikhar Dhawan & @DaleSteyn62 for #IPL2014 – Still have 2 ” right to match cards” for auction day!”After the specified amounts for the two players retained – Rs 125 million for player one and Rs 95 million for player two – are deducted from their salary cap of Rs 600 million (approx. US$ 9.6 million), Sunrisers will be left with Rs 380 million to spend at the auction. This season, each squad must include no less than 16 and no more than 27 players, with a maximum of nine overseas players.The amount deducted from the auction purse is not necessarily the IPL fee agreed to between the franchise and the retained player.