Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney enjoyed a touching moment with a Wrexham fan as he asked to have his picture taken with the well-known supporter.
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Ravindra Jadeja’s nine wickets in Ranchi have pushed him to No. 1 in the ICC bowler’s rankings, while Cheteshwar Pujara became the highest ranked Indian batsman, at second place
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-20170:28
Jadeja makes the No.1 spot his own
Ravindra Jadeja has overtaken R Ashwin at the top of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, after taking nine wickets against Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cheteshwar Pujara was also a major gainer as his 202 off 525 balls propelled him above Virat Kohli to become the top-ranked India batsman in Tests. He was at No. 2, behind Australia captain Steven Smith.Although the Ranchi Test was drawn, at the end of the fourth day, the hosts had seemed in quite a dominant position thanks to these two players. Pujara, by facing more balls than any other Indian (where data is available) in Tests, secured a whopping 152-run lead though Australia had put up 451. It was the third double-century of his career, second against Australia, and it helped him continue a rich vein of form in the 2016-17 home season – 1259 runs at 66.26 with four hundreds and seven fifties.The top bowlers in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Jadeja, meanwhile, has outbowled his closest competitor Ashwin in the first innings this season – a sign that he was becoming a threat even without the pitch helping him too much. In all, Jadeja has taken 67 wickets at 22.98 with four five-wicket hauls in 24 innings. The changes he has made to his bowling, namely the ability to draw batsmen forward with flighted deliveries, as opposed to his usual method of bowling darts to get bowleds and lbws have made a strong impact. Kohli, at the end of the Ranchi Test, singled out Jadeja as “standing apart” from the rest of his bowlers.The top batsmen in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Smith consolidated his place at the top of the rankings with scores of 178* and 21 in Ranchi. Smith has 941 rating points is now joint-fifth highest ever with Peter May. Only Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) have ever got more.India will hold on to their position at the top of the rankings at the April 1 deadline for a cash award of $1 million. Australia and South Africa, on the other hand, have a chance to take over the second position. If Smith’s men at least draw the upcoming Dharamsala Test, they will finish at No. 2. South Africa can take over if Australia lose, and they either draw or win the Hamilton Test against New Zealand. The team that finishes second will be awarded $500,000 and the third-placed team will get $200,000.
Leeds United are interested in making Blackburn Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson their next manager this summer, according to a new update.
Who is in the running for Leeds job?
The Whites are experiencing a busy time of things at the moment, with so much happening both on and off the pitch, including 49 Enterprises' potential takeover of the club.
The search is also on to find a new manager before the start of next season, with Sam Allardyce departing earlier this week after a short stint in charge, in which he failed to keep them n the Premier League.
A number of individuals are believed to be in with a chance of landing the job, with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rodgers and Carlos Corberan all thought to be in the running. A new name has now been thrown into the hat, though, as Leeds look to ensure that they nail their next appointment and seal a quickfire return to the Premier League.
Is Tomasson a target for the Whites?
According to Football Insider, the Whites "have shortlisted Blackburn Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson in the search for their next manager", with the Dane "on their shortlist of targets". The report goes on to add that "Blackburn are braced for an approach from the recently-relegated giants and are already drawing up a list of potential replacements for the 46-year-old", with those inside Elland Road viewing Tomasson as "the next Bielsa".
Tomasson, who plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, has been in charge of Blackburn since last year, arriving in June, having previously been in charge of Swedish side Malmo, and he guided the former to a seventh-place finish in the Championship and within touching distance of finishing in the playoff positions.
He could be an interesting appointment by Leeds, not necessarily being as big a name as Gerrard and Rodgers, for example, but showing in a short space of time that he knows how to get positive results in the Championship, averaging 1.6 points per game in the competition. Tomasson also has experience at international level, albeit in an assistant manager role with Denmark between 2016 and 2019, meaning he knows how to work around big personalities and help get the best out of them.
It could be argued that a more proven manager could be needed at Leeds, such is the importance of this appointment, but the former striker did win two Swedish league titles in charge of Malmo, further highlighting his pedigree and why he is a contender to head to Elland Road.
Chelsea remain interested in signing Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana during the summer transfer window, according to a fresh claim.
Do Chelsea want to sign a new goalkeeper?
There have been various issues at Stamford Bridge throughout this season, with so many players underperforming, not to mention three different managers being in charge. While a lack of attacking spark has been a major problem, defensive midfield additions are wanted, with personal terms agreed with target Manuel Ugarte, and an upgrade is also wanted in goal in the summer window.
Onana is a player who has been linked with a move to west London numerous times in recent months, as he continues to thrive for an Inter side who are preparing to face Manchester City in the Champions League final later this month. The £67,000-a-week 'keeper has started 24 Serie A games this season, as well as 12 in Europe, with four Man of the Match awards coming his way from WhoScored.
Could Onana join Chelsea this summer?
According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Onana could join Chelsea this summer, with Inter happy for him to move on at the end of the season. The Italian giants are "aware of the fact" that the Blues are keen on acquiring his signature, with a "very high offer" potentially arriving in a "few weeks".
The 34-cap Cameroon international could be exactly what the Blues are looking for this summer, having performed at such a high level for an extended period now. He was part of the Ajax team that came so agonisingly close to reaching the Champions League final back in 2019, but at 27, he has now matured into a more formidable all-round stopper.
Onana, sponsored, by Adidas, was hailed as "excellent' by fellow 'keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic during the 2022 World Cup, where he made one appearance for Cameroon, and he is someone who could provide more stability between the sticks at Chelsea, giving more confidence to the defence and ensuring that the Blues go up a gear under Mauricio Pochettino.
Without a top-quality goalkeeper, it is hard for any team to enjoy success – Petr Cech was so instrumental when he joined the Blues, for example – and Onana could immediately make the west Londoners more of a force, simply by being a more consistent performer than Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mendy.
When Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp felt the screeching din of the full-time whistle after falling to defeat against Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final, he would have gallantly turned straight to the forthcoming campaign.
Liverpool had completed a domestic cup double, but the German manager's nemeses in Manchester City and Los Blancos triumphed in the Premier League and Europe respectively by the finest of margins.
The 2022/23 season has been anything but fruitful and the Reds have inexplicably fallen by the wayside, now holding just an outside chance of qualifying for next year's Champions League with three matches to play.
Sapped of energy and devoid of inspiration, Liverpool need reinforcements, and while the midfield department has been illuminated as the primary cause for concern, adding quality to the defence would also be a stellar way to rekindle the former cohesive resilience, and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo has been identified.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Anfield outfit's scouts were at Nice's match against Rennes, with observers of divisional rivals Manchester United and Newcastle United also in attendance.
A fee of €45m (£40m) has been touted for his services, and with ostensible intrigue mounting, Klopp and co would be wise to act swiftly to bolster their ranks.
Should Liverpool sign Jean-Clair Todibo?
The 23-year-old centre-back has impressed during his time in Ligue 1, arriving at Le Gym on a loan deal from Barcelona before making the move permanent and since cementing himself as an important defensive cog.
Having forged 99 appearances, scoring two goals, the Frenchman has been a "rock" – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – at the back, playing 30 times in the league this term and instrumental in the division's second-strongest defence, shipping 32 goals from 34 matches.
As per Sofascore, he has made 2.2 tackles and 3.2 clearances per match this season, completing 89% of his passes; his incisiveness on the ball is illustrated by his 81% dribble success rate and his tenacity in key battles underscored by his 70% ground duel win rate.
It is this level of robustness that could serve him so well under Klopp's wing, with the German manager seeking clarity over the strength of his backline after a lacklustre year.
The £20k-per-week titan's arrival could even displace Joel Matip, who has fallen out of favour this term, playing only five of the last 17 league matches, and being branded as "awful" by CBS reporter Nico Cantor for during a shoddy display against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this year.
The Cameroonian's recent upturn in form suggests that he is clawing for his future on Merseyside, but at 31 years old and failing to claim a starting berth with regularity, his ship might now have sailed at Anfield.
Todibo also ranks among the top 13% of defenders over the past year across Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for tackles per 90, as per FBref, with a skill set that might just strike a chord with Klopp and how he maps out his tactical philosophy going forward.
Providing a fresh dimension to the Liverpool defensive third, Todibo is discernibly dynamic in his varied approach, with Kulig accentuating this claim by also describing him as "complete".
And with the prime of his career ahead of him, he might find illustrious success in a switch to Liverpool, where he can blossom into a formidable force.
MS Dhoni has said the incoming coach of the Indian team needs to understand the players’ cultures and backgrounds for him to establish a good working relationship
Arun Venugopal07-Jun-2016
MS Dhoni on English being a communication barrier between coach and players: “If you see the kind of players coming in, English, I don’t think, is a big barrier.”•Getty Images and Cricket Australia
MS Dhoni has said the incoming coach of the Indian team needs to understand the players’ cultures and backgrounds to establish a good working relationship. Dhoni felt language wasn’t a barrier when he was asked if an Indian coach was desirable to ease bottlenecks in communication. One of the stipulations stated by the BCCI in its recruitment process for India’s head coach states: “It is desirable to communicate in Hindi and other regional Indian languages.””If you see the kind of players coming in, English, I don’t think, is a big barrier,” Dhoni said. “The other players in the team take the initiative, too. If someone doesn’t understand something, they ask ‘What does this mean?’ I feel it [knowledge of Hindi] can be [one of the] criteria, but it can’t be the only criteria.”More than Hindi, English, one who understands our culture and our upbringing, the one who understands these sort of things, he will always be better with us. In the past, too, these things have been important, and the coaches who have understood us better, it has made a difference at the ground level.”Dhoni said appointing the right candidate also depended on the options available, considering India’s hectic calendar. Former cricketers like Stephen Fleming and Ricky Ponting, who have coached IPL franchises successfully, have shied away from international assignments because of the amount of time they are required to spend away from home.”What is important is from a team’s requirement, what it needs. According to that, we have to select whoever is the best available,” Dhoni said. “It’s not like everyone wants to be the coach [and] there’s a reason behind it – you have your own family. It’s not like we are playing for six months and not playing for two months. We keep playing.”[For a] lot of international coaches, the problem is that we play a lot of cricket. From an availability point of view, we will have to see what is the best option and best for the team. One of the most important things is that they understand our culture.”The BCCI began the search for a head coach after the contracts of India team director Ravi Shastri, batting coach Sanjay Bangar, bowling coach B Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar – who were with the team since the ODI series in England in 2014 – expired after the World T20 in March. Bangar, however, was appointed coach for India’s tour of Zimbabwe, and Abhay Sharma, who most recently worked with the India Under-19s and A teams, was named fielding coach for the tour.The board has set June 10 as the deadline for candidates to apply for the role of India’s head coach, with the aim of appointing new long-term coaches by the time Virat Kohli’s team reaches the Caribbean for a four-Test series against West Indies, scheduled in July-August.
Journalist Beren Cross has slammed Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca for his "poor performance" in the club's disappointing recent defeat.
What's the latest on Marc Roca and Leeds?
The Whites have now lost three Premier League games in a row as they edge worryingly closer to the relegation zone with just six games left to save them.
Indeed, after losing 5-1 and then 6-1 at home to Crystal Palace and Liverpool, Javi Gracia and his team were away against Fulham this weekend.
In the end, despite a late consultation from Patrick Bamford (that may well be an own goal from Joao Palhinha), goals from Harry Wilson and Andreas Pereira saw the home side win 2-1.
Understandably, few players truly impressed in a Leeds shirt but it seems as though Roca may well have been the worst on the pitch.
Cross certainly didn't hold back in his player ratings for LeedsLive as he handed the Spaniard a 4/10 – the joint-worst in the team – and called him "clumsy".
He wrote: "A poor performance neatly summed up by the four consecutive corners he failed to get beyond the first man in the second half. Looked overrun as the sole pivot. Tackles were clumsy or non-existent."
How poor was Marc Roca against Fulham?
Interestingly enough, Graham Smyth also gave Roca a 4/10 in the Yorkshire Evening Post player ratings and wrote: "Couldn't get to grips with the game, gave away free-kicks, gave the ball away ahead of the second."
While these two journalists concurred, the stats also go some way to outlining just how poor the £50k-per-week midfielder played on the day.
Indeed, as per Sofascore, Roca lost the ball 20 times and made four fouls (only Max Wober was poorer than him in both categories). He also was dribbled past once, while he failed with his only dribble attempt and made just one tackle – which shows why Cross calls his defensive work in the middle of the park "non-existent".
This certainly doesn't reflect well on Roca who was slammed by Cross in his LeedsLive player ratings just last week after the Liverpool defeat, handing him a 3/10 and writing: "Dire in possession when Leeds were in half-decent positions. Bypassed too easily at points."
Following that same game, One Leeds Fan Channel host Conor McGilligan said (via Football FanCast): "I've said multiple times, I'm a big fan of Roca. He is embarrassing at the minute, embarrassing."
All in all, it's been a terrible few weeks for both club and player and it could soon get worse if they can't fix things in the near future with the threat of relegation now looming large.
A slow surface that makes strokeplay difficult and large outfields in Nagpur can be turned into Afghanistan’s favour
Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur26-Mar-2016They worried Sri Lanka with a rousing batting recovery, startled South Africa with a barnstorming start in a big chase, and left England gasping with their spin bowling. Three Super 10 matches against three Full Members, and Afghanistan created chances of winning each of them. They eventually fell short all three times, but the displays have only strengthened their belief that beating top opposition is not a distant prospect.On Sunday, Afghanistan will end their World T20 with a meeting against West Indies, who top their group with three wins in three matches. Afghanistan will be up against, perhaps, the most power-packed batting line-up they have faced in the tournament.But in Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari and Hamza Hotak, Afghanistan have enough depth in the spin department to make life difficult for batsmen reliant on big shots on a slow pitch and one of the bigger outfields in Indian cricket. Afghanistan have played three matches at the VCA Stadium before, in the first round, and though they faced far weaker opposition at that stage of the tournament, they know the conditions.”Definitely, their batting is very [strong], but we have a very good spin department,” Asghar Stanikzai, Afghanistan’s captain, said on the eve of the match. “So where we can restrict them is, we will try to depend more on spinners, since the boundaries over here are longer and hitting the spinners will not be that easy. They are good strikers of the ball but we play good cricket, and are not just trying to give them a tough time but we are here to go back with at least one win [from the Super 10 stage].”Afghanistan have made massive strides since their first appearance at a world event in 2010, and Stanikzai said they were no longer content simply with pushing big teams hard. He was particularly disappointed that they had let strong positions slip against Sri Lanka and England, and said Afghanistan were close to being a “serious team” that would win matches regularly.”When we first appeared in that [2010 World T20] in West Indies, we were only thinking that we are playing with big names and most of us were very impressed with the players around,” Stanikzai said. “This time we are not only participating in this tournament but we were serious about it.”If you see our last three matches, especially against Sri Lanka and England, we have played very good cricket. To be honest, we could have won those games because we knew the strength of our team, but somehow we made mistakes and that’s why we couldn’t finish on a winning note. If you compare between 2010 and 2016, there is a lot of difference in the Afghanistan team, and in the next one or two years we will be a serious team and beat these Full Members very easily, as we have potential.”West Indies are already through to the semi-finals, but their coach Phil Simmons knows they cannot take Afghanistan lightly.”They’ve played well in all the games,” he said. “They’ve batted really well, [especially when] they were chasing a big score against South Africa, who we played yesterday. So they’ve been playing well and I know them from before [Simmons was Ireland’s coach from 2007 to 2015], so I know that they’re going to come to try and win. So we’ve got to just play properly.”While Afghanistan are clearly a team on an upward curve, there are fears that West Indies are heading in the opposite direction. They have failed to qualify for the ODI Champions Trophy in 2017, and have struggled in Test cricket for a number of years. They have been among the best T20 sides in the world, as their displays in this tournament have suggested, but some of their biggest stars in the format, including Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy, are in their 30s and could possibly be playing at their last ICC event.Simmons disagreed with the pessimistic view of the future, pointing to the fact that Bravo and Sammy are only in their early 30s, the fact that the current squad has performed so well while missing Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and Sunil Narine, and the fact that West Indies have just won the Under-19 World Cup.”I’m not too sure how you write off guys at 30, 32 and 33,” Simmons said. “But to answer your question, yes, you can see it in the amount of players we have missing here. You see it in the young players coming up. You saw it in the Under-19 squad and you see it in the CPL at home, so it’s going to keep coming for a long time to come.”
Leeds United scout Alex Davies was in the stands for Preston North End vs Coventry City on Tuesday amid links of a move for Viktor Gyokeres.
The Lowdown: Gyokeres links
The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for Coventry forward Gyokeres in recent months. Reports following Javi Gracia’s arrival at Elland Road claimed that the club are plotting a move to sign the 24-year-old regardless of what division they find themselves in next season as they think he could be a key addition.
Gyokeres, hailed by his manager Mark Robins for his “unbelievable” power and technique, has scored 15 Championship goals this season and can play anywhere across the front three.
The Latest: Davies in attendance
Jordan Webber, who appears on Swans Cast Media, took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to say that Swansea’s chief scout, Lee Maybury, was at Deepdale for Preston vs Coventry.
Davies, who first mentioned Ben White’s name to Victor Orta, was also on that list to presumably cast a further eye on Gyokeres.
The Verdict: Disappointing display
Gyokeres struggled to back up a match-winning display on the weekend against Sunderland, with the game against Preston finishing goalless.
The Sweden international had an evening to forget, as per SofaScore, ending with a match rating of 6.4/10. He gave possession away 23 times, lost 13 of his 17 duels and failed to register a shot on target.
He was Coventry’s second-worst starter on the night, so Davies may have come away with some reservations about the forward, so it’ll be interesting to see if Leeds make their move in the summer.
Steel bands, soca music, and a game that was decided off the last ball. Fun? You bet
Lloyda Garrett09-May-2010The game
I chose this match mainly because it was part of the fun-filled cricketing weekend I had planned with family and friends. It did not disappoint as it swung to either side and was either team’s to win.Team supported
I was backing Pakistan since I tend to go for the underdogs, and would have loved to see them win despite all the upheaval in their cricket recently. I also love the passion that their players and fans bring to the game. As a West Indian fan, it is easy to enjoy a fantastic cricket match when I don’t have to worry about the agony of watching my home team lose again.Key performer
If Pakistan had won, I would have definitely said Abdul Razzaq was the Player of the Match. He stabilised the Pakistani innings and almost took the game away from New Zealand. Mohammad Sami also bowled very well for Pakistan. But since New Zealand won, I am going with Ian Butler, because he bowled that last delivery off which Pakistan needed two to win. He was not afraid to tempt Abdur Rehman to go for a big hit, getting him to send a simple catch to square leg.One thing I’d have changed
I’d have had Pakistan win.Wow moment
The last ball. I screamed as I watched the catch being taken. It must have been agony for Pakistan to be so close yet so far, but brilliant for New Zealand. Neither team was ever completely out of the game, and it kept the crowd involved all the way through.Shot of the day
The murderous hit for six by Razzaq in the 15th over.Player watch
Sami fielded at the boundary near us and we tried in vain to get him to turn around for a photograph. I don’t remember who fielded there during the New Zealand innings, I just remember wishing Daniel Vettori would come this way. For the most part, the crowd where I was sitting left the players alone since we were entertained by a local band from Barbados.Crowd meter
There was a big crowd, though the stadium was not sold out. There was a fair mix of West Indians, Indians, English, Pakistanis and some New Zealanders. I really enjoyed the Pakistani crowd. They danced and waved for the entire match and I was happy to see the Indians supporting them. The English were firmly behind the New Zealanders, as were most of the West Indians. I was sitting in Hewitt and Innis, right behind the boundary line, and we partied for the entire game, even joining in with the band near us. Fancy-dress index
There were quite a few people with body paint, face paint and body art. The dancing girls in carnival costumes seem to be a feature that all the men love. There were stilt walkers in the party stand and all around the ground there were people waving flags of all descriptions.Entertainment
There were drums, rattles, horns and makeshift percussion instruments all over the ground. There were several bands, and the DJ played Caribbean soca, which kept us jumping during the breaks. Allison Hinds, a popular soca singer, and a steel pan orchestra provided entertainment for the crowd at the end of the match.ODIs or Twenty20s?
I still prefer ODIs even though Twenty20 is clearly the game of the future.Marks out of 10
8.5. It was a great atmosphere with very good cricket. There is nothing like cricket in the Caribbean. As one banner said: “Sun, Sand and Cricket… that’s the life”.