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Arsenal have enjoyed a year of vast progression, with Mikel Arteta having overseen the development of many of his assets into some of the top players in their field.

The Spaniard is owed massive credit for how his project has blossomed, from the stuttered start he faced to the 2021/22 failure to secure top four. Nothing has slowed down his steady improvement, and he and his club profited massively last term.

Having now secured Champions League football and announced themselves as the closest competitor to Manchester City by far, the task is now to bridge that gap, with this summer a key opportunity to do so.

Arguably the biggest weakness that was outlined last campaign came at the heart of defence, as William Saliba's mid-March injury saw their form drop and the title charge derailed. Whilst this is largely owed to the immense presence of the Frenchman, a lack of adequate backup truly exacerbated his absence.

Therefore, bolstering their backline should be high on their priority list.

Fortunately, a fine opportunity has already presented itself for this transfer window, as it was reported last month that the Gunners were one of many clubs monitoring Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard.

Reports in Italy have stated that due to a dwindling £84k-per-week contract, an offer of just €20m (£17m) could be enough to tempt him out of Germany as reported by Tuttosport, via FCInternews.

Could Benjamin Pavard replicate Ben White?

Given his ability to play at both centre-back and right-back, it is hard not to immediately draw comparisons between the France international and Ben White.

After all, the former Brighton and Hove Albion stalwart moved to north London having enjoyed the bulk of his career through the centre, only for Arteta to employ him at full-back in their most successful year yet. This is no coincidence.

The presence of such a defensive machine offers that foundation for their free-flowing attack to thrive, and as such Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have all enjoyed their best goalscoring seasons in the league.

This is owed to the 1.6 tackles and two clearances per game of the 25-year-old whose mere positional awareness makes them a stronger defensive unit.

So, to add another player who has seen similar positional progression to the squad, they would immediately have valid cover for Saliba and whoever is selected as the starting right-back.

After all, during a term in which the Bavarian giants narrowly claimed the Bundesliga title, the 27-year-old has lived up to Uli Hoenes' praise that he would be an "outstanding signing".

His 7.35 average Sofascore rating was actually the second-highest of anyone on his team, only behind Joshua Kimmich, and is upheld through his five goal contributions, 2.3 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per game.

His mindset has also been praised too, with his former boss Julian Nagelsmann claiming back in March: "Benji had a good performance. He always wants to win. He scored goals too today. He did very well against Paris (first leg). He's playing more often in his favourite position and is doing a good job. I know that he feels comfortable here."

With an additional offensive impetus but sharing a broader physique that differentiates themselves from the midfielder-style modern-day full-back, these two could offer huge benefits to the squad depth, not to mention adding another serial winner into their ranks.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Mohammad Shahzad, who top scored for Afghanistan, hit eight fours and a six in his 79-ball 66•Peter Della Penna/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Half-centuries from Mohammad Shahzad and Najibullah Zadran set the base for Afghanistan’s 39-run win in the second ODI against Ireland in Belfast on Tuesday.Afghanistan, who were bowled out for 250 after being sent in to bat, overcame Ireland’s solid start to the chase – openers William Porterfield and Ed Joyce added 71 – to spin the hosts out. Rashid Khan, the legspinner, finished with 3 for 28, while offspinner Mohammad Nabi claimed 3 for 45 as Ireland were bowled out for 211 in 48.2 overs. That meant Afghanistan took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series which started with a washout.As many as seven Afghanistan batsmen got into double digits but most could not kick on. Shahzad, the opener, top scored with 66. The visitors, who were cruising at 76 without loss, slipped to 125 for 4, before being rescued by 70-run stand between Najibullah Zadran and Samiullah Shenwari. Zadran smashed six fours and two sixes in his 61-ball knock, before Barry McCarthy, the medium pacer, polished off the tail to finish with 4 for 59 – his best figures so far in his fledgling ODI career. Kevin O’Brien also chipped in with four wickets.Ireland were on course as Joyce brought up a half-century. Then, medium pacer Mirwais Ashraf’s two wickets in the space of four deliveries in the 27th over stalled the chase. O’Brien kept Ireland in the game with a 27-ball 35, but the escalating asking rate meant escalated pressure too, which the hosts could not withstand. O’Brien was fifth man out, before Ireland’s last five wickets fell for 22.The third ODI will also be played at the same venue on Thursday.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said that a rollback of the constitutional revamp that gave India, England and Australia greater administrative and financial power at the ICC is not a certainty

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-20165:19

Anurag Thakur: By 2020 India Women should be No. 1

The new BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that a rollback of the constitutional revamp that gave India, England and Australia greater administrative and financial power at the ICC is not a certainty, despite his predecessor Shashank Manohar’s criticism of the “bullying” of the ICC by the “Big Three”. Manohar, who was recently elected as the first independent chairman of the ICC, heads a five-member steering group that is reviewing the constitutional reforms of 2014, with an aim of submitting recommendations at the ICC’s annual conference later this month.Manohar was particularly displeased with the revenue-sharing formula, saying it would make “the poor poorer and the rich richer”. “India generates money because the other countries come and play in India,” he had pointed out. “If you do not have a fierce competition, the broadcasters are not going to pay you and the sponsors are not going to sponsor your events.”Thakur, however, said the present revenue-sharing arrangement was not dismantled yet, but was still in the negotiations stage. “The [BCCI] authorised the president and secretary to negotiate and discuss the matter with the ICC,” Thakur said. “Yes [the final word has not been spoken on the matter]. It is just at the discussion stage.”He remained non-committal when asked if he and Manohar were not on the same page on the matter. “I simply said let the situation [play out], the power has been given to president and secretary,” he said. “As to whether we agree or disagree, Mr Manohar also hadn’t taken a decision at that time, so how do you say we disagree?”During his time as BCCI secretary Thakur had expressed reservations over Manohar’s views on the distribution of revenue, and said there was nothing wrong in India receiving a bigger share. “The [BCCI] president said this in his personal capacity. He made it very clear that it was his personal opinion,” Thakur had said.Speaking now, however, Thakur did back Manohar’s new role, which is independent of the BCCI. “I personally supported that [the ICC chairman being independent of his national board] when it was discussed at the ICC meetings,” Thakur said. “And I insisted that if there is only a single nomination, allow that person to take over as ICC chairman from that day only, otherwise for 15-20 days [more, while the election process played out] the BCCI representative would have been the ICC chairman.He also said the BCCI will roll out initiatives that will change the way people perceive the board. “I want to see the Indian team as No. 1 in all formats. We [the BCCI] want to be more transparent, accountable and bring in more professionalism. Apart from that, we want to look at green initiatives, support deaf & dumb cricket etc.”The board does a great job, organises 800-plus matches over a year. This is not easy. How many associations can manage to shift matches between venues in the space of seven days? We have created good infrastructure over the years, that is our asset. I have to take all the state units together and strengthen them, so that we can easily handle any situation the BCCI comes across.”

David Green, one of county cricket’s great entertainers, has died at the age of 76

David Hopps19-Mar-2016

David Green, one of county cricket’s great entertainers, whether on the field for Lancashire and Gloucestershire or in the press boxes on the county circuit after his retirement, has died at the age of 76. He had been suffering from respiratory problems and had spent the past fortnight in hospital near his Devon home.When made Green – “Bodger” to his chums, and there were many – one of their Five Cricketers of the Year in 1969 their judgment could hardly have been more apt. “David Green is undoubtedly the sort of player the game demands – aggressive, talented and entertaining,” was their verdict.Green was true to an era when drinking after a day’s play was considered almost : a man who could down a pint with the same sort of indecent haste that he could hit a half-century. Perhaps his conviction that professional cricket was about camaraderie as well as victory meant that he did not entirely achieve his potential, but the game – and many who followed it – was richer for his presence. He was a raconteur par excellence, a man capable of filling a day with laughter. As one journalist struck by his presence remarked: “I wish I had seen him play; I am very glad I heard him talk.”After his retirement, he would often jovially relate that there was nothing finer than a run-a-ball fifty and the completion of the crossword before lunch on the first day of a Championship match. It was a rebellious act, too, because this was largely an era of dour, defensive cricket on bowler-friendly pitches.He had an acerbic, intelligent wit – his career at Lancashire ended prematurely when he called the chairman a “prat” – “I could have called him much worse,” Green would later reflect – but there was a fairness and gentleness about him, too, that was always reflected in the way he wrote about and discussed cricket. He cared deeply about the standards of the game.Although Green was born in the Caernarvonshire village of Llanengan in 1939, he was raised in Timperley in Cheshire and learned his cricket in Lancashire. He was regarded as a teenage prodigy at Manchester Grammar School and won his cricket Blue at Oxford University, where he studied history, for three seasons from 1959, making his Lancashire debut in the first of those and passing 1000 runs for the first of seven times.Famously, as Lancashire’s vice-captain, he topped 2000 first-class runs in 1965 without hitting a century – a unique statistic – but in 1967 his season was limited by a leg injury, and he was released at the end of the summer. He was snapped up by Gloucestershire and repaid them immediately by scoring 2137 runs at 40.32 including a career-best 233, an achievement that earned him his accolade from . It was his most driven of seasons: Lancashire had been well and truly put in their place. He regarded batting with his opening partner, Arthur Milton, as “an education”.When limited-overs cricket was introduced to English cricket in the late ’60s, it might have been designed for him.He was also a talented rugby union player, turning out for Sale and Cheshire, and later for Bristol. After retiring he worked as a journalist, almost exclusively for the . His writing style was antithetical to his cricket. Given his county cricket wordage for the day, often less than he would hope, he would draw lines down his page, each box representing a single word. He would have caused hilarity for much of the day but his copy was shrewd and analytical.His first book, , published in 2013 and covering both his cricket and rugby lives, was part-autobiographical, part-anecdotal, part-cricket analysis and always irreverent. David Green was not easily compartmentalised.

Will Luke looks at how Canada fared in 2007

Will Luke23-Dec-2007

Umar Bhatti celebrates his hat-trick in the Intercontinental Cup final. It was about the only cause for celebration in a wretched match© ICC
It was a mixed year for Canada both on and off the pitch. They struggled in one-day cricket with four wins out of 16 matches while in the ICC Intercontinental Cup they lost four out of five. And as they move into 2008, the lack of money continues to blight their progress.Their performance at the World Cup was predictably dire, only ever showing glimpses of potential and competitiveness. After losing to Kenya, they took on England and made a decent stab at chasing 280 with Ashif Mulla cracking a quickfire 58. In their final match against NewZealand, John Davison – Canada’s bristling opener and only batsman with the gumption and class to take on the best – smashed 52 from 31 balls in his farewell ODI.Things didn’t improve in four-day cricket either when they were humiliated by Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup final at Leicester carried over from the previous season. Their preparation was poor, blighted by lost baggage and missed flights, and lost a horribly one-sided contest inside five sessions. They struggled in subsequent matches from patchy availability and a lack of preparation as players, already struggling to take time off, often found themselves underprepared on unfamiliar surfaces.The coach, Andy Pick, left in May and urged Canada’s board to appoint his replacement quickly, to aid their path to qualifying for the next World Cup. Pubudu Dassanayake was finally chosen five months later, and he has a battle on his hands to squeeze what little money he canfrom a ring-fenced set-up.New man on the block
A familiar name in Canada’s youth squads, Trevin Bastiampillai is one of the next generation and in 2007 put together some useful scores. He made 71 in Canada’s innings victory over UAE, adding 141 with Mulla.Fading star
John Davison, Canada’s standout batsman, played his last match in the Intercontinental Cup final rout, and two months earlier he bowed out of ODIs at the World Cup with a typically audacious 52 from 31 balls. He might yet return but, at 37, and with Canada’s selectors looking to thefuture, it appears unlikely. They, and Canada’s fans, will sorely miss him.High point
Ashish Bagai shone in the World Cricket League in Nairobi. He scored 137 not out – his first hundred in senior cricket – against Scotland and added a second ton against Ireland four days later. His 345 runs at 86.25 meant he ended the tournament as the leading run scorer and was named Player of the Tournament. He was later shortlisted for the ICC Associate Player of the Year.Low point
Canada’s loss to Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup final summed up their year. Dismissed for 92 and 145, the only crumb of comfort they gained was the performance of Umar Bhatti who took a hat-trick (and very nearly four in four) as Ireland’s first innings fell away. The news that Bagai had taken up a work position in London and was likely to largely unavailable in 2008 was another blow.What the future holds
With the appointment of Atul Ahuja as Canada’s first chief executive, hopes of the government funding Canadian cricket have increased. Like other Associates, they receive a payout from the ICC but, as Pick found out, access to the funds is limited – and this is one area that Ahuja might be able to help in his first year as chief executive. Similarly, Pubudu Dassanayake, Pick’s replacement, has a tough task on his hands to improve consistency.

ODIs 16 4 12 0 Twenty20 – – – – Intercontinental Cup 5 1 4 0

Cricinfo looks at the careers of Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock as they reach 100 Tests

Andrew McGlashan15-Apr-2006

Shaun Pollock made the more impressive start, and went onto become South Africa’s leading wicket-taker © Getty Images
1995-96
Pollock made his debut against England, at Centurion Park, claiming Graham Thorpe as his first Test wicket and ending as the pick of South Africa’s attack in the rain-ruined game. Kallis debuted two matches later, at Durban, but was less successful making just 1. Pollock played a key role as South Africa clinched the series against England 1-0. He took 5 for 32 in the second innings at Cape Town, setting up a 10-wicket victory.1996-97
Both players missed South Africa’s next Test series, away to India, through injury but returned in the following home season. Pollock played all season, and scored his first Test half-century against India, at Johannesburg, but Kallis had to wait for the visit of Australia for a recall and still struggled to make an impression.1997-98
Kallis hit his first half-century at Rawalpindi and 1997-98 turned into his breakthrough season when he made his maiden century against Australia, at Melbourne, and guided South Africa to a fighting draw. Pollock, meanwhile, found golden form with the ball with 5 for 37 bowling South Africa to a 53-run, series-levelling win, against Pakistan at Faisalabad then took 7 for 87 against Australia at Adelaide, completing his first 10-wicket haul in Tests.1998
Kallis hit 132 against England at Old Trafford, the Test where England famously hung on for a draw before claiming the series 2-1. Pollock missed that match and was unable to carry South Africa home at Headingley, being left stranded when the last wicket fell.

Once Jacques Kallis found his feet at Test level he became a run-scoring machine © Getty Images
1998-99
The two allrounders played leading roles in the 5-0 demolition of West Indies. Kallis enjoyed an outstanding series with bat and ball scoring 485 runs and taking 17 wickets. This included a stunning performance at Cape Town where he scored 110, 88 not out and took seven wickets in the match. Pollock was no less impressive as his 29 wickets came at just 16 runs apiece.
1999-00
Kallis’ 105 put South Africa on track to claim the series against England at Cape Town then, in the following tour to India, batted for over seven hours at Bangalore for 95 as they won the series 2-0.
2000
Pollock was thrust into the captaincy after the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal and draws his first series, against Sri Lanka, thanks to a seven-run win at Kandy. Kallis contributes a vital 87.2000-01
Kallis started the South African season in style with 160 against South Africa at Bloemfontein and later that summer Pollock struck his first Test century – 111 against Sri Lanka at Centurion. He didn’t have to wait long for his second as he made 106 at Bridgetown, on the tour of West Indies, while Kallis switched the focus from bat to ball with a 10-wicket haul in the same match to seal the series.
2001-02
Kallis began a wonderful run of form with unbeaten scores of 157 and 189 (still a career-best) against Zimbabwe. Pollock scored a century in the Test-that-never-was against India, at Centurion, after the third match of the series was stripped of official status. Pollock had taken 10 wickets in the first match at Bloemfontein.
2003
Pollock lost the captaincy to Graeme Smith following a poor World Cup. Kallis missed the tour of Bangladesh then the first two Tests against England, but returned to take 6 for 39 as South Africa won at Headingley. Pollock took 6 for 39 in a losing cause at Trent Bridge.

They have formed the heart of the South African team for a decade © Getty Images
2003-04
Pollock becomes South Africa’s leading wicket-taker when he dismisses Michael Papps at Auckland, overtaking Allan Donald’s tally of 330. Kallis amassed four centuries in four Tests against West Indies and added to his extraordinary run of form with an unbeaten 150 against New Zealand at Hamilton.2004-05
Runs continued to flow for Kallis as he struck three centuries against England. However, wickets started to dry up for Pollock although he took 4 for 65 in the second innings at Cape Town – South Africa’s only win of the series. Kallis hit the fastest Test fifty – 24 balls – against a depleted Zimbabwe before two more tons in West Indies, where he became South Africa’s leading Test run-scorer by passing Gary Kirsten’s 7289 in Antigua.2005-06
Both were selected for the Super Series – Kallis made the starting XI for the Test but Pollock was twelfth man. A tough winter of cricket followed for the pair against Australia. Kallis made gutsy centuries at Sydney (111) and Durban (114), while he regained the knack of picking up useful wickets and sustained his place at the top of the allrounder rankings. He was named captain when Smith missed the final Test against Australia at Johannesburg.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAFP

Afghanistan began their historic tour of India with a dominant performance against Bangladesh, crushing them by 45 runs in the first T20 in Dehradun. The clinical display went along expected lines as their big-hitters Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari and Shafiqullah got them to competitive 167 for 8 in 20 overs. That set it up for the usual suspects – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – to do their thing and dismantle Bangladesh, as they were bowled out for 122 in 19 overs.Having broken the back of the chase, Rashid snaffled an excellent catch – diving to his left and grabbing Abu Jayed’s slap overhead with both hands – giving Afghanistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. It was a complete performance from Afghanistan, characterised by a clinical bowling performance that didn’t give Bangladesh any chance of chasing down the total.Bangladesh began a tough chase on the wrong foot. Tamim Iqbal paid for indecision – caught between sweeping and defending Mujeeb’s first ball of the innings – to be pinned in front of middle and off. Shakib Al Hasan struck two fours, before poor shot selection, against the turn of Mohammad Nabi, cost him his wicket in the fourth over.Liton Das looked slightly more accomplished at the crease. During the course of a 20-ball 30, Liton treated the crowd to a sweetly-timed cut, a switch-hit, and a soaring six over long-on. But after he fell to Nabi, to a questionable decision in the eighth over, Bangladesh imploded against Rashid Khan.Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman fell off his first two balls, in the 11th over, when the game was still in the balance; Mushfiqur missing a reverse sweep, and Sabbir caught clueless against a quick googly. Mosaddek Hossain struggled for 23 balls before holing out in the deep to give Rashid his third wicket.The rest of the Afghanistan attack, too, played a part in reining in Bangladesh. Shapoor Zadran, like Rashid, took three wickets, but leaked 40 runs in his four overs. Nabi took two wickets, and Mujeeb and Karim Janat took one each.Earlier, Mohammad Shahzad and Usman Ghani got Afghanistan off to a sound start, putting on 62 runs for the first wicket. Ghani struck the first six of the game in the fifth over, but after yet another over went without a boundary – five out of 8.2 at that stage – Rubel Hossain snuck past a desperate attempt at a slog and pegged his leg stump back.Shahzad, too, struggled to get going after the Powerplay overs. He was dropped by Shakib, off his own bowling, at the start of 12th over, and ended it by reverse-sweeping him straight to point. He had made 40 off 37 balls, with five fours.Mahmudullah’s double-strike in the 14th over, where he dismissed Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi, left Afghanistan with the tough task of rebuilding the innings with six overs remaining. But Bangladesh gave away the advantage in the last four overs.First, Mahmudullah dropped Samiullah Shenwari in the 17th over at the long-on boundary, before Shenwari swatted Abu Jayed for two sixes and as many fours in the following over. He fell off the last ball of the same over, but his 18-ball 36, with three fours and as many sixes, had revived Afghanistan.Shafiqullah started with a six off the first ball he faced, before hammering Abul Hasan for two more in the last over. He fell off the next ball, and even though Afghanistan lost two more wickets in the last over, Rashid Khan’s last-ball six gave them a strong finish.Afghanistan took 62 runs off the last four overs, with Mahmudullah, despite his two-wicket over, never returning to bowl.

Jos Buttler top-scored for England in the opening ODI at Seddon Park, but two fumbles behind the stumps aided New Zealand’s path to a final-over victory. Between well-matched sides, Buttler conceded that England need to be better at converting those chances into wickets.Buttler’s first mistake gave Tom Latham a life on 47, a thin edge down the leg side off Adil Rashid, then late in the chase he couldn’t cleanly glove a stumping opportunity that would have dismissed Tim Southee first ball – the delivery after Ross Taylor was stumped – and left Mitchell Santner with the less secure support of Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult to try and secure victory.He also failed to gather a return that would have run out Colin de Grandhomme, but that didn’t prove costly – save for the one extra run – as de Grandhomme fell to Ben Stokes next ball, the moment when the returning allrounder appeared to be winning the match for EnglandButtler, though, wasn’t the only culprit with Jonny Bairstow spilling a chance – albeit a tough one – in the deep off Latham, although again the cost was minimal as Latham fell next over. However, in a game decided with just four balls remaining every run mattered. England’s ground fielding also became a touch ragged during the latter part of the chase, although the dew may have been a factor.”I think we can be sharper in the field,” Buttler said. “I think we were a little bit sloppy for our standards – especially on small grounds like that, defending the boundary and shot-stopping in the ring obviously highlights it because the ball runs away. That’s an area we need to improve. We missed a few chances as well. To try and create wicket-taking opportunities when two good players get in in a partnership in one-day cricket, the half-chances we need to try and take them.”Buttler’s innings – 79 off 65 balls – did not include the late onslaught that is so often a feature of his game, and was witnessed with such impact at Sydney last month. That was largely due to the skill of Southee and Boult in the closing overs, with Buttler saying he felt back to somewhere near his best after a scratchy T20 tri-series.Southee, who Buttler spent two years with at the IPL as part of Mumbai Indians, made smart use of slower deliveries which, coupled with a sluggish pitch, meant the batsman had to do all the work. Southee only erred once to costly effect against Buttler in his final three overs, dragging down the first ball of his last over which was deposited for six, but otherwise didn’t go for more than a single against him at the death.”It’s quite a fun battle having spent a lot of time with someone who knows the strength of your game, but I’ve also tried to read his game and stuff like that,” Buttler said. “But he bowled really well and it’s something I’m very aware of – sides try and take pace off to me.”That’s the name of the limited-overs game: always staying one step ahead.

One tour, three formats, three series wins. For Chandika Hathurusingha, it has been the ideal start to his tenure as head coach of Sri Lanka.Speaking on his side’s return home from Bangladesh, a content Hathurusingha cited good communication, tactical flexibility, and a relaxed environment as key elements in Sri Lanka sweeping every trophy on offer. Now, his concentration has shifted to cultivating a strong squad that can compete in various conditions.”We want a big pool of players for us to compete against different countries and different opposition, depending on their limitations and strengths,” Hathurusingha said. “All the players get an equal opportunity and they will definitely know where they stand when it comes to selection.”With me, I don’t think you will see the same team too often. Of course the players that perform have the assurance of their places in the team, but will always try and see the best combination that can win games. It’s not that we’re trying to play with just eleven players for the next two years.”Jeevan Mendis provided prime example of this policy in action. Drafted in after three years out of the national setup, he had an immediate impact, picking up two wickets in his first over.”We know his talent, and coupled with his recent domestic record we knew we wanted a player with Jeevan’s qualities,” Hathurusingha said. “It depends on the opposition, depends on the conditions, and what we want to achieve. It’s all about flexibility with the team and we have communicated to the players as well, and they all know what their roles are. That’s how it’s going to be going forward.”Thisara Perera too has benefited from Hathurusingha’s clear tactical instructions. After an inconsistent period, the allrounder found fluency on the tour to Bangladesh, scoring 134 runs in five ODIs at an average of 44.66 and a strike-rate of 154. He also picked up five wickets. His destructive side was on display in the T20Is, where he struck quickfire cameos of 31 and 39 not out.”Thisara had come back to the national side after a while, and so we spoke to him a lot about his role. We also changed his training methods a bit. We all knew how talented he was, but he just needed to harness that better. We are now seeing what he’s capable of. I think he still has room to improve, and room to contribute, but it all depends on the roles and opportunities that he gets.”Hathurusingha was also pleased with Sri Lanka’s fight on the tour after they were beaten by both Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at the start of the ODI tri-series in January.”We knew we had the capability to come back. The opposition played really good cricket in the first two games and we took time to get used to the conditions. We also got a few things wrong tactically, but we came and corrected it in the next few games,” Hathurusingha said.”The biggest help was the environment, which was good for the players. The coaching staff also helped a lot. We also communicated a lot with the players on their concerns and views, we tried to get them to focus on their cricket and perform without worrying too much about the outcome.”Sri Lanka’s next assignment is the Nidahas Trophy, where they will face a wounded Bangladesh and an in-form India in a T20I tri-series. Hathurusingha is looking forward to the challenge. “We can definitely go and compete with bigger teams, but in cricket you can’t guarantee results. What we can assure and try to aspire to, is to try and get better every time we train, every time we play, and try to do our best. As long as we play to our potential I’m happy, because the more we play to our potential, more often than not we will win.”

K Gowtham’s six-for consigned Mumbai to only their fifth innings defeat in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2017PTI

Offspinner K Gowtham’s six-wicket haul engineered Karnataka’s innings-and-20-run thrashing of Mumbai, and helped book their berth in the semi-finals. Faced with a first-innings deficit of 397 runs, Mumbai were bowled out for 377 in their second innings in what was only their fifth innings defeat in Ranji Trophy history.Resuming the fourth morning on 120 for 3, Mumbai’s overnight batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and Akash Parkar, batted solidly for nearly 25 overs, with Suryakumar going on to bring up his 12th first-class century. The pair had added 98 runs for the fourth wicket, when Suryakumar was run out for 108. Parkar then added 52 runs in the company of Siddhesh Lad (31), but Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar struck with the last ball of the 84th over to have Lad caught behind by CM Gautam. Mumbai slipped further when Vinay and Gautam combined again for a caught-behind, as Mumbai captain Aditya Tare departed for a duck 3.2 overs later.Mumbai slipped to 295 for 7 as Gowtham broke Parkar’s resistance. Gowtham then proceeded to raze the lower order. He first trapped Dhawal Kulkarni, who shepherded Mumbai’s rearguard in the first innings, and then bowled Karsh Kothari to reduce Mumbai to 333 for 9. However, debutant Shivam Dubey, who had taken a five-for, put up a valiant fight with a 91-ball 71 that included seven fours and four sixes.Along with fellow debutant Shivam Malhotra, Dubey tried to force Karnataka to bat again, but Gowtham had Dubey caught by R Samarth, ending a last-wicket stand of 44. While the second-innings bowling honours went to Gowtham, Vinay finished with eight wickets in the match, and was awarded Man of the Match for his 6 for 34 in the first innings, which included a hat-trick.