All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United have accepted an offer from Birmingham City for striker Tyler Roberts, according to reports.

What’s the latest Leeds transfer news?

The Whites look set for a frantic summer after the 49ers agreed on a full takeover from Andrea Radrizzani last week. Alongside a new manager, there looks set to be plenty of incomings and outgoings, with Phil Hay expecting the likes of Illan Meslier, Robin Koch, Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, Marc Roca and Rodrigo to complete Leeds exits.

Leeds also sent 10 players out on loan last season, plenty of which look set to return, including Roberts. The forward spent the previous campaign in the Championship with Queens Park Rangers, and it looks as if another second-tier move is lined up, this time though on a permanent deal.

According to Football Insider, a full agreement has been reached that will see Roberts join Birmingham City this summer.

The report states that Leeds have accepted a seven-figure offer for the Welshman that includes add-ons, with Roberts set for a medical in the Midlands next week.

How many goals did Tyler Roberts score for Leeds?

Roberts arrived in Yorkshire back in 2018 from West Brom but has endured a frustrating spell at Elland Road which now looks set to come to an end.

The 24-year-old attacker now has just 12 months left on his Leeds deal and is poised to leave after making 108 appearances for the club, scoring just nine goals during that time.

He did show his quality last season, though, netting four times in 20 games for QPR, with Neil Critchley labelling one of Roberts’ goals against Reading as “terrific”. Meanwhile, former Baggies manager Tony Pulis has also praised Roberts in recent years, saying:

“I had Tyler at West Brom and gave him his league debut. He’s a very very talented boy. And I mean a very talented boy. He has got everything.

“The kid has pushed on. It’s great to see all the young players you’ve worked with, especially the ones you had a little bit of doubt with, come through and he’s one of them.”

However, averaging a goal every 12 games as a striker isn’t exactly prolific, and with Leeds seemingly looking for a rebuild this summer, moving on a player like Roberts for a seven-figure fee could prove to be a smart decision.

Azhar Ali has been retained as Pakistan’s ODI captain for the five-match series against Australia starting January 13 in Brisbane

Umar Farooq30-Dec-2016Azhar Ali has been retained as Pakistan’s ODI captain for the five-match series against Australia starting January 13 in Brisbane. Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, who missed the limited-overs as well as Test series against West Indies in the UAE, returns to the squad, while Sohail Khan and Yasir Shah, who were in the squad for the ODIs against West Indies, have been dropped.Pakistan ODI squad

Azhar Ali (capt.), Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafique, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan
In: Mohammad Irfan
Out: Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah

“The ODI team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions in Australia and the performances of players in the recent ODI series against West Indies and in domestic cricket,” Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector, said. “The team is a fine blend of experience and youth, and the selectors have decided to stick to the same combination of players selected for the West Indies series earlier. We believe that the team will do well in the tour.”A day before the first Test against Australia, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said the board had lost trust in Azhar’s leadership skills. Azhar responded with 324 runs in his next four innings, including an unbeaten 205 at the MCG.Azhar had reportedly refused to relinquish the captaincy after the PCB asked him to step down and focus on his batting following the 4-1 series defeat in England. Azhar has had a tough 19 months since he was appointed ODI captain in March 2015, soon after the World Cup. During his tenure, Pakistan had slipped to ninth place on the ICC rankings, with 86 points, their lowest tally since the points system was introduced in 2001.Irfan, who had been drafted into the squad for the ODIs in England as a replacement for the injured Mohammad Hafeez, bowled only five overs in the fourth ODI at Headingley, before leaving the field with cramps. He was then ruled out of the rest of the series, with his fitness leaving coach Mickey Arthur frustrated.Irfan regained fitness ahead of the series against West Indies in the UAE, but was ignored. He has now worked his way back into the squad at the expense of Sohail, having bowled 150.3 overs for 20 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, in WAPDA’s title-winning run in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.Yasir’s exclusion means Pakistan have only two frontline spinners in the 15-member squad – Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz. Kamran Akmal, who was the only player to pass 1000 runs in this season’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, was in contention for selection, but a reported disagreement between the team management and selectors saw him miss the cut. His brother Umar Akmal had earned a recall for the ODIs against West Indies, but he did not get a game. His last ODI appearance came against Australia in the 2015 World Cup.

It will be a summer of change at St Mary's Stadium following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.

The Saints finished dead last in what was a disastrous season on the south coast, and the squad could see a serious shake-up as a result.

Sources have reported West Ham’s interest in James Ward-Prowse, with the possibility of young midfielder Flynn Downes moving the other way.

Downes, who only started seven Premier League games last season, may be used as a sweetener in a deal to bring Southampton’s free-kick specialist to east London.

Southampton transfer news – Flynn Downes

That's according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, who shared on his Patreon account that David Moyes had shortlisted Ward-Prowse on his summer wishlist, but the current price is too high.

According to the Independent, the Saints are demanding close to £30m for their captain, but it is expected that the player will leave St Mary's to play in the Premier League in the upcoming season.

Ward-Prowse could be one of a number of signings for West Ham if Declan Rice does leave the club.

As Southampton look to rebuild, ExWHUemployee stated:

"Southampton were considering making a move for Flynn Downes either on loan or permanent as he had spoken to someone within the Downes family,”

“I have since checked this out and there does seem to be credible evidence. This is largely down to their appointment of his former manager at Swansea, Russell Martin. They enjoyed a great relationship and the former Norwich player sees Downes as a great addition to help drive the Saints back to the Premier League."

He then added:

"What makes this move more significant is our interest in James Ward Prowse. The set piece king is high on Moyes’ wish list, as he was last summer, and at the moment we feel their valuation is too high. If Downes could be included in the deal this could help lower the cost.”

Flynn Downes could shine under Russell Martin at Southampton and start their push for promotion back to the Premier League

At just 24-years-old, Downes is a player went plenty of development left to do, but his play under the Saints in Wales certainly gave us a taste of how high his ceiling is.

At the Swansea.com Stadium under the 39-year-old tactician, Downes was an influential member of the engine room – not only did he contribute towards three goals across 37 league appearances but displayed his defensive prowess, with an average of 1.3 tackle and 1.1 interceptions per outing, also providing an impressive 92.6% passing accuracy.

These are heights that he has yet to match at the London Stadium, with minutes hard to come by, though a reunion with his former coach could be exactly what's needed. Southampton will certianly have holes to fill in midfield, so the 24-year-old machine surely makes for a viable and interesting target.

Martin was in awe of the £12m gem's performances at the time, stating:

"I'm running out of superlatives for Flynn.

"He has all the ingredients he needs to play at the very top. He knows how I feel about him and how we feel about him as a coaching staff and what his ceiling can be. I think he can go and play wherever he wants eventually.

"We have a lot of good players, some of them are suited more to the style of play than others. He certainly is that. He's been incredible."

Southampton awarding their manager with a player that he has worked with before and trusts could be the perfect combination to kickstart their promotion push.

If Ward-Prowse does leave the club to move to West Ham, the Saints should be fighting to have Downes included in the deal, given the evidence above. Just imagine him back under Martin as the south coast outfit plot an instant return to the big time in 2023/24.

A round-up of the WICB Regional Super50 matches played on January 31, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2017Trindad & Tobago decimated West Indies Under-19s for 58 in the course of their eight-wicket win at North Sound on Tuesday. Having put West Indies U-19 in to bat, Sheldon Cottrell went on to scythe through the line-up, finishing with returns of 7-4-6-3 to pick up the Man-of-the-Match award. Seamer Roshon Primus and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre also took two wickets each during an innings that lasted only 31 overs.West Indies U-19s’ total of 58 was largely down to wicketkeeper Emmanuel Stewart’s 60-ball 30, with none of the other batsmen even reaching double-figures. T&T needed only 10.2 overs to brush past the target, for the loss of their openers. The win helped T&T climb to second place on the table, even as West Indies U-19s languish at the bottom of Group A.An unbeaten 84-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Adam Ball and wicketkeeper Adam Rouse sealed a four-wicket win for Kent, after Calum Haggett (4-59) and Imran Qayyum (3-42) had restricted Windward Islands to 241 for 9.Having been put in to bat, Windward were struggling at 91 for 5, with Haggett and Qayyum having taken four of the five wickets at this stage. Sunil Ambris’ 69-ball 50 – his third fifty-plus score in four matches – pushed the score to 241 with help from the lower order, particularly Windward captain Liam Sebastien (32), seamer Kyle Mayers (37 not out) and Darren Sammy (23). Kent captain Sam Northeast’s 49 and his 60-run partnership for the second wicket with opener Sean Dickson (36) stabilized Kent quickly after the fall of Daniel Bell-Drummond.Windward staged a fightback in the middle overs, claiming three wickets for 18 runs at one stage but Ball and Rouse squashed the opposition’s chances with a rapid partnership that came off 74 balls. Ball was unbeaten on 40 off 46, while Rouse scored 36 off 37 as Kent reached the target with 23 balls to spare.

Arsenal seem to be closing in on their second transfer of this window, as they move closer to acquiring some defensive reinforcements.

What's the latest on Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?

The latest update on Mikel Arteta's pursuit of Jurrien Timber unsurprisingly comes from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who only last week noted the famous "here we go" with regard to Kai Havertz.

Now, it seems like the young Dutch defender will be the next to be welcomed to the Emirates, as the Gunners seek to bridge the gap between themselves and the imperious treble-winning Manchester City.

The Italian journalist wrote on Twitter: "Arsenal have submitted second official proposal to Ajax in order to get Jurrien Timber deal done this week. Talks advancing between clubs after £30m opening bid rejected. Personal terms agreed last week on five-year contract."

It is expected the deal will end up costing around €45m (£39m).

How good is Jurrien Timber?

The 22-year-old has all the assets needed to shine within Arteta's possession-dominant system, hence why he has reportedly been so keen on making the move happen. Transferring his skills from Ajax to Arsenal should be seamless.

Given his technical excellence too, it is expected that the Dutchman will shine in more roles than just his natural centre-back position, given how he has proven himself arguably too creative to be shackled at the back.

When compared to others in that role across Europe, he sits in the top 1% for progressive carries and passes per 90, whilst also in the top 4% for progressive passes received and the top 5% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90, via FBref. These are figures seldom seen in a centre-back, further emphasising that his future lies further up the pitch.

It was no surprise therefore to see Rafael van der Vaart note: "Timber is so quick, light feet, always sharp, never panicking on the ball. Almost like a great midfielder in defence."

These outstanding attributes suggest that he will be far more suited to a midfield role, or perhaps as an inverted full-back akin to Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Should everything follow Arteta's plan, including the acquisition of West Ham United captain Declan Rice, these two could strike up a formidable and rather surprising midfield partnership similar to how the Ukraine international shone alongside Thomas Partey.

Having been a solid central defender, but with the clear creative qualities to push further forward, this would blend perfectly with the similarly comprehensive star that the England international has become of late.

Last term in the Premier League, the 24-year-old maintained an average rating of 7.19, upheld through his one key passes, 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, via Sofascore. Indeed, this rating would have made him Arsenal's third-best performer last season as they pushed for the title, and their joint-best tackler.

Thus, with a player of Timber's quality placed beside him instead of Tomas Soucek, and supplementing the quality up front of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, these are numbers certain to improve further.

With creativity, athleticism and defensive steel in abundance to be shared between Rice and Timber, this additional tactical option could forge one of the league's finest engine room pairings and take both of their careers to the next level.

The A squad for the two unofficial Tests also includes opener Dimuth Karunaratne and Sri Lanka’s second spinner, Dilruwan Perera

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Feb-2017Dhananjaya de Silva – fresh from a tough tour of South Africa – has been named Sri Lanka A captain for the two unofficial Tests against England Lions, which start from February 17. Test opener Dimuth Karunaratne has also been named in the squad, as well as Sri Lanka’s second spinner Dilruwan Perera.Among those in contention for Test places who have been named in this squad are openers Udara Jayasundera and Ron Chandraguptha, middle-order batsman Roshen Silva, and spinners Jeffrey Vandersay, Amila Aponso and Malinda Pushpakumara.Sri Lanka A squad

Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Udara Jayasundera, Sandun Weerakkody (wk), Charith Asalanka, Roshen Silva, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Ron Chandraguptha, Kasun Madushanka, Asitha Fernando, Dilruwan Perera, Amila Aponso, Jeffrey Vandersay, Malinda Pushpakumara

De Silva had had an excellent start to his Test career in the home series against Australia last year, but now finds himself in the A team after having failed to reach fifty in any of his 14 international innings in South Africa. Though Karunaratne was one of three batsmen to make a half century in the recent Tests, he has also been in modest form in recent months. Since the start of 2016, he has made 578 runs at an average of 27.52.Perera’s inclusion in the A team, however, has little to do with form, and is perhaps an effort to give him some high-quality match practice. Having been excellent during last year’s Australia series, Perera did not play in the South Africa Tests where conditions did not suit spin bowlers. He has been effective in the Premier League first-class competition, since his return to Sri Lanka from South Africa, and is almost certain to play some role in the Tests against Bangladesh next month. The England Lions series may simply represent a chance for him to bowl at some high-quality foreign batsmen.With the incumbent Test openers having scored runs only sporadically over the past year, there will be special interest in the other potential openers in this Sri Lanka A team. Jayasundera, for example, is something of an experienced domestic opener, and has had one stint in the Test team already. There is also substantial buzz about 21-year-old Chandraguptha, who has hit 837 runs at an average of 59.78 in the ongoing Premier League tournament. Nondescripts Cricket Club opener Sandun Weerakkody, who recently played the South Africa ODIs, had also been good in the domestic competition, hitting 530 runs at 53.Sri Lanka have a settled Test bowling unit at home and, as such, all players like Vandersay, Aponso, Pushpakumara and seamer Kasun Rajitha have to gain is to make themselves viable replacements, should one of the Test incumbents become injured. Pushpakumara, 29, may particularly relish the opportunity to perform at this level, having been one of Sri Lanka’s most successful domestic bowlers for several years. He has 537 first-class wickets at an average of 19.92.The first of the two four-day matches begins in Pallekele on February 17. The action then moves to Dambulla, where the second match is scheduled to start on February 24.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco this summer after securing qualification to the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish.

What's the latest on Yannick Carrasco to Newcastle?

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona's option to secure Carrasco's signature for €19m (£16m) expires this week, which has consequently opened the door for Eddie Howe's Magpies.

The report goes on to claim that with Newcastle having previously registered an interest in the dynamo, they could initiate a move now that European football is on offer.

With the Wanda Metropolitano team 'counting' on the player to continue his emphatic form in Spain's capital, a deal won't be easy, but with just one year remaining on his contract, it could well work out.

How would Yannick Carrasco perform at Newcastle?

As a dynamic left-flanker, Carrasco boasts all the skills to enhance the Toon attack while also retaining the defensive fortitude absorbed over his 263 outings for the Colchoneros.

This term, the 66-cap Belgium international plundered ten goals and five assists from 44 matches across all competitions for Diego Simeone's side, earning praise for his "underrated" impact by journalist Josh Bunting.

Primarily a left-midfielder, Howe could replicate the successful deal to sign Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid for £12m in January 2022, with the right-back earning the club's Player of the Season award after playing a pivotal role in the resurgence of the team.

Trippier has made 53 appearances for United, scoring three goals, supplying ten assists and earning praise for the "ridiculous amount of quality" in his passes by journalist Charlie Gordon.

Given that Carrasco has refined his skills under Simeone's wing in the same manner as the 32-year-old England international, who won the La Liga title before departing, there is every chance Howe would be tempted to try to repeat the trick.

As per FBref, the £125k-per-week Carrasco ranks among the top 2% of positional peers for goals, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90.

Indeed, having been dubbed the “complete” package by his Madrid-based manager, the 29-year-old could craft a successful career for himself in the Premier League with a transfer, and will undoubtedly provide a different dimension to a robust and refined outfit.

The return to Champions League competition after a two-decade absence has galvanised a proud fanbase that is now dreaming of the tantalising thought of a place at the forefront of Europe's elite, and by making considered and calculated moves to sign players of Carrasco's ilk, it could be that the squad remains on the cusp of greatness.

A round-up of the Group B matches on the opening day of the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017Dinesk Karthik’s 118 off 97 balls took Tamil Nadu to 314 for 8 and set up their eventual 42-run win over Delhi at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. After being put in, Tamil Nadu’s openers Kaushik Gandhi (41) and Ganga Sridhar Raju (33) came good, which took the team to 94 for 2 when Karthik came out. Karthik began by adding 58 for the fourth wicket with Vijay Shankar, before sharing a 105-run fifth-wicket stand with B Indrajith. Karthik was bowled by Ashish Nehra with the score on 276, having struck 13 fours and three sixes. Thereafter, Indrajith, and Antony Dhas’ late cameo ensured a strong finish. Nehra finished with 4 for 39 in nine overs.Shikhar Dhawan dominated the early part of Delhi’s chase, scoring 23 in an opening stand of 32 with Gautam Gambhir. Following Dhawan’s dismissal, Gambhir added 86 with Dhruv Shorey. Both batsmen struck half-centuries, but Delhi slid from 118 for 1 to 136 for 4. A late half-century stand for the seventh wicket between Milind Kumar and Pawan Negi brought the chase back to life. But Delhi’s hopes came crashing down with Milind’s dismissal for 68, with 49 still needed. Delhi were bowled out shortly thereafter for 272.At the KIIT Stadium, Gurinder Singh’s career-best 61 at No. 7 took Tripura to a tense two-wicket win in a slow-scoring thriller against Kerala. After electing to bowl, Tripura restricted Kerala to 233 for 9, helped new-ball bowler Abhijit Sarkar’s 3 for 41. In reply, Tripura made 235 for 8 in 49.2 overs to win with four balls to spare.That Kerala were lifted to 233 was down to captain Sachin Baby and Salman Nizar, who helped them recover from 60 for 5. The duo shared a 120-run stand before Baby was bowled for 77 by Sanjay Majumder. But Nizar carried on and remained unbeaten on 82 – his best List A score – as Kerala scored 53 runs in the last nine overs. Like Kerala, Tripura were helped by a sixth-wicket partnership. Gurinder, who walked out at 86 for 5, took them to 161 in the company of Yashpal Singh before the latter was caught behind off Sandeep Warrier. Sanjay Majunder then dominated a seventh-wicket stand of 49 before both batsmen fell on the same score. But Sarkar and Dwaipayan Bhattacharjee fought nerves to see their team through.Maharashtra won a run glut against Himachal Pradesh by 25 runs in Tangi. After being inserted, Maharashtra put up 376 for 7 on the back of debutant Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden List A century. Likewise, Prashant Chopra struck a century opening the innings in Himachal’s chase, but left-arm spinner Jagdish Zope’s 4 for 60 on List A debut ensured Himachal were bowled out for 351.Gaikwad set up Maharashtra’s platform with a 167-run opening stand with Vijay Zol (62). He added 53 more for the second wicket with Ankit Bawne before being bowled by Bipul Sharma’s left-arm spin. Naushad Shakih then took charge of proceedings, and along with Shrikant Mundhe, punished Himachal. Naushad struck 72 off 39 balls with eight fours and three sixes, while Mundhe’s 42 came off 20 balls and with the help of three fours and as many sixes.Chopra’s even 100 in the chase came off 85 balls. He began by putting on 98 with his opening partner Ankush Bains (38), before following it up with 68 with Robin Bist (46) for the second wicket. With Bist falling for 46, caught off Anupam Sanklecha, Himachal were in a bit of a wobble at 227 for 6. But Ankit Kaushik mounted a late fightback, and along with Bipul Sharma (20) and Pankaj Jaiswal (24), took Maharashtra close. But Zope, who had taken out the openers, returned to dismiss the last two batsmen. Kaushik was unbeaten on 59 off 34 balls, with five fours and four sixes.

Steven Smith passed 5000 Test runs en route to his second hundred of the series, and along with Glenn Maxwell’s composed unbeaten 82, carried Australia into the ascendancy

The Report by Daniel Brettig16-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:41

Manjrekar: Very uncharacteristic innings from Maxwell

Test hundred number 19, nine of them made overseas, was a measure of the quality Australia’s captain Steven Smith has brought to Ranchi to give his team a chance of unseating India at home. Ball number 147, kept out by Glenn Maxwell in the day’s final over, was a measure of the resolve he brought to his first Test innings in nearly three years.Previously, the most deliveries Maxwell had faced in any international innings across all three formats was 98. By stumps, his new personal mark not only showed how much he had steeled himself to contribute alongside Smith, but also put Australia in a very strong position to dictate terms on what is comfortably the best pitch prepared for this Border-Gavaskar Trophy bout.When Maxwell joined Smith, the day had hung rather more in the balance. Umesh Yadav was reversing the ball sharply, and the 28-year-old Victorian’s propensity for batting brainstorms was recalled by many watching. Yet with Smith’s counsel, Maxwell was able to avoid his usual rush, so much so that he waited until his 56th delivery to reach the boundary – this from a man whose most significant moment for Australia had been a World Cup hundred off 51 balls against Sri Lanka at the SCG in 2015.What followed was a certain acceleration, but nothing too outlandish. The day’s viral video moment was instead saved for Wriddhiman Saha’s attempt to glove a Ravindra Jadeja ball lodged between Smith’s padded legs, so desperate had India’s search for a wicket become. The attempt proved fruitless, and Smith was soon toasting his century, and with Maxwell, walked off boasting a wicketless final session, an unbeaten stand of 159, and the promise of more to come.Their concentration and discipline made for a contrast to some of the more wasteful dismissals seen earlier in the day, as the Australian top order failed to make the most of their starts. David Warner and Matt Renshaw would be particularly frustrated to have wasted starts on a surface that played far better than widely predicted.Peter Handscomb also got established at the crease before being defeated by a fine inswinging yorker from Yadav, the most threatening member of India’s bowling attack. Ishant Sharma had a couple of concerted lbw appeals denied, but R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found far less assistance than they had seen in Pune and Bengaluru. Pointedly they missed Virat Kohli, who left the field for treatment after landing heavily on his right shoulder when trying to stop a boundary.Glenn Maxwell’s fluency grew as his innings progressed, finishing with an unbeaten 82•AFPRanchi’s pitch played far better than appearances had suggested, meaning plenty more runs will be required. But at the very least, Smith and Maxwell have ensured something to bowl at for a team featuring another cricketer making a long-delayed return to the Australian Test team – the fast bowler Pat Cummins.Kohli conceded the loss of a key toss before play began, and that seemed more so as Renshaw and Warner rattled to 50 in less than 10 overs by taking advantage of the pitch’s even pace and a scorchingly fast outfield. Jadeja erred on the full side to Warner, but a full toss found the batsman in two minds about hitting square or straight, and the resultant return catch maintained his mediocre overseas record.Renshaw had been finding gaps either side of the wicket and looked in full control, so it was a surprise when he fiddled in undisciplined fashion at Umesh and edged to Kohli at first slip. Umesh had created uncertainty by gaining some movement. Shaun Marsh was unable to get established, well caught at short leg by Cheteshwar Pujara off bat and pad, the decision made after India’s successful DRS referral against Ian Gould’s initial not-out verdict.Handscomb’s cover drive off his first ball to the fence underlined the improved batting conditions, and though Smith edged one reversing ball from Umesh to the fine leg boundary between his pads, shortly before lunch, he was otherwise certain in his methods and safe in his defence. Handscomb also looked capable of going on to something substantial, but for the fifth time in as many innings this series he was dismissed at a frustrating juncture, unable to get his bat to a Umesh yorker that swerved back sharply to strike him in front of the stumps.Maxwell’s likely approach had seemed a mystery to even his team-mates before this match, but he quickly showed an impressive level of composure to build his innings in Smith’s slipstream while taking few risks. His only moment of nervousness came from the first ball of an Ishant spell that swung back into his pads, but India’s decision referral was waved off when replays showed the bowler had overstepped.In the evening session a steady stream of runs came with the occasional boundary, and Maxwell hammered a second six of his innings to go past 50 for the first time in a Test. Nothing affected Smith’s deep concentration, not even a period of more than an hour spent in the 90s. As attentive, mature batting partners do, Maxwell took up much of the scoring slack during this episode. Like so much else in his innings, it came as a pleasant surprise.

West Ham United are determined to land Denis Zakaria this summer and have pushed to get a deal done, according to a report from Calciomercato l'Originale, via Juventus News 24.

How many games did Denis Zakaria play in last season?

The midfielder spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Chelsea in the Premier League, but was given only seven games to prove his worth in the top flight under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard. Even worse for the 26-year-old is that only five of those came as starts – meaning that he had just 411 minutes of playing time with the Blues during his stint there.

He therefore wasn't able to regularly showcase what he is capable of, having also struggled to get gametime with parent club Juventus. Since joining the Serie A giants, he has played just eleven league games for them too, at a total of just 720 minutes.

Zakaria though really shone during his time in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, He twice featured in the top ten pass completion leaderboard for the club and ranked eighth in the entire Bundesliga for the amount of blocks he produced back in the 2017/18 season. He can produce the goods in the centre of the field then – he just hasn't been able to show it recently.

Now though, he may have the opportunity to land another move and get that chance. According to a report from Calciomercato l'Originale, via Juventus News 24, Gianluca Di Marzio believes West Ham are still very eager to sign Zakaria and have actually pushed for a transfer "in the last few hours."

There is no mention of an official bid or formal approach, but it seems as though the Hammers are now really desperate to try and land the midfielder this summer – and want to try and get a deal done sooner rather than later.

A transfer could be possible too, with the report adding that he isn't an essential part of Massimiliano Allegri's plans at Juventus. That suggests he could be sold at the right price – and if West Ham stump up the funds then, a deal could get over the line.

What is Denis Zakaria worth?

It's unclear how much a potential transfer for Zakaria may cost, but Transfermarkt suggest that his value could be around the 18 million Euros (or £15.4m) mark. It's not a large fee for the Hammers to pay should he actually cost that much, and it could be worth a gamble considering his experience and potential ability on the field should he be able to feature frequently.

He's clearly got some talent in his locker despite his lack of gametime too – journalist Josh Bunting stated that the midfielder was "powerful" at Chelsea in terms of "winning the ball back" and it showcases how much of a presence he can be in the centre of the field.

On his day then, the current Juventus man could be a real asset for a club – and if West Ham snap him up and play him regularly, they could therefore reap the rewards.