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Arsenal "could reluctantly be forced" to cash in on striker Folarin Balogun with his value at an all-time high, according to journalist Charles Watts.

Who will leave Arsenal this summer?

Following the marquee signings of Germany international winger Kai Havertz, midfielder Declan Rice in a £105 million deal and defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax, the north Londoners need to balance the books.

Further additions haven't been ruled out this summer, with Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia attracting Mikel Arteta's interest, though outgoings are of the upmost importance right now.

Granit Xhaka has already completed his multi-million pound move to Bayer Leverkusen, with the likes of Thomas Partey and Balogun linked to the exit door also.

The latter player is a curious case after his scintillating season on loan at Reims. The USA forward scored 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances last campaign, putting a host of clubs on red alert given his Arsenal contract also expires in two seasons.

Journalist Charles Watts, writing on his official website, claims Arsenal could be forced to sell Balogun given he has no intention of going out on loan again and has also showed little willingness to pen fresh terms.

"Arsenal’s academy product scored 22 goals in all competitions in France, sending his reputation through the roof," wrote Watts.

"That has allowed him to go into the transfer window holding all the cards when it comes to taking his next step.

"Balogun is coming off the back of a superb individual campaign. He still has two years left of his deal and he has just agreed to be the poster boy for the United States ahead of their home World Cup in 2026. So his value, both in footballing terms and commercially is sky high."

How good is Folarin Balogun?

The 22-year-old's goal record in France is just one indicator of his quality, with Balogun also attempting more shots at goal per 90 than any other Reims player and ranking among their best-performers overall (WhoScored).

Balogun is a player of serious potential and attacking quality, making him an attractive proposition for any interested side, domestically or abroad, who are in need of a prolific forward.

Arsenal could apparently demand as much as £50 million for the frontman, who Arteta has previously praised for his commitment and bravery as well.

“He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career," said Arteta.

"He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave.

“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special."

CSA has set no timeline for Dale Steyn’s return to the national team after the fast bowler suffered another delay in his recovery from a shoulder injury

Firdose Moonda16-May-2017

Cricket South Africa has set no timeline for Dale Steyn’s return to the national team after the fast bowler suffered another delay in his recovery from a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery in November.Steyn was to play two four-day matches for South Africa A in England as preparation for the Test series, but he revealed on Saturday that he was not going because he has not been able to bowl at all. He said he would target a county deal late in the English summer and try and be available for the home series against Bangladesh in September-October.CSA, though, decided not to create any further expectation on Steyn’s comeback.”Dale’s surgery was a resounding success and the bone has healed,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager who is also a doctor, said at the team’s departure for England on Tuesday. “The challenge is to get the shoulder stabilised and strengthened, and that’s why there is a bit of delay with getting him on the park again.”What the medical committee has decided is that we are not going to set an artificial deadline or timeline as to when he is going to be playing. We will wait for when he is ready. We are hopeful he will be ready some time during the home series.”South Africa’s 2017-18 home summer includes ten Tests – two against Bangladesh, four against India pending confirmation, and four against Australia – as well as their new franchise T20 tournament, which will provide plenty of opportunities for Steyn.Although he is available for all formats, Steyn is likely to be more inclined to play Tests as soon as possible, especially as he is five wickets away from overtaking Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker. Steyn played only eight Tests since the start of 2015 and broke down in three of them.The only other injury concern for South Africa at the moment is Faf du Plessis, whose shoulder will be assessed when the team arrives in the UK “There is a plan in place to have him ready for the first ODI but we are not sure of the warm-up games yet,” Moosajee said.Du Plessis is one of at least seven players who are likely to play all formats on the tour of England, along with Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Morne Morkel. The 12-week trip is longer than any they have taken, and Moosajee said the management would seek out “creative and flexible” ways to give them down time.”Twelve weeks is unprecedented – we haven’t been on a tour that long,” Moosajee said. “Guys might come home for a week in between if time and space permits.”Du Plessis, South Africa’s Test captain, is the most likely to leave the tour at some stage. His wife, Imari, is 32 weeks pregnant with their first child, and du Plessis indicated he would like to return home for the birth. “I would like to be there for the birth of my first child so hopefully the timing works well,” he said.South Africa’s ODI captain AB de Villiers and his wife Danielle are expecting their second child but his participation in the Champions Trophy should not be affected because the baby is due later. South Africa have made a decision not to allow families to be with the players during the Champions Trophy.”It’s a really good move not to have family members for this tournament,” de Villiers said. “It’s a short tournament, only five games in total if we get to the final, so we are going to be focused on that.”

Middlesex overcame a 153-run deficit on first innings, as well as a Craig Overton hat-trick, to secure a tense one-wicket win over MCC in Abu Dhabi.

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2017
ScorecardCraig Overton’s hat-trick couldn’t rescue MCC•Getty ImagesMiddlesex overcame a 153-run deficit on first innings, as well as a Craig Overton hat-trick, to secure a tense one-wicket win over MCC in Abu Dhabi. John Simpson’s unbeaten 89 provided the crucial plank in Middlesex’s chase of 305, as the wicketkeeper helped the last three wickets chisel out 64 runs after Overton had appeared to swing the match towards MCC.Harry Podmore and Tom Helm, who had shared six wickets to help skittle MCC for 151 in their second innings, kept Simpson company in partnerships of 36 and 22 respectively and, although Mason Crane removed both as part of a four-wicket haul, No. 11 Ravi Patel hung on to help complete victory.Simpson was the hero when Middlesex chase 302 eight down at Taunton last year, on the way to the club’s first title in 23 years. MCC’s Somerset trio of Overton, Lewis Gregory and Jack Leach did their best to undermine Middlesex again, taking 15 wickets between them, but the champions ultimately proved too strong.MCC saw their last two wickets fall on the third morning with only four added to the overnight score; Liam Plunkett was unable to bat after straining a calf earlier in the match. That still meant Middlesex needing to score considerably more than the 179 they managed in the first innings for victory.They were given a much stronger base by the top order second time around. Nick Gubbins and Nick Compton both struck half-centuries and they looked to be cruising to their target on 242 for 4 in the 54th over.Enter Overton, wicketless to that point. He pinned Steve Eskinazi lbw for 44, had Middlesex captain James Franklin caught behind first ball and then won another lbw decision against James Harris to change the complexion of the innings. Simpson, however, stayed calm and ticked off the runs with the lower order to ensure Middlesex would start their season with a win under lights.

Chelsea are on course to reshuffle and reshape their dysfunctional attack.

It has already been confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t wish to make Joao Felix’s stay in the English capital permanent, Romelu Lukaku prefers to spend another season in Italy instead of returning to Stamford Bridge, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to depart after a disastrous stint in West London.

However, the possible transfer of Kai Havertz to Arsenal is the most surprising storyline thus far, to leave the Blues extremely light up top.

Nevertheless, Nicolas Jackson has been linked to sparking the Chelsea rebuild and replacing the aforementioned quartet as the focal point next season.

What’s the latest on Nicolas Jackson to Chelsea?

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 2021 Champions League winners have decided to activate the release clause for the Villarreal striker and are set to pay €35m (£30m) in instalments for the 21-year-old.

Three unnamed clubs are also reportedly tracking the player, but Jackson wants to play in the Premier League and the Blues are planning to offer a long-term contract.

The Guardian has stated that the Senegalese has already agreed personal terms with the West London outfit.

Can Nicolas Jackson replace Kai Havertz?

The attacker made 26 La Liga appearances this year and registered 16 goal involvements (12 goals and four assists) which has attracted Chelsea to his glistening talent. He was the top scorer for a Villarreal team that secured a fifth-place finish in Spain.

Considering that this is the 6 foot 1 ace’s first full season at the first-team level in senior football in Europe, this return makes for impressive reading.

Across the continent, the £9k-per-week man ranks magnificently, as he sits within the top 11% for non-penalty goals, assists and progressive carries per 90, and his quality and effervescence could be of insurmountable importance to Pochettino.

The one-cap international has been described as “extraordinary” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig and his profile as a traditional number nine could be far more useful than the more fluid and unpredictable Havertz who scored just nine goals across 47 outings last term.

The German has been at Chelsea since 2020 and his career has involved flashes of mercurial brilliance with the highlighting being his winning goal in the Champions League final two years ago.

However, the rest of his exploits in England have been largely unforgettable and despite making 139 appearances for the West London outfit, his best and most effective position is still a subject that is hotly debated.

Last season, under Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, he was often tasked with acting as the focal point, but his distinct lack of physicality and dynamism, as well as a damaging inability to hold up play, meant he often cut an isolated figure.

The addition of Jackson, therefore, is an intelligent move, and he could the key source of firepower for Pochettino.

The Supreme Court of India has said there is, on first impression, a charge of perjury that can be laid against BCCI president Anurag Thakur and the board’s general manager of game development Ratnakar Shetty for lying under oath.The court also reserved its order on the Lodha Committee’s suggestion to remove ineligible BCCI office bearers and appoint former civil servant GK Pillai as an observer to oversee business operations of the board. After the BCCI rejected Pillai during Thursday’s hearing, the court asked the board to submit, by December 23, the names of three people who could replace the existing office bearers and govern the BCCI.The court suggested former India allrounder Mohinder Amarnath as one of the names. It is expected to hear the matter again after the winter vacation, which ends on January 2.The issue of perjury arose because Thakur, in an affidavit, had denied that he sought a letter from the ICC stating that the Lodha Committee’s recommendation to have a member of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office on the apex council of the BCCI amounted to government interference in the board. Thakur’s request had been revealed by ICC chief executive David Richardson in an interview to an Indian TV channel.Thakur had said he only asked ICC chairman Shashank Manohar what his stance on the matter had been when he was the BCCI president. “I pointed out to the Chairman of the ICC, Mr Shashank Manohar that, when he was President of BCCI, he had taken a view that the recommendations of the Justice Lodha committee appointing the nominee of the CAG on the Apex Council would amount to governmental interference, and might invoke an action of suspension from ICC,” Thakur had said in his affidavit. “I therefore requested him that, being the ICC Chairman, can a letter be issued clarifying the position which he had taken as BCCI President.”Shetty, in an affidavit on October 7, had denied that Thakur had sought ICC intervention at all. Observing there was a “variance’ between Thakur and Shetty’s submissions, the court said: “Mr Shetty in his response to the status report claims that the CEO of ICC had ‘falsely’ stated in his interview that the President of BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention of this Court amounted to governmental interference. The version of Mr Shetty is at variance to what is alleged to have been stated by the CEO of ICC.”On Thursday, the court said there appeared to be evidence against Thakur and Shetty of lying under oath and asked the BCCI to submit relevant documents to avoid perjury. “Prima facie it seems that Anurag Thakur has perjured and lied under oath because of the letter to Manohar. It is a case of prosecution,” Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said during the hearing. “You had no occasion to approach Manohar. Where was the occasion to raise the issue once we had pronounced on this. This amounts to perjury.”The court asked Kapil Sibal, the lawyer representing the BCCI president, to “apologise” if Thakur wanted to “escape” an adverse order against him.Anurag Thakur (left) has been put in a tight spot by the Supreme Court•Hindustan Times

Sibal explained to the court that his client’s question to Manohar was not against court intervention but whether appointment of the CAG official on the Apex Council would amount to government interference.According to Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranaryanan, there was a discrepancy in the affidavit submitted by Thakur and the letter submitted by Manohar. “In [Anurag] Thakur’s version of events it is a clarification he had sought. In Manohar’s version of events, he said as ICC chairman I was asked to give a letter, not a clarification, saying that this amounts to interference. For me this amounts to variance.”The Gopal Subramnium had in earlier hearings told the court that Thakur was playing an obstructionist role and impeding the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. “The whole issue is that of there is a person [Anurag Thakur] obstructing and in contempt of court. Then should he head the BCCI?” Chief Justice Thakur said on Thursday. “We have given opportunities and time. Don’t do something unpleasant.”Sibal reiterated the BCCI’s point that it could not force the state associations to accept the Lodha recommendations, and that a majority vote was needed to pass them. At several board meetings, the states had voiced opposition to most of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations: in particular, the one-state-one-vote policy, the age cap for office bearers, and the limits on tenure.The court replied by saying that one option was to supercede the office bearers, as suggested by the Lodha Committee. “You supercede them,” the court said. “Who should be appointed in your place, give us recommendation in next one week.”The Lodha Committee – comprising former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran – was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board has not cooperated because its state associations objected to the recommendations.

Chelsea could be set to replace an old favourite by swooping from a fellow Premier League rival.

What's the latest on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea?

That's according to Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to issue an update on the future of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.

He wrote:

"Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi told Moises Caicedo in January to stay at the club until June despite huge bids… and then promised to sell him in the summer in case of good proposal.

#BHAFC Pact will be respected; Chelsea are still keen on Caicedo but it’s 3 clubs race."

There has been little indication that the £90m touted fee from March is wrong too, suggesting that this will be a huge first deal for Mauricio Pochettino should he push it through.

Could Moises Caicedo be as good as Nemanja Matic?

Stamford Bridge has been home to some famous holding midfielders, with Claude Makalele, Micheal Essien and more recently N'Golo Kante all shining in a blue shirt.

However, one of the more underappreciated alternatives for that role was Nemanja Matic, who quietly went about his work but was imperative in the success earned during his time in west London.

As a towering defensive option, the Serbian only spent three seasons during his second stint at Chelsea before joining Manchester United, yet won two league titles alongside a League Cup.

The 6 foot 4 maestro was the heartbeat of that side, breaking up the play but using his steady demeanour to always find the right pass. During the 2017/18 term, arguably his apex of that period, the 34-year-old maintained a 7.11 average rating upheld by an 88% pass accuracy, 1.8 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 1.6 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

Without his calming presence Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte would have struggled to claim such emphatic title victories, with the former even telling The Times: "Matic, I cannot say that I had better guys than him in my career."

Pochettino will be seeking to secure his figure akin to the former Blues favourite, and in Caicedo they could achieve just that.

To first outline this comparison, FBref even notes Matic upon the Ecuador international's similar players list.

However, it is their shared statistics that showcase their true similarities, as a couple of ball-winning gems who are imperative in offering the foundation for success.

For the Seagulls this campaign, the 21-year-old has recorded a 7.08 average rating, with his 89% pass accuracy giving way to 1.2 key passes, 1.5 interceptions and 2.7 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

For what he lacks in height compared to the AS Roma star, he more than makes up for with an added element of energy and creativity that his potential predecessor missed.

To emphasise his defensive excellence, journalist Richie Mills even branded him an "immovable object" in the engine room just last year.

Whilst Pochettino has enjoyed players such as Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele operating in these roles over the years whilst at Tottenham Hotspur, Caicedo arguably represents a combination of them all, with poise on the ball and a decisive nature that feeds into his relentless defensive work rate.

Acquiring him would be a huge step towards taking the west London club back to the pinnacle of English football, where Matic previously led his Chelsea team.

Sri Lanka’s regeneration has begun quicker than he had expected, coach Graham Ford said, in light of several encouraging individual performances in the ongoing series

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Aug-20161:07

We have advantage of bowling last – Ford

Sri Lanka’s regeneration has begun quicker than he had expected, coach Graham Ford said, in light of several encouraging individual performances. Ford had taken up the role at a particularly low ebb for a rebuilding Sri Lanka team, and has since overseen a poor World T20 campaign, and a woeful tour of England.However, having now defeated the top-ranked Test team at home, Sri Lanka believe they have unearthed talented prospects. With Kusal Mendis and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan having impressed earlier in the tour, middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva has also made a mark in Test cricket, with a stylish maiden hundred on Saturday. All three players are 25 years old or younger.”In one of the first press conferences that I had when I took over again, I said that you just can’t put a time frame on how long the rebuilding process will take,” Ford said. “But the way some of the young guys are starting to put in high-quality performances – I wasn’t expecting that to happen as quickly as it has, against such high quality opposition.”One of the beauties of selecting young guys is that even if they fail, you’ll get some return. If you make the investment you will get something back down the line. Older guys, who are perhaps past their best – when they fail, you’re not going to get much back. I think that’s been a view of the selection panel as well. It’s been exciting to see and I’m a little bit surprised to see them doing as well as quick they have. But we’ve still got a long, long way to go. They will still disappoint us from time to time. But with the attitude that they’ve got and the work ethic, we’ve seen some exciting signs for the future.”Ford was also impressed with the responsibility assumed by Dinesh Chandimal in the first innings of the current Test. He had arrived with the score on 24 for 4, and quickly saw it slip to 26 for 5, before forging a 211-run stand with de Silva. Chandimal’s innings was notable for its length. Often an attacking batsman, he faced 356 balls for his 132, stitching important stands with Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath after de Silva had been dismissed.”Chandi’s probably enjoyed the other fine innings that he’s played, but this was probably the most valuable innings he’s played,” Ford said. “I know he played a blinder against India sometime back, but this one for temperament and fight in difficult conditions goes down as his best hundred.”Chandi’s certainly showed a lot of maturity and he helped Dhananjaya through that big innings of his. Batting in those circumstances is not fun at all. I think Chandi took on the hard work, which shows great maturity. It’s something that the team are talking a lot about – about doing the hard work for the rest of the team, doing the hard work for their mates. Chandi showed a real example of that, digging in and fighting really hard.”Sri Lanka have experimented with their batting order over the past three months, first batting Chandimal at No. 4, before moving Mendis there. Kusal Perera has also had a promotion to No. 3, and Ford said the changes may not end there. De Silva has been talked about as an opener, since he has fulfilled that role for his first-class club successfully.”I think the batting order is still a work in progress. Some of these young guys that are batting in the lower order are top-order players. They may in time be moved up the order. That’s something that we’ll have to think long and hard about.”

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action today, in what promises to be a hotly-contested clash with Newcastle United.

With the hosts boasting the more favourable position, as they sit three points ahead with a game in hand, a win on the road for Cristian Stellini's side would certainly make for an enthralling end to the season as both sides battle for that elusive fourth-place spot.

Despite enjoying some fine form, Aston Villa showed the rest of the league exactly how to negate the Magpies, as they dismantled them 3-0 in their last game. However, Spurs too have been left reeling after their heartbreak at home to AFC Bournemouth.

Having led early, two goals on either side of halftime transformed the game for the travelling Cherries. A late Arnaut Danjuma scorcher made it almost certain that the points would be shared before Dango Ouattara struck even later to claim the win.

It marked just one of numerous miserable results for Spurs this season, who squandered a fine opportunity to gain vital points on Eddie Howe's men.

They will not get a better chance to do so than today when they face head-on at St James' Park.

Having struggled all season, it is a wonder how they find themselves in contention for such a position. However, to give themselves the best possible chance today, they must call on Danjuma from the start.

Will Arnaut Danjuma play vs Newcastle?

Having been poached from Everton at the eleventh hour, the Dutchman moved to north London as a top asset sure to test the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son.

However, he has instead been reserved for short cameo appearances and starts in cup competitions, which they have since been knocked out of. The £53k-per-week speedster is yet to even make a Premier League start for the club.

After his goal last weekend, that could be about to change.

This would come after the pleas of journalist Rob Guest, who took to Twitter to write: "Arnaut Danjuma demonstrated on Saturday against Bournemouth that he can more than make an impact on the pitch for Tottenham. Baffling that Antonio Conte only turned to him four times despite the team's attacking woes."

These woes could now be solved by a man who scored 16 goals in all competitions as his side reached the Champions League semi-final.

Such pedigree cannot go unnoticed, and former Premier League marksman Kevin Phillips would exacerbate his need for a start by branding him a "nightmare for defenders" last year.

With Son only recently finding form, scoring three in his last five, Kulusevski has instead recorded just one goal contribution in his last 11.

Something has to change, especially for a game of this magnitude, and Danjuma's introduction could provide just that.

The ECB has confirmed plans for a restructured county schedule from the start of the 2017 season.The County Championship programme will shrink by two games per county to 14 matches a season, with the domestic T20 competition played in a block in July and August. The 50-over competition will be contested in April and May with a final at Lord’s in July.The ECB believes the changes will allow players a little more time for rest and practice, as well as meeting their request to schedule the varying formats in blocks to allow concentration upon specific skills.But, even though it has taken months of debate to reach this compromise agreement, it offers only a temporary arrangement. Even before the new structure is introduced, plans for further changes are being made with the ECB board announcing in the same press release that the changes were confirmed that they have “also asked the ECB Executive to look at all options for the best future structure to support the growth of the game and sustainability of all counties.”Specifically, the pressure to introduce city-based T20 cricket will continue ahead of the new broadcast deal (which will start in 2020), with the ECB likely to distribute an outline of available packages to potential broadcast partners before the end of the year. This ‘new’ format may well be gone before the roadworks on the M1.There is also a familiar look to many of the changes. Certainly the format for the two limited-overs competitions appears similar to arrangements tried – and abandoned – previously.

English season from 2017

Specsavers County Championship games will run throughout the summer and pause during blocks of limited-overs cricket. It will be played in two divisions – a top tier of eight and second division of ten – after one county has been promoted and two relegated this year. It will then revert to two-up, two-down. The competition will be reduced from 16 Championship rounds to 14. Each county will play seven home and seven away matches.
NatWest T20 Blast matches will be played in July and August, within two blocks, contested on a regional basis and culminating in Finals Day, as per the current format
Royal London Cup group-stage matches will be played in April and May, with the showcase final at Lord’s in July. Group winners will go straight to semi-finals with second and third-placed teams entering quarter-finals.

In the short term (in 2017, 2018 and 2019), the Championship will be played in two divisions with a top tier of eight and second division of ten teams. That means that only one team will be promoted at the end of the 2016 season, with two relegated. The competition will revert to two-up, two-down in future seasons.While some county cricket lovers – especially county members – will resent the cut in the Championship programme, it is the changes to the domestic T20 competition that were always likely to remain most contentious.A plan to introduce two divisions to domestic T20 cricket was abandoned at a late stage with some counties reluctant to lose profit-making local derbies. Instead it will be remain with a regional qualifying round followed by Finals Day.While counties will celebrate the scheduling of the T20 competition during the school holidays – it currently starts in mid-May and has all but ended by the time that schools break-up – some will be some concerned by a return to the block format.While it has, without doubt, proved successful elsewhere in the world, it has previously been abandoned in England and Wales after it was shown to be vulnerable to a spell of wet weather. There were also concerns that the block format asked too much of spectators’ time and money within a short period. It remains to be seen if the return to a block schedule will threaten the policy of staging the majority of games on Friday nights. T20 audiences rose sharply in 2015 on the back of a more predictable fixture list.The 50-over competition also returns to the early-summer position it occupied in the past. While the early-season scheduling will help players find form ahead of the limited-overs internationals – and it is worth noting that the ICC Champions Trophy (2017) and the World Cup (2019) are scheduled to be played in England and Wales in relatively early season – the early-season pitches may prove less helpful.Again, the reason it was moved from early season was a concern that conditions rarely replicated international cricket. It may also be that the best England-qualified players are absent on international or IPL duty in the opening weeks of the season. It is hard to see a 50-over competition starting in April in England attracting hordes of spectators.”The changes for 2017 will be good for fans, players and our international teams,” Colin Graves, the ECB chairman said. “The season is easier to follow, the blocks help players focus on specific skills and there’s a better balance across all three formats.”There is a clear consensus that county cricket has to be sustainable and must support the whole game. There is an appetite for change and cricket is moving fast – we must not be left behind.”Cricket needs more people playing, great teams and inspired fans in order to thrive; these principles support our plans now and for the future.”It is not clear who will be satisfied with the changes. While there may be some who conclude this structure is a fine compromise, it is likely that modernisers will bemoan the missed opportunity to push for a more radical solution, especially in T20 cricket, while the traditionalists will resent the cut to the Championship schedule and the partial abandonment of “appointment to view” T20. The cynical might even suggest that the decision not to embrace two divisions in T20 was an attempt to sabotage the success of an 18-team competition to render it easier to introduce a city-based tournament.Certainly it is clear, though, that the ECB’s search for a better schedule continues. As Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, put it: “We now have a great opportunity to take a detailed look at a range of options and find the best structure for the long-term health of the domestic and international game.”A recurring theme in ECB dialogue at present is the desire for the first-class counties to be “sustainable.” But measuring sustainability remains problematic in county cricket. While some would suggest many counties are over-reliant on their distribution of funds from the international broadcast rights sold on the back of the England sides – and, as a result, they argue that domestic T20 incomes must increase sharply – others would counter that the counties provide the England players and that the relationship between domestic and international is more symbiotic than the current executive appreciates.As ever in English cricket, the debate continues.

Journalist James Olley has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are not in a position where they can afford to turn down a large bid for star striker Harry Kane.

What's going on with Kane at Spurs?

The forward has been linked with a move away yet again after another season with no silverware at Spurs, and Manchester United have been labelled as a potential destination.

With just over a year remaining on his contract, Spurs have found themselves in a position where they may need to sell their star player in case they want to avoid losing him for free.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Olley claimed that Kane's potential desire to leave, as well as Spurs' underachievements on the pitch, have put the club in a weak position should a big offer arrive for the Englishman in the summer.

He said: "Tottenham are not a club that can just write off a £100m asset for the sake of one season.

"I think if United got anywhere near that figure – 80, 90, 100 million – it would be very difficult for Tottenham to turn that down, particularly if Harry Kane, once again reiterated his desire to leave.

"He has expressed privately that he wants to review that situation at the end of the season. I suggest that probably means whether they're gonna be in the Champions League or not, but moreover than that, if Antonio Conte goes, who are they going to get in?

"The only manager I can think of, aside from Gareth Southgate – but he's obviously in the England job until 2024, anyway – is Mauricio Pochettino, who has that relationship with Kane, who might be able to say to him, 'look, we are going to build here. I've had the assurances, stay with me, stick it out, sign maybe a shorter-term contract, and maybe give us another year'."

Should Spurs sell Harry Kane?

Given the uncertainty of their managerial situation, with Antonio Conte reportedly about to leave the club, as well as the potential of missing out on qualification for the Champions League next season, we think Spurs should cash in on their star man and use the funds to rebuild their squad.

With it considered that upgrades are needed all over the pitch, Kane's value may never be higher than it is now, and the money, combined with the arrival of a head coach with a long-term vision in mind, could help Spurs evolve in the long run, even if there is a short-term dip in performance as a result of Kane's departure.

Pochettino is one of the names linked with the Spurs job, and a big-money sale of Kane would allow him to bring his own players in and have a fresh start without the England captain.