Liverpool are looking to sign two more central midfielders during the summer transfer window, according to a new update regarding the situation.

Are Fabinho and Henderson leaving Liverpool?

The Reds are experiencing a tumultuous summer in their midfield, with huge changes being made, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are two exciting signings who will hopefully improve Liverpool immeasurably, but James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all left when their respective contracts expired at the end of last month.

It now looks as though Fabinho and Jordan Henderson will also be moving on, however, with the pair both expected to complete moves to Saudi Arabian in the coming days. That would leave the Reds' midfield looking a short of options, so it is clear that more new faces would be required between now and the beginning of the new Premier League campaign.

Will Liverpool sign more midfielders?

According to Football Insider, Liverpool still plan on bringing in another couple of midfielders this summer, as they prepare for life without Fabinho and Henderson:

"Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp are keen to add two more midfield signings this summer, sources have told Football Insider. This news comes in the wake of imminent departures for Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabian clubs."

The report continues: "A well-placed source has told Football Insider that a defensive midfielder is seen as a 'must' – with the impact of Fabinho’s departure set to take its toll on the Merseysiders’ squad."

This is exactly what Liverpool supporters will be wanting to hear, with the imminent exits of both Fabinho and Henderson something that few saw coming. Granted, both were poor last season, but they were still expected to play important squad roles, even if Jurgen Klopp no longer saw them as key starters.

If FSG don't make the money available to bring in tailor-made replacements for the duo this summer, it will simply be unacceptable, and it is absolutely vital that they back Klopp fully this time around, having arguably not provided him enough funds in past transfer windows, such as last year's, when the midfield wasn't added to sufficiently enough.

In terms of potential targets, any two from Romeo Lavia, Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone and Kalvin Phillips possibly makes the most sense, although the latter does turn 28 later this year and suffered an injury-plagued first season at Manchester City, barely even getting a look-in with a team the Reds will be hoping to compete with.

As the report alludes to, signing a proper No.6 in the mould of Fabinho is particularly vital for Liverpool, such is the lack of depth in that department if the Brazilian goes. Lavia is arguably the standout option there, despite still only being 19 years of age.

The Belgian excelled for Southampton last season, despite their relegation to the Championship, averaging 2.1 tackles per game – the second-highest tally in the squad – and had the highest pass completion rate (86.4%) of anyone there to start more than one league game.

Benny Howell hit back for Gloucestershire after Kiran Carlson fell nine runs short of a notable Glamorgan record

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2017

Benny Howell, a limited-overs specialist, has not played any championship cricket this season. Opening the innings for Gloucestershire is just as rare, although he fulfilled the role in 2012 when he joined the county from Hampshire.But when play ended early the 29-year-old all-rounder was only four runs away from a second Championship century, the first made against Leicestershire two years ago. Gloucestershire will resume on 161 for 1, still trailing by 281, with Howell on 96 and James Bracey on 45.Howell said: “It was very pleasing to hit the ball well after a frustrating season where I have been out of the side because of various niggles and injuries. I began my career as an opener, and after today hopefully I can push on and refresh my career in that position. I still want to play in all forms of cricket, especially the one- day format, and I could possibly move up the order and bat higher.”Howell adapted well to his new role, and with Chris Dent in fluent form, the opening pair put on 53 in 15 overs, before Dent sparred at one from Ruaidhri Smith to give wicketkeeper Chris Cooke a straightforward catch.Howell was then joined by 20-year-old James Bracey, a local product from the Bristol area, and after playing himself in, the wicketkeeper batsman played some elegant shots through the offside.The second wicket pair have added 108 for the second wicket, and with the slow pitch not offering anything to pace or spin, and with further rain likely to cause interruptions over the final two days, a draw is the likely outcome to this end of season encounter.Earlier Kiran Carlson was dismissed nine runs short of becoming Glamorgan’s youngest double centurion, when he chipped Jack Taylor to mid-on. The 19-year-old from Cardiff scored 191, an innings that lasted 7 hours 23 minutes.After losing two wickets in the final 15 minutes at the end of the first day, Smith helped Carlson add 97 runs for the eighth wicket, before Jack Taylor took two wickets in three balls, Smith edged Taylor’s arm ball to slip and Marchant De Lange was trapped leg before without scoring.

Jobe has lofty expectations on his shoulders but he's made a scintillating start to life at the Stadium of Light

Soon after completing his surprise £1.5 million ($1.9m) switch to Sunderland this summer, Jobe Bellingham informed the club that he wanted his first name printed on the back of his new No.7 shirt. It was a decision motivated by a desire to forge his own legacy in the game – and when you've got a family like Bellingham has, it's little surprise that he was keen to create his own distinct identity.

Of course, his brother is Jude Bellingham, who has swiftly emerged as a frontrunner for the 2024 Ballon d'Or following a string of inspirational performances for Real Madrid. As Jobe was negotiating his move to the Stadium of Light, his sibling was making the necessary arrangements to move to the Spanish capital, having completed a blockbuster £108m ($133m) transfer earlier that summer.

Living in the shadow of this gargantuan talent must be stifling. But Bellingham has not allowed his potential to be smothered. While Jude has been taking the world by storm, his baby brother has been generating quite the buzz back home.

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  Where it all began

  It's not just Jobe's older brother who has raised expectations for the Sunderland star. Growing up the pair's father, Mark, was a well-known footballer in his own right. A police officer by day, Bellingham Sr. carved out a reputation as one of non-league's most prolific ever scorers, netting over 700 goals across a 20+ year career.

  His seventh century of goals was brought up in 2016 for Paget Rangers, with the striker netting a superb free kick against Fairfield Villa. He humbly told the Non-League Paper after that game: "Most of the 700 were from not very far out so I think I owe my team-mates over the years a lot more than they owe me!"

  As Bellingham Sr. was reaching the tail end of this illustrious scoring career, both of his sons were progressing through the Birmingham City academy. While Jude flew through the ranks, featuring regularly for the first team at the age of just 16 and eventually having his shirt number retired when he left for Borussia Dortmund in 2021, his brother was a slower developer.

  He was included on the bench for a pair of Carabao Cup games at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, though did not make it on. If he had, he would've usurped Jude as the Blues youngest-ever player. His debut eventually came in January 2022, with Bellingham coming off the bench during an FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle. After that game, then-manager Lee Bowyer was full of praise for the youngster, saying: "I said to him: 'You've done really well, you're a 16-year-old lad that dominated the ball, didn't really give it away, tried to do the right things and when you did give it away you ran back, defended in your own box.'"

  Bellingham used his maiden taste of first-team action as a platform at St Andrew's, continuing to train with the senior squad and earning more consistent minutes during the 2022-23 campaign. By the time Sunderland came calling in the summer, he'd made 26 senior appearances for his boyhood club, failing to register a goal or an assist during that period.

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  The big break

  Having not even turned 18 yet and only boasting a handful of second-tier starts to his name, few would have expected Bellingham to feature from the outset following his move to the Stadium of Light. However, when Tony Mowbray named his first Championship starting XI of the season against Ipswich, there he was, sitting pretty in an attacking-midfield berth.

  Sunderland may have lost that encounter, as well as their second game of the campaign away at Preston North End, but there was plenty for fans to get excited about during Bellingham's early career. All this promise clicked into place to devastating effect against Rotherham the following weekend.

  Just two minutes after Hakeem Odoffin had given the Millers the lead, Bellingham levelled things up with his first-ever career goal, heading home from close range following good work from Dan Neil. Swiftly after the restart, he netted what would turned out to be the decisive goal, stroking Bradley Dack's lay-off into the bottom corner like a seasoned poacher. For the first time in his career, he was the match winner – Jobe had arrived.

  Mowbray lavished his starlet with praise at full time, telling : "I think his greatest asset is he wants to learn football. He's 17 but he asks questions every day of the coaches – why am I doing this? Where do I go? What do you want me to do? He's a joy to work with really and I'm just so pleased he's scored some goals and helped the team win."

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  How it's going

  Since his debut, Bellingham has remained a fixture in the Sunderland first team, failing to feature in just one of his side's opening 21 Championship games. And due to a spate of injuries, he has been used in a string of different positions.

  A significant chunk of Bellingham's minutes have come as a false nine, though he's also been used behind a more traditional striker and in a deeper midfield position. It's in this latter role that he has probably endured his least productive displays.

  "Due to injuries and suspensions, Jobe found himself operating in a deeper role as a No.8 in a double pivot accompanying Dan Neil or Pierre Ekwah. I do think he did look less comfortable in this role as he's not a naturally defensive-minded player, which probably saw his least impactful minutes," Dan Harrison, a writer and analyst for Sunderland fansite Roker Report, told GOAL recently.

  When he's been played further up the pitch, however, Bellingham has had plenty of fun. Predictably, he netted against former club Birmingham in November and also laid on an assist for Abdoullah Ba in a home victory over Watford.

  The shock dismissal of manager Mowbray in December might have threatened to derail this progress, with Bellingham telling that the manager played a key role in his development.

  "He made me a more mature player in a short space of time. He took away pressure on matchdays for us, and it was such a good feeling. You just feel like you're going out there and expressing yourself. I'm really grateful I got to work with him," he said.

  But Bellingham has in fact continued his fine form under interim boss Mike Dodd – who played a pivotal role in bringing the midfielder to the club in the first place, having worked with him and his brother at Birmingham.

  Under Dodd, Bellingham enjoyed the defining moment of his career so far against high-flying Leeds, nipping in front of goalkeeper Illan Meslier to head home and earn the Black Cats a vital three points.

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  Biggest strengths

  Where do you want to start? Bellingham has a unique profile for a player his age, an exciting blend of technical prowess, physicality and composure.

  "His natural flair was something that stood out from very early on," Harrison added when GOAL asked about Bellingham's standout qualities.

  "Whether that be in his smart ball retention through drag backs or his ability to receive the ball on the half-turn almost anywhere on the pitch and not look pressured in doing so. His biggest assets for me personally are the intangible ones that aren't coachable, his overall awareness and reading of the game are far superior to the average teenager and he has a real knack of popping up in the right place for Sunderland at times this season."

  It's easy to see these strengths for yourself if you watch Bellingham in the flesh. It's scary how composed he is in possession considering his limited top-level experience. His physical presence is something to behold too.

  Standing five centimetres taller than his brother Jube and filling out significantly since his professional debut, Bellingham can hold off a challenge and win the ball in the air. Team-mate Neil gave a pretty neat summation after his maiden brace against Rotherham, describing him as "an absolute freak of nature, physically."

  He added: "Technically, he is a top, top, player as well. He has come here to play in front of 40,000 every week and that is something he is going to have to take on mentally, because we can all see how good a player he is technically, physically, and tactically. It is a different kettle of fish playing up here in front of these fans, but from what I've seen of his personality, he'll take it on just fine."

  Bellingham's comfort with playing in front of 40,000+ supporters every week speaks to his incredible maturity. After netting that winner against Leeds, he was put up for media duties and spoke like someone with a decade's experience in the game, calmly analysing the game from a tactical perspective and transmitting leadership skills that also defy his tender years.

West Brom have suffered a blow in their efforts to land Omari Hutchinson this summer, with Ipswich now in talks over a move according to The Athletic.

How many games has Omari Hutchinson played?

The 19-year-old currently plays for Chelsea but has struggled to assert himself on the first-team picture and has therefore been unable to get regular gametime under his belt. He managed to make his debut for the Blues in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign, but that outing lasted for just 23 minutes.

Instead, he's spent the majority of his time either on the bench, out of the squad entirely or playing for their reserve team. It's with the reserves though that he has showcased his ability, bagging seven goals and eight assists last season in just 21 starts. That led to a rate of 0.75 goals or assists per 90 – nearly one or the other per game.

Prior to that, he had done a similarly impressive job with Arsenal's backup team. He bagged six goals and seven assists for them in 17 games and his goal contribution rate per 90 was even more impressive, standing at 0.79 in the 2021/22 season. Despite all these incredible showings for the reserve sides though, he has yet to break into the regular first-team picture with either team and has never been out on loan to an EFL club either.

That could all be about to change though. It was reported that Hutchinson had been left out of the Chelsea pre-season squad in order to bag a short-term deal elsewhere for 2023/24. West Brom are one of the sides who have been linked with the 19-year-old, but they also faced competition for his signature from fellow Championship outfit Ipswich.

Are West Brom signing Omari Hutchinson?

Now, according to a report from The Athletic, the Baggies will be disappointed to hear that it looks as if he could be on his way to the Tractor Boys. It states that the EFL side are already in talks over a potential loan switch for the player and that his future could be decided by the end of this week.

It looks as if he will link-up with them on a full season-long loan deal, with the chance for him to return to Stamford Bridge in January. It will be a blow for West Brom to see him head to a rival and to miss out on the youngster.

Hutchinson has already impressed despite his age and lack of gametime. When he was able to get onto the field for Chelsea – albeit during a friendly match against Aston Villa last year – he did stand out to then-boss Graham Potter. The former Seagulls manager stated that the youngster was "dangerous" and "showed his quality" as a player during the fixture.

It shows that he does have top level talent in his locker when he is able to get onto the field – and regular gametime with Ipswich could get it out of him. If he does thrive with the Tractor Boys, then West Brom fans will no doubt have to watch on with gritted teeth next season.

Even in the early stages of his career, as he was, ironically enough, scoring his first West Ham United goal against Arsenal, Declan Rice looked destined for the top.

A swift move from centre-back to defensive midfield soon confirmed that future, too, as he took the captain's armband at the London Stadium, before leading the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory, and sealing his exit as a hero.

Now at Arsenal after a reported £105m fee (including add-ons) to sign the midfielder, Rice will look to make winning trophies a crucial habit, rather than an occasional celebratory moment.

Making his Champions League debut in the coming season, and wearing the famous Arsenal colours, Rice is exactly where he once dreamed of being. Or, at least, that's what his social media activity suggests.

Declan Rice proves Arsenal dream with social media activity

If Rice could have time travelled to this very moment of his career, then he'd have gone back to the present and not stepped a single foot out of place, such is the success he has had in the last five years.

Arguably, things couldn't have gone any better for his career, and he knows it, too.

The Arsenal arrival liked an Instagram post, showing a note, which read (via Reddit): "Just remember, 5 years ago, you dreamt about where you are now."

Speaking on joining the club earlier in the summer, Rice told the club website: "I think even growing up, the history of Arsenal – you always hear about the Invincibles, the famous game at Anfield, you see these things all the time. I’ve always known Arsenal as a big club but when I’ve been on holiday and had people coming up to me in London, you don’t realise how big Arsenal is – but now I do.

"Playing against them has always been tough, with the Arsene Wenger way of playing nice football, tiki-taka stuff. Coming to the Emirates has always been really hard. Home games, when I’ve played for West Ham, have always been the games you’ve been up for because it’s been a London rivalry."

How did Declan Rice perform last season?

In an inconsistent season for West Ham, Rice was once again one of the standout players. Securing their Premier League survival, first and foremost, the Hammers then went on to defeat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final, in one of the best moments in the club's history.

Captaining the club, and lifting European glory, is a dream come true for Rice. Now, though, his focus will be on even bigger honours at Arsenal.

When compared to current Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Rice looks anything but out of place, too.

According to FBref, the England international had more progressive carries, lost fewer challenges, made more blocks and made more interceptions than Partey last season.

The arrival of Rice certainly gives Mikel Arteta a selection dilemma when it comes to the base of his midfield. Having that competition can only be a good thing, however, especially with the Gunners back in the Champions League, and competing on all fronts once again next season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in Southampton forward Che Adams, as Julen Lopetegui hunts a new striker this summer.

The Old Gold are in desperate need of a capable line leader this transfer window, after ending the 2022/23 campaign as the Premier League’s lowest scorers.

What’s the latest on Che Adams to Wolves?

As reported by The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Wolves, Leeds and Bournemouth are eyeing Southampton’s Che Adams.

It’s believed by Nixon that the Midlands club and the Cherries are leading the way for the striker, who is speculated to be valued by the Saints at £10m.

The 27-year-old has just one year left on his contract at St Mary’s, and considering the club’s relegation, now could be the perfect time to swoop for the forward.

How many goals has Che Adams scored?

In 324 domestic career appearances, the Saints striker has made 118 goal contributions, scoring 85 and assisting 33 at various levels in England, via Transfermarkt. 124 of those outings have come in the top flight, where he has so far found the net 25 times.

That might not be the best of records but the Scotland international has been known to score regularly in the past. Indeed, he was poached by the south coast club in the summer of 2019 from Birmingham City, after a superb individual campaign in the Championship.

In the 2018/29 season in the second tier, Adams netted 22 goals and registered five assists to highlight just how clinical he can be if in the right environment.

Since joining Southampton, the forward has been part of a side struggling to maintain Premier League status, ending last term with demotion to the Championship finishing bottom of the table.

Despite his team’s woeful form, the Leicester-born gem managed to have a hand in eight goals in 28 appearances, scoring five and assisting three in a challenging campaign for all at St Mary’s.

Now, the 27-year-old could be handed an escape route, with Wolves chasing a forward to take up the role of leading the line at Molineux.

Under Lopetegui, the Scotsman could be guaranteed a consistent spot in the side, as the Spaniard prepares to bid farewell to Raul Jimenez, who served as a clinical figure during his time in the Midlands.

Although he failed to score last campaign, the Mexican was well-loved in Wolverhampton for his 57 goals at the club, including a rich scoring streak in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign in which he netted 17 goals.

With a move to Fulham worth £5.5m imminent, the 32-year-old will need to be replaced, which Lopetegui could achieve by capturing Adams, who has the traits to suggest he could take the throne from Jimenez.

Averaging 2.12 shots per 90 last season, the Saints man is a livewire in the front line, adding more than just a goal threat to the side as suggested by his 1.08 key passes per 90, via FBref.

With a strong goal-scoring record behind him, Wolves could benefit from hiring the Saints forward, who could replenish the goals in the Midlands after the club managed just 31 in 38 games last term.

Lauded as “clever” by Rangers legend and pundit Ally McCoist, the striker could be the perfect acquisition for Lopetegui to chase in place of Jimenez.

Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis set the agenda as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback, to seal victory by 21 runs at Chester-le-Street

The Report by Andrew Miller16-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle set the agenda with a traditionally six-laden cameo, while his heir apparent, Evin Lewis, lived up to his lofty billing with 51 from 28 balls, as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback with the ball, to seal victory by 21 runs in the one-off T20 at Chester-le-Street.On a night that could not have been further removed from the balmy, barmy circumstances of their previous T20 encounter, in the World T20 final in Kolkata 18 months ago, West Indies choked England’s ambitions, first through the spin twins of Sunil Narine and Ashley Nurse, and then through a canny spell of pace-off-the-ball from Kieron Pollard, Kesrick Williams and Carlos Brathwaite, at precisely the moment when it seemed their own resolve was about to crack in the inhospitable conditions.After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, West Indies served up the definitive innings of two halves. At the halfway mark they had rampaged to 106 for 1, with Gayle and Lewis crunching seven sixes between them in a freewheeling partnership, but they were restricted to 70 for 8 thereafter, as Liam Plunkett’s deck-hitting aggression, allied to another wily spell of legspin from Adil Rashid, looked to have kept their target well within manageable proportions.With the weather beginning to deteriorate as quickly as the temperature, the contest seemed to have swung decisively in England’s favour – the first-ball dismissal of Jason Roy notwithstanding – when Alex Hales smashed 43 from 17 balls to launch their pursuit in a fusillade of boundaries. But when, in the sixth over, Hales missed a loose drive to be bowled by a gleeful Brathwaite, England’s usually power-packed middle order could produce no adequate substitute for his sublime ball-striking.Joe Root, often so adept at working the gaps to allow his team-mates to clear the ropes, this time turned in a stodgy innings of 17 from 19 balls that came to an end with a low catch at short cover as Nurse struck with his third delivery. And spin continued to apply a tourniquet to England’s run-rate, as Eoin Morgan ducked and dived against Narine to no avail. After three consecutive dot-balls, Morgan reversed his hands for flick through backward point, but picked out the fielder to depart for 2 – his seventh consecutive single-figure score in all T20 innings.Eoin Morgan picked up another low score•Getty ImagesThe conditions were never easy for West Indies’ fielders – the cold and damp combined to create a funereal over-rate as well as regular protests about the slippery out-field. But with the umpires adamant that the show must go on – and the hardy Durham crowd certainly never lost the faith in that regard – West Indies found a second wind as England’s innings dribbled through the middle overs.If anyone was going to reignite the run-chase, it was Jos Buttler, whose mere presence was a reminder that nothing could be taken for granted. But with little pace to work with, he was unable to risk his habitual dinks over the keeper’s head for fear of holing out behind square, and he had been limited to two boundaries in a 27-ball stay when a Williams short ball induced a spliced pull to Rovman Powell at deep midwicket.Williams – who had borne the brunt of Hales’ earlier onslaught, when pace on the ball had equalled pace off the bat – then made it two in the over as a skittish Rashid gloved an attempted ramp to the keeper. Narine returned for his final over, that included the stumping off David Willey for 1, before Jonny Bairstow – England’s final, final hope – capped a collapse of 4 for 11 in 14 balls when he shovelled a Brathwaite slower ball to backward square leg.Fittingly, it was the captain Brathwaite – remember that name? – who put the seal on the victory as Plunkett missed a slog across the line with three balls of the innings remaining. England were all out for 155, done in by some canny bowling and a classy outfit who proved, as if it needed reiterating, that their World T20 triumph was no fluke.In the final analysis, however, it was West Indies’ flying start with the bat that proved the decisive difference between the sides. And fittingly, given that what little hype in the build-up to this contest had centred around the master and the apprentice at the top of West Indies’ order, it was Gayle and Lewis who shared top billing.Gayle, who got off the mark first-ball with an edged four through third man, soaked up a handful of sighters with that exaggerated caution that has so often been a feature of his game, before crunching from first gear to overdrive in the waft of a bat. His seventh ball, from Willey, was spanked over midwicket to bring up the 100th six of his T20 international career, and he celebrated that landmark in emphatic style one ball later, an arcing flog down the ground and over the sightscreen as Willey was once again punished for feeding Gayle’s strengths on a full length outside off.At the other end, Lewis – whose last act in West Indies’ colours had been a matchwinning 125 not out from 62 balls against India – slipstreamed his senior partner with poise and maturity. He avoided falling for the ego-trap that had done for Gayle (and his predecessor as opener, Johnson Charles) in the World T20 final, when Root was tossed the ball for the second over of the Powerplay for tidy over of darting offbreaks, and instead saved his change-up for the introduction of Tom Curran, whom he cracked for four, six, four, six from the first four balls he faced.West Indies finished the Powerplay on a daunting 72 for 0, but England – to their credit – found a means to claw back into the contest. The catalyst came with the introduction of Plunkett in the seventh over, as Gayle was pushed onto the back foot by a lifter outside off, and was slow to set off as Roy’s shy from backward point was sharply gathered by the bowler to pull off a tight run-out.Lewis’s half-century then came to an end as he smashed a Plunkett slower ball into the midriff of Root at mid-off, and when Plunkett followed up with two more major scalps – Marlon Samuels, caught at midwicket off a cramped pull for 10, and Pollard – expertly plucked at fine leg by a stretching Curran – England had found a means to restore their foothold in the game.Rashid, who’d been teasing out a tidy line and length in his mid-innings holding role, then dragged one down for Chadwick Walton to flog a top-edged pull out to Willey at deep midwicket, then did for Brathwaite and Narine in quick succession as an untimely rain interruption – with seven balls remaining – further disrupted West Indies’ flow. But, just as had been the case on that famous night in Kolkata, West Indies would not be denied. The prize on this occasion was rather more low-key, but with their big names back on parade after a low-key Test leg of their tour, it was a notable return to the colours nonetheless.

The 2017-18 Ranji Trophy is set for a high-profile start, with India regulars R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay expected to play the first round of matches. While Ashwin and Vijay are known to have communicated their availability to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Jadeja and Pujara have been named in the 15-man Saurashtra squad for their first match against Haryana in Lahli from October 6.The availability of Ashwin and Jadeja, however, is contingent on their selection for the three-match T20I series against Australia beginning on October 7. Both players were rotated out of India’s squad for the ODI series against Australia and Sri Lanka.Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak said Jadeja was slated to join the squad on September 30, while Pujara, who has been named captain, was expected to return to India by the end of the month after finishing his county commitments with Nottinghamshire. While Pujara had a lukewarm season, with 333 runs from 12 innings at an average of 27.75 so far, Ashwin played a pivotal role in securing the Division Two title for Worcestershire and consequently a promotion in the county championship. Ashwin aggregated 214 runs at an average of 42.8, including an 82 in the 137-run win over Durham. Ashwin also finished with 20 wickets, with one of his two five-fors coming against Durham.Jadeja’s last competitive outing, on the other hand, came during the Tests in Sri Lanka, and while he was briefly recalled to the India squad in place of the injured Axar Patel against Australia, he was left out for the last two ODIs. Vijay, meanwhile, has endured a fairly lengthy layoff following a surgery for a wrist injury suffered during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in March. He had a low-key comeback in the Tamil Nadu Premier League before turning up for India Green in the Duleep Trophy, where he picked up five wickets but scored only 17 runs.Vijay said he was in a positive frame of mind ahead of a new season. “I am looking forward to playing for India soon,” Vijay told ESPNcricinfo. Tamil Nadu will open their campaign against Andhra at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes, was mercilessly goaded by rival fans after a rat was spotted running across the pitch at the Etihad.

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• Rat ran on pitch at the Etihad
• Fans were quick to jump on Fernandes
• Man Utd face Nottinham Forest

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Sheffield United was trespassed by a small rat running across the pitch. The Citizens eased to victory and would have hardly noticed the extra man, or rat, they had on the pitch. Yet, the rat was not missed by rival fans who took to social media to point fun at United's Fernandes.

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• WHAT FANS SAID

  A whole host of tweets aimed at Fernandes came flying in. One user commented: "Who invited Bruno to the Eithad?"

  Another replied: "What’s Bruno doing?"

  And finally, an Arsenal fan said: "What's Bruno doing on the pitch?"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  You would like to hope Bruno Fernandes won't be scouring social media just before he takes to the pitch at the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest. But, if he is, United fans will be hoping he has thick enough skin to not take the light trolling too much to heart.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FERNANDES?

  Fernandes will captain United as they face Forest and the Portuguese star will be hoping to put in a strong performance to make sure social media is talking about his victory, and not a rat.

A round-up of the NCL matches that concluded on October 2, 2017

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2017Tier 1Defending champions Khulna avoided their first scare this season, but ended up drawing the game against Dhaka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Batting first, Dhaka banked on centuries from Nadif Chowdhury and Mosharraf Hossain to put on 519 for 9. Nadif made a career-best 166 off 239 balls with 17 fours and 6 sixes. He added 227 runs for the seventh wicket with Mosharraf, who also made his career-best score, 125 off 245 balls with 12 fours.Khulna were bowled out for 247 runs with Ziaur Rahman top scoring with 104 off 116 balls. He struck five sixes and 12 fours. Nazmul Islam took four for 79. Following on, they reached 180 for four on the final day, having survived 90 overs in total. The in-form Tushar Imran battled for more than three hours to make 63 off 189 balls.Rain ruined the Barisal-Rangpur encounter in Rajshahi which ended in a draw. There were only 16.2 overs possible in the entire match, on the third day, after the first two days were washed out. On the fourth day, the match was called off at 12.15pm.Winning the toss, Rangpur reached 61 for two with Jahid Jabed unbeaten on 24 and Suhrawadi Shuvo making 34 not out.Tier 2The match between Chittagong and Sylhet was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Bogra. Rain ruined all four days with play being called off after mid-day every day.On the fourth day, the umpires called off the match at 1.30pm. This was Sylhet’s second consecutive full abandonment.Rain also affected the Dhaka Metropolis-Rajshahi match in Khulna, as this match too ended in a draw.Batting first after a rain delay on the first day, Rajshahi were bowled out for 220 runs with Junaid Siddique top scoring with 85. Mizanur Rahman also made a half-century. Dolar Mahmud and Sharifullah took three wickets each for Dhaka.Dhaka took a 109-run lead thanks to Marshall Ayub’s 132 and Mehrab Hossain Jnr’s 89. The pair added 175 runs for the fourth wicket as Dhaka declared on 329 for nine on the fourth day. Rajshahi could bat only three overs before play ended. Marshall was adjudged the Player-of the Match.