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While speaking of the respect the team has for Anil Kumble’s achievements as a cricketer, has offered little about the events that led to his resignation as head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20171:44

Sanctity of change room is paramount – Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli, while speaking of the respect the team has for Anil Kumble’s achievements as a cricketer, has offered little about the events that led to Kumble’s resignation as head coach on Tuesday, three days before the start of the limited-overs series in the West Indies.”Anil has expressed his views and taken a decision to step out,” Kohli said at a media briefing in Port-of-Spain, where India play the first ODI against West Indies on Friday. “We all respect that decision. It is something that has happened right after the tournament (Champions Trophy).”Even though he was pressed to reveal the differences with Kumble, Kohli maintained that he could not break the culture of not divulging dressing room details in public. “I’ve had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy… We have created a culture over the last three-four years that whatever happens in the change room, we’ve tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout,” he said. “That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I’ve always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well.”While stepping down as head coach Kumble spoke about the reservations Kohli had with him, but Kohli refused to be drawn into the issue. “It’s his opinion, his point of view which I respect,” Kohli said about Kumble, India’s leading wicket taker in Tests and ODIs, going public with the differences between the two. “I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved for the nation. All the years that he has played. There’s no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally.”On being asked whether Kumble’s approach affected the team (negatively), Kohli didn’t give a direct reply. “Like I said, for me what’s most important is to maintain the sanctity of the change room and what happens in the change room is something that’s very sacred and private to all of us, and something that I would not express in details in a public scenario. As I said, his point of view is out there and we respect that decision.”Hours after resigning as India coach, Kumble said he had been informed for the first time on the same day by the BCCI that “the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. Kumble, whose contract ended with the Champions Trophy but had been given an extension to take the team to the West Indies, termed his working relationship with Kohli ‘untenable’. He announced his resignation while the squad was flying to the Caribbean.Two days before the Champions Trophy had kicked off in England, it emerged in the media that India captain Kohli had told BCCI officials that some players were uncomfortable with the “intimidating” style of Kumble’s man management. As a result, despite India’s success in Kumble’s year in charge, during which the team climbed to No.1 in the Test rankings, the board advertised for fresh interviews for the head coach’s position instead of extending his contract. Incidentally, Kumble did reapply for the job then.

Newcastle United have had a relatively understated summer transfer window thus far as Sandro Tonali has been their only first-team addition.

The Magpies snapped the Italy international up from Serie A giants AC Milan for a reported fee in the region of £55m, after they signed youngster Yankuba Minteh and loaned him to Feyenoord.

There is still more than a month to go before the deadline passes, which means that sporting director Dan Ashworth has plenty of time left to prepare the squad for Premier League and Champions League action for the 2023/24 campaign.

Eddie Howe's side have been linked with a move that would represent a significant splash in the market, however, as they have been touted with a €90m (£77m) swoop to sign Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

How good is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia?

The 22-year-old is a sensational forward who would arrive as a statement signing for Newcastle after his terrific season in Italy.

He helped Napoli to secure the Serie A title with his stunning performances on the left flank as a right-footed winger, as the Georgia international contributed with an outstanding 12 goals and ten assists in 34 appearances.

To put that amazing accomplishment into context, no Toon wide attacker managed more than 11 goals or five Premier League assists last term, whilst Kieran Trippier led the team for assists with seven.

This suggests that the Napoli wizard would be a significant upgrade on the manager's current options out wide, due to how frequently he is able to punish teams in the final third.

With such a claim in mind, Howe could now unearth the club's next version of Hatem Ben Arfa – another magical forward who entertained crowds – by snapping up the talented youngster.

Between 2011 and 2015, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain talent racked up 14 goals and 15 assists in 86 appearances for the Magpies as a left-footed right winger.

The French wizard was also capable of the sublime as he dazzled supporters with his ability to score fantastic individual goals, with his strikes against Blackburn and Bolton in 2012 standing out as two of his best.

Ben Arfa, who averaged at least two dribbles completed per match throughout his Premier League career, had the quality to conjure something out of nothing, which left fans excited when he picked the ball up in any position on the pitch as they knew that something could happen.

Kvaratskhelia is a player with the same kind of star power. The terrific maestro, who completed 2.2 dribbles per match in the Serie A, was dubbed 'Maradona-esque' due to his knack for scoring incredible solo goals, with one of his strikes in August of last year described as a 'wonder goal'.

He has the talent to make things happen in a flash due to his phenomenal dribbling ability coupled with his reliable end product, which is proven by his impressive return for goals and assists last season.

Therefore, supporters could get excited whenever the Georgian sensation, who journalist Paolo Del Genio claimed is "irreplaceable", picks up possession because they would know that the potential is there for something truly special to happen at any moment.

After 52 years as the ICC’s member governing body in the USA, the USA Cricket Association was expelled following a unanimous vote at the ICC’s board meeting on Thursday

Peter Della Penna22-Jun-2017After 52 years as the ICC’s member governing body in the USA, the USA Cricket Association (USACA) was expelled following a unanimous vote at the ICC’s board meeting on Thursday during the AGM in London. The expulsion ends a turbulent tenure that included three suspensions handed down by the ICC since 2005. While USACA was able to get its affairs in order to have the first two suspensions lifted, there was no way back from its most recent reprimand in 2015.”We would hope that this puts a final line on the matter,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said when asked about USACA’s expulsion in a conference call with reporters following the vote on Thursday. “Whether they decide to take legal action is obviously their decision but we would be ready to oppose it if need be.”USACA had threatened to take the ICC to court in the event of being expelled but Richardson says the ICC has proven it is standing on firm ground and does not expect the decision to be overturned by any legal challenge USACA might attempt. USACA president Gladstone Dainty and executive secretary Sankar Renganathan did not respond to ESPNcricinfo’s requests for comment on the expulsion.”Don’t forget they’ve already taken the matter to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee on an expedited basis attempting to stop the board and full council from considering the expulsion of USACA at these meetings,” Richardson said. “The arbitrator found in favor of the ICC and found the ICC had acted rationally and was quite entitled to take the decision to expel USACA.”An ICC Americas-led caretaker administration has been overseeing cricket operations in the USA since USACA’s suspension in 2015 and Richardson said they would continue to organise national team activities in the interim until the ICC approves a different governing body to replace USACA. A USA women’s squad was announced earlier this week to tour Scotland for a T20 Qualifier, reaffirming Richardson’s stance, since 2015, that USA’s players should not be punished as a consequence of USACA’s troubles.”The whole process, from suspending USACA to expelling them, the whole objective was to unite the cricket community in the United States behind a national governing body that represented everybody,” Richardson said. “So the first step will be creating the governance infrastructure to fill that void and represent the whole cricket community bearing in mind the size of the country.”Coming with that will be the competition structures that need to exist, the development pathway, everything that a national governing body needs to get involved in. Over the next 12 months, that will be developed slowly but surely. At the same time [that USACA has been expelled], up until now the board has taken the approach that we don’t want to prejudice people playing cricket in the United States. So at the moment we have got an American office and within that office we have staff tasked with looking after the cricket community to ensure that at least the minimum is done to keep cricket going.”USACA had faced numerous problems in recent years, mainly to do with governance. The board also struggled to escape from crushing debt, currently listed at more than $4 million, though a large chunk of that came about as a result of exorbitant legal fees racked up from court battles waged by the board, including one relating to the disputed general elections of 2012. The money owed to lawyers ate into the organisation’s ability to fund national team activities, with various national camps and tournaments either postponed or canceled as a result.The USA Cricket Association had been suspended three times since 2005 under president Gladstone Dainty•Peter Della PennaBut the final straw leading to expulsion was USACA’s refusal to ratify an ICC-approved constitution, one aimed at curing governance woes by way of proposed term limits for board members as well as redefined positions on the board to reduce the powers of the incumbent executive. Instead, USACA ratified an alternate, edited version at a special general meeting on April 8, escalating the battle with the ICC before it reached its tipping point on Thursday. Richardson had sent a letter to USACA’s leadership following the vote at the April 8 AGM, warning them that the decision to ratify an altered version of what the ICC had presented to them ‘seriously undermined’ their chances of having suspension lifted.USACA’s path to expulsion was set in motion more than five years ago during the events leading into the disputed 2012 general election. Based on the results of a member compliance audit, the incumbent USACA board took the decision to disenfranchise 32 out of 47 voting-eligible league members in highly controversial circumstances. Many of the league presidents who were disenfranchised had publicly voiced opposition to USACA president Gladstone Dainty in a conference call several months prior to the election, which Dainty and most of the incumbent board eventually won in a landslide.However, it proved to be a pyrrhic victory for Dainty and the rest of the board because the majority of the disenfranchised leagues broke off to form the American Cricket Federation rather than pursue reinstatement with USACA. Under the ICC membership guidelines at the time, a member needed to be the “sole governing body” for administering cricket in their country. If more than two governing bodies existed with both claiming to have superiority, it could be seen as a violation of the statute and grounds to have membership status suspended. In fact, this particular scenario was a contributing factor to USACA’s first suspension in 2005.The ICC initially aided USACA by amending the wording of the Associate membership statute 3.1. Rather than the “sole” governing body being the ICC’s member in a given country, the ICC would recognise the governing body – at the ICC’s own discretion – that is “responsible for the administration, management and development of cricket in the country.” The ICC subsequently encouraged ACF leagues to rejoin USACA in an effort to mend fences.But ACF leadership spurned this approach and though a Dainty-led board won re-election again in 2015, the victory was short-lived as the ICC suspended USACA later that summer. An ICC report, which was presented to the world body’s members ahead of the suspension vote at the 2015 ICC annual conference, laid out numerous flaws with USACA. Among them, the ICC found that USACA did not represent the majority of clubs and leagues around the country and that the general consensus of stakeholders found USACA ‘unprofessional and not trustworthy’.The ICC subsequently laid out 39 terms and conditions for USACA to be reinstated. USACA was able to meet many of the requirements, but the main sticking point was the new constitution. The ICC has since formed a series of advisory groups in four key areas to help design the framework for a successful governance model in the future. It is expected these advisory groups will continue to work with ICC Americas staff until a governing body is designated to fill the vacancy left by USACA, a process expected to take a minimum of one to two years.

Celtic have been linked with a switch for Fabian Rieder this summer – but reliable journalist Mark Hendry has revealed that the Hoops are yet to make an official bid for the midfielder.

Who is Fabian Rieder?

The 21-year-old currently plies his trade for Young Boys in his native Switzerland, having worked his way into the first-team there and been handed his debut three seasons ago for the side. At just 18-years-old he was thrust into the spotlight with the club, making 23 league appearances for the club during that first campaign.

Despite his youth, he was a regular in the XI and helped the team to claim a Swiss Super League crown as a teenager. He then improved his output a campaign later, starting ten more games and ultimately bagging two goals and seven assists from midfield.

In 2022/23, that increased even more. He started 31 times in the league for Young Boys – the most of his career to date – and swapped his seven assists for seven goals this season, with a further four assists to boot. His eleven goal contributions meant that he ended the year with a rate of 0.39 per 90 on average. Not only was he excellent offensively though, he also was superb helping his side out at the back – he had 42 tackles won in total over the course of the season – an amount that put him eighth in the league-wide rankings.

Are Celtic signing Fabian Rieder?

After these performances for his club, it has led to interest in his services this summer. Celtic are one of the sides that have been linked with a switch for the midfielder, with the Scottish Premiership side reportedly putting him on their transfer radar this summer.

However, according to a report from reliable journalist Mark Hendry, the Hoops have actually yet to make an official bid for Rieder and they have not even made "contact" with the 21-year-old over a potential move to the club.

Even worse for fans of the move is that there are offers on the table for the midfielder from elsewhere – and Celtic are not one of those clubs that have made a bid. It means that he could actually be lured elsewhere this window before the Scottish outfit have even made an approach to sign the midfielder.

Hendry said: "Also informed this week that there has been no contact from Celtic FC for Fabian Rieder. He has 'a lot of concrete' offers – none Celtic at this time."

It would be a blow for the Scottish Premiership outfit if they weren't able to land Rieder this transfer window. He's already seen as a real talent in the game and someone that could instantly boost their midfield should they sign him.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that the Swiss man has a "complete profile" and added that "many top five league clubs" should be trying to snap him up this window. It means that he must have a lot of ability if he feels Rieder could make it in a big league – and therefore, it would be a shame for the Hoops to miss out on him this summer.

South Africa dismantled West Indies for the second-lowest total in their history and sixth lowest in the tournament’s en route a crushing 10-wicket win, their second in three games

The Report by Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDane van Niekerk capped off a spectacular bowling display for South Africa•Getty ImagesSouth Africa dismantled West Indies for the second-lowest total in their history and sixth lowest in the tournament’s en route a crushing 10-wicket win, their second in three games, in 140 minutes. Less than a third of the overs in the game were bowled as South Africa completed their chase of 50 in 6.2 overs. A third successive loss left West Indies, runners-up of the 2013 edition, closer to elimination.Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa captain, became the only bowler in cricket history to take four wickets in an international without conceding a run, but the damage was done earlier. Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail reduced West Indies to 5 for 16, with only one batsman – Chedean Nation – getting into double digits.South Africa had warned of something like this in the warm-up match against West Indies ten days ago. Then, South Africa plucked their opposition for 63 and neither Ismail nor Kapp was among the wicket-takers. Here in Leicester, on a green-tinged top, they made up for that.Ismail made two breakthroughs. She got the ball to nip back into the right-hand batsmen at pace, trapped Hayley Matthews lbw and took out Stafanie Taylor’s off stump. She should have had debutant Reniece Boyce caught at third man in her next over but the chance was put down. Instead, it was Kapp who got rid of the newcomer in an over of mayhem, which effectively ended the contest.In the eighth over, Boyce popped a leading edge back to Kapp off the first ball, Kyshona Knight was struck on the front pad in line with middle stump off the second delivery, and Deandra Dottin’s leg stump went cartwheeling off the fifth. West Indies had half their batsmen back in the changeroom without even 20 runs on the board.South Africa’s change bowlers Ayabonga Khaka and Moseline Daniels kept the pressure on and conceded only 14 runs in the nine overs they bowled, which included four maiden overs before Dane van Niekerk brought herself on for a first taste of spin. Melissa Aguilliera, who had battled 37 balls for just three, tried to take her on but missed the sweep and was bowled. Shanel Daley also mistimed her aggression and top-edged a swing off van Niekerk to short-fine leg before Kapp was brought back on to finish things off.She added a fourth to her haul when she bowled Afy Fletcher to finish with career-best figures but van Niekerk put the icing on the performance. Nation, who had managed to find the boundary five times in her innings, ran out of patience and chipped a catch to short midwicket before young Qiana Joseph, just 16 years old and in her first game, missed a sweep. Kapp and van Niekerk finished with the two best bowling figures by South African women in a World Cup game.It did not seem things could get any worse for West Indies but they did in the field. In the third over of the South African innings, they dropped both openers off successive balls. Lizelle Lee was put down by Taylor and Laura Wolvaardt by Anisa Mohammed and both made full use of their lifelines. South Africa raced home in 38 balls to completely demoralise a West Indian side who have lost all three of their matches so far.

Leeds United could be set to finally push out an older figure, ushering in a new age of youth, energy and structure underpinned by Daniel Farke.

Who are Leeds United signing this summer?

Journalist Sander de Vries took to Twitter to offer an update on SC Heerenveen player Milan van Ewijk.

He would write: "SC Heerenveen refused an offer from Coventry City last week. This club has wanted to capture Van Ewijk for some time. Leeds United are now also interested in the 22-year-old right back."

Football Transfers value the relatively unknown commodity at just €5.1m (£4m), but should he take to English football with ease and translate his current form across to the Championship, that is a figure certain to skyrocket.

Who is Milan van Ewijk?

The acquisition of the Dutch defender could spell bad news for Luke Ayling, whose powers have been noticeably waning in recent years as his age has increased.

Now 31 years old, he often plays without the experience that someone of his stature should bring, and naturally, his physical assets have somewhat deserted him too.

Back during their initial stint in the Championship, the Englishman actually starred as part of Marcelo Bielsa's all-action philosophy. Their promotion campaign saw him maintain a 7.26 average rating, as he recorded eight goal contributions, 17 clean sheets, an 80% dribble success and 1.8 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

However, since taking that step up to the Premier League, things have taken a turn for the worse.

In the 2021/22 season, as the Whites narrowly escaped relegation, Ayling was branded an "idiot" by Jamie Carragher for his wild lunge that saw him sent off in a crunch clash with Arsenal. This would compound a term where he averaged a 6.61 Sofascore rating in the league.

Then, in the campaign following, this figure would drop to 6.60, as he was dribbled past 1.5 times per game, kept just two clean sheets, and saw his successful dribbles drop to 43%, via Sofascore. He was the fourth-worst performer of those who started five or more league games.

There is little chance of him recapturing his form of old, even with the step-down their relegation poses. Plus, Farke will likely seek to build his new system on youth and a brighter future, rather than rely upon an ageing dud who has done little to merit a starting spot.

Instead, he would be better served putting his faith in Van Ewijk, as to allow him to acclimatise into English football in preparation for what will hopefully be a swift promotion.

After all, just last term in the Eredivisie saw him maintain a 7.01 average rating, bolstered by his six goals, ten clean sheets, 1.8 tackles and 2.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore. That rating would have made the 22-year-old Leeds' best-performing player last term, with his goal tally even surpassing Patrick Bamford's in the league.

The flyer clearly is in possession of the key assets to thrive as a modern-day full-back, with his presence set to make Ayling obsolete at last. He truly does seem like the "complete full-back" that Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig branded him.

Should he grow into his role, Van Ewijk could quickly become a star at Elland Road, with dynamism and athleticism sure to get the fans excited again. Meanwhile, his ageing predecessor would still likely remain as a fine backup asset to have around, given he is one of few who remain at the club from their 2020 promotion.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale has given the squad a much-needed overhaul, signing eight players while eight have left the club in what has been the busiest transfer window for the Ibrox side in years.

With just over a month until the window shuts, it appears Beale could be nearly finished with his business, with perhaps another one or two more players to arrive.

Are Rangers interested in Ross Stewart?

According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are facing a battle to keep their star striker Ross Stewart at the club after news that he has rejected numerous contract offers.

The Scot has entered the final year of his current deal with the Championship side, yet their efforts to secure him down for the next few years haven’t worked out.

Rangers have shown interest due to this development, however they could face competition, with other Championship sides such as Southampton, Stoke City and Middlesbrough all said to be keeping tabs on the 27-year-old ahead of a potential swoop.

What could Ross Stewart offer Rangers?

Having recently signed Danilo from Feyenoord, Beale has padded out his attacking options ahead of the 2023/24 season, also adding Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers to his squad.

A move for Stewart may come too soon at the moment, considering he is recovering from a serious injury that he suffered in January, however, Beale should be keeping his eyes on him heading into the new year, especially with his contract running down.

During his spell in the northeast, the 27-year-old has scored 40 goals and grabbed eight assists in just 80 matches, a solid strike rate which suggests he could offer the Gers plenty of goals.

The £2.3k-per-week striker was even lauded as being an “absolute menace” by writer Phillip West back in 2021 and should he make the move to the Light Blues, Beale could form a dream duo with him and Ianis Hagi.

The Romanian has had to get over his own injury issues, missing nearly a year of action following his knee injury during a Scottish Cup tie in January 2022, and he showed flickers of his talents during the end of last term.

Despite making only three Premiership starts and averaging 34 minutes per game, Hagi scored once, succeeded with 86% of his dribble attempts and won 1.9 duels per game – a success rate of 56% – suggesting that if given more game time next season, he could further demonstrate his creative talents.

During the title-winning 2020/21 season, the 24-year-old created five big chances and averaged one key pass per game, playing an integral part in their success.

With Stewart ahead of him, Hagi could generate plenty of scoring opportunities for the Scottish hitman and given he enjoyed a goal conversion rate of 22% last season, he would stick away quite a few chances.

Despite his injury ruling him out of the second half of the season, Stewart ranked as Sunderland’s best performer via his overall Sofascore rating (7.4), while ranking first for scoring frequency (goal every 104 minutes) and shots on target per game (1.6), indicating he is a true penalty box striker.

With Hagi returning to full fitness, Beale will have plenty of selection headaches, but a future duo of him and Stewart would certainly cause chaos for defenders.

Essex have a 36-point cushion over Lancashire after Jamie Porter’s career-best display and the pair are due to meet next week at Old Trafford in the match of the season

Tim Wigmore at Chelmsford31-Aug-2017
Jamie Porter leads Essex off after his matchwinning display•Getty ImagesIt was a few minutes after Essex had completed another resounding County Championship win. On a radiant afternoon, spectators were on the outfield taking selfies with Jamie Porter. Then, one asked him: “Is it in the bag?” Porter laughed: “As close as you could ask for, really.”For Essex fans, the team and Porter himself, this was the day when the notion of a first Championship pennant since 1992 moved from being a tantalising promise to an expectation.September arrives with Essex cushioning a 36-point lead over second-placed Lancashire. Avoid defeat at Old Trafford next week and Essex will be on the brink of becoming the first Championship winners for a decade not to be a Test match hosting ground.Should they indeed manage that, there is no cricketer Essex will be more thankful to than Porter, their totem all summer long. He is, most fundamentally, relentless in his line and length, unerring accuracy underpinned by a smooth, muscular action and fitness that allows him to bowl long spells, increased pace.Marry these attributes with increased pace – strength and conditioning work over the winter has lifted Porter’s regular speed to not far off 85mph – the ability to seam the ball both ways, a propensity for obtaining awkward bounce, ease bowling either over or around the wicket and skill using the crease to locate an awkward angle, and the upshot is a tremendous fast bowler.The delivery that carved open left-hander Edward Byron from over the wicket, slanting away while rearing up to catch a sliver of the bat, was in itself worth of touring Down Under this winter, albeit that Porter will almost certainly do so with the England Lions. But continue his sterling improvement there, and an England Test cap will surely soon be forthcoming.This was a day when Porter recorded the statistical feats that his unstinting excellence all summer has demanded. As he led Essex to the 10 wickets they had 59 overs to get, Porter did more than merely win Essex the match.He claimed a five-fer in the innings, his first ten-wicket haul in a match, vaulted past 50 Championship wickets for the summer – 50 first-class wickets were already secure, for the third straight summer – and didn’t stop until he had taken a career best 7 for 55, and 12 for 95 in the match. As Porter led Essex off the field to hug his mum, Chelmsford was united in buoyant applause, both celebrating the achievements of the summer so far and in expectation of what is to come.Once again Porter found a wonderful ally in Simon Harmer, the pair combining so brilliantly that the absence of Mohammad Amir, who had a back spasm, was scarcely noticed. It fell to Harmer to seal victory, when Craig Overton played on. Harmer once again provided unstinting control and stamina, bowling a 15.5-over spell straight through from the River End while Porter polished off Somerset from his favoured Hayes Close End.And so Essex had a fifth straight Championship win to toast during their remarkable summer. Essex have not merely outscrapped their opponents; they have positively eviscerated them. Consider Essex’s margins of victories in this period: eight wickets, an innings and 164 runs, an innings 34 runs, eight wickets again and, here 179 runs.For Somerset, all that was left was envy. A year ago they entered September with brilliant dreams of lifting their inaugural title. Now, their aspirations are altogether more modest: retaining their Division One status.While head coach Matthew Maynard lambasted their fielding and bowling in the morning as the “most sluggish we’ve seen from a Somerset side this year”, the greatest reason for their demise is porous batting, highlighted again by being bundled out in just 38 overs.Only two of Somerset’s frontline batsmen this season average more than Steve Davies’ 27.81. The first, overseas player Dean Elgar, will not return in 2017 – and Fakhar Zaman, his intended replacement, never made it to Taunton either. The second, Adam Hose, left in mid-season for relegation rivals Warwickshire, allowed to leave on loan after agreeing a three-year deal from next season.What is left? Not enough. Marcus Trescothick played on to a sharp delivery from Porter, second ball of the innings; a little unlucky, perhaps, but Trescothick, for all his sterling service to this club, is only averaging 21.50 in the Championship this year – he might be grateful that negotiations for his return in 2018 have already been concluded.Still, Trescothick’s numbers remain better than those of Tom Abell – even if Abell had a right to lament his dismissal today, lbw not playing a shot to Harmer for a duck when the ball had to spin appreciably to hit offstump.Middle order fortitude should be provided by Davies and James Hildreth. Both have played the occasional fine Championship innings in 2017, but these have been too rare. If Davies was snared by an outstanding delivery from Porter, who showcased his penchant for left-handers by squaring him up from round the wicket, Hildreth would not have attracted much sympathy for his airy waft outside offstump, which only succeeded in bringing forward Essex’s victory party.Far greater celebrations beckon within a few weeks.

Both the North-South Series and the MCC’s Champion County Match against Essex will be staged in Barbados next March

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2017The now-familiar overseas curtain-raiser to the English season has been shifted from the UAE to Barbados for 2018, where both the North-South Series and the MCC’s Champion County Match against Essex will be staged next March.The North-South Series, which was launched in Dubai and Abu Dhabi earlier this year as part of England’s preparations for hosting the 2019 World Cup, will feature two matches at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval on March 18 and 21, followed by a third at the Three Ws Oval on March 23.Then, from March 27-30, the MCC XI and Essex, the 2017 County Champions, will stage a day-night fixture played with pink Dukes balls under the floodlights at the Kensington Oval.The North-South series is the brainchild of England’s director of cricket, Andrew Strauss, and features two 13-man squads, finalised by the England selectors with input from the coaching teams as well as the the PCA’s MVP rankings.The series got off to a lukewarm start in its first incarnation earlier this year, when the South won 3-0, but the North will have a new coaching team in 2018 following the appointment of the Durham captain Paul Collingwood who will be assisted by Paul Franks – the former Nottinghamshire all-rounder who is now a member of the coaching staff at Trent Bridge.Sam Northeast’s century set up a series win for South v North•Getty ImagesMark Ramprakash, the former Middlesex and Surrey batsman who is now England’s batting coach, has been appointed head coach of the South, and will be assisted by Andy Flower – who worked alongside the England assistant coach Paul Farbrace in this year’s series.”Taking the North-South Series to Barbados is an exciting prospect for everyone involved,” said Strauss. “It follows on from the England Lions fixtures against West Indies A in February and March, and we hope the MCC’s decision to take their Champion County Match to the Caribbean will add to the level of interest and support both in the West Indies and among cricket fans at home.”I’d like to thank Cricket West Indies and the Barbados Cricket Association for their support in allowing us to stage the 2018 North-South Series on the island. There was some excellent cricket in the first series in the UAE, most of it from the South, which has already proved valuable to the England selectors and management – and I’m sure the North will be determined to make their mark next year.”John Stephenson, the MCC’s Head of Cricket, added: “MCC is delighted to be hosting the Champion County Match in Barbados next year, and continuing the Club’s collaboration with the ECB.”It has been a long-stated aim of the MCC World Cricket committee to help to reinvigorate Test cricket in areas of the world where attendances are dwindling, and MCC believe that playing a four-day pink-ball first-class match in Barbados can help to do that.”The Club also hopes it will provide a platform for the iconic Kensington Oval to go on to potentially host a day/night Test Match in the near future.”

Liverpool's pursuit of Romeo Lavia is dragging on; the Anfield side's trademark expeditious transfer style has not been in play for the saga surrounding the Southampton prodigy, and as such, manager Jurgen Klopp is looking at alternatives, namely Fluminense's Andre.

Is Andre signing for Liverpool?

According to Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy, Liverpool are in discussions with the 22-year-old midfielder, though a compromise is needed for the Reds' chase of Lavia to enter the final stage.

Andre would offer a different option for Liverpool, stylistically, and given that he could be signed for just €25m (£21m), sporting director Jorg Schmadtke would earn praise for completing another astute deal if the club acts swiftly.

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"Dialogue open between Southampton and Liverpool over Romeo Lavia. He wants the move but compromise still needed over the fee. LFC working on other options. They are in talks with Fluminense for Andre. Clear the club are looking at two profiles: controller, progressive destroyer," she tweeted.

The snag in discussions lies in Fluminense's reluctance to let him depart before the conclusion of the Brazilian Serie A season in December, though if they fail to qualify for the next round of the Copa Libertadores, negotiations could run without seam.

How good is Andre?

Where Lavia, aged 19, occupies the defensive midfield in a "progressive destroyer" role, breaking up the play and inhibiting opposing attacks, Andre is more aptly named as a "controller" – as claimed by Reddy – due to his crisp passing, tenacity and energy; a conduit to channel play through the thirds.

He is yet to ply his trade outside his homeland but has made 145 appearances for Fluminense since ascending from the youth academy, clinching three goals and assists apiece.

Quite feasibly, Liverpool could find room in their squad for both rising stars, especially given the polarity in style as holding midfielders, and if Klopp does further discussions for Andre the Reds would boast a midfielder with assured passing, robustness and precision in the tackle – he has completed 94% of his passes in Serie A this term, forging 2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match and succeeding in 63% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

To underscore his aptitude in directness and ball-playing, Andre ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Men's next Eight divisions for pass completion, the top 3% for passes attempted and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

As is clear, he thrives in his channelling of the game's flow, still very much talented with his defensive skill set, but allowing his technicality to do the talking.

Assuming Liverpool complete moves for both Andre and Lavia, the latter could be moulded as the more like-for-like Fabinho replacement, and Klopp could nurture the Brazilian into Thiago Alcantara's role in the team, with the distinguished Spaniard's contract on Merseyside entering the final year.

Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich for around £20m in 2020 and has been hailed as "staggering" by Michael Owen for his natural talent and technique, though he has missed 66 matches across all competitions over the three campaigns he has been on English shores.

Given that the rather injury-prone £200k-per-week maestro will be 33-years-old when the forthcoming term concludes, perhaps his contract will not be renewed, though with the introduction of Andre Liverpool will have an exciting heir who can actually absorb the fruits of his senior peer's labours over the next year.

Thiago ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 11% for interceptions and the top 4% for tackles per 90, and through these metrics, the blueprint for success is discernible and something that Andre must use as a framework as he indefatigably chases a prominent role in Klopp's Liverpool side.

Whether this happens remains within the grasp of the Anfield contingency, and while the next several days will see the roiling waters calm as they wait for the outcome of Fluminense's Copa Libertadores, Liverpool will be waiting to besiege the Brazilian side and secure their gem.