All posts by h716a5.icu

Arindam Ghosh’s half-century helped Railways set a target of 94, following which Anureet Singh and Avinash Yadav ran through the Uttar Pradesh batting order

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017Railways defended a target of 94, skittling Uttar Pradesh out for 72 on the third day in a come-from-behind win in their first-round match in Lucknow. It was the second-lowest fourth-innings defence in Ranji Trophy history.Anureet Singh and slow left-arm spinner Avinash Yadav reduced UP to 28 for 6 inside 11 overs, and left-arm pacer Deepak Bansal joined in to pick up two wickets – including that of UP captain Suresh Raina – as Railways wrapped up a sensational 21-run win.Railways began the third day 27 for 3 in their second innings, still trailing UP by 46 runs. Overnight batsmen Arindam Ghosh (57) and Vidhyadhar Kamath (30) added a further 69 runs in the morning, before Kartik Tyagi dismissed Kamath to end an 86-run fourth-wicket partnership. Abhishek Yadav (20) scored crucial runs after that, but the recovery was ended by Ankit Rajpoot and legspinner Zeeshan Ansari. Railways eventually folded for 161.UP’s top order faltered in their chase, with Avinash and Anureet removing both openers inside three overs. Himanshu Asnora fell in the fifth over, before Anureet trapped the next two batsmen lbw. By then UP were 28 for 6, staring at defeat. Raina top-scored with 29, and was seventh out with 45 still to get. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 23, but received no support from the tail, and UP were all out in the 26th over. Avinash finished with a match tally of seven wickets, while Anureet ended the game with six. Barring Rinku and Raina, the other nine UP batsmen scored 15 between them, including four ducks.Delhi increased their advantage over Assam at Feroz Shah Kotla after fifties from Anuj Rawat (71) and Manan Sharma (69) helped the home side finish their first innings on 435 from an overnight score of 269 for 4. Delhi bowlers, led by Navdeep Saini’s brace, then took three top-order wickets before stumps as Assam were struggling at 60 for 3 at the end of day’s play. They trail by 117 runs.Gautam Gambhir could add only one run to his overnight score of 136 before he was bowled by Abu Nechim in the day’s second over. Pulkit Narang was the next man to go, but Rawat and Manan then put together 122 runs for the seventh wicket to take Delhi past the 400-run mark. Nechim returned once again to break the partnership, and then cleaned up the tail to finish with figures of 7 for 68, but by then Delhi had already taken a 177-run lead.Assam looked to wipe out that deficit in their second innings, but both openers fell cheaply to Saini. Kulwant Khejrolia then dismissed Assam captain Gokul Sharma – with the visitors at 26 for 3 – but Sibsankar Roy (28*) and Tarjinder Singh (8*) saw the day off with no further casualties.Meanwhile, for the third day in a row, there was no play possible in the match between Hyderabad and Maharashtra in Hyderabad.

Glasgow Rangers have already suffered their first setback in the 2023/24 Premiership title race, losing their opening match.

Michael Beale arguably set up his side far too narrow in the defeat to Kilmarnock and now thoughts turn to the Champions League qualifier against Servette at Ibrox on Wednesday.

While the seasons has begun, the transfer window is still open and Beale will be looking to offload a few more bodies in the coming weeks to trim the squad.

Does Scott Wright have a future at Rangers?

One player who looked certain to be departing the Light Blues was Scott Wright. The winger was being courted by Turkish side Pendikspor, and it appeared as though a £500k move to the continent was imminent.

In a surprising twist however, Wright turned down the chance to join the club and was then spotted in training ahead of the new season, appearing to be showing Beale that he wants to remain in Glasgow.

The winger was even included in Beale’s squad for the upcoming Champions League qualifiers. There is still time in the transfer window for him to seal a move away however and the manager will be looking at players who could potentially replace him.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

Instead of spending money on another attacking player, Beale could turn to the academy instead, with Archie Stevens showing a lot of promise.

Who is Archie Stevens?

The 17-year-old plays in the same position as Wright, on the right wing and joined the Gers from AFC Wimbledon in June 2022 having been courted by a host of clubs, yet he felt Ibrox was the best place for his development.

The youngster didn’t take long to make an impression, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave him his senior bow just two months after arriving during a League Cup tie against Queen of the South last August.

The winger already has six caps for the England U17 side, scoring once, showing great promise, and he is clearly a confident individual, detailing his strengths in an interview last year.

He said: “I have enjoyed the games I have featured in so far. I play on the wing and my main attributes are my dribbling and speed.

“I am a positive player who likes to get forward and I like to think I am quite exciting to watch when I have the ball.”

This will stand him in good stead over the next few years and there are plenty of others who reckon he could make it to the very top, including his former academy manager Michael Hamilton, who stated:

“He’s a very attack-minded player, his stronger position is on the right, he scores goals, he creates some things out of nothing, he’s got the ability to beat two, three players at a time and creating so he’s a highly-effective player.”

High praise indeed for the then 16-year-old and this is an area Rangers could do with some talent coming through the ranks, especially following the departure of Ryan Kent along with Fashion Sakala and Wright potentially leaving.

The latter man failed to score and provided just one assist in 23 Premiership outings last season, with the 5 foot 9 dud seemingly struggling to make his mark on the flanks, thus allowing the likes of Stevens to usurp his place in the squad in the near future.

The teen gem may need some more experience for the B team, yet it’s evident his talents deserve some more minutes in the first team over the next couple of seasons.

The board has backed Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale over the course of the summer transfer window with as many as nine new additions.

Who have Rangers signed this summer?

It has been a busy few months of business for the Light Blues as they have bolstered their options in every area of the pitch after their trophyless 2022/23 campaign.

Jack Butland, Leon Balogun, and Dujon Sterling have all been brought in to improve the backline, whilst Jose Cifuentes, Abdallah Sima, and Kieran Dowell have arrived to compete in midfield.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

Beale has also been able to add to his array of number nines by signing Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, and Sam Lammers.

However, they could be in the market for a fourth as they were recently linked with an interest in Sunderland striker Ross Stewart.

How good is Ross Stewart?

The Scotland international has enjoyed a hugely successful spell with the Black Cats so far and his impressive form in England suggests that he could be a big upgrade on Kemar Roofe for the Light Blues.

Sunderland's leading man averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.40 across 13 Championship outings last term as the 6 foot 3 finisher plundered an outstanding ten goals and three assists.

He has been out of action since January with an Achilles injury but the Scottish marksman had not missed a single match through injury throughout the 2021/22 and 2020/21 campaigns combined, which led to 49 League One starts in the former.

This suggests that his current fitness issues may not be a long-term concern as it has not been a consistent theme throughout his career.

Whereas, Roofe has suffered seven different injuries since the start of the 2020/21 season and missed 35 competitive games last term.

Whilst Stewart is currently dealing with his Achilles problem, the Black Cats gem's history does not suggest that it will be a concern for the Gers moving forward in comparison to the ex-Anderlecht man, who has proven himself to be a constant liability.

Beale called upon the Jamaica international to play the final 12 minutes of the 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday and he failed to register a single effort on goal, whilst the former Leeds United man also completed just one pass – as per Sofascore.

Since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, Roofe has scored 11 goals and assisted one in 25 Premiership outings – a contribution every 2.08 matches on average.

Whereas, Stewart has produced 36 goals and six assists in 62 league appearances for Sunderland over the last two seasons, which works out as a direct involvement every 1.48 games on average.

The prolific £2.7k-per-week talisman, who was once lauded as a "revelation" by Black Cats teammate Alex Pritchard, could offer more to the Gers as both a scorer and a creator from a number nine position, whilst also being available more often if his current injury issue does not cause further complications down the line.

Therefore, Beale could improve his attacking options by signing Stewart from the English side to replace Roofe before the deadline passes at the start of next month.

James Anderson says that England’s cricketers must focus solely on their own preparations in the build-up to this winter’s Ashes, and ignore the fall-out from the Ben Stokes incident

Andrew Miller04-Oct-2017James Anderson says that England’s cricketers must focus solely on their own preparations in the build-up to this winter’s Ashes, and tackle the team dynamics when they reconvene as a squad at the end of the month, as the fall-out from the Ben Stokes incident continues to overshadow the build-up to their biggest challenge of the year.Stokes’ hopes of being retained in England’s Ashes plans are very much in the balance. Though he is expected to be retained on the ECB’s list of centrally contracted players, due to be unveiled this week, Avon and Somerset Police are still investigating the incident that took place outside Mbargo nightclub in the wake of England’s ODI victory over West Indies last Monday.But regardless of whether Stokes is able to make the trip or not, Anderson retains the belief that England can emerge triumphant from what will be his fourth Ashes campaign in Australia, so long as each of the squad members can keep their eyes on the prize ahead of their departure on October 28.”What we need to do as a team, whether the things that are happening happen or not, the next few weeks are about getting yourself ready as an individual to play in an Ashes series,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo. “From my point of view I’ll be bowling at Lancashire, getting in the gym, trying to stay fit, and getting ready for that challenge when we get over there. That’s all we can do. Prepare yourself as an individual and when we get there, we can galvanise as a team.”Already, however, the Stokes incident has guaranteed that England’s traditionally robust welcome from Australia’s fans and media will be stepped up an extra level or two. And Anderson, who has endured two 5-0 whitewashes either side of a series-winning haul of 24 wickets on the 2010-11 tour, knows more than any England player about the unique challenges of playing Down Under.”You’ve got to prepare yourself for that,” he said “The fans are very passionate about cricket in Australia, but at the same time they are knowledgable and if you give them something back they’ll embrace it. If you perform well, they’ll embrace it, and respect you for it. What we’ve got to focus on is performing well, and if you can do that, everything else will take care of itself.”Anderson was speaking ahead of the PCA Awards dinner, English cricket’s traditional end-of-season get-together in London. The night offers an opportunity for players from all counties to let their hair down after a tough season, although in light of the events in Bristol last week – and the ECB’s subsequent investigations into the England team culture – several players are likely to be more guarded in their celebrations than might ordinarily have been the case.Nevertheless, both Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, and Trevor Bayliss, the coach, have reiterated in the past week the importance of allowing players to let off steam during high-profile series, and Anderson admitted he did not yet know what the management’s attitude towards nights out would be during the Australia campaign.”I’m not sure how things are going to go,” Anderson said. “We are obviously going to speak as a team when we get out there but, at the minute, we’re just trying to prepare for the cricket we are going to play out there, and get ourselves in the best shape to compete with Australia.”On a personal note, Anderson heads to Australia in some of the best form of his already extraordinary career. He claimed 39 wickets in seven Tests against South Africa and West Indies this summer, and crucially managed to stay fit throughout, having missed eight Tests through injury in the previous two years.”The summer’s gone better than I would have expected,” he said. “At the start of the summer I was with Lancashire and got an injury or two, which was quite frustrating, but when I got the chance to play in the Test matches, I knew I was bowling well so I knew that if I could stay on the field, then I’d be in a good place”It’s been one of those summers. It’s been a good patch for me, a hot patch, everything has gone my way. Even my bad balls have been getting edges, so it’s one of those things you’ve got to make the most of.”In the course of the season, he notched up another notable landmark during the Lord’s Test against West Indies, when he became only the third fast bowler, and sixth overall, to reach 500 Test wickets. At the age of 35, he’s determined to keep enjoying the game while he can.”For me, there’s no sort of target or goal,” he said. “My sole purpose is to stay fit, stay on the field, and contribute to England winning games of cricket. I’m glad that I did that this summer, and hope I can keep doing it in the future.”As for the challenge of winning in Australia and banishing the memories of England’s painful defeat on the last tour in 2013-14, Anderson said: “I don’t know if it’s unfinished business but it’s an exciting time for us.”We’ve got a lot of players who haven’t played in an Ashes tour before, and from an Englishman’s point of view, playing an Ashes in Australia, if you can win there that is the biggest accolade you can get from a team sport in cricket. It’s a huge thing but it can be so enjoyable if you go about it the right way.”

When you are getting hammered all over and missing a talismanic bowler who has been both your stock bowler and your spearhead, there are no easy decisions

Sidharth Monga in Delhi02-Dec-2017When you are getting hammered all over and missing a talismanic bowler who has been both your stock bowler and your spearhead, there are no easy decisions. Sri Lanka had a big one to make coming into the Delhi Test: do they pick an extra batsman and give a debut to Roshen Silva or play an extra bowler in Vishwa Fernando?In the first two Tests, they had picked the extra seam-bowling allrounder, but the indications leading into the Test were clear: they wanted batting cover. A difficult decision to play Silva was made, but Sri Lanka bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake admitted it was a defensive move and ended up overworking their bowlers.”We had to decide whether to go with the extra bowler or with an extra batsman,” Ratnayake said. “Since we hadn’t done well in our batting we wanted to make a better statement establishing a better score. If we were going to bat the first day we had to have those seven batsmen. That was the decision we had to take. It certainly taxes the opening bowlers because they are the ones who bowled the most in the last game also. Even today, I would say, they are heavily taxed.”Rangana Herath’s absence didn’t help nor did an absence of flexible plans. Lakshan Sandakan, the left-arm wristspinner replacing Herath took too long to start using hid wrong’un, which got him two wickets in the final session. Ratnayake was left wishing he had done that earlier. The major blame, though, laid at the doorsteps on the batsmen. Sri Lanka have now failed to score 300 in the first innings in all their five Tests against India this year.”We’ve been talking about that too, and the top five know they have to deliver,” Ratnayake said. “It’s just that when [they do so] is the issue, and we had to take that decision because we went with six-five combination [in the earlier Tests]. We thought that we should try something different and go with seven-four. Hope it works.”The big problem for Sri Lanka is that Angelo Mathews doesn’t bowl anymore. There is some good news, though, that his return to ODI bowling – he bowled 17 overs in the five-match series against India – is likely to continue even though he missed the UAE tour because of a fresh injury.”If he is chosen for the ODIs… he is practising to bowl in ODIs,” Ratnayake said. “Because he has got a very acute injury – it’s not only the thighs now, it’s gone to the calves – we are very cautious of what he does and how he does things. He is managed carefully. Yesterday he bowled six overs in the nets and he looked good.”If Sri Lanka had won the toss and decided to bat, Mathews would have continued his bowling work in the nets at some point. However, the bowling comeback – at the moment at least – is restricted to shorter versions. As is the solution to their selection conundrum of playing the extra batsman or bowler.

Following the reportedly imminent arrival of Wataru Endo, Liverpool could yet welcome another midfielder to complete their rebuild in the middle of the park this summer.

The Reds have already missed out on Moises Caicedo, and potentially Romeo Lavia, continuing their search for a defensive midfielder, which has now taken them to Serie A.

Who are Liverpool signing?

Despite Manchester United reportedly being in pole position to land Sofyan Amrabat this summer, Liverpool have now made contact with Fiorentina over the conditions of a potential deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The news follows United's hesitancy to get their deal done for the midfielder, who have been linked with making a move for the Fiorentina man in the current window.

As per Romano, the Morocco international is still at the top of United's targets, with Fred's sale, alongside the potential departure of Donny van de Beek, helping to accelerate the deal.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

The Manchester club's lack of urgency has seemingly opened the door for Liverpool, however, as Jurgen Klopp looks to swoop in and solve his midfield problems with Amrabat, who reportedly earns £30k per-week in Italy.

The Reds are already closing in on signing Wataru Endo, with a medical reportedly booked for Thursday, and could yet welcome one more in the middle of the park before the transfer window slams shut.

Should Liverpool sign Sofyan Amrabat?

Given the fact that Liverpool have been left without a defensive midfielder in their prime, they should be targeting Amrabat, even with United in pole position all summer long.

Welcoming the 26-year-old alongside Endo, who has plenty of experience at 30 years of age, could help balance things out in Klopp's strongest line-up.

Amrabat has received plenty of praise in the past, too, only backing his ability, with broadcaster Carlo Garganese saying during the 2022 World Cup that he's a "monster", while an opposing manager at the tournament, Spain's Luis Enrique, called the midfielder "extraordinary".

It was a tournament of high praise for the midfielder, as Morocco shocked the world to reach the semi-final stage, with even Alan Shearer having nothing but positives to say. He said, via the Liverpool Echo: "He’s been absolutely magnificent.

"I said it at the top of the show, they’re really difficult to beat and very good without the ball, and one of the reasons for that is this guy. He gives them so much protection, you can see how many tackles he’s made and he’s a huge part of their success up to now."

Statistically speaking, the Reds would also have themselves quite the upgrade on both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in certain departments. According to FBref, the Fiorentina man makes more progressive carries, has a better take-on success and a better pass completion, with 7.93 of those being progressive per 90.

Everything points to a target that Liverpool should be looking to sign amid their midfield crisis this summer. The added bonus would be stealing in and taking Manchester United's target right from under their noses, too, all whilst solving a major issue in Klopp's squad.

As the summer transfer window continues, Amrabat is certainly one to keep an eye on, as Manchester United and Liverpool potentially do battle off the pitch.

Johnson Charles and Brendon McCullum smashed 151 runs, putting together the season’s highest partnership, to secure their spot in the BPL final on Tuesday against Dhaka Dynamites

The Report by Mohammad Isam11-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball updatesBrendon McCullum swats the ball to the leg side•Raton GomesRangpur Riders made it to their first BPL final after completing a 36-run win over group-stage leaders Comilla Victorians in the match that spanned two days. Johnson Charles struck his maiden T20 century while Brendon McCullum made his first big contribution in the tournament to overpower a strong Comilla attack.It will be the fourth time in the final for Mashrafe Mortaza, who led Dhaka Gladiators and Comilla to BPL titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He finished the game off with a superb running catch off the last ball, underlining his contribution as more than just that of team captain.On Monday, Rangpur added 137 runs in their remaining 13 overs, after their overnight score of 55 for 1. Charles, who had already struck four sixes on Monday, hit seven in total apart from the nine boundaries in his unbeaten 63-ball 105. McCullum was far more aggressive, hammering nine sixes and just a single four in his 46-ball 78. The duo added 151 runs – a BPL record for the second wicket, the highest partnership for the season and the third-highest partnership in BPL history.Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das started well for Comilla but Rangpur applied the brakes in the second half of their innings. They were eventually bowled out for 156, losing regular wickets in the middle overs.McCullum finally comes to the partyHaving averaged just 15.20 this season before the match, it was only a matter of time before McCullum found his groove in the BPL. It began in the 10th over when he blew Graeme Cremer straight down the ground for his first six.Charles gave Mohammad Saifuddin the same treatment in the 13th over, hammering him over long off and square-leg. Cremer bowled four decent deliveries in the 14th over before McCullum launched him square on the leg-side and over cover for consecutive sixes to tear the Zimbabwe captain apart.McCullum came into his own in the next five overs, hitting six more sixes. First, Al-Amin Hossain was smeared flat over extra cover. Hasan Ali, Comilla’s best bowler in the day, was slogged over long-on before McCullum unloaded three sixes off Al-Amin once again in the 17th over. He didn’t hit it well on two of those occasions, but still managed to clear the ropes comfortably. After adding one more maximum in the 19th over, McCullum perished off the final ball for 78.A first for CharlesCharles rode out the anticipation for his first T20 ton with three boundaries in the final over. The second, a guide past point, got him to the three-figure mark. The last one was a blast past the umpire and non-striker, as Comilla breathed a huge sigh of relief that the onslaught was at least over. His highest T20 score before this was 92, and he bettered that by 13 more as he finished unbeaten.Tamim, Liton help Comilla fly offLiton Das’ six over midwicket in the first over signaled Comilla’s intent about chasing the 193-run target. Tamim then smacked Rubel for a six in the third over in which Tamim and Liton survived two run-out attempts in the same delivery. The result: four overthrows, as Rangpur looked a little too excited in the field during the Powerplay overs. Despite losing Tamim, Imrul Kayes and Shoaib Malik, Comilla remained on course till the half-way mark; with ten overs to go, they needed a further 110 runs.Rangpur slows Comilla downThe ball after Malik’s dismissal, Liton struck Nazmul Islam for a straight six but the left-arm spinner conceded just four runs in his next over to put the pressure right back on Comilla. It yielded a wicket in the next over when Liton fell caught behind for 39.Rangpur stopped the boundary hitting from overs 10.2 to 14.4, before Buttler struck his first six, a massive hit over long on. He added a second in the next over, off Mashrafe, struck straight this time. But Marlon Samuels remained frustrated at the other end with umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri who failed to spot two wides in the 17th over. It was a crucial over as Isuru Udana conceded only four runs, leaving a mountain to climb for Comilla at the death.Bopara’s knockout punchIt got harder for Comilla in the 18th over as Buttler and Samuels fell to Ravi Bopara. Buttler gave a catch to deep midwicket before Samuels, who struck a six off the fifth ball, fell in the last ball of the over – caught at short fine-leg for a sluggish 27 off 30 balls. Udana gave away just eight runs in the penultimate over, which included Saifuddin’s wicket following which Rubel removed Hasan, Mahedi Hasan and Al-Amin in the last over to bowl Comilla out for 156.

It has been a damaging summer for Liverpool. The unexpected losses of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to highly lucrative contracts in Saudi Arabia have forced a rush in the midfield overhaul.

This league also tried to convince the indomitable Mohammed Salah to ditch Anfield.

However, on his YouTube channel, reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Merseysiders consider the Egyptian ‘untouchable.’

This has been reiterated by Salah’s agent, who said the player is fully 'committed' to Liverpool and will not leave this summer.

Nevertheless, the winger is now 31-years-old, and it remains to be seen what will happen beyond this season.

Eventually, Jurgen Klopp will need to find a replacement, and he is reportedly already eyeing his options…

What’s the latest Liverpool transfer news?

According to Football Transfers, Liverpool are lining up a move for Leroy Sané as a contingency plan for Salah’s future departure.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

How good is Leroy Sané?

The German enjoyed a magical four-year spell in England with Manchester City between 2016 and 2020. Sane arrived in the same summer as Pep Guardiola, and under the Spaniard’s tutelage, he flourished into one of the world’s most scintillating and effervescent talents.

Across 135 appearances in all competitions, the 27-year-old registered 85 goal contributions, notably winning two Premier League titles and an FA Cup.

Sane’s most dangerous and productive campaign in the north-west occurred in 2017/18 when he scored ten times and crafted 15 assists, before being named the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Guardiola previously hailed the £329k-per-week livewire as a “great player with incredible quality.”

The 53-time international joined Bayern Munich in 2020 and chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described him as “outstanding.”

Although he has failed to hit the dazzling heights he achieved in his trophy-laden Man City stint, the mesmerising forward still ranks in the best 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals and successful take-ons per 90.

His time in Bavaria could take a more promising turn thanks to a fruitful partnership with Harry Kane.

Within ten minutes of the Englishman’s debut against Werder Bremen, he assisted Sane for the opening goal.

Crucially for Klopp, Sane possesses a substantial degree of Premier League experience in a title-winning side and whilst it is almost impossible to replicate Salah’s ridiculous numbers, Sane is a viable option for the Merseysiders.

Across 307 matches, Salah has netted on 187 occasions and created 80 assists – his phenomenal consistency, numbers, and skill means he is one of the most inevitable and elite forces to grace the English top flight.

Meanwhile, his goal in the recent victory over AFC Bournemouth meant he became the third-highest scorer in the club’s history.

Klopp has heaped praise upon the joyous technician and said:

“He is an outstanding signing, but for sure the way he developed, the way he treats himself, the game preparation, the training preparation, training attitude and all these kind of things, that’s exceptional.”

But when Klopp and Liverpool hierarchy sit down and assess how they will replace the indefatigable Salah, then Sane is undoubtedly a sensible, worthy, and wonderfully capable avenue at Anfield.

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a fine window thus far, but the persisting issue remains that the Harry Kane money remains unspent…

Who could Spurs sign before the deadline?

Daniel Levy has had his critics over the years for his notorious frugality, often leading to long, drawn-out transfer sagas where they miss out on targets due to their unwillingness to spend.

There have been lapses in this staunch nature, but the Lilywhites have remained a largely profitable club that were fortunate enough to be taken on a special journey up the table by Mauricio Pochettino.

However, one of the sore points of his tenure, and a rare moment of financial miscalculation, saw the Argentinian boss unload a club-record £63m fee to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon back in 2019.

Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon)

£63m

Richarlison (Everton)

£60m

Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)

£55m

Cristian Romero (Atalanta)

£42m

James Maddison (Leicester City)

£40m

All transfer fees via Sky Sports

The Frenchman has since failed spectacularly to live up to such a lofty price tag, with his future looking increasingly uncertain as the Friday deadline day approaches.

Therefore, perhaps Ange Postecoglou could seek to secure his replacement, finally dipping into their huge transfer war chest and unloading the reported £50m price tag to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

After all, their reported interest in the England international is longstanding, and he would likely provide everything that the Galatasaray-linked Ndombele has failed to.

What's happened to Ndombele at Spurs?

When first signed, Ndombele was billed as a silky playmaker from deep, with quick feet and an elegant play style that fans would swiftly fall in love with. However, that play style seemed to immediately desolve into laziness, to which pundit Alan Hutton lambasted him: "It’s attitude. He was very lazy, he wasn’t doing much at all.

“When you get taken off, you know it’s because you’ve not played well. He’ll know within himself he’s not played well. So get off the pitch as quickly as possible, you’re down 1-0, get someone else on who can maybe make a difference. For the fans to boo, then he slows down, takes his time and runs straight down the tunnel. It’s not good enough.

“It shows you it’s petulant, it’s a bad attitude, it’s not what you want moving forward. Conte won’t stand for that. It annoys me because I know there’s a really exceptional player in there."

Unfortunately, Spurs have not been treated to those qualities promised, despite having posted eight goal contributions in Ligue 1 from defensive midfield in his final year before moving to north London. He has since made just 91 appearances for the club across his four years there.

As such, Gallagher could well be the final nail in the coffin as far as the Frenchman's Spurs career is concerned.

How good is Conor Gallagher?

Gallagher would immediately mark an upgrade on the 26-year-old, with his energy and attacking impetus almost assured.

After all, he was lauded for the former by The Athletic's Mike Stavrou: "Conor Gallagher was absolutely relentless with his pressing and energy tonight. Some player Chelsea have got."

His finest campaign to date actually came during his loan spell with Crystal Palace, as the midfield maestro scored eight and assisted three to break onto the Premier League scene. Now, he is surely ready for an elongated spell at the top of the table, whether that be with Chelsea or Spurs.

Pundit Tony Cascarino has been particularly full of praise for the 23-year-old: "Conor Gallagher, who's an outstanding attacking midfielder that always looks like he's going to get a goal or make an assist. I like him because I don't think there's too many of his type around."

Perhaps he could now translate that aforementioned loan form to Postecoglou's free-flowing system, pushing out one of Levy's greatest failures in the process.

The three-time champions will now face Australia in the final on Saturday

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Christchurch30-Jan-20181:23

‘I wanted to bat till the end’ – Gill

Shubman Gill converted his record sixth consecutive 50-plus score in Youth ODIs into a magnificent backs-to-the wall century, to help India stroll into the Under-19 World Cup final against Australia in Mount Maunganui. He was helped in no small part by Shivam Mavi and Prithvi Shaw, who pulled off outstanding catches – at fine leg and slip respectively – early in Pakistan’s chase of 273 to cause a slide they could not arrest.From 20 for 3, overcoming a relentless pace and spin attack proved too much for Pakistan. Ishan Porel, India’s third seamer, took a four-wicket haul as Pakistan were bowled out for 69 in 29.2 overs, their lowest total in the tournament’s history.Where Pakistan were lax, reprieving Manjot Kalra thrice and Shaw once early in the innings, India were excellent. Mavi, who delivered three successive maiden overs in Pakistan’s chase, threw the ball back in from the fine-leg beoundary because he was slightly overbalanced and completed a stunning catch to dismiss Muhammad Zaid Alam. Two overs later, Shaw anticipated an edge and moved to his left to take a sharp catch at wide slip. That left Pakistan 13 for 2, and under tremendous pressure. They did not cope.Pakistan’s fielding was partly why India got the start they did. The openers put on 89 in 15.3 overs, but it could have been so different had Pakistan not let opportunities slip. In the eighth over, Shaheen Afridi missed a run-out at the bowler’s end as Shaw was struggling to make his ground. Off the next delivery, he should have had Kalra caught but Alam put down a sitter at slip.There was a third reprieve in the space of eight balls, when left-arm spinner Hassan Khan drew the edge from Kalra, only for Alam to drop it at slip again. Then, a fourth opportunity went begging when Kalra was stranded halfway down the pitch, only for Saad Khan, who had all the time in the world to take aim or perhaps even run as close as possible before underarming a flick, to miss the stumps.Before all that, though, Kalra exhibited class in driving on the up and trusting his hand-eye coordination over feet movement. He impressed with his crisp off-side play, based on the old principle of stand and deliver, to loft Arshad Iqbal over the infield and then playing a scorcher of a cover drive. The calculated assault was reminiscent of the kind Virender Sehwag inflicted on Pakistan at the 2011 World Cup semi-final.Then came the slide as Pakistan broke a threatening opening stand – Muhammad Musa running out Shaw in the 16th over. Shortly after, Kalra nicked to the wicketkeeper to leave India 94 for 2. India had Gill, coming off three successive half-centuries in the tournament, and his calmness helped steer them forward until they hit another bump.Iqbal had Harvik Desai slashing a short ball to point. Riyan Parag nicked a length ball to the wicketkeeper, and Abhishek Sharma was dismissed down the leg side. India slipped from 148 for 2 to 166 for 5.Gill and Anukul Roy proved to be an ideal combination; the pair was intent on taking the innings past the 40th over. Along the way, they put on a 67-run stand for the sixth wicket. Roy displayed swift footwork against spin to loft over the bowler’s head and over cover. Against pace, he was happy to hang back and pull, the two swats through midwicket a reflection of his range.Gill was looking to bat through the innings, but when Roy gloved a pull to the wicketkeeper, he had to deliver the finishing touches. This period could have been tricky because Gill was nearing a century, but he did not let the milestone influence his shot selection.Forty-two of Gill’s 102 runs came in the last 10 overs, a passage that gave India huge momentum. Pakistan switched off towards the back end and India scored 75 in this period. A chase of 240 could have kept them in the game, but Pakistan found themselves chasing 273.Then they ran into Porel. Not in the same league as Kamlesh Nagarkoti or Mavi in terms of pace, Porel gets bounce because of his height and moves the ball off the pitch. As a result, Pakistan’s batsmen were unsure of whether to play forward or back.Porel snuffed out four of the top five in an intense opening spell that read 6-2-17-4. The game was soon beyond Pakistan and the result only a matter of time.