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Liverpool are through to the quarter-final of the FA Cup, following their 2-1 win at home to Norwich last night, with Takumi Minamino netting both goals.

That makes it four strikes in his last three games that he has taken part in for club and country, and five in total since the start of the year for the star who currently has a £10.8m valuation.

His first goal, a tidy finish after a neat touch in a tight area, came 12 minutes before the second, a thunderous half-volley from inside the area.

It was two goals who showed why, in the words of Ian Doyle, he could become the club’s “new Luis Suarez”, replicating the Uruguayan’s remarkable record against the Canaries.

The 27-year-old forward, who has been tipped to be replaced in the Summer with the likes of Marco Asensio and Darwin Nunez linked, completed 66% of his dribble attempts as well as 82% of his passes including one key pass.

His goals were also a sign of his clinical nature, having just had three shots all game with the other one blocked during his 67 touches of the ball.

With a scoring frequency of one goal every 47 minutes in the Premier League and one every 68 minutes in the FA Cup, it’s hard not to see why some Liverpool fans are hoping to see the winger get more chances.

Manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise at the end of the game for his often over-looked midfielder, having made 22 appearances in all competitions this season with 14 of those coming from the bench.

“His [Minamino’s] impression was obvious with scoring two goals and not only that – he had a lot more top, top football moments,” said Klopp.

“He was a constant threat tonight, he was mobile, he was quick. He was technically on an incredibly high level; it was really windy tonight and when you then saw how he controlled the balls when he had to bring down the high balls, that was all really, really, really good.

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“It was really a complete performance. The two goals were great but all the rest he did was top-class as well. It was really good.”

The Reds boss is going to have to rotate his way through the next couple of weeks, with five games in 15 days scheduled – but the Japan international may have just earned himself an important role in the German’s upcoming plans.

In other news: Imagine him & VVD: LFC can save millions in 20 y/o who’s their “very own Gareth Bale”

	Mohammad Yousuf will be looking to clear legal hassles which came about after he backed out of a contract with the Indian Cricket League to re-join the national squad © AFP

Mohammad Yousuf will have legal counsel representing him at the next arbitration hearing in Mumbai examining his pull-out from the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The representation will be arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the hearing on January 24.Yousuf initially signed up with the ICL after being dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the World Twenty20 last September. Soon after, however, he was convinced by the PCB to turn his back on the ICL, represent Pakistan and also sign up the Indian Premier League (IPL), a rival circuit officially sanctioned by the BCCI.Organisers of the ICL have insisted that Yousuf cannot renege on his contract and appear for the IPL and sent him a legal notice last year, which prompted the arbitration hearing. However, Yousuf or any representation, failed to appear at the last hearing in Mumbai in December.”There is another hearing on January 24 in Mumbai and we are keen for them to hear Yousuf’s side of the story before they take any decisions,” Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said. “This is an arbitration hearing trying to mediate in this dispute, not a court of law. They issued a hearing without listening to Yousuf’s version last time and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen this time. We will have legal representation at the next hearing.”At the same time, the board has also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, arguing that the dispute should be heard in Lahore, where Yousuf is based and where the contract was signed.Ashraf also said that the board was considering the cases of other players who played in the ICL and are, for the moment, barred from playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. Former Pakistan openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, as well as Shabbir Ahmed, played in the ICL recently and the PCB has subsequently prevented them from playing domestic cricket.The players have gone to court challenging the ban but Ashraf said the court had dismissed the petition. Farhat and Umar were prevented from playing in the just-concluded Quaid-e-Azam trophy final for Habib Bank. But their futures will now be discussed at the board’s governing committee meeting on January 25 and there appears a chance the domestic ban might be revoked.”We will look at their cases, but I want to reiterate that they all had an opportunity to play for Pakistan,” Ashraf said. “Some of them [Farhat] even had central contracts but they handed them back and chose to play there. That is their choice certainly for the contracts are lucrative, but we are also now paying players well when they play for regions.”The players should be asked why they chose that option, but we would like to move forward from the matter now. We don’t want a confrontation with any of them.”

The great return: Out of form, struggling for runs and in some danger of having his house attacked back home in Delhi, Sehwag struck gold with an 81-ball 100, and ended on 114 © Getty Images

Catch of the dayWhen it’s not going your way even the toughest of catches are pouched. And so it was for Robin Uthappa. He flashed hard outside the off stump to Malachi Jones, who was bowling his first ever ball in a World Cup match, and the thick edge flew towards the slips cordon. The slips cordon consisted of one Dwayne Leverock, standing at a wide (and we’re not referring to his size) first slip. Leverock launched himself to his right and plucked out a one-handed catch that would have made Mark Taylor proud.Six of the daySachin Tendulkar doesn’t often bat at No. 6. But on the day, India’s decision was a masterful one, and despite a slow start, Tendulkar began to toy with the bowling as only he can. The shot of his 29-ball 57 was when he gave himself a bit of room against the left-am spin of Dwayne Leverock and timed the ball over long-off. There was a minimum of power used, but the timing was so sweet that the ball sailed into the stands.Silly banner of the dayIn this time in cricket where some unfortunate things have happened, not least of all the death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, you would expect that fans turning up at the matches would exhibit some sense of perspective. But one gent held up a placard that read: “Last warning to Team India. Reach Barbados or stay forever in Trinidad.” That’s just not funny, and neither is it in good taste.Comeback of the dayIt’s been 59 innings and almost two years since April 2, 2005 when India played Pakistan in Kochi. That was when Virender Sehwag scored his last hundred in One-Day Internationals. Out of form, struggling for runs and in some danger of having his house attacked back home in Delhi, Sehwag struck gold with an 81-ball 100, and ended on 114. It’s too early to call it a return to form, but it’s at least a return to his runscoring ways.Gaffe of the dayIn the 15th over of the Indian innings, David Hemp sent down a no-ball to Virender Sehwag. The batsman had a swing and a miss, and Dean Minors, the Bermuda wicketkeeper, had the bails off in a flash. There was an excited appeal, and perhaps the excitement got to the umpire, Aleem Dar, as well. Or maybe he just didn’t see the no-ball call. He referred the decision to the third umpire, despite the fact that a batsman cannot be stumped off a no-ball.

Ricky Ponting knows his side will feel the heat in South Africa © Getty Images

Australia’s players have been told to prepare for the most unpleasant crowd behaviour of their careers during the tour to South Africa. As the squad left for the six-week trip today, Ricky Ponting expected the conditions to be more hostile than on previous eventful visits.The South African reaction following the three-Test series in Australia either side of Christmas, which Australia won 2-0, will add to the tension after incidents of racist crowd taunts throughout the tour. “I think it will be,” Ponting said in when asked if the crowds would make it the most unpleasant overseas tour. “It certainly has been in the past when we have been there. At the Wanderers [in Johannesburg] when we were there for a previous tour we had to get a tunnel erected over the players’ walkway to stop people spitting at us and pouring drinks over us.”Ponting said this trip would carry an extra element after the home series, which included constant big statements from Graeme Smith and a competitive contest despite the end result. “There will certainly be a bit more of an edge to this one,” he said. “We are aware that our arrival will be eagerly awaited and we understand that it’s going to be a very tough tour, both on and off the ground. But having said that, it’s always an enjoyable tour because of the spirit between the two teams and the fact that South Africa are always incredibly competitive.”Australian players have rated South Africa and New Zealand as the worst for crowd abuse and James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, expected the team to be a target. “There are always countries in the world where your players are going to cop more abuse than others,” he told the paper, “and South Africa tends to be higher on that list for us.”South Africa, who failed to make the VB Series finals, will be boosted by the likely returns of Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis after they left the Australia tour with injury. “They will be a different proposition over there,” Ponting said. “They’ll get some of their players back and a couple of guys which will help their side out a lot.”With Nel and Ntini fit it will make a big difference, as will Kallis coming back in because he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.” The tour starts with a Twenty20 game on Friday.

Scorecard

Samaraweera struck form with an unbeaten 189© AFP

Unbeaten centuries from Thilan Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby rescued Central Province from a perilous overnight position against North Central Province in the final round of Provincial Tournament group matches. Their efforts leave Central Province favourites to qualify for the final next week in Dambulla against the same opposition.Samaraweera had faced one nervy delivery the previous night when three wickets had tumbled in the space of just 11 deliveries after North Central Province were bowled out for 314. However, like he has done many times before, he steadied the middle of the innings and then ground on an on, exploiting a bowling attack weakened by the tactical decision to rest key bowlers before the final.Bathiya Perera (14) departed early in the morning, one of three wickets for Omesh Wijesiriwardene, before Kumar Sangakkara, the Central Province skipper, and Samaraweera wrestled hold of the initiative with an 104-run stand for the fifth wicket. The fall of Sangakkara just before lunch appeared a serious blow to their chances of securing a vital first innings lead but Kandamby continued his purple form.Kandamby has had a difficult time in the recent past, failing to convince doubters about his ability after a short spell in the national squad. Critics, pointing to a sub-30 first-class average and a comfortable waistline, were unimpressed about his abilities despite rave reviews from the A team management. But in the last two provincial matches he’s taken a giant leap in his career, this time scoring 109 from 196 balls with 12 fours and a six.The pair were left undefeated at the end of another sweltering Colombo day having carried the team to 380 for 5 after their unbroken 240-run stand. With two days to go and a rested bowling attacked waiting in the wings, they now have an opportunity to push for an outright victory against a team missing skipper Mahela Jayawardene who is resting a finger injury.
Scorecard
In the other match being played, Southern Province, also final contenders, were left fighting for survival after Chaminda Vaas produced a captain’s knock for Western Province, scoring 130 from 205 balls, to secure a large 183-run first innings lead. Southern Province finished the day strongly, reaching 93 for 1 at the close, but with much work to do.Vaas had excelled with the ball on the first day, taking 4 for 39 as Southern Province were bundled out for a pathetic 134, the only notable contribution coming from Harsha Vithana. He was then entrusted with batting responsibility as his top order, Ian Daniel (40) excepted, wilted, slumping to 133 for 6. Vaas’s hundred was the third of his career and it left Southern Province on the rack.

Keen to get some runs under his belt before the start of the international season, Sourav Ganguly has apparently requested the Indian board to be included in the Board President’s XI, which will take on New Zealand in a warm-up match from September 26-28 at Visakhapatnam. According to a report in The Asian Age, Ganguly has asked for a middle-order berth after a poor start to the season; in the Challenger Series, Ganguly managed scores of 27 and 25, while he made a fourth-ball duck and an unbeaten 28 in the Irani Trophy.The report quotes SK Nair, secretary of the BCCI, as saying that he could furnish more information only after hearing on the matter from the people concerned. “I have received no instructions from either the chairman (of selectors, Brijesh Patel) or the Board president (Jagmohan Dalmiya). Once I hear from them, I can release it (the news).” Patel is in Bangalore, recovering from a bypass surgery. According to the report, Kiran More, the selector from the West Zone, indicated that he was unaware of this development.Wisden Comment by S Rajesh
If the report is indeed true, then Ganguly’s move to get some more time at the batting crease before the season starts is a wise one. His performances so far this season clearly suggest that he is lacking form; not only did he struggle against pace, he was also far from his usual confident self against spin, being dismissed by Ramesh Powar in the Irani Trophy match. VVS Laxman’s sparkling 99 in that game indicates that he is in fluent touch and has sealed a place for the Test team. It makes sense for Laxman to sit out of the warm-up at Visakhapatnam, allowing Ganguly another chance to find form.

Still smarting from the nine-wicket loss at Bloemfontein, the Indian team will take the field at Buffalo Park, East London, on Saturday hoping to iron out some glaring flaws in a first-class match against South Africa A.Deprived by rain of their earlier preparatory fixture at Chatsworth before the first Test, the visitors sorely lack match practice, especially in the longer version of the game. Barring Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, the Indian batting creaked with rust, as did much of the bowling attack.Sourav Ganguly, lambasted in recent times for his weakness against the short ball, has opted to place work above family. With his wife Dona giving birth to the couple’s first child, Ganguly initially was to have flown home for a brief visit. The Test loss, however, has forced a change of plans; maybe an opportune one, for the skipper now has a valuable chance to sort out his technique ahead of facing Shaun Pollock and Nantie Hayward at Port Elizabeth.The East London match will also give off-spinner Harbhajan Singh a chance to test his fitness in a match situation. A groin infection forced him to glumly watch the equally glum Bloemfontein proceedings from the pavilion, and there is no doubt that, as India’s intended trump card, Harbhajan will be raring to confirm his participation in the second Test.One player who will not be putting on his whites at Port Elizabeth is Sameer Dighe. It seems now that the selectors’ decision to pick two wicket-keepers, which appeared foolish and unwarranted initially, has paid unexpected dividends. Dighe’s back spasms, which were to have kept him out of just the first Test, have now been diagnosed as more serious, with doctors stating that he would not regain match fitness before the start of the third Test.There has, meanwhile, been no call for a replacement to fly out from India. In the words of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah to PTI, “The team management in South Africa has not asked for any replacement for Dighe, who will be flying back home soon, and as of now we will not be sending any player.”The retention of Deep Dasgupta for the Test series has now proved fortunate, especially from the point of view of the young Bengal ‘keeper. Although he showed some nerves behind the stumps on Test debut, he also displayed pluck and sense in his first-innings knock of 34, giving fellow rookie Virender Sehwag the needed support to reach his century.South Africa, meanwhile, have named an impressive-looking second-string team in spite of some players dropping out with injuries. Captained by Dale Benkenstein, the side includes Jacques Rudolph, mightily successful against the Indians in earlier tour matches, contortionist chinaman Paul Adams, all-rounder Justin Kemp, and tearaway Andre Nel.The most significant name in the line-up, however, is that of Daryll Cullinan. Returning to first-class cricket last weekend after a several-month hiatus due to knee surgery, Cullinan is pushing for a Test berth ahead of relative newcomer Boeta Dippenaar. If included, he will only strengthen a South African batting line-up that displayed clinical efficiency in demolishing India earlier this week.India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sunder Das, Connor Williams, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Deep Dasgupta (wicket-keeper), Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish NehraSouth Africa A: Dale Benkenstein (captain), Jacques Rudolph, Graeme Smith, Martin van Jaarsveld, Daryll Cullinan, Justin Kemp, Kruger van Wyk (wicket-keeper), Paul Adams, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Garnett Kruger, Gulam Bodi

The question of why criminal charges were not brought against Lou Vincent has been raised by Chris Cairns’ defence in his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court. Vincent is one of the key witnesses against Cairns but has faced no legal action despite admitting to match-fixing and money laundering in the UK.Vincent, who has previously said Cairns ordered him to fix matches, was banned from cricket for life in 2014 under ICC regulations and his evidence forms a large part of the case brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).Vincent was not given any guarantees that he would not be charged by officers investigating the case but Oliver Pownall QC, representing Cairns, suggested the Metropolitan Police was only interested in material that could be used against Cairns.The court also heard of CPS concerns that not pursuing charges against Vincent could “seriously undermine the prosecution”. Notes from a meeting in February 2014 questioned whether Vincent was “rushing to the door” to implicate others and minimise his own role.However, detective chief superintendent Michael Duthie said that his main concern had been investigating the allegations of perjury, emphasising that issues to do with fixing were for the ICC and ECB. Cairns is accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice during his 2012 High Court libel action against Lalit Modi.”My decision was to investigate what happened at High Court, not match-fixing,” Duthie said. “I knew [Vincent] cheated and lied. We didn’t give any immunity or promises. If he started giving evidence about criminality in interviews with our staff, we would have stopped and cautioned him.”Pownall suggested that the idea Vincent would have been pursued for his crimes was a “sham” and that officers feared he would not give evidence against Cairns if he was also charged, something Duthie denied.Duthie and detective constable Lucy Wade were the final witnesses to be called by the prosecution. Cairns, who denies all charges against him, is due to the take the stand next week.The trial continues.

Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a summer swoop for Sven Botman…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Star, who claim that Spurs are desperate to land the Lille centre-back ahead of Premier League rivals Newcastle United in a bid to appease manager Antonio Conte.

The Magpies narrowly missed out on a chance to bring the 22-year-old colossus to St James’ Park last month and remain among the favourites to seal his signature ahead of next season.

A left-sided and left-footed centre-back is one of the Italian’s absolute priorities when the transfer window reopens and Botman fits that exact profile, with Conte giving the club’s hierarchy his seal of approval.

The Dutch international could cost in the region of £30m.

Conte needs him

This would be the sort of signing that could kickstart an encouraging summer of spending as Conte will need to bolster his playing squad in multiple areas if he’s to continue to improve the club on the pitch.

The January window was a little disappointing but only because there were only two incomings for their four outgoings. Sporting director Fabio Paratici called upon his former club Juventus to sign Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Out the other way went Dele Alli permanently, and Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Bryan Gil on loan, leaving the 52-year-old awfully light on options, particularly in midfield.

But defensively, Spurs have always struggled and that much has been evident in their four defeats in their last six fixtures. Full-back Ben Davies has been playing in a back three due to him being the only left-footed option in the squad capable of playing as a central defender.

That makes Botman not only an appealing prospect but one that Conte desperately needs.

The young centre-back appears to be an ideal fit for Spurs and an ideal fit for the Premier League, at least based on ex-Southampton star Jose Fonte’s glowing endorsement.

“Fonte has played with an array of top-class centre-backs in his career including Virgil van Dijk, Toby Alderweireld, Pepe in the Portuguese national team and Gabriel last season who is now at Arsenal.

“From what I understand of Fonte’s impression of Botman, he thinks he’s the best of all of them,” revealed The Times journalist Duncan Castles (via the Express).

“He describes him as a machine and a man who doesn’t make mistakes and also indicates that for a young player playing alongside an experienced professional, he’s very open to learning and taking instruction and improving his game.”

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Botman played a crucial role in Lille clinching the Ligue 1 title over Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain side last season, where he featured in 37 games and averaged 3.2 aerial duels won, 3.2 clearances and 1.5 interceptions, via WhoScored.

Then-manager Christophe Galtier deemed him to be a “leader” and since, he’s continued to impress in the French top-flight. The £27m-rated defender remains among Les Dogues’ top-three performers this term, as per WhoScored.

On the above evidence, Paratici could certainly kickstart Spurs’ summer rebuild with a bang by signing the impressive left-sided centre-half, who Conte absolutely needs for next season.

AND in other news, Spurs’ “utterly thrilling” £10.8m-rated dynamo has just fired a big statement to Conte…

Brad Hodge hopes to be fit for the tour game against India © Getty Images

The back injury that prevented Brad Hodge from playing in the Twenty20 international has kept him out of Victoria’s FR Cup match against Tasmania on Saturday. Hodge hurt himself in the dressing room, an event which led to Luke Pomersbach’s hasty inclusion, and Trefor James, the Australia doctor, said he had a minor disc problem.James hoped it was a one to two-week injury and said Hodge’s fitness would be monitored in the lead-up to the tour game against India starting on December 20. “It has caused him considerable discomfort since Tuesday,” James said, “and there is a risk of him further aggravating the injury by playing.”Hodge said the situation was “frustrating”. “Missing a couple of big matches this week has been tough,” he said. “Hopefully this is just a minor setback and I can be back on the park for either the India match or the Twenty20s early in the new year.”Aaron Finch will replace Hodge for the game in Hobart and David Hussey regains the captaincy. A groin injury has ruled out Shane Harwood while Peter Siddle, who took five wickets in the Pura Cup win over Tasmania, and Matthew Wade have been added to the squad. Tasmania have made two changes with Dane Anderson and Mark Divin replacing Ricky Ponting and Nathan Wegman.Victoria squad Robert Quiney, Michael Klinger, Aiden Blizzard, David Hussey (capt), Andrew McDonald, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Crosthwaite (wk), John Hastings, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes, Peter Siddle.Tasmania squad Travis Birt, Michael Dighton, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Dane Anderson, Luke Butterworth, Mark Divin, Tim Paine (wk), Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus.