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Tottenham fans have been enjoying the latest comments from Mauricio Pochettino, after the Spurs boss hinted he would like to bring Lionel Messi to North London.

Pochettino has been forced to deal with rumours about his exit since Zinedine Zidane left Real Madrid last week, with some reports even suggesting he has a “Real Madrid clause” in his new contract.

It is now confirmed there is no such clause in the contract though, which is set to keep him at the club until 2023, and the charismatic boss has put himself even further in fans’ good books with his latest comments.

Pochettino was once again quizzed about a potential exit, asked if he would one day coach Messi with Newell’s Old Boys.

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“No, I would like to persuade him to come to pass through Tottenham first before he goes to Newell’s Old Boys,” the 46 year-old responded.

Both men got their careers started with the historic Argentinian club, but the thought of the pair linking up in North London first is certainly an enjoyable one.

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The comments were of course tongue in cheek, and fans are enjoying some jokes about a possible deal for the Barcelona superstar, while also heaping praise on their manager.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

New Zealand’s lower middle order put up a fight, but couldn’t avoid an innings defeat

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Sep-2024New Zealand battled on day four, with overnight batters Glenn Phillips, and Tom Blundell completing half centuries, before Mitchell Santner struck 67, batting partly in the company of the tail. But this fight only served to throw into relief their abysmal 88 in the first innings, rather than provide any serious hope of avoiding even an innings defeat.In the end, having played out 40.4 overs on day four, they lost their final wicket – Santner – still 154 runs behind Sri Lanka. The hosts had only batted once.For Sri Lanka, it was their third Test win in a row. With four matches to go in their World Test Championship cycle, they are now in the hunt for one of those final two spots, though they must hope for other results to go their way too, to have a better chance.Sri Lanka will be buoyed too by the six-wicket haul achieved by debutant offspinner Nishan Peiris, even if he was expensive as New Zealand’s batters went hard at him. He finished with figures of 9 for 203 in the match, having taken 6 for 170 in the second dig.Peiris dismissed each of the three half-centurions on day four. Blundell was out on the third over of the morning, when he missed a reverse sweep (he was trying his second one in a row, having nailed the first for four), and been struck in front of the stumps. Later, Phillips attempted to launch Peiris over the straight boundary, but found Dimuth Karunaratne at long on. After lunch, Peiris had Santner stumped when the batter had allowed his back foot to slide out of the crease – the last New Zealand wicket to fall.In between, Prabath Jayasuriya had bowled both Tim Southee and Ajaz Patel, the latter with a vicious one that leapt back at Ajaz from the rough. He himself finished with 9 for 181 from the game.Phillips and Santner were New Zealand’s best day four batters, however. Phillips’ main strategy was to get on the back foot as often as possible, and play off the surface. This frequently worked – allowing him to pounce on even slightly short deliveries, while forcing bowlers to go fuller to him, presenting scoring opportunities down the ground. He completed his fifty off 66 balls, and would go on to be involved in a 64-run seventh-wicket stand with Santner, to follow the 95-run stand he’d shared with Blundell.Santner, meanwhile, was not quite as proactive as Phillips, but found the offside productive. Occasionally, he would dance down the track and look to hit Peiris in particular down the ground. He collected two sixes and a four this way, and completed his half century soon after lunch, off the 97th ball he faced. He was out off the third delivery Sri Lanka bowled with their second new ball.

“First it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go,” PCB chairman says

Umar Farooq16-Jun-2023Pakistan’s involvement at the 50-over World Cup in India later this year remains subject to their government’s approval. According to PCB chairman Najam Sethi, the board has written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries last week, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list.”We have written to the ICC that we can’t give approval or disapproval to this (World Cup schedule),” Sethi said. “It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play. There is no point asking us if we will play in Ahmedabad. When the time comes, first it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go. Our decision will rest on these two important conditions.”Related

• Pakistan's foreign office is evaluating the team's involvement in ODI World Cup

• India vs Pakistan set for October 15 in draft schedule of ODI World Cup

The 2023 World Cup, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is slated to begin on October 5. The India vs Pakistan fixture is set for 10 days later in Ahmedabad. Pakistan are scheduled to play across five venues during the league phase. They haven’t toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup.There has been an unprecedented delay in announcing the schedule; World Cup itineraries are put out at least a year in advance. A fresh update may come on June 27.The BCCI secretary Jay Shah had originally indicated the fixture list would be made available during the World Test Championship final, played on June 7-11 in London. But that didn’t happen.Sethi suggested the delay could be because of the PCB needing more time to respond after the ICC had sought feedback on the World Cup itinerary from the boards of all the participating countries as well its broadcasters. “The BCCI were about to announce the schedule but we told them we can’t confirm without government approval.”Sethi did not put a timeframe on when the Pakistan government would give them an answer, but it is unlikely to be soon considering the country is preparing for the general elections due to take place in October.Najam Sethi speaks to media personnel outside the PCB headquarters•PCB

Even in 2016, the PCB had sought government clearance after which a three-member team came to India to do recon of the venues where Pakistan were scheduled to play their matches. Eventually Pakistan’s match at Dharamsala was moved to Kolkata.”I have taken up the issue with Prime Minister and they haven’t deliberated about this,” Sethi said. “The PM said they have to involve the foreign office as well and have to think through so it’s premature [to ask permission now]. Also, we don’t know who will be in power by then so there is no development right now. But when there is a stable government, the time will come and we will ask them [whether we can tour India].”We have also told ICC that considering the security situation, if our government allows us to go we will go otherwise we can’t do much. But if they give us permission then it comes down to our venue preference where we are going to play. It’s the government’s decision, not the board’s so we leave it to them. The PCB and BCCI can’t decide. Our respective governments will take that call just like we did back in 2016.”India and Pakistan will be facing each other several times over the coming months with the Asia Cup starting August 31. The tournament will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka with PCB as the official hosts. This hybrid model was PCB’s idea in response to Shah saying India will not be visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup.The PCB took strong exception to Shah’s statement and initiated discussions with all participating boards until finally there was a consensus. While Sethi said a full schedule will be put out in a week’s time, it is known that four matches will take place in Pakistan and remaining nine will be held in Sri Lanka, including the final. India and Pakistan, who are in the same group as Nepal, will face each other twice during the group stages, and then once more if they make the final.”The formula we gave to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was a middle ground, it was not like win or lose but it was a rational way to the problem. The schedule is being worked out, we demanded few changes and the debate is ongoing on it, but they have already said that there will be four games in Pakistan. There’s a misconception that there are two hosts, all the gates receipts are ours. Initial four matches will be in Pakistan and then the teams will travel back to Sri Lanka. It’s a very tight schedule and there are lots of logistical issues. We sat together with broadcasters and the five participating countries and it wasn’t easy to finalise it. But finally, we have broken the ice and tackled all the problems.”Sethi also highlighted how difficult it was to arrive at this solution. “India has a big clout in the ICC, and you can well imagine how much their clout would have been in the ACC. We did a lot of hard work, nobody was willing to listen to us. I pulled the strings, did several meetings in Dubai and Bahrain, and countless Zoom calls and then we reached that we are the hosts. They were even saying that we will take the hosting rights from you and give them to Sri Lanka. But finally, our hybrid model was accepted. The importance of the hybrid model will be known to you in the future when we want to use it.”

Hosts recover from 40 for 5 thanks to battling century from former Middlesex man

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2022James Anderson celebrated news his international exile is set to end by helping Lancashire bowl Hampshire out for 246 in the LV= Insurance County Championship.Anderson, who was left out of England’s tour to the West Indies, has been given the green light to return to the Test side by new captain Ben Stokes and managing director Rob Key. At the Ageas Bowl, he produced a flawless new ball spell on his way to 3 for 24. Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali continued his excellent start at Lancashire with 5 for 45, with Nick Gubbins’ 101 not out saving Hampshire after they had slumped to 40 for 5. Lancashire reached the close 37 for 1, 209 runs in arrears.On the day Stokes was announced as England men’s Test captain, Anderson produced a casting tape of his best attributes. A reminder, if one is ever needed when you have 640 Test wickets, ahead of the upcoming series with New Zealand. Not that Stokes or Key asked for (or needed) one having made their intentions clear.Inviting Anderson to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch under silvery skies is asking for trouble, but Hampshire did just that and predictably lost their top order cheaply. Anderson was at his controlling best in a first six-over spell which found brisk nibble in both directions.After Tom Bailey had dismissed Joe Weatherley with an in-out set-up, Ian Holland pushed forward on one which held its fifth-stump line, while James Vince was bereft by a sharp in-ducker which resulted in an lbw decision. Anderson’s opening stint returned 2 for 6, with four maidens.One of the motifs of this fixture is the blue-riband fast bowling attacks on show from both teams, something perfectly exemplified by the replacement of Anderson with Hasan. Coming off the back of a nine-wicket bag against Gloucestershire, Hasan maintained and built on Anderson’s pressure. He slightly squared up Liam Dawson with one that angled away off the seam before a leg-side delivery found its way to third slip via Ben Brown’s outside edge four balls later.Hasan Ali brings out a trademark celebration•Getty Images

Hampshire needed a partnership. They got one through the pugnaciousness of Gubbins and Felix Organ, who put on 92 either side of lunch.
Gubbins spent a portion of his winter playing in Zimbabwe’s Logan Cup – scoring a century in two matches – and had begun his Championship season with a handful of starts and a 69 last week versus Kent. He was forced to temper his usual approach to churn to fifty in 133 balls.Anderson returned to direct some short balls at Organ, who having negotiated a series of bumpers, tamely lobbed a top edge to leg slip for 42, before Keith Barker looped a leading-edge off Hasan.James Fuller juxtaposed Gubbins by upping the tempo with his biffing and bottom-handed shot-making. He was 37 off 19 balls at one point, before slowing slightly to a 49-ball fifty, during an 83-run stand with Gubbins.Gubbins reached his second century for Hampshire since arriving last summer, and the 12th of his first-class career, in 210 balls. But with Fuller bowled by Luke Wells, Hasan mopped up the tail ruthlessly to move to 19 scalps so far this season.Wells and George Balderson had fewer issues against the new ball, although the latter tickled Barker behind late in the day.

However, the ICC has not disclosed how the eventual winner will be declared

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Oct-2020Nearly four months after Shashank Manohar stepped down, the ICC has set the ball rolling on picking its next chairman. October 18 is the deadline for potential candidates to file the nominations and an appointment is expected to be made before the end of the year. The candidates will need to be seconded by at least one current ICC board director to be eligible to contest the election.The ICC has not disclosed how the eventual winner will be declared, though. Incidentally that was the sticking point and the reason behind the ICC board failing to agree upon a process to elect Manohar’s successor.On July 2, the ICC board had said it would finalise within a “week” the process to accept nominations. Despite several meetings in the past few months, the ICC board remained severely divided.As per the ICC’s constitution, any present or former director who has attended at least one board meeting is eligible to run for chairman. ICC directors are each allowed to nominate one candidate, and nominees with the support of two or more directors are eligible to contest an election.The election process is being overseen by the Independent Chairman of the ICC Audit Committee and can vary every election. In 2016, when Manohar took charge for the first time, he was elected through a secret ballot. Two years later, he was the sole nominee and was re-elected unanimously without a vote.On his way out, Manohar himself had attempted to find a successor as a unanimous choice, but failed. Consequently the ICC board agreed to appoint Imran Khwaja as the interim chairman.It could not be confirmed whether the votes would be cast via a secret ballot and whether the eventual winner would be picked based on two-third majority or just a simple one. For any resolution to be approved, the ICC constitution currently requires a two-thirds majority, or a minimum of 11 votes. During the deliberations recently some of the ICC board directors wanted that to be changed to simple majority.The ICC board comprises 17 directors: 12 Full Members, three directors representing the Associates, and the chairman (Khwaja is one of the Associate representatives as well as interim chair, currently), the ICC chief executive officer (Manu Sawhney) and an independent woman director in Indra Nooyi. The CEO, though, does not have a vote.

A failure to reinstate the board could result in the termination of Zimbabwe’s ICC membership, the governing body says in its written communication

Liam Brickhill24-Jul-2019The ICC has written to Zimbabwe Cricket to formalise the results of last week’s board meeting in London, instructing ZC to “unconditionally” reinstate the board elected in June or risk “termination” of their membership.Representatives of both the interim committee, put in place to manage cricket in Zimbabwe by the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission, and ZC were heard at the ICC’s meeting, after which it was unanimously decided to suspend Zimbabwe’s ICC membership. The formal communication between ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney and ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani doubles down on the ICC’s heavy-handed response, warning of the dire consequences of non-compliance.”Should you wish the ICC to reconsider your suspension, you are required to take all relevant steps to ensure that the Board of Zimbabwe Cricket elected on 14 June 2019 is unconditionally reinstated forthwith and, in any event, no later than 8 October 2019 so that the ICC Board can review the matter when it convenes on 12 October 2019 for its next meeting,” the letter reads. “You are also required to provide satisfactory evidence to ensure that the Zimbabwe Cricket will administer its affairs free of external interference and influence.”The timeline put forward in the letter for a possible end to Zimbabwe’s suspension appears to rule out any chance that either the women’s or men’s teams will be able to take part in the T20 World Cup Qualifiers later this year, or that there will be any cricket at all played by Zimbabwean teams before mid-October at the earliest.”Should the ICC not receive a satisfactory response from you on the above terms, within the stipulated timeframe, the ICC reserves its right to take such further action as it deems appropriate including to proceed by way of termination of your membership as provided for in the Articles of Association,” the letter concludes.The ICC’s latest correspondence also outlines the official reasons for their response to the squabble between the ousted ZC board and the SRC, referring specifically Article 2.4 of the ICC’s Constitution. The actions of the SRC in suspending the ZC board were found to be in breach of sections (D) and (E) of Article 2.4, which cover “government (or other public or quasi-public body) interference”, and the obligations of Full Members.The letter also reminded ZC of the terms of Zimbabwe’s current suspension: that ZC is “deprived of all its rights as a member”, shall not receive any ICC revenue, participate in ICC events “or Cricket sanctioned by the ICC” and will not be able to attend or vote at any meetings.

Reactions from the Chennai Super Kings players soon after they won their third IPL title

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2018Contrasting emotions were on show after CSK sealed their third IPL title•BCCI

MS Dhoni: “I think by the time you reach the final, everyone knows their roles and responsibilities, so you don’t have to speak a lot. Yes, when you’re fielding, you have to adjust your plans at times. You push your bowlers to give as less runs as possible so that you’re not chasing extra runs. Other than that, even if you see today, we knew what our batting style is and how our batsmen bat. If someone is finding it difficult, there’s no reason why someone else coming behind him will find it easy to score runs. So it was good we didn’t lose too many wickets in the first half, because a lot of times you can get into the feeling that you need a good start to chase down 179. Then they have a mystery bowler in the form of Rashid, but what you also have to keep in mind is Bhuvi is equally deceptive, because with the new ball, he can swing it either way. He bowls a very good length so, it’s not only one bowler. They had a few bowlers who could put pressure on the batsmen, so I thought it was a very good batting effort. At the start, yes maybe we felt we have to get moving, but we had the belief that we had the firepower to get the runs.”I think we talk a lot about age, but what’s important is the fitness aspect. Rayudu is 33, but he covers good ground. Even if he plays a few games where he’s spent a lot of time on the field, he’s not going to turn up and say I’m stiff. So fitness matters more than age. What we have seen is that our fitness has improved. Most of the captains want players who move well on the field. It doesn’t matter who was born in which year, you have to be fit and agile. At the same time, we knew the shortcomings and had to accept areas that you won’t be brilliant in. If I am pushing Watson to stop a single, there’s a good chance he would burst his hamstring and won’t be available. You don’t want Watson or a Bravo injured because that will mean shuffling a lot of players to get the right combination or the same strength. Age is just a number.”We are going to Chennai tomorrow. The plan was to go there irrespective of the result. We plan to meet fans and people close to the franchise. We will all have a get together in the hotel and enjoy the evening because this has been a fantastic win.”Shane Watson: “Look, it’s been a special season. To get an opportunity again, for CSK to give me a chance after the previous season with RCB is incredible. Things fell my way nicely at certain times. To come good in such a big game means so much to the franchise. After those first 10 balls [when Watson scored no runs], I was hoping to catch up and at least get to a run a ball and then go from there. It’s good I was able to get a couple of boundaries. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was very skillful with the new ball. We knew if we could get through six overs without much damage, we knew once the ball stopped swinging, it would be easier to get runs later. To have the support from Tommy Simsek (physio), Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni, especially towards the later stages, has been incredible. They’ve been superb with my recovery. The good thing is I don’t have to play for three-four months now.”Dwayne Bravo: “It’s been good, a special moment because the team hadn’t played together for two years. For most of the guys, this was the first time with the franchise. Then we had to move from Chennai. Lot of things were going wrong, but we kept focus. There’s nothing better than winning titles. That’s why I’m very happy for the team. We always said experience will get the better of youth. The amount of games all of us have put together are for moments like these. Shane Watson batted on one leg, struggling with a hamstring injury, but his experience got him through. He’s a world-class player and I’m very happy for the entire team.”CSK coach Stephen Fleming: “Each year has been different, we’ve been lucky to get a core group of players. We managed to stay consistent with a core set of skills, while other teams were chopping and changing. Experience tends to come through. It was this year, the quality of those players, you have to look at specialists as well. We just value and hope the big players on the big stage will come through. It’s just a case of support in a lot of areas, a lot of man management in the group. 23-24 can be a large group to manage. Important to prepare the players, communicate. It’s a nice relationship.”Harbhajan Singh: “It’s brilliant to see what Watson brings onto the table, at this ground, no matter how many runs you have, everything is possible. So glad to be part of the winning side, this is my fourth IPL title. Considering Kane Williamson was in good form and they had a lot of middle-order batsmen who are right-handers, MS Dhoni wanted a bowler [Karn Sharma, who played ahead of Harbhajan] who can take the ball away. These days it’s a trend, wristspinners are bowling more and more, fingerspinners aren’t bowling that much. Hopefully that will change next year, well done to Karn Sharma.”Shardul Thakur: “Last year, I was part of the final but couldn’t win. This year, it’s incredible. I can’t express the feeling in words. I’m on top of the world. The last game was on my mind. I knew I had to bowl well at the death. Today, I was right on top of the ball, executed what I wanted.”Ambati Rayudu: “I was really fortunate to have such a great season. I worked really hard for it, happy I could score the winning runs. The wicket looked slow, I thought it was damp but it got much better. I was confident we could chase this.”Ravindra Jadeja: “It’s good to be part of a champion team. We did a good job on and off the field. Win or lose, we played as a team. Very happy that we’re champions after a gap of two years.”Deepak Chahar: “Enjoyed the role of bowling with the new ball. I was waiting for my chances. Thanks to Mahi bhai, he believed in me. Everyone’s dream is to play in the IPL and then win it. One of my dreams has come true.”Lungi Ngidi: “It has been amazing. This season has been a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s lovely to have that (pressure) on your shoulders, and take the game one ball at a time.”

Shikhar Dhawan says the time he has spent away from the national team after being dropped has helped him play without pressure and rediscover his love for the game

Arun Venugopal31-Mar-2017Shikhar Dhawan has admitted to playing with less pressure and enjoying his cricket in the last few months following his exclusion from the national side. The proof of the enjoyment came in his performances in the Deodhar Trophy, a 50-over competition, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter (223 runs in three matches at 74.33) behind Dinesh Karthik.However, Dhawan’s numbers in the lead up to the Deodhar Trophy hadn’t been nearly as spectacular. In his most recent international assignment, against England in January, he made 1 and 11 in the first two ODIs before being dropped for the final game in Kolkata. He returned to the domestic circuit to regain form, but runs remained elusive initially.In the Syed Mushtaq Ali inter-zonal T20 tournament, he scored 110 runs in four matches at an average of 27.50, while his aggregate stood at an even less-impressive 99 from five matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the national one-day competition.With few auditions remaining in the 50-over format ahead of India’s title defence of the Champions Trophy in June, Dhawan’s return to form couldn’t have been more opportune. He made a 122-ball 128 against an India A attack comprising Shardul Thakur. Siddarth Kaul and Harbhajan Singh and followed it up with a 50 off 48 balls against Tamil Nadu. He capped things off with a 34-ball 45 in the final, albeit in a losing cause against the TN.How does he explain the turnaround after five consecutive scores under 30? ” (Time has helped sort things out for me),” Dhawan, 31, told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the Deodhar Trophy final. “I didn’t really worry too much about what I needed to do. I just went in and enjoyed myself. I was more relaxed this time. Actually, I enjoyed my cricket more in these [last] few months because there was less pressure on me and I was free.”Of course, you want to put on partnerships, say a 50-run partnership that will stabilise the team. Once you spend time, the flow starts coming, and I am that kind of batsman who makes runs quickly once I am in the flow.”The importance of the timing of these knocks, though, weren’t lost on him. “In the tournaments before this, I hadn’t had a good run. I knew that I had to do well to find a place in the Indian team once again,” he said. “So, that was always in the back of my mind. Luckily, the right things happened at the right time, so I am very thankful to god that things have fallen in place.”Dhawan somewhat made up for his lack of runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy by hitting a century in the Deodhar Trophy•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite averaging 57.40 in ODIs in 2016, Dhawan’s twin-failures against England resulted in him dropped for the final game of the series. That he was given a short shrift was largely down to his poor form in Test matches, where he averaged just 26 last year. Dhawan felt the impact of his low scores in one format was felt in the others.”When you aren’t in good form, there is always pressure on you to make runs in international cricket regardless of the format,” he said. “If you look at ODIs, I had played only two matches after the Australia series, and then I was dropped from the playing XI. I feel that the flow that is there – like, when I was doing well, I was playing all the three formats. When I wasn’t scoring runs, the flow naturally got affected. It wasn’t as if my ODI record suffered because of those two matches – my records are still very strong. But, the flow that you are in will obviously be a factor.”Dhawan’s most recent Test came against New Zealand in Kolkata last September where he made 1 and 17. He was stuck on the thumb twice by Trent Boult, with scans subsequently revealing a fracture that ruled him out of the third and final Test in Indore. Despite scoring only one half-century in the 10 innings prior to the Test, Dhawan said there was no sense of relief at being put out of his misery by the injury.”In fact, I was putting all my efforts into getting back to form,” he said. “I felt very proud of myself for continuing to bat with a fractured hand against New Zealand. I stood there for my team. Playing with a broken hand when I was not among the runs was a very satisfying moment for me. So I cherish it.”Dhawan said he was happy to see a successful India dressing room, but sad to not be a part of it. “When you go through a rough patch, you will be out of the team, and those who do well will be picked. The selection committee and team management gave me a fair chance but I didn’t perform,” he said. “Whether it is Delhi team or India team, it really doesn’t matter to me – I just want to be in a happy space and make sure people around me are happy.For me to return to the team, I have to stay positive and happy. That’s the only way I can climb up the ladder again. Of course, I am happy for those who are doing well in India, but I want to return to the Indian team because I know I have got the ability to play international cricket for a long time. [Right now] I want to keep performing well in the IPL as well and try to win another IPL title for Sunrisers Hyderabad.”

Kent have signed New Zealand opening batsman Tom Latham for the 2016 English season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2016Kent have signed New Zealand opening batsman Tom Latham for the 2016 English season and he will be available for all formats.Latham, 23, is Kent’s second significant recent signing after they brought Kagiso Rabada to the club for a month in mid-season.

New Zealand internationals in county cricket

Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner (Worcestershire), Brendon McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan, Hamish Rutherford (Derbyshire), Jesse Ryder, Adam Milne (Essex), Ross Taylor (Sussex), Neil Wagner (Lancashire), Kane Williamson (Yorkshire), Tom Latham (Kent)

Latham currently averages close to 40 in Test cricket with three centuries and also provides an extra wicketkeeping option should the need arise. In first-class cricket he has a career-best of 261.”I’m delighted to have joined Kent for the season. Playing county cricket has always been a goal of mine,” he said. “I’ve heard great things about the playing group and coaching staff, so I can’t wait to get started and help the boys push for some silverware.”Kent’s head coach Jimmy Adams said: “We’re delighted to have Tom playing with us this season. He brings valuable experience gained from playing at the international level across all formats.”We are confident that he will play a big role as the club pushes for County Championship promotion and white-ball success.”

Chris Dent struck an unbeaten century as Gloucestershire’s County Championship match against fellow promotion-chasers Northamptonshire at Wantage Road drifted to a tame draw.

05-Aug-2013
ScorecardChris Dent struck his fourth first-class century on day four•Getty Images

Chris Dent struck an unbeaten century as Gloucestershire’s County Championship match against fellow promotion-chasers Northamptonshire at Wantage Road drifted to a tame draw.Dent’s 128 not out off 211 balls, including 17 fours and one six, eased Gloucestershire to 227 for 1 as they batted through the day with their captain Michael Klinger contributing 78 from 181 deliveries.As a result, the visitors go up to third in the Division Two table, two points clear of Essex having played a game more. But with second-placed Northants coming out of this match with three more bonus points than their opponents the gap between them is now up to 27 points.Gloucestershire began the day on 31 without loss, 178 runs behind their opponents, with Klinger resuming on 21 and Dent, who went for a four-ball duck in his side’s first innings, on 10. But, for the second day in a row, the start of proceedings was delayed – on this occasion due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain.Play eventually got under way at 12:15pm after 20 overs had been lost but what went on thereafter was a total anticlimax as Klinger and Dent easily batted through to lunch on a lifeless wicket. Runs continued to come easily in the afternoon with Klinger to first to go past 50 off 112 balls with a boundary through fine leg off the bowling of Steven Crook.The pair made their fourth opening partnership of 100 plus of the season with Dent also completing his half-century off 102 deliveries by smacking James Middlebrook through square leg for four. Dent, 22, then accelerated to his fourth century in first-class cricket and his second of the season off 159 balls by sweeping a four behind square leg off Cameron White.But Klinger was to fall on the final ball before tea when he edged his attempted sweep off White went to Andrew Hall at slip to finally break the stand on 190. He became the first wicket to fall since White himself was dismissed at 2:30pm yesterday, but it understandably only drew subdued celebrations from Northants.With the evening session not bringing any further incident, the two captains shook hands at 4:50pm with Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick unbeaten on 11. Northants come out of this contest with 11 points and Gloucestershire eight and both sides now have five games left to try and secure their place in Division One next season.