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Dougie Brown ripped heart out of Derbyshire Photo © Paul McGregor

Warwickshire kept up their bid for promotion from Division 2 of the NationalLeague by defeating Derbyshire by 45 runs on their own ground. They did sowith a comparatively modest total of 150-8 in 45 overs of struggle on a slowpitch in which their hosts were bowled out with 25 balls over.Dougie Brown ripped through the batting with three wickets in nine balls – Michael Di Venuto, one of his victims, is usually an aggressive batsman but took 17 overs over his 15 runs.Batting first Warwickshire, themselves, were in trouble against Kevin Dean,returning from a three-week lay-off with a groin injury,who dismissed threebatsmen in the first six overs. Dominic Ostler (27) and Brown (24) stemmedthe decline. The lowly total assumed a different aspect when Ed Giddinsbowled Luke Sutton with only three runs to Derbyshire’s credit.Dominic Cook was missed at first slip and slammed into the bowling of Welch until to be bowled by Giddins. Di Venuto and Steve Stubbings (21 from 52 balls) could not shake the grip the bowlers had secured. Off-spinner Simon Lacey, hurt in practice, was added to Derbyshire’s long list of injuries.

Rajasthan Royals legspinner Pravin Tambe, who has also played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, has participated in a private T20 tournament in the USA alongside Mohammad Ashraful, who is currently serving a five-year ban imposed on him by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for his role in fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), the governing body for cricket for Tambe’s state team in India, said the player had not sought permission to participate in the tournament and it was unaware of his involvement. When contacted for a response, Tambe said he had been unaware that it was an official tournament and that he did not know of Ashraful’s involvement in it until he took the field for a game.Apart from Tambe, Bangladesh internationals Elias Sunny and Nadif Chowdhury, who are contracted first-class cricketers with the BCB, and other Bangladeshi players also played with Ashraful in a T20 tournament in the USA. The BCB, also unaware of their participation, said no permission had been requested and that it would conduct an inquiry into the matter.An ICC spokesperson said he would revert once he had more information, when asked whether the players had violated any code of conduct by playing alongside or against a banned player. Officials from the BCB and MCA also responded in a similar manner.The website of Laurel Hill Cricket, a T20 tournament in New Jersey, mentions Tambe and Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Harshal Patel as attractions in the competition, though Patel has not participated in any of the games and has actually been playing a tournament in India during this time.Tambe, however, played with Ashraful for South Gujarat CC Jrs against Bulls on July 27. As Tambe does not have a BCCI contract, he had to obtain clearances from the MCA, but the association’s joint-secretary Dr PV Shetty confirmed Tambe had not sought a no-objection certificate. The BCCI did not reply to an email asking for a comment.Tambe told ESPNcricinfo that he had been in New York between July 23 and 31 to visit friends but had no idea that the cricket he was playing was a competitive tournament or that his name had featured on Laurel Hill Cricket website.”I had no idea it was an official tournament,” he said. “I had just gone there to visit my friends in the US for a week of holidays and I was enjoying. I did not even have a kit with me.”Tambe said he played a match for Holmdel CC on July 26 and his friends on the team said they were going to play a practice game the next day. He went along to play on July 27 and said that only when entering the field did he take notice of Ashraful’s presence.”I was told it was a practice match. When I went to the ground I realised it was Twenty20 match,” Tambe said. “Till I went into the ground and stood at my fielding position I had no clue that he [Ashraful] was also playing. Even my friends did not know. They were told that some other friend had got him.”When asked why he did not pull out from the match as soon as he spotted Ashraful, Tambe said he found himself in a helpless position. “I did not know he was also playing. And I just went there to play a simple game of cricket with my close friends. I told my friends and the organisers I would not like to play in any other game after the incident.”Tambe said that because he was not aware of it being an official tournament he did not ask the MCA for permission. He also said he had not been paid for his participation in the Laurel Hill Cricket tournament. At present, Tambe is in the UK playing for Rainford Cricket Club in the first division of the Liverpool District Cricket competition. He said he had been playing for Rainford for more than a decade and has the necessary clearances from the MCA to do so.While Tambe teaming up with Ashraful appears limited to one T20 match, Bangladesh cricketers Sunny, Chowdhury and Shaker Ahmed played several games with the banned cricketer, in tournaments in New Jersey and Michigan. Former Bangladesh international Tapash Baisya also played with Ashraful for a team called Bangladesh Tigers XI in a tournament that ended on August 2.In July, nine current and former Bangladesh cricketers took part in an unofficial indoor tournament in which Ashraful also played. The BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the board would look into the matter because of the frequency of such events. “We have to look into the board’s guidelines exactly and then comment on it,” Chowdhury said. “Since it is happening frequently, we will look closely… We have to see the board’s anti-corruption rules and procedures before we can say anything about it.”When Ashraful was originally banned for eight years – it was later reduced to five with two years suspended – in June 2014, Justice Khademul Islam, the convener of the probe committee, had said: “He will not be able to take part in any authorised cricketing activities anywhere in the world.”Chowdhury said the ban on Ashraful was in tournaments under the jurisdiction of recognised cricket bodies. “The tournament or match you are referring is outside our jurisdiction,” he said. “Number two, the players within our first-class contract who have participated in an unauthorised cricket event without board’s permission, or without NOC, will be addressed in accordance with the board’s policy.”It won’t be right to comment whether it is disapproved cricket or not. What we understand is that this is not official cricket. Whether this is a neighborhood tournament, we have to find out.”Some of the other players who participated in the Michigan and Laurel Hill Cricket tournaments were Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka), Xavier Marshall (West Indies) and John Campbell (Jamaica); Fahad Babar, Akeem Dodson, Jasdeep Singh, Durale Forrest, George Adams and Muhammad Ghous (USA), Rizwan Cheema, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Navneet Dhaliwal, Satsimranjit Singh Dhindsa and Saad Bin Zafar (Canada).

To coin a classic phrase, Manchester United have made their top-four challenge a mountain out of a molehill.

The Red Devils are a far cry from the side that dominated so fiercely under the tutelage of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson but one particular signing could help steer them along the right path again.

What’s the word?

Man United have long been in the market for a holding midfield player and it would appear that won’t change heading into the summer.

That’s the word of transfer guru Fabriano Romano who commented on their transfer plans this summer.

Speaking to Hammers Chat, the Italian reporter said:

“He is top of the list for Man United since a long time. Man Utd dream of Declan Rice, they consider him the perfect player for their approach for the new season. Man United will sign a defensive midfield and Declan Rice is the player they want.”

Rice heading to United?

Acquiring the West Ham titan this summer would be a monumental sign of intent from the Red Devils.

First of all, it’s evidently clear that Ralf Rangnick’s midfield is not the greatest when it comes to complete overall quality. Secondly, with Paul Pogba seemingly destined to leave, bringing in Rice makes total sense.

The Irons gem could be freed from the shackles of the bubbles that surround the London Stadium in 2022 to offer whoever the new manager is at Old Trafford talents that very few reign more supreme in throughout the continent.

For instance, as per FB Ref, the England international ranks in the top 30% for every single passing metric barring key passes, expected assists and progressive passes.

However, what Rice makes up for in a lack of forwardness with his passing, he certainly makes up for when driving with the ball instead.

The West Ham bulldozer ranks in the top 6% in Europe’s top leagues for progressive carries per 90 (7.01) and in the top 2% for both total carrying distance and progressive carry distance per 90 (178.76).

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Also ranking in the top 5% in Europe for interceptions per 90 (2.76) and the best 5% again for a percentage of aerial duels won (65.3%) per 90 minutes, it’s clear to see that Rice would offer a great deal to United particularly when it comes to dribbling and doing the dirty work.

If a deal is there to be done, they simply have to swoop. It’s a deal, considering his qualities, that would leave supporters absolutely elated.

AND in other news, “Bad news..” – Fabrizio Romano update is worrying for Manchester United…

	Australia have one last chance to make the tri-series a pleasant memory rather than something that has provided lasting discomfort © Getty Images

Australian lounge rooms are about to lose a piece of furniture with the staging of the final tri-series. For 29 years the tournament has been central to the country’s summer sport-watching, but over the past decade the concept faded, was patched up, and finally wore beyond repair. In 2008-09 the CB Series will be replaced by two head-to-head contests and Australia, India and Sri Lanka are the ideal teams to farewell the once revolutionary concept.The world champions, the World Cup finalists and the side that pushed Australia over four Tests during the past month will all fight for the piece of history. This was how it was meant to be in the beginning, when the big names dominated Kerry Packer’s idea, but as the event evolved the contests became one-sided, the tournaments were more drawn out and the winners were usually Australia. Only three times since 1993-94 have Australia not been successful, including last year against England.There may be danger lurking again. While India are fourth and Sri Lanka sixth on the ICC rankings, they are teams that have the star quality to threaten Australia. Sanath Jayasuriya often lifts mountains when Ricky Ponting’s men are in the way – although his tour has started in pain with a cut jaw against Tasmania – and Kumar Sangakkara performed outstandingly during the Test tour here in November. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have similar successful attitudes when coming up against men in green.Both squads are also regenerating and the influx of youth will lift both the fielding and collective energy of the units, which are crucial aspects when trying to challenge Australia at home. The tournament opens with Australia facing India at the Gabba on Sunday in a re-match of Friday’s one-sided Twenty20 affair in Melbourne. Australia took the game in the 12th over and they want to build on the win.”At the Twenty20 it was a good start,” Ponting, who missed the match, said. “We wanted to set the tone for the entire tour there.”Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the India leader, tried to show he was not bothered by the size of the defeat. “It should be taken as a practice game,” he said. “If you think too much about the things that have happened I don’t think you will gain anything from it.”Australia have fitness worries over Ponting (lower back) and Matthew Hayden (right thigh) while India will be without Yuvraj Singh, who should be desperate to show his limited-overs class after his problems in the Test series. However, rain could be the biggest problem for all three teams – India play Sri Lanka here on Tuesday – and the forecast is for more wet weather throughout the week.Packs of fast bowlers might be the best options on a pitch that spent much of Saturday under the covers, but Australia will wait until Sunday morning to name their squad. Adam Voges is on standby for Ponting and Hayden while Ashley Noffke has come in for Stuart Clark, who remains in Sydney for personal reasons. Once calls have been made on the two injured players, Ponting will decide whether to go with an all-pace attack on a greenish pitch or use Brad Hogg, the specialist spinner.India’s problem is shoe-horning a bunch of young enthusiastic talent. They have brought a modern team to Australia and the selectors have shown that all-round skills are preferable to age. Ponting was surprised Sourav Ganguly missed the squad, but at some point hard-won reputations have to make way for regenerating teams.Despite the 2-1 series loss, India showed Australia have become less dominant in the Test arena and the hosts are intent on holding their edge in the one-day format. Ponting also wants to make up for the defeat to England last season.”For the first time in a long time we didn’t win the series,” he said. “We’ve got a bit of a repayment to do there.” Australia have one last chance to make the tri-series a pleasant memory rather than something that has provided lasting discomfort.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin, 8 James Hopes, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Mitchell Johnson.India (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 Robin Uthappa, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Suresh Raina, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Listen to Sanjay Manjrekar’s one-on-one with Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara feels that Jayasuriya will be ‘really focused to make sure that he goes out in a blaze of glory’ © AFP

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s vice-captain and wicketkeeper, expects the big names playing their last World Cup to leave their mark on the tournament in the West Indies. Sangakkara picked out Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as three to watch out for during the tournament, starting on March 13.”I think people who are coming to the end of their careers are going to be the most dangerous players in this World Cup,” he said during a programme jointly produced by Cricinfo and Times Now, an Indian television channel. “They will be just that bit hungrier to leave that little legacy, that little mark, that personal touch – like that was my World Cup.Having observed his career for close to a decade, Sangakkara revealed Jayasuriya’s attention to detail, a fact that goes unnoticed during his whirlwind knocks. “The final result – it looks as if he is a natural cricketer but he is the guy who has worked immensely on his technique to have that little base which lets him exploit and he will be really focused to make sure that he goes out in a blaze of glory.”Sanath doesn’t want to be in the shadow of any other batsmen in the world. To do that he has got to come out, improve and do the hard work. He is wiling to do the hard work and at 37 he is one of the fittest in the team, he is bowling, fielding well and he is battingfor longer. Forty-five runs from Sanath make us win 75% of matches and that’s why we look forward to Sanath giving us a start. Now we know that if he gets that start he goes on to make that big score.”He also mentioned two other batsmen in the twilight of their careers, who’ve both been regarded as the best of their generation. “Sachin Tendulkar, I can see him playing more cricketer but I don’t know till when,” he said. “It’s upto the individual player to decide when you retire. But if you miss that window of opportunity to walk out when you are on top can be disappointing in the long run. Sachin has been a fantastic player over the years, a great batsman and an example to watch. He is going to be that much more focused to leave a mark.”Brian Lara is another one, at home probably his last World Cup. I think people who are coming to the end of their careers are going to be the most dangerous players in this World Cup. Because they will be just that bit hungrier to leave that little legacy, that little mark, that personal touch – like that was my World Cup.”

Mohammad Kaif’s presence has been a major force in Uttar Pradesh getting to the final © Getty Images

It has been a fairytale run for both Bengal and Uttar Pradesh this season. Both were rank-outsiders in the beginning, especially Bengal who were on the brink of relegation the previous season. But both teams had the grit to fight back and push aside heavyweights such as Mumbai, Railways, Baroda to set up the summit clash.Both teams scored contrasting victories in the semifinals, Mohammad Kaif leading Uttar Pradesh to an emphatic five-wicket away victory over Mumbai while Deep Dasgupta had to settle for the first-innings lead against Baroda at Eden Gardens. The Ranji Trophy final, to be played at KD Singh Babu Stadium in Lucknow, is most likely to be a five-day affair and the side that has the most amount of patience owns the trump card.The teams
The only change for Bengal will be Rohan Gavaskar, who missed the semi-finals due to illness, replacing Kamal Mondal, who made just five on his debut against Baroda. Bengal, with three centurions in their last match, will clearly rely on their batting with Dasgupta, who has 538 runs at 44.83 including two vital hundreds this season, leading the way. In the bowling stakes, he may well be rubbing his palms in anticipation with the successful duo of Saurasish Lahiri, the talented young offspinner, and Shib Paul, the right-arm fast bowler, coming good. Lahiri, Bengal’s leading wicket-taker, is ranked fifth in this season’s bowling tally, and together with Paul may prove difficult for UP to deal with on the low Lucknow surface.As for the hosts, their confidence comes from three outright victories in the last three games and, that too, in away encounters on different surfaces. Kaif maintains that if his bowlers can take 20 wickets three times outside home, then they definitely hold the upper hand, home advantage and all. Praveen Kumar, with 34 wickets, is the highest wicket-taker between both sides, while Piyush Chawla, the much-talked-about legspinner who is also part of the India Under-19 team for the World Cup, has 30. Not to be overlooked in UP’s bowling attack is Ashish Winston Zaidi, who at 34, is still very capable of sending down his wily medium pacers and teasing the batsman.The pitch
The pitch at the KD Singh Babu Stadium is known to be sluggish in nature – predominantly there is minimal lift for the fast bowlers – and on current view the hard and shiny surface looks to have just a flicker of grass on the good-length areas, which still require some rolling. Essentially, whoever calls right at the toss will definitely not think twice about batting. In three matches at this venue, UP have posted 400-plus scores twice – in one they made Punjab follow-on – and one outright victory against Hyderabad. The key, thus, will be in getting a sizeable first-innings score.Guiding lights
Kaif, returning to the side when left out of the national squad, has been UP’s energizer-bunny. UP started on a disastrous note, losing their first two games at home and drawing the next two. But once Kaif joined the bandwagon and brought with him a much-needed vigour, a spirit of self-belief was instilled in the struggling team and since then they have won three matches.If Kaif brought his international experience to the fore when UP were suffering, Paras Mhambrey, the former Mumbai and India fast bowler, played the big brother role for Bengal admirably. Mhambrey, after helping Mumbai secure the Ranji title the previous season, took over the coach’s role at a time when Bengal were becoming stale. He opted for the untested and untried fervour of youth instead of experienced players who looked well past their sell-by date. His strategy worked, and Dasgupta and his side did not miss an opportunity to acknowledge Mhambrey’s role in their success.Final count
This will be Bengal’s 12th appearance in the Ranji final, which they won twice in the 1938-39 and 1989-90 seasons. UP have come close to winning on three occasions, the last time in 1997-98, but they have yet to lift the crown.Cold fervour
The premier cricket tournament in India stopped attracting the crowds in the last decade due to a lack of international stars making their presence felt. It would be hard, thus, to expect Lucknowites, who are well swathed in their woolens, to flock to the KD Singh Babu Stadium over the next five days.Uttar Pradesh:
Jyoti Prakash Yadav, Shiva Shukla, Praveen Kumar, Mohammad Kaif (capt), Suresh Raina, Gyanendra Pandey, Rizwan Shamshad, Piyush Chawla, Amir Khan (wk), Ashish Winston Zaidi, Shalabh Srivastava, R Prakash, R Mishra, Praveen Gupta.Bengal:
Deep Dasgupta (capt/wk), Arindam Das, Subhomoy Das, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Rohan Gavaskar, Manoj Tiwary, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Saurashish Lahiri, Shibsagar Singh, Ranadeb Bose, Shib Paul, Subhojit Paul, Ashok Dinda, MY Lodhgar.

The spoils of victory: South Africa climb the one-day rankings© Getty Images

South Africa’s 4-1 series victory over England has enabled them to address their decline in the ICC One-Day Championship table. Prior to their victory in the third match at Port Elizabeth, South Africa had won just one match in their last 13 – and that had been against Bangladesh.But now, after four wins and a washout in their last five games, they have climbed from seventh to fifth, and have overtaken England in the process. South Africa’s rating has been boosted from 101 to 106, while England, who began the series in fourth place on 109 points, have slipped back to seventh, behind West Indies, who beat them in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in September.There have been some significant changes in the one-day player rankings as well. Jacques Kallis was briefly rated as the best one-day batsman in the world, but slipped behind Ramnaresh Sarwan following a disappointing end to his series. But South Africa’s other two leading players, Graeme Smith (14th in the batting) and Shaun Pollock (second, behind Glenn McGrath, in the bowling) both improved their rankings.For England, Darren Gough made a welcome return to the top ten following an excellent series – he finished in eighth place – while Kevin Pietersen is already in 25th place in the batting, following his dramatic arrival in international cricket, which culminated in 454 runs in the seven-match series. England’s only top-ten batsman is the injured Andrew Flintoff, because Marcus Trescothick has fallen 15 places to 20th, following his poor run of form.

The Glamorgan team to face Durham at the Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street in the final four day County Championship match of the 2003 season, starting on Wednesday, 17th September, will be drawn from the following squad :

J P Maher (6)M A Wallace + (18)A Dale (11)M J Powell (14)M P Maynard (25)D L Hemp (4)R D B Croft * (10)A G Wharf (16)M S Kasprowicz (3)D S Harrison (20)D A Cosker (23)S D Thomas (7)I J Thomas (27)

Sri Lanka are looking to blood their reserve fast bowlers in their Saturday clash with West Indies, whose eyes are focused on their crucial game with Zimbabwe the following day that will decide the second qualifier for the LG Abans triangular series final.The result tomorrow is irrelevant for Sri Lanka and not crucial for West Indies, although a win would make them favourites to qualify for the final, as should they then lose to Zimbabwe, they would still be protected by a superior net run rate.For Sri Lanka, it’s a perfect chance to groom their inexperienced players. Chaminda Vaas have a few niggles so he will step down and off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena is also expected to be rested.Prabath Nissanka and Charitha Buddika Fernando, both of whom impressed in Sharjah, although Nissanka was wayward at times, will come into the side, which will weaken the lower order batting."We are thinking of giving a couple of the youngsters a chance. This is a good time to groom the youngsters for the future, like we did in Sharjah," said Jayasuriya after a light training session in the morning."But we also have to careful, we still want to win the game because we could be playing West Indies in the final, so we can’t make too many changes."West Indies, buoyed by their recent win against Sri Lanka, are hoping that they have turned the corner on a difficult tour."There is nothing like winning and we hadn’t won a game at all till then, so the win has helped a whole lot," said Hooper, who had peppered the boundary during an aggressive midday net. "But we also realise that match is history now and that tomorrow, we start afresh."But West Indies are concentrating on Sunday, raising the possibility of a couple of changes and the potential inclusion of the one-day specialists, who are yet to play a game."We haven’t won much against Sri Lanka this tour but we did last match and it would be great if we could do it again. However, although we would like to win both games, the most important game is against Zimbabwe on Sunday."Both matches will be played at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy where the groundsman has prepared a brown flat wicket that promises plenty of runs.Indeed, the last time a one-day game was played here, Sri Lanka blasted a world record of 398 for five against Kenya in the 1996 world cup.Sri Lanka (likely):Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Charitha Buddika Fernando, Prabath NissankaWest Indies (from):Carl Hooper (capt), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Neil McGarrell, Corey Colleymore, Pedro Collins, Jermaine Lawson, Ricardo Powell, Daren Brown, Ryan Hinds

Pakistan right-arm leg-spinner Danish Kenaria destroyed Australia’sbatting with figures of five wickets for 17 runs off 10 overs to givePakistan victory by four wickets at the R. Premadasa Stadium Thursday.Put into bat on a slow pitch, Australia were shot out for 113 in the40th over after struggling throughout against the pace of left-armerSahid Saeed and the spin of Kenaria. Saeed struck two early blows tofinish with figures of 3 for 13 off 10 overs. Top scorer was Shane Watsonwho made a solid 27 off 63 balls.Australia fought back hard to reduce Pakistan to 68 for 6 in the 33rdover, before an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 45 off 41 ballsbetween Humayun Farhat and Yasir Arafat saw them home in the 40thover. Wicket-keeper Humayun who accounted for three dismissals in theAustralian innings, rescued Pakistan from a tight situation with arun-a-ball knock of 38 not out which included six fours. He took thegame away from Australia in the 38th over when he slammed three foursoff Michael Clarke to carry Pakistan past the 100-run mark. Havingovercome that psychological barrier, Pakistan cruised home withHumayun making the winning hit by straight driving Shane Watson to theboundary.This was Pakistan’s second successive win in the Super League followingtheir defeat of New Zealand on Tuesday. They meet West Indies in theirfinal game on Saturday.