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Prashant Chopra’s 271 was the second-highest aggregate of runs scored by a batsman in a single day in the Ranji Trophy, and also equalled the highest individual score for Himachal Pradesh

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2017
Prashant Chopra’s 271 not out on the first day equalled the highest individual score for Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy•Shailesh BhatnagarPrashant Chopra pummelled Punjab’s attack on the opening day the Group D match in Dharamsala, ending the day unbeaten on 271 off 289 balls in Himachal Pradesh’s 459 for 2.Chopra’s knock is second on the list of most runs scored by a batsman in a single day in the tournament’s history, after Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s tally of 277 (he went from 24 not out to 301 not out), in his famous knock of 443 not out. Chopra’s double-hundred also equalled Himachal Pradesh’s highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy, a record previously held by Rajeev Nayyar, against Jammu & Kashmir in 1999.Chopra surpassed his previous first-class best of 237 on Friday, hitting 37 fours and one six in his innings. The Himachal opener was involved in two large stands: 187 for the second wicket with Sumeet Verma and an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 264 with Paras Dogra (99 not out). Sandeep Sharma, who took the first wicket for Punjab in the third over of the day after Himachal opted to bat, was the most economical bowler with returns of 1 for 76 in 18 overs.Bengal’s top order, led by No. 3 Sudip Chatterjee, set up a strong base against Services in Delhi, ending the first day at 341 for 3. Chatterjee was unbeaten on 114 – his ninth first-class century – having helped Bengal capitalize on a solid start after being put in to bat.The Bengal openers, Abhishek Raman and Abhimanyu Easwaran, put on a stand of 97, with Easwaran going on to make 65 before he became the second batsman to be dismissed. Chatterjee and Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary then utilized that base and added 153 runs for the third wicket, before Tiwary fell for 69.Wriddhiman Saha and Chatterjee saw the side until close of play with 63-run partnership. Chatterjee struck 11 fours in his 182-ball stay at the crease.
Mohammad Kaif’s unbeaten 49 helped Chhattisgarh arrest a minor slump and reach 189 for 5 against Goa in Porvorim. Chhattisgarh lost a wicket in the first over after choosing to bat first, but stabilized through a 72-run second-wicket partnership between Rishabh Tiwari and Abhimanyu Chauhan. However, the side then went on to lose four wickets for 51 runs, and were floundering at 123 for 5 before Kaif and wicketkeeper Manoj Singh took them closer to 200. The pair added 66 runs for the sixth wicket in a little over 28 overs before bad light forced an early end to the day. Goa left-arm spinner Darshan Misal took two wickets, and also ran out Chauhan for 37.

Arsenal have rejected a bid from Monaco for Folarin Balogun and are refusing to compromise on their £50m valuation of the young striker, according to Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth.

Is Balogun leaving Arsenal?

Having enjoyed a prolific loan spell at Ligue 1 side Stade Reims last season, Balogun is now ready to find his new permanent home.

While the 22-year-old forward would undoubtedly relish the chance to be a starting striker for Arsenal, he will have to look elsewhere for regular minutes as he sits behind Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and new acquisition Kai Havertz in the pecking order.

His impressive campaign in France means that his value has skyrocketed from this time last season, with Arsenal having slapped an eye-watering £50m price tag on the United States international.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

A number of clubs have been circling the youngster including the likes of Inter, West Ham United and Crystal Palace, but it is Monaco that have seen a bid rejected according to Sheth.

Inter are expected to come back in for Balogun following Gianluca Scamacca's decision to choose Atalanta over the Nerazzurri, but Sheth suggests Arsenal are holding firm on their valuation of their centre-forward.

Speaking on Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Sheth stated: "We're told that Monaco have bid for Folarin Balogun. It was a written offer and it has been rejected by Arsenal.

"Arsenal are not budging at the moment on their valuation of around £50m for Folarin Balogun. He's in the final two years of his contract, but he wants to make that move to get regular first-team football. What we do expect to happen now though is Inter Milan to really push to sign him.

"They were in for Lukaku but he started talking to Juventus, so they said 'thanks but no thanks'. They went in for Balogun again but couldn't agree a fee with Arsenal, so they switched their attention to Gianluca Scamacca. [They] thought they were going to get that deal done, Atalanta came in, they couldn't match the conditions that Atalanta were offering West Ham United, so as we have been mentioning Scamacca is now an Atalanta player.

"So, Inter Milan are refocusing their attention back on to Folarin Balogun. For this deal to be done though, it looks like Arsenal may just need to relax that £50m asking price."

The Gunners' steep asking price is making a deal between Arsenal and Balogun's suitors near impossible as few clubs are capable of splashing that kind of money on a fairly inexperienced young attacker.

Arsenal have reportedly told Balogun to find another club quickly, but as Sheth suggests, they may need to be willing to compromise on their large valuation before that can happen.

Has Balogun played for Arsenal?

Despite it being Balogun's first season of consistent first-team senior football, the two-cap United States forward took no time adjusting to life at the top.

Balogun managed 21 goals and three assists with Reims in Ligue 1 last season, having previously only featured in a limited capacity at Arsenal and Middlesbrough.

In fact, Balogun has only featured ten times for Arsenal's first team, only two of which came in the Premier League. The striker has scored twice for the Gunners, both goals coming in the Europa League during the 2020/21 season against Molde and Dundalk.

The fact that Balogun, who was hailed by Mikel Arteta as "special", only has one season of consistent top-flight football under his belt is perhaps one of the reasons clubs are reluctant to spend big on the forward.

West Ham United's Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca could leave the club this summer as, according to journalist Alex Crook, he will "keep pushing" for an exit after an offer from Inter Milan was rejected.

Is Gianluca Scamacca leaving West Ham United this summer?

It hasn't been the transfer window West Ham fans would've been dreaming of so far this summer.

Whilst the loss of club captain Declan Rice was something most people expected to happen, the apparent reluctance to spend any of the £105m they received for their star is more surprising.

It now looks like another big-name player will be following the England international out the door before anyone comes the other way, with Italy international Scamacca looking increasingly likely to return to Serie A, with Inter Milan seemingly intent on signing him.

Read the latest West Ham United transfer news HERE…

According to the Daily Mail, the Italian giants have made an offer worth £25m to the Conference League holders, which was turned down as they hold out for at least £30m.

The Hammers only signed the striker last summer in a deal worth £35m, so, understandably, they would want to recuperate as much of that initial outlay as they can, but with last year panning out so poorly for the player, he will continue to agitate for an exit, per journalist Alex Crook.

He explained the situation live on TalkSport, which was posted to their YouTube channel:

"It's a good few weeks since Declan Rice completed his British record £105m move to Arsenal, but still not a single player signed and actually more players looking to follow Declan Rice out the exit.

"Gianluca Scamacca – hasn't worked out for him at all – certainly is one of those. We know there was a bid of around about £17m from Inter Milan that was rejected instantly but he will keep pushing."

How good was Gianluca Scamacca last season?

It wasn't a great debut season for the former Sassuolo man last year, but a lot of that is down to terrible luck with injuries, as he missed a total of 23 games for the Hammers last year and spent 172 days on the sidelines since suffering an initial injury in mid-November.

That said, when he has donned the Claret and Blue, he has often flattered to deceive.

In the 16 Premier League games he has played for the east Londoners, he has scored only three times, provided no assists, maintained a poor passing accuracy of 66.9% and averaged a fairly mediocre match rating of 6.50, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers are nothing to shout about and suggest that his poor return at the London Stadium can't just be chalked up to bad luck.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 6 foot 5 titan's best statistics are that he sits in the top 13% for interceptions, the top 10% for tackles and the top 30% for total shots, all per 90.

None of those numbers paints the picture of a great striker and, worse still, he sits in the bottom 17% for non-penalty expected goals and expected assists, the bottom 11% for touches in the opposition's penalty area, and the bottom 6% for assists, also all per 90.

At the end of the day, his performances have certainly been limited by injury, but when he has had the opportunity to show what he can do, he has totally underperformed.

He also failed to produce for Italy last season, with former striker Christian Vieri telling Il Corriere della Sera (via West Ham Zone):

"He (Scamacca) is far behind, I thought he'd get regular playing time at West Ham.

"He must show something more and score more goals."

Ultimately, if the Irons can get the £30m they want and lose just £5m to get him off their books, it might be best for all parties involved and give Scamacca a chance to rebuild his career.

Ireland and West Indies have taken different paths since they last met, but they find each other in familiar situations as they gear up for their one-off ODI

The Preview by Varun Shetty12-Sep-2017Big PictureIt was in the 2015 World Cup that these teams last met – the first game of the tournament for both of them.West Indies’ decline as a Test force had slowly been established, but their limited-overs stocks were still highly rated. This was the team which, in its third match of the group stage, would put up 372 against Zimbabwe – all of those runs put together by Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels in a gargantuan second-wicket partnership, with the left-hander scoring a double-century. Before that game, they had reduced Pakistan to 1 for 4 in a chase of 311. Jerome Taylor took three of those wickets.These results would eventually help put West Indies through to the quarter-finals, but they came after a comprehensive loss against Ireland in that first game.It’s Ireland’s first fixture against a Test-playing nation since acquiring Test status. Not a lot has changed for them in the last two years. Ireland’s heroes from that match – in fact, their entire top seven – will almost definitely feature in the one-off ODI at Belfast on Wednesday.In contrast, captain Jason Holder has been the only constant for West Indies since the teams last met. Gayle, Samuels and Taylor, who led the batting and bowling charts for them in that World Cup, haven’t played together in an ODI since.Still, there is a circularity about this meeting. Both of them are on the cusp of a new dawn. Ireland have fought a long battle in achieving Test status while West Indies have shown hints of no longer being haunted by the ghosts of their past glory, picking up wins in each of their last three Test series. Ireland will soon be equipped with the experience of Graham Ford as head coach, while West Indies’ resurgence is being shepherded by the hard-talking Stuart Law. At the core, both teams are trying to carve new identities; they are teams on the ascension, even if they’re earmarked as the lower-tier population when the future of the game is discussed.Neither side has quite managed to dominate anyone in ODIs off late. In that sense, their reputations remain the same. But West Indies will enjoy their chance to feel like the stronger team before they head back to England. A win will simplify their requirement for direct qualification for the next World Cup: they’ll need to beat England 4-1.Form guideIreland LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWLLW
In the spotlightPaul Stirling made four fifties in a five-match series against Afghanistan earlier this year and even slipped in a six-wicket haul with improvised legspin. Then, he characteristically tapered off in the subsequent series. A couple of starts against England were followed by scores of 14, 0 and 0 in the tri-series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Stirling is only 27, but he has been around for nine years and now is a time when Ireland need his experience to come to the fore.In the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League, Evin Lewis was so explosive that his partner Chris Gayle was forced to drop anchor for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Lewis has two T20 international hundreds, and has twice made scores in the nineties in the format over the last month. He hasn’t shown anywhere near the same returns in ODIs yet, with 450 runs in 17 innings. This could be his chance to arrive.Team newsBarry McCarthy and Craig Young have been ruled out with injuries, cutting Ireland’s seam options down to four. Boyd Rankin is a sure starter alongside Tim Murtagh. Kevin O’Brien provides a seam option too, so Ireland could be tempted to play legspinner Jacob Mulder alongside George Dockrell.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien, 5 Andy Balbirnie, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Gary Wilson (wk), 8 Tim Murtagh, 9 George Dockrell, 10 Jacob Mulder/Peter Chase, 11 Boyd RankinRoston Chase has been dropped from the ODI squad and Kyle Hope has managed 41 runs in six Test innings so far in England. Those two spots are likely to be the ones Gayle and Samuels will occupy.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Shai Hope (wk), 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Jason Holder (capt), 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Kesrick WilliamsPitch and conditionsBelfast isn’t a high-scoring ground by modern standards – England’s 301 in 2006 remains the highest total. Scores in the range of 250 to 260 have been par at the venue. But there’s a high chance we will see a shortened game on Wednesday. The forecast hints at an overcast day with regular showers scattered throughout.Stats and trivia West Indies have won four out of six games against Ireland. Their only game in Ireland was washed out Chris Gayle has the most centuries for a West Indian batsman – 22. He is also the third-highest run-scorer among active cricketers, behind MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers William Porterfield has made more runs in ODIs this year than any previous year. He has 558 runs in 12 innings, at an average of 46.50, with two hundreds and as many fifties

Southampton are standing firm when it comes to player sales this summer, with the likes of Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento and James Ward-Prowse all still on their books.

Who are Southampton selling?

A number of players, including the likes of Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elyounoussi, departed Saint Mary's as free agents following Southampton's relegation from the Premier League.

Mislav Orsic has joined Trabzonspor, meanwhile, but the Saints have done well to retain all of their biggest names ahead of the start of the new Championship campaign next week.

However, that could easily change in a short space of time as Lavia, Livramento and captain Ward-Prowse all continue to be linked with Premier League clubs.

For now, manager Russell Martin is simply focusing on working with what he has. Having already brought in Shea Charles and Ryan Manning, the Daily Mail claims Southampton could further add to their squad by signing Hamza Choudhury from second-tier rivals Leicester City.

What position does Hamza Choudhury play?

Choudhury – who is on wages of £50k-a-week at the King Power Stadium, according to Capology – is a central midfielder who thrives in breaking up play and helping to keep things ticking over.

The 25-year-old has been on Leicester's books for the past 12 years, but he was loaned out to Watford last season – having also previously spent time at Burton Albion – and may be moved on permanently this summer.

Choudhury stood out in what was a disappointing campaign for Watford last time out, leading the way for tackles per game (three) and interceptions (2.3), as per WhoScored.

Indeed, only Sheffield United's Max Lowe (3.2) recorded more tackles per game in the Championship last season, while nobody managed more interceptions.

That tough-tackling approach often came at a cost last season, as Choudhury was cautioned 14 times – the joint-most of any player in the division, alongside Reading's Andy Yiadom.

That ability to break things up is something Southampton will desperately crave assuming Liverpool-linked Lavia does eventually depart St Mary's.

It would also ensure versatile midfielder Carlos Alcaraz has a licence to roam forward, knowing that Choudhury is behind him providing cover for the defence.

Keeping hold of Alcaraz would be a huge statement of intent from Southampton, as the Argentinian scored four times and assisted two more in 18 Premier League outings last season.

Martin used Alcaraz in midfield during Southampton's pre-season meeting with Bournemouth earlier this week, and that may well be where he is used most regularly when the real business gets going.

Boasting a pass-completion percentage of 86.2 – an identical figure to Lavia in the Premier League last season – Choudhury looks well suited to getting the ball into Alcaraz's feet.

As football reporter Ben Jacobs put it ahead of Choudhury's loan move to Watford last season, the Leicester academy graduate "still has huge potential", which Southampton may well get the chance to unlock.

Should that be the case, the future will look bright for the Saints regardless of what players move on between now and the end of the transfer window.

NZC CEO David White had said last week that the domestic structure for 2018-19 would be up for review

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2017New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White’s hints that the domestic first-class tournament, the Plunket Shield, may be trimmed has been criticised by Players’ Association CEO Heath Mills. Mills said that such statements on how “competitions are going to be cut” raised questions as the board and the players’ association prepare to meet to negotiate pay over the coming months.”We’re still hopeful that’s it [the negotiations] is a positive, constructive process. But when players hear the competitions are going to be cut, it raises the antenna as to how the negotiations are going to go,” Mills told . “The players believe very strongly in the domestic competitions and their value to New Zealand Cricket.”White had said last week that the domestic structure for 2018-19 was up for review – no changes will be made in 2017-18. He said the Plunket Shield specifically would need to be reviewed – perhaps cut from ten rounds to five – given the ICC’s push to make Test cricket more meaningful and profitable.”If we’ve got in a four-year period of two World T20s and a 50-over World Cup and two Test-match competitions, what is the right mix of cricket domestically to ensure we’re competitive at international level? That is something we’re absolutely looking at right now,” White said, adding more A-team cricket might be the way to go.”Maybe [reducing the length of the Plunket Shield]. Also more A cricket… Is there some more cricket that can bridge the gap from first-class to international cricket a little bit more? They’re all the kinds of things we’re discussing.”With the pay talks looming, Mills said cutting domestic long-format cricket could not be the answer to financial questions, if any, especially as the board’s “revenue has increased significantly” over the past few years, and the first-class system is the backbone of international cricket.”My view is we ought not to be cutting cricket programmes for the sake of it, and we need to ask ourselves why they’re being cut, when we know that New Zealand Cricket’s revenue has increased significantly over the last four-five years,” Mills said. “We don’t mind having a conversation about the structure of domestic cricket but it is absolutely the heartbeat of our high-performance programme, the bedrock of cricket in New Zealand. We think it is very important and we would like to ask questions about where the spending priority is? Domestic competitions are costing no more than they did five years ago.”

England will go into a Lord’s Test with two spinners for the first time in almost a quarter of a century on Thursday

George Dobell at Lord's04-Jul-2017England will go into a Lord’s Test with two spinners for the first time in almost a quarter of a century on Thursday.Ahead of his first Test as captain, Joe Root confirmed that Liam Dawson will form a two-pronged spin attack with Moeen Ali in the first Test of the series against South Africa. It will be the first time England have fielded two specialist spinners in a Lord’s Test since 1993. On that occasion, they conceded 632 for 4 in the first innings on their way to an innings defeat.Some might dispute that neither Dawson nor Moeen is a specialist spinner. Neither has a first-class bowling average under 36 (Moeen’s is 41.89 and Dawson’s 36.86) and it is true that neither would have enjoyed the careers they have without the batting ability that renders them more valuable to each team they represent. They are allrounders by most reasonable definitions.It is Dawson’s inclusion that is most intriguing. Or, as he termed it, “a bit unexpected”. Halfway through the India tour, Adil Rashid looked as if he had gone a long way to establishing himself as England’s first-choice spinner. He claimed 23 wickets in the series.But his star faded as the series progressed. And Dawson, making his debut in Chennai, not only offered England some control with the ball (he conceded three an over in that Test while Rashid went at 5.15) but struck an unbeaten 66 in England’s first innings. Rashid, to be fair, also scored 60 but Dawson emerged as a man the England management felt they could rely upon in all situations. He’s not necessarily a match-winner, but he can keep an end tight and provide late-order acceleration or rebuilding as required with the bat.While that might not, at first glance, appear to fit with the bold talk of positivity that surrounded Root’s elevation to the captaincy, it’s worth remembering that England lost eight Tests in 2016. A team containing the likes of Root and Ben Stokes and Moeen doesn’t necessarily require more flair but more solidity. Dawson looked calm amid the storm in Chennai and while it is hard to see him pulling off spectacular individual performance, it is a team game and he can contribute a supporting role in all departments.It means that Toby Roland-Jones again has to wait for his chance. Even with all the other seamers coming into this Test with something to prove as regards their fitness and even on a surface that just might prove uncharacteristically green, five frontline seamers could have been excessive. Not since 2003 have England fielded five seamers in a Test.When all options are fit, Roland-Jones remains behind Chris Woakes and Jake Ball in the hierarchy, too. With the likes of Jamie Overton, the Curran brothers and Tom Helm also developing, time is probably running out for the 29-year-old Roland-Jones.There have been a couple of other notable faces at Lord’s over the last couple of days. Gary Palmer, the freelance batting coach, had a long session with Alastair Cook that started at 7am on Monday morning (Palmer has been working with Cook regularly over recent months with some success but has found his requests to work with other Test candidates falling on deaf ears), while Chris Taylor, the fielding coach, was also involved in training on Tuesday. Taylor has, on the whole, been used in white-ball sessions, so it is fair to interpret his presence as an attempt to increase the emphasis on fielding. Saqlain Mushtaq, the spin-bowling consultant, and Andy Hurry, head of the ECB’s cricket development programme, were also among the coaching team.Root also confirmed that Gary Ballance would return to the side at No. 3 with the captain dropping to No. 4. Both would, you sense, prefer No. 4 to No. 3, but Root – having fought for the selection of his old friend, flatmate and colleague – is the boss and may well require Ballance to take responsibility for the higher position.Might it have made more sense to pick a specialist for such a position? Mark Stoneman, in particular, can probably count himself unfortunate. Even for England Lions at the weekend, Ballance batted at No. 4.Either way, a recall to No. 3 is a huge ask for a man enjoying his third – and potentially final – incarnation as an England player. But a few months ago it seemed Ballance had almost no way back as a Test player. This is a great opportunity for him.

West Ham United's priority at this stage of the transfer window may well be on bringing in a midfield replacement for Declan Rice, but David Moyes could desperately do with some upgrades in other positions.

Who are West Ham looking to sign?

Beyond their midfield targets, which are said to consist of Conor Gallagher, Scott McTominay, Amadou Onana and Youssouf Fofana, West Ham have also been linked with centre-back Luiz Felipe, plus strikers Folarin Balogun and Habib Diallo.

Spezia's Emil Holm has also been touted as a target at right-back, while it could also be all change on the opposite flank as Aaron Cresswell is in talks over a move to fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to the Daily Mail.

That suggests Moyes already has a player lined up to come in at left-back, and The Athletic claims United are one of a handful of clubs interested in signing Ian Maatsen from Chelsea.

Maatsen starred on loan for promoted Burnley in the Championship last season, but it is reported that the Clarets have declined to meet Chelsea's £20m asking price to sign the defender permanently, opening the door for West Ham to pounce should they wish.

Is Ian Maatsen a good option for West Ham?

Maatsen was named in the EFL Championship Team of the Season after impressing for Burnley last time out, while also picking up the Player of the Month gong along the way in January.

The Netherlands U21 international was crowned Man of the Match on four occasions by WhoScored, which was the joint-most of any Burnley player, along with Nathan Tella and Manuel Benson.

An attacking full-back, Maatsen scored four goals and assisted six more in 39 appearances. Indeed, he is ranked in the top 13% of all full-backs across the eight leagues most similar to the Championship in terms of quality, as per FBref, and the top 16% for assists.

Maatsen averaged 0.27 goals or assists every 90 minutes last season, which compares to 0.04 for Cresswell across his 28 matches for West Ham, though the latter did of course play in a division higher.

Still, that is a huge difference and suggests Moyes is looking for a more attack-minded alternative at left-back. Even if taking the defensive metrics into consideration, it could still be argued that Maatsen is a big upgrade on what West Ham already have.

The Dutchman outperformed Cresswell last season in terms of tackles won per 90 minutes (1.42 v 0.44), blocks per 90 (1.01 v 0.85) and interceptions per 90 (1.45 v 1.09).

Maatsen also came out on top in metrics such as pass-completion percentage (80.6 v 77.8) and touches of the ball per 90 (86.1 v 64.8), though Cresswell is stronger in terms of aerial duels won (50.9% v 32.3%).

Described as a "superb" player by Manchester Evening News reporter Alex James, it appears as though Maatsen is destined to play in the Premier League one way or another this coming season – and indeed for many years beyond.

West Ham supporters will surely hope that is with them, rather than across London at Chelsea.

Niroshan Dickwella has been fined 30% of his match fee, and handed two demerit points, for a stumping attempt that was deemed to be “contrary to the spirit of the game” by match officials

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Jul-2017Niroshan Dickwella has been fined 30% of his match fee, and handed two demerit points, for a stumping attempt in the first ODI against Zimbabwe that was deemed to be “contrary to the spirit of the game” by match officials.The incident had occurred in the seventh over of Zimbabwe’s innings on Friday. Dickwella gathered the ball, and waited many seconds for Solomon Mire to leave the crease, before finally breaking the stumps, long after Mire had completed the shot.When Dickwella made the appeal, the decision was sent to third umpire Nigel Llong, who found the batsman to be in his crease at the time the bails were dislodged in any case. Keepers have often waited for batsmen to overbalance before whipping off the bails, but, on this occasion, the umpires who laid the charge had likely taken exception to the length of time that elapsed between the stroke’s completion and the stumping attempt.”Dickwella admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” an ICC release said.This was Dickwella’s third fine of the year. In February, he had had an on-field run-in with Kagiso Rabada, and later in the month showed dissent to an umpire’s decision. He was suspended for two limited-overs games as a result, and now, having accrued seven demerit points, will suffer a similar suspension again if he is hit with any further demerit points over the next two years.

Leeds United will look for several signings spread across 'several positions' as Daniel Farke aims to ready his squad for Sky Bet Championship action, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

How has Leeds United's transfer window panned out so far?

Ethan Ampadu has become Leeds United's first signing of the transfer window, joining from Chelsea in a deal worth £7 million plus add-ons and providing some flexibility as he can operate in defence or holding midfield, as per BBC Sport.

The Wales international featured just 12 times for the Blues and was farmed out on loan to Sheffield United, RB Leipzig, Spezia and Venezia during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Clipped on Leeds United's official Twitter account, Ampadu made his reasoning clear for joining the Yorkshire outfit in his first interview since arriving at Elland Road, stating: "As a club, the history of it doesn't have to be sold, everyone knows how big Leeds is."

One strange feature of Leeds United's transfer window so far has been the unusual event of several players leaving on loan deals following their relegation from the Premier League, with Robin Koch, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca departing Elland Road on temporary deals, as per Transfermarkt.

Rodrigo Moreno has left the building to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan while experienced goalkeeper Joel Robles has linked up with Saudi Arabian second-division club Al Qasdiah, as per The Yorkshire Evening Post.

Welsh striker Tyler Roberts has moved to Birmingham City on a permanent basis. At the same time, out-of-contract midfielder Adam Forshaw faces an uncertain future at Leeds United despite being offered a new deal by Farke, as he has interest from European clubs and Saudi Pro League side Al Akhdoud, according to The Daily Mail.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer expert Romano has detailed that Leeds United will be identifying targets to pursue in multiple positions this summer.

Romano stated: “Leeds will look for players in different positions. So, I think they will be really busy in the next week.

“At the moment, Leeds are not happy with their proposal. Gnonto will be a crucial part of the transfer window for Leeds this summer.”

Who do Leeds United want to sign then?

Leeds United are hard at work this window and transfer expert Romano has laid out some further information indicating that the Elland Road outfit are keen on Paris Saint-Germain youngster Edouard Michut, stating on Twitter: "Excl: Leeds United are among several clubs interested in Edouard Michut from Paris Saint-Germain. Deal will depend on conditions decided by PSG in the coming days."

Strengthening the goalkeeper position will also be a priority for Farke, who is reportedly eyeing a swoop for Newcastle United stopper Karl Darlow, according to iNews.

As per Sport Mediaset relayed via Sport Witness, Leeds United have been linked with a sensational move for AC Milan striker Divock Origi, who is also attracting interest from Crystal Palace.

Nottingham Forest will allow striker Emmanuel Dennis to leave the club this summer and have green-lit his departure, which has put Leeds United on red alert as Farke aims to bolster his attacking options, as per Football Insider.