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A century from opener Brad Wilson and fifties from Shawn Hicks and Anaru Kitchen were in vain as Otago suffered a 25-run defeat against Northern Districts in their pursuit of 344. The key performer for Northern Districts, in their first win of the tournament this season, was legspinner Ish Sodhi, who finished with nine wickets in the match, including a five-for in the second innings.Otago had resumed on the fourth morning at 15 for 0, and two early strikes by Sodhi reduced them to 47 for 3. A 142-run fourth-wicket partnership between Wilson and Hicks revived Otago but Sodhi and Anton Devcich quashed any chances Otago may have had with a series of quick wickets. The batting side went from 189 for 3 to 205 for 7, with Devcich claiming the big wickets of Hicks and Wilson, who had compiled 111 off 228 balls. The remaining 139 runs were too much for Otago’s tail-enders, despite a 62-run partnership between Kitchen (69 not out off 91 balls) and Nathan Smith.Earlier in the match, Sodhi’s 4 for 75 had complemented fast bowler Brent Arnel’s 5 for 76, as Northern Districts dismissed Otago for 248 to take a 208-run first-innings lead. Otago batsmen got starts, with Hamish Rutherford (67) and Derek de Boorder (55) going on to make fifties, but Northern Districts kept the pressure by not allowing partnerships to flourish.The 208-run lead meant that Northern Districts held an edge in the match, despite a second-innings batting collapse that saw them declare their innings at 135 for 9. Only three batsmen made a score in excess of 20, while the nine wickets were picked up by fast bowler Jacob Duffy (5-49) and left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon (4-30).Northern Districts’ first-innings batting display was far more dominant, despite a middle-order stutter. Their score of 456 was underpinned by wicketkeeper Tim Seifert’s third first-class hundred – an unbeaten 167 that lifted the side from 198 for 5. Seifert had support from Daryl Mitchell (60) and shared a seventh-wicket stand of 116 with Ish Sodhi (48), before he took the lead in a tenth-wicket stand of 57 that took the side past 450.

Burnley are one of several Premier League clubs in the mix to sign exciting young Nordsjaelland attacker Ernest Nuamah during the summer transfer window, with a key update now emerging over his future and a possible switch to Turf Moor.

Who is Ernest Nuamah?

The 19-year-old is considered a special young prospect with a very big future in the game, having already become a vital player for his club side before even turning 20.

Nuamah has scored 20 times and registered a further five assists in only 49 matches for Nordsjaelland, showcasing a reliable flow of end product that isn't always seen in young players. At international level, the winger has also won his first cap for Ghana's senior side, having netted once in three outings for the Under-21s.

His performances aren't going unnoticed by Premier League teams at the moment, and there is every chance that he could seal a move to England before the end of the current transfer window.

With Burnley being linked with a move for Nuamah already in recent days, it looks as though they are still very much in the conversation to snap him up.

Will Burnley sign Ernest Nuamah?

According to a new transfer update from Football Insider, Burnley are interested in making a move for Nuamah this summer and have even made an offer for him, but face stern competition for his signature:

"West Ham have submitted an offer for FC Nordsjaelland star Ernest Nuamah, sources have told Football Insider. The Hammers are in the market for more attacking reinforcements and have made a formal move the 19-year-old winger after shortlisting him as a top target

"Nuamah’s performances in Denmark’s top division earned rave reviews this season and he is widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents in Europe."

To even see Burnley in the battle to sign Nuamah this summer says so much about the giant strides that have been made under Vincent Kompany over the past 12 months or so, with the Clarets such an appealing proposition these days.

If they were able to bring in the Ghanaian teenager before the end of the month, it could be a shrewd deal, strengthening the squad even further and ensuring arguably one of Europe's brightest young attacking prospects can hone his trade under Kompany.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has said that Nuamah has "huge potential" as a player, but his aforementioned goalscoring heroics from out wide for Nordsjaelland show that he can be a signing for the here and now, as well as a massive future prospect.

It clearly isn't going to be easy for Burnley to get their man, given the level of competition for him, but the style of football they play under Kompany could appeal to him, not to mention to chance to improve under one of the most exciting managers around at the moment.

No format of the game illustrates the startling evolution of Steven Smith from bits-and-pieces player to dominant batsman quite like how ODIs have done. In his first 38 matches, between 2010 and 2014, Smith cobbled a measly 477 runs at 20.73 without a single half-century, and was picked as much for his bowling and fielding as his batting.But as if flicking a switch, from the moment he walked out to bat at No. 3 in Sharjah against Pakistan in October 2014, Smith was transformed into just about the complete batsman in limited overs, his wide and audacious array of strokes allied to intelligent decision-making and a determination to make big runs. So big, in fact, that in his last 61 appearances, Smith has tallied 2711 runs at 54.22, with eight hundreds – including the innings he rates his finest, a century against India in the 2015 World Cup semi-final.”I’d probably say my most memorable innings is the century I scored against India at the SCG in the semi-finals,” Smith said in Kolkata, reflecting on his looming 100th ODI. “Pretty big game and it was good to get a big score there. I think we lost a wicket pretty early. I was able to form a partnership with [Aaron] Finch. That’s probably one of better one-day hundreds on a big occasion.”I think I’ve evolved a lot as a white-ball player. When I first started playing one-day cricket, my first 30-odd games, I played more as a bowler. I had to change a bit there. I’ve been batting at No. 3 for a while now. I had to find the right tempo for the game, whether it’s hitting boundaries or finding the right time to hit a right boundary. You learn as you play. It’s pretty exciting to play my 100th game tomorrow.”Among other innings of note over that period have included an ice-cool half-century to guide Australia past a fired-up Wahab Riaz in the quarter-finals of the same World Cup at the Adelaide Oval, and a terrific century to lift the hosts to an unlikely win over South Africa at the MCG after they slipped to 5 for 98 when chasing 268 in November 2014.Smith’s career batting numbers have skyrocketed since September 2014•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Absolutely, I’m still learning. I think you’re always learning,” Smith said of his batting. “You’re trying to evolve and just keep trying to get better. You can never be satisfied. You want to be the best you can. Yes, I’ve learnt a lot along the way, but there’s always so much more to learn and get better at as well.”Collectively, Australia must get better against India after failing to last the distance with the ball, nor managing to establish a bridgehead with the bat, in Chennai on Sunday. Smith’s predecessor Michael Clarke has raised some questions about his leadership, though this did not particularly ruffle Smith.”I don’t think I’m in a bad place with my captaincy,” he said. “Obviously, results haven’t been the way we would have liked and that’s something we are trying to rectify. Guys are working hard, and it’s all about getting out in the middle and getting the job done. It was a disappointing start to the series the other day; we’ve got another game tomorrow to turn things around.”Plenty of rain around Eden Gardens means that Smith must keep his options open, both in terms of team selection and the composition of his batting order. “Certainly something to think about,” he said. “To begin, we’ll turn up tomorrow, expecting to be playing full 50 overs, and if things change from there, we’ve got to adapt and do what needs to be done. We weren’t good enough batting in the 21 overs that we had last game, certainly we’ve got to do a lot better.”I don’t think [training indoors] will have a big impact. Guys have worked hard since we’ve been here in India. We’ve obviously had a game not that long ago, so the guys are in a fine space. It’s just been about just topping up a few things we can indoors and getting a few things right there. No excuses from us. We’re ready to go tomorrow.”

North group leaders Leicestershire made it four wins out of four, all away from home, in the NatWest T20 Blast when they beat Durham by 27 runs at Chester-le-Street.

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2017
ScorecardNorth group leaders Leicestershire made it four wins out of four, all away from home, in the NatWest T20 Blast when they beat Durham by 27 runs at Chester-le-Street.The Foxes appeared to have made a hash of their innings as they subsided from 100 for 2 in the 12th over to 123 for 8 after 18.The return of quicker bowlers allowed Matt Pillans to strike two fours and there were also four leg byes as 21 came off the last two overs to leave them on 144 for 8.It proved more than enough as Leicestershire learnt from the success of Durham’s spinners for Colin Ackerman and Callum Parkinson to take two wickets each in reducing the Jets to 31 for 5.Left-armer Parkinson added a third to end a stand of 30 when he bowled Usman Arshad and Durham finished on 117 for 8.Callum Parkinson took three wickets to hurt Durham’s chase•Getty ImagesWith the Sky cameras present on a sunny evening, Durham came under fire after choosing to bowl. The visitors’ top three all made rapid progress, but Mark Cosgrove’s 33 was the top score.The failures of the middle order put him under pressure and he holed out at deep midwicket in the 16th over to become one of four victims for Paul Collingwood.Seven overs of offspin produced 3 for 33 with Ryan Pringle taking 2 for 22 and Adam Hickey 1 for 11 in three.They hauled Durham back into the game after Luke Ronchi and Cameron Delport took 14 off Chris Rushworth’s opening over and had 37 on the board after four.Delport departed for 29 when he sliced Rushworth to backward point, then Cosgrove opened the face and ran the first ball he faced to the third man boundary.Ronchi reached 32 off 22 balls before dragging a Collingwood slower ball to wide long-on, where Pringle held the catch before conceding only three runs off the tenth over.Pringle then struck twice in the 12th as a smart leg-side stumping by Stuart Poynter got rid of Ackerman then Ned Eckersley lofted to long-off.That double blow set the collapse in motion, but Clint McKay followed his 5 for 11 in Leicestershire’s last game by striking with the first ball of Durham’s reply.Left-hander Hickey reached for a wide one and sliced to Delport at point and when Ackerman came on for the fourth over Clark pulled his first ball straight to deep midwicket.Michael Richardson chopped an attempted cut into his stumps and Parkinson took the next three wickets.Jack Burnham attempted a ramp to fine leg and was bowled, Collingwood chipped to deep mid-on and Arshad was bowled for 27 when Parkinson came back for his final over, the 15th.It was left to skipper Paul Coughlin to salvage some pride for Durham with an unbeaten 42.

Wolverhampton Wanderers remain in talks over the transfer of defender Nico Elvedi, as Julen Lopetegui seeks reinforcements this summer.

The Spaniard has orchestrated a host of sales already this transfer window, as the Old Gold chased Financial Fair Play (FFP) targets, however, the former Real Madrid boss will now turn his attention to incomings.

What’s the latest on Nico Elvedi to Wolves?

As reported by Football Insider last week, Wolves were in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Elvedi.

The fee in the report was stated at £7.7m, making it a smart piece of business by the club for the experienced defender.

Since the initial reports, German outlet Rheinische Post – relayed by Talking Wolves – claimed that the talks are ongoing with work left to do before a final agreement can be reached.

It’s expected that the Bundesliga side are seeking a replacement for the 26-year-old before sanctioning the move.

How good is Nico Elvedi?

In the defender, Lopetegui could arm his side with a player highly rated in Germany, with 230 Bundesliga appearances under his belt.

Versatile in his playing style, the Switzerland international has been deployed as both a centre-back and full-back within a back three at Borussia-Park, lauded for his contributions to the club’s progress.

Praised for his “incredible composure” by former Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl, the commanding presence won 59% of his total duels last season, with an average of four per game, via Sofascore.

For Wolves, it’s integral to recruit a strong central defender this summer, taking into consideration the departure of Nathan Collins and the age of Craig Dawson, 33, who the club must seek an heir for eventually.

One positive for the Old Gold is the status of Max Kilman’s future at Molineux, who after interest from Serie A champions Napoli, is expected to remain in the Midlands.

By capturing Elvedi, Lopetegui could find the perfect combination in central defence between the Englishman and the Swiss, who have similar strengths to their game and the ability to form a strong pivot.

The duo both played integral parts in their respective 2022/23 campaigns, with the pair making more than 30 appearances each as their club’s favoured centre-backs.

While Kilman showed his reliability with his 6 foot 4 structure commanding the back line in the Premier League, winning 67.2% of his aerial duels, 6 foot 2 Elvedi proved to be more combative on the ground, highlighted by his 46 players tackled compared to the Englishman’s 36, via FBref.

The Switzerland international with 47 caps could be the perfect addition next to Kilman for the slight differences in their game, with Elvedi recording a mammoth 81 tackles and interceptions to the Wolves ace’s 55, despite playing the same number of league matches (37).

Molineux’s hero bettered the Borussia defender in terms of blocks, making 70 to the Swiss’ 31, as well as making 219 recoveries to his 149, communicating the potential success of their pivot, as per FBref.

The numbers imply that the Bundesliga gem could be a lethal asset in ground duels, while Kilman could be the nominated figure to hold the anchor at the back, making for an incredibly well-balanced partnership in the Midlands.

Newcastle United could make a move for Taylor Harwood-Bellis this transfer window, with 90Min reporting that his current Man City situation could convince the Toon to make a bid for the player.

How many games has Taylor Harwood-Bellis played?

The 21-year-old has come up through the ranks with Man City, but has actually yet to play in the Premier League for the Blues. Instead, the Etihad Stadium outfit have resorted to sending him out on loan to get gametime, with no room for him to feature in their top flight campaigns yet.

He initially spent time with Blackburn as an 18-year-old in the Championship, before heading to a different setting entirely with Anderlecht in Belgium. He's since had a further two spells in the second tier with Stoke and Burnley, winning the title with the latter of those two – it is his time with the Clarets though that has really caught the eye.

Playing 32 times for Vincent Kompany's team, he was key player for the club as they stormed to the top of the division in 2022/23. He bagged one goal and two assists from defence and he also had the best % of dribblers tackled in the entire squad (for anyone who attempted a tackle on ten or more occasions).

Are Newcastle signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Despite having never featured in the Premier League, his performances have led to plenty of interest from teams in that division this transfer window. According to a report from 90Min, Newcastle are one of those teams and they could launch a move to sign Harwood-Bellis this summer.

It states that they have been keeping an eye on the defender and have been long-time fans of him. Whilst there is no official bid tabled by the Toon yet, his current deal with City will run out in 2024 – and it could prompt Newcastle into trying to snap up the central defender on a deal this summer.

That could also suit City if they can't tie him down to fresh terms, as they could at least recoup some money for the English ace. It's unclear how much he may cost, although Transfermarkt suggest his value currently stands at 25 million Euros (or £21.3m).

He's already viewed as a talent with a lot of potential in the game despite his youth. Having been given the chance to shine for Burnley on loan last season, football talent scout Jacek Kulig was quick to heap the praise on the 21-year-old. He stated that the Man City defender is "the real deal" and even has the potential to play for a "top 6 EPL" club in the future.

That is a lot of acclaim for a player that is so early on in his career – so Newcastle would be getting a really promising addition to their squad if they did sign him this transfer window.

With Dan Burn often utilised at left-back, Fabian Schar reaching the end of his prime and club captain Jamaal Lascelles likely to leave, don't be surprised to see the Magpies make a move.

Match facts

February 23-27, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)4:44

Chappell: Smith has a lot of faith in O’Keefe

Big Picture

In this era of facts and alternative facts, let’s consider one of each regarding the Test series that starts in Pune on Thursday. Australia can regain the No.1 Test ranking by the end of this tour. That is a fact. Australia have a good chance of doing so. That is an alternative fact. In other words, a falsehood. A statement that is backed up by no evidence whatsoever. To do so, Australia would need to win this series either 3-0 or 4-0, and not even Sean Spicer could claim with a straight face that such a scenario is feasible. A different sort of spin will be required to succeed in this series.Consider some more facts. India have not lost a Test – any Test, anywhere – since August 2015. That is a stretch of 19 consecutive Tests they have either been won or drawn. Admittedly, since they were last defeated, by Sri Lanka in Galle, they have played only one away series, against West Indies last year. At home they are utterly dominant. Of their past 20 home Tests, India have won 17 and drawn three. Last time they lost at home was to England in Kolkata in December 2012. It is so long ago that Yuvraj Singh was still a Test cricketer, but Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja were not.Australia, meanwhile, have lost their past nine Tests in Asia. If they were a cat, they’d be out of lives, and out of their misery. Until last year, Sri Lanka was the one Asian venue at which Australia always seemed to win. Then they encountered Rangana Herath and were crushed 0-3. Nine men who played in that series are part of the squad in India. What have they learnt from that experience? We are about to find out. What is certain is that R Ashwin, Jadeja and whichever other spinners India choose to play will test Australia’s batsmen every bit as sternly as Herath and Dilruwan Perera.Last time India hosted Australia for a Test series, Ashwin and Jadeja combined for a remarkable tally of 53 wickets. Only one Australian century was scored in the four Tests in 2013 – by Michael Clarke, on the opening day of the series. From then on, Australia’s tour was beset by poor techniques against spin, an inability to restrict India’s batsmen, internal angst within the squad, and detentions over neglected homework. India only gained momentum, not just winning but annihilating Australia in the process.Four years later, a very different Australia will try their luck. Peter Handscomb, Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh will all play Test cricket in India for the first time – Marsh, the selectors hope, could be Australia’s trump card on the spinning pitches, given his success in Sri Lanka – while Josh Hazlewood and Steve O’Keefe will have their first experience of bowling in Tests in India. The hosts, since 2013, have lost legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni, but appear no weaker for it. They are No.1 in the world, by a distance. Expect that chasm only to grow over the next few weeks.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWWWW
Australia: WWWWL

In the spotlight

How will Australia’s batsmen combat the dual threats of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja? They are the top two Test bowlers in the world, according to the ICC’s rankings, and for Australia to have any hope of respectability in this series they will need to find some way to limit their impact. One turns the ball away from the right-handers, one away from the left-handers, and both will be threatening with every single delivery. Their figures are quite remarkable: no bowler in Test history has reached 250 wickets faster than Ashwin, while of Jadeja’s 117 Test wickets, 96 have come in India at the average of 20.22. Expect this pair to once again be at the top of the wicket tally.After a humiliating series loss in Sri Lanka, can Australia’s batsmen turn their spinning-pitches form around?•Associated Press

The oldest man in Australia’s squad, Shaun Marsh gets his first chance to play Test cricket in India at the age of 33. The selectors view Marsh as a good player of spin, and is expected to slot in either at No.3 or No.4, effectively replacing Usman Khawaja, whose previous struggles in turning conditions in Asia appear to have cost him his spot. Marsh was a calm presence in Colombo last August, when he was brought in for the third Test against Sri Lanka and made 130, which was Australia’s highest score of the tour. With hundreds in three of his past four first-class matches and two of his past three Tests, he should enter this Test with confidence.

Team news

India appear likely to play three spinners, with Jayant Yadav set to join Ashwin and Jadeja. His inclusion looms as the only probable change from the side that beat Bangladesh in Hyderabad.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Jayant Yadav, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.Unless the selectors see such a raging turner of a pitch that they call for a third spinner – in which case Mitchell Marsh could miss out and either Glenn Maxwell or Ashton Agar would be included – Australia’s XI appears fairly settled. Matt Renshaw batted with David Warner for a long period at training on Tuesday, and is expected to retain his place ahead of Usman Khawaja. All up, two changes are likely from the side that beat Pakistan at the SCG last month: the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, both in at the expense of Khawaja and Hilton Cartwright.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Steve O’Keefe, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the inaugural Pune Test match is so dry that Australia are believed to be considering a third spinner. India’s captain, Virat Kohli, said he was expecting the turn to be slow. Like at the Wankhede Stadium, the practice pitches at the MCA Stadium are on the main square. That means a lot of barren patches on the square. There is a good chance of reverse swing.

Stats and trivia

• The MCA Ground in Pune will be the 25th venue in India to host Test cricket; Australia, by comparison, has had only nine Test venues
• According to the ICC’s Test rankings, the top two batsmen and top three bowlers in the world will all be playing in this Test: Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Josh Hazlewood
• Unusual as it is for Australia to play two matches in different countries on consecutive days – a T20 in Adelaide on Wednesday and a Test in Pune on Thursday – England once played two Tests on the same day in 1930, one in New Zealand and one in the Caribbean

Quotes

“You hear comments like Harbhajan who expect us to lose 4-0. That’s not how we feel. We want to compete here against India. It’s going to be a tough series, they’ve got some quality players in their line-up from 1 to 11. So yes, it’s going to be difficult.”
“Every match and series for us is challenging, we don’t see any series as high or low. All teams we had played were good quality teams. Australia is no different. We are not treating this series different from any others in the past.”

On the back of a treble win at Manchester City, Bernardo Silva, at just 28, is still very much at the peak of his performance.You simply do not play an important part under Pep Guardiola without being at that level.Involved in as many as 15 goals last season, primarily from a midfield role, the Portuguese maestro is a player capable of playing for the very best clubs in the world.Silva could take his pick should he decide to leave Manchester City.So, it is understandable that links with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer have sparked concern.

What’s the latest on Bernardo Silva’s Manchester City future?

Silva has several options this summer, according to reports.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Portugal international has attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain, who consider him a top target this summer as they look to replace the Inter Miami-bound Lionel Messi.

Meanwhile, although interested, Barcelona will find a deal difficult to complete this summer due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns.

Financial issues are not something that clubs in Saudi Arabia will have to worry about, however, and, according to Marca, Silva has emerged as a target for Saudi Arabia.

Silva could yet end up staying put at City, too, as the treble winners still hope to keep one of their star men.

Jamie Carragher has spoken out about the reports linking the midfielder with a move to Saudi Arabia, admitting his concern.

What has Jamie Carragher said about Bernardo Silva’s potential Saudi Arabia move?

Taken to Twitter to air his worries, Carragher said:

Which players have already moved to Saudi Arabia?

Carragher’s concern comes as little surprise when considering the players to have already made the move to Saudi Arabia this summer.

So far, we’ve seen Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante join Al-Ittihad Club from Real Madrid and Chelsea respectively, whilst Ruben Neves has all but completed a move to Al Hilal.

Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly has also been linked with a move to Al-Hilal, Edouard Mendy has been linked with Al-Ahli and Hakim Ziyech has similarly been linked with Al-Nassr in what is a summer dominated by moves to Saudi Arabia.

Newcastle United have identified Everton midfielder Amadou Onana for transfer this summer and could ramp up their interest in short time as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his thriving squad.

That's according to iNews, who claim that the Magpies are 'monitoring' the Belgian midfielder ahead of a possible swoop, with Onana impressing for Everton during his side's relegation-threatened campaign.

Despite only signing the combative ace one year ago for £33m from Lille, the Toffees are in need of funds to fuel a summer rebuild and have been reported to consider the sale of one of their most coveted assets due to his skyrocketing value, with £60m enough to prise him away from Goodison Park.

Newcastle have been imperious across the board this term but there is a sense that several well-placed acquisitions would be enough to consolidate the club's newfound strength, and Onana could integrate into the fold on Tyneside with seamless ease.

Should Newcastle sign Amadou Onana?

In the perfect world of Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, the £60m demand for Onana would be met, but with conflicting reports that the Blues would sanction a sale for £50m, Toon technical director Dan Ashworth might be able to whittle down the price considering Onana's outfit are desperate to grow their purse.

Once hailed by former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez as "one of the most talented young players in Europe", Onana finished his first Premier League campaign with an average Sofascore rating of 6.92, completing 84% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions and clearances per match, also winning 59% of his ground duels.

The £100k-per-week ace is a tenacious tackler and an imposing aerial presence, with Richard Buxton describing him as "superb" for his seasonal endeavours, and he would only burgeon as a prospect among the established likes of Joe Willock, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes, with the latter in particular possibly the perfect partner for Onana to blossom into a world-class engine.

Guimaraes was one of the first to sign for Newcastle following the PIF takeover in October 2021 and has since made 57 appearances, scoring ten goals and supplying six assists more following his £40m transfer from Lyon in January 2022.

Hailed as "world-class" by teammate Dan Burn, the 25-year-old's success lies in his aptitude to conduct the play and keep the system whirring at full throttle, with the £120k-per-week phenom ranking among the top 13% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, progressive passes and successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

On top of this, he has averaged 2.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in the Premier League this season, and with such a robust option as Onana alongside him, Newcastle's midfield might be awash with dynamism and an iron-clad resolve to leave the opposition quaking.

Onana, dubbed a "leader" by Martinez, would utilise his crisp passing and ball-winning prowess to enhance Guimaraes' own dynamic output, also confirming his imposing flair by ranking among the top 7% of positional peers for aerials won per 90.

He must be signed, Newcastle's midfield is already thriving but the addition of Onana would only enrich the outstanding Magpies centre as Champions League football awaits.

Iyer, Lad miss opening game
Mumbai, 41-time champions, will begin their title defence against Tamil Nadu in Lahli without the services of the injured duo of Shreyas Iyer and Siddhesh Lad. While Iyer hasn’t yet recovered from a quadricep injury he picked up during India A’s tour of Australia last month, Lad is suffering from back spasms. Mumbai’s chairman of selectors Milind Rege said Lad had had a recurrence of an old injury. “We will wait on his progress in the next five to seven days, but we hope that Iyer will be fit for the next game [against Baroda in Delhi from October 13],” he said.Iyer was the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 with 1321 from 11 games at an average of 73.38. Lad has established himself in the middle order in recent times, and scored a crucial 88 in the final against Saurashtra last year. Injury to two key players could translate into a debut for Armaan Jaffer, who has been a heavy run-scorer for Mumbai at the Under-19 level. He was more-recently part of India’s Under-19 World Cup squad.Shifting of venues
The Rajasthan-Saurashtra game in the opening round has been shifted to Vizianagaram from Chennai because of the hosting of the senior women’s one-day league. The second match in Chennai between Karnataka and Jharkhand from October 13 to 16 has also been moved to Greater Noida in the wake of the tense situation in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka following the Cauvery verdict.Tamil Nadu’s camp in Dehradun
Tamil Nadu has had a week-long preparatory camp in Dehradun to get accustomed to the conditions they will be facing during the first half of their campaign in the northern states. Tamil Nadu play their first three matches in Lahli, Bilaspur and Dharamsala.Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund said his team wanted to practice on black soil-based pitches. “Our main intention was to practice in mostly similar weather and also similar pitch conditions,” Abhinav said. “The Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun, where we trained, is one of the best facilities I have been in across India. Whatever we asked for – be it the pitches, the gym, the food – we got it.”We tried all sort of pitches here – there were a couple of those where the ball kept low, some of those had good carry. We did match scenarios and had center-wicket practice every day. So, from a preparation point of view, things were very good.”Unmukt to lead Delhi
Unmukt Chand will lead Delhi in their opening game against Assam in Vadodara in the absence of Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, both on national duty. Unmukt had led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2012 in Australia. He has also captained Delhi on a few occasions in the past. However, Unmukt’s returns in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 were middling, as he managed only 439 runs from 14 innings.‘Focus on uniformity in pitch preparation’
Daljeet Singh, the chairman of the BCCI’s ground & pitches committee, said the emphasis was on making good cricket pitches for the Ranji Trophy. The pitches will be prepared by curators of the host state associations, while the board’s curators will travel to different venues at various points to monitor the pitches.”We had a two-day workshop in Mumbai where curators of all associations were present, and the only thing that was discussed was about making good pitches for a four-day match,” Daljeet told ESPNcricinfo. “A good four-day match starts with a little grass and then flattens out to become a good batting track later before having wear and tear in the end.”When asked about the instructions given to curators a few years ago to retain 4mm grass on the pitch, Daljeet said there were never any standing guidelines. “The 4mm grass was the interpretation of a few people. If you have 4mm grass in Lahli, the match will be over in one-and-a-half days,” he said. “It is only about uniformity in pitch-preparation, and we have only given general guidelines about good cricketing pitches.”