The Barbados Tridents captain said he had overstepped while looking for the extra effort needed to send down a short ball

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2017Kieron Pollard has denied he deliberately bowled the no-ball that potentially cost Evin Lewis a record-breaking hundred in St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ 10-wicket win over Barbados Trident at the Caribbean Premier League.Lewis was on 97 off 31 balls when he took strike with the scores level, a boundary away from the fastest hundred in CPL history and the second fastest in all T20 cricket. But Pollard overstepped the line by a big margin, Patriots had the one more run they needed for victory, and Lewis could not have a crack at the record.Pollard, the Tridents captain, said he overstepped as he was trying to put extra effort into a short ball, his best delivery option. “When I took up that ball in that last delivery, I had one thing in my mind: trying to bowl a delivery, my best delivery – what has been working for me throughout the tournament – a short delivery to see if he [will] have a waft at it, to see if it can go up in the air and we can get him out,” Pollard told Sports Max.”Although we would have lost the game, I was still thinking of getting him out, and using my strength, what I had been doing. Unfortunately, [the] stride went for that extra, I stepped over the mark and I think that has been the talking point, of what actually happened, the actual no-ball itself.”It wasn’t intentional, nothing was intentional at any point in time. I acknowledge that we have lost the game but I am not going to just go there and bowl a ball just for him to hit it for six or four, for him to score hundred in that sense. That’s not my nature, and I don’t think any sportsman will just do something to that effect.”This isn’t the first time that Pollard’s on-field actions have been questioned. In the IPL, he was once ruled to have run one short in a bid to retain strike, and the sportsmanship of that was questioned. In 2014, Pollard was involved in a heated altercation with Mitchell Starc. The Lewis incident triggered outrage against Pollard on social media, but he said his conscience was clear.”What I am a big believer in is I can sit here and I can talk to you and I can tell you untruths and I can make up all sorts of stories,” he said. “But one person I can’t make up a story to is when I watch myself in the mirror. When I watch myself in the mirror, I know what my intentions were in that particular delivery, and my intention was just try to bowl the best delivery.”Pollard, however, said he had a chat with fellow Trinidadian Lewis on the matter, and that things were cordial between them. “I just told him [Lewis] ‘well played and good luck in the playoffs’. He just laughed it off. Evin Lewis… he came up after me in Trinidad to play cricket. We play cricket together. Our whole management is the same sort of management. At the end of the day, [some people may say] Kieron Pollard is jealous of Evin Lewis and things like that. That’s not in my nature. I have been the first one to congratulate somebody. I have been the first one to send him a message and always be there no matter what. And this is not going to stop me from continuing to do that.”Yes I did [talk to him after that]. We had a conversation. I wouldn’t share the exchange of the conversation but we had a couple of Whatsapp messages and it’s all cordial. No, I didn’t apologise to him. To me, there is nothing to apologise for. We just laughed it off.”

Liverpool have submitted a second bid to sign Romeo Lavia in their pursuit to continue their midfield rebuild, but now a new update has emerged on the club's next move.

Who do Liverpool want to sign after Romeo Lavia?

According to reports coming out of Spain, Liverpool are now interested in signing Barcelona centre-back Andreas Christensen this summer.

As per the report, it is claimed that the Reds have already had a formal offer of €30m (£25.6m) rejected by the La Liga giants for their defender, but Jurgen Klopp is willing to improve the bid to secure Christensen's signature this summer, with a €50m (£43m) offer being prepared to present in the coming days.

Liverpool are hoping that Barcelona's financial troubles will encourage them to sacrifice Christensen in their pursuit to strengthen other areas of the squad.

How good is Andreas Christensen?

With the exit of Jordan Henderson confirmed and Fabinho set to follow his former club captain to Saudi Arabia imminently, further reinforcements, such as the incredibly promising Lavia, in the midfield set-up have taken priority at Anfield in recent weeks.

However, it is clear that Liverpool are also keen to strengthen their defensive set-up too with links to a number of defenders across Europe including Joska Gvardiol, Perr Schuurs, Jurrien Timber and Levi Colwill, but now it seems that Klopp has set his sights on Barcelona's centre-back.

The Anfield faithful will be familiar with Christensen owing to his decade-long tenure with Premier League rivals Chelsea which ended last summer when his contract expired, and he joined Barcelona on a free transfer.

Over 23 La Liga appearances last season, the 27-year-old titan – hailed "extraordinary" by Xabi Alonso – scored one goal, tallied up an impressive 94% pass completion rate and won 60% of his duels combined, as well as averaging two clearances per game, proving he is a huge presence in the back-line and competent in possession of the ball.

The potential arrival of Christensen could be bad news for Joe Gomez, as the Denmark international has a wealth of experience covering both the right-sided centre-back role and right full-back position too, so would likely push the Liverpool mainstay even further down the pecking order at Anfield next season.

When comparing Christensen's output to the Liverpool defender last season, the Barcelona ace outperformed Gomez in a number of key defensive attributes including pass completion (94% v 85.7%), percentage of dribblers tackled (62.5% v 57.9%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.10 v 0.06) and aerial duels won (68.9% v 54.8%), as per FBref.

What that suggests is that the Dane is a great deal more composed on the ball, while he's also far better in aerial situations.

Whilst the Merseyside giants have not lost any of their first-team defenders during the huge clear-out that has taken place this summer, Joel Matip is now in the last 12 months of his contract and Ibrahima Konate is still finding his feet after suffering injury issues last season, so bringing in a fresh perspective would be advantageous.

With that being said, if Liverpool could strike a deal for Christensen it would provide Klopp with a defender who can make an instant impact on the defensive set-up with his wealth of knowledge and experience in the Premier League to provide Virgil van Dijk with a worthy partner.

Burnley are thought to be closing in on a deal to sign Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, according to Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?

The Clarets and Vincent Kompany have been busy so far this summer, making nine signings ahead of their Premier League return which gets underway on Friday against treble winners Manchester City.

Zeki Amdouni, James Trafford, Jordan Beyer, Dara O'Shea, Michael Obafemi and Luca Koleosho have all joined the club in deals which required a transfer fee, whereas Nathan Redmond and Lawrence Vigouroux have both arrived on free transfers and Jacob Bruun Larsen has signed on loan.

More could be yet to come though at Turf Moor before the September 1 deadline, with previous reports claiming that the club were set to sign Andros Townsend following a successful pre-season stint.

Ajax winger Mohamed Daramy is another final third target and it has been suggested that a loan deal with an option to buy was close.

Berge has also been heavily linked with a move to Burnley, with Mike McGrath taking to X on Monday to say that talks have been held with the Blades over a move to Turf Moor for the midfielder.

“Burnley have held discussions with Sheffield United over a deal for Norway midfielder Sander Berge. The 25yr-old has one year left on contract and there has been interest in previous windows without a deal progressing.”

It looks as if a transfer is moving along quickly, though, with Romano sharing a further development on X. The transfer expert relayed talks claimed by McGrath and added that a verbal agreement is almost complete between the two clubs.

“Burnley are closing in on deal to sign Sander Berge from Sheffield United — verbal agreement almost completed between clubs.

“Sources guarantee medical could take place already today. Burnley started talks earlier for Berge as Mike McGrath called.”

Who is Sander Berge?

Berge, sponsored by Adidas, is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also play slightly further forward in a central midfield role if required.

The 25-year-old is valued at €20m by Transfermarkt and is into the final 12 months of his £33,000-a-week Sheffield United contract after joining the club from Genk back in 2020.

A Norway international, Berge spent time with Valerenga before joining Genk and making 113 appearances for the club. In England, Berge has turned out on 109 occasions for the Blades, scoring 15 times and registering 12 assists. He helped the club back into the top flight last season, finishing second behind the Clarets in the Championship, and was hailed by teammate John Egan, who said:

“In the second half our qualities showed. This big man here (Sander) was unbelievable. One of the best players to ever play in this division.”

Berge contributed to 11 second-tier goals in 37 appearances last season, making more progressive carries than any of his teammates and the second most progressive passes, as per FBref. Therefore, signing a top midfielder from a league rival could turn out to be a wise move by Burnley, and by the looks of things, a deal is close to being completed.

Everton appear to have missed out on a move for Almeria's El Bilal Toure, leaving supporters even more anxious ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign.

However, Italian outlet il BiancoNero reports that Everton have shown a concrete interest in Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior in what could be a rare smart piece of business from the Merseyside outfit.

Who are Everton trying to sign?

After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season, Everton's squad was in need of some serious rebuilding this summer.

However, with two-and-a-half weeks to go until the new season kicks off, the Toffees have so far brought in only 38-year-old Ashley Young on a free transfer, plus Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.

That is not to mention the fact that the likes of Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Ellis Simms have all moved on and need to be replaced in the squad.

Bilal Toure has been strongly linked with a move to Goodison Park, but L'Equipe reports that the Almeria forward has instead opted to join Serie A side Atalanta.

Sean Dyche's men may now turn their focus to Iling-Junior, whom Gazzetta dello Sport previously reported could be available for as little as £10m due to Juventus needing to raise money.

How good is Samuel Iling-Junior?

Iling-Junior spent nine years in Chelsea's academy before making the switch to Juventus in 2020, and he was part of the Italian giants' first team within two years.

The England U20 international made his debut against Empoli last October and assisted goals in his next two appearances, against Benfica in the Champions League and Lecce in Serie A.

Iling-Junior, who does not turn 20 until October, scored his first – and so far only – senior goal in Juve's 2-0 win over Atalanta in May, but he has largely had to play a back-up role and the Bianconeri are reportedly open to offloading him.

Given his small valuation, Everton must ensure they see off rumoured competition from top-flight rivals Fulham and West Ham United – not least because the Englishman would provide an upgrade on Neal Maupay in attack.

Maupay struggled in his first season at Goodison Park after arriving in a £15m deal from Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring just one goal and assisting none in 27 Premier League outings last time out.

Used mainly as a centre-forward in a campaign in which Everton's star performer Dominic Calvert-Lewin spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch, Maupay's inability to either score or create was a huge factor in why the Toffees were involved in a relegation scrap.

Indeed, Maupay was described as "absolutely woeful" by football reporter Paul Brown towards the end of last season. A failure to bring in an upgrade could well lead to another dismal campaign on the blue half of Merseyside.

Looking at their figures from last season, there is no reason why the younger Iling-Junior – labelled "simply superb" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig for his performance in that aforementioned game against Benfica – cannot provide a better outlet than Maupay.

Taking all competitions into account, Iling-Junior was involved in 0.43 goals or assists per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, compared to 0.14 for Maupay. The 19-year-old also won more of his aerial duels (50% v 23.8%) and had a better take-on success percentage (42.9 v 36.8).

Iling-Junior was also stronger in defensive metrics such as tackles won per 90 (0.94 v 0.35) and recoveries (5.64 v 2.10), which will no doubt please Dyche.

Juve's decision to listen to offers for Iling-Junior seems bizarre on the face of it, but there will be no complaints from Everton supporters should their side land the hugely talented player.

Sofyan Amrabat has turned down offers from Saudi Arabia as his priority is a switch to Manchester United, according to Fabrizio Romano

The Moroccan midfielder looks set to depart Fiorentina this summer.

What is the latest Sofyan Amrabat news?

It seems the midfielder has made his decision on his future.

According to a report from L'Equipe, the Fiorentina player was a target for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, who wanted to add him to their squad which includes new signings Edouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Allan Saint-Maximin. The report also stated that the Moroccan was set to make his decision on his preferred destination in the following days, and that his current club had resigned themselves to the fact that he was to depart this summer.

United have been long time admirers of Amrabat, having tried to bring in the midfielder back in the January window following his impressive performances during the World Cup that saw him get named in the World Cup Team of the Tournament.

The deal never happened and Amrabat remained with Fiorentina for the rest of the season, which was a campaign that saw him lose out in both the Coppa Italia final and the Europa Conference League final. Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag previously worked with the defensive midfielder at Utrecht, and is pushing for the club to complete the transfer.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Amrabat had turned down the offer from Saudi Arabia, as he is focused on completing a switch to the Red Devils. The Italian journalist also stated that United are waiting on the sales for Fred and Van de Beek to fund the transfer.

"Sofyan Amrabat, rumoured as potential target for Al Ahli last week, from what I understand, he does not want to negotiate with Al Ahli, but also all Saudi clubs as his priority now is Europe. Sofyan Amrabat wants to go to Man United, so he rejected very important financial approaches from Saudi because he wants to wait for Man United.

"As I always told you, there is no official bid to Fiorentina as they have to sell Fred, and it’s not going to be to Galatasaray from what I’m told, so other clubs are keen on Fred. But also, Donny Van de Beek, the conversation with Real Sociedad is ongoing, so Man United wait to sell one between Van de Beek and Fred before proceeding, but both will leave guys by the end of the summer, and then they will proceed with a bid for Amrabat, that is the plan at the moment."

Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…

Who do Man United have to sell for Amrabat?

There are two midfielders who could depart Old Trafford this summer to create the space for Amrabat.

One name Romano mentioned was Fred. The 30-year-old has seen his role reduced at United under ten Hag, and with the arrival of Mason Mount as well as the potential signing of Amrabat, opportunities would be even further limited for the Brazilian.

According to a report from 90min, Galatasaray have seen an offer rejected that fell below the asking price of £20m set by Man United, and have since pulled away according to Fabrizio Romano. Saudi clubs remain interested in the midfielder, and Fulham could reignite the interest they showed earlier on in the summer.

The other name mentioned by Romano was Van de Beek. The Dutch international has had a disappointing career at Old Trafford following his £39m switch from Ajax in 2020, having only made 60 appearances for the club during a three-year spell blighted by injury problems that have forced him to miss 52 games.

According to reports, Real Sociedad have opened talks regarding the midfielder despite concerns about the player's injury problems, with the asking price set to be £25m.

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.”

Following a shoulder injury in 2014, the West Indies fast bowler thought he would never play cricket again, but on Friday, he was holding the ball aloft at Lord’s having taken a five-for

George Dobell at Lord's 09-Sep-20171:32

Kemar Roach proud to join greats on Lord’s honours board

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach feared he would not return to international cricket after sustaining a serious shoulder injury.Roach, who on Friday became the sixth West Indies player to earn a place on the Lord’s honours board for overseas bowlers, was obliged to undergo surgery after breaking a bone in his right shoulder during the tour to India in 2014. For a while it seemed he would never recover the pace or consistency that had once rendered him such an exciting prospect and, before this tour, he had not played a Test since the start of January 2016.But he bowled impressively – albeit without gaining the wickets he deserved – throughout this series and has now joined a distinguished list of Caribbean cricketers to have claimed five-wicket hauls at ‘the home of cricket’. They are Sonny Ramadhin (who claimed 6 for 86 and and 5 for 66 in 1950), Charlie Griffith (who claimed 5-91 in 1963), Andy Roberts (who claimed 5-60 and 5-63 in 1976), Michael Holding (who claimed 6-67 in 1980), Malcolm Marshall (who claimed 6-85 in 1984 and 6-32 in 1988), Courtney Walsh (who claimed 6-74 in 2000) and Fidel Edwards (who claimed 6 for 92 in 2009).Roach, who has given West Indies a decent chance of securing their first series win in England since 1988, was overwhelmed to join such a distinguished list.”I had some doubts [whether I would return],” Roach said. “It was a pretty tough time. Breaking your shoulder is not easy but a lot of hard rehab and hours of training got me back here. I’m proud of myself to be able to come back and perform for the West Indies.”It means a lot to earn a place on that honours board. There are a lot of players went before me, the likes of Courtney Walsh and Malcolm Marshall. And a lot of players who have come here and never got it done. So to be part of that board is history.”Roach paid credit to, among others, Corey Collymore for his help in him achieving such a feat. Collymore, a fellow Barbadian, played several seasons of county cricket in England (he represented Warwickshire, Sussex and, most memorably, Middlesex) alongside his international career and was therefore well-placed to offer his advice to Roach.”I’ve been talking to past players,” Roach said. “The likes of Corey Collymore; guys who have played in England for a couple of years. So coming here I was prepared and knew how to bowl on certain pitches. Kudos to those guys for helping me out. I’ve learnt my art a little bit more. I’m more experienced.”While Roach felt his West Indies side – so dismissed before the series – had already proved a point after their memorable victory at Headingley, he warned England they were not finished yet.”A young side have come to England and put up a hell of a fight,” he said. “And we’re going to keep fighting. We had a tough time at Edgbaston but to come back so strong in Leeds was an amazing feeling. We have come here to win and the guys are very confident.”