Leeds United continue to push ahead with new acquisitions as deadline day looms, with a midfield rebuild clearly Daniel Farke's area of priority…

Who could Leeds United sign?

Whilst Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray have struck up a fine partnership to kickstart the Championship season, the Whites did only claim their first victory last weekend, at their fourth time of asking.

Whilst this campaign may well be a transformative one, they cannot allow it to pass them by given the growing financial devastation that a lengthy spell at their current level could bring.

This potential future seems to have spooked the new boss, who seems intent on boosting his squad with less than a week before the window slams shut. Although their pursuit of Glen Kamara has dominated headlines of late, there is another midfielder that has now come onto their radar.

As outlined by German outlet BILD, the Yorkshire outfit have reportedly submitted a bid to sign Japan international Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Football Transfers value the combative midfield general at just €3m (£2.5m), suggesting that another coup could soon be attained.

What is Ao Tanaka good at?

Whilst a relatively unknown name at club level, many likely are aware of his exploits for his national team, as the man heavily involved in Japan's success at the recent World Cup.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

In fact, there was one particular moment that drew plenty of attention, as he was the scorer of their controversial winner against Spain, which saw Germany crash out at the group stages and the Samurai Blue escape the 'group of death' unscathed.

That competition saw the midfielder shine, with his exploits lauded by journalist Josh Bunting: "Ao Tanaka has stood out at this World Cup, only joined Fortuna Düsseldorf this year but they must be hiding behind the sofa as teams will be on high alert. Links play extremely well, effective in both games against Germany and Spain, made them tick from midfield in those two clashes."

However, it is his fine start to the 2. Bundesliga campaign that will have truly caught Farke's eye, starring as a defensive powerhouse in the engine room consistently thwarting opposition attacks.

This has fed into his 7.10 average rating, buoyed by his 85% pass accuracy, three tackles and exceptional 7.3 ball recoveries per game, via Sofascore.

To place such defensive impetus beside the metronomic presence Kamara promises to bring, and immediately the Yorkshire outfit would boast one of the most well-balanced midfields in the division.

After all, the 2021/22 season saw the Finland international shine in the Scottish Premiership, with his six goal contributions and 91% pass accuracy, via Sofascore, outlining him as a composed presence.

When handed the ideal environment, not only can the 27-year-old dictate the tempo of the entire match, but he clearly also has the intelligence and quality to push forward and threaten in attack.

In one fell swoop, Farke could be set to pad his midfield with two experienced internationals who have shone for their respective clubs of late, combining at Elland Road to provide the foundation for unbridled success in the near future.

Tanaka is hard-working and tenacious, whilst Kamara is economical and incisive. Putting them both on the same side could be a problem for the rest of the league, and allow their fluid front four to terrorise defences with regularity.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Diretor de Futebol do Santos, Jorge Andrade, e os membros do Comitê de Gestão do clube, Matheus Rodrigues e Pedro Doria foram suspensos por 20 dias pelo STJD, por terem invadido o gramado da Vila Belmiro no intervalo da derrota por 1 a 0 contra o Flamengo, no dia 30 de agosto, pela sexta rodada do Brasileirão.

O árbitro da partida, Wilton Pereira Sampaio, relatou a situação na súmula, que foi julgada de forma contrária ao trio, que ficará impedido de acessar os estádios onde o Peixe jogar durante o período da punição. Sem a presença de público, por conta da pandemia do novo coronavírus, o estafe das equipes seguem tendo acesso aos locais das partidas.

O Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva considerou a atitude dos diretores santistas como desrespeitosa, embasando assim a sua decisão final, que cabe recurso da parte acusada, podendo chegar ao Pleno da entidade.

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Na ocasião, o motivo da reclamação foram os dois gols marcados pelo Peixe nos primeiros 20 minutos de jogo diante do Fla e que foram anulados com a utilização da arbitragem de vídeo, além da demora na tomada de decisões nos dois momentos, que paralisou o confronto por cerca de 10 minutos.

Na última quinta-feira (10), Matheus, além do presidente do Santos, José Carlos Peres, e o analista de desempenho, Bebeto Sauthier, que preparou um dossiê das ocasiões de jogo nas quais o clube se sente lesado, foram a sede da CBF, no Rio de Janeiro, para tratar especificamente da atuação do VAR nos jogos do Alvinegro.

Chelsea are "really close" to completing the signing of a midfield star with "enormous potential" and could announce his arrival as soon as Tuesday, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea news – what is the latest?

It's been a ridiculous transfer window for the Blues this summer, and not in a bad way. The West Londoners kicked off their business by sanctioning what felt like a firesale of first-team players, with the club seemingly intent to ship off the squad that helped them win their second Champions League title only two years ago.

Players like N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy made their way to the absurdly wealthy Saudi Pro League. At the same time, others such as Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount opted to stay in England and joined Premier League rivals instead.

With the squad adequately trimmed and the wage bill freed up, Mauricio Pochettino's side turned their attention to incomings and began splashing the cash.

There has been a real focus on youth this window, with the likes of Nicolas Jackson coming in from Villarreal, Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes, Angelo from Santos and, of course, Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

The Ecuadorian was involved in potentially the most entertaining transfer saga in quite a few years when it looked like Liverpool might've hijacked his move with a £111m bid on Thursday night, only for the 21-year-old to stick to his word and join the Blues for a Premier League record fee of £115m.

And now it looks like Chelsea have taken a leaf out of the Reds' book as they look to have successfully hijacked the Merseysiders deal for Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, with the 19-year-old making it very clear now that he wants the move to Stamford Bridge over Anfield, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation around this £50m move and the influence of Joe Shields on his YouTube channel, saying:

"About Romeo Lavia, there is an important story, important news of the day, of the night, because Romeo Lavia communicated in a very clear way to all parties involved, Chelsea, agents, people from Southampton, of course, that he wants to join Chelsea.

"So, the decision has been made, and Chelsea and Southampton, in contact during the night, are really close to completing the agreement for Romeo Lavia; it's a matter of hours while I am speaking to see Romeo Lavia as a new Chelsea player.

"Chelsea's idea is to announce the signing this week. So after Caicedo, Chelsea also want to unveil Romeo Lavia as a new signing, and it could be Tuesday, the right day to make the deal happen.

"On this deal, Joe Shields has been absolutely crucial. Joe Shields is one of the directors at Chelsea and is the man who almost created Romeo Lavia as a player. He was a director at Manchester City Academy and signed Romeo Lavia, then joined Southampton as a director and signed Romeo Lavia for £12m, and now Joe Shields is at Chelsea, and he's going to sign Romeo Lavia.

"For Chelsea it's a huge deal because they will close this negotiation for something around £50m plus add-ons."

How much did Southampton pay for Lavia?

With the Saints set to sell their young Belgian for around £50m per Romano, they are set to make a profit of about £36m after deducting the £14m they spent to bring the youngster to the south coast and away from Manchester City last summer.

While it's undoubtedly a massive markup in price that the Blues are having to pay, he looks like he'll be worth every penny, and if he can reach the "enormous potential" that football talent scout Jacek Kulig believes he has, £50m might end up looking like a bargain.

According to WhoScored, in his 26 league starts last season, he scored one goal, took 0.4 shots per game, maintained a passing accuracy of 86.4% and averaged a match rating of 6.56, which considering he was tasked with playing in the centre of an incredibly dysfunctional Saints side is pretty impressive.

That said, it's his defensive awareness that elevates him above his peers, with the Brussels-born gem in the top 4% of players in Europe's top five leagues for making blocks, at 1.90 per 90, per FBref.

And then there's his mentality and determination, areas in which he has demonstrated real maturity, with Kulig hailing him as "the future midfield leader of Belgium NT and a top Premier League club."

If Chelsea can get this deal over the line, then with Enzo Fernandez, Lavia and Caicedo, they could have their midfield sorted for the next decade or more.

Manchester United midfielder Donny van De Beek could still be on his way out the door, amid ongoing talks over a move to a Champions League club.

Who did Man United sign in the summer?

Man United strengthened the spine of their team in the summer transfer window, with goalkeeper Andre Onana arriving from Inter Milan, while Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon were brought in to bolster Erik ten Hag's defensive options.

Rasmus Hojlund was the Red Devils' marquee signing in attack, and there is good news heading into today's match away against Arsenal, with Ten Hag revealing the striker is fit to play, as the £72m star has recovered from a back injury which delayed his debut.

In central midfield, Mason Mount was the main addition, with the former Chelsea man joining in a £55m deal, and Ten Hag will have been pleased to get a deal for Sofyan Amrabat over the line on deadline day, with the Fiorentina midfielder joining on a season-long loan.

Speaking after Amrabat's arrival, Football Director John Murtough said:

“We have tracked Sofyan for a long time, so we are really pleased to bring him to Manchester United. His committed, high-energy approach to the game fits perfectly with the group that we are building here.

“We know that Sofyan’s mentality, dynamism and technical qualities will help the squad as we look to achieve success in all competitions this season.”

With the Morocco international completing a move to Old Trafford, Van de Beek may fall even further down the pecking order, having failed to make a single appearance for United in any competition so far this season.

As such, according to The Daily Mail, the Red Devils remain in talks with Galatasaray over the midfielder, who is deemed surplus to requirements by Ten Hag.

Despite having a £1m loan offer rejected on deadline day, the Turkish club remain keen on the Dutchman, and they are believed to be the front-runners for his signature, although there has been interest from elsewhere.

French side FC Lorient are also keen, as are the 26-year-old's former club, Ajax, but Galatasaray are out in front, as their transfer window does not close for another two weeks.

Is Donny van De Beek leaving Man United?

Given that the 19-time Netherlands international has fallen so far down the pecking order at Man United, it would not be surprising if he is keen to leave, and a move to Galatasaray could allow him to keep playing at a high level.

The Turkish side are in the Champions League group stages, so a move may well appeal to the former Ajax man, and it could be one of the few options he has on the table, considering the transfer window has now closed for much of Europe.

It is a real shame the central midfielder's move to Man United has not worked out, as he is clearly a top player on his day, having been lauded as "sensational" by journalist Antonio Mango just 18 months ago. However, a move away appears to be the best solution for all parties at this stage, and Van de Beek should try and reignite his career with Galatasaray.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com mais de 16 atletas infectados pela Covid-19, além de dirigentes e membros da comissão técnica, como Domènec Torrent, o Flamengo tem problemas para formar um grupo para atuar contra o Palmeiras, em jogo agendado para domingo. Assim, um grupo de sete atletas do Sub-20, que estavam em Porto Alegre para a estreia da categoria no Brasileirão, foram convocados e, de volta ao Rio de Janeiro, reforçarão o elenco profissional.

Os convocados pelo futebol profissional do Flamengo foramItalo (LE), Noga (Z), Otavio (Z), Milani (Z), Richard (V) e Yuri de Oliveira (M) e João Fernando (G).

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Com estas desfalques, o Sub-20 do Flamengo entra em campo às 15h30 desta quinta-feira para enfrentar o Internacional pelo Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20.

Com a indefinição sobre a realização do jogo entre Palmeiras e Flamengo – o clube da Gávea pediu o adiamento e a CBF não se pronunciou -, o Rubro-Negro tem 10 nomes do elenco principal à disposição neste momento: César, Hugo, João Lucas, Ramon, Gerson, Thiago Maia, Arrascaeta, Pepê, Lincoln e Pedro.

A atividade do Flamengo está marcada para às 16h no CT do Ninho do Urubu.

أعلن نادي أستون فيلا، في بيان رسمي منذ قليل، توقيع المدير الفني للفريق أوناي إيمري على عقد جديد.

ووفقًا لما جاء في البيان الرسمي، فإن أوناي إيمري وقع عقدًا جديدًا ساريًا لمدة خمس سنوات.

وتمكن إيمري من قيادة أستون فيلا إلى إنهاء الموسم الماضي من الدوري الإنجليزي في المركز الرابع، للمشاركة في دوري أبطال أوروبا لأول مرة في تاريخ النادي.

وسبق أن أعلن أستون فيلا، الشهر الماضي، تجديد عقد أوناي إيمري حتى 2027 (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، قبل أن يقرر اليوم تجديد عقده حتى 2029.

وقال رئيس مجلس الإدارة ناصف ساويرس: “نحن نبني شيئًا مميزًا هنا في أستون فيلا، وأوناي إيمري أساسًا له، ويسعدنا أنه وقع عقدًا جديدًا مع النادي حتى عام 2029”.

وأضاف: “بينما ننتقل إلى عامنا التاريخي، الذكرى الـ 150 لتأسيسنا، هناك الكثير لنتطلع إليه مع أوناي على رأس الفريق”.

من جانبه، قال إيمري: “أنا سعيد للغاية باتخاذ هذه الخطوة ومسؤولية قيادة هذا النادي، منذ أن أتيت إلى فيلا، وجدنا دائمًا أفضل بيئة وهيكل لتطوير مشروع بأعلى الطموح”.

وأكد: “هناك كيمياء رائعة في أستون فيلا، كما أن دعم الجماهير يُحدث فرقًا في الشعور وكأنك في بيتك، نحن متحمسون حقًا لمواصلة هذه الرحلة بلا حدود لأحلامنا”.

Newcastle United have not started the 2023/24 campaign with the same level of imperiousness that was the foundation of the English outfit's tremendous exploits last season.

The Premier League side have suffered three league defeats in succession – against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion – after a resounding 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa to kick the term off.

While the club is not in crisis mode – far from it, in fact – it is a concerning start to the season that has left Eddie Howe's side moored in 14th place, albeit after just four games.

Qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four finish last year was an unexpected triumph, and failing to repeat the feat would not be a doomsday scenario, but the club will need to start winning and ensuring that they at least challenge for a place at the upper echelon of the top-flight.

Who did Newcastle sign this summer?

Seeking to bolster a cohesive, gelled outfit with astute acquisitions this summer, Howe and technical director Dan Ashworth welcomed Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall to the fold, having seen Allan Saint-Maximin as the only notable departee.

Howe, rightfully, opted to tinker away at his squad rather than issue wall-to-wall changes, with the St. James' Park side built on players signed shrewdly, playing for each other and fighting fiercely for the badge.

Tonali, an “extraordinary” playmaker – as has been said by his former manager Eugenio Corini – has been acquired to strengthen a formidable midfield, while Barnes is a counterweight of sorts to Anthony Gordon, with the wide men – both 2023 signings – ensuring a meld of qualities aptly restores the loss of Saint-Maximin.

Barnes is a proven Premier League star and United fought off competition from the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United to secure his signature from Leicester City for £38m, but despite his talents, perhaps a better move could have been made, with Newcastle opting to sign the £80k-per-week talent instead of a now-thriving Premier League star.

What are Harvey Barnes' strengths?

While Leicester suffered the disrepute of falling into the Championship last season – ending an illustrious spell in top-flight football that secured a Premier League title, FA Cup trophy and impressive Champions League run to the quarter-finals – Barnes was among the select few to emerge relatively unscathed.

While many Foxes hung their heads in shame, Barnes stood tall and proud after scoring 13 goals and providing one assist from 34 Premier League matches last season, earning praise from WhoScored's Martin Laurence for combining "pace with intelligent movement".

The one-cap England international actually ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals per 90 (FBref), and demonstrated the incisiveness that Howe and co paid the big bucks for with a goal and assist apiece off the bench on his debut against Aston Villa.

With a penchant for making a difference in attacking moves, Barnes boasts a cutting edge that has already demonstrated its worth to the fast-rising club, but given that Newcastle were interested in signing Moussa Diaby this season, perhaps Howe should have signed the Frenchman instead.

Did Newcastle want to sign Moussa Diaby?

Newcastle should take great pride in their remarkable 2022/23 season, making an emphatic rise to prominence and now preparing for Champions League football for the first time in two decades, with a tantalising group draw containing Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund awaiting.

But the Tyneside team are not the only Premier League outfit to have basked in glory last season, with Aston Villa also shaking off the early-season disgruntlement that resulted in Steven Gerrard's dismissal to appoint trophy-specialist Unai Emery, who spearheaded a climb up the table and clinched a spot in this term's Europa Conference League.

A momentous achievement for both sides, especially considering the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were left mired in mediocrity lower down the league ladder, and as a result of Villa's success, Diaby was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £52m in an impressive display of intent.

The 24-year-old had just concluded a prolific campaign in Germany, plundering 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions and being heralded for a "supernatural, divine gift" by Morade Djeddi, the president of the ace's first club Esperance Paris 19e.

Newcastle may well kick themselves in the future after failing to follow up on their interest this summer, with Football Transfers even claiming in the early days of July that Ashworth had made his signature a transfer priority having been dissuaded by Leverkusen's asking price the prior summer.

Ranking among the top 13% of positional peers for goals per 90, as per FBref, the £37k-per-week phenom also ranks among the top 27% for assists and the top 22% for progressive carries per 90, impressing in the embryonic stage of his career on English shores, scoring two goals and supplying an assist for the Lions.

There is a seamless grace to his gliding presence on the pitch, marauding the wings and utilising his dynamism to great effect, and given his promising start to life at Villa Park, he could well blossom into one of the Premier League's most frightening forwards.

Proclaimed to be a "dangerous" attacking weapon by former Freiburg striker Nils Petersen, Diaby matches Barnes for goalscoring – actually outscoring his positional peer by a singular strike last season – but remarkably outperforming the one-time West Bromwich Albion loanee in creativity.

This multi-functional tool kit would have been perfect for Howe's side and system, looking to implement swift transitions and devastating counter-attacking ability.

The argument for Diaby's inclusion in this Magpies squad does not negate Barnes' ability, far from it; the Englishman is a fantastic footballer and will prove to alight St. James' Park on numerous occasions this year and beyond, but given the affluence and pursuit of prominence at the very highest level, Diaby would have been a tailor-made fit.

Barnes will score goals for Newcastle, but he will not provide the creative spark that Diaby would have brought to the fold.

For such an all-encompassing star to have joined a direct divisional rival could possibly come back to sting Howe's side – indeed, Diaby netted on his debut against the Toon team, albeit in a 5-1 defeat.

Only time will tell whether such a transfer failure will create a rueful air in Newcastle, but given Diaby's start to life with Aston Villa and his burgeoning rise over the past several years, he may well prove to be a massive loss in the future.

Zimbabwe Cricket has already begun their succession plan for life after Brendan Taylor (31) and Hamilton Masakadza (34), two of their most senior cricketers who are now in their thirties. With matches, tournaments, funding and sponsorship hard to come by, the coaches and management are going all out to get Zimbabwe nationals playing a competitive level of cricket in other countries, particularly at the Under-19 level to begin with.”The main challenge is our school system, which we always rely on to tap on talent. The level of cricket has gone down because they play just seven 50-over games the whole year,” Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe’s Under-19 coach, said. “There’s no two-day or three-day games, nothing. That scenario is not ideal. You cannot produce international cricketers in such a system. That is the biggest challenge.”Among those in the current Under-19 squad to have played abroad are: Donald Mlambo, who studies in England and has been scoring heaps of runs for a Suffolk-based club, Alistair Frost, an offspinner who plays for Hilton College in South Africa, Tinashe Nenhunzi, who plays in Durban, and Taun Harrison, who has been performing well at the school level in Cape Town. Wesley Madhevere, who also plays in South Africa, is now in his second World Cup after debuting in Bangladesh as a 15-year old.Often it is the lack of exposure that has driven talent away, a harsh reality in troubled times. “From Zimbabwe, because of lack of enough cricket, talented youngsters move to South Africa where they play a minimum of 50 games in a year,” Mangongo said. “Some play in England for the same reason. However, they’re still Zimbabweans. Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor are in their mid-30s. They aren’t going to be there for long. It is Zimbabwe Cricket’s duty to identify players now, so that they can graduate to international cricket in the next three-four years. It is a sustained program to go into South African schools and identify Zimbabweans.”While Mangongo is keen on working on bringing back overseas talent, he’s also mindful of the frustration cricketers endure from within because of lack of exposure in a struggling financial environment in Zimbabwe. It’s an area he hopes Zimbabwe Cricket will be able to address quickly. “It’s a massive challenge, we can’t hide that fact,” he said. “It’s difficult. A talented cricketer wants to play enough cricket. If they come back and don’t play first-class or for Zimbabwe A, youngsters will look elsewhere. Zimbabwe Cricket is trying to ensure there’s enough A cricket or first-class cricket so talented youngsters realise their dream. Talent is there, though.ICC/Getty Images

“Funds, matches being cancelled are all genuine fears players have. All these challenges of staging and hosting, it becomes a big irritation for any serious cricketer. Their job is to play, evolve and move to the next stage. The stop-start becomes a real threat to serious cricketers but I’m sure Zimbabwe Cricket is trying its level best. Brendan Taylor or Kyle Jarvis woudn’t come back if cricket in the country wasn’t on a revival part. They had good contracts in England. Within the next three-four years, we want cricket to become sustainable.”In recent times, though, there has been an upswing in fortunes of the game in Zimbabwe. Mangongo particularly stresses on how Taylor’s return has spelt new hope, even as the board is slowly picking up the pieces under a revamped structure and administration.”His return is a show of confidence. It’s a massive indicator to a lot of youngsters who have grown up idolising Taylor,” he said “It also tells the youngsters that ‘wow, Brendan is back. It gives me hope to continue playing cricket’. Because if a seasoned player can make a decision to come back and play for Zimbabwe, then the youngsters who want to dream, who want to play cricket seriously in the country, they start to believe in themselves that it can be done.”In that regard, having a number of players return ahead of the Under-19 World Cup is a victory in itself, according to the coach. But he’s aware of the need to ensure these players become the fulcrum of their plans over the next four-five years. He not only hopes four or five of them graduate to the national team but wants to use them to ensure schools cricket is revived again in the country.”As a coach, coming from where Zimbabwean schoolboy cricket is; it’s in the gutter to be honest,” Mangongo said. “We’ve got really about five schools that are serious cricketing schools. To then come to international youth level and rubbing shoulders with quality cricketers is a challenge. Youth cricketers are ruthless. They’re not playing for money. They’re playing to perform. That’s all they want to do. They play hard, they tough. So, for us this Under-19 World Cup is a massive jump.”

The BCB head says the board is at an advanced stage of talks with the former South Africa batsman, and will also name a batting consultant soon – Neil McKenzie is reportedly a front-runner for this role

Mohammad Isam20-Dec-2017

The BCB has taken a slow and steady approach to appointing Bangladesh’s next head coach, according to president Nazmul Hassan. He also said that the board is at an advanced stage of talks with Gary Kirsten for a wide-ranging consultancy role, and days away from signing a new batting consultant for the senior side.”We are on the back foot, that’s for sure,” Hassan said. “[Chandika] Hathurusingha’s departure has been a blow. You can’t just take any coach, but someone who fits our environment and mentality. Bangladesh has reached a level which requires us to be thoughtful about bringing a quality coach. Not much chance of a trial and error; we cannot change much in our team. We are not in any hurry.”Kirsten was among the big-name coaching candidates linked to the head-coach’s role as well, but Hassan said that they are in talks with him about a more short-term role as he has two other coaching contracts in the IPL – he is likely to link up with Royal Challengers Bangalore – and the Big Bash League.”We were talking to Gary Kirsten for a consultant’s role. He would help us figure out what coach to hire for our national team, high-performance side and the Under-19s. He is booked up to February, in the Big Bash. He is involved with the IPL and Big Bash, which is why he is not interested to be the head coach.”If we permitted him to work in those leagues, then he may have agreed with us. But we can’t let our head coach go like that, which is what we have decided.”Hassan said that they are closing in on the deal with Kirsten. “He is available in the time outside his other roles. At this point, both sides are interested in the [consultancy] role. He will have an overall role in the development of Bangladesh cricket. It might be for six months, but it is hard to pinpoint these things without talking to him first. He is probably coming after February.”Hassan said that the new batting consultant appointment could be made as early as this week. Another former South Africa batsman in Neil McKenzie is reportedly a front-runner in the role, although the BCB was previously in talks with Grant Flower and Hashan Tillakaratne as well.”We are very close to announcing someone as a batting consultant. We wanted someone full-time but the person we’ve chosen is of a higher level. He said we don’t need a full-time batting consultant. He has said he will be here ahead of every series and when there are long breaks,” Hassan said, without revealing the name.

Karnataka marched to a 78-run victory, while Delhi chased down 101 in under 12 overs against Jammu & Kashmir

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2018Karun Nair’s 52-ball 111 helped Karnataka flatten Tamil Nadu by 78 runs in Vizianagaram to hand them their first loss in the South Zone group. Nair’s maiden T20 hundred came a day after his 42-ball 77 powered Karnataka to a controversial two-run win over Hyderabad.After Tamil Nadu elected to bowl, Karnataka lost opener Mayank Agarwal and No. 3 K Gowtham with only 14 runs on the board. But, Nair raised 83 runs in 47 balls in the company of R Samarth (19) and revved up the innings. Nair was the one-man hit machine for Karnataka, with only two of his team-mates reaching double figures. Seamer Athisayaraj Davidson ran through the lower order to finish with 5 for 30 even as Karnataka finished with 179 for 9.Tamil Nadu’s innings never took off as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Only Washington Sundar, opening the batting, made a handy contribution with a 26-ball 34 that included three fours and a six. Legspinner Praveen Dubey finished with an economical 4 for 19 from 3.3 overs.An all-round bowling effort helped Delhi restrict Jammu & Kashmir to 100 for 9 and complete an eight-wicket win with 8.3 overs to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Opting to bowl, Delhi’s seamers removed openers Ahmed Bandy and Jatin Wadhwan with the score on 0. While captain Parvez Rasool struck a 26-ball 37 and tried to stem the rot, his dismissal in the 15th over led to slide for J&K. Delhi captain Pradeep Sangwan (2 for 16) and Navdeep Saini (2 for 14) chipped away at the top order, before left-arm spinner Pawan Negi picked up three wickets in the middle order.There was hardly any hiccup in Delhi’s chase as openers Rishabh Pant and Sarthak Ranjan raised a 77-run stand in only 8.3 overs. While Pant smashed a 33-ball 51 with seven fours and two sixes, Ranjan, a controversial selection, struck 31 off 20 balls.