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India A were expected to consolidate their position against South Africa A on Saturday, but their middle and lower order crumbled in the opening hour as the last six wickets fell for only eight runs. The wrecker-in-chief was fast bowler Duanne Olivier, whose five wickets in the space of 18 deliveries bowled the hosts out for 345. India could add only 23 runs to their overnight total of 322 for 4.South Africa’s batsmen then ensured the initiative gained was capitalised on. Opener Sarel Erwee and No. 3 Zubayr Hamza struck half-centuries in a 154-run second-wicket partnership to deflate India. Only legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s double-strike – on either side of the tea break – removing both set batsmen, injected some life into the home side’s bowling attack. However, by stumps on day two the visitors had moved into a commanding position at 219 for 3, only 126 runs adrift.Despite the poor start to their morning, India A had an excellent beginning with the ball. Mohammed Siraj, fresh from a ten-wicket haul in the previous match, struck with his opening delivery, trapping the left-handed Pieter Malan lbw. But, Hamza and Erwee took charge thereafter, crunching 22 fours and two sixes in their partnership to help the visitors raze close to half of India A’s first-innings score.Both batsmen also benefitted from a missed opportunity each. At 56 for 1, offspinner Jayant Yadav beat the outside of the charging Erwee’s bat, but wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat’s fumbled stumping attempt meant that the opener survived. Next ball, Erwee cleared his front leg to thump a boundary over mid-on to further deflate India. In the 17th over, right-arm pacer Ankit Rajpoot found Hamza’s outside edge off a full delivery, but a dropped chance from Hanuma Vihari at second slip allowed the batsman to carry on. He struck two consecutive boundaries later in the over to move on to 45, giving India a glimpse of what can happen when opportunities aren’t taken. Hamza completed his 20th first-class half-century soon after – his third 50-plus score of the tour – reaching there in just 57 balls.With runs flowing freely post lunch, India’s shoulders began to droop. Captain Shreyas Iyer tried to keep morale up with chants of “Happy Birthday (brothers)”, ” (He’ll be out, Rajpoot) and (we need a wicket soon), but it didn’t change the home side’s fortunes. Hamza used his wrists to clip deliveries off his pads to the midwicket boundary, while two back-foot punches and a six over long on took Erwee to a half-century of his own. The duo brought up their 100-run stand with a six and the 150 of the partnership with a boundary. But a quicker Chahal delivery – edged to Iyer at first slip – broke the partnership in the 37th over, just before the tea break. Hamza had fallen just seven short of a century, but between lunch and tea, the batsmen had pummelled 118 runs in 28 overs for the loss of just one wicket.Chahal continued his spell after tea, and a lapse in Erwee’s concentration – and, perhaps a slice of bad luck – sent the opener back for 57. He came forward to sweep, but Chahal bowled another quicker one, which zipped under his bat and struck his front leg. The appeal was swiftly given out, but Erwee’s reaction on his way back suggested that he may have gotten bat to it. At 163 for 3, it was still South Africa’s day, and a patient unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 56 between No. 4 Rassie van der Dussen (18*) and No. 5 Rudi Second (35*) – who also made 94 in both innings during the first Test – ensured it stayed that way.In the morning, though, conditions for batting were not so easy. The KSCA Ground in Alur has no concrete stands or pavilions to block the wind blowing from either side, and that always helps pacers in the morning session. Olivier made the most of those conditions, first forcing Bharat, the overnight batsman, to inside-edge a punch onto his stumps and then removing Jayant with a full ball that rattled his middle stump. Chahal then sliced a drive to second slip to go down as Olivier’s fourth wicket, after which Nos. 10 and 11 were swiftly cleaned up. Olivier finished with his second-best first-class figures of 6 for 63 while Vihari, starting the day on 132, fell for 148 to the only other South African wicket-taker of the day – fast bowler Anrich Nortje.The day was spent completely under gloomy skies, but despite a continuous drizzle, rain did not force play to be paused. Umpires Yeshwant Barde and Vineet Kulkarni allowed the teams to continue as much as the playing conditions allowed them to, but dwindling natural light finally forced them to suspend play at 3.35pm for a brief period. The players returned soon after, but at 4.05pm – with the older red-ball getting harder to spot against the background – the umpires had to finally call for stumps some 16 overs short of a full day’s play.

Mikel Arteta praised Aaron Ramsdale's response to his howler against Brentford and revealed that Arsenal "wanted to win for him".

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Arsenal beat Brentford 2-1Ramsdale makes error in winArteta praises deputising keeperGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

The goalkeeper was handed a rare start for the Gunners, as number one David Raya was ineligible to face his parent club on Saturday, but things were not going well when Yoane Wissa charged down his clearance and equalised after Declan Rice's opener. However, the 25-year-old made a number of good saves after that and the north London side went onto claim all three points thanks to Kai Havertz's header. After the match, manager Arteta lauded Ramsdale's performance and character after bouncing back from that mistake.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

The Spaniard told reporters after the game: "Really happy especially because he [Ramsdale] did exactly what he is, a person with huge personality and courage, very determined. Errors are part of football. It's how you react to it, especially for the keepers which is probably the most difficult position. He did so in an amazing way. I'm not surprised because the whole team and the whole stadium was behind him. He has earned respect and admiration. We really wanted to win for him."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ramsdale made only his sixth Premier League start of the season and first since the reverse fixture against the Bees in November. Raya, who joined on an initial season-long loan from Thomas Frank's side last summer, quickly became the club's first-choice keeper and due to his lack of minutes, the England international has been linked with a transfer exit. While that may happen this summer, the former Sheffield United star could still have a part to play in Arsenal's bid to win the Premier League title this season – with the Gunners currently top of the table.

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WHAT NEXT?

Arsenal, who could be leapfrogged at the summit if either Manchester City or Liverpool win their heavyweight clash at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, are next in action on Tuesday at home to FC Porto in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.

However, it could yet be that the elements play a deciding factor with light often fading quickly at the end of the day’s play

Andrew McGlashan in Christchurch02-Apr-2018England’s overseas Test season will go to its 35th day. They have one left to salvage something. New Zealand’s summer goes to its final day. They have one left to cling on and secure a precious series victory.However, it could yet be that the elements play a deciding factor. The clocks have changed and the nights are drawing in. The fourth day was ended early by bad light, the players leaving the field at 4.20pm, and hopes of getting 98 overs on Tuesday appear fanciful given they are not being added to the start of the day due to concerns about dew. Even on Sunday, a brighter day, play finished at around 5.45pm. For the record, New Zealand are 42 for 0 chasing 382.It highlights the risk of playing Test cricket so late in the New Zealand season, and the fact that it has been pushed to the margins in this country, with the main part of summer given to the pay-billing white-ball formats. These two Tests would have been better the other way round with the floodlit match at Eden Park arranged to coincide with the shorter daylight hours.Still, if New Zealand are helped by some late gloom they will perhaps think it as evening the scales: last season they were denied an almost-certain series-levelling victory against South Africa in Hamilton when the final day was washed out. If they do come out of Christchurch with a draw – their chances of winning, with what would be the seventh-highest successful chase in Test history, are very slim – it will mean their outstanding performance in Auckland will be rewarded with just a fourth series win over England.New Zealand haven’t been at their best in this match, but have done well to cling to England’s coattails having slipped to 36 for 5 in the first innings. Had Jonny Bairstow been given out caught behind on 2 when Marias Erasmus didn’t spot an edge off Trent Boult – or had New Zealand not burnt their reviews earlier – the chase may even have been more realistic. England’s lead was 311 at the time.”It would be huge,” Craig McMillan, the New Zealand batting coach who played in the 1999 win over England, said of the prospect of taking the series. “We love playing England. The last series we played ended up 1-1. Series wins have been few and far between for New Zealand Test sides. In terms of history it would be very special but there’s a big day with lot of cricket ahead so lot of hard work to be done.Joe Root discusses the light with the umpires•Getty Images

“I’m very confident in our position. We’ve got a tough day ahead, make no bones about that. England are a top side, have quality bowlers and they going to challenge us right through the day. But once guys get in, which at times has been difficult for batsmen, there’s opportunities to score runs and bat a long time.”Tom Latham, given a life at slip on 23, and Jeet Raval, who was handed a working over by Stuart Broad and James Anderson, did well to remain unbeaten before the light closed in. The new ball has done less as the match has progressed, but remains challenging, while there were a few signs of grip for left-arm spinner Jack Leach who could yet be a significant factor on his debut.”It was really impressive. Obviously a tough period against two world-class new-ball bowlers and they had to work hard to get through,” McMillan said of the openers. “They got examined in different areas but they did a great job.”England know the conditions will be out of their hands, but remain confident they can create enough chances to level the series even though their second innings did not go entirely to plan. The back-to-back loss of Joe Root and Dawid Malan in the morning then Ben Stokes’ departure after lunch meant acceleration was put back a little. Root eventually declared nine down midway through the afternoon session following some belated blows from Bairstow.”We don’t know how long it will be, but there’s definitely enough in the pitch for us to take the wickets,” Bairstow said. “We’ve seen if you put the ball in the right areas we’ve beaten the outside edge consistently, Leachy bowled three overs this evening and some chances were created.””There’s not a massive amount although in the evening session there was a bit of purchase outside the left-hander’s off stump,” he added when speaking to Sky Sports. “He [Leach] needs to learn the right pace because it’s obviously slightly different to first-class cricket. I think he’s someone who’s going to learn very quickly.”Tomorrow is going to be a massive learning curve for him with the paces, lines and fields he wants to bowl to, but there’s no reason why he can’t come away with a few wickets.”England have however long the light allows to try and avoid setting a new record of 13 overseas Tests without a victory. Although, this has been a more encouraging display after hitting the depths of 58 all out in Auckland. There was a lot of talking between matches and the players have lifted significantly.”The way we came out in this Test was a lot better than we have throughout the winter,” Bairstow said. “That’s no coincidence after having a couple of chats and I think we are in a decent space as a group to lead into the summer.”One big push for both teams to earn what would be significant results. It could be an absorbing day of Test cricket. Sadly, it could all come to an unsatisfactory end in the dark.

A nasty injury to Nick Gubbins meant the South were always up against it in the chase as Lancashire duo Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood impressed

Dan Norcross in Barbados24-Mar-2018
ScorecardThey may or may not, as the late BBC Rugby Union commentator Bill McLaren might have said, “be singing and dancing in the streets north of an irregular line drawn somewhere between the South Chilterns and the North Malverns,” but either way the North players were blasting out their chorus of “We all grew up in a council house, now we want a cheque from Andrew Strauss” from the dressing room as England’s director of cricket handed over GBP40,000 following a crushing victory founded on the brilliance of Joe Clarke.The 3 Ws Oval, which hosted this series decider because the Kensington Oval has been given over to a music festival, is situated within the idyllic surroundings of the University of West Indies, Cave Hill campus, overlooking the sea. Three thirty-foot high stumps mark the spot where the great Sir Frank Worrell is buried and looms large over the playing area along with the West Indies’ Hall Of Fame.On a pitch that became increasingly sluggish over the course of the day, the North team wisely elected to bat and despite the early loss of Alex Davies, who saw his stumps splattered by another distinctly rapid delivery from the exciting left-armer Tom Barber, they continued the pattern of these matches by getting off to a flier.Man of the Series Clarke, who had so frustrated assistant coach Andy Flower with his dismissal on Wednesday was imperious, being particularly harsh initially on Jamie Porter and later on pretty much everyone. In tandem with Sam Hain, who himself could only resemble Jonathan Trott more if he shaved his head and surgically inserted a diastema into his front teeth, Clarke put on 143 for the second wicket and with the score motoring along at over six-an-over with wickets in hand, dreams of 350 or more were not far-fetched.But Hain played a hideous swipe the ball after reaching his 50 to be bowled by Porter and then Clarke fell in chaotic fashion soon after. A vigorous but distinctly speculative appeal for an lbw against Keaton Jennings had been turned down, but in the ensuing hullabaloo Clarke saw the opportunity to steal a leg-bye. Jennings was fixated on the umpire and entirely unaware of Clarke. Laurie Evans’ smart pick up and direct hit at the non-striker’s end was just enough to see the back of the man that Mark Ramprakash had identified as the player most likely to be playing within the senior England set-up before any of his other colleagues in the North side. His 112 from 98 balls contained five sixes and ten fours.The innings was in danger of imploding in a manner to which watchers of the England Test team have become only too accustomed of late. That it didn’t was due almost entirely to the busy ministrations of the skipper Steven Mullaney, who for the third time in the series rebuilt the North’s effort with a 50-plus partnership alongside the estimable Brett D’Oliveira and proved the value of experience accompanying some of the more precocious talents.Mullaney was the victim of another direct hit, this time from Sam Curran off his own bowling and the North closed on 296 for 8.The loss of Nick Gubbins to a bad-looking hamstring injury (that will be assessed in London on Monday) was a further massive blow to the South side. These teams have very much been selected along the lines of six batsmen, a keeper and four front line bowlers, so much depended on the makeshift opening pair of Bell-Drummond and Ollie Pope. Both thrived initially but after Bell-Drummond again fell when well set on 37 with the score on 87, the loss of Gubbins was acutely felt.South skipper Sam Northeast, in stark contrast to his Northern counterpart, got out rashly for a 24 ball 14 when really he needed to keep the prodigiously talented but young Pope company.Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson, consistently landing his leggies on a challenging length, tormented the South batsmen and went through his entire ten-over allocation without conceding a boundary while producing 1970s style figures of 1 for 27. Rawlins threatened to turn the game but his dismissal sparked a collapse of 2 for 3 from six balls, Saqib Mahmood again impressing when he bowled the full fast yorker at which he is ludicrously adept yet oddly reluctant to employ in the middle of the innings. In fairness he ended as the series’ leading wicket taker with nine wickets; seven of which were clean bowled.The innings inevitably dribbled out, 93 runs short of the target. It was the least exciting of the three matches but it should take nothing away from what has been an enthralling series in which a number of young players have impressed the selectors, and a few more seasoned professionals such as Mullaney and D’Oliveira have selflessly provided the necessary ballast to make for splendid contests.After the game Strauss spoke glowingly about the contributions across the three matches of Clarke, Gubbins, Rawlins, Parkinson, Pope and Matt Critchley. Alongside Barber, who really does possess some exciting pace, causing D’Oliveira and Clarke to hop and sway on numerous occasions today and Curran, who every day looks more like a bowling allrounder with an ever increasing bag of (perhaps Jade Dernbach inspired) variations at the death, there is plenty to be excited about the future of England cricket out here in Barbados. And given what is transpiring in New Zealand, it was a pleasing sight.

While for many, the September international break is a useful time to take stock of new additions and assess where a club is currently at, for Tottenham Hotspur this current halt to proceedings couldn't have come at a worse time, with the Lilwyhites having been flying high in recent weeks.

The fear will be that the north Londoners will lose the early season momentum that has been gained following an unbeaten start to the new Premier League campaign, with Ange Postecoglou's side currently just two points behind champions Manchester City at the top of the table.

Spurs' rapid improvement under their new coach was particularly evident during the recent 5-2 thrashing of newly-promoted Burnley, with that clinical away performance showcasing the free-flowing attacking football that the former Celtic boss is attempting to implement.

Among the star performers at Turf Moor on the day was hat-trick hero, Heung-min Son, with the South Korean star stepping into the shoes of former partner-in-crime Harry Kane by leading the line through the middle.

That somewhat surprise selection paid instant dividends for Postecoglou, with there a potential for further inventive tactical tweaks to lie in-store for other members of the squad…

How has Heung-min Son performed this season?

Despite having begun the season in his usual left-wing berth, the continued woes of teammate Richarlison – who has just a solitary league goal to his name across the last 12 months – saw Son installed as the main man in attack against the Clarets.

That alteration proved a real masterstroke as the long-serving Tottenham ace produced a delightful, delicate dink over the onrushing James Trafford to draw the visitors level early in the first half, before executing two further ruthless finishes after the break to clinch a stunning treble.

With no senior striker having been signed to replace Kane, the 31-year-old looks like he could be at least a strong short-term solution in that number nine berth, with journalist Alasdair Gold having predicted that he could fill that hole in a "different but effective way".

It may still be early days, although the success of that tactical shift may inspire Postecoglou to carry out another surprise act by re-housing Dejan Kulusevski elsewhere in the side, with there a possibility that the elegant Swede could be an option alongside James Maddison in the centre of midfield.

How has Dejan Kulusevski performed this season?

The 23-year-old has started every game in the league so far this term since seeing his loan deal made permanent over the summer, with the former Juventus man notably scoring in the win away to AFC Bournemouth last month.

Despite that regular role in the side in his usual right-wing berth, it was suggested by 90min back in June that Postecoglou was not overly convinced by the £25m winger, with the player seemingly needing to win over his new boss.

That had come following what was a difficult 2022/23 campaign for the Stockholm native as he scored just twice in the top flight – albeit while contributing seven assists – with pundit Glenn Murray stating that the misfiring forward had been "blowing hot and cold" as a marker of his inconsistency.

After previously netting 13 goals and assists in just 18 league games at the tail-end of the 2021/22 campaign following his January loan arrival from Turin, there is clearly a talented player in there, yet a change in position might allow his qualities to be truly showcased.

What are Dejan Kulusevski's strengths?

As football.london's Gold wrote following the victory at Turf Moor, the £110k-per-week asset may be 'looking nervously over his shoulder at Brennan Johnson's arrival', particularly with summer signing Manor Solomon also impressing on the other flank after registering two assists.

30 games

23 starts

2 goals

7 assists

11.7x possession lost per game

83% pass accuracy rate

1.7 tackles & interceptions per game

Stats via Sofascore

With Spurs splashing out £47.5m on the aforementioned Johnson, the expectation is that the ex-Nottingham Forest man will slot into one of those three forward positions, potentially leaving Kulusevski resigned to the bench for the coming weeks and months.

According to respected source Premier League Panel, writing on Twitter, if the Sweden star is to be ousted from his attacking berth it may prove something of a blessing in disguise, as playing on the right wing "doesn’t maximise Kulusevski’s ball-striking, large space ball-carrying, ability to turn with pressure on his back & weighting of [through] balls."

As PLP went on to add, that may see the one-time Parma man line-up alongside Maddison as a creative, number eight option behind the front line, particularly when coming up against "deep blocks" who will look to sit behind the ball.

The evidence is that Kulusevski has the playmaking quality to be able to break down such a pragmatic defensive unit, having created seven 'big chances' in the Premier League last season – a tally only bettered by Kane, Son and Ivan Perisic among his teammates.

Can Kulusevski play in midfield?

The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare also noted that the 6 foot 2 menace 'could possibly excel' as number eight as he 'prefers to play centrally', with that surprise claim offering further support to the notion that a change of position could be what is need to truly revive his form at N17.

At present, Postecoglou has looked to a more solid foundation of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr behind Maddison in central midfield, although as alluded to above, certain games and opponents could see Kulusevski's talents best utilised in that role.

It is not as if the versatile gem hasn't lined up in a more central before, having made 65 career appearances as a centre midfielder to date – according to Transfermarkt – as well as a further 26 outings as an attacking midfield option.

Despite having previously flourished under Antonio Conte during his first six months in England as a winger, Kulusevski could follow in Son's footsteps by trying his hand elsewhere in the side, particularly with Johnson likely chomping at the bit to take his place on the flanks.

For 24.4 overs, Rashid Khan prowled wicketless back and forth to his bowling mark. There were some scowls and maybe a few growls mixed in too, because for someone who strikes once every 14 balls in T20Is and every 5.3 overs at the worst of times in first-class matches, this was unusually long.A plethora of exuberant and exasperated lbw appeals from Rashid had been turned down, and one started to wonder if UAE’s line-up had tapped into a secret supply of Kryptonite to magically repel Afghanistan’s superhuman spinner.And then suddenly, Rashid zeroed in on his antagonist’s vulnerability. An inside edge off Saqlain Haider’s pads popped into the circus hands of Javed Ahmadi for a juggling catch. It was the kind of chance that, throughout the previous day and a half, would have found a way to pop out, but Ahmadi’s nervy grab was just the slice of fortune Rashid had been searching for. A few overs later, he took three wickets in four balls and Afghanistan’s star leggie was back spinning on his normal axis.”There wasn’t any difference except luck,” Rashid told ESPNcricinfo after bagging five wickets in the second innings of Afghanistan’s ten-wicket Intercontinental Cup win. “I didn’t have enough luck yesterday. I bowled some good, wicket balls but didn’t get wickets on them. That was, you could say, a bad day for me, 20 overs without a wicket.”I just tried my best to bowl in a good-length area. It didn’t matter if I get wickets or not but my main target was to bowl in a good-length area. Today, I was trying the same area and it was lucky for me today to get some wickets.”On a flat pitch that didn’t change much over the course of the three and a half days, Afghanistan were made to sweat in the field. Most teams struggle to bat 100 overs against Afghanistan in two combined innings in an I-Cup match, let alone a single innings. It had been 13 matches since an opponent had done so against Afghanistan, that too by UAE at Sharjah in 2011.Winning had come easy to them in this tournament, with four consecutive innings wins all wrapped up inside three days with two of them in less than two. So to have an opponent show a bit of backbone at the crease was something they were unaccustomed to. And yet, Afghanistan’s focus rarely wavered. Even when Rashid wasn’t taking wickets, he wasn’t bowling half-trackers. His team’s disciplined efforts eventually reaped rewards.Rashid Khan fulfills selfie requests from eager Afghanistan supporters•Peter Della Penna

“It means a lot to us to finish the I-Cup,” Rashid said. “It’s a good preparation for Test cricket for us. We’ll play against some good teams. It was a very challenging two days for us. In upcoming games against big teams, we’ll have days like this and we learned a lot from it.”We are second-time winners of the I-Cup. The guys did a wonderful job in this Cup. We are unbeaten. We worked hard for it. It was a tough challenge to get UAE out twice on a wicket like this. We were trying our best to get them out as early as possible but they played really well and played some good cricket in the second innings.”Taking the last wicket and then when [Ahmadi and Ihsanullah] chased the 19 runs, it was a really proud moment for Afghanistan. It will be the last time playing in the I-Cup so to finish it on a winning note is a really great feeling for us.”The other aspect of Afghanistan’s win that Rashid found satisfying was their consistency despite the scarcity of matches in the tournament. When Afghanistan first joined the Intercontinental Cup in 2009, they played seven matches over 18 months.The following edition was stretched out by an extra 12 months with the same number of matches. On the other hand, Associates have a far steadier diet of limited-overs fixtures to keep themselves busy. For Rashid, the ability to be dialed in – despite the lengthy stretches between four-day matches – is a testament to the side’s preparation.”It’s very tough to play a tournament like this in which you have a gap, you play a match, then you have to play T20s, ODIs, then again come back for this tournament,” Rashid said. “So it’s very tough to keep the consistency and we did really well. From the start, they performed and did well in every match.”Their concentration level was very good. So if you are getting something from a Test nation, you have to be ready for these things. I think the guys switch off, switch on really well in ODIs and T20s and then coming for this format and how to utilise yourself in this cricket. So it feels really good. We had lots of good memories in it and we really enjoyed this.”Rashid ends the tournament with 23 wickets, tied for fifth overall, but they came in just three games. Up until last December, his focus had been entirely on limited-overs formats and only made his I-Cup debut in March against Ireland. He had already taken 12 wickets on first-class debut against England Lions and the way he left Ed Joyce and the rest of the Irish line-up flummoxed showed he had the capacity to be a Test-match prospect. It continues the remarkable surge Rashid has made since his international debut in an ODI in Zimbabwe in October 2015.”It was a really special two years for me from when I started against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe,” Rashid said. “From there on it’s just keeping on. I just try my best to do the basics right and then see the results. I think the motivation I got from team-mates, senior players, the skippers, they really help me.”Then to come play in big leagues and share the dressing room with them, it really helps me to play under good coaches. So you get a lot of experience from these things and then come to play for the national side. I really enjoyed myself the last two years and really worked hard for it. we will try our best to keep continuing it in the future as well.”

Punjab, led by the returning Harbhajan Singh, were shot out 147 as Bengal‘s Pradipta Pramanik and B Amit shared six wickets between them on the opening day in Amritsar. Eighteen-year-old Shubman Gill, in his comeback match after an injury layoff, provided the lone resistance, top scoring with 63.Opting to bat, Punjab lost Jiwanjot Singh in the 10th over to Pramanik’s left-arm spin to trigger a collapse that resulted in them being shot out in just 46 overs. Gill apart, no other batsman topped 15. In reply, Bengal were off to a strong start, finishing on 70 for no loss at stumps, with Abhishek Raman (42*) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (33*) at the crease.Keenan Vaz led the middle-order resistance for Goa as they folded for 239 against Vidarbha in Porvorim. The hosts crashed to 92 for 6 having elected to bat first, as Vidarbha spinners Akshay Wakhare and Aditya Sarwate picked seven wickets between them. Vaz’s 72 took them to 216 for 8, before the last two batsmen folded.Diwesh Pathania (4 for 45) and Vikas Yadav (3 for 10) dismantled Chattisgarh as they were bowled out for 130 against Services on the opening day in Raipur. Wicketkeeper-batsman Manoj Singh’s 53 of 117, laced with seven boundaries, provided the sole resistance for the hosts, as four of their batsmen walked back for a duck. Services seamer Pathania scalped his fifth three-for this Ranji Trophy season. In reply, openers Navneet Singh (17*) and Ravi Chauhan (21*) took Services to 39 for no loss at stumps.

Chelsea are fairly ramping up their efforts in the transfer window as Mauricio Pochettino looks set to further bolster his squad with the acquisition of AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi.

With Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson already arriving in London, it appears as though the Blues are now strengthening their defence ahead of the new campaign.

Have Chelsea signed Axel Disasi?

According to Fabrizio Romano, a deal is 'done' to sign Disasi from the Ligue 1 side.

The Athletic believe the fee to be around €45m (£38m) and it represents the second transfer window in a row that Chelsea have signed a defender from Monaco, having signed Benoit Badiashile in January.

Romano has since also stated that the player will fly in for a medical which is booked for Monday.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

With Wesley Fofana out injured for the foreseeable future, Pochettino reiterated the need for another defender, saying: “Fofana is injured, so it’s obvious that maybe we need to reinforce this area. It’s clear.”

Could Axel Disasi improve Chelsea?

Pochettino was charged with trimming the Chelsea squad during the transfer window and with 13 players already departing, it’s certainly a good start, giving him the funds to sign a few new players.

He will be looking to give some of the players signed last season a new lease of life, with Enzo Fernandez being one, especially considering he has the talent to become one of the finest midfielders in the league.

The 22-year-old has showcased his abilities on the big stage across the previous 365 days and compared to positional peers, he ranks in the top 3% for progressive passes per 90 (9.25) and in the top 1% for passes into the final third per 90 (9.09), suggesting he provides a reliable attacking outlet from the base of the midfield, trying to get the ball into dangerous positions often.

With the arrival of Disasi, Pochettino could perhaps make his compatriot unplayable by having a progressive centre-back playing just behind him and making the transition from defence to attack that much easier.

The Frenchman is certainly a more fluid option to have in the defence considering his penchant for starting attacks wherever possible. Compared to positional peers, the 25-year-old ranks in the top 4% for progressive carries (1.7) and progressive passes (5.8) per 90, while also ranking in the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.57).

This clearly indicates that the defender aims to move the ball forward at any given opportunity while not being afraid to take on opposition players and this could give Fernandez some added freedom in the centre of the midfield.

The “complete & dominant” Frenchman – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – also made 1.5 interceptions and 2.9 clearances per game for Monaco in Ligue 1 last term, which would have seen him rank joint-second and fourth respectively in the Chelsea squad.

This proves that his defensive ability is also solid, despite preferring a more advanced approach to the position.

There is no doubt he would be a wonderful signing and as mentioned previously, Fernandez could become unplayable next season with the four-cap titan linking up with him on a regular basis.

West Brom have thrown their hat into the ring over a potential deal for Ao Tanaka, with reports suggesting that interest is mounting in the midfielder this summer.

Who is Ao Tanaka?

The 24-year-old currently plays for Dusseldorf in the second tier of German football, the 2.Bundesliga. Last season, he featured 22 times for the club as they finished fourth in the league, with the midfielder also managing one goal and one assist along the way in that division for his side. He originally joined them in the 2021/22 campaign and actually featured for them more in the league that year, with his game time dropping off slightly last time out.

Tanaka, who shares the same agency as Matt Phillips and Nathaniel Chalobah, began his career in his native Japan with Kawasaki Frontale, having been given his J1 League debut as a 19-year-old. He played only four times in that initial campaign but got his first taste of success as the club stormed to the league title.

He would go on to build on that trophy haul too, featuring much more prominently over the next four seasons as Frontale won a further two division titles. He eventually managed to rack up 79 league outings for them in total during his time there and produced eight goals and eight assists despite his position on the field.

These showings also led to Tanaka being called up to his national team of Japan. Having worked his way up through the youth ranks and played for their Under-16 and Under-23 sides, he was handed his debut back in 2019. The 24-year-old has since gone on to gather 19 caps on the international stage and has bagged three goals. The central player then, is both experienced with performing at the highest level with a club having won trophies in Japan and is experienced on the big stage in terms of playing for his country too.

Are West Brom signing Ao Tanaka?

Now, according to a report from Rheinische Post via West Brom News, there is interest in taking Tanaka to England this summer. West Brom are named as one of the clubs that are keeping a close eye on the midfielder, with Leicester another side that are weighing up a move to take him to the Championship.

No official bid has been made by any of these sides yet, but this report states that he could leave this transfer window as, whilst there is no move in the pipeline, things can change quickly. It does also add that interest is mounting, suggesting that perhaps there could be bids in the future.

If the Baggies were able to land Tanaka, then it could turn out to be a very good move. Carlos Corberan is trying to build a squad that is capable of pushing on and mounting at least a play-off push this season and Tanaka has the know-how of competing and winning titles.

Whilst he is obviously unproven in England having never played there previously, his level of experience in playing with his country and winning trophies could prove to be invaluable as West Brom aim to try and gain promotion from the Championship in 2023/24.

Liverpool are "actively working" on bringing Romeo Lavia to Anfield despite there being "nothing advanced" between the Reds and Southampton at present, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Lavia joining Liverpool?

Jurgen Klopp has barely had a moment to catch his breath this summer. Alongside sporting director and compatriot Jorg Schmadtke, the Reds boss has been busy in the transfer window already and his hectic schedule shows no signs of slowing down as the beginning of the season edges closer.

Liverpool have already signed Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai having lost Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Roberto Firmino on free transfers.

The Reds have also been busy finalising loan deals for a number of the club's young prospects including Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg and Calvin Ramsay.

But Klopp has already made it clear that he is far from done in the market as his squad still looks some way from being able to rediscover the blistering form exhibited in previous seasons.

With Jordan Henderson having all but left for Al Ettifaq and Fabinho potentially on his way to Saudi Arabia too, Klopp will need to bolster his midfield even further in the transfer window.

Therefore, Liverpool's interest in Romeo Lavia could materialise into a transfer this summer, with the 19-year-old Southampton midfielder destined for a return to the Premier League off the back of a wonderful season on the south coast.

According to transfer expert Romano, Liverpool are still working on a deal to bring the Belgian to Anfield but there are is nothing concrete in place between the Reds and Southampton.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "Mentioning Liverpool, let me say again that nothing is advanced in terms of bids and club to club negotiation, but Liverpool keep working on Romeo Lavia deal.

"Liverpool are keeping contacts with his agent, are still discussing to understand the final price tag. Southampton always wanted around £50m but Liverpool are still hoping for a different fee at the end of the story. So, Liverpool are still there for Romeo Lavia. He's not the only target but for sure he's a target and is a concrete one."

He added: "Liverpool actively working on that on player side. Let's see what happens on that one."

Links with Lavia had gone somewhat quiet in recent days but this will come as positive news to Liverpool fans hopeful of securing the teenager's signature this summer.

Lavia would be an obvious replacement for Fabinho should he leave the club and at 19-years-old could be a starter for the Reds for years and years to come, but Klopp may have to fend off interest from Chelsea and Arsenal to land his target.

How good is Lavia?

Lavia made 29 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season following his arrival from Manchester City and continually shone in an often pitiful Saints side.

A defensive midfielder with a great reading of the game, Lavia averaged 2.43 tackles, 1.9 blocks and 1.34 interceptions per 90 minutes in the league last season, despite often being left woefully exposed by those around him.

At times he was required to be one-man midfield and performed admirably in such a role, especially given it was his debut season in the Premier League, and the one-cap international averaged a 6.8 Sofascore rating last campaign.

At 19-years-old he may not be ready to start 40+ games for Liverpool next season, which is one dilemma Klopp faces if he brings the inexperienced prodigy to Merseyside, but his potential makes him a tantalising prospect at a relatively low price point.