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The match referees of the Durban and Trinidad Tests, Andy Pycroft and Ranjan Madugalle respectively, have rated the two outfields for the matches as “poor”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2016The outfields at Kingsmead and Queen’s Park Oval have been rated poor by the ICC match referees who oversaw the washed out Tests between South Africa and New Zealand in Durban, and West Indies and India in Trinidad.The ICC said the officials – Andy Pycroft in Durban and Ranjan Madugalle in Trinidad – had expressed concerns in accordance with clause three of the Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. The match referees’ reports have been forwarded to the concerned home boards, the WICB and Cricket South Africa, which now have 14 days to respond. CSA’s response, the ICC said, will be reviewed by ICC general manager, cricket, Geoff Allardice, while match referee David Boon will assess the WICB’s reply.Then, as per the rules, the grounds will either receive a warning or a fine not exceeding USD 15,000, along with “a directive for appropriate corrective action”. A repeat offence over the next five years would draw a fine not exceeding USD 30,000.In all, 11 sessions out of 15 were lost to a wet and soft outfield at Kingsmead, while in Port of Spain West Indies and India were able to play only one session across five days.It was the first Test played in Trinidad in August, which is the wet season there, and rain had hampered preparations in the days leading up to the match but during the game itself there was largely sunshine. However, with there not being enough covers at the ground to protect the bowlers’ run-ups or the outfield, and no super sopper available either, the outfield did not recover enough to allow play. The draw meant that India, who needed to win the Test to retain their No. 1 Test ranking, lost the top spot to Pakistan. The Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board had already said it would investigate the reasons behind the washout.The Durban Test was also scheduled in what is traditionally the off season in South Africa, during the winter. Rain forced the players off the field around lunch on day two, and the big damage was done to the outfield that night, when the ground took 65mm of water. Here, too, the covers did not protect large parts of the field, and the super sopper was made to stop operating for fear it would do further damage to the soft patches that persisted into day five despite no more rain falling.There were concerns over the Kingsmead outfield being underprepared even before the match began, as it had been relaid in June following complaints from South Africa and New Zealand that the surface was too hard during the limited-overs games played there last year. Similar comments were levelled at Centurion, the venue of the upcoming second Test, but the SuperSport Park outfield was relaid in April once the season ended; work could not get underway at Kingsmead till the Comrades Marathon – for which it is the ending point – was completed on May 29.

Legal counsel for the USA Cricket Association (USACA) has sent former executive secretary Kenwyn Williams a cease and desist letter, ordering him to refrain from filing a temporary restraining order against Broward County Florida over the sanctioning of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches scheduled for next month at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. Williams had sent an email on June 13 asking the County to cancel the six CPL matches and in the days since has progressively stepped up his threats to sue the county over the sanctioning of the matches.”You have no authority to bring this lawsuit or other legal action in the name of USACA or any of its regions or members,” Marshall Beil, USACA’s representing attorney at the law firm McGuire Woods, LLP, wrote to Williams in an email on Tuesday afternoon. USACA president Gladstone Dainty, ICC head of global development Tim Anderson and Broward County officials were also copied on the email, which has been obtained by ESPNcricinfo. “No suit has been authorized by USACA or any subdivision of USACA. You are not an officer or director of USACA, and you are not authorized to act on behalf of USACA or any region or subdivision of USACA.”USACA demands that you cease and desist from threatening and/or instituting legal action in the name of USACA or any region, league or member of USACA. If you proceed with your threatened action, USACA will inform the court of your complete lack of standing and authority to sue and will hold you personally responsible for any damages, costs and fees, including legal fees, your actions may cause.”The current imbroglio involving Williams and USACA was set in motion on June 9, when USACA vice president Owen Grey issued a letter to the ICC informing it that USACA would “take action” against the ICC’s continued suspension of it. Grey stated that USACA had appointed Williams to represent it in a legal capacity and that Williams would be the USACA delegate attending this month’s ICC annual conference in Scotland.Williams then sent Broward County and CPL officials the June 13 email in which he asked them to cancel the six CPL matches at the end of July, claiming that the county had not pursued proper sanctioning. The ICC had stripped USACA of its sanctioning authority for games in the USA in June 2015 at the time of its administrative suspension, though Williams claimed in his letter to county officials that USACA continues to maintain sanctioning authority and it had yet to be sought from USACA.According to documents obtained by ESPNcricinfo, Williams sent a subsequent email on June 14, notifying Broward County officials that he was intending to pursue litigation against Broward County Parks & Recreation manager Duncan Finch for “being in violation of the sanctioning policy of USA Cricket” and that in order to avoid “unnecessary litigation” Williams was reaching out to achieve “an amicable resolution to this dispute”.”As we believe that we will suffer irreparable harm, we do intend to seek a court order granting a preliminary injunction,” Williams wrote to Patrice Eichen of the Broward County Attorney’s Office. Eichen responded on June 16, telling Williams that the County had issued a sanctioning permit to the CPL for the six matches.”The County has determined that CPL has complied with or is in the process of complying with the County’s requirements related to issuance of a Park Permit to host the events at CBRP,” Eichen wrote. “The County does not believe there is any violation of County policies to justify taking action to stop the upcoming events.”Williams then responded once again on Monday, June 20, attaching a draft document for a temporary restraining order in which USACA’s Southeast Regional board – which represents Florida among other states – is listed as a plaintiff in proposed legal action against proposed defendants Broward County Parks and Recreation, Finch and Lauderhill mayor Richard Kaplan. In the draft seeking injunctive relief, Williams repeatedly bases his course for action on a position that USACA still maintains sanctioning authority for matches in the USA.”All cricket matches in the USA or cricket events held in the USA require the approval of USACA unless they are already specifically approved or pre-approved,” the draft document states. “Defendants have intervened and bypassed the sanction procedures of USACA to partner directly with the CPL to tortuously interfere with USACA’s business relationship, causing irreparable injury to plaintiffs’ revenue potential and reputation.”Among the other claims made in the draft document sent by Williams to Broward County officials threatening a lawsuit are that USACA is a non-profit organization which “derives its revenue in part from grants and sanction fees from cricket events”. As such, the proposed legal action argues that the “defendants’ planned cricket events are of a high commercial value and will deprive USACA of substantial revenue needed to promote cricket to its thousands of members throughout the USA,” and, furthermore, that such legal action would be in the public’s interest.”Plantiffs will also lose the credibility to conduct business with other third parties if they can cut out the sanctioning procedures of USACA, thereby causing irreparable injury and loss of substantial revenue to plaintiffs,” the proposed suit says. “Defendants are holding a sporting event for entertainment purposes for a small demographic of fans. The events if enjoined will not disserve the public interest. The members of USACA as well as the members in the Southeast Region will be more disserved if defendants are not enjoined.”However, USACA’s own legal rebuttal from Beil contradicts Williams’ view that legal action against Broward County would serve USACA positively. As of now, Williams has yet to follow through on officially filing the proposed suit in Broward County.Meanwhile, Grey has told ESPNcricinfo that Williams still has the support of the board to act as a legal liaison for USACA and Beil’s directive does not necessarily represent the majority view of the USACA board.”I am aware of [Beil’s] letter,” Grey said. “However, USACA’s lawyer was instructed to do so by Gladstone Dainty, not the board of directors. An emergency BOD [meeting] is scheduled to address this issue.”

Arsenal have set their sights on signing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer, after his impressive recent form, according to a report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

It is clear that Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a new striker in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal said to be monitoring numerous targets, including Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who the manager is believed to admire.

The Gunners are also said to be among the main contenders for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, and the Serbian could be allowed to leave this summer, although he would not come cheap, with his current club set to demand at least €90m (£80m).

Having been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium back in October 2021, Watkins has now reemerged as a target for Arteta, although his current club are very eager to keep him.

According to a report from Football Insider, Arsenal have set their sights on signing the striker, and they will continue to monitor his situation as he opens contract talks with Villa in the coming weeks.

Despite the Gunners' interest, however, all parties are confident a deal can be struck to keep the 27-year-old at Villa Park on a long-term basis, with Unai Emery keen to offer him fresh terms.

The £75k-per-week star's current deal runs until June 2025, but he is set to be offered a bumper new contract, which could hamper Arteta's chances of signing him.

Should Arsenal sign Ollie Watkins?

Even though Villa have been in fantastic form as of late, now up to sixth in the Premier League table, it would surely be hard for the forward to turn down the league-leaders, if they did come calling in the summer.

Arsenal would be getting their hands on a player in fantastic form, scoring 11 goals in his last 14 games, with Rio Ferdinand claiming that he is "sitting alongside" Erling Haaland since the World Cup, in terms of his attacking output.

During Villa's emphatic 3-0 victory against Newcastle United on Saturday, football writer Jordan Cronin lauded him as causing "absolute mayhem" for Eddie Howe's side, while other members of the media called him "incredible".

This is not the first season Watkins has impressed in the Premier League, having now reached double figures for goals in three campaigns on the spin, and he could reach even loftier heights at the Emirates Stadium.

Beau Webster’s second century for Tasmania allowed the visitors to scrap their way to 9 for 269 after the first day-night of the Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Evan Gulbis contributed with a counterattacking 40•Getty Images

Beau Webster’s second century for Tasmania allowed the visitors to scrap their way to 9 for 269 after the first day-night of the Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba.Playing under upgraded lights that Queensland Cricket officials hope will be used for a floodlit Test match next summer, Webster formed handy unions with Jake Doran and Ben McDermott to lift the Tigers from an unsteady early position of 3 for 41 after George Bailey won the toss.Bailey was out to a duck to the still new ball to be the third wicket of the day, after James Hopes had defeated Ben Dunk and Jordan Silk fell prey to the height and bounce of Peter George.Webster, who had made a fine century against Victoria in Tasmania’s previous match, played with good sense and found the boundary regularly – conditions easing as afternoon changed into night.There was one concern for Cricket Australia as the latest version of the pink ball, now with black stitching designed to improve visibility, had to be changed by the Bulls before it was 20 overs old.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has claimed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to start Everton’s next game even if passed fit, as the club attempt to navigate his injury problems.

What’s the latest on Calvert-Lewin?

The striker has been in poor form for Everton with just one league goal to his name this season, and he has suffered from a number of injury setbacks.

He has missed the last two games for his club which both resulted in losses where Everton failed to score, and Neal Maupay deputised in his absence.

He could return as Sean Dyche’s side face Nottingham Forest, but the extent of his current fitness is unclear.

Speaking on the Premier FPL Injuries channel, Dinnery claimed that even if Calvert-Lewin is fit enough to play a part against Forest, he will not start for fears that he could injure himself again.

(22:50) “Sean Dyche said that he will monitor the fitness of Dominic Calvert Lewin, of course, he’s been sidelined with that hamstring issue,” he stated.

“The wider circle is, it’s not the here and now, it’s about bringing him back and keeping him back for the remainder of the season. So that’s the conundrum that Sean Dyche is in, so for that reason, even if he is passed fit, I don’t see him starting.”

Who should start up front for Everton?

Both Calvert-Lewin and Maupay have been disappointing, with just two league goals between them, whilst Everton’s current top scorer Demarai Gray has not started their last five league games.

Gray could start through the middle until Calvert-Lewin is fully fit, and if the 26-year-old can add more goals to the side, then Calvert-Lewin could face a fight on his hands to regain his place.

Another option is young forward Ellis Simms, who returned to the club in January after a loan spell at Sunderland, but question marks remain on whether he can make the step up from the Championship to the Premier League.

Everton are in a battle for survival, and their striking issues are a huge factor in their poor form this season. They have scored just 17 goals in 25 league games, and if these problems are not resolved soon, they could face a first-ever relegation from the Premier League.

Everton have lacked a potent goalscorer ever since Romelu Lukaku left Goodison Park behind in 2017, the Belgian's departure to Manchester United scarring the Toffees to this very day.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has attempted to be the new star striker up top for the Merseyside-based outfit over the last few years, but injuries have hindered the 26-year-old from ever reaching his full potential in attack – only scoring two goals in total last campaign from 17 appearances, in an injury-ravaged season for the former Sheffield United man.

The 6 foot 2 attacker has recaptured his form recently however, shrugging off reoccurring fitness concerns to net four goals from 11 matches in all competitions.

Still, Everton cannot rely on Calvert-Lewin to lead the line and Sean Dyche will be disappointed that two new faces into the building this summer in attack haven't really got going yet – reinforcements Beto and Youssef Chermiti yet to net a single Premier League goal between them.

Everton transfer news

The former Burnley boss turned Toffees head coach could look to Germany for a new recruit this January in prolific young forward Winsley Boteli, with reports suggesting the Blues are very much interested in the Swiss sharpshooter who is taking the U19 Bundesliga by storm.

Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported on social media that Dyche's outfit are keeping a close eye on Boteli, with scouts from the Merseyside club monitoring the wonderkid before a concrete approach is considered.

Everton face competition from Italian giants Juventus too however, the Italian giants equally keen on the 17-year-old to bolster their attacking options.

The teenage star is likely way off first-team football with the Toffees, but Dyche will hope they can strike gold by potentially bringing Boteli into the building who could progress further in his new surroundings.

As a result, he could give healthy competition to the current crop of misfiring reserve attackers at Goodison Park with the five-time Switzerland U18 International in red-hot goalscoring form for Borussia Mönchengladbach's U19's currently.

How Boteli compares to Lukaku

Heralded as a "terrific prospect" by football journalist and scout António Mango, Boteli has been deadly for Gladbach this season in front of goal.

Imposing for a player still learning the ropes at 17 – Boteli a towering presence at 6-foot – the Swiss attacker's main strengths lie in his ability to stride forward effortlessly with the ball at his feet before unleashing a deadly strike that – more times than not – hits the back of the net with venom.

It's led to the Gladbach teenager netting 12 goals in just ten U19 Bundesliga starts this season, scoring two hat-tricks in this goal-laden spell with Boteli managing one last time out versus Alemannia Aachen U19s to steer his side to an impressive 4-1 win on the road.

Immediately the goal tally at youth level is comparable to that of Lukaku, who found the net 131 times in 93 appearances for Anderlecht's youth sides.

Likened to former Everton dud Moise Kean in his style of play – who coincidentally was also compared to the aforementioned Lukaku after signing – Boteli is comfortable asserting himself to aerial duels whilst also equally adept with running through with pace.

The Toffees will have hopeful ambitions this January, therefore, that they can land the in-demand youngster at the expense of other clubs.

The Blues will have to be patient however – stepping up from U19 football to the English top flight instantly is an unmanageable leap – but Everton will plan to give Boteli time to flourish in the youth set-ups if they win his services before unleashing him further down the line into the cut and thrust of senior Premier League football.

Shane Warne believes Australia’s cricketers have been guilty of whingeing too much in recent times, but doubts that following the friendly example set by New Zealand is the way forward for a national team currently subject to a cultural review after the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.Having become the latest big name to sign with paywalled coverage of cricket in Australia, as part of a A$1 billion television deal signed last month, Warne’s many and varied opinions are set to be ever-present on the network. His first observation was that he had sensed an attitude problem in the Australian team before Cape Town.”I’m not sure there were team culture problems…but I have noticed there is a lot of whingeing coming out of the Australian camp in recent times, about the opposition and things like that,” Warne told . “I think that’s un-Australian, I have never really heard any Australian sides do that.”But I think it’s a great opportunity for everyone in world cricket to draw a line in the sand and say ‘how do we want to play the game? What do we stand for? What’s the style of play we want?’ I don’t think we want to play like the Kiwis, which I heard someone say. I mean, c’mon. The Kiwis, no thank you.”But we probably want something in between the Kiwis and Australia at the moment. I want us to play hard but fair, tough, uncompromising cricket, but shake hands and play in the spirit of the game and show good sportsmanship.”Justin Langer, Warne’s former team-mate, was named the national team coach across formats, with Tim Paine named captain. In another interview with Fox Sports, Warne said that he remained sceptical about Paine as a long-term leader on the basis that he does not believe a wicketkeeper should also be saddled with the burden of captaincy.”I’d say it to Gilly face to face, I don’t think keepers make good captains,” Warne said of his fellow Fox Sports commentator, Adam Gilchrist. “I think they make good deputies and are fantastic vice-captains to bounce off to set the standard of fielding.”I don’t think Paine is a long-term option – even though he’s done a great job in the short time he’s been there – but right now we just need to take stock. We have Justin Langer doing all forms, which is great. Eventually, I think that will branch out to a red ball and white ball coach, and we may have different captains in different forms of cricket.”At the moment, it’s about trusting the Australian cricket team again.”Another new signing for Fox Sports is the former England bowler Isa Guha, who alongside Alison Mitchell, Mel Jones and Lisa Sthalekar has helped bring a strong female voice to coverage of the game. Guha told that she was looking forward to carrying on what she started with Triple M on television screens this summer.”We all kind of champion each other because we are getting the opportunities now,” she said. “We love what we do and we hope that people are able to understand that women do know and can talk about cricket. Hopefully there will be more (women) in future who get involved in broadcasting.”

Barcelona coach Xavi was on the verge of tears when he explained to his players why he will step down as head coach at the end of the season.

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Xavi announced he will leave BarcaPlayers found out from media reportsCoach explained decision to squadWHAT HAPPENED?

Xavi announced that he will leave his post as Barca coach at the end of the season, informing reporters of his decision after the 5-3 defeat against Villarreal on Saturday. According to the coach had not yet told his players, who found out through news reports as they returned home.

AdvertisementGetty Images WHAT XAVI SAID TO HIS PLAYERS

Despite having slept barely two hours overnight, Xavi brought his players together on Sunday morning before training and apologised for the way they found out about his decision, the report says. He said that he feels his decision is "the best for everyone" because he is "freed from a burden" and the players can now "play without so much pressure". Xavi was on the verge of tears on several occasions in the meeting and his players gave him a round of applause after his speech.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Saturday evening's loss leaves Barca 10 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid, giving them only the slimmest of hope of retaining their crown this season. Xavi will see out the rest of the campaign with the Catalan club but they will start the search for his successor as they look to rebuild for the 2024-25 campaign.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Xavi will attempt to keep his team in good spirits despite their recent Supercopa de Espana defeat, exit from the Copa del Rey and slip up in La Liga. He will hope to have his team back to winning ways on Wednesday when they meet Osasuna in the league.

Journalist Santi Aouna has shared an update on West Ham United and their transfer plans for Rennes winger Jeremy Doku this summer.

Who will West Ham sign?

Manager David Moyes, technical director Tim Steidten, sporting director Mark Noble and David Sullivan are aiming to be busy as we enter the final hurdle of this summer window.

So far, the Irons have secured just two major signings, coming in the form of midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Mexico international ace Edson Alvarez.

Commenting on the addition of Ward-Prowse, Moyes was left thrilled by West Ham's capture of the England international, who adds both quality and real set-piece threat for the east Londoners.

“I’m delighted to bring a player of James’ quality and experience to West Ham United,” Moyes said.

“He's performed to a very high level in the Premier League over the last decade, constantly producing good numbers season after season. His leadership qualities are obviously another huge plus for us – he’ll be a big voice for us, someone who drives the team on from the middle of the pitch.

“We’re excited to get him up and running, for what will be another busy season on both the domestic and European front.”

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE..

Next up, West Ham are thought to be chasing a possible replacement for star midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who is attracting real interest from last night's UEFA Super Cup winners Man City.

Also, following the collapsed transfer of Man United defender Harry Maguire, West Ham are chasing the addition of a top centre-back and have been linked with a fair few names.

The Irons could also make further additions in the attacking areas, with Rennes forward Doku coming as a major target for Moyes, Steidten and co.

That is according to Foot Mercato reporter Aouna, who wrote an update on X regarding West Ham and their pursuit of the Belgium international.

Indeed, it is believed Doku is a "priority" target in terms of the final third, with West Ham making a verbal offer to Rennse for his services.

Little else is said on the nature of this bid, or whether it's even been entertained, but it appears Moyes' side have moved for Doku in an attempt to reinforce Moyes' attacking options.

How good is Jeremy Doku?

The 21-year-old made nearly 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes last term, scoring six goals and assisting two others, but it's his dribbling which comes as a major draw.

Doku averaged a very impressive 3.3 successful take-ons per 90 over the 2022/2023 campaign, which is the best return of any French top flight player last season, even above the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe (WhoScored).

The Belgium international, who has been called an "exciting" forward by members of the media, could reportedly cost at least £45 million if West Ham want to do a deal.

Mbappe, meanwhile, is one player to have heaped praise on Doku and his sky-high potential.

"Recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed qualities, that is (Jérémy) Doku, at Rennes," said the World Cup winner in 2021.

"In 5 years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power.

"In terms of an incredibly quick player, I would also put Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang."

New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is on the hunt for yet another striker and transfer insider Dean Jones has offered an update to GIVEMESPORT on one of the names linked, Dusan Vlahovic.

What is the current striker situation at Chelsea?

It seems remarkable that Romelu Lukaku is still a Chelsea player given the constant setbacks as well a loan move back to Inter Milan.

Lukaku may be heading towards the exit door once again with another Italian giant sniffing around him. According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea could bring Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic into the club but only if Juventus get the aforementioned Belgian back in return.

Yet another new face will be prowling the Chelsea technical area and it would seem that Lukaku isn’t the striker that Pochettino wants in his system. Vlahovic meanwhile, after a meteoric rise in the Serie A landscape, could be the man for the job. That being said, he endured a very mediocre season last time out, as did the Bianconeri on the whole, 10 goals and two assists hardly tearing any trees up. He is still just 23-years-old though so he has many years of football ahead of him.

What has Dean Jones got to say about Vlahovic?

"I remember a few weeks ago describing how Chelsea had felt out this situation and had a conference call with Juventus ready for talks with the new sporting director over a potential deal.

"On the back of those discussions nothing was picked up, I thought maybe the ship had sailed on Vlahovic for now. Chelsea felt the situation out, they knew everything they needed to know in terms of signing him, but they didn’t pull the trigger.

"After what we have seen from Chelsea and Jackson in pre-season I don’t really see a reason for them suddenly making a signing like this right now, yet I am hearing that the interest remains and obviously there is the whole Lukaku factor now in the mix.

"Vlahovic would be an unbelievable signing. Do not underestimate what this guy could do in the Premier League. Jackson has had a good pre-season and adds a really nice mix of assets to the attack, but I’m sticking by my opinion that he won’t score more than 15 goals.

Vlahovic has a ceiling much higher than that in my eyes."

Where Does Vlahovic Fit in at Stamford Bridge?

As previously mentioned, there have already been a couple of new signings in the attacking third this window. Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson have joined from RB Leipzig and Villarreal respectively surrounded by hype and expectations. The former is an injury worry as the start of the new season looms after he was substituted in a recent friendly.

Vlahovic is a very different forward to Frenchman Nkunku, who has been one of the best players in all of Germany over the last couple of seasons. Whereas the latter is of a smaller stature, Vlahovic is 6 foot 2 inches and is of a muscly build. At the same time, the pair are both known for good movement in and around the box and it remains to be seen whether they will play together or not.

Beyond the central forwards, the list goes on for attackers: Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling to name just a few. If Vlahovic does join the Londoners, Pochettino won’t be short of attacking options that is for sure.