Tom Harrison has insisted the ECB’s treatment of Durham has been harsh but “appropriate”.Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, defended the decision to relegate Durham in the County Championship, impose a raft of points deductions in each of the 2017 domestic competitions and withdraw their status as a Test-hosting ground in return for a financial rescue package as a necessary “deterrent” to other counties.And while he did not fully confront the ECB’s role in Durham’s failure – notably its encouragement of the club building a Test venue – he did suggest Durham had to take responsibility for bidding more than they could afford in the pursuit of major matches.”Having been through the most serious financial crisis any county has been through – to the extent that the ECB was the last resort – we have to send a message to the other counties that this is not something that is going to be an attractive solution for any county finding themselves in that position,” Harrison told the BBC’s Test Match Special. “It’s not the ECB’s job to be the lender of last resort.”In any business, you have to understand what your revenue is and what your costs are. If one gets out of whack it is not a pretty situation and it will end up hitting the wall at some point. The ECB had to step in to stop that happening in May or June this year. It was going to happen unless we had taken steps to avoid it.”While it is very harsh in terms of the immediate penalties on the players for next year, I think it is appropriate and sends the message to other counties that this should be a significant deterrent. The playing sanctions are harsh but they are appropriate.”Harrison accepted that the ECB’s historic method for allocating games, which involved a bidding system, might have contributed to Durham’s debts, but suggested the club had to take most of the responsibility. And he insisted that the measures taken had provided Durham with the foundations for financial stability in the future.”The way matches were allocated was a bidding structure,” he said. “But no one was forced to bid a certain amount. There’s wasn’t a sword of Damocles over their head about having to stage Tests.”Our absolute priority was to safeguard the future of professional and recreational cricket in the northeast of England. Durham could now be in a position where, 12 months after the most serious financial crisis that’s met any county, they are off and running with no debt and a new management structure and can look forward to the future in a very different way than when they were burdened by debt.”Harrison also referred to the new-team domestic T20 competition – now set for a 2020 launch – as “the most significant development in county cricket in a generation”. Counties agreed to explore the proposals at an ECB meeting in September but the implementation has been delayed as discussions continue.

Olympic champion Usain Bolt has claimed that Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford could actually beat him in a 20-yard sprint.

What's the latest on Manchester United and Marcus Rashford?

It was a pretty impressive season all told for the English forward. After all, not only did he help the Red Devils win the League Cup and secure Champions League football, he also netted 30 goals in all competitions – making him the first MUFC player since Robin van Persie in 2012/13 to hit that total.

So what does all this have to do with Bolt?

Well, the world’s fastest man – who holds the 100m, 200m and 4x100m records in both the Olympics and World Championships – is taking part in Soccer Aid this weekend and will captain the World XI who take on England at Old Trafford.

Consequently, he's been in the UK this week and has taken the time to talk about Man United, the club he supports, recently on talkSPORT.

During the interview, co-host Darren Bent asked him who would be quicker in a race between Bolt and Rashford, and the Jamaican came up with a bit of a surprising answer.

Bent said: “I read an article where you said that Rashford could beat you over 20 yards, is that correct?”

Bolt replied: “Yeah! Rashford is quick out the blocks, that is what he does.

“He has that burst of speed but after that, I told him, you could probably get me in 20 [yards].

“But after that, it is over!”

How fast can Usain Bolt run?

So there you have it, Rashford might be quicker over a shorter distance but if they were racing 100 yards, the Englishman probably wouldn't be able to keep up.

According to Speeds DB – a database that can tell you the top speed of anything – the Man Utd winger can run at 33.30 km/h (or 20.69 mp/h), while Bolt's top speed is 44.72 km/h (27.79 mp/h), which shows the real disparity between the two.

Bolt also provided his thoughts on how the Red Devils have been playing of late, saying: “[The season] has been positive. I wish we won the FA Cup but it is just one of those things.

“We got one trophy and we are in the top four. The way we were looking for the past couple of seasons, this is just positive moment.

“I am just happy that we have a great coach that is really getting the team together. Hopefully, we can get some good players to add to the team and challenge for the league because it is going to be tough.”

Arsenal and Manchester United traded a goal apiece in the space of 90 seconds at the Emirates, with Marcus Rashford and Martin Odegaard on target.

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• Red Devils opened the scoring
• Gunners hit straight back
• Entertaining tie in north London

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds Devils opened the scoring after making a nervy start to proceedings in north London, with England ace Rashford delivering a clinical finish to a flowing counter-attack. The Gunners were not prepared to lie down, though, and hit straight back through club captain Odegaard.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rashford made the breakthrough in the 27th minute, with United finally springing into life. They had offered little to the contest by that point, but last season’s 30-goal top scorer produced a moment of inspiration after being sent sprinting into space down the left. Arsenal carved United open with ease a matter of seconds later, though, as Odegaard found room on the edge of the box and stroked the ball into the bottom corner.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Only five players have scored more non-penalty goals than Odegaard in the Premier League since the start of last season – with the Norwegian midfielder up to 16. Rashford is the second Manchester United player to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances against Arsenal, after Robin van Persie.

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• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Both Arsenal and United finished in the top three last season, allowing them to qualify for the Champions League, and harbour ambitions of piecing together title challenges in 2023-24 after spending big again in the summer transfer window.

Arsenal are expected to launch a bid for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice "very soon", according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has recently detailed that Arsenal could get a deal for Rice done "quickly", as he wants to move to the Emirates Stadium, however he does not completely rule out another team winning the race for his signature.

Jacobs has also claimed the Gunners will take a "disciplined" approach in their pursuit of the 24-year-old, with their opening offer set to be worth less than £100m, but "all signs point towards" a move to north London this summer.

Personal terms have reportedly already been agreed, meaning the last remaining obstacle is submitting an acceptable offer to West Ham, and according to a new update from Romano, a bid could soon be on its way.

Taking to Twitter, the transfer expert gave a very positive update on the Gunners' pursuit of the midfielder, saying:"Arsenal will enter into crucial stages of Declan Rice deal next week. Official bid expected very soon after positive talks in the recent days.

"Gunners feel they’re ahead of Bayern as player priority is to continue in England — but timing will be crucial for Arsenal."

Is Rice signing for Arsenal?

A move to the Emirates Stadium would seemingly tick a lot of boxes for the England international, as he has previously made it clear he wants to stay in London, while he is also keen to play in the Champions League and compete for trophies.

Of course, the West Ham captain got his hands on his first piece of major silverware when West Ham won the Europa Conference League last weekend, which also grants them qualification to the Europa League next season.

The fact there will be European football at the London Stadium once again could potentially make the London-born midfielder think twice about leaving, although West Ham chairman David Sullivan has recently confirmed the player has his heart set on leaving.

If, as expected, the £60k-per-week midfielder does move on this summer, Arsenal will be getting a top player if they win the race for his signature, having been hailed as "incredible" by members of the media.

Not only does Rice rank very highly for some key defensive metrics over the past year, including interceptions and clearances per 90, there is also an indication he could be an attacking threat, with Jack Wilshere previously claiming he was the "best finisher" at West Ham.

Virat Kohli struck his fourth double-hundred in four consecutive Test series as India surged to their third 600-plus score in three successive innings

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu10-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:37

Ugra: India’s top six are clear about their responsibilities

Another series. Another double-hundred for Virat Kohli. The opposition buried under a mountain of runs. The theme first unfolded in Antigua in July 2016, then in Indore and Mumbai. On Friday in Hyderabad against a listless Bangladesh attack, Kohli became the first batsman to hit double-hundreds in four consecutive Test series. By the time they declared at 687 for 6, India had become the first side to rack up 600-plus scores in three-consecutive innings.India’s day became sweeter when Umesh Yadav dismissed Soumya Sarkar for 15 with a 142kph ripper. Sarkar was unperturbed by the outswinger, but was done in by a full ball, which snaked in off the seam. He attempted a limp drive and Wriddhiman Saha threw himself to his right to collect the ball. India challenged the on-field not-out decision with UltraEdge picking up a thin deflection off the toe end. Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque hung on to take Bangladesh to 41 for 1 in 14 overs at stumps.A double-hundred in Tests might be the fantasy of several batsmen, but this innings from Kohli seemed inevitable. He arrived 30 minutes before tea on the first day and completed the landmark at the start of the third over after lunch on the second, swishing left-arm spinner Taijul Islam over cover, the first time he played a lofted shot off a spinner.Probably Kohli’s only nervous moment came on 180 when he was beaten by a sharp offbreak from Mehedi Hasan Miraz and was declared lbw by umpire Joel Wilson. Kohli reviewed the decision, with ball-tracking showing it was turning too much and heading past the leg stump.Soon after making a double-century, Kohli was pinged on the pad by a low-arm slider from Taijul and was given out by umpire Marais Erasmus, at the start of the 126th over. Kohli opted not to review this time; ball-tracking detected the impact was marginally outside off.On either side of Kohli’s exit, Ajinkya Rahane, who was picked over Karun Nair and returning from a finger injury, and Saha, returning from a thigh injury, waltzed to fifty and hundred respectively.Kohli and Rahane had set the tone for the day by extending their overnight 122-run partnership to 222. They scored 70 runs in the first hour as India scored 121 in the morning session.Kohli toyed with the field and with Taskin Ahmed, who did not help Bangladesh by frequently erring short in a spell that read 5-0-38-1. Kohli lashed Taskin over the top to the left of deep point, and cut the next ball along the ground and to the right of the same man. When Taskin went shorter outside off, Kohli ramped him over the slip cordon. Mushfiqur Rahim followed the ball and posted a third man, only for Kohli to beat him to his right with a sliced four.Wriddhiman Saha reached his second Test century with a six•AFPAlong the way, Kohli snatched the record for most Test runs in a home season from his former colleague Virender Sehwag. Rahane played some sparkling shots of his own, but for most part he just did his thing – bunting the ball into the gaps – before he spooned a catch to short cover, where Mehedi dived to his left and came out with the ball in one hand.If Bangladesh thought the wicket, which came after nearly 300 balls, was an opening, they were wrong. It was another false dawn. The ball suddenly started to turn sharply, and Taijul drew Saha a long way out of the crease, but Mushfiqur reprieved him. He had so much time that he missed the stumping opportunity twice. By the time he swiped the bails off on the third attempt, Saha was safe.Saha relied on deft flicks and a variety of cuts, and went onto hit a fifty off 86 balls. R Ashwin looked set for a fifty of his own until he nicked Mehedi to first slip for 34.Saha wasn’t done yet. He was also deft in using his feet against spin, and one such trip down the track saw him stylishly loft Taijul over his head for a six and raise a second Test hundred off 153 balls.That wasn’t the only hundred of the day. Bangladesh’s front-line bowlers – Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Taskin, Mehedi, Taijul and Shakib Al Hasan – all conceded more than 100 runs.Ravindra Jadeja did not miss out on the fun either. India hinted at a declaration when he launched Taijul into the second tier beyond long-on and followed it with a violent slog-sweep over midwicket in Taijul’s next over. In between, Jadeja was dropped by Tamim, running in from long-off, on 40. He cashed in and recorded the sixth fifty-plus score of the Indian innings. He celebrated the landmark with a signature Rajputana sword dance. How Bangladesh would have wished they had something to celebrate.

While Lehmann lauded O’Keefe, who had returns of 6 for 35 in both innings, he was also fulsome in his praise for Nathan Lyon

Brydon Coverdale26-Feb-2017Steve O’Keefe might not strike fear into the hearts of batsman like Mitchell Johnson did at his pomp, but not since Johnson scythed through England at Adelaide Oval in 2013 has an Australian bowler dismantled the opposition as quickly as O’Keefe did on the second day in Pune.Such was the observation of Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, who hailed O’Keefe as “exceptional” in delivering Australia a drought-breaking win on Indian soil. The last time Australia won a Test in India, back in 2004, Lehmann was part of the batting order; this time he was watching on from the dressing room, and liking almost all of what he saw.From putting up a competitive 260 in the first innings to bettering that total in the second innings, Australia’s batsmen found a way to outperform their Indian counterparts on a highly challenging pitch. But the defining period of the game occurred on day two, when O’Keefe snared three wickets in an over and six in the space of 4.1-overs.”An exceptional spell – I haven’t seen that since Mitchell Johnson in the Ashes with England in Adelaide when he tore them apart,” Lehmann said after Australia’s triumph within three days. “We took 7 for 11 and that obviously turned the game.”Johnson’s memorable spell in Adelaide also began with three wickets in an over, and later in the same spell he was on a hat-trick, at which point he had collected five wickets in 18 deliveries. Johnson’s speed and aggression troubled England; O’Keefe’s accuracy and natural variations caused chaos in the minds of the Indian batsmen.”Twelve-for, 6 for 35 in both innings is pretty special,” Lehmann said. “You always hope don’t you, as a player. I actually thought Nathan Lyon bowled just as well, to be perfectly honest. Nathan’s been under pressure from a lot of sources throughout the subcontinent, myself included. I thought he was outstanding in this game. He was brilliant, so both spinners did the job, but Steven was exceptional getting the rewards.”Although O’Keefe was a clear stand-out for the Man of the Match award, Australia had several other contributors to the Pune win – none more so than the captain Steven Smith, who struck 109 in the second innings on a dry and turning pitch. Smith was just the third Australian after Mark Taylor and Damien Martyn to score a second-innings Test hundred in India.”I think it’s probably his best, especially in those conditions,” Lehmann said. “I haven’t seen him so determined. He’s always determined – he’s captain of our country and plays really well obviously, but he knows conditions on that wicket [were difficult]. To make a hundred was very special, so that’d have to be in his top few for sure.”Impressive in a different way was the young opener Matt Renshaw, who was playing his first Test outside Australia, yet handled India’s spinners with aplomb. He top-scored in the first innings with 68 and then added 31 in the second innings, despite struggling with illness.”He hadn’t actually hit the ball that well in our lead-up, but for some reason when he gets out in the middle, he knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to do it,” Lehmann said. “So for a 20-year-old that’s pretty special. I think he’ll back that up in Bangalore.”For him to come out, obviously a bit crook here and there, and to bat in different positions and had a clear plan, especially in the second innings, the way he wanted to go about it. That’s good for a young man to have that insight into the game so early.”The early win by 333 runs gives Australia an extra two days to prepare for the second Test in Bangalore, where Lehmann expects a better pitch than the one offered up in Pune. He stressed that the key was now for Australia to back up their win come the second Test next weekend.”I think the way we played, we deserved to win by that much at the end,” he said. “But they’re a quality side for the challenge for our group is to back that performance up in Bangalore. We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves. India are a quality at home, especially at home I think that’s the first Test they’ve lost in 20 Test matches so they’ll come back pretty hard.”

Erling Haaland has been “untouchable” for Man City but will struggle to beat “finished article” Lionel Messi to the Ballon d’Or, says Richard Dunne.

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• Norwegian striker helped to land treble
• Argentine icon savoured World Cup glory
• French superstar continues to sparkle

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Norwegian striker was a revelation for City last season on the back of his £51 million ($63m) transfer from Borussia Dortmund. Haaland hit 52 goals across all competitions, helping himself to the English top-flight Golden Boot and his club to a historic Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.

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  WHAT THEY SAID

  Those efforts are considered to have Haaland battling it out with 2022 World Cup winner Messi for the title of best player on the planet, with former City captain Dunne – speaking in association with – telling GOAL when asked if the prolific 23-year-old can pip a man with seven Golden Balls to the most prestigious of individual prizes: “From a numbers point of view, he's been untouchable, he's been the difference to Man City. If you look back and think about what they were missing in terms of going on and winning the Champions League, it probably was the natural number nine. I know he didn't score in the later stages of the competition, but he just causes trouble and forces players to mark him, they might even need two of them, he creates spaces in other areas. Whatever the Ballon d’Or is judged on, I obviously think Messi is the more complete footballer, he is the finished article. Haaland has things he needs to improve on, even as good as he is. He could still be better outside the box and getting more involved in games, but if you're looking at out-and-out goal-scorers there is nobody in the world who can touch Haaland.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Whatever happens in 2023, Haaland appears destined to become a superstar of the world game. He is expected to battle it out with Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe for future Ballons d’Or, with Dunne saying of a rivalry that could emulate the one enjoyed by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: “I hope we can get that rivalry again of two or three top players in the world. I think Haaland is on the road to becoming a superstar. Mbappe needs to settle down somewhere and find a club that suits him, the transfer rumours don't help him. I think the levels he can reach are extremely high and the speed he has is incredible, but sometimes you watch him and wonder if he's happy or interested. Is it a long-term thing at PSG or does he need to move on to another club? When we work that out, I think we might start to see the best of him.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Haaland has already netted seven times through as many appearances for City this season – adding a UEFA Super Cup winners’ medal to his collection – while Mbappe, who spent much of the summer being linked with a transfer to Real Madrid, has netted seven times through just four outings at PSG.

England’s batting line-up, full of depth and power, poses a massive threat to India as they begin a home series under a new ODI captain

The Preview by Sidharth Monga14-Jan-2017

Match facts

Sunday, January 15, 2017
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)5:46

Agarkar: Can’t leave out Yuvraj after picking him in the squad

Big picture

The cricketing gods must be crazy. We are living in an era where India are regularly winning Test series 3-0 and 4-0, having done so only twice in their history until 2012. In ODIs, on the other hand, they are not starting as favourites in a series against even after beating them 4-0 in Tests. England are not the clear favourites either, but it says a lot about their metamorphosis since the 2015 World Cup that they start on even terms against a side that has beaten them in four of the last five bilateral ODI series and is 17-8 in recent ODI cricket between them. And England are not apologetic about pushing the boundaries in ODIs independent of how the Test side is performing.India and MS Dhoni have recognised that they, for a change, need motivation from their Test side. That the split captaincy doesn’t work. So Virat Kohli, who has tasted early success in Tests, takes over an ODI side that is desperately in need of new ideas and match-winners in the middle order.England have batting match-winners all the way down. Which is why they keep coming at you with the big shots, the switch hits and the reverse-sweeps. India will look to bat more clinically, relying as they do on a smaller base of batsmen, especially given Rohit Sharma’s absence. Either way there will be runs. A lot of them.The contest, though, will come down to the bowlers. One spell of 10 overs for 45 runs or one extra wicket in the middle overs. England will rely more on discipline of their pace bowlers, India on the spinners. A flat pitch will give England the advantage, and the slightest hint of slowness or turn will give India control. The day-night warm-up match played at the Brabourne Stadium between an England XI and India A showed a lot of what to expect: Chris Woakes and David Willey were tight at the start, keeping India A down to 304, and India A came back in their defence through the spin of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. England XI scored 156 for 1 off the 24.5 overs bowled by the quicks, and 148 for 6 in 24 overs of spin.The pitches for ODIs, though, are generally flat. And India wouldn’t necessarily want too much help for the spinners: they wouldn’t want to be chasing 250 on turning pitches, as demonstrated in the defeats against New Zealand in Delhi and Ranchi, and Adil Rashid cannot be underestimated in ODIs. Early starts to the matches – 1.30pm as opposed to 2.30pm in earlier years – should make dew and the toss less of a factor. Hopefully.

Form guide

India WLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLWEoin Morgan comes into the series with scores of 3 and 0 in the warm-up games•AFP

In the spotlight

Dhoni has had his share of eulogies. Now the attention must shift to Virat Kohli. He operates differently to India’s most successful limited-overs captain. His first call of duty will be to deal with Dhoni’s batting order. Will he give Dhoni a long stint at No. 4 and start looking for other finishers? What plans does he have for Yuvraj Singh? How is he going to utilise his Test talisman R Ashwin, who had seemingly fallen out of favour with Dhoni in the final stages of his captaincy? Does Ajinkya Rahane have a place in India’s ODI plans when everybody is fit? And Kohli will have to keep winning matches with the bat while he does all that thinking.Kohli’s counterpart Eoin Morgan, on the other hand, is going through a bit of a Dhoni patch in a batting line-up full of power hitters. He is often required in pressure situations and during good times he hardly gets enough balls to face to register big innings. His last century came in June 2015, he has averaged 38.00 since then and has won one match award in 25 matches. These numbers by themselves shouldn’t put him under pressure, but he has scored 3 and a golden duck in the tour games after Sam Billings impressed as his replacement when he opted out of the Bangladesh tour. He too will now have decisions and runs to make.

Team news

India’s squad looks completely different to the one that beat New Zealand 3-2. The two Test spinners are back, and Yuvraj is part of the 15 too. Looking at England’s struggle against spin in practice games, India could look to stack the side up with batsmen who bowl part-time spin. Manish Pandey could make way for Yuvraj but where does the man in irrepressible form, KL Rahul, fit? One way out could be to give up on Hardik Pandya or Umesh Yadav and rely on Yuvraj and Kedar Jadhav for 10 overs. Otherwise one out of the returning Rahane, Rahul and the returning Shikhar Dhawan might have to sit out. And does Kohli make the call of sitting out Amit Mishra, the spinner who took five wickets in his last ODI, just because the Test spinners are back?India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane/ KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 MS Dhoni (wk), 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin/ Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahAs they suggested with their line-ups in the warm-up games, England could look to play six batsmen, including the allrounder Ben Stokes and the wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, and five bowlers. This means they might have to make more than one difficult decision, and leave out both Sam Billings, who scored a match-winning 93 in the first warm-up game, as well as the in-form Jonny Bairstow. England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Liam Plunkett/Liam DawsonAmit Mishra took a five-for in his last ODI, but may have to sit out this one with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja back in India’s squad•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to be a regular ODI surface where 300 from both sides cannot be counted out. Two days before the match India’s coach Anil Kumble said there hadn’t been any dew until 7.30pm but you cannot be certain in this time of year in India when dew usually affects day-night games. If the dew does show up at around 8pm, it still has an hour and a half to play havoc in, and the last 90 minutes of an ODI can often sway the result.

Stats and trivia

• In four matches against India, Alex Hales averages 23 and has struck at 68.65 per 100 balls as against corresponding overall numbers of 37.77 and 94.49. In 2014, India choked his off-side game by cramping him with straight inswingers.
• England have won only one bilateral series in India in eight attempts, back in 1984.
• This is only the second ODI at this venue: in the first, Australia scored 304 and defended comfortably.

Quotes

I was actually pretty delighted to be given the captaincy for all the three formats. It adds to the responsibility and makes you a better player, a better person; that’s something I have always liked that aspect of captaincy.
You wake up on the weekend and all you wanted to do was play cricket. You look out the window and hope the sun was shining. So that kind of attitude is very important. It’s a nice way to play cricket regardless of you win, lose or draw.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:02

Kalra: Shakib snatched the momentum away from India

India made light work of the Bangladesh top order before fifties from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz hauled the visitors to 322 for 6 in reply to India’s 687. Bangladesh’s most experienced batsmen, Shakib and Mushfiqur, sparked the resistance with a 107-run partnership off 165 balls. Mushfiqur and the 19-year-old Mehedi, who scored his maiden half-century, then saw off the second new ball and stubbornly played out a wicketless post-tea session.Glaring errors on the first two days had put Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping and captaincy in the spotlight. On the third afternoon, his running was in the spotlight, and he was frequently caught ball-watching early in his innings, but he overcame it to progress to an unbeaten 81.When Shakib danced out and drilled R Ashwin to mid-off in the 50th over, Mushfiqur was late to respond to his partner’s call for a single. Ravindra Jadeja hunted the ball down and speared it to Wriddhiman Saha, who broke the bails. Mushfiqur had brought out a desperate full-length dive, but his bat had popped up in the air momentarily. The shoulder of the bat was seemingly on the line when the bail came off the groove. Chris Gaffney, the TV umpire, ultimately gave Mushfiqur the benefit of the doubt. He was on 18 at that point.Mushfiqur then accumulated with sweeps while Shakib reached his maiden Test half-century against India off 69 balls. The scorecard will tell you Shakib hit 14 boundaries, but it was a chancy innings throughout. He repeatedly drove away from the body against the seamers and often drove out of the footmarks against the spinners. The century stand ended when Shakib skipped out and heedlessly dragged a catch against the spin to mid-on.It was a repeat of his fateful shot against Mitchell Santner on the fifth day in Wellington in January when the Test was on the line. This time he gave Ashwin his 249th wicket in Tests. He was kept waiting for the 250th.Mushfiqur Rahim brought out a variety of sweeps against the spinners•AFP

A sure-footed Mehedi took over from Shakib and ably complemented Mushfiqur’s patience. Mehedi claimed 51 of the unbroken 87-run stand for the seventh wicket after Jadeja had removed Sabbir Rahman ten minutes before tea.Mehedi dared to club Ashwin over midwicket and even picked a carrom ball and drove it exquisitely through cover. He got to his fifty when he late-cut Ashwin for four in the penultimate over of the day. In the last over, Mushfiqur became the fourth Bangladesh player, after Habibul Bashar, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan, to reach 3000 runs in Test cricket.Things weren’t as rosy for Bangladesh in the morning session. Tamim fell in the third over of the day, taking on Umesh’s arm from the deep. A mix-up resulted in both Tamim and Mominul Haque stopping near the middle of the pitch while running a second. Umesh swooped in from long leg, attacked the ball, and fired a throw to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the bowler, who collected and under-armed adroitly onto the stumps.In addition to being uncertain while running between the wickets, Mominul was uncertain outside his off stump. Virat Kohli reinforced the slip cordon and even posted a silly mid-on to apply more pressure. Mominul’s tentative stay ended on 12 when Umesh trapped him in front with reverse-swing.Mahmudullah survived a tight lbw call on 6 off Bhuvneshwar with India’s review of Joel Wilson’s on-field not-out decision returning umpire’s call on leg stump. He managed to regroup to put on 45 with Shakib before Ishant Sharma had him lbw with an inswinger for 28. This time Wilson raised his finger, and Mahmudullah coaxed Shakib and reviewed only for ball-tracking to suggest it would have grazed leg stump.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka about a summer move to north London, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Incoming Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou clearly has his sights set on a new defender, considering a €22m (£19m) bid has already been launched for Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, according to reports from Turkey.

However, with the Turkish side set to hold out for €25m (£21m), Spurs may choose to turn their attentions elsewhere, and they have been linked with a cut-price move for Leeds United's Robin Koch, following their relegation from the Premier League.

With Harry Maguire falling down the pecking order at Manchester United, the Lilywhites have registered their interest in the England international, and the Telegraph report he could also be available for a lower fee in the upcoming window.

Another player who wouldn't break the bank is outgoing Frankfurt defender Ndicka, whose contract with the Bundesliga club is set to expire at the end of the month, and he has attracted the interest of a number of potential suitors.

In a recent update on Twitter, RMC Sport journalist Hawkins confirmed that Tottenham have "had contacts" with the centre-back, however at the moment it appears as though he is more likely to move to Italy.

AC Milan have tabled a contract offer for the 23-year-old, but AS Roma are currently in the best position to win the race for his signature.

Who is Evan Ndicka?

The Paris-born defender came through the youth ranks at Auxerre, however he made just 16 appearances for the first team, before moving to Frankfurt ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, and he has since established himself as a key player.

In the 2021-22 Bundesliga season, the "towering" 6 foot 4 colossus, as dubbed by journalist Jacque Talbot, made 32 appearances, and he averaged a 7.12 match rating from Sofascore, the second-highest figure in the squad.

Although his form dipped slightly last season, the former Auxerre man has still managed to impress, ranking in the 83rd percentile for clearances per 90, as well as the 80th percentile for blocks in the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

It appears as though Roma are most likely to win the race for Ndicka, but he could be an excellent signing for Tottenham, should they make a late move, given his stellar defensive attributes, and the fact he is still only 23-years-old.