In his maiden first-class season, it took Nitish Rana nine innings to be dismissed for fewer than 25 runs. It was his only single-digit score in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy. The first hundred, though, came in the last innings of the season, and in the second innings, which is rarely counted as important runs in this tournament. Rana went up to seniors, including Gautam Gambhir, and asked, “Why am I getting out on 50? 70? Why am I not scoring big runs?”The reply he got from them had to do with concentration. “They told me when you play under-16, under-19 or under-23, you get one or two quality bowlers in the opposition. So you can get away with breaks in concentration after you have seen off the main bowlers. In Ranji Trophy there are more quality bowlers, and you have to concentrate for longer.”Rana says he went to the nets and started to bat longer and harder, and made sure he was only concentrating on the next ball. He also got an IPL call-up from Mumbai Indians, with whom he said he grew mentally and technically as a player. All of that was on display at the Airforce Sports Complex in Palam, Delhi, where his innings of 174 buried Maharashtra under a mountain of runs (419) on a pitch with uneven bounce. Delhi bowlers used the advantage handsomely to leave the visitors on the brink of a follow-on at 59 for 8.Delhi began the day at 260 for 4 with Rana unbeaten on 110, but the 23-year old showed awareness that his job was far from done. He batted through the first session, in partnership with impressive debutant Lalit Yadav who scored 52, and only after he felt Delhi were secure did he try to get adventurous. This was his fourth first-class hundred and his highest score.The significance of that innings showed in how Ishant Sharma – back from the India squad once he was not picked for the Kolkata Test – ran through the Maharashtra top order with the quality of bowling India could have done with at Eden Gardens. Ishant was on the target – full but short of driving length just outside off – from ball one, and it was almost unfair on the batsmen facing the new ball after 111.1 overs in the field.The bounce had been uneven for other bowlers too but, largely, it deviated on the lower side. Ishant started hitting both bands of the spectrum. Rututuraj Gaikwad fell in the first over, forced to play outside off. Murtaza Trunkwala fell to similar fate, and Ankit Bawne was rapped on the gloves as soon as he came in. Rahul Tripathi, another IPL star, hit Ishant for a four but would soon nick another length ball outside off. Ishant’s spell of 6-2-14-3, in which he barely bowled a loose ball, left Maharashtra reeling at 14 for 4. Nitin Saini then got rid of Rohit Motwani to make it 51 for 5.Maharashtra would have sighed in relief when bad light sent players off early but 10 minutes later the conditions improved, and they lost a further three wickets in the 15 minutes of play possible after resumption. Lalit added two wickets to his debut half-century, and Manan Sharma chipped in with one. Despite the loss of 43 overs to bad light on the first two days, Delhi were now almost assured three points, and could even dream of a full complement of seven if they can enforce the follow-on and then win by an innings or by 10 wickets. The latter could ensure their progress to the knockouts even before the final round of league matches.

England’s women have capped a memorable year by claiming the Team of the Year award at the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2017

The England women’s cricket team have capped a memorable year in which they won the World Cup at Lord’s in a pulsating final against India, by claiming the Team of the Year award at the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Liverpool.On a memorable night for England’s women cricketers, who have for so long lived in the shadows of their male counterparts, Heather Knight’s team topped a shortlist of teams including the British & Irish Lions, Celtic, Team GB’s para-athletics and England’s World-Cup-winning U17s footballers.Their award was richly deserved following a World Cup triumph that could hardly have been a more worthy advertisement for their sport. In a showpiece event in front of a packed house at Lord’s, England battled back from the brink of defeat thanks largely to the efforts of Anya Shrubsole, who claimed five wickets in nine balls to seal an agonising nine-run victory with figures of 6 for 46.Off the back of her efforts, Shrubsole became the first women’s cricketer to be nominated for the individual SPOTY award, which was eventually claimed by the athlete, Sir Mo Farah.The announcement was a timely fillip for English cricket, coming as it did on the eve of what could well be an Ashes-sealing defeat for the men in Australia, when play resumes at Perth overnight. The women’s team were also unsuccessful in their own Ashes campaign in October, although they did emerge with honour intact after battling back from an 8-4 points deficit to square the multi-format series 8-8.Despite still being considered the national summer sport, cricket has been noticeably under-represented at the SPOTY awards in recent years – arguably due to the sport’s invisibility on free-to-air TV. The last player to be nominated for the individual award was Ian Bell in 2013, while Andrew Flintoff was the last winner, following his starring role in the 2005 Ashes victory.”Without a doubt I sense this is a good thing for the sport, not just women’s cricket,” Shrubsole told The Guardian in the wake of her individual nomination. “Anytime cricket gets recognised on something like that – on a national scale, on a huge evening celebrating sport – it’s brilliant. And having a female cricketer shows where the sport is at. A few years ago, you’d never have had that.”

Chelsea are reportedly shelling out a substantial amount for the protection of £100m man Moises Caicedo and Kendry Paez's families in Ecuador.

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• Ecuador facing serious civil unrest
• Paez and family still in South America
• Chelsea have hired personal security for Paez and Caicedo's families

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The South American country is facing civil unrest having seen several attacks orchestrated by criminal organisations which has forced the Blues to finance round-the-clock security for 16-year-old Paez and his family, according toSimilar support has been provided to the family members of Caicedo who still reside in Ecuador.

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  Concerns about the safety of Paez and his family have risen due to the turbulent situation in Ecuador, marked by incidents such as gunmen storming a television station live on air. Chelsea maintains regular contact with Paez and Caicedo's families and has vowed to provide support until normalcy returns.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Paez made history last October as the youngest-ever South American to score in a World Cup qualifier at just 16 years and 161 days. His achievements include being the youngest appearance-maker and goalscorer in Liga Pro, leading Ecuador to the final of the South American Under-17 Championship, and holding the record for the youngest scorer at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Paez will continue playing for Independiente until he turns 18 in May 2025. Meanwhile, Caicedo will be back in action in west London next Wednesday against Middlesbrough in the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinal hoping to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

Jamaica’s spin duo of Nikita Miller and Damion Jacobs spun a web around Leeward Islands to register a massive 157-run win in St Kitts

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2017WICB

Jamaica’s duo of Nikita Miller and Damion Jacobs spun a web around Leeward Islands to register a massive 157-run win in St Kitts. Left-arm spinner Miller collected 10 wickets while Jacobs picked two three-fors to bundle out Leeward for 232 and 144. Jamaica, however, are still second from bottom on the table after picking 18.4 points from the win.Jamaica put on a respectable score of 342 after winning the toss, on the back of half-centuries from Paul Palmer (86), Assad Fudadin (58) and John Campbell (57) as offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall’s 4 for 86 meant Jamaica didn’t put on a competitive total. The Leeward batsmen could not capitalise though, as Miller’s 5 for 56 and Jacobs’ 3 for 35 allowed only one batsman – Montcin Hodge – to reach 50, and they conceded a lead of 110.Cornwall took four wickets again and troubled Jamaica’s middle order to restrict them to 191, as No. 7 Derval Green provided resistance with his 51. Jacobs and Miller troubled Leeward with the bat too, putting on 46 for the ninth wicket before combining to take eight wickets as Leeward chased 302 for a win. With only two batsmen reaching 30, they were kept to 144 for only six points but are still second on the table behind Guyana.

USMNT star Christian Pulisic has been named to Opta Data's Serie A team of the season so far, while Weston McKennie was snubbed.

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Pulisic named to Serie A best XI11 goal contributions so farUSMNT's McKennie snubbedWHAT HAPPENED?

After notching six goals and five assists in 17 appearances in Serie A for the Rossoneri this season, the American earned a spot on the wing in the best XI. He is the only player from Milan to find themselves in the mix, while international teammate Weston McKennie was nowhere to be seen in the midfield.

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Pulisic has been outstanding for Milan this campaign, helping them secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League after surviving the Group of Death in Champions League action while also guiding them to third in the Serie A table. McKennie, meanwhile, has been Juventus's top-performing midfielder this season, helping them secure a recent come-from-behind win over Salernitana in Serie A.

DID YOU KNOW?

This is the quickest Pulisic has reached 11 goal contributions in a league season in his professional career. He currently has six Serie A goals and five assists for the campaign.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC AND MCKENNIE

The Rossoneri are back in action Wednesday, with a match against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia on the cards. McKennie, meanwhile, will report to the pitch on Thursday for a contest against Frosinone in the same competition.

One of the first questions asked when Kai Havertz joined Arsenal for a reported £65m was about the role that he would play under Mikel Arteta. Often used as a striker at Chelsea, where he struggled at times, rumours quickly spread that the Gunners could deploy their new signing in an unexpected midfield role.Initially, pre-season failed to give us an answer to the questions posed over the German’s role, too, with Arteta seemingly struggling to find the best position for his new arrival.The Arsenal manager even admitted in the early stages of the summerthat he was still working out where best to play Havertz in his side. When asked, the manager said, via the Evening Standard: “We will see.”We have to see how he adapts and get to know each other and build relationships.”Football is about that and time will tell where he sees best.”It looks as though the Spaniard has finally cracked the Havertz code, however, with the former Chelsea man impressing in a new role in Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly against AS Monaco.

Kai Havertz impresses in new role

As you can see from the tactical analysis of his cameo, Havertz looked more than comfortable in Granit Xhaka’s former role in midfield, which could give us a major indication as to where he could fit into Arteta’s side.

Though a forward at Chelsea, Havertz showed all the traits necessary to thrive in midfield against Monaco, both going forward and defensively, tracking back and winning the ball back for the Gunners.

It was an impressive display, and one which highlighted just how intelligent a player the new arrival really is, as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw, before defeating Monaco on penalties.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said, via The Mirror: “Especially for a lot of players that haven’t had many minutes in pre-season and as well, for the new players to play for the first time at Emirates Stadium it was special.

“You could feel the atmosphere and how excited the fans were. In terms of the game, we struggled a little bit to dominate completely and have the game that we want, we had much better periods in the second half.

“I think we were still a bit leggy and jet legged from when we came, we trained really hard the last three days to be fair and we wanted that task for us, when we are not fresh enough to play, how can we compete. So, it was a good test for us and we’re happy with the outcome.”

Those at The Emirates will certainly feel relieved after Havertz’s display, with the Community Shield against Manchester City fast approaching.

How have Arsenal performed in pre-season?

Arsenal have had a mixed run of results throughout pre-season, with two wins, two draws, and one loss in total. Their victories came in impressive fashion, defeating MLS All-Stars 5-0, in which Havertz scored his first goal, before overcoming Barcelona 5-3.

Their one loss, meanwhile, came in frustrating fashion against Manchester United, whilst they were also denied victory against Nurnberg, and Monaco.

As Havertz impressed in his new role against Monaco, however, fans were quick to forget the result, reacting to the German’s display:

AB de Villiers is expected to play in a three-day match against the touring Zimbabweans next month, before the four-day Boxing Day Test

Firdose Moonda28-Nov-2017AB de Villiers is expected to play in a three-day match for the South African Invitation XI against the touring Zimbabweans next month, in a bid to make a Test comeback. South Africa take on their neighbours in the inaugural four-day day-night Test starting Boxing Day, and to prepare for the fixture, Zimbabwe will play a three-day practice match in Paarl from December 20 to 22 where de Villiers may play.”We’d like to get him back in whites as soon as possible and we have some plans in place. There’s the practice match which will be good for him,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors told ESPNcricinfo.Zondi has kept an eye on de Villiers’ performances in the Ram Slam T20 matches – he has scored 130 runs with a half-century in three innings – and is satisfied that de Villiers has sufficient match fitness. “The manner in which he has played has shown that he is ready. It was never a case of him being rusty but just about getting him match fitness,” Zondi said.De Villiers has not played a Test since January last year because injuries kept him out of series against New Zealand and Australia in 2016 and a self-imposed sabbatical from the longest format has seen him sidelined throughout 2017. As a result, it was widely speculated de Villiers would retire from the format, something even former captain Graeme Smith confirmed he had heard, but in August de Villiers stepped down as ODI captain and committed to play across all formats. This week, he explained to reporters in Centurion that the long break had done him good.”I’ve had time at home to get fresh, time to work on my body, and time to work on skills I’ve not worked on in many years.,” de Villiers said. “I’ve sort of rediscovered that love of the game. I’ve not had an off-season where I’ve gone to nets to work on my skills and technique for ages. Last year, in the peak of the season, I was less ready for Test cricket than I am now.”Though de Villiers has played international cricket this year – he was part of the ODIs in New Zealand and the limited-overs matches in England – he has had most of the year, especially the winter, off. On comeback this summer, he struck 176 in an ODI against Bangladesh in Paarl and has since been back to his aggressive best. Since his last Test, de Villiers has only played one first-class game, for Titans, but still feels he is ready for a longer stint and the warm-up match will help.”It will be nice to go out there and spend some time on my legs. Form-wise I feel ready, but it’s important to stand in the field for a while and hopefully get a long knock,” he said.The only question that remains is how (not if – because coach Ottis Gibson made it clear de Villiers and Dale Steyn would play as soon as they were available) de Villiers will slot back into the Test XI. Not even Zondi has a proper answer yet. “For us as selectors, it’s about getting him into the squad and then it will be worked out from there. It’s a nice problem to have,” Zondi said.South Africa’s Test team composition has shifted from seven batsmen, three seamers and a spinner to six batsmen, two allrounders, two frontline quicks and a spinner in recent months which has complicated the case for de Villiers’ return. The six incumbents are Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, and of those, only Bavuma did not score a century against Bangladesh. Bavuma also occupies the No. 4 position that used to belong to de Villiers, so it would seem he is the likeliest to go. But Bavuma had only recently been promoted to the position and dug South Africa out of several holes and is seen as someone to invest in for the future, leaving South Africa with a conundrum.A possible solution could present itself if du Plessis is not declared fit for the start of the Test summer. Du Plessis suffered a lower-back injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh in late October and was ruled out of action for six weeks, which puts his comeback sometime in December. He has since also had surgery on a troublesome shoulder and is not expected to participate in the Ram Slam at all. Though Zondi is hopeful du Plessis will be available to lead the Test team against Zimbabwe, some of South Africa’s de Villiers puzzle may be solved if he is not. And then it remains to be seen how South Africa will line-up for the three Tests against India in January.

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.

Manchester United will now turn to signing a defender or two before the transfer window slams shut in just three weeks.

Erik ten Hag has already signed Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, giving his team a new look spine, yet the focus now turns to defensive reinforcements.

Benjamin Pavard has been strongly linked, however, could it be a deal for Jean-Clair Todibo that will be the priority for Ten Hag over the coming days?

How much will Jean-Clair Todibo cost Man United?

According to The Athletic, United are looking at defensive reinforcements and Todibo, along with Pavard, are top of the list.

The Nice defender has been tracked by scouts at the Red Devils, and he could cost as little as €30m (£26m) this summer, representing excellent value.

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The need for another centre-back has heightened due to the fact that Harry Maguire is edging closer to securing a move to West Ham United following four years at Old Trafford.

Todibo’s former club, Barcelona, have also been offered the chance to sign the Frenchman during the transfer window, yet it appears as though United are in the ascendancy with regard to a potential swoop.

Could Jean-Clair Todibo improve Manchester United?

The 23-year-old has already played in Ligue 1, La Liga, and the Bundesliga across his short career so far, yet it is at Nice where he has made the biggest impression.

He has racked up 103 appearances over just three seasons and the Frenchman has also been likened to a World Cup-winning United centre-back – Raphael Varane.

Writing in his Substack column, Jonathan Johnson said: 'I do think there is the potential that Todibo makes that kind of Man United move in the near future and if the Manchester club do get him, I think there are some similarities with Raphael Varane in many ways.'

It certainly isn’t a bad comparison considering just how impressive Varane has been over the previous decade. The 30-year-old has won a plethora of honours, including four Champions League titles, three Spanish titles with Real Madrid and steering France to glory at the 2018 World Cup.

Indeed, WhoScored lists concentration as being a major strength for both Todibo and Varane and it’s evident that the younger defender could be an ideal heir to the former Madrid player in the coming years.

Additionally, the former Barcelona starlet has actually registered a higher pass completion rate (88.5% to 86.3%) than Varane, while also winning a higher percentage of challenges (73.2% to 41.2%) and winning more tackles (48 to nine) indicating that he was not only a reliable passer, but strong in the challenge and looked to win the ball back as often as possible.

When compared to positional peers across the top five European leagues, Todibo also ranked in the top 15% for progressive passes per 90, and in the top 10% for tackles and successful take-ons per 90, suggesting that his forward-thinking approach would be an ideal fit for Ten Hag’s tactical system.

Varane missed a total of 32 games across his first two seasons at United and given that he will turn 31 towards the end of the forthcoming campaign, Ten Hag must be eyeing up someone who could turn into a perfect heir.

The Nice gem has shades of Varane about him and over the previous 12 months, he has certainly proven his worth on the continent.

Celtic have reportedly registered their interest in signing a talented new midfielder for Brendan Rodgers.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

The Hoops have brought in six new players at a total cost of £12m this summer, and there is still time to add to their ranks before the domestic deadline closes.

Maik Nawrocki, Odin Thiago Holm, Hyun-jun Yang, Marco Tilio, Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Tomoki Iwata are the players who have penned Parkhead terms in recent months, and a new centre-back to replace Carl Starfelt appears to be on the agenda.

Gustaf Lagerbielke and Xavier Mbuyamba are two defenders who the club have made enquiries for, with Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph saying this earlier in the week…

“Celtic have made enquiries for two centre-backs as they look to replace Carl Starfelt. It’s understood enquiries have been made for Elfsborg’s Gustaf Lagerbielke and Volendam’s Xavier Mbuyamba.

“Reports in Sweden suggest Celtic are further down the line with Lagerbielke.”

However, alongside a centre-back, a new midfielder also appears to be of interest, and one player who has been linked with a move to Glasgow is Manchester City midfielder James McAtee.

In a new update, it appears as if the club have made contact over a potential transfer. Football Scotland reporter Mark Hendry provided a Celtic transfer roundup on Wednesday and touched on the Hoops’ interest in McAtee, saying those at Parkhead have “registered an interest” in the player, however, a whopping 30 clubs are keen on the City gem.

“One player Celtic are indeed keen on is Manchester City's James McAtee – but it won't be an easy get, that's for sure.

“According to sources down south there are believed to be more than THIRTY clubs who have made their interest known in the 20-year-old and that's just in the UK. The lad is no joke and while Celtic have registered an interest, they'll face a battle.”

How good is James McAtee?

McAtee is primarily a central midfielder but can also play further forward in an attacking area if needed. The 20-year-old came in for praise from Pep Guardiola after City turned down one loan spell in 2022.

"Maybe it happened because he's a special player. These players when we don't have incredible depth, we cannot forget he's just 19, training every day is so important for him."

However, McAtee did go out on loan last season to Sheffield United and helped them win promotion back to the Premier League after making 43 appearances for the Blades in all competitions.

You can see just why McAtee is now a player in demand following his form in the past 12 months. As per FBref, the Englishman ranks in the top 1% of midfielders for goals and assists and progressive carries, showing how much of a threat he can be in the final third.

McAtee also ranks highly when it comes to key passes and passes into the final third, so if Celtic managed to win the race for the player’s services, presumably on loan, then perhaps Rodgers could be landing a future star for the campaign.