The game will continue at 6pm local time, resuming from Rangpur Riders’ current score of 55 for 1 after seven overs

The Report by Mohammad Isam10-Dec-2017Two spectators take cover in Mirpur after rain stopped play•Raton Gomes

The BPL’s second Qualifier between Comilla Victorians and Rangpur Riders will now continue on Monday, after chaos – stemming from a rain delay of almost two hours – nearly produced an organisational disaster in Mirpur. The final decision, of playing the game on the following day, came after Comilla captain Tamim Iqbal and Rangpur captain Mashrafe Mortaza agreed to the BPL governing council’s suggestion “in the interest of the tournament and the crowd.”Rain interrupted the match when Rangpur were 55 for 1 after seven overs and did not cease for a long time, bringing the playing conditions into play. Had it been a washout, Comilla would have gone through because they finished the league stage on top. However, lack of clarity about the playing conditions within the BPL governing council started the confusion before they suggested extending the cut-off time by another two hours from the original 9.15pm and deciding the match with a Super Over. Tamim, however, did not agree with the Super Over proposition, saying the game wasn’t tied at all. Eventually, the two captains agreed to continue the match on Monday evening at 6pm from where it was interrupted on Sunday.A public service announcement at the ground ended nearly an hour-long drama that was witnessed by a half-full Shere Bangla National Stadium. Confusion prevailed as the BPL governing council members led by Ismail Haider Mallick, its member secretary, and several other BCB directors were engaged in several conversations with Tamim and their team owners and officials; there was the odd heated conversation too. Rangpur, however, chose not to be too involved in the chatter.Mashrafe was clearly the happier of the two captains, since Rangpur would have been eliminated if the game had no result.”You know, no team should be going out because it’s a washout, especially in a semi-final,” Mashrafe said. “It’s not a thing about the [disagreements within the] board and so on, it’s just the best news for cricket. Playing conditions are important, since we don’t want to get injured ahead of Bangladesh’s tri-series tour. Many thanks to Tamim for honouring this decision and for the sake of BPL, we will play tomorrow.”Tamim, on the other hand, looked at the bright side, and discussed strategy for the rest of the game.”If any other team would’ve been in our shoes [of being ensured qualification in case of a washout] even they would’ve done the same as us,” he said. “For the sake of the BPL, we will have a game tomorrow, so it’s all good. For tomorrow, we can plan better now. Only 12 overs to bowl for us. Whoever starts well, will do better.”In the 35 minutes of cricket that happened on Sunday, Rangpur sped to 55 for 1 with Johnson Charles unbeaten on 46 off 26 balls with four fours and as many sixes. He entertained the crowd as the main attraction, Chris Gayle, holed out to long-off with a leading edge in the fifth over.In the third over, Gayle had stepped on the ball while running for a single and he rolled his ankle to tumble awkwardly. He was tended to by the physio but was constantly limping, having a difficult time to even take singles before he was dismissed for 3 off 10 balls.

Stokes once again selected, subject to police investigation, as Moeen and Bairstow are rested after Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2018James Vince has been given the chance to convert his fluent but unfulfilled Test form into the 20-over format, after being handed a recall for the T20 Tri-series against Australia and New Zealand that gets underway in February.Vince was singled out for criticism by England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, following an Ashes campaign in which he made 242 runs at 26.88, but consistently gave away his wicket after a promising start, making scores of between 15 and 25 in six of his nine innings.However, the selectors have not yet lost faith in Vince’s ability to make the grade at international level, and have included him in a 16-man squad in place of Moeen Ali, who has been rested after a torrid time in the Ashes.England T20 Squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood

Jonny Bairstow, who also featured in all five Ashes Tests, is another squad regular to sit this series out, with Sam Billings, the Kent wicketkeeper-batsman, taking his place in the tour party.There is no respite, however, for England’s Test captain, Joe Root, who might have been considered worthy of a break as he hands the reins over to the regular one-day captain, Eoin Morgan. However, both he and another Ashes batsman, Dawid Malan, have been included in a tri-series that is the first of its kind and potentially the start of a new departure for international T20 cricket.”We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills,” said James Whitaker, the chairman of selectors.On the bowling front, the notable inclusion is Mark Wood, the Durham quick bowler who was briefly considered for an Ashes call-up when England’s lack of out-and-out pace became apparent after two early defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide.In the end, he was not considered sufficiently match-fit to play a Test match, but looked to be approaching his best rhythm during his time with the England Lions, as he continued his recovery from persistent ankle issues.In what is now a familiar turn of events, Ben Stokes has once again been named in the squad, even though his involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September.Should the ECB Board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage.”The IT20 Tri-Series will be very competitive against quality opposition in Australia and New Zealand,” said Whitaker. “Our limited-overs cricket has been progressing nicely across both formats so this tournament will be another indicator on where we are heading as a team over the long-term.”Our aim is to become the best T20 side in the world and a strong performance in this series will give us the chance to progress up the team rankings.The series gets underway on February 7 in Hobart, when England take on Australia, and will conclude on February 21 with the final at Eden Park in Auckland.

PNG will be playing a match that will be televised back home for only the second time ever and their head coach Kila Pala and the cricket board are doing all they can to make sure the kids have fun

Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui15-Jan-2018

Papua New Guinea last featured in junior cricket’s biggest tournament in 2014. They qualified for their eighth Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand this year after remaining undefeated in the East Asia Pacific Qualifier 2017 in Samoa. They needed to beat the hosts in the final match, and they did so, by eight wickets.Between 2014 and now, PNG have benefited from several administrative reforms. Corporate sponsorships have contributed to the development of the game. The number of turf wickets have gone up, and there is cricket being played in three centres now, as compared to just the one five years ago. It’s these positives that have brought about a new ray of hope for the side as they are set to compete with the big boys.PNG will take on India on Tuesday, and for only the second time in their history, they will be playing on live TV. It will mark a special moment for Hanuabada, a village close to Port Moresby, in particular because as many as 13 members of the current squad come from there. “They’re all very excited. This will be the first time an ICC event will be televised back home,” says Kila Pala, their former captain, who is now their head coach.Pala retired 18 months ago, wrapping up a career that began more than a decade ago in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. “Forget about telecast, nobody even knew we were a cricket team,” he laughs. “Today, these boys have an incentive to do well, get noticed and put themselves up for national selection for the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March.The only other occasion the PNG people got to watch their team on live TV was when their board paid the local broadcaster – unheard of in these times of billion-dollar cricket deals – to air the ODI series against Scotland in September. The players are understandably excited, and nervous, but the coach and the CEO are going out of their way to calm the boys and help them enjoy the occasion.Cricket PNG chief executive Greg Campbell looks on anxiously as his team concedes a big total•Peter Della Penna

The PNG team management organised a party for the teenagers on the wharf, just around their hotel in Mount Maunganui. For a good two hours, they sang and danced to traditional music and by the end even the quieter members of the team were opening up in a manner never seen before. The overall mood in the camp now is starkly different to how things were after a loss to Zimbabwe in the opening game.”I don’t want them to worry about the results. That’s what we’ve sort of passed on as management,” says Greg Campbell, the former Australia fast bowler and current chief executive of Cricket PNG. He took over in 2011. “Let’s face it, the next two games are huge – against the two strongest cricket countries in the world. We see this week as a learning curve for us. We’re going to see some of the best players in the future for India playing tomorrow, and then we have Australia. These guys have to sit there and watch how they prepare and watch how they go about their game and we’ll take some stuff out of that.””The results are insignificant to us in a way. Yes, we also want to win. We go in there to show how we play our cricket. Don’t take away their culture; they are exciting cricketers but they’re probably the new baby compared to a 15 or 16-year-olds playing, but they’re looking forward to the challenge. They know it’s going to be hard but they spoke about it.”KP (coach) and the boys have been working for close to eight months which is quite a long time in PNG cricket. They’ve toured Samoa and Australia a couple of times having camps. What I’ve brought from Australia is, ‘you just keep working hard and results will come your way.'”At present, around 200,000 kids have been enrolled in the country’s soft-ball cricket programme, funded by one of Cricket PNG’s sponsors – Bank of South Pacific, who have a ten-year deal. Though not enough of them retained an interest in the game as they grew up – the rate of attrition was high till 2014 – things have changed now.The enthusiasm of the young cricketers in the programme excite Pala and Campbell. When Campbell took over as chief executive of the PNG board, there was just one synthetic wicket. Player contracts were unheard of, but they came into place in 2014, when the team was given ODI status. Two years ago, they introduced a development contract for the Under-19s that takes care of their studies and also provides them with a monthly stipend for meals and kits.”In four-five years, we will see the real benefits of the programme” Campbell says. “We’ve started our hard-ball competition and we’re about to build 50 synthetic wickets around PNG. It goes around the villages which creates more competition. All that will produce more cricketers – simple as that. In the years to come, we’re looking forward but we got to maintain the level our cricket consistently.”Pala is working towards retaining all the eligible players for the next edition of the Under-19 World Cup too, which means they will potentially have two more years in the age-group system as they develop their game. “A lot of these boys want to continue on to the next World Cup. The little left-armer Semo Kamea bowls fast. He just turned 16, so he’ll continue for a couple of years. I know India have got a couple of quicks who bowled in the high 140s so his job is to look at them and learn and feed off.”It’s all a learning curve, the whole cricket in PNG is a learning curve but we have come a long way in quite a small time but we know we’ve got a long way to go. Their culture and love for cricket is passionate and it keeps me going. Hopefully we see one of these boys play for the national side in one or two years.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWith an Aaron Finch century at the top of the order, a staunch middle-order partnership and acceleration at the end, Australia seemed pretty well placed at the halfway mark of the first ODI. That expectation was turned dramatically on its head by a rampant Jason Roy, who soared to England’s highest ever 50-over score, and in the company of a rejuvenated Joe Root helped England fly to the steepest ever ODI chase on the MCG with seven balls to spare.If this was the first match of a series lacking much in the way of context, Roy’s combination of daring and determination – with a dash of good fortune via numerous skiers that landed safely – will allow England to look optimistically towards next year’s World Cup. It was on this ground, of course, where Australia had thrashed England in the opening match of the previous tournament, setting the scene for their ultimate success.This time around, England showed themselves to be at the vanguard of the new ODI breed, while Australia, with eight losses from their past nine games, look some way off the pace. Steven Smith’s side were left with plenty to think about after looking toothless in the face of England’s high tempo game. Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales had fallen early, but Roy was far from perturbed in dictating terms against an Australian bowling attack that seemed flat after a combination of Ashes and Big Bash League duties. By contrast, Roy had barely fired a shot for Sydney Sixers, but came into his own for England.Well as Finch, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis played, they were forced to regather lost ground after the day’s English tone was set by a fast and hostile Mark Wood, who made the Australian top order hop around early on after Eoin Morgan sent the hosts in to bat. Wood notably made life difficult for David Warner, and left open the tantalising question of what a difference he might have made to England’s Ashes tilt. Adil Rashid was expensive, but produced a pair of teasing deliveries that accounted for Smith and Marsh amid some looser offerings. Moeen Ali completed his overs with admirable economy placed in context by what was to follow.Having dumped Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade from the team in response to a pattern of middle-order failures last year, Australia’s selectors would have been pleased by the way Finch combined with Marsh before Stoinis and Tim Paine played with verve in the closing overs. However, they were reminded of how England have become one of the 50-over game’s trendsetters in pushing aggressively for runs from a deep batting order, finding a level of freedom that has been maintained even without Ben Stokes.Roy’s determination to punish anything even slightly loose was demonstrated in the very first over of the pursuit, when Mitchell Starc concluded an accurate over with something slightly wider that was hammered through the covers. By the fourth over England had galloped to 47, meaning that even after Bairstow fenced at Starc to do what is now known as a James Vince, edging behind, the momentum stayed with the tourists. Hales’ return was brief, bunting an attempted pull shot at Pat Cummins to midwicket, but a tally of 60 after six overs would have been regarded as a decent powerplay in Twenty20, let alone an ODI.Above all else it meant that Root and Roy could reassess their target without needing to worry too much about finding the boundary every over, even as the latter reached his 50 from just 32 balls. Australia’s fielders and many in a crowd of 37,171 cursed their ill-luck as Roy lofted numerous shots barely over the top of the infield, at times landing these blows with the precision of Frank de Boer’s long ball to Dennis Bergkamp at the FIFA 1998 World Cup.Roy had progressed to within nine runs of a century when Adam Zampa fooled him with an excellent wrong-un that brought a frenzied appeal and a raised finger from the umpire Simon Fry. After consulting with Root, Roy reviewed, and was judged to have been playing a shot, bat behind pad, when the ball struck him fractionally outside the line of the off stump. As if to underline the moment’s importance, Roy then clumped the very next ball down the ground for six, and Zampa was not a factor thereafter.Aaron Finch celebrates his ninth ODI hundred•Getty Images

So comfortably then did Roy carry on, and so neatly did Root complement him with deft placement and plenty of impetus running between the wickets, that it seemed likely for a time that England might get to the total without further loss. Smith rotated his bowlers without success, and the records started to flow, including the biggest ever third-wicket stand in an ODI at the MCG, Roy’s score surpassing Hales’ against Pakistan in 2016 as the best for England, and then topping Mark Waugh’s 173 against West Indies in 2001 as the biggest 50-over innings in Melbourne.Ultimately Roy was to fall within sight of victory, and Morgan also came and went, as did Jos Buttler before Moeen Ali finished it with a boundary. Australia’s ODI debutant AJ Tye was by a distance the most economical bowler, but the overall lack of threat posed by the hosts’ attack contrasted sharply with the way Wood began proceedings.Sharing the new ball with Chris Woakes, Wood immediately made his presence felt with a series of fast, rising deliveries that challenged Finch and Warner in ways that had not been seen during the Ashes. Wood’s short run and piston-pumping action touched speeds up to 149kph, and Warner in particular was made to hop around before a lifter took the shoulder of his bat and looped gently to Root in the slips – how he would have loved to witness such a moment during the Tests.Wood’s speed and trajectory caused further problems for Finch and the captain Smith, who evaded one lbw appeal for a delivery that beat him for pace, on a surface notably more grassy than the one prepared for the Boxing Day Test. However, there was a lack of pressure coming from the other end, as Woakes offered up rather more pedestrian stuff that Finch in particular was able to capitalise upon off both front and back foot.Smith, too, was quickly into stride against everyone other than Wood, but would slip up unexpectedly against the leg-spin variations of Rashid. The ball after leaving a wayward leg side wide, Smith offered an open face to the googly and the resulting thin edge was clasped by a juggling Buttler. When Travis Head chopped onto the stumps from the bowling of the serviceable Liam Plunkett, Australia were wobbling in a manner familiar across their poorly ODI record in 2017.But as if to underline how this area had been recognised by Australia both in terms of selection and attitude, Finch and Marsh refused to panic, working the ball around patiently in recognition of the overs remaining, before signalling a phase of acceleration when Marsh hammered Moeen into the members enclosure beyond long on. Moeen missed a half-chance for a return catch off Finch, who was also at the centre of proceedings when England lost their lone review – Rashid pushing hastily for an lbw referral to a wrong’un comfortably sliding past leg stump.Finch duly went to his third ODI century against England on this ground, and second in as many innings after the opening match of the 2015 World Cup, by swinging Rashid into the crowd with plenty of bottom hand. Both he and Marsh departed soon after, the latter deceived by a well-pitched slider from Rashid, but Stoinis and Paine maintained Australia’s momentum with another intelligent partnership in the closing overs, mixing hustle with heave to take the tally past 300.Their efforts ensured England would need to break all manner of records to achieve victory. Thanks largely to Roy’s renaissance, Morgan’s men had remarkably little trouble in doing so.

Despite the 222-run win, the defending champions are no longer in contention for the knockouts

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2018Alick Athanaze pulls one away•IDI/Getty

Defending champions West Indies prevailed over Kenya in a one-sided contest in Lincoln, registering a 222-run win – their first in three games this tournament – courtesy Alick Athanaze’s unbeaten 116, and a combined nine wickets between Bhaskar Yadram and Jeavor Royal. Despite the two points, West Indies are no longer in contention for a knockout berth as hosts New Zealand and South Africa lead them on the points table.West Indies got off to a solid start after opting to bat, thanks to a quickfire fifty from Kimani Melius (60 off 45). His opening partner Keagan Simmons’ dismissal in the 15th over, however, led to the side losing their top three for four runs within the space of eight deliveries. Kenya, on their part, failed to capitalise on the quick wickets, allowing Athanaze and Kirstan Kallicharan to hoist West Indies to 150 via a 68-run partnership. While Athanaze motored on, having struck an unbeaten 76 in the previous game, the lower-order duo of Royal and Nyeem Young chipped in with 24 and 57 respectively to help their side finish on 318 for 7. Aveet Desai, the pick of the Kenya bowlers, finished with figures of 3 for 54.Subsequently, it took West Indies all of 24.4 overs to skittle the Kenya line-up with left-arm spinner Royal taking 4 for 25 in his 7.4 overs and Yadram ending with 5 for 18 from his seven overs. Only three of the Kenya batsmen mustered double-digit scores, with opener Aman Gandhi top-scoring with 37.

Inter Miami have named a strong starting XI to take on Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Cup on Monday.

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• Inter Miami and Al Hilal release starting XIs
• Teams clashing in Riyadh Cup
• Herons looking for first preseason win

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Before their highly-anticipated clash in the Saudi Arabian mini-tournament, each side released their starting XIs. The ex-Fulham ace and second leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League highlighted the Herons' opposition, while Inter Miami dropped a near full-strength lineup to begin the contest.

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  THE BIG PICTURE

  The Herons are winless in preseason so far, drawing with El Salvador and losing to FC Dallas. If they can pull off a victory Monday, it will mark the first real progress they've made on the pitch this season. With less than a month until the start of the MLS season, Tata Martino and Co. will be hoping that the Herons start to show progress on the pitch soon.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mitrovic only trails Cristiano Ronaldo by three goals in the race for the Golden Boot in Saudi Arabia.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  After their clash against Al-Hilal on Monday, they take on Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in their second match of the Riyadh Cup on Thursday. Their preseason World Tour continues then with three more matches until the 2024 MLS season begins.

Carney Chukwuemeka has claimed that the "vibes" at Chelsea are now "unimaginable" under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

What happened to Chelsea last season?

Last season at Stamford Bridge was about as tumultuous as could be at any football club.

The Blues swapped Thomas Tuchel for Graham Potter, before sacking him and bringing in Frank Lampard all to end the season in 12th – with their worst-ever points total during the Premier League era (though their lowest finish in the division remains 14th in 1993/94).

And, thanks to Todd Boehly's squad-building fiasco, the team was completely bloated. As per a report from The Athletic last season, after spending over £500m, on 16 new signings there were "over 30 players reporting for training every day", leading to plenty of unhappiness.

In the same report, Thiago Silva was quoted as saying: “It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.

“Change of ownership, new players arriving — we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad."

However, since the arrival of Pochettino, it appears the mood in west London has changed for the better – as outlined by Chukwuemeka in a recent interview.

Indeed, when speaking to journalist Olivia Buzaglo, the 19-year-old midfielder explained: "The vibes in the squad are unimaginable. I can’t name one person who doesn’t fit in with everyone. Everyone’s just bouncing off each other on and off the pitch, and I think that helps."

He added: "Building a relationship with each other off the pitch is only going to make us closer and build more chemistry on the pitch, so it’s definitely good what the gaffer has come in and done, and long may it continue."

You can see the good vibes in action in videos from their pre-season tour of the US, as well as the recent training ground footage of new signing Moises Caicedo arriving at the club.

Who have Chelsea sold this summer?

No doubt, one of the key reasons the mood has lifted at Chelsea is because Boehly and co have been able to offload some of their unwanted and unhappy squad members.

As per Transfermarkt, an incredible 12 senior players have been sold or allowed to leave for free this summer, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all seeking pastures new.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

That's not to say there hasn't been plenty of arrivals too, with big money spent on new signings such as Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez.

With that in mind, Pochettino probably deserves a fair bit of credit for keeping the changing room happy – especially after the utter chaos of last season.

The Blues started their Premier League campaign off with a respectable 1-1 home draw against Liverpool and travel away to London rivals West Ham this weekend.

Now with a couple of new midfielders added to their ranks in Caicedo and Lavia, Pochettino's squad is another few steps closer to being completed, so it will be interesting to see how he sets up his team for this clash.

After starting against Liverpool, Chukwuemeka will no doubt hope to play again – if not, perhaps he won't be quite so effusive about the good "vibes" at the club when next spoken to by the press.

Reddy, Prasad take Andhra past Punjab; Jharkhand beat MP in last-over thriller

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2025

Jaiswal 101, Sarfaraz 64 for MumbaiAfter losing to Hyderabad in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League opener on Friday, defending champions Mumbai bounced back to hunt down 235 against Haryana in Pune.Yashasvi Jaiswal led the steep chase with a 48-ball century – his fourth in T20 cricket – with 16 fours and a six. He eventually holed out with Mumbai seven away from victory. Atharva Ankolekar wrapped it up for Mumbai with a six and a four, in the company of allrounder Sairaj Patil.After Ajinkya Rahane fell for 21 off ten balls, Jaiswal combined with Sarfaraz Khan for an 88-run second-wicket partnership off just 37 balls. Sarfaraz, who is part of capped batters up for bidding in the first set of the IPL 2026 auction, boosted his chances with 64 off 25 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. After winning the Player-of-the-Match award, Jaiswal called up Sarfaraz and shared it with him. Though Mumbai suffered a late wobble, they cruised to victory with 15 balls and four wickets to spare.Earlier in the day, after Mumbai had opted to bowl, Patil emerged as their only wicket-taker, coming away with 2 for 44. Shardul Thakur also kept things tight on a small ground, prompting Haryana to retire Samant Jakhar out on 31 off 14 after the batter had struggled to get the Mumbai captain away in the 19th over. Haryana’s captain Ankit Kumar hit 89 off 42 balls, his joint-highest T20 score, but it went in vain.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Hemanth Reddy, Prasad stun PunjabAndhra handed Punjab their second successive defeat in the Super League, at the MCA Stadium in Pune. M Hemanth Reddy, 23, was the hero for Andhra, clattering a 48-ball hundred – his first in only his second T20. He finished unbeaten on 109 off 53 balls as Andhra chased 206 from 56 for 5 for their first win in the Super League.Reddy was well supported by No. 7 SDNV Prasad, who scored an unbeaten 53 off 35 balls, after Andhra were reduced to 56 for 5 in the ninth over. Their unbroken 155-run partnership is the highest for any wicket for Andhra in men’s T20 cricket. It is also the second-highest partnership for the sixth wicket or lower in men’s T20 cricket behind Andre Russell and Kennar Lewis’s 161-run stand for the sixth wicket for Jamaica Tallawahs in CPL 2018.After being asked to bat first, Punjab had posted 205 for 5 on the back of forty-somethings from Harnoor Singh Pannu (42), Anmolpreet Singh (47), Salil Arora (42*) and Ramandeep Singh (43). After bagging a hat-trick in the previous game, India international Nitish Kumar Reddy returned 1 for 39 in his four overs.File photo – Ishan Kishan’s 63 set up Jharkhand’s thrilling win•PTI

Jharkhand prevail in last-over finish vs MPVenkatesh Iyer took 3 for 17 from his three overs for Madhya Pradesh, but they fell short by just one run against Jharkhand after requiring 13 runs to win off the final over, bowled by Sushant Mishra.Earlier, Ishan Kishan was the architect of Jharkhand’s innings, making another quick start at the top after his 47 against Punjab in their previous game. He scored even quicker against MP, getting to 63 off 30 deliveries, including four fours and five sixes, before Iyer snared him up.Iyer’s two more wickets slowed down a Jharkhand innings where no other batter managed to cross 30. However, Iyer did not have much luck with the bat in hand himself as he fell for 8 at the top of the order. Harpreet Singh (77*) and Harsh Gawli (61) put up a 122-run partnership afterwards. By the time Gawli fell, MP needed just 41 more runs from 25 balls.The required rate rose thereafter, and the equation eventually became too steep as Jharkhand solidified their spot at the top of their Super Group table.File photo – Tanmay Agarwal’s 73 helped Hyderabad breeze through their chase•PTI

Agarwal helps Hyderabad breeze past RajasthanHyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal led their chase of 179 against Rajasthan, hitting eight fours and four sixes during his 41-ball 73. By the time he was dismissed in the 17th over, the scores were level, and they eventually won with six wickets and 17 balls to spare. Agarwal played most of innings in the company of Rahul Buddhi – who made 55 off 36 – during a 95-run partnership for the third wicket.Earlier, No. 4 Mahipal Lomror led Rajasthan’s comeback after they had slipped to 17 for 2, then 85 for 5. His 48 was the highest score of a stop-start innings where four of the top seven got into the 20s but no one could kick on.Manav Suthar (2-20) and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (2-35) were the only wicket-takers for Rajasthan as they struggled to keep up in the chase. Hyderabad now sit at the top of their own Super League table, as the only unbeaten side in Group B after two matches.

Batsman Farhaan Behardien has been added to South Africa’s squad as a replacement, while Heinrich Klaasen comes in as a back-up wicketkeeper given AB de Villiers’ injury

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2018South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remaining ODIs against India and the T20s that follow due to a fractured finger. He did damage to the finger – his right index digit – during the first ODI on February 1. He is likely to require three to six weeks’ time to recover, a Cricket South Africa (CSA) statement said, putting him in danger of missing the start of the four-Test series against Australia that starts on March 1.Batsman Farhaan Behardien has been added to South Africa’s squad as a replacement, while Heinrich Klaasen comes in as a back-up wicketkeeper given AB de Villiers is also sidelined by injury – incidentally, also a finger issue.Both du Plessis and de Villiers sustained their finger injuries trying to catch out Virat Kohli and while India still have their captain, South Africa will now be scrambling for one. Hashim Amla is the first name that comes to mind, even though he has been reluctant to lead in the past; in an emergency, he remains the go-to but JP Duminy could be in contention for a leadership role as well. Duminy captained the Cobras in the domestic one-day cup, in which they reached the semi-finals, and has led South Africa in T20s, most recently against Bangladesh in October last year.Behardien was a surprise omission from the original ODI squad, which was named for the first three matches last week, especially after his form in the domestic one-day cup. Behardien finished fourth on the run-scorers’ list with 437 runs at 48.55 and a strike rate of 92.58 but Khaya Zondo, who only scored 275 runs at 39.28 at a strike rate of 65.53, was given an opportunity as part of South Africa’s “vision 2019”.Speaking to the media when the squad was announced, convener of selectors Linda Zondi explained that the plan was to cast the net as widely as possible to assess which players may be in contention for World Cup places, and said Behardien had been provided reassurance that his World Cup dream was not over. It was thought than that Behardien would only have to wait until the second half of the India series to play again but his turn has come much sooner.The same applies to Klaasen, who was third on the one-day cup run-scorers’ list with 522 runs at 52.20 and a strike rate of 94.05. Klaasen also presents the first real challenge to Quinton de Kock, who has yet to score more than 43 in the ongoing tour against India. Though du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson insisted de Kock need not fear for his place and hoped he would find form in shorter formats, Klaasen’s call-up suggests patience in de Kock is not limitless and he does have someone chasing him.All this has thrown South Africa’s plans to use this series as a starting point for their World Cup campaign a little off track. Without the captain and one of their most effective batsmen, planning for a major tournament will be tough. South Africa were even willing to let results take a back seat to their planning, but that may change given the position they now find themselves in.South Africa lost the first ODI in Durban, despite a century from du Plessis. Five more ODIs follow, with three T20s after that, and de Villiers is expected to come back for at least some of that. Then, South Africa host Australia for four Tests and will hope all of de Villiers, du Plessis and the recovering Dale Steyn, who has a heel injury, will be fit.

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."