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India 376 (Ashwin 113, Jadeja 86, Mahmud 5-83) and 287 for 4 dec (Gill 119*, Pant 109, Mehidy 2-103) beat Bangladesh 149 (Shakib 32, Bumrah 4-50, Jadeja 2-19) and 234 (Shanto 82, Ashwin 6-88, Jadeja 3-58) by 280 runsR Ashwin completed his fourth double of a hundred and a five-for in the same Test – and his second in successive Tests at Chepauk – to take India to a 1-0 series lead against Bangladesh on the fourth morning in Chennai. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the probing bowling at bay, spending a wicketless first hour with Shakib Al Hasan.But Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja broke down the resistance in the second hour. Ashwin’s 37th five-wicket haul took him level with the great Shane Warne, behind only Muthiah Muralidaran’s 67.India started the day needing six wickets to win, but were denied at the start. The first hour, although wicketless, featured testing spells from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj, in particular, bowled through the hour, kept going past Shanto’s bat, and tried to engage him in verbals, but Shanto kept resisting him. Shakib wore a blow on his fingers, but managed to keep Shanto company.

India retain same squad for second Test

After the win in Chennai, India confirmed that the same 16-man squad would be retained for the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The game begins on September 27. The squad members that didn’t play a part in the first Test were Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yash Dayal.

Just after drinks, though, Chennai boy Ashwin and Chennai Super King Jadeja got together in a reminder of how their batting partnership on day one took the game away from Bangladesh. In his first over, Ashwin’s drift made Shakib play down the wrong line for Yashasvi Jaiswal to take another sharp catch at short leg. This wicket took him past Courtney Walsh’s 519 to No. 8 on the all-time wicket-takers’ table.Jadeja’s quick pace and turn soon drew an edge from Litton Das for an easier catch at first slip. Playing at home, Ashwin then received a gift from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who decided to take the long-on fielder on, and ended up offering Jadeja a simple catch – fitting that Ashwin’s five-wicket haul was completed with a Jadeja catch.Trying to farm the strike, Shanto decided to have a go at Jadeja last ball of an over, but the wily spinner bowled wide to draw a wicket-taking thick edge. It was only a matter of time after that. A minor detail was that what could have been Ashwin’s seventh wicket – not given and not reviewed – ended up becoming Jadeja’s third in the next over.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are pressing on in their hunt for additions and are now advancing as they aim to bolster the forward ranks, according to a report.

Fer Lopez became the Old Gold’s first arrival of the summer window, and Jorgen Strand Larsen has since joined him at Wolves permanently after an excellent loan spell at Molineux.

After putting up a tally of 14 goals and five assists in the Black Country, the Norway international is now fully focused on improving on his exploits next term under Vitor Pereira.

He stated: “It’s been a good first season in the Premier League. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I’ve been able to take the steps earlier than I’ve done before. Previously, when I moved to a new country, I needed more time to get into it and score goals.

“As a striker, the team need you to score the goals and be on the end of the crosses, so to score 14 goals – and come back after my injuries and a little dip of form – it was a good season for me in that respect.”

Now prioritising other areas, Wolves are interested in Udinese defender Thomas Kristensen again after making a £12 million bid for the Dane during the January transfer window.

Wolves now closing in on deal to sign £4m+ colossus who "wants" PL move

The Old Gold have made progress in their pursuit of a “highly-rated” player, who is keen on a move to the Premier League.

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Another potential solution at the back for the Old Gold is Brighton & Hove Albion star Igor Julio, albeit it remains to be seen whether the Seagulls will entertain selling to a Premier League rival.

However, despite Strand Larsen deciding to extend his stay, Wolves are now keen to land another centre-forward to star in the new campaign.

Wolves make approach for El Bilal Toure

According to Africa Foot, Wolves have made an approach to sign El Bilal Toure from Atalanta, though the 23 year-old is also wanted by Marseille, Stade Rennais, Paris FC, Como, Villarreal, Galatasaray and West Ham United.

In an injury-ridden campaign on loan at Stuttgart, the Mali international, who was previously labelled a “major talent” by Graeme Bailey, registered three goals and one assist in 17 appearances across all competitions, exactly mirroring his debut season for Atalanta in 2023/24.

Five similar players to El Bilal Toure (FBRef)

Mateo Retegui

Atalanta

Marcus Thuram

Inter Milan

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Jonathan David

Juventus (to be finalised)

Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid

Nothing has been determined as yet, but the Serie A outfit are set to decide on Bilal Toure’s next move sooner rather than later as he isn’t expected to be a major part of Ivan Juric’s plans in 2025/26.

Wolves are a little short on forward options after Matheus Cunha’s departure. Besides, there is a suspicion the likes of Hwang Hee-chan, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic could leave Molineux this summer due to their status as peripheral figures.

Bilal Toure has endured mixed fortunes since arriving in Italy. Nevertheless, a move to the Premier League could be the perfect tonic to get his career back on track.

Captain’s 76 not enough as Gloucestershire defend 251 at York

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2024Ollie Price’s watchful 98 off 118 balls plus a feverish bowling display led by three-wicket quick Matt Taylor led Gloucestershire to an entertaining win over Yorkshire at York as they successfully defended a 252-target to triumph by 36 runs.Price had underpinned Gloucestershire’s 251 for 9, while opener Miles Hammond leant support with 54. But the visitors added only 85 runs in a damaging final 15 overs which saw seven wickets fall.The Vikings responded on a challenging batting pitch, with new-ball seamer Ben Coad (2 for 27 from 10 overs) particularly impressive as one of four bowlers who struck twice.Shan Masood and James Wharton hit 76 and 56 respectively to leave Yorkshire well placed, but they slumped from 137 for 2 to 215 all out inside 48 overs. Left-armer Taylor finished with 3 for 35 off 10. Both counties have now won two, lost two in Group B.Gloucestershire elected to bat on the same hybrid pitch used for Yorkshire’s Wednesday win over Sussex, and they showed early caution against accurate bowling. After Cameron Bancroft’s early departure, caught behind off Coad, Hammond and Price advanced impressively as extra bounce was evident without extra pace.They rotated strike amidst an 88-run partnership, and a feature of Price’s innings was his sweeping and reverse-sweeping against spin. But the reverse against Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin was Hammond’s undoing, bowled shortly after reaching his 84-ball fifty. By then, Price had also reached 50 off 65.Price beautifully drove two boundaries almost arrow straight off Ben Cliff’s seam in the 34th over before, at the start of his next, James Bracey hoisted the same bowler over long-on for one of only two sixes in the entire innings. However, Gloucestershire’s acceleration was shackled, as four wickets fell for 19 from 172 for 2 in 36th over to 191 for 6 in the 41st.Cliff struck twice in an action-packed 36th as Bracey played on and Ben Charlesworth was caught behind. Coad then forced Jack Taylor to play on, as did Moriarty to Graeme van Buuren. Tom Smith added a useful 27, but Price was yorked by George Hill as the visitors only just crept over 250.Wickets continued to fall as Yorkshire replied. Fin Bean was bowled off the inside-edge as he left Matt Taylor alone before Ajeet Singh Dale bowled Will Luxton shortly afterwards, the Vikings 24 for 2 in the seventh over.Masood and Wharton set about a no-frills recovery, sharing a third-wicket 113. Masood hit 63 in Wednesday’s Sussex win, and by the time his latest half-century arrived off 52 balls, Yorkshire were on a healthy 94 for 2 in the 21st.Acceleration came when they hit three leg-side sixes off the spin of Price and van Buuren, taking the score to 117 for 2 in the 23rd. It was now Yorkshire’s game to lose. But that’s exactly what happened.Matt Taylor had Masood caught behind and bowled Hill in successive overs before Harry Duke pulled Dom Goodman’s seam to midwicket – 147 for 5 in the 33rd.Wharton reached his fifty off 78 balls, but him crawling through the 40s heightened home nerves. It was, therefore, no great surprise when he miscued Smith’s left-arm spin to backward point, leaving the Vikings six down at 163.That became 176 for 7 in the 39th when Singh Dale trapped Dom Bess lbw. Now it was Gloucestershire’s game, and they didn’t let things slip.Coad was run out before Matthew Revis, for 41, and Moriarty were caught in the deep off Goodman and van Buuren.

La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid are said to be targeting another Arsenal star, amid their strong links to William Saliba, coming as new contract talks with the former take a negative turn.

Real Madrid still eyeing William Saliba despite signing Dean Huijsen

Some Gunners supporters may have been optimistic at one stage that Real’s signing of defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth would spell the end of their interest in Saliba, but this is unfortunately far from the truth.

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ByEmilio Galantini May 27, 2025

The France international, who’s been a vital presence at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s defence since 2022/2023, having formed an indomitable partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes, will leave the Emirates for nothing in 2027 as things stand.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal

8.07

Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal

7.87

Arsenal 2-0 Man United

7.66

Ipswich Town 0-4 Arsenal

7.28

Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich Town

7.26

via WhoScored

Arsenal have opened talks with Saliba over a new contract in an effort to ward off Real, and while some outlets even claim an extension is all but agreed (Football Transfers), this appears to be wide of the mark for now.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Saliba remains a “dream” signing for Real, regardless of their Huijsen deal, and they remain watchful of developments regarding the 24-year-old’s contract situation.

“The dream target has always been William Saliba,” said Romano on his YouTube channel.

“My information is that Real Madrid understood at the beginning of May that Saliba this summer was impossible to reach as a target because, for Arsenal, he is a crucial player and they are discussing a new contract with William Saliba.

“So Real Madrid’s position on Saliba is clear – they will sign Dean Huijsen now, but Saliba remains a dream target for them. Arsenal will have the ball in their court to close the agreement, keep Saliba at the club and extend his contract. Otherwise, if this contract won’t be extended, Real Madrid will be there.”

Real Madrid eye Myles Lewis-Skelly as Arsenal contract talks go sour

In more concerning news for Arteta, it is now believed that Real are also keeping a very watchful eye on breakout star Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The Hale End academy graduate made the left-back spot his own this season, putting in some truly exceptional displays which have also resulted in Thomas Tuchel’s nod for the England squad.

The 18-year-old’s form is turning heads at the Bernabeu as a result, with journalist Jonathan Wilson telling The Guardian’s ‘Football Weekly’ that Arsenal’s talks over a contract extension for Lewis-Skelly have been going sour.

“They’ve got to sort out Myles Lewis-Skelly’s contract which expires next summer and I think talks have not been going well from what I hear,” said Wilson.

“Real Madrid are sort of sniffing around there. Imagine Real Madrid wanting a highly-rated Premier League fullback for free. Almost unimaginable, isn’t it?”

Losing the teenage sensation to La Liga, especially on a free, would be a truly dire situation for Arsenal, and it is little surprise Real are considering a Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque deal to bring in one of England’s brightest young defenders at no transfer cost.

Tying down Lewis-Skelly will now be even higher up Andrea Berta’s to-do list, especially considering the newly-found interest from Xabi Alonso’s side.

Liverpool have opened talks over a deal for an attacking midfielder, who has now been told he can leave his club for a fee of just £19m this summer, according to a report.

Reds set sights on attacking midfielder

In recent days, the Reds’ pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong appears to have gained traction, with a move for the Dutchman, who is set to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, now edging closer after advanced talks were held.

However, Frimpong is not the only Leverkusen star who could be on his way to Anfield this summer, with Arne Slot also looking to bring in a new attacking midfielder, and talks have been opened over a deal for Florian Wirtz.

That said, the German will not be cheap, with a £126m price tag mooted, so FSG could also look at bringing in a low-cost alternative, and an approach has now been made over a different attacking midfielder, who could be available for a bargain fee.

A Salah-esque signing: Liverpool agree personal terms with "insane" target

Liverpool are ready to begin their summer shopping spree.

ByAngus Sinclair May 13, 2025

According to a report from France (via The Boot Room), Liverpool have now opened talks over a deal for Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who has been informed he can leave the French club for a fee of just £19m this summer.

Cherki has just 12 months remaining on his Lyon contract, which means he is set to be allowed to leave for a very low price at the end of the season, and the Reds are now in discussions to bring the attacking midfielder to Anfield.

There may be competition for the Frenchman’s signature, however, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City also making contact to ask about a potential deal.

"Wizard" Cherki draws comparisons to Lionel Messi

The 21-year-old has enjoyed an extraordinary season with Lyon, picking up 31 goal contributions in 43 appearances in all competitions, having particularly caught the eye with his displays in the Europa League.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Ligue 1

29

8

10

Europa League

12

4

8

Coupe de France

2

0

1

Such is the starlet’s ability, he has received very high praise from teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who said: “He is the best natural talent I’ve ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball.”

“He is two-footed, has no fear, keeps going and going, can get past people with such ease, such finesse.”

Former Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has even gone as far as likening the youngster to one of the greatest-ever players in the past, saying: “Cherki is comparable to (Lionel) Messi in terms of technical quality.”

A fee of just £19m could be an absolute steal for a player with the potential of Cherki, and a move to Anfield would surely be a very attractive proposition for the playmaker, given that Liverpool defied expectations to secure a record-equalling 20th league title this season.

Player ratings via Sofascore

Well, last night’s Premier League game just about summed up Tottenham Hotspur’s season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side came into the match against Nottingham Forest likely still ecstatic off the back of their Europa League quarter-final triumph away to Eintracht Frankfurt, but instead of building on that momentum, they fell back into old habits.

It took all of five minutes for the visitors to go one-nil up courtesy of a long-range effort from Elliot Anderson that rebounded off Rodrigo Bentancur.

Then, just 15 minutes later, Chris Wood doubled the Tricky Trees’ lead with a well-taken header helped by some terrible goalkeeping from Guglielmo Vicario.

While it wasn’t the worst performance of the Lilywhites’ season, there were still plenty of starters who left a lot to be desired, including Richarlison.

Richarlison's game vs Forest

Now, before the pitchforks come out, it’s only fair to commend Richarlison on the goal he scored in the 87th minute – a lovely header from a pinpoint Pedro Porro cross.

However, if we are being honest, that was pretty much the only good thing he did in the entire game, and had he been on song, he could and probably should have got, at the very least, a couple more.

In fact, aside from a few missed chances, he was practically anonymous for the majority of the game and offered very little in the way of build-up play or support for his teammates.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

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It was a display in stark contrast to what we saw from Dominic Solanke on Thursday night.

It might sound harsh, but London World’s Toby Bryant shares this opinion, as he gave the Brazilian a 6/10 match rating at full-time and wrote that he ‘needs to be available to receive the ball so much more.’

Richarlison’s game in numbers

Minutes

95′

Expected Goals

1.48

Goals

1

Expected Assists

0.00

Assists

0

Touches

21

Key Passes

0

Big Chances Missed

3

Passing Accuracy

3/6 (50%)

Dribbles (Successful)

4 (0)

Duels (Won)

9 (0)

Crosses

0

Fouls

2

Lost Possession

10

All Stats via Sofascore

His statistics don’t make for pleasant reading either, as in 95 minutes of action, he scored just a single goal from an expected goals figure of 1.48, didn’t even register 0.01 expected assists, missed three big chances and failed in 100% of his dribbles.

Player ratings via Sofascore

In short, it wasn’t a great night for the former Everton star, although he did at least get on the scoresheet, which cannot be said about another of the starters who put in a terribly disappointing display.

The Spurs star worse than Richarlison

Unfortunately, you could name quite a few players here, from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero to Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr.

Still, when it comes down to it, Dejan Kulusevski was potentially the most disappointing of the lot.

Like Richarlison, the Swedish international was mostly a passenger last night, but unlike the Brazilian, he wasn’t able to pop up with a goal, as his effort in the second half was cleared off the line.

Moreover, apart from that one effort, it’s hard to think of a single positive thing the former Juventus star did, which is made all the worse by the fact the North Londoners had 70% of the possession.

Again, this is an opinion shared by Bryant, who awarded the midfielder just a 5/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he was ‘generally sluggish,’ which is not what you want to hear about someone considered to be one of your very best players. Truth be told, it was perhaps one of his poorest nights of the campaign.

Kulusevski’s game in numbers

Minutes

67′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

38

Key Passes

1

Big Chances Missed

1

Dribbles (Successful)

2 (1)

Duels (Won)

11 (3)

Crosses

0

Long Balls

0

All Stats via Sofascore

Unsurprisingly, his statistics from the night back up this assessment, as in 67 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.10 to rubberstamp how mediocre a night it was for one of their star men.

Furthermore, his touch count of only 38 meant he had 15 fewer than Van de Ven and six fewer than Romero, a stat that’s made worse by the fact the defensive duo left the field at the interval.

Ultimately, Richarlison and Kulusevski looked like players who were still getting back to full fitness, but with a must-win game coming up next Thursday, they need to get there quickly, especially the Swede.

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There has been a stark drop in his numbers, but he has a chance to reverse that in the nine Tests in the upcoming season

Osman Samiuddin20-Aug-2024This is a big season of cricket for Pakistan, an unprecedented season in some ways. They play nine Tests, the most in a season since 1998-99. They host three bilateral Test series in a season, which they haven’t done before. They host an ICC event for the first time since 1996. Their two main grounds are undergoing the biggest upgrades since practically forever. And the PSL becomes the first league to go head-to-head against the IPL next year. It all feels a little bit seismic.It is also a big season for Babar Azam, their premier batter and, until recently, the biggest star in the Pakistan game and unquestioned leader of all three national men’s sides. But in the last year some of that authority has gone. He’s no longer the all-format captain. He remains their T20 captain, though even that isn’t guaranteed.He doesn’t quite command the team as he once did, and in Shaheen Afridi, for one, different centres of power are emergent. Once, Babar presided over a happy and united dressing room; the one he is merely a member of now isn’t quite as shiny, happy or smiley as the social media posts want you to believe.Above all, though, and far more a matter for concern, is that some of the lustre has slipped from his batting, whence his authority primarily flowed from. In T20s, the debate around his batting is an old and tiresome one. ODIs don’t matter, until they do. It is, instead, in Tests where a sharp dip in productivity has really hit home. It has also passed, by and large, unnoted.Related

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Babar feels lack of experience hurt Pakistan (2022)

Which is strange because the numbers are pretty stark. From the start of 2019 until December 2022, Babar averaged nearly 60 in Tests. In that time, he averaged over 50 in Australia, nearly 50 in England and West Indies, nearly 70 in Sri Lanka, over 80 in Pakistan, and as if to troll the ZimBabar critics, only 1 against Zimbabwe. No statpadding here, thank you very much. Either the Fab Four needed to expand membership to include him, or someone within needed replacing.Since then, though, he’s been averaging a far more ordinary 37.41. This run includes a solitary hundred and three fifties in nine Tests. In his last Test series, in Australia, he averaged 21, his lowest in a series (excluding the Zimbabwe series of 2021) since 2017-18, well before he had established himself in the side.It’s not that he has looked out of form exactly, but it’s also true that he has rarely looked invulnerable. The Australia series is a great illustration of this. He got starts in five out of six innings, working really hard for them, but ultimately he could manage a highest of only 41. Four out of the six dismissals were to balls that hit like jaffas at first but which, upon reflection, revealed in Babar’s batting a lingering carelessness to incoming deliveries. Three of the six were bowled or leg-before, a mode of dismissal that is, perhaps, a thing.