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Nicholas Pooran’s century goes in vain as Sri Lanka win dead rubber by 23 runs

The Report by Liam Brickhill01-Jul-2019As it happenedIt’s around this time in a World Cup that teams whose campaigns haven’t turned out too well start to consider the future, and how to move forward. With both Sri Lanka and West Indies out of contention for further honours here, it was left to two of the brightest young talents in each team to light up the dead rubber, and provide a little hope that the next time might not be so bad.Avishka Fernando, all of 21, scored his maiden international hundred to set up Sri Lanka’s 338 for 6 – by far their highest total of the tournament – and Nicholas Pooran, three months shy of his 24th birthday, responded with 118 – his first international century too – to threaten a remarkable comeback in what would have been the highest chase at a World Cup. Foreshadowing what could be a brighter future for both Sri Lanka and West Indies, this was the first time in World Cup history that two men under the age of 25 scored hundreds in the same match.Not to be outshone by the youngsters, Angelo Mathews was airdropped in to bowl the 48th over of the chase, having not bowled a single ball previously in this World Cup or, indeed, in any ODI since December 2017.In what was possibly the most left field moment of what has been an up-and-down tournament for Sri Lanka, Mathews, gammy hamstring and all, came on to bowl with West Indies needing 31 from three overs, and a marauding Pooran on strike. His first ball was sprayed full and very wide, but Pooran flung his hands wildly at it and edged it through to Kusal Perera behind the stumps.Having not bowled for a year and a half, Mathews’ very first ball won Sri Lanka the match, dismissing Pooran and turning a back-and-forth contest decisively Sri Lanka’s way before Lasith Malinga returned to mop up a 23-run win. A match where the result really didn’t matter might have meandered into a meaningless snoozefest, but the two young centurions, along with Fabian Allen, who scored an enterprising fifty, provided rich entertainment for fans of both sides and made for an absorbing afternoon’s cricket. There were 653 runs scored and all three results very much a possibility until the very end, which is about as much as one could ask for from a dead rubber.When West Indies slipped to 145 for 5 with the required rate nudging over eight an over in the afternoon, such a close finish seemed highly unlikely. But West Indies clawed their way out of a worse position than this, and very nearly pulled off a win, against New Zealand just over a week ago, and once again they gave an indication that, although they’re not yet a team who knows how to always win, they’re also not one that knows when they’re beat.Avishka Fernando scored his maiden ODI hundred•Getty Images

Against New Zealand, it was Carlos Brathwaite who had sparked the revival, but today he was very much the junior partner in a 54-run stand that kept West Indies ticking even after an inconsistent Jeffrey Vandersay had burgled Jason Holder’s wicket for 26 to put West Indies five down and Sri Lanka on top. Brathwaite managed just eight runs to Pooran’s 39 in the partnership before he was run out very unluckily via a Pooran straight drive and the very tip of Udana’s finger, and it seemed everything would now depend on Pooran.But Allen, who has two First Class hundreds and a growing reputation as a finisher in T20 cricket, showed he is no slouch either, bursting out of the blocks with two crisp leg-side boundaries in Malinga’s second spell. Driving and pulling the Sri Lankan quicks with disdain, he seized the initiative, and very nearly the match, before a mix-up saw him run out with six overs to go.Pooran brought up his ton off the very next ball, keeping West Indies in the hunt by chipping Malinga over Thisara Perera’s head at long off and then clubbing Udana cleanly to the midwicket boundary. Then came Mathews gobsmacking, match-winning return to allrounder status.Mathews only scored 26 runs to go with his vital 1 for 6, but Avishka found multiple capable partners in what was altogether the most convincing performance from Sri Lanka’s middle order all tournament. Building upon the 91-run opening stand and Kusal Perera’s bruising 64, Avishka cobbled together stands of 85, 58 and 67 with Kusal Mendis, Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne to set up the innings.On a pitch that Avishka himself called “two paced”, it was generally the fuller length deliveries that caused trouble, with cutters and changes of pace also bringing streakiness into the batting. There was also something in it for the spinners, and Allen pulled off what is a strong nomination for the catch of the tournament as he flew to his right to cling on to a stinging return chance to get rid of Mendis.And so Avishka didn’t have it all his own way, and survived a West Indies review off the second ball he faced, Holder troubling his front pad. Gradually, he found his groove off the front foot. And when West Indies dropped short, he was ready and waiting for them.Sri Lanka’s batting training in the lead-up to this game included specific drills against the short ball, and the hard work paid off particularly well for Avishka. A full 29 of his 104 runs came towards midwicket, and 21 of those – two huge sixes and a four off Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas bouncers – came from pull shots. On a slow pitch, the conditions took the sting out of West Indies’ short balls, but Avishka was also clearly prepared.In response, the general feeling seemed to be that West Indies needed a Chris Gayle special up front if they were to mount a challenge at a record chase. He never really got going, top-edging Kasun Rajitha to fall for a 48-ball 35, and instead of their old veteran, it was left to West Indies’ young tyros to match Avishka’s effort and balance out the game.

During last summer's transfer window, three Premier League teams – Chelsea (£424.8m), Spurs (£213.4m) and Manchester City (£211.1m) – spent more than Arsenal (£203.5m) outright. However, when you go by net spend, the Gunners (£124.7m) were second only to Chelsea (£203.5m) in the league rankings.

Until their London rivals signed Moises Caicedo in mid-August, Arsenal's move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice was the most expensive ever conducted between two English clubs. On top of that, they acquired attacker Kai Havertz from Stamford Bridge, defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax and goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford on an initial loan.

Given that, relatively speaking, Arsenal weren't able to recoup much of this spend back through sales, it's no surprise that manager Mikel Arteta needs to think about balancing the books if he wants to add to his squad again in January.

Nketiah price set at £30m

According to The Star, Arsenal have slapped a £30m price tag on striker Eddie Nketiah amid interest from Crystal Palace. Nketiah is "highly-regarded at the Emirates" and so the Gunners will drive a hard bargain, even insisting upon a sell-on clause as part of a potential transfer.

The possible departure of Nketiah is connected to the arrival of a new centre-forward, with Arsenal interested in Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke as well as the well documented links to Brentford's Ivan Toney. Nketiah's exit could free up the funds and space to make a move for a new number nine.

"Complete" Solanke is better than Nketiah

Nketiah has played a significant volume of football this season, appearing in 27 matches and logging 1,266 minutes overall. He's started half of Arsenal's 20 Premier League games and banged in six goals, an average of one every 211 minutes. He's shown he's a decent understudy to Gabriel Jesus, but if Arsenal are keen on an upgrade and Nketiah commands a significant fee, then there's little point keeping him round.

At the start of the season, few Gunners fans would have had any interest in links with Solanke, who had never scored more than six goals in a Premier League season. However, just 20 games into the current campaign, he's already doubled that tally, with only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland (both 14) ahead of him in the rankings.

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

Norway

14

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

Egypt

14

Dominic Solanke

Bournemouth

England

12

Son Heung-min

Tottenham

South Korea

12

Jarrod Bowen

West Ham

England

11

Hwang Hee-chan

Wolves

South Korea

10

Alexander Isak

Newcastle

Sweden

9

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

England

9

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

England

8

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Senegal

7

Significantly, Solanke's output looks sustainable. He's only marginally out-performing his xG (11.0), so you can't put his dramatic upturn down to freakishly good finishing (FBRef). Instead, it's reflective of the quality of his opportunities, and by extension, the intelligence of his movement in and around the penalty area.

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who has scored more Premier League goals for the club than anybody else, is a big fan of Solanke, crediting him for a "brilliant" run of form after watching him "struggle" early in his career (Bournemouth Echo).

Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola, his manager at Bournemouth, has billed him the "complete" striker, emphasising that there are facets to his game beyond goalscoring. Indeed, when compared to positional peers over the last year, the 26-year-old ranks in the 75th percentile or better for blocks (0.9), clearances (1.4), progressive carries (1.96) and successful take-ons (1.26), which shows that he's a committed press-leader and a gifted dribbler (FBRef). No wonder Arsenal are interested in such a convincing all-round package.

حددت رابطة المحترفين الإنجليزية، موعد مباراة ليفربول ووست هام يونايتد في كأس رابطة المُحترفين “كاراباو” لموسم 2024/2025.

ويلتقي ليفربول مع وست هام يونايتد في الدور الثالث من بطولة كأس كاراباو على ملعب “آنفيلد”، وذلك في شهر سبتمبر الجاري.

اقرأ ايضاً.. بسبب محمد صلاح.. كومان: آرني سلوت كان محظوظاً في الفوز على مانشستر يونايتد

وكان من المقرر أن تقام المباراة يوم 17 سبتمبر الجاري، لكن تأجلت المواجهة بسبب مباراة ليفربول وميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا في اليوم ذاته. موعد مباراة ليفربول ووست هام يونايتد في كأس رابطة المحترفين

سوف تُقام مباراة ليفربول ووست هام يونايتد في الدور الثالث من بطولة كأس رابطة المُحترفين، يوم الأربعاء الموافق 25 سبتمبر 2024.

وتنطلق مباراة ليفربول ووست هام يونايتد، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، ومكة المكرمة.

Sunderland are thought to be showing an interest in an international defender, who could be available to sign for nothing this month.

Sunderland January plans

The Black Cats are starting to find their feet under Michael Beale following an opening 3-0 defeat to Coventry City. Three games unbeaten and back in the Championship playoff places, attention turns to the FA Cup this weekend against rivals Newcastle United.

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However, Sunderland also have the chance to bring in some new players this month, and Beale has hinted that although discussions are ongoing at the Stadium of Light.

"I think everyone is to-ing and fro-ing a little bit. There have been a lot of discussions going on but nothing concrete as yet so I wouldn't want to put a timeline on it and disappoint, or be accused of pulling the wool over people's eyes if it comes in a bit quicker. At the moment, though, there is nothing imminent."

The likes of Fulham forward Jay Stansfield and Bournemouth striker Kiefer Moore have emerged as targets in recent weeks, however, the club are also looking at defensive additions, which has led them abroad.

Sunderland want to sign Bohdan Mykhaylichenko

Sports Witness relayed a transfer update from Ukrainian reporter Ihor Burbas on left-back Bohdan Mykhaylichenko. He stated that Sunderland are “very interested” in the player, who could join on a free transfer, with current club Dinamo Zagreb willing to allow that to happen.

“I was once again bombarded with messages from Sunderland fans, who are really waiting for Bohdan Mykhaylichenko. Yes, indeed, he can become a partner of Rusyn. I have such information.

“The English [club] are very interested in strengthening the position of the left defender with the Ukrainian, to whom his current club Dinamo are ready to give the status of a free agent. I know that in addition to the Black Cats, there is interest from another Championship club.”

Mykhaylichenko began his career coming through the academy at Dynamo Kiev and has since gone on to turn out for a number of clubs.

Bohdan Mykhaylichenko career stats

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Dynamo Kyiv

2

0

0

Dinamo Zagreb

15

0

2

Stal Kamyanske

18

0

2

Shakhtar Donetsk

32

2

5

Zorya Lugansk

63

3

4

RSC Anderlecht

51

1

2

Primarily a left-back who can also play as a right-back or as a left midfielder, the Ukraine international has even played in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League in recent seasons.

The 26-year-old has been in the media for the wrong reasons during his career, though, with head coach Sergei Jakirovic kicking the player out of the squad after a defeat last year.

"After the defeat against Balkani in Pristina, I decided to kick out Mykhailichenko. The public thinks I did it because of his play, but it's not true because then I would have kicked out 10 other players. If you go into the changing room after the match and the first thing you do is to take off your trousers and take your phone in your hands, you speak lightly… I'm angry about the defeat, half the players are misbehaving. Well, so you're only there physically, but your thoughts are elsewhere, and I think we don't need players like that. I think that they underestimate Dynamo."

Arsenal's Emirates Stadium is one of the best places to watch football in the Premier League; its brilliant location, modern amenities, and all-important padded seats make for a fantastic experience for fans, both home and away.

The ground may have lacked an identity for much of its 17-year existence to date, but that has been changing under the management of Mikel Arteta, and with his young, exciting team, the Emirates could be about to welcome a new golden era for Arsenal Football Club.

With this in mind, Football FanCast has outlined everything you need to know about the Gunners' impressive home before making your way to Islington.

Emirates Stadium history

For younger fans, it's hard to image Arsenal playing anywhere other than at the Emirates; after all, the club have been playing games there since the summer of 2006, meaning there will be adults today who have no recollection of the Gunners at Highbury – feel old yet?

That said, for the vast majority of their history, Arsenal were based at Highbury, and so when plans were announced for a new 60,000-seater modern arena in 1999, there was some understandable scepticism among the supporters.

The club pushed ahead anyway, and with funding secured, work began in 2004, and just two years later, the ground was officially opened.

The first game took place on 22nd July 2006 and was a testimonial for Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp. With the ground completed, the team moved in, and while it was an undeniably impressive place to watch football, it forced the club to restrain itself in the transfer market for years to come.

It wasn't quite love at first sight for the fans, though, and a decade and a half of underwhelming results certainly didn't help in that regard.

Still, in the last couple of years, under Mikel Arteta and with this set of players, the stadium has found a genuine voice of its own and has started to finally feel like home.

Emirates Stadium capacity

The Emirates Stadium might have seen some other grounds leapfrog it in terms of capacity in the last 10-15 years, but it still comes in as the fourth-biggest in the Premier League and the fifth-biggest football-specific stadium in all of England.

It also comes in as the fourth-largest in London, behind Wembley Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the London Stadium.

The Emirates is significantly larger than its predecessor, though, as Highbury had a capacity of around 38,500 when Arsenal left.

Related Every Premier League stadium ranked by capacity

Football FanCast runs down all 20 stadiums in the Premier League by capacity.

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Stadium

Capacity

Opened

Wembley Stadium

90,000

2007

Old Trafford

74,031

1910

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

62,850

2019

London Stadium

62,500

2012

Emirates Stadium

60,704

2006

How to get to the Emirates Stadium By train

Three London Underground stations serve the area around Arsenal's Emirates stadium, two of which serve National Rail lines, with one of those also using the London Overground:

Arsenal (Piccadilly Line): Arsenal is the closest station to the Emirates, and as such, it will almost always be the busiest on matchdays. That said, walking to the stadium should take you approximately five minutes, making it worth the crowds for convenience. Finsbury Park (Victoria, Piccadilly Lines and Great Northern Rail): If you are walking to the stadium from Finsbury Park station, it should take you approximately 16 minutes to reach the Emirates at an average pace. Highbury & Islington (Victoria Line, Norther London Line, and Great Northern Rail): If you are walking to the stadium from Highbury & Islington station, it should take you approximately 15 minutes to arrive at the Emirates.

If you want to avoid using the train on matchdays, there are plenty of buses that serve the area. The closest bus stops are on Holloway Road, Nag's Head, Seven Sisters Road, Blackstock Road and Highbury Corner.

By car

Driving to the Emirates on matchdays will likely cause more headaches than it is worth, and as such, the club themselves have even advised against it.

The area around the stadium is residential, meaning there are even fewer parking options than other grounds in the country and cars parked illegally will be towed.

That said, sometimes you have to drive, and if that's the case, your best bet for parking would be to either try and book a parking space through the club. Failing that, you'll have to pay the huge cost of parking in one of the surrounding private spaces, or using the Kingsland Shopping Centre which is situated two miles from the ground.

The away end at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal usually accommodate up to 3,000 away fans in the lower southeast corner of the stadium, right next to the Clock End.

The proximity to the Gunners' most passionate fans can help to create an exciting atmosphere, and the vicinity to the pitch means that should your team score, the players can easily reach the fans.

Away fans get a brilliant view from their seats, and while the stadium is approaching its 20th birthday, it still has a lot of modern amenities to make it a pleasant experience for the fans.

Tottenham Hotspur had enjoyed a tremendous start to life under Ange Postecoglou and had established themselves as Premier League table-toppers after ten matches.

It was an unforeseen rise; while the craggy-faced Australian's appointment was viewed as rational – his tactical vision and approach aligned with the club's DNA, and won chairman Daniel Levy over despite interest in coaches such as Julian Nagelsmann – few expected him to blitz into early title contention.

Spurs had fallen by the wayside last season and finished eighth, but Postecoglou instilled belief and implemented his playing style swiftly, and the results were there for all to see.

But a triad of recent league defeats has exposed the frailty and thinness of Spurs' squad, and the January transfer window must be used to land some impactful additions.

Tottenham transfer news – Jota

According to The Times, Tottenham are 'stepping up' their interest in signing Al-Ittihad's Jota in a loan deal in January, with the Portuguese winger's playing time in Saudi Arabia severely hindered by a league limit on the number of foreign players eligible for inclusion in the matchday squad.

While Postecoglou's priority is the defence, injuries to Manor Solomon and Richarlison have made the proposition of signing the loan-listed 24-year-old enticing.

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Jota starred under Postecoglou's wing at Celtic before completing a £25m transfer to the Saudi Pro League in July, though he was linked to Tottenham prior and could now make the move, replacing Bryan Gil on the flanks.

Bryan Gil's Tottenham statistics

Gil arrived with such promise. Leaving his Spanish homeland to join Tottenham in a £22m deal from Sevilla in 2021, this mercurial winger was touted for big things.

ESPN's David Cartlidge had dubbed him a "potential star in the making", and there was – is – so much to like; electric pace, deft dribbling and comparisons to Manchester City's Jack Grealish.

But he's failed to get going and yields just two assists and a grand total of zero goals from 34 Tottenham appearances, joining Valencia in a loan move in January 2022 and only returning to the pack this summer.

With Tottenham's mountainous pile of injuries calling for heavy rotation, Gil started during the recent loss against Aston Villa and did actually play well, completing 3/4 dribbles and making one key pass, as per Sofascore, but he boasts not the physicality nor the confidence to star for Postecoglou at present, and Jota should be brought in to take a starring role.

The statistics that show why Tottenham should sign Jota

Jota has not enjoyed the start to life in the Saudi Pro League that he would have hoped for, playing just five times, scoring one goal and not earning a single start – his last appearance came in September.

It's proved to be a waste of everyone's time, and given that Jota reportedly earns £200k-per-week it has not been a prudent business venture, especially after such a prolific 2022/23 campaign with Celtic, where he plundered 15 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, even scoring against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The 5 foot 8 dynamo was absolutely incredible in the Scottish Premiership, clinching 11 goals and assists apiece, also creating 13 big chances and completing 80% of his passes, praised for his “perfect” technical skills by journalist Josh Bunting.

While the Premier League would be a step up, Postecoglou knows Jota's skill set well and could slot him right into the system, with his past exploits highlighting his cutting edge; he has even been described as a "genius" by pundit Ally McCoist.

If the Lilywhites can successfully manufacture a loan deal, a big upgrade on Gil could be secured while not precluding winter investment on the backline, which, all in all, makes for a fantastic window for Postecoglou as he looks to steer his side back on track after such a stellar start.

The player auction for the 2019 season is likely to take place on December 16 in Goa

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Oct-2018

Quinton de Kock was quick to pounce on the pull•BCCI

South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is the IPL’s first trade of 2019, before the auction takes place in mid-December. ESPNcricinfo understands that de Kock, who last year played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been traded to Mumbai Indians in an all-money deal.Royal Challengers had bought de Kock for INR 2.8 crore (USD 437,000) at the 2018 auction. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Mumbai have bought de Kock at that price and to offset the deal, they have released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman (INR 2.2 crore, USD 343,000) and Sri Lankan offspinner Akila Dananjaya (INR 50 lakh, USD 78,000).De Kock played eight matches in IPL 2018, scoring 201 runs at a strike rate of 124.07. Although Mumbai already have two wicketkeepers in Ishan Kishan and Aditya Tare, they might have been keen on de Kock for his top-order batting. They used the hard-hitting West Indies batsman Evin Lewis as opener earlier this year, but he struggled towards the end of the season, prompting the Mumbai coaching staff to seek back-ups. De Kock, who has also played for Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad, has impressive numbers in the IPL, scoring a hundred and six fifties in 34 innings. He has also made 573 of his 927 runs in the Powerplay, at a strike-rate of 125.6.The IPL has two main trading windows with the first one starting immediately at the end of the season stretching to a month before the auction and the second one from after the auction till the start of the tournament. Since 2018, the IPL also introduced a mid-tournament window for franchises to trade uncapped players and players who had not played more than two matches.With the last date for retentions and release being November 15, franchises are busy working out their plans for the new season before they make fresh buys at the auction. A purse of INR 3 crore will be available for the franchises in addition to the balance left after last year’s auction.The IPL has not yet formally communicated an auction date, but ESPNcricinfo understands December 16 has been earmarked with Goa as the likely venue. The franchises were told that the auction was supposed to happen between December 15 and 20.The franchises will also want clarity over where the IPL will take place in 2019 because India’s general elections will be taking place around the same time as the tournament. This had been the case in 2014 as well when, owing to security concerns, the first set of matches were played in the UAE.Now, however, the franchises are averse to playing in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi because they fear the pitches would end up being too slow. The IPL has not revealed any plans yet, but it is understood that South Africa has been chalked in as an alternative venue. It is also waiting for the central election commission to announce the date for the elections, but franchises want an answer soon so they can prepare for the auction accordingly.

Xavi has tipped Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal to go to the very top, praising the teenager's character and maturity as well as his footballing ability.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Xavi praises Yamal
• Youngster described as 'humble'
• Potential to be era-defining

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Xavi has spoken glowingly about Yamal, who is still only 16 but arguably one of Barcelona's best and most important players already, suggesting the youngster has everything about him to be an era-defining player.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT XAVI SAID

  Xavi said at a recent press conference: "I see him very calm. He is very measured in the sense that he is digesting everything that is happening to him very well, despite his young age. He is a mature person, he is responsible, he is aware of the situation he is experiencing. He's very humble and he's showing us that he's a differential player. He is a player that can mark an era in football, especially at Barcelona. Hopefully we can always enjoy him at this level. He's a teenage boy who's growing up. On a mental level, he is a cheerful, joking boy. He's enjoying himself. He's happy."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Even at his age, Yamal has featured in all but one of Barcelona's 30 La Liga games so far this season. With six goals and seven assists in all competitions, his 13 goal involvements is only marginally less than far more established and experienced players like Joao Felix, Ferran Torres (both 15) and Raphinha (16). Only Felix, Torres and Robert Lewandowski have scored more goals this season.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Prior to becoming an international for Spain and making six senior appearances for to date, Yamal was also eligible to represent Morocco or Equatorial Guinea through his parents.

If you offered West Ham United seventh place and 14 points after eight games at the start of the Premier League season, then they would likely have run with it and not looked back. It is far from a perfect start, but having added some exciting summer reinforcements to make Declan Rice's exit seem like an eternity ago, the Irons really look like a club on the up.

They won't want to stop here, though – after the international break, they'll want to kick on and ensure that a good start turns into a memorable season, which is where one potential January reinforcement could come into play.

West Ham transfer news: Edmond Tapsoba

Those at the London Stadium welcomed players such as James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Kudus in the summer transfer window, who have both enjoyed successful starts to life wearing the famous claret and blue. Ward-Prowse's goals and assists total of nine in ten games have made him the current star of the show under David Moyes.

Having enjoyed such a successful summer of recruitment, West Ham sporting director Tim Steidten is now looking ahead to the January transfer window, with the latest Edmond Tapsoba transfer news reporting that the Hammers are interested in making their move. Indeed, according to 90min, Steidten is keeping an eye on the Bayer Leverkusen defender, ahead of a potential January move.

West Ham's pursuit of a central defender was no secret in the summer, of course, as they failed to secure the signature of Harry Maguire when a deal for the out-of-favour Manchester United man collapsed. Now, turning their attention to the winter window, Tapsoba could be the man to end their search for reinforcements for Moyes' backline. If the London club remain in such good form come January, then a move could certainly attract a number of players.

How has Tapsoba performed this season?

Starting in every Bundesliga game for unbeaten table-toppers Bayer Leverkusen, it's fair to say that Tapsoba has enjoyed a solid start to the season. Tapsoba's stats are even outperforming some of West Ham's current defensive options in a number of areas, too, as per FBref.

Player	Progressive Carries	Progressive Passes	Pass Completion Rate	Tackles Won
Edmond Tapsoba	15	46	91.7%	8
Kurt Zouma	0	9	81.9%	5
Nayef Aguerd	2	13	80.7%	1

With that said, it's clear that Tapsoba would be an upgrade at the London Stadium, particularly on the ball, a trait that would only benefit West Ham as they aim to push on and become a side who can dominate matches when needed.

The defender has unsurprisingly received plenty of praise during his time at Leverkusen, including from Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, who told the club's official website: "Edmond Tapsoba was a regular first choice at Guimaraes at the age of 20 and in addition to his defensive ability, he’s also dangerous in front of goal."

Meanwhile, journalist Antonio Mango took to X to previously post: "Was tweeting all night during the game how good this guy is, he’s a monster. Ball playing defender. Comfortable on the ball. Big, strong. Quick. Position good with a very good footballing IQ. Keeps his head level and he has a big big future."

Ricky Ponting said that something needed to be done about the continued decline of over-rates with on-the-spot run penalties also discussed

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Aug-20181:52

Many factors made ball-tampering reach ‘tipping point’ – Ponting

The MCC World Cricket Committee has proposed the introduction of a ‘shot clock’ in an attempt to combat slow over-rates which are at their lowest level in 11 years for Tests and the lowest ever in T20.The data about the slide in over-rates was shared by the ICC which led the cricket committee, which involves several former international captains including Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly and Kumar Sangakkara, to consider a range of ideas which included “there-and-then” run penalties as well as the ‘shot clock’ which would start ticking during ‘dead time’ in the game. Cricket would not be the first sport adopt the shot clock. Tennis already has used the concept at different tournaments including last year’s US Open with players allowed 25 seconds between points.Under the ICC’s code of conduct, over-rate offences range from minor to serious. A minor offence is when a team has bowled up to five overs less than the minimum over rate in a Test match or up to two overs in a limited-overs match. The offence is classed as serious when the team is behind by at least five overs in a Test and more than two overs in a limited-overs match than the minimum over-rate. Based on the severity of the offence the ICC match referee imposes a monetary fine on the team’s captain.Clearly the fines, however severe, have not had the desired impact, the committee concluded. Concerned by this, the MCC has now come up with the solution of the ‘shot clock’ which they said would start “the moment a bowler reached the top of his mark to the moment the over was completed.”Ponting acknowledged the measure might seem an “extreme” step, but it was “non-negotiable” to keep play moving. “It probably seems a little bit extreme, the idea of the ‘shot clock’, but most of the members of the committee, and anyone who has sat on committees around the world for the last 20 years, have been talking about the declining ways of over rates. Once again in all three formats of the game the over-rates have been in decline.”Ponting said that the shot clock would not be active during an over, but would focus on the periods between overs and when there are natural stoppages in play.”It is not going to be when the bowler is at the top of the mark and is running in because it is obviously hard to gauge and put a certain amount of time on an over to be bowled if there are a few boundaries or whatever that go in the over.”It is the dead time in the game, so at the end of the over the fielders and the bowlers have to be back in the position and ready to bowl at a certain time. That is a non-negotiable. The same with the new batsman coming to the crease – the bowling team has to be ready when the batsman gets there and he has had certain amount of time.”Ponting added the committee talked about imposing “different penalties” but no definitive form of sanction was finalised although one option considered was imposing a penalty of a certain number of runs during play, a mechanism that does already exist under Law 41 (unfair play) with regards to time wasting and allows umpires to award a five-run penalty.”We didn’t come to a conclusion about what was right or the wrong, but I would agree that the financial fining of players at the end of the Test match hasn’t been actually administered very often certainly through the last 12 months. We are of the belief that maybe a there-and-then run penalty in the game will be certainly definitely worth looking at. We imagine then captains will take huge responsibility in making sure that their players are in a position to go through the course of the day if they are not in a position for three or four overs and there are 20 runs, which as we saw last week can be the difference in a Test match.”