All posts by h716a5.icu

Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2011Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers.Dawson, 21, scored 908 runs for Hampshire in the County Championship Division One at an average of 36.32 including two centuries and also picked up three wickets. Hampshire finished at the bottom of the points table and were relegated to the second division.”I’ve never been over there [Zimbabwe] before but I’ve got to be prepared because there’s extra pressure and responsibility as an overseas player,” Dawson said. “You’ve got to prove that you’re good enough to take their overseas place – there should be a few other players from England out there too.”

ESNPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of England

The Preview by Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill08-Jul-2011Match factsSaturday, July 9, Old Trafford
Start time 10:45am (0945 GMT)Big PictureTillakaratne Dilshan has had a lean series since returning from injury, but a good innings from him could yet round off Sri Lanka’s tour on a triumphant note•PA PhotosIt is not often that after four desperately one-sided games you can head into a final match all square. But that’s exactly how Sri Lanka and England have ended up in this curious one-day series.Despite the agonising over personnel, balance, batting orders, and plenty else, it has been conditions that have dictated this series. Given a surface with movement for the quicks and some clouds to help – as we saw at The Oval and Trent Bridge – England can overturn most sides. When the sun comes out and a pitch stays flat, however, they can barely even compete.Unsurprisingly England made no secret of wanting to harness home advantage but Old Trafford may not serve up what Andy Flower and Alastair Cook demand. It is the first international match at the ground since the pitch was rotated 90 degrees and what was once the best strip in the country has now lost much of its pace and bounce.Sri Lanka would have noted with some interest that Lancashire have been playing a spin-heavy attack in Twenty20 cricket this season. If forecasts prove right and the sun shines over Manchester, the tourists must start as favourites. Though they are without Suranga Lakmal, it is their spin duo of Suraj Randiv and Jeevan Mendis who, alongside Lasith Malinga, will be their biggest theat.In his debut series as full-time captain Cook had many doubters to win over and his riposte could not have been more emphatic than his unbeaten 75-ball 95 to seal victory at Trent Bridge. Unlike his century in a losing cause the game before this innings suggested Cook had the resources to set the pace his team needs to follow. Cook admitted he couldn’t remember “hitting the ball so sweetly”, but he may have been equally right if he added he’d not faced bowling as accommodating.It was an innings and victory that helped settle the grumblings after two heavy defeats but it is only on a surface less tailor-made for their team that England’s progress can be gauged. Old Trafford may not provide the track Cook wants but it will be the test he and his team needs.Form guide (most recent first)England WLLWL
Sri Lanka LWWLLIn the spotlightTillakaratne Dilshan launched his England tour with three hundreds in four games, but a fractured thumb at Lord’s – courtesy Chris Tremlett – disrupted his rhythm and since returning to the side for the one-dayers he has scraped together just 13 runs in four innings. Sri Lanka have managed to do more than simply keep the series alive without his regular contributions at the top of the order, but the pressure will surely be more keenly felt in Saturday’s decider and the stage could well be set for a Dilshan special.Stuart Broad broke a four-match wicket drought with two scalps at Trent Bridge, but they were hardly prestigious wickets – Suraj Randiv gloving down the leg side and Jeevan Mendis top-edging an uppercut – and he is still struggling back to his best. He’s been publicly backed by his captain, but Tim Bresnan’s return from injury and England’s current surfeit of talented quicks means this may well be his last chance to nail down his place ahead of India’s arrival.Team news”I think it’s important we’ve stayed unchanged [in the series], it shows we’ve got faith in our cricketers,” Alastair Cook said after England’s series-levelling win at Trent Bridge, but there were reports late on Friday that Stuart Broad wouldn’t play due to a bruised heel. That could mean a call-up for Samit Patel and the Old Trafford wicket has been noticeably favourable to the spinners in recent domestic Twenty20 matches. Steven Finn is another option.England (possible) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Samit Patel 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Jade Dernbach.Sri Lanka may have more cause for tinkering than their hosts. They may well lose their leading wicket-taker Suranga Lakmal, who has picked up a side strain, with Dhammika Prasad and Thisara Perera the two most likely replacements. Given the conditions, Ajantha Mendis could also come into the equation. It’s also quite possible that Thilina Kandamby, despite being vice-captain, could be dropped after contributing just 36 runs in his last three innings and looking unfit for the demands of limited-overs cricket. If that’s the case, opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne could be in line for an international debut, and if he slots in to the opening position Dilshan will be bumped down to No. 3.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Lasith Malinga.Pitch and conditionsThis will be Old Trafford’s first international since the square was rotated to prevent problems caused by the setting sun in autumn as part of ambitious redevelopment plans. No relaying has taken place, the new wickets being basically made up of the old ones, and it’s said to have lost a lot of the pace it used to have. Recent scores in domestic Twenty20s have been low – Derbyshire were restricted to just 81 for 8 here last week – and taking pace off the ball could be key. Manchester was dank and grey on Friday but Saturday is expected to be warmer, with sunny intervals and a high of 20.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have never lost an ODI to England at Old Trafford, winning by 23 runs in 2002 and 33 in 2006. Their only one-day defeat at the ground came against West Indies at the 1975 World Cup. Alastair Cook has scored more runs than anyone else in the first four games of this series, with 267 at an average of 89, with one hundred and one fifty at a strike rate of 97.80. Not bad for a plodder. Lancashire spinners Stephen Parry and Gary Keedy have taken a combined 6 for 74 in 16 overs in Lancashire’s last two home Twenty20s. Lancashire have seen fit to play three frontline spinners on several occasions, with Simon Kerrigan also coming into the mix. England have won 19 out of the 30 ODIs they’ve played at Old Trafford, but for the best part of a decade didn’t find the ground to their liking. Since 2000, they’ve lost five of the nine games they’ve played there, with one match abandoned, but prevailed in two tight games against India and Australia in the last two ODIs in 2007 and 2010.Quotes”We’ve got a final. We fought back well at Trent Bridge and I’m excited to be able to beat Sri Lanka over a five-match series.”

A maiden first-class century from Keith Barker couldn’t prevent Durham from completing an innings and 103-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston

George Dobell at Edgbaston27-May-2011
Scorecard
A maiden first-class century from Keith Barker couldn’t prevent Durham from completing an innings and 103-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston. The win takes Durham up to second place in the table, just three points behind Lancashire, who have played one fewer game. The teams meet at Chester-le-Street in a match that starts on Sunday.In the end, Durham were made to work for this win. When Rikki Clarke became the seventh Warwickshire man to fall in their second innings, there was a possibility the match might not even make it to lunch. As it transpired, however, the game was deep inside the final hour by the time Ruel Brathwaite plucked out the final two wickets.That Warwickshire came so close to saving the game was almost entirely due to the efforts of their final four batsmen. It took Durham 69 overs to prise out the final three wickets as Barker and Naqaash Tahir, in particular, showed a level of resolve that put their top-order colleagues to shame.The absence of Steve Harmison also delayed Durham. Harmison managed just five overs on the final day as he nursed a sprained joint in his spine. He’s also a doubt for the Lancashire game.In many ways, Warwickshire didn’t deserve a draw. The majority of their batting and all of their bowling was pretty awful and Durham outplayed them in all departments. But the resistance of Barker and Naqaash was excellent. Neither man had previously made a first-class half-century, but they put the affable nature of this pitch into perspective with a stand if 117 in 41.2 overs.Unlike many left-handers, Barker is not a particularly elegant batsman. The 24-year-old former pro footballer strikes the ball with tremendous power, however, and played in an admirably straight and compact manner. Before this innings, his previous first-class score was just 31 but, such was the quality of his driving and pulling, in particular, that there appears no obvious reason why he should not develop into a genuine allrounder capable of batting in the top six and bowling as part of a four-man seam attack.Naqaash also impressed. When he made his Championship debut, in 2004, he often acted as nightwatchman and produced several valuable contributions. His batting had regressed since then, however, and this was only his sixth score in excess of 30 in 56 first-class games.For the most part, he was utterly strokeless. He defended stoutly, however and, unlike his top-order colleagues he refused to be drawn into strokes outside the off stump. His 195-ball vigil lasted 69 overs – just 10 minutes short of four hours – and left him suffering from cramp in both arms.In the end, however, it was all in vain. In truth, their resistance only highlighted the fragility of Warwickshire’s top-order batting. On a pitch that has remained docile throughout, Warwickshire’s specialist batsmen continued to attach far too little value to their wickets with Jim Troughton, Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke all perishing to ill-disciplined prods outside the off stump, while Tim Ambrose played around a straight ball.But, as the ball softened and the bowlers tired, Durham’s attack struggled to finish off the game. There was little help for the spinners and, though Callum Thorp looked dangerous throughout, Ben Stokes struggled to maintain a tight enough line. In the end it was Blackwell who made the breakthrough. The over after Barker reached his chanceless century, he edged one that was pushed on to him to slip.Still Durham’s wait went on, however. Chris Metters lasted for 77 minutes, helping Naqaash add another 55 runs in 25 overs and resist everything Durham could throw at them with the second new ball.Finally, however, just as it appeared that Warwickshire might pull-off a highly unlikely escape, Brathwaite struck the decisive blow. First he produced a quick yorker to end Chris Metters’ 80-minute battle, before he managed to persuade Naqaash to follow one that may have bounced more than the batsman expected and edge the ball to third slip. Just 54 balls remained.It meant Warwickshire ended with just one point from the game – their worst return in a championship since Leicestershire inflicted a similar result in 2002 – while it was the third time in four games that Durham had taken a maximum 24 points.”We’ve got to be better than that,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles admitted afterwards. “In the first innings, too many of our batsmen played a part in their own dismissals and we’ve had too many people getting 20s, 30s and 40s without going on to get 100s.”At least our lower-order batsmen showed good courage. But we should never have been in the position where they had to bat for two sessions to save the game. We have to learn from this and do better.”

Celtic goalkeepers Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain should be sold in the summer transfer window, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Celtic pair out of favour

Joe Hart has been the Bhoys’ undisputed first-choice ‘keeper this season, producing some excellent performances and ensuring that they lie on the cusp of winning the Premiership title.

Two players who have duly featured very sporadically are backup stoppers Barkas and Bain, having made just six appearances between them in all competitions in 2021/22.

The Greece international has been linked with a summer exit in recent days, and it could be the case that both are moved on to pastures new at the end of the season.

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The Latest: McAvennie wants Celtic duo gone

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie believes that both Barkas and Bain ought to be offloaded, claiming that they are no longer at the level required for Celtic. The 62-year-old said:

“You wonder who we will bring in. Hart has been absolutely brilliant, maybe the signing of the season and he been reliable.

“Barkas and Bain are absolutely nowhere near the required standard and they haven’t been for a long time. Getting rid of the both, that’s not a problem for me. I have no issues with that.

“It could even be a younger player to come in and learn from Joe Hart.  One thing I can say, is that I have total confidence that whoever we sign will be quality.

“We haven’t really made a bad transfer since Ange came in, he knows what he is doing. So let’s see what happens but I’m more than happy for Bain and Brkas to move on.”

The Verdict: Time for a new challenge

The main thing for Celtic now is for Ange Postecoglou to build a bigger and more superior squad, ensuring that his side enjoy a period of dominance in Scotland, not to mention returning to the Champions League and holding their own in that competition.

Neither Barkas nor Bain have greatly impressed on the rare occasions that they have been given a chance this term, so it’s understandable by McAvennie is calling for the pair to be offloaded over the summer.

While Hart should be first-choice moving forward, a backup of similar quality to him wouldn’t go amiss, and ideally the Hoops will bring in someone who can be genuinely trusted over a sustained period if the English veteran picks up an injury.

A younger alternative would make the most sense, potentially being viewed as the future first-choice between the sticks and eventually usurping the ageing Hart in the role.

In other news, a pundit has hailed the improvement of one Celtic hero. Find out who it is here.

Eoin Morgan is all set to become only the fourth player to have represented two countries in World Cups

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong09-Mar-2011Eoin Morgan is all set to become only the fourth player to have represented two countries in World Cups. His has been as interesting a story as the club of three he joins: Kepler Wessels, Anderson Cummins and Ed Joyce. When he played in the West Indies for Ireland four years ago, he – and all his Irish team-mates for that matter – knew that Ireland was just a milestone along the way. The destination was always England.Four years on, having fulfilled his dream of playing Tests for England, Morgan had to live with the disappointment of missing out on the other, the World Cup, with a broken finger. Two weeks into the World Cup, when Morgan was planning to go for a Champions League football match later in the week, he got a call from coach Andy Flower. Kevin Pietersen was injured. Morgan was needed. Champions League games can wait.”Obviously a call from Andy couple of days ago was a great feeling,” Morgan said before his first training session in the World Cup. “I have been part of the squad in the past. To come back in, and be part of the World Cup is very exciting.”Morgan almost didn’t make it, for the first diagnosis on the finger that he damaged during the one-day series in Australia was that it would need surgery. “The first day I arrived back in London, I saw a specialist,” he said. “The first analysis was that we needed an operation, but we wanted to wait a week to see what the progress was, healing and all. After a week, he changed his diagnosis, and from there it has healed quite nicely. It’s pretty strong at the moment.”The recuperation time has been spent in training with Middlesex, and in many ways it has come as a welcome break from a tiring schedule. During that down-time, he watched Ireland, the team he last represented, beat England, the team he now represents, and refers to as “we” Mixed emotions there were none. “It was an outstanding innings by Kevin O’Brien. I was pretty distraught that we lost, and didn’t get the result that we wanted. Ireland played really well.”Morgan hasn’t batted much at all during the break, but he doesn’t feel concerned about it. “Personally I don’t feel sort of undercooked or underprepared,” he said. “I feel very fresh. After nets for a couple of days, my preparation will be pretty similar to what it has been in the past. So I feel ready, yeah.”As expected, Morgan will walk into the side, and return to his favourite No. 5 position, from where he has scored two of his three England hundreds and averages 52.46 as opposed to 40.00 overall. “I mean I have been very successful at No. 5 in the past,” he said. “So it’s my favourite position to bat. I find coming in the middle overs, being a left-hander and playing spin okay, it’s one of the better parts of my game. Yeah I love batting at No. 5.”Being a good player of spin, Morgan brings value to the middle order. Moreover, this is his fourth trip to Bangladesh, which means he shouldn’t need much adjustment. “The conditions are always challenging here,” he said. “There is different bounce, there is turn in the pitches. The only thing I will have to adjust is to the heat. I hope I can produce some past sort of performances that I have here.”Having had time to think about the ODI series in Australia, Morgan doesn’t want to repeat mistakes he made in a disappointing series, in which he mae 106 runs at 17.66. “I didn’t play that well,” he said. “There have been a couple of games where I gave it away easily. I got out to bad balls. I can learn from that. It was a bad series for me.”Even though he comes in as a result of a big loss to England, Pietersen, there is huge anticipation around the return of Morgan, who has been one of their best in ODIs over the last year or so. Morgan doesn’t see that as pressure. “It doesn’t really bother me. I don’t dwell too much on it,” he said. “I am just going to try and play the exact some role I did, and try and sort of execute my skills as much as I can. As long as England are winning, I don’t care how much expectation is put on mine or anybody else’s shoulders.”

The fathers in England’s team know the excitement that Christmas Eve brought their children four nights ago, and they were feeling a similar anticipation on Tuesday evening after Tim Bresnan bowled them to within sight of an innings victory

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG28-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tim Bresnan picked up three wickets, including Shane Watson lbw for 54•Getty ImagesThe fathers in England’s team know the excitement that Christmas Eve brought their children four nights ago, and they were feeling a similar anticipation on Tuesday evening after Tim Bresnan bowled them to within sight of an innings victory. England can expect to retain the Ashes on Wednesday after another day of dominance over Australia, with only four wickets standing between the visitors and their goal.In fact, it’s probably only three wickets, as Ryan Harris is unlikely to bat, and will miss the Sydney Test having suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle while running in to bowl during the first session. The unheralded Bresnan ran through three of Australia’s best batsmen before Graeme Swann and James Anderson chipped in and by stumps, Australia were 6 for 169 with Brad Haddin on 11 and Mitchell Johnson on 6.The hosts needed something miraculous to save them after their first-innings capitulation for 98; what they couldn’t afford was for England to make 513. Jonathan Trott finished unbeaten on 168 as five wickets fell in the first session and Peter Siddle completed a six-wicket haul in front of his home crowd, but England had a lead of 415 and the Ashes were all but in the bag.Australia needed to bat for two days to save the game; they struggled to survive for even two sessions. Bresnan found swing and hit probing lines, Swann dried the runs up as Australia’s bowlers hadn’t managed to, and the batsmen simply couldn’t settle in for the kind of long innings that Trott and Alastair Cook have been so adept at in this series.And it all started with one bad decision from Shane Watson. Phillip Hughes and Watson began positively as the runs were ticking over at a decent rate during their opening stand, while England’s fast men struggled to find any early swing under a blue sky. But Hughes, desperate to prove he is one of Australia’s best two available openers, had little hope of making his ground when Watson pushed to cover and called him for a single.Trott’s throw to Matt Prior had Hughes short for 23 and Watson’s pained look said it all. It was a year ago, almost to the day, that at the same venue Watson was involved in another horrible mix-up with his opening partner, when he and Simon Katich finished up at the same end and TV replays were needed to confirm which of the men was gone. It’s clearly a weakness in his game, as is his failure to turn half-centuries into hundreds.After Watson went to tea on 50, having played some punchy drives straight and through cover, he came out following the break and inexplicably padded up to Bresnan and was lbw for 54, a wishful review not saving him from his poor judgment. In Watson’s past 11 innings he has been out for 56, 57, 51, 57 and 54. He’s becoming as synonymous with the fifties as James Dean.Watson’s dismissal came during an outstanding spell from Bresnan, who ended the day with 3 for 26 from 15 overs. The success of Bresnan and Chris Tremlett over the past two Tests has highlighted the depth in the England squad, which Australia haven’t been able to match. Paul Collingwood is the only man struggling for England, while Australia have several passengers.Smart Stats

Australia finished the day at 169 for 6, still 246 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat. Their worst defeat at home is the innings and 230 run defeat against England at Adelaide in 1892.

Peter Siddle’s 6 for 75 was his second six-wicket haul of the series. He has 73 wickets in 21 Tests with four five-wicket hauls.

England’s total of 513 was only the sixth occasion that they passed 500 at Melbourne. The previous occasion was in 1975 when they made 529.

Jonathan Trott’s 168 is the 41st instance of an England batsman scoring an unbeaten century in Tests against Australia. It is also the third time in 2010 that an England batsman has achieved this feat.

Mike Hussey fell for his ninth duck in Tests. All his ducks have come since 2008. On seven of the nine occasions, he has been out caught.

Ricky Ponting is one who hasn’t been pulling his weight with the bat, and the questions over his future will grow louder after he played on to Bresnan for 20. Ponting was a picture of concentration during his 73-ball innings, desperate to dig Australia out of their hole, but the pressure built by Bresnan and his colleagues was destined to lead to a wicket.Bresnan followed with the key dismissal of the in-form Michael Hussey, who drove on the up to short cover while trying to get off the mark, and the pressure was all on the vice-captain Michael Clarke. Again, though, England tied the Australians down with dot balls and Clarke, who had been lucky to escaped a missed stumping on 2, eventually edged Swann to second slip on 13 from 66 balls.Suddenly, England could dream of winning within three days, but Smith and Haddin showed a little bit of fight, although Smith had been dropped on 4 when he rashly hooked Bresnan to Tremlett at deep backward square leg. His luck ran out on 38 when he tried to pull Anderson and got a bottom edge on to his stumps.By that stage, Australia were still 257 runs from making England bat again, after Trott’s unbeaten 168 created a huge advantage for the visitors. Trott saw five wickets fall around him before lunch, as England added 69 to their overnight total to be dismissed for 513 a few minutes before the scheduled break, and it was Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus who did the damage.Siddle enjoyed a hometown six-wicket haul and he began the day by removing Prior, who was caught at mid-on by Ponting for 85, and then Bresnan was caught behind for 4 soon afterwards. Swann offered some support for Trott before he gave Hilfenhaus his first wicket of the match, caught behind for 22 when he toe-edged an attempted hook that was taken by a high-leaping Haddin.The job was finished rapidly a few minutes before the scheduled lunch break when Hilfenhaus bowled Tremlett for 4 and Siddle bowled Anderson for 1. Siddle finished with 6 for 75, which was his second six-wicket haul of the series following his strong opening-day efforts at the Gabba. Just like in that match, his efforts will be in vain.

Liverpool now look to set miss out on one of their transfer targets.

What’s the story?

That’s according to claims in Italy, via CaughtOffside, who claim that Renato Sanches will swerve a move to Liverpool with the 24-year-old set to make the move to AC Milan instead for around €20m with add-ons worth up to €5m.

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It had been reported in Spain that the Reds were in advanced talks to sign Sanches in January with Jurgen Klopp identifying the Portuguese star as an ideal replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, but a move never materialised.

Klopp will be fuming

Although Klopp and his players will be directing their full attention to the Premier League title race, there is no doubt that potential signings are being worked on and identified behind the scenes ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Merseyside outfit are neck-and-neck with Manchester City in the race for the title, with the Reds just one point behind Pep Guardiola’s men with four matches to go.

Naturally, winning the title will boost Liverpool’s chances of luring targets to Anfield over the summer, although, the colossal scale of the English juggernaut will make them an appealing prospect to any potential suitors.

If you were to find any weakness in Klopp’s squad (and it’s very hard), it can be argued that the midfield could do with higher quality depth.

Currently, the likes of Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho have been excellent whilst James Milner, despite being his hard-working self, is out of contract in the summer.

After the aforementioned quartet, Liverpool have Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita in their roster, with only Keita managing to surpass 30 appearances for the season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is another whose current deal at Anfield is approaching the latter stages, with the Englishman’s contract set to expire next summer and therefore the Reds could be tempted to cash in on the 28-year-old in the upcoming window.

In Ligue 1, Sanches has averaged a 7.14/10 rating this term, a higher league rating than any of Jones (6.93), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6.86) and Keita (7.12).

Therefore, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old would’ve added quality to Liverpool’s midfield depth, something that will be essential if the Reds are to repeat this season’s colossal effort of winning the League Cup whilst reaching the FA Cup final, looking set to reach the Champions League final as well as being a hair-width away from first place in the Premier League.

Missing out on Sanches is certainly a setback and will leave Klopp fuming.

AND in other news, Liverpool now plotting £85m bid for “phenomenal” starlet, Klopp would love him…

A round-up of the third day’s action from the Stanbic Bank 20 tournament in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010A fine all-round game for Ryan Butterworth secured Mashonaland Eagles a comfortable 31-run victory over Mountaineers in the Stanbic Bank 20 match in Harare.Butterworth was instrumental in helping Mashonaland recover from 67 for 5 in the 14th over to a far healthier 133 by slamming 41 not out from 24 balls before taking two wickets in a miserly spell that helped earn his side a second win in the tournament.After Andrew Hall had opted to make first use of the Harare pitch, Mashonaland slipped to 21 for 3 with English import Nick Compton falling to Tinashe Panyangara for 5 and Cephas Zhuwawo being castled by the wily offspin of Prosper Utseya. Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva was the next to fall, run out by Mountaineers captain Hamilton Masakadza.Ryan ten Doeschate led a cautious recovery, taking 30 balls to make 17, with Greg Lamb scoring a similarly ponderous 17. It laid the platform for a late-innings assault from Butterworth and Forster Mutizwa. Butterworth struck five fours and a six while Mutizwa made 35 off 22 balls to carry the score to 133.Mountaineers were given a decent start by their openers until Butterworth struck with his seamers to remove Jonathan Beukes. Having worked their way to 54 for 2 at the halfway stage Mountaineers had the heart ripped out of their chase, losing three wickets in seven balls for the addition of four runs. Lamb had Sean Ervine caught behind and Timycen Maruma was run out next ball. Masakadza was then snared by Butterworth for 29 to complete the mid-innings collapse.All eyes were on former South African allrounder Lance Klusener and, while he was together with Utseya, Mountaineers were still in the game. But having struck two boundaries on his way to 22, he fell to fellow former South Africa allrounder Hall who rattled his stumps. Wickets kept tumbling around Utseya, and by the time he was ninth man out for 20, Mountaineers were out of the game.

Everton are in a vulnerable position this season and have now found themselves in the relegation zone following their defeat in the Merseyside Derby, however, despite the struggles the club are still linked with transfer interests this summer.

What’s the latest

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Calciomercato), there are several Premier League clubs interested in signing Torino player Wilfried Singo, including Everton.

The report suggests that the club could make an offer for Singo, competing with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Leicester to secure his signature this summer.

Better than Iwobi

The 21-year-old has been performing at a high level for his Italian club, and has been deployed in predominantly a right midfield position this season but can also play right-back.

Singo, who was hailed a “revelation” by journalist Matteo Bonetti, has become more of an attacking threat for his Serie A team this season scoring three goals and contributing four assists, winning the majority of his duels (58%), making 1.6 tackles and 1.4 clearances on average per game, proving he can impose an attacking threat as well as providing defensive qualities.

With that being said, the Ivorian national could be the perfect upgrade for Alex Iwobi this summer following a disappointing stint at Goodison Park over the last three years.

Iwobi has only scored seven goals in 91 appearances for Everton, and despite playing on the left compared to Singo on the right, the impact in comparison that the latter could provide for the club would be huge if he can emulate his performances for Torino on Merseyside next season.

Frank Lampard has been giving Iwobi his second chance in the team since arriving in January, becoming a consistent player in the team and despite scoring the winner against Newcastle United last month has otherwise not positively impacted the team to secure safety from relegation this season so far.

Everton may have competition to sign the in-demand £13.5m-rated star, and it could be much harder to add Singo into the team if they drop into the Championship this season and Premier League clubs make a move for him. Therefore, the Toffees boss will need to work hard to make sure that he can secure top-flight football in the remaining games.

AND in other news: Frank set for disaster on “fabulous” £5.1k-p/w gem, EFC supporters may not forgive him

Manchester United may be given the green light to announce a deal for Ajax boss Erik ten Hag before the weekend, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Verbal agreement

It looks as if the 52-year-old will be the man to arrive at Old Trafford this summer to replace Ralf Rangnick.

A verbal agreement between United and Ten Hag has now reportedly been reached after positive talks which began last month.

An announcement wasn’t expected to be made before Ajax’s Dutch Cup final with PSV this weekend, however, Sky Sports have hinted that could now change in what would be a big twist.

The Latest: Sky Sports twist

Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy provided a live TV update on United’s pursuit of Ten Hag on Wednesday.

Reddy revealed that after ‘speaking to people at Ajax’, talk of Ten Hag moving to England is already proving to be a distraction ahead of their cup final, adding that Ajax may decide to allow the Red Devils to announce the Dutch manager before the weekend.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

You’d expect that the United board will want to announce a deal as soon as possible, so they would be more than open to confirming Ten Hag before the weekend.

It looks as if the move won’t fall through, but until a contract is signed and an announcement is made, anything can happen.

Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer for an official post, and it looks as if Ajax have been extremely helpful in the whole process and not a hindrance.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’