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Suranga Lakmal defended seven runs off the final over to cap off Sri Lanka’s most inspired showing in the field and best batting performance of the series so far

The Report by Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2018Suranga Lakmal defended seven runs off the final over to cap off Sri Lanka’s most inspired showing in the field and best batting performance of the series so far and end an 11-match losing streak against South Africa.After rain interrupted both innings, South Africa’s target was reduced to 191 runs off 21 overs and they looked set to reach it. They needed 69 runs off the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand when Sri Lanka started a squeeze which became a strangle. South Africa lost six wickets for 54 runs as Thisara Perera and Lakmal took Sri Lanka to their first win in the five-match series.Sri Lanka created a position of strength for themselves from the start of the match. Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella put on their first opening partnership over 50 in the series, Kusal Perera scored a quickfire half-century, Thisara added a fifty of his own and Dasun Shanaka, playing his 10th ODI and first since November 2016, top-scored with 65 off 34 balls.The only South African bowler who was somewhat spared was the most experienced. JP Duminy was the only member of the attack who conceded at under six runs to the over as the inexperience of the rest of the pack, who were without Kagiso Rabada, showed.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will take confidence from their much-improved efforts albeit against a South African XI missing many of its regulars. The depth of the South African attack was tested throughout Sri Lanka’s time at the crease and the young seamers struggled with consistency of length and line in damp conditions.Dickwella took advantage as soon as Lungi Ngidi went too full and was particularly severe on debutant Junior Dala, off whom he took three fours in the eighth over. Duminy, who was introduced in the 10th over, ended the opening stand when Dickwella got a leading edge trying to paddle him past Quinton de Kock but that did little to stop the runs. Tharanga took over from where Dickwella left off and sent Andile Phehlukwayo for back-to-back fours and Wiaan Mulder for a six over long-off. Mulder had the last laugh in that situation when he bowled Tharanga with an offcutter but his yo-yo outing saw him finish as South Africa’s most expensive bowler.Suranga Lakmal takes flight•AFP/GettyKeshav Maharaj made his first appearance in the series and had Kusal Mendis lbw with the score on 100 but then Sri Lanka wrested control. Kusal Perera and Angelo Mathews put on 59 runs for the fourth wicket, and both fell to rash shots. Mathews threw his bat at a delivery outside off, got a thick outside edge and de Kock flung himself to his right to pluck the ball out of the air while Kusal Perera, after bringing up fifty off 28 balls, holed out to long-on.That left Thisara to launch the late assault and he did not disappoint, though he was overshadowed by his junior partner. Shanaka’s first shot in anger was a slog-sweep over midwicket off Duminy and he then thumped Mulder over mid-off, sent an Andile Phehlukwayo slower ball over midwicket, hoicked Dala off his hips and then took 21 runs off Dala’s final over to bring up fifty off 30 balls. By then, Thisara had joined in on the fun too and almost took Ngidi’s hand off as he slammed the ball past him for four, smoked him for six over midwicket and found six more over Ngidi’s head. Thisara’s fifty came off 44 balls.Sri Lanka scored 105 runs in the last ten overs to finish on 306 and South Africa’s target was revised to 308 runs in 39 overs at an asking rate of 7.9, which then became even tougher when the rain returned after two overs of the reply. South Africa were 21 without loss and were off the field for an hour and a quarter. When they returned, they had to score 170 runs from the remaining 19 overs, at an asking rate of 10.50.De Kock, in his first match as captain, grabbed the chase by the scruff of the neck and was on 23 off 12 balls when he was bowled by a Lakmal full-toss as he tried to cut. Reeza Hendricks, the centurion from the third match, drove Shanaka to cover, where Dhananjaya de Silva needed a second attempt at the catch, so it was up to Hashim Amla to steady things.Amla’s fluency returned and with Duminy at the other end, the boundary was plundered often. The pair put on 57 for the third wicket and had South Africa on track. But when Amla was dismissed, slicing an Akila Dananjaya ball to point, Sri Lanka started to claw their way back.Mathews took a low catch at extra cover to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen and Duminy was run-out by a Shanaka direct-hit at the non-striker’s end in the same over, leaving the crowd clearing their throats as South Africa stumbled. They were 130 for 5 after 13 overs, needing 61 runs from 48 balls. Phehlukwayo slammed two fours off Lahiru Kumara but was bowled by Thisara while playing across the line, and Mulder was caught off a pull shot by Dhananjaya at short midwicket which left David Miller with Keshav Maharaj and the tail.Miller needed to keep strike, with Maharaj’s penchant to swing wildly, and the balance between run-scoring and run-refusal was delicate. Maharaj got lucky with an inside egde off Lakmal past the keeper and showed some measure of his batting ability when he struck Thirsara back over his head for four but missed an attempt to slap him through cover again and was bowled. At that stage, South Africa needed eight off the final over and when Miller tried to go big off the second ball, a well-disguised slower delivery, he played on to end South Africa’s challenge.

Todd Boehly and his fellow members of the Chelsea board have been mocked up as a clowns in a savage sticker campaign at Stamford Bridge.

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Owners have spent big money on transfersSeen little return on the fieldLoyal fan base growing restless in west LondonWHAT HAPPENED?

Supporters in west London are growing restless as big ambition off the field, with over £1 billion ($1.3bn) invested in the transfer market, is not being matched on it – while more ticket price hikes have been announced. Chelsea have made one cup final this season, coming unstuck against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, and are through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

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They are, however, languishing 11th in the Premier League table, having missed out on European qualification last season, and are running the risk of being stung with a points deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

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Some Chelsea fans have had enough, with reporting on how one organised campaign has already started. Stickers featuring controlling co-owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, along with director Jose Feliciano, were spotted in the concourse areas of one stand during the Blues’ FA Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

The sticker in question – which no group has taken credit for as yet – features the header “Clownlake, three ring circus” and a call to arms that reads: “Get them out, we want our Chelsea back”. Disgruntled fans have taken to singing the name of former owner Roman Abramovich at times this season, with the club becoming stuck in reverse since he departed in May 2022.

Arsenal are back where they belong thanks to the revival of Mikel Arteta’s squad, as the Spaniard continues to turn things around at the Emirates after a difficult start to life as a manager at his former club.

The Gunners fired themselves into a title charge last season, leading the pack for the majority of the campaign before being knocked off their perch by Manchester City, who won the Premier League by five points in their bid for the treble.

Despite the agony of being so close after years of mediocrity by Arsenal’s standards, Arteta led his team to fulfilling their goal of being reinstated into Europe's elite with Champions League qualification.

From the later years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, to Unai Emery’s highs to quick lows during his 18-month stay, the Gunners endured a spell of over a decade without making significant progress.

The failure to grasp consistency, to players coming and going and viewing Arsenal as a stepping stone in their personal progression, the north Londoners seem to be exiting the tunnel of adequacy thanks to Arteta’s clear motive for success.

In 2018, the Emirates saw a host of changes and struggles, with star player Alexis Sanchez opting to leave for Manchester United, and Wenger departing that summer as Emery took charge.

The sale of Sanchez reinforced the lack of progression in north London, yet his ugly exit was quickly eased by the arrival of United midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

When did Arsenal sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

The January window of 2018 saw drama unfold between United and Arsenal, as the two fierce rivals engaged in a swap deal as Alexis went to Old Trafford and Mkhitaryan arrived at the Emirates.

After the theatrics and negativity that the Chilean induced at the club due to his poor mindset and desire to leave, the Armenian’s arrival dispersed a sense of relief and excitement, as the Gunners realised the talent that had acquired despite painfully losing their superstar.

While the former Borussia Dortmund playmaker didn’t impose his best game at Old Trafford, there was hope that the extent of the 28-year-old’s talent would unfold under Wenger’s free-flowing style of play.

That January was a pivotal time for both Arsenal and Mkhitaryan, as the Gunners later welcomed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the club, who was a former teammate of the Armenia international in Germany.

The angst felt towards Alexis was quickly relieved by the arrival of the former Dortmund duo, as a new wave of talent arrived with the goal of achieving at the Emirates.

How much did Henrikh Mkhitaryan earn at Arsenal?

Mkhitaryan was one of United’s top-earners in the 2017/18 campaign, and with a high calibre talent came a high wage demand.

The Gunners matched the £200k-per-week salary of the 28-year-old at Old Trafford, eased by the exit of Sanchez, who relieved Arsenal of paying out his monstrous wage of £350k-per-week.

Mkhitaryan was introduced into the squad as the north Londoner’s second-highest earner, picking up a hefty salary of £10.4m-per-year.

How many goals did Mkhitaryan score?

There was a lot of excitement regarding Mkhitaryan’s arrival, despite his inability to fully translate his quality to the Premier League during his 18-month stay at Old Trafford.

Prior to his move to United, the Armenian had an unbelievable campaign in Germany, recording 55 direct goal contributions in 52 appearances in all competitions, scoring 23 and assisting 32 for Dortmund.

In Manchester, Mkhitaryan managed only a fraction of that level of performance, scoring 13 and assisting 11 in a total of 63 appearances for the Red Devils, warranting his swift exit just a year and a half after his arrival.

The form that the former Dortmund whiz portrayed at United should have sparked a slight level of concern from Arsenal’s side, particularly as they were handing over a player with 80 goals in 166 appearances in Sanchez.

There were however signs of encouragement in his first campaign in the capital, as in his first Premier League start for his new club, he rolled back the years by recording three assists during Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of Everton, assisting his former teammate Aubameyang to reminisce on their perfect partnership at Westfalenstadion.

Mkhitaryan ended his first spell at the Emirates with nine goal involvements in 17 appearances, scoring three and assisting six in all competitions to round off an adequate introduction.

Unfortunately, things just didn’t tick in England for the Armenian the way they did in Germany, as in his second campaign, he scored only six goals in a total of 39 appearances, form that saw him slip down the pecking order as he battled injury and lacklustre performances.

Was he worth it?

After his first full season at Arsenal, the club made the decision to send the midfielder on loan to Roma in 2019, which subsequently marked the end of his time in north London as he signed permanently for the Italian outfit in 2020 after failing to make an impact under Emery.

In 59 appearances, Mkhitaryan left the Emirates having scored just nine goals, a poor record considering his primary deployment being on the flank with his role to advance in the final third.

It wasn’t just his uninspiring form in front of goal that contributed to his premature axing at Arsenal, as he was often untraceable on the pitch, reinforced by him being dubbed as “anonymous” by journalist Layth Yousif, who blasted one of his performances as “pitiful”.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan Premier League vs Bundesliga record

Premier League

Bundesliga

Apps

78

90

Goals

13

23

Assists

14

36

Via Transfermarkt

What was most concerning was that while he failed to grasp the demands of playing in the Premier League, Arsenal were paying Mkhitaryan a blockbuster wage of £200k-per-week, which over his 18 months at the club, racked up an expenditure of £15.6m in salary alone.

To put such costs into perspective, the Armenian cost Arsenal around £1.7m per goal he scored while at the club, highlighting just how horrendous the deal proved to be, with the pill made somewhat easier to swallow as Sanchez also failed to perform at United.

What is Henrikh Mkhitaryan doing now?

Ironically, the two players involved in the terrible swap deal in January 2018 have found sanctuary playing together at Inter Milan.

At the San Siro, Mkhitaryan’s poor form in front of goal has continued, portrayed by his mere seven goals and three assists in 59 appearances so far for the Nerazzurri, with the height of his career proving to have come in Germany.

Arsenal were rinsed by the Armenian’s monumental salary, yet were lucky that his tenure in the capital lasted only 18 months to spare any additional financial strain to maintain the midfielder.

Shai Hope’s blistering 88 powered Tridents to 185, before Reifer snared five wickets, including three in his last over, as Barbados opened their CPL campaign with a win

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Aug-2018Raymon Reifer prepares to bowl•Randy Brookes/CPL T20/Getty ImagesAfter missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, Barbados Tridents got their CPL 2018 campaign off to a winning start by easily defending the highest-ever CPL total made in Guyana, in a 30-run win over the Amazon Warriors. At a ground where the average first-innings score in the CPL has been 126, Tridents overcame a shaky start of 11 for 2 to post 185 for 4, following a brilliant 88 off 45 balls by Shai Hope, before Raymon Reifer’s five-wicket haul derailed the Amazon Warriors chase.Tri-dented in the PowerplayTridents’ opening combo of Martin Guptill and Dwayne Smith were both dismissed in the first two overs, and there was little to indicate that a record total was imminent. Rayad Emrit emulated his Trinidad pal Dwayne Bravo’s incredible effort 24 hours earlier, with a one-handed catch to claim Guptill at mid-off. Smith fell at the end of the next over, driving Chris Green’s offspin to extra cover, and Tridents were reduced to 11 for 2 in two overs.Hope-ful partnershipHope and Steven Smith came together to steer the Tridents back into the match with a 105-run stand for the third wicket. Smith played the classy shots early, including a delightful straight drive off Green for four, to keep the scoreboard moving. However, the partnership could have been halved had Hope been runout on 31, with the score 64 for 2, in the last ball of the ninth over. Smith turned down a run to backward point as Hope hared from the non-striker’s end, but Sherfane Rutherford’s rushed throw missed the stumps after Hope had given up getting back in.The 24-year-old turned belligerent at the end of the 11th over, heaving Imran Tahir against the turn over long-on and straight down the ground for consecutive sixes. It spurred Smith to come out of his shell at the start of the 12th over, guiding a pair of cuts behind point for four off Keemo Paul, as Tridents produced 20 runs in a four-ball sequence across the two overs. Hope ended the 12th over by gliding two to third man to bring up a 30-ball half-century. He then took Sohail Tanvir apart for two sixes over long-on and a four through extra cover in the 13th over to bring up the 100-run partnership, putting Tridents in a commanding position with seven overs left.Pooran powerThe departure of Smith, who played around a straight ball from Tahir, allowed Hope to take the innings into high gear with Nicholas Pooran. Hope’s six assault continued off Paul in the 18th, driving over the extra cover boundary for the shot of the innings. But he fell two balls later, just 12 short of what would have been his maiden CPL ton.Pooran took the opportunity to remind everyone of his devastating ball-striking ability by swatting 21 runs off the final over, bowled by Paul, to put the chase out of reach for the host side. He began with a flat six over long-off, before collecting a scampered two. The third ball was smashed magnificently into the second-tier over long-off, and nearly landed on the roof. It took him to 38, six more than his best innings from a lackluster 2017 campaign. A helicopter whip for six over long-on two balls later showed Pooran’s style to match his strength, and he finished unbeaten on 45 off 27 balls.Reifer madnessDespite the fall of Chadwick Walton at the end of the second over, the Warriors had progressed confidently to reach 40 for 1 in the fifth over of the chase, when Reifer started to ruin the host side’s pursuit with his canny left-arm medium pace. Extra bounce resulted in a top-edged pull by Luke Ronchi that landed in Ashley Nurse’s hands at midwicket, before Shimron Hetmyer fell next ball, yanking Reifer to one of the two men out on the boundary during the Powerplay, Guptill covering good ground at deep midwicket to put Reifer on a hat-trick.Rutherford joined captain Shoaib Malik for an 84-run stand as Warriors kept themselves in the hunt. Legspinner Imran Khan didn’t bowl a single over on the night, with dew making it difficult for spinners to grip the ball. But Tridents captain Jason Holder’s gamble to bring back Nurse to bowl offspin in the 16th over paid off. One ball after Malik smashed him for six over long-on, the Guyana captain misjudged the length while trying to guide Nurse with an open face to third man, and wound up chopping onto his stumps for 38.As the required run rate continued to climb following Malik’s departure, Reifer exploited the breach with three wickets in the 19th to kill off the chase. With 39 required off the last two overs to win, Green scythed a Reifer full toss behind point for four, but perished off the next ball, with a tame drive to Holder at extra cover. Jason Mohammed sliced Reifer to the cover sweeper two balls later, before a slower bouncer next ball to Rutherford resulted in a gloved catch to Pooran to put Reifer on a hat-trick for the second time in the night. Reifer once again didn’t get the hat-trick, Paul this time punching a full toss down the ground for a single, but the efforts were enough to bag the Man-of-the-Match award.

The Catalan is clearly irked by the contrasting coverage of Jurgen Klopp's achievements at Anfield, but it's helped sustain his side's success

Pep Guardiola says that when he arrived at Manchester City, former assistant coach Brian Kidd told him not to pay any attention to the League Cup. "Play the young players," Kidd advised. "Nobody cares." Guardiola didn't listen, though. He took the tournament seriously and led City to four consecutive triumphs between 2018 and 2021 – but felt he got very little credit for doing so.

So, imagine his surprise to see Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp universally lauded for winning this season's Carabao Cup. "I don't know what happened in these last years," Guardiola said in his very first press appearance after the Reds' 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley, "it looks like the final of a different competition."

The bitterness was blatant, with Guardiola quite clearly feeling that the press was painting Liverpool's triumphs, in 2022 and 2024, in a very different light to those of City – and not for the first time as far as the Catalan was concerned…

Getty No credit for City?

Back in May 2019, after City had just pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title by a point, Guardiola suggested that his team's achievements were taken for granted, that they were effectively victims of their own success.

"Liverpool have gone 29 years without winning the Premier League – so it's normal people are waiting for them to finally win," the former Barcelona boss said. "But if Liverpool had won the Premier League, it would have been an 'incredible' achievement. When City win, it is, 'Oh, it's OK. It's an achievement…'"

AdvertisementGetty 'Everyone in this country supports Liverpool'

Three years later, when City were locked in another gripping title race with Liverpool that they would once again shade by a solitary point, Guardiola went even further, claiming in an interview with that "Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone."

It was an utterly ludicrous claim. If Guardiola had merely pointed out that there were – and still are – several ex-Liverpool players working in the media (Jamie Carragher, Danny Murphy, Jamie Redknapp etc.), it would have been fine. He could have argued that some pundits were far from impartial.

However, to allege that everyone in England supports Liverpool was just absurd when one considers so many rival clubs partake in 'tragedy chanting' at Anfield while mocking Merseyside over its socio-economic problems.

Guardiola then embarrassed himself further by making a petty reference to the Reds' comparatively poor Premier League record. "Liverpool has an incredible history in European competition," he added. "[But] not in the Premier League, because they've won one [title] in 30 years. But it's not a problem at all."

And yet Guardiola's continued sniping would suggest otherwise.

Getty'Is it our fault?'

When the legitimacy of City's title triumphs was called into question after the club was charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, he fumed, "I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping [in 2014]… Is it our fault?"

In this instance, Guardiola subsequently displayed contrition, even going so far as to privately apologise to the former Liverpool captain for bringing him into an argument that had absolutely nothing to do with his most painful moment on a pitch.

However, there was no mea culpa from the Catalan after some of his City players were filmed singing a derogatory song ridiculing Liverpool while celebrating their title win in 2019 – just the classic "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" spiel.

Both City and their manager insisted that the line referencing Liverpool fans lying "battered in the street" wasn't a sick shot at Sean Cox, who suffered life-changing injuries after being assaulted outside Anfield by Roma fans, but neither the club nor Guardiola felt compelled to explain why singing such a lyric was acceptable anyway.

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Getty 'They're sick of us'

At the end of the day, though, City's obvious dislike of Liverpool has proven a godsend for Guardiola. After all, it's not easy to keep successful superstars motivated.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan effectively ran out of worthy rivals, so he used to invent enemies just to keep himself hungry – because, for some, keeping others down can be just as satisfying as staying on top. Indeed, Guardiola's City have openly revelled in not just winning five Premier League titles, but restricting Liverpool to just one during a golden era at Anfield under Klopp.

"Liverpool are a mad team. They are a superb team. But I know they hate us," former winger Riyad Mahrez told in May 2022. "They're sick of us because if we weren't here, they would've won everything every year. But we're here and we're never letting go, and we'll be here next year too."

The England captain was not overly concerned by the team’s latest collapse to India’s spin saying it was “a more useful experience than beating Australia”

George Dobell at Trent Bridge12-Jul-20180:43

Morgan relaxed over England’s spin struggles

Eoin Morgan admitted Kuldeep Yadav “exposes” a weakness in England’s game.Kuldeep, the left-arm wristspinner, claimed 6 for 25 as England were thrashed by eight wickets with 59 balls remaining at Trent Bridge.But despite the margin of defeat, Morgan played down the significance of the result. Suggesting that Kuldeep offers such unique challenges that it will rarely damage England, Morgan also reasoned that England would rather confront such challenges now, a year ahead of the World Cup, when they still have the opportunity to find solutions.”He is very good and there is no getting around that,” Morgan said. “He exposes an area of our game that we need to improve on and I think that is a good thing and a healthy thing.”Considering there is only one left-arm [wristspin] bowler in the world it is not a huge concern. You play against one team and he happens to be very good, he is not any old left-arm [wristspinner].”We have played great cricket for the last six months and not come up against anybody like this so it is a chance to improve on this area however long it might take between now and the World Cup.”You have to give credit where it is due, he did bowl well and we need to clarify our plans and commit to them and just be better.””This was definitely a more useful experience than beating Australia. Finding yourself coming up against something that is rare, it is like facing a right arm leg spinner who is very good, you don’t come against many of them but when you do you need to adapt and think on your feet, so it is always a good challenge.”Morgan also claimed that the surface at Trent Bridge provided some assistance to Kuldeep and suggested the pitch at Lord’s – where the second ODI is to be played on Saturday – will prove less helpful for him.”The two grounds we’ve played at have offered more turn than other grounds,” Morgan said, referring to Kuldeep’s five-wicket haul in the T20 match at Old Trafford. “I think Lord’s will be similar to Cardiff [where Kuldeep finished wicketless] in that regard so the shift will be important.”But that doesn’t paper over the fact that we need to get better at playing him.”England received a further blow with the news that a scan has shown that Alex Hales has a side strain sustained while batting in the nets the day ahead of the Trent Bridge ODI. He is expected to be out of action for three or four weeks and will not, therefore, feature for England in the rest of the series.Dawid Malan, who was called up as cover for Hales, will remain with the squad for the ODI at Lord’s on Saturday.Sam Curran, meanwhile, has been released by England to appear in Surrey’s T20 Blast match against Sussex on Friday. He will rejoin the squad ahead of Saturday’s ODI.

West Ham United have started the season in good form regardless of the notable sale of Declan Rice in the summer to Arsenal, winning half of their games so far and sitting in seventh spot.

It's been the fresh blood added into the building for the Hammers that has seen them perform so well in the infancy of this campaign, the midfield additions of Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse have been inspired buys by David Moyes – both new faces contributing to 11 of the club's goals in all competitions so far, Ward-Prowse already notching up six assists.

The likes of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen have also been ever reliable for the Hammers, both players scoring recently in a dominant 2-0 victory against a hapless Sheffield United side at the London Stadium.

It's looking rosy away from just the current crop of first team performers at West Ham too, with teenager Callum Marshall an academy prospect being hyped up to be the next best thing rising through the ranks at the club.

Who is Callum Marshall?

Winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for September, Marshall is highly regarded at West Ham at just 18 years of age.

Drawing comparisons to Northern Ireland goalscoring hero David Healy – according to Sammy McIlroy – Marshall born in Glengormley and featured for Northern Irish side Linfield before joining the Irons in 2022 – there's lots of expectation in the air that the youngster will go on to have a fantastic career.

He has 40 goals to his name for both West Ham U18's and U21's, already scoring eight times this campaign in the Premier League 2 from just six starts.

It's even led to the prolific marksman being capped by his country at senior level already, featuring twice for his nation under Michael O'Neill against Denmark and San Marino.

The Northern Ireland manager doesn't want to put too much pressure on the young man's shoulders, although an impressive teenage attacker that "excites people" will always have people raving about the potential he possesses.

The former Stoke City boss said: “I can’t think back to when we’ve had a young striker – they generally come in later…A young striker coming in always excites people.

"Like every country, you want somebody at the top end of the pitch who can be a natural goalscorer, and without putting any burden on Callum, he has the potential and has shown the potential certainly since we’ve had him in. We’ve seen that he has the attributes."

What path could Callum Marshall follow at West Ham?

West Ham will hope that Marshall will follow a similar trajectory to former talisman, Rice, albeit that it doesn't end with another club poaching him.

The England international gradually rose through the ranks to become the star-man for the Hammers, going from a player on the fringes waiting for his moment in the spotlight to captaining the club to Europa Conference League glory, before his £105m departure to the Emirates.

There's no reason why the teenage striker can't start knocking on the door of the first team sooner rather than later, with West Ham's main striker, Michail Antonio, 33 years of age with his career running down.

Likewise, Moyes' other option as an out-and-out striker is Danny Ings, the ex Burnley man 31 years of age and prone to an injury, having netted just three goals for the club to date.

Marshall will just continue plugging away in the youth set-up for the time being, scoring goals by the bucket load if recent evidence is anything to go off.

But, don't be surprised if he's starring up top for the Hammers in a few years time as a raw, exciting and hungry figure, who could potentially be the next best thing since Rice.

Will Jacks scored a maiden Surrey century in only his third first-team match to add to the sense of feelgood about Surrey’s crop of young stars

ECB Reporters Network23-May-2018
ScorecardVirat Kohli will discover an impressive young team-mate when he arrives in London for his first stint in county cricket next month in the muscular form of teenage all-rounder Will Jacks.Jacks, a 19-year-old allrounder, cracked a sparkling maiden hundred in only his third first-team appearance in to ease Surrey to an emphatic six-wicket Royal London One-day Cup win over Gloucestershire at the Kia Oval.Jacks, who earlier turned his hand to five overs of offspin, hit a majestic 121 with 14 fours and four sixes to dominate a second-wicket partnership with Dean Elgar, the South Africa Test batsman, that added 158 in 25 overs to help Surrey canter to their opening south group win with 27 balls to spare.In pursuit of Gloucestershire’s 282 for 6 at an asking rate of 5.66 an over, Surrey lost mercurial opener Jason Roy to only the fifth ball of the reply. Fresh from a disappointing IPL stint with Delhi Daredevils, Roy drove hard at a wide, swinging length-ball from Craig Miles only to be caught at third man off a thick outside edge.That brought together Jacks and Elgar who raised 50 inside eight overs. Jacks, a tall, Chertsey-born strokemaker, proved the major aggressor cantering to a maiden half-century for his home county from 47 balls and with nine boundaries.The duo raised their century stand in the 17th over with Edgar, despite his vast international experience and having made 140 more List A appearances than his rookie partner, content to play second fiddle.The broad-shouldered Jacks received one let off when on 70 after Chris Dent downed a diving chance at extra cover, but otherwise the England Under-19 batsman remained strong and aggressive, clubbing a brace of sixes against slow left-armer Tom Smith. He then moved to three figures with his third maximum off Smith and removed his helmet to acknowledge the applause for his 86-ball century with 12 fours.Elgar raised his 59-ball 50 but perished soon after when attempting to slog sweep against Benny Howell then, with 98 still required, Jacks’ fun ended after 100 balls when he was caught on the ropes at backward square. He sidled off to a standing ovation, leaving Ben Foakes (50*) to guide Surrey through.Surrey, previously without a win, elected to bowl on a green-tinted pitch and having lost their opening two South Group matches when batting first.The decision paid quick dividends when Sam Curran had George Hankins caught at backward point driving on the up. Fellow opener, left-handed Dent, was then tucked up by Jade Dernbach and, shovelling to leg, spooned one to midwicket as Gloucestershire limped to 46 for 2 from their 10-over Powerplay.With the field spread, Gloucestershire rebuilt as Gareth Roderick and Howell posted 50 within 11 overs before Roderick dragged on against Rikki Clarke.Howell reached the first half-century of the match from 56 balls and with four fours and a six against veteran off-spinner Gareth Batty, yet Burns continued to take pace off the ball by giving stints to Scott Borthwick’s leg-breaks and Jacks’ off-spin.Borthwick struck to remove the dangerous Howell. Having reached 60 with a straight six, Howell drove Borthwick’s next delivery to mid-off to make it 114 for 4 at the mid-point of the innings.Borthwick enticed Ian Cockbain to work against the spin and chip a comfortable catch to wide mid-on, forcing Jack Taylor and Ryan Higgins into another rebuilding job.Higgins, the former Middlesex all-rounder, scored his first List A 50 off 51 balls, then Taylor reached the milestone from 62 deliveries with a six over mid-wicket as the sixth-wicket pair added 110 in 18.1 overs.In the dash for late runs Taylor heaved a catch to cow corner to gift Curran a second scalp, leaving Higgins to clatter three fours during a Dernbach over on his way to an unbeaten 81 off 70 balls – his highest score in any form of county cricket.

Southampton return to action in the Championship this afternoon as they host Leeds United at St. Mary's in the televised early kick-off.

The Saints come into this match off the back of four straight league defeats under Russell Martin and they are now in desperate need of a positive result to change the mood.

They were beaten 2-1 by Middlesbrough, despite taking the lead through Adam Armstrong, in their last match and now have to face Daniel Farke's Whites, who are unbeaten in their last six Championship outings.

What's the latest Southampton team news?

Martin has confirmed that Scotland international Ross Stewart will not be available to make his debut but is out on the training pitch and doing shooting drills ahead of his return.

The head coach did not reveal any other new injury concerns during his pre-match press conference but he could look to make some changes to his side in order to return to winning ways today.

Will Samuel Edozie start against Leeds?

Southampton's manager must now unleash Samuel Edozie from the start against the Yorkshire-based outfit as he could cause them problems alongside Che Adams in attack.

The 20-year-old wizard came off the bench against Middlesbrough last weekend and caught the eye with a Sofascore rating of 7.3 as he created one chance for his teammates.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.04 across eight Championship matches so far this season and has contributed with two goals and zero 'big chances' created.

The former Manchester City man has been able to drive the team up the pitch with his ability to take the ball past opposition players, with 1.8 successful dribbles per clash.

Ryan Fraser, who started against Middlesbrough on the left flank, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.7 across five league games for Southampton and is yet to contribute with a goal or a 'big chance' created.

The Scotland international has also only completed 0.4 dribbles per match and has not proven himself to offer more than Edozie, as an attacking threat or as a ball carrier to push the team forward in counter-attacking situations.

How many goals has Che Adams scored this season?

Martin must now unleash the 5 foot 10 hotshot ahead of Fraser to start alongside Scottish marksman Adams, who has scored three goals in seven Championship clashes this term.

The former Birmingham number nine has struck three times from just four league starts and has been able to showcase his ability to tee up his fellow attackers with three 'big chances' created.

His ability to provide assists, of which he has two this season, along with his goalscoring threat makes the 27-year-old ace the perfect foil for the 20-year-old magician to play with.

Adams could provide the ex-Manchester City prodigy with the chances he needs to add to his tally of two goals whilst he also has the finishing ability to potentially get on the end of any passes and crosses that the winger could produce.

Therefore, Edozie, who was once hailed as "exciting" by Martin, and the Scotland international could cause Leeds problems at the top end of the pitch this afternoon and should both start in attack alongside Adam Armstrong.

Virat Kohli’s team will face an incredibly tough path to the playoffs if they drop points against CSK

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu04-May-2018Form guide (most recent match first)

CSK: lost to KKR by six wickets, beat Daredevils by 13 runs, lost to Mumbai by 8 wickets
RCB: beat Mumbai by 14 runs, lost to KKR by six wickets, lost to CSK by five wickets

Big PictureRoyal Challengers Bangalore could probably afford one more loss. But only if they get very lucky with other results going their way.They came away from the IPL auction like a tourist with a detailed itinerary: allrounders, check; big-hitters, check; KKR’s bowling attack that knocked them over for 49, double check. But one month in, all they have is a bag full of knock-off merchandise. Five defeats in eight matches with a squad that Virat Kohli thought was the most balanced is, essentially, like being stuck with t-shirts that say Wrong instead of , right?But some innocent bystanders have given them a helpful tip, at least with respect to their next adventure. It is hard to compete with Chennai Super Kings’ batting line-up. So make fools of their bowlers.Target scores well above par if batting first. Forget about the run-rate and safeguard wickets for the death if chasing. Basically, RCB have to figure out a way to beat a monstrous batting team with virtually the tournament on the line.It seems karma wants them to learn how everyone that faces RCB feels.In the newsAB de Villiers has been declared fit after viral fever ruled him out of RCB’s previous two games. Quinton de Kock, however, has flown back to South Africa for a wedding.Previous meetingA high-scoring affair when RCB posted 205 and CSK chased it down in a blaze of sixes in Bengaluru. De Villiers made a rip-roaring 68.Likely XIsChennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Imran Tahir, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 KM AsifDe Kock’s absence may see Parthiv Patel getting his first game of the season.Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Manan Vohra/Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Brendon McCullum 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed SirajStrategy puntImran Tahir has taken 15 wickets in Pune, the most among anyone in the CSK squad, and he has taken out AB de Villiers two times in three IPL innings. This head-to-head can be quite compelling for the viewer as well because the batsman also strikes at 185.7 against the legspinner.Stats that matter RCB have four wins in five games in Pune, and de Villiers was Man of the Match in three of those games. He has made 211 runs at a strike-rate of 177. Viral fever, begone. CSK have rarely had a phenomenal bowling line-up. But they mask that problem with their spinners and Dhoni’s ability to use them. In each of their eight years, their economy rate had always hovered around 7 and strike rate around 25. In 2018, those numbers have risen to 8.49 and 34.50. Before Tim Southee was brought in to the XI, RCB were conceding a six every six deliveries in the death. Now, that figure is a far more respectable 18.3. Dhoni has scored 329 runs at a strike-rate of 169.6. That’s his best tally after nine matches in any season of IPL.Fantasy pickAmbati Rayudu. He’s the highest scorer of the IPL this season with six scores of 30-plus in nine innings. He’s also been hitting at a strike-rate of 153 with 56 hits to and over the boundary.Quotes”The last four days have been a blur I have been suffering from severe viral flu, one of the most debilitating illnesses I have ever experienced. Aside from one visit to the hospital, I have barely left my hotel room. Sleep has been almost impossible, and the migraine headaches have been extreme.”