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Queensland’s stand-in captain, Chris Hartley, set Tasmania a hefty target of 352 for victory on the third day at the Gabba, after he earlier broke the all-time record for Sheffield Shield wicketkeeping dismissals

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Chris Hartley now holds the record for most wicketkeeping dismissals in Sheffield Shield history•Getty ImagesQueensland’s stand-in captain, Chris Hartley, set Tasmania a hefty target of 352 for victory on the third day at the Gabba, after he earlier broke the all-time record for Sheffield Shield wicketkeeping dismissals. At stumps, the Tigers had survived five overs without damage and were 0 for 10, with Jake Hancock on 5 and Jordan Silk yet to score.The day began with the Tigers on 4 for 113 in their first innings, but the dismissal of captain George Bailey for 55 to Mark Steketee (3 for 73) allowed Queensland a look at the Tasmania lower order. However, it was an unexpected bowler who claimed the next wicket – bowling offspin, Joe Burns picked up his maiden first-class wicket when he had Jake Doran caught at short leg.Then came Hartley’s record-breaking catch, when he gloved Simon Milenko’s edge off the bowling of Michael Neser. It took Hartley clear of Darren Berry’s record of 546 Sheffield Shield dismissals, and into the outright lead. Tasmania were all out for 200, and Queensland added 6 for 146 in reply before declaring to set the Tigers a target.

Newcastle United hold a summer interest in the AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali as they look to bolster Eddie Howe's squad.

How old is Sandro Tonali?

The Toon now have Champions League football to plan for this summer and it seems as if PIF are keen to make the most of their European status.

Indeed, the Magpies have already been linked with a potentially sensational deal for the Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.

However, reports since the story broke have casted some doubt over a potential deal for the Italian with his asking price believed to be well above the reported £50m offered.

But it seems as if Dan Ashworth may have turned his attention to the other side of Milan with another midfielder who plays his football at the San Siro.

It is now believed the Toon hold a strong interest in Tonali this summer with a new midfielder seemingly on the radar for Howe.

There have also been links to the likes of Scott McTominay ahead of the summer transfer window, however, it seems as if Newcastle are looking to some of Europe's biggest names.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Tyneside club are keen on bringing the 23-year-old Italian to St. James' Park:

"What we can say guys is, is that it's a reality. Newcastle like Sandro Tonali, Newcastle have Sandro Tonali in their list."

"To convince Sandro Tonali is going to be absolutely difficult, same as it was for Nicolo Barella. So this is the situation, let's see how the conversation will go. But for sure, this is a situation around Newcastle and Tonali. Interest, yes. Intention to bid too but the reality is that the player's side is absolutely crucial for Barella and for Tonali."

How much does Sandro Tonali earn?

The Italian has only just turned 23 years old but has become one of Milan's most-used players at the San Siro having made 30 starts in Serie A alone last season (via Transfermarkt).

On top of that, the Italian midfielder made 12 starts in their Champions League campaign as Milan made their way to the semi-finals.

Despite being still so young, Tonali has already racked up 130 appearances for Milan in total which only indicates how important he has become to this side.

And this may not bode well for the Toon if they are looking to land Tonali this summer for a reasonable fee given he still has four years remaining on his current deal at the San Siro.

Reports have suggested the Toon are looking to lodge a bid worth in the region of £50m, however, as Romano has claimed, that will be nowhere near enough.

And with that in mind, it will be intriguing to see how much it could potentially take to see the £76k-per-week midfielder prised away from the San Siro.

Alastair Cook is expected to meet Andrew Strauss imminently – perhaps as early as this Friday – to discuss his future with an announcement expected to follow shortly afterwards

George Dobell05-Jan-20170:35

Archive: Cook spoke about his future as captain after the series loss to India

Alastair Cook’s future as England captain could be resolved over the next few days.Cook is expected to meet Andrew Strauss imminently – perhaps as early as this Friday – to discuss his future with an announcement expected to follow shortly afterwards.Cook cut a somewhat beleaguered figure at times in India. As well as a run of losses – England have lost six of their most recent eight Tests – Cook looked jaded by the demands of the job and the time away from his family. He briefly returned from the tour of Bangladesh to witness the birth of his second child, but was able to spend no more than a few hours with his family before he was obliged to fly back to work.It may be that a period of rest and reflection has proved enough to revive his enthusiasm for the job. Or it may be that the relative speed with which he appears to have reached a decision is a sign that his mind was resolved to step down long before the end of the tour. Either way, Strauss – who is expected to arrive in the UK overnight on Thursday after a Christmas break in Australia – is expected to meet Cook upon his return to discuss the situation and, realistically, to learn of his decision.It remains unlikely that Strauss will sack Cook. While there might be legitimate concerns over the apparent divide of methods between Cook and the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, Cook retains a huge amount of respect from his team and there is no sign of any willingness for change from either the players or the coaches. The coaching staff have been at pains to state they prefer the no-change option and express the hope that Cook continues until the end of the Ashes.There should be no middle course. Cook must know that he either has to go now or continue, come what may, until the end of the Ashes. Anything else would be unfair on his replacement, who will have had very little captaincy experience and needs time to grow into the role. So, unless he is sure he can take defeat, or loss of personal form, or the media pressure, or all the rest of it, he has to go now. There is no scope for another England captain to resign midway through a series against South Africa and for a new man to be plunged into the role without time to plan or adapt.That replacement would be Joe Root. While Root has plenty on his plate already – his partner is due to give birth to their first child this week and he is, arguably, England’s most important batsman in all three formats of the game – his peers in other nations (the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, in particular) have shown that the burden of captaincy need not dilute their effectiveness as players.If Cook does decide to step down – again, it seems unlikely that Strauss will sack him – he will leave with a proud record. To have won Test series in India and South Africa, as well as two home Ashes series, is remarkable. And, while there have been setbacks, too – most notably the 5-0 Ashes whitewash and his determination to continue as ODI captain long after it had become apparent that it was time to depart – the cheers with which he is greeted at grounds around the world suggest he remains hugely popular with the majority of England’s supporters.He may never have been the most astute tactician or eloquent orator, but he has been decent and hard-working and, for a couple of years, presided over a period of chaos (some of which may well have been of his own making) in his team and around the ECB with a calm determination that helped some talented young players find their feet in Test cricket. You will not hear a word against him from many of his team-mates past or present; though, yes, there are one or two notable exceptions.Either way, this will not be the end of the Cook story. There is no indication that he intends to step down as a player – quite the contrary; he is expected to relish a return to the ranks freed from the burden of leadership – and, aged 32, there is no reason he cannot add substantially to that tally of 11,057 Test runs.

Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has reportedly agreed terms with 50-year-old manager Brendan Rodgers to take on the vacant post at Parkhead this week.

The Northern Irish tactician is set to be officially announced as the successor to Ange Postecoglou, who joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week, at some point today.

Sky Sports recently claimed that the former Leicester City boss will be backed by the board in the summer transfer window with a view to making the team competitive on the European stage.

Who is Kwadwo Opoku?

It was recently reported that Celtic are one of the clubs interested in signing promising Los Angeles FC winger Kwadwo Opoku, who could be available for a fee of up to €4.8m (£4.1m) this summer.

He is a left-footed attacker who mainly operates down the right flank and that could make the talented youngster Rodgers' next version of former Hoops forward Patrick Roberts.

During the ex-Liverpool manager's first spell in Scotland, the Englishman spent two seasons on loan from Manchester City and racked up 12 goals and 24 assists in 65 outings for the club across all competitions under his management.

The now-Sunderland ace was a creative outlet who started on the right and used his preferred left foot to cut inside in order to make things happen in the final third.

Opoku could follow in his footsteps based on his impressive form in the MLS for LAFC throughout 2022.

The 21-year-old dynamo, whose performances last year were hailed as "magnificent" by journalist Owuraku Ampofo, scored eight goals and provided three assists in 20 starts for his side, with all eight strikes coming on his favoured foot.

However, his assist total did not tell the full story as the Ghanaian maestro created an eye-catching 11 'big chances' for his teammates and this suggests, given that Celtic's Jota registered 11 assists from 13 'big chances' created, that his fellow attackers let him down.

The MLS Cup winner, who has produced two goals and two assists across 11 MLS starts this year, has been compared to Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also listed the gem's "flair" as one of his strengths.

Opoku is an exciting young talent who could be an excellent long-term addition to Celtic's squad, whilst also being able to provide quality in the final third as immediately as next season if he can replicate his MLS form from 2022.

Therefore, Rodgers could land his next version of the left-footed wizard that was Roberts at Parkhead by working with Desmond to secure a deal for the £4.1m wide man this summer.

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced it will invest heavily in club teams, and improve the facilities available to them, to beef up the talent available to the national team

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Nov-2016Sri Lanka Cricket has announced it will invest heavily in the existing club-based domestic structure, although a provincial first-class tournament is also in the works. The board has promised a grant of 11 million Sri Lankan rupees (USD $74,000 approx) for each of the 14 clubs in the first-class tournament, and has also said it will beef up facilities by providing bowling machines, mechanised rollers and other groundskeeping equipment. Ten “Tier B” clubs will get a grant of nine million rupees as well.”We have identified our clubs as the places that we promote, sustain and develop cricket in our country, and we will invest as much as possible in this area,” SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said. “For Sri Lanka to make an indelible mark on the world arena we need to focus on strengthening and developing our domestic cricket – this will provide us with a world-class pool of players to select from. Our focus is on the quality of cricket and not just the quantity.”The announcement of these grants comes weeks after SLC had reinstated domestic contracts, handing out 85 of them to cricketers from a variety of clubs. This was a repudiation of the pay-model devised by 2015’s SLC interim committee, who sought to better incentivise players by paying out substantial match fees for games played, instead of handing out contracts that guarantee income through the season.The present board also rejected the 2015 interim committee’s vision for Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket, having canned the provincial tournament devised by Mahela Jayawardene.Moreover, these latest grants suggest the board does not want to move away from a club-based domestic structure, despite growing criticism of the competition. Several former players have suggested the current first-class format does not encourage high-quality cricket, and have also voiced concerns that senior cricket has not meaningfully spread beyond Basnahira (western province) and Ruhuna (southern province).SLC is expected to announce the details of a new provincial tournament over the next few weeks. However, this tournament is expected to be much shorter than the club tournament, and is likely to feature just four teams.The Premier League Tournament – for now the main first-class competition in Sri Lanka – will be unchanged from the previous season’s format. Fourteen teams will be split into two groups, before the top sides progress to a Super Eight round-robin.

Aston Villa are interested in completing the signing of Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte this summer, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

Is Laporte set to leave Man City?

City are still celebrating their impressive treble triumph in 2022/23, having beaten Inter Milan in last weekend's Champions League final. They also won both the Premier League and FA Cup during the season, cementing their place in the history of English football.

While many individuals have played enormous roles in City's success, whether it be Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland, one player who has had more of a bit-part job is Laporte.

The 29-year-old only started 11 of his side's league games throughout the campaign, and with the likes of Ruben Dias and John Stones playing so well, it could be difficult for him to win his place back moving forward.

For that reason, the £120,000-a-week-earning Laporte could potentially move away this summer in order to be a regular starter, which is where Villa come into play, having been linked with him in the recent past.

Do Villa want to sign Laporte this summer?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, transfer expert Jones claimed that Unai Emery is keen on acquiring Laporte's signature in the near future, although his exit is far from a given:

"There's definitely interest. There are a few options that Villa are looking at. Laporte is obviously potentially leaving Manchester City this summer, so that makes sense. Whether he would be willing to step down to Aston Villa remains to be seen."

Laporte, who was hailed as the "best in the world" back in 2020, would be a superb addition by Villa if they could get a deal over the line, with the Spain international someone who has won five Premier League titles with City, not to mention the Champions League now, among various other trophies.

Pep Guardiola has hailed the centre-back as "incredible" before and he could prove to be a step up from any other current Villa defender, for all the good form of someone like Tyrone Mings.

He would bring with him a winning mentality and so much quality in and out of possession, having enjoyed a 93.1% pass completion rate in the league in 2022/23, and averaged 2.5 clearances per game.

At 29, Laporte wouldn't represent the long-term future, which is a slight negative to the move, but the Villans should be able to get two or three years out of him at his top level, which could be ideal.

Celtic have reportedly twice missed out on the chance to land current Aston Villa striker Danny Ings over the last decade, with the Parkhead outfit likely ruing their inability to sign a player who has been a real potent threat in front of goal in recent years.

The Winchester-born marksman was reportedly a target for the Old Firm outfit prior to the January transfer window in 2014, with then-Hoops boss Neil Lennon said to have sent assistant coach Gerry Parker to watch the Englishman in action for Burnley.

No move came to fruition, however, as the centre-forward ended the 2013/14 campaign with an impressive haul of 21 goals and seven assists in 41 Championship games, with the Glasgow side ultimately signing Leigh Griffiths in that winter window – a player who enjoyed a mixed stint with the Scottish giants.

After subsequently impressing in the Premier League the following season at Turf Moor – scoring 11 league goals – Ings was then snapped by Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side on a ‘free’ transfer in 2015, albeit with the Anfield outfit forced to fork out around £8m in compensation.

After three, injury-plagued years on Merseyside that saw him make just 25 appearances in all competitions, the 5 foot 10 menace was ultimately snapped up by Southampton on an initial loan deal in 2018, albeit with the Hoops having reportedly been keen on a deal themselves.

Amid that speculation, however, then-boss Rodgers had quashed suggestions that he was looking to reunite with the forward at Celtic Park, with the Northern Irishman insisting that he had ample depth in the striking department in the form of Griffiths, Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele.

That decision not to pursue a deal ultimately backfired as the Scottish Premiership side saw Dembele depart for Ligue 1 side Lyon in the same window, while Ings went on to sparkle during his time at St Mary’s.

The one-time Bournemouth striker scored 46 goals in just 100 games during his time with the Saints – having signed permanently in 2019 – after emerging as one of the league’s “most prolific strikers” in the words of writer Daniel Bettridge.

A move to Villa Park followed last summer for the “phenomenal finisher” – as dubbed by pundit Noel Whelan – with the 30-year-old having since registered 16 goal contributions in just 38 games for the Midlands side.

It will no doubt remain a real source of frustration for those at Parkhead that they were unable to land a player who now has 110 club career goals to his name, with such an asset likely to have sparkled north of the border.

There was understandable excitement amongst the Wolves fanbase when their club paid just £1m to sign Rochdale sensation Luke Matheson in January 2020 but nearly three years on and it seems unlikely that he will ever feature for the first team.

Jeff Shi sanctioned a move for the 17-year-old who had broken into Rochdale’s first team in League One and made the headlines when he scored the equalising goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The teenage right-back also produced a superb performance against Newcastle United in the FA Cup, helping to set up the equalising goal, so it was clear he had a lot of potential.

When he made his debut as a 15-year-old, winning the man-of-the-match award against local rivals Bury, former Dale boss Keith Hill was full of praise for Matheson.

He said: “Luke Matheson – wow. He was outstanding. We know what he can do. It’s not a leap of faith, because we know what he can do.”

After signing in January 2020, Matheson returned to Rochdale on loan, and made 36 appearances in total for the Greater Manchester side, contributing two goals and two assists.

While it was unlikely that the teenage defender would break into Wolves’ side straight away, his loan spells since then have been largely disappointing, as he struggled for game time with Ipswich and Hamilton Academical before being reunited with Hill at Scunthorpe United last season.

There, he would make 13 appearances in League Two, averaging a very disappointing 6.24 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Considering he played in League One as a 16-year-old, it is concerning that he is struggling in the league below nearly three years on. The youngster will turn 20 next month and on current form, it is difficult to see him ever being good enough to feature for Wolves’ first team.

While it is a shame that he is yet to realise his potential at Molineux, it was always going to be a gamble to sign a player so young, and in this case, it seems as if it has sadly not paid off for Jeff Shi.

Newcastle United journalist Mark Douglas has expressed his surprise after Matty Longstaff joined Colchester United on loan. 

The lowdown

Longstaff sealed a Deadline Day-move to the League Two outfit, joining on a loan deal that runs until January.

It’s his third temporary move in the space of the year after he had spells with Scottish Premiership outfit Aberdeen and another fourth-tier outfit in Mansfield Town last season.

Longstaff will be looking to build upon the success he enjoyed at Mansfield, having scored six goals in 18 matches for the Stags.

Isaac Hayden, Jeff Hendrick, Martin Dubravka, Ciaran Clark and Kell Watts have also been sent out on loan by Newcastle.

The latest

Douglas, a northern football correspondent at The I Paper, offered his one-word reaction to Colchester’s announcement tweet.

“Blimey,” he wrote, indicating that he was left somewhat stunned by the development.

The verdict

You could certainly make the case that Longstaff will be indirectly playing for his Newcastle future at Colchester.

The midfielder is into the final year of his contract at St James’ Park, and needs to prove that he’s worthy of a new deal. If he can replicate what he did at Mansfield, then he’ll surely be pretty well-placed.

Now that he’s 22 years old, it’s probably time for the Englishman to kick on and go to the next level. After all, he’s only three years away from the theoretical peak of a player in his position (via The Athletic).

Having played 20 times already for the Newcastle senior team, Longstaff might not have envisaged being in this position at this stage.

Clearly, though, Eddie Howe still needs some convincing.

Aston Villa are back in the race to sign Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr at the 11th hour, according to Senegalese journalist Papa Mahmoud Gueye.

The Lowdown: Villa linked with Sarr move

The Senegal sensation currently finds himself in the Championship, having suffered relegation from the Premier League last season and not yet finding his big move back to the top flight.

Villa are one of those who have been linked with a summer move for Sarr, but their interest had seemingly cooled after their initial move collapsed.

It now looks as though the transfer isn’t dead in the water just yet, however, following a new update.

The Latest: Late twist?

Taking to Twitter, Gueye claimed that Villa’s interest in Sarr has returned on deadline day:

“Aston Villa back in the Ismaila Sarr chase.”

The Verdict: Great for squad depth

Sarr is a proven Premier League player after scoring ten goals and registering eight assists in the competition for a struggling Hornets side, so he could be a shrewd signing for Villa.

While Steven Gerrard may not necessarily see the forward as a regular starter week in, week out, he would be a great squad player, affecting games from the substitutes’ bench when legs are tiring.

Not only that, but Sarr is also still just 24 years of age, meaning he would be considered a long-term addition whose best years are still ahead of him.