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Sam Curran and Jason Roy lead pack of big names in line for high auction prices

Matt Roller17-Dec-2019Dead certsSix Englishmen have been retained by their franchises, and it doesn’t take much to work out why. Rajasthan Royals have kept their core of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer together, while Jonny Bairstow’s superb form at the top of the Sunrisers Hyderabad order saw him retained. Moeen Ali will return to Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Harry Gurney was kept on by Kolkata Knight Riders after a decent, if unspectacular, first IPL season.ProbablesWith at least three franchises in the market for an overseas opening batsman or two, Jason Roy and Tom Banton can both expect to attract bids, with KKR, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians the most likely suitors. Roy’s IPL experience only extends to eight games across two seasons, with an unbeaten 91 in a successful run chase for Delhi Daredevils his only score above 31, but his belligerence against pace (152.8 SR since 2017) marks him out as a strong attacking option.Banton, meanwhile, had franchises circling even before he lit up the Vitality Blast with 549 runs at a 161.5 strike rate this summer, and could be set for a significant payday – aside from the three teams above, watch out for a bid from RCB.Eoin Morgan plays through the off side•BCCI

Eoin Morgan’s IPL record is underwhelming, with only four fifties in 45 innings spanning six seasons. But his impressive leadership makes him a candidate to replace R Ashwin as KXIP captain, while Delhi are looking for a middle-order option, Trevor Bayliss may want his lieutenant back at Sunrisers, and Morgan’s close friend Brendon McCullum could be tempted to bring him into the KKR fold.Sam Curran was released by KXIP, but could well be bought back at a lower price than the INR7.2 crore (US$1m) he fetched last year, while Rajasthan, Delhi and Chennai Super Kings are other potential destinations.PossiblesChris Jordan had a decent season for RCB back in 2016, with 11 wickets in nine games, and has been on a stellar run in T20Is with 14 wickets and an economy rate of 7.55 this calendar year. While he is not likely to be the first name on anyone’s teamsheet, he is as solid as they come in terms of back-up options.Tom Curran leaps to hold on to one•BCCI

Tom Curran, similarly, is well-placed to be a seam-bowling back-up option. His only IPL season – for KKR in 2018 – saw him leak nearly 12 runs per over, but he has accumulated more experience since then, and demonstrated his all-round credentials with a series of useful cameos in last year’s Big Bash.Chris Woakes, meanwhile, hasn’t played a T20 in over a year, and has fallen out of England contention in the format, but was earmarked by Ricky Ponting as someone who could be in demand as teams hunt for overseas allrounders – though a high base price of INR1.5 crore (US$210,000) could cost him.Outside chanceLiam Plunkett does not have age on his side at 35, but could find a buyer for a last hurrah before next year’s big auction, while Mark Wood and David Willey have IPL experience having spent 2018 at CSK.Pat Brown, the canny knuckleball bowler who made his England debut in New Zealand, is a potential steal at INR50 lakh (US$70,000), and his changes of pace could suit a slow pitch with big square boundaries like Chepauk.Alex Hales drills a drive through cover•BCCI

Alex Hales’ star has fallen considerably in 2019, after his deselection from England’s World Cup squad when he tested positive for a recreational substance, and his form in franchise T20 has been scratchy, with one fifty in his last 16 innings. That said, he has a great record against pace in India (148 SR, 38.8 average) and could be an option as a back-up opener.Long shotsPicked up at INR12 crore (US$1.8m) in the 2017 auction after a four-way bidding war, Tymal Mills’ stock has fallen in the years since, primarily due to his unfortunate injury record. He is unlikely to attract anywhere near that money this time round, but could be a back-up left-arm option.Ravi Bopara is pumped after taking a wicket•BCCI

Ravi Bopara is back in the auction with a INR50 lakh (US$70,000) base price after a stellar season in the T20 Blast, in which he averaged 48.50 while striking at 162.6 to haul Essex to the title. With his medium-pace cutters often proving useful in subcontinental conditions, he could find as a spot as a back-up allrounder, as could Lewis Gregory, who was invited on trial by Rajasthan Royals last season.Laurie Evans has been a prolific run-scorer in leagues around the world, though mainly bats in a No. 3 role that most teams will either have filled or be searching for big-name options, and Saqib Mahmood is an outside bet as a back-up option with the ball.WildcardsAs well as Evans, there are five further uncapped Englishmen in the auction, all of whom would represent shock purchases if they were snapped up.George Garton was the leading wicket-taker at the recent Abu Dhabi T10 and with a INR20 lakh (US$28,000) base price, could be a back-up left-arm seamer for Rajasthan after going on trial with them earlier in the month, while Will Jacks – a T10 centurion in a pre-season match earlier this year – is another possible bargain buy.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The remaining three players were all Royal London Cup winners with Gloucestershire four years ago: slower-ball specialist Benny Howell, seam-bowling allrounder and late-innings hitter James Fuller, and left-arm swing bowler David Payne. All of them are canny county pros, but seem like improbable purchases.AbsenteesJoe Root – whose T20I future is uncertain – opted not to enter the auction, and will instead start the 2019 season playing County Championship cricket for Yorkshire. Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings and Joe Denly have all opted to follow suit, while Adil Rashid continues to manage his shoulder problem.Liam Dawson, Matt Parkinson and Luke Wright all threw their names into the hat, but were shorn off the longlist after failing to make any franchise’s shortlist.

Round-up of the first day’s play in the first round of matches in the Faysal bank Pentangular Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2011Baluchistan were blown away for 173 by the spinning pair of Atif Maqbool and Danish Kaneria as Sind assumed control on the curtailed opening day of the Faysal Bank Pentagular Cup, at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.Baluchistan’s start suggested they had come to terms with the challenges of the Sind attack, as the openers moved passed 50 without much ado. That was the cue for the spin twins to begin their handiwork. Kaneria’s legspin accounted for Shoaib Khan jnr, who wa bowed, while Maqbool’s offspin induced Abid Ali to nick behind. From there, it was a steady procession of wickets as the pair chipped away mercilessly. Naved Yasin dropped anchor at one end, and remained unbeaten on 25, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Maqbool surged to his seventh first-class five-for before finishing with career-best figures of 6 for 69, while Kaneria, who has fallen out of favour with the Pakistan selectors, picked up 4 for 49. Sind saw off the two overs that were possible in their innings, without loss.Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province made slow progress in the 38 overs of play that were possible against Federal Areas, as they went to stumps at 82 for 4 at the Gaddafi Stadium. Nasrullah Khan was their chief tormentor, removing the top order to end the day with figures of 3 for 20 from nine overs. Mohammad Fayyaz and Aftab Alam managed to get starts, but could not get past the 20s. Wajid Ali decided to hold one end up, and proceeded to an unbeaten 11 off 83 balls. He will attempt to salvage the situation on the second day.

Disciplinary panel rules that Taunton wicket displayed “excessive unevenness of bounce”

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2019Somerset will start the 2020 County Championship season on minus-12 points after a disciplinary panel ruled that the pitch prepared for their title decider against Essex at Taunton was ‘poor’.In a rain-affected game that Somerset had to win in order to overtake Essex, 21 wickets fell in 148 overs, of which 17 were to spin. A Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) panel ruled that the pitch demonstrated “excessive unevenness of bounce” after meeting at Lord’s on Monday, thus giving it a ‘poor’ rating under the ECB’s pitch regulations.Somerset accepted the charge that the pitch was correctly rated poor, but denied that it was not the best-quality pitch they could have prepared. The panel struck down their objection, thus handing the club a 24-point deduction, though 12 of those have been suspended.Somerset have two weeks to appeal the decision. A club statement said that they would “await the full report from the Cricket Disciplinary Commission before considering our next course of action”.The club have pushed the bounds of the ECB’s regulations in recent seasons. In 2018, they escaped a penalty for their surface in a Championship match against Lancashire, which finished in two days and was found to have “demonstrated excessive turn”. But while the CDC did not penalise Somerset, they did warn that “the club should expect any proven breach of ECB’s pitch regulations in future to result in a points deduction”.Somerset recently appointed a new groundsman, following the departure of Simon Lee – whose final game in the role was the Essex fixture – to the Ageas Bowl. Coincidentally, they have appointed Scott Hawkins, who was deputy head groundsman at Chelmsford for several years, and more recently worked at La Manga in Spain.While Lee’s pitches came in for criticism from some quarters – Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, claimed the surface for a relegation clash against Somerset in 2017 was “doctored” and “a disgrace” – the club’s hierarchy thought highly of his ability to prepare a pitch to their specifications.Essex registered their frustrations with the pitch at the time. Head coach Anthony McGrath said the track had “turned from ball one and some deliveries have gone through the surface”, while captain Ryan ten Doeschate said he had “been stressing the severity of how bad that pitch is… they’ve really taken a risk here by producing this wicket, but I’m sure we would have done as well.”The decision raises the question as to what might have happened if Somerset had won the deciding game. They would have overtaken Essex, but not by more than 12 points, thus leaving open the possibility that the destination of the Championship would have been decided in a committee room at Lord’s, rather than on the field.It also confirms that Somerset’s off-field position is far from ideal going into 2020: they are currently without a chairman, a chief executive and a chief operating officer, though there have been recent contract extensions for Jack Leach and captain Tom Abell.

A dropped chance off Kohli was just one of the moments lost, says West Indies captain

By Aishwarya Kumar15-Aug-2019In the sixth over of India’s chase in the third ODI in Port of Spain, Virat Kohli, batting on 11, was surprised by a Keemo Paul delivery that went past him as he tried to make room to play on the leg side and caught an inside edge. Behind the stumps, Shai Hope couldn’t get enough of his gloves on the ball and dropped it. Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 114 and clinch the match for India. It was a chance that Jason Holder rued at the end of the match.”We have got to hold our chances and we didn’t hold them today. [Kohli] made us pay for it,” Holder said at the press conference. “Credit to him he batted really well and he won the game for India in the end.”They got off to a really good start and so did we. I think it was a really, really good wicket for cricket. Conditions got a little tougher in the afternoon after the rain fell. The ball was a bit wet and the outfield was obviously very wet, too. It didn’t work for us today.”Before the match, Carlos Brathwaite had said that the team wasn’t playing as badly as results suggested and the problem for the side came down to executing the critical moments. That held true in the third ODI, too. There were times, with bat and ball, when West Indies looked like they had the upper hand. Like that opening stand of 115 in nearly 11 overs between Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, and Fabien Allen’s double-strike in the 13th over to dismiss Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. But they failed to build on the big moments.”From T20s to the last ODI here, we have played some pretty decent cricket in patches, it is just a matter for us to put it together more often than not and that’s where we continue to let ourselves down,” Holder said.”It’s just a matter for us to continue to build, you know. I keep saying it’s a matter for us to really seize the key moments of the game and play those key moments a little bit better than we have been in the past.”Holder said there were a lot of individual performances – positives – that the team could build on going into the Test series and beyond.”The way Chris played today, Evin Lewis too showed a lot of form. The bowlers had a reasonable time too. The last game I thought we bowled really, really well,” he said. “Today we were off a little bit, but generally our bowling has led us in the last couple of games.”Nicholas Pooran continues to show what he can produce here at this level. Every single batter today really put their hands up today. I was really, really pleased how we batted in the situation after the rain break. In the past we lost too many wickets and not being able to – or struggled to – bat, and I think we handled the situation very well today and put ourselves in a really good situation in the halfway stage, you know. Just unfortunate we weren’t able to defend it but when you don’t hold your chances these things happen.”With the Test series beginning on August 22, Holder urged the side to carry the momentum from their 2-1 series win over England earlier this year. An additional incentive for the side will be the points in the World Test Championship.”We’ve got a few days off. This is a fresh group, different faces coming in to the Test squad. It’s a matter for us to continue doing the good work we have been doing in Test cricket in the last two-three years,” he said. “The first series we had this year was a success. I know the guys would be ready to go against India here in this second series of the year.”Obviously with the Test championship around it’s something I look forward to play. I think the guys are up for it. We started really well this year beating England at home and you know we had some brilliant individual performances. It’s just a matter for us to build. The Test championships are two years away, we have a lot of cricket to play in the next two years, I think every series will be important. Each and every moment in the series will be important.”

Daryl Tuffey, the New Zealand fast bowler, will return home to recover from a bicep strain he suffered during the first one-day international against India in Guwahati

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2010Daryl Tuffey, the New Zealand fast bowler, will return home to recover from a bicep strain he suffered during the first one-day international against India in Guwahati. New Zealand have not named a replacement yet, and will do so if the need arises during the ongoing five-ODI series.”Daryl developed some discomfort in his right bicep when playing but was able to manage it during the match,” Mark Greatbatch, New Zealand’s coach and selector, said. “It’s appears to be okay when he bowls but he’s unable to throw without pain, so he will return to New Zealand for further assessment and treatment.”Tuffey took 2 for 56 in eight overs during the series opener, which New Zealand lost by 40 runs to go 0-1 down in the series. Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori did not play that match because of back problems and their fitness will be assessed ahead of the second ODI in Jaipur on December 1.”We are hopeful that both Dan and Brendon will be available for the next match,” Greatbatch said. “Dan is more likely at this stage but we are monitoring both on a day-by-day basis. A decision on the final line-up is not expected until shortly before the match.”

Many Liverpool fans have been left to flock to an update from James Pearce on John Henry.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, the American businessman and investor has apologised to Jurgen Klopp, Billy Hogan, the players and all of the staff involved with the Anfield faithful over his decision for the Reds to enter the proposed European Super League (ESL).

Pearce also shared a video of the full message and apology from Henry to the fans over the outrage that the news caused, as the Merseyside club have since pulled out of the ESL.

While an apology from Henry was welcome and much needed, the damage has already been done according to several LFC supporters, and that relationship may not be able to ever be built up again.

Liverpool fans on Henry apology

These Liverpool fans flocked to Pearce’s update on Twitter to voice their continued dismay at Henry for his willingness to enter their club in the ESL:

“Interesting that he refers to ‘your club’ not our club?!”

Credit: @MrJDeacon

“How many times can they get things so wrong? If someone learns from mistakes and improve as a result you can live with it but with these I’m just left thinking …..What next?”

Credit: @Simmo2411

“Crocodile tears”

Credit: @carllesliesport

“Better late than never”

Credit: @bunt711

“Mistake acknowledged, apologised now let’s move on”

Credit: @ShamiSi81462566

“Lies lies lies.”

Credit: @abz0902

In other news, find out what Klopp comments on his future have got Reds talking here!

Leeds are facing the prospect of missing out on rumoured transfer target Romain Faivre amid claims that he has received an offer from elsewhere.

What’s the story?

French publication L’Equipe recently claimed that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been monitoring the £7.2m-rated ace for several months now, but they face a battle to land his signature in the summer transfer window.

France Football have now revealed (via Sport Witness) that Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have put forward a contract offer for the Stade Brestois ace, and that he stands to make big money by accepting it.

However, the report added that, despite having “received nothing concrete from England for now’, it’s “the football land that makes him dream the most”.

Orta making a mistake

With five goals and four assists in the league this season, the 22-year-old has been a shining light for a team languishing just above the relegation places in 16th.

Olivier Dall’Oglio, Faivre’s manager at Brest, has waxed lyrical about his performances, saying: “He’s a boy with real potential. He’s comfortable on the ball, and fast in possession, he’s got great vision too. He’s got something special. He rarely loses the ball, he can break through the lines by dribbling, and his passing creates so many chances for us. He’s a boy who can provide passes, but who’s also capable of scoring goals.”

By not looking to wrap up a deal for Faivre quickly, Victor Orta has allowed other clubs to step in ahead of Leeds and potentially gazump them in the race to sign the winger.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

With it being suggested that the Whites have been following him for several months now, for Orta to miss out on Faivre because he was sat twiddling his thumbs rather than taking action would surely leave Bielsa fuming.

It would be an unforgivable mistake from the Leeds hierarchy to let Faivre slip through their hands after doing their due diligence on him for such a long time. Orta simply has to step into gear, and fast.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign an ideal partner for Kalvin Phillips in this star…

The Southampton revival under Ralph Hasenhuttl continues with the south coast club managing to gain a point from their 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor last Saturday in a game where they came extremely close to winning. 

A stoppage-time penalty converted by Ashley Barnes ensured the points were shared after Nathan Redmond, who is at the top of his game right now, had given the visitors the lead.

And the 24-year-old has since come in for praise from one of his team-mates as he continues to impress under his new boss.

The Breakdown

Speaking about the form of Redmond, midfielder Stuart Armstrong told the Daily Echo: “I think everyone can see how talented a player he is in training and in games of late. His goal [against Burnley] was fantastic.

“The way he moved the ball and then a quick shot into the corner of the net with so much power, with so little back-lift. He is a very good player to have in our team.”

As mentioned by Armstrong, Redmond is undoubtedly a talented individual, something which has been clear since his days in the Championship with Birmingham City.

However, for whatever reason, it has not quite worked out for the England international at St. Mary’s despite a strong start to life in a Southampton shirt.

At 24, though, there is still plenty of time for Redmond to get things right, which he has been doing in recent weeks, and evolve that talent into something further.

Watching the way Redmond can take the ball past a defender with his pace and dribbling skill, he really should be on course to becoming a serious winger in the Premier League, yet without the numbers to go with it, that did not look like the path the former Norwich City man was heading down.

Rejuvenated under Hasenhuttl, though, Redmond now appears to be going in the right direction again.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with the display of Ryan Kent during the first half of their Scottish Cup fourth round tie on Sunday.

The Gers are in action at Ibrox against Celtic as they aim to progress to the next round. With the Premiership title already sewn up, the 55-time Scottish champions have the chance to do the domestic double if they can get past the Bhoys – St Johnstone await the winners in the quarter-finals.

The home side took the lead through Steven Davis, but Kent was instrumental in the build-up. It was his turn past Scott Brown which started the move, although he was then taken out by Stephen Welsh.

The former Liverpool winger then played a huge part in doubling the home side’s lead on the 34th minute, his pressure on Jonjoe Kenny forcing an own goal from the Hoops defender, to put Steven Gerrard’s men in a commanding position towards the end of the first half.

These Gers supporters were absolutely delighted with what they have seen from the 24-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Kent

“Ryan Kent what a spin”

Credit: @dave_daveframe

“That turn from Kent on Brown was filthy”

Credit: @PaulLinfield

“Kent was electric there.”

Credit: @d6mo

“Fantastic by Kent and what a finish”

Credit: @miltonfox6141

“Kent should be knighted for destroying Brown in the lead up to the goal”

Credit: @garrymoore18

“Ryan Kent despises this mob”

Credit: @davlorn73

“He’s the man”

Credit: @Kirky_8

In other news, many Rangers fans are gutted by news on this 29-year-old.

Many Southampton fans are far from happy after the club confirmed that they will be boycotting social media next weekend.

This season has been a turbulent one for a number of reasons. Of course, the absence of fans from stadia has been felt up and down the country, but racism has unfortunately reared its ugly head on a number of occasions. Players have regularly spoken out about the abuse they have received, while Rangers player Glen Kamara was racially abused on the pitch by Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela (Sky Sports).

Throughout the season, we have seen players take the knee as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. Southampton have now confirmed they will be taking part in a nationwide initiative among football clubs to boycott social media next weekend as they continue to raise awareness.

The news was shared on the club’s official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from supporters – many of whom seemed generally unhappy with the decision as they feel it is a waste of time. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what one branded a “useless” gesture.

Let’s see what these Southampton fans had to say

“I don’t really get what clubs boycotting social media is gonna do. If someone is hateful then football teams going off Twitter isn’t gonna change them. I get that it’s better than nothing, but just wondering that’s all”

Credit: @newington13

“Like this will do anything….. It’s less affective than boycotting certain products, it legit effects nobody. In fact, all it does is stops actual fans getting info because of a small percentile of people.”

Credit: @Hyper_SFC

“Grow up”

Credit: @Eliassfc2

“What a pointless gesture. The world will survive the absence of your posts.”

Credit: @Andrews47Andy

“for a weekend? seems useless”

Credit: @EntirelyBen

“4 days is not going to make a difference? Come off for the rest of the season”

Credit: @waterman1270

In other news, many Southampton fans have been reacting to this transfer rumour.