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The players’ auction is set to be held on February 4 in Bangalore

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Nov-2016

The BCCI has earmarked April 5 as the starting date and May 21 as the day of the final for the 2017 edition of the IPL. Both matches will be hosted in Hyderabad, as per IPL norms, with the defending champions getting the rights to host the opening and final match of the tournament. A senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that the dates were subject to confirmation from the Lodha Committee, which has been put in charge by the Supreme Court of India to oversee all the board’s activities.If the dates are confirmed, the tournament will be held less than a week after India and Australia finish the final Test of their four-match series in Dharamsala, scheduled to end on March 29. Additionally, the IPL final will be played 10 days before the ICC Champions Trophy, which starts on June 1 in England. The Lodha Committee had recommended a 15-day window to separate India’s next assignment after the IPL. However, the BCCI had told the committee that this would not be possible in 2017.The decision was taken at the IPL governing council meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. It was also decided that the players’ auction will be hosted on February 4 in Bangalore. “We have to set up a calendar and, assuming that we get all the approvals from the Lodha Committee, we will go ahead as per our plan,” the official said.Confirming the dates, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said the BCCI will also make sure venues in Maharashtra can host IPL matches, unlike this year when a court order forced matches moved out of the state, which suffered a severe drought. The Bombay High Court had ruled that it was not suitable to hold matches at grounds which consumed a lot of water. “We will have water harvesting technology at stadiums in Maharashtra to counter drought threat in the state,” Shukla said after the meeting. “We will ensure that we can generate our own water to maintain stadiums.”

BCCI president Anurag Thakur has been asked to submit a “personal affidavit” to clarify whether he had sought ICC intervention against the Lodha Committee’s recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Oct-20162:49

Supreme Court wants BCCI president to clarify approach to ICC

The Supreme Court has put BCCI president Anurag Thakur in what could be a difficult position by asking him to submit a “personal affidavit” to clarify whether he had sought ICC intervention against the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.Last month ICC chief executive Dave Richardson had told that Thakur had verbally asked the ICC for a letter asking whether implementing one of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations would constitute government interference in the BCCI. The Lodha Committee had said that one of the nine members on the Apex Council should be a nominee from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office, a government organisation. The ICC does not permit any government interference in its member boards.Richardson had said that ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, Thakur’s predecessor at the BCCI, had refused to intervene unless the Indian board put its request in writing.Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium had drawn the Supreme Court’s attention to the issue while reading out from the Lodha Committee’s status report on Thursday. “Interview aired by media with ICC CEO David Richardson showing that President BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention by this Hon’ble Court amounted to Governmental interference,” the status report said.Subramanium told the court that the BCCI had denied that Thakur had asked the ICC for a letter and instead said Richardson was “confused”. “It is being incorrectly alleged that the President BCCI made a request to the ICC to issue a letter stating that this Committee amounts to Governmental interference. This suggestion is denied,” the BCCI affidavit, submitted in court on October 5 as a response to the status report, had said.The affidavit said Richardson “falsely” stated events. “It appears that an interview was given by Mr. David Richardson the ICC CEO falsely stating that the BCCI President had requested the ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention by this Hon ‘ble Court amounted to Governmental interference. It is submitted that no such letter or oral request was ever made to the said gentlemen either by the BCCI President or any office bearer of the BCCI. It is apparent that Mr. Richardson has confused himself in relation to the issue.”The Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, leading the three-judge bench, wondered if Richardson was aware of the BCCI’s remarks. “Is he [Mr. Richardson] still the CEO? Does he know that he is being maligned … the accusation is that David Richardson made a false statement that the BCCI asked him to issue a letter,” Chief Justice Thakur was quoted as saying by the on Thursday.The BCCI’s affidavit also said that during his tenure as board president Manohar had also expressed reservations against having a CAG nominee on the Apex Council. According to the BCCI, Manohar had changed his stance since becoming ICC chairman.”This issue is required to be considered in the light of the fact that Mr. Shashank Manohar Senior Advocate had clearly opined as the BCCI President that appointment of the CAG in the BCCI shall result in suspension of the BCCI as it would constitute governmental interference. In fact the same had been submitted on affidavit before this Hon ‘ble Court.”However, as Chairman of the ICC, Mr. Manohar had taken a contrary stand and clarification was sought by Mr. Anurag Thakur during an informal discussion on what the exact status would be if the CAG was inducted by the BCCI as part its management and whether it would amount to governmental interference as had been advised and affirmed by Mr. Manohar during his stint as BCCI President,” the board’s affidavit said.Chief Justice Thakur then asked Subramanium who had sworn to the BCCI affidavit. When he was told it was Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s administrative and game development manager, the court was curious as to how Shetty had been privy to an alleged conversation that took place between Thakur and the ICC.The court then asked Shetty to file a separate undertaking stating how he was allowed to sign the affidavit as a response to the Lodha Committee’s status report. It asked Shetty to, “place on record a copy of the authorisation/resolution passed by the BCCI on the basis of which he has filed the affidavit supporting the response of the BCCI to the status report.”BCCI president Anurag Thakur is set to leave for Cape Town to attend ICC board meetings between October 10 and 14, where he will meet Richardson and Manohar, the ICC parties mentioned in the Lodha Committee’s status report and BCCI affidavit.

Amid N'Golo Kante’s expected departure to the Saudi Arabian Super League, Chelsea have been linked with two Premier League superstar midfielders as the Blues look to strengthen in the middle of the park.

The west London club have been linked with both Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo and West Ham’s Declan Rice, per 90min.

Rice is valued in excess of £100m, while Brighton are expected to demand a £80m figure for their Ecuador international.

Chelsea transfer news – Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice

The midfielders are two of the most sought-after transfer targets of the summer with Arsenal also believed to be interested in them ahead of the window.

According to Tom Gott and Graeme Bailey, the Blues are well aware of interest in Caicedo and Rice elsewhere. Caicedo is a top target of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, while the Telegraph has also highlighted Rice as player of interest for the Premier League runners-up.

Ahead of Kante’s departure, Chelsea look set to sell midfielders Mateo Kovacic to champions Manchester City and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Champions League semi-finalists AC Milan, while Chelsea declined to make the loan of Denis Zakaria from Juventus a permanent transfer.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are all reportedly interested in Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy on Wednesday night as West Ham captain in a dramatic 2-1 victory of Fiorentina.

Should Chelsea sign Moises Caicedo?

Caicedo could be an excellent option for Chelsea with Paris Saint-Germain set to beat them to the signature of Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

It has been reported this week that Chelsea has taken the lead in the race to sign Caicedo, moving slightly ahead of London rivals Arsenal.

Caicedo played a crucial role in Brighton’s success this season, playing in 37 of their 38 league games and featuring in 92% of the Seagulls Premier League minutes.

The Ecuador international who has 30 caps for his country, provided one assist and one goal for Brighton this campaign.

Can Chelsea sign Caicedo and Rice?

It may seem unlikely that Chelsea buy both Caicedo and Rice this summer, especially after spending a huge fee on the transfer of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica back in January.

However, Todd Boehly has shown his pockets are incredibly deep in his opening 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

Rice was asked about his future after West Ham’s victory in the Europa Conference Final but refused to be drawn into speculation about his future.

“There’s a lot of speculation going on about my future,” he said.

“There is interest from other clubs, but ultimately I’ve still got two years left at West Ham. I love this club. So, my focus is playing for West Ham, enjoying tonight and seeing what happens”.

فاز برشلونة أمام ضيفه خيتافي بنتيجة 4/0، في إطار منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وواجه برشلونة نظيره خيتافي، على ملعب لويس كومبانيس، ضمن الجولة 26 من الدوري الإسباني، بقيادة تحكيمية لـ اليخاندرو مونييز رويز.

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثالث في سلم الترتيب العام للدوري الإسباني برصيد 57 نقطة، فيما يأتي فريق خيتافي بالمركز العاشر برصيد 34 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. توخيل يرد على أنباء قيادة برشلونة بعد الرحيل عن بايرن ميونخ

في الشوط الأول، دخل خيتافي في اللقاء مبكراً وكاد أن يفتتح جرين وود التسجيل لولا يقظة تير شتيجن.

ورد رافينها على محاولة جرين وود، وكاد أن يحرز الهدف الأول بطريقة رائعة بكعب قدميه.

وتمكن رافينها من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح برشلونة عند الدقيقة 20.

واصل برشلونة عروضه المميزة وكاد أن يعزز تقدمه في أكثر من مناسبة عن طريق جواو فيليكس ورافينها.

في الشوط الثاني، وعند الدقيقة 53 استطاع جواو فيليكس تسجيل الهدف الثاني لبرشلونة بعدما تلقى تمريرة حاسمة من كريستينسن.

وبحلول الدقيقة 61، أحرز فرينكي دي يونج الهدف الثالث للنادي الكتالوني بعدما استقبل تمريرة حاسمة من رافينها.

وعند الدقيقة 90، اختتم فيرمين لوبيز أهداف المباراة بتوقيعه على الهدف الرابع. لينتهي اللقاء بفوز برشلونة بنتيجة 4/0 أمام نظيره خيتافي. اهداف مباراة برشلونة وخيتافي 4 0 الدوري الاسباني

بطولات قدم تغطية حية ومباشرة لمباراة برشلونة وخيتافي بالفيديو ويمكنك المتابعة لحظة بلحظة من خلال الرابط.  بداية مباراة برشلونة وخيتافي في الدوري الاسباني

رافينيا كاد ان يسجل هدف خرافي بالكعب امام خيتافي في الدوري الاسباني

 هدف برشلونة الاول في مرمي خيتافي بالدوري الاسباني .. رافينيا

 هدف جواو فيليكس في مرمي خيتافي بالوري الاسباني

هدف برشلونة الثالث في مرمي خيتافي فرينكي دي يونج

وجه ضياء السيد مدرب منتخب مصر الأسبق، رسالة لـ حسام حسن المدير الفني للفراعنة، موضحًا رأيه في تقليل عدد أندية الدوري المصري بالفترة المقبلة.

وقال ضياء السيد في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة ETC: “رأيي خلال الـ 3 أشهر القادمة ألا يشغل حسام حسن ذهنه بأي شيء إلا البطولة الودية في الإمارات، ومباراتي تصفيات كأس العالم، من أجل انهاء المرحلة الأولى بشكل جيد”.

وتابع: “موضوع التفكير في تغيير شكل مسابقة الدوري أمر جيد، وأتمنى أن يتم تقليل عدد الأندية من 18 لـ 16، لأن هذا يُقلل عدد المباريات”.

وأردف: “وقت قيادة كيروش تحدثنا في هذا الأمر وأمور كثيرة أخرى لكنها لم تظهر لأن الوقت كان مضغوطا، لكنها فكرة جيدة وأتمنى تنفيذها، لكنها تحتاج إلى موسم انتقالي لضبط الأمور”.

طالع | ميدو يوجه رسالة إلى حسام حسن بعد تعرضه لوعكة صحية

وأكمل: “هذه الفكرة يجب تنفيذها، والرعاة يدفعون على قدر الأسابيع التي ستُلعب، وعندما تنتظم المسابقة سيدفع أكثر بعد زيادة قوتها، الفكرة تحتاج لمسؤولين يريدون إصلاح الكرة المصرية”.

وبسؤاله هل ممكن يكون هناك مشرف على المنتخب من خارج الاتحاد؟، أجاب: “طالما هناك مدير للمنتخب فلا نحتاج إلى مُشرف، يكفي مدير المنتخب ولا نزيد الكلام في غرفة الملابس، أنا أرى أن المنتخب لا يحتاج إلى مشرف”.

وأتم: “حسام حسن كان ينتظر تعيينه منذ فترة، ومتحمس، ويتواجد في المباريات ويجمع أفكاره وهذا طبيعي”.

A tireless Yasir Shah bowled Pakistan to a 133-run win over West Indies in Abu Dhabi, picking up his eighth Test five-wicket haul along the way

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy25-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:05

Bazid: Misbah’s way has worked

Bowling nearly unchanged from the start of the day’s play, Yasir Shah produced a legspin masterclass on a flat, slow fifth-day pitch to bowl Pakistan to a 133-run win in Abu Dhabi. There was no alarming turn available to Yasir, and hardly any instances of uncertain bounce; he had to draw on all his stamina, skill and intelligence to pick up his eighth five-wicket haul and second ten-wicket match haul in 18 Tests. Yasir bowled 21 of Pakistan’s 46 overs on day five as they bowled West Indies out for 322, chasing an improbable 456, an hour and 15 minutes after lunch.Yasir took all three wickets that fell in the morning session, teasing out Roston Chase in the tenth over of the morning and using the second new ball to dismiss Jermaine Blackwood, who fell five short of a hundred, and Jason Holder. Shai Hope and Devendra Bishoo made Pakistan wait with an eighth-wicket stand of 45, before Yasir and Zulfiqar Babar took out the last three wickets in the space of four overs.West Indies began the fifth day with Blackwood and Chase at the crease. The pair had been the overnight batsmen when they drew the Jamaica Test against India in August. It took until the tenth over of the day for Yasir to break their partnership, which added 63 runs in 26.4 overs.Chase only scored 20, but served a vital function by resisting Yasir, facing 54 of the 80 balls he delivered during the course of the stand. Unlike his team-mates, he seldom wavered from the path of defence, except on the rare occasion when Yasir lost his length, such as when he pulled him for four late on the fourth evening. Yasir plugged away on a good length, but kept varying his lines to Chase. One instance of this came in the fourth over of the morning, when he floated one up outside off after sending down a series of balls around leg stump. Chase had kept his front pad resolutely out of the way while defending the leg-stump balls. Now, he failed to get his front foot across to drive, and sliced the ball uppishly towards backward point.Yasir Shah now has eight five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket match hauls in 18 Tests•Getty Images

In his next over, Chase left two balls on a similar line wide of off. Then, finally, Yasir found the perfect line, pitching on off and middle, forcing Chase to play, and the perfect pace, slow enough to make him reach out, to find his edge.By the 18th over of the morning – the 80th of West Indies’ innings – Yasir was into his 26th straight over since the fourth evening, and seemed to be tiring, serving up a long-hop that Blackwood pulled for four. But Misbah-ul-Haq kept him on, even though he took the second new ball as soon as it was due, and stuck with him even after an expensive first over with it, when Shai Hope put him away for two authoritative boundaries through the off side.Yasir rewarded Misbah’s faith, getting the ball to skid on as Blackwood came forward to defend, looking for turn, and brushed his pads before clattering the stumps. Blackwood, who had lived on the edge on the fourth day, had looked far more assured on the fifth morning, not trying anything extravagant but putting away the smallest lapse in length, such as when he drove Sohail Khan twice to the cover boundary in the first over with the new ball.Then, in the penultimate over of the session, the tendency for the new ball to skid brought Yasir his fifth wicket. Holder, going on to the back foot to work him through the leg side, couldn’t bring his bat down quick enough. He hesitated too long before deciding to review umpire Richard Illingworth’s lbw decision, which was just as well because the ball was pitching in line and had straightened just enough to hit a good chunk of leg stump.Hope played Yasir impressively during his innings of 41, his inside-out drives a standout feature, and it was Zulfiqar who eventually dismissed him. Looking to defend off the back foot, he was undone by one that turned more than expected, and Younis Khan fell to his left to take a sharp low catch. Yasir then grabbed his sixth, bowling the left-handed Miguel Cummins when he played inside the line of a legbreak, before Zulfiqar wrapped up victory, slowing it down and getting Devendra Bishoo to miscue a slog-sweep to Misbah-ul-Haq running from midwicket to square leg.

Chelsea target Moises Caicedo will not be sold for £100m+ this summer but is expected to cost in the region of £70m-£80m from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Will Moises Caicedo be allowed to leave?

The Ecuadorian midfielder has enjoyed an impressive campaign on the south coast which has seen the Seagulls manage to secure a spot in the Europa League for next season.

Caicedo featured in 37 of Brighton's Premier League games this season and started in a whopping 34 of them (via Transfermarkt).

However, it does seem he could be set to leave this summer despite the prospect of European nights to come at the Amex Stadium next season.

Brighton have already seen Alexis Mac Allister depart this summer after the Argentine completed a £35m move to Liverpool on Thursday.

And it is believed that they will not stand in the way of the 21-year-old, Caicedo, who is expected to bring in considerably more money than his former teammate, Mac Allister.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has provided some insight towards a potential move from the south coast to west London with Chelsea believed to be seriously interested:

"Chelsea are absolutely into the race. Chelsea are convinced that Caicedo is kind of perfect player for the idea.

What's the point? I heard something about £100m value for Caicedo. No, the idea from sources I spoke to is that Caicedo is gonna be worth maybe £70m/£80m no more than this."

Who is interested in Caicedo?

Of course, Chelsea have been credited with interest in the Ecuadorian midfielder ahead of the summer window but there are also other reported suitors.

According to Romano, there is interest also coming from other Premier League sides with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United keen on the 21-year-old.

This comes just months after the Gunners made a serious move Caicedo in the January transfer window which saw two bids – worth up to £70m – rejected by the Seagulls.

It is also believed Arsenal are set to launch their first bid for Declan Rice over the coming days but it has previously been suggested this would not deter their interest in Caicedo.

The Blues will not have any form of European football ahead of the new campaign, however, they will likely provide a financial battle to match any other side.

Todd Bohely's willingness to invest the cash into Chelsea since his arrival cannot be ignored with the Blues having spent around £600m over the last two transfer windows.

With N'Golo Kante expected to leave the club over the coming days and the likes of Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher also linked with potential moves away, the door could certainly open up for the Ecuadorian at Stamford Bridge.

كشف صالح جمعة لاعب الكرخ العراقي تفاصيل رحيل شقيقه عبد الله عن صفوف الزمالك في يناير الماضي، موضحاً رأيه في تعيين حسام حسن مديرًا فنيًا لمنتخب مصر الأول.

وكان عبد الله جمعة قد رحل إلى صفوف بلدية المحلة في صفقة انتقال حر بعد فسخ التعاقد مع الزمالك.

وقال صالح جمعة في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة اون تايم سبورتس2: “اختيار حسام حسن لتدريب منتخب مصر تأخر جدًا، كان يجب أن يتواجد منذ فترة طويلة”.

وأوضح: “كل المنتخبات التي تتوج بكأس أمم إفريقيا يقودها مدربين وطنيين، والمدرب الوطني له شكل مختلف لأنه يشعر بالشعب، وهذا يفرق نفسيًا مع اللاعبين”.

وبسؤاله عن كواليس رحيل عبد الله جمعة من نادي الزمالك؟، أردف: “عبد الله دخل بأدب واحترام وأفنى وأخلص في الزمالك 7 سنوات، وتوج بكل شيء دوري وكأس وسوبر وكونفدرالية، تخطى 95% من نسبة مشاركاته في البطولات التي تحققت، حصل على بطولات أكثر من بعض المسؤولين في الإدارة”.

طالع | صالح جمعة يكشف تفاصيل انضمامه لـ الكرخ العراقي.. ويصرح: طموحي العودة لمنتخب مصر

وواصل: “خروج عبد الله جمعة من النادي قبل غلق باب القيد بساعات أمر مُهين جدًا، هناك فرق بين أن أبلغك قبلها بفترة أنك لن تكون موجودا، أو أن أبلغك يومها، ويتم فسخ العقد من طرف واحد”.

وزاد: “خرجت تصريحات بأن الفسخ تم بالتراضي وهذا لم يحدث، عبد الله جمعة لم يوقع على أي استمارة أو فسخ للتعاقد، هو خرج من القائمة ورحل قبل غلق القيد بـ 48 ساعة (اتاخد على خوانة) وهو لم يُقصر مع الزمالك”.

واستطرد: “حسين لبيب هو الذي جدد لـ عبد الله عندما كان رئيسًا للنادي خلال الفترة المؤقتة، وحصل على شيكات منه كمقدم تعاقد لم يتم صرفها حتى الآن، وعبد الله لم يُفكر للحظة أن يرفع قضية على النادي، وتم الضغط عليه من قبل المحامي أن يرفع قضية لكنه رفض”.

وأكمل: “العقد الذي وقع عليه كان يتخطى الـ 25 مليون جنيه، ومع ذلك لم يجلس معه أحد ولم يخرج كما حدث معي في الإسماعيلي المحترم، وبعد أن تغير شكل إدارة الزمالك والنادي والتعاقد مع الصفقات كان يجب أن يتم التعامل مع عبد الله بشكل أفضل”.

وأشار لاعب الكرخ العراقي: “عندما خرجت من الأهلي كان سيد عبد الحفيظ تحدث معي قبلها بمنتهى الاحترام يجعل الواحد يُصلي كل يوم ويشكر الفترة التي عمل فيها مع هذا النادي، وعبد الله جمعة لا يستحق ما حدث معه في الزمالك”.

وأضاف: “تحدثت مع أحمد سليمان لأعرف موقف عبد الله جمعة حتى يكون عندنا وقت لنتحرك بشأن مستقبله، فكان رده إذا لم تأت عروض لـ عبد الله فهو مستمر، ولو أراد أن يرحل سأعطيه مستحقات الموسم الماضي، أما الموسم الحالي فأنا لم أعطي أي لاعب مستحقات حتى الآن”.

وتابع: “عبد الله حزين بعد 7 سنوات أخلص فيها للزمالك، ومحاميه التونسي أنيس بن ميم يضغط عليه من أجل رفع قضية ولكن اللاعب يرفض”.

وأتم: “عبد الله الآن مع المدرب أحمد عبد الرؤوف في بلدية المحلة، عبد الله طيب جدًا، عندما وقع للزمالك والمحامي أخذ عقده من اتحاد الكرة ليطلع عليه عبد الله لم يكن يعرف راتبه”.

New Zealand’s only warm-up match in a tour played during India’s off-season will be played on a pitch that bears little resemblance to the raging turners that they are likely to confront during the Test matches

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Delhi15-Sep-2016Two weeks ago New Zealand were facing the pace barrage of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada in South Africa’s off-season. A short stop at home later, they are in Delhi, during India’s off-season, preparing for what promises to be a challenging Test series on India’s raging turners. It is so early in the season that even the pre-season fumigation in the press-conference room – Delhi is fighting an outbreak of mosquito-infested diseases – was carried out only minutes before New Zealand arrived.All New Zealand have between landing in India and the Test series, to prepare for what has the makings of the biggest challenge in Test cricket today, are a couple of training sessions in Delhi, a three-day game against Mumbai that begins on Friday, and two more training sessions at the venue of the first Test.India are not going to do them any favours either. Not that New Zealand expected any. They didn’t expect the track for the three-day game to prepare them for what is in store, and Feroz Shah Kotla is certainly in no mood to surprise them pleasantly. The track for the match against Mumbai, which won’t be a first-class fixture and will thus let all 15 have a bat and a bowl, is not quite a greentop but looks nothing like what you will encounter at Indian Test venues.”It is what we expected to see here,” Ross Taylor said of the grass on the Kotla pitch. This is consistent with what Virat Kohli felt when India gave England barely any spin to face in their warm-up matches before the Tests in 2012-13.”We were given flattest of tracks during practice matches in England and Australia, and then suddenly presented with a greentop during the Tests,” Kohli had said back then. “During practice matches, we would face those 120kmph bowlers … If they [England and Australia] wanted to be fair to us, they could have provided us with same kind of tracks for practice matches, like what were used in Tests. Especially, when they knew that visiting teams get very less time to practise. Now they would be playing on turning tracks and definitely would know where they stand.”England played three warm-up matches before the Tests on that tour, but only once, against Haryana, did they get to face genuine spinners. In the other two games, the only spin they faced was delivered by part-timers. New Zealand, having seen the pitch at the Kotla, didn’t look in a mood to complain. “We are expecting the wickets to turn,” Taylor said at the press conference a day before the warm-up game. “We are not expecting the Test wickets to look the way it is looking at Kotla.”For New Zealand the warm-up game is more about getting used to the weather, with temperatures in the mid-30s when it is winter back home. “A warm-up game is a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “A chance to get out and play in Indian conditions. Obviously a lot warmer than a couple of days ago back home in New Zealand. Stretch your legs so to speak. We are expecting a tough match against Mumbai tomorrow.”Before the reversal in South Africa, New Zealand were the side expected to present the toughest challenge to the hosts in this season of 13 Tests. They still possibly have the best spin resources among the touring teams this season. But the scheduling of the series relegates them to being a bit of a sideshow. They are used to this. When they go to England, they play in May; their last tour to India was in August-September, and this year they are playing back-to-back Test series in off-seasons. It is a fact not lost on them.”The last two tours we had here we didn’t even have a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “So it’s nice to have a warm-up game against a good opposition. It’s going to be a hard-fought series over the next three weeks. The boys are looking forward to it.”If the warm-up game is just a means to acclimatise yourselves to the heat and if you are expected to adjust from South African conditions to Indian ones suddenly, how do you do it? In the nets, Taylor said. “Regardless of whether you are playing on a bouncy green wicket or on a turning wicket, you have got to put yourself under pressure in training and try to simulate as much as possible.”Accordingly, one of the members of New Zealand’s support staff was seen asking the groundsmen to shave off the grass on the nets pitches. The next three days are not just about what goes on in the middle at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but also about how much the ones not on the field can take away from their nets sessions.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to plotting a raid on one of the Premier League's recently relegated sides, amid claims that Leeds United's Jack Harrison is a potential target ahead of the summer transfer window.

What's the latest on Harrison to Tottenham?

According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites are believed to be keen to revive their interest in the Englishman ahead of next season, with Daniel Levy and co having previously been linked with the 26-year-old last summer.

As the report noted, the one-time New York City FC man is set to be available at a 'discounted price' following Leeds' drop into the Championship, with talkSPORT stating that the winger has a relegation clause in his contract which will allow him to leave on the cheap.

The former Manchester City asset – who only signed a new deal with the Elland Road outfit back in early April – was previously the subject of a £20m bid from Leicester City during the winter window.

Would Harrison be a good signing for Tottenham?

There may not be too much excitement among Spurs supporters at the prospect of Levy signing a player who has only just been relegated, although Harrison did at least enjoy a positive campaign on an individual note, bagging five goals and seven assists in 35 league games.

The £90k-per-week speedster notably scored what proved to be a mere consolation in Tottenham's 4-1 win over Sam Allardyce's side at the weekend, having looked 'bright' on an otherwise 'dark day' for the Whites, as per Leeds Live's Beren Cross.

That effort also ensures that Harrison now boasts a respectable tally of 36 goals and assists in 106 top-flight games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, having initially joined Leeds on loan in the second tier back in 2018.

That record has seen the 5 foot 9 ace dubbed "one of the best wingers" that teammate Junior Firpo has ever worked with, while former New York City colleague Frank Lampard also described his compatriot as "one of the best wingers in the Premier League" earlier in the campaign.

Also hailed as a "revelation" by Lampard during their time together in the United States, Harrison is evidently a player of real talent, with the forward's arrival potentially set to prove a dream addition for current Spurs talisman, Harry Kane.

While the latter man can seemingly deliver the goods on his own having scored 30 league goals this season as part of a struggling side, the 29-year-old may benefit from the capture of a clinical and creative force such as Harrison.

The former England U21 international has proven himself able to provide quality service for his teammates after creating nine 'big chances' in the 2022/23 season, with that more than what both Heung-min Son (eight) and Dejan Kulusevski (seven) achieved for the Lilywhites.

That quality from the flanks was evident in the early season win over Chelsea for Leeds, with Harrison having teed up teammate Rodrigo to score with an "absolutely magnificent" set-piece delivery, as per Sky Sports pundit, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Such brilliance could well have Kane licking his lips at the prospect of being supplied even more frequently next season, with such a partnership potentially set to blossom at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.