da winzada777： Having already welcomed Carlton Morris from Luton Town, Derby County are now reportedly in talks to sign an experienced winger at a bargain price this summer.
Derby sign Carlton Morris
da dobrowin： Leaving relegated Luton in favour of a move to Pride Park, Morris became the first signing of the summer at Derby earlier this week and will be hoping to ensure that they, unlike The Hatters, push beyond the Championship’s dropzone next season. At 29 years old, he’s now a player with plenty of experience and his versatility to play all across the frontline could prove pivotal for John Eustace.
After putting pen to paper, Morris told Derby’s official website: “It’s a massive club that I’ve heard a lot of good things about. When they came in for me, it was a bit of a no-brainer, really.
“[The move is] a big change, especially with my family. You want to know about the football club, about the area, and I’ve heard nothing but good. I’ve heard it’s a great family club, so I’m excited to get going.
“I think I’m entering the prime stage of my career as a striker now. I spoke to Rob Edwards, who has told me how good Keith Downing is and that Matt Gardiner is exceptional to work with as well.
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“They’re only going to make me a better player which is crucial as I’m at a place where I’m probably the most coachable I’ve been in my career and ready to kick on.”
In their second season back in the Championship, Derby are seemingly ready to welcome more experience after Morris this summer and that includes one particular winger. As Eustace’s side aim to push on, they’ve reportedly opened talks in pursuit of a bargain deal.
Derby open talks to sign John Swift
As reported by Birmingham World, Derby are now in talks to sign John Swift alongside three other EFL clubs. The former West Bromwich Albion winger is now a free agent after leaving the Hawthorns and is believed to have already met with two managers regarding his future, one of them being Eustace.
Whilst he endured a mixed spell for the Baggies, Swift’s experience may prove invaluable for a side in Derby’s position. Meanwhile, at his best, Swift is someone who has often found himself at the centre of impressive praise.
That includes from former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray last season, who told reporters after Swift scored a free-kick against Burnley last season: “John Swift’s free-kick was a fantastic goal. He’s a wonderful player and he’s very talented. Certain games need certain types of players to give us the best chance to win.”
With three other EFL sides interested, there’s no doubt that signing Swift would represent an impressive coup for Derby, who have already made a statement by signing Luton’s Morris this summer.
With the country co-hosting the T20 World Cup, Pankaj Khimji believes the national team will be stronger contenders in their second appearance in the tournament
Interview by Shashank Kishore03-Oct-2021A decade ago Oman didn’t have a single grass cricket field. Today, there are two, next to each other, in Al Amerat, a short drive from the capital, Muscat. These two venues will put Oman on the cricket map when it hosts six matches in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup. With the national team participating and looking to qualify for the Super 12s, it’s widely seen as a landmark moment for cricket in the country, as Pankaj Khimji, chairman of Oman Cricket, says.Give us a sense of how big it is for Oman to be hosting a World Cup.
How often does an Associate nation get to host a World Cup?I’m told by Star Sports [the host broadcasters] that this might turn out to be the third-largest televised sporting event of all time, potentially reaching an audience of 3 to 3.5 billion people. Even if Oman gets a billion people watching the first six games, and showcases itself just to the Indian subcontinent, it’s massive. It has never happened before, so we’re over the moon. We have the full blessings and support of every authority in the country, right from the highest body to the local municipal council, saying let’s put Oman on the map.Related
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What is the mood among the cricket fraternity in Oman about the team’s participation?
Two things. One, Oman is going to be seen by a global audience. Few people remember we made history by beating Ireland at the T20 World Cup last time [in 2016 in India]. Now we’re probably one of the only Asian Associates to qualify for the second round of a T20 World Cup. It’s no fluke.Two, we’ve defined our purpose. We are here among the top 20 in the world in white-ball cricket. No one can tell us we made it to one World Cup and vanished. We’re hoping to qualify for the Super 12s. The team is focused on that. If we do that, we will automatically qualify for next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia too. So the motivation is high. Suddenly a whole new band of football-loving people are saying we’ve done an amazing thing by bringing a World Cup to Oman.How have you managed to prepare the team in these Covid times, where match time has been elusive?
We’re all amateur cricketers in Oman. We play weekend cricket. Our domestic season comprises weekend tournaments from September to April. All our boys have come back from hibernation five, six weeks ago. In this time, the trainers have got them back into shape, getting them to lose the kilos they’ve put on. That said, the team is in super shape.We played a very good T20 series against Mumbai, beating them 2-1. After the series, at a dinner, Amol Muzumdar [the Mumbai coach] told me, “You guys managed to ignite the kind of fire [within the Mumbai team] even I couldn’t.” The T20 series loss spurred Mumbai to beat us convincingly in the one-dayers, but then we couldn’t have got better practice than playing a quality side like Mumbai. When you train against a tougher opponent, you learn. Weaker opponents just help you to loosen up. A side with an average age of 22-23 against ours, whose average is 33-34. It was literally like a young team against a veteran’s team. The preparation has been excellent.The Mumbai team that toured Oman for three T20Is and three ODIs in September•Oman CricketTell us about your director of cricket, Duleep Mendis, and his influence over the team.
He’s been with us for ten years now. I don’t think he thought he’d hang around for this long. At Oman Cricket, we count our blessings to have him shaping our team. Since qualifying for the 2016 T20 World Cup, we’ve moved somewhere from being ranked 40th to about 14th or 15th in white-ball cricket. What more can we ask for? He has built it step by step.The World Cricket League (WCL) is a measure of our qualifying pathway to the 2023 ODI World Cup, and after a third of the matches, we’re on top of the standings. The only thing I tell my colleagues is, let’s not interfere with the cricket, let’s leave that to Duleep. We’re just administrators. So as long as you draw the line and let him get on with the cricket, it’ll be terrific. Cricket isn’t a judgmental sport like football, where you sack the manager if you lose five in a row. Losses are part and parcel of the progression. Fortunately, we’ve won more than we’ve lost [in the last five years].Is there a feeder system in place for talent?
We have a wonderful school system here, and currently four players have come through to the national team from the Under-13s to 16s, 19s, to the main side. The Indian and Pakistani school system is very strong here, and we’re trying to strengthen it further. We have a mix of home-grown players and expats. A lot more players who haven’t had the opportunity to flourish back in their country may now consider Oman as a place to pursue their interest.We rolled out our grassroots development programme in January 2020 [before Covid hit]. We adopted ten government schools, where our coaches teach boys and girls aged as young as eight-nine the basics of the game and then see if they can take it to the next level. We get them over to our main ground and allow them to train at the indoor centre, try to inculcate the fun factor. They don’t get to watch much cricket at times, so we try to ensure they play as much as possible. We have a strong residential block around our main venue in Al Amerat, and we’ve thrown it open to the residents to come over and have their evening walks, use our lawns to exercise. We’re doing what we can to see if in another ten to 15 years we can have 50% of Omanis constituting the national team.Oman’s players, most of whom have day jobs, have only recently returned to training ahead of their series against Mumbai and the World Cup•Oman CricketHow long before you think cricket goes fully professional in Oman?
We’d rather be realistic and keep it as a semi-professional structure. All our players have nine-to-five jobs. They still find it difficult to get leave for camps and big tournaments. Some players are on a semi-hybrid contract, where they’re employed by an organisation but paid for by Oman Cricket [when they’re absent from work]. We’d honestly much rather be rookies pulling the carpet out from under some of the higher-ranked teams rather than regularly beating the smaller teams. You can’t hope to go fully professional when you have a team largely comprising expats. That doesn’t sound right.A tournament of this magnitude calls for massive infrastructure upgrades. How have you gone about it?
Our ground [at Al Amerat] was like a glorified English countryside venue. We had a clubhouse on one side, which is one-third the size of the CCI [Cricket Club of India, in Mumbai] club house. The rest of it was full of neem and gulmohar trees, and benches of the kind you see in parks across London, where two or three people sit on each bench and enjoy a game of weekend cricket. But as World Cup hosts, we had to change that, so we first chalked out how many people we want to allow. With Covid protocols coming in, we said 3000 could be manageable. So from 200-300 we’d host on park benches, we’re now ready to host 3000.We’ve put up 30 air-conditioned corporate boxes and a media centre at a vantage location above the sightscreen. One commentary box isn’t enough because we now have commentary in multiple languages, so we had to develop a huge area for that. I can’t say we have the Lord’s media box, but we’ve got a nice little set-up. Then we were told 1000 lux [for floodlights] is a thing of the past. If you want to televise an event on 4K HD imagery, you need a minimum of 3500 lux. Then we were told you don’t use metal halide lamps anymore, we need LED lamps that you can switch on and off with a flick of a finger. So we got that done up.One by one, everything is now in place. It’s just six games, but it’s the World Cup. So these are exciting times.
Liverpool have ridden into the summer transfer window on the crest of a wave, having won the Premier League under Arne Slot in the first term since Jurgen Klopp packed his bags and left.
And who can say the Reds have since been resting on their laurels? Liverpool might have lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, but they swiftly replaced him with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, then maintaining their line of communication with the German side to agree a deal for Florian Wirtz, which could rise to a British-record £116m.
Florian Wirtz
With Milos Kerkez looking set to arrive from Bournemouth in the coming weeks, Liverpool will likely complete the lion’s share of their business nice and early, although one of the most pressing concerns, bringing in a new striker, will continue to hang over Anfield’s summer for the time being.
That’s because Slot’s title winners cannot advance on that front until the future of Darwin Nunez has been sorted out.
Darwin Nunez's Liverpool future
When Liverpool signed Nunez from Benfica for an initial £64m fee in 2022, they purchased one of the most talented young centre-forwards in Europe.
But the Uruguay star’s confidence and spark have eroded away against the unrelenting tide of Premier League football, swallowed and spat out by the intensity of Liverpool’s and the English game. This season, under Slot’s wing, he’s only scored seven goals, starting just one top-flight fixture since December.
Silky and stylish, Nunez was supposed to emulate his countryman Luis Suarez and former Liverpool sensation Fernando Torres in becoming one of the meanest goalscorers on the block, but it hasn’t worked out, and Slot is instead searching for a new focal frontman who could produce performances on the level of someone like El Nino.
Liverpool'sDarwinNunezreacts
However, it hasn’t worked out for him, and with suitors from Italy and the Saudi Pro League sniffing around, it’s probably for the best that the maverick moves on.
After all, Liverpool have already held talks with their dream successor.
Liverpool chasing new striker
As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool have been locked in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt for the transfer of Hugo Ekitike, and have been told his price tag is €100m (£84m).
However, FSG feel they have a fantastic chance to secure the 22-year-old striker’s signature despite rival interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, which suggests that they are confident that they can win the race for his services.
Though sporting director Richard Hughes needs to finalise Nunez’s departure before a concerted effort can be made to sign Ekitike, who is said to be aware of the situation.
What Hugo Ekitike would bring to Liverpool
Ekitike might not be the finished article, but he’s already established himself as one of the most talented forwards in the game, with analyst Ben Mattinson even hailing him as “one of the best strikers out there.”
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike
Might it be that Slot could secure his own version of Torres in Frankfurt’s dynamic striker? Liverpool’s iconic marksman was an incredible ball-striking talent, but his intelligence, sharpness and off-the-ball movement all combined to leave the likes of Steven Gerrard marvelling at his quality, the skipper even once saying he was the “best striker in the world.”
At Liverpool, the Spaniard scored 81 goals and supplied 19 assists across 142 appearances, so it’s a pretty high bar that Ekitike is going to have to reach for, but then he, too, is more than just a goalscorer, described by journalist Graeme Bailey as being “the new Mbappe.”
Hugo Ekitike for Frankfurt.
Ekitike has what it takes, just look at the underlying data. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 6% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues last season for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive carries and successful take-ons, and the top 19% for ball recoveries per 90.
And that’s without even addressing his return across the 2024/25 campaign: over 48 appearances in all competitions, the former Paris Saint-Germain prospect scored 22 goals and supplied 12 assists. Clearly, he will be grateful for his move to Frankfurt.
Moreover, his 15-goal return in the Bundesliga surpassed that of any other player across Europe’s top five leagues aged 22 or younger.
His step-by-step progress appears to have borne dividends, and Ekitike is showing no sign of letting up. In a Liverpool team consisting of superstars like Mohamed Salah and Wirtz, there’s no telling how impressive the French forward could be next season.
Ekitike should take this leap, joining a Liverpool side who are in need of a high-class number nine. He might be young, but there’s already a lot of talk about this man being one of the brightest stars of his generation.
And let’s not forget, Liverpool signed Torres from Atletico Madrid when he was still in relative professional infancy, joining aged 23 in a deal worth £20m. This was back in July 2007, mind, so such a figure was considered a pretty penny indeed.
Clearly, Liverpool could hit the jackpot by sealing a deal for Ekitke, who has also been courted by the club’s divisional rivals but is surely tempted by moving to a team with such a high ceiling, Slot and Hughes bringing together a variety of different styles in a melting pot that could breed sustained success at the top of the European ladder.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Sure, Ekitike’s finishing could do with a bit of work, but he’s already established himself as a talented forward, earning acclaim for his complete performances, which would align perfectly with Liverpool’s wider vision.
If Nunez is sold in the coming weeks or months, and Liverpool bank a healthy sum for their flagging forward, if FSG can redirect the transfer cannon toward the Bundesliga’s Frankfurt, we could be in for some exciting seasons ahead on Merseyside.
Perfect for Isak: Liverpool told £75m bid for PL star will be accepted
Liverpool may need to sign a new left-sided forward this summer.
Star striker Viktor Gyokeres is at the centre of a dispute with Sporting CP over his future, and tensions are reportedly reaching breaking point as the ex-Coventry City forward sets his sights on a return to England with Arsenal.
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Credible media sources have claimed in the past few weeks that new sporting director Andrea Berta has been working on simultaneous deals for both Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, before deciding which move would be best suited to Mikel Arteta’s side.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
However, as yet, neither striker is any closer to joining Arsenal, despite their eagerness to embark on a Premier League switch.
Sesko is allegedly keen on joining Arsenal, and talks remain ongoing between all parties over a potential deal, while Fabrizio Romano has reported that a move to N5 is Gyokeres’ priority.
The latter had thought that he could leave for around £60 million before deadline day on September 1, but Sporting president, Frederico Varandas, publicly denied this recently.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrating.
“I see the agent in the press releasing information. I want to make one thing clear: Sporting has common sense and keeps its word,” said Varandas last month.
“Gyokeres scored 63 goals and 10 assists. Fantastic performance. Certainly one of the best players to have ever stepped onto Portuguese turf. And Sporting will not demand the clause.
“Now blackmail and insults, Sporting will not accept. One thing is certain: Sporting will not accept 60 million plus 10. As of today, Sporting has not received any proposal for Gyokeres.”
Since then, Varandas has taken another swipe at Gyokeres’ agent, and the striker is becoming deeply frustrated by these statements, as explained by an update from Portuguese newspaper Record this week.
The threat Viktor Gyokeres has made via text as he pushes to join Arsenal
The outlet, via Sport Witness, explains that Gyokeres really wants to join Arsenal, and he’s worried that Sporting’s demand of £68 million could put his dream move to the Emirates in jeopardy – with Arteta’s side refusing to match it as things stand.
Vikor Gyokeres at Sporting Club.
Record claims to have access to text messages exchanged between the 27-year-old and Varandas, with Gyokeres threatening to speak to the media himself if a move away carries on being derailed.
During this conversation with Sporting’s president, it was also claimed that Gyokeres made a decision not to turn up for his pre-season duties, which could really escalate the situation further.
This standoff represents more than just your run-of-the-mill negotiation. For Gyokeres, it’s about securing what he sees as his rightful opportunity to compete at the highest level with Arsenal. For Sporting and Varandas, it’s about maximizing the return on their prized asset while maintaining credibility in future negotiations.
This story is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing transfer tales of this entire window, and if things don’t take a positive turn, Arsenal could be forced to look elsewhere in their pursuit of a prolific new striker.
Samson, who was traded in, is understood to open the innings for the team
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-20256:53
Samson-Mhatre CSK’s new opening pair?
Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to be Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) captain for IPL 2026. In a social-media post, the franchise wrote, “Lead the way, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad,” ending the speculations that Sanju Samson could be the captain.CSK had traded in Samson from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. He comes with plenty of captaincy experience in the IPL but will not lead the franchise. It is understood, though, that he will open the innings.
Gaikwad had taken over the captaincy from MS Dhoni at the start of IPL 2024. CSK, who had won the IPL 2023, finished fifth in 2024 and tenth in 2025.Apart from Jadeja and Curran, CSK also released Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana among others. Going into the auction, they have a purse of INR 43.40 crore and a maximum of eight vacancies, including four overseas slots.At the auction, scheduled for December 16 at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, they are likely to target an overseas allrounder to replace Curran. They have the purse to go hammer and tongs for Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone or Cameron Green. They will also look to sign a back-up for Nathan Ellis.
Manchester United are set to present their long-term striker plans to Benjamin Sesko as they prepare a formal offer for the RB Leipzig star. The Red Devils are determined to prove that the Slovenian is their No.1 priority this summer, amid rival interest from Newcastle. Sesko is expected to make a final decision in the coming days between the Red Devils and the Magpies.
Man Utd prepare formal bid for RB Leipzig striker Sesko
Red Devils to present striker project to convince Slovenian
Sesko weighing United and Newcastle offers ahead of decision
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that Manchester United have informed RB Leipzig of their intention to submit a formal bid for Sesko. The Red Devils are also preparing to present a detailed plan to the player outlining how he fits into their future. Sesko is weighing up proposals from both Manchester United and Newcastle, with the Old Trafford outfit currently in pole position.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The move for Sesko is reportedly being pushed by Manchester United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, despite manager Ruben Amorim preferring other options. The £64m-rated striker has become the Red Devils' top target following internal disagreements over striker priorities. INEOS sees Sesko as a key piece in their rebuild, and believes he could thrive alongside Rasmus Hojlund.
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TELL ME MORE…
Sesko is believed to favour a move to Manchester United, with Newcastle still hopeful of swaying the decision. Despite speculation, Hojlund is not expected to leave, and Amorim sees Sesko’s arrival as healthy competition for the Dane, who scored in United's 4-1 win over Bournemouth in a recent friendly and reaffirmed his commitment to the club.
WHAT NEXT FOR SESKO?
Manchester United are expected to submit their official bid in the coming days and present their project directly to Sesko. The striker will then make a final decision between the two Premier League suitors. RB Leipzig are open to selling if the valuation is met, paving the way for a potential transfer before mid-August.
Kurtis Patterson will not be New South Wales Sheffield Shield captain next season with incoming coach Greg Shipperd hoping a return to the ranks will help revive his batting.Patterson, who played two Tests for Australia in 2019, took on the NSW role ahead of the 2021-22 season when he replaced Peter Nevill. They finished fourth in the Shield that season before ending bottom last summer with Patterson dropped for the final match against South Australia.Overall he averaged 29.78 last season with one century and scored just two hundreds during his time as captain.Related
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Since his brief Test appearances, where he made a century in his second outing against Sri Lanka in Canberra, Patterson has struggled to make runs consistently with just three first-class hundreds in the next four seasons.”That was a disappointing finish for the season for Kurtis,” Shipperd said. “I’ve had contact with him today and we’ve identified some areas of his game and thinking. Losing the captaincy will allow him to concentrate fully on performing at his best.”You can get consumed by captaincy and he gave it a terrific shot I’ve got to say while I was there, it was team first and him second. We can flip that balance around next season and make sure we get him back playing as well as he’s ever played.”Moises Henriques stepped in as captain the final Shield game of last season but Shipperd said he and Greg Mail, NSW’s head of performance, still needed to work through who would take the role permanently.”That’s a really important discussion to have,” he said. “We do have some candidates that I think could comfortably do the job so it’s about when I get up to Sydney next, sitting down with Greg and the team and those candidates and make sure we get the best decision out of it.”More broadly, Shipperd acknowledged it was the batting that really needed to lift for NSW although he had been encouraged by some late-season performances from younger players Ryan Hackney, Jack Edwards and Blake MacDonald – the latter earning his first contract. However, of those to play more than three matches, allrounder Chris Green topped the averages at 41.42.”It’s a complicated judgement when you are just looking at figures,” Shipperd said. “I, like others, was a little bit alarmed that our younger batting group were tracking along in the mid-20s as averages.”In my discussions with the players I was quite frank in terms of suggesting that success in first-class level is averaging above 40 with the capacity to have an out season and averaging over 60. So setting the bar quite high for those players and it was pleasing that four of them in response in the back end of the season averaged over 40, but that’s just the start.”Shipperd also hoped that NSW would be able to play a greater proportion of their home Shield matches at the SCG so there was more of a home-ground feel to being in Sydney. The T20 World Cup last season restricted how much it could be used in the first half of the summer but for a number of years the team has regularly gone to suburban and intra-state grounds.The players now have a permanent training base at the new Cricket Central facility which opened last season and there are plans for it to host top-level state matches. Following his retirement, Trent Copeland noted he had never had his own locker throughout his career.”Essentially we have had no home ground, no training facility that is always our own,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s now changed. Then we’re playing one to three games at the SCG and then grade grounds and country grounds where we stand there at the toss and we have no idea essentially on how to build a game plan, what to do at the toss or even a best guess on what the pitch is going to play like, versus our opposition that are walking into the same venue every game. So these are a few of the little challenges that I think are going to start to be naturally fixed.”
The fast bowler picked up her second four-for in T20Is before the opening batter hit her 26th half-century in the format
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2023A four-wicket haul from Lea Tahuhu and a steady half-century from Suzie Bates helped New Zealand wrap up the T20I series against Sri Lanka with an eight-wicket win in the second match in Colombo on Monday. After restricting Sri Lanka to 118, New Zealand got to their target in 18.4 overs, completing a comeback after a 2-1 loss in the ODI series.Bates combined with Bernadine Bezuidenhout to add 48 for the opening wicket. She was the steady partner in their partnership but attacked in the 59-run second-wicket alliance with Amelia Kerr. In the process, Bates scored her 26th half-century in T20Is. She used her feet to the spinners to put them off and was innovative in her strokeplay – using the scoop and paddle to good effect.Inoka Ranaweera managed to see the back of Bates when she had her holing out to long-on for 52 off 53 balls, but Kerr and Sophie Devine finished the job without fuss.Earlier, after being put in, Sri Lanka were jolted early when captain Chamari Athapaththu was run-out in the third over. She turned an Eden Carson delivery towards the left of the non-striker, Vishmi Gunaratne, and set off for a non-existent run.Tahuhu then struck twice in her opening over – she first had Gunaratne chopping on when attempting a drive before trapping Kavisha Dilhari lbw two balls later.After a brief rain stoppage, Sri Lanka were revived by a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership between Harshitha Samarawickrama – who played a crisp cover drive off her first ball to get going – and Hasini Perera, who top-scored with 33. But the two fell in relatively quick succession to deny Sri Lanka the momentum they needed.Anushka Sanjeewani and Nilakshi de Silva propelled Sri Lanka past 100, with the two taking 13 off a Leigh Kasperek over, but the total was never going to be enough.
Opener scores second hundred of season as teams shake hands on draw
ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2023An impressive, unbeaten first century on his home ground from Leicestershire’s Rishi Patel brought pleasant compensation to spectators who witnessed their side’s LV=Insurance County Championship match with Glamorgan fizzle out as a draw on the final day.Patel, 24, whose potential has excited the coaching staff at Grace Road since his move from Essex in 2020, seems now to be realising it. This was his second hundred in three matches after breaking his duck by driving his team to an epic victory over Yorkshire at Headingley three weeks ago.He played superbly, rarely making an error let alone offering a chance, hitting 18 fours and three sixes in his career-best 134 not out before Leicestershire declared their second innings on 252 for 3, most of them coming cleanly off the bat as he picked off boundaries all round the wicket.His captain, Lewis Hill, was unlucky not to join him on three figures, dragging one on to his stumps for 82 having never looked in any trouble, the two sharing a 203-run partnership for the second wicket.Earlier, Glamorgan had extended their overnight lead from 39 to 58 in losing their last two first-innings wickets as they were all out for 465, Chris Cooke the final man to depart after hitting 132. Veteran Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright finished with 5 for 89.Bottom of the table last season, Leicestershire are beginning to look like a team with promotion potential this year, having topped 400 first-innings runs in all three Championship matches played so far and compiling seven partnerships of 100 runs or more in those games, compared with nine in total in the 2022 campaign.Cooke’s century for the visitors followed his unbeaten 191 in the corresponding fixture last season, when his contribution was somewhat overshadowed by Sam Northeast’s epic 410 not out in Glamorgan’s record 795 for 5 declared. It was a match that was arguably the nadir of a desperate Leicestershire season as they lost by an innings despite themselves making 584 in their first innings.This time, in the lead rather than supporting role, Cooke lost his middle stump making room to swing hard as Wright completed a five-wicket haul for the first time since September 2021.Two overs earlier, Andrew Salter had departed in unfortunate and uncomfortable circumstances, a ball from Wright jagging back to strike him somewhere around his protective box and rolling on to the stumps as he dropped to his haunches.Having been 155 for 5, Glamorgan will have felt well satisfied that their second five wickets had put on double that runs tally. Doing so had taken so long, however, on top of overs lost earlier to the weather, that there was little prospect of fashioning a positive result.Glamorgan’s only hope was that they could bowl Leicestershire out in around 50 of the 87 overs still to play and give themselves a modest target in such time that remained. Michael Neser gave them an encouraging start, having opener Sol Budinger out for a single when he prodded at one outside off stump and gave David Lloyd the simplest of catches at first slip.Yet such optimism as that wicket might have stirred was tempered in the next over as Patel pounced on a leg-side delivery from Timm van der Gugten with such timing and vigour that the ball sailed out of the ground and into Milligan Road, coming to rest under a parked van. He followed up with a crisp drive through cover for four.It was an indication of what was to come as Patel picked up boundaries all round the ground. He hammered 18 in one over off Salter soon after lunch, back-to-back swept fours taking him to 51 from 74 balls with nine fours and a six, which he celebrated with another six down the ground off the offspinner, followed by a clip for four through midwicket.Salter recovered well and with Neser taking over from van der Gugten at the Bennett End the flow of runs was temporarily stemmed. But Patel got going again when Marnus Labuschagne replaced Salter, reverse sweeping the Australian to the fence to go to 98 before driving Jamie McIlroy’s medium pace through mid-off to complete a hundred off 137 balls, containing 17 fours and two sixties.Hill went past fifty off 91 balls soon afterwards as Leicestershire’s lead topped 100 with very little doing for any of the bowlers under high cloud.The Leicestershire skipper must have had an eye on his second century of the season but missed out, falling just before tea on 82 as his counterpart Lloyd picked up a first wicket in the second innings, to which he added a second when Colin Ackermann holed out to deep midwicket soon after tea, before the teams shook hands on the inevitable draw at 4.50pm.
Jordan Cox led Kent Spitfires to their fourth Vitality Blast win in a row as they beat Sussex Sharks by six wickets at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.Cox hit an unbeaten 82 off just 44 deliveries, with six fours and five sixes. And he was well supported at the end by Jack Leaning, who made an unbeaten 28 from 26 balls. Spitfires needed 12 runs from the final two overs but Cox saw his side home with eight balls to spare when he hit the otherwise impressive Ari Karvelas to leg for successive sixes.Both the Sharks and the Spitfires had to win this match to sustain their ambitions in the Vitality Blast and both sides had shown some encouraging form in recent weeks after generally disappointing campaigns.The Spitfires, chasing 170, got off to a good start with 25 from the first two overs but then Karvelas came on to bowl the third, bowling Tawanda Muyeye with his first delivery and then having Joe Denly caught behind with his fourth ball. When Tymal Mills came on to bowl the fourth over he had the Spitfires captain Sam Billings caught behind for just 2 and suddenly Kent were on the back foot at 28 for 3.But Cox put Kent on top once more with a fourth wicket stand of 70 in seven overs with Daniel Bell-Drummond. The pair looked in total control before, in the 11th over, Bell-Drummond attempted to work Ravi Bopara to fine leg and got a top edge. Cox, though, carried on, reaching his half-century from 31 balls with five fours and a six. He then celebrated the landmark by hoisting Brad Currie over square-leg for six, before reverse scooping George Garton over third man for another maximum before his final flurry of strokeplay against Karvelas.Sussex had been guided to a total of 169 for 7 by their captain, Bopara, who hit a typically fluent 53 from 39 deliveries, with four fours and two sixes. They must have hoped for more after reaching the end of the 15th with a score of 133 for 3, but they were frustrated at the end of their innings by some fine death bowling from Michael Hogan and Wes Agar, who had come into the side for Kane Richardson, who had a side strain.Harrison Ward had got the Sharks off to a fine start, as they crashed 44 runs from the first five overs. But from the last ball of the fifth over the in-form Ward, who is often overlooked for these matches, was caught on the square-leg boundary off Hogan for a 21-ball 32.Tom Clark again made a good start without progressing, and Oli Carter looked in the mood after lifting Grant Stewart onto the pavilion roof for six. When he was out, well caught by Cox at extra cover, the best chance of a big total rested with the experienced pair of Bopara and Tom Alsop.They added 43 in four overs but then Alsop was caught at long-on by Bell-Drummond off Fred Klaassen and even Bopara was unable to give the innings a gloss finish against some tight bowling and fielding from the Spitfires.