Liverpool are interested in completing a deal to bring Napoli defender Kim Min-jae to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Kim's future?

Football Insider has reported that the Reds are willing to listen to offers for Joel Matip and Nat Phillips this summer, meaning that central reinforcements will be needed should they depart. South Korea international Kim only made the move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last year, but having been a regular feature under Luciano Spalletti with 27 Serie A starts in his debut season, he has been attracting interest.

Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna (via Liverpool Echo) recently credited Jurgen Klopp with an interest in the 26-year-old, whose camp would reportedly be happy to green-light a move, and despite his contract not set to expire for another two years, there is a way he could be brought to Anfield in the coming months.

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all “expressed an interest” in Kim and activating the £40m release clause included in his terms. The English trio are among “several” other unnamed clubs across Europe who are also monitoring his situation, but it’s claimed that he would “prefer” a move to the Premier League.

It is thought that Spurs could hold a “slight advantage” as a result of him being international teammates with Son Heung-min, but his representatives are aware of the “many other” options. Napoli, however, are keen to keep hold of him and could therefore look to remove his exit clause by offering him a new deal.

Would Kim be a good signing for Liverpool?

Kim has been dubbed a “rock” at the heart of Napoli’s backline by Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti, and should the opportunity to sign him arise, he could be the ideal long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

The Nike-sponsored star is currently averaging 3.8 clearances and 2.8 aerial wins per league game, highlighting his physical presence both on and off the ground, whilst recording a 90.5% pass success rate, displaying his confidence and composure on the ball (WhoScored).

The 6 foot 3 defender is also capable of chipping in from time to time when it comes to the opposite end of the pitch, having scored six goals and provided two assists throughout his career, via Transfermarkt, so for someone who has the ability to make a positive impact at both ends of the field, he is perhaps the perfect profile of defender for Klopp.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:40

Chappell: India didn’t adjust to low-total mentality

For a long time, this New Zealand team was under the charge of a man who loved a gamble or two. But would even Brendon McCullum have been funky enough to go up to his two best bowlers, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, on the team’s opening match of a World T20 and say, ‘Pick up the bibs, lads. You’re out.’? Kane Williamson did. He saw a dry Nagpur pitch, heard how the ball had turned during the qualifier games at the venue and asked Nathan McCullum, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi to clock in for duty. The first of those three spinners is in the twilight of his career, the other two had played only five T20Is each. And India had no answers against them.No one expected it to go down like this. MS Dhoni and his men came into the tournament on a seven-match winning streak. They were back home now, just as New Zealand were in alien territory. They had not played in the subcontinent for two years, and their batting had all the symptoms of it to put up only 126 for 7.An early wicket was vital and New Zealand looked to a McCullum for the magic touch. Nathan, who will join his little brother in retirement after this tournament, trapped Shikhar Dhawan lbw fifth ball. Minutes later, Rohit Sharma was undone by a superb delivery, this time from Santner. The batsman had trotted down the pitch but made the mistake of closing the face. Normally it wouldn’t have been a fatal one, considering Santner specialises in non-turning darts. But on this pitch he was given all the help he could ask for. The ball turned square, and bounced so much that the wicketkeeper couldn’t collect it cleanly. But Rohit had lunged so far outside his crease that Luke Ronchi had enough time to recover.India might not have been nervous at this point, but New Zealand began believing.Virat Kohli was the reason why the hosts held hope. For much of his 27 balls, he looked in control of the situation because he was in control of himself. On a track that was turning square, batsmen needed to play close to the body and trust in proper cricketing shots. He managed it for 26 balls before Ish Sodhi broke down his discipline. A beautiful legspinner was pitched up for the drive, Kohli went after it and feathered an edge to the wicketkeeper. India were 39 for 5, and definitely nervous now. Not long after, they were 79 all out and rather red-faced. “We lacked a bit of adaptability,” Dhoni admitted.New Zealand couldn’t cope with the ball not coming onto the bat either. They tried to smash their way to supremacy – Martin Guptill hit the first ball of the Super 10s for a straight six and Colin Munro began with a jaw-dropping switch hit – but got through to the end of the Powerplay with 22 dots and 33 runs on the board.Corey Anderson was their top-scorer with 34 runs, but his 42-ball innings encapsulated New Zealand’s struggle. Should we hit out? Should we hunker down? They did something in between and it wasn’t pretty. Only hindsight proved it was effective. And the fact that Santner, Sodhi and McCullum kept pitching the ball at the stumps and allowed a rank turner to do the rest. After all, only when a batsmen is pushed to play can he give his wicket away.After the first innings, it looked like India should have had plenty of match-winners. R Ashwin struck in the first over of the match. Jasprit Bumrah, who excels at the death, came away with 1 for 15. Suresh Raina instigated a superb run-out to dismiss Ross Taylor for 10 and had Williamson stumped for 8. That’s New Zealand’s backbone sent packing by the 12th over with the score only on 61.But as willing as Raina the bowler was, Raina the batsman could not handle the fight. He strode in during the third over, offered a tame catch to midwicket and was back in the dressing room before the over was done. Soon after, Yuvraj Singh popped a return catch to McCullum and four of the India’s top five were gone for single-digits.Meanwhile, Santner was bowling like a dream and despite him finishing as the highest-wicket taker on the night, it was Sodhi who extracted the most turn. His legspinners ripped past the outside edge regularly and his control had never looked so good. He finished with 3 for 18 – all of which were characterised by defeating the batsman in flight. Kohli was caught behind, Jadeja closed the face too early after coming forward and Ashwin was dragged out of his crease to be stumped.New Zealand trusted in a set of bowlers capable of exploiting a raging turner. Santner, McCullum and Sodhi delivered them a win against the tournament favourites.

A 167-run partnership between Paras Khadka and Sharad Vesawkar withstood a spirited fightback from Namibia to seal a tense three-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Paras Khadka struck seven sixes in his 103 off 94 balls•ICC/Barry Chambers

Captain Paras Khadka’s highest score for Nepal led them to a tense three-wicket victory in their WCL Championship match against Namibia on Monday.Khadka’s 103 off 94 balls, and his third-wicket partnership of 167 with Sharad Vesawkar through the middle overs became crucial to chasing a target of 240 because Namibia were excellent in the final 10. They took five quick wickets to break into the Nepal tail, but the set batsman Vesawkar remained. He took the chase to the penultimate ball, struck the winning runs, and remained unbeaten on 74 off 107 balls.Khadka and Vesawkar were brought together in the 14th over and they began to shut Namibia out. Khadka was the aggressor, striking seven sixes and five fours to maintain a strike-rate of 109.57 and Vesawkar lent excellent support, batting 165 minutes to make sure a tricky target was overcome.It could have been a lot more considering Namibia captain Stephan Baard (51) and wicketkeeper Zane Green (47) had laid a strong foundation through a 95-run opening stand. The next three batsmen, though, fell for single-figure scores. Pikky Ya France and Gerhard Erasmus were run-out and Gerrie Snyman fell lbw for a duck to Basant Regmi.Namibia lurched from 105 for 1 to 136 for 6 but Sarel Burger, at No. 7, struck an unbeaten 43 off 60 balls to lead a recovery. He rescued them with the ball too, taking three wickets across the 47th and the 49th overs to create some tension. Nepal were seven down when the final over began, and needed six runs to win. Vesawkar made sure they got it.Among Nepal’s bowlers, 15-year old legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane picked up 2 for 39 from nine overs. Left-arm spinner Shakti Gauchan, who opened the bowling, took 2 for 44 off his 10 overs and Regmi finished with 2 for 45.

Tottenham Hotspur are unlikely to appoint Graham Potter as their new manager, according to journalist Paul Brown, who recently spoke to GiveMeSport.

What's the latest Tottenham manager news?

It is clear that Potter is thought of in high regard by the Tottenham board, with Brown previously telling GiveMeSport they "went for him in quite a big way" while he was manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. The 47-year-old rebuffed Spurs' advances, as he instead wanted to move to a "top tier club", with Football Insider also reporting that he was unwilling to work with chairman Daniel Levy, who has become a controversial figure.

After previously being rejected by the former Brighton boss, Brown does not believe the Lilywhites will make a fresh attempt to appoint him, particularly considering his very poor spell at Chelsea, which is said to have damaged his reputation.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, the journalist said: "I'd be surprised if Daniel Levy went in for him, having been snubbed the way he was before and when you look at how badly it went for him really at Chelsea, his stock has fallen through the floor. It would be a surprise if Potter ended up at Spurs."

Should Tottenham appoint Graham Potter?

It is probably a wise move for Spurs to avoid appointing the Englishman, despite the fact he did a fantastic job at Brighton, leaving the Seagulls in their highest ever position before leaving to join Chelsea. During his time with the Blues, the tactician won just 11 out of the 28 league games he took charge of, recording the worst points-per game tally of any Blues manager in the Premier League era.

That said, it could be argued he was not given the necessary time to embed his chosen play style, with former Wolverhamtpon Wanderers player Karl Henry stating: "It takes time to change the culture, create cohesion and ultimately, implement your footballing philosophy at a new club."

Henry also lauded the former Chelsea boss as a "top-level coach", which indicates he could be a success at Tottenham, if he is given the opportunity to build his squad and bring in the players he wants.

Given his recent sacking, Levy should still avoid Potter for the time being, but it would not be a surprise to see him go on to be a successful Premier League manager, regardless of his recent spell at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool have identified Ryan Gravenberch as a potential midfield option in the summer following their recent blow in the race for Jude Bellingham.

Have Liverpool pulled out of the Bellingham race?

The pursuit for the signature of Bellingham in the summer took a major twist over recent days with Liverpool believed to be one f the three main sides eyeing the midfielder.

Alongside the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, it is believed Liverpool were seriously interested in potentially signing the 19-year-old.

However, reports have now suggested the Reds have pulled out of the race as a result of the finances expected to be involved in the possible sale of the England midfielder.

Now, it appears the Merseyside are weighing up their options for potential alternatives as they look to plan for the new campaign at Anfield.

It has been a largely underwhelming campaign for Liverpool this season and one they will be hoping some reinforcements over the summer could turn around.

One name which has been floated around as a possible alternative for Bellingham is the £155k-per-week Bayern Munich midfielder, Gravnberch.

Indeed, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, insider Graeme Bailey has suggested the 20-year-old is a player who Jurgen Klopp's side are said to be keen on:

(23:50) "A very interesting name to keep an eye on and I suspect he'll be very strongly talked about with Liverpool. They like him, as you say. So I think he'd be very much under consideration for them. Could be a very good pickup for a Premier League team."

Could Gravenberch be a good Bellingham alternative?

It has to be noted potentially missing out on Bellingham will naturally feel like a huge blow given the high praise that the youngster has received over the early stages of his career.

However, the Dutchman, Gravenberch, is a player who landed at Bayern in the summer from Ajax with huge expectations following his time in the Eredivisie.

Under his previous manager, Julian Nagelsmann, the 20-year-old was hailed despite the lack of game time he was receiving from the starting XI: “It’s not easy for Ryan but he’s gonna be one of the best midfielders in the world," he said.

The midfielder has made 17 appearances in the Bundesliga and only one of those have come from the starting XI with a total of 323 minutes of league action (via Transfermarkt).

Gravenberch has been described as "special" by talkSPORT's Mark Goldbridge and last season he certainly showed that having provided more shot-creating actions than Bellingham did last season (via Fbref).

Of course, this has to be caveated by the fact he was playing in a different league to Bellingham last season, however, the Dutchman (67.4%) also provided more successful take-ons than Bellingham (55.1%).

Missing out on the statement signing of Bellingham will hurt for Liverpool fans, but it seems there are other players who could bolster Klopp's options in the middle.

Worcestershire reproduced their excellent T20 form with a thumping seven-wicket over Durham in a rain-affected Royal London Cup contest at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2016
ScorecardBrett D’Oliveira took two wickets and helped finish off the chase•Getty Images

Worcestershire reproduced their excellent T20 form with a thumping seven-wicket over Durham in a rain-affected Royal London Cup contest at Chester-le-Street.The visitors top the North Group table in the Natwest T20 Blast and blew Durham away comprehensively in this 22-over contest. Only two home batsmen reached double figures in a total of 90 all out, the seventh-lowest List A total in Durham’s history.Worcestershire bowled exceptionally after electing to field first on a surface conducive to bowling, with four bowlers each picking up two wickets. Victory was rarely in doubt and despite three early Chris Rushworth wickets, they reached their target with 17 balls remaining.The match length was twice revised after a number of frustrating showers added to overnight rain, before a break in the clouds allowed the umpires to call a prompt start at 3.30pm. Visiting captain Joe Leach, standing in for the injured Daryl Mitchell, had very little hesitation in electing to field first.A catastrophic run out by Phil Mustard in the fourth over, charging to the non-striker’s end while Mark Stoneman stood his ground, set off an all-too familiar Durham batting collapse.From 24 for 0, they slumped to 46 for 5 as they struggled to get to grips with conditions and the seam movement of Worcestershire’s quick bowlers.Graham Clark was excellently caught by wicketkeeper Ben Cox, Scott Borthwick chopped on after being surprised by extra bounce while Stoneman and Keaton Jennings fell to Ed Barnard, the former beaten by a terrific delivery which just clipped the bails.Paul Collingwood staged a lone recovery through the middle overs but soon came under pressure from the scoreboard, with Durham managing only five boundaries in their entire innings.Fellow allrounder Ryan Pringle, fresh from a maiden century at Derbyshire during the week, threatened to offer resistance before he knocked an easy catch back to Brett D’Oliveira And Collingwood eventually holed out in an attempt to up the scoring rate, as Durham limped to 90 inside the final over.Rushworth’s new ball spell of 3 for 19 did offer Durham hope, trapping Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw in the first over before removing the off stump of both Leach and Joe Clarke. But small target allowed the batsmen to settle in as D’Oliveira and Alexei Kervezee’s partnership of 60 saw them home with consummate ease.

Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Headingley18-May-2016Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only men on tour to have played more than 30 Tests, but it is two inexperienced players who have buoyed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test.Both are young players who were picked on potential, despite modest first-class records. A former captain of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team, and a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, 21-year-old Kusal Mendis has been spoken of as a potential No. 3 for the series. He has now strengthened his claim on that role with two half-centuries in three warm-up innings.Mathews support for landslide victims

Angelo Mathews said his team extended “love and support” to the people affected by floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, following sustained torrential rains that have caused the Kelani river to burst its banks, leading to a feared death toll of 150.
“We’re so sad to hear about all the casualties and those who were affected by the landslides and floods. There are hundreds of thousands of people who were affected and we want to show our love and support. We will wear a black armband for all of them. Unfortunately we are here, but our thoughts and prayers will be with them. People have been really affected.”
The black armband will also be a show of support for bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake, whose brother has died of natural causes in the past few days. Ramanayake is expected to remain with the squad for the duration of the tour.

Lower down the order, 24-year-old Dasun Shanaka has made a push for the No. 7 batting position. Having made his name as a limited-overs hitter, Shanaka struck 112 from 132 balls against Leicestershire, to lift the visitors from 192 for 8 to 367 all out. His seam bowling may also be viewed as an asset – to be used when the frontliners have tired.”Dasun Shanaka was a standout for me, and so was Kusal Mendis,” Angelo Mathews said on the eve of the Headingley Test. “They are both still very young. Their first tour to England, and it’s never easy, but they’ve showed a lot of character in the first two practice games.”We’ve got lots of new players, but also 7 or 8 who were there in the 2014 tour. We’ve got a fearless set of players who are willing to take the English on.”Acclimatisation is one of the major pre-Test objectives for Sri Lanka sides touring England. Having had relatively good weather towards the south of England in the warm-up games, the forecast suggests they are in for a colder, wetter week at Headingley. Temperatures are not expected to climb further than the low teens, and rain is predicted to make an appearance during the weekend.”We all know that you can’t get comfortable in England straightaway,” Mathews said. “You’ve got to work your way through, so experience also counts. We’ve got so many guys who are touring England for the first time with the national team.”But no matter how long you spend in the cold you can never get used to it. We’ve had a few good days in Essex and also in Leicester, where the sun was out. Hopefully the nice weather will come back to us. Whether it’s the cold weather or the sunny weather, we do have to take on the challenge. The weather will be our main challenge.”Though no bowler in Sri Lanka’s seam attack has more than 80 wickets to his name, there is significant expectation on the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep to cause trouble for England’s top order, in helpful bowling conditions. Dhammika Prasad has been ruled out of the match with a shoulder complaint, however.”Prasad’s injury is a setback for us,” Mathews said. “He’s our premier fast bowler. He’s performed well against England here at the same venue. He’ll be a big loss. Hopefully he can be ready and fit for the second Test.”Mathews will see some familiar faces across the battlements during this tour. England coach Trevor Bayliss had been Sri Lanka’s coach from 2007 to 2011. England’s current assistant coach Paul Farbrace had been Bayliss’ assistant in Sri Lanka as well, before he took the top job himself for two months at the beginning of 2014.”Those coaches have played a massive part in my career,” Mathews said. “Trevor was the first coach of my international career. He didn’t fiddle with my batting or bowling abilities too much. He just wanted me to go and express myself, play with a lot of freedom. Farby was the same. They are great human beings and great coaches, whom I really enjoy working with. We’ve seen the impact that they’ve had in the past 12 months with England.”

Everton “would be fools” if they were to hand Dominic Calvert-Lewin a new bumper contract, according to talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor.

Calvert-Lewin's injury struggles…

The Toffees striker’s contract at Goodison Park isn’t set to expire until 2025 but he’s failed to have any kind of consistent impact on the team this season, having made just nine starts and two substitute appearances in the Premier League, as per WhoScored.

The England international is hugely injury prone as proven over the course of the past two terms, where he’s missed a total of 30 games due to various issues. Last year, he suffered a fractured toe, and this campaign has been even worse with a knee problem followed by a hamstring injury. Sean Dyche is yet to have been able to properly see what he’s capable of on the pitch, but with him earning £100k-p/w, the boss will be mindful that he may have to reduce his squad size and trim the wage bill should the club get relegated at the end of the season.

Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor was asked whether he thought Everton could be considering offering Calvert-Lewin improved fresh terms, to which he replied:

“There’s not a chance. When it comes to giving him a contract, Everton have got to consider a pay-as-you-play deal. Low wages with a big appearance fee. It’s gotten that bad for him with the constant injuries.

“No club is going to give him a big contract. There was talk of Arsenal signing him a couple of years ago – but there’s no chance of that happening now. The days of him being worth £40 or £50million are long gone. He’s going to have to prove his fitness across a whole season now. Everton would be fools if they gave him a big contract.”

Should Everton keep or sell Calvert-Lewin?

Calvert-Lewin is certainly a lot more receptive to injuries than Everton would like, but having been a fantastic servant since joining back in 2016, they should keep hold of him because he could still be such a key player moving forward.

The Nike-sponsored star has posted 77 goal contributions in 203 outings on Merseyside and is currently averaging 1.97 shots per game, not to mention that he’s the ideal target man standing at 6 foot 2, which is proven in him ranking in the 97th percentile for aerials won by forwards in the top five European leagues.

Calvert-Lewin is also comfortable playing in six different positions, including anywhere across the frontline, and having been dubbed a “monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Toffees should offer him a new deal, even if it is only a short-term one.

Liam Plunkett thrashed a six from the final ball of an incredible game to secure a tie between England and Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the Royal London series at Trent Bridge

The Report by George Dobell at Trent Bridge21-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:21

By the Numbers – Key stats from the cracker at Trent Bridge

Liam Plunkett thrashed a six from the final ball of an incredible game to secure a tie between England and Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the Royal London series at Trent Bridge.When Plunkett, England’s No. 10, came to the crease, his side still required 52 to win from the last 26 balls. And, in the face of some impressive death bowling, it seemed the equation had become overwhelming when the asking rate rose to 30 from the final two overs.But Plunkett and Chris Woakes both scooped boundaries in a penultimate over that realised 16 and, after the pair scampered seven from the first five balls of the last over, it left England requiring six from the final ball to secure the tie.Nuwan Pradeep, until then impressively consistent in his ability to nail his yorkers, dropped a few inches short only to see Plunkett open his shoulders and unleash a fierce drive back over the bowler’s head and into the pavilion.It may be little consolation right now for a Sri Lanka team that appeared to have this game in their grasp on several occasions but perhaps, in time, they will reflect with joy on their part in a wonderful match and a superb advert for the 50-over format. And maybe they will, in time, smile at this reminder of the endearing absurdities of this great game: hours of unstinting effort and copious heroic performances by both sides resulted in the same conclusion as if the rain that has afflicted these parts had never relented.The dramatic finale was set-up by a record-breaking stand between Woakes and Jos Buttler. Coming together with England reeling at 82 for 6, Buttler and Woakes added 138 – the highest seventh-wicket stand conceded by Sri Lanka in ODI cricket and second-highest overall – from 149 balls to give their side realistic hopes of a victory that looked impossible an hour or two earlier.This was not the flamboyant Buttler to which we have begun to become accustomed. Instead of counter-attacking from the start, instead of premeditating or attempting to unleash the full array of his strokes, he came to the crease with his side struggling at 30 for 4 and played himself in while ensuring the run rate remained just about within reach.His first boundary – a drive that flew agonisingly close to Farveez Maharoof at mid-off – did not come until his 17th delivery and his final strike rate of 93.93 was some way under his career rate of 117.23. Instead this was a more mature Buttler who combined his large repertoire of strokes with swift running and astute shot selection.But when Buttler was brilliantly caught on the long-on boundary by Dasun Shanaka – timing his leap perfectly and somehow managing to keep himself from toppling over the rope – for a well-paced 93, England still required 67 from 7.3 overs and it appeared their charge had lost impetus.David Willey, who had swung wildly and made contact rarely, was unable to sustain the momentum and when he went – a wicket only confirmed after numerous reviews by the TV umpire concluded that Maharoof had not over-stepped – it appeared England’s final chance had, too.But Woakes, with a maiden half-century at either List A or ODI level, sustained the charge. While there were only two boundaries in his first 50 runs – and only four in his entire innings – he ran with such speed and made contact so often that England just about kept themselves in the hunt. After Woakes was joined by Plunkett, the pair took nine from the 47th over, 10 from the 48th and 16 from the 49th to leave 14 required from the last.For a man who may not have played had Ben Stokes been fit, it was a fine effort. Woakes not only gained the Man-of-the-Match award, but also set a new record for the highest score by a No. 8 or lower in the history of ODI cricket. Unruffled by the demands of the chase or, apparently, the fuss made of him afterwards, he demonstrated the composure and softly-spoken steel that have long been recognised by the England management as the sort of qualities they want in the side. We may look back on this performance – completed, as it was, by two wickets and a mature spell of bowling – as Woakes’ coming-of-age moment.Until Woakes and Buttler intervened, it seemed that Angelo Mathews’ experience would prove the difference between the sides. Mathews followed his calm innings of 73 with the wickets of Jason Roy and Joe Root in the opening six overs of the England innings.While conventional wisdom has it that aggressive batting and fast bowling hold the key to success in modern limited-overs cricket, here it was Mathews’ almost risk-free accumulation and wicket-to-wicket medium-pace that proved valuable.Coming to the crease with his side three down within the first nine overs of the match, Mathews reasoned that his side would be better served by a period of consolidation instead of attack. Dinesh Chandimal and Mathews added 64 for Sri Lanka’s fourth wicket but, with Adil Rashid’s nicely controlled spell costing just 36 runs, it took them 16.5 overs. When Chandimal fell top-edging a sweep, it seemed Sri Lanka may struggle to set a competitive score.Sri Lanka were, therefore, grateful for the impetus provided by Seekkuge Prasanna. He contributed 59 of a 68-run fifth-wicket stand with Mathews, thrashing a 24-ball half-century containing 48 runs in boundaries in the process. At one stage he thumped 44 from 12 deliveries, including four sixes in five deliveries from Moeen Ali and Plunkett, as Sri Lanka plundered 49 in three overs. Eoin Morgan, having chosen to go into the game with the extra batsman in Jonny Bairstow, must have wished he had an extra bowler to call upon.Their final total still looked a little under par on a good batting surface – remarkably good bearing in mind the awful weather that had afflicted the region over the last 10 days – and with a short boundary on one side but, with England four down within the first nine overs of their reply, it seemed it would be more than enough.But with Mathews forced to leave the pitch in the early stages of England’s reply with a recurrence of a hamstring strain, Sri Lanka were forced to make up not only his overs but, perhaps, some of the calm his experience might have provided to his team-mates. Their fielding wilted under pressure and, as England grew in belief, so Sri Lanka started to look rattled.In the end Plunkett provided the memorable finish this fine match deserved. This England side – with its apparently fragile top order and somewhat thin bowling attack – is flawed, certainly. But they don’t know when they are beaten and they seem to be playing with more belief and conviction by the month. The next few years promise a great deal more entertainment.

In a move to grow interest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI is set to act on a proposal to convert India’s domestic T20 championship to an inter-zonal competition

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016In a move to grow interest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI is set to act on a proposal to convert India’s domestic T20 championship to an inter-zonal competition.The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is currently an inter-state tournament wherein the top two teams from four groups progress to to the second round, where sides are divided into two groups. The winners of their respective groups make the final.The revised structure would have the state teams divided zonally, and the best performers from a zone make up the zonal team to contest against other such sides. In addition to the five main zones – North, South, East, West and Central – a sixth team, comprising the best young players from all zones, will be selected to participate.BCCI president Anurag Thakur confirmed the development. “We discussed the issue at length during our fixtures committee Meeting. The endeavour is to make domestic cricket more engaging and viable,” Thakur told PTI. “With 1882 playing days, the BCCI has shown how serious we are about our domestic structure.”We have decided to have Ranji Trophy at neutral venue, Duleep Trophy with pink ball and now we are trying to make Mushtaq Ali more competitive by bringing in a zonal structure. The aim is to improve the quality of domestic cricket. We are trying to finalise details and senior officials will be putting a process in place.”The BCCI tours and fixtures committee had also previously recommended playing day-night games with the pink ball in the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class tournament, and playing at neutral venues in the Ranji Trophy, the country’s premier first-class competition.