Thakur, Shirke to guide BCCI, member units on Lodha recommendations

The BCCI has authorised its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to look into the legal ramifications of the Supreme Court verdict, that approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, and guide the board and its member units

Arun Venugopal05-Aug-2016The BCCI has authorised its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to look into the legal ramifications of the Supreme Court verdict that approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations and guide the board and its member units. While there was no official statement from the BCCI, sources that attended the meeting confirmed that Thakur and Shirke will, in conjunction with the newly formed legal panel, engage with the Lodha Committee, and they will represent the concerns of the state associations as well.”This (Lodha Committee verdict) was the single-point agenda, and it was one [short, focused meeting] that lasted about half an hour to 45 minutes,” a state association official from the east zone told ESPNcricinfo. “The BCCI has the legal cell. We as a state association don’t know the legal aspects but somebody has to take care of such things. So, the SGM was called to authorise the secretary and the president to look into it. Concerns of individual state associations were not discussed; it was [a discussion] on the whole as reforms are meant for everybody.”Another official from a southern state said state associations had been instructed to direct their legal queries to the board’s lawyers who will advise them on the future course of action. According to him, however, the board’s first task would be to seek clarifications regarding its own functioning.”On August 9, the president and secretary are supposed to meet the Lodha Committee,” the official said. “The first priority is clarifications regarding the BCCI, only then will state associations come into the picture. Clarifications on all matters – when should the constitution be amended and how, the recommendations, and we also have the AGM coming up in September – will be sought.”While there has been speculation that the BCCI is inclined to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court’s verdict, the official said it was a decision the president and secretary would make based on the legal advice they get. “There will be greater clarity once they meet the Lodha Committee on the ninth,” he said.The official also said there was no instruction from the board regarding elections of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Cricket Association of Bengal. The Lodha Committee had directed the CAB and KSCA to put their polls – scheduled for July 31 and August 7 respectively – on hold. “The BCCI will give its opinion on it. There will be more clarity after they discuss with the Lodha Committee. We are not going to raise anything as far as state associations are concerned, let the BCCI do. The states will fall in place thereafter.”

Zone-based Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on cards

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.

White, Boland resist for Victoria in face of heavy defeat

ScorecardFile photo – Cameron White’s century saved Victoria from an embarrassing collapse•Getty Images

Cameron White’s unbeaten century and Scott Boland’s unbeaten half-century helped stall a Victoria collapse after they had conceded a 401-run lead to Tasmania earlier in the day. But defeat was still imminent for Victoria, as they ended play still trailing by 162 with just three wickets in hand.Right-arm pacer Evan Gulbis starred with the ball for Tasmania, picking up four of the seven wickets that fell. Victoria stumbled to 5 for 92 after openers Aaron Ayre and Travis Dean put on a 51-run partnership. Gulbis then removed Daniel Christian and Chris Tremain quickly as Victoria slid further to 7 for 115. White then combined with Boland to add 124 for Victoria’s eighth wicket; resisting stoutly, the pair was yet to be separated by the end of play. White chose the route of counterattack: his unbeaten 100 off 118 balls included 15 fours and a six.After starting the day at 5 for 506, Sam Rainbird’s 22-ball 24 helped Tasmania quickly reach 8 for 556 declared, a mountainous first-innings lead of 401.

Everton had a howler selling striker for £1.5m

There is no hiding away from the fact that Everton are in real danger of dropping out of the Premier League and their woes in front of goal have played a signifcant role in their struggles this season.

The Toffees are currently 15th in the table and one point above the relegation zone, having played one more game than all the teams below them, and their top scorer in the division is Demarai Gray with four, while Dwight McNeil (three) is the only other player with more than one goal.

Sean Dyche is in desperate need of a reliable goalscorer and Everton have had their fair share of lethal number nines over the years – from Wayne Rooney to Romelu Lukaku.

One centre-forward who had mixed success at the club was Yakubu as manager David Moyes had a howler with the inconsistent finisher.

What happened to Yakubu?

He scored 15 Premier League goals for the side in 2007/08 after joining from Middlesbrough for £11.25m and looked set for an excellent career at Goodison Park.

After his superb start to life on Merseyside, the towering centre-forward struggled to replicate his performances over the next three top-flight campaigns – failing to score more than five league goals in any of them.

Although, the dynamo did produce five goals and four assists in 25 Premier League appearances in 2009/10, which was a solid return from the attacker.

Yakubu celebrating a goal for Blackburn at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the Premier League.

His struggles in 2010/11 – scoring once in 14 league matches – led to a loan move to Championship side Leicester and the marksman found his feet again with 11 goals and five assists in 20 games.

However, then-boss Moyes did not offer the machine a chance to kickstart his Toffees career and, instead, sold him to rivals Blackburn Rovers for a fee of just £1.5m.

Yakubu, who writer Michael Oti Adjei hailed as "clinical", quickly proved that his loan spell with the Foxes was exactly what he needed to get back to his best in the Premier League by racking up a stunning 17 goals in 30 matches in the top division in 2011/12.

His goals were, however, not enough to prevent Blackburn's relegation and their drop down to the Championship activated a clause in his contract that allowed Chinese club Guangzhou to snap him up.

The hulking attacker went on to score 25 goals in 45 games for his new club and this meant that the forward found the back of the net 43 times in 78 appearances in the three seasons following his exit from Goodison Park.

These impressive statistics show that Moyes certainly had a howler with the sale of Yakubu for a meagre £1.5m.

Chelsea: Raheem Sterling’s goal record vs Aston Villa

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea tenure hasn’t got off to the most seamless start and the pressure is already building after the sheer amount of money that was spent by the club in the summer.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton boss will be keen to secure a second Premier League win of the season and it is Aston Villa who will stand in their way this weekend.

Raheem Sterling has been one of the brightest sparks in blue so far this year and the English icon could well be the difference-maker when Unai Emery and Aston Villa come to town.

At Football FanCast, we have delved into the history books of this fixture and also the record that Sterling has against the Villains.

What is Raheem Sterling’s goal record against Aston Villa?

Raheem Sterling has faced off against Aston Villa 15 times in all competitions across his career in English football.

The Chelsea man has scored twice in the Premier League against them and also found the back of the net in an FA Cup clash with Villa during his time as a Manchester City player.

All three of his goals in this fixture came whilst he was at the Etihad – he never scored against Villa as a Liverpool player and is yet to get off the mark wearing the blue of Chelsea.

What is Raheem Sterling’s assist record against Aston Villa?

Sterling is quite a versatile attacking player in that he brings both goals and assists to the table.

Villa know this all too well with the Englishman assisting five goals when playing against them.

Two of these came in the only two FA Cup meetings with one league assist coming in his Liverpool tenure, and the other two being from the Manchester City days.

How many goal contributions does Raheem Sterling have against Aston Villa?

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling.

Combining the two and Sterling has contributed to eight goals in competitions from his 15 clashes with Aston Villa.

The 28-year-old has three goal contributions in the FA Cup, zero in the EFL Cup and then five from Premier League meetings.

What is Raheem Sterling's head-to-head record against Aston Villa?

Raheem Sterling burst onto the scene with Liverpool, earned a big-money move to Manchester City and now plays in London at Chelsea. These are three of the biggest teams in English football and so he has enjoyed a lot of victories in his esteemed career.

When facing Aston Villa, the England international has a very solid record, winning 10 of the 15 meetings. Meanwhile, two were drawn and the other three went the way of Villa.

As a Liverpool player, Sterling won twice, drew once and actually lost three times whilst the only meeting as a Chelsea man to date saw his side win 2-0 away from home.

What is Raheem Sterling’s home record vs Aston Villa?

Former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.

This weekend’s match will take place at Stamford Bridge and so it is fascinating to track how Sterling and co have performed on home soil against Aston Villa.

During his time at Anfield, Villa came and left with seven points from a possible nine, something which Liverpool won’t be keen to look back on.

Success was the motto at the Etihad though and Villa were unable to accrue a single point from their four trips to Manchester. City won all of these games and did so by a whopping aggregate score of 12-2.

Who has Raheem Sterling scored the most goals against?

He may have a solid record against Aston Villa but they are nowhere near the summit of the list of Sterling’s favourite opponents.

When it comes to goals, the four-time Premier League winner has found the back of the net 11 times against both AFC Bournemouth and Watford. Nine is his tally against Newcastle United and Southampton and then Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Arsenal and Norwich City come next with eight.

Who does Raheem Sterling have the most goal contributions against?

Having scored 11 times against the aforementioned duo, they are of course near the top of the list for goal contributions but they do not lead the way.

His 11 goals and four assists against Bournemouth, from 15 games, is bettered by Sterling’s record against West Ham. Eight goals and eight assists against the Irons has them on top and interestingly enough, with six, they are the team against who Sterling has accumulated the most yellow cards. It is worth noting too that the only red of his career was against the Cherries.

How many goals does Raheem Sterling have in September?

Raheem Sterling Liverpool

Sterling was on fire against Luton Town, scoring a brace, but that came at the end of August and he is yet to score this month as we head into the Aston Villa clash.

That being said, he has hit the ground running in numerous seasons previously and has a very healthy record for the month of September.

The boy from Brent has 17 goals in all competitions in the month of September since he became a professional footballer.

10 of these came in the Premier League including a brace against Crystal Palace in 2017. Meanwhile, he struck four times in the EFL Cup and also found the back of the net against Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League.

What is Raheem Sterling's overall Chelsea goal record?

Sterling is of course a recent arrival at Stamford Bridge and so his record as a Blue won’t be blowing anyone away any time soon.

He has netted 11 times for Chelsea, three in the Champions League and then eight in the Premier League.

What is Raheem Sterling’s overall Chelsea assist record?

Raheem Sterling

With his previous clubs, Sterling has had a fairly balanced rate between his goals and assists but that is yet to be the case in the English capital.

For Chelsea, Sterling has four assists, three of which came in the Premier League whilst the other was against AC Milan in a 3-0 UCL group stage victory.

Class from Kobbie Mainoo! What Man Utd midfielder did to inspire next generation of Old Trafford stars following exceptional display in Luton victory

Kobbie Mainoo's class act to inspire Manchester United youngsters, following his exceptional display in Luton Town victory, won hearts at Carrington.

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Mainoo rising rapidly at Man Utd Starred in United's win over Wolves & Luton Town Met the club's U-8s to inspire them for greater glory GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Amidst the buzz surrounding his breakout season at United and the potential senior England call-up ahead of the Euros, Mainoo remains grounded, showcasing maturity beyond his years. According to thein a heartwarming gesture, the teenage midfielder surprised everyone by visiting an Under-8s training session on Monday after he was done with the recovery session following the victory at Luton.

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Engaging with the young players for an hour, Mainoo shared his experiences of professional football and offered encouragement, leaving an indelible mark on the budding footballers. The pre-academy group also had the privilege of witnessing the first-team training session. As a token of appreciation, the players posed for photos with the youngsters and graciously signed autographs, fostering a sense of camaraderie and unity within the club.

DID YOU KNOW?

Under the stewardship of manager Erik ten Hag, Mainoo has emerged as a regular starter this season, featuring in 15 appearances and making 13 starts. The stellar performances have caught the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate, who is reportedly contemplating including the 18-year-old sensation in the national squad for the upcoming fixtures against Brazil and Belgium.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

As Mainoo continues to flourish in his footballing journey, his humility, dedication, and talent serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for United's next generation of players. He will be next in action against Fulham on Saturday.

Arsenal Ready To Make Ansu Fati Move

Arsenal are ready to make a move for FC Barcelona’s Ansu Fati, with a new report sharing how much a deal could cost.

Are Arsenal signing Ansu Fati?

The Gunners and Mikel Arteta have brought in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya so far this summer at a combined cost of around £200m.

Reports have suggested that the club’s attention is now on player sales as they aim to bring in around £100m – half of which could be on moving on striker Folarin Balogun.

Bringing in funds could then allow Arteta and sporting director Edu to make a late swoop for a new signing, with Fati a player who has been linked with an Emirates Stadium transfer for large parts of the summer.

Earlier in the month, it was claimed that the Gunners made a "very tempting offer" to sign the attacker, however, a move failed to gather pace and the figures of the bid weren’t disclosed.

However, it appears as if Arsenal are still looking to sign the Spaniard before the deadline, with a fresh update emerging.

According to Football Transfers, Arsenal and Arteta “are now ready to step up their interest in the talented winger”. The report claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta and the player’s agent Jorge Mendes are set to meet to discuss Fati’s future.

The player is keen to stay at the Nou Camp, however, the Catalan giants are open to a loan deal if Arsenal are prepared to cover his £200,000-a-week wage. In any permanent deal, Fati could command a fee in the region of £50m.

Ansu Fati in action for Barcelona.

How good is Ansu Fati?

Fati is primarily a left-winger who can also play on the right or as a centre-forward and has progressed through the famous Barcelona academy. Now 20 years of age, Fati has made 111 senior appearances for his current employers, scoring 29 times and registering 10 assists.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

However, he has endured a number of injury issues, missing more than 100 games for club and country in recent years, so there could be some risk in any possible loan or permanent transfer.

Despite this, when fully fit, Fati appears to be a real handful in the final third, with manager Xavi Hernandez labelling the forward as “dangerous” and a “star”.

"We started him on the left today but we know we can play anywhere,” Xavi said.

“We wanted him to cut inside, but if he has two chances, he scores one, he is dangerous in the box. There are some players who are very good but I think he is just a star.”

As per FBref, Fati has ranked in the top 1% for attacking midfielders and wingers over the past 12 months for attacking touches, shots and non-penalty xG, showing his attacking spark.

He also ranks highly for pass completion and progressive passes received, so with Arteta seemingly after another wide attacker to rival the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, Fati could be a player to keep an eye on in the final days of the window.

WATCH: Man City outcast Kalvin Phillips seals West Ham loan transfer after just 89 minutes of Premier League football in 2023-24

Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips has completed his loan transfer to West Ham, with the midfielder desperate to find regular game time.

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Moved to the Etihad in 2022Struggled for game time in Treble triumphJoins Hammers with Euro 2024 in mindWHAT HAPPENED?

The 28-year-old England international moved to the Etihad Stadium from boyhood club Leeds in the summer of 2022, with a £42 million ($53m) deal put in place. He collected Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup medals during his debut campaign in Manchester, as part of a Treble-winning squad, but struggled to convince Pep Guardiola of his worth.

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Phillips started just two Premier League games in 2022-23, and has seen only 89 minutes of top-flight football this season. He has become something of a forgotten man, but now has the chance to play his way back into form under David Moyes at the London Stadium.

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Getty ImagesWHAT PHILLIPS SAID

Phillips, who will wear the No.11 shirt at his new club, has told West Ham’s official website of taking on a new challenge in the English capital: “I’m really pleased to be here. There’s always been a lot of speculation about me moving to West Ham, so I’m really excited to get going now. There’s so much to look forward to in the second half of the season for the Club and I can’t wait to be part of it. There’s an unbelievable group here and if I can come in and add the quality that I know I’m capable of, I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season."

Alisha Lehmann hilariously uses her bum to perform PRIME bottle trick as Aston Villa star shares her favourite flavour

Aston Villa star Alisha Lehmann showed some invention with her bum as she promoted the viral soft drink PRIME on social media.

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Aston Villa star posts inventive promotional videoUses bum to topple bottle down stairsInstagram following laps up wacky vidGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

In the quirky video full of quick edits, Lehmann finds ever more bizarre ways to tumble a bottle of PRIME down a stair well to herself below. To the tune of JID's 'Surround Sound' she drops, throws and nods a bottle down before failing with a hip bump, causing her to resort to toppling the bottle with her behind. The video went down well with her 16 million Instagram followers. Lehmann also revealed that she is partial to PRIME's Cherry Freeze option, as she captioned the post: "Prime everywhere, that's my favourite flavour ❄️💘"

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Getty/TwitchDID YOU KNOW?

Lehmann's vast social media following were let in on a secret as the new year broke with the Swiss star posting a series of family photos that revealed that she had reunited with Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz after splitting up in November 2022.

Eagle-eyed Twitch viewers were also treated to the sight of Lehmann ticking off her partner for losing track of time after a marathon Call of Duty session on Tuesday evening.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ALISHA LEHMANN?

After a month of for the WSL winter break its back to work for the Swiss international when Villa take on Everton in the FA Women's Cup fourth round on Saturday. Lehmann will also hope for minutes in Villa's first WSL game back against Leicester on January 19.

Tottenham: Club Table Bid To Sign "Top" Spurs Star

Tottenham Hotspur have received a revised bid for midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Galatasary, according to reports out of Turkey.

Who will leave Spurs?

New manager Ange Postecoglou has seen three major signings come through the door at Spurs so far, namely goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon.

It is also reliably believed that the Lilywhites wish to add two senior central defenders to their roster, coming after a league campaign which saw them concede a pretty abysmal 63 league goals.

To free up squad space and generate funds, certain players will have to make way, and there are a fair few players to have been nominated for the chopping block.

Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ndombele just some of the players to be linked with an exit (The Telegraph), while Bayern Munich are also still chasing a deal for star striker Harry Kane.

Harry Winks comes as the only confirmed departure to date, with the Englishman joining Leicester City early last month, but there is interest in members of Postecoglou's squad.

Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele

Commenting on Ndombele's future ahead of Spurs' pre-season tour of the Far East, Tottenham's head coach had praised the Frenchman, but admitted he could leave.

"Tanguy has been good," said Postecoglou.

"He's been working hard in training, as they all have because they've got no choice.

"I take things as I see them. He was part of a Serie A-winning side last season, and he's been working well. Within that context, I'm pleased to have him here and part of the group. What that means for the long-term, we'll see. Who knows, maybe he won't want to be part of things."

Ndombele, though, has been subject to interest from Galatasary in Turkey. The Super Lig side had made an offer of around £6.8 million for the 26-year-old to be paid over four years, according to journalist Ertan Süzgün, which was swiftly rejected.

According to the reporter, Galatasary have returned with a "revised" bid for Ndombele, which decreases the years of the payment plan and offers slightly more money – though the amount isn't disclosed.

"EXCLUSIVE – Galatasaray revised their offer to Tottenham for Tanguy Ndombele," wrote Suzgun on Twitter.

"Galatasaray increased the figure of 8 million euros (£6.8m) a little more and decreased the number of years for the payment plan."

What's been said about Tanguy Ndombele?

The former Lyon star played a bit-part role on loan at Napoli last season during the Serie A side's title triumph, but star players like Declan Rice insist he's still a "top player" of real quality.

“The perception of him, it shouldn’t be what it is because I tell you now, he is one of the toughest I have played against," said Rice last summer.

“He is top. Just a street footballer on the pitch. He takes the ball anywhere, little flicks and tricks. Like he doesn’t care. He does everything so confidently.

“With players like that, you just have to let them play. Give them the freedom to go out and do whatever they want. When we played against Lyon in the Europa League, he was incredible. He’s a top player.”

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