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Manchester United and astute transfer dealings are two things that don't appear to belong in the same sentence, with the Red Devils having erratically splashed the cash over the last decade or so.

With Erik ten Hag currently in charge of the most expensively assembled squad in Europe – totalling almost £1bn – the Old Trafford outfit look little closer to closing the gap on treble-winning rivals, Manchester City, with it now ten years since the club last tasted Premier League title glory.

What has perhaps been even more frustrating than the scattergun nature of United's transfer business is the fact that there also a number of figures who the club's hierarchy passed up the chance to sign, only to be forced to watch them blossom elsewhere.

The most blatant example of that fact was the failure to land Erling Haaland for a fee of just £4m during his time at Molde, with the Norwegian powerhouse now spearheading Pep Guardiola's City side to devastating effect, after hitting 52 goals in his debut season last time out.

Those woes were also laid bare with regard to fellow striker, Benjamin Sesko, with United having reportedly deemed the Slovenian's £2.5m fee as 'excessive' back in 2019, albeit with the 20-year-old having only recently sealed a £55m move to RB Leipzig.

Those two cases will likely have supporters tearing their hair out, although perhaps the most infuriating example of a player who got away is World Cup-winning superstar, Kylian Mbappe, with the Red Devils having failed to strike while the iron was out in the recent past.

Did Man United want to sign Kylian Mbappe?

While some reports may at times need to be taken with a pinch of salt, in the case of the dazzling Frenchman it would appear that there was genuine interest from those at the Theatre of Dreams, amid his promising career beginning at AS Monaco.

According to club legend Ryan Giggs, the Welshman had seemingly recommended that United make a move for the the-teenager – as well as current Arsenal man Gabriel Jesus – with the pair likely to have cost just £5m apiece at the time.

As per the Times, the 13-time title winner revealed: "I watched Mbappe play. I was watching him and Gabriel Jesus with the chief scout and it was a no-brainer. It was just like, Get them. It would have cost £5million or something – get them, loan them back and that's where the recruitment could have been better.

"I know what a Manchester United player looks like."

At a time when United notably splashed out an initial £36m on Anthony Martial from the Ligue 1 outfit back in 2016, to have fluffed the potential opportunity to sign the striker's compatriot is a blunder that the Premier League giants will likely never be able to recover from.

Why didn't Man United sign Mbappe?

United's failure to get snap up the promising forward for such a lowly fee was made even more apparent in the summer of 2017, with The Guardian reporting at the time that Jose Mourinho and co had launched a £72m bid in an attempt to prise the then-18-year-old from Stade Louis II.

That ultimately unsuccessful offer had coming following a breakthrough 2016/17 campaign which saw the Paris native score 15 times and register 11 assists in just 29 Ligue 1 outings as Monaco claimed the title.

It was on the European stage that a young Mbappe truly announced himself, however, after scoring six goals in just nine appearances in that season's Champions League, memorably running Man City ragged with a goal both home and away against Guardiola's men in the last-16 stage.

That lightning start to his senior career had ensured that Monaco were able to easily fend off the £72m approach from those in Manchester, with the selling club having been holding out for more than £100m at the time.

As it proved, the fleet-footed speedster did eventually depart in that same window on an initial loan move, joining rivals Paris Saint-Germain on a deal that included an option to make the switch permanent for an eyewatering £165m fee – blowing any rival interest out of the water.

What is Mbappe worth now?

What has followed since that move to the Parc des Princes has been glittering success for the 24-year-old, with the seemingly "unstoppable" talent – as described by compatriot Rio Mavuba – now boasting a haul of 219 goals and 98 assists in just 264 games for his current side.

Arguably the "best player in the world" when in full flow, according to Mavuba, the 5 foot 10 whiz has been a dominant force both domestically and on the international front, despite still longing for that elusive Champions League crown.

2015/16

1

5

2016/17

15

5

2017/18

13

7

2018/19

33

10

2019/20

18

17

2020/21

27

11

2021/22

28

4

2022/23

29

17

2023/24*

7

1

Total

171

77

Now the captain of his country despite his relative youth, the one-time Bondy youth asset already has 40 goals in just 71 appearances for Les Bleus to date, having previously been integral to his nation reaching the final of the last two World Cups.

In 2018 in Russia, the explosive wideman became the youngest player to net in the tournament's showpiece since Brazilian great, Pele back in 1958, memorably scoring in the 4-2 thrashing of Croatia.

The PSG talisman then hit even bigger heights in Qatar last year after scoring eight times in the competition in total, including a breathtaking hat-trick in the final against Lionel Messi's Argentina side to help take the game to extra-time.

While it was ultimately the South American outfit who emerged victorious during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Mbappe yet again illustrated why he is a possible successor to the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at football's top table.

Such a talent is thus worthy of a sizeable valuation, with the player having only recently been the subject of a £259m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal – a stunning increase of 5080% in relation the reported £5m fee that United could have signed him for years prior.

While Ten Hag's side may still have lingering hopes of snapping up the £1.1m-per-week asset next summer when his current contract reaches its expiry, a move to Real Madrid looks to be the most obvious scenario, ensuring that Mbappe is likely to remain 'one that got away' for the Red Devils.

Football pundit and legend Rio Ferdinand has come to the defence of Arsenal summer signing Kai Havertz, drawing comparisons with Mason Mount.

What's the latest on Arsenal and Kai Havertz?

The Gunners spent big in the transfer window to bring the German over from Chelsea, paying a notable fee of £65m to get the deal done.

However, the player has faced criticism very early on at his new club, with this even dating back to pre-season when he struggled in a skills challenge while on Arsenal's tour of the US.

Unfortunately for the German, he has been unable to silence his critics with either a goal or an assist in any of his first three Premier League outings for the club and struggled to impress most recently in the 2-2 draw with Fulham.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

In that game, at one point, the Emirates crowd even seemed to turn on Havertz – as pointed out by journalist James Benge.

Indeed, he took to Twitter to report on the incident, saying: "That cry of frustration when Havertz misplaced a simple pass felt very redolent of the time when this ground had very little patience for certain players."

However, in response to this, former Manchester United defender Ferdinand has somewhat surprisingly defended the German, slamming supporters for not showing more patience.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel (via football.london), the pundit said: “You guys [Arsenal fans] are all over the place. With Havertz, I understand that he might not have hit the ground running, bit like Mason Mount at Man United

"But the way that you guys are absolutely like: ‘get him out’, I don’t get it. If it was 10, 15 games, do you know what, I could see what they’re saying.

"But it’s three games you know. People need time to adjust.”

It's interesting that Ferdinand uses the case of Mount in his defence, as the midfielder also left Chelsea in the summer – although joined Man United instead.

The new Red Devils hasn't exactly settled in fast at Old Trafford either, and notably came into heavy criticism for his "insubstantive" efforts in the defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur.

With all this in mind, it will certainly be interesting to see how things play out when Arsenal host Man United this weekend at the Emirates Stadium.

What happened with Kai Havertz?

To be fair, Havertz probably will take more time to adjust to Arsenal as he's been asked to operate in a new role this season.

Last term at Chelsea, he played the bulk of his games (29 times) as a striker for the Blues. This time around, however, he has started all three games with the Gunners as part of a midfield trio.

What's more, criticism seems quite overblown. After all, as per WhoScored, he's still managed a reasonable if not brilliant 6.57 average rating – with the likes of Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale registering worse scores.

Of course, his lack of goals and assists doesn't look great but, as mentioned before, he's playing in a deeper role so it's unfair to judge him solely on just that.

Instead, looking at over stats, as per WhoScored again, you can see he has won more aerial duels (2.7 per game) than any other Arsenal player, and only Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have made more key passes than his 1.7 per game.

Liverpool have now been given a new update on their pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, with a report suggesting a deal could be there to be done late in the window…

Which midfielders are Liverpool signing?

Although he was not convinced by Ryan Gravenberch to begin with, Jurgen Klopp is now targeting the Bayern Munich midfielder as a priority, with 90min reporting the player himself would be interested in a move to the Premier League this summer.

Another target for the Reds is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips, with talkSPORT reporting he had been planning to fight for his place at the Etihad Stadium next season, but his resolve to stay could be tested if Klopp's side come forward with an offer.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Rudy Galetti has recently confirmed that OGC Nice's Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach's Manu Kone also remain on the Merseyside club's list of targets, although other top European clubs are interested.

As such, despite missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Klopp still has a plethora of options to choose from this summer, with productive talks also being held over a deal for Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, as per The Daily Mail.

Not only that, but Amrabat is also still a target for Liverpool, with reports from last week detailing the deal was progressing towards completion, and there has now been a new update on the midfielder's future.

According to the print version of Corriere Fiorentino on Monday (via Paisley Gates), the Moroccan has made it clear he wishes to move on and play for a new club this summer, with Fiorentina more than happy to let him leave.

The Serie A club are ready to sell the 27-year-old, having left him out of the first team on the opening day of the season, and it is now down to Liverpool to agree a suitable fee, with a deal potentially set to be left until late in the window.

Fiorentina have been holding out for €30m (£25.6m) for quite some time, which Liverpool are yet to get close to, but they may have to move swiftly if they are keen on signing the central midfielder, as they are set to face competition from rivals Manchester United.

Is Sofyan Amrabat a defensive midfielder?

Indeed, the Morocco star has predominantly featured in a defensive midfield role throughout his career so far, as a result of his stellar attributes, having been ranked fifth for interceptions at the 2022 World Cup, as of December 7th.

However, the maestro is also comfortable in possession, placing in the 94th percentile for his pass-completion rate per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, despite attempting a comparatively high number of passes.

At the World Cup, Amrabat wowed Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri, who described him as a "raging bull", but questions have to be raised over whether he is the best option available to Liverpool.

At 21 years of age, Gravenberch would be a more long-term option for Klopp in midfield, and with the manager now changing his mind about the Dutchman, he should remain the Reds' main priority as we approach the end of the transfer window.

Debate sounded about the Dead Ball law after an unusual gaffe from the Melbourne Renegades wicketkeeper Emma Inglis nearly cost her team their Women’s Big Bash League encounter against the Sydney Sixers in Victoria on Wednesday.In a dramatic finish, with the Sixers requiring three runs off the final ball, Inglis’ premature celebrations inadvertently allowed a second run as Sixers tied the Renegades’ score of 120. Renegades, however, prevailed in the one-over eliminator to spare their blushes.With two to defend, Renegades offspinner Amy Satterthwaite pitched up to Sarah Aley, the Sixers No. 9, whose drive trickled down behind square off the inside edge.With the throw from fine leg coming in accurately to Inglis, the two batsmen had just enough time for a single. However, Inglis, in her excitement, did not stand over the stumps and check an acceptance that the ball was dead.Instead, she threw the ball in the air after collecting it cleanly, and allowed it to drop to the ground, leaving the ball still in play. Amid celebrations from the Renegades players, Aley showed sharp presence of mind to spot the opportunity quickly and took off for the second.Satterthwaite seemed to be the only Renegades player to have understood the danger and began to frantically sprint towards the stumps. By the time Inglis had realised her blunder and turned around, Satterthwaite had swooped down on the ball. She dived towards the stumps with the ball in her outstretched right hand, but Aley had put in a timely dive of her own and Sixers secured the tie.Once discussions with the umpires had subsided, players and fans alike studied the Dead Ball law, Law 20, with a debate breaking out on social media. Some claimed that the Law was somewhat contradictory and created a grey area as to when the ball was actually dead.Law 20.2 clearly puts the onus upon the umpires to determine when the ball has come to rest, stating: “Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.”Another relevant rule, Law 20.1.1.1, states that the ball becomes dead when “it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.” However, the Law goes on: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”*The MCC, the custodian of the Laws, backed the decision of the umpires. It said that since the bowler Satterthwaite reacted immediately after Inglis threw the ball, “clearly there is a member of the fielding side who believes it is still live.”In fact, Aley doesn’t set off for her second run until Satterthwaite is half-way down the pitch – at which point the ball cannot be dead under 20.1.2.”After the dramatic tie, the one-over eliminator also went to a last-ball finish. The Sixers lost two wickets as Renegades medium-pacer Hayley Jensen conceded just one four and restricted them to 8. Though the Renegades began with a first-ball four, Sixers stretched the game to the last ball, before Jess Cameron knocked off the requisite one run to seal the win.The Renegades collected two points to move past the Adelaide Strikers into fourth position, while the Sixers remained in second despite their defeat.* January 3, 2.30pm GMT The story has been updated with the MCC’s reaction

New Zealand A lost six wickets for nine runs to be bowled out for 143 and despite a top-order stutter, India A had little trouble chasing down the target

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2017
ScorecardKarn Sharma continued his rich form against New Zealand A•BCCILegspinner Karn Sharma extended his dominance over New Zealand A into the List A format with a five-for that helped India A take a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day series. Karn, who had taken 16 wickets in the two four-dayers against New Zealand A, took 5 for 22 to limit the opposition to 143 in the third match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Despite a top-order slump, India A completed the chase with six wickets and more than 25 overs to spare.New Zealand A had a promising start after opting to bat first, with George Worker and Colin Munro adding 39 by the eighth over. Both, however, were out within a short span and two more wickets left New Zealand A at 97 for 4. Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme attempted something of a repair job with a partnership of 37 for the fifth wicket but it took only eight overs for the rest of New Zealand A’s innings to unravel. Nicholls was dismissed for 35 in the 31st over and his wicket began a slide that saw New Zealand A lose six wickets for merely nine runs. Karn was central to this slide, taking four of the six wickets in consecutive overs, including those of Nicholls and de Grandhomme. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and allrounder Deepak Hooda took three wickets between them to wipe out the rest of the line-up.India A’s top three were all dismissed for single digits but Shreyas Iyer, Vijay Shankar (47 not out) and Hooda (35 not out) ensured they reached the target comfortably. Iyer, who had struck 90 in the tied match on Tuesday, made 37 off 36 before Hooda and Shankar completed the chase with a 57-run partnership.

K Gowtham and Manan Sharma chipped in with runs and wickets, while Hyderabad were denied by bad weather again

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2017Karnataka started the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season with an emphatic bonus-point victory over Assam in Mysore. Vinay Kumar, the captain, picked up three of the four wickets they needed on the final day as Assam, following-on, hurtled to an innings-and-121-run defeat.Resuming on 169 for 6, Assam lasted little less than an hour, with only Gokul Sharma, the captain, offering any sort of resistance in making 66. Vinay finished with figures of 4 for 31, while his new-ball partner Abhimanyu Mithun and offspinner K Gowtham picked three wickets apiece. Gowtham finished the game with seven wickets and a maiden first-class century. Assam now have two outright defeats in as many matches.A bonus-point win over Railways helped Delhi temporarily top the group standings. Denied an outright win by bad light in their season opener, Delhi now have 10 points after two rounds. On Tuesday, they needed less than a session to wrap up the innings-and-105-run victory at Karnail Singh Stadium.Manan Sharma, the allrounder, capped off a memorable game by picking up three second-innings wickets. He ended with seven in the match along with a maiden first-class century that helped Delhi build an imposing lead. Nitin Bhille, unbeaten on 54 overnight, top-scored with 73 for Railways, who now have one win and a loss in two matches.Hyderabad endured a second successive abandonment, courtesy rain and a slushy outfield at the Gymkhana grounds. That means they’re yet to take the field this season and have just two points in as many matches. The result didn’t help Uttar Pradesh either. Desperately needing game time to get back on track after a shock loss to Railways, they had to settle for a solitary point.

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, however, have been rotated out while the core of the batting line-up remained the same

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-20173:43

Kalra: Ashwin, Jadeja will have to fight their way back

Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami have returned to India’s ODI squad. They last played limited-overs cricket in July but were part of the 16 men picked for the first three matches against Australia. The series begins on September 17 and runs through to October 13.India have also chosen to be without R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for a second series in a row. However, the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad clarified that both players have only been rotated out of the squad.This meant another opportunity for Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel to lead the team’s spin attack. They had been impressive during the 5-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka last week, collecting 14 wickets at a combined economy rate of 4.18.India’s squad for the first three ODIs against Australia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The team for the three ODIs against Australia has been selected in line with the rotation policy of the board and accordingly R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested,” Prasad said. “The team’s performance during the Sri Lanka tour was outstanding and players like Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, who performed very well are being given an extended run and this will in turn supplement our approach, to build a strong reserve strength, as we prepare for forthcoming tours.”It would appear likely that Ashwin, currently playing for Worcestershire, might stay for the entire county season. He spoke to ESPNcricinfo about wanting to get used to to English conditions ahead of India’s five-Test tour in 2018 and took a five-for on debut two weeks ago. Jadeja has not played top-flight cricket since the Tests against Sri Lanka ended in the first week of August, and he has not been part of India’s limited-overs squads since July.India v Australia

Sept 12 – warm-up game, Chennai

Sept 17 1st ODI, Chennai

Sept 21 – 2nd ODI, Kolkata

Sept 24 – 3rd ODI, Indore

Sept 28 – 4th ODI, Bengaluru

Oct 1 – 5th ODI, Nagpur

Oct 7 – 1st T20I, Ranchi

Oct 10 – 2nd T20I, Guwahati

Oct 13 – 3rd T20I, Hyderabad

Hardik Pandya retained the allrounder’s spot. He was not in the XI for the final two matches of the Sri Lanka tour but will lend fast-bowling support to Umesh, Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, who is fresh from a climb to No. 4 on the ICC ODI bowlers rankings.With four seamers available, Shardul Thakur, who made his international debut a little over a week ago, has been left out.India’s batting wore a familiar look with each of the seven specialists – Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav – from the Sri Lanka series keeping their place.

England’s new No. 3 has not looked out of his depth early in his Test career and is determined to maintain a relaxed approach to the pressure

Alan Gardner23-Aug-20172:21

‘I just desperately want to score runs for England’ – Westley

Almost three years ago, Tom Westley was standing round the back of the pavilion at Chelmsford, wiping the sweat from his brow after Essex had completed their final match of the season and talking softly, almost hesitantly, about his “ultimate goal” of playing for England. Westley had been selected – for the first time at the age of 25 – for the England Performance Programme, on the back of his impressive white-ball form that summer.That winter, he went to Sri Lanka, playing a few games for the Bloomfield club in Colombo while also working on his spin bowling; the following summer saw his best first-class return, 926 runs at 44.09, followed by an even more prolific season in 2016, when he averaged more than 50 and broke the 1000-run barrier for the first time. Now, at 28, he is England’s incumbent at No. 3 in the Test side.All of which is to say that Westley has worked long and hard to get to where he wants to be – he made his first-class debut for Essex more than a decade ago – and is intent on enjoying the experience. Called up for the Oval Test against South Africa, after Gary Ballance suffered a broken finger, he became only the second England debutant to score a fifty batting at No. 3 this century and, despite failing to match that contribution since, has so far featured in three consecutive Test victories.Westley is already getting used to the extra attention that comes with being an England cricketer – at least from the media, if not the general public, as a trip into Birmingham last week with Alastair Cook brought home. When an England fan stopped and asked for a selfie with Cook, Westley was not required. “The guy was like ‘no, no, it’s just his mate’. So I was just stood there.”Opposition analysts, you can be certain, will not make the same oversight, focusing on his strong leg-side game and a habit of occasionally letting his bottom hand take over, closing the bat face when he drives down the ground. Having spent many years forging a technique he trusts to bring him runs, Westley is not about to start making changes now and his conversations with those who know his batting best – including the gnomic Gnome of Essex cricket, and former England captain, Keith Fletcher – have centred on sticking to what works.”I score consistently through the leg side so that’s not something I’m too concerned about,” Westley says. “That’s the way I play. But I just thinking making that step up, and Cooky and Rooty showed it in the last game, that’s when you get in you have to make it count. I’ve got a start in a few of my innings and that’s the difference between county cricket, where you can get to 30 or 60 and hope a score comes along, but in Test cricket the scrutiny is on you because you have to go on there and then.”It’s my role to score hundreds. That’s what I’m there to do at three and make match-winning contributions but I’m confident in my ability and my game plan. It’s worked for me for a number of years at Essex and hopefully I can implement it at Test level.”I spoke to Fletch yesterday. I speak to him a lot. It’s the same advice. Keep it simple. Try to implement what you’ve done at Essex. I spoke to him briefly yesterday about a few things I try to tick off. I’ve done it from a young age. For instance a big thing for me is my balance so I was disappointed to be lbw in the last game because the leg side is a massive strength of mine and it was disappointing to get out that way. I may get out lb several times a year but generally I score a large volume of runs through the leg side. Everybody has their check list before a Test and a big thing for me is my balance. Then everything takes care of itself.”Westley’s dismissal at Edgbaston, trapped in front for 8 by Miguel Cummins, saw his opportunity extinguished before the pink ball had lost its first blush – and such was the scale of their dominance, England did not need to bat again. While he could have been forgiven for stewing in the dressing room while Cook and Joe Root each proceeded serenely to three figures during a stand of 248, Westley has been around long enough not to let such frustrations bite too deeply.”Some would say I missed the boat, but I just looked at it as them laying a platform for England to win which is the most important thing,” he says. “Maybe when you’re a bit younger, 19 or 20, you look sideways at what other people are doing and you wish you are scoring those runs, but I’m a bit older than that, although I don’t look it, and I just enjoy other people’s success.Tom Westley focuses during training•Getty Images

“I’ve seen it first hand with other people at Essex and with Cooky, there is not point competing with him, he is the leading run-scorer for England of all time, so it was more important that they laid a platform for England to win and that is what happened. If I play this next game and get a good start and kick on then my time will come as it will for other players in the changing room. That is my philosophy.”England will hope that he does kick on at some point over the next two Tests, with an Ashes series looming and questions hovering over the make-up of the top three. Having shown an impressive temperament in coming through his first test, against South Africa, Westley knows that a big innings is required to prove his belongs – never mind the quality of the opposition.”As far as I’m concerned runs are runs regardless of who they’re against. I know that the West Indies didn’t cover themselves in glory in the last Test but they are a very talented side. They’ve got some good bowlers, I know Shannon Gabriel didn’t play the last game, but they’ve got Kemar Roach and bowlers who have performed consistently in Test cricket.”For me, I just want to score runs for whoever I play for and for England against whoever. I think there is nothing else I can do. These are the Tests that are here in England at the moment so if I can score runs in them then it is only going to help.”So level-headed and thoughtful is Westley, that it is a surprise to hear that he recently made his mum cry. But then it is also a bit of surprise to hear university-educated Westley talk about his builder dad: “very vocal, covered in tattoos, very different to me.”. Should Tom ensure himself a place in England’s party for Australia, it will be a source of great pride for the whole family (he also has two sisters).”I spoke to my mum on the phone last night about hopefully getting selected for the third Test of this series at Lord’s and she just started crying, she couldn’t speak back to me. Growing up that’s what she envisaged for me as her son: playing at Lord’s. I can’t even bring up the Ashes to her. I was actually shocked on the phone because she couldn’t speak back to me, and I was like ‘signal gone?'”It was surprising to hear her well up. We were talking about tickets for Lord’s if I was selected and she couldn’t get a word in. I think getting selected on the Ashes would be times that by 10.”Before Australia, before Lord’s, even, comes the Headingley Test and the next stage on Westley’s journey. If he does well, he won’t be doing his interviews round the back of the pavilion; if he doesn’t, it seems fair to assume he will mop his brow and get his head down once again.”I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself because there is pressure as you’d expect playing for England,” he says. “I play cricket because I love playing cricket and the team, management and changing room has been unbelievable these last three games. I know there is a pressure to score runs but fundamentally I want to enjoy playing cricket for England, which I have, and hopefully in time the runs will follow.”Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For Out of the Ordinary thinking visit investec.com/cricket

Everton have been strongly linked with a move for Wilfried Gnonto this summer and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in Wilfried Gnonto?

According to Italian news outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Everton have made a concrete move for the Leeds United winger.

As per the report, the Toffees are the first to make a serious move for the player alongside Freiburg and the club have already made contact with the recently-relegated West Yorkshire outfit to confirm their interest in Gnonto.

It is claimed that Leeds will demand up to €20m (£17m) to part ways with their young forward this summer as they are attempting to keep together as much of their Premier League squad as possible.

Will Everton sign Wilfried Gnonto this summer?

Improving the quality of the attacking threat at Goodison Park will be the top priority for Sean Dyche this summer as he aims to stabilise Everton's situation in the Premier League after the club suffered two consecutive relegation scraps.

Whilst the midfield and defensive personnel have been refreshed with quality as the likes of James Tarkowski, Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana have become key players for the Merseysiders, the presence in the final third has been significantly weakened over the last 12 months.

Anthony Gordon followed Richarlison out of the door in January, leaving the wide attacking options limited to Dwight McNeil and Demarai Gray for the remainder of the campaign and whilst the Toffees were saved with two points to spare at the end of the 38-game campaign it came a little too close for comfort.

Now Dyche could significantly improve the forward line with opportunities presented to him in the summer transfer window and by signing Gnonto could provide McNeil with a partner on the opposite flank who can work alongside him to offer more creativity and goal-scoring opportunities next season.

Only McNeil offered more goal contributions (10) than the Italian sensation (8) in all competitions last season, which is a testament to just how poor the threat was in front of goal last season for the Toffees and how valuable the signing of Gnonto could be for Dyche.

As per FBref, the teenage sensation – hailed "special" by Michael Skubala – already ranks in the top 20% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for blocks, tackles and progressive carries, proving that not only does he have an eye for goal but is also a consistent ball-winner who can comfortably progress into dangerous positions. The thought of two lively wingers, therefore, is a mouthwatering one for those at Goodison.

With that being said, the signing of Gnonto would be a major coup for Everton as his Premier League experience and potential to develop into a really valuable threat in front of goal could set up the future of their forward line for many years to come.

After Mohammad Irfan was provisionally suspended three days ago, Shahzaib Hasan got the same treatment from the PCB for allegedly breaching three anti-corruption clauses

Umar Farooq17-Mar-2017

Shahzaib Hasan made 19 and 0 in his only two PSL innings this year•PCB

Batsman Shahzaib Hasan has become the fifth Pakistan player to be provisionally suspended by the PCB as part of its investigation into alleged corruption in the Pakistan Super League.Shahzaib was suspended with immediate effect from all forms of cricket for allegedly failing to report a suspect approach in time and in full detail, and also for allegedly inducing players in corruption indirectly.He was charged with breaching three major clauses of the PCB’s anti-corruption code – 2.1.4, 2.4.4 and 2.4.5 – and was given 14 days to respond, the board confirmed.Anti-corruption code clauses allegedly breached by Shahzaib

2.1.4 – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.

2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.

2.4.5 – Failing or refusing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident, fact, or matter that comes to the attention of a Participant that may evidence Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code by another Participant, including (without limitation) approaches or invitations that have been received by another Participant to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of this Anti-Corruption Code.

Shahzaib, along with fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, was summoned by the PCB in relation to the investigation into alleged corruption in the PSL. ESPNcricinfo understands that Shahzaib was questioned over two days about his relations with the already suspended Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif and was asked why he had delayed reporting an approach by three days. Irfan had also been suspended for allegedly failing to report a corrupt approach.It has been more than six years since Shahzaib last played for Pakistan and the highlight of his brief international career was the World T20 victory in 2009. His flamboyance was the defining feature of his batting but inconsistency in domestic cricket limited his career to three ODIs and 10 T20Is between 2009 and 2010. Two weeks before the PSL in UAE this year, Shahzaib scored 171 off 117 in the semi-final of the Regional One Day Cup but did not find that form with Karachi Kings, making 19 and 0 in two innings.The corruption scandal in the PSL broke when batsmen Sharjeel and Latif were charged in February, after which an independent tribunal was set up to conduct an inquiry because the players contested some of the charges. Former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed was also suspended by the PCB and later arrested in the UK as part of the same investigation. He was then released on bail.