Manchester United forward Amad Diallo has been out of action since February with an ankle injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

The Ivorian starlet had been one of the standout performers for Ruben Amorim’s side in the Premier League before the season-ending injury blow, with nine goals and seven assists in all competitions from a wide position.

United will be hoping that he can return from injury to carry that form into the 2025/26 campaign and beyond, as he could be a future star for the club.

Where Amad Diallo ranks in Man Utd's top earners

Despite his impressive form for the Red Devils this season, Amad is not among the top few earners within the squad with his weekly wage of £120k.

As you can see in the table below, the left-footed wizard only just cracks the top ten list, below the likes of Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount, who have either been bit-part players or unavailable for most of the season.

Casemiro

£350k

Bruno Fernandes

£300k

Mason Mount

£250k

Matthijs De Ligt

£195k

Harry Maguire

£190k

Christian Eriksen

£150k

Luke Shaw

£150k

Noussair Mazraoui

£135k

Victor Lindelof

£120k

Amad Diallo

£120k

You can also see that Swedish central defender Victor Lindelof earns as much as Diallo per week, and Manchester United must decide to finally axe him from the squad in the summer transfer window when his contract expires.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

His current deal is due to run out at the end of June and Amorim should cut him from the group, because he has already drained the club of millions in wages throughout his career so far.

How much money Victor Lindelof has earned at Man Utd

Manchester United swooped to sign the centre-back from Benfica for a reported fee of £31m in the summer of 2017, and the defender has earned even more than that transfer fee in wages in the subsequent eight years.

24/25

£120k

£6.24m

23/24

£120k

£6.24m

22/23

£120k

£6.24m

21/22

£120k

£6.24m

20/21

£120k

£6.24m

19/20

£120k

£6.24m

18/19

£75k

£4.65m

17/18

£75k

£4.65m

As you can see in the table above, Lindelof has already earned over £40m in wages during his time at Old Trafford to date, and will have earned a reported £46.64m in wages by the end of his contract this year.

That is a sum of £77.64m in total, including his transfer fee, and the 30-year-old has only played 30 or more league matches in two of his eight seasons in Manchester.

He has only started two of his eight appearances in the Premier League this season and has been an unused substitute 11 times across all competitions, which shows that the experienced defender is a bit-part player at best under Amorim.

Compare that to Amad Diallo’s importance to the team, with his aforementioned goals and assists, on the same weekly wage and that shows why United must finally part ways with the Sweden international this summer.

He's ideal for Amorim: Man Utd could make £67m bid for "incredible" striker

The Red Devils are now willing to make a huge offer for a forward, who fits Amorim’s system “perfectly”.

ByDominic Lund Mar 27, 2025

Amorim should move him on from Old Trafford when his contract expires, as he has not provided good value for the wage the club are paying him, and attempt to bring in a replacement that will be a part of his plans moving forward.

There was no place for Rahmat Shah and Ikram Alikhil, with Afghanistan including Mohammad Ishaq and Wafadar Momand

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2024Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of their T20I captain Rashid Khan as he recovers from back surgery and has thus not been included in the 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who, as per a release by the ACB, had sustained “a sprain in his right phalanx (hand)” before the start of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, is also ruled out. Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem, who has failed to recover from a hamstring injury, is missing too.Afghanistan made four changes to the squad that faced India in a T20I series last month. While Mujeeb and Saleem are out injured, Afghanistan have dropped wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil and top-order batter Rahmat Shah.Related

• Rashid Khan withdraws from PSL as he continues rehab

• Binura comes in for injured Chameera for Afghanistan T20Is

Mohammad Ishaq, the wicketkeeper-batter who was also named in the squad for the one-off Test against Sri Lanka, has received a call-up to the T20I side. In addition, fast bowler Wafadar Momand has been recalled in place of Saleem.Mujeeb played two T20Is against India, and then turned out for Gulf Giants in the ILT20 before flying to Sri Lanka for the ODI series, where he suffered the injury. Saleem, on the other hand, played the third T20I against India and the lone Test against Sri Lanka but was ruled out of the ODI squad due to a hamstring injury.Rashid, meanwhile, has not played competitive cricket since the ODI World Cup in November. He withdrew from the BBL this season, after which he underwent back surgery and was subsequently ruled out of SA20 as well.More recently, Rashid also pulled out of the upcoming PSL as he continues his rehab. Rashid was originally part of the series against India but was ruled out even before the T20Is began, though he did travel with the team throughout.In Rashid’s absence, Ibrahim Zadran will continue leading the T20I side, like he had against both India and UAE. He will have Gurbaz at the top of the order, with the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai and Azmatullah Omarzai to follow. Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the fast-bowling attack, which also has Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad and Momand. Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad, alongside Sharafuddin Ashraf, will form a young spin-bowling unit.Afghanistan have not had a great time in Sri Lanka so far. They lost the only Test by ten wickets, and are currently 0-2 down in the three-match ODI series. The T20I series gets underway on February 17, with the second and third games slotted for February 19 and 21, respectively. All matches will be played in Dambulla.Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand and Qais Ahmad

MatériaMais Notícias

da cassino online： Após a eliminação no Campeonato Paulista, o Corinthians está atento ao mercado em busca de um meia, e o nome da vez é Maurício. A diretoria do Timão fez uma sondagem pelo meia do Internacional, que tem contrato com a equipe gaúcha até o final de 2025.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansEm busca de novas receitas, Corinthians contrata executivo para chefiar projetos na ArenaCorinthians14/03/2023CorinthiansOrganizada do Corinthians cobra saída de diretor e a não reintegração de Luan: ‘Acabou a paciência’Corinthians14/03/2023CorinthiansCorinthians ‘ganha’ tempo para recuperar Renato Augusto e buscar reforçosCorinthians13/03/2023

da poker： + Corinthians fora da Copa do Brasil 2024? Veja times que podem não disputar a competição

O LANCE!confirmou o interesse do clube alvinegro pelo meia de 21 anos. A informação foi dada inicialmente pela Revista Colorada.

+ Veja as movimentações do mercado da bola no LANCE!

A diretoria alvinegra ainda não apresentou uma proposta oficial ao Inter, que vê no jovem um grande potencial de faturar altas cifras. Recentemente, o Red Bull Bragantino apresentou uma proposta pelo atleta em janeiro. Além do Massa Bruta, o meia de 21 anos é monitorado por clubes europeus.

Maurício é visto pelo Corinthians como um possível substituto de Renato Augusto. O camisa 8 corintiano vem sofrendo com lesões nas últimas temporada, e Fernando Lázaro conta com poucas opções para substituir o meia de 35 anos. Contra o Ituano, Paulinho ocupou a vaga de Renato no meio-campo.

+ Veja como ficou a tabela e simule o mata-mata do Campeonato Paulista

Desde 2020 no Internacional, Maurício foi um dos destaques na equipe de Mano Menezes na última temporada. Em 55 partidas, ele marcou nove gols e deu cinco assistências, consolidando o seu ano de maior frequência de partidas desde que se tornou profissional. Em 2023, são três gols e três assistências em 11 jogos pela equipe colorada.

Vale lembrar que o Inter possui apenas 50% dos direitos econômicos do atleta. Já o Cruzeiro, clube formador, possui 25%, o Desportivo Brasil tem 20% e o atleta 5%.

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The Dutch giants blew a nine-point lead in the final five games of the campaign to become the latest side to throw away an almost-guaranteed trophy

No matter how far clear a team is at the top of the table heading into the final weeks of a season, football fans around the world know that a title isn't won until it's mathematically won. Never more does that hit home when a team collapses from a seemingly impossible position to hand their rivals the league trophy in the final stretch.

In 2024-25, it is Ajax who have suffered the ignominy of bottling what looked an almost-certain triumph just a few weeks ago. Francesco Farioli's side sat nine points clear of second-placed PSV with just five games of the Eredivisie season remaining, and the vast majority of supporters in the Netherlands already believed that Ajax's name was on the trophy.

However, a run of four games without a win, including heavy defeats to both Sparta Rotterdam and NEC Nijmegen, as well as a draw with 10-man Groningen during which the mid-table side scored a 99th-minute equaliser, suddenly left Ajax a point behind PSV going into the final day. And though Jordan Henderson and co. got back to winning ways against FC Twente, PSV got the victory they needed to secure a title that they had all-but given up on less than two months earlier.

Ajax's collapse, per , is the biggest by any team in European football history, so with that in mind, GOAL has ranked the worst collapses in recent history to have preceded the Dutch giants' remarkable late-season fall…

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• 6Manchester United (1997-98)

  In March 1998, Manchester United enjoyed a 12-point lead over Arsenal. However, the Gunners finished the season in incredible fashion, winning 10 games in a row to overtake the Red Devils at the top of the table, despite some bookmakers actually paying out on a United title triumph.

  The Gunners took advantage of their games in hand over United to pip them to glory, and sealed their victory with two games of the campaign remaining.

  United would have had a 14-point lead if they had beaten Sheffield Wednesday in March and, having thumped the Owls 6-1 at home earlier in the season, the result did not look in question. Instead, they lost 2-0, before then drawing 1-1 with West Ham.

  United were, though, still top going into their do-or-die clash with the Gunners at Old Trafford in May, but Marc Overmars scored a vital winner for the visitors, moving them six points behind their title rivals with three games in hand. And so by the time United kicked-off their final home game, Arsenal were already champions.

  Arsene Wenger's side subsequently became only the third team to win the Premier League title after United and Blackburn Rovers, but Ferguson's men would recover to win the treble the following season.

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• 5Arsenal (2007-08)

  Arsenal sold Thierry Henry in the summer before the 2007-08 season, but without him they developed into a force to be reckoned with, having acquired striker Eduardo to replace the Frenchman, while also placing their trust in Emmanuel Adebayor, who would go on to score 24 league goals over the course of the campaign.

  With a new-look frontline, the Gunners opened up a five-point lead with 12 games of the season left having embarked on a run that saw them lose just once in the first half of the campaign. Then, they went to St Andrews to play Birmingham City. The game not only ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw, but Eduardo also sustained a horrific broken ankle while captain William Gallas had what can only be described as a meltdown on the pitch at full-time.

  With their captain abdicating responsibility, Arsenal won just one of their next eight games, drawing with the likes of Wigan and Middlesbrough, and were beaten by eventual champions Manchester United.

  Arsenal only lost three times in their 38 league games, but they eventually finished third, four points behind the Red Devils. Had Gallas simply kept it together, one has to wonder if the Gunners might have found a way to get over the line for the first time since 2004.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  4Liverpool (2013-14)

  'This does not f*cking slip now'. Steven Gerrard's famous last words proved all too prescient for Liverpool.

  The Reds were five points clear after 35 games in 2014, and having beaten Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield, Gerrard gave the Reds a pep talk that was picked up by microphones, in which he maintained the players must keep their focus in the final weeks of the campaign as they needed just seven points from their final three games, against Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, to win their first title in a generation.

  Instead, Gerrard slipped against the Blues as the Reds lost 2-0 at home before – as the commentary famously said – Liverpool "caved in" at Selhurst Park, throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Palace.

  Brendan Rodgers' side recovered to beat Newcastle on the final day, but it wasn't enough, and the title was on its way to Manchester City. It did, indeed, slip.

• Getty Images
  

  3Newcastle United (1995-96)

  Newcastle's Premier League title collapse in 1996 is probably the most memorable in England's top-flight history. With manager Kevin Keegan at the helm, the Magpies' free-wheeling attacking football saw them dubbed the 'Great Entertainers', and they enjoyed a 12-point lead over Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United by mid-January.

  The mind games, though, would begin thereafter, culminating in Keegan's infamous 'I will love it' rant.

  Between February and April, Newcastle won just two of their eight games, in a run that included one of the greatest fixtures the league has ever seen; their 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Keegan was left slumped over the advertising hoardings as Stan Collymore scored the Reds' late winner, and United only lost one more game for the remainder of the season to overtake the Magpies.

  Come the final day of the season, Ferguson's men were champions once more, four points ahead of Keegan's side. So close, yet so far.

After helping Spain edge past France in a 5-4 thriller, Gavi shared an emotional moment with his former Barcelona team-mate Ousmane Dembele.

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Gavi wears Dembele's jersey after Spain beat FranceSwaps shirts with former Barca team-matePosted 'I love you brother' message on InstagramFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After Spain's exhilarating 5-4 victory over France in the Nations League semi-final, Barcelona midfielder Gavi was seen wearing the jersey of his former team-mate, Ousmane Dembele. The two shared an emotional embrace, exchanged shirts, and Gavi later posted a heartfelt message: "I love you brother."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 20-year-old and Dembele built a strong friendship during their time at Barcelona. Gavi was still in the youth system when Dembele arrived from Borussia Dortmund but the pair spent two seasons together after the youngster was brought up to the senior squad before the Frenchman left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

WHAT GAVI SAID?

In a recent interview with , Gavi spoke warmly about Dembele: “For me, Ous has to be in the top three for the Ballon d’Or. He’s like a brother to me and an amazing player. I’ve always believed in him. And if one of us wins it, either him or Lamine [Yamal], it will be a dream.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR GAVI AND DEMBELE?

Spain now prepare to face Portugal in the Nations League final. Gavi, just back from an ACL injury, could see more minutes on the pitch. As for Dembele, his France side will meet Germany in a third place play-off.

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has hinted that replacing David Warner may not come down to a straight like-for-like opening batter with a suggestion the order could be reshuffled to accommodate Cameron Green.Green lost his place for the final Ashes Test at The Oval and is expected to remain outside the XI when the Pakistan series starts next month, but McDonald reinforced that he remains a “generational” talent and there is a belief he won’t be out of the side for long.Providing injuries don’t crop up during the Pakistan series – and there remain some question marks over the workload on Mitchell Marsh’s body – the first vacancy could arrive following Warner’s Test retirement which he has earmarked for the SCG Test in early January.Related

• Hussey on Warner's replacement: 'I'd go for a traditional opener, someone who has done it for a long period of time'

• 'He's got opening-itis' – Khawaja warns against Labuschagne promotion

• Khawaja lauds Warner as a 'hero' calling Johnson's criticism 'harsh'

• Australia's Test squad takeaways: Warner remains, Marsh vs Green, blooding new quicks

• Warner on track for Sydney farewell while Marsh and Green both named in Test squad

It has been widely assumed that his replacement would come from one of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw, but McDonald referenced previous occasions when an Australia top order has been reshaped with players taking on new roles.”What does Cam Green’s future look like in the Test team? Is it a matter of waiting for Mitch to finish or could there be another spot that opens up over time?” McDonald told SEN radio. “He has batted at six for most of his Test cricket, but he has been a fantastic number four for WA and averages close to 50 in Shield cricket.”There is always the idea that you can potentially shift the order to make room to put your best six batters, or what you see as best six batters, in a certain order.”If there was to be a batter moved into a new position for the series against West Indies in January the potential – and simplest – option would be for Marnus Labuschagne to move up one spot, followed by Steven Smith returning to No. 3. A more left-field route could be a promotion for Travis Head although he is so destructive at No. 5 there will likely be reluctance to that.Cameron Green’s Test returns faded this year•Getty Images

“We have seen that in Australian cricket before,” McDonald said. “David Boon went from three to opening. Justin Langer went from three to opening. Shane Watson went from six to opening.”There has been the ability to reshuffle and for that to be successful. But we will leave that to the first Test match in Perth.”Warner is expected to be given his farewell Test series against Pakistan although his selection still needs to be ticked off with the squad likely to be named early next week.Test captain Pat Cummins, who is not a selector, praised Warner as a multiformat great when asked if he deserved a swansong series but added that performance remained highest in the selection criteria. Since 2021, Warner has averaged 28.90 in Tests with one century – the MCG double hundred last season in his 100th appearance.”He’s a great of our game in all formats. So no doubt that’s part of it,” he said. “First and foremost you think of the performance side of things when you are picking a side.”Green, who is currently playing against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and will line up for the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, could be included as the spare batter in the first squad of the season. Green averages 33.69 with the bat and 36.03 with the ball after 24 Tests. He scored his maiden century in Ahmedabad earlier in the year, but since then has made 134 runs at 19.14. He has opted not to play BBL this season after a hectic year where he has barely been home and in order to focus on red-ball skills.After the current round of Shield matches, which are the last before the BBL break, Bancroft, Harris and Renshaw will also get another first-class opportunity when they face Pakistan for the PM’s XI.Bancroft has the most impressive numbers for the season, as he did last summer, but Harris has been the regular spare batter in Australia squads over the last 18 months and Renshaw is a versatile player although struggled on his return to the Test side in the middle order earlier this year albeit in tough conditions in India.

Crystal Palace have confirmed the departure of sporting director Dougie Freedman, and now the Eagles are eyeing up a controversial move in a bid to replace him, according to a recent report.

Freedman leaves Selhurst Park for Saudi Arabia

The 50-year-old has been with the South Londoners since 2017 and has been at the heart of their recent success off the pitch in terms of bringing players such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, and Dean Henderson to the club.

Crystal Palace eyeing Griezmann-esque £21m forward who's an "absolute star"

The Eagles are closely following a young forward who has been compared to Antoine Griezmann.

ByDominic Lund Mar 12, 2025

Freedman was linked with moves to Manchester United and Newcastle United in the past to take up similar roles, but he remained at Crystal Palace and continued to work with Steve Parish. However, on Monday, that came to an end, as he has now left his role at Palace to take up a role overseas, believed to be in Saudi Arabia.

Palace confirmed Freedman’s departure in a statement on their official website, in which Freedman also spoke and stated how much of an “honour” it had been to work at Palace, and he is “incredibly proud” of the work that has been done. “I would like to extend my thanks to Steve Parish, the other owners and to all the staff, managers and players who have been at the club during my time here. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning from and working alongside you all.

“It’s been an honour to represent the club, and I am incredibly proud of the work that’s been done, with the Chairman’s support, in growing the football club into its current position. To be leaving the club with a squad full of exciting talent led by an excellent manager, I truly believe the foundations are in place to be built upon.

“Finally, a huge thank you to all the fans for your continued support and passion – especially with how you’ve helped new signings and academy products settle into life at Selhurst Park by supporting and getting behind the team.

Fulham (FA Cup)

A

Southampton

A

Brighton

H

Man City

A

Newcastle

A

“Crystal Palace is and will always remain in my heart, and I will continue to look for results and follow the club’s progress closely.”

Crystal Palace eyeing controversial move to replace Freedman

As Freedman’s departure has now been confirmed, according to The Daily Mail, Parish and Crystal Palace are eyeing up Iain Moody to replace the 50-year-old.

The report states that Palace are looking to re-shape their recruitment team, and Moody is likely to take up a more prominent position. Moody has been working as a managing director at Sapienza Football Consulting for the last 10 years and remains close to Parish.

Moody has worked with the Eagles before, but his time with the club was very controversial. He was the club’s sporting director for 11 months between 2013 and 2014 before he resigned under a very big cloud after it was alleged he had sent racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages to Malky Mackay, who he had worked with at Cardiff City.

Since his exit, Moody has been back at Selhurst Park to watch Crystal Palace games, and given his relationship with Parish, he could be one to watch as a replacement for Freedman.

da esoccer bet： Tottenham Hotspur are now genuinely interested in a move for an “unbelievable” forward in the summer transfer window, having emerged as one of the clubs most interested in his signature, according to a report.

Spurs stepping up forward pursuit

da fazobetai： Tottenham have struggled considerably this season, with a Europa League triumph their only possible salvation as we enter the business end of the campaign, and it seems like Ange Postecoglou’s job could be very much on the line.

A lack of depth has been an issue for Spurs, especially considering the amount of injuries Postecoglou has been forced to deal with, and the manager is keen to bolster his options in attack this summer, should he remain in the job.

Lazio attacker Gustav Isaksen is one of the names on the shortlist, with Daniel Levy now readying a £33.3m bid for the winger, while the chairman is also actively involved in the pursuit of Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, who may now be available for around £50m.

Related Tottenham eyeing Iraola alternative who Guardiola called "one of the best"

Spurs could change managers yet again this summer.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Mar 29, 2025

Tottenham have opened talks over a deal for Dibling, following claims he would be keen on a move to north London this summer, but the youngster is not the only Premier League winger on the shortlist.

According to a report from GiveMeSport, Spurs now have a genuine interest in signing Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, with Pep Guardiola’s £100m signing potentially in line to leave this summer, having fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Chelsea (a)

April 3rd

Southampton (h)

April 6th

Eintracht Frankfurt (h)

April 10th

Wolverhampton Wanderers (a)

April 13th

Eintracht Frankfurt (a)

April 17th

Postecoglou’s side are one of the most interested parties in the race for Grealish’s signature, should Man City be willing to let him leave for a reasonable amount, with their asking price previously being considered too high.

The Englishman would have to be willing to take a wage cut, if he were to complete a surprise move to north London, with the structure not accommodating of his £300,000-per-week earnings.

"Unbelievable" Grealish needs to move this summer

The 29-year-old’s decision to move to City was fully justified by the incredible treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, during which he received high praise from Guardiola, who described him as “unbelievable”.

However, the winger’s career has stalled somewhat recently, failing to score and picking up just one assist in the Premier League this season, having often been limited to cameo appearances from the bench.

As such, a move to Tottenham could make perfect sense for all parties, should City be willing to take a significant loss on the former Aston Villa man, and it is promising news that Postecoglou’s side hold a genuine interest.

That said, a move for Dibling could make more sense, given that the Southampton ace is still in the very early stages of his career, while Grealish will turn 30 early next season.

The game was not without controversy though, with Soumya Sarkar’s not-out decision leaving the visitors fuming

Mohammad Isam06-Mar-2024Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s half-century helped Bangladesh level the series against Sri Lanka as the hosts completed a comfortable win in the second T20I in Sylhet. The visitors faltered in the middle overs with the bat before Bangladesh’s top four got all the runs.The game was not without controversy though. Soumya Sarkar’s not-out decision during the chase left Sri Lanka fuming, after the third umpire ruled that there was a clear gap between bat and ball, even though Ultra-edge showed a clear spike.

Sri Lanka lose regular wickets

When Sri Lanka were put into bat for the second game in a row, Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis took charge of the Sri Lanka innings from the fourth over after Taskin Ahmed removed Avishka Fernando for a duck. The duo took Sri Lanka to 49 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. However, following Kusal’s dismissal in the ninth over, Sri Lanka started losing wickets regularly.Kamindu was run out in the tenth over and Mustafizur Rahman removed Sadeera Samarawickrama in the 13th. Charith Asalanka walked back the following over, after hitting three sixes and a four in his 10-ball stay, bowled by Mahedi Hasan.Sri Lanka’s experienced duo of Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka then combined for a half-century stand. They struck five fours and a six in this period and pushed the total to 165.Angelo Mathews scored 32 off 21•Getty Images

Sarkar, Litton deal in fours

Openers Sarkar and Litton Das then got Bangladesh off to a solid start, scoring 63 runs in the powerplay which was laced with a combined total of nine fours.Sarkar survived the controversial third umpire decision at the start of the fourth over, when he was on 14. He then hit a couple of fours in that over, while Litton hammered the first six in the sixth over.Sarkar was however not able to capitalise much on the extra life, mistiming a pull off Matheesha Pathirana to Mathews at midwicket in the seventh over. Pathirana then returned to remove Litton, who was caught at square leg in the ninth over for 36.

Easy chase for Bangladesh

Shanto and Towhid Hridoy made sure there were no more blemishes. The pair rotated the strike while hitting at least one boundary in every over. They went through the 15th and 16th overs without boundaries, but Shanto struck Shanaka for a four and six in the 17th over to bring the equation down to less than run-a-ball.Hridoy hit a six off the last ball of the 18th over, and with two runs required off the last two overs, Shanto smashed the first ball of the 19th over for a six to complete his half-century and in turn also seal the win for Bangladesh.

After years of depending on Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh finally have the skill and depth to say they have the spin department covered

Mohammad Isam in Dhaka02-Dec-2018By taking all 40 wickets in the 2-0 series win over West Indies, Bangladesh’s spinners have now established their ascendancy in favourable conditions. It is the latest proof that they can now push for big wins even when the batsmen don’t entirely contribute. And when they do, as it happened in the Dhaka Test, the spinners can be unstoppable.Mehidy Hasan Miraz took career-best figures of 12 for 117, and found great support at the other end from Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan. For the first time, Bangladesh didn’t bother picking a frontline seamer in their XI, after the four spinners had combined similarly well in the first Test in Chittagong. There, Nayeem and Taijul starred with five-fors.Shakib said that he enjoyed watching the West Indies batsmen struggle constantly against the spinners, which he felt also motivated the fielders into making extra efforts.”I feel good when I see batsmen finding it tough facing every ball bowled by our spinners,” Shakib said. “It energises the fielders too, as everyone then thinks a chance is on the way. I think everyone was on their toes when our spinners were bowling. Enough quality bowlers and pitches that help spinners have combined to give us a formidable spin bowling attack at home.”Shakib was particularly impressed with Taijul, who finished the year as Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in Tests.”I hope we continue to bowl well against all sides, particularly when we are in form. When you have four spinners in the line-up, at least two are certain to do well. Taijul has had a stellar year with 40-45 [43] wickets. He has bowled consistently well, and he is rewarded for his hard work. I hope he bowls this way next season too. Our team can do well if we get contributions from all the departments.”Mehidy achieves career-best Test ranking

Mehidy Hasan has leaped 14 places to 16th in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers after his 12-wicket haul in the Dhaka Test. Mehidy had begun the series ranked 28th, and had fallen to 30th after the Chattogram Test. With this significant jump, he becomes the highest-ranked bowler for Bangladesh, going past Shakib Al Hasan (21) and Taijul Islam (22). It is the first time Mehidy has broken into the top 20.

Shakib said that Mehidy, who picked his second 12-wicket haul in Tests, must continue making simple plans in order to do better in the future, adding that it was the offspinner’s first innings 7-for that paved the way for the big win.”He has been bowling well since the second day. I think he can bowl even better if he can think more simply,” Shakib said. “Our plan was to try to hit the stumps all day, and give as little away as possible. It is important to simplify our bowling plan. I think we become too attacking at times. We expect a wicket almost every ball. I think if we can control that thinking, and bowl in partnership, we can do better.”His first innings bowling was really important and he was outstanding. We never expected to bowl them out so cheaply but that belief returned through Miraz’s bowling. His 7-58 in the first innings really set the course of the match,” said Shakib.One of the ways in which Mehidy contributed was by removing Shimron Hetmyer in all four innings of the series. These were crucial blows as the young left-hander’s attacking style became the only barrier for Bangladesh. Mehidy said that his experience of playing against Hetmyer since their U-19 days helped him plot his dismissals.”I have played against him for a long time. We have played in two U-19 World Cups, and now at the international level. I know a lot about his batting, which made planning against him easier and brought me good results,” said Mehidy.He said that while his 12-wicket haul against England in his maiden Test series in 2016 was a “turning point” in his life, this one is also important as he is now a more well-rounded spinner.”The first 12-wicket haul was a turning point in my life, so that one will be kept ahead. Now I have played for two years, learned a few things from the seniors and feel I am more experienced. I wouldn’t say that this was any lesser as I now know better about bowling against each batsman,” he said.In the last two years, Bangladesh’s spinners have been instrumental in beating England, Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and now West Indies. In these six Test wins, they have bowled well for long periods, triggered quick collapses and delivered knockout punches at crucial moments.The additions of Taijul and Mehidy have given Shakib a supportive boost after eight years, between 2008 and 2016, when he was the talisman. With a perpetually unsettled pace attack, he had to do the bulk of the work in the bowling department for a long time.The emergence of Sohag Gazi, Robiul Islam, Jubair Hossain and Elias Sunny had briefly raised hopes of a shared bowling workload but neither could stick around for too long. A similar feeling must have followed when Taijul began with a five-for on Test debut in West Indies and took 8-39 against Zimbabwe in his first two months as an international bowler in 2014, or when Mehidy took 19 wickets in his debut Test series against England in 2016.But both have now proved that they are good enough for Test cricket, and can complement each other in helpful conditions. Nayeem’s emergence, too, must be heartening as it ensures depth in the spin department. The quartet came together to take all the wickets in this Test series and whether they play together in another Test or not, it is an assuring feeling for Bangladesh that they are potent with at least one part of their bowling attack.