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Opener Marvan Atapattu scored his seventh one-day century as Sri Lanka kepttheir hopes alive in this five-match series with a seven-wicket victoryagainst South Africa at Benoni on Sunday

Charlie Austin01-Dec-2002Opener Marvan Atapattu scored his seventh one-day century as Sri Lanka kepttheir hopes alive in this five-match series with a seven-wicket victoryagainst South Africa at Benoni on Sunday.Chasing the 253 for seven scored by South Africa earlier in the day, SriLanka’s batsmen finally hit form, eventually coasting past the target with8.2 overs to spare.Atapattu, the vice-captain, finished the game with a straight driven sixhaving scored a brilliant 123 from just 121 balls including 15 fours and onesix.He added 140 runs with De Silva, who also threw off the shackles off poorform with an industrious 71 from 77 balls with 10 boundaries.After humiliating defeats at Wanderers and Centurion, where they were bowledout for 128 and 140, the visitors still trail 2-1, needing to win the lasttwo games to take the series.Crucially, unlike those two games, the tourists survived the initial newball burst from Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini without substantial damage,losing just two wickets: Sanath Jayasuriya (22) brilliantly caught in thegully by the irrepressible Jonty Rhodes and Kumar Sangakkara (10) caught atslip.Atapattu and De Silva then consolidated on a good batting pitch offeringSouth Africa’s fast bowlers no lateral movement whatsoever once the ball had lost its initial hardness.De Silva looked rusty at the start and Atapattu was cautious, but onceestablished the pair rattled along at nearly a run a ball.When De Silva was eventually clean bowled trying to pull a good lengthdelivery from Pollock, Sri Lanka were home and dry needing just 41 runs with13.1 overs remaining.Earlier, Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya won his first toss of theseries, raising eyebrows as he bravely elected to bowl first on a flatlooking pitch. But the gamble was justified as Sri Lanka’s bowlers wobbledthe new ball and took early wickets.Chaminda Vaas, playing in his 200th ODI, struck first, winning a diabolicallbw decision from umpire Russell Tiffen against Herschelle Gibbs (0).Medium pacer Chamila Gamage, playing his first game of the series after a kneeinjury to Pulasthi Gunaratne, then knocked back Boeta Dippenaar’s (5)off-stump.Vaas cleaned bowled inform opener Graeme Smith (16) with a delivery that cutback through the left-hander’s bat and pad.Next over, Gamage produced a perfect leg-cutter to have Jonty Rhodes (0) caught at the wicket to leave South Africa tottering on 35 for four.But Sri Lanka were unable to press home their advantage as Kallis, whoexudes aura of invincibility whenever he walks to the crease these days,fought back with a burst of rollicking cover drives.Kallis added 36 with Mark Boucher (14) before the wicket-keeper batsmandragged a short delivery onto his stumps and then 81 from 103 balls withPollock, who scored 39 from 48 deliveries, hitting four boundaries.Sri Lanka paid the penalty for bowling too short after their early successas Kallis and Pollock wrestled away the initiative from the visitors after aperiod of consolidation.When Pollock dragged a short delivery from Jayasuriya straight into thehands of short cover, Lance Klusener helped maintain the momentum, adding afurther 57 off 81 balls with Kallis.Kallis missed out on ninth one-day century when Jayawardene held on to astinging catch at mid-off but that only set the stage for Klusener to statehis credentials for a place in the World Cup.Dropped for the first two games, Klusener had endured a lean spell with thebat and was under severe pressure for his place. But the left-hander seizedhis opportunity with an unbeaten 60 from 57 balls, hitting seven fours and asix, his first fifty in 11 matches.Vaas was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with two for 39 from10 overs, but Jayasuriya was also economical, conceding just 37 runs in 10overs, the first time he has completed his full quota since dislocating hisshoulder during the Morocco Cup in August.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly opened talks with Southampton over defender Jannik Vestergaard after an impressive 2020/21 campaign.

What’s the story?

According to Gary Jacobs of The Times, Spurs have begun negotiations with the south coast club ahead of a potential move for the highly-rated 28-year-old.

Nuno Espirito Santo is believed to want to add two new centre-back’s to his first-team squad, and Vestergaard has been outlined as a top target after he entered the final year of his contract.

He’s a big upgrade

The Denmark international was a standout performer for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men last season and has carried his good form into Euro 2020.

His impressive displays for club and country have caught the eye of the Spurs hierarchy, and it’s easy to understand why they believe the 6 ft 5 beast could be the answer to their defensive woes.

Tottenham’s backline came under significant scrutiny last term, with Eric Dier often receiving criticism.

Compared to the England international, Vestergaard’s underlying numbers are favourably in several key aspects, highlighting the upgrade he would provide, should he make the switch to north London.

As per fbref.com, the Saints man completed 57.4% of his dribbles in 2020/21, outperforming Dier’s 54.5%.

Although Dier proved to be the more successful passer, finding a teammate on 84.6% of occasions compared to Vestergaard’s tally of 84.3%, the Scandinavian defender was superior in other key areas.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach centre-half completed 20 carries into the final third and won 70.1% of his aerial duels, bettering Dier’s totals of 11 and 65.2% in these metrics.

His dominant displays at St. Mary’s led to Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer describing Vestergaard as “outstanding” back in December, and he’s gone from strength to strength since.

While he may not be the most glamourous or exciting potential addition, he would be an improvement on the current options at Spurs and would be a signing one that wouldn’t break the bank.

At a time where funds are expected to be limited at the capital club, it’s a transfer that makes sense for multiple reasons, and Espirito Santo would surely welcome Vestergaard’s arrival.

And, in other news…Nuno could find his next Jimenez with Spurs swoop for £25m beast who lit up Euro 2020 

A party of young cricketers from Somerset are busy preparing themselves for the trip of a lifetime

SOMERSET28-Dec-2002A party of young cricketers from Somerset are busy preparing themselves for the trip of a lifetime.Somerset Under 13’s are gearing themselves up for their tour to South Africa in the spring of 2003 that will culminate with them watching the final match of the Cricket World Cup.Whilst they are out in South Africa the Somerset team will be playing in a specially organised tournament that is being organised in Johannesburg that will involve other Under 13 teams from England including Cornwall and Worcestershire.However in addition to honing their cricketing skills to the highest possible level before they leave in just a few months time, each of the fourteen youngsters is having to raise £900 towards the cost of the trip.Last season the Somerset team enjoyed considerable success, winning six of their twelve matches and only being beaten on two occasions, so the team will be going out to South Africa with the intention of winning their tournament as well as enjoying the World Cup final.Team manager John Davey, who will be accompanied on the trip by Somerset Youth Development Officer Pete Sanderson and coach Ben Wellington told me: "This is a wonderful opportunity for the young players, and it will be a trip that they will never forget. There are some very talented cricketers in the team and they are all looking forward to it immensely."Whilst the young players are busy raising their own funds to pay for the tour John Davey is still anxiously looking for a sponsor for the Somerset Under 13’s team shirts.If anybody feels able to help Mr Davey with shirt sponsorship he can be contacted at the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground in Taunton, telephone 01823 352266

According to a report by Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, Lazio president Claudio Lotito is hoping that Tottenham Hotspur come forward with an offer to sign Joaquin Correa this summer for one main reason.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Serie A raid?

Tottenham have been heavily linked with a plethora of Serie A stars since the club’s new managing director Fabio Paratici was appointed.

The former Juventus chief has garnered a reputation for orchestrating head-turning transfer deals and chairman Daniel Levy has heralded him as a ‘very tough negotiator’.

Manuel Locatelli, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne are some of the star names out of Italy to be linked with Spurs recently, with another update now emerging on Correa of Lazio.

The Latest: Lotito wants Spurs offer…

As per Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, Lazio owner and president Lotito is ‘hoping’ that Tottenham ‘come forward’ for Correa this summer. This is due to one main reason – a belief that Spurs could table €30m (£26.5m) in a straight cash bid.

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Lazio are expected to part ways with the 6 foot 2 attacker this summer after Maurizio Sarri’s arrival at the club, with Ligue 1 giants Paris-Saint Germain apparently ready to offer Pablo Sarabia as part of a potential deal.

However, Lotito is said to prefer money only and hopes that Tottenham come forward with a £26.5m offer for the Argentine.

The Verdict: Should Paratici move?

The 26-year-old, who plays mainly as a second striker, has bagged 25 goals and 15 assists in 123 Serie A appearances (Transfermarkt).

Correa seemed to enjoy a solid run of form over Lazio’s appearances in the Champions League last season, netting three goals in Europe’s elite competition whilst completing more dribbles per game (2.3) than any of his teammates (WhoScored).

Proving to be quite the threat over Lazio’s campaign in Europe, only star striker Ciro Immobile managed more shots on goal per match (3.2) than Correa (2.1) over the Biancocelesti’s European run.

However, with Spurs needing to operate on a sell-to-buy limit, we believe that any resources should be spent first and foremost on revamping their defence this summer considering their issues in that area last season. The Lilywhites should keep Lotito waiting for that £26.5m offer.

In other news: Spurs frontrunners to sign ‘absolutely sensational’ player with Nuno set for final call, find out more here.

Birmingham City are interested in a deal to bring Matija Sarkic to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper is currently training with Lee Bowyer’s side, with a view to signing a loan deal at the club.

The highly-rated goalkeeper moved to Wolves from Aston Villa back in 2020, although is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Premier League side.

However, having spent last season on loan at League One side Shrewsbury Town, it now appears as if Birmingham feel that the 23-year-old is capable of making a step up in division in 2021/22.

Fans surely buzzing

Having impressed in League One last season, it is unsurprising to learn that Bowyer is interested in a deal to bring Sarkic to St. Andrew’s in the summer transfer window, with his potential signing being one that should also have fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 26 league appearances for Steve Cotterill’s side last term, the £4.9k-per-week man helped his side keep nine clean sheets and made a total of 60 saves, an average of 2.3 stops per game.

These returns saw the man Kris Boyd once dubbed an “excellent” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as the Shrews’ joint 11th-best performer in the third tier of English football, playing a key role in his side comfortably securing survival in League One.

And, with Birmingham’s current number one Neil Etheridge earning a similar average SofaScore match rating of 6.81 over his 43 Championship appearances for the Blues last season, it would very much appear as if, despite the eight-year age gap between the Wolves man and the 31-year-old, Sarkic would not simply just provide backup for Etheridge next season, but also challenge the Philippines international for his starting spot between the sticks.

As such, the signing of the Montenegro international would very much appear to be an astute piece of business for Bowyer to get over the line this summer, as the 23-year-old would seem yet another step in the right direction under the Blues boss.

In other news: Birmingham confirm transfer news on exciting £3.1k-p/w dynamo, Bowyer will be buzzing

A dazzling 66 from Mark Pettini guided Essex to a comfortably seven-wicket victory against Surrey at The Oval

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval11-Jun-2008
Scorecard
Usman Afzaal launches a huge six, but he couldn’t help Surrey recover from a poor start © Getty Images
In case anyone missed Allen Stanford’s helicopter landing at Lord’s today, Twenty20 cricket has moved on immeasurably in a very short space of time. When Surrey won the first Twenty20 Cup it was an enjoyable mid-season sideshow to the serious cricket. If they have any plans of winning it again, and playing for the big money, they’ll have to improve on a miserable first outing against Essex.The visitors barely had to break sweat in wrapping up a seven-wicket win with five overs to spare in front of around 16,000 spectators. Surrey can earn as much from one Twenty20 match as from all the other county games in a season put together, although the marketing men would, no doubt, like the team to put on a better show.Essex aren’t one of the power-wielding counties like Surrey but where it mattered, on the field, they were streets ahead of the home side. Mark Pettini continued to haul himself out of a lean spell, switching from Championship to Twenty20 mode with a 35-ball 66, which included a couple of mighty sixes over the leg side.Pettini’s innings took the focus away from Ravi Bopara, who ticked along comfortably in a stand of 82 for the second wicket, before lofting a catch down to long-on. Bopara’s England team-mate, Alastair Cook, had been advised by the England management to miss this match after suffering some pain in his right shoulder. The official diagnosis was an “impingement”, but it sounded more of a precautionary measure with the Twenty20 international against New Zealand on Friday.Surrey’s innings never recovered from 10 for 3, with the top three all falling for 1. Ali Brown and Usman Afzaal threatened a recovery – Afzaal launching two huge sixes over deep midwicket – but both fell within seven runs against Danish Kaneria. Afzaal was superbly caught by Bopara, running round from midwicket to take a leading edge, and Brown missed a huge swing across the line.Kaneria’s four-over spell once again highlighted the value of spin in the 20-over game, as the batsmen found it harder without extra pace to work with. Bopara’s medium pace also did an important job, his four overs costing just 18 runs including the wicket of Chris Lewis, who was signed by Surrey specifically for the Twenty20 Cup.Lewis didn’t have a happy evening, his two overs costing 29 as Pettini cut lose. Playing a 40-year old, who had been out of the county game for eight years before this season – regardless of how fit he is – probably isn’t the way to go about joining the Twenty20 revolution.

Essex have been granted permission to keep the Kent batsman, Neil Dexter, on loan for another month.

Cricinfo staff04-Jul-2008Essex have been granted permission to keep the Kent batsman, Neil Dexter, on loan for another month.The 23-year-old Dexter initially moved to Chelmsford in early June, ahead of the Twenty20 Cup. He will now remain at there up to and including the Pro40 match against Surrey on August 5.”Firstly I would like to thank Kent for letting us have Neil for another month,” the first-team coach, Paul Grayson, told essexcricket.org.uk. “We want to have a further look at Neil because we believe he is a talented player. We look forward to him making a good contribution over the next few weeks.”

An intriguing claim has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur’s plans this summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

It’s thought that defensive duo Eric Dier and Matt Doherty could be two players that the Premier League outfit are looking to sell, as revealed by talkSPORT’s transfer expert Alex Crook on the ‘White and Jordan’ show this week.

“I think there will be more departures from North London this summer. And maybe some surprising names on this list.

“We know they’re open to offers for Davinson Sanchez and I’ve been told this morning that Eric Dier and Matt Doherty could also be surplus to requirements, and maybe that’s a bit of a surprise in the case of Doherty because he performed so admirably under Nuno at Wolves.”

Two key culprits

Spurs’ struggles at the back last season were no secret, and it is indeed why newly-appointed sporting director Fabio Paratici is primarily targeting additions in defence, notably in both Dier and Doherty’s positions.

Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero and Bologna right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu could be two instant replacements if negotiations go in favour of the Lilywhites in the coming days and weeks.

A combination of individual mistakes – such as Dier’s calamitous display at Leeds – and a lack of true leadership led to Spurs recording the worst defensive record of the traditional ‘big six’ – even arch-rivals Arsenal, who finished lower in the table, had a better defensive record.

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Indeed, the central partnership of the Englishman alongside Sanchez was dubbed one of the worst in the top-flight by former midfielder Jamie O’Hara, so it should be no surprise that both could be up for sale before next month’s deadline.

Dier also often took the critics of the Spurs fanbase. As relayed by This is Futbol, against Chelsea he was branded as an “absolute clown”, whilst even their pre-season win over Colchester this week saw some call him a “disgrace” and “useless.”

Some would surely be glad to see the back of him amid this fresh claim.

Meanwhile, Doherty struggled so much since his £15m arrival that ex-manager Jose Mourinho was also tempted to sell him, according to ESPN. After all, there must be a reason to why Nuno let his first-choice right-back leave for so little under his tenure.

And just like his teammate, the Irishman has received plenty of flak from the Spurs faithful. After leaking five goals to Everton in the FA Cup, Doherty’s ability as a professional footballer was questioned by many, whilst he was dubbed a “serious liability” after their defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal.

Therefore, on the above evidence, you’d imagine that many around N17 will be absolutely delighted with this surprising claim from talkSPORT.

AND in other news, Nuno could secure his next Neto if Spurs sign “exciting” £27m-rated “big talent”…

Debuts don’t come much better than Peter Connell’s against Netherlands. He wrapped up Ireland’s innings-and-67-run victory with a hat-trick, in the process completing a 10-wicket hau

Cricinfo staff12-Jul-2008
ScorecardDebuts don’t come much better than Peter Connell’s against Netherlands. He wrapped up Ireland’s innings-and-67-run victory with a hat-trick, in the process completing a 10-wicket haul. He becomes the 16th player to take a hat-trick on first-class debut and the first in an international match.Connell had a taste of success in the first innings when his four wickets helped Ireland set-up their final-day victory charge. Second time around Netherlands again found him too much to handle as they fell to 206 all out. The end came in a hurry with Connell collected his hat-trick by bowling Jeron Smits and Pieter Seelaar, then trapping last man Edgar Schiferli lbw.Only Peter Borren (53) and Mudassar Bukhari (59 not out) put up any resistance for the Netherlands on the final day as the home side struggled in vain to save the match. They weren’t helped by some poor shot selection from the top order as Eric Szwarczynski and Daan van Bunge both fell loosely with just five runs added to the overnight total.Despite Connell’s 10 wickets, the Man of the Match went to Andre Botha for his vital 172 in Ireland’s innings. With Ireland claiming maximum points, this victory moves them up one spot to second place, leap-frogging Kenya in the process. They now lie just 13 points adrift of Namibia but with a game in hand.

Namibia 5 50 0 0 0 82 1.2562390/83 2246/98 Ireland 4 30 0 1 0 69 2.7151935/32 1559/70 Kenya 4 31 0 0 0 66 1.2631822/63 1832/80 Netherlands 6 33 0 0 0 48 0.8222803/108 2777/88 Scotland 5* 11 0 2 0 38 1.0831595/59 1498/60 U.A.E. 7 15 0 1 0 29 0.7873024/124 3129/101 Canada 5 14 0 0 0 26 0.9482464/89 2394/82 Bermuda 6* 14 0 0 0 26 0.6392248/110 2846/89

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a journalist’s claim that the Reds could re-sign Phillippe Coutinho this summer.

The Brazilian was a hero at Anfield between 2013 and 2018, producing moments of magic and scoring 54 goals in 201 appearances.

Coutinho opted to trade Liverpool for Barcelona in January 2018, however, in a move which angered many Kopites after he pushed for the transfer to happen.

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Since then, the Reds have enjoyed great success, winning the Champions League and Premier League, while the 29-year-old’s career has gone rapidly downhill. Coutinho has been limited to just 90 games for Barca, even being shipped out on loan to Bayern Munich at one point.

According to journalist Francesc Aguilar on Twitter [via LFC Transfer Room], Liverpool are still keen on re-signing the Brazil international, with Wolves and Everton also mentioned.

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Liverpool fans don’t want Coutinho back

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react negatively to the update, with many still scorned by the manner of his exit from Anfield.

“Klopp will not have him back”

Credit: @tsrbys

“Rubbish “

Credit: @SoLockedIn

“No way he is signing. Especially not under Klopp. We have to remember that Barca still owe us money for the Coutinho deal. Why would we go after him then? Another fake news just to get some clicks”

Credit: @wearewinnin

“No room back for Phil. We loved him but the story is ended”

Credit: @olokohoney

“We don’t need him anymore”

Credit: @MathewAboh

“Please no, he’s washed plus disrespected the club”

Credit: @lfcjason1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with how one Reds player could be used next season. Read more here.