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As Manchester City turn towards summer reinforcements, Pep Guardiola’s side are reportedly poised to chase a midfield addition worth as much as £100m when the window swings open.

Man City transfer news

To say that the Citizens have had a season to forget would be quite an understatement. Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong for the Premier League champions, starting with Rodri’s ACL injury against Arsenal in the early stages of the campaign. And since then, injuries have summed City’s campaign up to hand Guardiola the most frustrating season of his career.

For the first time in the Spaniard’s time at The Etihad, the Citizens are in desperate need of a rebuild which already got underway in the January transfer window. Welcoming the likes of Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez, they’ll be hoping their winter spending is enough to earn a place in the Premier League’s top four.

Then, once the summer arrives, the champions are reportedly set to turn their attention towards a Premier League midfielder. According to GiveMeSport, Manchester City are poised to chase a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, who value their star midfielder at as much as £100m this summer.

The Brazilian has once again enjoyed an excellent campaign at St James’ Park, with the Magpies once again battling for a top-four race and reaching the Carabao Cup final.

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By
Tom Cunningham

Feb 22, 2025

With Kevin De Bruyne set to leave as a free agent this summer, the arrival of Guimaraes could instantly replace the Belgian and ease any concerns over replicating his qualities.

"Great" Guimaraes could revive Man City's midfield

Whether it’s with Newcastle or, indeed, at Manchester City, Guimaraes looks destined to reach the top of European football. The Brazilian, alongside Alexander Isak, is arguably the most important player under Eddie Howe, who was full of praise for both him and countryman Joelinton.

The Newcastle boss told reporters: “They’re a joy to work with. They do have that inner strength. They’re both great people and they’ve become integral to the squad. They’re settled in and are very popular.

“They do have a slight flamboyance with the way they play. I’m delighted with both of them. Long may that continue, really.”

Given the success that Guimaraes has enjoyed next to both Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, the Newcastle star could reach another level entirely next to the likes of Rodri and Bernardo Silva.

As Manchester City look to transform their midfield, Guimaraes should be at the top of their wishlist. He ticks the box for Premier League experience and a player who’s ready to step into a Guardiola side.

USMNT captain Tyler Adams is edging closer to a first-team comeback after an injury-ravaged year for the Bournemouth summer signing.

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• Adams been out with hamstring injury
• USMNT star played 20 minutes in a year
• Starts for Bournemouth's development side

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international midfielder picked up a hamstring injury last March while at Leeds United and then suffered a setback last summer. The former RB Leipzig man, who swapped the Whites for Bournemouth in a £23 million ($29m) transfer, then had another surgery on his hamstring after a recurrence of the issue in his Cherries debut last September. However, he played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Colchester United's Under-21s for Bournemouth's development squad on Tuesday as he steps up his comeback.

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  WHAT ANDONI IRAOLA SAID

  The Bournemouth manager said last month: “Tyler has started training with the group. In the past week, he has started training quite normally. Not everything, but most of the things he does with the group. It is very possible he plays some minutes with the second team, because after almost one year he will need some rhythm.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Adams has played a paltry 20 minutes of first-team football in nearly a year. He was one of the few Leeds players to come out of their relegation season with any credit but the past 12 months will have been hard for the 25-year-old. However, the fact that he is playing football again is a boost to Bournemouth and the USMNT.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Adams is likely to continue his comeback for Bournemouth's development side in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen if he will feature for the first-team this season but some game time may not be too far away.

Manchester United have won their previous two matches, scoring four goals and conceding none, as they look to kickstart their season following a run of three successive defeats.

Erik ten Hag hasn’t had it all his own way this season as he aims to challenge domestically and in the Champions League, yet much will depend on how quickly some of his new signings settle in and get up to speed with the high expectations at United.

The jury is certainly out on a few of his summer arrivals as Andre Onana and Mason Mount haven’t exactly exploded into life at the Red Devils, while Rasmus Hojlund has only played five times due to missing the first few matches of the season due to injury, scoring once.

Overall, Ten Hag spent €196.7m (£170m) during the transfer window, and he perhaps would’ve been able to spend more had he moved on some deadwood towards the end of the summer, as Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire were touted with moves away from the club.

Does Harry Maguire have a long-term future at Manchester United?

Maguire looked like he was close to securing a £30m move to league rivals West Ham United during the final few weeks of the transfer window, yet he eventually decided to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place in the starting XI.

The Englishman has just under two years left on his current contract, indicating that Ten Hag doesn’t have long to move him on for a reasonable fee as it appears he isn’t part of the long term plans under the Dutchman.

This is evidenced by the fact he has played only twice so far this term, despite the Manchester giants suffering various injuries to key defenders.

Maguire may have already departed Manchester had the club secured the signature of a defender who lit up Serie A last season – Kim Min-jae.

Did Manchester United nearly sign Kim Min-jae?

Securing Champions League football and winning United’s first trophy in six years signified an impressive start to life at the helm of the Red Devils.

The former Ajax boss entered the transfer window with the aim of bolstering his first-team squad in preparation for the rigours of challenging on two fronts and this saw the club linked with numerous big names, with the Napoli defender included.

Back in June, The Mirror even claimed that the club were set to complete the signing of the player when his release clause became active at the start of July and this was set at just £43m.

This clause was only available for two weeks at the start of July however, and it meant United had only a short time period to conclude the deal.

Although it looked close to happening, the South Korean didn’t end up in the Premier League and it represented another case of missed opportunity by the Old Trafford side.

Why didn’t Manchester United sign Kim Min-jae?

Bayern Munich swooped in and announced the signing of the centre-back as the English side missed out on him, securing his services for around €50m (£43m).

With the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as the key defensive duo at the club, perhaps Kim may have not started as many games as his vast talent deserved and this could well have been why he chose to move to Bayern, with a spot in the starting XI guaranteed.

Given how poor defensively United have been at times this season, conceding 14 goals, while a series of injury issues also hasn’t helped their cause, missing out on Kim is looking like a bigger mistake with every passing game.

What is Kim Min-jae doing now?

The former Napoli titan enjoyed his lone campaign in Naples, helping his team win their first league title since Diego Maradona was captain.

His performances domestically ensured he ranked third across the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.22), while also ranking first for accurate passes per game (72.8), fourth for tackles per game (1.6) and third for interceptions per game (1.2) as he demonstrated his attributes over a range of metrics.

Is it any wonder then that he was dubbed an “iron barrel” by his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia due to his defensive nature, and he was an integral part in their wonderful title triumph as the club conceded just 28 goals in 28 matches.

Comparing his statistics to that of Maguire from last term, it’s evident who is the best of the defenders.

The 30-year-old ranked seventh in the squad for Sofascore rating (6.95), while ranking only tenth for accurate passes per game (30.6), 18th for tackles per game (0.5) and eighth for interceptions per game (0.6), which clearly showcases that Kim is by far the superior centre-back than the Englishman, judging by these statistics.

Indeed, the former Napoli gem even has a forward-thinking mentality which would’ve benefitted Ten Hag as when compared to positional peers, he ranks in the top 9% for progressive passes per 90 (5.22) and the top 12% for progressive carries per 90 (1.19), demonstrating that he likes to bring the ball out from the back as often as possible.

In comparison, Maguire ranks only in the top 46% for progressive passes per 90 (3.38) and the top 18% for progressive carries per 90 (1.03), proving that he doesn’t quite display his attacking qualities as often as Kim.

The South Korean defender has already played seven times for his new club as he looks to win more silverware with the German side.

He already looks like a bargain at just £43m and this is certainly a transfer fee which United could have afforded, regardless if they had moved on Maguire or not.

Ten Hag has missed a trick with the former Fenerbahce defender as he fitted the Dutchman’s tactical philosophy while also being able to stand his ground and display his physical presence at the heart of the defence.

Maguire surely doesn’t have much time left at United, but failing to upgrade their options at centre-back by signing Kim during the summer is looking like a major transfer howler that Ten Hag will struggle to get over anytime soon.

Had they been able to complete two more balls, Uganda would have clinched promotion to WCL Division Three later this year

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur05-May-2018No result
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCoach Steve Tikolo and captain Roger Mukasa are stoic after rain denied Uganda victory•Peter Della PennaThe World Cricket League has already thrown up its fair share of drama in the first half of 2018, beginning with the miracle that was Nepal’s 51-run tenth-wicket stand on the last day of group play to beat Canada at Division Two in Namibia. On Saturday in suburban Kuala Lumpur, the heavens opened up for a different kind of miracle to save Jersey and deny Uganda promotion.Having already sat through a two-hour delay in the ninth over that reduced Uganda’s original target from 127 to 105 off 35 overs, Riazat Ali Shah had just clubbed the fourth ball of the 20th over through wide long-on for four to put Uganda on 55 for 3, four runs ahead of the DLS par score for 20 overs. But as the ball bounced over the ropes, another storm that had closed in on the ground in the previous over let loose with heavy rain, forcing the umpires to take the players off the field 80 minutes before the official cut-off time of 5:45 pm. Even though the shower lasted only 20 minutes, it was enough to render the bowlers’ run-ups unplayable.The umpires took a final inspection at 5:05 pm before waving Uganda captain Roger Mukasa and his Jersey counterpart Charles Perchard out to deliver the news. The pair shook hands, Mukasa waved his hands apart while Perchard gestured a throat slash. Both gestures were met with silence from their respective camps before a full handshake line commenced with Uganda frustrated and Jersey relieved. Under the tournament rules, the match will be replayed from ball one on Sunday, with the playoff round scrapped and turned into a reserve day as league matches take precedence in determining promotion and relegation.Had they been able to complete two more balls, Uganda would have clinched promotion to WCL Division Three later this year while Jersey would have stayed in Division Four. However, thanks to Denmark’s loss to Vanuatu at Kinrara Academy Oval, where play went on uninterrupted just 16 miles northwest of UKM-YSD Oval in Bangi, Jersey can sleep on the knowledge that a win over Uganda in Sunday’s replay could see them overtake Denmark on the net run rate tie-breaker for promotion. Uganda, however, remain firm favourites to move up regardless of a win or loss.The rain spoiled another brilliant performance from Mohammed Irfan, who took the new ball and ripped through Jersey’s top order to leave them 36 for 5 during an unbroken 10-over spell of spin after Uganda sent Jersey in at the toss. Whether it was defending on the front foot (Peter Gough), back foot (Nick Ferraby), charging down the pitch (Jonty Jenner) or sweeping from the crease (Harrison Carlyon), Irfan found all sorts of ways to defeat the Jersey batsmen to claim 4 for 26.First-drop allrounder Ben Stevens held firm in the face of Irfan’s assault, building a 92-ball 66 that prevented Jersey from crumbling altogether and helped drag the innings out to 42.2 overs. Irfan’s new-ball medium-pace partner Bilal Hassan then returned to rip through the tail as Jersey were dismissed for 126.

كشف لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، كيفين دي بروين، عن موقفه من الانضمام إلى الدوري السعودي في الموسم القادم.

وارتبط النجم البلجيكي دي بروين بإمكانية الالتحاق بدوري روشن السعودي في الموسم الجديد 2024/2025.

اقرأ ايضاً.. قبل يورو 2024.. منتخب البرتغال يعلن إصابة أوتافيو واستدعاء لاعب مانشستر سيتي

وقال دي بروين عن موقفه من الانضمام إلى الدوري السعودي في تصريحات لشبكة “HLN” البلجيكية: “في عمري الحالي عليك أن تكون منفتحًا على كل شيء، أنت تتحدث عن مبالغ لا تصدق من المال”.

وأضاف دي بروين: “في المرحلة الأخيرة من مسيرتي، عليك أن تفكر في ذلك، بالنسبة لزوجتي، المغامرة الغريبة أمر جيد، يجب أن أفكر في مستقبلي”.

وواصل: “إذا لعبت في السعودية لمدة عامين، سأكون قادرًا على كسب مبلغ لا يصدق، قبل ذلك كان علي أن ألعب كرة القدم لمدة 15 عامًا، وربما لم أصل إلى هذا المبلغ بعد”.

يذكر أن مسؤولي الدوري السعودي يكثفون جهودهم لإغراء دي بروين بالرحيل عن الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز والانضمام إلى دوري روشن العام القادم.

وانضم دي بروين إلى نادي مانشستر سيتي قادماً من فريق فولفسبورج الألماني في صيف 2016، وسينتهي عقده مع ناديه الحالي في موسم 2025.

وشارك الدولي البلجيكي هذا العام في 26 مباراة مع مانشستر سيتي في جميع المسابقات، حيث أحرز 6 أهداف وقام بصناعة 17 هدفاً مع الفريق الإنجليزي طوال الموسم.

Vidarbha wrapped up Delhi’s innings earlier than expected on the morning, and fifties from seniors Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer kept them in the hunt for a lead

The Report by Vishal Dikshit in Indore30-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rajneesh Gurbani is mobbed by his team-mates•Rajneesh Gurbani

When it looked like Delhi would ease past 300 early on the second day, Rajneesh Gurbani stalled them with a hat-trick. When it looked like the Vidarbha openers would stretch their partnership past 100, both fell within the space of four overs. And when it looked like Vidarbha would place themselves in a strong position for a lead after crossing 200 and only three down, they lost one more in the final moments of the second day to expose a weak middle order, making the match restore some parity yet again.Vidarbha had dominated much of the day, finishing off Delhi’s last four wickets for only five runs to wrap them up for 295. Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer struck solid half-centuries to help them finish the day on 206 for 4. Jaffer was on 61 at stumps and would be their biggest hope to take a lead and avoid a collapse.Resuming on their overnight 271 for 6, Dhruv Shorey was looking set with a patient Vikas Mishra, amid edges that weren’t turning into wickets. Gurbani then targeted the stumps. On the last two deliveries of his seventh straight over of the day, he produced two incutters against Mishra and Navdeep Saini. Both deliveries nipped in so sharply from outside off that neither could get the bat down in time and were bowled. Gurbani completed the hat-trick in his next over with the most important wicket of the innings, bringing another one to knock over Shorey’s off stump.Hat-trick hero Gurbani on…

Taking a hat-trick in the Ranji final: “It is a fast bowler’s dream to take a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in the finals, so obviously it is a special feeling. To be frank, I was not aware I was on a hat-trick. I was not thinking about taking it, but I was bowling every delivery with the intent of taking a wicket.”

How he realised he was on a hat-trick: “I had got two wickets off the fifth and sixth deliveries of my over. When I came on to bowl my next over, someone in the crowd shouted “hat-trick ball”. That is when I realised to be frank. So I planned to bowl on the stumps as much as possible.”

Bowling after cramps on the first day: “I had prepared myself that I should remain on the field and bowl the first over today. I was not fit yesterday. I knew that if I would bowl well, the team would win so since the time I could not bowl yesterday [because of cramps] I was waiting to bowl today.”

If he prefers the new or old ball: “I prefer the new ball. But the SG Test starts swinging more after it gets a bit old so I become more [dangerous]. Otherwise I get wickets with the new ball too.”

Four deliveries after he became only the second bowler to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji final – after Tamil Nadu’s Kalyanasundram against Bombay in 1972-73 – he wrapped up Delhi when Kulwant Khejroliya charged and lost two of his stumps. Four bowled in seven deliveries and Gurbani finished with 6 for 59, his fifth five-for in four straight matches.Vidarbha’s openers put on a solid 96 runs after blunting the new ball in the first session. Saini was Delhi’s best bowler of the day by consistently putting his 140kph deliveries in the right areas, posing threats in all three sessions. He did it against Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy but he hardly got support from the other end in the absence of Ishant Sharma and Vikas Tokas, who was replaced by Akash Sudan.Barring the occasional edge or appeal, Fazal and Sanjay looked untroubled for the 30 overs they batted together. Fazal was more productive, middling three drives down the ground and steering plenty of short deliveries square. That he scored 29 off 33 against Saini helped Vidarbha in taming the fired-up bowler. Left-arm spinner Mishra’s flat deliveries could not penetrate his defences and Fazal tucked him to long leg for four to complete his first half-century that was not converted into one of his five hundreds this season.Sudan somehow returned in a different avatar in his second spell when the ball was over 25 overs old. He first brought one into Sanjay for an lbw appeal in the 28th over – that the batsman survived – before seaming one in marginally to have Sanjay chop on for 31. Four overs later, he swung one away from Fazal and the left-hander edged behind for 67.Still 188 adrift, Vidarbha had the man in the middle they needed – Jaffer. He steered two partnerships – with Ganesh Satish and Apoorv Wankhade – during which he was as unruffled as ever in his ninth Ranji final. Those two partnerships were not blemish-free on the bowler-friendly pitch. Saini was brought back soon after Fazal’s dismissal and he created two chances against Satish before tea – first an edge fell short of the slips and then the umpire turned down a a loud lbw appeal because it was probably going down leg.Jaffer meanwhile dropped reminders of his calmness. He drove the second ball after tea serenely through the covers. But Saini tasted success in the next over by pinning Satish above the knee roll, which made the batsman unhappy with the decision. Jaffer continued to late cut – his most productive shot – and punch balls off the backfoot to register his 86th first-class half-century. Wankhade also exhibited two elegant cover drives against the pacers, with Vidarbha appearing like they wouldn’t lose further wickets on the day.However, left-arm pacer Khejroliya titled the balance a bit towards Delhi in the third over before stumps when he angled one away and Wankhade poked for an edge on 28. Saini scared Vidarbha before stumps too by making Jaffer edge one that fell short of slip and appealing for a catch down the leg side four balls later, when the ball had gone off the pad.Delhi are 13 overs away from the new ball and Vidarbha 89 runs short with the key in Jaffer’s hands.

CSA and the SACA have agreed on a 60% payout deal for South African players and a 50% payment to foreign players following the postponement of the T20 Global League

Firdose Moonda05-Dec-2017Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) have agreed on a 60% payout deal for South African players and a 50% payment to foreign players following the postponement of the T20 Global League, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The payments will be made in three installments between December 2017 and April 2018.CSA and SACA described the agreement as “amicable,” with acting CSA CEO Thabang Moroe underlining the importance of his organisation maintaining solid relationships with its players. “Our players are key stakeholders in the game and are also CSA’s most valuable assets, which is why we invest heavily in our development programmes to produce our best possible national side,” he said.A payout is particularly important to the players, especially the locally based South African players who were expecting bigger pay-days than ever before, but those dreams were dashed when the tournament was pushed back to 2018. CSA is currently in the process of working on the organisation of next year’s edition but as things stand, the board has yet to secure a broadcaster, which was the major reason the inaugural edition could not take place.The T20 Global League was due to be played in November-December and CSA had anticipated losses of US$ 25million – amounting to half its cash reserves. The financial model was eventually deemed unsustainable and CSA opted to cut its losses, which will still prove substantial.The total player bill, which included signed contracts with 138 players (after six withdrew for injury or unavailability reasons), amounted to US $10.8 million. While CSA has been spared sacrificing the full amount, the agreed figures will still cost the board several million, though the exact amount has been adjusted to accommodate for foreign players. Those who signed on with other leagues, such as the BPL, whose NOCs contained limitations on the amount of time they were able to play in the T20 Global League, and those who did not receive NOCs will all be paid less than 50%.Negotiations have been taking place since late October and the matter was resolved in mediation. “The settlement is both fair and responsible and has been well received by the players,” Tony Irish, SACA CEO, said. Irish had previously noted that though players were disappointed about the money they would lose with the tournament being postponed, they were also mindful of not getting into greater financial distress.Though CSA has cash reserves of over R500 million (approx US$ 37million), the T20 Global League has depleted them severely. CSA has already spent R350 million in stadium upgrades over three years and had designated another R100 million to the organisation and marketing of the GLT20.

A failed promotion challenge left Kent demoralised at the end of the season and Glamorgan took full advantage

ECB Reporters Network27-Sep-2017

Glamorgan chalked up their third win of the Specsavers County Championship campaign with more than a day to spare after reaching 192 for five in Canterbury to inflict a first home defeat of the season by five wickets upon a weary and downcast Kent side.Having dismissed the hosts for a meagre 115 in their second innings, Glamorgan made the best of starts to their pursuit of a 189-run victory target when openers Nick Selman and Connor Brown posted 96 – the best partnership for any wicket in the match.Brown ought to have departed with 15 to his name when Darren Stevens downed a regulation slip catch off the bowling of Calum Haggett, then Haggett was again the luckless bowler when Selman, on 64, was dropped by Zak Crawley at third slip.Brown finally went for 33 to Haggett, caught at point at the second attempt by substitute fielder Oli Robinson, then, with his score on 70, Selman flayed at a wide one from Stevens to be caught behind for his 62nd first-class wicket and a career-best season’s haul.With is next ball 41-year-old Stevens pegged back Kiran Carlson’s off stump via an inside edge then, just before tea, Jack Murphy flayed a wide one to Zak Crawley in the gully to give the Kent veteran five wickets in the match.Only 10 balls after tea Chris Cooke drove a return catch to left-arm spinner Imran Qayyum, so it was left to David Lloyd, who scored a pugnacious inbeaten 35, to see his side over the win line with a slog-swept six off Qayyum.Admittedly, conditions on day three fell with outrageous good fortune in Glamorgan’s favour – they bowled on a steamy overcast morning and batted under blue skies all afternoon – but for Kent it was pretty much all gloom and doom as their last day’s action of the season ended with a second championship defeat of the summer and their first red-ball defeat to Glamorgan on home soil since 1992 [Glamorgan secured an eight-wicket victory in an experimental pink-ball, four-day game here in 2011] .At the start of the day, one-time promotion-chasers Kent resumed on their overnight score of 98 for six – a lead of 171 – and with top-scorer Adam Rouse, the county’s understudy wicketkeeper and substitute for Sam Billings, at the crease. But home hopes of setting a testing 200-plus target were soon quashed as Kent lost their last four wickets for nine runs in the space of 26 balls.Haggett started the collapse, aiming an ambitious push drive at the ever-consistent Michael Hogan, Haggett played outside an off-cutter that darted down the Canterbury slope to pluck out middle stump and give Hogan five-wickets.Rouse’s resistance ended for 44 when he toe-ended an attempted pull against Lucas Carey to mid-on, then, five balls later, Carey struck again by having Kent debutant Grant Stewart caught in the cordon by former Kent 2nd XI batsman Nick Selman.Hogan polished it off by having last man Imran Qayyum caught behind for a first-ball duck to finish with six for 43 and career-best match figures of 10 for 87.

Rory Kleinveldt claimed 5 for 50 as Sussex were forced to follow on by Northants at Wantage Road

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Wantage Road06-Sep-2017Sussex 172 (Kleinveldt 5-50) and 34 for 1 (Robson 10*) trail Northamptonshire 426 (Duckett 193) by 220 runs
They don’t do boring at the County Ground and day two was no different, as 16 wickets fell to rush this game along at such a rate that Northamptonshire, not for the first time this season, might have to find something else to do on day four. Not that they’ll mind: Sussex, following on, trail them by 220 runs, skittled out for 172 in the first innings after the hosts put on 426 in theirs.While it was a collective effort from all in maroon caps who took the ball, it was Rory Kleinveldt’s 5 for 50 – his first five-wicket haul of the season – that stands out as much on paper as it did on the pitch. Amid countless plays and misses, he was able to take six wickets across two sessions – he also nabbed the first wicket to fall in Sussex’s second innings – to leave Sussex skipper Ben Brown cursing two poor days in a row.It is easy to sneer at Northamptonshire and Kleinveldt. They know that, too, hence presenting themselves as the vanguard of English cricket: forever raging against the scoffing that unfairly comes their way. If it was up to some of the players, “Big Bellies, Big Sixes” would adorn the gates at the entrance of Wantage Road. There is a pride in the way they play their cricket here that others should heed.Kleinveldt personifies that approach. Where a strength-and-conditioning coach may see a lost cause, Alex Wakely sees a bowler whom he can call upon for 10 overs up top with the new ball. His trusted seamer did what Sussex didn’t: persist with a line that asked the batsmen to stay honest. Eventually he convinced Angus Robson to push at a ball he had left many times before and play onto his own stumps.The 27-over gap between his first and second spell were not spent hiding in the field: a settled cordon of Ben Duckett, Wakely and Richard Levi meant he was fielding in the ring as Northants fought to defend every run. His final 5.4-over burst was the telling contribution, as Sussex’s tail of more-than-capable allrounders was snuffed out with Kleinveldt taking four of them for just 15 runs. After a quick break, his four overs to start the follow-on innings saw him nab Luke Wells, too.It is worth noting that Sussex’s first-innings scorecard was more reflective of the bowling than the pitch, which encouraged and rewarded shotmaking throughout. Even as wickets tumbled, players were able to drive for boundaries. Jofra Archer even managed to take Simon Kerrigan downtown for back-to-back sixes. The scorecard doesn’t lie and the story it tells an accurate story: all of the top five got starts that should have been converted.The opening hour and a half was an extension of day one. Archer and Chris Jordan were wayward with the ball allowing Northamptonshire to tick along at around four an over. Ollie Robinson and David Wiese picked up their slack to finish with four and three wickets respectively.Josh Cobb, beginning his innings at the start of play, helped the hosts breeze past 350 for only the second time this season with a handful of shots he usually saves for the white ball. Danny Briggs was chipped down the ground for four and then Cobb set his sights on Wiese, skewing a few boundaries before hitting him out of the ground over square leg.Meanwhile, Luke Procter, on loan from Lancashire, played a more sedate hand, bringing up his first Championship fifty of the season from 94 balls.Procter was singled out for praise by Duckett at the end of day one, who found time when talking about his 193 from 200 balls to laud a nuggety left-hander who dug deep to stumps so that he could recommence today with Northants on 329 for 5. It is no coincidence they passed 400 and achieved full batting points for the first time this season. They have been crying out for someone to act as the glue in the middle order and Procter’s turn was Oscar-worthy. His dismissal underlined that.When he edged Robinson to second slip for 57 from 116 balls, it set about a collapse that went on to read 5 for 25, as Northants were bowled out for 426.Sussex started well, with a breezy opening stand of 46 from Robson and Luke Wells, built upon by Stiaan van Zyl and Chris Nash, at three and four respectively. Nash was bright and breezy, van Zyl skittish and streaky, but the team hundred was brought up with the pair’s fifty partnership. But 101 for 2 was as good as it got for the visitors.Nash nicked Azharullah behind for the bowler’s second wicket before Kerrigan, another Lancashire loanee, produced an inspired spell after tea. Who knows what his future might hold and whether it is still at Old Trafford, but his two dismissals in the evening session will have turned a few important heads here. He ripped one from well outside off stump and through a driving van Zyl to knock out leg stump. Then, he drifted one into Jordan and then spun it away sharply from the right-hander to take his edge through to Levi, completing a smart chance to his left.Kleinveldt then returned from the Wantage Road end to polish off the tail, taking a sharp caught-and-bowled chance from Robinson then bowling Wiese and Briggs to leave Sussex 254 behind. The collapse was a dismal eight for 71.By stumps, 34 of those runs were chalked off, with Wells falling for his second misjudged in the same session. Tonight, he and the rest of his team-mates will rue a promotion charge starting to run out of puff.

After scoring his first Test hundred – also his first official one – the India allrounder was so intoxicated that he just started blurting things out

Sidharth Monga in Pallekele13-Aug-20173:18

‘It was an ideal opportunity for me’ – Pandya

“I scored in Under-19. I am 24, no 23. So some four-five years back, I scored my hundred. Actually I don’t remember when I scored the hundred.”You might imagine Hardik Pandya was so intoxicated by his first Test hundred that he just started blurting things out. In actual fact, though, this was just a straightforward response to a question: “Do you remember your last hundred in any format at any level?”The question was not out of line. On Sunday, Pandya scored not only his first Test hundred but also his first official one. He came into the Pallekele Test with none in any first-class, List A or Twenty20 cricket. Test cricket can seem easy as such times, when you score your first fifty one Test, maiden hundred in the next, and fetch your team crucial breakthroughs with the ball as well.”Obviously not,” Pandya said, when asked if he was finding it easy at the moment. “But I am pretty glad. God has been pretty kind to me. I got things. I am pretty lucky I got things pretty quickly in life. I am just happy in that way. I have worked hard enough and I am getting whatever I have worked hard for. It is not easy but I don’t mind it as well.”Pandya might not have scored many centuries, but he experienced something new when he was constructing his 96-ball innings, or neared the hundred. “First time in my life I have not had the 90s butterfly,” he said. “Otherwise – I don’t remember previous centuries but – I used to have butterflies from how much I can remember. In today’s game – I have said earlier as well – that when I bat, I am in a different zone. When I bat, I don’t think about my personal scores and achievements. It has helped me enough. One thing I learned from Mahi is that you always put your team ahead, see the scoreboard and play accordingly. That has helped me throughout.”During his maiden Test century, Pandya also broke the record for most runs, 26, in a single over by an India batsman. “It just happened, honestly I didn’t want to go all out in that over, but I don’t know what happened,” Pandya said. “Maybe I was connecting pretty well, let me try this over and scored 26 runs. [It] feels obviously good. From there I saw the scoreboard, and I was batting on 80 and I was like, “Wow.” Then I noticed I was in the zone, I don’t usually look at the scoreboard, I don’t want to know what’s happening around. I just focus on how I can help the innings progress.”The clarity of thought became apparent when he was asked if trying to hit over all nine men on the fence was a challenge. “Could there have been a bigger opportunity than that?” Nine wickets were already down and I knew if I stay in the crease and connect the ball well, it would go for six,” Pandya said. “Even if I were to mis-hit, I had to. I had no choice. It was an ideal opportunity, and obviously there was a team’s goal and which was to get to 400. We scored close to 490.”