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Manchester United are leaning more towards the proposal from Sir Jim Ratcliffe despite the latest bid to arrive from Sheikh Jassim.

What's the latest Man United takeover news?

Months on from originally putting the club up for sale back in November of last year, United still remains under the control of the Glazer family.

Numerous bids have been lodged from a number of reportedly interested parties over the course of the last few months.

However, the current owners are yet to strike a deal with any of the proposed suitors including Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim.

It has recently been reported that the interested group from Qatar have now lodged one final bid which has been described as 'take it or leave it'.

The summer transfer window is now on the brink of opening ahead of the new season, yet the Glazers still remain at the helm of the Premier League giants.

And despite a fresh bid landing on the table of the Glazers from Qatar, it is believed Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still viewed a the leading candidate if they are to sell.

Indeed, speaking on the Five YouTube channel, reliable journalist David Ornstein has provided insight on where the potential sale of the Red Devils is currently at:

"What has emerged in recent weeks is that the Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEO-backed, bid feels that it's in a really strong position. And they've gone into detail in the negotiations, evidently. And there's optimism that they will win through in the end."

"If you speak to people, they think, you know, maybe five to 10 days that there'll be some kind of clearer picture on this than we've received so far."

Will the takeover situation affect United's summer transfers?

Going into the summer, Erik ten Hag's first campaign at Old Trafford can be viewed as a big success given they landed Champions League football and a trophy.

However, that is not to say there is not room for improvement over the coming months with the Red Devils already linked with some big moves ahead of the summer.

Indeed, one of the biggest questions ahead of the window is whether Harry Kane will leave Tottenham Hotspur with United listed as one of the interested clubs.

There is also expected to be a number of exits from Old Trafford this summer with Ten Hag keen to offload some of the players he does not use at the club.

Although the takeover debacle continues to fizz away in the background, it is believed United are looking to make some early moves in the window with a serious interest in Mason Mount.

It is reported United have held talks with the player, but whether they will be willing to meet Chelsea's valuation is another matter with the Blues said to be looking for a bid in the region of £68m.

A potential takeover could see United possibly injected with significant funds for this window, however, they could well find themselves compromising if the Glazers remain at the helm.

A wrap of all the Group B matches from the fourth round of 2016-17 Ranji Trophy matches on October 29, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2016Stuart Binny’s ninth first-class century – a 158-ball 156 – gave Karnataka an opportunity to push for full points after they took a 245-run lead over Assam at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in Mumbai. Assam went to stumps on 48 for 1, with Gokul Sharma, the captain, and Rahul Hazarika at the crease.Assam made early inroads to pick up three quick wickets, including those of overnight centurions Robin Uthappa (128) and Karun Nair (145), whose third-wicket stand was worth 265. Assam were left frustrated, however, as Binny forged two century stands – 131 for the seventh wicket with Shreyas Gopal and 105 for the sixth wicket with CM Gautam (73) – to help post 570. Arup Das, the medium-pacer, was Assam’s best bowler, taking 4 for 86.After suffering an innings loss against Karnataka last week, Delhi put themselves in a position to inflict a heavy defeat on Odisha in Mohali. Delhi’s seventh and eighth-wicket pairs added a total of 212 before Gautam Gambhir, who top-scored with 147, declared the innings on 495 for 8 to open up a 258-run advantage. Odisha were tottering at 109 for 4 in the second innings, and needed 149 more to make Delhi bat again. Ishant Sharma, playing his second competitive match after recovering from chikungunya, picked up two wickets.Delhi, who resumed on 351 for 7 in response to Odisha’s 237, were driven by a 156-run eighth-wicket stand between Milind Kumar and Manan Sharma. Milind, who registered a pair in the previous game, brought up his second first-class century and was unbeaten on 106, while Manan recorded his highest first-class score of 81. He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh, who took 4 for 84. In reply, Govinda Podder, Odisha’s captain, was unbeaten on 52 and stood between Delhi and a second outright win this season.Rajasthan were left to rue a batting collapse that had them 299 for 8 at stumps, in response to Maharashtra’s 461 in Hyderabad. Each of the top six batsmen got starts, with opener Manendar Singh’s 63 the top score. Resuming on the third day from 76 for 2, they lost Ashok Menaria, the captain, for 42 to expose the middle order. Mahipal Lomror (32) and Siddarth Dobal (59) held the fort briefly before Maharashtra’s spinners, Akshay Darekar and Chirag Khurana, opened up the game by picking four wickets between them. Chetan Bist, the wicketkeeper who retired hurt on 13 after being hit on the helmet by a Mohsin Sayyed bouncer, returned and was 43 not out at stumps.An improved batting performance in the second innings brightened Vidarbha’s hopes of salvaging one point against Jharkhand in Wayanad. Opener Sanjay Ramaswamy made 102, while three others – Faiz Fazal, Aditya Shanware and Ravi Jangid – made half-centuries as Vidarbha, ended the day on 315 for 3. They had been bowled out for 105 in the first innings and had conceded a 257-run lead. The unbroken fourth-wicket stand between Shanware and Jangid was worth 85.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is set to enter his first summer transfer window in charge of the club and it provides him with a chance to make big changes to his squad.

The Spaniard helped the club to secure European football for next season by earning qualification for the Europa Conference League and the roster may need upgrading in order to deal with playing in multiple competitions.

Portuguese outlet A Bola recently reported that the Villans are interested in a deal to sign Sporting attacking midfielder Pedro Goncalves ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and he could improve Emery's team significantly.

The report claimed that the club have been tracking the ace since 2020 and have contacted the Liga Portugal side to enquire about his price, with his side demanding that potential suitors pay up his release clause of €80m (£69m).

How did Pedro Goncalves perform this season?

Emery could land a big upgrade on current Villa playmaker Emiliano Buendia by signing Goncalves as the 24-year-old star enjoyed an exceptional campaign with Sporting in his home country.

In the Portuguese top flight, the magician averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.51 across 33 matches and contributed with 15 goals and 11 assists.

The dynamo proved himself to be a reliable goalscorer from an attacking midfield or wide position, after scoring eight goals in 27 league outings last term, and could provide a greater goal threat than Buendia, who managed just five strikes in 38 matches in the Premier League in 22/23 and four in 35 games in 21/22 for the Villans.

Goncalves, whose form was once hailed as "incredible" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also created 16 'big chances' and provided 2.6 key passes per match for Sporting in the league. This shows that the former Wolves maestro is consistently opening up the opposition's defence to create quality opportunities for his teammates, to go along with his own goalscoring ability.

Buendia, meanwhile, created eight 'big chances' and made 1.4 key passes per game for Villa in the league and these statistics indicate that the Argentine does not offer as much as the Portuguese talent when it comes to creating for others.

Therefore, Emery could improve his squad heading into the 2023/24 campaign by swooping for Goncalves in the coming months as the playmaker has the potential to provide far more quality in the final third than the ex-Norwich man.

There is no guarantee that he will be able to translate his form from Portugal over to England but his eye-catching form in front of goal suggests that it is a gamble worth taking this summer.

Influential Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams could leave the club on loan during the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update.

Has Adams played well for Leeds?

The 24-year-old has made an immediate impact at Elland Road, joining from RB Leipzig last summer and becoming of the most important players at the club.

Adams added immediate quality and tenacity to Leeds' midfield, starting 24 matches in the Premier League before an injury ended his season prematurely. That proved to be a massive setback for the Whites, who weren't the same team without him and eventually suffered relegation to the Championship on the final day.

Many were left wondering if things would have panned out different with the £55,000-a-week midfielder available all the way through the campaign, and they are now going to find it very difficult to keep of him, despite him only arriving a year ago.

Could Adams depart on loan this summer?

According to Football Insider, Leeds "could sanction a loan exit" for their "star midfielder" this summer, rather than him leaving on a permanent basis. The report goes on to add that the Whites "will hold a degree of control – with Adams’ long-term contract meaning it will take a big-money fee to prise him away from Elland Road".

For that reason, a loan move "could be the best solution – allowing him to supercharge his transfer value with another impressive season".

This is probably the best outcome that Leeds could hope for regarding Adams this summer, with the 36-cap USA international not someone who will be wanting to ply his trade in the Championship in 2023/24. He is a top-level footballer who should be playing in the Premier League, or one of Europe's top five leagues, with Jesse Marsch describing him as a "very important" player during his time as manager.

From a Whites perspective, the hope is that Adams goes away on loan for a year, during which time they seal a speedy return to the Premier League, at which point he returns to Elland Road and kick starts his Leeds career again.

Whether that is possible remains to be seen – he could shine on loan somewhere and then eventually head there for good – but it would be a more preferable outcome than selling him permanently so soon after arriving given his obvious quality, even if it would mean receiving big money for his services.

A roundup of the final day of round-robin play to decide promotion and relegation at ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles 05-Nov-20162:12

‘Confident we will give it back to the US’ – Lalcheta

Khawar Ali produced a brilliant all-round performance, top-scoring with 74 in Oman’s total of 189 before taking 5 for 37 to help his side beat Denmark by 43 runs in a de facto semi-final at Severn Cricket Field. The win helped Oman finish at the top of the WCL Division Four round-robin points table and secure promotion to WCL Division Three while the loss kept Denmark out of the top two, finishing third behind USA due to the net run rate tiebreaker despite being level on points.Denmark were on top early after sending Oman in to bat, reducing them to 62 for 5 as medium pacer Basit Raja ripped through Khawar’s batting partners at the top of the order, taking three wickets in his opening spell. Khawar stuck out the early danger period though and found a willing ally in captain Ajay Lalcheta. The pair put on 97 for the sixth wicket to keep Oman afloat. Lalcheta eventually finished with 62 as the pair accounted for 72 percent of Oman’s runs.Just as he did against USA, Aftab Ahmed had a major impact with a late spell, taking three of his four wickets from the 37th over on beginning with Khawar. Aftab claimed the key scalp of Amir Ali next to work into Oman’s tail and finished off his spell claiming Lalcheta as the ninth wicket before Raja came back to wrap up the innings in 46.4 overs by removing Munis Ansari.Aftab got Denmark’s chase off to a dashing start, striking three fours and two sixes in his 27 off 14 balls picking out opening swing bowler Rajeshkumar Ranpura for special punishment. When he fell to Lalcheta’s spin in the fourth over Denmark had reached 37 in just 21 balls.Saif Ahmad continued the assault on Ranpura, who conceded 51 in four overs opening the bowling, as he made 31 off 21 balls including six fours and by the second ball of the ninth over Denmark reached 68 for 1. Amir, who had replaced Ranpura to start the ninth, swung momentum Oman’s way with a double-strike, bowling Saif and then claiming Freddie Klokker edged behind first ball.With the exception of the final over, Lalcheta then used spin exclusively throughout the rest of the match to near perfection. Denmark reached 91 for 3 in 18 overs when drinks were taken and on resumption, Khawar was brought on to bowl his part-time legspin. The move proved to be a masterstroke as Khawar struck with his first two balls, trapping Zameer Khan for 8 before Yasir Iqbal was caught behind.The wickets brought Amjad Khan to the crease and Denmark’s stand-in captain played a valiant knock, eventually finishing unbeaten on 32. But he could not find a partner to see him through as Khawar continued to whittle away at the other end. Hamid Shah fell in the 23rd for 19 before Anders Bulow was bowled for 10.Zeeshan Maqsood bowled a miserly spell of left-arm spin opposite Khawar, conceding just 14 runs in his first nine overs while bowling four maidens. He was finally rewarded off the first ball of his final over in the 32nd, winning a leg before appeal to dismiss Raja for 7 to make it 137 for 8. Khawar then struck off the last ball of the 33rd to complete his five-for, having Omar Hayat caught by Maqsood. Strike bowler Munis Ansari, who usually opens with the new ball, was then brought on for his first over of the day in the 34th and bowled Bashir Shah to end the match as Denmark ended all out for 146 in 34 overs.Khawar Ali’s 5 for 37 helped Oman to a tense win over Denmark, securing promotion to Division Three•ICC/Ian JacobsJersey defeated USA by one run at Wong Cricket Field, though the Americans gained promotion ahead of Denmark thanks to a superior net run rate while Jersey was relegated to Division Five in spite of the win. Jersey elected to bat first and raced away behind Nat Watkins, who recorded a half-century in 33 balls, to reach 94 for 0 in 17 overs.Ambidextrous spinner Prashanth Nair, brought into the USA lineup for his first match of the tournament, struck with his very first ball in the 18th as Jersey captain Peter Gough pulled a half-tracker straight to Steven Taylor at short midwicket. It was the first of three wickets in consecutive overs for Nair as he followed Gough’s dismissal with a sharp return catch to remove Luke Gallichan in the 20th before he teased Watkins into a false drive to cover, falling for 69 to make it 109 for 3.Jersey slipped further to 124 for 4 before Jonty Jenner and Anthony Hawkins-Kay rebuilt their innings with an 82-run stand as Jersey appeared on their way to a 300-plus score at 205 for 4 in 38 overs with Jenner well set on 57. However, Jenner fell in controversial circumstances off the first legal ball of the 38th when he pulled a full toss off Timroy Allen to mid-on for a simple catch by Abdullah Syed. The ball appeared to be over waist height, but square leg umpire Kathy Cross deemed it a legal delivery giving USA a much-needed break. Jersey struggled to recover thereafter, only hitting one boundary across the next ten overs before being bowled out in the 49th over for 249.USA had chased a target of 250 or higher only three times in history, but of higher priority was staying above Denmark on net run rate. USA made a cautious start to their chase and eventually slipped to 60 for 3 after Watkins spun out the top order to claim 3 for 35. Akeem Dodson and Alex Amsterdam continued the go slow approach as word filtered to the USA camp of Denmark’s loss, altering USA’s required target for promotion to 131. It was finally achieved in the 36th over and USA made it to the last drinks break at 136 for 3 in 37.With promotion secured, USA accelerated to go for the outright win. Dodson was caught on the boundary for 16 but Amsterdam carried on to bring up his maiden century off 95 balls and put on a rapid 52-run stand with Allen. Amsterdam fell on the final ball of the 46th, leaving USA to get 50 off the last four overs. They took 17 in the 47th and another 19 off the 49th as Elmore Hutchinson hit two straight sixes off Rhys Palmer through the wind to take the equation from 18 off eight to six off the final six balls.Charles Perchard bowled a brilliant final over, though USA opted for wild slogs instead of calmly pinching singles with five men still on the boundary, and four runs were left to get off the last ball. Hutchinson scuffed a drive into the ground to long-off for two, securing the win for Jersey. Perchard ended with 3 for 56, with all three wickets coming in the 48th and 50th overs.Italy scored a consolation win over Bermuda by 25 runs at Wright Cricket Field, though the margin of defeat was small enough to allow Bermuda to stay in Division Four above Jersey on the net run rate tiebreaker. Italy made 228 for 8 after being sent in with all of their top eight crossing double-figures but none reaching 50 as opener Manpreet Singh top-scored with 45. Italy were 153 for 6 in 41 overs before Joy Perera and Fida Hussain added 60 for the seventh wicket in the next seven overs to get Italy to a defendable total.Bermuda needed to chase the target in 14.4 overs to pass USA on net run rate. Openers Dean Minors and Kamau Leverock attacked briefly at the start of the chase but both fell to Carl Sandri’s offspin to make it 35 for 2 in seven overs and from there Bermuda batted to ensure they stayed above Jersey on net run rate, regardless of the match result.The net runs margin between a Jersey win and a Bermuda loss could be no more than 149 runs. Once Bermuda passed 79, they were safe from relegation assuming a Jersey one-run win. Bermuda eventually finished on 203 for 9 as Tre Manders top-scored with 37 while medium pacer Charanjeet Singh took 4 for 24.

Virat Kohli has said he was involved in a discussion with Cheteshwar Pujara over his strike rate in Test cricket during India’s recent tour of the West Indies

Sidharth Monga in Kanpur26-Sep-20162:59

‘He absorbs pressure well, but the time comes when the team needs a few runs’

Virat Kohli, India’s captain, has said he was involved in a discussion with Cheteshwar Pujara over his strike rate in Test cricket during the recent tour of the West Indies. Sandeep Patil, who recently ended his term as the chairman of selectors, told on Sunday that Kohli and coach Anil Kumble had spoken to Pujara expressing concern over his scoring rate, when he was dropped in the West Indies. Pujara, who scored 16 off 67 balls and 46 off 159 in the first two Tests, was left out for Rohit Sharma in St Lucia. This resulted in Kohli’s promotion to No. 3, from where he scored 3 and 4. Both Pujara and Rohit have featured in the two Tests that India have played since.After the West Indies tour, Pujara played in the Duleep Trophy, scoring 166 off 280 balls, 31 off 35, and 256 off 363. Back in the Test side, Pujara scored at a strike rate of more than 50 in both innings of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, scoring 62 and 78. His career strike rate before the Test began was 48.2.”Pujara is someone who absorbs the pressure really well but after a certain stage in the innings there comes a time when the team needs runs,” Kohli said at the end of the Kanpur Test. “That’s where we felt that he has the ability to capitalise. It was just about conveying that to him. He has worked hard on his game. He scored at a good strike rate in the Duleep Trophy. Even on this wicket he was scoring at 65, almost 70 strike rate.”Which for me was a revelation, to see Pujara bat that way. Because he used to bat that way initially. Especially at home. If you see his double-hundreds against England and Australia, he will dominate spinners. That’s exactly what we wanted him to do. We didn’t want him to go into a shell. We want Pujara to bat to his potential. Once he starts scoring runs to go with the composure he already has, it becomes very difficult for the opposition to have control of the game. That’s all we wanted to convey to him.”He’s someone who understands what the team wants. He has worked hard on his game. He has come back, and he is playing more positively. Which we appreciate as a team and me personally as a captain. That he has actually gone and worked hard on his game. He has not told us this is my comfort zone and I am not going to get out of it. That is the kind of characters we need to win games and series.”In another context, speaking about handling different characters, Kohli spoke of cricket that didn’t care too much about individual records. “If you have honesty in the change room, if you have an environment that is relaxed, they will be able to express themselves better on the field,” Kohli said. “They will understand, they will listen to you. They will have the trust. They trust you are not saying anything that will harm them. It’s only for the benefit of the whole team. Once you have that environment in the change room, it becomes very easy as a captain to ask anything of any player. And everyone is ready all the time.”One thing we have spoken about is we want to play a certain brand of cricket. Along those lines, personal performances will happen or won’t happen. If they happen, yes you feel good about them, but the eventual target is to win games and win series. We want to be a high-quality team for a long time. It’s just to get them rid of those pressures of individual performances. Once you take pressures of your own performance things can flip very quickly. You will not be able to play the way the team wants you to play. And you will not be able to perform on a personal level as well.”

Leeds United's 2022/23 campaign ended in dismal fashion as they were sent crashing down to the Championship with seven defeats in their last nine Premier League matches.

The club have since confirmed that manager Sam Allardyce has left by mutual consent and that leaves them in the market for a new boss heading into next season.

However, teams are already making signings to bolster their squads and Leeds could need to make some moves before appointing a head coach to avoid missing out on targets.

Last month, Football League World reported that the club are interested in signing defender Ryan Manning and added that, at the time, they would be keen on him as a Premier League or Championship side.

The left-back is set to be available on a free transfer this summer when his contract with Swansea expires and this means that the Whites can complete a bargain swoop for the 26-year-old dynamo if they are able to convince him to make the move to Elland Road.

How did Ryan Manning perform this season?

Manning enjoyed a phenomenal campaign with the Swans in the second tier and proved himself to be an excellent player at that level and Leeds could, therefore, kickstart start their summer with a bang by bringing him in.

In the Championship, the former Queens Park Rangers whiz averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.46 – higher than any of Marcelo Bielsa's stars achieved in 2019/20 – across 43 appearances and created an eye-catching 14 'big chances' from left-back.

The £10k-per-week maestro made 2.5 key passes per game for the Welsh outfit and racked up ten assists in total, which is more than any Whites player managed in the 19/20 promotion.

He also showcased his defensive quality with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per match – to cut out attacks on a regular basis – and a duel success rate of 64%.

Junior Firpo, meanwhile, won 50% of his battles in the Premier League and created 0.4 chances per outing, which suggests that the Irishman could be an upgrade on the ex-Barcelona man on and off the ball with his efficient defending and creative quality in possession to open up opposition defences for his teammates.

At the age of 26, the Republic of Ireland international has many years left ahead of him and has experience playing as a left-back and as a left wing-back in back fours and back five or threes. This suggests that the ace would suit any new manager who wants to play a progressive style of football as he is capable of being deployed in multiple different roles and systems on the left flank.

Therefore, bringing him in before appointing a coach could be a shrewd move by the club and one that could signal the turning of the ship as Leeds attempt to wash away the disappointment of last season by bringing positivity back to Elland Road.

Manning, who was dubbed "impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, has proven himself to be an outstanding Championship player and swooping the ace up would kickstart the summer with a bang and give the supporters something to be excited about for the first time in a long time.

Liverpool hold a “concrete” admiration for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.

Is Ruben Neves leaving Wolves?

The Portugal international’s contract is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning that the upcoming market is likely to be Julen Lopetegui’s final opportunity to cash in on his prized asset, and the captain has already put teams on alert after admitting during an interview following his final home outing that he is keen to join a bigger club to achieve his dream of playing in the Champions League.

Of players to regularly feature this season, the Midlands outfit’s £50k-per-week talisman is ranked as the team's best-performing player at Molineux with a WhoScored match rating of 6.98, so it’s no surprise that he feels like he can compete at a higher level, and his impressive performances have grabbed the attention of Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside.

Back in April, Fabrizio Romano claimed that the 26-year-old was on FSG’s shortlist but that a move wasn't “imminent”, though Spanish outlet Sport (via TEAMtalk) has since reported that the Reds, alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, are considering an approach – and as per the latest update, they could yet steal Neves from under their rivals' noses.

Who is signing Neves?

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have a “concrete” interest in Neves ahead of the 2023/24 season. Barcelona are currently in “pole position” to recruit the midfielder amid reports of a swap deal including Ansu Fati, but Wolves are only looking to complete a cash-only deal – which creates a roadblock at Camp Nou.

The Anfield outfit are therefore “lurking in the wings” and ready to hijack the move should an agreement fail to be reached. A “well-placed” Reds source has revealed that the Old Gold skipper is “highly regarded” for his passing range by the recruitment team behind the scenes, with chiefs of the opinion that he would fit “seamlessly” into the starting XI.

Liverpool might not be on the road to qualifying for the Champions League this season, but Neves – dubbed a midfield “orchestrator” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – will know that they are a club with a strong history of silverware, and FSG should certainly think about submitting a bid to bring him to Anfield.

The World Cup participant is extremely strong in the defensive aspects of his game, ranking in the 98th percentile for clearances and recording 78 tackles since the start of the term, which is more than any other of his fellow teammates, as per FBref. Meanwhile, he’s also equally capable of getting involved with the action in the final third.

Wolves’ versatile operator, who has the ability to play in three different positions, has seven goal contributions (six goals and one assist) to his name in the top flight this campaign and has produced 78 shot-creating actions which, once again, is the highest number at Molineux, so he could arguably be forgiven for thinking he has outgrown the team, which only confirmed their Premier League status in recent weeks.

Neves also shares the same agency, Gestifute, as Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Fabinho, so this existing connection to Jorge Mendes could give Liverpool some kind of advantage over their fellow competitors in the race to secure their target’s signature this summer.

Worcestershire have gambled on a win-at-all-costs pitch at Worcester – but Glamorgan’s Will Bragg stood in their way with a sparkling unbeaten half-century on a 15-wicket day

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2016
ScorecardSteve Rhodes, seen here alongside former England coach Andy Flower, wants three wins in five [file picture]•Getty ImagesA sparkling half-century by Will Bragg steadied Glamorgan as 15 wickets went down on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship meeting with promotion contenders Worcestershire at New Road.The hard-hitting left hander ended a recent run of single-figure scores by making 75 not out as the Welsh county reached 118 for 5 after dismissing the home side for 163 by tea.On a cloudy, sultry morning, Jacques Rudolph backed his seamers by choosing to bowl first and they were soon on a roll as Worcestershire collapsed to 37 for 5. A subsequent partnership of 66 by Ross Whiteley (40) and Joe Leach (43) seemed to be no more than damage limitation but grew in value when Glamorgan began to lose wickets.Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, has targeted three wins in the last five matches to put his team in “a really good position” in the promotion race. So far this one has been tougher than may have been anticipated against a side who were propping up the Division Two table.Bragg suggested that swing played a large part. “The pitch is quite slow, slower than normal, but the ball was swinging nicely for our bowlers once the lacquer had gone off it after 10 overs. It was the same when they bowled but we could have been in a stronger position but for a couple of sloppy shots.”Rhodes also played down too many pitch discussions. “At 37 for five we were in all sorts of trouble and it was not necessarily down to the pitch. We played a few shots we’d like to rewind and play again but the way we fought back was good. It was a wholehearted effort by the bowlers.”Kettleborough moves on

Glamorgan have released James Kettleborough, although they have yet to admit it in the hope that it will help him find a new county, .
As for Kettleborough, he has no qualms about telling it how it is. “Formerly of Northants and Glamorgan,” is the message already available – for confirmed followers only – on his Twitter feed.

Swing was Glamorgan’s big asset, as Brett D’Oliveira discovered when he was bowled, playing no shot, in teenager Lukas Carey’s second over. This was a big comedown for the opener after making a career-best 202 not out when the teams met at Cardiff in May.Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace was one who benefited from the movement, whether in the air or off the pitch. He took three catches in the morning and two more later.Graham Wagg bowled an excellent spell with the new ball, taking the outside edge to dismiss Daryl Mitchell in his fifth over, and Michael Hogan started with two wickets without conceding a run in 10 deliveries.Tom Fell (16) drove to cover, where Wagg held a smart catch, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore was quickly added to Wallace’s list of victims.It was five down when Joe Clarke followed a ball from Craig Meschede but Ben Cox held up the Welsh charge for a while until he was caught at first slip off Wagg after lunch.Glamorgan were only checked when Whiteley played responsibly for more than two hours and found buccaneering support from Leach.Whiteley was eventually caught at mid-on when cramped up by a ball from Meschede and Hogan (four for 44) landed a double blow in the space of three balls.Ed Barnard was caught by Wallace and Leach drove hard to Meschede at mid-on. The last pair hung around for half-an-hour before Wallace had the final word when holding Jack Shantry’s edge off Carey.With the sun shining, Glamorgan’s reply began badly with Nick Selman bowled, second ball, by Leach but Bragg got things moving with four boundaries in an over from Barnard.Rudolph helped put on 54 until driving a ball from Charlie Morris to mid-off and Bragg completed 50 from 54 balls before David Lloyd was taken at second slip off Shantry.Further wickets saw Aneurin Donald playing on to Leach and Meschede pulling Barnard to mid-on.

Graeme Cremer has offered New Zealand an invitation he may end up regretting after a difficult second day in the field for him and his men in Bulawayo

Firdose Moonda29-Jul-2016Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer has offered New Zealand an invitation he may end up regretting after a difficult second day in the field for him and his men in Bulawayo.”They will keep us out there which we don’t mind. We don’t mind if they bat all day again,” Cremer said, warning New Zealand that the more time they spent in the middle, the more confident Zimbabwe would be of denying them a victory. “We’re going to try and drag the game out for as long as possible and take time out of the game.”For a man who delivered 35 overs, 26 of them in a single spell, it seems like a bold statement to make. But Cremer always knew he would have a heavy workload in an XI that cannot accommodate another seamer because it needs an extra batsman.”I knew coming in to this game, we were one frontline seamer short so I knew I was going to do the bulk of the bowling anyway,” Cremer said. “I see myself as a bowler that will lead the attack so I knew there would be a bit of extra pressure on me. The other bowlers that we’ve got are a lot younger and lot more inexperienced. So I look to try and get wickets and get us into good positions.”His task was made even more difficult by the absence of another bowling option and the regular wicket-keeper. Sean Williams and Regis Chakabva spent the day recovering from the flu and tonsillitis respectively and Cremer is hopeful they will be okay by Saturday. Without them, he had to bowl even more than usual and was denied two wickets by fumbles from the substitute Brian Chari, who missed a stumping and could not hold onto a catch. Had either been successfully completed, Kane Williamson could have been dismissed earlier.Despite that, Cremer praised his young attack for staying upbeat after being demoralised by the batting effort on the first day. “I thought the guys fought hard, They didn’t run away with the game. We kept them in check. We knew it was going to be tough to get wickets because it’s a good batting surface so we wanted them to go at two or three runs an over and we wanted to take some wickets, which we did,” he said. “We are still upset we didn’t score enough runs but that’s the way it is.”In the next two days, Zimbabwe will have the chance to make amends for the first innings when they bat for a second time, in all likelihood with a view to saving the Test. Cremer knows the surface will get more difficult but hopes their approach will be strengthened by the lessons learnt from their mistakes. “Tomorrow morning it will still be for good batting but from later on in the afternoon, it will be dusty and start spinning and bouncing, so we have to start thinking about how we will play in the second innings,” he said.”Because we haven’t played enough, we are sometimes not sure what to expect and not sure how to go about it but now the guys have seen what to expect. Nothing will change in the second innings. I’m sure New Zealand will still use the short ball and the seamers as much. Hopefully guys will have the right mindset to bat long.” To bat all day.