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A round-up of the third-day action from the Group A matches in the sixth round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2016Railways were within 23 runs of beating Baroda in Nagpur, as they ended the day 90 for 2 chasing 113.Having conceded a first-innings lead of 127, Baroda were bowled out for 239 in the second innings. They began day three on 27 for no loss and lost opener Aditya Waghmode in the second over. Railways then inflicted two instances of wickets in consecutive overs – first in the 16th and 17th, and then in the 34th and 35th, either side of a 64-run fourth wicket partnership between Irfan Pathan (32) and Deepak Hooda (98), to reduce Baroda to 119 for 5.Hooda then put on 60 for the sixth wicket with Pinal Shah (32), and batted with the tail to stretch the score 239, before he was the last man dismissed, two short of his fourth hundred of the season. The last three wickets also fell in consecutive overs. Avinash Yadav took 3 for 50 to add to his five-wicket haul in the first innings.Railways’ chase began with a 77-run opening stand before first-innings centurion Saurabh Wakaskar fell for 45. They lost their second wicket, of Ashish Singh, off the last ball of the day. Shivakant Shukla was unbeaten on 36.Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed in the nineties for the second time in the match as he helped Mumbai set Uttar Pradesh 295 to win in Mysore.Suryakumar hit ten fours and a six in his 90, after coming in at 60 for 3, with Mumbai leading by only 68. He put on crucial partnerships – 81 for the fifth wicket with Abhishek Nayar (39), 62 for the seventh with Siddhesh Lad (35), and 57 for the eighth with Shardul Thakur (48) – before he fell to left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar (3-48), with the score on 279. Mumbai were bowled out for 286.UP’s chase began with the loss of Tanmay Srivastava, who fell for a single-digit score once again. Shivam Chaudhury, returning to the opening spot, scored an unbeaten 28 and took UP to 43 for 1 at stumps with Samarth Singh batting on 7.An unbroken last-wicket stand of 38 helped Tamil Nadu sneak past Bengal’s first-innings score of 337 and earn the lead in Rajkot.Beginning the day with the score 60 for 1, TN’s overnight pair of Abhinav Mukund (45) and Kaushik Gandhi (65) stretched their second-wicket partnership from 55 to 100 before Abhinav was run out. Pragyan Ojha then removed Gandhi after he had brought up his second first-class fifty. At 141 for 3, Dinesh Karthik came in and put on 58 with B Indrajith (34) before batting with the lower middle order to score 80 before being the seventh batsman dismissed, with the score on 281. Medium-pacer Sayan Ghosh then removed Aushik Srinivas and Aswin Crist (36) in consecutive overs to reduce TN to 310 for 9, and give Bengal a scent of the first-innings lead.But they couldn’t get past K Vignesh (30*) and T Natarajan (10*), who batted together for 9.3 overs and put on 38 to take Tamil Nadu to 348 for 9 at stumps.Samit Gohel and Parthiv Patel added an unbroken 143 for the third wicket to put Gujarat 278 ahead of Madhya Pradesh in Nagothane.Madhya Pradesh lost three wickets within the first six overs of the day, falling to 183 for 8 after starting the day 162 for 5. Rush Kalaria took two of those wickets, and eventually finished with 4 for 72. MP’s last two wickets put on 32 and 37 respectively to lift them to 252, cutting Gujarat’s eventual first-innings lead to 50.Gujarat scored 228 for 2 in the 70 second-innings overs they faced on day three, with Gohel unbeaten on 93 and Parthiv on 80. Medium-pacer Ishwar Pandey took both wickets.

A round-up of the second round of matches from the Sunfoil Series 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2016Robbie Frylinck broke the South African franchise record for best figures in a match when he took 14 for 62 to bowl the Dolphins to victory over the Lions in Potchefstroom. In February 2015, Kagiso Rabada, who took 14 for 105 for Lions against the Dolphins, surpassed Dale Steyn’s 14 for 110 for the Titans against the Eagles seven season’s earlier.Frylinck’s haul made Dolphins, who have two wins in as many matches, the early leaders in the first-class competition.Having played some of his cricket on the Highveld, Frylinck was fairly familiar with a surface that offered some pace, bounce and rewarded good lengths. Yet, he may have not expected to bowl the opposition out twice for under 150. The Dolphins won by 77 runs.The first innings proved batting would be tough. Only one of the Dolphins’ batsmen, Khaya Zondo, managed fifty plus, but 72-run seventh wicket stand from new Test call up Keshav Maharaj dragged the total past 250.If Maharaj wanted to celebrate his maiden international call up, he was left disappointed as Frylinck ripped through the Lions before he could be given a bowl. Frylinck took 8 for 30 in the first innings to blast the Lions out for 110, to give the Dolphins a 143 run lead.But the Lions had a ready response. Wiaan Mulder, their schoolboy protege, took seven for 25 to bowl the Dolphins out for 83 and keep the Lions in the game. Zondo was the standout, again, with 44, with only one other batsmen got into double figures.The Lions were set a gettable 227 for victory but Frylinck was at them again. He took three of the opening five wickets at the Lions were struggling on 115 for 5. They went into the third morning needing 107 to win but when top-scorer Kagiso Rapulana was dismissed for 42, the writing was on the wall. The last five wickets fell for 17 runs to end the match inside three days.The Cobras slipped to a second big defeat, as they lost to the Knights by 175 runs in Bloemfontein. In-form fast bowler Marchant de Lange topped up on his seven wickets in last week’s fixture against the Titans, with 6 for 61 in the second innings to dismiss the Cobras well off their target of 444. The loss adds further pressure on Paul Adams, whose job as coach has been under scrutiny ever since the season began.On what is usually a flat pitch in Bloemfontein, the Knights chose to bat first but were in early trouble. They lost both openers with only nine on the board, before Theunis de Bruyn and Pite van Biljon put on 109 for the third wicket, both scoring half-centuries. Fast bowler Dane Paterson broke the partnership, before Test discard Dane Piedt took two wickets off consecutive overs to engineer a collapse that saw the Knights lose 4 for 60 and slip to 178 for 6. Former Cobras player Robin Peterson led the second recovery, which saw batsmen from No.7 to No.10 all post scores in the forties to take the Knights to 342.If the Knights were anxious about whether they’d scored enough, the Cobras put any doubts to rest when they slipped to 96 for 4. Stiaan van Zyl, who was also left out of the Test squad, held them together with 83 and was supported by Aviwe Mgijima who scored 50. However, the Knights kept them in check. Left-arm fast bowler Mbulelo Budaza picked up 4 for 45, while Duanne Olivier and van Schalkwyk chipped in with two each to give the Knights a 101-run lead.The Cobras fought back to take the first three Knights wickets for 43, but van Biljon and Rudi Second scored 123 and 106 respectively to consolidate the Knights’ advantage. Although the rest of the Knights line-up didn’t contribute, they scored 342 and set up a 444-run target. Cobras captain Omphile Ramela was the surprise pick of the bowlers, taking a career-best 4 for 39 with his part-time left-arm spin.The Cobras started solidly and went into the final day needing 376 runs with nine wickets in hand. However, they collapsed from 114 for 1 to 164 for 6, as van Schalkwyk and de Lange shared the five wickets. Jason Smith had enough partners to see him through to his third first-class hundred – 100 not out off 88 balls – but not a run more. The Cobras were bowled out for 268 and now find themselves at the bottom of the table, having managed just 10.82 points from their first two fixtures.File photo – Morne Morkel returned to action with three wickets against Warriors•AFPThe Titans have not fared much better, with 12.28 points from their first two matches in the absence of new head coach Mark Boucher, who had a prior arrangement. His team, who have yet to post a total of more than 300, lost by six wickets to the Warriors in Port Elizabeth.Trouble began early for the Titans when they lost Dean Elgar in the second over after opting to bar. Heino Kuhn managed 52, but the rest of the Titans line-up could not come to terms with the Warriors bowlers, led by Basheer Walters and Simon Harmer who picked up three wickets each.With Morne Morkel in their ranks, the Titans might have been hopeful of defending their 227, especially after he had Michael Price caught behind with his first ball. However, Colin Ackermann scored his seventh first-class century as he put on 135 for the second wicket with Edward Moore (69), and 90 for the third with Lesiba Ngoepe (45). He took the Warriors comfortably past the Titans score, before being dismissed for 136. The tail then stretched the lead to 131. Morkel finished with 3 for 54.The Titans were looking at an innings defeat when they crashed to 108 for 8 in reply, and had to rely on a 100-run ninth-wicket stand between Heinrich Klaasen and Morkel to stay in the game. Harmer broke the stand with his fourth wicket of the innings, before Rowan Richards’ run-out left Klaasen stranded on 97, and the Warriors with only 105 to get. They lost four wickets in getting there, but Moore’s second fifty of the match, an unbeaten 58, saw them home comfortably.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a Portuguese starlet ahead of the transfer window, as Julen Lopetegui prepares for his first summer in charge at Molineux.

It will be a window far from simple for the Spaniard following the revelation of Wolves’ FFP issues, however, with sales expected to be made, there may still be a chance for improvement despite the financial burden.

The latest news reveals the Midlands club’s interest in an 18-year-old starlet from Portugal, who could be the heir to Ruben Neves in more ways than one.

What’s the latest on Joao Neves to Wolves?

As reported by Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Wolves have emerged as a potential buyer for Benfica youngster Joao Neves.

The report states that the Midlands side are joined by Bayern Munich in displaying interest in the 18-year-old, who has a €60m (£52m) release clause that the Portuguese champions are aiming to raise.

What could Joao Neves bring to Wolves?

Described as being a member of a “highly talented” group of Benfica teens by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager could flourish under Lopetegui.

Wolves have enjoyed showcasing a Portuguese core since their promotion from the Championship, with Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho providing the perfect midfield pairing at Molineux.

This summer marks the end of an era, with Moutinho confirmed to be departing and Neves being the centre of an ongoing transfer saga to depart for bigger things.

While the duo are irreplaceable in their experience, having made a combined 465 appearances for the club in all competitions, reinforcements can be hired to replicate the baseline of their quality.

At just 18, Wolves target Joao Neves could be a strong shout to be a suitable successor to his namesake at Molineux, as suggested by their playing styles.

Playing as a deep midfielder on 17 occasions for Benfica this term in the league, Neves has been identified as having strengths in his passing ability and guarding of the ball as per WhoScored, with the Wolves captain possessing similar strengths.

As per Sofascore, the teen displays an array of strengths over a season average comparable to the 26-year-old.

The Tavira-born youngster averages a passing accuracy of 87% to the Wolves skipper’s 84%, as well as displaying a strong presence in the defensive areas of the engine room, winning 57% of his total duels to the Premier League ace’s 53%.

While the 26-year-old averages 2.3 tackles per game to the youngster's 1.5, it’s expected that the seasoned midfielder scores higher in some areas than the prodigy, with their numbers displaying the levels that the Benfica ace is already reaching.

Neves adds a direct threat in the final third for Wolves, which could be replicated by the club's summer target who is identified as being an indirect threat in set pieces, and a handful on the ball, as signified through being fouled an average of 1.3 times per game – as per Sofascore.

The signs are all green for the young talent to potentially thrive at Molineux and follow in Neves’ footsteps, with the only potential gripe being his price tag, which may prove too costly for Lopetegui should Wolves fail to solve their financial woes.

West Ham United midfielder and club captain Declan Rice has helped to revive what looked like being a tricky end to the 2022/23 campaign a couple of months ago.

The Hammers were fighting for their Premier League status and boss David Moyes was reportedly on the verge of being sacked at the London Stadium, with relegation from the English top-flight for the first time since 2011 seeming like a real possibility.

Since then, Rice has played a major role in helping his current employers to stay afloat in the league while could also become a history-maker with West Ham if he can lead his side to a famous Europa Conference League triumph, with only Fiorentina standing in their way in the final.

In light of his impressive performances in the middle of the park, Arsenal are claimed to be heavily interested in his services coming into the summer alongside Bayern Munich, though it could cost as much as £120 million to entice the England international away from east London, as per Sky Sports.

What's the latest news involving Declan Rice and how has he faired this term?

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown has indicated that he sees Rice as being in a similar mould to former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, who could operate either as a sitting midfielder or move further forward when needed.

Brown stated to FFC when asked about potential replacements or comparable former West Ham players to Rice: "I honestly can't think of one because I genuinely believe Declan Rice is a great player. I can't think of the last great midfielder they've had like him really. I mean, Mark Noble gave them huge service but was a very different kind of player. Rice is becoming more of a kind of Roy Keane type who can play a little bit of both roles be a marauder or a sitter, both a destroyer and a creator. That's quite rare and I do think he's going to get even better, so it's not easy to see where, even in the current market, you'd really find any ready-made replacements for him. It's a difficult one."

In 2022/23, the 24-year-old has provided a goal threat from deep for the Hammers, registering five goals and four assists across 49 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to Sky Sports via The Boot Room, pundit Alan Smith lavished praise on Rice following West Ham's 4-0 victory against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium last month, saying: “Declan Rice, He’s like two players for West Ham. He’s unbelievable, world-class and he is starting to add goals to his game as well.”

WhoScored demonstrates that Rice can also operate as an enforcer even though he has become a major asset going forward for West Ham, as the £60k-a-week ace has made an average of 2.2 tackles per match this term in the Premier League.

His awareness of danger is also an elite quality that has helped the Irons recover from their slump in form. As per FBRef, Rice has excelled in comparison to his positional peers in the art of successful interceptions made when pitted against midfielders in Europe's top five divisions, having carried out an average of 1.75 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the seventh percentile for this metric.

Last year, talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino gave an insight into why Rice is such an admired presence at the London Stadium, stating: “Declan Rice has played every game as if it’s his first and I think that’s admirable for someone so young to want to be as good as he can be and West Ham fans will tell you Declan drives that team. I think that’s a big stand out, we always know that players can have their heads turned, they can be off and agents get involved – it’s never been that with Declan."

Of course, his future at the club is in doubt, begging the question of who may come in to fill his enormous boots in the event Rice does depart West Ham this summer.

Matteo Guendouzi, James Ward-Prowse and Habib Diarra have all been linked, though it remains to be seen what the future of West Ham's midfield will look like come next term.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was down with a bug and did not train with his team on the eve of the second Test against India in Kolkata

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu29-Sep-2016Match factsSeptember 30-October 4, 2016
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)3:25

Agarkar: Unfair to Dhawan if Gambhir plays

Big pictureOne-nil down is a bad place to be for a Test team in India. Worse still if you are playing back-to-back games. The memories are too fresh. The heat too invasive. That one ball spins but the other not so much is basically just too much. In 83 years and 249 matches, only twice has a team won the series from this predicament. And New Zealand have to go up against history with their best player feeling “crook”.Kane Williamson picked up a bug and was unable to train at Eden Gardens on the eve of the match. At the pre-match press conference though, Tom Latham said there was “no discomfort” to his captain and added “he is just resting up and getting right for tomorrow.” India’s injury worries, on the other hand, seem to have dissipated with news that R Ashwin is likely to be fit. And with Ravindra Jadeja unlikely to lose his accuracy, they could well sit back and hit autopilot.The pitch was said to have some grass cover and was expected to assist the batsmen early on. And since it would also break up as the game goes on, first-innings runs will be crucial. Helpfully that’s when Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay average more than 65. Should they win in Kolkata, India will claim the No. 1 ranking once again.New Zealand weren’t decimated in Kanpur. They had two bad periods of play which need putting aside. Only, the human mind, when told not to do something, tends to … Let’s put it this way. If asked not to think of an elephant in pig tails, what do you do? Perhaps that was why Williamson and coach Mike Hesson advised their players to simply be vigilant for longer and to concentrate on making good starts. That isn’t a put down, nor is it generic feedback. Those are words of understanding and they provide direction. But will they still help New Zealand if they are forced to walk onto Eden Gardens – for the first time in 51 years – without their captain?Form guideIndia WDWDW
New Zealand LLDWWIn the spotlightVirat Kohli says he doesn’t care about records and couldn’t care less about batting averages. His aim is to play a brand of cricket that will take India to the top and he believes such a time may not be far off. However, as a no. 4 batsman and captain of the side, he knows he cannot slack even if the team is doing well. He practiced with a rubber ball in the nets to be better prepared when the cricket ball bounces awkwardly – as two of them did in Kanpur to dismiss him. He clearly doesn’t want to be caught off guard in Kolkata.The baby face, the glasses, the mild-mannered persona, the thrifty left-arm spin and fine batting skills lower down the order. Mitchell Santner is going out of his way to emulate Daniel Vettori. But not too many of his team-mates would be disappointed if he tried to be New Zealand’s version of Jadeja and in the second innings in Kanpur, he tried his best to be – 33 overs, 11 maidens and two wickets.R Ashwin seems set to play, despite the corn on the middle finger of his right hand•Associated PressTeam newsKL Rahul’s hamstring injury provides a way back for Shikhar Dhawan. It is unlikely that Gautam Gambhir would be thrust back into the XI when he has not played Test cricket in two years. India think the pitch may help the batsmen and may be thinking about going with five bowlers. Offspinner Jayant Yadav may be in line for a Test debut with Kohli conscious about the number of left-handers in New Zealand’s batting line-up.India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Jayant Yadav, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh YadavNew Zealand have repeatedly placed faith in Martin Guptill’s ability at the top of the other and may not have any choice now considering the injuries they have had. If Williamson is ruled unfit, Henry Nicholls could get a look in. Offspinner Jeetan Patel may also play his first Test since 2013, unless they prefer the seam of Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry.New Zealand (probable) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt)/Henry Nicholls, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mitchell Santner, 6 Luke Ronchi, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditionsThe square at Eden Gardens was relaid for the first time in 12 years for the 2016-17 season and this Test will be the first first-class game on it. As for the 22 yards, Kohli saw some runs on it: “The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It’s generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same.”This is also the first Test in September in Kolkata. The weather has been overcast and there is some rain expected during the course of the match. As such the pitch has been under covers a lot. With sunset approximately at half-past five, bad light may be a concern although provisions have been made to use the floodlights, if necessary.Stats and trivia It is instructive looking at the list of non-subcontinent batsmen who have done well in the subcontinent. It is dominated by batsmen known for defensive techniques and stubborn occupation of the crease. Allan Border, Shiv Chanderpaul, Jacques Kallis and Alastair Cook at the top and only later followed by those with a bit more flair – Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen, Ricky Ponting and Viv Richards. New Zealand last played at Eden Gardens in March 1965 India will be playing their 250th Test at home.Quotes”You have to do all the cliché things you need to do at the start of an innings. We weren’t too far away in the first Test. As Hess has alluded to, we just need to do things for a little bit longer. If we can do that with bat and ball it will a good chance in this match.””I don’t get motivated by records. If you notice the cricket we played two years ago in Tests and now, it’s easy to get carried by these records. You’ll end up focussing on the process.”

Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s stand-in captain, has added the growing chorus calling for Test cricket to become the focal point among administrators and players

Firdose Moonda at Centurion26-Aug-2016Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s stand-in captain, has added to the growing chorus calling for Test cricket to become the focal point among administrators and players. Although du Plessis is among the players who feature in T20 leagues across the world, he maintains Test cricket is his top priority.”Test cricket is the best thing to play,” he said. “That is the challenge you want. You want to sit after a day’s play as a bowler…..your toenails are bleeding and you are extremely tired and you want to, for the guys that drink beer, have a sip at the end and say we gave it everything. You can’t copy the feeling of winning a Test match in any other format, especially in T20s.”Du Plessis was among the first to voice his disappointment after the Durban Test was abandoned because of an unsafe outfield. Du Plessis said he respected the officials’ call but rued the fact that the Centurion Test becomes a winner-takes-all affair.”Two-test series is too short. With the current schedule, a five-Test series will be hard to slot-in going forward. For me a three or four-match series is ideal. When you play two Tests, you just get going, there’s always a great match and then the series is finished. Two is just too short especially now that we’ve had one rained off.”Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, also called for more matches to constitute a series. “I don’t know if you have too many lotteries in Test cricket,” he said. “Over five days, the team that plays more consistent cricket over a period of time wins the match but it is a shame that we aren’t able to play two full Tests, perhaps even more.”South Africa, currently placed sixth in the Test rankings, may also be wary of being tripped up by a familiar foe. “Definitely, there is more pressure, especially because we are a team that is very disappointed with where we are lying on the rankings at the moment” du Plessis said. “We’ve got much higher standards. We want to win as many Tests as possible to try and jump up that ladder again.”South Africa will have an opportunity to win Tests as they’re set to play 11 Tests this season, even though it may not be as many as some of the other sides, particularly at home.”We don’t play a lot of Tests at home. If you look at India, this season they have got 15 Tests coming up in their country you want to try and make use of your own conditions and play as many Tests as possible,” Du Plessis aid. “We play a little bit and then there’s a big break. With the space the team is in now, we would like to play as much Test cricket as possible and try and build something. We have a mission as a team and we are trying to get there.”Du Plessis also admitted to being concerned that the administrators were not listening to the players’ call for more Test cricket, but hopes the moves to resurrect the idea of a Test challenge will be one step in that direction.”Yes, I am (concerned that the message is not getting through). When we fill those anonymous forms, the general thing that comes out is to play Test cricket. It’s still the No.1 thing for international players,” he said. “To create a structure for the Test championship, that’s a great step in the right direction but you need to play as many Tests as possible.”

Newcastle United are thought to be one of four sides keen on signing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this summer.

What’s the latest Newcastle transfer news?

The Magpies and Eddie Howe appear to be turning their attention to the transfer window after Champions League football was guaranteed earlier in the week against Leicester City.

One player who appears to be of interest is Vlahovic, who was linked with a move to St. James’ Park earlier this month. There was speculation that Vlahovic’s agent approached Newcastle over a move to England, and a fresh update has emerged in the last 48 hours.

According to reports in Italy, Newcastle, and by extension owners PIF, along with Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, are all interested in signing the Serbia international.

Bayern Munich are also named as suitors, with Juventus needing to make one sacrifice over the coming months and Vlahovic is expected to be that man.

Who is Dusan Vlahovic?

Vlahovic is 23 years of age and is an out-and-out centre-forward who only joined Juventus last year. Described as “scary” and a “monster” by journalist Carlo Garganese, he has scored 23 goals in 63 appearances with his current employers, previously netting 49 times in 108 games for Fiorentina.

It looks as if an exit is on the cards, and Juventus have even dropped their asking price to €70m (£60m) – a figure which would match the current transfer record at Newcastle for Alexander Isak.

Isak and Callum Wilson have provided the goods in front of goal this season, netting a combined 28 goals in the top flight, with both forwards outperforming Vlahovic when it comes to average match rating, as per WhoScored.

Vlahovic has netted 14 times in 42 appearances during the current campaign, and with the Magpies playing more football next season after their European qualification, bolstering their attacking ranks with someone like Vlahovic could be a shrewd move, especially when you factor in Isak and Wilson’s injury issues this season.

A CPL media release confirmed that Tridents’ AB de Villiers and Wayne Parnell will be replaced by Ahmed Shehzad and Marchant de Lange respectively, while Tallawahs’ Dale Steyn will be replaced by Dane Paterson

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2016AB de Villiers, Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn’s time at this year’s CPL has come to an end. All three South Africans have been recalled by CSA to attend the annual awards ceremony that they along with the South African Cricketers’ Association host.De Villiers has been Barbados Tridents’ leading run-scorer, with 234 runs at an average of 58.50 and a strike rate of 150.96. Steyn has taken eight wickets for Jamaica Tallawahs at an average of 18.62 and an economy rate of 6.82. He may want that tally to improve on Wednesday, when he would take the field for the final time this season. Parnell, also a Tridents player, has picked up seven wickets from six matches.The tournament organisers confirmed Ahmed Shehzad and Marchant de Lange have been named as replacements by Tridents. An opening batsman for Pakistan, Shehzad is set arrive in time for his team’s next match on July 20. If selected, he would be up against the team he played for in 2013, Tallawahs. De Lange, too, has featured in the CPL before, having played for Guyana Amazon Warriors last year. He will join Tridents ahead of their match against St Lucia Zouks on July 23.Tallawahs have opted for uncapped South Africa fast bowler Dane Paterson as their replacement.

Rangers have "definitely had talks" with Malik Tillman about a permanent move to Ibrox in the summer, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

Will Malik Tillman sign for Rangers?

The Gers have the option to buy Tillman for £5m from Bayern Munich in the summer, but the player himself has said his chances of completing a permanent switch to Ibrox are 50/50, with it currently "completely open."

The American has made it clear he enjoyed his season on loan with the Light Blues, saying: "I had a great time here. It might not be the end here so we will see what's going to happen in the summer."

Despite enjoying his time in Glasgow, there have been some reports the 20-year-old is not looking to sign permanently, with journalist Jonny McFarlane claiming that he "views his future elsewhere", despite the deal between Rangers and Bayern Munich being "done".

Hutton is more positive about the Gers' chances of signing the starlet on a permanent basis, although he does not think it is worth reading into the fact he recently flew back into Glasgow.

In an interview with Football Insider, the pundit said: “He flew back after the injury but you know what it is like when you are a loan player. You might have a rented property, you need to sort things out.

“He will have definitely had talks with the club. I am pretty sure he would have had conversations with Michael Beale.

“I am pretty sure there will have been talks going on to see where his future lies.“

Would Tillman be a good signing for Rangers?

The attacking midfielder has certainly done enough to impress his teammates this season, having been hailed as "phenomenal" by John Lundstram earlier in the campaign.

With ten goals and four assists to his name in the Scottish Premiership, the youngster has recorded the fourth-highest number of goal contributions of any Gers player this season, which is a stellar effort, given his age.

There has been criticism of the Bayern loanee's work-rate, with pundit Frank McAvennie also claiming he goes missing in games, saying: "He can be outstanding for 20 minutes then you will not see him for the remainder of the 70 minutes."

However, Tillman has plenty of time to iron out any problems, and his strengths far outweigh his weaknesses, meaning he would be an excellent signing for Rangers this summer.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed there will be a key development regarding the Manchester United takeover "next week".

What's the latest on the MUFC takeover?

It feels as though this whole saga has been dragging on for an eternity as the Glazers continue to be difficult as negotiations rumble on and on regarding the possible sale of their asset.

The latest news, however, is that they now view British Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe as their preferred bidder as he will only become majority owner, instead of taking over entirely (via The Sun).

This would be a big blow for Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani who is also a leading candidate but his bid would see the Qatari banker completely take over at Old Trafford.

Despite all this, while talking on his Here We Go Podcast, Romano has claimed that "nothing is decided yet" and more will become clear next week.

He explained (24:18): "Next week. Next week I think the situation will be more clear around Manchester United.

"We wait with these Ineos group rumours of them being the preferred bidder but from the Qatari side, they still insist they have a chance – so nothing is decided yet."

Who does Erik ten Hag want to own Man Utd?

It seems as though there is plenty of uncertainty remaining over just who will actually end up becoming the club's majority owners once this saga is finally resolved.

And the club's manager Erik ten Hag will be just as impatient as anyone to know who will be writing the pay cheques to fund his grand plans at Old Trafford over the next few seasons.

Well, it seems as though the Dutchman has already made his mind up on who he wants. Indeed, just as the reports claim the Glazers want Ratcliffe to come in, The Sun also state that Ten Hag will likely want the British billionaire to take over as well.

However, it seems Sheikh Jassim won't give up just yet as Saudi Sports Media journalist Nawaf claims on Twitter that a £6bn offer is set to arrive as one final offer.

With that in mind, perhaps the Glazer family will take a week to consider this major proposal before finally making their final decision – which would tally with what Romano has reported.

All in all, it sounds as though this chaos could finally be coming to an end.