Spin twins Mihir Hirwani and Ankit Sharma run through Tripura; Odisha thwart Andhra’s push for victory

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2017Legspinner Mihir Hirwani (5 for 22) and left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma (4 for 51) helped Madhya Pradesh pocket seven points courtesy a 10-wicket win over Tripura in Agartala.Resuming on 200 for 7, MP lost Puneet Datey and Hirwani inside the first eight overs of the morning with the addition of only 11 runs to take them just ahead of Tripura’s 205. However, Ishwar Pandey struck a 29-ball 47, including six sixes, and put on 49 runs for the last wicket with Avesh Khan to give Madhya Pradesh a 55-run lead. Left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh finished with four wickets for Tripura.Despite losing opener Bishal Ghosh in the sixth over, opener Udiyan Bose (27) and Rajesh Banik (29) steadied things with a 47-run partnership in the second innings. However, Ankit’s double strike to remove Ghosh and Bose in the space of three deliveries in the 23rd over triggered Tripura’s irreversible slide. Eventually, Tripura went from 57 for 1 to 103 all out in a little over 20 overs. MP openers Rajat Patidar and Harpreet Singh chased down the target of 49 inside 15 overs.Andhra’s push for an outright victory was stalled courtesy a 185-run stand between Odisha captain Govinda Poddar (111, 182b) and Subhranshu Senapati (91), in pursuit of Andhra’s 584 in the first innings. But they managed to hit back with late wickets as Odisha went to stumps on 294 for 6. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with three wickets at less than two runs per over.

Leeds United are reportedly interested in completing the signing of Venezia attacker Joel Pohjanpalo in the summer transfer window.

How old is Joel Pohjanpalo?

The Finnish striker is 28 years of age currently and has become a key player for Venezia, having arrived at the Serie B club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2022. Last season, Pohjanpalo scored 19 goals and registered seven assists in 40 appearances for his new team, outlining his relentless end product in the final third.

Pohjanpalo's current deal expires in 2025, and while his club will no doubt be desperate to keep hold of him until that point, they may be aware that there will be plenty of interest in him this summer.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

Leeds are badly in need of adding firepower to their squad this season, with their Championship season getting off to a disappointing start with a 2-2 draw at home to Cardiff City, and it would be a surprise if they didn't strengthen in that area before the end of the summer transfer window.

Patrick Bamford doesn't look like the force he used to be, with injuries curtailing his progress in recent years, while Rodrigo has sealed a summer move to Saudi Arabia. Now, it looks as though Pohjanpalo is a target for Leeds in the current window, following a new report that has emerged.

Will Leeds sign Joel Pohjanpalo?

According to TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], the Finland international is "tempting" clubs both in Italy and abroad, with the Whites one of those in the conversation to sign him. West Ham, Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers are all mentioned as possible suitors, with Genoa attacker Massimo Coda seen as a replacement for him at Venezia, suggesting they are resigned to losing him.

Pohjanpalo could be a fascinating signing by Leeds this summer, solving what has become an issue ahead of what is hopefully a promotion-winning season in the Championship. Wilfried Gnonto was used in the No.9 against Cardiff, but the young Italian is arguably at his best in a wider role.

The Venezia man has scored 100 goals at club level in his career, not to mention netting 14 times in 63 caps for Finland, so he is clearly someone who a lot of experience at the top down the years, suggesting he could come in and spearhead the Whites' promotion push.

The fact that there is some Premier League interest could act as a stumbling block, though, with the idea of playing in England's top flight something that is likely to appeal more, should West Ham retain their interest in him.

Pohjanpalo is also a character, as highlighted by him celebrating last season by drinking a beer straight after being substituted, and that personality could make him an immediate cult hero at Elland Road.

Having a relentless goalscorer in the Championship is vital for any team with aspirations of going up to the Premier League and that is no different with Leeds, who are unlikely to mount a serious challenge if that problem isn't addressed sooner rather than later.

Newcastle star Joelinton has become the latest Premier League player to fall victim to a burglary – during Saturday's match against Manchester City.

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• Joelinton watched Newcastle-City
• Had house burgled during match
• Thieves fled scene and still at large

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Brazilian and his family watched on from the stands at St. James' Park as he recovers from a thigh problem. They saw the Magpies fall to an agonising 3-2 loss to the reigning champions, but their experience went from bad to worse after full time. reports that Joelinton received an alert during the match that intruders were entering his home. Police were informed and a helicopter was dispatched.

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• WHAT NORTHUMBRIA POLICE SAID

  Northumbria Police confirmed in a statement that the thieves had fled Joelinton's Darras Hall residence. They said in a statement on Sunday: "Shortly before 7.30pm yesterday [Saturday] police received a call from a concerned homeowner who reported that three men were inside their home in Darras Hall. Thankfully the homeowner was not home but had received a security alert on their phone and immediately reported concerns to police. Police were deployed to the scene however, those alleged to be involved had fled the scene. Enquires remain ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact us via 101, or the 'Report' pages of our website, quoting log NP-20240113-0835."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As the statement mentions, Joelinton and his family weren't home for the burglary, luck which wasn't bestowed upon Saturday's opponent Jack Grealish. The City winger was robbed of £1 million ($1.27m) in jewellery on Boxing Day at his home in Cheshire, with his fiancee and family unfortunately inside during said raid. It continues a line of Premier League burglaries in recent months, with Kevin De Bruyne, Victor Lindelof and Joao Cancelo – during his time at City – all robbed in the past year.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JOELINTON?

  With his family thankfully not forced to overcome a terrifying ordeal of their own, the investigation will continue into finding the alleged perpetrators. On the pitch, Joelinton will be working on his way back to full fitness, as Eddie Howe's beleaguered Newcastle side fell within one point of the Premier League bottom half with defeat to City.

Everton are making progress in their pursuit of Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto, and there is now a feeling that a deal could go through, according to a report from TuttoMercatoWeb.

Is Wilfried Gnonto signing for Everton?

It has recently been reported that Leeds manager Daniel Farke expects to sell Gnonto before the transfer window shuts, having already sanctioned his departure, with the Toffees in talks to snap him up.

Sean Dyche is said to be a big admirer of the winger's dynamism and versatility, having featured in several attacking roles for the Whites last season, but it has been very difficult to get a deal over the line up to this point.

Leeds have been playing hardball in negotiations, with an agreement between the two clubs yet to be struck, meaning Everton have now started to run the rule over potential alternative options.

Talks have been held over a potential loan move for Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana, with the Merseysiders growing frustrated in their pursuit of the Leeds ace, but they are now close to making a breakthrough in negotiations.

Read The Latest Everton Transfer News HERE…

That is according to a report from TuttoMercatoWeb, which details that the Toffees have made a €20m (£17m) offer for the 19-year-old, just shy of the Whites' asking price of €22m (£19m).

It is stated that Everton could soon hold personal talks with the Italian, who is their main target to strengthen their attack, and there is now a feeling that the deal could end up going through.

The two clubs are still some way apart in their valuation of the Italian, but the gap is closing, and it now appears as though Leeds may finally be willing to soften their stance, having previously been extremely tough in their negotiations.

How good is Wilfried Gnonto?

The starlet was praised by former manager Jesse Marsch for the impact he made at Elland Road last season, in what was a breakthrough year as he was lauded as "fantastic". However, he was unable to help Leeds retain their place in the Premier League.

In 24 top-flight appearances, the Italy international amassed two goals and four assists, which is not a bad return in a struggling side, but it casts doubt over whether he would be able to hit the ground running at Goodison Park.

Of course, the Toffees also struggled last season, avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season, and it is unclear whether the Verbania-born ace would be able to make an immediate impact to help them compete higher up the table in the upcoming campaign.

The Leeds winger is still very young, with plenty of time on his side to develop further, but he ranks in just the 24th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and the 37th percentile for shot-creating actions.

There are indications that Sulemana could be a better addition to Dyche's squad, with the Southampton ace averaging more successful take-one and non-penalty goals per 90 in the past year.

Signing Gnonto for £19m is a real risk for Everton, given that he is inexperienced, and while Sulemana may be available on loan, the Italian did show some promising signs for Leeds last season, so could end up being an astute signing.

The Gunners spent more than £200 million last summer, but still don't have a squad strong enough to win the Premier League

Mikel Arteta and Declan Rice both said the exact same thing after Sunday's 2-1 loss at Fulham: "Not good enough." And they were right. Arsenal didn't deserve to take any points home from their trip to Craven Cottage, so dire was their display.

The real concern for the Gunners, though, is that same phrase could be applied to their squad. As it stands, Arteta's men don't look remotely good enough to challenge for this season's Premier League title.

Rice added on , "There are a lot of media who talk and say Arsenal are going to win the league this year and we are better this year, but we don’t get involved in that." Which is the right approach, really, because it wouldn't do anyone connected with the club any good to dwell on the fact that the squad is actually weaker now than it was last season – and that's a deeply depressing thought for the fans, given the club spent more than £200 million ($250m) during the summer transfer window.

Rice, to his credit, has proven an excellent acquisition. His goals alone have been worth five points to Arsenal, and that's without getting into what he adds to the midfield. Jurrien Timber was also desperately unfortunate to suffer a serious injury on his debut after impressing in pre-season, but the decision to spend £62m ($78m) on Kai Havertz remains as baffling now as it was last July. The Germany international has enjoyed something resembling a mini-revival in recent weeks, but there's still no shaking the feeling that Arsenal's ambitions would have been far better served by signing a proven goalscorer.

However, it's been made abundantly clear during the first half of the season that Arsenal aren't just short up front. Indeed, a squad that was meant to challenge for the title is alarmingly short in several key areas…

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Arteta can't be criticised for wanting an upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale, who is error-prone and poor with the ball at his feet, and David Raya looked like the right addition, given how impressively he'd performed at Brentford last season.

However, despite the constant support of his manager, Raya has looked very, very shaky at times this season, and been beaten by shots that never should have got past him. The Spaniard just doesn't inspire confidence and that's a major problem for a back four.

There's no suggestion that Arsenal will look to sign another goalkeeper this month, with Arteta clearly set to stick with Raya, but rather than solving a problem, the manager has unintentionally created one.

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Arsenal looked quite well-stocked in this position before the season began, given the impressive versatility of Timber, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

However, Timber might not return until March, White's form has fluctuated wildly, Kiwior is a liability at left-back, as the Fulham defeat hammered home, Tomiyasu has had his injury issues and is now off to the Asian Cup, while Zinchenko's defensive deficiencies have been repeatedly exposed.

Consequently, many supporters have questioned the wisdom of the decision to allow Kieran Tierney to leave on loan to Real Sociedad, as some still consider him the best left-back on Arsenal's books.

Whether the Scot would have made a major difference to the title tilt, we'll never know, but what's clear is that unless Arsenal dip into the transfer market – or recall Tierney – they're going to have issues on either side of the defence until Timber returns to full fitness.

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White, Tomiyasu and Kiwior can all play at centre-back, but it's honestly come as no surprise to hear rumours of Arsenal trying to signing Matthijs de Ligt, given the Dutchman has struggled to lock down a starting spot under Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes obviously make for a solid pairing. Indeed, if the former had not missed the end of last season, Arsenal may well have held onto their lead at the top of the Premier League. As it was, the back four capitulated without Saliba, which only underlined Arsenal's fragility without the Frenchman. Another spell on the sidelines really would put paid to their title aspirations.

So, while Timber's return will ultimately give Arteta another excellent option to play alongside Saliba, they look worryingly short on quality at centre-back right now. In that sense, selling Gabriel would appear out of the question, but the Brazilian, who was heavily criticised by Ian Wright for his performance at Fulham, is prone to dropping clangers and if the incessant Saudi Arabian interest in his services materialised into a solid bid, the money made could be put towards a more reliable partner for Saliba.

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GettyCentral midfield

Rice was touted as the missing link for Arsenal, the kind of player that could propel the club to a first Premier League title since 2004. However, while the England international has made a big impact, he's not proven a game-changer because the make-up of Arteta's midfield is still not right.

Thomas Partey's injury issues obviously haven't helped, even if Arteta was using the Ghanaian as a right-back during the early stages of the season. One imagines that if Partey had stayed fit, he would have eventually been used in his preferred deep-lying, play-making role that would have offered greater protection to the back four, while at the same time allowing Rice serve as the link-man between the midfield and the attack. With that option unavailable, the latter has often been asked to do far too much from a defensive perspective, given he's often got two No.10s (Martin Odegaard and Havertz) for company in the engine room.

Of course, Partey is now poised to return to action, but doubts remain over his future as a mooted move to Saudi Arabia would allow Arsenal to at least partially fund a move for another defensive midfielder. Still, while talk of a move for Fulham's Joao Palhinha makes an awful lot of sense – the Portuguese showed Arteta exactly what he's missing in the middle of the park with a tremendous display at Craven Cottage on New Year's Eve – one wonders whether Arsenal would have sufficient money to make it happen, given it's believed that they'll have to sell before they can buy this winter.

Everton are 'exploring' a move for Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana after turning their back on Leeds United attacker Wilfried Gnonto, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Kamaldeen Sulemana leaving Southampton for Everton?

According to Football Insider, Everton are in talks with Southampton over a loan deal for Kamaldeen Sulemana as Sean Dyche looks to add some variety to his options in the final third.

The Daily Mail claim that Everton have turned their attention towards Sulemana after growing frustrated in their attempts to land Leeds United winger Gnonto, who is someone Daniel Farke desperately wants to keep at Elland Road after losing a host of stars this window to relegation release clauses.

Everton had a £15 million bid for the Italy international turned down in July and it now looks like they will need to look elsewhere as the Whites continue to prove to be stubborn in negotiations.

Sulemana, who was hailed as "superb" by Alan Shearer, only joined Southampton in January from Stade Rennais in a deal worth an initial €25 million (£21.54 million) and still has four years left to run on his £40k-a-week contract at St Mary's Stadium, as per The Athletic.

In his short stint on the South Coast so far, Sulemana has made 18 appearances in all competitions for Southampton, registering two goals and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jacobs has confirmed that Everton are now 'exploring' the possibility of bringing Sulemana to Goodison Park after their attempts to sign Gnonto verged into difficulty.

Jacobs stated: “I think that Leeds United are absolutely desperate to keep Wilfried Gnonto at all costs, so player desire will obviously be a factor in all of this but Everton have had a bid rejected and seemingly moved on.

“They’re now exploring Kamaldeen Sulemana instead and because of the exodus Leeds have had due to either offers they’ve chosen to accept or relegation release clauses that they’ve had no control over, they won’t want to lose too many.”

Who else could be on their way to Everton this summer?

According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon, Everton are keen on making a move for Leicester City striker Patson Daka and he would be available for a 'reasonable cost' this summer.

Nixon also added that Sheffield United forward Daniel Jebbison was a name interesting the Toffees this window; however, negotiations over a prospective move look to have cooled due to the England youth international sustaining an injury.

Everton are also close to signing Sporting Clube de Portugal striker Youssef Chermiti and an official announcement is expected before Friday, according to BBC Sport.

Southampton forward Che Adams and Leicester City striker Patson Daka are two other names that have been mentioned in connection with the Toffees as boss Dyche looks to make sure he isn't light on options across his forward line.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is on Everton's wishlist and could head to Goodison Park in a deal that would see Amadou Onana, who has been a consistent performer for the Toffees since his arrival last year, move in the other direction to Old Trafford, as per The Mirror.

Haryana secure first-innings lead in Lahli; Parvez Rasool sparkles with bat and ball in Jamshedpur

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2017Priyank Panchal’s 145 – his 14th first-class hundred – helped Gujarat post a robust response to Saurashtra‘s 570, as they went to stumps on 304 for 4 in Rajkot. Gujarat, however, still trail Saurashtra by 266 runs. Resuming on 45 for 0, Gujarat lost captain Parthiv Patel in the third over of the day after he was caught by wicketkeeper Snell Patel off left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat. Panchal then added 54 runs with Bhargav Merai before the latter was dismissed by left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. Three balls later, Dharmendrasinh struck again to remove Manprit Juneja as Gujarat slipped to 109 for 3.Panchal, however, took charge and put on a 179-run stand with Rujul Bhatt (75*). During the course of their partnership, Panchal, who had made half-centuries in his last two games, brought up his hundred before tea. He struck 20 fours before he was cleaned up by Unadkat. Dharmendrasinh and Unadkat finished with two wickets each.Haryana secured the first-innings lead against Rajasthan after bowling out the visitors for 150 in Lahli. Haryana then finished the day on 179 for 5 in their second innings and stretched their lead to 252.In the morning, Rajasthan had done well to eat into the deficit after resuming on 74 for 7. Rajasthan’s recovery was thanks to a 61-run alliance between Tajinder Singh (38) and Deepak Chahar (27). However, after Chahar was removed by Ajit Chahal the innings unravelled quickly. While Chahal finished with three wickets, captain Amit Mishra and seamer Ashish Hooda picked up two apiece.Haryana started shakily in their second innings, losing their first three wickets for 62, with seamer Aniket Choudhary accounting for the openers Guntashveer Singh and Shubham Rohilla. The recovery was helmed by Shivam Chauhan (65) and Rajat Paliwal (35). But, their dismissals left Rohit Sharma and Mishra needing to steer the team towards stumps with no further damage.Jammu & Kashmir secured the first-innings lead against Jharkhand after the latter declared their first innings on 292 for 9 at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur. J&K then extended their lead to 330 runs after they went to stumps on 246 for 7 in their second innings.Resuming on 220 for 5, Jharkhand’s push to secure the first-innings lead suffered an early setback after overnight batsman Ishan Kishan was caught behind by Punit Bisht off Mohammed Mudhasir. Kumar Deobrat (34) and Sunny Gupta (31*) played useful hands, but Jharkhand fell behind. Left-arm spinner Aamir Aziz claimed four wickets while Mudhasir and captain Parvez Rasool picked up two and three wickets respectively. Rasool had a pivotal role to play with the bat in J&K’s second dig, as his 74-ball 70 rescued his team from 110 for 5. Along with Owais Shah (50), whose innings comprised three fours and three sixes, he raised a stand of 119 runs. J&K, however, suffered a late jolt when both Rasool and Shah fell just before stumps.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBCB

Darren Sammy’s scorching last-over burst, followed by Mohammad Sami’s four-wicket haul, broke Comilla Victorians’ five-match winning streak, as they lost to Rajshahi Kings by 30 runs in Chittagong.Rajshahi had seemed to be ambling towards a middling score, but blitzed 72 runs off 22 balls following Sammy’s arrival. They ended up with 185 for 7, with Sammy unbeaten on 47 off 14 balls. His strike-rate of 335.71 is the highest for a batsman to have struck more than 40 runs in a BPL innings.Sammy tonked six sixes in total, four of which came in the last over that went for 32 runs. Mohammad Saifuddin, who had the misfortune of sending down that over, now holds the unenviable record of conceding the most runs in an over in BPL history.Comilla recovered well from that late onslaught and were going well in the chase, with Tamim Iqbal and Shoaib Malik putting together an 87-run stand. But once Sami dismissed Tamim, the rest simply caved. It was similar to their bowling effort that came apart after a very good start.Comilla hit back after early blowsEach of Rajshahi’s top four fell after getting their eye in. Dwayne Smith, who had got going with four punchy boundaries, was first to fall when he inside-edged Saifuddin onto the stumps after reaching out for an expansive drive. In the next over, Mominul Haque, who had raced away to a brisk start with five crisply-struck fours, paid the price for a moment’s hesitation. Mominul pushed the legspinner Rashid Khan behind point and Luke Wright called for a single straight away. Mominul, though, wasn’t as convinced and was felled by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Zakir Hasan found the bounce of an Al-Amin Hossain bouncer disconcerting and top-edged a pull that was snaffled by the bowler, before Imrul Kayes’ terrific catch at long-on ended Mushfiqur Rahim’s stay. From 43 for no loss, Rajshahi lost four wickets by the time they could double that score.Wright keeps Rajshahi tickingThe gift of timing completely abandoned Luke Wright, who struggled for large parts of his 42. But to his credit, he gritted it out. After scratching around for 20 balls for his first 14 runs, Wright showed the first signs of acceleration by collecting 16 runs off his next six balls. That included two sublime fours through midwicket off successive deliveries against Al-Amin. He added 37 runs for the fifth wicket with James Franklin in quick time, before the latter fell leg-before to a Hasan Ali yorker. Wright fell in the following over, when his scoop found short fine leg. He fell eight short of a fifty but had kept Rajshahi intact till the 18th over before Sammy took over.Sammy lays a brutal finishing touchWhen Tamim Iqbal threw Saifuddin the ball for the final over, it was in the hope that he could finish off a job well-started. Saifuddin had figures of 3-0-18-3, but nothing could have prepared him for the onslaught he suffered at the hands of Sammy. His first delivery to Sammy was a fuller ball that came into him, and all Sammy had to do was help it on its way to deep backward square leg. The rest of the over was a generous mix of fuller deliveries, or worse still, full tosses that were shoveled with brute force. Saifuddin set out on a search for the wide yorker and instead fed to Sammy’s swinging arc and offered him ample room. To make matters worse, Saifuddin sent down two wides, extending Sammy’s party to an eight-ball over. Just last month, Saifuddin had suffered a similar shellacking at the hands of David Miller, who took him apart for five successive sixes in one over, in a T20 international against South Africa.Comilla shrug off early stutterFakhar Zaman’s BPL debut lasted just five balls as he chopped Sami onto his stumps, and Imrul Kayes fell to a harsh lbw decision, with replays suggesting the ball would have missed leg – as Comilla lost two wickets in the first two overs of their chase.Tamim and Malik then resurrected Comilla’s chase with an 87-run stand for the third wicket. It was broken when Malik’s stroke-filled 45 ended tamely. One ball after a stunning four that split short third man and backward point, Malik chipped a simple return catch to Dwayne Smith, leaving Comilla with 95 to get in 52 balls.Sami’s 3-in-1Comilla did not feel the pinch of Malik’s dismissal as much as Buttler picked up from where Malik left. With Tamim, he struck 34 runs in three overs to keep Comilla’s prospects alive. Tamim launched Hossain Ali over extra cover to bring up his fifty and the 4000th run of his T20 career while Buttler used his favoured reverse sweep to good effect.Sami then got Tamim to skew an inside-out shot to deep point in the 15th over to open the gates. Alok Kapali perished two balls later when he swung across the line and lost his stumps. Sami then ended the over by having Saifuddin hole out to deep point. He gave away just one run in his last over to finish with 4 for 9 in four overs. His effort left Comilla with 32 to get from the last over, which was precisely how much Sammy hit in Rajshahi’s last over.What they said“Darren Sammy doing that made a huge difference. I think if we just got 150, we would have probably lost. And then Mohammad Sami with the ball was amazing, but I think Sammy put massive pressure on them, which helped take those wickets in the end.”