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A century from Stephen Murdoch, coupled with Hamish Bennett’s seven-wicket match haul, propelled Wellington to an innings-and-43-run win over Otago inside three days of the Plunket Shield game at Basin Reserve. Wellington’s win amounted to Otago’s second consecutive loss this year, having finished at the bottom of the table last season.Wellington’s offensive with the ball helped them snipe out 15 wickets on the second day, bowling the opposition out for 184. A formidable lead of 185 meant Wellington could enforce follow-on and have an early shot at bringing up their second victory in as many games. The Otago line-up’s first-innings struggle – in which six of their batsman got starts but none could notch up a half-century – aggravated further in the second as only two players – captain Rob Nicol and Jimmy Neesham – went past the 30-run mark. Having been reduced to 107 for 6 at stumps on day two, it was only a matter of time before the remaining four batsmen were undone for only 142 runs inside the 20.3 overs bowled on the third day.Leading the charge for the Wellington attack in both innings was right-arm pacer Bennett who bettered his first-innings three-for with figures of 4 for 30 in the second. Bennett, who took his Shield tally to 12 scalps from two games, found ample support in fellow seamers Ian McPeake and Logan van Beek, who finished with a five-wicket match haul of his own.Wellington’s dominance in the match was, however, established early via Murdoch who waltzed to his 13thfirst-class century after his side lost the toss. The No. 3 batsman countered the loss of the two openers which had Wellington tottering at 33 for 2 in the 11th over. Murdoch put on 113 runs for the third wicket with captain Michael Bracewell, who struck an 83-ball 43. After Bracewell’s dismissal, Murdoch added another 66 runs with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, before holing out to Jacob Duffy off Anaru Kitchen in the 66th over. Two fifty-plus partnerships – anchored by Jeetan Patel’s 64 – for the seventh and the eighth wickets subsequently took Wellington to 369, before being bowled by Neil Wagner, allowing him to complete his four-for. Kitchen and Michael Rae finished with three wickets each.

Barcelona have a special trick up their sleeves as they look to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.

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Barca want to sign Felix permanentlyAtleti ready to sell at €70m-€80mBarcelona to reduce price with 'Griezmann tactic'Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona are hoping to sign Felix permanently despite the Portuguese player's patchy performances for the Blaugrana this season. Atletico Madrid reportedly want between €70 and €80 million (£60-68m/$75m-86m) for Felix, which is far more than Barcelona can afford. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan side plan to make an offer of €30–40m (£25m-45m/$32m-43m). Should the Rojiblancos reject it, they will try to secure Felix on loan for a second season.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are eager to finalise a deal in order to prevent another summer drama. Fearing that a flurry of goals between now and the conclusion of the season will offer Los Colchoneros a stronger negotiation position and raise interest in the Portuguese, the Blaugrana are prepared to negotiate Felix's move or loan as early as January.

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona's approach is similar to Atletico's when they re-signed Griezmann. Both parties understand how unlikely it is for Felix to return to the former team, especially in light of his celebrations against Atletico last weekend. Barca will aim to drive the price down, knowing Felix wants to stay and that he will not be particularly welcome back at Atletico.

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WHAT NEXT FOR FELIX?

Felix will be in action when Barcelona take on second-placed Girona on Sunday, December 10 as Xavi's side look to close the four-point gap on their local rivals.

Leicestershire completed a second win in two days to put themselves firmly back in the hunt for quarter-final qualification, beating Yorkshire by four wickets with two balls remaining

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2017Luke Ronchi hit a rapid half-century to put Leicestershire on their way•Getty Images

Leicestershire completed a second win in two days to put themselves firmly back in the hunt for quarter-final qualification, beating Yorkshire by four wickets with two balls remaining.A spectacular half-century from New Zealand international Luke Ronchi, hit off just 19 balls and including seven fours and three sixes, set the Foxes on their way, and although they lost wickets regularly in an increasingly nervy reply, Colin Ackermann’s unbeaten 58, made off 47 balls, saw them cross the line in the final over.”The batting was outstanding. Luke Ronchi has been unbelievable for us, and although Ackermann has had a bit of a lean patch over the last few games, he showed what a class player he is,” Leicestershire’s captain, Clint McKay, said.”I think the bowlers fought back well towards the end, though I was a bit disappointed with how we went about our work in the field earlier in their innings, we weren’t at our best. But the boys keep bouncing back, and to keep it to 182 when it looked like they were going to get over 200 was a great effort.”Remarkably, it was their first victory at home in the competition this season, with their previous five wins all coming away from the Fischer County Ground. Their two remaining fixtures see them face Derbyshire at home next Thursday, before they travel to Trent Bridge to play Nottinghamshire the following evening.Yorkshire, who arrived with their spirits – and chances of qualification – lifted by beating Roses rivals Lancashire at Headingley the previous evening, must now beat Northants at home on Thursday, their final group fixture, to have any chance of qualifying.Yorkshire’s total was based on an explosive 75 from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the right-hander’s best T20 score since joining Yorkshire from Worcestershire, made from just 40 balls.Placement and timing was the key, particularly through the off side, in a 30-ball half-century which included ten fours. Two maximums followed, muscled through wide midwicket off Callum Parkinson, but the young left-arm spinner had his revenge when he deceived and bowled Kohler-Cadmore in the last of his four overs, his 14th wicket in the competition this season.Their other major contribution was made by Shaun Marsh, whose half-century came seven balls more slowly, with four of his seven boundaries cut behind square on the off side. Having been 129 for 3 off 14 overs, a total of 200 looked well within their capabilities, but tight Foxes bowling, notably from Matt Pillans, and an unexpectedly effective four overs from occasional offspinner Aadil Ali, took some of the pressure off the Leicestershire batsmen.Ronchi’s wonderfully clean hitting reduced it further – the highlight an uppercut six high over third man off David Willey – and although he slog-swept Azeem Rafiq to into the hands of Jack Leaning on 57, Ackermann’s sensible innings ensured Leicestershire got over the line.Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale: “It was a real blow to lose this match. I felt on this occasion it was our bowlers who didn’t perform as well as they should, we bowled too many four balls. We knew Ronchi was the danger man, and he duly got them off to an explosive start. I was actually pretty pleased with our score, but giving away too many boundaries cost us dearly.”We’ve played some good cricket in the competition but we’ve not put it together in both disciplines consistently enough.”

Three of the tournament’s top five teams face off in Saturday’s games at the Women’s World Cup

The Preview by Sreshth Shah07-Jul-2017

We are into the second half of the Women’s World Cup and with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies needing a miracle to qualify to the semi-finals, the focus has shifted to the top five teams and three of them will be in action on Saturday.

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South Africa and India face off in Leicester in a rematch of the recent World Cup Qualifier final in Colombo. That game went down to a last-ball finish, with India hitting a six to seal victory, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if this one turns out to be equally thrilling.Five wins seems the bar for teams to feel confident of being in the final four in this Women’s World Cup. South Africa currently only have two, having endured a washout. While their batsmen have been quite reliable, recording the first instance of a team making 300 in a chase even if they couldn’t win it, the bowlers have been rather up and down. Last Sunday, West Indies were dismantled for 48, but three days later, England were allowed to make 373, helped by a stretch of 209 balls in the middle overs without a wicket. Considering South Africa are up against India, another batting powerhouse, Dane van Niekerk has some issues to sort out.Batsman Andrie Steyn, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury at training and has been ruled out of the tournament. Medium-pacer Odine Kirsten, who picked up 4 for 10 in her last ODI in January, has been called up as replacement.India, with four wins in four games, already have one foot in the final four. Opener Deepti Sharma scored a crafty 78 against Sri Lanka, and the ever-dependent Mithali Raj has been hitting fifties for fun – she now stands on the cusp of history, 34 short of becoming the top-scorer in women’s ODIs. But India will still be wary that in the two games Smriti Mandhana has fallen early, they have not been able to score as quickly as they usually do.India’s spinners, led by their joint-leading wicket-taker Ekta Bisht, have done particularly well to defend whatever their batsmen have scored, be it 169 or 232. The contest between them and South Africa’s hard-hitting openers Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee will be fun to watch.In three matches, New Zealand’s top-scorer Suzie Bates has struck two fifty-plus scores and has been dismissed only once•ICC/Getty Images

The day’s second match features a potential mismatch. New Zealand’s captain Suzie Bates began her campaign with a century and their wicketkeeper Rachel Priest smashed the fastest fifty in Women’s World Cup history and finished with 90 off 55 balls. By contrast, Pakistan’s batsmen are barely maintaining a strike-rate of 50.New Zealand enter their fifth group match at fourth place after they thumped West Indies emphatically on Thursday. That meant they jumped above their other rivals from the Southern Hemisphere into the final qualifying spot, despite South Africa’s destruction of the same opponents only a few days earlier.Lea Tahuhu’s swing bowling at the top has troubled unsure batsmen and Pakistan’s top-order features such wobbliness. Tahuhu, who passed 50 ODI wickets on Thursday, will be featuring in her 50th ODI on Saturday. “When I started off, I was in and out of the team a little bit and in the last two years I have been really able to cement a place in the team and look to lead this bowling attack,” she said. “I take great pride in it and it will be a special thing to play my 50th game. It was nice to get to 50 wickets [against West Indies] but at the same time it was nice to get a good team win.”Combine Tahuhu’s pace with the wily spin of Amelia Kerr and the returning Leigh Kasperek and you have a well-rounded bowling unit. Their batting has been slow to start off at times, like in the game against Australia, but if Thursday’s win was any indication New Zealand’s batting has gone up another gear. Rachel Priest played like she was in a hurry to get to her team hotel while Suzie Bates once again oozed class with her batting. The two set up a sturdy middle order that has yet to come to the party in this tournament. With the group stages winding down, their strategy will have to ensure their net-run rate continues to remain better than South Africa at the very least.Pakistan have fallen away after their spirited, nail-biting opening display. Over their next three games, Pakistan have lost by over 90 runs every time. A high dot-ball percentage has hurt their scoring. Their top scorer of the tournament, Nahida Khan, has only 105 runs in four innings. Their highest total in their last three matches has been 131. They need their batting to click if they are to have any chance of arresting their losing streak.Their bowling has been far better, but has been let down by poor fielding. Sana Mir continues to break crucial partnerships, and how she uses herself and the other spinners will hold the key in their search for their first win. What has been most disappointing, though, has been Pakistan’s seeming lack of intent in searching for the win. Against Australia, chasing 291, it appeared that Pakistan simply looked to bat out their 50 overs; they eventually lost by 159 runs.

West Ham United have opened talks regarding a deal to sign Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports.

Is Viktor Gyokeres leaving Coventry?

The Sky Blues talisman’s contract is set to expire at the end of next season meaning that the ongoing window is likely to be the club's final big opportunity to cash in, and after establishing himself as Coventry's top-performing offensive player last season, he won’t be short of potential suitors should he depart.

Back in November 2022, Football League World first credited the Irons with an interest in the 25-year-old alongside Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, Everton and formerly Southampton, but despite a deal failing to materialise in January, David Moyes appears to be taking a second bite of the cherry.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that whilst the Sweden international is yet to make a decision regarding his future beyond the summer, the E20 outfit are “ready to push” to bring him to the capital, and their efforts behind the scenes may have already begun.

Are West Ham signing Gyokeres?

According to Portuguese newspaper Record (via West Ham Zone), West Ham have “entered the negotiating table” for Gyokeres ahead of the 2023/24 term. The London Stadium side are firmly “part of” the English top-flight clubs looking to strike a deal and on Sunday, opened discussions with Coventry to see whether they can reach an agreement for the in-demand centre-forward.

Could Gyokeres be a strong recruit for Moyes?

West Ham are likely to have a big budget to play with, should they sell Declan Rice, and it’s been reported that Gyokeres could cost £25m so he’d be more than affordable having been dubbed “unplayable” by his former teammate Maxime Biamou and a "very strong striker" by Slaven Bilic.

The Building Society Arena attacker posted a remarkable 31 goal contributions (21 goals and ten assists) in 46 Championship appearances last season, form which not only saw him collect ten man-of-the-match awards, but he was also named the second-highest goalscorer in the second-tier and currently holds a career-high €13m Transfermarkt valuation, showing he appears to be at the top of his game.

The Irons target is additionally a constant threat even when the ball doesn’t hit the back of the net having recorded 191 shot-creating actions and 133 shots over the course of the previous campaign which was more than any other of his fellow peers, as per FBRef.

Finally, Gyokeres is a versatile operator having been deployed in six various positions over the grass since first bursting into the scene, mainline across the frontline, so he could be a massive addition to Moyes' attacking ranks, should he sign on the dotted line.

Mohammad Nabi made more history on Friday when he became the first Afghanistan player to be picked in the 2017 CPL draft. The former captain was picked up by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for USD 90,000 in the fourth round of the draft and was closely followed by team-mate Rashid Khan, who was taken in the sixth round for USD 60,000 by Guyana Amazon Warriors.This follows an excellent couple of months for Afghanistan cricket in general. The same pair of Nabi and Rashid had been snapped up at the IPL auction in February by Sunrisers Hyderabad and beginning in December the team has been on a 10-match winning streak in T20Is – a world record. Mere hours before he was picked up, Rashid produced a spellbinding display against Ireland, picking up five wickets in nine balls to turn the game around in an eventual 17-run win.

CPL squads

BARBADOS TRIDENTS: Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson*, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Nicholas Pooran, Wayne Parnell, Ravi Rampaul, Wahab Riaz, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Imran Khan, Damion Jacobs, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Wiggins, Tino Best, Shamar Springer, Akeem Dodson
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS: Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill*, Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshan Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Shimron Hetmyer, Ali Khan
JAMAICA TALLAWAHS: Lendl Simmons, Kumar Sangakkara*, Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Rovman Powell, Gidron Pope, Kesrick Williams, Garey Mathurin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Foo, Kennar Lewis, Andre McCarthy, Odean Smith, O’Shane Thomas, Timroy Allen
ST. KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: Chris Gayle, Chris Morris*, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Jonathan Carter, Tabraiz Shamsi, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Sheldon Cotterell, Kieran Powell, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Nikhil Dutta, Carlos Brathwaite
ST. LUCIA STARS: David Miller, Lasith Malinga*, Shane Watson, Darren Sammy, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Kamran Akmal, Rakheem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers, Shane Shillingford, Eddie Leie, Keddy Lesporis, Sunil Ambris, Obed McCoy, Timil Patel
TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS: Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum*, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Javon Searles, Nikita Miller, William Perkins, Kevon Cooper, Brad Hogg, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq
* denotes marquee players

The top pick at the draft was Lendl Simmons, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament’s three-year history with a tally of 1238 from 39 matches. Also a two-time World T20 winner, he went to Jamaica Tallawahs for USD 160,000 having represented Patriots in 2016. Tallawahs, the defending champions, needed the muscle at the top of the order after they traded their captain Chris Gayle and top-scorer in all of CPL to the team that finished bottom last season, the Patriots. West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite might also turn out for the Patriots provided he does not have any WICB commitments at the time.Among the biggest gainers from the draft were West Indies wicketkeeper batsman Chadwick Walton. His USD 30,000 contract last year became a thing of the distant past after he was bought for over three times the price – USD 110,000 – by Amazon Warriors. Australia allrounder Ben Cutting also went for the same amount and is all set to play in his first CPL, for Patriots, who had also enlisted the services of South Africa’s Chris Morris for USD 130,000 the day before the draft.There were several notable players who went unsold as well. To name a few, Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah, their Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who struck six successive sixes in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz on Thursday, England T20 specialist Tymal Mills, Corey Anderson, who at one time held the record for the fastest century in ODIs and Shaun Marsh, who plays for Perth Scorchers, three-time BBL champions.Tallawahs invested in, among others, Mohammad Sami, who defended four runs off the last over in the recently concluded PSL to put Islamabad United into the play-offs, and Krishmar Santokie, the former West Indies left-arm quick known for his slingy action and accurate yorkers. They were the most active team in the draft, alongside the newly renamed St Lucia Stars, picking up seven players each.Marlon Samuels may have dismantled Lasith Malinga in the 2012 World T20 final, but they will be playing together under the leadership of Darren Sammy for the Stars this CPL. They also purchased Pakistan wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who was the only centurion in the 2017 PSL, and the big-hitting offspinning allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who had previously represented the defunct Antigua Hawksbills.The six franchises had chosen their marquee picks a day before the draft. Kane Williamson joined team-mates Martin Guptill (Amazon Warriors) and Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders) as the only New Zealand players in the tournament. Williamson was recruited by Barbados Tridents, who also bulked up their fast bowling reserves by picking up Wahab Riaz, Wayne Parnell and Tino Best. Knight Riders, like their namesake in the IPL, showed a fondness for unusual spinners and bought the 46-year old Brad Hogg and the 18-year old Shadab Khan, whose googlies were rarely picked by the batsmen in the PSL.A total of nine Associate players have been placed with teams in the CPL along with Rashid and Nabi. From the USA team, allrounder Timroy Allen was retained by Tallawahs after appearing in six matches during their 2016 title campaign. Fast bowler Ali Khan was retained by Amazon Warriors while batsman Steven Taylor was snapped up for USD 30,000 by Amazon Warriors after spending the last two seasons with Barbados Tridents. Legspinner Timil Patel was picked for the first time, by Stars, and wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson was taken by Tridents. Canada’s Nikhil Dutta and Hamza Tariq were retained by Patriots and Knight Riders respectively.

Arsenal have made an "official offer" of £12 million for defender Sacha Boey after meeting with Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur in London, according to reports out of Turkey.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

Despite missing out on a first league title in nearly 20 years to Man City, last season was one of real promise for Arsenal, who challenged for much of the 2022/2023 campaign.

Injuries to the likes of William Saliba, a key player in the run-in, arguably scuppered Mikel Arteta's hopes of ending Arsenal's long wait for a domestic crown – but the looming summer transfer window hands them a real opportunity.

Sporting director Edu, speaking back in April, already confirmed that plans are well underway to strengthen Arsenal's ranks in an attempt to keep pace with England's elite.

"Our planning has already been done," said the Brazilian to ESPN (via 90min)"It has already reached the owners. Now, we're taking things step by step. We're focused on how we will finish the season, but we've put in the planning and I'm very excited."

As well as central midfield signings, with the Gunners targeting West Ham's Declan Rice, Arteta also apparently wants new full-backs in his squad.

Real Valladolid's Ivan Fresneda and Boey have been linked to joining Arsenal, and a report by Hurriyet (via Sport Witness) has some news on the latter man.

According to their information, Arsenal and Galatasary vice-president Timur held a meeting in London recently where they discussed Boey's potential move.

After these talks, it is believed the north Londoners made an "official offer", which amounts to around £12 million. However, £17 million is their asking price, and Arsenal are expected to increase their bid for Boey as a result.

As of yet, it is unclear what Arteta's side could be willing to pay for him, but they could apparently offer out more cash.

Who is Sacha Boey?

The 22-year-old has been a key player for Galatasary and ranked as one of their best-performing players per 90 last season in the Turkish top flight.

Boey, who averaged Galatasary's joint-highest rate of tackles and second-most interceptions per 90 over 22/23, has also been seriously endorced by former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna.

“Galatasaray’s Sacha Boey is a player I really like," said Sagna.“I think he will fit perfectly into Arsenal. As a right-back too, I have to say I think he’s great. I’m sure many clubs have Sacha Boey in mind.“There is a contract to sign.”

Zimbabwe have conducted interviews to fill the position of head coach, left vacant by the sacking of Dav Whatmore in June. Heath Streak, Andy Blignaut and South Africans Peter Kirsten and Justin Summons were interviewed by five ZC board members on Wednesday. An appointment is expected to be made before the Sri Lanka Tests later this month and is likely to be a two-year contract with the mandate to ensure Zimbabwe qualifies for the 2019 World Cup.Of the candidates, Streak is considered the favourite while Summons is the dark horse. Based in Johannesburg, Summons worked with both Prosper Utseya and Brian Vitori to correct illegal bowling actions. Both bowlers have subsequently been cleared to play.Summons will have tough competition from Streak, who was Zimbabwe’s bowling coach under Alan Butcher between 2010 and 2013 and has had stints with Bangladesh and at the IPL since. Streak will likely be able to continue in his role with IPL team Gujarat Lions, which occupies him for only two months a year, even if he gets the Zimbabwe job.Blignaut does not have the same experience as Streak but does share local knowledge. He has been coaching at Peterhouse, one of Zimbabwe’s most prestigious sporting schools, and was being considered for a role with Zimbabwe’s under-19 side earlier this year.Kirsten is also currently involved at a school, Redhill in Johannesburg, while also working as a commentator on SABC Radio. His most recent coaching experiences are all in Africa; he was involved with Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Kirsten also coached Western Province in the past.Zimbabwe’s South African connection is strong. Their most recent acting head coach was Makhaya Ntini, who took over for ODIs against India and two Tests against New Zealand. With only one victory in eight games, Ntini, who does not have any coaching qualifications apart from the Level II that all former Test players automatically hold, came under pressure and Zimbabwe were forced to seek out another head coach. Ntini is still in Zimbabwe and players have been training under him and batting consultant Lance Klusener in the lead-up to matches against Pakistan A. Ntini and Klusener, who have signed contracts with ZC, are expected to be retained in the roles of bowling coach and batting consultant respectively.Zimbabwe are scheduled to play two Tests against Sri Lanka in Harare starting on October 29, after which they will play an ODI triangular series also involving West Indies.

Calum MacLeod’s third ODI ton propelled Scotland’s chase of 229 to see the hosts to a seven-wicket win over UAE at the Grange, thereby closing Netherlands’ lead at the top of the table to one point

Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh16-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:06

‘Offseason technical work gave me confidence’ – MacLeod

Calum MacLeod’s third ODI ton propelled Scotland’s chase of 229 to see the hosts to a seven-wicket win over UAE at the Grange, completing a series sweep in the pair of WCL Championship fixtures, thereby closing Netherlands’ lead at the top of the table to one point. It was MacLeod’s first century since making 116 not out in a win over Ireland in September 2014.Scotland’s chase began in slightly shaky fashion with Craig Wallace slashing Mohammad Naveed to third man for 6 and Kyle Coetzer top-edging a pull to mid-on off Mohammad Shahzad for 25. At 43 for 2 in the ninth over, MacLeod and captain Preston Mommsen came together to add 165, a third-wicket record for Scotland and their third-highest ODI partnership.MacLeod punished a short-pitched barrage from UAE’s pacers, cutting them through point for four of his six fours and clubbed three sixes over long-on during his classy knock. He brought up his fifty in 69 balls and took a further fifty balls to bring up his century. His innings, and the partnership with Mommsen, was ended by a yorker from Naveed when on 103. By that stage, Scotland needed just 21 more to win off 33 balls.Mommsen remained unbeaten on 80 as Richie Berrington hit the winning boundary to finish 15 not out in his 50th ODI for Scotland. Following his unbeaten 111 on Sunday, Mommsen is yet to be dismissed in three ODIs against UAE. His other knock is an unbeaten 139 in the final of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand, giving him a total of 330 runs in ODIs against UAE. In six total List A games Mommsen has played against the UAE – four WCL Championship matches and two games at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier – he has scored 383 runs at an average of 383 with his only dismissal coming via a runout.The win was set up after a UAE batting collapse saw them throw away a great foundation at 187 for 4 in the 34th over. They lost their last six wickets for 41 to be dismissed for 228 in 45.4 overs. Shaiman Anwar top-scored with 63 off 75 balls for UAE, but his wicket sparked the slide when an uncontrolled cut off debutant Chris Sole sailed to the point sweeper where Safyaan Sharif took a superb sliding catch on the run.It was one of several outstanding catches on the day for Scotland, who continued to show up UAE in the fielding department. After taking a brilliant diving catch at point on Sunday, Berrington pulled off another stunner at short extra cover to send Amjad Javed back for a first-ball duck off the bowling of left-arm spinner Con De Lange. Javed’s false drive came two balls after Anwar fell, expediting UAE’s downward spiral.Sharif had made the earlier inroads into the UAE top order, getting L Sreekumar for 16 driving to Michael Leask at cover and inducing Shahzad’s edge off a full delivery for 21. In between, Sole took his maiden wicket, sparking Scotland’s short-ball plan early in the day when he had Rohan Mustafa gloving a pull down the leg side for 19. Sole later bounced out Naveed.Alasdair Evans also used the short ball to claim his two wickets. Evans broke a crucial 76-run fourth-wicket stand between Anwar and Muhammad Usman when the latter laced a pull straight to MacLeod at short midwicket for 43 in the 30th over, and wrapped up the innings when Ahmed Raza’s awkward hook was taken at long leg by Coetzer.Sharif was the undisputed star with the ball though, finishing with 3 for 25 in eight overs while Sole ended up with 3 for 51 on debut. Scotland’s final two ODIs of the summer are against Hong Kong in Edinburgh, beginning on September 8.

Since the departure of record goalscorer, Alan Shearer, Newcastle United have seemingly been longing for a quality centre-forward to lead the line, with it looking as if summer signing Alexander Isak – who now has eight goals in just 13 Premier League games – could be an ideal candidate to fill that long-running void.

Prior to the Swede's arrival, there had likely been continued frustration among supporters with regard to the strikers that former owner Mike Ashley had allowed to depart, with current Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic one such talent who has gone on to shine elsewhere.

The Serbia international – who arrived on Tyneside from Anderlecht back in 2015 – scored just 17 goals in 71 games for the Magpies in all competitions during his three-year spell at the club, before ultimately joining the west London outfit on a £22m deal.

Since then, the 28-year-old has proven remarkably prolific for the Cottagers after scoring 108 times in just 202 games across all fronts, leaving the northeast side to potentially rue their decision to move him on just under five years ago.

That being said, however, the formidable marksman hardly pulled up any trees during his time at St James' Park – as his underwhelming goal record points to – while Ashley and co were at least able to recoup a sizeable fee with the 6 foot 2 man's sale.

The same can not be said, however, with the exit of another former Newcastle man, Ivan Toney, with the Englishman having hardly been handed a chance to impress at the club, before being moved on to Peterborough for just £650k in 2018 – potentially representing a far bigger error for the club than that of Mitrovic's departure.

Why did Newcastle sell Toney?

The Magpies had initially snapped up the young striker from Northampton Town for a fee of just £500k back in 2015, albeit with the 6 foot 1 ace going on to spend much of the next three years out on loan, after making just four first-team appearances at the club.

That lack of action ultimately led to a move to Posh, where the dynamic marksman scored 49 goals in just 94 games to earn a £5m switch to current side Brentford in 2020, quickly establishing himself as a leading man for the Bees.

A player with the "mindset of a lion", according to manager Thomas Frank, Toney netted a standout haul of 33 goals during the 2020/21 campaign in the second tier, having since gone on to net 30 goals and provide nine assists in the Premier League over the past two seasons.

The current campaign, in particular, has proven rather remarkable as the 27-year-old has 18 league goals to his name to date – more than that of Mitrovic (11) – having even been linked with a return to Tyneside last summer.

Such has been the £20k-per-week man's rise of late he was even said to be valued at around £50m amid that interest prior to the start of the season, with it undoubtedly set to sting that Ashley sold him on the cheap – more so than with regard to Mitrovic.