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Faf du Plessis, speaking for the first time since being found guilty of ball-tampering, said he believed he had done nothing wrong

Firdose Moonda in Adelaide23-Nov-20164:31

‘I wasn’t trying to cheat, I was shining the ball’

Speaking for the first time since being found guilty of ball-tampering on Tuesday evening, South Africa’s stand-in captain Faf du Plessis used the first half of his pre-match press conference to continue to claim innocence. Du Plessis began with an explanation of what he considered the difference between altering the condition of the ball and merely looking after it, and that he firmly believed he was only doing the latter.”Yesterday was the hearing and the verdict was that I was guilty. I completely disagree with that. I felt like I have done nothing wrong,” du Plessis said. “There’s two ways of looking at it, either ball-shining or ball-tampering. For me, if you talk about ball-tampering, that is something that’s wrong. It’s picking the ball, scratching the ball.”Shining is something that all cricketers would say is not in that same space. It is something all cricketers do and I think there will be a lot of emphasis after this incident on where the game is going, what the ICC is going to do about it. I don’t believe shining is wrong. It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything. I was shining a ball and I see no problem with that.”Du Plessis admitted he had a “massive mint” in his mouth and was not trying to be insidious about what he was doing in using saliva that had mixed with the sweet to shine the ball, but he questioned why he would have escaped charge had his actions not been seen by television cameras. “I wasn’t trying to actually hide it,” he said. “I put a massive mint in my mouth and my mouth was that wide open. Whether you shine the ball with a sweet in your mouth or whether you don’t see the sweet, and the sweet is still there, it’s exactly the same thing.”And according to du Plessis, he has received enough support from both current and former players, including Australian captain Steven Smith, who in his own press conference said his team “along with every other, shine the ball the same way”, to know that it is commonplace in the game.”The ex-players have spoken about it. It’s part of our game. It’s been an unwritten rule,” du Plessis said. “Some people use sunblock to shine the ball. I know of people who carry lip-ice in their pocket and shine the cricket ball or gum. So many things. It’s just so difficult to say what is right and what is wrong. To say that when you have a sweet in your mouth, it’s wrong but when you have a sweet in your mouth and the camera doesn’t pick up on it, it’s okay. It’s just a really massive grey area.”The everybody-does-it defense made headlines in the lead-up to du Plessis’ hearing, when footage emerged of Virat Kohli shining a ball when he appeared to have gum in his mouth, and David Warner shining a ball after applying lip-balm to his mouth. Neither Kohli nor Warner were charged – the visuals of their actions emerged after the ICC’s five-day window for reporting incidents – and although du Plessis would not be drawn on whether they should have been, he asked for consistent application of the rules. “I just ask that everyone gets treated the same way,” he said. “The ICC has taken a stance against me to use me as a scapegoat. All you can ask for is that everyone gets treated the same.”He also, along with Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat, who was present at the press conference, hoped there would be clarity on what constitutes an artificial substance, and believes his case could lead to thorough research into whether sugar can make the ball swing.”Ninety percent of the time, cricketers have got sugary saliva,” du Plessis said. “Whether we are drinking Powerade, Coke, Gatorade, eating sweets, sucking on jellies, our mouths are always full of sugar. It’s such a grey area in the laws of cricket and its something that will be looked at. Us as cricketers, we think that it makes a difference but we are not scientists. We are not sure if it makes a difference. It’s opened up a can of worms, what’s going to happen now, going forward with the game. Something like this needed to happen to create a little bit more awareness on it.”Lorgat confirmed that CSA will engage the ICC on the matter at the next cricket committee meeting but until then, du Plessis has asked not be branded underhanded and for the practice to be considered acceptable. “It’s never nice to be in a position like this because with ball tampering, it’s a really negative connotation that gets put to it and the term cheat has been thrown around and that’s something I do not take lightly,” he said.”It’s something I don’t want to be associated with in any space and as I said, I felt I did nothing wrong. I was shining the cricket ball. I’ve been doing that for my whole career and every single team I have played in does exactly the same thing and it’s not something that’s frowned upon my anyone, not even the umpires. So to make such a big thing, I just think it was a little bit blown out of proportion by everyone.”He has also thanked his team-mates for their united showing of support when Hashim Amla addressed the media at the MCG last Friday, with the entire squad alongside him. “If you know the character of someone like Hashim Amla, you will understand that for him to go out and stand in front of the press and say the things that he said, he will feel very strongly about it. He is just the most honest guy on the planet so for him to say that means a lot,” du Plessis said. “It’s speaks a lot about our culture and how we don’t let any outside noise creep into our space.”The noise may not have got in, but du Plessis has been warned to expect a hostile reception at the Adelaide Oval, perhaps from the opposition but definitely from the crowd. While he does not think Smith and co will have anything because he believes they do the same thing.”I think the Aussies won’t talk about it at all because they know that’s part of their team as well. It’s not been driven by the cricketers. You don’t expect to go out there against Australia and walk out with a clap and welcome to the crease. It’s part of playing against Australia, you expect that and that’s something I have grown used to,” he said, but challenged fans to understand his perspective. “I’m hoping that cricketing sense will be prevail. It’s obviously something that if you are a cricketer and you understand cricket that this is not actually that big of a deal.”With the ball in the spotlight, du Plessis’ tactics on shining the pink ball will come into focus but he has indicated it may not need as much work. “The timing is perfect that it’s the pink ball. Apparently it swings more. It will be interesting to see how to shine the ball. I will probably just touch my finger like that and get a little bit of spit on it,” he joked.And will he still use mints as the sugary substance of choice? “Possibly just for bad breath now, not for shining the ball. I still the feel exactly the same way. Whether I was guilty or not, whether the sentence was different or not, I still feel exactly the same way. Maybe that needs to change now but possibly for this one game, I just maybe need to stay away from the mints.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are edging closer to completing their first summer signing as a LaLiga veteran has been linked with the club.

It’s set to be a difficult transfer window for Julen Lopetegui, considering the recent revelation of Wolves’ FFP woes, however, the Spaniard will aim to improve his squad where possible ahead of next season.

The latest link could be a significant midfield upgrade, and a suitable candidate to take the throne from a departing star.

What’s the latest on Geoffrey Kondogbia to Wolves?

As reported by Turkish outlet Taktik Mania via scout and player agent Berk Bekgoz, Wolves are preparing to meet representatives of Geoffrey Kondogbia this week.

The report comes from the point of view of Fenerbahce and Besiktas, who are interested in the Atletico Madrid midfielder, with the outcome of his talks with Wolves understood to be influential as to whether he meets the Turkish clubs.

The 30-year-old machine has been on the radar at Molineux since January, as told by Fabrizio Romano who revealed that Wolves approached the Spanish giants in the winter window for his services.

What could Geoffrey Kondogbia offer Wolves?

Having once been lauded as a “monster” by former talkSPORT reporter James Dodd, the 6 foot 2 powerhouse could be a revelation in midfield for first-team boss Julen Lopetegui.

With Ruben Neves expected to depart this summer, a significant vacancy will be left in the Spaniard’s midfield, with Joao Moutinho also signing off from his duties at Molineux.

A lack of game time has linked the Central African Republic enforcer with a move away from Madrid, having started just 10 games in LaLiga this campaign, as per Sofascore.

Despite featuring sporadically for Diego Simeone’s side, Kondogbia has maintained an average match rating of 6.97 in LaLiga, as well as winning 62% of his total duels in averaging 3.8 per game.

Not having consistent game time can typically see an individual's performance drop, however, this has evidently not been the case for the Wolves target, as he has shown that he could be a strong contender to lead the Molineux midfield next season.

The Midlands club’s departing captain has performed on a similar level to Kondogbia, suggesting that the £107k-per-week gem could be a good fit for Lopetegui’s requirements in the middle of the park.

While the two are almost identical in terms of their average rate of interceptions per game, with Neves scoring 1.4 and Kondogbia 1.3 in that area, the Nemours-born ace could prove to be a stronger fit than the Portuguese defensively.

As per Sofascore, the Atletico midfielder was dribbled past on average just 0.4 times per game, considerably less than the 26-year-old Barcelona target who was dribbled past 1.2 times per game this season, suggesting he could be a warrior in the engine room.

Despite being described as a ‘pass master’ by members of the media, the Portuguese whiz falls short of Kondogbia in terms of passing accuracy, having registered 84% accurate passes per game to the 30-year-old’s 89%.

Also hailed as “world-class” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Lopetegui could ease the blow of losing the likes of Neves and Moutinho this summer by securing the high-profile midfielder, who with a key role in the team could repeat his best form under the Spanish tactician at Molineux.

أعلن الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم عن توصله لاتفاق مع مدرب المنتخب الأول، لويس دي لا فوينتي، بتجديد عقده لمدة عامين آخرين.

وكان عقد دي لا فوينتي يستمر مع منتخب إسبانيا حتى 30 يونيو 2024، ولكن هناك بطولة مهمة مثل كأس أمم أوروبا في الصيف ستمتد إلى منتصف يوليو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كورتوا يوضح مدى جاهزيته لبطولة يورو 2024

🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 | La Comisión Gestora autoriza ejercitar la cláusula de renovación de Luis de la Fuente.

➡️ Se autoriza a la @RFEF a hacer uso de dicha cláusula para prolongar su contrato hasta el 2026.

ℹ️ https://t.co/ueI7XSL4Cq pic.twitter.com/1cKVDOCGQ5 — RFEF (@rfef) February 22, 2024

يريد الاتحاد الإسباني من هذا الاتفاق أن يفرض حالة من الاستقرار في صفوف المنتخب الأول قبل البطولة، ويؤكد دعمه على استمرار المدرب حتى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026 في أمريكا، المكسيك وكندا.

عقد دي لا فوينتي مع منتخب إسبانيا كان يتضمن شرط يحق للاتحاد تفعيله إذا رغب في تمديد عقد المدرب الذي تقلد المهمة بعد كأس العالم قطر 2022.

ويتواجد منتخب إسبانيا ضمن فرق المجموعة الثانية والتي تضم إيطاليا، كرواتيا وأخيرًا ألمانيا وهي من أقوى المجموعات في يورو 2024.

With batting getting tougher as the surface wears on, in India, Kane Williamson has said that the first-innings total will be a key area, on the eve of the Indore Test

Sidharth Monga in Indore07-Oct-20163:38

‘We are yet to play our best cricket’ – Williamson

There was good news for New Zealand when Kane Williamson came to address the pre-Test press conference. He still didn’t confirm whether he will play in Indore after missing the Kolkata Test because of illness, but he will be key to one area New Zealand look to set right: first-innings total. In India, you do all your peaceful scoring in the first innings. The second is havoc. You don’t want yourself to be making up ground.”It has shown in the first innings of each Test match that the first innings has been the most vital as batting has got harder as the game has gone on,” Williamson said. “We’ll still need to have another look at the surface here but were are still expecting first innings to be important again.”Apart from preferably winning the toss on a surface that he described as “bare at the ends” and ‘soft”, Williamson will be expected to push that first innings a little further after they had shown a bit of promise at different times.”It is one of those fine lines where there have been some good bits but the good bits haven’t happened for long enough,” Williamson said. “Those 240-250 scores need to be 300-350. In saying that we are still to see this wicket, it might be more or it might be less, we don’t know just yet. But certainly the last two games if we could have pushed up our first-innings total that little bit further, it would have helped us out a huge amount.”This is where India can draw satisfaction. They haven’t let New Zealand run away even when they have had partnerships. India’s captain Virat Kohli said it was crucial to deal well with such periods. “One thing that stands out for me as a learning is how to control a session that’s not going your way,” Kohli said. “When you are taking wickets, you can afford to attack. But when you are not taking wickets, how to stop runs and still maintain enough pressure for you to come in the session and make breakthroughs.”The session when the other team is batting well, you should know how to control runs and at the same time not go negative. There is very thin line, which I think if you maintain more often than not you will come back in the next session and pull things back. That is the biggest learning. Not to go one-dimensional when runs are scored and the other team is batting well.”One of the reasons why India have been able to keep New Zealand in check with just four bowlers is Mohammed Shami’s performance: eight wickets at an average of 21.12. Kohli paid tribute to Shami’s return to fitness. “Shami is someone who’s come back very well,” Kohli said. “He has worked very hard on his fitness as well. You can see he’s able to bowl those five-six over spells now, and he can run in… Bigger momentum and then he can pick up two wickets on any surface. That’s the kind of skill he has, so as captain I feel that he’s a very important bowler for us in this full season and in future as well. But looking at the near future, his fitness and rhythm is very, very important. As you said, he’s a strike bowler and whenever he comes in he makes something regardless of the surface that we’re playing on.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked to a former Aston Villa player ahead of the summer transfer window, as Julen Lopetegui hopes to make some much-needed amendments to his side.

The Spaniard won't have it easy this summer, though, following the news of Wolves' FFP troubles. Fortunately, the latest transfer rumour could bring a head of talent to Molineux for a minuscule price.

What’s the latest on Arjan Raikhy to Wolves?

As reported by the Daily Mail this week, former Villa academy player Arjan Raikhy is attracting interest from Molineux.

The 20-year-old, who was recently released by Villa, is reportedly in the middle of a battle between Leicester City and Wolves, who wish to sign the midfielder this summer.

The youngster had a trial at Leicester last month, however, no decisions have been made regarding his long-term future.

What could Arjan Raikhy bring to Wolves?

Hailed as being “excellent” by journalist Ashley Preece, Raikhy could offer a host of attributes to Wolves’ midfield.

Playing predominantly as a central midfielder, sometimes acting in a defensive midfield role, the 20-year-old has flair in both creating and defending.

In 20 Premier League 2 appearances this season, the midfielder scored three goals and assisted two – as per Transfermarkt.

Following the announcement of the departure of Joao Moutinho, Wolves will be without the Portuguese ace’s expertise next campaign, and with Ruben Neves also likely to depart, Lopetegui will surely require reinforcements to his midfield.

While Moutinho’s impact at Wolves cannot be replaced, his role in the current side can be filled, which is where the 20-year-old could show his worth with the freedom to perform at Molineux.

Despite the 36-year-old having a career that spans over 800 professional appearances and experience that a player such as Raikhy could only dream of, in terms of their methods to the game, the two have a range of similarities.

Moutinho acted as a complete midfielder for Wolves, boasting both defensive and offensive capabilities, as shown through his numbers.

As per FBref, the Portuguese averaged 2.58 tackles per 90 over the past year, as well as making 6.67 progressive passes per 90, highlighting his ability to command and be a successful output in the midfield.

Like Moutinho, the 20-year-old has been praised in the past for his ability to do both sides in the middle of the park, hailed by members of the media for his ability to dictate the game and make “excellent defensive contributions" as well as his "passing range being different gravy."

As per Sofascore, in the Football League Trophy, the youngster averaged a passing accuracy of 88%, as well as averaging 1.7 interceptions per game, portraying his rounded ability.

While the 20-year-old is still very much at the start of his career, his raw talent could be sculpted and nurtured by Lopetegui, if given the room to blossom in a competitive environment.

Liverpool are in the running to sign Bayern Munich and France defender Benjamin Pavard this summer, according to journalist Christian Falk.

Is Pavard set to leave Bayern Munich?

The £116,000-a-week Frenchman has been a strong servant for the Bundesliga giants since arriving from VfB Stuttgart back in 2019, making 162 appearances in total. He has also won the league title in all four seasons he has spent at the Allianz Arena, often proving to be a safe pair of hands at right-back.

It looks as though Pavard's time at Bayern has reached its conclusion, however, with his current deal expiring next year and the club looking to receive a fee for him this summer rather than losing him on a free transfer in 2024.

The 27-year-old is unlikely to be without suitors, given his status as a World Cup winner with France back in 2018 – he also scored an iconic goal against Argentina in the last-16 clash in that tournament – and with Liverpool potentially looking to sign another defender this summer, it looks as though they could be in the mix to snap up the Bayern man.

Are Liverpool in the mix to sign Pavard?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk provided a key update regarding Pavard's future, claiming that Liverpool are strong contenders to snap him up:

"Benjamin Pavard has informed the club that he wants to move in the summer. His agents are already talking to other clubs. Among them, Liverpool is now a hot candidate.

"Previously, Chelsea and Barcelona were already known to be interested, as well as Italian clubs AC and Inter Milan."

Pavard could be a really astute signing by Liverpool in the summer transfer window, coming in as someone who can provide great depth at right-back, as well as centre-back if needed.

He could boost the squad depth at the Reds' disposal, and offer a very different type of player to Trent Alexander-Arnold – one who is more defensively resolute and solid in the role, having averaged 2.5 clearances and 2.3 tackles per game in the Bundesliga last season. Interestingly, Alexander-Arnold trailed well behind in both of those departments.

At 27, Pavard is now a hugely experienced player, but he is also relatively young still, meaning he could be a strong signing for Liverpool over the next four or five years, at least, having once been described as "brilliant" and someone who could "become a star" by France manager Didier Deschamps.

Ben Stokes felt that he had produced his most mature batting display in his Test career after rallying England into a position of strength in the first Test in Chittagong

George Dobell22-Oct-2016Ben Stokes hailed the “most mature” performance of his career to date after saving England from a precarious position against Bangladesh in Chittagong.Coming to the crease with his side in trouble and the ball spinning sharply, Stokes responded with a mature innings of 85 to help England establish a lead of 273 with two wickets in hand going into the fourth day. On a pitch that continues to provide assistance to spin bowlers, that may already prove a decisive advantage.While Stokes’ innings lacked, for the most part, the fireworks of some of his previous Test performances, it was played in unusually demanding circumstances. In ferociously hot and humid conditions and with his colleagues struggling to negate the turning ball, Stokes showed that he had matured significantly as a batsman.Instead of being content with “batting for 20 minutes and then losing concentration” he defended skilfully, rotated the strike and provided the substantial contribution his side required. It is currently the only half-century in the England innings and the highest score of the match.”That was definitely my most mature performance with the bat in Test cricket,” Stokes said. “They were probably the toughest conditions I’ve had so far in international cricket – especially going in with all the men around the bat and the ball spinning as much as it was.”My defensive game against spin has gone up another level. That’s from working hard. I’m making sure I don’t fall into the trap of batting for 20 minutes and then losing concentration on what I’m actually trying to do.”We can all hit boundaries, but the hardest thing to do is defend when you first come in. I didn’t want to give my wicket away and made sure if I was going to get out it was going to take a good ball.”I knew that if we kept rotating the strike the game was going to get easier. There was so much time left in the game that it was just a matter of occupying the crease, rotating the strike and putting the bad balls away. The guys around the bat would soon disappear.”The longer you spend on wickets like that, the easier it becomes. If we can get through the tough periods – and there are going to be plenty here and in India – then the easier it’s going to get. I tried to put the foot on the gas towards the end to try and get the lead up as high as we could but I’m happy with how it went.”Stokes had already produced an outstanding spell of bowling to polish off the Bangladesh innings. Gaining pace, bounce and reverse-swing that has been absent for every other bowler in the match, Stokes bowled six overs on the trot at the start of the morning session – an outstanding effort in such uncomfortable heat – claiming three wickets for nine runs.While other seamers could barely get the ball about hip height or move it off the straight, he struck batsmen on the helmet and nipped the ball both ways. That brought him 4 for 10 in a 10-over spell continued from the previous day that saw Bangladesh collapse from 221 for 4 to 248 all out.Afterwards he credited Joe Root, in particular, for looking after the ball and ensuring it was in a condition where it would reverse.”Reverse swing is a massive weapon for us in the sub-continent,” Stokes said. “It can be quite tough to control how much the ball is going to swing. But we’ve been working a lot on reverse. We were very critical about keeping the ball in good nick. Joe Root has been non-stop in keeping the smooth side smooth and shiny and making sure the other side is as dry as possible.”It’s tough to tell the spinners to keep their hands off with the amount of bowling they are doing, but they did a really good job.”It’s actually very tough to maintain the ball because one little bit of moisture on the side that we keep dry can almost put you back two overs to where you started off. We all know that and we try to keep as few hands on the ball as possible. We did that and that’s how we managed to get as much sideways movement as we did with the old ball.”

تحدث برناردو سيلفا، لاعب فريق مانشستر سيتي، عن تعادلهم في مباراة الأمس مع تشيلسي في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واستضاف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة والعشرين، حيث تعادلا بهدف لمثله.

وقال برناردو سيلفا في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “كانت المباراة عبارة عن شوطين مختلفين، الشوط الأول لم يكن جيدًا بما فيه الكفاية ومخيبًا للآمال للغاية، أما الشوط الثاني فكان هناك رد فعل من الفريق”.

وأضاف: “لكن اللعب لمدة 45 دقيقة ليس جيدًا بما يكفي، لذا علينا أن نحاول تقديم أداء أفضل يوم الثلاثاء المقبل ضد برينتفورد”.

وواصل: “من الجيد أن تكون مباراتنا المقبلة في غضون ثلاثة أيام للرد، لكنها بالطبع انتكاسة لأن نقطة واحدة على أرضنا ليست جيدة بما فيه الكفاية”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا يسخر من نفسه بسبب هالاند: سجلت 11 هدفًا في 11 عامًا

وأردف: “تشيلسي فريق يتمتع بالكثير من الجودة، وليس من قبيل الصدفة أن يصنعوا الكثير من الفرص الصعبة، الإيقاع والضغط لم يكن جيدًا بما فيه الكفاية، وعندما تلعب ضد جودة تشيلسي يعاقبونك”.

واستمر: “لقد سجلوا هدفًا وكان بإمكانهم تسجيل هدف أو اثنين آخرين، رد فعل الفريق كان جيدًا جدًا، لكنه متأخر بعض الشيء”.

وعن السباق على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي، أجاب البرتغالي: “إنه أمر ممتع بالنسبة للناس، لكنه يمثل انتكاسة بالنسبة لنا، إنه سباق متقارب للغاية، يمكن للجميع خوضه”.

واختتم برناردو سيلفا تصريحاته قائلًا: “مهمتنا هي تقديم الأداء على أعلى مستوى ممكن”.

Sri Lanka’s transitioning limited-overs squad face yet another stern test in Pallekele against Australia, who cracked the dusty pitches as their batsmen steadily developed a taste for spin

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Sep-2016Match factsSeptember 6, 2016
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Big PictureSri Lanka may have the beginnings of a future-proof Test team, but in the shorter formats, the juggernaut that is their transition rolls relentlessly on. So long has it reigned now, it probably deserves to be capitalised: Transition. Perhaps in years to come, Sri Lankan historians will see fit to add a prefix, and it will become “The Great Transition”. Whatever the case, it continues to guzzle up players and spit out empty husks of international careers, chewing up those husks and spitting them up even emptier, fans wailing by the roadside in rags, a terrible limited-overs drought afflicting their once-lush land.Back together in this current squad are players like Chamara Kapugedara, Sachithra Senanayake and Thisara Perera, many of whom had been part of Sri Lanka’s T20 boom years, from 2009-2014, but their presence does not seem a guarantee the boom years will come again. The more experienced hands are as much on trial as the likes of Kasun Rajitha or Dasun Shanaka. A big, limited-overs breakthrough continues to evade them.Australia are without Aaron Finch and Chris Lynn, but through the ODI series, their bowlers cracked Sri Lanka’s dusty pitches, and the batsmen steadily developed a taste for spin. David Warner’s scored his first Asian limited-overs ton playing a more measured brand of cricket than he would have liked, but now that he is in the runs, the T20 format may bring the violence out of him. George Bailey seems the most assured batsman playing in this series. Even Mathew Wade and Travis Head look well-set to contribute.Like Sri Lanka, Australia had also exited this year’s World T20 at the end of the group stage, but during that campaign, had beaten Bangladesh and Pakistan, both of whom Sri Lanka had lost to in the preceding Asia Cup.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Australia: LWWLW
Sri Lanka: LLLLW
In the spotlightTillakaratne Dilshan has had an eventful week since playing his last ODI. He made veiled accusations about Angelo Mathews in the press conference after that match, and neither Mahela Jayawardene nor Kumar Sangakkara came off well in Dilshan’s verbal memoirs either. In addition to suggesting he did not have these players’ support during his captaincy, Dilshan has also taken umbrage at some team-mates “trying to rename the dilscoop by saying it is a shot a cricketer with no brain plays”. The comments have divided opinion, but Dilshan remains a draw card for one final series. He will want to give evidence to his claim that he could easily have played two more years.Adam Zampa’s T20 career began in South Africa, where he went wicketless in two games, but Asia has been kinder to him. He took five wickets across two games in the World T20, and has generally been economical, if a shade under-bowled. Having now imposed himself in Sri Lanka in the ODIs, claiming nine wickets at 20.77, the opposition will turn out on Tuesday with a plan to neutralise him. If Zampa can get through that trial, however, he will have made further headway in what is becoming a good limited-overs career.Teams newsThere are so many injuries and so many permutations with the Sri Lanka squad that pinning down an XI is difficult. Kusal Perera is likely to return to the top of the order. In the past, Sri Lanka have liked to stack their team with allrounders.Sri Lanka (possible): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Chamara Kapugedara, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Kasun RajithaThe visitors’ XI is no less difficult to predict, as they have not played T20s since March. On current form, Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner, John Hastings and Zampa should make up the bulk of the attack.Australia(possible): 1 David Warner (capt.), 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 George Bailey, 4 Travis Head, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Matthew Wade, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Nevill (wk), 9 John Hastings, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaPitch and conditionsThe Pallekele surface aids both quicks and spinners under lights, so the match is unlikely to be a high scorer. There is a small chance light showers could interrupt play. The game is already sold out.Stats and trivia Pallekele is the scene of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s lone T20 hundred, also against Australia, in 2011. In eight T20s between these sides, Sri Lanka have won six and lost two. George Bailey needs 30 runs to complete 500 in the format.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be plotting a double raid on recently relegated Leicester City, according to the latest reports.

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?

As per The Sun, the Lilywhites are said to be ready to battle it out with Newcastle United for the signing of both James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, with the pair both set to leave the King Power Stadium this summer following the drop into the Championship.

The report suggests that Spurs and the Magpies are 'pushing hardest' to sign the England duo, with the two men both set to command a fee of roughly £40m each – totalling £80m.

The report suggests that Maddison, in particular, has been a 'long-term target' for Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, with now seemingly an opportune time to pounce with just 12 months remaining on the 26-year-old's existing deal.

Should Tottenham sign Maddison and Barnes?

It is fair to say that the north London outfit are in desperate need of new recruits following what proved to be a rather turbulent and underwhelming campaign at N17, with the club missing out on European qualification and proving unable to end their 15-year trophy drought.

The days of reaching the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino back in 2019 may feel a world away for both the Spurs support and for Levy, with the Englishman no doubt keen to get back to competing for major honours sooner rather than later.

The aim for any new permanent manager will be to try and fashion a side in a similar image to the one which became regular top-four dwellers during Pochettino's time at the helm, with the Tottenham side then having featured an exciting attacking quartet involving the current pair of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, as well as Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen.

Should Kane – who has been linked with a move away of late – and Son opt to stay put this summer, then Levy and co could well bolster that forward line by bringing in the next Alli and Eriksen in the form of Barnes and Maddison – the latter pair having been hailed for their "positive" impact at Leicester in recent seasons, as per BBC's Football Daily.

In the case of Maddison, the former Norwich City man could well be a dream heir to Eriksen in the side, with the Englishman having previously been identified as a possible successor to the Dane back in 2019.

Taking a look at the 2016/17 campaign – in which Pochettino's side finished second behind rivals Chelsea – Eriksen notably contributed eight goals and 16 assists in the top-flight as a marker of his creative brilliance, having typically operated in a playmaking role or on the flanks.

Maddison has the credentials to emulate such success having provided ten goals and nine assists in the most recent campaign, having also been deployed in a number ten berth or in a wide role.

Equally, his younger colleague Barnes could also potentially replicate the goalscoring heroics of the aforementioned Alli, with the latter man having bagged 18 league goals during a stellar 2016/17 season.

While Barnes hasn't quite hit those heights, it is still impressive that the 25-year-old was able to register 13 league goals for a struggling side this season, showcasing that as part of a functioning unit the Burnley native could shine even brighter.

Although the one-time West Bromwich Albion loanee is more of a forward than a midfielder like Alli, the latter man did also operate on the left flank in 16/17 at times, while also playing in an advanced central role behind compatriot Kane – a role which Barnes has also fulfilled in his career to date.

Those comparisons would suggest that if Levy can manage to win the race for the Leicester duo, the heights of the Pochettino era could well be reached once again…