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Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test of the series against Pakistan due to a calf injury sustained during the second Test at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test against Pakistan due to a calf injury sustained during the second Test at Old Trafford, although England still hope he could be involved in the limited-overs series that follows.Stokes, who missed most of the series against Sri Lanka after suffering a knee injury that required surgery, was making his comeback in Manchester. But he was forced off the pitch midway through a spell of bowling on the fourth day and scans subsequently showed he had torn his right calf. As a result he missed the third Test at Edgbaston and will not play at The Oval.While an ECB spokesman said Stokes would “work towards being available for selection for the Royal London ODI series starting later this month”, England will be taking no risks with his recovery.Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, suggested on Tuesday that Stokes’ latest injury “was in some way related to his previous one” – perhaps indicating that he might have required more time to retain peak physical condition before returning to international cricket – and stated that England should “treat him with care and let’s get him back 100 percent before we start talking of him playing again”.Following the Tests, England’s five-match ODI series against Pakistan starts on August 24 before a one-off T20 on September 7 completes the international season. Pending security assessments they then leave for the tour of Bangladesh at the end of September – a trip that includes three ODIs and two Tests – before a five-match Test series in India.Stokes will be vital to the balance of the side on the subcontinent where England will likely want to field two spinners. The performances of Chris Woakes since his comeback against Sri Lanka mean that they are not without another all-round option, but their combined skills mean England could at some stage field a six-man bowling attack with Stokes considered a good enough batsman to play in the top five.England also confirmed that Adil Rashid had been released to play in Yorkshire’s Championship match against Warwickshire, starting at Headingley on Thursday. Rashid and Jake Ball were the unused players in England’s squad of 13 for Edgbaston.

Pakistan have recalled fast bowler Umar Gul to their ODI squad that will play Ireland and England in seven matches from August 18

Umar Farooq09-Aug-2016Pakistan have recalled fast bowler Umar Gul to their ODI squad. The 32-year-old last played 50-over cricket for his country in April 2015. Gul is one of four fast bowlers – including the uncapped Hasan Ali – chosen to play against England and Ireland from August 18.Legspinner Yasir Shah has also made a return to limited-overs cricket for the first time since November 2015. He had been suspended for a doping offence and was unavailable for selection when Pakistan had toured New Zealand in January 2016. Seven out of the 16 men from that squad have been sidelined.Changes to Pakistan’s ODI squad

In: Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Gul, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz
Out: Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Zafar Gohar

Fast bowler Mohammad Irfan was one of those to be left out. In the past, Pakistan have handled him with great care, mindful of his injury-prone nature. His pace and bounce have been seen as assets, but with only 12 wickets in nine ODIs over the past 12 months, he has been overlooked by the new selection panel led by Inzamam-ul-Haq.Others who haven’t made the cut include Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood and Anwar Ali. While Shehzad has fallen out of favour due to issues with indiscipline and inconsistency, Maqsood and Anwar have struggled with their recent form. Maqsood has not done much since starting his career with back-to-back fifties, while Anwar has gone wicketless in four of his last six matches.Sami Aslam, who made two high-quality half-centuries in the Edgbaston Test against England, was drafted in, as was Mohammad Nawaz, who made his Pakistan debut in the Asia Cup in February. Nawaz is yet to take an international wicket, but had a productive time in the Pakistan Super League where he finished with 13 wickets at an average of 18. He was also part of the A team tour to England this July.Meanwhile Hasan, a 22-year-old right-arm seamer, is the only squad member without any experience in international cricket. He made his List A debut in 2013 and has taken 40 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 22.87. Like Nawaz, he has recent experience of English conditions thanks to his inclusion in Pakistan’s A team tour last month.”While picking the squad, the team management and skipper were consulted and all concerned gave their consent in this regard,” chief selector Inzamam said in a statement issued by PCB. “The team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions and the recent performances of some players in domestic and A Team tours. The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that this team will do well.”Gul’s return to the Pakistan team has come two months after he had accused the selectors of “double standards”. Though he has had problems with fitness, missing large chunks of cricket in 2013 and 2014 due to a knee injury, he said he had been overlooked for the 2015 World Cup despite meeting the minimum fitness requirements. After he was left out of the Test squad for England and even the national camps in Abbottabad and Lahore, Gul said he felt the selectors had lost faith in him.Pakistan’s ODI squad: Azhar Ali (capt), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz

Arsenal would be pulling off a surprising signing if they managed to land Chelsea ace Mason Mount this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

As per The Athletic, Arsenal are eyeing a move for Mount as one of three midfield targets this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his midfield in the off-season.

The report states that Manchester United and Liverpool are also keen on Mount, who is not the only midfielder being courted by Arsenal, with Manchester City ace Ilkay Gundogan and West Ham captain Declan Rice also being linked with a switch to the Emirates.

Incoming Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino would prefer for Mount to sign an extension at Stamford Bridge, as per The Daily Mail, as his current terms worth £80,000 per week are set to run out in 2024.

Nevertheless, Mount's future remains uncertain at Chelsea and it is believed that the west London outfit have placed an £85 million price tag on his head to ward off interest in his services.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones would be surprised if Mount was to make the journey across London in the summer to join Arsenal.

Jones said: "I still would be amazed if this transfer actually came off and Mason Mount made that move across London to join a side that are rivals.

"I mean, it's obviously been a path that's been well worn in recent years, but usually they are players that Chelsea no longer believe are capable of playing at a certain level and Mason Mount is not that."

Would Mason Mount be a good signing for Arsenal?

Mount has endured a frustrating season all things considered, as Chelsea have fallen so far below expectations in the Premier League; however, the 24-year-old is a player with real ability and has even been labelled as "unbelievable" by Blues icon Joe Cole in the past.

In 2022/23, the England international has made 35 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, registering three goals and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

FBRef also notes that Mount has manufactured plenty of chances for his teammates this term, successfully performing 83 shot-creating actions in total.

The Portsmouth-born midfielder has also competed around 1.3 key passes per match in the Premier League, according to WhoScored, demonstrating his vision and capacity to avoid playing it safe in offensive passages of play.

Moving forward, Arteta could add another dimension to his midfield by sanctioning a deal to bring Mount to north London in the off-season.

The ICC has been challenged to do more for disability cricket if they are to justify the claim of governing a truly global game

George Dobell03-Oct-2016The ICC has been challenged to do more for disability cricket if they are to justify the claim of governing a truly global game.The call was made by Ian Martin, the ECB’s head of disability cricket, as the organisation seek to stage a World Championship for physically disabled cricketers in 2019.The first disability World Cup was staged in Bangladesh in 2015. On that occasion, five nations took part with the hosts joined by England and the other teams – India, Pakistan and Afghanistan – heavily subsided by the International Red Cross.ECB name squad for Dubai T20 tournament

A 15-man England Physical Disability team will head to Dubai later this month to compete in the ICC Academy Dubai Invitational T20 tournament.
The competition, which runs from 19 to 25 October, also features Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
England, the defending champions, will be captained by Iain Nairn and have included three uncapped players in Lee Clarke, Joe Seabridge and Lee Walker, alongside England disability player of the year, Callum Flynn.
“This tour is vital preparation as we build towards the 2019 World Championship in England,” said Ian Martin, the ECB head of disability. “We are really looking forward to testing ourselves against some of the best sides in the sub-continent and our aim is to retain the trophy.”

The ECB now hope to host a seven-team event (this time termed a World Championship) in 2019. The hope is that those nations invited – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa and England – will play a two-week T20 competition between the 2019 World Cup and The Ashes.The process is complicated, however, as several cricket boards have little involvement with disability cricket. In India, for example, four or five organisations claim to be the governing body of the nation’s physical disability cricket with the BCCI seemingly reluctant to take responsibility. As a result, funding – or even just selecting a side said to represent India – is problematic.In 2015, and again for the 2019 tournament, the ICC have had no meaningful involvement with the organisation of the tournaments, in spite of comments made by Haroon Lorgat in 2012, when he was the chief executive of ICC, that “disabled cricket is on the agenda”.”We’re not as inclusive as we should be,” Ian Martin, the ECB’s head of disability cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. “We talk of being a global game and we celebrate images of it being played in different communities and in different environments – by Maasai Warriors or on mountain tops – as evidence of its popularity and diversity.”But if we are not providing opportunities for people to play in countries where we think of cricket as a popular, accessible sport, we’re not truly global and we’re not fulfilling our duty.”A global governing body should be able to evidence what it is doing to enable participation for disabled communities within its member nations. But rather than being driven and guided by the ICC, such matters are devolved to individual boards who have little or no experience in developing the game for disabled people. I think we can do better.”In the long term, the likes of Martin would like to see ICC membership criteria extended to include requirements for the encouragement and development of disability cricket. In the short term, he is hopeful that some contribution from ticket sales for the 2019 World Cup will be allocated towards the physical disability World Championship.But while other sports embrace and take pride in the development of their physical disability programmes – the Paralympics, for example, attracted a huge TV audience – the lack of support from the ICC for such schemes in cricket reflects poorly upon them.

With the season now drawing to a close, the focus for Manchester United will quickly shift toward potential new signings ahead of the summer transfer window, with fresh faces likely to be needed amid reports of a possible mass exodus from Old Trafford.

As per The Guardian, as many of 15 players could well be at risk as manager Erik ten Hag continues his squad overhaul at the club, with the Dutchman's aim likely to be to turn his side into genuine title challengers next season.

With regard to incomings, one key area that the former Ajax boss is seemingly keen to address is in the centre of the park, with Manchester Evening News reporting that a 'younger' midfielder could well be targetted to complement the experienced duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

Amid that quest for a more youthful addition, reports in Spain have suggested that United have already made contact with Barcelona target, Arthur Vermeeren, with the Royal Antwerp teenager said to be valued at just £20m, according to the Daily Mail.

Who is Arthur Vermeeren?

The 18-year-old "sensation" – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – is a Belgian youth international who has begun to catch the eye of Europe's elite clubs amid what has been a breakout campaign in his homeland, having made 32 senior appearances for the Pro League side.

Considered "to be one of the most talented teenagers in Belgium" – according to Kulig – the deep-lying ace has also notably earned comparisons to Bayern Munich maestro, Joshua Kimmich, with Ten Hag potentially set to be his own version of the German gem on his hands.

That likeness between the pair is showcased by their ball-winning prowess, with Vermeeren having averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game from his 24 league games this season, while Kimmich has averaged 2.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions from his 33 Bundesliga appearances.

Equally, while the Belgian's 'football IQ' is said to be 'very strong' – as per Kulig – Kimmich too has also been hailed as particularly "intelligent" by Roma boss Jose Mourinho – who also lauded the 28-year-old as "phenomenal".

While United have themselves been linked with the Bayern star of late – as per 90min – the experienced playmaker is considered "untouchable" by the Bavarian giants, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

With it set to prove particularly difficult to prise Kimmich from the Allianz Arena, Ten Hag could well find the £326k-per-week man's heir apparent with the signing of Vermeeren.

New Zealand women produced another solid performance while South Africa women suffered another collapse as the visitors won the last ODI by 126 runs to seal the series 5-2

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Katey Martin struck her second ODI and consecutive half-century•IDI/Getty ImagesNew Zealand women produced another solid performance while South Africa women suffered another collapse as the visitors won the last ODI by 126 runs in Paarl to seal the series 5-2. Fifties from Amy Satterthwaite and Katey Martin propelled New Zealand to 273 for 7 which proved too stiff for the hosts, who scored a little over half of their target.New Zealand opted to bat and were led by Martin and Satterthwaite after openers Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest fell for low double-digit scores, leaving them on 86 for 2 in the 21st over. Satterthwaite fell for 53 and Martin then upped the run rate with her second straight fifty, off 49 balls, in the company of Maddy Green. Martin and Green put on 81 for the fourth wicket before Green was run-out for a 47-ball 46, studded with seven fours. Martin and Sam Curtis injected more power in the innings by scoring 55 in the next nine overs, 40 of them by Martin, to take the score past 250. Martin’s 81 off 72 balls featured 10 fours and ensured they reached a competitive score.Opener Lizelle Lee got South Africa off to a strong start, putting on 35 in six overs with Andrie Steyn. But the rest of the line-up was unable to put on any sort of resistance as legspinner Erin Bermingham and offspinner Satterthwaite ran through the middle and lower order. South Africa collapsed to 84 for 7, three of those taken by Bermingham. Satterthwaite took the last two wickets, after brief resistance, to bowl the hosts out for 147. Bermingham finished with 10-2-18-3 while Satterthwaite took 2 for 15 from her 4.5 overs.No South Africa batsman could score more than 22 and the seven-match series had only three half-centuries from them. New Zealand, on the other hand, managed nine fifties – three by Satterthwaite, who also finished the series as the top run-scorer (344) and the joint-highest wicket taker (11) with South Africa medium-pacer Ayabonga Khaka.

Everton are plotting a surprise summer swoop to bring Burnley striker Wout Weghorst to Goodison Park, according to reports.

Is Wout Weghorst leaving Burnley?

The Netherlands international arrived at Turf Moor from Wolfsburg back in January 2022 but he’s always been out of favour and has spent most of his time away from Lancashire having carried out two loan spells, the first with Besiktas and most recently Premier League rivals Manchester United, during his time with his parent club.

The Clarets forward still has another two years remaining on his contract with Vincent Kompany’s side, though a future with them seems highly unlikely considering he’s never been given a real chance to prove himself, therefore meaning that he could be on the move during the upcoming window.

The Red Devils didn’t have the option to buy the 30-year-old included as part of their agreement, but when Erik Ten Hag was asked whether he could in his long-term plans, the manager replied “of course”, though an update has now emerged contrary to claims and one that appears to have alerted Sean Dyche at Goodison Park.

Are Everton signing Weghorst?

According to talkSPORT, Everton are "interested" in signing Weghorst ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Man United actually "do not plan" to make a permanent move for the striker following his disappointing loan spell so he is set to stage his return to Burnley, but it's worth noting that he has been identified as a potential target on Merseyside.

Should Everton make a bid for Weghorst?

Everton will know that they have to sign a new centre-forward this summer given the consistent injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin so Weghorst could have been an alternative, but having failed to make any kind of positive impact at Man United, Dyche should avoid this move at all costs.

The 6 foot 6 giant, who earns £35k-per-week, only managed to score two goals during his time at Old Trafford, none of which were in the top-flight, and according to journalist Josh Bunting, he “isn’t good enough” to be playing in the Premier League, while Dutch legend Ruud Gullit also shares that sentiment.

The World Cup participant was also only averaging 0.8 shots per league game under Ten Hag and ranked as the Dutchman’s 20th overall worst-performing player out of 25 squad members, via WhoScored, so whilst the club’s budget is expected to be limited, they should be aiming for a striker who's at a much higher level than Weghorst.

The defending champions were drowned in the one-sided encounter, restricted to 138 for 8 after they were set 171 runs to win

The Report by Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Dwayne Bravo picked up his second consecutive three-wicket haul•BCBDhaka Dynamites strengthened their position in the BPL points table after beating Comilla Victorians by 32 runs. The defending champions were drowned in the one-sided encounter, restricted to 138 for 8 after they were set 171 runs to win.Khalid Latif tried to hold Comilla together in their chase though wickets fell at the other end. Nazmul Hossain Shanto holed out at mid-on in the fifth over while Imrul Kayes edged to the wicketkeeper three overs later.Latif was the third man to go, having made 38 off 33 balls. Liton Das, Ahmed Shehzad and Mashrafe Mortaza fell in the final overs, as the required run-rate kept rising for Comilla.Dwayne Bravo finished with three wickets, for the second match in a row, while Abu Jayed, Mohammad Shahid, Shakib Al Hasan, Seekkuge Prasanna and Nasir Hossain picked up one each.Mehedi Maruf provided Dhaka with another rapid start when they batted first, but his charge was cut short in the fifth over when he fell for 22 off 17 balls. Kumar Sangakkara then added 45 runs for the second wicket with Mahela Jayawardene, before both fell in the thirties trying to sweep Rashid Khan.Shakib then took over, hammering a six and four boundaries in his unbeaten 26-ball 41. He added 46 runs for the fourth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain, who chipped in with an 18-ball 25.Apart for Rashid’s brace, Sohail Tanvir and Nabil Samad took one wicket apiece.

Liverpool are preparing to make a “concrete move” to bring Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga to the Premier League, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Who is Gabri Veiga?

Veiga is an academy graduate at the Estadio de Balaidos having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to the first-team last summer, where he made a total of 55 appearances during his debut season under Carlos Carvalhal.

The Spain U21s international still has another three years to run on his contract in his homeland, but having established himself as the La Liga outfit’s second best-performing offensive player last season, his high level of displays have captured the attention of Jurgen Klopp.

Back in May, TEAMtalk reported that the Reds were in pole position to land the 21-year-old having shown the most interest out of all the top-flight clubs who are keen on a deal, including Arsenal and Manchester City, and it sounds like new transfer guru Jörg Schmadtke is now laying the groundwork behind the scenes to make an official approach for his target.

Are Liverpool signing Veiga?

Taking to Twitter, Galetti revealed that Liverpool are readying themselves to make contact to see if they can reach an agreement to secure the services of Veiga ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. He wrote:

"Understand that #Liverpool are set to make a concrete move for Gabri #Veiga. The MF has a release clause (€40m) [£34m] in the contract with #CeltaVigo. Not only #LFC: #Chelsea, #ManCity, #RealMadrid & #Napoli are among the clubs that [have] shown interest in Gabri."

Liverpool will be aware that Veiga only being 21 years of age means he’d be more of a long-term investment for the future of the club, but having already shown how “dangerous” he can be, as lauded by journalist Euan McTear, the central midfielder could still make an instant impact should Klopp feel he’s ready to slot into the starting XI.

The Gol International client racked up 15 goal contributions (11 goals and four assists) in 36 La Liga appearances last season which saw him receive three man-of-the-match awards, but he’s also a constant threat driving forward even if the ball doesn’t always hit the back of the net.

Veiga, who has the versatility to operate in five various positions across the grass, ranks in the 98th percentile for shots and was averaging 3.14 shot-creating actions per game during the previous campaign, which was the second-highest total throughout his squad, as per FBRef, so he would be an extremely exciting recruit should he put pen to paper on Merseyside.

Tottenham Hotspur are set for talks with Barcelona regarding a summer move for defender Clement Lenglet, according to reports from Spain.

Is Clement Lenglet joining Tottenham?

Considering Barcelona were willing to loan Lenglet out to Tottenham for the 2022-23 campaign, and they went on to win La Liga in his absence, conceding just 20 goals in the process, it is no real wonder they are keen to ship him out this summer.

The Spanish champions have identified the Frenchman as a player they are willing to sell, potentially opening the door for a permanent switch to north London, and there have been reports he could go for as little as €6m (£5.1m).

If the centre-back were to return to Barca, his £145k-per-week wages would reportedly make him one of the highest earners in the squad, meaning they could let him go for lower than he is worth, in order to get him off the wage bill.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham have already made contact with Barca to discuss the exact terms of a deal, and the La Liga club want to resolve the situation this week, with more talks pencilled in.

Contrary to previous reports, Spurs would reportedly be willing to pay between €10m – €15m (£8.6m – £12.9m) for the 27-year-old, with the fee needing to be negotiated, as there was no purchase option included in last summer's loan deal.

Should Tottenham sign Lenglet?

As a collective, Tottenham had a very disappointing 2022-23 campaign, finishing in eighth place, and Lenglet could perhaps be criticised for the part he played, with the Lilywhites shipping 63 goals, the sixth-highest total in the top flight.

The France international made a total of 26 appearances in the Premier League, by and large managing to hold down a regular place in the starting XI, and it would be fair to say he had a mixed season on loan in north London.

In August, the centre-back was hailed as "outstanding" by members of the media, however he also put in some subpar performances later in the campaign, receiving the lowest Sofascore match rating of any player against Manchester United in April.

That said, if Tottenham are able to do a deal for £5.1m, as previously suggested, Lenglet could be a solid signing, and he may be able to kick on now that he has a season in the Premier League under his belt.