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With top-flight clubs gearing up for another summer of spending, casting their net into the second tier could scoop up a few gems

Dozens of players have made the step up from the lower league in recent years to make a huge impact on the Premier League. Chris Wood, Alex Pritchard and Jeff Hendrick have all been impressive for their respective clubs this season after being signed from the Championship in the past few years. Who will be the next player to make the step up? Here are a few candidatesGetty ImagesTom Cairney | Fulham

Cairney has been linked to West Ham United and Newcastle in the past two transfer windows and for good reason.

The Fulham captain is one of the best midfielders in the Championship and it is no coincidence that Slavisa Jokanovic's side went on a 23-game unbeaten streak after he returned to full fitness.

Cairney would be capable of playing for any mid-table Premier League club due to his exceptional vision and dribbling abilities. He can also strike from range if needed as showcased by his goals against Wolves and Leeds United last season.

If Fulham don’t secure promotion via the play-offs don’t be surprised to see Cairney on the move this summer.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesAden Flint | Bristol City

Aden Flint has been on a lot of clubs’ radars since his Swindon Town days.

Standing at 6ft 5ins, the defender is a dominant figure in the air and he regularly features prominently on the scoring charts come the end of each season, hitting a career-high 15 in 2014-15 at Swindon.

Flint has been fantastic for Bristol City this season, particularly standing out in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

Getty Images Abel Hernandez | Hull City

Abel Hernandez is a Premier League player stuck in the Championship.

The Uruguayan has missed most of this season through injury as Hull slipped down the table to flirt with relegation.

Hernandez scored eight goals in 10 Championship appearances this season and would be an asset to any Premier League side in need of a goalscorer.

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Getty ImagesAdama Traore | Middlesbrough

The former Barcelona winger is unstoppable when he is playing at his best.

Watch the highlights of his performance against Leeds United this season and you will see the Spaniard at the peak of his powers.

Traore has all the physical attributes that you would want from a winger, he is one of the fastest players in football and he runs with such power. If a coach could fine-tune Traore and improve his final ball he could be one of the most dangerous wingers in the Premier League.

Christian Pulisic and Milan will now need a whole lot of help to get out of the Champions League group stage after falling to Dortmund on Tuesday.

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Milan fall 3-1 to DortmundPulisic puts in solid, but goalless, shiftReyna benched, BVB advance to knockoutsWHAT HAPPENED?

The game got off to a wild start, with both sides earning penalties within minutes of one another. However, while Dortmund buried theirs, Milan squandered the opportunity. After a handball in the box, Olivier Giroud saw his penalty saved by Dortmund's Gregor Kobel in the sixth minute. Just four minutes later, Dortmund and Reus fired home from the spot. That lead lasted until the 37th minute, when Milan equalized on a goal from Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian winger broke through on the right-hand side, beating his defender before slotting a shot past Kobel to send the teams into the half level.

Dortmund, though, wouldn't be denied. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens proved to be the match-winner, as he slid a perfectly-placed shot past Mike Maignan, giving his side the 2-1 lead. Karim Adeyemi went on to add another as his shot banked off Maignan's hand and in, giving Dortmund the 3-1 lead, the win and, most importantly, all three points in this tight group.

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With the win, Dortmund have locked up their place in the Round of 16, having now earned 10 points through five games. A point in their final match against PSG would be enough for them to finish atop the group. As for Pulisic and Milan, hope is not lost just yet, although it is fading fast. They'll need a win over Newcastle as well as a Dortmund win or draw against PSG to have hopes of making it to the Round of 16. Should it come down to the draw, though, Milan would need to beat Newcastle by five goals just to equal PSG on goal difference.

GettyUSMNT IMPACT

It was a tough game for Pulisic, who, to his credit, did do a lot of good things in the loss. He had two decent looks on net, and put on a passing clinic, with the only thing really missing from his game was a goal contribution.

Overall, it's been a frustrating Champions League campaign for Pulisic and Milan, who have struggled in every facet. Their attack has gone silent for large stretches in this competition, while defensive mishaps have been too commonplace. As a result they'll need a lot of help to qualify for the knockout rounds, and they'll likely count themselves fortunate to still be alive at this point.

As for Reyna, he remains a backup at Dortmund and, based on substitution patterns, is still not one of Edin Terzic's preferred options. Despite his supersub heroics last season, Reyna hasn't been allowed to offer much this season as he remains glued to the bench for his club.

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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Christian Pulisic (6/10):

Can't knock the effort. Moved the ball well and had his moments, but just couldn't quite produce the magic needed to keep his team in the game. Definitely not at fault for the performance, though, as those around him needed to be much, much better.

Gio Reyna (N/A):

Still glued to Dortmund's bench, adding more fuel to the fire as transfer rumors swirl.

Yunus Musah (N/A):

Was suspended for this one due to yellow card accumulation. Makes you wonder if he could have helped a bit, although Milan would have needed several better performances to survive this.

Tottenham could face a points deduction after an investigation found rules were broken in the transfer that brought Jermain Defoe to the club.

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Defoe signed for Portsmouth in 2008Unlicensed agent used in transferFA could review deal and sanction SapursWHAT HAPPENED?

has revealed details of an investigation which shows Tottenham broke agent rules when Jermaine Defoe left the club for Portsmouth in 2008. An unlicensed agent, Mitchell Thomas, was a "central figure" in the deal which saw Defoe move from north London to the south coast. FA rules at the time banned the use of unlicensed agents and the case was heard by an independent arbitration panel but no action was taken at the time. However, the FA have now confirmed they are willing to review the case if more details become available.

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This is not the first time that such a case has emerged and clubs have previously been sanctioned. Luton Town were hit with a 10-point ban and a hefty fine for using agents who did not have a contract with the club back in 2008. Meanwhile, former Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino was fined and banned from football for a year for using an unlicensed agent in the transfer of Ross McCormack.

Any failure to comply with the rules regarding agents is viewed as an "extremely serious matter," independent experts have told . Clubs could be deducted points, relegated or even handed a transfer ban.

WHAT THE FA SAID

“The case was heard by an independent arbitration panel 15 years ago. The FA was not a party to the arbitration," a spokeswoman for the FA told . "It is unclear how much information was shared with the FA at the time, and no disciplinary action was taken. If there is new evidence which was not available at the time, and which suggests serious breaches of our rules took place, we will review it.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

It remains to be seen whether the FA will decide to review the case and if any action will be brought against Tottenham. Spurs have already seen Everton handed a 10-point deduction for breaking Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules this season, while Manchester City could also be sanctioned after being charged with breaching over 100 financial rules.

The BCB has once again said they are looking to host a third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League and slot the domestic T20 tournament in December, but not before they make its structure more “reasonable and realistic”

Mohammad Isam12-May-2015The BCB has once again said they are looking to host a third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League and slot the domestic T20 tournament in December, but not before they make its structure more “reasonable and realistic”.The BPL’s second edition ended on February 19, 2013 after which the BPL tribunal dealt with corruption allegations on a number of players and officials, with the player payment issues also resurfacing from time to time.A press conference in Mirpur on Tuesday was the third time after April 17 and August 27 last year that the BCB said they wished to continue the T20 tournament.”It is not an official announcement but we are looking at a window in December to hold the third edition of the BPL if everything goes to plan and the international schedule is sorted out,” Ismail Haider Mallick, the BPL’s governing council member-secretary, said. “The Asia Cup and World T20 are at the start of next year. We want to host the third edition of the BPL before these two tournaments. It will help the players’ preparations.”The financial structure of the next tournament will have big changes, so that we can hold the tournament every year. We are trying to keep it reasonable and realistic.”Mallick claimed that the players’ payments were almost cleared. “We have cleared 90% of all payments. If we still get any valid claims, we will look into it carefully. For the local players who are still unpaid, we have given Naimur Rahman the responsibility to get their payment cleared.”Mallick said that as seven franchises had defaulted and subsequently been served termination papers, the board would look for new franchises for the third edition.”All of the franchises are defaulters. We will not wait for them for the third edition. We are already in discussions with some interested parties who want to become franchises. We have sent repeated letters to the seven franchises to pay their dues.”But they haven’t acted according to our contract. We have sent them the termination letter, and then also given then arbitration letter too. But they have never replied to either of the letters. They didn’t even contact us.”The other franchises could participate in the next tournament but they have to clear all their dues and appeal to the BCB, which will decide whether to allow them or not.”Mallick added that Dhaka Gladiators are unlikely to be participate if there is a third BPL due to the corruption charges against them. Their owners Shihab Jishan Chowdhury and Salim Chowdhury have been each banned for 10 years.”It is almost confirmed that Dhaka Gladiators will not be participating in the next BPL because the ICC has given a decision about them and they cannot legally stay in the tournament,” he said.

India’s bowling coach B Arun has conceded his team’s bowlers need to be more disciplined, and that a lot of work needs to be done on them, after India conceded 348 runs on the opening day of the SCG Test against Australia

Sidharth Monga at the SCG06-Jan-20151:54

‘We are working on consistency’ – B Arun

India’s bowling coach B Arun has conceded his team’s bowlers need to be more disciplined, and that a lot of work needs to be done on them. India are yet to take 20 wickets in this Test series, Arun’s first as India’s bowling coach. Day one of the SCG Test, with an injured Ishant Sharma missing, was possibly India’s worst show in the field yet. Australia plundered 348 for the loss of two wickets on a flat pitch.”It’s been a mixed bag, and we have to be a lot more disciplined than what we are,” he said. “But there have been occasions where we have shown discipline. I think the consistency is going to be the key.”Arun was asked what went wrong with India’s bowlers so often, for nobody wants to bowl poorly. He said: “There is a lot of work that needs to be done on that. Obviously we are working on that for them to be more consistent and disciplined. Every kind of wicket that you bowl on is different. You have got to adjust to the wicket before you do that, and that’s exactly what we are working on.”What kind of work is being done Arun wouldn’t say. “It’s very difficult for me to elaborate on the kind of process that we set to work on these guys. Yes, it’s an issue, and yes we need to be more consistent, we are aware of that.”Arun said the fitness of India’s bowlers vis-à-vis other attacks was not an issue. “Obviously the fittest team is playing here so it’s not a question of fitness,” he said. “I don’t think it is fatigue either. Yes, it’s a big mental thing to be successful in international cricket, and that comes with experience.”According to Arun, it all came down to consistency. “We are a young side, we are in the process of rebuilding and learning,” he said. “We have performed very well so far, we have been competitive. If you notice, the first two matches could have gone either way. There are a lot of lessons to be learnt. The fact is that we are not as consistent as we need to be. That’s a fact, and that’s something we really need to look hard and work on. That’s exactly what we have been doing. I think this is going to be a great learning experience for us to move forward.”Ishant has been India’s best bowler in this series, but he doesn’t have the wickets to show for it, with nine dismissals. Is it because he is forced to bowl restrictively as the other bowlers have not been consistent? “If you look at the trend in this series, it’s been hard work to fetch wickets,” Arun said. “It’s the case for bowlers from both sides. One who is willing to work hard in terms of line and consistency has been successful. Ishant has had a fair amount of success, and by far he was the most consistent Indian bowler on this tour so far.”When told of Ishant’s average of 48.22 in the series, Arun paused for a moment and said: “You can only work, you can never guarantee success.”Arun confirmed that Ishant sat out with pain in the left knee, and that Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped. “Pujara has been exceptional for us earlier, but all the decisions and the composition of the team is decided by the team management,” he said. “People who are benched are spoken to, and they will be given sufficient opportunities to come back too. We are in the process of rebuilding, and we have to try out a lot of people, and see how far it goes. Then we have got to work out the combination.”

With the window now closed, Goal looks back at the best and worst bits of business done over the past month

Getty1Winner: Arsenal

As Tuesday night's dismal loss at Swansea so painfully underlined, Arsenal still have major issues to address in defence, and particularly in between the posts. Indeed, it is worth noting that no goalkeeper across Europe's Big Five leagues has made more mistakes leading to goals (4) than Petr Cech.

However, the January transfer window has gone better than even the most optimistic Arsenal fan could have envisaged.

The Gunners began the month faced with the prospect of losing their two best players, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, on free transfers this summer. 

Sanchez has since defected to Manchester United but that is a positive given how negative an influence he had become on the Arsenal dressing room. 

Furthermore, the Gunners have acquired a potentially excellent player in return, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who should flourish under a coach who affords his attackers greater freedom, particularly as he will be playing alongside his old pal from Borussia Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Ozil's surprising but most welcome decision to extend his contract was also clearly influenced by the appetising prospect of providing passes for the Thierry Henry-like Gabon striker.

Of course, the £56 million paid to BVB for Aubameyang’s services constitutes a club-record fee for the Gunners but when one considers that it was partly funded by the removal of some bench-warmers (Theo Walcott and Francis Coquelin, for a combined £37m), then it is impossible to view Arsene Wenger's winter window wheeling and dealing as anything other than a success.

Will Arsenal finish in the top four? That remains to be seen. But have they now a better chance of doing so? Absolutely.

AdvertisementGetty Images2Winner: Jose Mourinho

Given the way in which Jose Mourinho embraces excuses and fabricates facts, it's rare to find oneself in agreement with the master manipulator of the media. 

However, the Manchester United boss had a point when he claimed that exchanging the unwanted Mkhitaryan for the in-demand Alexis Sanchez was a masterstroke. 

"He was cheap, wasn't he?" Mourinho enthused. "Free transfer! He was free. So, for that price, he's fantastic. 

"I think everybody thinks the same. Everyone has to agree that he is a fantastic player and the team that got him has a plus."

No arguments here. Whether he is good enough to shine in spite of Mourinho's trademark pragmatism against the very best sides is open to debate – certainly, the early signs against Spurs were not encouraging – but there is no denying that Alexis is a world-class player.

In addition, the fact that the versatile Chilean attacker was all set to join Mourinho's nemesis, Pep Guardiola, at Manchester City before United hijacked the transfer only made this particular "orange" taste all the sweeter for the preening Portuguese.

LLUIS GENE3Winner: Barcelona

It was only last August that Barcelona defender Gerard Pique mournfully admitted, "In the nine years that I have been here, this is the first time that I feel inferior to Madrid."

Luckily for the proud Catalan, that depressing sensation did not last long. During the first half of the season, the Blaugrana reasserted themselves as the best team in La Liga, even routing a ragged Real side at the Santiago Bernabeu just before Christmas. 

Consequently, if anyone needed a big signing this month, it was los Blancos – and yet whereas there wasn't a single new arrival in the Spanish capital in January, Barcelona have been the winter window's biggest spenders. 

The Blaugrana spent a combined total of €131.8m on Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina, boosting Ernesto Valverde's hopes of emulating predecessors Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique by winning a treble in his first season in charge.

The aerially-dominant, all-dancing centre-half Mina should prove an absolute steal at €11.8m and while Coutinho's mid-season arrival for a whopping €120m (which could rise to €160m depending on add-ons) is peculiarly timed, particularly as the Brazilian is cup-tied in the Champions League, runaway Liga leaders Barca are now in a position to rest the likes of Andres Iniesta on a regular basis.  

In addition, Barca have managed to remove a couple of high earners from their wage bill, Javier Mascherano and Arda Turan, while at the same time sending Rafinha and Gerard Deulofeu out on loan.

Madrid, by complete contrast, are now preparing for a must-win Champions League last-16 showdown with Paris Saint-Germain with the same core of group of players that have looked so jaded in recent months.

In short, Pique is feeling superior again…

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Getty4Loser: Liverpool

“Liverpool is not a club that has to sell players," manager Jurgen Klopp declared last summer, after Barcelona upped their bid for Coutinho. "That is set in stone, so what they offer in the end doesn't matter.”

Why, then, did Liverpool agree to sell the Brazilian to the Blaugrana in January, at a time when the Reds are locked in a battle with Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and arguably Arsenal for three of the Premier League's remaining top-four berths, as well as looking forward to a winnable Champions League last-16 tie with Porto?

The money on offer (€120m, and a potential €40m in add-ons) was colossal, particularly when one considers Coutinho could hardly be considered one of the top five players in the world, but would the fee have been much lower at the end of the season?

Furthermore, while Coutinho clearly wanted to leave, would he have downed tools and refused to play in this, a World Cup year? He submitted a transfer request last summer yet still contributed 12 goals and nine assists during the first half of the 2017-18 campaign – would he really have gone on strike again had he been told his dream move to Barca would only be allowed to go through this summer?

Of course, Liverpool's frustration at losing Coutinho has been offset by the belated arrival of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, and the Dutch defender should undoubtedly strengthen the Merseysiders' brittle back four. 

However, when it comes to evaluating a team's transfer window, one must ask oneself if the squad is stronger or weaker than it was at the beginning of the month?

Liverpool are weaker. They were dealt all the aces but ended up splitting the pot.

The centre of defence has been improved but it remains reliant on two of the worst goalkeepers in the Premier League. Indeed, Lorius Karius has now been promoted to first-choice, a staggering decision given that he has the worst save percentage (44.44) of any goalkeeper to have played at least five games across all of Europe's Big Five leagues.

Given Roma were clearly desperate for money in January, Liverpool really should have pushed to sign their current No.1, the excellent Alisson. 

Furthermore, Daniel Sturridge's loan move to West Bromwich Albion means that Liverpool are an injury to Roberto Firmino away from having to turn to Danny Ings or Dominic Solanke – no goals this season – to lead an attack now shorn of the versatile Coutinho.

The pressure on Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane to continue carrying this top-heavy team through the remainder of the season has just got a whole lot heavier.

India’s decision to play five bowlers in the subcontinent has generated a lot of buzz, and now more importantly, some tangible results. Enough for Virat Kohli to maintain his faith in it

Alagappan Muthu in Fatullah14-Jun-20153:43

‘Big fan of playing five bowlers’ – Kohli

India’s decision to play five bowlers in the subcontinent has generated a lot of buzz, and now more importantly, some tangible results. Enough for Virat Kohli to maintain his faith in it.Although the only Test in Fatullah ended in a draw, the additional help had proved useful as R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh combined to take eight wickets to force Bangladesh to follow-on. But with rain usurping a giant chunk of the game, the expected end came to pass. But not before Kohli was able to work out a few more permutations to his strategy.”I would want someone like R Ashwin, who is averaging 40 with the bat in Test matches – you really can’t ask for more from an allrounder – and someone like Harbhajan Singh to step up with the bat, and [Wriddhiman] Saha too,” Kohli said. “If those three start clicking, you literally have eight batsmen, and you can’t really ask for more as a captain. It’s basically up to the first six to take more responsibility and we are confident of doing that.”‘Reserve day in Tests a good suggestion’

Virat Kohli admitted playing against the weather was a futile task, but was intrigued by the possibility of reserve days in Tests matches.
“That’s a debatable question. It could be, I don’t know,” he said. “Say, on the fourth day a team is struggling to save a game, and the next day it rains for two sessions and the game is drawn. The team that deserves to win doesn’t get a win. So yes, there might be a thought there. It’s a good suggestion actually.
“You might want to add another day seeing the situation of the game. If there is a possible result, there is no harm in giving the team that’s winning a fair chance to compete for three sessions. You earn a draw or the deserving team gets a victory. Might not be a bad thing, but I’m not sure how the discussions are going to go.”

Next on India’s docket is a tour to Sri Lanka, before hosting South Africa, who have not lost an away series since July 2006. Naturally, fronting up with a team full of options was a priority for Kohli. Will he retain the present attack with Ashwin and Harbhajan working in tandem?”I would like to have players who can win us games in the bowling unit. And both of them have that ability,” Kohli said. “Especially now that we have a prolonged season in the subcontinent, we need to look at how we can strengthen our team for that as of now. And both of them are good enough to do the same thing when we go away from home as well, it’s just about the mindset I guess. The more confidence we build in this season, we’ll carry it forward to wherever we play in the future as well.”Watching them bowl together in a pair was really exciting as a captain. And I think both of them enjoyed bowling together as well – if one put pressure, the other took a wicket and vice-versa.”Kohli is not known as a man who takes a backward step. And he has a simple reason for playing that way. It’s fun: “We want to play that sort of cricket. When I captained in my first Test in Adelaide too, I had the same thought process, that we should play aggressively and give ourselves a chance to win the game. You enjoy the game when you play like that.”I think, as a team, it’s very important to have that intensity and attitude especially when we are fielding. Because that is the one time when all 11 players are together and you get the true sense of being a team. We have that understanding in the team that we need to maintain intensity in the field at all times, regardless of the conditions, the pitch, or the situation. If your intent is to win, you will always do well in any situation and come out better than the other team more often than not.”That’s my thinking, but the credit goes to the whole team for responding to that. Because I can think something, but if players don’t respond then it’s useless. We are all on one page, and in sync. It’s a good thing and if we keep building that we’ll get even stronger.”Amid India’s push to move onward and upward, there were a few moments to reflect on and Kohli was asked about life after MS Dhoni.”It’s obviously strange,” he said. “The same thing happened when Sachin Tendulkar retired. A few games after that it was a very strange feeling. You suddenly don’t see a very impactful figure in the dressing room. As a cricketer, you always get used to having him around, listening to him, having discussions with him. That voice is always there and it’s a very familiar feeling in the change room.”Now that he’s not there, you sometimes do feel he’s going to pop out of somewhere. Those sort of things happen, it’s a natural process. But now he’s decided to retire from this format and everything moves on. The team wants to continue in the same way, that has done well in the subcontinent in the past as well, so we can take that leaf out of his book. He’s really helped a lot of us youngsters in becoming good international players. He’s given us ample opportunities, so now is the time for us to take up the responsibility and take Indian cricket forward.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to referee Anthony Taylor for his furious outburst after his side's 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

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Pochettino stormed onto the pitchWas fuming at Anthony TaylorAlso apologised to Pep GuardiolaWHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino stormed onto the pitch after the final whistle of the 4-4 draw with City on Sunday. The Argentine manager has explained that he believed Raheem Sterling could score on the counter-attack but Taylor instead blew his whistle, prompting Pochettino to both snub a handshake from opposite number Pep Guardiola and take his complaints up with the officiating team. For his protests, he was shown a yellow card, and also needed to be restrained by his coaching staff.

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The game featured a variety of controversial calls, as both sides scored penalties, and Chelsea came from behind to draw level on three separate occasions. Their final equaliser came through former City star Cole Palmer, who scored a spot-kick in the 95th-minute.

WHAT THEY SAID

Pochettino apologised for his outburst after the game, saying: "I need to apologise to Anthony and the officials – in this moment, I felt Raheem could go through on goal.

"I deserve to be booked. I want to apologise to him also [Pep], I was focused on the action."

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The international break will give both sides a rest, but Chelsea will return to action with a trip to Newcastle, while City will host Liverpool.

West Indies’ first day of cricket in India was characterised by the batting problems they often encounter when they don the team maroons

The Report by Devashish Fuloria at Brabourne Stadium03-Oct-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Marlon Samuels’ positive strokeplay saved West Indians from embarrassment•Getty ImagesWest Indies’ first day of cricket in India was characterised by the batting problems they often encounter when they don the team maroons. The dual approach of blast out and block out was on show again, which meant there were repeated periods of lull during the innings that allowed the bowlers to dictate. India A’s bowling attack, non-threatening but disciplined, did not have to do anything special as West Indians collapsed to 148 all out within 40 overs. It may be the sign of things to come in the series.The batting performance was being keenly followed in the pavilion by the former West Indies captain and now the chief selector Clive Lloyd and Richard Pybus, the director of cricket. For Lloyd, who had scored 160 runs on his debut Test in 1966, also at Brabourne, it would have been a reminder of the state of affairs.Lendl Simmons was joined by Leon Johnson to open the innings as West Indians chose to bat, but neither looked comfortable against the discipline of Dhawal Kulkarni or against the pace of Jasprit Bumrah. Johnson was the first to depart, outside-edging an angled delivery from Bumrah to second slip in the fourth over. Three overs later, there was more bad news as Simmons trudged off the field with a troublesome back.Darren Bravo had stroked a couple of boundaries but his eagerness to score cost him his wicket. He pushed at a Kulkarni delivery, bowled round the wicket, away from his body only to see his stumps splayed as the ball took an inside edge.Denesh Ramdin, the Test captain, then gave brief support to Marlon Samuels in a fourth-wicket association worth 32 runs. Samuels forced the scoring with powerful shots through off and down the ground, but even then, a big chunk of runs – 21 out of the first 50 – came through extras. Just when the two batsmen appeared to have weathered the initial nerves, Ramdin’s slash at a Stuart Binny delivery was snaffled by a diving Unmukt Chand at second slip.At 70 for 4 in the 17th over, West Indies had plenty of time to build and if a recovery was to come, Samuels, Kieron Pollard, the captain for the game, and Darren Sammy would have been central to it. However, the innings floundered as legspinner Amit Mishra bamboozled Pollard and Sammy with googlies in successive overs to reduce the tourists to 76 for 6.That West Indians were spared some embarrassment was due to positive strokeplay from Samuels. Anything full, and he was prepared to drill it down the ground. He reached his half-century off 53 deliveries and his innings included nine boundaries, two more than the rest of the batsmen combined. Karn Sharma was driven down the ground twice for fours in his first over but he eventually ended Samuels’ stay, trapping the batsman in front.The rest chose the path of least resistance, crumbling against the spinners to be bowled out in the 39th over. Take out the 28 extras and Samuels’ 56 and the contribution of the remaining 10 men was just 64 on a pitch without any alarming turn. The ball did kick from the surface, like it does on all fresh Mumbai pitches, which makes them enjoyable to bat on.The India A batsmen made the most of it. M Vijay and Chand added 71 comfortable runs for the first wicket before Vijay drove Kemar Roach straight to cover. Chand continued to progress without any trouble and reached his half-century off 60 deliveries.”They were quick and one doesn’t get to play 6’6″ bowler like Jason Holder in India, so you have to make adjustments,” Chand said. “I made plans to not go after balls fizzing outside off, or moving away and tried to play only at balls on which I had full control.”One needs to have the right mindset. Initially, I did not go for the hooks and pulls and only when I was settled, I played those shots.”As the target drew near, he opened up and smashed Samuels for consecutive sixes over wide long-on. In company of Karun Nair, he helped India A reach the target in the 26th over.

Jesse Lingard is hoping to land a new contract in 2024, with the ex-Manchester United star promoting himself during solo training sessions in Dubai.

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Released by Nottingham Forest in 2023Ex-England star still without a clubWorking on fitness amid talk of U.S. moveWHAT HAPPENED?

The former England international was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and has been without a club ever since. He has taken in trial spells at West Ham and Al-Ettifaq, but no offers have been put to him.

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Lingard is looking to stay in shape, ensuring that he is ready for any call, and has headed to the Middle East for some warm weather work during the English winter. He is putting in the hard yards, with videos posted on social media in a bid to catch the eye of potential suitors.

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Lingard took in 232 appearances for United during his time at Old Trafford, while earning 32 caps for England, but has found form and fitness hard to come by in recent times. He is, however, still only 31 years of age and believes that he has plenty left in the tank.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LINGARD?

There has been talk of Lingard heading to the United States, where he would join Lionel Messi in MLS, but the 2024 campaign in America is not due to get underway until February so there is more work for him to do behind the scenes before any permanent deal is done. Everton are also said to be mulling over an approach, according to , which could deliver a shock return to the Premier League.