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Three teams still remain in contention for a place in the 2019 World Cup, though Zimbabwe no longer have their fate in their own hands

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2018So, who’s through to the World Cup?As things stand, only West Indies have sealed their spot in next year’s World Cup. They will finish top of the Super Sixes table with eight points, irrespective of how Friday’s game between Afghanistan and Ireland goes.Zimbabwe, who are currently on the second qualifying spot despite a narrow defeat at the hands of UAE, are all but out of World Cup contention.Does that mean Zimbabwe still theoretically hold a chance of qualifying?Yes, it is quite a slender chance though. Zimbabwe will need the match between Afghanistan and Ireland to finish as a tie, which would bring down Ireland’s Net Run Rate down to 0.377, which is less than their NRR of 0.420.What do Ireland and Afghanistan need to do to qualify?Simple, win their final Super Sixes game, where they face off against each other on Friday. It is a knockout clash for all practical purposes, with the winner moving up to six points and qualifying for the final, and more crucially, taking the 10th and final World Cup spot.What happens if Friday’s game is washed out?In that case, Ireland, who currently sit at four points and a superior Net Run Rate to Zimbabwe’s, will go through, since a washout will have no impact on their NRR.

West Ham United turn their attention away from the Premier League tonight as they host Serbian side FK TSC Backa Topola at the London Stadium in the Europa League.

What's the latest West Ham team news?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, manager David Moyes confirmed that there are no fresh injury issues for the Hammers to contend with ahead of this match.

However, defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez is suspended and unavailable for selection after he was sent off against Union Berlin for Ajax in the competition last season.

West Ham are coming into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend and the Scottish head coach may look to rotate his squad to offer players an opportunity to impress. One of those may well be Danny Ings.

Will Danny Ings start against Backa Topola?

One player who should be unleashed from the start of this clash is English centre-forward Ings, in order to provide him with a chance to play ahead of Michail Antonio.

The former Southampton star has made four appearances as a substitute in the league so far this season and this Europa League game is the perfect time to bring him in for his first start.

He could strike up an excellent relationship with James Ward-Prowse at the top end of the pitch as their pair already have plenty of experience alongside each other from their time on the south coast.

Ings and his compatriot played 88 matches together with the Saints and assisted each other for five goals combined between them in that time.

The 31-year-old marksman has only scored three goals in 26 matches for West Ham in all competitions since his move to the club in January but his form for Southampton in the past suggests that the potential is there for him to be a lethal scorer.

He was once lauded as a "goal machine" by journalist Joe Prince-Wright and the £125k-per-week ace lived up to that tag during his time at St. Mary's as the number nine racked up 46 goals in 100 matches.

Ings plundered an outstanding 34 Premier League goals across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns for the Saints and Ward-Prowse could help him to rediscover his touch in front of goal.

How many chances has Ward-Prowse created this season?

The England international has enjoyed a terrific start to his Hammers career and has created five chances in four Premier League games so far this season.

Ward-Prowse has provided his teammates with two 'big chances' and assisted three goals – two more than any other player – in that time to go along with his two strikes against Manchester City and Brighton.

The central midfielder arrived at the London Stadium after he created nine 'big chances' and made 76 key passes across 38 top-flight matches for Southampton last term, which shows that he is capable of splitting open the opposition's defence on a regular basis.

Therefore, Ward-Prowse could be pivotal to ensuring that Ings is able to get back to his best and that is why the pair should both start tonight in this Europa League clash.

The English maestro could provide the former Aston Villa marksman with the service that he needs to get back on the scoresheet and Moyes should unleash them both.

The home side’s batting holds the key for them; the bowling remains their big worry

The Preview by Mohammad Isam15-Mar-2018Big PictureShakib Al Hasan’s surprise return has boosted Bangladesh ahead of their do-or-die game against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy. Even though he is coming back from an injury layoff, Sri Lanka will be wary of his all-round prowess, particularly in a T20 tournament in which four good overs make a big difference.The home side’s batting holds the key for them. Kusal Mendis is in fine form, with the likes of Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera and Dasun Shanaka batting around him.Sri Lanka’s worries are with their bowling. Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep have missed lengths at crucial moments while Suranga Lakmal hasn’t been convincing in his only appearance. Isuru Udana, who bowled decently in the T20s in Bangladesh last month, could get a look-in. They will also expect Akila Dananjaya and Thisara Perera to slow things down.Bangladesh also would like a few more things to go their way, starting with their top-order batsmen finding the coordination that worked well in the previous Sri Lanka game. Liton Das, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim didn’t get in each other’s way when going after the bowlers, which meant the batsman at the other end provided support. Against India, it was guns blazing from both ends which didn’t really pan out as planned.Shakib’s inclusion would most likely mean Sabbir batting at No. 7 and five specialist bowlers. It should put a smile on interim coach Courtney Walsh’s face, as the likes of Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan can now rely on a very experienced bowler to take the lead role.Form guideSri Lanka: LLWWW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LWLLLNazmul Islam celebrates a wicket•Associated PressIn the spotlightAfter two explosive innings in Bangladesh last month, a lot has been expected from Dasun Shanaka, but lack of opportunity has been an issue for him in this tournament.Mahmudullah has also been expected to do well after making a couple of quick forties against Sri Lanka last month. But he too hasn’t quite made the runs in the Nidahas Trophy; he has 32 runs in three innings.Team newsNot much is broke with Sri Lanka but they have Dhananjaya de Silva as an extra batting option. Amila Aponso and Isuru Udana are options for bowling spots.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Kusal Mendis, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Thisara Perera (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Akila Dananjaya, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepShakib’s return would reshape Bangladesh’s line-up, although it may very well just be the one change: Nazmul Islam stepping out and Shakib taking his place.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Liton Das, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Mustafizur Rahman, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Abu HiderPitch and conditionsEven if the pitch’s characteristics change slightly, chasing seems to be the only option – so the toss becomes very important. Rain remains in the forecast.Stats and trivia Having regained his place in the T20 side this year, Kusal Mendis has scored four fifties in five matches, 246 runs at an average of 49.20. Before 2018, he had scored just 74 at 9.25 Nazmul Islam would be desperate for wickets – he hasn’t picked up even one in this tournament so far

In the world of football, Nottingham Forest are a sleeping giant, laying dormant like a volcano, but finally erupting in 2022 following their promotion back to the Premier League after 23 long years.

The Reds have since used that momentum to splash the cash in the transfer window, unearthing some talent that has since risen to prominence on Trentside, namely Taiwo Awoniyi and Morgan Gibbs-White, and several not-so-prominent, Jesse Lingard, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Ayew.

While Forest have been prolific with their transfer dealings rather than accurate and astute like Newcastle or Brighton, it is easy to lose track of who has walked through the City Ground doors in the past two seasons, however, deciphering who they missed out on instead is an easier task to resolve.

Every team has stories to tell when discussing the ones who got away and became world-beaters elsewhere; Forest are no different. In 2020, they failed to strike when the iron was hot in their pursuit of Ivan Toney, missing out on the striker who chose Brentford as his destination.

Those woes were also laid bare when they refused to stump up the £2.5m asking price to sign Harry Maguire from Sheffield United in 2014, leaving the door open for Hull City to swoop. Although the 30-year-old is enduring a torrid time at Manchester United, since departing the Tigers in 2017.

The above cases will have left supporters deeply frustrated, although perhaps the most infuriating example of a player who got away is serial Champions League winner, Gareth Bale, with the Reds nearly signing the then up-and-coming left back from Tottenham back in the day.

Did Forest nearly sign Gareth Bale?

Once upon a time, Bale happened to be struggling to get in the side at Spurs with a number of suitors willing to pry him away from the north Londoners. In fact, a £2m bid from Forest was even believed to be in the offing, according to reports.

A move came pretty close in 2009, as talks took place between respective parties with a deal was near enough done. Recalling negotiations in 2013, Clive Allen commented: "It did go pretty close.

“I know there were discussions between the clubs. The clubs had agreed the potential of the move, so it was something that he had to think about."

Just as a deal was nearing completion, however, Bale made a U-turn, informing staff that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at White Hart Lane.

He joined Tottenham from Southampton as a highly-rated teenager in 2007 for £10m, but after struggling for form and confidence, playing second fiddle to Benoit Assou-Ekotto, he wasn't fancied at the time by manager Harry Redknapp and according to ex-teammate Alan Hutton, could have seen his development stagnate.

Speaking to Daily Star Sport, Hutton said: "Gareth Bale had a difficult situation, he had all the talent in the world but just needed an arm round him from what I could see,

"I think it was January and Assou-Ekotto was playing left-back, Bale's position at the time, and he got a call-up for the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Bale had to then step in and play, but prior to that there was word he was going to Nottingham Forest. I'm not sure if it was a loan or permanent but that says to me that [Tottenham manager] Harry [Redknapp] didn't fancy him."

Bale would soon become the most talented player that slipped through the grasp of Forest, as he later showcased his superstar qualities for Spurs.

The game-changer for Tottenham to unearth those talents was unleashing him as a left-winger, allowing him to utilise his frightening pace and world-beating talents in the final third, helping Spurs qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 2010 before tearing Maicon to shreds three months later, writing his name in lights with a hat-trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro.

What did Gareth Bale achieve after leaving Tottenham?

Across an illustrious career at the pinnacle of world football, Bale achieved greatness following a world record £85m move to Real Madrid in 2013, winning five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles during his time in the capital.

Lauded as a "generational talent" by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, Bale became a superstar in Spain, playing a huge role alongside the devastating duo of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo as Real dominated domestically and in Europe, with the Welshman chalking up an eye-watering 173 goal contributions in 258 games for the club.

Bale produced several eye-catching moments in Spain that stand the test of time, including his humiliation of Marc Bartra in the Copa Del Rey final in 2014 and his overhead kick against Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2018, arguably the greatest ever goal in the competition.

If there was ever a man to step up for his club and country when it mattered, Bale was the man for the big occasion, cementing his place among the elites in world football for his ability to conjure up crucial match-winning moments out of nothing, with Peter Crouch paying an ode to his rapid rise to stardom.

Writing in his column for the Daily Mail a few years ago, Crouch earmarked Bale as one of the most impressive players he's seen develop.

"When I was at Southampton there was a buzz about two kids at the Academy — Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale.

"Our paths did not cross for another couple of years until we were together at Tottenham. The young lad I saw initially had some confidence issues and had not enjoyed playing at left-back.

"The talk was that he was going to go to Nottingham Forest for £2m. Then, though, he started to find his feet. He got faster, stronger. His confidence began to grow and gradually all those special things we had been told about when he was a kid started to come true."

Crouch was right, Bale sprung into life out of nowhere – almost like the several pieces of magic he conjured up throughout his exceptional career – and had he made a move to the City Ground in 2009, imagine how differently his career would have panned out.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been on an exciting journey on the pitch since Chinese investment group Fosun International became the club's owners in 2016.

Who have been Wolves' biggest signings under Fosun's ownership?

The Old Gold were a Championship side at the time, after a stint in League One, and are now in their sixth Premier League season in succession, thanks – in part – to their work in the transfer market.

Most expensive signings

Fee paid

Matheus Cunha

£42.8m

Matheus Nunes

£38.5m

Fabio Silva

£34.3m

Raul Jimenez

£32.5m

Goncalo Guedes

£27.9m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

Fosun have not been afraid to splash the cash for the majority of their time in charge of the club and provided former manager Nuno Espirito Santo with enough funds to mount a promotion push from the second tier during the 2017/18 campaign.

They backed the Portuguese head coach and the former Porto chief used that money to great effect with a number of impressive signings.

One addition the 49-year-old tactician hit the jackpot with for the club was central midfielder Ruben Neves, who arrived from Porto in the summer of 2017.

How much did Wolves pay for Neves?

The Old Gold reportedly paid a staggering fee of £15m to sign the fantastic young talent, who was 20, in what was a club-record deal at the time.

Wolves and Nuno signed the 20-year-old technician for such an eye-catching fee at Championship level as he had already established himself as a first-team regular for Portuguese giants Porto.

Neves had racked up 93 senior appearances for the club prior to his move to Molineux and became the youngest captain in their history in 2015.

The talented maestro averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game across 13 Liga Portugal outings during the 2016/17 campaign in the build-up to his switch to England.

Ten other players averaged a higher Sofascore rating within the Porto squad that season but Neves made sure that he was an outstanding performer for Wolves after failing to stand out among the pack in his home country.

How well did Neves perform for Wolves?

The Portugal international, who made his national team debut in 2015, enjoyed a phenomenal debut year in English football as he took the Championship by storm.

Neves averaged an exceptional Sofascore rating of 7.32 across 42 starts in the division as he contributed with six goals and one assist from midfield.

The tenacious midfielder did not get on the scoresheet often but did make sure that his goals were worth the wait, as shown in the video above, with some exceptional strikes from distance.

His defensive work, however, is where he excelled as the central midfielder averaged a superb four tackles and interceptions per match, which was the most by any midfield player for the club and the second-most in any position behind Willy Boly (4.2).

Neves' outstanding form in the middle of the park was recognised by his peers as the Wolves star was voted into the PFA Team of the Year for the Championship, alongside John Ruddy and Boly.

How many Premier League goals did Neves score?

The Portuguese was then tasked with dealing with the step up to Premier League football and he ended up with 21 goals in 177 top-flight appearances for the club over the course of five seasons.

His excellent defensive instincts were on full display again at the top level as Neves averaged 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game across 35 outings during the 2018/19 campaign, which was the joint-most of any Wolves player that term.

This shows that the former Porto starlet was able to deal with competing against higher-quality opposition in the Premier League, as opposed to playing second-division football in the Championship.

Neves' ability to consistently break up play in midfield was vital for Nuno's side as he was the defensive rock in the middle of the park to stop teams from threatening their goal.

The 26-year-old warrior, who was once hailed as "sensational" alongside teammate Joao Moutinho by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, played at least 33 Premier League matches in each of his five seasons at the top level for Wolves.

This suggests that he was a consistently reliable option for the manager as it was rare for him to miss a game over the course of half a decade.

How much did Wolves sell Neves for?

Wolves reportedly cashed in on the Portuguese ace for a fee of £47m this summer as Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal swooped to secure his services after six years at Molineux.

This means that the club made a significant 213% profit on the initial £15m they splashed out to sign him from Porto.

Nuno and Wolves took a gamble when they sanctioned a club-record deal to sign a 20-year-old prospect with no guarantee of a promotion to the Premier League or that the player would develop as well as be able to adapt to life in England.

However, they clearly had faith in Neves and he repaid them accordingly over the subsequent six seasons with consistently brilliant displays in midfield.

He ended his time with Wolves in excellent fashion as his performances throughout the 2022/23 campaign were outstanding. The Portugal international averaged a superb Sofascore rating of 7.23 across 35 games and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with six goals.

No other outfield player for the club averaged a Sofascore rating higher than 6.90 and Neves also topped the charts for tackles and interceptions combined as well as being the joint-top scorer alongside Daniel Podence.

These statistics show that the 26-year-old was a phenomenal performer for the Old Gold as he made a significant impact at both ends of the pitch, breaking up opposition attacks and finishing off chances to score goals, while delivering a consistently high standard with his displays in midfield.

This convinced Al Hilal to spend £47m on his signature and it will now be interesting to see how the rest of his career pans out, as he still has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop further.

Whatever happens from here, though, there is no doubt that Wolves struck gold when they decided to sign Neves as he ended up making the club millions alongside being a crucial player on the pitch for a number of years.

Leeds United have "concrete interest" in signing Premier League defender Djed Spence this summer, with journalist Ben Jacobs sharing if a permanent or loan deal is looking most likely.

Will Leeds sign another defender?

After a disappointing start to the season, the Whites picked up their first Championship victory of 2023/24 on Saturday afternoon, winning 4-3 away to Ipswich Town in a thrilling contest.

It was a much-needed win for Leeds, having gone into the campaign aiming to be promoted back to the top flight a the first time of asking, and the hope is that they will now kick on as the weeks and months pass.

For that to happen, the 49ers Enterprises could arguably still do with completing some more transfer business before deadline day ends next Friday, with a new defender potentially coming in to bolster the options Daniel Farke has to choose from.

One player who has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent days is Tottenham right-back Spence, with the 23-year-old struggling for playing time in north London currently.

Will Leeds sign Djed Spence?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs said that Spence is seen as a genuine option for Leeds before the current transfer window closes, with a loan switch in the offing:

"With Spence, I think that there is concrete interest in a loan, but Tottenham would prefer a permanent sale. Not that many suitors are at the table for Spence at the moment so, as the window ticks on, Championship clubs might be able to persuade Spence to drop down simply because his options are limited at Tottenham.

"I'm also told that Swansea and Bristol City are two other clubs that have at least considered a loan move, but let's see what the position is of Spurs because they would ultimately like to sell if they possibly could. It will, therefore, just depend on if anyone meets that valuation."

Spence has been a disappointment at Spurs, having joined last summer – he didn't start a single Premier League game last season, for example – so a return to the Championship could be just what he needs at this point in his career.

Rather than being on the substitutes' bench most weeks, or not in the matchday squad at all, the Englishman would surely feature more for Leeds, being seen as a strong alternative to Luke Ayling, whereas Cody Drameh was replaced after just 20 minutes on Saturday and Sam Byram suffered an injury.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

Spence is a great athlete whose powerful runs down the right flank stood out so much for Nottingham Forest during a loan spell there in 2021/22, and he has been described as "remarkable" by Brian Laws in the recent past, as well as being hailed for the "electric pace" he possesses.

There may be an element of risk when it comes to Leeds signing the right-back, considering his lack of game time in a Spurs shirt over the past 12 months or so, but a loan move would take that element out of it, and if he struggled to impress he could simply return to his permanent club at the end of this season.

Mominul Haque brought up the second-fastest century for a Bangladesh batsman as Sri Lanka endured a tiring day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Jan-2018Stumps Mominul Haque slices behind point•Associated PressMominul Haque, focused, fluent and scintillating, hoisted Bangladesh to an authoritative position in the Chittagong Test. Having put on a 236-run third-wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul has not quite batted Sri Lanka out of the game, but the visitors will find it difficult to win from here. Though they struck twice with the second new ball, there is plenty of batting to come from Bangladesh yet, not least from Mominul himself, who was unbeaten on 175 off 203 balls at stumps.Sri Lanka were occasionally wayward – 20-year-old Lahiru Kumara especially guilty of leaking runs in the morning – but the spinners, largely, were neutered for large periods of the day. This surface is expected to take turn later in the game, but there was little help for the finger spinners once the morning’s moisture had dried up. Herath and Dilruwan Perera bowled 44 overs between them, and gave up 198 runs for only one wicket. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan was the only bowler to gain appreciable turn.Having come in just after Tamim Iqbal’s breakneck fifty had ended, Mominul was fluent from the outset, placing a sumptuous drive through the covers early in his innings, then hitting a beautiful aerial cut behind the wicket before lunch. Having skipped to 26 off 39 balls by the end of the first session, his pace quickened in the afternoon.Though never less than assured against the quicks, it was Mominul’s progress against the spinners that was most impressive. Soon after lunch, he struck successive boundaries off Sandakan – the first a handsome lofted off drive, the second a whip over midwicket. As the middle session wore on, even Herath began to ail against Mominul, who eased him wide of mid-on to complete a half-century off 59 balls.Though runs came at pace, at no stage did Mominul appear rushed. All through day one, he was defined by timing, placement and grace. Though occasionally helped by poor groundfielding – Kumara a particularly sloppy presence in the field – at no stage did Mominul offer a chance. He spent no more than eight balls in the nineties, hitting Sandakan for two more consecutive fours to move to triple figures off the 96th delivery he had faced. Usually an undemonstrative player, Mominul wiped tears and gestured animatedly on this occasion, having been in and out of the Test side over the past year. His hundred was the second-fastest for a Bangladesh batsman, behind Tamim’s 94-ball ton at Lord’s.If his rapid progress in the afternoon befitted a young player proving he belonged at this level, then in the evening Mominul was measured and mature. In response to more defensive fields from Sri Lanka, Mominul settled into a diet of runs into the outfield, though the boundaries were never scarce either. Mushfiqur, who had largely played a supporting act to Mominul in the afternoon, began to assert himself in the third session as well, often favouring the offside when he ventured the more expansive strokes. His fifty came off 121 balls, but the next 42 runs were faster. By the time Lakmal had Mushfiqur caught behind with the second new ball, the Bangladesh pair had taken their side from a comfortable position to a truly commanding one.That Liton Das was bowled shouldering arms to Lakmal’s next delivery, which jagged in off the surface, will give Sri Lanka mild satisfaction, but their day, nevertheless was dispiriting, virtually from start to finish.Tamim had hit successive fours in the second over of the day, and that salvo did not relent, as he progressed to a 46-ball half century. His opening partner Imrul Kayes perhaps should have been out in the sixth over, however. His miscued hook off Kumara hung long in the air, but Lakmal ran a poor line towards it at the fine leg fence, and failed to even attempt the catch.Tamim was bowled by a beautifully flighted Perera delivery that wriggled between his bat and pad. Kayes batted well with Mominul after Tamim’s departure, but failed to read a Sandakan googly that struck him on the pad. Projections showed that that ball would have passed over the stumps however; Kayes would have been reprieved had he reviewed.

Heart of Midlothian have enjoyed an impressive start to their 2023/24 campaign. Steven Naismith has seen his side secure four points from six in the Premiership while also securing progress into the quarter-finals of the League Cup following a 4-0 win over Partick Thistle.

The most pleasing aspect has been the European performances. Despite losing narrowly to Rosenborg in their Europa Conference League third round first leg, the Jambos put on a spirited display at Tynecastle last week to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory.

This sets them up nice for the playoff round against Greek side PAOK and with the first leg in Edinburgh, Naismith will be hoping a boisterous home crowd could spur them onto another wonderful victory.

What is the Hearts team news vs PAOK?

Hearts will still be without Craig Gordon and Craig Halkett for the tie tomorrow evening as the duo are still recovering from their horrendous injuries suffered last season.

One player who could feature from the start is Barrie McKay, having enjoyed his first start of the season against Partick on the weekend.

He said:

“I feel good and sharp. I obviously still have a wee bit of rustiness from not playing many games, but I feel fit. I’ve done all my rehab stuff, done all the work with the physios and sports scientists, so I feel ready.”

With this in mind, Naismith could face a selection headache, especially across the midfield area and the star of the second leg against Rosenborg, Cameron Devlin, should be the first name on the team sheet.

Will Cameron Devlin start for Hearts against PAOK?

Devlin joined Hearts from Wellington Phoenix in the summer of 2021 and has since gone on to play 74 matches for the Gorgie outfit, emerging as one of their best players.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo was praised by his former coach Ufuk Talay a few years ago, who said:

“I’ve known Cameron for a long time, from watching him come off the bench for Sydney FC last season, and also working with him in the Young Socceroos.

“We wanted versatile players for the Phoenix, and Cameron can play as a 10 a little bit higher up the park and he can also play as a six, because he’s so technically good on the ball and he’s an aggressive little player as well.”

This trait has served him well during his spell in Scotland so far across the previous two years and against the Norwegian outfit, he put on a tremendous display.

The 25-year-old was sensational in the heart of the midfield, taking 60 touches and completing 29 of his 35 passes.

His aggressive nature was in full force as he made three tackles and won seven of his 13 ground duels, yet he also made five interceptions and succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts.

His all-round midfield display was complete by scoring twice during the tie, and it’s clear that he can be effective in an attacking sense too.

He was given a rest against Partick on Sunday, but there is no doubt Naismith should deploy him in a similar sort of role which saw Hearts progress last week.

He could just be their secret weapon.

Vidarbha wrapped up Delhi’s innings earlier than expected on the morning, and fifties from seniors Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer kept them in the hunt for a lead

The Report by Vishal Dikshit in Indore30-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rajneesh Gurbani is mobbed by his team-mates•Rajneesh GurbaniWhen it looked like Delhi would ease past 300 early on the second day, Rajneesh Gurbani stalled them with a hat-trick. When it looked like the Vidarbha openers would stretch their partnership past 100, both fell within the space of four overs. And when it looked like Vidarbha would place themselves in a strong position for a lead after crossing 200 and only three down, they lost one more in the final moments of the second day to expose a weak middle order, making the match restore some parity yet again.Vidarbha had dominated much of the day, finishing off Delhi’s last four wickets for only five runs to wrap them up for 295. Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer struck solid half-centuries to help them finish the day on 206 for 4. Jaffer was on 61 at stumps and would be their biggest hope to take a lead and avoid a collapse.Resuming on their overnight 271 for 6, Dhruv Shorey was looking set with a patient Vikas Mishra, amid edges that weren’t turning into wickets. Gurbani then targeted the stumps. On the last two deliveries of his seventh straight over of the day, he produced two incutters against Mishra and Navdeep Saini. Both deliveries nipped in so sharply from outside off that neither could get the bat down in time and were bowled. Gurbani completed the hat-trick in his next over with the most important wicket of the innings, bringing another one to knock over Shorey’s off stump.Hat-trick hero Gurbani on…

Taking a hat-trick in the Ranji final: “It is a fast bowler’s dream to take a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in the finals, so obviously it is a special feeling. To be frank, I was not aware I was on a hat-trick. I was not thinking about taking it, but I was bowling every delivery with the intent of taking a wicket.”

How he realised he was on a hat-trick: “I had got two wickets off the fifth and sixth deliveries of my over. When I came on to bowl my next over, someone in the crowd shouted “hat-trick ball”. That is when I realised to be frank. So I planned to bowl on the stumps as much as possible.”

Bowling after cramps on the first day: “I had prepared myself that I should remain on the field and bowl the first over today. I was not fit yesterday. I knew that if I would bowl well, the team would win so since the time I could not bowl yesterday [because of cramps] I was waiting to bowl today.”

If he prefers the new or old ball: “I prefer the new ball. But the SG Test starts swinging more after it gets a bit old so I become more [dangerous]. Otherwise I get wickets with the new ball too.”

Four deliveries after he became only the second bowler to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji final – after Tamil Nadu’s Kalyanasundram against Bombay in 1972-73 – he wrapped up Delhi when Kulwant Khejroliya charged and lost two of his stumps. Four bowled in seven deliveries and Gurbani finished with 6 for 59, his fifth five-for in four straight matches.Vidarbha’s openers put on a solid 96 runs after blunting the new ball in the first session. Saini was Delhi’s best bowler of the day by consistently putting his 140kph deliveries in the right areas, posing threats in all three sessions. He did it against Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy but he hardly got support from the other end in the absence of Ishant Sharma and Vikas Tokas, who was replaced by Akash Sudan.Barring the occasional edge or appeal, Fazal and Sanjay looked untroubled for the 30 overs they batted together. Fazal was more productive, middling three drives down the ground and steering plenty of short deliveries square. That he scored 29 off 33 against Saini helped Vidarbha in taming the fired-up bowler. Left-arm spinner Mishra’s flat deliveries could not penetrate his defences and Fazal tucked him to long leg for four to complete his first half-century that was not converted into one of his five hundreds this season.Sudan somehow returned in a different avatar in his second spell when the ball was over 25 overs old. He first brought one into Sanjay for an lbw appeal in the 28th over – that the batsman survived – before seaming one in marginally to have Sanjay chop on for 31. Four overs later, he swung one away from Fazal and the left-hander edged behind for 67.Still 188 adrift, Vidarbha had the man in the middle they needed – Jaffer. He steered two partnerships – with Ganesh Satish and Apoorv Wankhade – during which he was as unruffled as ever in his ninth Ranji final. Those two partnerships were not blemish-free on the bowler-friendly pitch. Saini was brought back soon after Fazal’s dismissal and he created two chances against Satish before tea – first an edge fell short of the slips and then the umpire turned down a a loud lbw appeal because it was probably going down leg.Jaffer meanwhile dropped reminders of his calmness. He drove the second ball after tea serenely through the covers. But Saini tasted success in the next over by pinning Satish above the knee roll, which made the batsman unhappy with the decision. Jaffer continued to late cut – his most productive shot – and punch balls off the backfoot to register his 86th first-class half-century. Wankhade also exhibited two elegant cover drives against the pacers, with Vidarbha appearing like they wouldn’t lose further wickets on the day.However, left-arm pacer Khejroliya titled the balance a bit towards Delhi in the third over before stumps when he angled one away and Wankhade poked for an edge on 28. Saini scared Vidarbha before stumps too by making Jaffer edge one that fell short of slip and appealing for a catch down the leg side four balls later, when the ball had gone off the pad.Delhi are 13 overs away from the new ball and Vidarbha 89 runs short with the key in Jaffer’s hands.

Fulham have emerged as leading contenders to sign Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun as journalist Simon Jones shares what he knows.

Who will Fulham sign?

Marco Silva has seen free agent Adama Traore, defender Calvin Bassey and striker Raul Jimenez come through the door at Craven Cottage, but as we approach the final stretch of this transfer window, time is running out to make more signings.

Traore put pen to paper on a Fulham deal after leaving Wolves on a Bosman, joining Jimenez in swapping Molineux for west London, while the highly-rated Bassey's £18.2 million move from Ajax arguably comes as the most exciting of their new additions.

Deadline day on September 1 is just around the corner, meaning Fulham boss Silva has just over two weeks to properly reinforce his squad as we begin the new campaign.

The Whites started off brightly, having sealed a 1-0 win away to Everton at Goodison Park last weekend courtesy of a late strike from Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Silva, speaking to the press around a fortnight ago, was adamant there is still plenty of work for Fulham to do this window as he attempts to strengthen key areas.

“Unfortunately, we need many still. We have some important players injured,” Silva said.

“I hope they can come sooner. We have just two full backs, we need a midfielder too and we have just two wingers so we need another two wingers.

“We have completed our central defenders. I needed these players 15 days or 20 days ago, not now.”

Fulham appear determined to add more firepower, leading to them chasing deals for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi as well as Everton forward Demarai Gray.

The west Londoners, according to a new report by The Daily Mail and reporter Jones, now also have Arsenal's in-demand striker Balogun in their sights.

The USA international, who enjoyed a fine scoring campaign on loan at Reims last season, could be sold for the right price as Arsenal demand around £45 million.

Fulham are around £10m short of that asking price as things stand, but in a promising bit of further news, it is believed they're also "currently frontrunners" and in pole position right now.

Silva and co are attempting to upgrade their striking options as their current star Aleksandar Mitrovic.could still make a move to Saudi Arabia.

How good is Folarin Balogun?

The young attacker racked up an exceptional 22 goals in all competitions during his temporary spell in France last term, numbers which may well have turned Fulham's head.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, commenting on Balogun's form this year, also says there are many attractive facets to his game.

“He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave," said Arteta.

“We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.

“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special."