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Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough has said the pitch this year will have less grass than for last year’s day-night Test

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide22-Nov-2016Adelaide Oval’s carefully prepared day/night Test pitch has been tweaked as a result of last summer’s day three finish to offer less to bowlers – two millimetres less to be precise.The height of the grass on the surface was a major talking point in the aftermath of the inaugural floodlit Test, with Australia’s captain Steven Smith and his New Zealand counterpart Brendon McCullum both reasoning the experimental pink ball would be no worse off for more extensive use of the lawn mower.What would change, though, was the amount of seam movement on offer to the bowlers. Batsmen, administrators, broadcasters and sponsors would all prefer a match that lasts until the fourth evening at least, meaning the seamers who prospered last year will likely be the chief parties disappointed by the curator Damian Hough’s latest creation.”Preparation-wise still leaving a bit of grass on it,” he said. “We’re bringing the starting height down and the finished height will be down another 2mm from last year.”In review of last year, which was a good learning experience, leaving the grass on it assisted the quicks a little bit more. We were really happy with the game but feel a couple millimetres less will hopefully still keep it a good contest between bat and ball – that’s what we’re after.”It mightn’t nip around quite as much. You still think it will hoop around a bit at night with the ball but we thought maybe we’ll get that balance a bit better.”Hough’s work with Adelaide’s drop-in surfaces has evolved considerably since they were first installed for the summer of 2013-14. The surface then was prepared to be dry after the fashion of Adelaide’s original square, but a lack of the desired deterioration pushed Hough to take a different approach in which thatchy grass coverage could assist both pacemen and spinners throughout a match.”Our game plan with leaving the grass on is to leave a coarse thatchy grass, the ball will bite into for the quicks it should also do the same for the spinner,” Hough said. “We’ve ben doing that for two years now and the feedback has been the spinners have still been able to get purchase out of that grass and get a bit of turn.”The grass we leave on it, we’re not going to get a lot of breaking up. We haven’t had that for 3-4 years. We’re going down that path, don’t get that natural deterioration so we’ll get the grass to assist the ball biting in and moving around a little bit.”While Hough has been lauded about his work with drop-in surfaces, he admitted there was still much unknown about them, for wickets can take years of use to mature in their characteristics.”It’s still new. Is it the drop-in pitch that’s preventing the pitch from deteriorating or is it a brand new wicket area and brand new soil that needs time to mature? Who knows,” he said. “We’ve got different pitches that we’ve remade, or rebuilt some drop-in pitches with a different grass variety that is opening up. We’ll keep working on it and keep assessing it and adjusting as we see fit.”Where we’re at now, we’re really comfortable with the feedback from all the visiting players, coaches at Shield level has been really positive. We’re trying to produce a pitch with a really good contest from bat and ball.”

A round-up of the second round of Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Group C matches that ended on October 16, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2016A four-for from left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh and three wickets from captain Manisankar Murasingh helped Tripura bowl Services out for 163 in Guwahati to seal a 219-run win, their first Ranji Trophy win in four seasons. Tripura’s last victory in the tournament came against Himachal Pradesh in December 2012. This is only their eighth win in 153 Ranji matches since their debut in 1985-86; they have lost 99.Tripura began the fourth day on 280 for 1 with an overall lead of 322. The overnight pair of Udiyan Bose and wicketkeeper Smit Patel, who had scored centuries on the third day, quickly took the side past 300. Bose fell for 165 but Patel (127*) steered the side ahead before they declared their second innings at 340 for 3. Services, set 383 to win, were reeling at 75 for 5 by the 24th over. Rahul Singh resisted with 51, but with only tail-end batsmen to keep him company, Tripura had little trouble dismissing Services by the 55th over.Haryana captain Mohit Sharma cut through Hyderabad’s lower order to help set up his side’s eight-wicket win in Jamshedpur. Hyderabad were in danger of being dismissed for much lower than the 224 they eventually scored in their second innings, but got there through fifties from wicketkeeper K Sumanth (55) and Chama Milind (66*). The pair added 83 runs for the seventh wicket, but the honours on the day belonged to Mohit, who wrapped up four of Hyderabad’s last five wickets to finish with 5 for 26 in 14 overs.Left with 85 to get, Haryana chased the target down in 16.4 overs. Wicketkeeper Nitin Saini scored 45, opening the innings.Half-centuries from Srikar Bharat and Hanuma Vihari, and important contributions from DB Ravi Teja and Ashwin Hebbar helped Andhra salvage a draw against Chhattisgarh in Kalyani.Following-on, Andhra resumed on the fourth day at 122 for 4, needing another 73 runs to wipe out the deficit and make Chhattisgarh bat again. Vihari and Ravi Teja helped the side past that milestone, before a 53-run partnership between Hebbar and Murumulla Sriram took Andhra past 250. Andhra ended the day on 282 for 8. Chhattisgarh took 3 points by virtue of the first-innings lead.

Newcastle United target Dominik Szoboszlai is “aware” of the “concrete interest” from St. James’ Park, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Who is Dominik Szoboszlai?

The RB Leipzig midfielder first joined Marco Rose’s side back in 2021 from RB Salzburg, who are owned by the same company, and he has since become a regular feature of the first-team, clocking up 91 appearances to date.

The Hungary international was the Bundesliga outfit’s overall second best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.32 last season, with this impressive form having seen him attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League.

Sky Sports reported in May that the Magpies had sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old twice within the space of a fortnight, and the player himself sparked rumours of a move when responding “next question” after being asked whether he would still be at his club beyond the summer which has now been backed up even further.

Are Newcastle signing Szoboszlai?

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg now reveals that Szoboszlai does know about the admiration from Newcastle and stated that PIF and Eddie Howe have highlighted him as a primary target for the upcoming window. He wrote:

“News #Szoboszlai: Player is very open to leave RB in summer as he’s aware of the concrete interest from @NUFC as revealed. He’s a top transfer target of #NUFC. Release clause of around €70m (£60m). RB bosses not happy with his latest statements. It’s a question of the price now.”

Could Szoboszlai be a good signing for Howe?

Newcastle are clearly serious about landing Szoboszlai having already deployed chiefs to assess him on multiple occasions, and having been hailed a “pure quality” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, it would be a massive coup should the board be able to bring him to the northeast.

RB Leipzig’s attacking midfielder posted 14 goal contributions (eight assists and six goals) in 31 Bundesliga appearances last season, form which saw him receive four man-of-the-match awards, but he also excelled even when the ball didn’t hit the back of the net.

The EM Sports Consulting client recorded 150 shot-creating actions which was higher than any of his fellow teammates, and 117 crosses which was the second-biggest total throughout his squad, as per FBRef.

Finally, Szoboszlai is a versatile operator having played in seven different positions across the grass since first bursting onto the professional scene which will no doubt be yet another attractive attribute to the boss, making him the perfect central candidate to put pen to paper at St. James’ Park.

The BCCI said its members have cited “practical difficulties” as the reason for not implementing all the recommendations of the Lodha Committee

Raunak Kapoor and Nagraj Gollapudi15-Oct-2016At the conclusion of an emergency meeting in Delhi on Sunday, the BCCI said its members have cited “practical difficulties” as the reason for not implementing all the recommendations of the Lodha Committee.The top brass of the BCCI as well as heads of various state associations said nothing had changed in their stance since the special general meeting on October 1. At the SGM, the BCCI had decided to selectively adopt the Lodha Committee recommendations, thus defaulting on the Supreme Court order from July 18, which had mandated the board to adopt all the reforms.A prominent BCCI office bearer said that its senior lawyer Kapil Sibal would, at the next hearing on October 17, argue that without a two-third majority the board could not enforce a diktat on its members to adopt the reforms. During the hearings last week, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had asked the BCCI to “unconditionally” accept the reforms and not “precipitate” the matter. The board’s emergency meeting in Delhi was a reaction to this, and was attended by all of its Full Members.”Our lawyers will put forward all our reservations and practical difficulties concerning implementing certain recommendations one by one on Monday,” the senior office bearer said. “We are confident that the court will allow us to present our arguments, after which we will decide the future course of action.”This office bearer also said BCCI president Anurag Thakur would file the personal affidavit that the court had asked of him on Monday. Thakur was asked to clarify whether he had sought ICC intervention against the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, as ICC chief executive David Richardson had said last month.The BCCI’s emergency meeting on Sunday was about finding clarity regarding their next course of action. Both the board and its state associations need a two-third majority to pass any resolution.”The meeting was convened by BCCI to be more transparent and offer more clarity. We already had taken a stance at the SGM recently to stay together and today it was the case of just taking that forward,” a secretary of a West Zone state association said.The members also supported the board’s stance of taking the court on. “Why is the Supreme Court bothered about such a successful organisation like BCCI. It has been good to so many people, has developed such a successful product. It is not the court’s area,” the secretary of the state association said.In an attempt to up the ante, the court passed an interim order on October 7 stating the BCCI stop all funds to the state associations until they submit a resolution in writing to the court and the Lodha Committee about adopting all the reforms in toto.

Celtic are bracing themselves to lose their head coach with Ange Postecoglou reportedly closing in on a move away this week.

The Australian boss is said to be finalising a switch to Tottenham Hotspur across the border and this will leave the club in need of a new manager ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

They could be hit with a double blow as The Scottish Sun recently reported that Spurs are also hoping to land Hoops star Kyogo Furuhashi alongside Postecoglou.

The English side are said to be willing to pay a fee of up to £30m to sign the Japan international as one of their marquee signings this summer.

Who could replace Kyogo Furuhashi at Celtic?

FC Utrecht forward Anastasios Douvikas could be a dream replacement for the current Parkhead star, after being linked with a switch to the Scottish giants earlier this year.

The 23-year-old, who is reportedly valued at £6.9m and being eyed by fellow Scottish Premiership side Rangers, enjoyed an excellent campaign in the Eredivisie and his form in the Netherlands indicates that the prolific ace could be a regular scorer for the Hoops next term if he joins this summer.

Douvikas averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 and plundered 19 goals in 24 starts in the division. He also showcased his ability to bring others into the game as he created seven 'big chances' for his teammates.

The Greek sensation, who was described as always being "sharp" by journalist Josh Bunting, has proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer in the Dutch top flight, with an impressive strike rate of one goal every 1.26 starts.

Kyogo, meanwhile, scored 27 goals in 31 Premiership appearances in the XI for Celtic, which works out at one every 1.15 starts – a marginally better return than the Utrecht star managed.

The 28-year-old was the only player in the squad with more than 11 in the league and this suggests that his exit would leave a gaping hole at the top end of the pitch, but one that Douvikas could fill.

Celtic snapping up the Eredivisie marksman could also provide an upgrade from a creative perspective as Kyogo only produced one 'big chance' for his teammates in the Premiership, six fewer than the Greece international did in his respective league.

Therefore, the £6.9m finisher could be a dream replacement for the Hoops in the number nine position as he has showcased his ability to be a prolific scorer and an adept creator, whilst he is also five years younger than the Japanese ace and has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop and improve.

Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket

Alan Gardner28-Sep-2016Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket.Away teams were given the choice of bowling first or asking for a toss (if they wished to bat), a move designed to discourage teams from preparing green, seaming pitches and give spinners more of an opportunity as games wore on. Rogers led Somerset to second place in Division One – missing out on a first title by four points to Middlesex on the final day – after overseeing the club’s switch to playing on turning surfaces during the latter half of the season.Although Rogers, a regular performer in county cricket for more than a decade, said he felt his game was better suited to playing on traditional English surfaces that aided swing and seam, he was encouraged by his own development against spin, in his final season as a professional, and suggested the experiment could be taken to Australia and the Sheffield Shield.”I think Australia would benefit from it as well,” Rogers said. “The one thing that seems to be happening in Australian cricket, all the wickets there are becoming quite uniform in the way they play. The drop-in wickets, at Melbourne and Adelaide, and then Sydney doesn’t play the way it used to.”So in the end I worry if we’re producing players who only really know how to play in a certain type of condition. If it meant that sides were trying to get different types of wickets that might help Australian cricket as well. So I’d like to think that they’d consider it.”Australia’s Test side has struggled on overseas commitments in recent years, winning in South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand but suffering chastening defeats in England, India, the UAE and, most recently, Sri Lanka. The coach, Darren Lehmann, expressed similar concerns about the state of home pitches during the 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka, with questions being asked of Australia’s batting and the ability of players to adapt to different conditions.Discussion of the surfaces produced in Shield cricket has gone back and forth in recent years, with a trend for increasingly bowler-friendly pitches being reversed by Cricket Australia directive.An experiment with using Dukes balls in the Shield has already been flagged for 2016-17, after Ricky Ponting’s call in the wake of Australia repeatedly coming unstuck against the lateral movement achieved by England’s pace attack during the 2015 Ashes.Rogers did express a concern that a shift away from seaming pitches in England might diminish what has historically been a strength – both in terms of bowlers coming through and top-order batsman able to combat the moving ball. But, after signing off his first-class career with a century in each innings at Taunton, he felt that the change to the toss had helped rebalance the domestic game and also provided him fresh learning opportunities as a batsman and captain.”How to captain spin, that’s quite a skill in itself,” he said. “I felt my captaincy got better the more we played on those wickets. Everybody’s learning, which is great.”I’ve never been a great player of spin, I found it really hard, but to get two hundreds in the last game, on a wicket that was turning – I think I was getting better and better, even at this late stage of my career, and that’s a good thing as well. It’s going to help the younger guys when they go to some of the Asian countries and play there, it’s going to be so hard but at least they’ll have a little bit of experience.”

Glasgow Rangers have been told that they have to pay £5.2m to bring Matija Frigan to Ibrox, according to reports.

Are Rangers signing Matija Frigan?

The HNK Rijeka striker is an academy graduate of his club having worked his way up through the youth ranks to get promoted to the first-team last summer, as per Transfermarkt, where he’s since gone on to make 32 senior appearances to date, and his form hasn’t gone unnoticed by Michael Beale.

Back in May, Football Insider reported that the Light Blues had made an approach for the 20-year-old to ask about his availability, and despite a move yet failing to come to fruition, it appears that his manager is worried that he will leave during the upcoming window.

Sergej Jakirovic recently publicly admitted that he is resigned to losing the Croatian and has already started looking for suitable replacements should his prized asset depart, and the Glasgow outfit have now discovered the exact fee that it will take to prise their target away.

According to Football Insider once again, HNK Rijeka have set Frigan’s price tag at £5.2m. Rangers did indeed make an “enquiry” last month, but it’s firmly stated that there has not yet been any kind of “official bid” placed.

Dinamo Zagreb had been in “talks” regarding a deal, but they have since “stalled”, meaning that he’s open to looking elsewhere. Beale has placed the striker on a “shortlist” of options after confirming that he wants to bolster his attacking ranks over the summer.

Where could Frigan fit in at Rangers?

Rangers have confirmed the departure of Alfredo Morelos, so they will be in need of a new centre-forward replacement, and considering the outstanding season he had in 2022/23, Frigan could be the perfect successor.

The Puma-sponsored ace, who is naturally left-footed, clocked up an impressive 17 goal contributions (14 goals and three assists) in 27 SuperSport appearances last season, recording a total of 75 shots which was higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBRef.

The GreenField client is also a versatile operator having played out wide on the right wing and even in attacking midfield alongside his natural role down the centre since the start of his career, so he could be a great option for the manager to have at his disposal.

Finally, Frigan has been likened to Lazio and Italy legend Ciro Immobile by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and if he possesses the same qualities as the footballing veteran, Rangers are in luck securing a player of his calibre.

Tottenham Hotspur dream of hiring Roberto De Zerbi as their next manager, but a move looks highly unlikely right now, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What's going on in Spurs' manager search?

The Lilywhites have had another difficult search for a new manager, with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot being ruled out in recent weeks, and a successor to Antonio Conte looks no closer to being appointed.

Alternate options reportedly being explored include Celtic's Ange Postecoglou and former Spain boss Luis Enrique, but it has now been revealed that they see the Brighton boss as their ideal appointment.

Speaking on The House Of Champions, Romano revealed that whilst the club dream of De Zerbi, it does not seem that a move will materialise this summer.

"From what I heard in the last few days, they dream of Roberto De Zerbi, but this is almost impossible because Roberto De Zerbi wants to stay at Brighton," he stated.

"He's already planning for next season, they will sign [Mahmoud] Dahoud, they will sign many players like Joao Pedro and James Milner, so they are already thinking of next season and Roberto De Zerbi is not changing."

Would De Zerbi join Spurs?

The Italian has been a revelation at Brighton, arriving during the season following the shock departure of Graham Potter, and has helped the Seagulls qualify for Europe, securing a top-six finish against the odds.

Whilst Brighton have been smart in the transfer market, making shrewd signings such as Julio Enciso and Kaoru Mitoma, whilst also selling the likes of Marc Cucurella for heavy profits, the 43-year-old's coaching has helped get the best out of players he inherited such as Solly March and Lewis Dunk.

It is easy to see why Spurs would be interested in a coach as impressive as De Zerbi who typically plays with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but it is difficult to imagine a scenario where De Zerbi abandons his project at Brighton to move to north London.

Brighton have finished above Spurs, and have confirmed their qualification for the Europa League. Chairman Tony Bloom has worked well with De Zerbi to build his team, and the conditions at Brighton are all set for him to thrive.

Spurs meanwhile, have no director of football following the dismissal of Fabio Paratici, could miss out on European qualification entirely, and could lose their star player in Harry Kane.

Daniel Levy is struggling to appoint a new manager, and the longer this continues, the worse it will be for Spurs, and the contrast between the moods at both clubs shows why De Zerbi is unlikely to want the job at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The BCCI has exempted Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from paying the annual IPL franchise fee during their suspension period, between 2016 and 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2016The BCCI has exempted Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from paying the annual IPL franchise fee during their suspension period, between 2016 and 2017. It is understood that the board made the decision during its most recent working committee meeting in Delhi, and has agreed to return the first instalment of the fee paid by the franchises.While there was no comment forthcoming from the Royals camp, a Super Kings official confirmed that the two franchises have now withdrawn legal proceedings after the board opted to settle the matter out of court. After the board had insisted on the payment being made, Super Kings had contended that they need not pay the fee while they were not playing. However, it is learnt that the Super Kings paid the first instalment of around Rs 11 crore in protest, before filing a case in the Bombay High Court.”There is no need to pay the franchise fee when we are suspended,” the CSK official told ESPNcricinfo. “They will refund the franchise fee which we have paid so far [under protest]. We have already withdrawn the case from the Bombay High Court.”When they asked for the full and final [instalment] of payment, we approached the court for a stay and then we invoked the arbitration clause. Arbitrators were also in favour [of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals], so they [BCCI] went for an out of court settlement.”The BCCI’s change of heart comes following a stand-off with the franchises over the matter for more than six months. Super Kings and Royals were suspended for two years in July 2015, following the corruption scandal in IPL 2013, and two new franchises inducted into the league in the interim.

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui will look to address their offensive options in the summer transfer window as well as other positional areas, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Wolverhampton Wanderers?

As per Sky Sports News, Wolves are keen on signing Coventry City striker Victor Gyokeres this summer and it has been claimed that they are the 'leading club in the Premier League for his signature' as of now.

Competition is high for Gyokeres, with the likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham United also interested in the Sweden international. The report also states that Sheffield United striker Iliman Ndiaye, Luton ace Carlton Morris, Middlesbrough frontman Chupa Akpom and Ben Brereton Diaz have also been tracked by chiefs at Molineux.

One Spanish outlet has claimed that a sensational part-exchange deal involving Wolves captain Ruben Neves and Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati has been floated; however, the Spain international isn't too enthused by the prospect of a transfer to the West Midlands.

Salernitana midfielder Lassana Coulibaly and Wolfsburg defender Ridle Baku are also potential targets for the Old Gold as Lopetegui gets ready for another busy transfer period.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones believes that bolstering the forward areas will be a key priority for the Spanish coach in the summer.

Jones told FFC: "The attacking options have to be addressed pretty early in the window. I think we could see some pretty big changes and I would expect that given the demands and expectations Lopetegui has for this job."

Who could Wolverhampton Wanderers let go this summer?

Wolves have a squad in need of surgery, which makes it all the more impressive that Lopetegui has managed to guide the Old Gold to Premier League survival despite their evident deficiencies.

Club captain Neves and teammate Matheus Nunes have been linked with moves away this summer to Barcelona and Liverpool respectively.

Striker pair Diego Costa and Raul Jimenez also have their future in doubt at Molineux and could be moved on in the off-season to make way for new recruits, according to Sky Sports News.

Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho also see their contracts expire at the end of the campaign and look unlikely to agree new deals, as per Transfermarkt. Defender Nelson Semedo is in the same boat; nevertheless, Wolves have a two-year option to extend his stay at the club.

Lopetegui is set for a massive summer as the Old Gold look to streamline their squad appropriately to compete in the Premier League come 2023/24.