Inter have turned their interest to Lyon's Malick Fofana after failing to land Ademola Lookman this summer despite their personal agreement.

Inter interested in Malick FofanaLookman no longer wants Inter moveInter also had bid rejected for NdiayeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Inter invested a major portion of their summer trying to bring Lookman to San Siro but Atalanta's strict stance on not budging in their €50 million (£43m/$58m) player valuation resulted in the deal to fall through. Lookman is no longer interested in moving to Inter with the club now monitoring Lyon's Fofana, according to . The Italian club also made a deadline day move for Everton's Ndiaye, launching a €45m (£39m/$52m) bid, but were swiftly turned down in their pursuit.

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Inter were pushing to sign Lookman for much of the summer but Atalanta were extremely adamant of not offloading the star player to a domestic rival, not at least until their demands were met. The situation turned messy further with Lookman's public transfer request which irked the Atalanta support and hierarchy. The 2024 Champions League finalist switched their interest to Ndiaye at the end days of the transfer window but it was too late by then. Reportedly, Bayern Munich also approached Atalanta to sign Lookman on the deadline day.  

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A Gent academy product, Fofana was signed by Lyon last year in deal worth €17m (£14m/$19m) plus €5m in add-ons. The Belgian club also inserted a 20% sell-on clause in Fofana's contract. The winger played a total of 41 games across all competition last year in which he scored 11 goals and registered six assists. Fofana has had an astounding start to the 2025-26 season as well, having already scored a goal and provided an assist in the first three games of the league.

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Inter are set to face Juventus next in the league before Cristian Chivu's side fly to Amsterdam to face Ajax in their opening Champions League fixture on September 18.

Mauricio Pochettino says this will be the final camp for experimentation before the USMNT turn towards the World Cup

So long summer, hello fall, and welcome back, U.S. men's national team. The page has been turned on the Gold Cup and fall friendlies have begun and, if you've been following along, there's no shortage of storylines heading into them.

Christian Pulisic is back, and Mauricio Pochettino is eager to put a summer of controversy behind, saying, "This is in the past." A number of other stars are back in the fold, too, after missing out on this summer's Gold Cup, which makes this an important window. Pochettino says this will  be the final camp for experimentation before the USMNT turn the page towards the World Cup.

Heading into Saturday's game against South Korea, Pochettino has a mixed squad – Gold Cup participants, familiar superstars and inexperienced newcomers desperate for a chance. The South Korea game has turned into a measuring stick, albeit an imperfect one. This isn't a full-strength USMNT and, at this point in the cycle, Pochettino says it doesn't have to be.

He's looking for individuals, moments and trends that will dictate the squads to come – and, ultimately, the one that takes the field next summer.

"I think the objective is to try and add players and new faces that can really start to buy the idea that we start to build to the World Cup and these games before," Pocehttino said. "I think that's why I'm so relaxed, because the main group is starting to understand what we want. And, if we want to arrive in the competition, the World Cup, in the best condition, they need to know each other. 

"At some point, we need to start to cut and define the players that we believe will be at the World Cup. But it's about always keeping that mentality and, that, for me, is what it means to be successful in the next two games."

What will Pochettino be looking for on Saturday? What will determine success or failure?

GOAL looks at five keys for the USMNT against South Korea.

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  Reintegrating Pulisic

  There's no hiding this storyline. Pulisic is back after a controversial summer. As much as this is about everything else going on at camp, you can't ignore the spotlight on Pulisic. The question now is how he handles it.

  Pulisic seems determined to let his play do the talking. From the moment he decided to skip the Gold Cup, the pressure was put on his shoulders. Heading into this game, that pressure will be intense as he looks to show why he was right to take this summer to rest and recharge. Theoretically, he should be more than ready to go in this game, both physically and mentally.

  "For me, in the past, when these types of things happened, we all make mistakes sometimes because we read situations in different ways," Pochettino said of the controversy. "The most important thing is, when you are intelligent people, we want to move on and do the right things. It's about being intelligent, and I think it's easier to understand and solve future problems.

  "Like I said, this is in the past, and we can now see all of the different players. Of course, Christian is happy to be here, and he's an important player for us as we build our journey towards the World Cup."

  For the USMNT, a superstar performance out of Pulisic would ease concerns. He wasn't as game-changing as many hoped he'd be during the Nations League in the spring and, with the U.S. needing just a single goal in that loss to Panama, Pulisic was relatively anonymous. That happens, of course, even to the very best, but, when it does, the best tend to respond.

  How does Pulisic manage that? There's a fine line between stepping up and trying too hard, and finding that line will be key for him not just in this game, but in the matches to come. This game, this first since the Gold Cup, represents a significant opportunity for the AC Milan winger.

  "It's been the same as it was in March," said midfielder Jack McGlynn. "I think he's the same kind of leader. He's an amazing player, a great guy off the field, always trying to make conversation. He's just a great guy."

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  Scouting Sonny

  Son Heung-Min won't be any sort of mystery to the USMNT. Pochettino coached him for years at Spurs, so he'll know exactly the type of opponent the U.S. will have to contain on Saturday. That doesn't mean they'll be contain him, though. Few in the world can.

  The South Korean star, admittedly, isn't the player that Pochettino helped turn into a world-class winger. Now 33 and having moved from Tottenham to LAFC, Son has likely lost a step. But as South Korea's talisman up top, he remains extremely dangerous. When facing Korea, the first point in the game plan no doubt reads "Stop Son."

  "He's obviously a top player," said Tyler Adams. "I've had the opportunity to play against him on numerous occasions with Tottenham. We know the quality that he possesses and he's one of those players who can change a game in an instant. I think the impact of going to MLS is huge for the league, the growth of the sport and bringing fans to the U.S. from all over the place. He's a global brand and a global player. He's highly talented and we're going to try and minimize it on Saturday."

  Easier said than done. It remains to be seen if Son lines up out on the left, which would make him Sergino Dest or Alex Freeman's problem, or down the middle against two Premier League veterans in Tim Ream and Chris Richards. No matter where, though, he's the first guy you have to watch. He has a supporting cast, sure, but Son will give the USMNT a challenge unlike any they've faced this year.

  Again, Pochettino knows that better than anyone.

  "It's going to be an amazing opportunity to see each other, " Pochettino said. "We really love each other. He was one of the most important players in my period at Tottenham. I was always chasing him. When I was with Southampton, I tried to sign him, but he moved to Leverkusen. And then, when I was at Tottenham, I chased him again and convinced him. I think now, after 10 years, he is one of the best players in the world. An amazing player and an amazing person. Unbelievable."

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  Gold Cup vibes

  All summer, the USMNT's Gold Cup squad talked about chemistry . A brotherhood was being built and a culture was being refined. The hope, then, was that the culture would extend into the fall, when some of the missing veterans return to the squad.

  And here we are. Exactly half of the 24-man squad assembled is from this summer's Gold Cup. The other half, of course, isn't. How does it mesh? Does culture carry over and, more importantly, does on-field performance? 

  "We have a culture that's very hard to change," said winger Tim Weah. "Even when you're out, like myself, I was following and making sure I was with everyone so that, when I'm back, I'm on that same line with them and in that same culture. I think we're building off of that. The group is looking lovely right now. The quality of training has been amazing."

  Culture is important, but ultimately, this is about results. How does Pochettino achieve them? Does he stick with some of the Gold Cup players, looking to set a tone and send a reminder to the rest of the pool that hard work will be rewarded? Or does he lean on his returning stars, who are, ultimately, the guys that will be leading the charge next summer?

  It's a balancing act, one that Pochettino is navigating this window. It makes his lineup decisions all the more interesting as he, essentially, looks to combine squads for these two matches.

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  The striker situation

  It looked as if this camp would be the one for Josh Sargent. Joined by just Damion Downs as striker options, Sargent seemed to be the No. 9. Then Folarin Balogun was called in, turning this camp into a big-time competition.

  Both Sargent and Balogun have points to prove. Sargent, fantastic on the club level, has struggled to score for the USMNT. He's failed to do so since 2019. That drought has hung over all of the success he's had at Norwich City and, heading into this camp, he knows the narrative. He also knows how important it is to change it.

  "I completely understand it," Sargent told GOAL in an interview at USMNT camp. "Fans are like, 'He's doing so well at the club, but why isn't he scoring here? It doesn't make sense!' Clearly, I'm doing my best. I want to score here. I think I just care so much sometimes that I overthink it a bit too much. Obviously, it's a goal of mine to be the striker for this team and I want to do the best I can here. I want to score goals here and help this team. 

  "Maybe it's just about relaxing and believing in myself a little bit more. It'll happen. I do believe. I know I can score goals and I know it'll happen. It's just a matter of time, so I'll just try not to put so much pressure on myself."

  Balogun, meanwhile, has largely been absent due to injury. He has yet to appear under Pochettino, making these upcoming matches his potential debuts for the new coach. Having already watched Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang largely take their chances, Balogn is now desperate to seize his and show why he could be the No. 9.

  “With Mauricio coming in, the objective was clear: that he wanted to bring the group forward," Balogun said this week. "So as players, it's no surprise for us to be competing for places and positions. I think it's something we've done all our careers. Everyone wants to make an impression. That's just natural. With such a big competition coming in 10 months, it’s important to leave your mark.”

  Downs, too, will be looking to do the same, having earned his first USMNT caps at the Gold Cup this summer. The pool, at the moment, is crowded and, for the three in camp, the South Korea match is a chance to stand out against a legitimate World Cup opponent.

The India vs Pakistan World Cup game could well go the way of the Australia vs Sri Lanka game on the previous day

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-20252:44

Should India be wary of Pakistan’s left-arm spinners?

Could rain affect India vs Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday? The day in Colombo started with the sun out, happily for fans waiting to watch on TV or at the R Premadasa Stadium, but word is that things might change quickly, and a severely rain-affected match isn’t ruled out.The weather in Colombo has been a matter of interest and concern, especially after the washout in Saturday’s game between Australia and Sri Lanka without a ball bowled. Will it be the same on Sunday, taking out arguably the most anticipated contest in the tournament? The morning didn’t suggest so, but the forecast is of showers through the day. The fact that it has been a dry morning “doesn’t mean anything”, locals say, since the north-east monsoon appears to have arrived in Sri Lanka before schedule.On Saturday, the skies didn’t look too bad – certainly not as gloomy as on Friday – and the signs were positive when Australia and Sri Lanka walked out before the scheduled toss time to look at the ground. But even the toss wasn’t possible as the rain picked up quickly and, even though the whole ground was covered quickly, the match had to be called off about two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start time (3pm local).India, the hosts of the tournament, and Pakistan go into the match with contrasting results behind them. India beat Sri Lanka in the tournament opener in Guwahati on September 30 by 59 runs (rain had reduced that to a 47-overs-a-side game too) and Pakistan lost their opening game to Bangladesh by seven wickets in Colombo.

Kulwant Khejroliya used to play cricket for a song. Now he’s rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kohli and AB at Royal Challengers

Shashank Kishore12-Apr-2018″Tell us something about Kulwant Khejroliya,” Simon Doull asked AB de Villiers in a spot interview during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL season opener on Sunday. “Ah well, I don’t know honestly,” he replied.De Villiers wasn’t the only one with little or no knowledge about Khejroliya. A number of his other RCB team-mates didn’t know much about their colleague either. The 25-year old from Jhunjunu, a small village in Rajasthan, calls himself a  (trickster) who found ways to make a buck here and there doing odd jobs – working in a grocery store, cleaning tables, delivering food, and taking orders.Khejroliya only started playing competitive red-ball cricket properly from 2016 when he moved to Delhi to pursue the game. “I was working at a restaurant in Goa, but I thought if it is in my  that I do this, I could even do it five years later. I wanted to badly play cricket,” he says. “I told my parents I’m moving to Ahmedabad to join the roadways department. I somehow managed to hide it from them for six months. Only my brother knew the truth.”Khejroliya shared a flat in Ashok Vihar, outside the city centre, with six others to save on expenses. A room-mate happened to know someone who played cricket at Japanese Park in Rohini in the north-west outskirts of the city, and took him along. Khejroliya’s bowling abilities earned him a regular team, who paid him Rs 500 (about US$8) per match. It was during one of his weekend matches that he met Sanjay Bhardwaj.Bhardwaj is famous in Delhi’s cricket circles, having mentored players like Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, and more recently Nitish Rana. With some grants from Delhi’s education department, he has helped a number of young cricketers from financially straitened backgrounds make a mark at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cricket Academy. But for Bhardwaj to accept Khejroliya, he had to see something in him.”I told Sanjay sir I’m ready to do whatever he asks me,” Khejroliya says. “I pleaded with him and told him I have lied at home that I’m in Ahmedabad for work, when I was actually in Delhi for cricket.”That’s how serious I was. He saw me bowling in the nets regularly. I didn’t miss a single training session. One day he asked me to come over to bowl to some of the state players. Once he was convinced I was decent, he offered to take care of my workout and diet requirements. He adopted me when I was a nobody.”If making a mark in the academy was one thing, Khejroliya would go on to be surprised by the attention from the Delhi selectors. He filtered through a difficult system and eventually made his Ranji Trophy debut in October 2017. In January this year Khejroliya was bought by Royal Challengers for Rs 85 lakhs on the back of a strong showing that helped Delhi win the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. He finished with 14 wickets in ten matches, fourth best in the tournament, at an economy of 6.56. His 2 for 24 in the final helped Delhi defend 153 against Rajasthan.

Khejroliya only started playing competitive red-ball cricket properly from 2016 when he moved to Delhi to pursue the game. “I told my parents I’m moving to Ahmedabad to join the roadways department. I somehow managed to hide it from them for six months”

“I was on the flight home to Delhi when the auction was on. My name came up just minutes after I reached home,” Khejroliya recalls. “When someone raised the paddle, I became happy. See, I was nobody three years ago. I was earning Rs 500 playing tennis-ball matches in Delhi. Suddenly hearing someone pay lakhs of rupees was a bit of a shock, but I was happy about the auction this time.”Last year also I was picked, by Mumbai Indians [for Rs 10 lakhs], but I couldn’t get any games. This time, I am confident I will get my chances because I’m a lot more mature mentally. I feel I am more responsible now.”The confidence came from not just his performance in the domestic T20s but also in the Ranji Trophy. In the semi-final, his fiery spell on the third day on a green top in Pune skittled Bengal for 86. Khejroliya finished the match with six wickets and Delhi were in the final after seven seasons.The maturity he attributes to circumstances. “We had to take a loan for my sister’s wedding, but even that wasn’t enough. My father borrowed money from relatives. I used to see how difficult it was to repay. My brother was studying, so those were difficult times.”As soon as I earned some money in cricket, the first thing I did was repay the money. Even today, my father finds it hard to believe I’m capable of doing something like this, because he felt I wouldn’t do anything with my life, that I would go astray. My mindset changed after that. I started looking at life differently.”Khejroliya’s family is now at peace with his choice of career. His father has now managed to extend their business to a small provision store, in addition to selling the agricultural produce they get from their small plot of farm land. His brother is a chartered accountant and sister happily married.But Khejroliya still hangs out with the same friends with whom he used to do “time pass” all those years ago. “Nothing has changed, not money, not position. I want to play well for Delhi and take it step by step. I met Virat Kohli for the first time last week, this is what he also told me. When I see some of these senior players tell me they’re impressed with my bowling, it makes me remember my struggling days.”For now,  to get batsmen out is all he’s concerned about.

Prior success against South Africa counts for nothing in tournament-ending loss

Valkerie Baynes24-Feb-2023

England Women leave the T20 World Cup determined that their shock semi-final defeat at the hands of South Africa won’t define them or do anything to alter their newly branded attacking style.South Africa stifled England with a perfect performance before a 7,507-strong home crowd at Newlands to secure a place in Sunday’s final against Australia, after asking England to break their own record for the highest successful run-chase at a T20 World Cup – they got within seven runs of doing so.England put in a scratchy performance in the field as South Africa reached a total of 164 for 4, then lost five wickets in the last five overs of their pursuit. However, Heather Knight, their captain, credited the result to the hosts’ ability to assert pressure, rather than any nerves on her side’s part.”There’s certainly things you can do better,” Knight said. “The experience of playing under what was an awesome crowd was a great experience and I think the younger players in particular will learn a lot from that. A lot of them have played in front of big crowds, but when there’s so much on it and when it’s a World Cup semi-final, that does add to it.”But I think remembering, as a side, this match doesn’t define us. The way we’ve made a mentality shift and changed the way we want to play a little bit, and really tried to take the game forward, is something we should be really proud of and we’ll keep faith in. In T20 cricket, sometimes you’re going to lose games unfortunately. And today wasn’t our day.”The more assertive approach cemented since Jon Lewis’s appointment as head coach late last year saw England, like Australia, go undefeated through the group stage where they bludgeoned 213 for 5 in a record-breaking 114-run victory over Pakistan.”The way we’ve played has certainly been entertaining and it’s certainly the way forward to being successful,” Knight said. “There’s always risk in playing that way, but it shows that we’ve nearly chased that down. That is the right strategy to go forward. I think we’re building something nicely, obviously it hasn’t quite come off in this tournament, unfortunately, and today, but I think the future looks bright.”South Africa, meanwhile, had dropped two group games, including the tournament opener at Newlands against Sri Lanka. They also lost by six wickets in Gqeberha to Australia, who have beaten South Africa in all six of their T20I meetings. England, too, had a favourable 19-3 win-loss record against South Africa heading into this match, and they had beaten them three times in as many World Cup semi-finals – once at the 2014 T20 tournament and at the 2017 and 2022 ODI events.”We certainly believed as a side that we could win,” Knight said. “The crowd behind them was certainly a factor, you certainly felt it as the opposition. I think they held their nerve pretty well. Their bowlers took it as deep as they could and picked up a few wickets, which meant the rate climbed quite quickly. They seemed pretty clear under pressure.”Related

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England were well ahead in the powerplay at 55 for 2 after South Africa had recovered from a slow start which had them 14 for 0 after four overs and 37 for 0 after six. Even at the halfway point of England’s innings they were in front, but after Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits had laid a foundation with a 96-run opening stand, Marizanne Kapp held her nerve despite Sophie Ecclestone’s two wickets in three balls in the penultimate over of the innings. Katherine Sciver-Brunt conceded 18 runs off the final over and Kapp ended 27 not out off 13 balls.England lost wickets in clusters as Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka piled on the pressure, first with Ismail’s raw pace and later by taking pace off and making it difficult for the batters to find the boundary. Add in Brits’ record-equalling four catches, including a wonderful diving effort at midwicket to remove Alice Capsey for a duck – one of six England batters who failed to reach double figures – and the efforts of Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley to get them off to good start and 47-run stand between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Knight was negated.Amy Jones, who had contributed two valuable scores in the 40s in the previous two matches but fell victim to Khaka early on this occasion, said England simply failed to execute in the key moments.”South Africa came at us hard and in front of a home crowd really put on a show,” Jones said. “There were times when it was in the balance and we started really well for both innings and we were ahead of the game, so the back end of both innings is where we lost it and in the field at times as well.”Throughout this tournament we’ve said we want to put pressure on the opposition at any point and stick to our strengths, and in the field that looks like completely attacking the ball and throwing yourself around and supporting your team-mates as much as possible. We did that, I think it was just execution and, similarly at the back end as well with the bat, we took positive options and stuck to our strengths, but lost too many wickets.”We wanted to win this game more than anything, but I think going forward, it’s something we believe in, something that we’ll continue to do and will stand us in good stead.”

New South Wales has joined forces with Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US in a first-of-its-kind partnership for Australian cricket which includes a deal with the Washington DC franchise which will see them help build the team.There is no ownership element to the deal, but the agreement with Washington DC will see NSW work with the franchise prepare for the first season of the competition which is slated to begin on July 13 in Texas.This could including playing opportunities for NSW cricketers in the tournament, although there will be nothing tying them to have to play for Washington DC if there are offers from other franchises. Players involved in the Ashes won’t be available, but a number of the state’s leading domestic names could feature. NSW will also provide help – both in guidance and personnel – with coaching, sports science and sports medicine, performance analysis and team operations for the DC franchise.Related

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• MLC set to launch with draft on March 9 at NASA's Johnson Space Center

• Major League Cricket set for July 2023 launch in Dallas

The majority of franchises are expected to align with IPL teams, but NSW chief executive Lee Germon said that Washington DC lead investor Sanjay Govill had wanted something different which is what helped the partnership come together.”There were probably two or three investors who wanted to look outside of an IPL partnership and it started focusing in on Sanjay at Washington DC because he was very keen to not have an IPL partner, but partner with someone outside who could really bring what we wanted to the table,” Germon said.The broader part of the deal with MLC will open up opportunities for USA cricketers, both male and female, to play in Sydney grade competitions and use the NSW training facilities. There are also plans for tours by USA teams to NSW and a reciprocal coaching exchanged programme to include the BBL and WBBL.NSW representatives will attend the inaugural MLC Draft, to be held on March 19 at the NASA Johnson Space Center, as they build the Washington DC squad.It has taken a number of years, and included several delays, for the MLC to get off the ground – while wider USA cricket has endured regular problems with administration – but Germon believed it was the right time to get involved with the game in the US, and at a point where NSW is also looking for new income streams.”[There’s] a bit of a chequered background to USA cricket but everyone [is] understanding the huge potential,” Germon said. “When I first met with MLC last year, I was pleasantly surprised at the passion that they showed not only at the elite level but to grow the whole ecosystem.”Then I was impressed in the amount of detail they’ve gone to around infrastructure for example, and when you look through the cohort of investors they are very successful people from very successful companies who have chosen to now invest in the sport in the United States.”Sameer Mehta, Co-founder of Major League Cricket, said: “We’re delighted to be able to partner with Cricket New South Wales, a renowned global cricket entity with a proven track-record of success both on and off the field. As our cricketing ecosystem in the United States continues to grow, adding the support of an organisation with Cricket New South Wales’s experience enables us to rapidly accelerate the development of key personnel, including players, coaches and support staff.”

New Zealand stumble into trouble after Joe Root’s 153 not out cements England position

Alan Gardner24-Feb-2023Aggressive batting, funky declarations, ruthless wicket-taking intent. England ticked the boxes of their new brand of Test cricket to take a firm grip of the second Test after another rain-affected day in Wellington.While there was no double-hundred for Harry Brook, his early dismissal could not knock the tourists off their stride. Joe Root’s serene, unbeaten 153 guided England past 400 and Ben Stokes was able to declare in the first innings for the second Test in succession. James Anderson and Jack Leach then shared six wickets between them to leave New Zealand battling to save the follow-on before squally showers again brought about an early close.A still-green surface continued to offer something for the bowlers, with wickets falling at regular intervals – serving only to emphasise how much of an outlier the extraordinary first-day stand between Brook and Root had been. Their partnership, which ended in the third over of the second morning, was eventually worth 302; the next-best on either side was 39.New Zealand’s successes on day two were largely limited to seeing off Brook for the addition of just two runs to his overnight 184. Matt Henry was the man to finally get the better of Brook, on the way to figures of 4 for 100, but the home attack continued to take plenty of tap in the face of more gung-ho batting.With time already lost from the second Test and further interruptions forecast, Stokes opted to move the game along. He was immediately rewarded with a double-wicket burst from Anderson in the passage before lunch, and Leach then came to the fore as England whittled their way through a demoralised home line-up to leave them 103 for 7 shortly after the tea interval.Jack Leach plucked out three wickets during the afternoon•Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s hopes of a fightback again rested with Tom Blundell, although Tim Southee swatted a couple of mighty sixes – his 77th and 78th, drawing him level with MS Dhoni on the all-time list – to push England back before the rain arrived 40 minutes into the evening session.After Root’s strokeplay set the early tone, England were soon in the ascendency with the ball. Anderson bent his fifth delivery past the outside edge of Conway; the initial appeal was muted but convictions quickly hardened and England’s review revealed the presence of a thin outside edge. Kane Williamson was then guilty of an impetuous swipe in Anderson’s third over, the former New Zealand captain nicking through to Ben Foakes to leave the home side 7 for 2.Their position became 21 for 3 after the interval when Will Young was confounded by a scintilla of away movement and some extra bounce, the ball brushing his bottom glove to give Anderson a third. England had been on exactly the same score on the first morning, but although New Zealand also managed a recovery stand it was nowhere near the same magnitude.Latham and Nicholls played in compact fashion, picking off boundaries whenever possible, and moved the score on to 60 before the former was given out caught off the wristband of the glove after aiming a reverse-sweep at Leach. Latham reviewed and was visibly disgruntled when Aleem Dar upheld Chris Gaffaney’s on-field decision but replays were at best inconclusive.A few overs later, Nicholls was gone playing the same stroke, no doubt this time as a top-edge deflected off his arm to be snapped up by Ollie Pope at short leg. Pope then produced a fine reflex catch at silly mid-off to account for Daryl Mitchell and give Leach his third on the stroke of tea, and Stuart Broad chipped in after the resumption when Michael Bracewell prodded a limp return catch.England’s platform had been set by the exploits of Brook and Root on day one, the fourth-wicket pair resuming a stand worth 294. Root rolled out his reverse-ramp in the second over of the day, depositing Southee for six over deep third, but Brook’s fun was cut short in sight of a maiden double-century when he drilled a return catch to Henry, the bowler holding on at the second attempt.Joe Root takes the applause after walking off unbeaten on 153•AFP/Getty ImagesTheir association was already England’s highest for any wicket in New Zealand, and contributed more than two-thirds of the eventual total as the innings threatened to fall away.Stokes played to recent type with another frenetic innings, repeatedly looking to make room and slap the seamers over the off side. There were a couple of nicely timed boundaries to go with several miscues before he was dismissed for 27 off 28 balls, hacking Neil Wagner limply to mid-off.Foakes might perhaps have been relied upon to bring a more sober approach to proceedings, but he was stumped in bizarre fashion in the following over, falling out of his crease against the offspin of Bracewell. Broad was lbw to Bracewell soon after, meaning England had lost 4 for 66 with the second new ball looming.Root, having played second fiddle to Brook on Friday, was keen to unfurl his full range, and slog-swept Bracewell into the crowd before taking Southee for six and four with the new ball. Ollie Robinson played as many shots with only a fraction of the timing, but was badly dropped Blundell off Henry before plinking to mid-off next ball. Root then passed 150 with his sixth boundary of the session, before England walked off in order to get busy with the ball.

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney revealed his admiration for Liverpool but claimed he wants to 'mash their dreams into oblivion' one day.

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• McElhenney revealed admiration for Liverpool
• Dreams of mashing Reds' dream into oblivion
• Wrexham secured third consecutive promotion to Championship

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Hollywood actor reflected on yet another successful season at SToK Cae Ras as Wrexham secured their third consecutive promotion and reached the Championship, a division the club last played in 43 years. McElhenney spoke about the bond in the club while revealing his admiration for Liverpool's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

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• WHAT ROB MCELHENNEY SAID

  Speaking on the podcast, the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star said: "It's the relationship and the love that you have for each other and your community is forged in pain, which I think says something beautiful about humanity. When we are at our most vulnerable and beaten down, we have each other to hold on to and to help lift each other up. I think sport is just a great metaphor for that. Hopefully one day we'll be competing with Liverpool, but their song, You'll Never Walk Alone, is just so unbelievably beautiful for a football team and for a community."

  He added: "One day I hope to mash their dreams into oblivion, but for now I celebrate along with Humphrey [Ker, Wrexham board member] because he loves Liverpool. Interestingly, it's also [striker] Paul Mullin's team, and so I've followed Liverpool and I'm so happy for them and their supporters. But really that song exemplifies what we're trying to do as well."

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  McElhenney and co-owner Ryan Reynolds have changed the Welsh club's fortunes immensely since their 2021 takeover. The actors now continue to dream of reaching the Premier League. The Red Dragons will experience a very busy summer transfer window as Phil Parkinson's side prepares for life in the second tier

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  The players are now enjoying a well-earned break in Las Vegas as Wrexham are in Nevada for the third year running after back-to-back-to-back promotions.

Emi Martinez could be on the move this summer, with Barcelona and Manchester United showing interest after his emotional Villa Park farewell.

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Barcelona and Man Utd offered MartinezVilla ready to cash-in on Argentina 'keeperAppeared to wave goodbye at Villa ParkFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Martinez was visibly emotional during Aston Villa's final home game of the season against Tottenham, leading to widespread speculation about his future at the club. According to Latin TV channel D Sports, both Barcelona and Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Martinez, who has been a key figure in Villa's recent success, when the transfer window opens this summer.

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Since joining from Arsenal in 2020, the 32-year-old has established himself as one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers, earning accolades such as the Yashin Trophy and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award. With Wojciech Szczesny’s future looking uncertain at Barca, they may be in the market for a new shot-stopper to rival current first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
As for United, their interest comes amid ongoing doubts over Andre Onana, who has come under scrutiny for some high-profile errors. With Ruben Amorim continuing to evaluate his squad, he may see Martinez as a contender to be his new No.1.

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The Argentine goalkeeper began his professional career at Arsenal, but made just 15 league appearances in 10 years. However, since joining Aston Villa in 2020, Martinez has kept over 40 clean sheets. The 2022 World Cup winner also holds the record for the most clean sheets in a single Premier League season for the Villans.

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As the summer transfer window approaches, Martinez's future remains uncertain. As well as United and Barca, the Argentina star has also been linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. Villa, meanwhile, are reportedly considering other options, with Espanyol's Joan Garcia and Real Madrid star Andriy Lunin on their summer shortlist.

Players will be able to sign with clubs on a marquee supplementary list if they are not expected to be available to play

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Cricket Australia will allow Big Bash clubs to sign nationally-contracted players outside of their salary cap in a bid to avoid the Steven Smith fiascos of the past two seasons.Under rules unveiled by CA on Wednesday, players will be able to sign with individual clubs on a marquee supplementary list if they are not expected to be available to play.Should the player’s circumstances change, they will then be able to be brought into the BBL’s club’s full-time roster to feature in matches.The rules come as part of a raft of contracting changes for the men’s and women’s BBL, including the introduction of an overseas player draft in the WBBL in the same model as the men’s tournament.The highest-paid overseas men’s player will command AU$420,000 in the draft, while the female counterparts will collect AU$110,000 in a major boost to the pulling power of the competitions.Clubs will also have to pay their top-six men’s earners a minimum of AU$200,000 each, and top-five female players AU$50,000 each. But the biggest change will come with nationally-contracted men’s stars.Franchises will be able to contract as many as they like inside the AU$3 million salary cap for their regular 18-man roster, as well as two additional players outside of the cap. Those players would be on a standardised AU$50,000 deal.If they end up playing, only then will their AU$50,000 deal and AU$30,000 match fees count to the cap. If the player’s availability comes through unforeseen circumstances, CA will also allow clubs to bring money out of the following season’s cap to fit them in.That would likely only be activated for any player who has been dropped from Australian duties, or if international fixtures were to change.The new rule would cover both of the Smith scenarios in the past two years, where Covid-19 caused the cancellation of a series in early 2022 and home ODIs earlier this year.Smith was unable to play for the Sixers in 2021-22 as he was not signed with them, while he and David Warner were handed marketing contracts last summer to play for the Sixers and Sydney Thunder, respectively.The new system would also allow the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to be aligned with clubs and appear in marketing material, with the quicks traditionally sitting out the BBL to manage workloads.CA hopes the changes open the door to more big-name talent playing, while allowing clubs to not have roster spots and significant cap space taken up by unavailable players with Tests in January this summer.”It’s always our ambition for as many of those players to be part of the BBL as possible,” Big Bash boss Alistair Dobson said. “We hope that the mechanisms will enable clubs to sign players even if they are either unlikely or not available. Because having them around the BBL and ready if available, is a really important part of the competition for us.”