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Zimbabwe’s players have described as “shocking” the decision by the government-appointed Zimbabwe Cricket interim board to suspend itself from Test cricket. The players said they were not informed about the decision prior to being announced.Blessing Mahwire, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association, said the pull-out was a major setback. “It’s a huge disappointment,” he said. “I know that we don’t have the numbers to play Test cricket at the moment, but I don’t think we are better off not playing Tests.”Douglas Hondo, one of the older players in a relatively young team, said he felt sad, but added that he had made up his mind about his future in Zimbabwe cricket. “I was shocked. I only head about it on the internet. Test cricket is the highest level we can play, and right now guys are really don’t know what to do.”Meanwhile, the players were not in mood to talk about anything but their money when they had a short meeting with their representative Clive Field today. “Nothing else was discussed,” Field said. “The position was that we have to resolve the money issue first. The guys didn’t was to talk about anything else. The feeling is that nothing can proceed unless things are resolved. That’s what is critical at the moment.”

Leipus will hand over his responsibilities as physiotherapist within the next week© Cricinfo

Andrew Leipus has announced that he will be replaced by John Gloster as physiotherapist for the Indian team within a week’s time, but the BCCI denied this, saying that a couple of names were up for discussion, reported.”Yes,” said Leipus, “my replacement is ready. I will be handing over the charge to John within the next week and then go back to Australia to start my post-graduation studies.” Gloster was formerly the Bangladesh physiotherapist. He was one of two choices for the board, Leipus said. “Alex Kontouri and John were the people in mind. But since Alex was unavailable, John was the logical choice.”But SK Nair, the BCCI’s secretary, said he didn’t know why Leipus took names. “He is going and must have said something on the basis of the discussion we had with him.”The office-bearers will be meeting in Kolkata over the next couple of days. We have a couple of names in mind, but we will make a decision only after discussions.”

Deep Dasgupta and Sadagopan Ramesh will get another opportunity to stake their claims for berths in the national squad, as both were named in the 14-man India A line-up which will play against New Zealand in a tour game from October 2-4. The selectors also announced the Board President’s squad, which will take on New Zealand from September 26-28. Akash Chopra, who performed creditably on the A tour to the West Indies before being forced out with a knee injury, was the only player to figure in both squads.The selectors also plumped for Munaf Patel, the fast bowler from Gujarat who is yet to play a first-class match. Patel came into prominence this season after drawing high praise from Dennis Lillee and other experts at the MRF Pace Academy. Munaf was included in the India A squad, while Tinu Yohannan, who promised plenty on his Test debut before falling away, was included in the Board President’s line-up.The search for openers continues, with five specialist ones in the two squads, apart from Virender Sehwag, who has evinced an interest to bat in the middle order in Tests. Sanjay Bangar does not feature in either squad, suggesting that he is a certainty for the Test series against New Zealand.Board President’s squad
Akash Chopra, SS Das, Wasim Jaffer, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag (capt), S Sriram, Ajay Ratra (wk), Ramesh Powar, Amit Mishra, Amit Bhandari, Trivedi, Tinu Yohannan, Amit Uniyal.India A squad
S Ramesh, Akash Chopra, Connor Williams, Mohammad Kaif (capt), Hemang Badani, Mithun Manhas, Rohan Gavaskar, Abhijit Kale, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Murali Kartik, Sarandeep Singh, Sri Shanth, Munaf Patel, RP Singh.

Opener Salman Butt was retained Pakistan captain for nextyear’s Youth World Cup to be played in New Zealand from Jan15.Paceman Junaid Zia, son of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, was retained vice-captain.Chairman of junior selection committee Zaheer Abbas alsoannounced the squad and unnecessarily made comments on theability of the team which landed him in an embarrassingposition.As Zaheer said the team had good bowlers and fielder but notquality batsmen, he was left dumb-founded when he was askedwasn’t it strange that Haroon Rasheed (team coach) hadfailed to improve the technique of the stroke-makers despitebeing a batsman of repute.Zaheer said more emphasis would be laid to improve thebatting department in the training camp which would be heldat Rawalpindi, the dates of which would be announced later.He said Rawalpindi was selected for the camp as it hadsimilar grassy pitches as in New Zealand.Five reserves players were also announced.Squad: Salman Butt (captain), Atiq-ur-Rehman, KhaqanArsal, Asim Munir Butt, Mohammad Fayyaz, Irfanuddin, AzharAli, Amin-ur-Rehman, Arslan Mir, Kamran Sajid, KamranYounis, Najaf Shah, Umer Gull and Junaid Zia (vice-captain).Reserves: Mohammad Khalil, Zulqarnain, Saqib Zia,Azam Husain, Yasir Shah.

Tamil Nadu were one wicket away from closing out their Group C SuperLeague tie against Haryana at Gurgaon. At stumps on the third daytoday Haryana were 237-9 in their second innings with 41 still neededto avert an innings defeat.Resuming at 371-5, Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 486 an hour into theday after their tail had been allowed to wag generously. Robin Singh,Sharath and Reuben Paul fell in the first six overs but Mahesh,Gokulakrishna and Vidyuth entertained the spectators with some lustyhitting. Pradeep Jain finished with 5-143.A fighting century by Haryana opener Jitender Singh helped to delaythe inevitable after the home team commenced their second knock 286behind. Jitender and captain Parinder Sharma put on 63 for the firstwicket in 26 overs but Tamil Nadu struck at regular intervals with sixbowlers sharing the spoils. Jitender scored exactly 100 ( 179 balls,13 fours) before he was seventh out.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEvin Lewis smashed six fours and six sixes in his 82•Caribbean Premier League

Evin Lewis’ boundary-laden 82 led St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots to the second-largest win in a T20 competition in the West Indies and the largest in CPL history, as Patriots thrashed Jamaica Tallawahs by 119 runs in Basseterre.Lewis and Martin Guptill got stuck in right from the beginning, clobbering three fours and four sixes in the first six overs. Rusty Theron ended Guptill’s 25-ball 35 in the eighth over, but Lewis showed no signs of letting up. He smashed Nikita Miller for two fours in the next over and Andre Russell for two sixes in the following over. The second-wicket stand of 72 in 42 balls between Marlon Samuels and Lewis – in which Samuels contributed 19 – gave the Patriots the ideal platform to reach 200, a feat that had been achieved just twice since the CPL’s inception in 2013. Though Lewis and Samuels were dismissed in consecutive overs, Carlos Brathwaite ensured there wouldn’t be a shift in momentum with an 18-ball 36, which ensured the Patriots got to 199 for 5.In reply Tallawahs lost Chris Gayle, who had scored half-centuries in his last two games, in the second over for 8 and were never in the game after that. A brief 25-run third-wicket stand between Chris Lynn and Mahela Jayawardene was the best partnership of the innings. They lost wickets in clumps and were eventually bowled out for 80 in 16 overs. South African chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi picked up 4 for 23 – his career-best figures – and Sheldon Cottrell took three wickets, those of the top-three batsmen.

Leeds United have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Sergio Gomez to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazetta dello Sport (via MOT Leeds News), who claimed that the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan have all joined the race for the Anderlecht left-back.

This report comes shortly after an earlier story by TEAMtalk which claimed that Victor Orta had identified the 21-year-old as a target for Leeds this summer, with the sporting director believed to be looking at bringing competition in for Junior Firpo on the left-hand side of Jesse Marsch’s backline.

Orta will be fuming

Considering just how much potential Gomez seems to possess, the news that three massive clubs in Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter have also taken an interest in the defender is sure to have left Orta fuming.

Indeed, over his 32 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, the £8.1m-rated full-back has been in electric form, scoring five goals, registering 10 assists and creating 13 big chances for his team-mates, also making 1.8 key passes and taking 1.3 shots per game.

The £9k-per-week Spain under-21 international has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping Anderlecht to keep six clean sheets, also making 1.4 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and one clearance and winning 3.3 duels (at a success rate of 54%) per match.

These returns have seen the player who was once regarded as a potential successor to Andres Iniesta at Barcelona average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.42, ranking him as the fifth-best player in the Belgian top flight.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Gomez – who football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed both a “superb” talent and a “Guardiola-esque kind of full-back” – would make an exceptional addition to Leeds’ current defensive options.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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However, with a number of Europe’s elite clubs now reported to also be tracking the 21-year-old, a deal for Gomez looks as if it will be incredibly difficult for Orta to pull off this summer.

AND in other news: Orta can seal Marsch’s dream signing as Leeds plot bid for £25m-rated “unexpected hero”

A fractured left thumb has ruled Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the T20 series against Australia. Rishi Dhawan, who is part of India’s ODI squad, will stay on in Australia as Bhuvneshwar’s replacement.Bhuvneshwar picked up the injury while trying to stop a David Warner straight drive off his own bowling during the fourth ODI in Canberra. The injury forced him out of the fifth ODI in Sydney, with India picking the debutant Jasprit Bumrah in his place.Ajinkya Rahane also sat out the Sydney ODI with an injury, having split his webbing while fielding in Canberra. Gurkeerat Singh has been named as cover for Rahane in the T20 squad.The three-match T20 series will begin on Tuesday in Adelaide.

Bangladesh U-19 203 (Nadimuddin 66, Nasir Hossain 41, Pathiran 4-43) beat Sri Lanka U-19 159 (Perera 47, Mahmud 3-24) by 44 runs
ScorecardNasir Hossain turned in a fine all-round performance to help Bangladesh Under-19 beat their Sri Lankan counterparts by 44 runs in the third one-dayer at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra. Hossain was named Man-of-the-Match for his 41 runs and two wickets as Bangladesh took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.Electing to bat, Bangladesh lost Mithun Ali in the second over, but two patient partnerships, 56 for the second wicket between Nadimuddin (66) and Ashraful Hossain, and 82 for the third between Nadimuddin and Nasir Hossain put the innings on course. Marshall Ayub, the No. 5 batsman who had made a defiant 90 in the previous match, scored a run-a-ball 24. Bangladesh were well-placed for a final assault at 163 for 3 in the 42nd over, but were unable to up the scoring as left-arm-spinner Sachith Pathirana snapped up four wickets.The Sri Lankan reply was rocked by a triple-strike from Dolar Mahmud which left them at 26 for 3. Mathurage Perera made 47 but the visitors were unable to stitch together any substantial partnerships. They collapsed from a relatively secure 113 for 5 to 118 for 9, dashing hopes of a victory.The next match is scheduled for Monday in Fatullah, with the final match in Mirpur on Wednesday.

Kevin Pietersen’s rise to four at the MCG was not a success © Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen was only convinced of a move to No. 4 when he realised England’s brittle tail was limiting his batting opportunities. Shortly before John Buchanan questioned Pietersen’s commitment to the touring team, Duncan Fletcher revealed the England management had been trying to get its most gifted player to leave his favoured place at five since before the Ashes series.After being stuck with the struggling lower order for three consecutive innings in Perth and Melbourne, Pietersen finally decided to shift mid-match at the MCG and arrived ahead of Paul Collingwood. Pietersen made only 1 before being bowled aiming a drive off Stuart Clark as England fell to their fourth defeat of the contest.”We’ve been trying to get him to four but he just feels very, very comfortable at five,” Fletcher said. “Then Kevin discussed with us that he was batting with the tail a lot and he wanted to bat four. We said ‘Are you sure you want to? He said he’d rather do that than be caught with the tail that we’ve got at the moment.”England’s original top four batsmen were used to blunt Australia’s attack in the hope Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff could provide a surge in the middle, but Flintoff has been shut down and Australia have rushed through the tail. Despite the imbalance and the direction of the series, Pietersen was unable to shelve his personal feelings until after his seventh innings.Pietersen, who has scored 420 runs at 60 in the series, will be used at second drop in Sydney from Tuesday and be followed by Collingwood. Fletcher said Collingwood was ready to “do what’s best for the team” and knew Pietersen was the better player. “Colly realised we were not using Kevin’s full potential,” Fletcher said.The difficulty in getting Pietersen to fit in with the side’s plan was highlighted by Buchanan when he said Pietersen seemed to be distanced from the group. “He talks about how much of a team man he is, but I can’t see that,” Buchanan said. Pietersen was one of four England players who did not attend the team’s large Christmas lunch the day before the Test.Buchanan has also noticed Pietersen spending a lot of time fielding on the boundary when his skills could be used better inside the ring. “I wonder whether the criticism of him is because he’s different from the group,” Buchanan said. “Difference is important in a team dynamic, we have some different players in our team, but it’s how the difference is managed.”Concerns over the size of England’s tour group, which has expanded to almost 100 and includes the players’ families, have been raised as possible distractions to the side, which heads to Sydney trying to avoid a cleansweep. However, Fletcher said the arrangements were similar to previous trips and would be reviewed when they returned home.”We have it in England when they are on the tour there,” he said. “We see it as no different. When we go back there we play seven Tests and the wives will be there for all of them. We just believe that with the amount of cricket that’s played that people are as comfortable off the field as they are on the field.”