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A report in today’s Times says that Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman whose investments initially rescued the county from financial ruin and then enabled them to build the Rose Bowl, is threatening to walk away if the venue is not given Test status.The article claims that Bransgrove, who in all is said to have invested more than £3.5 million, is fed up with repeated requests to the ECB being rebuffed. “I need some help from the ECB and have to make a decision: do I force the issue or give up?” he is quoted as saying.The Rose Bowl is expected to announce losses of around £750,000 for 2005, and were Bransgrove to walk away then the country would again face a bleak financial future. What is certain is that it could not afford high-profile players such as Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen.”Some people have told me that if I had put this sort of money into Lord’s or the Oval, I would have been given a knighthood,” Bransgrove told the Times. “Instead, I am treated like a pariah. I invested in Hampshire because I am a cricket fan and I believe we can get over this loss and we shall continue to invest in our academy. But I need a longer-term commitment. The Rose Bowl was set up with one-day internationals and Test cricket in mind.”Although the Rose Bowl has staged one-day internationals, there have been questions over the quality of the pitch and also accessibility to the ground which is not located near any mainline train or bus routes.”There are a lot of handshakes and old friends involved in the decision-making,” Bransgrove remarked. “It’s ironic that we beat a county with a Test ground, Warwickshire, in the C&G final last year and yet their profit (£750,800) is the same as our loss.”The ECB will carry out another inspection of the facilities later this month. The venue will host two international matches this summer. England meet Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international in June, and then Pakistan in an ODI in September.

Security personnel yesterday foiled an attempt by miscreants to vandalise the pitch at the Mohali Stadium, which is scheduled to host the first Test between India and Pakistan.It appears to have been a politically-activated move, but one that was curtailed quickly as the men shouted anti-Pakistan slogans upon entering the ground, which alerted the staff to their presence. Police said the damage to the pitch was minimal.IS Bindra, the president of the Punjab Cricket Association, was quoted by as saying, “This kind of thing has happened for the first time in Mohali. But our security staff did a commendable job. One should not take an alarmist view of the situation. I have spoken to the DGP [Head of police] and we will further tighten up security.”

Danish Kaneria and Naved Latif have been included in Pakistan’s squad for the third one-day international against South Africa, at Faisalabad on October 7.Kaneria replaces Mushtaq Ahmed, who has been ruled out of the one-day series because of an abdominal muscle strain. Naved has been brought in as a standby for Inzamam-ul-Haq, whose hamstring injury may keep him out of the game. Salman Butt has been dropped.

Anjum Chopra will lead the Indian women in their upcoming series against England scheduled to be played between January 4 and January 24. The series will involve five one-dayers and a one-off Test to be played at Lucknow from January 14 to 17.England will be led by Clare Connor. Another Clare, Clare Taylor, will be the vice-captain. Chennai, Hyderabad, where the second and third one-dayers will be held, Mumbai and Pune will host the five one-dayers.India:Anjum Chopra (captain), Mithali Raj (vice-captain), Anju Jain, Neetu David, Jhulan Goswami, Sunita Singh, Deepa Kulkarni, Bindeshwari Goel, Jaya Sharma, Mamta Maben, Arundhati Kirkire, Gulshan Sharma, Hemlata Kala, Amrita Shinde and Nooshin Al-Khader. Coach: Tarak Sinha.England: Clare Connor (Captain), Clare Taylor (vice-captain), Caroline Atkins, Jane Cassar, Sarah Clarke, Mandie Goodliman, Dawn Holden, Kate Lowe, Laura Newton, Lucy Pearson, Arran Thompson, Helen Warlaw, D Ferris. Coach: John Harmer.Schedule:First one-dayer at Chennai (Jan 6).Second one-dayer, Hyderabad (Jan 8)Third one-dayer, Hyderabad (Jan 9)Fourth one-dayer, Mumbai (Jan 21)Fifth one-dayer, Pune (Jan 24)One-off Test, Lucknow Jan 14 to Jan 17

Karachi, Feb 8: Sri Lanka recorded a cakewalk eight-wicket victoryover a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI in a practice match at theNational Stadium here on Tuesday, indicating that it would not betheir fireworks but calculated game that would be on display in theforthcoming one-day series.Chasing a competitive total of 250 on a good batting track, Sri Lankanstroke-makers didn’t repeat the 1996 World Cup heroics but stillmanaged to overhaul the score with 9.3 overs to spare.Marvan Atapattu stroked a sweet unconquered 122 while MahelaJayawardena scored an elegant unbeaten 62. Skipper Sanath Jayasuriyahit a 53-ball 37 before he holed out to Aamir Sohail at extra-coveroff Yasir Arafat.Atapattu and Jayawardena were associated in an unbroken 144 runs thirdwicket stand off as many deliveries after Atapattu had featured in a104-run second wicket stand with Jayasuriya off 99 balls.Aamir Sohail, leading the PCB XI, strengthened his claims for a recallby hammering nine boundaries in his 76-ball 63 before being needlesslyrun out. Teenager Imran Abbas, who top scored with a fluent 124-ball71, pushed the ball at point only to find Aamir standing next to him.Imran showed a lot of professionalism by staying in his crease and notsacrificing his wicket for his skipper.Faisal Iqbal batted with remarkable concentration in scoring 31 off 72balls. He never looked like throwing away his wicket until anunsuccessful attempt of big hit off Muttiah Muralitharan in the slogovers brought his downfall.It was an uncharacteristic batting performance by the Sri Lankansknown for their lusty hitting. It seems that coach Dav Whatmore has adifferent ploy for every tour of Pakistan. In 1995-96, he introducedslog in the first 15 overs while it seems he now has a conventionalgame plan of protecting wickets in the first 15 overs, acceleratingthe scoring rate in the middle of the innings and going berserk in thefinal overs.In the first tour match, the strategy worked as the tourists collected96 runs while conceding the wicket of Romesh Kaluwitharana. The next25.3 overs saw Sri Lanka add 155 runs at the cost of Jayasuriya’swicket and wrap up the match in 40.3 overs.Whether this ploy will work in the one-day series against Pakistan isyet to be seen.Atapattu, who has flourished under the wings of Arjuna Ranatunga andAravinda de Silva, was cool and calculated by hitting the ball onmerit. There was no urgency in his batting as the inexperienced PCB XIteenage bowlers provided him enough opportunity to go for his shots.He stroked the ball from the middle of the blade and geometricallybisected the fielders to spice his innings with 15 exquisiteboundaries. He faced 138 balls.The only blemish in Atapattu’s innings was when he tried to come outof his skin to hit Aamir Sohail over his head only to find YasirArafat at mid-on boundary. But the fielder jiggled with the catch andallowed the 30-year-old from Kalutara progress to a fine century.Jayawardena looked compact, attacking but cautious in his openingouting of the tour. He belted five boundaries and a six in his 70-ballknock.Earlier, Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to field in front ofabout 2,000 spectators which grew to about 4,000 by the end of play.Aamir Sohail helped his cause of reclaiming the lost place in thePakistan team by batting in his usual carefree and attacking style. Hewas severe against Indika Gallage and Ravindra Pushpakumara but showedrespect to left-arm pacer Nuwan Zoysa.Aamir’s heart must have come in his mouth for a second or two veryearly in his innings when a very confident run-out appeal by the SriLankans was turned down by Sadiq Mohammad. The tourists looked unhappywith the decision.But when Aamir was finally run out in the 24th over, the PCB XI lostits way. It was only the 10 overs in which Yasir Arafat and ArshadKhan played some big shots to help the home team add 84 runs and takethe score to 250.Yasir hit two sixes in his 12-ball 25 while Arshad’s 8-ball 20included two sixes.

Barcelona have reportedly made their first bid for Leeds United winger Raphinha, making him their first-choice summer transfer target.

The Lowdown: Raphinha twist

The Whites have had a tough season in the Premier League and they still face a huge battle to remain in the division with eight matches remaining.

Raphinha has been a standout performer for Leeds, registering 12 goal contributions in the league – nine goals and three assists – but he has been endlessly linked with a move away.

A fresh update could be the biggest indication yet that the 25-year-old is moving on to pastures new, in a twist from previous reports which claimed Barca will not move for the Elland Road star.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Barcelona make bid

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], it is now the Catalan club’s ‘number one goal’ to sign Raphinha this summer, moving on from Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

There is already thought to be ‘open negotiation’ regarding a move and the Catalan giants have ‘submitted a first offer’ for the winger.

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The Verdict: All fairly predictable

Raphinha’s head will surely be turned by the prospect of joining a club of Barca’s stature, especially with Xavi seemingly turning the club’s fortunes around after last weekend’s 4-0 win away to Real Madrid.

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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Some true Brazilian greats have represented them down the years, whether it be Romario, Ronaldo or Ronaldinho, and the Leeds star, hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by Rio Ferdinand, could be desperate to follow in their footsteps.

Leeds are a special club in their own right, but even the most hardened supporter would find it tough to begrudge Raphinha a dream move to Spain if it happens, with the Whites receiving a huge fee which can then be spent on new signings.

In other news, an expert has made a key Leeds ownership claim. Read more here.

ScorecardAfter skittling out Services for 91 to gain a first-innings lead of 72, Vidarbha added 237 for the loss of four wickets in their second, to end the day with a lead in a commanding position.Tottering at 37 for 5 at close on day one, Services lost another wicket on 39 before their innings was propped up by Jasvir Singh and Ashish Mohanty. The two added 44 runs before Mohammad Hashim struck, dismissing Jasvir, Mohanty and Arun Sharma to bag career-best figures of 7 for 26, also the best in the Plate League so far this year.Vidarbha seized the advantage in the second innings, with Faiz Fazal and Amit Paunikar putting on 168 for the first wicket. Fazal was first to fall for 80, while debutant Paunikar went on to score 102. Left-armer Rakesh Kumar took all four wickets to fall, to go with the three he took in the first innings.Gujarat 154 and 2 for no loss trail Kerala 340 (Prem 124, Vinan Nair 61, Chandran 61*, Parmar 5-77) by 184 runs
ScorecardPreambhastn Prem’s patient 124 helped Kerala take control of the game in Surat as they piled up 340 in reply to Gujarat’s first-innings total of 154. Prem put on 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Vinan Nair, who made a breezy 61 to gain the vital first-innings lead. Kerala then suffered a mini-collapse which saw them reduced to 206 for 9.Prasanth Chandran, the No. 11, stuck it out with Prem to add 134 for the last wicket, a Kerala record for the tenth wicket, surpassing the 95 runs that Satheesan Thampuran and P Mackey added against Hyderabad in 1974-75. Mackey’s 59 was the record for a Kerala No. 11 batsman, before Chandran’s unbeaten 61 today, which came off 89 balls, including 11 boundaries.Gujarat offspinner Mohnish Parmar added three to his overnight tally of two wickets, and ended the innings with figures of 5 for 77. Gujarat’s openers then safely played out the only over they were left to negotiate.Madhya Pradesh 109 for 4 (Ojha 45, Mishra 2-17) trail Haryana 302 (Lavasa 76, Vishwanathan 63, Pandey 3-58) by 193 runs
ScorecardResuming on 268 for 7, Haryana added 34 runs on the second day before picking up four Madhya Pradesh wickets to seize the advantage in Rohtak. Sunil Viswanathan, overnight on 47, was the last man out for the hosts, finishing on 63. Madhya Pradesh offspinner Sunil Dholpure ensured Vishwanathan got little support at the other end, dismissing two lower-order batsmen.Madhya Pradesh were off to a shaky start in their innings, with Sachin Rana trapping Jalaj Saxena leg-before in the second over. Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has represented India in one-dayers, then struck with the wickets of Jatin Saxena and Devendra Bundela, before offspinner Gaurav Vashisht removed opener Naman Ojha, who made a sedate 129-ball 45. Rahul Bakshi and Brijesh Tomar ensured there was no further damage, as the visitors ended the day at 109 for 4.Goa 104 for 4 (Joglekar 24*, Ratra 29*, Sharma 3-29) trail Jammu and Kashmir 147 (Bhatt 31, Bandekar 5-49, D’Souza 3-32) by 43 runs
ScorecardGoa were poised to take the first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir, finishing the day at 104 for 4 in reply to the hosts’ 147 in Jammu.Saurabh Bandekar and Robin D’Souza shared the final two wickets for Goa, Bandekar finishing with his second five-for in first-class cricket. Goa were soon in trouble as Vivek Sharma grabbed three wickets to reduce them to 42 for 4. Manoj Joglekar and Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, then put on an unbroken 62-run stand to take the visitors to a position of ascendency at stumps on day two.Assam 68 for 1 (Palash Das 35*) trail Tripura 460 (Shetty 165, Chanda 72, Tushar Saha 73*, Kushaljit Das 5-140) by 392 runs
ScorecardTripura consolidated on their overnight 285 for 4 to make 460 in the first innings in Guwahati. Nishit Shetty added only one to his 164 on day one, but Timir Chanda and No. 9 Tushar Saha scored seventies. Saha had 11 fours and a six in his 72, and added 82 runs for the final wicket with Jayanta Debnath, who made 36. Debutant Kushaljit Das took a five-for for the hosts, conceding 140 runs in his 37.1 overs.Assam then played out 30 overs before stumps, crawling to 68 for 1. Opener Palash Das remained unbeaten on 35.Railways 217 for 2 (Bangar 77*, Rawle 73*) lead Jharkhand 183 by 34 runs
ScorecardSanjay Bangar followed up his four wickets on the first day with an unbeaten 77 on the second, to give Railways a lead of 34 runs over Jharkhand, with eight wickets still remaining in their first innings.Railways lost their first two wickets for 61, but Bangar, whose knock included 13 fours, added 156 runs with Harshad Rawle to guide their team to 217 at close. Rawle was also unbeaten at stumps, having scored 73.

Malcolm Speed: ‘We will … relax some conditions for independent player and team sponsors to avoid clashes between sponsors’ © Getty Images

The ICC has announced that the sale of sponsorship rights for the eight-year period starting after the completion of the World Cup in March will start shortly. It is expected the deal will bring in more than $500 million on top of the $1.1 billion the sale of broadcast rights to ESPN-STAR Sports in December netted.In a statement, the ICC said that it would enter into negotiations with potential sponsors with a view to finalising deals by the end of June. The period up for grabs includes 18 ICC tournaments, with two World Cups and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy events. Also included are the first two Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009).”With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket,” Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said. “For the first time the ICC is able to offer one major event every year and the quality and variety of those events and the fact they span the globe mean they represent exceptional value for sponsors.”With growing media convergence and evolution likely over the next eight years this sponsorship will engage fans via a variety of platforms, including television, internet, mobile, radio, print and at the venues themselves.”It is widely reported that the ICC has initiated negotiations with companies – such as LG, Hero Honda, Hutch, Pepsi, Videocon and Reliance – rather than deal thorough a third party. For the period between 2004 and 2007, its sponsorship rights were being handled by Nimbus Communications.But Speed acknowledged the need to protect against ambush marketing while avoiding the clashes with players and boards which have blighted the current deal. “We will guarantee exclusivity to our global partners, at the same time, relax some conditions for independent player and team sponsors to avoid clashes between sponsors,” he insisted. “By limiting restrictions, we would offer more flexibility to sponsors.”

Stuart Robertson, the man who pioneered the concept of Twenty20 cricket, has resigned from his role as head of marketing at Warwickshire, to take up a new position as commercial director of Hampshire’s Rose Bowl plc.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Edgbaston and feel that I have been able to contribute significantly to this great club,” said Robertson, who joined Warwickshire from the ECB in 2003. “The time is right for me to move on and I now relish the opportunity to develop my skills at … one of the most exciting and progressive cricket grounds in the country.”Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said: “We are naturally very sorry to lose a man of Stuart’s qualities, especially after the excellent job he has done for the club over the past two-and-a-half years. Nevertheless, this is a chance for him to progress his career, and we take this opportunity of thanking him for his contribution to our successful operations in the past, and wish him every success in the future”.

Michael Clarke’s strokes are regularly compared to the style of Doug Walters© Getty Images

Doug Walters believes Michael Clarke’s brilliant run as opener should not save him from another dumping down the order. Clarke, whose high-energy batting is regularly compared to the style of Walters, made his second one-day century in last night’s win against Pakistan and has scores of 66, 97 and 103* not out since standing in for Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.Australia dropped Clarke to No. 6 when the usual openers returned at Brisbane and Walters said he would have to accept more similar treatment. “Michael has done a fantastic job as an opener and I don’t blame him for wanting to stay there,” he said. “Gilchrist goes down to No. 7 for the Tests, so it’s probably fair enough if Michael has to do it in the one-dayers.”With Gilchrist resting, Clarke will start with Hayden against West Indies at Adelaide on Wednesday and expects to be demoted when Gilchrist returns on Sunday. Damien Martyn has also been given a week’s break and should be back for the same match against Pakistan at the WACA.Walters said he was disappointed by the SCG crowd’s booing of Hayden’s 27 off 65 balls as he took the strike from Clarke. “It’s not the way an SCG crowd should behave,” Walters, who has a stand named after him at the ground, said. “He’s obviously struggling a bit at the moment but he’ll come good, he’s a very important part of the Australian team.”Ricky Ponting felt the crowd was upset by Hayden getting singles from the final ball of the over rather than his slow scoring. “It’s disappointing when you’re trying your absolute best and hardest and you’re copping it from your home crowd,” he said. “But that happens, that’s sport.”