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Following months of speculation, it looks as if Manchester United finally have their man after having agreed a deal for Danish sensation, Rasmus Hojlund, with the 20-year-old set to sign from Atalanta for a fee of around £72m after spending just a solitary season in Italy.

The former Sturm Graz ace has been identified by Erik ten Hag as the man to ease United's centre-forward woes, with long-serving asset Anthony Martial having proven himself wholly unreliable due to his repeated injury setbacks in recent years.

With the Red Devils having already moved on Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest – and with fellow youngster Facundo Pellistri in line for a loan exit – the addition of Hojlund may not be the end of the attacking additions at Old Trafford this summer, with Manchester Evening News recently reporting that the former Ajax boss is keen on bringing in another asset who can feature all across the frontline.

Who will Man United sign after Hojlund?

One perhaps left-field name that has been mentioned as a potential attacking recruit in recent months is AZ Alkmaar winger, Jesper Karlsson, with The Sun reporting back in January that the 25-year-old was among a raft of Eredivisie-based talents that Ten Hag was keen to keep an eye on.

Read the latest Manchester United transfer news HERE…

More recently, reports in Italy back in June suggested that the Premier League giants were providing 'stiff competition' in the battle to land the Sweden international, with the former IF Elfsborg man – who has also been linked with a move to Lazio – currently valued at a bargain price of just €20m (£17m).

While typically deployed in a wide left-berth, the 5 foot 10 ace's versatility to feature on the right flank or through the middle could ensure that he is the type of figure that Ten Hag is chasing, with those at the Theatre of Dreams needing to considering stepping up their interest in the near future.

Who is Jesper Karlsson?

It remains to be seen just how United's forward line will shape up next season, with the future of Ivorian wizard, Amad Diallo, still up in the air following the 21-year-old's return from his stellar stint on loan at Sunderland – in which he scored 13 goals and provided three assists in the Championship.

Despite being included in the club's recent pre-season tour, the former Atalanta starlet has seen his involvement hampered by injury, with the wait for the youngster to truly make his mark at the club still ongoing, after scoring once in just nine first-team appearances to date.

With Amad still yet to truly prove himself at the top level, the addition of Karlsson could well represent something of an upgrade on the flanks, with the 11-cap international having been hailed as "unpredictable" and "inventive" by transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Falkenberg-born star is coming off the back of a fine 2022/23 campaign in which he scored 13 goals and registered eight assists in 33 games in all competitions, with that taking his tally for AZ to 79 goal involvements in 123 appearances in total.

Also lauded as a "very tricky winger" by journalist Josh Bunting, Karlsson's superior creative threat is shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 17% among his European peers for progressive passes, while Amad ranks in just the top 27% in that regard.

That ability to provide quality service from his wide berth is also shown by the fact that the Swede created ten big chances and averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the Eredivisie last term, while Amad created just four big chances and averaged just 1.1 key passes, while competing in England's second tier.

That would suggest that if Ten Hag is looking to find a suitable fit to rival the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony next season, then Karlsson could represent a more impressive, proven option than that of Amad.

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo has an "offer from Tottenham" on the table but it is believed he prefers a move to Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco.

Who will Spurs sign?

New manager Ange Postecoglou has already seen a trio of new signings come through the door since the beginning of his tenure, namely goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon.

The three stars join Pedro Porro, who signed permanently from Sporting Lisbon, and winger Dejan Kulusevski who was confirmed as a permanent Tottenham player after 18 months on loan from Juventus.

Spurs are widely believed to be targeting a new central defender next for Postecoglou, with reliable media sources claiming they want two senior stars to bolster that area of the squad.

Postecoglou, speaking to the media recently, even admitted that is something chairman Daniel Levy and co are currently attempting behind-the-scenes.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said the Spurs head coach when asked about new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

There have been a wide array of centre-backs linked with a move to north London, a long list which includes

أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي نانت، أنطوان كومباريه، عن تشكيل اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة رين في الجولة الثلاثين من الدوري الفرنسي.

ويلتقي نانت ورين في تمام الساعة الخامسة عصرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “لو بوجوار” بقيادة الحكم، ويلي ديلاجو.

ويحتل نانت قبل بداية المباراة المركز الرابع عشر برصيد 31 نقطة وكانت آخر مبارياته أمام لو هافر وانتهت بالفوز بهدف نظيف.

بينما يحتل رين المركز العاشر برصيد 39 نقطة وخسر آخر 3 مباريات.

وشهد تشكيل نانت تواجد مهاجم الفريق مصطفى محمد، أساسيًا كالعادة في آخر مباريات الكناري مع المدرب كومباريه.

اقرأ أيضًا | ليزامل مصطفى محمد.. تقارير: نانت يستهدف لاعب الأهلي في الصيف

📄𝗟𝗲 𝗫𝗜 𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲́𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 face à Rennes. pic.twitter.com/sOgNyM3b8Q — FC Nantes (@FCNantes) April 20, 2024

تشكيل نانت اليوم ضد رين في الدوري الفرنسي

راسة المرمى: ألبان لافونت.

خط الدفاع: كالفين أميان، جان كاستيليتو، نيكولاس بالويس، نيكولاس كوزا.

وسط الملعب: صامويل موتوسامي، دوجلاس أوجوستو، فلوران موليت، بيدرو تشيفيريلا، موسى سيسوكو.

الهجوم: مصطفى محمد.

ويجلس على مقاعد البدلاء: دينيس بيتريتش، إيراي كوميرت، ناثان زيزي، جان كيفين دوفيرين، ماركوس كوكو، بيني تراوري، تينو كاديويري، أوسو أبواه، عادل محمود.

Leeds United may have just endured one of the tougher seasons in their recent history, but the 49ers' takeover of the club should offer a renewed sense of excitement for a fanbase that has relentlessly stuck by this lacklustre team.

Despite their presence in the forthcoming Championship campaign, this should still remain a season of hope, dreaming of promotion rather than the struggles and misery that their Premier League stint largely consisted of.

What it also means is that they will be able to spend with intelligence once again, given the exit of Victor Orta late last term.

With the interim sporting director Nick Hammond having already sought to focus on domestic markets, recent rumours seem to align with this trend.

Phil Hay detailed one such example earlier in the week, as he wrote of the Whites' interest in Liverpool defender Nat Phillips. Despite being without a manager, it is said that this deal, which could cost the club around £10m, is one that they will push for regardless of who is chosen to take charge.

Would Nat Phillips be a success at Leeds United?

Having only been promoted into the Reds' senior side due to their centre-back crisis in 2020, the 26-year-old defender has actually developed into quite a competent asset and starred on many occasions for Jurgen Klopp.

In fact, it was he who has led the praise for the academy graduate, noting in 2021: "In the air he's a monster but you could see it today, he's football-wise not bad, really good."

Across his 17 Premier League games that year, the Englishman maintained an impressive 7.19 average rating, upheld through his 84% pass accuracy and 4.8 clearances per game, via Sofascore.

Such outstanding form caught the eye of Scott Parker, who convinced the Merseyside club to let him join his AFC Bournemouth side on loan for the second half of the 2021/22 season.

There, he would once again prove his worth, helping the Cherries to secure promotion as his rating remained at 7.07.

As a defensive powerhouse with a focus on never shirking the hard work, it is hard not to draw comparisons between the 6 foot 3 goliath and Leeds' club captain Liam Cooper.

However, as the Scotsman has grown older, his body has begun failing him more and more, meaning he seldom can offer that physical and technical superiority that made him such a fan favourite.

Injuries have meant that the 31-year-old could only manage 18 league appearances last term, with an average rating of 6.73 showcasing his downturn in form.

To replace his steely persona with an equally battle-hardened ace, who already has experience at this level and way beyond, Phillips could underpin the 49ers' new-look side for many years to come and repeat his feats of the past to help secure an instant promotion.

Shakib Al Hasan has said his century on the third day stemmed from a lot of “thinking overnight”

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo17-Mar-2017Shakib Al Hasan was cagey about what drove him to recklessness on the second evening, but conceded he had done some hard thinking overnight before he resumed his innings where he went on to score a vital hundred on the third day of Bangladesh’s 100th Test against Sri Lanka.Bangladesh had lost two quick wickets and would soon lose a third when he had arrived at the crease yesterday, and though they were in danger of being dismissed well short of Sri Lanka’s 338, Shakib was nevertheless aggressive: he hit 18 off eight balls, and would have been out for 11 had Upul Tharanga held on to a chance at deep square leg.This morning’s session saw a different Shakib, however. He would hit only two further boundaries before lunch, and though he could have been run out on 40, he was largely content to push the ball around for runs into the outfield – relying on the paddle towards fine leg and a back-foot punch through the offside to bring him runs. At lunch he was at 57 off 78 balls, and progressed to his fifth Test century off the 143rd ball he faced.Shakib was unwilling to dwell on why he had been so belligerent on the second day, providing curt answers, or stonewalling the question completely whenever the topic was breached. But he did concede that there certainly had been a change in his mindset.”Yesterday, as I was not out, there was time at night to think about it. And in that time I thought about what approach would be good, especially the way Dinesh Chandimal batted in the first innings,” Shakib said. “I think there was a lot to learn from that knock with respect to how to bat in this innings. That helped. I had to work really hard to get those runs.” Chandimal’s innings had been uncharacteristically measured where he took 300 balls to score 138.Shakib’s century took Bangladesh to a strong position in the Test, as they imposed a lead of 129 at the end of two innings. Bangladesh’s batting saw them move onto unfamiliar territory, having only once earlier taken a first-innings lead after batting second away from home.”If in any situation you can score a hundred, from a personal viewpoint it is a special thing,” Shakib said. “Since there was a big need to score runs here and I could do that, I am very happy. Now the situation is very good, it is in a balanced state.”Sri Lanka cut that lead down to 75 by stumps – their openers combining for 54. In the past, Sri Lanka have overturned two first-innings deficits against Australia last year although they did not have a three-digit deficit in either of those Tests.”I think the first session tomorrow will be the most important session in the whole Test,” Shakib said. “It is very balanced, but if tomorrow if they bat well, the match may get away from us, and if we bowl well and take wickets we will be in the driving seat. A lot depends on that period.”Though there was significant turn on the pitch from the first day itself, there has been less in the surface for the bowlers since. However, Mehedi Hasan and Rangana Herath did get some bite out of the pitch towards the end of day three, which suggests the surface will increasingly begin to favour the slow bowlers as the Test continues.”I think the wicket gives enough assistance, but we have to bowl in very good areas. I won’t say that it is in a very bad state, neither is it in a good state. There is enough help, but for that we have to be patient.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been offered the chance to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, if reports are to be believed.

What's the latest on Harry Maguire's future?

The 30-year-old has been the subject of talk surrounding his future this transfer window, with a number of clubs named to be circling the centre-back.

Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed whilst talking to the United Stand’s YouTube channel (41:03) that Wolves could be a “dark horse” in the race to lure the Englishman away from Old Trafford.

Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer expert Dean Jones revealed that to his belief the idea of signing Maguire has been “put to” the Midlands club, who could add defensive reinforcements this summer.

It’s expected to be a busy window for Julen Lopetegui, who will be operating proceedings on a budget, with one major talking point regarding the potential interest in the United captain being his £35m price tag, as reported by FootballTransfers.

Despite the hefty fee, Wolves may be open to negotiating a deal for the Englishman, especially considering their outgoings including once trusted centre-back Conor Coady, who is rumoured to imminently join Leicester City.

After nearly eight years at Molineux, involving a recent loan spell at Everton, the 30-year-old will depart after making fond memories in the Midlands, however, his presence at Wolves could be filled by a player of the experience of Maguire.

What could Harry Maguire offer to Wolves?

While the past few years have been cruel to the Red Devils captain, displaying poor form hindered by lack of confidence, the 30-year-old could seek new beginnings at Molineux, and rediscover his quality of the past in Lopetegui’s side.

Hailed as “world-class” by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, Maguire was regarded as one of the league’s best central defenders after being snatched by United for £80m in 2019.

In his first season at Old Trafford, the former Sheffield United gem averaged impressive numbers in the Premier League, asserting his dominance as both his club and country’s number one centre-back.

As per WhoScored, in the 2019/20 campaign, the Sheffield-born defender averaged 1.9 interceptions, one tackle and a monstrous 4.1 clearances per game representing United, all while committing 0.9 fouls on average per game.

The Englishman’s professionalism and reading of the game has seen him lauded as “dominating and dictating” by manager Erik ten Hag, making him a potentially attractive addition to Wolves considering Coady’s departure.

As former captain at Molineux, the Liverpool-born defender was also a commanding figure on the pitch, however, could see his permanent absence mourned less should Lopetegui consider Maguire.

In his final season in the Midlands, Coady operated as a commander of the back line, but as told by the statistics, failed to hit the heights that Maguire did in his first campaign at Untied.

As per WhoScored, the 30-year-old averaged 0.8 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 3.7 clearances in the 2021/22 season.

The transfer saga regarding the £200k-per-week defender will twist and turn, however, Lopetegui may consider the experienced Englishman to reinstate the dominance left by Coady at Molineux should the price be right.

Arsenal's constantly-increasing stature in the game is already paying dividends this summer, as they seem set to secure yet another deal…

What's the latest on Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?

Having already reportedly tempted Kai Havertz to join their revolution, with it well reported that he "only wanted to join Arsenal", Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has now detailed another star who is reportedly desperate to mimic such a move.

Writing on his Twitter, he outlined the Gunners' interest in Ajax star Jurrien Timber and the reciprocal feeling of the Dutchman: "J. #Timber wants to join Arsenal as his move was prepared in detail in the last weeks. #Ajax in negotiations with Arsenal now. Agreement expected between €40-45m. ManUtd no topic as they have a similar profile with Martinez."

With the apex of his price tag settling at this €45m (£39m) fee, this seems one of the more affordable deals given the figures being touted for some of their other potential deals. Given he could strike up a fine partnership with Bukayo Saka down that right flank too, it truly is a tantalising option.

How good is Jurrien Timber?

Although predominantly a centre-back, his immense versatility means that the 22-year-old is just as comfortable as a central midfielder, and therefore also as an inverting full-back.

Such qualities have understandably drawn comparisons with another of the Gunners' technically-proficient defenders, with journalist Sam Dean suggesting he was a "Zinchenko-type player".

When delving into his underlying statistics, it is clear that he is comfortably one of the best ball-playing central defenders in Europe. This aids in the notion that his true potential lies in a more advanced role, perhaps just behind Saka to form a truly potent right side.

FBref details what makes Timber so special, by pitting him against others in that centre-back role across the continent. The youngster still manages to rank in the top 1% for passes attempted, pass completion rate, progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.

Football writer Anthony Onifade even outlined why the defender would be ideal for Mikel Arteta's fluid system in particular, taking to Twitter: "Jurrien Timber would be EXCEPTIONAL for Mikel Arteta, just as he would be for Erik ten Hag. He’s an elite-level footballer, incredible tactical smarts and intelligence who’d fit into any possession-based side like a glove. A masterstroke if AFC pull this off."

To place such creativity behind Saka could help the England international take his game to another level, despite enjoying a true standout campaign last term. The 21-year-old found the net on 15 occasions, offering up 11 assists too in all competitions whilst featuring in every single league game.

He did all this with the defensively solid but creatively-lacking exploits of Ben White behind him, further emphasising the attacking quality of their young trickster.

After all, the 25-year-old could only muster 0.7 key passes per game in the league. Swapping that out for Timber could prove revolutionary, and might be the catalyst to make Arteta's team true Premier League challengers.

كشف مصدر خاص داخل نادي الزمالك، النقاب عن تطورات تعافي لاعب الفريق الجديد زياد كمال من الإصابة.

ويعاني اللاعب القادم من صفوف إنبي على سبيل الإعارة من إصابة بمزق في العضلة الخلفية.

زيزو يعلن موقفه من المشاركة في مباراة الزمالك القادمة

وعلم بطولات أن زياد كمال قد أنهى برنامجه التأهيلي ليكون جاهزًا للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية بدءًا من الغد.

ويبدأ زياد كمال المشاركة في التدريبات ليكون جاهزًا للانضمام لمباريات الزمالك المقبلة.

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة الداخلية مساء الخميس المقبل ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل”.

Persistent rain ruled out any chance of play in the second and third sessions after Pakistan, having chosen an all-seam attack on a green pitch, picked up two New Zealand wickets after winning the toss

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe cut featured prominently among Ross Taylor’s six fours•Getty ImagesPersistent rain ruled out any chance of play in the second and third sessions after Pakistan, having chosen an all-seam attack on a green pitch, picked up two New Zealand wickets after winning the toss. New Zealand batted positively, going after anything marginally loose, and scored 77 runs in 21 overs before rain forced an early lunch, 15 minutes before schedule. With intermittent showers continuing to afflict Seddon Park, umpires called off play at 4pm.It left the Test match suspended in an interesting though still embryonic position with Jeet Raval, carrying on from his impressive debut in Christchurch, batting on 35 and Ross Taylor, who seemed unbothered by the pterygium in his left eye, on 29 off 20 balls.Taylor looked far more assured than he had done in either South Africa or India, lining up in a more side-on stance than normal, and, perhaps as a consequence, lifting his bat up behind him rather than out towards gully as is usually the case, allowing it to come down straighter in defence while having no adverse effect on his traditional strength, the square-cut. Of the six fours he hit, five came off this shot.This was also because Pakistan bowled too short and too wide at him, and in general weren’t as accurate as the conditions demanded. Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz were particularly guilty of spraying the ball around, while Imran Khan, returning to the Test line-up after more than a year, looked rusty, often slanting the ball too wide of off stump to make Raval play.It was a curious unraveling after Mohammad Amir had begun as well as he possibly could have, every ball of his first over tight on off stump, curling away from a good length or just short of it, forcing the two left-handed openers to play, and produced four edges and two plays-and-misses. Two of the edges carried to Sami Aslam at first slip. He dropped the first, at knee height while falling to his left, to reprieve Raval, and caught the second, to send back Tom Latham for a first-ball duck.Aside from that let-off and a couple of loose drives away from his body, Raval showed impressive judgment outside off, particularly against the right-armers angling the ball across him. He profited particularly from nudges off his legs and pulls, the latter shot rather effective on a pitch where the ball came through with true bounce but not a lot of pace.Kane Williamson looked in excellent touch in his 42-ball stay at the crease, easing two effortless drives through the off side when Amir overpitched, and defending with the softest hands in the game. When Amir dropped a difficult return catch in the fifth over of the morning, off a firmly hit straight drive, it looked as if Williamson might go on and make a substantial score, but it wasn’t to be, as he fell to Sohail after a Pakistan review.Getting the ball to nibble in from outside off stump, Sohail produced a tentative, half-forward poke, and the bowler and all the fielders behind the wicket went up instinctively when they heard a click through to the keeper. Simon Fry gave it not out on the field, and Ian Gould, the third umpire, overturned his decision; it seemed a tight call to make. HotSpot did not register an edge, and the Real-Time Snickometer seemed to show a spike an instant the ball passed his inside edge, suggesting it may have hit his elbow. Some of the TV commentators, however, said they heard a double-noise, indicating the ball may have kissed the edge and then hit Williamson’s elbow.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said he is against the idea of splitting Test cricket into a two-tier structure, ahead of an ICC meeting in Dubai next week to discuss the proposal. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Thakur said the proposal was “fundamentally against the basic purpose and identity of the ICC.”According to the proposal, which enjoys the support of the cricket boards of Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand, the two-tier system would comprise seven teams in the top tier and five in the bottom. Afghanistan and Ireland, as the leading Associate teams, will join the three regular Test playing nations in the bottom tier.”As the governing body of the game, the ICC’s job is to popularise the game and increase its global reach,” Thakur said. “On the contrary, this system may be good for the top five countries, but apart from that, everyone else will suffer. On the one hand, we say we need to support teams like West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, while on the other, by bringing up something like this, we will cut their legs.”This is the third time in the past month that Thakur has spoken publicly about the BCCI’s reservations on the subject. In early August too, he had reasoned it would hurt the smaller countries, whose interests the BCCI wants to guard. Last week again, he alluded to his opposition to the system on the sidelines of the two T20Is between India and West Indies in Florida.Thakur said the one big ramification, if the ICC was to adopt the proposed two-tier system, was that it would directly impact the smaller countries financially.”Currently, these teams make good revenue from TV rights when bigger nations like India and other countries go and play against them. Their revenues will nosedive and they will struggle further to support their cricket at the grassroots level.”Elaborating further on his stance, Thakur said that going by the logic of the two-tier system, marquee series like India v South Africa or England v Australia were top draws.”And Bangladesh v England or Sri Lanka v Australia won’t have that much support from the viewer. Just imagine if people are not watching a top team against a lower-ranked team, will they watch two lower-ranked teams playing against each other? This will further escalate the problem of viewers losing interest. At least today, when a so-called weaker nation is playing against a top-ranked team, exceptional performances are noticed, improvements are sought and benchmarks are set.”But going by rankings alone, Thakur pointed out, would be turning a blind eye to reality. As an example, he provided Sri Lanka’s whitewash of Australia at home in the three-match Test series. “In a game of cricket, no nation should be taken lightly. The recently-concluded Australia versus Sri Lanka series is evidence of that. Sri Lanka, who are in danger of falling under the tier two category, annihilated Australia 3-0. How would that have happened had there been no series between them? So, it can’t be said that only top nations will produce top cricket.”It is understood that apart from the support of some leading boards, the move to implement a two-tier system is being backed by one of the ICC’s main commercial partners. Concerned about the fall in TV ratings in bilateral Test series, the system has been designed to enable more frequent “marquee clashes” that can generate more eyeballs, and, as a direct result, attract greater value from broadcasters. Thakur was unconvinced that a formula such as this could work in the long run.”Commercial partners have a key role to play in the growth of the game,” Thakur said. “Their concerns should be addressed and we should give them a fair hearing. But, at the same time, we have to see that the administration of the game cannot be seen from the standpoint of the balance sheet only. There needs to be a balance and we need to look at the overall health and growth of the game.”Dipping TV viewership of Test series is a cause of concern, but two big nations playing against each other all the time won’t guarantee you viewership. The recently-concluded India versus South Africa series was a battle between two top nations, but the TV ratings didn’t reflect the stature of the teams. The reasons for decline in viewer interest in Tests are far more complicated than what they appear. Changing the format of the FTP will be like applying band-aid to an issue that needs proper scanning and research. On one hand, we say we want to develop the game in new areas, and on the other, we are making top countries wealthier and the lower-rung countries weaker.”We oppose the system despite knowing that it will result in a financial windfall for the BCCI if implemented. But, as one of the key stakeholders of the game, we can’t be shortsighted and we need to take everyone along.”According to Thakur, the proposal should have been discussed by a “limited” set of people instead of being deliberated at the board level. “This proposal should have been discussed by a limited number of people before being brought to the ICC table, and, frankly, should have been rejected at the proposal stage itself. Our focus is to hand-hold and strengthen global cricket. As a leader, BCCI is clear in its goal to expand the game, make it popular in new areas and strengthen existing members as well.”This kind of two tier system works very well to support domestic cricket or where you have a larger pool of teams and the staging state associations are supported by their parent body and are not under pressure to generate their own revenues, or in leagues where things are considered strictly from a commercial perspective. As the global guardian of the game, we should have a larger perspective and bigger objectives.”Thakur’s comments can be expected to resonate positively with the boards that will be directly impacted if such a system is implemented. Sri Lanka Cricket, for instance, already made its opposition to the split format clear in July, as have the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The West Indies and Zimbabwe boards, already battling financial troubles, are also unlikely to back any move that will dent their bottom line further.