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Leeds United have made an impressive start on their return to the Championship as they currently sit third after 16 matches, eight points behind the automatic promotions places.

The foundations of their success so far have been built from placing their faith in Daniel Farke to rebuild a fractured squad that was damaged from a gut-wrenching relegation.

He offloaded several players who wanted to immediately jump ship, either permanently or on loan, as the likes of Tyler Adams, Rodrigo, Brenden Aaronson and Jack Harrison all left the club.

The German then splashed the cash wisely on nine new recruits, including Ethan Ampadu, Joel Piroe and Glen Kamara.

Those three, in particular, have played pivotal roles in their positive start to the season and although the Whites largely nailed their recruitment this summer, that wasn't the case during Victor Orta's reign, who left his post as director of football in May.

Towards the end of his six-year spell at the club, Orta's reckless decision-making in the transfer window was the main reason why Leeds plummeted towards the Championship.

This was prevalent in the summer of 2022, as star players Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha were replaced with Jesse Marsch-inspired signings, Adams, Luis Sinisterra, Aaronson and Georginio Rutter.

Despite spending a whopping €151m (£132m) on talent, as per Transfermarkt, none of them were able to prevent their landslide into the second tier, despite finishing in ninth the season before.

Orta's work as director of football wasn't all bad, though, as demonstrated by the £10m sale of Jack Clarke to Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.

Although that looks like a bad deal now – given his blistering form – at the time it looked like a resounding success.

Jack Clarke's Leeds United statistics

Clarke broke onto the scene as an exciting young winger coming through the academy and made his debut at the age of 17 in a 1-1 draw against Brentford in October 2018.

Having broken into the first team under Marcelo Bielsa, the teenager contributed two goals and two assists in 22 Championship appearances during the 2018/19 campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham's manager at the time, felt he could take a gamble on the youngster's potential and paid a whopping £10m for him in the summer of 2019, but he struggled to break into the first-team at north London, making just four senior appearances in total.

He returned to Elland Road on loan for the 2019/20 season in search of regular first-team football, but he saw his game time extremely limited in the first half of the campaign, managing just 19 minutes of Championship action, which saw him recalled and sent to QPR.

While the allure of new surroundings and the chance to impress was an attractive proposition for Clarke, he only managed six substitute appearances for the Hoops, which left Leeds delighted about receiving such a fee for a player who barely made a name for himself in the second tier.

One more disappointing loan spell would follow at Stoke City but when Sunderland came calling at the start of the 2021/22 campaign – and Clarke's expected transfer value (xTV) was at a lowly €1.7m (£1.4m) – it seemed Orta's decision to sell him was a good one.

Jack Clarke's Sunderland statistics

Despite managing just one goal and four assists in 20 appearances for the Black Cats as they were promoted back to the Championship in 2022, he was signed on a permanent deal from Spurs in that summer.

Although it was questioned at the time, taking a gamble on a player whose stock was low has proven to be an inspired piece of business, with the 22-year-old becoming one of the second tier's most sought-after prospects.

In 48 matches across all competitions last term, he began to deliver on the potential that his formative years promised, posting 11 goals and supplying 13 assists as he helped inspire Sunderland to a play-off place.

The fleet-footed winger, who was described by writer Josh Bunting as "unplayable" for his performances, has taken his goalscoring to new heights during this campaign and alerted a whole host of top-flight clubs in the process.

With a whopping nine goals in 16 matches, clubs have been left salivating over Clarke's ability to cut in from the left flank and leave opposition defences in his wake.

It's this signature move that defenders have found near impossible to stop and when they do hack him down, it normally results in a penalty, with the Englishman ranking in the top 1% against his positional peers in the Championship for penalties won this season, as per FBref.

Clarke's exceptional dribbling and effortless ball-carrying have also stood out as the best in the division, ranking top for successful dribbles completed per game (3.4), as per Sofascore, while beating the likes of dribble-happy widemen Jaden Philogene (3.3) and Kamaldeen Sulemana (3.2).

When Leeds cashed in on the Englishman for £10m four years ago, dubbed a "super talent" and a "diamond" by Mowbray, they wouldn't have anticipated him outscoring every player in the Whites squad this season, including fellow dribble demon, Daniel James.

Jack Clarke vs Dan James 23/24 statistics

James was signed from Manchester United for £25m in 2021 and although the Welshman struggled in the Premier League, scoring just four times for Leeds in 36 appearances, he's found his range in the second tier.

The 26-year-old has chalked up four goals and four assists thus far, which places him joint second for goal contributions in the Leeds squad with Rutter, but he still doesn't come close to eclipsing the devastating impact that Clarke has made in the second tier.

When comparing their statistics in the Championship, Leeds are left cursing their decision-making in the transfer market as the former Thorp Arch Academy graduate is levels ahead of James across most attacking metrics.

Statistic

Jack Clarke

Dan James

Non-penalty goals

0.32

0.38

Progressive passes

5.22

3.85

Progressive carries

8.38

5.35

Successful take-ons

3.48

1.22

Touches (Att pen)

7.41

5.35

Carries into the pen area

4.45

2.07

Key passes

2.13

2.63

All stats via FBref

Although James averages more key passes and posts more non-penalty goals per 90, it is telling that Clarke beats the Leeds man in every other category, smashing him off the park for how dangerous he is at carrying the ball forward.

At the time, receiving £10m for the £17k-per-week whiz looked like an inspired piece of business, but considering Sunderland have set an asking price of more than £20m for him, amid interest from Burnley and Brentford ahead of January, seeing him reach his Premier League potential is a bitter pill for the Whites hierarchy to swallow.

Tottenham Hotspur are now becoming ready to sell a "quick" player for good as the Lilywhites reportedly settle on an asking price.

Spurs transfer plans taking fold

2024 will be a very interesting year when it comes to transfer activity at Spurs, with reports suggesting that new sporting director Johan Lange is prioritising the addition of a new left-sided centre-back.

Micky van de Ven's injury, which will keep him out for the remainder of the year, and a suspension for Cristian Romero have exposed Tottenham's glaring lack of depth in the position. As a result, it is believed Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, Everton ace Ben Godfrey, Uruguay star Sebastian Caceres and Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi are all being considered by Spurs.

Elsewhere in the squad, it is believed that Spurs are eager to sign a new midfielder, leading to their newly-found interest in Fluminese star Andre as a possible replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Dane, despite manager Ange Postecoglou's short numbers, could still leave in January. However, he isn't the only player who could soon be set to depart, with defender Eric Dier out of contract in the summer. Exits will be a big talking point, as Spurs summer loanees will also be set to return at the end of the Premier League season.

Spurs now ready to sell Rodon

One of them, Wales international defender Joe Rodon, is currently enjoying a brilliant temporary stint at Leeds United in the Championship.

The 26-year-old was signed by Jose Mourinho in 2020 but hasn't quite got his Spurs career off the ground, with TEAMtalk sharing an update on his future. It is now believed Tottenham would be ready to sell Rodon permanently, despite his excellent start at Elland Road, and are willing to do so for a fee in and around £20 million.

There have been suggestions that Spurs should recall the former Swansea City star from his loan spell at Leeds to solve Postecoglou's lack of defensive depth, but it appears the centre-back doesn't feature in his plans as things stand.

Passing

Aerial duels

Likes to play the ball short

Doesn't dive into tackles

Rodon has started 12 second-tier games, becoming a mainstay under Daniel Farke, with Ben Davies hailing his "terrific" international teammate.

“Joe is a terrific player," said Davies.

"Every time I play with him with Wales he is very solid, good on the ball and I think we have a good understanding. To see him have success at Leeds, it really does make me happy.

“Joe is one of my best mates in football, so we speak all the time. He is the type of player that, when he is at somewhere he is feeling valued and he is getting a good run of games, he is a really, really good defender and I think he is showing that right now.”

Rodon has also been revered for his pace, with former Man United winger Ryan Giggs calling him "quick".

With the World Cup as his ultimate goal, Dale Steyn is relishing the challenge to fight for his spot against South Africa’s young pacers

Liam Brickhill27-Sep-2018A reinvigorated Dale Steyn is relishing the challenge of fighting his way back into contention for a spot in South Africa’s travelling party for next year’s World Cup. First, though, he’ll have to nail down his place in their starting XI in a summer of ODIs against Zimbabwe, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.”I’m feeling really good,” said Steyn three days before the start of South Africa’s international summer. “Having played my last game only two weeks ago for Hampshire I feel like I’m going, I’m flying.”But white ball is a whole new challenge. I’ve been playing red ball in UK, so white ball is going to be a different challenge. All the skills, batters coming at you, the Powerplays all of that kind of stuff. And I haven’t played white ball international cricket for quite some time.”His coach Ottis Gibson holds that Steyn is still “one of the best two bowlers in the country”, but 35 is a stately age for an express quick, especially one without much white-ball bowling in his legs in the recent past. The new ball will be difficult to prise from Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi’s hands, “and that’s good”, reckons Steyn.”It’s good to have challenges. I think Lungi and KG would also appreciate the fact that I’m coming back into the side because they would also know that their positions are under threat. We all are. You can only take a handful of these fast bowlers to the World Cup and we’re all fighting for a spot.”The galvanising pressure and excitement of a chance to go to England next year will add a little vim to the efforts of the South Africans over the next few months, and Steyn is as motivated as any of them. In fact, he sees it as his job to draw the best out of his team-mates, even as they compete in a zero-sum joust for positions.”Everyone wants to go to the World Cup and I would love to go to the World Cup, but individually I would love nothing more than to see the Proteas win a World Cup,” Steyn said. “And if that means that I don’t go, then so be it. I did my job coming in here, pushing guys to perform at their best. Pushing KG, pushing Lungi, pushing Andile, all these guys. I’m just happy to be here, playing cricket, and challenging them.”

“It’s good to have challenges. I think Lungi and KG would also appreciate the fact that I’m coming back into the side because they would also know that their positions are under threat. We all are. You can only take a handful of these fast bowlers to the World Cup and we’re all fighting for a spot.”Dale Steyn

In Steyn’s absence, Rabada has blossomed into one of the world’s best fast bowlers. He’s ranked eighth in the ICC’s ODI bowling rankings, and second in Tests (Steyn, meanwhile, has slipped to 22nd in Tests and doesn’t feature at all in the ODI top 100, having not played for so long). So quickly has Rabada established himself, so full is his mantle with awards already, that it is easy to forget that he is still only 23 and a relative newcomer. Ngidi is younger and greener still, and Steyn urged temperance in the expectations of the fans and the media.”KG is phenomenal,” he said. “Over the last few years, he’s won awards that I didn’t even know existed. He’s brilliant. Lungi is just feeding off that, and he’s also great. He’s special. He’s really young. And the only thing I can ask is that the media and the people of the country just understand that these are two very young men, and they’re doing their best to win games for South Africa and they’re extremely talented, but they also only have a handful of cricket games between the two of them. So let’s not look into it too deeply right now, let’s give them the freedom to play and the time to grow because they’re special talents.”Steyn would know a thing or two about the harm that undue pressure on the shoulders of a young cricketer can do, having borne plenty of his own early in his career. That is surely just one of many truths he must have learned over his last 14 years as an international cricketer, and while Steyn jokingly accepted the role of mentor that Ottis Gibson has envisioned for him, he’s the loquacious type and chatting to his team-mates from mid-off, at the top of his run, or in the nets is something that comes very easily.”If I’m going to be a mentor they should be paying me more!” said Steyn, with a chuckle. “But I’ve always been someone who stands at the top of my mark when I’m bowling and I’ll talk to the other bowlers. And Morne [Morkel] was also really good at that. Jacques Kalllis, these guys. So I learned from some of the best players in the world. It would be a sin not to pass on that knowledge that I learned from guys like Boucher. Even though he wasn’t a fast bowler, you know, we played catch. He was my keeper. If there’s anyone who knows my action even better than I know it myself, it would be Mark Boucher. And the conversations I had with him are the same conversations I hope I can share with all these young players coming through.”Steyn hasn’t bowled a white ball in an international since he took 0 for 56 from 9.2 against Australia at Newlands almost two years ago. If he has any bad memories from that night, when he also dropped Aaron Finch at third man, or that series (and he can’t have had too much fun, averaging 50+ and going at almost seven an over in the ODIs), he’s long since forgotten them. What he does remember is that South Africa won 5-0. “It’s so bloody long ago I can’t even remember it,” he said. “What I do remember is that we won five-nil. And it’s a team game. And that’s all that matters.”Dale Steyn wants to make an impact on his return•Getty ImagesRather more fresh in the memory – and the legs – will be Steyn’s time with Hampshire over the last two months. He insisted that he enjoyed his taste of the County treadmill, taking 18 wickets across two formats and managing to stay injury free. Almost.”It was good to go over and play there, be on the park consistently. You know when you’re playing four-day cricket there you play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday you’ve got Friday, Saturday off and then you start another one on Sunday, with a bit of travelling in between. So you are constantly playing, non-stop. Which is great, because a lot of us play and when you get into good rhythm you actually don’t want to wait a week, or five days, before the next one, you just want to carry on going. So it was quite nice to constantly play.”And I was quite pleased with myself that I managed to get through all of that without really any issues. I had one little groin niggle, which flared up on quite a lot of news sites. The only problem was that it takes 7 or 8 days for one of those little groin niggles to heal, and because of the quick turnaround in terms of games I had to miss a game. But I followed it up again with no issues after that.”Steyn also played four T20s in England, so his mixed bag of limited-overs deliveries should be in good working order and there shouldn’t be too much rust to be blown off. All the same, he’ll spend the next few days honing his skills and, most importantly, getting his head in the right space.”In the nets I’ll just work on a couple of skills: yorker, a couple of slower balls, and all the skills a fast bowler has in their arsenal. But then it’s just mindset. You know, it’s getting used to the fact that there is a chance that you could go at eight an over, even 10 an over. A lot of us run in and we think that four and a half an over is perfect. Those days are gone! No bowler runs in and takes 3 for 40 anymore. Bowling in Powerplays is really difficult.”ODI bowling is really a mindset thing right now. And if you can get into the right mindset and be content with the fact that one day you might go for a 100 and the next day you might be the hero, then you’ll be fine. It’s just a mindset really when it comes to one day cricket.”That’s just the sort of advice he’ll be sharing in the nets, too.

ScorecardNorthamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely revived his team’s chances of pulling off a record-breaking run chase after another Wayne Madsen century set up the prospect of a thrilling finish to the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.Madsen made 116 and allrounder Matt Critchley 51 as Derbyshire posted 342 to set Northants 314, which would be the highest fourth innings total at Queen’s Park. Dan Wheeldon dismissed England batsman Ben Duckett to claim his maiden first-class wicket but 68 from Luke Proctor and an unbeaten 48 from Wakely took the visitors to 174 for 3, 140 short of their target.The first session was always likely to be pivotal and Derbyshire were the team who went into lunch in a position of strength thanks to Madsen and Harvey Hosein. Both played patiently to deny Northants early wickets and although the bowlers maintained discipline on another stiflingly hot morning, there were few alarms for the batsmen.By the time Hosein was bowled sweeping at Seekkuge Prasanna for 38, Derbyshire’s lead was 180 and Critchley helped Madsen add another 40 to that by lunch. Madsen completed his 27th first-class hundred for Derbyshire from 170 balls and although he fell to a smart slip catch soon after, he had given his side the initiative.Critchley acknowledged his fourth Championship fifty of the season before he was unluckily run out but Hardus Viljoen hit Prassana for two big sixes to take Derbyshire’s lead past 300.Northants knew they would have to bat exceptionally well on a pitch taking increasing turn and the odds against them appeared to lengthen when they lost Duckett and Ricardo Vasconcelos in the first 14 overs.Duckett was hit on the back leg by a good ball from Wheeldon and when Vasconcelos edged offspinner Hamidullah Qadri to slip, the target looked a long way off. But Proctor and Wakely showed good judgement and Northants’s hopes were starting to climb when Critchley got one to pop to have Proctor caught at leg slip.Another wicket would have made Derbyshire favourites but Wakely and Richard Levi batted through the last 10 overs to tilt the match towards Northants although the outcome remains in the balance.

If there were concerns over Newcastle United's form after Brighton & Hove Albion consigned Eddie Howe's side to a third successive Premier League defeat last month, they have been decimated following an incredible run of form.

The Magpies defeated Sheffield United with a jaw-dropping eight-goal haul before defeating Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and Burnley in the league; the cream of the crop, though, is surely the 4-1 drubbing of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Newcastle now face a trip to east London in the top flight to take on West Ham United, with both sides eyeing a route into the top four.

What's the latest Newcastle team news?

The Magpies are emboldened by the recent contract extension of Bruno Guimaraes, who will serve as the flourishing midfield centrepiece as usual.

On the injury front, Joelinton and Callum Wilson are both believed to be edging toward a return from respective hamstring injuries, though Sven Botman, Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes will not be in contention to play as they continue their rehabilitation from various setbacks.

Anthony Gordon will also miss that match at the London Stadium as he serves a one-match suspension after picking up a yellow card against Burnley, which could lead to a starting berth for Jacob Murphy.

Will Jacob Murphy start vs West Ham?

Murphy has only started twice this season, and neither time in the Premier League, but given the absence of both Gordon and Barnes, it might be high time for him to make his mark from the opening whistle.

The 5 foot 9 speedster has previously been hailed as "so important" to Howe's system by reporter Chris Waugh, who has also praised his “relentless" energy, which are attributes that could be a good fit to take apart a resolute Hammers backline.

To evidence this, the 28-year-old ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90, and within the top 25% for goals, progressive carries, touches in the attacking box and blocks per 90, as per FBref.

The £35k-per-week machine is dynamic and versatile, and it might be worth deploying him down the left, combatting the in-form Jarrod Bowen down West Ham's attacking right side, having scored five goals from seven appearances in the Premier League this season.

Bowen, who has been described as "unbelievable" by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, will find a tough time finding and holding space in promising positions with an insistent thorn in his side such as Murphy.

While there is the option of playing Wilson – who is among the most prolific goalscorers across Europe right now, ranking among the top 6% of forwards for goals and the top 9% for assists per 90 – the former Bournemouth man has scored four times in the Premier League already this season, despite only starting two times, which suggests he would be well-placed to enter after the break.

This is due to his starting berth resulting in Alexander Isak being shifted out onto the left, and while the Swede can find success in the role, he is in form and flourishing himself and must be allowed to continue his exploits as the focal frontman.

Murphy's involvement from the start could prove to be a neat trick for Howe to perform this term, and one that could pay dividends as Newcastle seek yet another victory to continue this vibrant purple patch.

Shane Deitz flicks off his pads for runs through the leg side•Peter Della Penna

Vanuatu’s late rally after three consecutive losses at the start of the WCL Division Four has put Denmark’s final-standings fate out of their own hands as the NiVans upended the Danes by five wickets with as many balls to spare at the Kinrara Academy Oval to become the first team all week to successfully chase a target at the ground.Overhauling Denmark’s 234 with half-centuries from the top three – vice-captain Jonathon Dunn (86 off 139 balls), Joshua Rasu (69 off 77), and Patrick Matautaava (53 off 42) – Vanuatu registered their second successful chase in three days. Dunn had scored only 15 runs in Malaysia coming into the match while Matautaava more than doubled his week-long output of 49 runs. Rasu ended three runs short of doubling his group-stage tally.All three were due for a score, particularly Matautaava after his Player-of-the-Tournament performance at Division Five in September, and they came up trumps in style against Denmark. Dunn and Rasu put on 116 for the first wicket before Matautaava took over following the dismissal of Rasu. Matautaava blasted his way to a half-century off 33 balls, putting Denmark in serious jeopardy of not only losing outright, but also losing their net-run-rate tiebreaker advantage over Jersey.Denmark entered the day with a 12.2 over or 54-run net positive differential with Jersey on the net-run-rate tiebreaker. At one stage, thanks to Matautaava’s blitz which took the score to 167 for 1 in 31 overs, most of that differential was on the brink of being wiped out. But the spin troika of Bashir Shah, Nicolaj Laegsgaard and Saif Ahmad dug deep to stretch the game into the final over, with Saif nipping out Matautaava and captain Andrew Mansale to slow Vanuatu’s charge and, in the process, help preserve some of their tiebreak advantage over Jersey in spite of the loss. Shane Deitz, however, whacked a six off the first ball of the final over to seal the chase.Vanuatu’s bowlers set up the win with an excellent display at the death after Denmark had set themselves up for a launch from 182 for 4 at the 40-over mark thanks to half-centuries from Anders Bulow and captain Hamid Shah. But the middle order failed to kick on, adding only 40 through the next eight overs before Nalin Nipiko and Matautaava took two wickets each off four consecutive balls to end the 49th and start the 50th.Denmark will now rely on help from Uganda and Bermuda in matches to be replayed on Sunday in order to keep Jersey or Malaysia from leapfrogging them on the net-run-rate tiebreaker and into the promotion slots to move up to Division Three.

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O Corinthians volta a campo nesta quarta-feira, às 19h, diante do Santos, na Neo Química Arena, em partida válida pela 14ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, e contará mais uma vez com a presença “virtual” de seus torcedores, mesmo com os portões fechados por conta da pandemia de coronavírus.

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Anunciado em maio, o projeto “O Timão é a Sua Casa” permite que a torcida adquira fotos personalizadas que ficarão expostas na casa corintiana até o fim de 2020 ou até o retorno do público aos estádios. São duas as possibilidades de interação disponíveis para os alvinegros: a aplicação de fotos da torcida em um bandeirão ou totens personalizados distribuídos nas cadeiras do estádio.

Anderson de Lima Soares aproveitou a proximidade do Dia das Crianças, optou pela imagem em totem e decidiu homenagear o filho Victor, de 12 anos.

Corintiano fanático, Anderson, descobriu a ação por meio das redes sociais e teve a ideia de presentear o filho com o totem. Dentre as opções de compra disponíveis, o assistente de logística optou pelo plano VIP, que dá ao torcedor a chance de obter uma réplica do totem autografada pelo elenco corintiano, além de garantir sua presença “virtual” nas partidas.

– Já fomos a muitos jogos na Arena. Estávamos na despedida do Tite, contra o Botafogo, que foi o jogo que mais me emocionou. Sempre acompanho as notícias do Corinthians e descobri esse projeto pelas redes sociais. Não pensei duas vezes e resolvi homenagear o Victor. É um sentimento de estar presente com o time nos jogos, passando uma energia positiva aos atletas – contou.

– O Vitor só soube da compra do totem na hora de tirar as fotos. Enviamos e a aprovação veio logo em seguida. Ver o sorriso dele naquele momento foi gratificante e valeu todo o investimento. Depois de algum tempo, o totem autografado chegou e pudemos ver o resultado de perto. Ele reagiu com um sorriso e um Vai Corinthians – completou o torcedor alvinegro.

A ativação foi desenvolvida pela ESM Sports Business, empresa de marketing esportivo. Como foi dito acima, além da aplicação de fotos em um bandeirão, o torcedor pode adquirir totens personalizados distribuídos nas cadeiras do estádio. Os preços da experiência vão de R$49,99 até R$299,00 para o público geral, com desconto de 25% para membros do Fiel Torcedor.

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The fall of three late Bangladesh wickets lent hope the Chittagong Test may yet produce a result, after Sri Lanka had secured a first-innings lead of 200, amassing 713 for 9

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Feb-2018Dinesh Chandimal tucks the ball past short leg•Associated Press

The fall of three late Bangladesh wickets lent hope the Chittagong Test may yet produce a result, after Sri Lanka had secured a first-innings lead of 200, amassing 713 for 9. Roshen Silva completed an assured hundred, Dinesh Chandimal a measured 87 and Niroshan Dickwella a rapid 62, but it was Sri Lanka’s spinners who truly breathed life into the game. Finding turn with the almost-new ball, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan and Rangana Herath struck once each in the final 12 overs of the day. With both Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal among those dismissed, the Bangladesh middle order is now charged with carrying them to safety on day five. They are still 119 runs behind.The late wickets came after the hosts had begun their second innings with such confidence. Tamim Iqbal was not quite as belligerent as he had been in the first innings, but he was nevertheless positive, stroking Herath through midwicket early in his innings, before delectably flicking Suranga Lakmal through square leg in the fourth over. Sri Lanka raised some good lbw shouts, but batting still appeared a relatively uncomplicated exercise. Imrul Kayes was quieter than Tamim, but hardly seemed to be struggling.It was in the over that Imrul was dismissed that the vibe changed. Tamim was beaten twice by turning Dilruwan Perera deliveries before he finally managed to get himself off strike off the fifth ball. Imrul then somehow managed to get the toe-end of his bat to an attempted ramp shot, and the ball looped out towards the square leg fielder, who completed an easy take. The remaining 11.5 overs were tense; only two boundaries were struck before stumps. Tamim was largely to blame for his dismissal – prodding at a Sandakan ball that was not threatening the stumps, only to send a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Mushfiqur, however, can consider himself very unlucky. He got forward to defend a full delivery from Herath, only for the ball to hit his bat and bounce off his shoe. Kusal Mendis took a good low catch at silly point.Sri Lanka’s march to their gargantuan score was, it must be said, utterly tedious viewing, even if it may turn out to be in service of a Test win. The morning session was another speckled with Sri Lanka milestones – Roshen and Chandimal bringing up the third century stand of the innings, before Roshen completed a proficient maiden Test ton. Later in the session, after Roshen had been caught behind off a Mehidy Hasan delivery, Sri Lanka ploughed on past 600. Bangladesh’s bowlers were by now in various states of fatigue, and their four front-line bowlers had all conceded over 100 runs apiece.Where there had been urgency in the progress of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis on day three, Chandimal had largely been content to inch along, hitting three boundaries off the 185 deliveries he faced. Had he scored 13 more runs, he would have had a fifth Test century against Bangladesh, but soon after lunch, he allowed a straight Taijul Islam delivery to wriggle between bat and pad. The afternoon was enlivened, if only mildly, by Niroshan Dickwella’s aggression and Mehidy’s bowling.Dickwella’s sweeps and reverse-sweeps kept Sri Lanka’s score rolling – the most impressive of those shots the flat reverse sweep against Taijul that scorched to the boundary in front of square. Mehidy flighted the ball nicely and read the batsmen’s intentions well, often firing it fast and flat if he sensed his opponent would make an advance down the pitch. For his enduring boldness, Mehidy was rewarded with Dickwella’s wicket – the batsman top-edging an ill-advised reverse-sweep against the turn, to a ball that pitched well outside his leg stump. In the previous session, Dickwella had survived an lbw shout against Mehidy that could have fairly been given out, though the not-out decision would not have been overturned on review either.Dilruwan Perera contributed a largely uneventful 32 to the score, but when three quick wickets fell either side of tea, Chandimal decided Sri Lanka had batted long enough. All up, they had kept Bangladesh in the field for 199.3 overs, which was only three balls fewer than the longest stretch in the field a Bangladesh side had ever endured. Taijul’s workload was immense – he had bowled 67.3 overs in the innings.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has been tirelessly searching for a new strikeforce at Goodison Park this summer and could look to swoop on an outfit relegated from the Premier League…

Who do Everton want to sign?

As per multiple reports, Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana is attracting the attention of the Toffees after impressing in spells for the Saints after completing a £22m transfer from French side Rennes in January.

BBC Sport confirmed last week that he has indeed been earmarked by the Merseyside outfit, eyeing up a loan deal after missing out on the Ghanaian six months ago.

And now, Daily Express reporter Ryan Taylor has offered his insight into the situation for GIVEMESPORT, stating that completing a swoop for the 21-year-old would be a "very good" move.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

Taylor said: "I think they would be two very good signings [Sulemana and Wilfried Gnonto]. Ultimately, I think that's the kind of market they should be shopping in because they don't have the kind of cash that can really sign game-changing players.

"So I think they would be smart moves. I would like to see Everton do something like that in the market. I think their signings are a little bit predictable. Danjuma was a step in the right direction. I think they would be smart acquisitions."

How good is Kamaldeen Sulemana?

Sulemana did not transform the Southampton attack but he did add a new dimension and impressed with his "incredible speed" – as has been lauded by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag – and directness down the flanks.

Having played 18 times in the Premier League, starting ten matches, Sulemana scored two goals and registered one assist, but it was not until the term's culminating match week that he truly exhibited the class that the south coast club hoped would catalyse their weary campaign.

In an enthralling 4-4 draw against Liverpool to end the season, with Southampton's fate already sealed, Sulemana utilised the freedom to dance sinuous lines around the Reds.

He netted twice and earned a stunning match rating of 8.7, also succeeding with two of his three dribbles, winning six of his nine duels and really just producing the all-encompassing display that the Saints hierarchy knew he was capable of.

He would bring a new threat to the Toffees attack, and a very different approach to that of Jack Harrison, who is a brand new arrival at Goodison Park side having also been relegated from the English top-flight this year, with Leeds United.

Where Sulemana utilises his blistering pace and dribbling ability (indeed, the £8k-per-week ace ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref) Harrison flourishes through his ball-playing skill and technicality.

Once described as "explosive" by former manager Jesse Marsch, Harrison scored six goals and supplied ten assists across all competitions last season and could use his creativity to provide Sulemana with a constant flow to latch onto – the likes of Alex Iwobi could also aid in this regard.

Truthfully, Everton's issue has long been scoring and last weekend's 1-0 home defeat against Fulham highlighted this issue, the Blues taking 19 shots to the Cottager's nine but failing to bypass Bernd Leno's net, and Sulemana would not bring the incisiveness to rain goals in abundance, that is a fact.

But the 5 foot 9 ace would be another layer to the attack, another string to the bow, and with Harrison alongside him Everton would creep closer to where they need to be.

Said to be a "brilliant player" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sulemana and Harrison could wreak havoc in a manner that has not been seen on the blue half of Merseyside for some time, and the divergence from the offensive inefficacy that has plagued the club for several years now could well be set to take its leave ahead of an exciting new chapter for Everton.

Here’s how our ball-by-ball commentator recorded David Miller’s massive hits which almost resulted in six sixes in an over

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2017AFP

18.1 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, he tries the slower one but it’s pretty full and Miller picks it. He waits and then swings his arms to send that sailing over wide long on again. That’s the first six off Saifuddin in this innings18.2 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, full and outside off, Miller picks the length early again, gets under it nicely and drives it inside-out over the covers, taking the fielder out of the equation for six more18.3 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, make that three in a row! It’s on his legs as he shuffles across a bit, another full delivery and Miller simply times the flick well and that’s gone behind square on leg for six more18.4 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, four out of four, what’s happening here! SA are over 200 already! Another full delivery down leg, another way to get the legs out of the way and another flick that dispatches the ball over the long-leg boundary18.5 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, SIX, those two fielders can keep staring and track the trajectory of the ball sail over them! Five in five. It’s short this time, Miller is in the crease and pulls it over the leg side18.6 Mohammad Saifuddin to Miller, 1 run, oh, Miller has driven that along the ground after going down on a knee. The disappointment shows on his face as soon as the ball goes off his bat. Saif bowled it full and wide and survived