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Injury robbed Lasith Malinga of the chance to contribute to Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 last year. A promising display on his return to the side for the first time in a year at the MCG marks the start of his effort to be a force at the Champions Trophy in England later this year.At the age of 33, Malinga is far nearer the end of his career than the beginning, and the knee problem that cruelled his World T20 campaign last year was doubly frustrating as a result. Sri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford outlined his value to the side not only as one of the world’s most destructive and intelligent limited-overs bowlers, but also as a leader in terms of keeping the rest of the attack focused on the principle aim in the latter overs of a T20 – keep the runs down.”I think the damage control was really good – it’s something they talk about a lot. Malinga is brilliant at leading that discussion as to just how important it is,” Ford said. “I think at the end he was not necessarily searching for wickets, he was searching to control the run-rate. We weren’t going to bowl them out but taking the wickets certainly slowed things down there.”[Malinga] is a very proud man. He has done a lot of great things for the country in terms of cricket. He has had unfortunately a long lay-off. When you miss the game for that long, you get hungry and you want to get out there and play and do the things you used to do.”That is exactly where he is at now. He is playing the 20-over format with a view to building up and hopefully being able to play in the Champions Trophy later in the year. We just hope everything goes well in terms of his body. He just makes such a difference at controlling the end overs.”Having bested South Africa away from home before arriving in Australia, Sri Lanka are building some decent momentum and confidence as a limited-overs combination, even if Upul Tharanga is their third T20 captain this year. Ford said that the growth of confidence and therefore performance had been noticeable with each successive match – underlined by Chamara Kapugedara’s nonchalant last-ball boundary to seal the MCG match.”We gave them a few in the field and that made the target a bit steeper than we’d hoped, but it was an excellent chase and the guys held their nerve nicely at the end,” Ford said. “Although we’re not a young team, it’s a fairly inexperienced one, so each time we get over the line I think it does a hell of a lot for their confidence and belief.”Some of our guys batted exceptionally well and played some unbelievable shots. That’s T20 cricket and you take your chances. But they’re worked hard on those options and they worked out.”

Sridharan Sriram, the former India left-arm spinning allrounder, will mentor Australia’s legion of slow bowlers on their upcoming Test tour of India

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2017

Sridharan Sriram, the former India left-arm spinning allrounder, will mentor Australia’s legion of slow bowlers on their upcoming Test tour of India. Sriram has worked with Australia’s spinners on previous occasions, including on last year’s tour of Sri Lanka and in the World Twenty20 in India earlier in 2016, and he was also engaged for the tour of Bangladesh that was ultimately postponed.Sriram will travel with the squad to Dubai on January 29 for their training camp at the ICC Academy, and will then work with the side through the four-Test tour that follows. Australia have picked four specialist spinners for the series – Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson – as well as spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell.”Sri has worked with us on a number of occasions now all across our pathway system and he is currently in Dubai with our Under-16 team providing his expertise on sub-continental conditions,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, said.”He knows our players very well and has a wealth of knowledge on the conditions that our players will face in India.”Sriram’s presence on the India tour has been preferred to that of spin consultant John Davison, who has a good working relationship with Lyon but travels only sporadically with the team.Australia have also called on England left-armer Monty Panesar to help them prepare for the India series. Panesar has been playing club cricket in Sydney this summer and is set to travel to the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane this week to offer spin advice.

Arsenal are ready to exercise their strengths this summer, as the Gunners are linked to a Bundesliga ace following the official opening of the transfer window.

After a strong season in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta will hope to make reinforcements with the aim to reduce the gap between his side and Manchester City ahead of the next campaign.

The latest link could add significant firepower to the Spaniard’s attack, in a move that could see him add the essence of Pep Guardiola in north London as he has before.

What’s the latest on Moussa Diaby to Arsenal?

As reported by French outlet L’Equipe – relayed by Get French Football News – Arsenal are interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby.

The report claims that the Gunners are ‘ahead’ of Premier League rivals Newcastle United in the race to claim the Frenchman’s signature.

A separate report from the Evening Standard added that the German side are expecting a fee in the region of £65m for their star, who is contracted until 2025.

What could Moussa Diaby offer to Arsenal?

Hailed as “electrifying” by journalist Aaron Stokes, the 23-year-old could inspire Arteta to take another page out of Guardiola’s book in adding competition to the attack.

The Spaniard used his expertise to get the best form out of both Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish this season, not hesitating to rotate between the two throughout the Premier League campaign.

By inducing competition between the two wingers, the treble-winning manager enabled the duo to contribute a combined 27 G/A in encouraging them to fight for their starting place consistently.

Arteta could learn a trick from his former teacher in signing Diaby, who could inject competition in numerous areas of Arsenal’s front line due to his versatility in positioning.

Despite being deployed primarily on the right wing, the Frenchman can be used as a left-winger or even as an option to lead the line thanks to his finishing and technical ability in the final third.

Contributing nine goals and eight assists in the Bundesliga this campaign, the 23-year-old has the skill to impact the game from both a playmaking and finishing point of view, as supported by his average numbers per game.

As per WhoScored, the Leverkusen gem averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the league, as well as 1.5 dribbles per game, showcasing his strengths individually on the ball and as a ball-playing asset to his teammates.

The introduction of Diaby could inspire the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard to enhance their performance in order to maintain their ranks in the team, with the Frenchman possessing the ability to dethrone those stars.

Arteta could replicate the competition that Guardiola influences in his squad to make them the best of the best and after delivering City the treble this season, the Spaniard isn’t the worst figure to have gained experience from on the touchline.

Burnley may have sauntered their way to promotion to the Premier League under the watch of impressive managerial rookie Vincent Kompany, but that is not to say some areas of the squad are not in need of addressing this summer.

According to LancsLive, one of the positions being looked at is right-back, with Leeds United's versatile Cody Drameh said to be of interest to the Clarets.

Who is Leeds United defender Cody Drameh?

Drameh has yet to make a name for himself at Leeds, being restricted to just four appearances across their three seasons back in the top flight, but he has impressed away from Elland Road.

Still aged just 21, Drameh did well during his half-season spell on loan with Cardiff City in 2021-22 and returned to the Championship in the second half of last season with Luton Town.

The former Fulham youth player was brought in during the January window and started 19 times for the Hatters as they earned a stunning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

While predominantly a right-back, Drameh was asked to fill in on the right-hand side of midfield for the majority of his time at Kenilworth Road and chipped in with a couple of assists.

One of those came against Bristol City in March when setting up Carlton Morris for the only goal of the game. Luton boss Rob Edwards praised Drameh at the time for the way he quickly adapted to life at another new club, while also issuing the youngster a new challenge to develop his game further.

"Cody’s been really good since he's come in, but we encouraged him to be really brave and we wanted him to take some risks," Edwards said, as per LeedsLive. "I thought he was really on the front foot and he showed a lot of quality."

Where would Cody Drameh fit in at Burnley?

On the face of it, Burnley are not exactly desperate for a new right-back. That is a position, after all, that Wales international Connor Roberts thrived in last season.

However, Roberts played in a team-high 43 of Burnley's games last season, and Kompany could do with having another adequate back-up option ready to fill in.

Vitinho took up that role last season, featuring seven times at right-back, while also being used down the wing and on the opposite flank. That versatile nature is a big positive, and is something Drameh showed last season he can also provide.

There was little between Vitinho and Drameh last season in terms of creativity, with respective goals and assists combined per 90 minutes returns of 0.17 and 0.13, while they completed an almost identical number of passes per game (32.7 and 33.2).

However, Drameh outperformed Vitinha in terms of metrics such as shot-creating actions (3.50 per 90 compared to 2.53), tackles won (2.38 and 1.20) and aerial duels (1.13 compared to 0.90), suggesting he'd be a more solid asset on the right-hand side of the defence.

Vitinho has won the hearts of supporters at Turf Moor, and he may have a part to play in the Premier League, but it is clear to see why Drameh – valued as little as £4m by Football Observatory and with plenty of years of top-flight football ahead of him – is on the radar of Clarets boss Kompany.

Manchester United seemingly have another midfielder on their radar, with a report from Sport (via Sport Witness) stating that the club have already been in contact over a deal for Arthur Vermeeren.

Who are Manchester United signing this summer?

The player is just 18 years of age but has already made quite a splash in the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium. Currently plying his trade for Royal Antwerp, he has already become a first-team regular in that side with 24 league appearances under his belt over the course of the current campaign.

Those showings have amounted in one goal and two assists but, more impressively, have led to a WhoScored average rating of 7.05 and one Player of the Match award. It's his first season of top-level professional football, but the midfielder has not been fazed by it in the slightest. In fact, his rating puts him as the second-best player in the entire team this campaign, with only Vincent Janssen above him in that respect.

Now, it appears that the Red Devils have added him to their wanted list. According to a report from Sport (via Sport Witness), Erik ten Hag is a big admirer of the youngster and is "in love" with the way he plays his football. That, in turn, has led to the side already approaching the player's party and making contact over a potential deal this summer.

It won't be straightforward though, with United not the only side keen to snap him up. The report adds that Barcelona are also in the running for his signature and view him as the replacement for Sergio Busquets.

Who is Arthur Vermeeren?

It's already been made clear that Ten Hag wants to add to his midfield depth this summer, so a move for the Royal Antwerp man seems to make sense. He is young and already doing well at a good level and appears to have the potential to stay in their midfield for a long time considering his age.

Vermeeren may be a bit of an unknown quantity outside of Belgium but he's already caught the eye of many. For example, football talent scout Jacek Kulig labelled the midfielder as "impressive" after the season he has had and admitted that he is one of the most "exciting prospects" in Belgium at the moment.

His stats agree with this. He has the joint-best tackles per game rate in his current team with 2.7 on average and has the second-best dribble rate at the club as well with 1.2 per game. It shows that not only is he one of the best at breaking up opposition attacks and isn't afraid to put a foot in but likes to get the ball himself and then drive his team forward. He ticks plenty of boxes for United then and if they did sign him, it could be a worthwhile investment.

Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho is wanted by Burnley on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window, according to a new update.

How has Carvalho fared at Liverpool?

The 20-year-old joined the Reds from Fulham last year, being seen as an exciting young signing who could have a similar trajectory to Harvey Elliott, who also arrived from the Cottagers.

While Carvalho was seen as a long-term acquisition, the hope was still that he would play a positive role from the off, acting as a strong squad player, but he has had a tough first season on Merseyside. While his winning goal at home to Newcastle United back in August was a high point, he has only scored three times in all competitions, failing to register an assist along the way.

He hasn't played a full 90 minutes since the 7-1 win away to Rangers in the Champions League in October, further highlighting how far down the pecking order he has been. While time is still very much on Carvalho's side, it could be that Liverpool already don't see a future for him, following a fresh claim.

Could Carvalho leave Reds this summer?

According to Football Insider, "Burnley are keen on signing" Carvalho this summer, eyeing him up on a permanent basis. A loan moving is also in the offing, however, which could be the Reds' preference, allowing him to gain more experience and playing time elsewhere.

The Clarets enjoyed a memorable season in the Championship, cruising to the title glory under Vincent Kompany, and Carvalho could view Turf Moor as a good place to go in the coming months.

In truth, a loan move may still be the best option for the attacking midfielder this summer, with the idea of selling him permanently something that feels too knee-jerk at this point in his career. He is still so young, and has been part of a struggling Liverpool team this season, so cutting all ties with him could be risky.

Carvalho is still raw and has plenty of learning to do, but the ingredients are still there to make it at a high level, having been lauded as "unbelievable" by Jurgen Klopp, also scoring 10 goals and registering eight assists for Fulham last season, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in the process.

All parties could benefit from a loan move coming to fruition, so that may well be the best outcome, with Carvalho possibly returning to Liverpool a more rounded player this time next year.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI of the series between England and Sri Lanka

The Preview by Andrew Miller20-Jun-2016Match factsTuesday, June 21
Start time 2pm local (1300 GMT)3:10

‘Morgan form a bit of a concern’

Big pictureThe most recent shot played in contests between England and Sri Lanka was a vast six over midwicket, as Kusal Mendis dispatched Joe Root’s offspin into the Tavern Stand during the soggy last rites of the third Test at Lord’s. An irrelevance in the bigger picture, maybe, after England’s thumping victories in the first two Tests at Headingley and Chester-le-Street, but an indication nonetheless of a squad with renewed confidence.It has taken them several weeks to come to terms with the challenge of English conditions, but as the tour shifts focus from the five-day to the one-day formats, so too has the distance between the sides narrowed. Sri Lanka’s valiant showing in that Lord’s Test has been followed up by a brace of thumping victories over Ireland in Dublin – precisely the sort of challenge for which a demoralised outfit might have struggled to raise itself.Instead, they enter the first ODI against England at Trent Bridge with expectation as well as hope. On the 2014 tour, they picked up the spoils in all three formats and though the Tests have eluded them time around, their draw at Lord’s has at least left the nascent Super Series with the faintest of pulses. Sri Lanka trail 10-2 with 12 points still up for grabs in the coming six matches – therefore a 5-0 clean sweep (as Sri Lanka achieved on the 2006 tour) would leave the fate of the series hanging on next month’s one-off T20.Sri Lanka have, however, suffered another shocking moment of misfortune where their bowling attack is concerned, with the news of Shaminda Eranga’s hospitalisation for an irregular heartbeat. He would have been ruled out of the series anyway, after the ICC confirmed on Sunday that his bowling action – reported as suspect during the Durham Test – has been found to be illegal, but such health concerns make other issues pale into insignificance.With Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera already ruled out of the tour with injury, Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling stocks are running alarmingly low. That said, Dasun Shanaka’s wobbly seamers were an incisive threat against Ireland, and with a glut of allrounders in their ranks, Sri Lanka are adept at cobbling together combinations for all conditions. England, who have lost each of their last three ODIs, following the collapse of their resolve against South Africa earlier this year, will be taking little for granted.Eoin Morgan and Angelo Mathews pose with the series trophy•Getty Images

Form guideEngland: LLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WWLWLIn the spotlightFrom his integral role at the World T20, and then on through his maiden stint with Mumbai Indians in the IPL, Jos Buttler has been both central and peripheral to England’s fortunes in the past few months. Ever since his axing from the Test team in November, Buttler has been regarded as a one-day specialist, but the emphasis where he is concerned is clearly on the “special”. A player of such phenomenal power, poise and technique has been absorbing lesson after lesson during an invaluable sojourn in India, and those are now ripe for translation back into the ODI arena.Kusal Perera was a notable and frustrated absentee from Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign – the mysteries surrounding his failed drugs test deprived a young player of one of the highlights of his career, and his team of one of their likelier game-changers – how different that seminal group-stage clash against England in Delhi might have been with his explosive qualities at the top of the order. He hinted that he was in a hurry to resume his career with a lively cameo in the Lord’s Test. The coming weeks will surely remind everyone of what Sri Lanka have been missing in recent months.Team newsBen Stokes’ absence in England’s middle order creates a minor dilemma for the selectors, who will surely be tempted to unleash Jonny Bairstow’s sky-high batting confidence, albeit at the expense of a modicum of team balance. Moeen Ali can expect to slot in at No.7, Steven Finn is fit to resume his role as the leader of England’s ODI attack, while Chris Woakes and David Willey provide contrasting swing options with right and left-arm respectively. Eoin Morgan, the captain, is somewhat short of runs in recent England outings, but he is set to appear at No. 4.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 David Willey, 11 Steven Finn.Sri Lanka’s batting order is anyone’s guess, let alone their actual line-up, following the contests in Malahide in which two nominal frontline batsmen, Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga, popped in at No. 8 and 9 respectively. Seekkuge Prasanna’s devastating pinch-hitting in the second contest pillaged nine sixes in a thrilling 95 from 46 balls, so he’ll be ripe for another foray up the order if the mood takes him. Eranga’s absence leaves a vacancy in the seam-bowling ranks, so there is potential for a recall for the offspinner, Suraj Randiv.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Suraj Randiv / Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsThere’s little prospect of Trent Bridge offering the sort of 400 v 400 belter on which Nottinghamshire and Northants went toe-to-toe earlier this month. Since June 10, when the game against Derbyshire was washed out, the groundsman reckons the pitch has had four hours of sun and 100mm of rain.Stats and trivia It’s not the most obvious home from home, but Sri Lanka have a remarkable recent record in ODIs in England. In the past decade, they have beaten their hosts in 11 of their 16 encounters in England, with two series wins out of three, plus a one-off win in the 2013 Champions Trophy. However, Sri Lanka won’t recall their last visit to Trent Bridge with much fondness. They were thumped by 10 wickets in 2011 en route to a 3-2 series loss, with Alastair Cook, no less, making 95 from 75 balls. Angelo Mathews goes into the match with exactly the same number of runs (4140) in both his Test and ODI careers. Alex Hales needs 38 more runs to reach 1000 in ODIs. To judge by his recent record, he should be odds-on. In South Africa, he made five consecutive ODI scores of fifty-plus: 57, 99, 65, 50 and 112. One more would set a new record for an England batsman.Quotes”It’s a key summer in that we’re 12 months down the road and we have built a lot of confidence. There’s a bit more expectation on us as a side and it’s important to relish that expectation.”
“We need more guys coming to England and playing a lot of cricket to get used to these conditions. The more you play you more you get used to them so we need more guys coming in, playing league cricket, county cricket, that’ll be very beneficial for us going into the World Cup in 2019.

Leeds United winger Jack Harrison was spotted sitting alone on the bench following their defeat on the south coast to Bournemouth on the weekend.

What was Jack Harrison seen doing?

Javi Gracia will be wanting to put Sunday behind him very quickly as Leeds suffered defeat away to one of their relegation rivals, Bournemouth.

Not only did Leeds taste defeat, but they were on the end of a 4-1 hammering as the Cherries secured the points to take them nine points clear of the Yorkshire side.

Leeds found themselves 2-0 down fairly early in the game but were offered a glimmer of hope when Patrick Bamford halved the deficit before half-time.

However, Bournemouth went on to secure the points with two further goals after the break which leaves the Whites now just one-point above the drop having played a game more than Leicester City and Everton.

Following the game, footage emerged of the £90k-per-week ace seen sitting alone on the bench still in his full strip after all the fans had vacated the stadium.

Having posted it on Twitter, the Leeds presenter questioned whether there was more to this than what may initially meet the eye:

"It might be nothing but been sent this by a Bournemouth fan. Why is Jack Harrison sitting alone in the dugout Ten mins after the stadium had emptied? Shouldn’t they all be in the dressing room? I am confused. Something isn't right," he said.

Has Harrison been good enough this season?

The Leeds winger has recently put pen to paper on a new deal which will see his future extended at Elland Road through until the summer of 2028.

It has been a fairly inconsistent campaign for the Englishman who has provided a solid return of four goals and seven assists in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

However, three of those goals and three of those assists have all come since the last week in February.

The other goal and a further three assists all came in the first three weeks of the campaign, too.

This has left a huge barren run through the majority of the campaign where the 26-year-old has not been providing the Whites with a contribution in front of goal.

Harrison was awarded with a mere 4/10 rating following the game on Sunday with journalist Graham Smyth saying:

"Tried to get up and down but couldn't do enough. Defending for the first was poor, albeit after a pitch-length sprint. Position asked a huge amount."

Harrison has registered two key passes, three clearances and a tackle during the game on the south coast, however, he was also dribbled past twice and lost possession 20 times (via SofaScore).

The video shows the winger is hurting, however, it is apparent there is no time for the Leeds players to be feeling sorry for themselves with Manchester City next up for the Whites.

Frank Lampard’s time at Chelsea has not gotten off to the best start as the Blues legend has overseen two defeats with his side maintaining their woeful goalscoring form after drawing blanks against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Real Madrid.

Goalscoring is obviously the main issue for the Stamford Bridge outfit right now but Lampard is already repeating one of Graham Potter’s worst mistakes as Chelsea boss, by selecting Marc Cucurella as a wide centre-back in the three-at-the-back system.

Should Chelsea be playing Cucurella at centre-back?

Cucurella was signed from Brighton in the summer of 2022 for £60m, despite the Blues already having Ben Chilwell as their first-choice left-back.

It was easy to see why Todd Boehly was keen to bring the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge considering he had averaged a strong 6.94 rating from WhoScored across 35 Premier League appearances in his debut season with the Seagulls.

The former Getafe man, who earns a whopping £175k-per-week at Stamford Bridge, has spent much of his career playing as a left-midfielder and left-back, so seemed perfect for the wing-back role in Chelsea’s system, yet he has inexplicably been selected as a centre-back by Thomas Tuchel, Potter and now Lampard.

Standing at 5 foot 8 in stature, the 24-year-old arguably lacks the required physicality to be a successful centre-back in the Premier League, which is emphasised by his disappointing average of 0.7 aerials won per game in the top flight this season, the 13th-best in Chelsea’s squad.

Unsurprisingly, playing in an unnatural position has seen Cucurella struggle throughout his time at Stamford Bridge, with the defender averaging a disappointing 6.65 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the league so far this campaign.

This currently ranks him as the 15th-best performer in Lampard’s squad and given how much Boehly invested in the Spain international, it is disappointing that he has endured such a difficult start to life at Chelsea.

While Chelsea managers are clearly trying to accommodate him and Chilwell in the same team by playing him as a centre-back, it has cost the Blues in recent games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid.

In the 2-0 home defeat which cost Potter his job, Cucurella’s weak header back to the goalkeeper sent Ollie Watkins in on goal for the opener, while his failure to track Rodrygo on Wednesday night saw the Brazilian go in on goal, with Chilwell then hauling him down and receiving a red card.

The ever-out-spoken Jamie O’Hara didn’t hold back in his criticism of the defender after his Champions League cameo, labelling him a “disgrace” on Twitter, and Lampard must learn quickly that he isn’t a centre-back, or he risks repeating the mistakes of his predecessor.

Alex Iwobi may reportedly now not sign a new contract at Everton, leaving his future in doubt.

The Lowdown: Contract offered

Iwobi has reportedly been offered a new deal by Everton, but he has not put pen to paper on it as of yet.

As such, a number of clubs in the Premier League are thought to be keeping an eye on the situation, as they weigh up a potential move this summer.

The Latest: May not sign…

As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park outfit are ‘confident’ that Iwobi will sign a new contract, but he is not expected to put pen to paper on it until at least the summer, as he has ‘doubts’ over whether they can avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Discussions are ‘advanced’, but it is thought that Iwobi’s head could be turned by a concrete offer in the summer.

The Verdict: Worrying

It will be certainly be worrying for Toffees supporters to hear that Iwobi is having doubts over his future, which could depend on relegation as a distinct possibility with them only two points above the drop zone.

The Nigeria international has really turned into a key player for the team, with former manager Frank Lampard lauding his development as ‘brilliant‘.

Indeed, Iwobi has not missed a game in the league so far this season, and his fine form has continued under Sean Dyche, as he is currently the highest assister in the squad and has averaged more key passes per game than any of his team-mates (WhoScored).

The £120,000-per-week maestro will not want to be playing in the Championship though, and so the Blues must make sure that they stay up come the end of the campaign, where talks over a new deal should become a lot easier.