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Alex Moir had taken 6 for 155 against England in Christchurch in 1951. Sixty-five years later, Colin de Grandhomme took 6 for 41 to finish with the best figures by a New Zealander on debut; Pakistan were bowled out for 133

The Report by Shashank Kishore17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:36

Fernando: Vintage New Zealand medium-pace bowling

It was a tale of two debutants on a fascinating day of Test cricket where ball dominated the bat. Although the final analysis of 13 wickets for 237 runs would suggest a menacing surface, the truth was that a lot of batsmen, especially from Pakistan, were out poking or trying to play expansive drives. New Zealand fared much better with the bat, and held the aces as the first Test moved forward at a breakneck speed despite an entire day being washed out by rain in Christchurch.Colin de Grandhomme, the Harare-born Auckland allrounder who had previously taken just one five-wicket haul in 83 first-class games, had the best figures (6 for 41) by a New Zealand debutant. It meant Pakistan, sent in to bat, were rolled over for 133. Misbah-ul-Haq, captaining his country for the 50th time, top scored with a typically feisty 31 off 108 deliveries during the course of which he proved it was the top order’s impatience and not a menacing Hagley Oval green top that contributed to their downfall; no other batsman crossed 20.In reply, Jeet Raval, the other debutant, replacing Martin Guptill, overcame a testing new-ball burst to finish 55 not out as New Zealand recovered from early losses of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to end on 104 for 3, trailing by just 29 runs. Playing late and committing himself wholeheartedly to his strokes, both off the front and back foot, he picked off seven boundaries and looked at ease even as his partners largely struggled; particularly against Mohammad Amir in a probing opening spell that read 6-2-6-1.Things could have been much worse for New Zealand had Henry Nicholls, replacing Luke Ronchi, not substituted flamboyance for grit and patience to finish unbeaten on 29. The fourth-wicket pair added 64, but in blunting out 19.4 overs, they ensured New Zealand had limited the new-ball damage to potentially make run-scoring a lot easier on the morrow.The surface demanded patience which Pakistan clearly lacked, as their top order crumbled after a solid 31-run opening stand that frustrated New Zealand. In trying to bowl full and swing the ball late, their new ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult either slipping the ball down the leg side or bowl it full and wide in the first hour as Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali went into their shell, seemingly happy to blunt the new ball.Ina ddition to a half-century on debut, Raval also took two excellent catches in the slips•AFPThen Williamson turned to de Grandhomme’s seam-ups over Neil Wagner’s bustling pace, and the move worked immediately. After two poor overs in which he sprayed the ball, de Grandhomme broke through when he scythed through Azhar’s defence with an in-dipper. The old adage of ‘one brings two’ ensured when Southee, brought back form the other end, sent back Aslam, who jabbed hard to get a thick edge to Raval at second slip.Babar Azam was reprieved on 4, but couldn’t curb his instincts of trying to drive on the up as he was also pouched in the slips. When Younis Khan’s flashy cover drive to a delivery he could have left alone off de Grandhomme was pouched by Raval in the cordon, Pakistan had sensationally slipped from 31 without loss to 56 for 4.Pakistan slowly rebuilt through a 32-run stand, but the lunch break came to New Zealand’s rescue as Asad Shafiq, demoted to No. 6 after a fruitless stint at No. 3 in the UAE, poked one to gully. Sarfraz Ahmed tried to unsettle the bowlers by walking outside the crease, giving bowlers the charge and play a typically aggressive game. Not even being hit on the helmet by a steep bouncer altered his approach. Eventually a tame waft resulted in a simple catch at gully to a relieved Todd Astle, who put down a chance earlier in the day.Watching the carnage unfold, Misbah continued to bat on in the hope that he would find some support from the tail. But such was the nature of Pakistan’s collapse that Williamson resisted temptation to give his faster men a break, and go for the kill. Boult and Southee overcame insipid starts to finish with two wickets apiece.For a while it looked like New Zealand’s top order would match Pakistan’s indiscretions. After Tom Latham was lbw to Amir, Williamson, in particular, fell tamely when he pushed away from the body – neither attempting a punch nor a full-blooded cut shot – to be caught at slip. Ross Taylor, all at sea against Sohail Khan’s late away-swing, was snaffled down leg side to extend his lean patch to 10 innings now to open up the game.With over 25 overs left, two more wickets then may have tilted the scales Pakistan’s way. That it didn’t was largely due to Raval’s steadfast determination and Nicholl’s grit that capped off an eventful day.

Aston Villa have been linked to another Premier League ace, after the Villans sealed their first signing of the summer in Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.

Unai Emery is expected to have a busy transfer window following his incredible first season in charge at Villa Park, in a bid to build upon the success of this term and prepare the squad for Europe.

Latest news has suggested that the Midlands club are looking to replicate their move for free agent Tielemans in another Premier League star out of contract.

What’s the latest on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Aston Villa?

As reported by talkSPORT, Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be on his way to Villa Park.

The report states that sources close to the outlet understand that the 29-year-old is ‘on the verge’ of completing a move to Aston Villa.

The £125k-per-week Englishman will become a free agent this summer after no new contract was established on Merseyside.

What could Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain offer Aston Villa?

Hailed by BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan as “superb”, the former Arsenal ace has shown spells of his potential at Liverpool in a period tainted by injury.

During his six years at Anfield, the Portsmouth-born ace missed a total of 88 games due to injury as per Transfermarkt, contributing to him losing his spot as a regular in the side.

Starting his career as a dynamic wide player, Oxlade-Chamberlain was unleashed by Jurgen Klopp as a central midfielder, in a switch of position that paid off greatly for the Englishman.

Emery could land himself a force to be reckoned with in his midfield, with the Premier League and Champions League winner posing as a perfect fit for the Spaniard’s plans.

Following the arrival of Tielemans, the Spaniard has added significant depth to the middle of the park and by introducing Oxlade-Chamberlain as well, it could mean bad news for Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian has failed to find his best form at Villa, and having been linked with the exit door of late could be forced out of Emery’s plans entirely should another central talent arrive at Villa Park.

Comparing their statistics from last season when both players accumulated sufficient game time, the Englishman could offer a significantly greater threat to Villa’s midfield both going forward and as a defensive presence.

As per FBref, the Liverpool gem acts as more of a threat in the final third than Coutinho, averaging in the 2021/22 campaign 7.22 progressive passes received per 90 to the Brazilian’s 4.20, showing his ability to pop up in threatening positions.

In terms of actually distributing the ball, the 'Ox' averaged 6.99 progressive passes per 90 to the 30-year-old’s 6.37 per 90 as well averaging 3.99 progressive carries to his 3.25, via FBref.

The 29-year-old could rediscover his impressive form between his injury woes under Emery, and pose as a valuable member of his plans at Villa Park, being a better fit than the out-of-favour Coutinho to the Spaniard’s demands of his midfielders.

Mark Ramprakash accepts that Jos Buttler’s lack of first-class form and opportunity is “not ideal” as England prepare to gamble on him in the third Test in Mohali

George Dobell23-Nov-2016Mark Ramprakash has warned against expecting too much of Jos Buttler if he is selected for the third Test against India.While Ramprakash, the England batting coach, rated Buttler as one of the “top five batsmen in the world in one-day cricket,” he accepted that his lack of red-ball experience could compromise his chances of success.Buttler is expected to replace Ben Duckett in the England side for the Test starting in Mohali on Saturday. But, if he does play, it will be just his second first-class game since he was dropped from the Test team in October 2015. He hasn’t scored a first-class half-century since May 2015 and a first-class century since June 2014.Rampakash accepts that the situation “isn’t ideal” but, with Gary Ballance having been dropped having averaged six in the Bangladesh series and Duckett having only passed 15 once in seven Test innings, England are not flush with options. Buttler is highly regarded in the England set-up not just for his talent, but his leadership qualities; he captained the England ODI side in Bangladesh.But while Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has expressed a hope that Buttler will take the same positive approach he uses in white-ball cricket to Test cricket, Ramprakash fears that conditions in international limited-overs cricket – in particular the nature of pitches and the ball – are not reflective of the challenges likely to face Buttler in Tests. Batsmen in Test cricket are also far more likely to face a sustained challenge from the short ball.”To me, Jos Buttler is in the top five batsmen in the world in one-day cricket,” Ramprakash said. “And that almost creates a problem with the amount of first-class cricket he can play. So, if Jos gets the nod we need to be understanding of that. He clearly has so much ability but through lack of opportunity it’s been hard for him to develop and I hope that people realise that and don’t set expectations too high because that’s the situation he’s in and we have to live with that.”In the white-ball game you’re playing on flat wickets against a ball that doesn’t move. So you can be very instinctive; you can see it early and go for your shots. We’ve seen James Vince and Alex Hales in one-day cricket, but when it’s come to the red ball in England it’s moved around and they’ve found it challenging and Jos would be similar to that.”To help Buttler prepare, Ramprakash has been setting him challenges in the nets, but he admits it is no substitute for playing in matches.”We’ve tried to set little scenarios for him every now and then,” Ramprakash said. “So at Rajkot there was a 10-over challenge in the nets with Jake Ball and Gareth Batty. Ball would bowl an over, then Batty and we would try to set fields, so he could have more of a match feel to practice rather than just netting. Within that 60-ball challenge Jos could try to put himself into the mindset of playing in a Test match.”He’s thrown himself into his physical training. Everything he’s done has been like an elite athlete. His practice in the nets, his work on his wicket-keeping: he’s been a real leader in the group and I can’t speak highly enough of his attitude.Ramprakash was well versed in Buttler’s record: only once past 30 in his last 12 England innings, a record stretching back to the New Zealand Test at Headingley last year, and only one first-class game for Lancashire last season. He was open about the issues that brings.”It’s not ideal. As much as we can net and do middle situations in practice, he hasn’t been tested in a match. And that’s where I think that if Jos gets the nod, we have to be understanding of that.”Mark Ramprakash, seen here with Alastair Cook, says Jos Buttler’s situation is not ideal•Getty ImagesEngland also face a challenge of where to bat Buttler should he be selected. Duckett was coming in at No. 4, but England may be reluctant to expose Buttler that high up the order. The other options are Ben Stokes, who has emerged as one of England’s most assured batsmen, Jonny Bairstow, who has scored more Test runs than anyone in the world this year, and Moeen Ali, who has batted everywhere but No. 3 and No. 4 in the top nine.None of the options are perfect. All three of Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen already have a heavy workload, mentally as much as physically, and England will be keen not to ask too much of them. Stokes notably struggled with cramp in Rajkot.”There’s no easy answer to that,” Ramprakash conceded. “It’s a really good question. You’ve players who have just made Test hundreds, like Mo and Stokesy, so do you leave them where they are because you want no disruption? Stokes would be a candidate, yes, but his physical workload throughout the Tests has given him a bit of an issue hasn’t it?”Ultimately though, Ramprakash believes that picking another right-hander in Buttler may prove advantageous in conditions in which left-handers “have it tough.””As the game wears on in this part of the world, you get more rough outside the left-hander’s off stump,” Ramprakash said. “So left-handers have it tough both ways. The offspinners are at them with the DRS, but as the game goes on you’ve got a lot of rough for the left-arm spinner to chuck the ball in as well and that makes it quite tough.”Gary Ballance is a fine player and I think we’ll see him again in an England shirt. He’s a batsman who if he gets in he doesn’t give it away, but obviously he’s found life tough and Bangladesh was obviously very tough. I think tactically in this part of the world if another right-hander comes in that may be a slight advantage.”The England squad took the day off on Wednesday, but return to the nets on Thursday morning when they will gain their first look at the Mohali surface. With Buttler set to replace Duckett, it also seems highly likely that Chris Woakes will replace the injured Stuart Broad.Meanwhile, the England camp have made it clear they want no part in allegations of ball tampering made against Virat Kohli by one British newspaper.

Mason Mount's Chelsea future looks like a transfer saga that will drag on right until the end of the summer window.

Manchester United remain eager to sign the England international, but there is a big gap between both sides' respective valuations, with the Red Devils supposedly only willing to offer £50m.

Chelsea want closer to the £70m mark for a player about to enter the final year of his contract, but allowing the rigmarole to continue deep into the summer would be damaging for the Blues.

Instead, it may be a case of accepting United's offer now and looking for a replacement – or indeed searching within their ranks for a ready-made alternative of sorts.

Who is Chelsea youngster Cesare Casadei?

In Cesare Casadei, Chelsea appear to have a midfielder who is ready to step up and play in the Premier League under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

According to the Evening Standard, Pochettino is weighing up whether to include the 20-year-old as part of Chelsea's pre-season training camp after he caught the eye at the U20 World Cup with Italy.

Casadei ended the tournament as top scorer with seven goals – this as a midfielder, remember – to follow in the steps of the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero.

But rather than having the next Messi on their hands, Chelsea will settle for something close to the next Frank Lampard, a player who scored a club record 211 goals for the West London side.

With eight goals in nine appearances for Italy at U20 level, Casadei will now look to get close to the mark Lampard managed for England U21 when scoring nine goals in 19 caps.

The youngster is not strictly one of Chelsea's own, having been recruited from Inter Milan in a reported £16m deal last summer, before then being loaned out to Championship side Reading in January.

Casadei scored one goal in 15 appearances for the relegated Royals as he made his first foray into senior football. While he caught the eye with his goals at the U20 World Cup, it was more the defensive aspect of the youngster's game that stood out at Reading.

He averaged 1.87 blocks per 90 minutes, as per FBref, which was the third-most of any Reading player, while also ranking highly for the percentage of aerial duels won with 70.6 – again, only two others bettered that figure.

For comparison, Mount averaged 1.31 blocks per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season and won 29.1% of his aerial duels.

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini was glad to see Casadei go out and get some regular football, and he now looks set to step up and feature for the U21 side during the 2023-24 campaign.

"Cesare Casadei is really good. He had already impressed me [before the U20 World Cup]," Mancini told Corriere dello Sport last week, via Football Italia.

"He went to England and played in the Championship, a tough and formative league, almost like the Premier League. If it wasn't for the U20 World Cup, he would be playing for the U21 side already."

Given Chelsea's hugely bloated squad, it may well be that Casadei has to be patient for his chance. But if nothing else, the past six months suggest the Blues have another talented midfielder on their hands, regardless of whether Mount stays or goes.

Leeds United suffered relegation down to the Championship last week as they finished 19th in the Premier League table with a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day.

The Whites are now braced for a summer of change, as they remain without a manager following Sam Allardyce's exit, and that could include plenty of movement in the playing squad.

One player who could be on his way out of Elland Road is central midfielder Marc Roca, who arrived at the club from German giants Bayern Munich last summer.

The Athletic's Phil Hay has reported that an exit is 'likely' for the 26-year-old and that he could make a return to Spain, where LaLiga outfit Real Betis have been credited with an interest in his services.

Who could replace Marc Roca at Leeds?

U21 midfielder Lewis Bate, who has been out on loan at Oxford United in League One, could make the step up to replace the Spaniard next season.

The 20-year-old, who has played four first-team matches for the club, offers similar attributes to Roca in the middle of the park as he has the ability to create chances for his teammates from a central midfield position and has the defensive awareness to make interventions at the back on a regular basis.

In League One, the youngster averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.84 across 28 appearances and made 1.1 key passes and two tackles and interceptions per game for his side.

Roca, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.81 in the Premier League across 32 matches and made 2.7 tackles and interceptions and one key pass per outing for Leeds.

This suggests that the pair, who both averaged between 79 and 80% pass accuracy in their respective divisions, are both combative midfielders who can also put their foot on the ball and use their quality to find teammates in attacking positions in order to create goalscoring opportunities.

Recruitment analyst and U18 specialist Connor Rowden claimed that Bate's ability to "control" games is "unparalleled" amongst his peers and this suggests that the academy gem could excel in the Championship in games that Leeds are expected to dominate in as teams potentially sit back in low blocks in an attempt to counter-attack against a side that was just in the top-flight.

He could use his ball-playing quality to wear down teams by rotating possession and shifting the opposition from side to side before utilising his creativity to play a killer ball to find a teammate in the final third.

The former Chelsea starlet's creative statistics in the third tier this season indicate that he has been able to translate his skills from youth level over to senior football and Leeds must now hand him an opportunity to showcase his talent in the second tier in 2023/24 after a full year of development under his belt.

Bate, based on his solid form for Oxford this term, could make the step up and save the club millions by coming in as a direct replacement for Roca, assuming the Spaniard does depart the Yorkshire side this summer.

A round-up of all the Group B Ranji Tophy matches on the penultimate day of the third round on October 22, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016Five-wicket hauls from medium-pacer Kushang Patel and left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja forced Maharashtra to follow-on after Saurashtra declared at 657 for 8. Maharashtra, who posted 635 in their previous game against Delhi, were bowled out for 182 in 56.2 overs, with Murtaza Trunkwala top scoring with 64 on first-class debut. Trunkwala followed that up with an unbeaten 65, but Saurashtra were in with a chance to force a bonus-point win as Maharashtra headed stumps on 114 for 2.Rajasthan slumped to 67 for 3 in chase of 280 against Jharkhand in Vadodara. Jharkhand, who resumed on 73 for 2 after taking a two-run lead, extended their advantage with Ishank Jaggi’s 100. Meanwhile, Virat Singh (35), Pratyush Singh (38), Saurabh Tiwary (24) and Shahbaz Nadeem (32) all failed to convert starts. Mahipal Lomror, the 16-year old left-arm spinner who represented India at the Under-19 World Cup, picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in his third first-class match. Pankaj Singh, the Rajasthan captain, took three wickets to finish with match haul of 8 for 123.Ganesh Satish’s 105 and a string of half-centuries from Ravi Jangid, Jitesh Sharma and Aditya Sarwate hauled Vidarbha from their overnight 254 for 3 to 416 in their Group B fixture against Assam in Trivandrum. Akshay Wakhare, the offspinner, then struck twice to leave Assam at 88 for 3. Rishav Das and Tarjinder Singh were at the crease when stumps were drawn on an extended day. No play was possible on Friday, the second day, because of rain and a wet outfield.Delhi v Karnataka: Gowtham’s five-for routs Delhi for bonus-point win

Crystal Palace could turn to Sunderland winger Jack Clarke as a potential replacement for Wilfried Zaha, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Jack Clarke?

Recently, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano dropped an update on interest surrounding Clarke on Twitter, stating: "Burnley, Brentford and Crystal Palace have all submitted bids for Sunderland talent Jack Clarke. Understand Sunderland are currently negotiating a new deal for Clarke as he’s considered ‘vital’ for the club to get promoted."

TEAMtalk also understand that Sunderland plan to offer the 22-year-old extended terms at The Stadium Of Light to ward off interest from Premier League clubs following a stellar season for the £16k-a-week ace at the Black Cats.

The Eagles could be set for some movement in the wide department in the off-season due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of club icon Zaha, who has yet to agree new terms at Crystal Palace and has been offered a deal worth £10 million per season at Qatari outfit Al Sadd, as per The Sun.

talkSPORT detail that Zaha has been offered around £200,000 per week to stay at Selhurst Park and would become their highest-paid player ever if he was to commit to the proposed four-year deal on the table.

Marseille and clubs in Saudi Arabia are also keen on the Ivory Coast international heading into the forthcoming transfer window.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones thinks that Clarke would be a signing that would appease the Crystal Palace supporters and go on to have a big impact at Selhurst Park.

Jones said: "I think Crystal Palace are always in the market for that emerging exciting talent and I think Jack Clarke, is unsurprisingly linked given that he fits the mould in that sense.

"I'm not sure how likely it is that he actually lands at Crystal Palace because I think that there is clarification yet to be made over Wilfried Zaha, however unlikely that might look.”

What have Jack Clarke's stats been like this season?

Clarke was in excellent form for Sunderland as they fell just short of winning promotion to the Premier League at the play-off semi-final stage.

In 2022/23, the Englishman enjoyed a productive time of things, registering 11 goals and 13 assists from 50 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored also notes that the talent managed to average around 1.7 key passes per match in the Sky Bet Championship, demonstrating his ability to lay chances on a plate for his teammates.

His qualities in providing scoring opportunities are also reflected by FBRef, who show that Clarke has successfully performed 147 shot-creating actions.

Moving into the summer, bringing in someone with the potential that Clarke has to grow into an established Premier League player may be a sensible move by Palace chiefs, especially if Zaha doesn't extend his stay in south London.

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal has had surgery after being struck on the hand during a domestic match last week

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2016Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal has had surgery after being struck on the hand while playing a domestic match last week.Chandimal suffered “multiple dislocations around the right thumb area” after he was hit during a Mercantile tournament match. The recovery period for the injury is three weeks and the Sri Lanka team management said that Chandimal is expected to be fit for the team’s tour of Zimbabwe in October and November. Although the schedule for the tour has not yet been announced, the first Test is likely to begin on October 29.Chandimal’s, Sri Lanka’s vice-captain, was also the side’s designated wicketkeeper during the recent home Test series against Australia. He struck a crucial 132 in the first innings of the Colombo Test to lead Sri Lanka from 26 for 5 to an eventual 163-run win that helped them sweep the series 3-0.Chandimal has also been prolific this year, making 1451 runs from 36 matches across formats including four centuries. He also scored five successive ODI fifties between June and August this year, but missed out on becoming the first Sri Lanka batsman to score six consecutive fifties when he was dismissed for 48 in the second ODI against Australia.He also stood in as captain during a part of the ODI and T20I series against Australia, after Angelo Mathews suffered a calf injury.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe will be hoping to bolster the squad with firepower boasting Champions League credentials after securing top four, and Mohammed Kudus could be the perfect acquisition.

What's the latest on Mohammed Kudus to Newcastle?

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Newcastle – alongside divisional rivals Arsenal and Manchester United – have earmarked Ajax attacker Kudus following recent revelations over his availability this summer.

The Ghanaian World Cup star is contracted to the Johann Cruyff Arena until 2025 but rejected his outfit's proposal of a contract extension, sparking fresh life into rumours that a deal could be achieved.

Valued at £40m, the 22-year-old would be an affordable option with proven pedigree on the biggest stage both for club and country, offering dynamism and cutting edge that will only serve to enhance the thriving crop at St. James's Park.

Who could Kudus replace at Newcastle?

The aforementioned report states that Kudus might not be the first choice pick for the ambitious Premier League outfits, though this is something that could play into the hand of Magpies technical director Dan Ashworth as he charts a course for success at the recruitment table.

This season, the prolific gem has plundered 18 goals and six assists from 41 matches for Ajax, starting just 28 times; in the Champions League, Kudus has netted four goals and provided two assists, hailed as a "monster" by journalist Muftawa Nabila Abdulai.

Having scored seven times for his nation – including twice at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – the 21-cap Ghanaian would be a brilliant addition to the Newcastle set-up, with one tactical report illustrating his incredible versatility, the ace flourishing in a deeper midfield role, the false-nine position and as an inverted forward out on the right flank.

Per FBref, the "electric" phenom – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Men's Next 8 divisions – the leagues beneath the top European five – for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 3% for touches in the attacking box, underscoring his brilliance both as an assured passer and a direct presence, unflinching and destructive in swift transitions.

He would be the dream replacement for Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin, who boasts fleet-footed excellence himself but is certainly lacking potency in front of the net.

Saint-Maximin has only scored once in the top flight this season from 30 appearances, despite his side's resounding and resurgent success, and he has actually failed to get past the five-goal mark across all four of his campaigns on Tyneside.

With Kudus' versatility and 'electric' presence on the ball partnering an innate knack for sniffing out goals in abundance, securing his services could come at a providential time for Howe and co, who could certainly do with a player boasting success in the Champions League.

Miguel Cummins, the West Indies fast bowler, has signed as Worcestershire’s overseas player for the final three rounds of the Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2016Miguel Cummins, the West Indies fast bowler, has signed as Worcestershire’s overseas player for the final three rounds of the Championship. Cummins, who made his Test debut against India last month, replaces South Africa’s Kyle Abbott as Worcestershire aim to maintain their pursuit of the one promotion spot available in Division Two this season.Abbott was called up for South Africa’s Test series with New Zealand and, after two defeats in their last three matches followed by conceding 551 against Northamptonshire, Worcestershire have decided to strengthen their attack by bringing in Cummins.With one day of their ongoing match at New Road to go, Worcestershire sit fourth in the Division Two table, 56 points behind leaders Essex after they secured a three-day win against Leicestershire.Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said: “We have signed Miguel for the last three games of the season. I am delighted not only to be getting someone who has been playing recently but also someone who has recently been playing international cricket and that says a lot for his quality.”He played in the West Indies-India series and was successful in the penultimate Test of that series. He is a young guy with no experience of county cricket or English conditions but he is hungry to do well, try and impress and make an impact and he has got this opportunity in the last three games and we are looking forward to having him on board.”He is a little bit quicker than any of our bowlers, with a bit of bounce, and he is well thought of by Ottis Gibson. I spoke to him and he gave a very good recommendation for him and when you look to give someone an opportunity, you want someone with a point to prove.”There is a lot of unavailability [of overseas players] towards the end of the season and we are very lucky to get Miguel.”Cummins, who took 6 for 48 in the St Lucia Test against India, has a career record of 125 first-class wickets at 22.44. He was the most successful pace bowler in this year’s WICB Professional Cricket League, with 33 at 20.69. He is expected to arrive at the club on Monday and be available to play Essex at Chelmsford, starting on Wednesday, followed by games against Sussex and Derbyshire.”I am relishing the chance to play county cricket for the first time,” Cummins said. “I am always keen to learn and broaden my cricketing knowledge and experiences and this is an ideal opportunity for me. Several West Indian players have played for the county and I hope I can make a significant impact and help the club towards its goal of trying to achieve promotion.”