The visitors completed their third-highest successful chase to record their first T20I series win over India

Firdose Moonda21-Mar-2021

South Africa Women 159 for 4 (Lee 70, Wolvaardt 53*) beat India Women 158 for 4 (Verma 47, Ghosh 44*) by six wicketsSouth Africa Women completed their third-highest successful chase to record their first T20I series win over India, with a thrilling last-ball win for a 2-0 series lead in Lucknow. The six-wicket margin belies how close this match was.South Africa needed 43 runs off 30 balls when their best batter Lizelle Lee was dismissed, and then required 19 runs off 10 balls when their most experienced player Mignon du Preez was out. They needed nine runs off the last over, six off the last two balls and one off the final delivery. Laura Wolvaardt took them home and recorded her third T20I half-century in the process.India posted their 18th total of 150 or more and would have been disappointed with their inability to defend it, given that they have done so on nine out of 12 occasions before this. Their ground fielding let them down again, with three dropped catches and several mis-fields.The no-ball
Arundhati Reddy was tasked with bowling the final over, with nine runs to defend. Her first ball was a low full toss which Nadine de Klerk hit through midwicket for a single. Her second was a wide yorker that Wolvaardt missed. Her third was another full toss, but high, and was hit to deep mid-wicket for a single. Then she bowled a full delivery that de Klerk lofted to long-on, but it fell well-short of the fielder. So far, so good. South Africa had scored three runs off the first four balls and needed six off three. Then, Reddy bowled a more-than-waist high full toss that Wolvaardt pulled to mid-wicket for two. It was called a no-ball and South Africa only needed three off two. Wolfvaardt found two runs off the fifth ball and swung wildly at the final one, which she inside-edged towards short fine leg for the run that won the series.Lee leads
This trip can barely get any better for Lee, who was the leading run-scorer in the ODIs and has translated that form into the shortest format, where there were some concerns about her recent performances. Lee had not scored more than 25 runs in a T20 against a team ranked in the top 10 since South Africa’s last trip to India in 2019. Between then and before today’s match, Lee had batted in 11 T20 innings, and before this one had scored 217 runs at an average of 19.27. Her 70 in this match has lifted that to 23.92 from her last 12 innings and 25.28 overall.She showed her intent from the second ball when she hit Reddy through the covers for four and followed that up with well-placed sweep shots against Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma. But it was not just the legside that Lee favoured. A key feature of her batting in Lucknow has been the way she has punctured the offside too. She brought up fifty off 34 balls and then freed the arms to add 20 more runs off the next 11 balls.Some moments of magic but three missed opportunities
Lee’s innings was nit without its chances. She was on 30 when she top-edged a sweep off Radha Yadav and Richa Ghosh, running in from deep square let the chance slip through her hands. Ghosh put Lee down again, on 60, when she drove Gayakward in the air to cover and although it required a jump to get to, Ghosh managed to get to the ball but could not hold on. Gayakwad could not be too upset. She put down a catch of her own bowling when Wolvaardt, on 2, pushed a ball back to her as Gayakwad crouched down, but could not wrap her fingers around it.In-between all that, India had two pieces of fielding they will be proud of. In the 10th over, Lee drove Harleen Deol to long-on, where Jemima Rodrigues put in a sliding stop before passing the ball to Deepti Sharma while Lee and Luus tried to complete a second run. Deepti’s direct hit at the non-striker’s end caught Luus short of her ground and ended a 58-run second wicket stand between Lee and Luus. And then in the 16th over, Yadav took a good catch off her own bowling to dismiss Lee, who mishit an attempted slog high into the air. Yadav pedalled back, took the catch reverse-cupped and tumbled onto her back as she held on with one hand. This is the 25th successive innings in which Yadav has taken a wicket, and it was also her 50th wicket in T20Is.Sweet 17s
The future of India’s batting was on display at the top and tail of their innings through 17-year-olds, Shafali Verma and Ghosh. Verma set the hosts up with a fearless display against the short ball, in particular, and took on Shabnim Ismail, hitting her second over for 12 runs. The shot of Verma’s innings was off de Klerk, who erred in length and pitched it up. Verma stepped forward to the fifth delivery of de Klerk’s first over, hit through the line and sent it over long-off for six. Ghosh arrived at the crease after India had lost two wickets for 7 runs and their scoring rate was starting to stutter and she got them going by hitting three boundaries off Luus. She also wasn’t afraid of Ismail and sent the third-last ball of the innings over mid-off for four. Ghosh would have been eyeing a first international half-century off the last two deliveries but missed a pull and was beaten by a slower ball to end on a career-best 44*.Bosch’d
Anneke Bosch has had a fabulous tour so far but would not have been happy with the way things went for her in this match. Her first call to action came when Verma, on 26, top-edged Nonkululekho Mlaba and Bosch, running in from long-off spilled the chance, She was called to bowl the next over and her first two deliveries were short and both were sent to the boundary by Deol. Though Bosch got her own back when Deol holed out to long-on, her three overs cost 26 runs and she couldn’t make up for that with the bat. She was bowled when she missed a sweep off Gayakwad in the second over.

It wasn’t straightforward, it wasn’t pretty, but it is one of those wins that would give South Africa immense satisfaction. On a turning track, where a modest 188, made largely thanks to Mithali Raj’s battling 79 and Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s magnificent 3 for 13, the visitors dug deep to carve out a five-wicket win to take the series 4-1.The victory was set up by Mignon du Preez and Anneke Bosch, who hit half-centuries in a 96-run fourth-wicket stand. It was crucial coming at the time it did, because the visitors had been reduced to 27 for 3 in the 11th over, with the ball jumping off the rough created at one end by left-arm seamer Monica Patel. South Africa have now won 10 of their last 11 ODIs, winning back-to-back series against New Zealand, Pakistan and now India.But they would’ve been nervy at the start. Opening the bowling, Gayakwad defeated Laura Woolvaardt with sharp turn as substitute fielder Jemimah Rodrigues took a sharp catch at slip in the second over. In the fourth, Gayakwad beat Lara Goodall with sharp turn to trap her lbw. But after a three-over spell, Gayakwad was taken off the attack to give inexperienced Patel, playing in just her second game, a spell.Although India struck soon enough, in the 12th over, when D Hemalatha beat Sune Luus in the air and off the deck, they couldn’t sustain the pressure. In looking to attack, the inexperienced spinners conceded more runs than they would have ideally liked.In the absence of Poonam Yadav, the frontline spinner, Deepti Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur, who earlier in the day injured her hip flexor to be ruled out of the game, the responsibility was on debutant C Prathyusha and Hemalatha to offer maximum support to strike bowler Gayakwad. It proved a task too steep as their inexperience showed.Wristspinner Pratyusha, who has a quick-arm action, struggled to land the ball at drivable lengths, which made it easy for du Preez and Bosch to pick her away both off the front and back foot. Bosch was particularly aggressive, looking to clear the infield by getting to the pitch time and again. du Preez, meanwhile, showed all her experience by using the pace to play cheeky paddles.Their industrious partnership meant the score kept ticking along, forcing Raj to keep going back to her two trump cards Goswami and Gayakwad from time-to-time Gayakwad had bowled out going into the last 10, with South Africa still needing 36. This helped Marizanne Kapp guide Nadine de Klerk through the tricky phase with the target within touching distance.Things may have yet been interesting had Goswami taken a catch to remove Kapp at long-off with South Africa still needing 32. South Africa would’ve been six down. It would’ve also come quickly on the back of the wickets of Bosch and du Preez, who fell in the space of 15 deliveries, to Gayakwad and Prathyusha respectively.The missed opportunity had a deflating effect; Pratyusha who should’ve had her second wicket finished with 1 for 60 off nine overs instead. With Patel unable to have any kind of stranglehold over the batters, Kapp calmly wiped off the remainder of the runs with 12 balls to spare, with India forced to rue their batting lapses.That they took the fight till the end was thanks to Mithali Raj’s rescue act after the rest of the batting stuttered yet again. The lone ranger who has carried the India middle order for much of her career, Raj hit her 55th ODI half-century after being put into bat by South Africa.The loss apart, India may also be staring at another major worry ahead of the T20Is, with Kaur, the designated captain for the shortest format, having to retire hurt after a hip-flexor injury. Pushed ahead of Raj to No. 4 on the day, Kaur had settled in to put together a half-century stand with her captain, before retiring out in the 31st over just as India looked to launch.It proved to be a huge setback, after they appeared to have overcome the early losses of Smriti Mandhana, Priya Punia and Punam Raut, India’s highest run-getter, with the scoreboard reading 53 for 3 in the 13th over.Hemalatha, in her first game after replacing Deepti struggled to wriggle out of a hole she dug herself into. Taking 12 balls to get off the mark, she survived an ugly hoick before nicking one to the wicketkeeper two balls later. Then the returning Sushma Verma, picked ahead of Taniya Bhatia, did little to prove her batting credentials, given out lbw to de Klerk.India’s slow middle order consolidation also allowed Sune Luus to get her fifth bowling options – de Klerk and Bosch – to dictate terms; their 16 overs went for just 61 runs for three wickets, all reward for de Klerk’s accurate medium pace.In the face of this meltdown, Raj, who took her time, like she does, focused on holding one end up even if strike-rotation proved difficult initially. And while debates continue over whether she should be accelerating a lot more upfront, India’s middle and lower order did her no favours by collapsing the way they did to give the team management plenty to think of in terms of their approach In the face of a changing game leading into next year’s 50-over World Cup.

It has been an incredibly quiet transfer window for Arsenal this summer, especially compared to the last two years.

So far, the only genuine addition to the first team has been Riccardo Calafiori, and while Mikel Merino's move to the club is supposedly getting closer, it has felt 'close' for almost a month now.

What makes this more of a problem is that fans can see other teams strengthening, be it Tottenham Hotspur's capture of Dominic Solanke, Liverpool's move for Martin Zubimendi, or even Chelsea's surprise move to sign Pedro Neto, who was touted for a move to the Emirates several times over the last few months.

Now, while missing out on Neto is far from ideal, fans can take some solace in the fact that the club already has a player better than him in that position, and he is worth millions more.

The latest on Pedro Neto

Yes, on Friday afternoon, The Athletic's David Ornstein confirmed that Chelsea had reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for their star winger Neto.

According to Ornstein, the Blues will pay the Old Gold a fee of €60m plus €3m of add-ons, which converts to a total package of around £54m, which was later confirmed by Sky Sports News and BBC Sport.

It's an undeniably sizable fee for a player who has missed 100 games over the last three campaigns, but in the 24 appearances he did make last season, he scored three goals and provided 11 assists, so the talent is obviously there.

It's a surprising move, though, as, over the last few weeks, the two clubs most heavily linked with the Portuguese international have been Arsenal and their North London rivals, Spurs.

There is sure to be some level of disappointment among Arsenal fans who were excited by Neto's quality, but this is one transfer they shouldn't worry too much about missing out on, as they already have a far more valuable option in that area of the pitch.

Bukayo Saka's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is Hale End superstar Bukayo Saka, who, according to Transfermarkt, is worth a whopping €140m, which is about £120m, or a massive £66m more than Neto.

Having a player worth this much is brilliant for a club regardless of how much they spent to sign them, but considering the Englishman came up through the academy and hasn't cost the club a penny in terms of a transfer fee, it's astounding.

Moreover, it's a totally justified valuation as well, as for years now, the "incredible" winger, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been the star of the show at the Emirates.

Appearances

226

Minutes

17401'

Goals

58

Assists

53

Goal Involvements per Match

0.49

Minutes per Goal Involvement

156'

For example, despite still being just 22 years old, he has made 226 senior appearances for the North Londoners, in which he's scored 58 goals and provided 53 assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.03 games.

However, he took another step forward last season, as in just 47 matches for Arteta's side, he scored 20 goals and provided 14 assists, meaning he produced a goal involvement on average every 1.38 games, which is significantly more impressive than Neto's average of one every 1.71 games last season.

Moreover, unlike the new Chelsea man, the Ealing-born talisman has a relatively clean bill of health, having only missed 15 games for club and country across his entire career, compared to a staggering 126 for the Portuguese international.

Ultimately, Arsenal do need to sign a quality backup for Saka this summer, but given the price and his horrific injury record, they probably made the right call by not going for Neto.

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Ruben Amorim claims Arsenal wingers Bukayo Saka Gabriel Martinelli play for corners after seeing Manchester United downed by more set-piece goals.

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• Gunners deadly from dead-ball situations
• Red Devils found that out to their cost
• Arteta's side still in Premier League title race

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Gunners have mastered the art of scoring from dead-ball situations, with Mikel Arteta’s side adding another important attacking string to their bow. Those qualities were highlighted once again during a Premier League clash with United at Emirates Stadium.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Arsenal prevailed 2-0 on the night, with both of their goals coming from corners – as Jurrien Timber and William Saliba found the target. Arteta is understandably encouraging his side to play to their strengths, with opponents unable to handle the threat that they pose from set-pieces.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT AMORIM SAID

  New United boss Amorim had no answer to Arsenal’s dead-ball wizardry, telling reporters of how the Gunners are happy to see open-play crosses knocked behind: “On every occasion Saka and Martinelli has one against one, they go outside, they cross. They know if the cross is going well, they can score. If it is a corner, they can score.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal’s rivals really should know what to expect by now, as the north London outfit have been dominating from corners for some time. Stopping them is proving tricky, though, with Arteta’s side sitting third in the Premier League table – seven points behind leaders Liverpool.

Joshua Kimmich's contract at Bayern Munich is set to run out next summer and the German has revealed when he will make a decision on his future.

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Kimmich's Bayern Munich contract up in 2025Barcelona and Man City interested in midfielderWants to decide future before next summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kimmich has been a major target for Barcelona over the last few seasons as the Catalan side have struggled to replace Sergio Busquets in midfield. However, the La Liga side have not been able to sign the German due to Bayern Munich's asking price. With Kimmich's contract set to run out in the summer of 2025, Barcelona have been hoping to sign the 29-year-old as a free agent, while Manchester City have also joined the race for Kimmich.

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Kimmich has not revealed whether a contract proposal has been put in by Bayern Munich, however, talks have been ongoing between the German side and the 29-year-old's entourage. The German international has now revealed that he knows when he wants his future decided as he wants clarity on the situation.

WHAT KIMMICH SAID

Speaking to ZDF SportStudio, Kimmich said: "I will not wait until summer. I will sit down in winter and then try to see the bigger picture. And make the right decision."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KIMMICH?

The German international will want to focus on the current season for the time being as the Bavarians look to recapture the Bundesliga title from Bayer Leverkusen. Currently top of the pile, Vincent Kompany's side face Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday evening.

West Ham United have been the busiest Premier League side this summer, making eight signings already, spending a total of €144.40m (£123m), and it doesn't seem like they are done quite yet.

Despite huge investment, the Hammers suffered an opening day defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, with striker target, Jhon Duran, scoring the winner.

The Hammers will want to put that loss behind them quickly, moving onto a London derby against Crystal Palace this weekend, before facing Manchester City the following week.

West Ham transfer news

As reported earlier this week, West Ham are keeping an eye on Sunderland winger, Jack Clarke. Crystal Palace and Wolves have also been mentioned previously, but it seems the latest reports have West Ham and Southampton as the two potential suitors.

The 23-year-old is mainly deployed from the left hand side, however has shown in the past he can play through the middle, playing once as an attacking midfielder, and once as a centre-forward for Sunderland last season.

Clarke – who has been touted at around £25m – made 42 appearances for Sunderland last season in all competitions, scoring 15 goals, providing four assists, and totalling 3,623 minutes played.

Clarke vs Summerville comparison

Of course, West Ham have already dipped into the Championship market this summer, picking up Championship Player of the Year, Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United. The 22-year-old made 49 appearances for Leeds last season, scoring 21 goals and providing ten assists.

But with West Ham's recent ambition, there is a possibility they could acquire Clarke, to provide instant competition to Summerville for that left-wing spot, as both players excel in different ways.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Clarke

Summerville

Goals

0.37

0.49

Assists

0.10

0.25

Progressive Passes

4.64

4.40

Key Passes

2.35

2.88

Progressive Carries

7.89

5.04

Successful Take-Ons

3.81

2.52

Shots

2.69

3.27

Shots on Target

1.01

1.23

Carries into Pen Area

4.54

2.57

Clarke was described as "insane" by analyst Ben Mattinson, waxing lyrical about the 23-year-old's ability as a ball carrier, playmaker, and direct threat. This is backed up by his exceptional progressive carrying numbers, averaging 7.89 per 90 during the 2023/24 campaign.

His one-versus-one ability is a huge factor for his success, combining his brilliant carrying numbers with the ability to beat his man, averaging 3.81 successful take-ons per 90. This allows Clarke to access dangerous areas of the pitch through his own progression, even averaging 4.54 carries into the penalty area per 90, compared to Summerville's 2.57.

One area that Summerville comes out on top though, and something Clarke has to improve upon, is their output. Summerville, averaging higher goal and assist numbers per 90, has delivered output at a more consistent rate. However, this could also be down to the quality of teammates.

Having the pair of left-wingers on the books could provide West Ham with solid competition for that side of the pitch, with Clarke's ability to drive the team forward with his carrying qualities, and Summerville's more consistent output adding extra goals and assists to the side.

Watch out Fullkrug: West Ham could land dream £21m Duran alternative

He has bags of Premier League experience already

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Wolves have sent a proposal to a Jorge Mendes client regarding a possible £12.8m move to Molineux in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update from abroad.

Wolves transfer news

Constant transfer rumours continue to emerge from Wolves, with new signings hopefully coming in soon, but current squad members also potentially heading out of the Molineux exit door.

One such figure in the latter category is young left-back Hugo Bueno, who is the subject of interest from a number of different clubs, including Feyenoord, who have made contact over a move. The likes of Leeds United and Celtic are also believed to be in the mix, though, as the 21-year-old potentially heads out on loan before the new Premier League season gets underway.

In terms of possible incomings, Colombian legend James Rodriguez has emerged as an audacious rumoured target for Wolves, with his spell at Brazilian side Sao Paulo coming to an end after they ended his contract. The veteran creative maestro shone for his country at Copa America, registering six assists in many matches, which means there is expected to be plenty of interest in him this summer.

Max Kilman's exit to West Ham has left a void at the heart of Gary O'Neil's defence and Burnley centre-back Maxime Esteve has been linked with a summer switch to Molineux. He started 15 Premier League games last season, averaging 3.4 clearances per match, and at just 22, represents a long-term option.

Wolves send proposal to Mendes client

According to a new report from AS, Wolves have sent a proposal to Valencia midfielder Andre Almeida over a summer move to the club, with the Portuguese midfielder a client of Mendes' Gestifute Agency, who have sent many players to the Old Gold in recent years.

A deal could cost as much as €15m (£12.8m), with the 24-year-old's current deal at the La Liga club not expiring until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Almeida could be a strong addition to Wolves' midfield ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, having now racked up 56 appearances in a Valencia shirt, proving to be a key figure in that time. Last term, he appeared 18 times in La Liga, scoring twice, as well as averaging 1.4 tackles per game, chipping in with quality both on and off the ball.

The fact that the Valencia ace is a Mendes client can only be a positive, too, considering how many Wolves players have been represented by the world-renowned agent down the years, suggesting that relations between himself and the club are still healthy.

At 24, there is still a lot more to come from Almeida, too, and he will hope to make the step up to senior international football for Portugal, having won a total of 50 caps at youth team level for his country across seven different age groups in the past.

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Playing for Wolves could only help in that respect, with the magnitude of the Premier League exposing him to a wider audience, as O'Neil eyes him as an ideal addition in the middle of the park.

‘We have a settled top order and with any one of them going till the end with finishers in late middle order we can easily touch 350’

Umar Farooq01-Apr-2021

Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, wants his side to be done with the traditional style of playing one-day cricket. He wants his batsmen to eradicate any sense of doubt in their minds; to be fearless so they can post totals in the region of 350 a lot more often. And all that might just start with the first ODI against South Africa on Friday.Pakistan teams have shown improvement in this regard in the domestic circuit, with run-rates on a steady increase over the past few years – 2016 (5.25), 2017 (6.34), 2018 (6.62), 2019 (6.45). But in 2020 it plummeted to 5.90. The trend of 320-plus scores, however, has increased. There were 15 of these in last year alone – a marked rise from the seven each in 2018 and 2019.Having played only five ODIs since the end of the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan haven’t had a lot of occasion to translate those numbers into international cricket. But the chance has finally come now.”Definitely, we need improvement all the time,” Babar said ahead of the Centurion ODI in a virtual press conference. “You might see a fluctuation in performance between two games but we need to be consistent and with every passing day and the more games we play, we are gaining more experience as a team. We try to go fearless and we understand that is the best way forward. The World Cup is in two years and we have to be consistent in playing a set of players and keep on playing the same combination which will eventually bring in confidence in the team as well as in individual players.”Pakistan have been tweaking their combination a lot lately, but their focus now appears to be on finding a set of seven or eight players who can serve as the team’s nucleus. “When you play the same group of players, this will actually set the momentum and then you see a difference in every aspect of the game either about strike-rate, total we score, or the overall performance,” Babar said. “We definitely have to match up with modern-day cricket and we are figuring out how to adapt the approach.”There is a sense of responsibility among players to keep on lifting their strike-rate and only then we are able to have our required total. We have a settled top order and with any one of them going till the end with finishers in late middle order we can easily touch 350. We have given everyone their individual plans and even they themselves know how to go out and play according to the demanding situations these days. Going fearless isn’t impossible. We have to eradicate this sense that we cannot do it, rather we should instill that we can, we will and we have the capability. We have an approach in mind in line with what is required in modern-day cricket and prepared accordingly.”Pakistan were the first subcontinent side to win a bilateral ODI series in South Africa in 2013-14, and either side of that lost two five-match series by the deciding game. Since 2010, Pakistan has a 6-7 win-loss in 50-overs cricket in South Africa and Babar hopes they can be competitive again.”Of course you have to move on according to the modern cricket and set your targets but you have to be watchful about the opponent’s strength as well,” he said. “They are good at home in their own conditions but we have played well in the past. The difference has been the bounce, but in white-ball cricket, it actually helps batsmen. These are true pitches and as a batsman when you settled in, you have the ball coming on your bat nicely and you enjoy a lot. South Africa have got a good combination but we have our bases covered and expect a good series. We are here with a point of view to win it as the games are going to win us important points for World Cup qualification.”

In an attempt to replace Crysencio Summerville, Leeds United have reportedly reached an agreement to sign a winger who also ticks the box for homegrown status for Daniel Farke's side.

Leeds transfer news

It's been a summer full of frustrating departures for the Whites, who recently saw their misery compiled by Georginio Rutter's exit to Brighton & Hove Albion. The attacking midfielder has followed in the footsteps of Archie Gray and Summerville, who secured moves to Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United respectively.

In dire need of attacking reinforcements, recent reports have linked Leeds to the likes of Manuel Benson and Carlos Forbs, who both represent solid options for those in Yorkshire. Benson, of course, currently plays for promotion rivals Burnley but has struggled for game time under Scott Parker. In search of rediscovering his best form, Leeds could swoop in before the transfer window slams shut.

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Forbs, meanwhile, is a Manchester City academy graduate who has shown glimpses of his potential since completing a permanent move to Dutch giants Ajax. Still just 20 years old, a return to English football could yet be on the cards.

That said, it looks as though those at Elland Road have instead turned their attention towards a Manchester United academy graduate. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 49ers Enterprises and Leeds have reached an agreement to sign Largie Ramazani from UD Almeria in a deal worth €11.7m (£10m), with a medical already booked.

An added boost for Leeds is also the fact that Ramazani would count as a homegrown player, because of his time in Manchester United and Charlton Athletic's academy.

So, although the winger chose to represent Belgium, the rules state that a player counts as homegrown if they spend over three seasons registered with a club affiliated with the FA before their 21st birthday, which Ramazani did.

Now, the reason why this is important is because every EFL side must name at least seven homegrown players in every matchday squad.

"Impressive" Ramazani can replace Summerville

Aside from ticking the homegrown box, Ramazani is also quite the talent. At 23 years old, the winger was a standout in a poor Almeria side, who ended the campaign relegated to Spain's second division.

It was not down to the Belgian's efforts, however, with four goals and five assists to his name representing a solid campaign. Earning plenty of praise as a result, analyst Ben Mattinson described Ramazani as "impressive since moving to La Liga" back in January.

The Almeria man did, of course, continue that form to earn the interest of Leeds, who are now reportedly set to get their man.

Hosts trail by 156 after Glamorgan rack up 407 and Chris Cooke’s knock ends on 136

ECB Reporters Network23-Apr-2021Northamptonshire 251 for 7 (Rossington 76) trail Glamorgan 407 (Cooke 136, Lloyd 65, Carlson 54) by 156 runs Adam Rossington’s gutsy 76 helped Northamptonshire tip-toe away from a huge first-innings deficit after Glamorgan racked up 407 in the LV= Insurance County Championship.The Welsh visitors had added 83 tailender runs, as Chris Cooke ended on 136, before sharing the wickets around to leave Northants slumped on 76 for 5.But skipper Rossington and Saif Zaib put on 126 for the sixth wicket, with the former notching his first red-ball half-century since last August.Their efforts meant Northants steered their way to 251 for 7, six runs away from avoiding the follow-on and within 156 runs of Glamorgan.Resuming on 324 for 7, Glamorgan enjoyed almost the perfect morning as they ticked off a fourth batting point, rising above 400 before taking two early Northants scalps.Partnerships of 46, 26 and 32 for the last three wickets frustrated the home side – under pure blue skies on a slowish wicket.James Harris was watchful for his 17 before he was caught behind, but James Weighell and Michael Hogan scored in extravagant style all alongside the unflappable Cooke.Chris Cooke played an excellent knock•Getty ImagesWeighell, who got a pair on county debut last week, struck Sanderson for a six before edging Wayne Parnell behind, while Hogan thrashed six boundaries in his unbeaten 25.Cooke finally exited after an excellent innings, caught at first slip when attempting an offside slog, as Glamorgan ended up with 407.Glamorgan’s profitable morning continued when Ricardo Vasconcelos edged a cut shot to Billy Root at first slip. Weighell ended Northants’ miserable session when he ran out Charlie Thurston with a sensational direct hit from midwicket.Rob Keogh, Luke Procter and Ben Curran all fell soon after lunch to leave the hosts in a mire.Keogh was lbw to Harris, who took his first Glamorgan wicket since dismissing Monty Panesar 2,441 days ago having returned to his boyhood county on a two-week loan from Middlesex.Curran, having reached 1,000 first-class runs on his 21st appearance, was caught behind off Weighell before Procter gloved a ball down the leg side to keeper Cooke five balls later.Rossington arrived and countered, typified by two sixes in a Callum Taylor over – firstly over long-off and then clipped to the short square boundary – while Zaib blocked from the other end.Having reached 40 in a brisk 48 balls, it took Rossington a further 24 deliveries to negotiate his way to a half-century, brought up with a nicely timed square drive.The duo both departed within 11 deliveries of each other as Zaib swung a David Lloyd knee-high full-toss straight to mid-on and Rossington was pinned by Michael Hogan.Parnell, who was dropped at second slip on four, and Gareth Berg guided their side to the close without further damage.