Aguero wants Atletico Madrid return, Manchester City fans react

Sergio Aguero has been Manchester City’s star man for some time, but over the course of the last 12 months, doubts have risen over the striker’s future.

The Argentina international has consistently performed for the North-West outfit since his move to the club from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

For some reason, Aguero has never won PFA Player of the Year, despite the fact that he has been in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot numerous times.

Last season, manager Pep Guardiola suggested that the 29-year-old may have a more limited role by playing Gabriel Jesus.

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However, in the latter stages of the campaign, which ended in a Premier League title win for City, Aguero was used regularly.

According to Spanish publication AS, the prolific striker, who scored 30 goals and created seven assists in all competitions last season, wants to return to Atletico.

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Aguero spent five years of his career at the La Liga side before switching to City.

Now, it seems that he wants to go back to his former club, but City fans are not having any of it.

Revealed: 73% of Rangers supporters would love to sign Dylan McGeouch

Rangers supporters eager for the club to bring midfielder Dylan McGeouch to Ibrox, after Steven Gerrard was reported to be interested in his services last week.

The Scottish Sun reported that new assistant boss Gary McCallister had enquired about a potential move for the player, with his contract set to expire at Easter Road.

McGeouch was one of the stand-out midfielders in the Scottish Premiership last season, winning Hibs’ player of the year awards and attracting interest from north and south of the border.

Signing him on a free transfer would be a great bit of business and despite ditching Rangers previously to join Celtic, fans appear keen for Gerrard to get a deal done for the 25-year-old.

A massive 73% of respondents to a poll we published earlier this week believe the Gers should make a move for him this summer.

Can a deal now be done that weakens Rangers’ rivals as much as it strengthens Gerrard’s side?

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You can see the full results of our poll below…

Tottenham Hotspur fans interested in Bielsa’s move to Leeds United

When Leeds United announce the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as manager, not many would have connected the news to Tottenham Hotspur.

The fanbase of the North London outfit have taken an interest in the appointment purely due to the coach’s previous working relationship with Mauricio Pochettino.

In the past, the Tottenham boss has described Bielsa as his “football father” after working alongside the 62-year-old during his six-year spell as head coach of Argentina.

The two managers will not be facing off on the pitch unless they meet in cup competitions, but it is clear that Pochettino regards Bielsa as a mentor.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255896″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Tottenham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The new Leeds boss, who has taken over from Paul Heckingbottom, will certainly attract attention on the touchline with his fiery persona.

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The Yorkshire outfit failed to launch a successful bid for promotion last season as they ended up finishing 13th in the Championship, 15 points adrift of the playoff spots.

Due to Pochettino’s link to Bielsa – who has a fine pedigree having managed Argentine, Chile, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio and Lille – Tottenham fans posted their thoughts on the appointment via Reddit.

Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.Comment from discussion Pochettino’s mentor Marcelo Bielsa signs two-year contract to become new manager of Leeds United.

Newcastle should forget Kenedy and swoop for Saint-Maximin

Newcastle fans are desperate to bring Kenedy back to Tyneside this summer, but could they be better served hijacking a West Ham target instead?

Newcastle fans all said the same thing this week when a report claimed they will have to smash their transfer record to land Chelsea’s Kenedy on a permanent basis this summer – pay the money!

However, the Magpies should not be too swayed by the influence the Brazilian had during his loan spell, especially given the premium costs of transfer deals between two Premier League clubs.

According to popular West Ham insider ExWHUEmployee, the Hammers have “identified” Nice wonderkid Allan Saint-Maximin as a target this summer, and Newcastle should absolutely be joining the hunt.

West Ham are of course desperate for some more pace and creativity up front after the loss of Manuel Lanzini to a knee injury, though they are reportedly very close to a deal for Lazio’s Felipe Anderson.

Saint-Maximin joined Nice from Monaco last summer and made quite the impression in his debut season, grabbing three league goals as well as seven assists, so it’s no surprise to see Manuel Pellegrini eyeing up a deal.

Like Kenedy, the young Frenchman is at his best when he isolates a defender one-on-one, and he could be the ideal signing to help Pellegrini implement his usual 4-4-2/4-2-2-2 setup at his new club. His 167 dribbles last season were by far the most of any Nice player.

But the 21 year-old winger is absolutely rapid, so it doesn’t take much of an imagination to wonder how dangerous he would be running in behind defences to latch on to Jonjo Shelvey’s exquisite long balls.

He also has the quality to find a great pass once he gets in behind, completing well over one key pass per game last season, which would be a huge help to whoever Rafael Benitez brings in as his new number nine this summer.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255847″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Newcastle’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The youngster does need to work on his finishing, but this is something that would improve drastically under Benitez, and if he can add more end product to his dazzling speed and skill he will be quite simply unstoppable.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, Saint-Maximin can play on either wing, and would bring pace, creativity, and the element of surprise to St. James’ Park every week.

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Averaging over a tackle per game, he certainly wouldn’t be afraid to get stuck in and work for the team either, something Benitez expects from every player.

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If West Ham are seriously eyeing a deal for the youngster as they look to rebuild the team around Pellegrini’s philosophy, then Newcastle should absolutely be getting involved.

So, Newcastle fans, do you think should make a move for Saint-Maximin this summer? Is he better than Kenedy? Let us know by voting in the poll below…

Three Dusan Tadic upgrades Southampton should target this summer

According to Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf, Southampton attacking midfielder Dusan Tadic could be on the verge of joining Eredivisie giants Ajax.

The Daily Echo reports that the 29-year-old is keen to leave the south coast outfit this summer after four seasons at St Mary’s, with the club only narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship last term following a difficult 2017/18 campaign.

The Serbia international played a key role in helping Mark Hughes’ men survive with three goals in their final six Premier League fixtures, but in general he has endured two difficult seasons following two successful opening years with Saints in which he was one of their biggest threats in the final third in terms of goals and assists.

The attacker will leave a huge void to fill once his exit is confirmed, and Hughes will surely look to scour the transfer market to try and find a player that can make an even bigger impact than him.

Here are three Tadic upgrades Southampton should target this summer…

If Hughes is looking for a player that can not only bring a creative spark to his side, but also a big goal threat, he should look no further than Basel attacker Elyounoussi.

The 23-year-old, who usually plays as a No.10 or on the left wing, enjoyed a brilliant 2017/18 campaign for the Swiss outfit, scoring 13 goals and providing a further 17 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions, including a goal and assist in his side’s 2-1 win against Manchester City in the Champions League in March.

While the Norway international has three years left on his contract, he could be available for a reasonable fee that is affordable for Saints.

Sao Paulo attacking midfielder Cueva has proven just how good he is for Peru at the 2018 World Cup, and while he did miss a penalty kick in his nation’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in their opening group game, the skill, pace and technical ability he showed throughout suggests he can make an impact in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old is energetic and causes constant problems for opposition defenders, and while bringing him to St Mary’s for his first ever spell in European football would be something of a risk, he has shown that he has the attributes to make a real difference for them in the Premier League.

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The Croatia youngster burst onto the scene with Dinamo Zagreb when he was 16 years of age, and he impressed so much that Barcelona snapped the youngster up in 2014.

The 22-year-old has struggled to really fulfil his potential since then making just one first-team appearance for the La Liga giants before loan spells Sporting Gijon and Las Palmas following a permanent move to Hamburg in 2016.

The midfielder has the ability to be the new Luka Modric before of the technical qualities that he has, and two goals and two assists in 20 Spanish top flight appearances for Las Palmas last term show that he is ready to make an even bigger impact.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Gerrard should take Rangers risk on three-cap former England international this summer

The Rangers fans in and around the Transfer Tavern hope that under Steven Gerrard, their title hopes will become reality in order to put a stop to Celtic’s dominance.

Their double treble winning seasons have made the Rangers fans extremely jealous but now having recruited Gerrard as their new manager, they’re hoping he can be the man to spark a renewed belief around the club and could launch a proper title challenge. Already the Englishman has brought in a number of players in order to improve their chances and should that continue, our punters think it would be worthwhile signing Gabby Agbonlahor, who is valued at £900k on Transfermarkt.

The 31-year-old has been at Aston Villa for 13 years but seeing as they’re having financial problems, he may be a player they look to get rid of to free up some money. His contract is up at the end of June and Rangers would then be free to talk to the Englishman about a possible move to Scotland. After only making 6 appearances due to being completely out of favour, Rangers could turn around his career and offer him the opportunity to play regular football.

Steven Gerrard has already signed an ex-team mate in Jon Flanagan, now he could even sign a player that he played against. The pace of Agbonlahor (who was once in the England squad alongside the Gers chief) is still frightening and if fully fit, his time at Rangers could be very successful under a manager who is desperate to impress. He would bring quality, leadership skills and goalscoring ability if given the right service, that’s why the Gers have to do everything to get him in a Rangers shirt.

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Do you agree… Let us know!

Five-fors dominate opening day

A round-up of the first day’s action from the fifth round of matches from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff03-Nov-2009

Group A

A five-for from Asad Ali helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) gain the early advantage against Khan Research Laboratory (KRL) at the KRL Ground. The 21-year-old right-arm paceman bowled with great venom to take out four of the top six KRL batsmen. He was well supported by Mohammad Hafeez who chipped in with three bottom-order wickets to bowl out the hosts for 198. Hafeez then combined well with Naeemuddin to put on an undefeated opening stand of 51 during the reply.The left-arm spin of Mohammad Hussain proved too much for second-from-bottom Lahore Shalimar against Pakistan Customs at the Lahore Country Club. Hussain finished with sublime figures of 6.3-1-7-5 as Lahore folded for 114 in 47.2 overs. Once Tahir Mughal had made the intial inroads, Hussain ran through the middle and lower orders, with Lahore’s wicketkeeper-captain Ali Raza providing the only fight with 25. In reply, Customs lost Jibran Khan early while Asad Baig retired hurt. But they won’t be too troubled at 55 for 1.Uzair-ul-Haq was also on the list of five-wicket hauls for the day as National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) began well against Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) at the Iqbal Stadium. Uzair did full justice to captain Naumanullah’s decision to field first, accounting for the top five SSGC batsmen. Opener Asif Zakir made a lone fifty as the SSGC innings ended on 182. The NBP openers, Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin, negotiated the five overs left in the day and took stumps at 19 for no loss.A disciplined effort from the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) seamers helped them bowl out Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for 138 at the Gaddafi Stadium. The WAPDA scorecard made for uniform reading as fast bowler Aizaz Cheema struck at either ends – removing the openers and taking out the No. 9 and 10 batsmen. Kamran Sajid accounted for the next three to follow after the openers, while Najaf Shah dismissed the next three. Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed played no small part, plucking out six catches. PIA lost Khurram Manzoor before ending the day on 51 for 1.Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited‘s (ZTBL’s) right-arm fast bowler Kashif Daud picked up 3 for 85 even as the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) batsmen managed sizeable contributions to maintain the balance in the match at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. Put in to bat, opener Saleem Elahi’s patient 49 proved to be HBL’s top score as Daud dented the middle order. The table-toppers were propped up by a string of thirties from ICL returnee Taufeeq Umar, Kamran Hussain and captain Hasan Raza. But at 232 for 6, the undefeated pair of Abdur Rehman and wicketkeeper Farhan Iqbal will be expected to do more.

Group B

Eighties by Umair Khan and Ashar Zaidi lifted Islamabad to a strong 281 for 5 against Faisalabad at the Diamond Club Ground . The home side openers added 79 and the fourth-wicket stand of 97 took them to a position of strength. Umair made 87 before he was dismissed by Ijaz Ahmed jnr, who took three wickets. Zaidi ended the day in sight og a century with an unbeaten 80.It was a good contest between bat and ball at the National Stadium as Karachi Blues posted 291 but lost eight wickets to Multan. Shahzaib Hasan got the innings off to a brisk start with a 44-ball 48 but his opening partner Ali Asad went on to score a fifty. Asad Shafiq was the top scorer of the day with 67, at No.3, but the middle order failed to convert their starts. Rizwan Haider, the left-arm seamer, and Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner, shared five wickets between them to pull things back for Multan.At the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground , Hyderabad ended the day on a decent 274 for 6 against Lahore Ravi. The openers, Aqeel Anjum and Sharjeel Khan, laid a strong platform with a stand of 102. Hanif-ur-Rehman, batting at No.4, missed his half-century by a run before he was dismissed by Kasjif Siddiq. Shahid Qambrani and Lal Kumar added 80 for the fifth wicket to prop Hyderabad after they lost two wickets in quick succession.A five-wicket haul by Mohammad Rameez helped Rawalpindi take control against Peshawar at the National Ground in Islamabad. The 19-year-old seamer took four top-order wickets to set Peshawar back. They had lost half their side for 55 and a recovery came in the form of a sixth-wicket stand of 55 between Mohammad Rizwan and Azam Jan, who top scored with 77. Jan got some support from the lower order who helped take the score past 250. Mohammad Ayaz took 3 for 57 while Rameez took another wicket to finish with 5 for 89.Faisal Rasheed’s four-wicket haul led Sialkot‘s opening day domination against Quetta at the Jinnah Stadium. Quetta were initially in control with a second-wicket stand of 78 but the batting began to fall apart. Shoaib Khan jnr top scored with 94 but lacked support from the middle order. Rasheed cleaned up the lower order to finish with 4 for 35. The Sialkot openers added 11 before stumps were drawn.

Dead tracks prompt Jayawardene to bat for bowlers

After more than 800 runs were plundered in the first ODI in Rajkot, Mahela Jayawardene has called on lifting restrictions on bowlers, such as relaxing the one-bouncer per over rule

Cricinfo staff17-Dec-2009After more than 800 runs were plundered in the first ODI in Rajkot, Mahela Jayawardene has called for lifting restrictions on bowlers, including relaxing the one-bouncer-an-over rule and leniency in the definition of a wide in ODIs.”I have always been critical of the fact that bowlers now have to bowl in the ‘strike zone’ basically,” Jayawardene said ahead of the second one-dayer in Nagpur. “You can’t bowl down the leg side. Anything outside the off stump is a wide.”With the Power Plays and all the restrictions it’s important we give bowlers leverage as well. Another option would be to give them another bouncer. Give them two bouncers an over. Restrictions are probably easing up and have given them a bit more in third Power Play. But we need to balance it out a bit more.”It has been a batsman-dominated tour so far, with big runs scored in the Tests and Twenty20s. In the first ODI on Tuesday, Sri Lanka fell three short of overhauling India’s 414, which would have made it the second-highest successful chase ever.Jayawardene expected plenty of runs in Nagpur as well but said the bigger size of the ground should make the totals lower than in the first ODI. “It was a really good wicket at Rajkot. It was a fast outfield and smaller ground. History shows it’s a high scoring ground,” he said. “Here it’s a bigger ground but a really good wicket as well. We need to adjust to that and to the different combinations. It’s a fresh start.”India’s batting unit is working well and the loss of three first-choice bowlers – Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Thushara and Dilhara Fernando – to injury adds to Sri Lanka’s worries. Jayawardene, though, was confident the replacement bowlers would step up. “I don’t see a problem. Obviously injuries in the past have taken good players away from us but we have not stopped playing or winning. It’s a good opportunity for another guy to show what he’s capable of.”

Smith century pushes England to the wall

Graeme Smith loves nothing better than to grind England into the dust, and on the hottest day of the tour so far, he produced an innings of intensity and drive to set up the prospect of a series-squaring victory in the third Test at Newlands

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller05-Jan-2010Close South Africa 291 (Kallis 108, Anderson 5-63) and 312 for 2 (Smith 162*, Kallis 20*) lead England 273 (Prior 76, Morkel 5-75) by 330 runs

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Smith made England suffer on a hot and tiring day•Getty Images

Graeme Smith loves nothing better than to grind England into the dust, and on the hottest day of the tour so far, he produced an innings of intensity and drive to set up the prospect of a series-squaring victory in the third Test at Newlands. By the close he was still powering along, unbeaten on 162 from 243 balls, as South Africa amassed a hefty second-innings total of 312 for 2, and an overall lead of 330. With two days remaining and the weather set fair, England will require a similar show of mental and technical strength to avoid slumping to their fourth defeat in four post-Apartheid visits to Cape Town.In the course of his epic innings, and as a measure of his importance to his country, Smith became only the second Test captain after Allan Border to amass 6000 Test runs. Famously, more than 600 of those came in his first two appearances against England back in 2003, while his unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston five years later almost singlehandedly secured South Africa their first series win in the country since readmission. The message for England is clear: without mastering Smith, they cannot expect to master South Africa, and given the humiliation his team suffered in Durban last week, his resolve in this contest has been heightened all the more.Following the now-habitual early loss of Ashwell Prince, whom Graeme Swann dismissed for the third time in five balls this series, the bulk of Smith’s work came in a 54-over stand with Hashim Amla that spanned the entire afternoon session and realised 230 runs, a record for the second wicket at Newlands. Unusually it was Amla who set the initial pace, as he carved 12 fours before tea, most of them through point and third man as England’s seamers served up too much width, but after the break Smith really began to cut loose, as he sensed the flagging morale of his opponents, and recognised an opportunity to cash in.Up until that point, he had saved his most aggressive tendencies for Swann, whom he looked to work against the spin and through midwicket at every opportunity, but in the final session he hurtled from 65 to 162 in a matter of 117 balls. James Anderson was pulled off a good length before being driven straight in a classic double-whammy, and he added another cut through backward point in his next over before drilling a low full-toss from Graham Onions through midwicket to bring up his 19th Test century from 170 balls, and his fifth in 17 Tests against England.With that milestone under his belt, there was no looking back. Andrew Strauss moved entirely onto the defensive, packing the offside field and urging his bowlers to aim two feet outside the stumps, but Smith carried on chasing every hint of width, picking the gap in the covers and extending his mastery over the match situation. Jonathan Trott’s exploratory swingers were rifled out of the attack to the tune of six fours in three overs, including four in five balls to end his work for the day, while Stuart Broad, who cut a grumpy figure all day, was slapped with impunity through point time and again, as Smith hurtled past 150 for the fourth time against England.As if England’s problems weren’t already mounting, Broad also attracted the scrutiny of the umpires when he was seen in one incident to tread on the ball with his spikes as it rolled back along the pitch towards him. If it was an attempt to scuff up one side of the ball, it was spectacularly unsuccessful. Though England did locate some reverse swing as the afternoon wore on, they were unable to utilise it to any sort of advantage. “All he did was stand on the ball,” said a terse England coach, Andy Flower, after the close.Only one bowler could be relied upon to cause Smith any problems, and even then he wasn’t able to cut the flow of runs. Swann might have dismissed Smith three times in his first over alone, via an lbw appeal, an edge short of slip, and a top-edged sweep that looped into no-man’s land, but his biggest and most significant let-off was to come. On 51, Swann straightened a delivery on middle stump that was initially adjudged lbw, but Smith rightly suspected that the ball was bouncing too much. Sure enough, the replays showed it would have skimmed over the top of off stump, and so his vigil went on.Instead, Swann had to make do with the scalps of Prince, who survived a bizarre referral for caught-behind on 5 but then wasted one 10 runs later after being pinned plumb lbw, and Amla, who would have richly deserved his second century of the series, but was never quite able to restart his innings after reaching tea on 73 not out. He was becalmed on 91 for 13 deliveries before drilling a drive through the covers to move to 95, but in the same Swann over, he propped half-forward, and bobbled a low bat-pad chance to Alastair Cook at short leg.At 261 for 2, however, damage limitation was the only thing on England’s mind, and Jacques Kallis, the first-innings centurion, was in no mood to allow any further wickets to fall. He accompanied Smith for 14.2 overs in a half-century stand before the close, to reach stumps on 20 not out.Still, if England could take any vague cause for optimism from the day’s events, it came courtesy of Matt Prior, who had carried the attack back to South Africa with a hard-hitting 76 in the morning session, after Morne Morkel had secured his five-wicket haul with back-to-back breakthroughs in his first over of the day, dismissing Swann without addition to his overnight 5 courtesy of a fourth-ball lifter that took the glove, before Anderson was handed the second duck of his Test career as Smith at first slip claimed another regulation edge.But with the No. 11 Onions for company, Prior demonstrated the reliability of the pace and bounce to whittle to overnight deficit down from 50 to 18. By the end of the day, such feats were small beer, but nevertheless, the rewards for confident batting are there to be had. And England will need to play with plenty confidence in the coming two days.

Marsh helps Australia sneak into World Cup final

Mitchell Marsh’s impressive 97 set up Australia’s entry into the Under-19 World Cup final, but not before they were given a huge fright by a committed Sri Lanka

Peter English27-Jan-2010

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mitchell Marsh’s 97 set up Australia’s win•Getty Images

The captain Mitchell Marsh’s impressive 97 set up Australia’s entry into the Under-19 World Cup final, but not before they were given a huge fright by a committed Sri Lanka. On a tense day it was Australia’s first-class players who had the major impact, with Marsh backing up the effective bowling of Josh Hazlewood and Alister McDermott, as they sneaked to 206 for 8 with nine balls to spare.Sri Lanka were dismissed for 205 after being 32 for 5 while Australia also had trouble in their chase, falling to 38 for 3 before Marsh swung the game Australia’s way with 12 fours in his 110-ball stay. However, when Marsh fell to a brilliant diving catch from Rumesh Buddika, the left-arm spinner, his side was a nervous 171 for 6.Hazlewood walked off with 26 still needed and Tom Triffitt, the wicketkeeper who had been so solid, fell with four still required when bowled by Charith Jayampathi (3 for 34) for a highly-valuable 50 off 70. Australia went 13 balls without a run before the scores were leveled and Luke Doran scampered the winning single after hitting to mid-off.Australia won the World Cup in New Zealand in 2001-02 and have the chance to repeat their success against Pakistan, who beat West Indies, when they line up on Bert Sutcliffe Oval on Saturday. Sri Lanka will have to be satisfied with the third-place play-off.The chase did not start well for Australia and when Alex Keath (7) played on to a tentative defensive shot from Jayampathi, who already had Nic Maddinson lbw in the second over, they were three-down and in major discomfort. There was a rally before Jason Floros (21) made the mistake of stepping back and being bowled by the offspinner Rushan Jaleel, while Tim Armstrong was also bowled off an inside edge, leaving them at a worrying 93 for 5.It would have been even worse if the wicketkeeper had caught the ball when Marsh was short of his ground in the over he reached a 57-ball half-century. Marsh stayed calm until the end of his innings and showed why he is so highly rated by Western Australia. He drove two fours in the same over off Jayampathi to give him some confidence early in the innings and was on track for his century when he pulled and lofted boundaries off Jayampathi to take him into the 90s.The innings was the most accomplished of the match and followed a fine recovery from Sri Lanka’s lower order after their main men were run over in an outstanding opening from Hazlewood, who plays for New South Wales, and Queensland’s McDermott. Both fast bowlers have troubled first-class batsmen in their short domestic careers and the Sri Lankans were unable to deal with the extra pace and bounce on a surface with some early life.McDermott struck the first two blows after Sri Lanka won the toss, picking up Andri Berenger (10) at first slip before Bhanuka Rajapaksa (7) edged an attempted drive, which was caught low down by Tom Beaton at second slip. Five balls later Jayasundera was lbw playing back to Hazlewood, sending Sri Lanka to 23 for 3, a situation which soon became much worse. Hazlewood got one to angle away and rise sharply to Buddika (3), who nicked to the wicketkeeper Triffitt, and Hazlewood removed Jayampathi in a similar way in his next over.Kithuruwan Vithanage started the rebuild with Akshu Fernando and the valuable contributions were able to lift Sri Lanka to a respectable total. Vithanage fell on 40 to a fine leaping catch from Floros at fine leg, but Fernando found useful allies in Dhanushka Gunathilleke (11) and Peiris (39).Fernando was happy to take singles – both his fours came with drives in the same over off Nick Buchanan – and when he exited with 52 off 88 to a soft sweep to short fine leg, the side was in much better shape. Hazlewood returned to end the innings and collected 4 for 26 off 8.2 overs while McDermott, Buchanan and Doran chipped in with two wickets each.

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