Phil Hay shares injury news he’s heard from Leeds on “exceptional” player

Leeds United have been given a timely boost ahead of their trip to Southampton this week and one player could make his long-awaited return from injury problems.

What's the latest news involving Leeds United?

In the lead-up to Leeds United's trip to St Mary's Stadium to face Southampton, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has given an update on the future of out-of-favour star Helder Costa, who is still on the books at Elland Road despite much speculation swirling over his future.

Cited by Leeds Live, Farke detailed: "Nothing has changed. Helder's wish was for him to move. Everything is professional. We are working on a solution but he's not in our plans. I think Helder had a great career in English football and he's a good guy but he won't be involved."

The German coach also gave some insight into new signing Ilia Gruev's next steps at Elland Road, saying: "It's normal that you need time and with the language, he's fluent but you need to understand every football phrase. He starts for Bulgaria and he's a top player. Ampadu, Gray, Kamara have impressed, it's not like an urgent case. I much prefer this step-by-step situation. He is always ready to go, a humble guy. I'm more than happy."

In conversation with Sports Illustrated, Leeds United loanee Robin Koch, who is currently situated at Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, has spoken about his connection with his parent club despite leaving for Germany in the summer transfer window, saying: “In my three years at Leeds, I have felt very comfortable so far and have developed further as a footballer and as a person. The club really means a lot to me. But it was time for me to make another change in terms of sport."

Despite the upheaval at Elland Road over the last few months, Leeds are unbeaten in their last six Sky Bet Championship matches and have kept four clean sheets in succession.

What has Phil Hay said about Patrick Bamford?

Taking to social media platform X, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has given an update on the state of play regarding Patrick Bamford's fitness, stating: "Injury latest – Bamford is an option this weekend and expected to travel with the squad."

Leeds United boss Farke has elaborated on Bamford's availability, stating via BBC Sport: "Team training this week was massively beneficial for him and he's definitely also a topic for the squad on Saturday. It's much improved. Two weeks back in training, he's definitely a topic to travel."

patrick-bamford-leeds-united-academy-rutter-sonny-perkins-farke

On a side note, the German manager also confirmed that Wilfried Gnonto's surgery on an ankle knock has come and gone without a hitch and he will be back in contention after the next international break.

Bamford, who has previously been labelled as "sensational" by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, has been a major asset for Leeds United during his time at Elland Road despite some poor runs of form more recently, registering 51 goals and 21 assists in 151 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Having yet to appear for Leeds this term, the Grantham-born ace will provide a boost to Farke, who will hope to lean on Bamford's goalscoring expertise in the English second-tier over the coming months.

Jos Buttler's hasty call-up to captain a useful World Cup exercise

England’s one-day vice-captain didn’t have much warning he would have to take the lead in Cardiff, but responded with a key innings and a calm display in the field

Andrew McGlashan17-Jun-2018With thoughts turning towards next year’s World Cup, Eoin Morgan’s last-minute back spasm which ruled him out of the match in Cardiff provided a useful experience for England in a scenario that could play out during the tournament.This is not to wish injury on anyone, but they can occur at any moment and disrupt the best-laid plans. At Sophia Gardens, Jos Buttler had about 20 minutes warning that he would lead England when Morgan was ruled out. The end result was a consummate performance from England, in which Buttler made 90 off 71 balls before marshalling the defence in the field when Australia threatened to run the game close thanks to Shaun Marsh.England are a well drilled and very confident one-day side, so it should come as no shock that the loss of Morgan didn’t derail them. The second match of a five-match series, when the team is leading 1-0, is not as crucial a situation as could play out at the World Cup, but the smooth handover to Buttler reinforced the stability in the team.It was the fourth ODI Buttler had captained following the series in Bangladesh where he stood in for Morgan after he had withdrawn from the tour over security concerns.”I enjoyed it, a bit more stressful going through lots of decision, the buck stops with you,” Buttler said. “As vice-captain you can suggest a few, and hide behind that, but it’s the captain’s decision. It’s enjoyable. It’s a very good side to captain. At times the side captains itself, with defined roles for the players and a lot of experience in the group, so the guys know what they’re doing.”The late change in captaincy meant it was the first time ever an England-Australia international had seen two glovemen in charge. “Lots of captains have been wicketkeepers as well. You’ve got a pretty good position to see what’s happening and what’s going on, so I don’t think it’s a problem,” Buttler said.As Buttler suggested, he did not reinvent the wheel in the field but he was alert to various situations. He hustled through overs from Moeen Ali and Joe Root, but whipped Adil Rashid out of the attack after four expensive overs – although they included the wicket of Aaron Finch – and then brought him back in the final 10 overs when an extra fielder is allowed out.Rashid responded with a googly to defeat Ashton Agar, just as his stand with Marsh was making England sweat, again showing the value of a legspinner at the death. Alongside another impactful performance from Liam Plunkett – whose brace of wickets in the 46th over finally snuffed out the chase – it ended up being reasonably comfortable for England.”Adil came back really well, I asked a lot of him to bowl in the last 10 overs,” Buttler said. “It’s never easy. He and Liam have been fantastic wicket-takers for us throughout the last few years, so those two guys always seem to have that knack of picking up crucial wickets, so it’s great to have them in your armoury.”It seems like a tough ground to defend, with the wind and the short boundaries. [Shaun Marsh] was playing very well. With our fielding we could have been a bit sharper, we missed a few fumbles. I thought we had enough, but you’re never quite sure.”Such are the expectations around this England one-day side, that their total of 343 – a record against Australia – felt a little below what it could have been but it helped put to rights the indifferent chase at The Oval which began the series. The series can be wrapped up a Trent Bridge and already there is talk of the whitewash.”We’re putting in good performances. It’s very important for us to continue to show why we got ourselves to No. 1 in the world,” Buttler said. “There’s a World Cup around the corner, so we need to keep polishing up in those areas we can improve. A by-product of that is winning the series in comprehensive fashion. But we’ve got to keep going game by game and not get ahead of ourselves or get complacent.”

ميسي يكشف كواليس تسديده ركلة الترجيح بنهائي كأس العالم.. ولماذا كان يريد قتل نفسه في 2016 ؟

كشف ليونيل ميسي لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، عن شعوره اثناء تنفيذ ركلة الترجيح في نهائي كأس العالم بين الأرجنتين وفرنسا.

ليونيل ميسي حقق مونديال قطر 2022 رفقة المنتخب الأرجنتيني، بعدما سجل هدفين في المباراة التي انتهت 3-3، وحسمها التانجو بركلات الترجيح التي شهدت تسجيل ليو ركلته ضد هوجو لوريس.

طالع أيضًا.. ألفاريز يوضح سبب “خدش رقبته” في مباراة الأرجنتين وكندا بـ كوبا أمريكا 2024

وقال ميسي في تصريحات عبر بودكاست “كلانك” على منصة يوتيوب: “فكرت في التحلي بالهدوء وعدم خيانة نفسي وعدم التسرع، قلت لنفسي عليّ أن أكون هادئًا ولا أركل الكرة بسرعة، وأواصل التسديد بالطريقة التي أنفذ بها دائمًا، خاصة بعد أن سجل مبابي الركلة الأولى”.

وأضاف: “هذا ما فعلته، وبنفس الطريقة تمكنت من التسجيل، خاصة وأننا فزنا على هولندا بركلات الترجيح أيضًا في ربع النهائي، لذلك كان عليّ عدم المخاطرة وتغيير أسلوبي”.

وبالعودة لركلات الترجيح أمام تشيلي في نهائي كوبا أمريكا عندما بكى ميسي، علق ليو: “في تلك اللحظة أردت أن أقتل نفسي، لأنها كانت ركلة الجزاء الأولى، وعندما أهدرتها، تسببت في اهتزاز الثقة داخل الفريق”.

وأوضح: “قررت التسديد بقوة لأنني كنت أعلم أن ذلك كان ضروريًا بسبب معرفة برافو طريقة تسديدي للركلات، ولكنني ارتكبت خطأ كبيرا ولم أتمكن من وضع الفريق في المقدمة، لقد قررت التسديد أولًا حتى يشعر الفريق بالثقة، لكن ما حدث العكس”.

واختتم: “غرفة الملابس في 2016 كانت الأكثر حزنًا في الأرجنتين، لأنها كانت المرة الثالثة على التوالي التي نخسر فيها كوبا أمريكا والثانية في النهائي، لم يكن لدينا العديد من الفرص مثل نهائي 2015، لكننا كنا متفوقين على مستوى اللعب، وخسرنا بنفس الطريقة، وهي ركلات الترجيح”.

Zagueiro da Ponte Preta entende críticas a defesa, mas faz ressalva

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de um bom início da passagem do técnico Marcelo Oliveira na direção da Ponte Preta, os dois últimos compromissos não trouxeram apenas mais pressão ao trabalho do treinador como, principalmente, críticas ao sistema defensivo.

Com os seis gols nas últimas duas partidas (5 a 0 diante da Chapecoense além do 1 a 0 diante do CRB), o zagueiro Ruan Renato falou ao portal ‘ACidade ON’ que o elenco possui peças qualificadas para transformar positivamente o momento da equipe.

Para ele, além do entendimento da responsabilidade de atuar pela Ponte por ter nascido próximo a Campinas (natural de Paulínia, menos de 30 Km de distância), ele enxerga certa injustiça nos apontamentos feitos observando somente os dois últimos compromissos:

-O desafio é grande, mas a gente sabe o tamanho da Ponte Preta e a qualidade dos atletas que estão aqui. Sou natural de Paulínia, por isso sei da tradição e peso da Macaca, e não pensei duas vezes em vir para cá. Se ajustarmos as coisas, tivermos um maior equilíbrio no sistema defensivo, temos tudo para conseguir o acesso que a Ponte merece.A pressão sempre vai existir, o jogador de futebol convive com isso diariamente, mas não se pode definir a Ponte em um ou dois jogos. Os tropeços não podem apagar a campanha que a Ponte vem fazendo. Temos que trabalhar, estudar os jogos, aprendermos com o que erramos e seguir em frente.

A próxima oportunidade que o time de Campinas terá de apagar essa impressão será na segunda-feira (2) encerrando a última rodada do primeiro turno na Série B diante do Figueirense no Moisés Lucarelli.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalCRB segura ataque da Ponte Preta, vence por 1 a 0 e encosta no G-4Futebol Nacional24/10/2020Futebol NacionalChapecoense goleia Ponte Preta fora de casa e dorme líder da Série BFutebol Nacional20/10/2020Ponte PretaPonte Preta ganha opções no elenco com chegada de quatro nomesPonte Preta16/10/2020

Southampton: Kyle Walker-Peters drops news on his future amid exit rumours

Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters has delivered a definitive update on his future at the club during a new interview following a summer of uncertainty in the Championship.

How old is Kyle Walker-Peters?

The St. Mary’s right-back is 26 years of age and has plied his trade on the south coast for the past three years having permanently joined in 2020 following a successful loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur, via Transfermarkt. To date, he’s made a total of 126 appearances.

England’s former international still has another two years remaining on his contract with Russell Martin’s side, but over the summer, his future was looking extremely uncertain having attracted attention from several high-profile clubs in the Premier League.

Arsenal, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Fulham have all been credited with an interest in the defender over the past couple of months, but with a deal having failed to come to fruition before the deadline on September 1st, he remained in the second tier.

Is Kyle Walker-Peters leaving Southampton?

Speaking to The Daily Echo, Walker-Peters opened up on his future at Southampton amid the interest he received over the summer and shared his stance on a potential exit, whilst commenting on life under Martin. He said:

"Of course, I was aware that there was a lot of interest. I'm not someone who was going to try and force my way out or have things put in the media. That’s not my style.

"I came in and spoke to the manager on day one and I got to work. I worked as hard as I could to learn the gaffer’s new style. I’m really enjoying working with him. My main focus is on Southampton and getting the club back into the Premier League. Hopefully we can do that.

“First and foremost, I love Southampton. With the new gaffer coming in, he was excellent with me. He was excellent with everyone actually. He has implemented his style really well. I’m enjoying it. The focus for myself and everyone in the dressing room is to try and get back into the Premier League."

Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters.

How good is Kyle Walker-Peters?

Members of the media have called Walker-Peters a “top-class” full-back, and whilst he’s naturally a defender, he is much extremely good in the attacking aspect of his game having racked up ten goal contributions (seven assists and three goals) since putting pen to paper.

The Edmonton-born talent, who pockets £20k-per-week, also ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and pass completion, highlighting his desire to dribble past his marker, burst down the flank and link up the play with his teammates in the final third.

Furthermore, Walker-Peters has the ability to operate in four different positions over the pitch, so his versatility is another attribute that makes him a great option for the boss to have at his disposal, and Martin will be hoping to fend off any further interest in January.

"Crazy" – Media reacts to Daniel Farke’s comments on Leeds star

Leeds United journalist Conor McGilligan has now taken to X to react to Daniel Farke's latest comments about Georginio Rutter.

What was the Leeds vs Watford score?

Leeds picked up another important victory in the Championship this weekend, defeating Watford 3-0 at Elland Road, courtesy of goals from Joel Piroe, Sam Byram and Jaidon Anthony, in what was a very impressive performance from the whole team.

The Whites undoubtedly deserved to pick up the three points, dominating possession and recording more expected goals than their opponents, and there were a few players who stood out, with Daniel James receiving the highest SofaScore match rating of any player (8.1).

Although Rutter was unable to find the back of the net, he also impressed on Saturday afternoon, setting up Anthony for the third goal in the second half, with just one minute of normal time remaining, and he will certainly be pleased with his display.

Farke was clearly very happy with the striker, hailing him for a "top-class performance" in his post-match interview, while also claiming that his work ethic was "outstanding", but there was one aspect of his game the manager was not overly pleased with.

As relayed by Phil Hay on X, the manager has confirmed he's spoken to the 21-year-old about what he perceived to be unnecessary showboating during yesterday's game, which may have bordered on being "embarrassing for the opponent." Hay said:

"Farke says he's spoken to Rutter about making sure that when he plays, he doesn't try to embarrass or disrespect opposition players. Can show his magic but needs to keep it under control. But very happy with his display."

However, when reacting to the manager's approach on X, McGilligan has now suggested he thinks it is a non-issue, while querying the manager's approach to the forward expressing himself.

McGilligan said: "Relax Farke, let Georgio cook, crazy take."

How did Georginio Rutter play against Watford?

It is probably a little harsh to be too critical of the 21-year-old, as he is in exceptional form at the moment, and the fact he is showing his "magic" highlights that he is full of confidence, which can only serve Leeds well going forward.

The starlet completed seven of the nine dribbles he attempted at the weekend, by far the highest amount of any player on the pitch, while he also created one big chance, and won all three of the aerial duels he contested.

The only thing missing from the Frenchman's performance, which would have topped it off, was a goal, and he may be slightly be disappointed he spurned one big chance, although it ultimately had no bearing on the result of the match.

Leeds forward Georginio Rutter.

The Plescop-born forward is now on two goals and one assist in six Championship outings this season, having put in a remarkable performance against Millwall earlier this month, receiving the highest Sofascore match rating of any player (8.6).

Farke will be hoping Rutter can put in a similar display next weekend, when his side face a tough test away at fellow recently relegated side Southampton, who have suffered four defeats on the spin.

Spot-fixing claims made against England, Australia Tests; boards say no evidence

The matches in question in Al Jazeera’s documentary are the England-India Test in Chennai in December 2016, and the Australia-India Test in Ranchi in March 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-20183:05

Watch – Alleged spot-fixing in the India-Australia Ranchi Test

Cricket Australia and the ECB have said there was no “credible evidence” linking Australian and English Test players to spot-fixing, as alleged by TV channel Al Jazeera in its documentary, which focuses on various forms of corruption in the sport.The Tests in question are the England-India Test in Chennai in December 2016, and the Australia-India Test in Ranchi in March 2017. Al Jazeera’s allegations are that during certain periods of the game some England and Australian batsmen scored at a rate specified by fixers for the purposes of betting.Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, said the “limited information” the board had was discussed with “all the England players” and they “emphatically deny the allegations, have stated categorically that the claims are false and they have our full support.”CA requested Al Jazeera for raw footage and un-edited material to assess the allegations and determine whether an investigation was necessary. The BCCI said they were working closely with the ICC.ICC wants ‘un-edited and unseen evidence’

. “The ICC has now had the opportunity to view the documentary into corruption in cricket and as we have previously stated, we are taking the contents of the programme and the allegations it has made extremely seriously,” Alex Marshall, the ACU’s general manager, said in a statement. “A full investigation led by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, working with full cooperation from all Member countries identified in the programme, is now underway to examine each claim made.
“We have been in ongoing dialogue with the broadcaster which has refused our continual requests to cooperate and share information which has hampered our investigation to date. The content of the programme, is of course useful to the investigation, but I would now urge the production team to provide us with all un-edited and unseen evidence they are in possession of, to enable us to expedite a thorough investigation.”

In the documentary, a person Al Jazeera identified as Aneel Munawar, an Indian national who is said to work for crime syndicate D Company, is seen naming three England players and two Australian players to the undercover reporter as being part of the fix.The names of the cricketers were edited out in the documentary but Al Jazeera said it would pass on information to the relevant authorities. The channel said the two Australians named by Munawar had not responded to the allegations; while the three England players “categorically denied the allegations” through their lawyers, stating that they were “made by a source who is a known criminal,” and that the likelihood of a batting team fixing scores “to within such degree of precision as alleged is highly improbable, if not practically impossible.”Al Jazeera, however, claimed that the information passed by Munawar to the undercover reporter about run-scoring in a certain passage of play was accurate in both Tests. The instruction, the channel claimed, was for the batsmen to score slowly so that the actual runs scored would be lower than what the illegal betting market was placing bets on.The channel said there was no evidence to indicate any other England or Australia players had been involved or aware of the alleged plot.CA said it had not yet had the opportunity to view the raw footage containing the allegations, and requested Al Jazeera for the same. “Together with the ICC, we are aware of the investigation by Al Jazeera into alleged corruption in cricket,” CA chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement. “Although not having been provided an opportunity to view the documentary or any raw footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims will be treated very seriously and fully investigated.”Neither the ICC or Cricket Australia is aware of any credible evidence linking Australian players to corruption in the game. We urge Al Jazeera to provide all un-edited materials and any other evidence to the ICC investigation team, so, if appropriate, a full and thorough investigation can be conducted.”A similar message emerged from the ECB. “There is nothing we have seen that would make us doubt any of our players in any way whatsoever,” Harrison said. “Neither ECB nor the ICC is aware of any credible evidence connecting any England players to any form of corruption. ECB had been aware of the planned Al Jazeera documentary for some time but have not been given the full content. There have been repeated requests for any evidence and unedited materials to be shared with the ICC so they can fully investigate.”We, like other member Boards, are disappointed that Al Jazeera have not been more cooperative and responsible when making such serious allegations.”A BCCI statement said: “The BCCI has a zero-tolerance approach to any activity or act that brings the game of cricket to disrepute or mars the integrity of the game. The BCCI anti-corruption unit is working closely with the ICC anti-corruption on the alleged claims by a television channel.”

Did Harry Kane try to 'tap up' Kieran Trippier? Newcastle star sets record straight on Bayern Munich transfer saga as he reveals 'banter texts' from England team-mate

Kieran Trippier insists Harry Kane did not try and “tap” him up for a transfer to Bayern Munich, but he does admit to “banter texts” being exchanged.

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  • Magpies defender linked with January move
  • In contact with former Spurs team-mate
  • Remains committed to St James' Park cause
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    After seeing fellow former Tottenham stars Kane and Eric Dier head to the Allianz Arena, Trippier generated plenty of speculation himself heading towards the January window. He was said to have been targeted by Bundesliga giants, with his vast experience being sought by Thomas Tuchel.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    No deal was done, with Trippier happy to remain on the books of Newcastle, and the 33-year-old says he was as shocked as anybody to learn that he was on Bayern’s recruitment radar. He was contacted by England team-mate Kane when that news emerged, but claims there was never much chance of him leaving St James’ Park.

  • WHAT TRIPPIER SAID

    Trippier has told of finding himself at the centre of a surprising transfer saga: “It's actually crazy, to be honest, because I was in New York and I was woken up at 5am their time saying, 'Bayern Munich want to sign you', so I was like, 'This is a bit random'. I never thought at 33 years old that Bayern Munich would want to sign me, so it was more of a shock to me than anybody. Then I just got on the phone to the manager straight away and to be honest the manager knows the commitment I've got for the club. I never once tried to force a move out of the club. I'm here now and the owners know the commitment I have shown to the club.

    “I am here now, the owners know the commitment I showed to the club. I speak to Harry all the time. Harry was texting me, of course, but it just wasn't the right thing for me. But I take it as a compliment that a club like Bayern Munich wanted to sign me. He wasn't pushing, he was just texting 'Is it true?, just little things like that, really, just telling me it's warmer than Newcastle and having a bit of banter. But no, Harry's a professional, he wouldn't try and tap me up, as we say. There was nothing to say, really.”

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    WHAT NEXT?

    Trippier is tied to a contract at Newcastle through to the summer of 2025. He is currently focused on helping the Magpies climb the Premier League table, as they sit 10th at present, while also taking aim at major silverware in the FA Cup.

Ross Taylor's hundred makes it Nottinghamshire's day

ScorecardRoss Taylor collected his first Specsavers County Championship century for Nottinghamshire as champions Essex toiled in the humid conditions at batsman-friendly Chelmsford.Taylor, who has joined for the first half of the summer, and is playing his penultimate red-ball game for the county, guided Notts into a dominant position with a 208-ball 146 on day one between the sides currently in third and fourth positions.The 25th first-class century of the 34-year-old Taylor’s career – only the eighth away from the Test arena – took four and three-quarter hours and included 23 fours.It had looked a good toss for stand-in captain Chris Nash to win at the start of the day, and an even better one by the end of it when they had 311 for 6 on the board. Essex’s bowlers, who had steered them to three victories in their opening six fixtures, had a particularly unproductive day, bar the occasional ball that turned from Simon Harmer and a nagging spell early on from Matt Coles.Taylor dominated a fourth-wicket partnership of 122 in 36 overs with Billy Root, who contributed just 32 of the stand from the 112 balls he faced.Taylor was quicksilver in comparison. He went off like a train, going to lunch with 32 from 33 balls. He slowed down appreciably for a time afterwards and needed another 40 balls to add the 18 required to reach his fifth Championship fifty of the season. But it took him just 51 more balls to make it to his second half-century. He had already hit 18 fours by that stage.Taylor, who had also registered three ducks in an otherwise inconsistent summer, had earlier shared a third-wicket partnership of 53 in a dozen overs with his skipper.Nash almost went to the third ball of the day when he got a faint snick to Jamie Porter. Varun Chopra went late to his left at first slip, getting fingertips to the ball but unable to stop it racing away to the boundary.It was not an auspicious start for the home side, and Nash reached his half-century straight after lunch to the 83rd ball faced when he clipped Wagner through midwicket for three. But he departed to his next ball, the first of Matt Quinn’s second spell, walking across his stumps, missing the ball and falling lbw for 51.Quinn had earlier marked his long-delayed return to the Essex attack by taking his first wicket since the end of May 2017. The New Zealand seamer had not bowled in the Championship for 374 days after back problems that required a succession of operations.Opening from the River End, Quinn found movement away from the batsmen off the seam. But it was a straight one to Jake Libby, to which the opener shouldered arms and was bowled, that gave Essex the breakthrough in the 10th over.Samit Patel, having made 20, followed 10 overs later when he was plumb lbw to Coles, who slipped into a nagging line and length from the start. Coles, making his Championship debut for Essex after moving from Kent, was the pick of the bowlers on an easy-paced wicket that favoured the batsmen.Nash’s exit early in the afternoon brought in Root, and with some judicious batting the fourth-wicket pair had Essex toiling in the field and paying for every wayward ball. Root even had the audacity to come down the pitch and lift Harmer straight for six. Later he pulled Coles for the boundary that took Notts to their first batting point.Taylor reached three-figures when he swiped fellow Kiwi Wagner through midwicket for his 18th boundary from the 124th ball he had faced. The boundary also brought up the hundred stand in 29 overs with Root, younger brother of the England Test captain.Root’s role as sleeping partner to Taylor’s rapier was ended when Chopra took a routine slip catch to a forward prod to give Harmer his first wicket of the match. The offspinner then got one to turn to account for Riki Wessels, who went back and was pinned lbw.Taylor finally departed three overs from stumps when he attempted to cut Porter, but only succeeded in touching the ball through to wicketkeeper Adam Wheater.

Quinton de Kock signs for Nottinghamshire for end of Championship season

Wicketkeeper-batsman has been confirmed as overseas signing for four County Championship matches

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2018Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batsman, has been confirmed as Nottinghamshire’s overseas signing for four Specsavers County Championship matches towards the end of the season.De Kock, who is expected to be in Sri Lanka with the South Africa squad next month, will be available for the trips to Hampshire and Surrey in August, as well as two home matches against Yorkshire and Essex in September.He has been signed as a specialist batsman, with Tom Moores now established as the county’s first-choice wicketkeeper since the retirement of Chris Read last season.De Kock, 25, made his Test debut in 2014 against Australia and has since gone on to amass nearly 2,000 runs at an average of 38.20, including a career-best of 129 not out against England.”I’m very excited about joining Nottinghamshire and playing at one of the best grounds in the world at Trent Bridge,” said de Kock.”I enjoyed playing in England during the 2017 tour with South Africa and I am looking forward to coming back over and putting in some good performances for Nottinghamshire.”The team has made a brilliant start to the season in the Championship and hopefully when I come over we can be challenging for the title in the final rounds.”De Kock endured a tricky time with the bat in the 3-1 Test series defeat against England last summer, averaging 23.12 in four matches with a top score of 68. However, his pedigree is not in question as he approaches his prime as an international cricketer.”Quinton is a fantastic player and we can’t wait to welcome him into our squad for the Championship run-in,” said Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell.”He’s one of the best batsmen in the world across all formats and he will add some further firepower to our Championship batting order.”Knowing that we only had Ross Taylor for the first three months of the season we have been working hard to secure world class replacement for the back end and Quinton certainly fits that bill.”He’s in the same mould as Ross in the fact that he likes to score quickly and play in an attacking style and I am sure he will enjoy the late summer pitches in England.”Overall in his first class career, de Kock has scored over 4,000 runs, with nine centuries and 27 fifties, and he is hoping to translate those numbers into further scores during his first county stint.

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