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Leeds United have secured another signing in the form of midfielder Ouasim Bouy from Juventus.

The Championship outfit announced the news on Wednesday, confirming that the versatile player has penned a four-year contract.

However, instead of throwing him into first-team contention, the club have decided to loan him out to Spanish second division club Cultural Leonesa.

Bouy can play as a central defender or as a defensive midfielder, and some fans are scratching their heads about the decision to offload him temporarily.

The Whites have plenty of options in midfield, but at the back, only Pontus Jansson, Matthew Pennington and Liam Cooper are available for head coach Thomas Christiansen.

On top of that, Jansson is suspended for Leeds’ first Championship game of the season this Sunday against Bolton Wanderers.

The fans took to Twitter to give their views on the club’s latest transfer deal, with many happy to sign Bouy but frustrated that he will not be at the club this season.

Swansea, Everton and Southampton are all keen on signing Young Boys ace Yoric Ravet, according to reports from The Mirror and French outlet L’Equipe.

What’s the word?

As is customary with the transfer window, Premier League sides are set to go toe-to-toe with each other for the services of Young Boys ace Yoric Ravet- with Swansea, Everton and Southampton all said to hold an interest in the 27-year-old.

The French midfielder only signed for his current side last year but has thoroughly impressed, netting six goals and providing 16 assists in all competitions- which has got Europe talking and many clubs eyeing a move.

Ravet could end up in the Premier League, with the trio of aforementioned sides expressing an interest, making it anyone’s guess where he’ll end up.

Who needs him most?

Everton are been in-and-out of form this season and Ronald Koeman has made it clear he wants to improve the attack in his side, having already seen a swoop for Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson fail. Ravet may not have Premier League experience but he would be a decent signing.

Southampton, meanwhile, are another side who have been in-and-out of form this season and Pavet would perhaps not get guaranteed football at St Mary’s- which isn’t the case at the final interested club, Swansea City.

Rooted to the bottom of the table, Swansea need all the help they can get and the potential arrival of Ravet would certainly be a huge boost- as his goals and assists could help the Welsh side fight back this season to avoid relegation.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has slammed his players following their 2-1 loss against Anderlecht in the Europa League on Thursday, Daily Mail reports,

Pochettino was livid with the prospect that Spurs are now under pressure to qualify from the Europa group stages ahead of trip to Bournemouth this weekend.

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“We started the game very well,” he said.

“After 10 minutes we scored, we created two or three chances more and when you concede the chance to the opponent to get back into the game the way we did the dynamic changes. We lost our focus and after 10 minutes changed the game completely.

“This was our problem and we need to learn. We are young but if you are the best team on the pitch after 10 minutes and you believe you can win the game you need to win the game. We lost our focus.

“I am angry, frustrated, disappointed. I don’t know which word to describe me.

“We need to be focused for 90 min, 95 min. Football is like this. We are under pressure now. We have to win but I am happy about that. We need to feel the pressure. Because if not, after 10 minutes it seemed like it was an easy game and we have lost.”

The Lilywhites went into the lead via Christian Erikssen early in the clash, but then went on to miss several good chances to add to their tally.

And they were punished for their poor finishing as Guillaume Gillet made it 1-1 before ex-Fulham striker Stefano Okaka sealed a victory for the Belgian club.

The result leaves Tottenham on four points tied with Anderlect, with Monaco in the lead with five while Qarabag are bottom with three.

Pochettino also risked an injury to Harry Kane, with the Argentina manager throwing on his star striker when the game was tied at 1-1 despite him carrying a knock.

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While the Argentine lights up South Beach, the Sheffield-born striker is making waves in Hollywood as he tries to save a season

Imagine this: after a gruelling European season, a 30-something-year-old attacker arrives in MLS, joining a big-market team that is very much down and very much out. The hope is gone, the season unsalvageable.

But goals start flowing, points begin to pile up, hope slowly starts to return. Not a crazy amount of hope, mind you, but a fool's hope. The season may not be dead, the playoffs may not be out of reach and, perhaps most importantly, there's a reason to finally be excited about what's going on.

This could all be used to describe Lionel Messi's heroics in Miami, and that would be correct. But that would be too obvious, wouldn't it? It may sound wild, and it certainly feels crazy to say, but the player we're talking about here is Billy Sharp.

Yes, Billy Sharp. The Sheffield United mainstay. The player who's journey has taken him to Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Nottingham, Reading, Leeds and just about everywhere else a player can play in England. The player that, at least in some circles, is best known for pissing off Wrexham. The player who is the Championship's all-time leading goalscorer. The player who, at one point, had scored more goals than any other English-born player in the 21st century.

Sharp arrived in Los Angeles this season and, in the weeks since, has brought something magical to the LA Galaxy. No, he's not Messi, and it's ridiculous to make the comparison. Messi is perhaps the greatest of all time, a player that has changed a club and a league since he arrived in South Florida.

On the other coast, though, Sharp has been creating something special, too. With the 37-year-old striker leading the charge, the Galaxy aren't dead yet.

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  A winding road to LA

  Before you can understand exactly what Sharp has done since arriving in LA, you first have to understand a few other things. The first of those is Sharp's road to Hollywood.

  Born in Sheffield, the striker is a legit hero for his hometown club, having scored 129 goals over his two stints across three different leagues. His most recent spell lasted eight whole years, with him scoring 116 goals across 311 games to fire the club to multiple promotions all the way to the Premier League.

  He was the club's Player of the Year twice and was named League One Player of the Year all the way back in 2006-07. A decade later, he scored 30 goals and added eight assists to earn the League One Golden Boot.

  Sharp, in short, is a player who has scored at every level in England. But, after the 2022-23 season, his time with the Blades came to an abrupt end as he was released by the club.

  “I got told I was getting one more year,” Sharp told . “I wanted to go into the Premier League with everybody knowing it was my last year, and then it was up to me whether I’d retire after that. I had my heart set on coming back to play the Premier League and committing to playing whatever minutes it would be. When that opportunity didn’t come, it was difficult to digest.”

  The Galaxy, meanwhile, came calling in the summer, and they'll be glad they did.

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  A tough year for the Galaxy

  The second thing you have to understand about Sharp's magic, before we even really get into it, is just how bad the Galaxy were when he walked in. It was a season that was bad from the start, with the campaign beginning with fan protests against the front office, leading to Chris Klein's inevitable firing in May.

  It took nearly two months for the Galaxy to get their first win of the season. By mid-June, they had just three. And it was at that point that they lost their superstar, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, to an ACL injury. The season, at that point, was all but doomed.

  Douglas Costa, the club's other big name, has been largely absent, failing to score while missing several recent games due to injury. For most of the campaign, the Galaxy have been without any sort of contributions from their Designated Players and, in MLS, that spells disaster.

  On August 15, the Galaxy announced Sharp's arrival on a two-month contract with an option for another year. It was a solid, veteran option to cover up what was lacking in Chicharito's absence. At the time, the Galaxy were way out of the playoff picture and fresh off a brief Leagues Cup run that ended in just two group stage games.

  What looked like a stopgap signing, though, turned into something much, much more incredible the moment Sharp got going.

• Sharp goes off

  And now the fun part: what's happened since Sharp arrived.

  Well, it began with a goal, of course, on his debut. After coming on as a substitute against the Chicago Fire, Sharp scored from the penalty spot, helping to seal a 3-0 win.

  After two substitute appearances without a goal, Sharp scored yet again on September 10, leading the way in 2-2 draw with St. Louis City SC. And it was at that point that he really got going for the Galaxy.

  His first start was marked with a goal, although the Galaxy lost El Trafico to rivals LAFC. And then came his best game yet: a ridiculous hat-trick in a potentially season-defining 4-3 win over Minnesota United.

  The first goal was a tap-in, a follow-up of a rebound on a shot from Riqui Puig. With his side down 3-1, Sharp then got his second, a real poacher's goal from a corner kick. And then the third, another stroke of luck, as the ball fell to him just outside the six-yard box, with Sharp making no mistake.

  "I promised my two kids I'd get one of these [game ball] in my time here so I managed to do that," Sharp said after the hat-trick. "I wanted to come here to score goals.  Yeah I'm 37 but I still got a lot of life left in me and a lot of goals."

  In total, Sharp has six goals and an assist across his first seven MLS appearances. He's created seven goals in just 335 minutes. It's a ridiculous return, even from a proven goal-scorer, and those sorts of numbers now have the Galaxy dreaming of a miracle.

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  Held in high regard

  One of the things that made Sharp such a good stopgap signing for the Galaxy was that there was no mystery to him. There's decades of data here for all to see. When you look at Sharp and what he brings to the game, you know what you'll be getting: goals, oftentimes in bunches.

  “An experienced striker who scored a ton of goals,” head coach Greg Vanney said of Sharp. “One thing that I had heard about him and read about him as we were going through this process is the type of leadership that he brings to a locker room and to a team.

  “For us, it was a who we felt could be as plug-and-play as you could possibly get from outside of the league because of his experiences, because of the nature and the challenges of the different levels that he has played at and also because of the humility that he brings to a team and to a locker room.”

  Prior to Sharp's arrival, the Galaxy definitely needed a goal-scorer. He's played just 300 minutes, but the English striker is already the club's joint-second-leading scorer, tied with winger Tyler Boyd and just one behind midfield star Riqui Puig. That bears repeating: Sharp didn't debut until September, and there's a legitimate chance that, with five games remaining, he could finish as the club's top marksman.

  “He gave us a lifeline, obviously," said his Galaxy team-mate Raheem Edwards. "We were kind of depleted right now for goals and this is a guy who is obviously experienced. He knows where to be."

  Diego Fagundez added: "We all know he's a goal-scorer. We see it in training, we see it all the time, he's been scoring and that is what is nice to see when you have a number nine that feels confidence in the box and scoring goals it's amazing."

The Premier League may have outspent the rest of Europe, but clubs outside of England's top flight still conducted some fine January business.

It was baffling how much money English clubs shelled out in January. Whether it was Todd Boehly and his extravagant spending or Nottingham Forest adding yet more new players to their collection, clubs at both ends of the Premier League table spent big ready for the second half of the season.

The rest of Europe didn't exactly sit back, and although La Liga clubs mostly kept their powder dry due to financial restrictions or lofty goals for the summer, other sides quietly went about their business to bring in some big names or potential future stars.

Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, who Bayern Munich brought in on loan with a buy option of €70 million (£62m/$76m), was one to make headlines, but there were plenty of other interesting moves made away from the glitz and glamour of England's top-flight league.

GOAL takes a look at 10 of the best deals done by European clubs in the January market.

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  10Daley Blind – Ajax to Bayern Munich (Free)

  He's not a marquee signing, but Blind could prove a very smart piece of business for the Bundesliga leaders.

  The Dutch international is the epitome of versatility, capable of playing at full-back, centre-back, or even in central midfield. Furthermore, he has the kind of experience required to settle an unsteady squad that has suddenly looked vulnerable in the title race.

  It also appears to be good news for the inconsistent Matthijs de Ligt. The former Juventus and Ajax centre-back had a terrific understanding with Blind when the duo played at the back together in Ajax's famous run to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.

  Blind has only penned a six-month deal but his contributions might be vital as Bayern fight on three fronts.

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  9Terem Moffi – Lorient to Nice (€25m)

  Moffi isn't necessarily the biggest name, but he is an immensely efficient goalscorer who developed quite a bit of buzz in January. Quick, strong and direct, the Nigeria international has 12 goals to his name in Ligue 1 this season, accounting for a third of Lorient's total output.

  There was reportedly interest in acquiring him from around Europe, and he notably turned down West Ham, who offered €20m (£18m/$22m) to sign him. Nice paid more, though, agreeing a fee of an initial €25m(£23m/$27m) for the forward.

  It's odd that seventh-placed Lorient sold to a league rival in eighth-placed Nice, but the offer was too good to refuse, with Regis Le Bris' side making a tidy profit having bought him for just €8m two years ago.

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  8Josip Juranovic – Celtic to Union Berlin (€8m)

  Juranovic wasn't necessarily supposed to go to Union Berlin. The Croatian right-back was coveted by Manchester United for some time, but the Red Devils opted against signing him when Aaron Wan-Bissaka started to find form under Erik ten Hag.

  The player was reportedly keen to make a move to the Premier League but eventually opted to head to Union Berlin – a coup for the unlikely Bundesliga title challengers. Juranovic is an experienced full-back, and title winner with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. He also started every game for Croatia at the World Cup, and provided one assist for the semi-finalists.

  Juranovic, while not a particularly ground-breaking signing, will offer solidity in the defensive third and that could be vital as Union berlin look to secure European football for 2023-24.

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  7Memphis Depay – Barcelona to Atletico Madrid (€3m)

  The Depay deal is one that seemed to work for both parties. Barcelona head coach Xavi had made it clear to Memphis that he didn't have a future at the club, while Atleti badly needed additional attacking support following the departure of Joao Felix to Chelsea.

  And although Memphis had fallen out of favour under Xavi, he can still be a real threat in the final third for the Rojiblancos. The Netherlands international scored 12 La Liga goals last season, despite only making 20 full appearances.

  Whether he fits into Diego Simeone's side remains to be seen. Memphis isn't known for his high work-rate or glowing defensive skills, but his goalscoring alone should give Atleti enough as they look to push for a Champions League spot.

  Meanwhile, for the financially-crippled Barca, any fee received is something to be happy about.

A 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in August 1992 proved an ominous sign of things to come for Graeme Souness' Liverpool.

Time really does fly, doesn’t it? Especially in top-level football.

Last month marked the 30th anniversary of Liverpool’s first Premier League game, a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in first ever ‘Super Sunday’ offering. 

Teddy Sheringham’s first-half goal, his last in a Forest shirt as it turned out, settled matters at the City Ground, the game offering a window into the kind of problems that would beset the Reds under Graeme Souness during a season that would see them finish sixth, some 25 points adrift of champions Manchester United.

From a Liverpool perspective, the 'Class of 92' was far from a vintage one, but where are they now, some three decades on?

GOAL reveals all…

GettyDavid James

James was one of two Reds debutants that day at Forest, and by the time he retired from playing in 2014, he had amassed more Premier League appearances (572) than any other goalkeeper in the competition’s history.

Indeed, at the time of writing only four players – Gareth Barry, Ryan Giggs, Frank Lampard and James Milner – have racked up more games. James played more than 250 games for Liverpool before representing Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth with distinction.

He finished his career in India with Kerala Blasters and is now a successful and erudite television pundit.

AdvertisementGettyNick Tanner

One of a number of players signed from lower league clubs during Kenny Dalglish’s final years in charge at Anfield, defender Tanner, who arrived from Bristol Rovers, would go on to make 59 appearances for Liverpool after making his debut in 1989.

Most of those came during that first Premier League campaign, when he played 45 times in all competitions, but a persistent back problem meant he was forced to retire in 1994, aged only 29.

He tried his hand at scouting and in management with non-league clubs such as Almondsbury Town and Mangotsfield, and can often be found summarising Liverpool games for .

His book was released in 2017.

GettyDavid Burrows

A left-back who arrived from West Brom in 1988, Burrows would make nearly 200 appearances for the Reds and is one of only a handful of players to have represented both Liverpool and Everton in the Premier League.

He also played for the likes of West Ham, Coventry, Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday before retiring in 2003 due to injury.

He now lives in Dordogne, France, where he and his wife rent out holiday properties.

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GettySteve Nicol

One of Liverpool’s all-time greats, the versatile Nicol made more than 450 appearances for the Reds and won eight major honours, as well as being named Footballer of the Year in 1989.

He left for Notts County in 1995 and later played for Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom and Doncaster before moving to the USA in 1999.

There, he would carve out a hugely successful coaching career, spending nine years in MLS with New England Revolution, where he won the North American SuperLiga and US Open Cup. He now works as a television pundit for . 

Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were quite a few areas of concern after the team’s second defeat in a row at home

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot04-May-2016Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were “quite a few areas of concern” after the team’s second defeat in a row at home. According to Hodge, losing wickets in clumps in the Powerplay – they lost three wickets in eight balls and tottered at 24 for 3 after four overs – for the second successive match was a major factor behind Lions’ eight-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils. They had similarly slipped to 39 for 4 inside seven overs against Kings XI Punjab.”If you are 3 for 20 [sic], losing three of your best batters upfront, you’re going to be in trouble. Same [as] what happened the last game,” Hodge said. “In the last game against Kings, Axar [Patel] took a hat-trick. Couple of balls didn’t even turn. We lost three wickets in an over. And again [today], three wickets in seven [sic] balls with three of our best batters. Wickets in Powerplay… something that we need to look at.”Hodge was also miffed with how no-balls have cost his side crucial wickets in the tournament. When Ravindra Jadeja overstepped to reprieve Sanju Samson, who was stumped in the 16th over, it was the second such let-off in three games. Steven Smith was similarly reprieved in Pune when left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik bowled him off a no-ball for 41. Smith went on to score 60 more runs.”Unforgiveable, unforgivable,” Hodge said. “Who knows what could’ve happened if that was given out for Sanju. Next ball he gets a free hit, the ball goes for a boundary, game over. If you’re just going to let your guard down for a moment, you’re going to be found out. Hopefully, we can dust ourselves off and adjust with the differences and indifferences that we have and come again strongly. I would certainly hope that these last two games hurt very much.”Hodge backed his top order, strengthened further by Aaron Finch’s return from injury, to take the attack to the opposition, but said their shot-selection needed to be more prudent.”They are free spirited players. They are natural stroke-players and I don’t want to certainly take that away from them,” he said. “But we certainly just have to have a little watch at our shot selection and adapt to the conditions a little bit better. They are just little tweaks. I don’t want to rein in those guys when their strike rate is 170, certainly going to encourage that, but more so to adapt to conditions a little bit better.”Hodge was also critical of a pitch, which while a little slow, didn’t appear to be particularly difficult to bat on.”It was not ideal. I must say the surface exactly wasn’t what we were looking for. It is a little disappointing,” he said. “This is your home ground, you expect a little bit better. But having said that, you cannot use that as an excuse. The opportunity was there.”If we could’ve put 170-175 on the board, we could’ve won that game. Again, we were chasing only 155 the other day against Kings and we couldn’t get the job done. We can’t blame any of the surface or the practice. Our skill set was just not good enough on that day. We need to brush that off. We need to address it, step up and come again.”

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O torcedor são-paulino que assistiu ao primeiro tempo de São Paulo e Atlético-MG, neste domingo, no Morumbi, certamente pensou que veria um filme repetido, de um time que tem extrema dificuldade de balançar a rede do adversário e que sairia de campo com pontos perdidos ou uma vitória magra. No entanto, o segundo tempo mostrou o contrário, e a equipe conduzida por Igor Gomes marcou duas vezes para conquistar o triunfo por 2 a 0.

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Como era esperado, o Tricolor dominou a posse de bola desde o início do duelo, tomando conta das ações do jogo, porém as investidas ofensivas apresentavam as mesmas dificuldades de outros momentos. Pato com problemas para atuar como referência, falta de profundida pelos lados, Antony tomando decisões erradas e Reinaldo sobrecarregado sem auxílio.

Algumas chances foram criadas, é verdade, Igor Gomes parou no goleiro Cleiton, Vitor Bueno chutou por cima do travessão, e Pato viu seu cabeceio passar caprichosamente perto do gol e sair pela linha de fundo. Os donos da casa eram melhores, mas a falta de precisão no momento decisivo afastou a chance de abertura do placar antes da ida para o segundo tempo.

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Uma peça, porém, já vinha mostrando que aproveitaria a oportunidade como titular: Igor Gomes, que há algum tempo vem entrando bem quando vem do banco, finalmente pode mostrar seu futebol desde o início com Fernando Diniz e superou as expectativas, participando dos dois gols são-paulinos.

Logo nos primeiros minutos da segunda etapa, aproveitando vacilo da zaga do Galo, Antony fez o que dele se espera, partiu para cima, saiu de três e tocou para trás encontrando Igor Gomes, que finalizou rapidamente e saiu para o abraço, colocando o São Paulo em vantagem no placar. A jogada objetiva, rápida e com gestos precisos mostrou que fazer um gol pode ser simples.

Não demorou muito para o Tricolor mostrar que realmente aprendeu a lição sobre a simplicidade na hora de balançar a rede. Novamente o inspirado Igor Gomes entrou em ação e fez lançamento milimétrico para Vitor Bueno, que dominou já adiantado a bola e chutou cruzado, tirando o goleiro adversário. O camisa 12 fez um grande segundo tempo, com jogadas de efeito e domínio da função pelo lado esquerdo, a qual já disse que é a sua preferida em campo.

A partir daí, com o Galo já abatido pela derrota iminente, o São Paulo passou a jogar com a tranquilidade que não tinha na primeira etapa, chance para levar a campo jogadores como Hudson e Calazans, que não têm sido utilizados com frequência. Mesmo com o ritmo em queda, os mandantes ainda criaram algumas chances em jogadas de troca de passes, mas não ampliaram o placar.

Mais uma vez o ponto positivo fica também para a defesa, que não falhou, manteve o nível de atuação das últimas partidas e permanece como a menos vazada do campeonato. Arboleda teve até seu nome gritado pelo torcedor. Partindo dessa base sólida defensiva, ainda falta muito para o São Paulo amadurecer ofensivamente, mas a simplicidade pode ser um caminho.

Sri Lanka’s sports minister has expressed his confidence that Sri Lanka Cricket’s current standoff with the ICC will be resolved, while the ICC has agreed to release a small percentage of the sum it is holding in escrow

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Apr-2015Sri Lanka’s sports minister has expressed his confidence that Sri Lanka Cricket’s current standoff with the ICC will be resolved, while the ICC has agreed to release a small percentage of the sum it is holding in escrow. Navin Dissanayake, the sports minister, said SLC would shortly receive USD $300,000 from the ICC, which amounts to about 2.5% of the payment due to the board.The release of this money, which is effectively Sri Lanka’s prize money from the 2015 World Cup, is seen by SLC as a step toward the board’s full reintegration at the ICC. Dissanayake said he had also received a letter from ICC last week, and expects to respond over the next few days. He hopes to outline his reasons for suspending the SLC elections and appointing an interim committee.”I can say that the letter from ICC was very cordial and there was nothing confrontational about it,” Dissanayake said. “So I am certain, we can sort this out with ICC. I am meeting ICC Chief Executive David Richardson and ICC Chairman Srinivasan to negotiate the matters shortly.”The ICC’s constitution does not allow for government interference in cricket administration in full member nations. However, the SLC comes under the sports ministry’s purview, according to Sri Lanka’s sports law. This, Dissanayake said, was the crux of the wrangle.”There is a conflict between Sri Lanka Sports Law and ICC regulations,” he said. “It can be negotiated. ICC has to understand the situation in member countries.”Dissanayake also said Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department would probe the awarding of local broadcasting rights of Sri Lanka matches to Carlton Sports Network as part of a wider investigation.Meanwhile, a collective of Sri Lanka Cricket stakeholders, most from voting clubs and associations, has urged the Sri Lankan government to reinstate elections at Maitland Place. Sixty-eight members of cricket associations had met over the weekend, and expressed concern that SLC had been sidelined by the ICC.The collective issued a release which said “outgoing office bearers” would seek an appointment with the government “to discuss this issue in order to minimize the damage that could cause to Sri Lanka Cricket and the restoration of the democratic rights of the membership.”

New Zealand might be the favourites for the Boxing Day Test in Christchurch, but Sri Lanka too would be equally confident after strong showing in Tests over the year

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Dec-20142:17

McCullum wary of SL’s overseas form

Match factsDecember 26-30, 2014
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT December 25)Big PictureThings that are less green than this Hagley Oval surface in the approach to the Test: Kermit the frog, the Kyoto protocol, Sri Lanka’s seam attack. It’s not that New Zealand don’t rate Sri Lanka in seaming conditions. At least, they have not outwardly said they don’t. They just rate themselves more. With an outswing bowler in Tim Southee, and inswinging left-armer in Trent Boult, a hit-the-deck seamer in Doug Bracewell, and a tearaway in Neil Wagner, New Zealand possess a fast-bowling full house. Of course they rate themselves.Previous Sri Lanka teams might have been perturbed by the hue of the surface, and the talk from the opposition, but this side is singing a more confident song. They have no quicks who have played more than 21 Tests, and four of the five fast-bowlers in the squad have played fewer than 16.But they have done it before, this year, in Dubai, Dhaka and Headingley, they say, so what of the inexperience? Sri Lanka feel they have weapons too. Maybe not the gatling guns and rocket launchers – but a more old-fashioned breed of armaments: like the katana and the shuriken. They weaken the opposition before striking hard, rather than blowing top orders away on sight.In the batting, New Zealand have the edge again, but when the opposition top order features two candidates for Test cricketer of the year, the hosts can only claim so much of an advantage. It is difficult to recall a time when Kumar Sangakkara was truly out of form. Angelo Mathews, meanwhile, is becoming one of cricket’s all-weather batsmen – as competent stonewalling on a spicy pitch, as he is attacking on a dustbowl.New Zealand, meanwhile, have Kane Williamson in imperious touch, and Ross Taylor not trailing far behind. As India found out early in the year, Brendon McCullum is capable of monster innings, as well as the momentum-pinching slap-dash fifties.The hosts are clear favourites, largely by dint of familiarity with the conditions. But in 2014, Sri Lanka have begun to build a reputation as a decent traveling team, and they are desperate to protect that.A green Hagley Oval pitch two days out from Boxing day•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Form guide(last five matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: WDLWL
Sri Lanka: WWDLW
In the spotlightKane Williamson has been New Zealand’s long-term batting investment, and in 2014, he has proved to be the ace-in-the-hole the team had hoped he would become. He averages 60.28 in eight Tests this year, and has doubled his century-count to eight. He is coming off a rich tour in the UAE in all formats, and if Sri Lanka’s spinners ever become relevant in this tour, he is the New Zealand batsman best-placed to counter it.Angelo Mathews was named captain of the ICC XI this year, but no one is more aware than the man himself that the greatest tests for his leadership are to come. Mathews has had perhaps the best support network of any international captain in his 18 months at the helm, with Mahela Jayawardene’s tactical acumen to call upon, as well as Rangana Herath and Kumar Sangakkara’s experience. Now, with Jayawardene retired and Herath ruled out of the first Test, Mathews has lost a good portion of his safety net. It will be intriguing to see if he will continue in the aggressive vein he has recently developed, or slip back into the conservatism that marked the early part of his captaincy.Teams newsSri Lanka have plenty of options with their attack, with Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal the only certainties to play. Dhammika Prasad is the most likely third seamer, but Nuwan Pradeep may be an option as well. Then they have to make a decision between uncapped Tharindu Kaushal’s big turn, and Dilruwan Perera’s control.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Tharindu Kaushal/Dilruwan Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga LakmalBrendon McCullum has virtually confirmed offspinner Mark Craig will play, despite the green surface, so the major question will be whether Bracewell or Wagner gets the nod as the third seamer. The top order is fairly settled, with Dean Brownlie more likely to slot into the middle order than for Hamish Rutherford to occupy a place at the top.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 James Neesham , 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mark Craig, 9 Doug Bracewell/Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditionsThe pitch is positively leafy, with bounce and pace as well, according to the groundsman. Sri Lanka can expect a trial by pace. The skies should be clear for the first two days as well, and while the weather is not quite balmy, even the Sri Lanka players probably won’t need their sweaters.Stats and trivia The Boxing Day Test is the first of its kind in New Zealand, in 11 years. It is also the first Test in Christchurch since 2006. Sri Lanka were the tourists on that last occasion as well. Angelo Mathews averages 86.62 from 13 matches as captain. Sri Lanka’s first ever overseas series win came in New Zealand, when they won one match and drew the other in 1995, but have since won only one more game in six attempts. That win came in Wellington in 2006.Quotes”The style of cricket that we’re playing, over the last 18 months or so, is something that the country enjoys. They also enjoy the fact that we are going to fight hard and make it tough for opposition teams to beat us, if they do beat us. They also see the hard work and characteristics of the team that fights all the way coming through. We’ve seen the groundswell of public support for this team, and I don’t think it’s just because of results. It’s because of the personalities that we have and the style of cricket we’re playing, and the humbleness we play it in.”
“We had a very green wicket in the Queenstown practice match as well, and I think that was really good. That really helps you to get into the mindset of playing on these conditions, whether you are a batsman or a bowler.”