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Crystal Palace have been heavily linked with Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White in recent weeks, although the likes of Everton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest are also said to be keen.

What’s the word?

The Old Gold have reportedly put a £30m price tag on the 22-year-old midfielder, who is being tipped to star in the Premier League next season after a superb spell on loan with Sheffield United in the Championship.

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke shared his thoughts on Gibbs-White’s future.

He said: “I think his form at Sheffield United showed just how much potential the player has and he has attracted interest from a number of other Premier League clubs.

“I think Everton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest, so it’s going to be a real battle for his signature and it might take a big money offer for Palace to get him and we could end up seeing them breaking their transfer record.”

Is Gibbs-White worth the fee?

Although he is yet to make much of an impression for Wolves’ first team, contributing just three goals and one assist in 86 appearances for the Old Gold, his performances last season suggest that he is more than ready for the Premier League.

The young midfielder was named Sheffield United’s player of the season as they lost in the playoffs, with his 12 goals and ten assists a big factor behind their impressive season.

Palace last broke their transfer record when they signed Christian Benteke from Liverpool in 2016 for £27m, and while he has undoubtedly been a valuable player over the years, the Eagles might be hoping that Gibbs-White proves to be a better investment.

Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp was full of praise for the midfielder last season, saying:

“I think he will play in the Premier League.

“He’s got so much quality. I love playing with him, he creates a lot for me. He’s disappointed tonight, feels he should have had more goals, but his goal is incredible.”

Therefore, Palace fans will be hoping that Gibbs-White does make the move to Selhurst Park this summer and lives up to his potentially record-breaking transfer fee.

AND, in other news: After Doucoure: CPFC have “interest” in signing a “great talent”, Vieira will love him

Liverpool have been closely linked with a move for Marco Asensio this summer, and now a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet AS (via Paisley Gates), Liverpool are readying an offer for Marco Asensio.

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As per an AS subscription article, AC Milan are pressing to secure a deal for the Real Madrid winger, however, the Merseyside giants are now putting together a lucrative offer to secure a deal for the player this summer.

The Madrid-based outlet claim Liverpool have already offered the star £100k-per-week compared to AC Milan’s offer of £70k-per-week, with his transfer fee reported to be in the region of £34.4m.

Imagine him & Salah

Liverpool are clearly attempting to rebuild after losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich this summer, and now Jurgen Klopp can start building a new era and a new formidable duo of Asensio and Mohamed Salah next season at Anfield.

Asensio has remained faithful to Los Blancos despite never getting the starring role in the team since joining the club seven years ago, but his patience and hard work in the team has seen the player win three Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and three FIFA Club World Cups.

The 26-year-old magician who was hailed “outstanding” by journalist Dermot Corrigan, has scored 49 goals and delivered 24 assists for the current European champions, with a goal contribution every 167 minutes over his 235 appearances, proving that he is a consistent attacking threat that can be relied on when called upon.

This season in his 31 La Liga appearances under Carlos Ancelotti, Asensio has scored 10 goals and created one big chance, making one key pass and taking 2.1 shots on average per game, as well as completing the majority of his dribble attempts successfully (68%).

Asensio’s goal contributions and work rate won’t be the only attributes that have made him a target for the powers at Anfield, as Klopp highly values players that can play in a range of roles in the forward line, something that the Real Madrid star can offer.

Although found mostly on the right wing, Asensio is capable of playing on both sides of the flank as well as being effective in a more central advanced midfielder role, scoring in both the right winger and attacking midfielder position on multiple occasions this season.

With that being said, there is no doubt that the Spanish player would be a great addition in Klopp’s side and would be the perfect signing to add further depth and goal-scoring opportunities next season.

AND in other news: FSG make LFC transfer decision on “world-class” £81m-rated star, Klopp will be fuming

Tottenham Hotspur are now aiming to seal an agreement for one of manager Antonio Conte’s targets with his club ready to cash-in, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs making moves…

Spurs’ summer transfer window looks set to be a busy one with the Lilywhites having already confirmed both Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster’s signings on Bosman deals.

Reports suggest even more additions could be in the pipeline at Hotspur Way as club chief Fabio Paratici is tasked with backing Conte in the market – coming after their £150 million equity increase.

A Premier League top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League came as an almighty boost for the north Londoners who are now seeking to bolster Conte’s options for his first full season in charge.

The Latest: Spurs aiming to seal agreement…

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Now, according to Football Insider, there has been a very promising development out of Tottenham involving one of Conte’s targets.

Indeed, as per the outlet, Paratici and co are ‘looking to secure an agreement’ for Middlesbrough wing-back Djed Spence after stepping up their chase ‘in recent days’.

Spurs are apparently in advanced talks to sign the 21-year-old with Boro now ‘ready to cash in’.

The Verdict: Big news…

The Englishman’s possible signing will not only help to balance Tottenham’s homegrown quota books, but Spence could also provide an injection of real quality down Conte’s right hand side.

Called an ‘exciting player’ by members of the press (Marc Williams, Basford United head of media), the defender shone on loan at Nottingham Forest over 2021/2022, becoming a mainstay for manager Steve Cooper.

He seriously contributed towards their promotion back to the top flight and finished the campaign as their sixth-best performing player by average match rating (WhoScored).

Spence also delivered the joint-second most crosses per 90 from out wide whilst completing their third-highest rate of successful take-ons (WhoScored) – highlighting his real threat as an overlapping full-back.

Conte will certainly be hoping to get this deal done.

In other news: ‘Being negotiated’ – Club now want their ‘sensational’ international to join Tottenham, find out more here.

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Filip Kostic.

What’s the talk?

Speaking in a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are confident they will be able to secure a deal for the Eintracht Frankfurt wing-back in the summer transfer window, with the Bundesliga side reported to be willing to listen to offers of around €15m (£12.5m) for the 29-year-old.

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Regarding Tottenham’s interest in the Serbia international, Gold said: “I know certainly that they’ve got a lot of interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 29-year-old Filip Kostic – their left wing-back.

“So that’s one they’re going to look at, they’re going to try and sign. I think there’s a lot of interest in him, but we’ll see. I think there’s a growing confidence that he might be someone that they can bring in this summer.”

Supporters will love Gold’s claim

Considering just how impressive Kostic was in Germany this season, Gold’s claim that Paratici looks set to make an offer for the 29-year-old is sure to be one that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful will love.

Indeed, over his 31 Bundesliga appearances this term, the £18m-rated wing-back was in breathtaking form for Eintracht, bagging four goals, providing nine assists and creating 16 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.6 shots, making 2.8 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £43k-per-week talent average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.25, not only ranking him as Oliver Glasner’s best performer in the league but also as the 15th-best player in the division as a whole.

The 45-time capped international also impressed over his 12 Europa League fixtures, scoring three goals, registering six assists and creating four big chances, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots, making 2.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per outing.

These metrics saw the former VfB Stuttgart starlet average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.33 – playing a starring role in Frankfurt going on to win the tournament and seeing him named the player of the competition.

As such, it is clear to see that Kostic would make a fantastic addition to Conte’s Spurs side, something which leads us to believe that Gold’s latest update concerning Tottenham’s interest in the 29-year-old is undoubtedly fantastic news for everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: Contact made: Paratici in talks for “unreal” £30m Spurs target, he’s Mousa Dembele 2.0

Celtic will tie up a deal for Jota ‘as soon as possible’, BBC pundit Alan Hutton has told Football Insider. 

The lowdown

Jota, who’s owned by Primeira Liga outfit Benfica, is coming to the end of his season-long loan spell at Celtic.

The Hoops, who clinched the Scottish Premiership title in midweek, conclude their campaign at home to Motherwell on Saturday.

But the 23-year-old could yet join long term, with Ange Postecoglou’s side able to trigger a £6.7million purchase option under the terms of the agreement.

Celtic also have a decision to make over Cameron Carter-Vickers, whose parent club is Tottenham Hotspur. He would cost an initial £6million, potentially rising to £10million.

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The latest

Hutton, a commentator for BBC Sport, says Jota can continue build on an ‘incredible’ first season at Parkhead.

He tells FI that Jota is a favourite among the Hoops faithful and that he has stood up to the pressure admirably.

“Jota’s only 23-years-old, he’s still developing. He’s probably only going to get better, I think he can get better.

“What he’s done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he’s not really been playing.

“Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there’s a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he’s stood up to that task.

“Jota’s that player fans want to see. He’s exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes.”

Hutton expects Celtic to activate their option to buy swiftly to avoid any uncertainty.

“So for £6.7million, I would expect them to do that as soon as possible. That means he is settled as a player and all the Celtic fans are happy. He can then just concentrate solely on his football moving forward.”

The verdict

It should be stressed that £6.7million isn’t small change for Celtic. That outlay would make Jota the eighth-biggest signing in the club’s history.

But significantly, the club are due to reap the financial rewards of qualifying for the Champions League group stage for winning the SPFL. In the circumstances, then, it’s a no-brainer for the club.

Jota leads the way in the Celtic squad for overall goal involvements (24, four clear of Liel Abada), assists (12, three clear of Tom Rogic) and is second only to Kyogo Furuhashi (15) for goals (12).

Pundit Marvin Batley has billed him as a striker’s ‘dream’, while Postecogolou has dubbed him ‘unbelievable’.

If no option to buy had been agreed last summer, then Benfica would surely have been demanding more than £6.7million off the back of a season like this.

In other news, a Celtic transfer target has emerged.

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson could yet leave Villa Park in the next few hours.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Sacha Tavolieri, with the Belgian journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, despite the 28-year-old’s proposed deadline-day switch to Espanyol falling through, the Frenchman could yet seal a move away from the Premier League side this summer, with Galatasaray believed to be interested in a loan deal for the former France U21 international.

In his post, the journalist said: “Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson attracted by the sirens of Turkey! Despite his last-minute aborted deal with Espanyol (TMS issue), the ex-OM player could find his happiness at Galatasaray SK, interested in him on loan! Wait and see.”

Sanson must go

Considering just how little Sanson has featured for Villa since his £16m signing back in January of last year, coupled with how poor the midfielder has been when he has been awarded game time, should Galatasaray indeed be interested in a move for the 28-year-old, Johan Lange simply must do everything in his power to move the Frenchman on.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances – only three of which came as starts – back in 2020/21, the £9m-rated midfielder failed to impress, scoring no goals, registering no assists and creating no big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of just 0.4 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 13 passes and losing possession 5.8 times per game.

These returns saw the former Olympique de Marseille star average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.66, ranking him as Villa’s fifth-worst performer in the top flight of English football that year.

Things did not improve for the £48k-per-week man over his ten league fixtures – only three of which came as starts – last season, with Sanson once again failing to score, register an assist or create a big chance, in addition to making an average of a mere 0.1 key passes, 12 total passes and being beaten by an opponent 0.4 times per game.

These returns saw the player who Dean Smith dubbed “frustrating” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.68, ranking him as Steven Gerrard’s 11th-worst performer in the Premier League last time out.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old is admitting he would not stand in the Frenchman’s way should a club come in for him over the summer, it would not appear as if Sanson features in the 42-year-old’s long-term plans at Villa Park.

As such, should Galatasaray indeed be interested in a last-minute Turkish deadline day swoop for the midfielder, it would appear an extremely wise move for Lange to do everything he can in order to facilitate a deal, as it is clear that retaining the services of the Frenchman until at least the January transfer window would be nothing but a waste of money for the club.

There were flashes of promises – notably the development of Tom Bailey and Matt Parkinson – but Lancashire failed to produce the runs required for Division One survival

Paul Edwards at the Ageas Bowl25-Sep-20181:23

We hoped a miracle might happen – Lancashire’s Livingstone

Rather like Charles II, Lancashire were an unconscionable time a-dying at the Ageas Bowl. However, they eventually joined Division Two’s ten-strong choir invisible just after two o’clock on the second day, when a very quick ball thudded into Saqib Mahmood’s pads and Ian Gould raised his finger. It little mattered that Nottinghamshire were collapsing at Trent Bridge. Lancashire will now be relegated regardless of the results in this final round of games. The post mortems can begin.The enquiries will probably be lengthy and explore everything from the management structure at Emirates Old Trafford to the reason why pies are served upside down in the pavilion. Actually the debates could be quite brief. For burghers of strong mind they could begin with the following list of scores: 60 for 4, 73 all out, 109 for 7, 105 all out, 130 all out, 109 for 9, 106 for 6, 99 all out, 95 for 7. That is batting from the black museum. Yet it is what Lancashire’s players have put together in nine of their 23 innings this season.Even in a summer when batting long seemed unfashionable a team could not prosper if it made totals like those. There have been too many soft dismissals, too many scrambled minds, too many shots selected without regard for the state of the game. No one has scored over 800 runs in the Championship. There have been matches this season when the Venezuelan economy has appeared more stable than the batting of Lancashire’s top and middle-order.But hold hard for a moment. In three successive Championship matches this season, Lancashire batted just once. Their totals in those games were 439, 492 for 9 declared and 338. However, they won only one of those matches, away at Nottinghamshire. Their batting has not been dreadful all the time. There is, indeed, a persuasive argument that whenever Lancashire have had a poor session they have lost the game whereas whenever they have held the upper hand they have, except on two occasions, failed to press home the advantage.This is not to argue that Lancashire are unfortunate to be relegated. Neither Glen Chapple nor Mark Chilton would tolerate such soft-minded twaddle. It is merely to point out that they have, like Worcestershire, played some good cricket and that neither county has been cut adrift at the bottom as Warwickshire were last summer and Nottinghamshire in the previous year.Indeed, Lancashire revealed their powers of resistance on this second day when their last six wickets added 150 runs and they finished just 27 short of the 300 runs that may have led to their survival. Their refusal to fold was the more commendable given that things had ventured south as early as the seventh ball of the day when Fidel Edwards produced a snorting yorker which uprooted Liam Livingstone’s off stump before the Lancashire skipper had digested his eggs benedict.Having taken a wicket by conventional means, Edwards then adopted a form of leg theory which involved posting a short leg, a leg slip, a long stop, a fine leg and a deep square leg. It was a not-so-cunning plan but, as Edmund Blackadder observed in respect of the system of alliances prior to World War One, it had one crucial weakness: it was total bollocks. Rob Jones twice hooked Edwards both dexterously and Dexterishly for successive boundaries.Tom Bailey claimed a four-wicket haul•Getty ImagesHelped by this well-judged aggression Lancashire had secured their first batting bonus point before Jones was leg before to Ian Holland for a fine 68, his first half-century in the Championship for over two years. Josh Bohannon and Tom Bailey then bagged a second point before Hampshire’s opening attack took the new ball and cleaned up Lancashire’s tail in 16 deliveries. The rest of the day was taken up with Livingstone’s bowlers performing as well as they have for most of the season. It should be enough to clinch a third victory of the season early on Wednesday. Meanwhile Nottinghamshire were losing at Trent Bridge. Beat that with an ironic stick.Only two of the eight Hampshire wickets to fall in the second innings were taken by Bailey, who has been Lancashire’s player of the year. His 62 wickets are a major achievement but his development has been greatly assisted by Graham Onions, who has dismissed 57 batsmen and been one of the club’s best signings in recent years. Although not playing in the current game, Onions will be hurting this week. He, like Dane Vilas, is an inspirational figure, one from whom Lancashire’s younger players can learn so much. And Vilas’ resolve has been reflected in the cricket of Josh Bohannon, whose batting has been a highlight of the late summer. Bohannon and Vilas frequently give the impression they would prefer to undergo root canal work without anaesthetic than give their wickets away. It is that type of obduracy which wins some games, as against Worcestershire at Southport, and encourages team-mates to win others.As to the future some of Lancashire’s batsmen must rediscover the concentration needed to bat long. The county’s bowling is not in bad order. Matt Parkinson is emerging as a fine legspinner and should be given more opportunities while also being told that his other disciplines must improve. But the ability to bat six hours for 120 runs in testing conditions is a rare and wonderful skill. (Ian Bell showed quite how wonderful at Hove last week.) And if young cricketers need another example from whom they might learn such skills they could do worse than copy the application shown by a batsman who played his last professional innings this perfect afternoon at the Rose Bowl.Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams made 13 before he was leg before to Richard Gleeson. He ended his 16-year career with 14,145 first-class runs, 194 of which were made against Lancashire over 635 minutes of concentrated effort at Aigburth some eight summers ago. Few of those who saw that innings, which was played on a sporting pitch, should have forgotten it. Nor should they forget the moment this afternoon when Rob Jones ran from slip to shake the hand of a player over 15 years his senior. Even in a day of event and consequence it was the most beautiful and memorable moment. Relegations, after all, come and go. But this was the afternoon when Adams left the green fields of praise for good. As he did so his team mates gave him a guard of the greatest honour. And when Adams reached the top of the pavilion steps he hugged his dad.

Plays of the day from the one-off T20 between England and Pakistan

Melinda Farrell at Old Trafford07-Sep-2016The header
Pakistan’s fielding has been the subject of some derision throughout the tour but no one could accuse Imad Wasim of failing to put his body – or, rather, his head – on the line. After the bowling the first over, Imad was fielding at cover when Alex Hales smashed a short ball from Sohail Tanvir to his left. After committing to the dive, Imad was foiled by an awkward bounce and copped a nasty blow to the side of his head. He soon left the field for treatment but, luckily for Pakistan, he recovered and returned to immediately claim the wicket of Jason Roy.The thunderbolt
He may, at times, be inconsistent but when his dander is up Wahab Riaz is undoubtedly a bowler of great spells. With only 24 deliveries to send down he built up a head of steam and bowled with ferocity and blinding pace. Four times during the 14th over he topped 93mph, but he only needed the first one to produce a vital breakthrough. Jos Buttler did well to just connect with a short and wide delivery that was clocked at a whopping 96.4mph but, in doing so, sliced the ball straight to deep point and into the waiting grasp of substitute fielder, Amad Butt.The carry
In the final over of England’s innings, Moeen Ali attempted to hoick Wahab over cover. In turning to run back for the catch, Babar Azam appeared to twist his ankle and dropped to the ground in obvious pain as the ball plopped down safely. With only two deliveries remaining, Shoaib Malik took matters quite literally into his own hands. In an impressive show of strength, Malik scooped Babar up into his arms and carted him off the field with all the speed and eagerness of a groom ferrying his bride across the threshold, impatient to get the wedding night started. Who says romance is dead?The ringer
T20 specialist Khalid Latif was flown in especially for this match and justified the airfare in the second over, in which he belted Chris Jordan – who, before the match, had said he felt confident opening the bowling – for four boundaries. Maybe Latif had decided to save his legs after the long haul flight but Sharjeel Khan was also keen to avoid any excess running. The pair hammered ten boundaries in the opening four overs and Pakistan’s first 36 runs came without the batsmen leaving their crease, much to the deafening delight of the vuvuzela wielding crowd.

Never has the Twenty20 Blast attracted such a wide array of overseas talent. From Brendon McCullum to Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi to Glenn Maxwell, the Blast’s imports are the envy of T20 leagues the world over, the IPL apart

Tim Wigmore14-May-201511:47

Nick Compton joins Dan Norcross for the launch of our new magazine show on the NatWest Blast

Derbyshire
Martin Guptill and Tillakaratne Dilshan will provide power and panache at the top of Derbyshire’s order, although the two do not overlap. Yet Derbyshire’s most significant signing could be Nathan Rimmington, who has bowled incisively with the new ball and frugally at the death in the Big Bash.Durham
Durham only have one overseas player, but what he lacks in glamour John Hastings makes up for in effectiveness. For bustling, canny bowling allied to powerful late-order bashing, Hastings was named Melbourne Stars’ Most Valuable Player in last winter’s Big Bash League and took nine wickets in Durham’s recent Championship defeat to Middlesex.Essex
In the Championship, Jesse Ryder has become more valuable as a nagging swing bowling than belligerent batsman. But in front of the febrile Chelmsford crowd, the T20 Blast should provide the perfect stage for Ryder’s batting destructiveness: it was only last year that he scored a 46-ball ODI century. He will have company from across the Tasman as, fresh from conceding just 6.94 an over in the Big Bash, a 32-year-old Shaun Tait seeks out the pace and toe-crushing yorkers that have made him such an intoxicating sight.Glamorgan
The World Cup highlighted the supreme value of high-class left-arm pace bowlers in limited overs cricket, and Glamorgan will feel they have one in Wayne Parnell, one of a trio of South African imports. Jacques Rudolph provides class and solidity opening the batting – he averaged 60.33 in the Blast last year – while the Kolpak Colin Ingram offers brutal middle-order hitting.Gloucestershire
Australian-born but with two English parents, Peter Handscomb made his name four months ago: coming in at 8 for 2 after a golden duck for Kevin Pietersen, he bludgeoned 103 not out from 64 balls to help Melbourne Stars beat Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash. His hitting skills will be complimented by Michael Klinger’s nous from June.Hampshire
It somehow wouldn’t be the Blast without Yasir Arafat popping up. Onto his sixth county, Arafat offers nippy, skiddy bowling and a cool temperament: in a Super Over in the 2014 Big Bash, he conceded just a solitary run. Jackson Bird’s shoulder and neck injuries have undermined Hampshire’s start to the season, but the hope is he might be fit to play next month. Fidel Edwards (a Kolpak) is providing cover, though whether he retains his zip aged 33 is unclear.Kent
In the county where Ukip leader Nigel Farage stood in the general election, albeit unsuccessfully, no overseas players have been signed this season – despite the club making a significant profit in 2014. Many members are known to be aghast.Lancashire
James Faulkner is a cricketer that could have been designed for the T20 age: boasting one of the game’s most formidable throwing arms, venomous left-arm pace and – as England know too well – brutal hitting ability.Leicestershire
When Leicestershire signed Grant Elliott some were nonplussed. No longer. The 84 not out that took New Zealand to their first World Cup final was an innings brimming with skill, judgement and, as he showed by lofting Dale Steyn over long-on to secure victory, no little power. The belligerent Umar Akmal provides cover for four games – perhaps another indication of Leicestershire’s determination to engage the local British Asian population. The Australian Clint McKay is an outstanding white ball bowler.Middlesex
After another poor T20 campaign in 2014, Middlesex might have hoped for a more illustrious overseas signing than Joe Burns. He played two Tests for Australia against India last winter but has less pedigree in the shortest format. The additional signing of South African pace bowler Kyle Abbott for the first half of the season will have rallied optimism, but the T20 final in 2008 seems a long time ago.Northamptonshire
For their first six games, Northamptonshire will have Shahid Afridi’s bravado with bat in hand to excite, though his canny legspin, which has yielded just 6.50 an over during a career of 78 T20 internationals, will probably prove more valuable. The South African Rory Kleinveldt is a dependable new ball bowler.Chris Gayle’s roar will resound around Taunton•BCCINottinghamshire
Darren Sammy’s violent hitting, allied to skilful medium pace, electric fielding and all-round affability should make him a fine signing until CPL commitments intrude. Ben Hilfenhaus’ ability to swing the new ball should also prove an asset.Somerset
Those occupying the swanky new flats overlooking the Taunton ground might soon have cause to take out extra insurance. Chris Gayle, who almost played for Somerset three years ago, has finally made his way to the West Country, expecting to add to his world record 14 T20 hundreds. His successor is scarcely less destructive: Corey Anderson scored a 36-ball ODI century last year, and also offers eminently useful left-arm pace. Another left-arm quick, Sohail Tanvir, could be among the tournament’s shrewdest signings: bowling off the wrong foot, he has a devilish yorker from wide of the crease.Surrey
Catch him while you can. Wahab Riaz’s two-game stint will be over and done within 24 hours, but no one who witnessed his intoxicating spell against Australia in the World Cup will want to miss it. The Aussie allrounder Moises Henriques, a brawny ball-striker and fine exponent of cutters, will succeed him. And don’t forget Kumar Sangakkara, fresh from four consecutive World Cup centuries.Sussex
Sangakkara’s great friend Mahela Jayawardene will grace county cricket for the first time. They face each other at picturesque Arundel on June 14. After a seven-game stint Jayawardene will be replaced by George Bailey: having built a career clearing huge Australian boundaries, Hove’s could seem a paltry challenge.Warwickshire
The unremitting aggression of Brendon McCullum’s batting will terrify county bowlers when he joins Warwickshire after New Zealand’s series in England; whether he brings in bigger crowds will be almost as intriguing as watching him play. However well he does, McCullum would do well to match the offspinner Jeetan Patel’s impact. Varying his pace, flight and trajectory with magnificent skill, he took 23 wickets for last season’s champions while yielding just 5.62 runs an over.Worcestershire
Whether Saeed Ajmal 2.0, with his remodelled action, can flummox county batsmen as he did last year, will go a long way to determining Worcestershire’s prospects. Before he arrives next month Worcestershire have another mystery spinner who has suffered from the ICC’s clampdown on throwing, Sachithra Senanayake. The Kiwi Colin Munro was Worcestershire’s second top scorer in the competition last year.Yorkshire
An injured hamstring means that Aaron Finch may miss the whole Blast, though Yorkshire could yet sign-up a replacement. In the meantime they will have to make do with another brawny Australian: “The Big Show” Glenn Maxwell (though he hates the nickname). Maxwell has endured a grim IPL and a T20 average of 21.73 is testament to his inconsistency, but no one who saw his exploits in the World Cup would doubt his penchant for batting destruction.

Stats highlights from the fifth day of the Wellington Test between New Zealand and India

Shiva Jayaraman18-Feb-2014 Brendon McCullum became only the second batsman in Test history to make a triple-century in the second innings. Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad was the first one to do so when he batted an estimated 970 minutes against West Indies at the Kengsinton Oval in Bridgetown in 1957-58 and helped his team save the Test. McCullum is the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple-century in Tests. He went past his country’s long-standing record score of 299 by Martin Crowe, against Sri Lanka at the same venue . McCullum is also only the eighth captain to hit a triple hundred in Tests. The last one to do it was Michael Clarke, who scored an unbeaten 329 to bat India out of the match at the SCG in 2012. McCullum’s innings lasted 775 minutes. It was the eighth longest innings in Test history. The record for batting the longest in Tests belongs to Hanif, who batted an estimated 970 minutes in that Barbados Test. New Zealand’s score of 680 for 8 is the highest by any team in the second innings of a Test. They beat their own record of 671 against Sri Lanka at the same venue in 1990-91, incidentally in the same Test in which Crowe scored 299. There have been only seven scores of 600 or more by a team in the second innings of a Test, of which two have come at the Basin Reserve. Jimmy Neesham’s hundred on debut is the tenth by a New Zealand batsman. The last New Zealand batsman to score a century on debut was Hamish Rutherford, who scored 171 against England in Dunedin last year. Neesham is the third New Zealand batsman to make a hundred on debut batting at No. 8. Scott Styris made 107 against West Indies in St George’s in 2002. Including Neesham, there have only been seven instances of hundreds on debut by batsmen batting at No. 8. Neesham’s 137 is the highest score by a No.8 batsman on debut. This was only the second instance of two New Zealand batsmen batting at No. 7 or lower scoring hundreds in an innings. The only other instance was against Zimbabwe, in Harare, when McCullum and Daniel Vettori hit hundreds in New Zealand’s first innings. Including this Test, the last three instances of three or more New Zealand batsmen scoring centuries in an innings have come against India. The last such instance came during India’s previous tour here, when Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and McCullum hit centuries in Napier. This was only the sixth such innings for New Zealand. There were five hundreds by New Zealand batsmen in this series. For New Zealand, four of the seven instances, when their batsmen have scored five or more hundreds in a series of three matches or fewer have come against India. India’s last tour to New Zealand had six centuries from the hosts – the most hundreds hit by New Zealand batsmen in such series. Including the five in this series, New Zealand’s batsmen have hit 12 hundreds in 2013-14, which is the most they have scored in any season. Virat Kohli batted fluently in India’s second innings to score his sixth hundred and save India the Test. This was his first Test century in the second innings. Kohli has scored 1721 runs at 46.51 from 24 Tests. Zaheer Khan bowled 51 overs, the most he has ever bowled in an innings, and took his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests and his fourth in New Zealand. The 51 overs that he bowled in New Zealand’s second innings is only the 11th instance of an India fast bowler sending down 300 or more deliveries in an innings. The last such instance was by Kapil Dev, when he bowled 51 overs against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 1991-1992. The 170 runs that Zaheer conceded in New Zealand’s second innings was the second-highest by an India fast bowler who’s taken five or more wickets in a Test innings. Kapil holds the dubious record of conceding the most runs – 220 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1983, though he did take seven wickets. India’s fast bowlers bowled 146 overs in the second innings – the second-highest number of overs they have ever bowled in an innings. The most they have ever bowled in a Test is 163 overs, against West Indies in Antigua in 2002. India have now gone 14 consecutive overseas Tests without a win. This is not the longest such sequence for them though. The highest number of consecutive overseas Tests that India went without winning is 26 – a seven-year period from July 1986 to July 1993.