All posts by h79snht.top

A round-up of the second day of Group C matches in the seventh round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2016

Snehal Kauthankar’s second first-class century – and maiden double ton – helped Goa recover from 190 for 6 to 413 against Haryana at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad. Goa had started the day on 197 for 6 with Kauthankar on 80 and Shadab Jakati on 4. The two stretched their seventh-wicket stand to 64 with Jakati contributing 28. After Jakati’s dismissal with Goa on 254 for 7, Reagan Pinto, who had retired hurt on 25 on the opening day, returned and helped add 73 for the eighth wicket with Kauthankar. Pinto struck 58 before he became left-arm spinner Ashok Sandhu’s fourth first-class victim. Amulaya Pandrekar, Goa’s No. 11, spent over an hour at the crease and batted out 40 balls to help add 67 more for the last wicket with Kauthankar. Pandrekar contributed just 5. Kauthankar was the last man dismissed, for 225 off 374 balls, which contained 30 fours and four sixes. Harshal Patel and Amit Mishra did the bulk of the damage, taking four wickets each.Haryana made a strong start to their reply, with Nitin Saini, not out on 76, taking them to 110 for no loss in the company of Shubham Rohilla, who was unbeaten on 32. Haryana ended the day trailing by 303.Kerala’s bowlers fought back after their team was bowled out for 219 by Andhra in Guwahati. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla and offspinner Rohan Prem, along with Basil Thampi, the right-arm medium pacer, took two wickets each to leave Andhra 173 for 6 at stumps.The day had begun with Kerala 188 for 8 in their first innings. KS Monish (14) – resuming on 4 – and Thampi (15) used up 76 balls between them and took them to 219. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt dismissed both batsmen. DP Vijaykumar, who had taken a six-for on the opening day, ended with 6 for 47, his best innings returns.Andhra began solidly with Srikar Bharat and Prasanth Kumar both hitting half-centuries and putting on 81 for the first wicket. Abdulla broke through, having Bharat caught behind for 54. He followed it up with the scalp of Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari for 3. Prasanth stuck on to add 63 more with Ricky Bhui for the third wicket before being stumped off Prem. That dismissal began a procession with Andhra sliding from 152 for 2 to 170 for 6. Bhui stayed not out on 47. Andhra trail by 46 runs.In Surat, Rishi Dhawan’s five-wicket haul triggered a collapse as Services, resuming on 276 for 3, were bowled out for 401 by Himachal Pradesh. Services lost Nakul Verma, the overnight centurion, for 117 when he was bowled by Dhawan in the third over of the day. From there, Services lost two more quick wickets to slip to 288 for 6. That they got to 401 was courtesy Vikas Hathwala, who struck 69 and added 42 for the seventh wicket with Muzzaffaruddin Khalid (18) and 56 for the final wicket with Raj Bahadur (11 not out). Dhawan finished with 5 for 82.In response, Himachal ended the day 182 for 4. Paras Dogra top-scored with 70, while Prashant Chopra (47) and Ankit Kalsi (23) got off to starts, but none of them could convert into a big score. Robin Bist was unbeaten on 34 at stumps and had Mayank Dagar (3 not out) for company.At the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium in Valsad, Hyderabad lost six wickets for 84 runs to get bowled out for 351 by Chhattisgarh. Hyderabad began the day on 267 for 4 with BP Sandeep not out on 73 and Mehdi Hassan giving him company on 10. Hassan was caught and bowled by right-arm medium pacer Pankaj Rao, while Sandeep missed his century by four runs, becoming the eighth man dismissed, to the right-arm medium pace of Abhishek Tamrakar. Rao, playing his sixth first-class match, took his second five-wicket haul, ending with 5 for 89.Chhattisgarh responded strongly, with their openers Sahil Gupta and Abhimanyu Chauhan notching up identical scores of 55. Gupta was trapped lbw by right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj, before Chauhan took Chhattisgarh to 124 for 1 along with Sumit Ruikar. Chhattisgarh are behind by 227 runs.At the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir’s bowlers reduced Tripura to 193 for 6 after they were bowled out for 315. J&K resumed on 270 for 6 with Aditya Singh on 65 and Samiullah Beigh on 35. Aditya added just nine to his overnight tally before being caught behind off Rajib Dutta, while Beigh raised a half-century and was the eighth man out, for 54. Tripura’s new-ball pair of Manisankar Murasingh (4 for 75) and Dutta (3 for 74) took seven wickets between them. Ajoy Sarkar took two wickets and Gurinder Singh had one wicket.Like Tripura, J&K’s bowlers hunted in a pack with each of the five bowlers they used making an entry into the wickets column. Opener Bishal Ghosh struck an unbeaten 86, but Tripura were hurt by the inability of several of their batsmen to convert their starts.

Newcastle United supporters will be eagerly anticipating the club's transfer activity this summer after ending a two-decade absence from the Champions League and years of malaise under the ownership of the despised Mike Ashley.

Now, a Saudi-backed consortium have pumped fresh, lucrative life back into St. James' Park, making impressive moves on the transfer front, impressive decisions in appointing Eddie Howe as manager and Dan Ashworth as technical director, and achieving a major confluence as the facets combine.

A fourth-placed Premier League finish illustrates the meteoric ascent, but this is the most important phase of the process thus far, as the side must now demonstrate their calibre is perpetual and they will not be knocked from their pedestal among the division's elite, instead rising closer and closer to the creme-de-la-creme of European football.

By Howe's own admission, several 'marquee' moves might be taken this summer to cement the high-fliers' new position, but one which might just go under the radar is the attention on Wolfsburg's Felix Nmecha.

According to the Telegraph, the 22-year-old is attracting the Magpies' attention and could join the fold for around £15m, with Howe keen to bolster his thriving midfield with one or two astute options.

Should Newcastle sign Felix Nmecha?

Nicolo Barella and James Maddison are both making the headlines right now as the Toon look to please their fans with an established phenom, but signing Nmecha could prove to be a prudent move as Ashworth looks to craft lasting success.

The notion that Newcastle boast a bottomless pit of plunder has left Howe guffawing; the 45-year-old has always maintained that the diligence permeating through the outfit since the takeover will not crumble away, and Nmecha would be unlikely to cement a starting berth with regularity in his maiden season in England, instead absorbing the fruits of his peers' labour and creeping towards a standout role.

He has been in fine fettle in the Bundesliga this year, though, starting 19 times, scoring three goals and registering six assists after playing a peripheral role across past terms.

Niko Kovac said: "Previously, he never got into a rhythm. He played in so many different positions. Now he's playing in midfield and you can see his technical ability. He has [also] improved physically."

He would be the perfect partner for someone like Barella, who is reportedly closing on a £50m move to Tyneside this summer and is undoubtedly one of Europe's first-class midfielders, with the box-to-box midfielder one of the most impressive around, especially from an offensive standpoint.

The Italy international has been in scintillating form this term, registering 19 direct contributions, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, and being hailed as a "genius" by journalist Mike Piellucci.

Given that Nmecha has been dubbed "intelligent" himself by journalist Josh Bunting and already ranking among the top 22% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals and the top 4% for rate of assists, as per FBref, he might just be apt for moulding into a prolific star of Barella's ilk.

Considering the various elements, Nmecha could be a shrewd signing to make, bolstering the ranks and ensuring the ambitious squad is layered with quality as it continues its soaring ascent.

He may not be an instant hit on Tyneside but rest assured a genius duo lies in wait, ready to dominate the domestic and continental stage with swashbuckling ease.

علّق نجم فريق مانشستر سيتي، إيرلينج هالاند، على فوزهم المثير في مباراة الأمس ضد لوتون تاون في بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

وتلاقى الفريقان على ملعب “كيلنورث رود” في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من بطولة الكأس، حيث فاز مانشستر سيتي بنتيجة 6-2 (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وقدم هالاند أداءً رائعًا في تلك المباراة، حيث تمكن من تسجيل ميجا هاتريك، (5 أهداف)، في حين صنع كيفين دي بروين 4 أهداف.

وقال هالاند في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لقد وضعنا خطة والتزم الجميع بها تمامًا، لقد لعب الجميع بشكل جيد”.

وأضاف: “دي بروين لاعب كبير، إنه يفعل ما هو أفضل فيه، إنه لمن دواعي سروري اللعب معه، نحن نعرف ما يريده كل منا من الآخر، إنه لاعب ذكي وأحب اللعب معه”.

وواصل: “لياقتي؟ أنا أعود إلى أفضل حالاتي، أخيرًا أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة، إنه شعور رائع، نحن قادمون، أوقات مثيرة تنتظرنا، نحن مستعدون للهجوم”.

Everton target Scott McTominay would “fit quite nicely” into Sean Dyche’s squad at Goodison Park, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Is Scott McTominay leaving Man United?

The Manchester United midfielder is an academy graduate at Old Trafford having worked his way up through the youth ranks to become a regular feature of the first-team since 2017, but last season, he fell significantly out of favour under Erik Ten Hag.

The Scottish international only made ten starts in the Premier League and dropped down in the manager’s pecking order following the arrivals of Casemiro and Marcel Sabitzer which has resulted in him reportedly telling his close friends that he wants to leave in order to go and find regular game time elsewhere.

Football Insider have claimed that the Toffees are expected to be in the running to sign the 26-year-old, who has had a £20m price tag placed on his head due to his contract not expiring for another two years, and the verdict appears to be that he would be a perfect addition on Merseyside.

Are Everton signing McTominay?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Brown revealed that Everton appreciate McTominay and insisted that he would be the ideal profile of player for Dyche, but was quick to question what the player’s stance would be on an exit. He said:

"I'm confident that Everton do like Scott McTominay and I think he'd fit quite nicely with the way that Sean Dyche likes to play. Signing him, though, is a different matter. There's obviously going to be a lot of change at Old Trafford this summer. It feels like the manager wants to stamp his authority on the squad there and there could be some outgoings. I just feel like McTominay is probably going to want to try and prove himself still there."

Could McTominay be a good addition for Dyche?

Man United and Ten Hag didn’t give McTominay a fair chance to prove himself last season, but he more than showed what he was capable of when handed the rare opportunity to play so he would be a promising central recruit for Everton.

The 6 foot 3 colossus, who is sponsored by Adidas, ranked in the 99th percentile for clearances and the 98th percentile for aerial wins, via FBRef, so loves to get stuck in and is a great protector of the backline in that defensive midfield role.

The Lancaster-born talent, who is capable of contributing to attacking efforts having clocked up three goals and one assist in 39 outings across all competitions in 2022/23, has also been hailed a “hero” for his country by journalist Josh Bunting so is appreciated on the international stage, making him a perfect candidate to put pen to paper at Goodison Park.

Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara added 226 for the third wicket, both scoring centuries, to put India in control on the opening day in Vizag

The Report by Andrew Miller17-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:22

Ganguly: Kohli relishes pressure and responsibility

It was a day of firsts at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The first day of the first Test at what is now the 111th such venue in world cricket, and quite possibly the first occasion on which a pitch invasion by a stray dog has brought about an early tea interval.But, notwithstanding a trio of breakthroughs for England’s returning attack leader, James Anderson, who was playing in his first competitive fixture since August, it was also a day dominated by numbers three and four – specifically Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, who compiled a masterful pair of hundreds in a 226-run stand for India’s third wicket that has, for the first time in this series, given their side unequivocal control of the contest.England, emulating their wholehearted efforts in the drawn first match at Rajkot, started the day with a flourish and finished it with a grind, digging deep on all fronts – with seam and spin, new ball and old – to demand that India had to work hard for their runs. But by the close, with Kohli still in situ on 151 not out, his 14th century in his 50th Test appearance, the task awaiting them was already looking formidable.India’s overnight scoreline of 317 for 4 was everything that Kohli could have wished for after winning a vital toss. First-innings runs, on a wicket that neither captain expects to last five days, will be a critical aspect of this contest, and Alastair Cook had cut an almost condemned figure after missing out on the chance to have first use. “Now we’ve got nothing to lose,” he admitted after calling incorrectly. He might wish to revise that assessment now.Ominously for England, there had been glimmers of the assistance that the pitch is likely to offer at every juncture of India’s day, including signs of turn and uneven bounce for the spinners and indications of reverse swing in the evening session. Anderson, in particular, tried desperately to exploit that aspect in a wholehearted five-over spell that yielded the vital scalp of Pujara for 119. And then, with two overs of the day remaining, he struck with his third delivery with the second new ball to unseat a tentative Ajinkya Rahane for 23.But up until those late intercessions, such was the quality of India’s third-wicket stand that England had little option but to cling onto the batsmen’s coat-tails and seek to manage the speed of their progress, rather than the inevitability.England certainly started their day’s work with a flourish. Stuart Broad struck with his fifth ball of the match as KL Rahul, Gautam Gambhir’s replacement at the top of the order, fenced outside off to poke a sharp catch to third slip, before Anderson, fit again after three months out with a fractured shoulder blade, suckered Murali Vijay with a bouncer to leave India perilously placed on 22 for 2 after five overs.But Pujara, fresh from his first-innings century at Rajkot, and Kohli, whose masterful 49 not out had averted calamity on the final afternoon of that match, were precisely the right pair to set aside the scoreline and play the conditions as placidly as they were – at this stage – proving to be.Virat Kohli raises his bat to the crowd after raising his century•Associated Press

Chances to unsettle their progress were few and far between, as is often the way in the subcontinent, and England were left ruing two fleeting moments in particular: first, a crazy over from Adil Rashid midway through the morning session, when Pujara might have run himself out twice in three deliveries – his belated response to Kohli’s clip to midwicket was especially close to curtains.And then, in a moribund passage of play in the first hour after lunch, Kohli was dropped on the hook by Rashid at fine leg when he had 56. Ben Stokes by this stage had settled into an aggressive back-of-a-length line in a bid to slow India’s progress to a crawl and Kohli, who had survived a similar miscue for his second boundary of the day off Anderson, took the bait but Rashid’s fingers couldn’t spring the trap.It would prove to be a costly miss, but it was Pujara who responded most immediately to that sense that England had lost control of the contest. He signalled India’s charge in the final half-an-hour of the afternoon session by lambasting Zafar Ansari for six and four in consecutive deliveries, before making a mockery of Broad’s 8-1 off-side field by picking the solitary gap at backward point for his 11th four of the innings.As Cook fumbled for his options, Moeen Ali, England’s senior spinner, was curiously overlooked until the 40th over of the innings – an inexplicable delay, notwithstanding the early control that Rashid in particular had been able to exert. Instead, armed with a flat ball, he encountered Kohli in full exhibition mode and his seventh over was banished for three fours through cover, third man and mid-on respectively.It was the left-arm spin of Ansari to whom Cook first turned, in the 11th over of the innings, but despite his tendency in his first two Tests to create chances, today his 12 overs were milked for 45 runs. Both Pujara and Kohli had surged into the nineties when the afternoon session was brought to a close four balls early, when a local mutt chose to lead the groundstaff on such a merry dance that the umpires pointed the players to the pavilion.The distraction might well have played into England’s hands – not even the most assured of cricketers like to dwell over their landmarks. But Pujara in particular was not standing on ceremony. A yawning six off Rashid, high over the midwicket boundary, brought up his tenth Test century from 184 deliveries, and his third in succession, following on from his whitewashing-sealing effort against New Zealand at Indore last month.Kohli followed suit three overs later, with a punch through the covers to welcome Anderson back for his third spell, and before the close he had marched past 150 for the fourth time in Tests, with scarcely a shot out of place. He had one last moment of good fortune on the stroke of 80 overs, when he missed a reverse-sweep against Moeen that was shown, on review, to have been clipping leg. England took the second opinion in the knowledge that they would be getting their top-ups one delivery later. It was a shot to nothing, and nothing was the upshot.By the close, England’s worries weren’t limited to the scoreline, or the state of the wicket, which was already showing significant rough in the bowlers’ footmarks. The fitness of Broad was also a significant concern. His morning spell had been prematurely – and inconveniently – halted after three overs when he reopened a cut on his right wrist while diving in the outfield, and though he did front up to bowl a solitary new-ball over before the close, he appeared to be hobbling badly and had already left the field for a change of boots.England will need a change of something if they are to haul their way back to parity in this contest, but not for the first time, it was their application, not their attitude, that had been found wanting. Anderson, armed with the new ball and a good night’s sleep, might be their best hope. But Kohli already has 151 reasons to be supremely satisfied with India’s position.

أكد عامر حسين عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة المصري، أن تركي آل الشيخ رئيس هيئة الترفيه السعودية يقدم إمكانات كبيرة من أجل مباراة نهائي كأس مصر بين الأهلي والزمالك.

ويلتقي الأهلي والزمالك في مباراة نهائي كأس مصر للموسم الماضي 2022، على أرضية ملعب الأول بارك بالسعودية، يوم الجمعة الموافق 8 مارس 2024.

وقال عامر حسين في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “ssc”: “تركي آل الشيخ يعمل أشياء صعبة جدًا، ويقدم أشياءً لنجاح مباراة نهائي كأس مصر لم تحدث في نهائي كأس العالم، من حيث الكاميرات والإخراج”.

وأكمل: “عدد الكاميرات المتواجدة داخل الملعب وخارجه، كل الإمكانيات متواجدة، وكل ذلك سيخدم الحكام وتقل الأخطاء، وكل ما يقدمه تركي آل الشيخ صعب يتكرر، ولم نره من قبل حتى في كأس العالم”.

وبسؤاله هل تمت مناقشة أن كأس مصر يقام بشكل سنوي في الرياض؟، أجاب: “لا، كان الاتفاق والتعاقد على هذه المباراة فقط، ومتأكد أنه ستكون هناك مباريات وبطولات أخرى تربط بين السعودية ومصر في الفترة المقبلة”.

واستطرد: “هناك اطمئنان تام لنجاح مباراة نهائي كأس مصر، وصل مدير اتحاد الكرة وشاهد كل الأمور وتم الاجتماع بالاتحاد السعودي والمنظمين، كل شيء على أعلى مستوى، وستكون هناك مفاجأت كثيرة من قبل تركي آل الشيخ”.

طالع | تواجد مورينيو ودرع من الذهب.. تركي آل الشيخ يكشف تفاصيل جديدة حول مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي كأس مصر

وأضاف: “يوم 3 أو 4 مارس بالكثير سيصل فريقا الأهلي والزمالك إلى السعودية، لأن التعاقد ينص على إقامة الفريقين 5 ليالي”.

وواصل: “المنظمون في السعودية طمأنونا أن التذاكر سيتم تقسيمها بالتساوي بين جماهير الأهلي والزمالك، سعة الملعب 25 أو 26 ألف مشجع، من المؤكد سيكون هناك جمهور سعودي في المباراة”.

هل تم الاستقرار على حكم المباراة؟، أوضح: “كأسماء لا، ولكن تم الاستقرار أن يكون طاقم التحكيم مصري، سيكونون من الحكام الذين شاركوا في كأس أمم إفريقيا، وهما على أعلى مستوى، بيريرا لن يعلن عن طاقم التحكيم إلا بعد توقف الدوري”.

وأتم: “الفترة الحالية العلاقة بين الأهلي والزمالك على أعلى مستوى بعد زيارة إدارة الأحمر للأبيض، الأمور هادئة بينهما، وأتمنى من اللاعبين أن يكون هناك هدوء لكي يمتعون جماهير الوطن العربي”.

M Vijay and R Ashwin were named in Tamil Nadu’s 15-man squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka in Visakhapatnam. Also, Parthiv Patel has confirmed his availability for Gujarat

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2016

M Vijay and R Ashwin were named in Tamil Nadu’s 16-man squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka in Visakhapatnam. Also, Parthiv Patel is likely to play for Gujarat, who play Odisha in Jaipur.* It is understood two other sides – Karnataka and Haryana – are also likely to pick Test players for the knockouts, which have been advanced by a day and will now begin from December 23.Defending champions Mumbai will play Hyderabad, who are in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2011-12, in Raipur. Jharkhand, the Group B toppers and one of only two teams in the league stages to have five wins, will play Haryana in Baroda.The two semi-finals were also advanced by two days, starting from January 1 in Rajkot and Nagpur, and the final, earlier scheduled for January 12, will be played from January 10 in Indore.It is understood the BCCI rejigged the schedule to ensure better breaks between each stage of the knockouts. “We have to adjust the calendar for the right gaps,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “The older schedule was the way it was because of the rescheduled matches. This one works better.”The delay in the announcement of the knockout clashes was a result of the postponement of a fixture between Odisha and Jharkhand, which determined the top team in Group B. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dindigul along with the other ninth-round matches from December 7. However, the game was rescheduled to December 15 in Thiruvananthapuram following the death of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.*14.40GMT, December 18: This story has been updated to reflect the latest squad announcements.

أكد خوان خوسيه لوبيز مارتينيز، الطبيب الإسباني، أن لاعب فالنسيا، الغيني مختار دياخابي، قد لا يلعب كرة القدم مجددًا بعد إصابته الخطيرة ضد ريال مدريد.

وتعرض اللاعب الغيني لإصابة قوية في مواجهة ريال مدريد، يوم السبت الماضي، بعد سقوط تشواميني عليه، وأعلن ناديه غيابه لمدة عام عن الملاعب.

طالع أيضًا.. بيان رسمي | فالنسيا يعلن تشخيص إصابة مختار دياخابي أمام ريال مدريد

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، نقلت تصريحات مارتينيز، الطبيب الخاص بلاعب كرة التنس كارلوس ألكاراز، والذي ساعد الأخير في التغلب على الإصابات التي عطلت مسيرته كثيرًا.

وقال مارتينيز: “لسوء الحظ إنها إصابة خطيرة للغاية، وبالتالي، هناك خطر كبير على لاعب فالنسيا من عدم قدرته على لعب كرة القدم مرة أخرى، إنها إصابة صعبة”.

وأكمل: “عادة ما تؤدي الإصابات هذه إلى تلف الغضروف، وهو هيكل لا يتجدد، مما يجعل الأمر صعبًا وفي أسوأ الأحوال لن يتمكن من ممارسة القدم مرة أخرى”.

دياخابي صاحب الـ27 عامًا، انضم إلى فالنسيا في صيف 2018 قادمًا من ليون الفرنسي، ولديه عقد حتى 2027 مع خفافيش الميستايا.

Newcastle United have been heavily linked with a move for Dominik Szoboszlai this summer and now a new claim has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Newcastle's interest in Dominik Szoboszlai?

Journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones has spoken out on what the RB Leipzig star could bring to St James' Park if a deal can be done and addresses comparisons to former Newcastle player Hatem Ben Arfa.

Jones told Football FanCast:

"If Ben Arfa got people off their seats then Szoboszlai definitely can!"

"He's an unbelievable technician of the ball, his ability to spot a pass is ridiculous, he can score great goals and good around set pieces."

Would Szoboszlai be a good fit for Newcastle?

There is no doubt that Szoboszlai would very quickly become a fan favourite at St James' Park if he could emulate the impact that Ben Arfa made on the club during his five-year stint.

The 36-year-old scored 14 goals and registered 15 assists over 86 appearances for the North East club with a goal contribution every 175 minutes played, as well as holding an integral role in their most recent qualification of European football ahead of this season, securing Europa League football back in 2012.

Now Szoboszlai could be the second coming of Ben Arfa and could play an important part in their Champions League campaign next season if he makes the move to Tyneside this summer.

Over 31 Bundesliga appearances, the 22-year-old sensation has scored six goals, registered eight assists and created a whopping 14 chances, as well as averaging 2.3 key passes, 1.9 shots on goal, 1.7 successful dribbles, 1.5 tackles and 4.6 duels won per game, proving that he is a massive attacking presence on the pitch.

Szoboszlai was featured in The Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ shortlist back in 2017 where journalist Tomasz Mortimer compared the Hungary international to Toni Kroos:

'He’s a tall, languid, classy talent who is adept behind the striker or as a deep-lying midfielder,'

'He has almost Toni Kroos-like qualities – brilliant ball-striking ability with both feet, a great range of passing, beautiful balance and a really high footballing IQ.'

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Newcastle to commit to the €70m (£61m) release clause for Szoboszlai as he could be a revelation for Newcastle in their pursuit for dominance and trophies over next season and beyond.

Sydney’s Test match has the duality of starting the year but ending the series

The Preview by Daniel Brettig02-Jan-2017Match factsJanuary 3-7, 2017
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)3:28

Samiuddin: Pakistan could go for two spinners

Big PictureSydney’s Test match has the duality of starting the year but ending the series. Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq has certainly been thinking about ending at the start of 2017, even if he’s now retreated somewhat from the openness he offered in the aftermath of the Melbourne defeat. By contrast, Australia would like the end of this series to be the start of the next assignment, as the squad selection for the SCG made patently clear. That being said, the captain Steven Smith isn’t exactly eager to place both eyes on the looming tour of India and its myriad challenges: a clean sweep of Pakistan, having spent much of the past six months pondering defeats rather than victories, would be a welcome outcome.Having spent four Test matches without an allrounder, Australia have returned to Darren Lehmann’s favoured formula, this time with Hilton Cartwright on debut rather than Mitchell Marsh on spec. Cartwright is a batsman first and a bowler later; the question remains whether Smith will fully trust someone who didn’t bowl a single ball at the SCG when he visited for a Sheffield Shield fixture earlier in the season. Instead the match was dominated by spinners – Steve O’Keefe, Will Somerville and Ashton Agar shared no fewer than 27 wickets between them. Agar has not been included in the XI, but can feel relatively secure of his place on the plane to India. Smith and Lehmann will be looking for signs that two quicks, two spinners and Cartwright can do a strong job this week. Also that neither Mitchell Starc nor Josh Hazlewood fall prey to overwork.Pakistan arrived in Australia with plenty of optimism, and had it somewhat bolstered by a resilient display in Brisbane. But the collapse of the team on the final day in Melbourne, after rain had made the draw by far the more likely result, raised plenty of old questions about temperament and consistency. A matter of months after ascending to No. 1 in the world, the visitors are now on the cusp of their worst ever losing streak in Tests. Whether or not Misbah chooses to finish up, he will be aware of the need to finish this series, at least, on a better note than that.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)

 Australia: WWWLL
Pakistan: LLLLL
As much as he’d like a clean sweep of this series, Steven Smith will also have an eye on the India tour that follows it•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In the spotlightNo one can doubt Steve O’Keefe’s ability as a first-class performer for New South Wales. Nor can they question the way he bowled for Australia in each of his past two Test matches, one at the SCG last January and then one in Sri Lanka in July. But the fact that it has been close to six months since O’Keefe last played is attributable to a poor injury record, namely with calf and hamstring problems. Durability is a key element to any spin bowler’s career – a large reason for Nathan Lyon’s ability to keep bouncing back from questions about his future is that he is invariably fit and ready to go. O’Keefe offers consistency and craftiness that Smith in particular wants to utilise. But to do so he needs to see the bowler stay on the park.It has been more than 21 years since Mushtaq Ahmed fashioned Pakistan a victory over Australia at the SCG with outstanding wristspin, and Yasir Shah will be aspiring to do the same. For much of this series he has been a curiously muted presence, taking a largely defensive leg-stump line with fields to match. That this appears to have been by design is a pity for Yasir, given his ability to prosper in a variety of conditions in the past. At Sydney he can expect a more attacking commission, and will want to make the most of it.Teams newsHilton Cartwright is in for his debut and Steve O’Keefe for his first Test since the Sri Lanka tour. They have been included at the expense of Nic Maddinson and Jackson Bird.Australia 1 Matt Renshaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Hilton Cartwright, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonOne of Imran Khan or Rahat Ali can be expected to return in place of Sohail Khan. A second spinner may also be in the mix.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Rahat Ali/Imran KhanPitch and conditionsSydney’s pitch has been spinning noticeably more this season, necessitating twin spin for the hosts. The weather forecast for the match features some rain, but less than Melbourne saw.Stats and trivia Pakistan’s most recent Test victory in Australia came at the SCG in 1995. Australia’s captain Steven Smith is playing his 50th Test, having made his debut against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010 The inclusions of Cartwright and O’Keefe mean Australia have four overseas-born players in thier XI for the first time since their very first Test series in 1876-77 when they fielded five or more Pakistan have never lost six Test matches in a rowQuotes”You want to play well every game you play for Australia. We can’t think too far ahead. The conditions are completely different. It’s a different kind of spin that you get out here than you do in India. We’re just focused on this Test match at this stage and hopefully we can have a clean sweep.”