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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahid took another three-wicket haul as Dhaka Dynamites climbed to first place•BCB

Defending champions Comilla Victorians will go into the Chittagong leg of the BPL – beginning on November 17 – as the only team without a win, after they lost their fourth consecutive game. This time, the Dhaka Dynamites defeated them by 33 runs.This was Dhaka’s third win in four games, and most of their success has come on the back of strong starts by their openers – a combination of the legendary Kumar Sangakkara and the young Mehedi Maruf. This was true once again, as Maruf’s 60 set up Dhaka’s formidable 194 for 5 before their spinners dominated the Comilla batsmenIt was his second fifty in the BPL, and came off 31 balls, starting with a scythe over point off Mashrafe Mortaza in the third over. Sangakkara struck two fours and a six in his 12-ball 20, before falling in the fourth over.But Maruf’s aggression was unabated. He found boundaries quite regularly and then lofted Nabil Samad for two massive sixes over midwicket, with one of them landing in the grandstand. He added 84 runs for the second wicket with Nasir, who chipped in with 43 off 35 balls with five fours.Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan – who finished with 3 for 28 in his four overs – removed Ravi Bopara and Maruf in the 16th over, but that didn’t stop Dhaka captain Shakib Al Hasan from blazing 36 runs in 16 deliveries with Dwayne Bravo for the fifth wicket. Shakib struck two sixes in his 13-ball 24.Comilla’s chase began with intent – Imrul Kayes hit three fours in his 11-ball 19. But they ended up losing three wickets in consecutive overs, after Kayes was removed in the fourth. In the very next over, his new opening partner Jashimuddin was caught at deep square leg for ten, and Ahmed Shehzad – playing his first game – struck two consecutive sixes before getting stumped off the last ball of the sixth.They played two more overs before repeating the pattern. Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Ryan ten Doeschate, Rashid Khan and Al-Amin were all dismissed in the space of three overs, to leave Comilla reeling at 74 for 7 at the end of the 11th over. Medium-pacer Mohammad Shahid accounted for the last two wickets in that collapse, in his first over.Mashrafe provided entertainment towards the end, including slamming Shakib for four sixes in the penultimate over. But it was never going to be enough for Comilla.

Celtic are on the lookout for a new head coach after Ange Postecoglou officially left the Scottish giants to join the Premier League on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal with Tottenham Hotspur in England and this now pushes Peter and Mark Lawwell and Dermot Desmond into the market to bring a manager in to replace the Australian.

A number of bosses have already been linked with the vacancy and one man who is reportedly in the running for the job is ex-Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch.

The 49-year-old, who won two Austrian Bundesliga titles in two seasons with RB Salzburg earlier in his career, could revive a current Celtic outcast back to his former glory if the Hoops decide to appoint him heading into next term.

How did David Turnbull perform this season?

Parkhead attacking midfielder David Turnbull endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign as the Scotsman only started six games in the Scottish Premiership and zero times in the Champions League.

He made 27 appearances as a substitute in the two competitions combined but his lack of starts limited the impact that he was able to make in the final third. The gem ended the season with four goals and six assists in the league and in Europe combined, which shows that the ace was unable to make regular contributions in attack.

Turnbull is a number ten by trade and did not fit in with Postecoglou's 4-3-3 system, which required him to play as an eight or out wide, and thus could be revived by Marsch's preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up that would allow him to play in the hole behind a centre-forward.

The American's formation would provide the 23-year-old with two holding midfielders behind him to offer defensive protection and allow the ace to push forward to link up with the two wingers and striker to create and score goals at the top end of the pitch.

Celtic's Scotland international predominantly played as a number ten for Neil Lennon in the 2020/21 campaign, before Postecoglou's arrival, and enjoyed a terrific year in the Premiership, which the Australian later described as "outstanding".

The £16k-per-week magician averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.47 and contributed with nine goals and six assists in 30 starts. He also created 12 'big chances' for his teammates and made 2.9 key passes per match, which is more than any Celtic player averaged in the league this year.

Therefore, Marsch, whose style was described as "aggressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, could revive the Hoops wizard by making him the attacking midfielder in his 4-2-3-1 system, which could allow the ace to thrive and get back to regularly scoring and creating goals in the Premiership.

Jalaj Saxena, the Madhya Pradesh and India A allrounder, has signed one-year contract with Kerala as a professional player.

Shashank Kishore04-Sep-2016

Jalaj Saxena, the Madhya Pradesh and India A allrounder, has signed one-year contract with Kerala as a professional player for the 2016-17 season. He will join Iqbal Abdulla and Bhavin Thakkar, who moved from Mumbai to the Kerala side as professionals. A No-Objection Certificate from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association was submitted to the Kerala Cricket Association on September 3.”It was a personal decision, but a very emotional one too,” Saxena, who is currently participating in the Duleep Trophy, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a one-year deal which will be reviewed after the season and will be extended if they feel my performances have been up to their expectation.”Having played for Madhya Pradesh for more than a decade, to make this switch was hard but I was sure of it. I wanted a change of environment at this stage, but I’m thankful to MPCA for giving me an opportunity over the years.”The Kerala Cricket Association was reportedly keen on signing Saxena given his record as a batting allrounder over the last four seasons.From 2012-13 to 2015-16, Saxena racked up 2485 runs at an average of 46.89, with six centuries and 12 half-centuries, scoring more than 2000 runs as an opener. His offspin brought him 111 wickets at 26.01 in this period. He won the Lala Amarnath award for the best allrounder for the 2014-15 season, in which he scored 768 runs and took 20 wickets in the first-class format. Overall, Saxena has played 84 first-class matches, scoring 4604 runs with 195 wickets.Last season, one where they qualified for the semi-finals, Saxena finished with the second-best match haul in Ranji Trophy history, taking 16 for 154 to help MP beat Railways. At Kerala, he will likely be a part of a spin trio, alongside left-arm spinners Karaparambil Monish, the third-highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy 2015-16, and Abdulla.”My performances over the last four years have given me immense confidence,” Saxena said. “But I realise I can’t afford to drop my guard. As a professional, the onus is on you to perform. The self-belief is there now.”Saxena said the motivation to sign with Kerala, once he was briefed on what was expected of him, stemmed from their poor record. Kerala are yet to earn a promotion from Group C since the Ranji Trophy was revamped in 2012-13 to accommodate 27 teams into three groups. This season, Chhattisgarh will be the tenth team in Group C. Saxena may have been eligible to play for Chhattisgarh except for “minor issues” related to nativity – he was born in Bhilai and moved to Indore – but he realised that with Kerala, the competition will bring out the best in him at this stage of his career”I looked at their performance. They were always mid-table in Group C, so if I can help them qualify to the elite groups, it will be a big achievement,” he said. “Maybe that could also be a way of being recognised. With the line-up we’ve got, I’m confident we will improve this year.”

The advantage of being a home team is you have a better understanding of conditions than your opposition, but that may not be the case when South Africa host New Zealand next month. Kane Williamson’s men will have spent a significant amount of time in the country ahead of their two-Test series, thanks to a training camp at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre organised by former New Zealand player Kruger van Wyk.The wicketkeeper-batsman, originally from South Africa, had retired from cricket in December and returned home to take charge of the University’s cricket program, which he himself had come through. Van Wyk has an intricate knowledge of the High Performance Centre, which is home to CSA’s National Academy and hosts several other elite sports teams at its state-of-the-art facilities. He knew it would be the ideal place for New Zealand to prepare for the four Tests they play in southern Africa – two in Zimbabwe, two in South Africa – this winter.”I know what it’s like to tour, to want to get the best preparation and I had no doubt that we could help them with that,” van Wyk said. In particular, he has focussed on giving New Zealand the kinds of surfaces they will encounter in Bulawayo, Durban and Centurion, which are all expected to be slow and low at this time of year. “It’s important that they [the pitches] are similar to the Zimbabwe ones, similar to the ones they’ll get here. As a player, whatever you need, you get. That’s our motto. Whatever you guys need, we’re going to give it to you and give it at a high level of professionalism as well, so I hope the boys enjoy it as well while they’re here.”With New Zealand’s every need being met, van Wyk’s loyalties were a subject of discussion and he made no attempt to hide where they lie. “I think it’s going to be an awesome series. It’s very clear who I want to see do well. These are the guys who I played for, and my priorities, even though I’m coaching and living in South Africa at the moment, it’s still with the New Zealand side,” he said. “I’ve played Test cricket for New Zealand and I’m proud of that. But I think it’s going to be a hell of a good series and I’m so excited about seeing that and I really believe this is a good opportunity to get a double Test series victory.”Key to New Zealand’s recent success has been their team culture, which is centered on the collective and has exuded a fun-factor for all involved. For van Wyk, that is the difference. “It’s been wonderful, actually. I think there’s been such a new life blown into cricket in New Zealand and that was just through the culture in this side. Mike [Hesson, the coach] and Baz [Brendon McCullum] and Kane and a lot of the senior players must take massive credit for this. They’ve done some wonderful things for the image of the game and just the way they’ve played as well. That’s the best way to get fans back, to get all these sorts of things back, ex-players, and their performances have been outstanding and I know it will only grow under Kane and Mike as well.”That culture exists even among those, like van Wyk, who have left the New Zealand fold. “As a coach, and as an ex-player, I think a lot of it is about giving back to the game, giving back to the people who’ve always been good to you. I am extremely thankful towards New Zealand cricket who’ve always been good to me and it’s time to give back,” he said. “Tukkies [University of Pretoria] was an institution that put a lot of time and effort into my development when I was a youngster here, so it’s the best of both worlds.”

Mauricio Pochettino already faces a number of dilemmas to solve ahead of his imminent arrival at Chelsea, as he looks to get the best out of a bloated squad at Stamford Bridge.

While player exits will be necessary this summer in order to balance the books, both Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante are yet to agree to a new deal at Stamford Bridge and could leave on a free transfer when their contracts expire at the end of the season.

While the Argentine manager may be keen to keep a world-class midfielder such as the World Cup-winning Frenchman, his injury issues this season have been a major concern and at 32, the Blues perhaps need to begin their search for a long-term successor in midfield.

Pochettino could find a dream heir to the former Leicester City man in Everton star Amadou Onana, who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent months after an impressive debut season at Goodison Park.

Could Chelsea sign Onana?

While the Blues were actually rejected by the Belgium international in January as Graham Potter sought to improve upon his midfield options, a summer move could well be on the cards for the 21-year-old, especially if the Toffees go down.

Journalist Ben Jacobs suggested in one column for Caught Offside last month that Chelsea, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid were all potential destinations for the young midfielder this summer, although interested sides may have to meet Everton's reported £50m price tag.

The giant midfielder only joined from Lille in a £33m deal last summer but has been one of the bright sparks in another woeful season for the Merseyside outfit, as his solid 6.69 average rating from WhoScored ranks him as the sixth-best performer, of those to make at least ten appearances this term.

Onana's physicality in midfield is clear to see, as according to FBref, he ranks in the top 20% of midfielders across Europe for tackles per game (2.66), clearances per game (1.54) and aerials won per game (2.08).

WhoScored also suggests that he excels at aerial duels and tackling, which outlines him as the perfect mould for a defensive-minded midfielder such as Kante, who too excels at winning the ball back.

As per FBref, the French World Cup winner ranks inside the top 20% of midfielders for tackles per 90, further outlining their similarities.

Onana's performances for both Lille and Everton saw him earn a call-up to Belgium's World Cup squad in 2022, with former manager Roberto Martinez singing his praises following his selection.

He said: “Another unique profile. Someone with such physical presence and dynamism is needed, just think of Fellaini in 2018. He is also a leader on the field who has made strides in his career. From Germany to France and now the Premier League… He deserves this selection.”

Liverpool Echo writer Connor O'Neill also lauded him as "outstanding" earlier in the season, which suggests that Onana's reputation is only going to increase further as he continues to impress.

Considering the lack of European football on offer at Stamford Bridge next season, it may prove difficult to sign world-class talents but in Onana, Pochettino could land a promising youngster who looks to have all the attributes to replace Kante at Chelsea.

Aston Villa are thought to be plotting a move to sign Brentford forward Ivan Toney, according to Football Insider.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news involving Toney?

Unai Emery has worked wonders with the current Villa squad after taking over back in November and is leading a late push for European football.

However, the club seemingly have one eye on the summer transfer window ahead of the Spaniard’s first full season in charge. The transfer record could be smashed by NSWE, and it seems as if Toney, on £2.93m-a-year with the Bees, is a player of interest in the Midlands.

The England international recently scored in a 1-1 draw with Villa and actually netted his first-ever Premier League goal at Villa Park back in 2021.

Football Insider shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Villa and Toney, revealing that those in the Midlands are plotting a raid on Brentford for Toney.

The report states that the 27-year-old is on Villa’s radar and could leave Brentford this summer, with a number of Premier League clubs keen on the forward’s services.

Toney and Watkins in attack?

Ollie Watkins has been Emery’s star man in attack in recent months, scoring 11 Premier League goals in 2023. He has netted 15 times in total this season, whereas Toney, described as a "monster" by Bees reporter Billy Grant, has scored 19 goals in the Premier League during the current campaign.

Both England internationals, Toney has seen his Transfermarkt valuation rocket with Brentford from €4.5m to a career-high €50m, showing how he appears to be at the peak of his powers. Emery has also gone with two forwards on a number of occasions this season, so the pair could play alongside each other next season.

As per WhoScored, Toney has outperformed Watkins when it comes to match rating and aerial duels won, while also drawing more fouls. Meanwhile, Watkins is dispossessed fewer times and averages fewer unsuccessful touches than Toney, recording a better pass completion rate as well, so who knows, Emery could see the two as an ideal partnership.

Arsenal are on course to earn their first Premier League title since that infamous 2003/04 campaign, with Mikel Arteta the architect for such success.

The Spaniard returned to the Emirates during a period of struggling revolution, as an unproven head coach with big ambitions of leading the Gunners back to the top. Many questioned his credentials, as being Pep Guardiola's sidekick for years did not comply with the usual career path enjoyed by managers, but as of now these issues have fallen silent.

Few can question the impact the 41-year-old has had on this squad, propelling the careers of almost all of his players forward whilst signing the necessary additions to truly make them a title challenger.

Whether Manchester City catch them or not they will need to keep moving forward come next season, if their return to the apex of English football is to be sustained.

Therefore, a plan to potentially displace one of Granit Xhaka or Thomas Partey within the next few years will likely be high on the agenda.

Aged 30 and 29 respectively, their experience at the top level is immeasurable. However, it also marks the twilight years of their impressive careers, which could culminate in a flurry of elite honours under this current dynasty.

In an effort to secure a replacement before their exit, with the hopes whoever might be signed can absorb the necessary information to play in such roles, perhaps Arsenal could capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and poach the Dutchman this summer.

That is at least what reports are suggesting could well happen.

How has Ryan Gravenberch played this season?

Having made his £20m move to Germany after a successful season at the base of Ajax's midfield, it was expected that the 20-year-old would stay at the Bavarian giants for the bulk of his career as the anchor in their engine room.

However, it has instead been a tough debut campaign for the youngster.

Without really being given a sustained run in the side across his 26 appearances in all competitions, the hulking prodigy has unsurprisingly struggled for consistency. In the Bundesliga, for example, Gravenberch has made just one start all season.

It marks a stutter in what was promised to be a glittering career, especially after the role the 6 foot 3 maestro played in the success of his former side.

Despite being a teenager, that final year in his homeland saw the midfielder maintain a 7.17 average rating in the league, upheld by his 86% pass accuracy, 1.1 key passes and 1.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

To compare this with the exploits of Partey from this campaign, who has earned widespread praise for his domineering displays under Arteta, there is far from a vast gulf in quality that suggests the youngster couldn't step into the role.

The Ghanaian's 7.21 rating notes a drop in average key passes to just 0.9 per game, whilst his pass accuracy actually jumps up to 87%. This is capped off through 2.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore, although his £156k-per-week potential successor was featuring in a side that dominated possession.

Edu could use his forward-thinking mindset in this situation to capitalise on this downtrodden sensation, capturing a cut-price deal for a star who his former boss Julian Nagelsmann had suggested was "better than most other footballers".

With a towering midfield presence partnered with metronomic qualities to dictate a game, few fit the Partey mould with such ease as Gravenberch. It would likely not take long for him to swiftly surpass the ageing general too, given his youth and capability to learn.

Newcastle United got their revenge on Manchester United following the League Cup final defeat at St James Park, beating them 2-0 in their Premier League clash this evening.

The Magpies move into third place in the league table following their victory ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s fixture against Everton tomorrow evening and Eddie Howe will surely be thrilled with his team’s perfect balance of patience and persistence throughout.

The home team absolutely dominated their opponents despite having only 47% possession. Indeed, the Toon had far more shots on target (6 v 1), created more big chances (4 v 0), won more duels (59 v 41) and completed a higher number of tackles too (24 v 17).

Howe and his team would’ve felt that they were unlucky at half-time as they looked the better side throughout the opening 45 minutes with several opportunities squandered in front of goal despite comfortably pressing the Red Devils.

However, when they returned to the pitch for the second half, they finally got the goals they deserved with Joe Willock proving to his manager he was worthy of the starting spot in midfield when he opened up the scoring in the 65th minute to give the Geordies the lead in front of the roaring home support.

It was then Callum Wilson’s turn to show Howe what he had been missing from the bench when he replaced Alexander Isak in the 80th minute and doubled the lead to 2-0 when a free kick driven into the box gave the out of favour striker his chance in the 88th minute.

Indeed, Wilson will be rightly feeling accomplished in delivering the goal that ultimately killed the game for the opponents, but it’s safe to say that Kieran Trippier was the real hero at St James’ Park tonight.

How did Kieran Trippier get on vs Manchester United?

The England international has been an incredible voice on the pitch for the club since his arrival in January 2022 for just £12m but it’s not just his leadership that has been worth its weight in gold to help Newcastle become comfortable contenders in the top four race.

Over his 90-minute performance, the £100k-per-week maestro – hailed for his “elite output” by Statman Dave on Twitter was superb.

Indeed, he delivered four key passes as a marker of his rampant threat down the right-hand side and of course, most importantly, whipped in a wonderful free-kick which earned him an assist for Wilson’s goal.

That well-placed free kick happened to be Trippier’s sixth Premier League assist this season and no other defender in the league has registered more so far, making it an even more impressive day for the right-back.

The full-back is so often the man to provide plenty in attack but he was faultless defensively up against Marcus Rashford and co on Sunday, completing five clearances from his 81 touches, as well as winning three duels.

Howe will be hoping that Trippier and the rest of his teammates can take huge confidence and momentum from their performance to achieve their Champions League dreams over the remaining 11 league games ahead.

A number of Manchester United fans online have slammed Casemiro after he picked up a straight red card for a reckless challenge in his most recent appearance.

Why was Casemiro sent off against Southampton?

In their latest Premier League outing, the Red Devils failed to win in front of their own supporters as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag and co understandably came into the match as favourites, with the Saints stuck at the very bottom of the table but one poor decision from United’s central midfielder made things an awful lot more complicated on the day.

Indeed, with just 34 minutes played, Casemiro lunged in on Carlos Alcaraz and while referee Anthony Taylor initially just booked the 31-year-old, it was upgraded to a red following a VAR check.

This isn’t the Brazilian’s first straight red card of the season either. After all, he was given his marching orders in February against Crystal Palace in another ill-judged moment at Old Trafford.

As a result, he now faces a four-match suspension which could see him miss the FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham on top of three league games against Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

It seems as though the midfielder’s poor discipline has left some Man Utd fans at their wits’ end. Here are some of the best reactions online…

Newcastle United’s shift in momentum since the affluent takeover in 2021 has been nothing short of resounding, with the stellar signings on the transfer front transcending the fortunes on the field.

By and large, the work plied has been shrewdly done; prudent investments to instil a newfound mentality and ensure that European-chasing seasons replace desperate bids to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.

Manager Eddie Howe has done a fine job indeed, and with the Magpies perched admirably in fifth after 24 matches, bolstering the ranks with several first-rate acquisitions could go a long way toward embedding the new era with quality unseen on Tyneside for an age.

As such, rumours attributing interest from Howe and co in Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae must be acted upon, with the South Korean centre-back exceeding expectations at the heart of the high-flying Italian Serie A leaders’ backline.

According to Napoli’s former sporting director Carlo Jacomuzzi (via Area Napoli), the English outfit are keeping tabs on the defender and could make their move in the summer.

The Magpies boast the most formidable defence in the division, having shipped just 17 strikes, but might seek assurance over the calibre of their defensive department, with one eye firmly fixed on a seat in the Champions League over the coming years, and Kim could be the optimum choice to bolster the fold.

Would Kim be a good signing for Newcastle?

Despite only signing for the Partenopei last summer for €18m (£16m) – a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined Chelsea for £33m – the 26-year-old has swiftly asserted himself as one of the division’s finest, with his outfit now touting him at £42m, amid interest from several of Europe’s most prominent sides.

Having made 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring two goals and registering an assist, Kim has been an  unflappable “rock” as lauded by Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti, who also hailed him as “the most impressive defender in the league.”

17 points clear at the top of the table, Napoli are destined to win the Scudetto this term, basking in glory not gleaned in Naples since 1989/90, the club’s previous league title.

And with the 47-cap colossus ranking among the top 10% of centre-backs for pass completion, top 8% for shot-creating actions, top 17% for progressive passes and top 8% for aerials won per 90, his all-encompassing scope and ball-playing prowess slots him right into the mould of the quintessential top-class defender of modern times.

With Bayern Munich phenom Matthijs de Ligt listed as the most comparable player to the Napoli ace, as per FBref, Howe could welcome his own version of the Dutch dynamo to the fold at St. James’ Park.

De Ligt signed for Juventus for roughly €75m (£68m) in 2019, when he was still only 19-years-old, before switching for German giants Bayern last summer for £68m.

With the respective centre-backs both possessing an innate ball-playing aptitude and an astute intellect on the pitch, the Magpies would make an auspicious move indeed if they were to prise Kim away from Naples.

The 23-year-old Bavarian ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for pass completion and 9% for aerials won himself, and given the striking similarities between his approach and the South Korean’s, the Magpies simply must swoop.

Heralded as an “iron barrel” by prodigious team-mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim would be the perfect signing for Newcastle, who only a little over one year ago faced the daunting embrace of the drop, but with an illustrious new chapter tantalising its arrival, Howe must continue the ascension and sign the titan.

He would inject the iron-clad grip needed to cement United’s defensive line with steely and unwavering resolve.