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Everton are hoping to make another signing before the summer transfer window closes on Friday after securing a new talisman in Beto.

The striker joined from Serie A side Udinese for £30m this week following concerns over Dominic Calvert-Lewin's ever-unreliable fitness and Neal Maupay's woeful efforts in front of goal, with the Frenchman scoring just once for the Toffees and now linked with a move away.

Sean Dyche has been focussing on restoring the offence after finishing last season as the Premier League's second-lowest scorers, but the club need to make a defensive acquisition and might've now identified their man.

What's the latest on Nico Elvedi to Everton?

According to German outlet Sport Bild, Borussia Monchengladbach defender Nico Elvedi could be available for just €5m (£4m), with the Swiss international now in the final year of his contract and previously believed to hold a price tag of £8m.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

Gianluca Di Marzio reported last weekend that the Merseyside outfit had opened talks for Elvedi, but will now need to act fast with top-flight rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers also pursuing a deal.

How good is Nico Elvedi?

All of the attention has been on bolstering the attack at Goodison Park this summer, and perhaps the fact that Yerry Mina, Conor Coady (who was on loan) and Mason Holgate have all left the club has gone under the radar.

Dyche has not touched the central defence with just two days of the market remaining, and while Jarrad Branthwaite has returned after an impressive loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, an acquisition surely needs to be made.

Elvedi could be the perfect solution to this problem, with the exiguous fee for an established international sure to stamp some authority and control into the Toffees' backline.

Having been hailed as "incredible” by former Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl, Elvedi has made 270 appearances for Gladbach, scoring 14 goals and serving nine assists, competent both in central defence and out wide.

Given that the 26-year-old titan ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 10% for clearances and the top 17% for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, Dyche would be wise to consider completing a swoop for a player who could serve in Michael Keane's stead.

Dyche has wielded Keane at both Everton and his former club Burnley, and while the 30-year-old central defender reclaimed his starting berth at Goodison Park following Dyche's appointment in January, despite this return to regular match action, must now be ditched if the club are to ascend from their lowly position.

Indeed, having been signed for £30m back in 2017, Keane has failed to live up to the potential and prove to be the fulcrum of a backline that was supposed to lead the club to Premier League prominence, not desperate scraps for survival.

Described as a "genuine defensive liability" by journalist Richard Buxton, the inconsistent £80k-per-week defender ranks among the bottom 2% of positional peers for pass completion and the bottom 5% for tackles per 90, illuminating the lack of robustness that Everton need as they look to stop the issues.

With this in mind, Elvedi would be a perfect fit to upgrade on Keane, bringing a ball-playing ability to instil assurance and composure and a defensive work rate to build a foundation for a successful season.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo poderá contar com Paulo Autuori normalmente nas próximas partidas. O treinador do Alvinegro foi julgado pelo STJD nesta segunda-feira pelas declarações após a partida contra o Flamengo, pelo Brasileirão, e foi apenas advertido. Consequentemente, o treinador poderá seguir treinando a equipe à beira do gramado naturalmente.

Paulo Autuori foi denunciado pelas declarações após o empate em 1 a 1 com o Flamengo, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, em 23 de agosto. O treinador do Botafogo foi enquadrado pela CBF no Artigo 243-F do CBJD (Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva), que diz respeito à ofensa à honra, e Artigo 258 (assumir conduta contrária à ética desportiva) pela ANAF.

-Em nenhum momento, em nenhuma derrota eu justifiquei com erros de arbitragem. Justifico com falta de eficiência ou eficácia da equipe que eu trabalho. Hoje nós fomos eficientes, fomos eficazes porque fizemos o gol, mas não conseguimos sair com a vitória. Nada a falar com relação à arbitragem e à interpretação. E tudo a falar sobre a conjuntura do futebol brasileiro. É muito fraca e é suspeita. Porque as coisas acontecem sempre da mesma maneira. Chega um momento que cansa – declarou Autuori, após o duelo contra o Flamengo.

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A denúncia do artigo 243-F foi cancelada porque os presentes na sessão consideraram que Paulo Autuori não faltou com respeito para com Leandro Vuaden ao conversar com o árbitro após a partida contra o Flamengo e, por isto, não faltou com respeito. No artigo 258, o comandante foi absolvido por maioria.

Paulo Autuori, presente no começo da sessão, tentou se defender afirmando que não fez nenhuma crítica específica à arbitragem. O treinador do Botafogo afirmou que foi conversar com Leandro Vuaden para questionar os critérios utilizados na marcação de um pênalti de Marcelo Benevenuto aos 47 minutos do segundo tempo.

– Adentrei no campo para refletir sobre a situação (pênalti marcado após mão de Marcelo Bevenenuto) e a lógica. A conversa foi agradável e com respeito. Creio que o próprio árbitro (Leandro Vuaden) colocaria alguma atitude desrespeitosa na súmula, o que não aconteceu. Em nenhum momento eu questionei. Queria entender o critério dele. Foi uma conversa natural – afirmou Autuori, durante a sessão.

Michael Klinger, Shaun Marsh and an aggressive Cameron Bancroft maintained Western Australia’s unbeaten start to the domestic limited-overs competition by powering them to a total beyond Queensland’s reach in a rain-affected match at the Drummoyne Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Michael Klinger, Shaun Marsh and an aggressive Cameron Bancroft maintained Western Australia’s unbeaten start to the domestic limited-overs competition by powering them to a total beyond Queensland’s reach in a rain-affected match at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney.The Warriors did so despite a startling innings by Michael Neser, who got the Bulls closer than they might reasonably have expected after slipping to 5 for 63, largely at the hands of Matthew Kelly. Neser played a willing ally to Queensland’s captain Usman Khawaja, who had appeared set to be stranded.After Khawaja fell, Neser took flight, clattering seven sixes at the harbor-side venue to take Queensland to within 12 runs of their Duckworth-Lewis-Stern-adjusted, 41-over target.Marsh and Klinger had given WA the ideal start, the latter going on to a century, but after rain interrupted the innings, it was the often obstinate Bancroft who provided the sort of acceleration required to make the most of a reduced allocation of overs. Like Peter Handscomb for Victoria, Bancroft is also keeping wicket in this tournament.

Manchester United have been handed some good news this week when it comes to potentially landing Harry Kane, with Football Insider reporting that Spurs are preparing to sell the striker and it's brought the Red Devils back into the race.

How many goals has Harry Kane scored?

The 29-year-old was once more a key figure for Tottenham in 2022/23, as he played in every single Premier League game for the club. Not only that, but he hit a superb 30 goals along the way, with a further three assists. It meant that the England international had one of his best ever goal contribution tallies – bettered only in the last six seasons by his 2020/21 amount.

It showcases that the attacker is still at the very top of his game despite his age and is well capable of adding a hatful of goals to an attack, no matter how successful or ailing a side is.

There's been a long-standing interest from Man United in Kane, with the Red Devils keen to try and sort out a deal for him this summer. Whilst it looked as if a move could happen at one point, hopes had recently been dashed with the news that Spurs don't want to let him leave to a rival team in the top flight. It had paved the way for Bayern Munich to try and land Kane, but they too have yet to have a deal agreed for the striker.

United had seemingly moved on to other targets – they've been heavily linked with a transfer for Rasmus Hojlund, with personal terms already sorted over that move, although no deal has yet been confirmed. Talks are still being held over a potential transfer fee for the Atalanta man but PSG have also now launched a move to try and sign the youngster, placing a bid of their own today.

Are Manchester United signing Harry Kane?

Now, according to a report from Football Insider, there could be another twist in United's search for a striker. That's because Tottenham are now willing to let Kane leave this summer it seems if he refuses to sign a contract extension, rather than holding onto him.

It also adds that the forward himself actually prefers a move to Old Trafford over Bayern Munich – meaning if a fee could be sorted, he would likely jump ship to the Red Devils. The only remaining stumbling block is Spurs' insistence that they would not let him leave for a Premier League rival and would rather sell to the Bundesliga club – even if the player himself would rather stay in England and join United.

Kane stands out as one of the best strikers in Europe right now in terms of his goal rate, and it has also led to plenty of plaudits from players, coaches and pundits alike. Jurgen Klinsmann only a few months ago stated that the attacker is "exceptional" and added that he is the current "symbol of English football".

A bold statement, but one that shows how pivotal he has been for club, country and in the Premier League in general. To sign someone like the 29-year-old then would be a huge coup and a big piece of business – and if United can get a deal sorted, then it would instantly make them a hard team to beat next season.

Virat Kohli played down questions over his availability for the ODI series, and stressed that he had plans and combinations that he wanted to discuss with the selectors

Sidharth Monga in Pallekele11-Aug-2017

At some point during India’s last Test of this series, the selectors are likely to meet to announce the squad for the Sri Lanka ODIs. There has been talk that a few of the big stars might rest given India sent pretty much a full-strength squad to the West Indies, too. However, Virat Kohli is showing no signs he wants to rest.The Contenders

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma;

Openers-cum-middle-order batsmen: KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane;

No. 3: Virat Kohli;

Middle order: MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, outside chance for Suresh Raina and Shreyas Iyer;

Allrounder: Hardik Pandya;

Spinners: R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, outside chance for Axar Patel and Krunal Pandya;

Fast bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, outside chance for Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur

“My participation? Who said I am not playing?” a bemused Kohli responded, when asked about his participation in the ODIs. “I don’t know where this came from… if you don’t want me to play, then tell me… I have no problems in playing.”The chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, has been travelling with the team during the Tests. He will hand over the touring selector’s duties to one of his colleagues after the Tests. The BCCI secretary, Amitabh Chaudhary, too, is expected to be in Sri Lanka for an Asian Cricket Council meeting. So the convenor of the selection meeting and two selectors are likely to be in attendance in Sri Lanka with the third perhaps joining in through teleconferencing from India.Kohli said he already had plans in mind for the ODIs. “We are going to sit down on selection soon and we certainly have plans in mind and combinations that we want to speak about,” Kohli said. “So as captain I am definitely in the thick of things and know what to speak to the committee about.”The big question in the ODI selection continues to be the future of the two veterans, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, now that KL Rahul is fit and playing Tests in Sri Lanka and Manish Pandey has returned to competitive cricket in style in the triangular A-team series in South Africa. If both the veterans continue to hold their places, youngster Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik might have to make way for Rahul and Pandey. Another way to accommodate Rahul will be to leave out Ajinya Rahane, who plays the similar dual role of opening and middle-order back-up.Suresh Raina has also been at the NCA, proving his fitness. If the selectors look to give both veterans and youngsters a run, one or two of the established stars might have to rest. Kohli injured his shoulder during the long home season of 13 Tests, and came back midway during the IPL only to continue playing practically non-stop since then. There is a long home season and a South Africa tour lined up soon after India go back from Sri Lanka.The ODI selection will also reveal a lot about how Kohli and the selectors foresee the role of spinners in the side. Kuldeep Yadav impressed the India captain a lot in the West Indies, which shows India have woken up to the need of a genuine wristspinner given the flat pitches in ODIs. Kohli was glowing in praise for Kuldeep, who appears set for his second Test in Pallekele.”A guy like Kuldeep, when you hand him the ball he is willing to bowl in any situation, willing to bowl with attacking fields, willing to throw the ball up towards the batsmen, he believes in his own ability and believes in deceiving the batsmen with the skill that he has so,” Kohli said. “I think that’s his biggest quality. A chinaman bowler is always something, which is an x-factor in a team. I would say his confidence is his USP.”Where does that leave the two spinners ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in Tests? Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, like many other fingerspinners, have had mixed fortunes in limited-overs cricket for a while. It is a tricky situation India find themselves in. Ashwin was left out of the XI in the West Indies just when he looked like he was getting into some kind of rhythm. Jadeja replaced him. If Kuldeep keeps doing well and if India retain the combination of only two spinners in the 15, which they took to the Champions Trophy in England, at some point they might have to choose between Ashwin and Jadeja.India find themselves with many choices but are yet some way off the ideal combination in ODIs. Take a look at the sidebar. Even if those with an outside chance are to be left out, there are 19 fit players out of which four have to be eliminated. It will be three batsmen and one spinner in all likelihood. Not just the selections now on, the communication with those left out will be just as crucial.

In the quest to replace Declan Rice at West Ham, Irons boss David Moyes is looking to bring in two midfielders, who ideally have Premier League experience and are proven in the English top flight.

One player tipped to be pursued by the Hammers is Amadou Onana.

What’s the latest on Amadou Onana to West Ham?

According to The Guardian, the Everton metronome is one of the options being considered by the Irons.

The outlet revealed that other targets for West Ham include James Ward-Prowse, Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher, Scott McTominay, and Denis Zakaria.

The Toffees only signed the 21-year-old last summer for €40m (£35m), and reports suggest Everton will only sanction his departure if they receive offers of around £55m.

The Merseyside outfit actually beat West Ham to his signature last season, despite the latter agreeing a £33.5m fee for the midfielder. But, this year, the east Londoners look set to reignite their interest in the Belgian.

Would Amadou Onana be a good signing for West Ham?

Upon his arrival at Goodison Park last August, then-manager Frank Lampard was absolutely delighted with the signing, saying: "Amadou is a player we were really keen to bring to Everton.

"He has many great qualities to help strengthen our midfield and, at just 20 years old, has massive potential to get even better. I spoke to him about why Everton was the right club for him and we’re all looking forward to him showing what he can bring to the team."

It was easy to see why Lampard was so excited as the Belgian seamlessly adapted to the demands of English football. In 29 Premier League starts, he averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per 90.

When describing his profile, Hamburg director of sport Jonas Boldt said: “Technically, Amadou has almost perfect prerequisites. He is fast, technically skilled, tall, and strong in tackling.”

Due to his 6 foot 4 frame and physicality, Onana possesses similar attributes to Tomas Soucek, and if the Hammers secured the signing, it could be a monumental upgrade.

Since arriving at the London Stadium, due to his size and aerial dominance, Soucek was an integral attacking asset during set-pieces. But, Onana also has this quality, as both players rank within the top 7% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues among their positional peers for aerials won per 90.

Then, the added bonus with the former Lille livewire is that he looks far more comfortable on the ball, averaging a better pass completion per 90 (83.3% vs 71.3%), as well as more progressive carries (0.98 vs 0.35) and successful take-ons per 90 (0.65 vs 0.06).

Finally, it could easily be argued that Onana’s youth, athleticism, and energy vastly trump Soucek's. Last season, the Czech was undoubtedly aided by the boundless energy and tenacity of Declan Rice, and he could be seriously exposed without the Englishman’s presence.

Therefore, the prospect of Onana lining up next to James Ward-Prowse at the London Stadium come August is a mouth-watering prospect.

The 2023 Europa Conference League winners are supposedly ready to accelerate their attempts to sign the Southampton captain, who would cost at least £40m, in what would signal an exciting new era at the London Stadium.

Brendon McCullum will miss the last three matches of Gujarat Lions’ IPL 2017 season after suffering a left hamstring strain in the match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday. Lions were knocked out of contention for playoffs after their seven-wicket defeat to Daredevils.McCullum’s injury reduces Lions’ pool of fit overseas players to four: Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and UAE’s Chirag Suri. Injuries had earlier ruled out allrounder Dwayne Bravo and fast bowler Andrew Tye, while Jason Roy has returned to England on international duty.In a tweet, McCullum stated that the “compressed tournament and long travel” had taken a toll.With 319 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 147, McCullum is currently the second-highest run-getter for Lions this season, following up on the 354 runs he hit last season.The side, however, has struggled to match its performance from 2016 when they had reached the playoff stage. So far this season, they have three wins in 11 matches.They are also expected to be without fast bowler Nathu Singh for the rest of the tournament, reportedly due to back spasms.Lions are scheduled to play one away match – against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali [May 7] – followed by two home matches against Daredevils [May 10] and Sunrisers Hyderabad [May 13] in Kanpur.

Crystal Palace have "offered a contract" to Wilfried Zaha, and he has a "pretty decent manager-player relationship" with Roy Hodgson, who has "committed for another year", claims journalist Alex Crook.

Crystal Palace – What's the latest on Wilfried Zaha?

It hasn't been the most exciting start to the transfer window for Palace so far, with the only signing coming through the door at Selhurst Park being Bournemouth's Jefferson Lerma, whilst four players have departed.

What's more concerning, however, is that club icon and talismanic forward Zaha has run down his contract, meaning that on July 1, he became a free agent in the market, something of a disaster for the south London club.

The expectation has been that once the Ivorian player left the Eagles, he would have his pick of Europa and Champions League clubs to sign for, with sides like Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germian, and Arsenal all linked with him in the past.

However, as of yet, there has been no movement from the ex-Manchester United player's camp, suggesting that perhaps there aren't quite as many options as first assumed.

Palace have taken advantage of the lack of movement and offered their starman a new deal to stay and further cement his legacy south of the Thames, and with the exciting Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at the club, alongside Hodgson, who Zaha gets on well with, it shouldn't be seen as a surprise should he remain, per journalist Alex Crook.

He explained the situation on TalkSPORT's YouTube channel, saying:

"He has been offered a contract that would make him their highest-paid player, and Roy Hodgson is committed for another year, my understanding is that they have a pretty decent manager-player relationship, and actually, with the likes of Olise and Eze, there's not such a burden on Wilf Zaha, and I think it did weigh him down before that he was the talisman, everything had to come through him.

"I think he quite enjoyed the pressure being taken off his shoulders. I wouldn't rule out him staying at Palace, but it will be interesting to see if any more Premier League clubs do now come to the table before he makes a final decision."

How good was Wilfried Zaha last season?

It was an interesting season for Palace last year, with the side at one point seemingly unable to score a goal and staring down the barrel of a relegation scrap, only for former manager Hodgson to come out of retirement and guide them to a comfortable finish in midtable.

Yet even through the mess that was last season, Zaha stepped up for the club he has become synonymous with and consistently put in great performances throughout the season.

According to WhoScored, the "incredible" forward averaged a rating of 6.82 across his 27 Premier League appearances, scoring seven times and assisting his teammates another two times.

His underlying numbers also show that despite what was happening around him, his levels didn't drop.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Zaha sits in the top 2% for interceptions, the top 5% for progressive carries and progressive passes received, the top 6% for successful take-ons, the top 7% for tackles, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, and the top 14% for pass completion, all per 90.

His performances drew praise from pundits as well, with Ally McCoist waxing lyrical about the 30-year-old after a performance against Wolverhampton wanderers last year, saying:

"Zaha, I thought was absolutely outstanding."

If Palace can tempt Zaha to sign on for one more contract, it would surely guarantee their safety next season, and for the player himself, he could go down as one of Selhurst Park's all-time greats.

Another sorry defeat sent Netherlands tumbling out of the tournament, as Hong Kong’s remarkable inconsistency came up trumps again

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Dubai18-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNizakat Khan slashes another boundary over backward point to bring up a half-century•Peter Della PennaAt around 9.10pm in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening, Netherlands had one foot in the door of the semi-finals of the inaugural Desert T20 Challenge. They were 49 for 0 in five overs, leaving 100 to get off the final 15. Moments later, Ben Cooper was caught at deep square leg in the final over of the Powerplay, the first domino to fall in a remarkable Scotland win.At around 9.10pm in Dubai 24 hours later, Ben Cooper fell once again in the final over of the Powerplay, bowled by Ehsan Khan of Hong Kong. But, at this stage of the Dutch chase, they already had one foot out the door of the tournament. Going after a target of 184, their leading scorer – Michael Rippon – fell missing a reverse sweep on his first ball in the opening over. Captain Peter Borren was run out after an awful mix-up with Cooper in the second.Cooper went next and, two overs later, Wesley Barresi skied a chance in the circle towards Anshuman Rath at cover. Roelof van der Merwe made it to the striker’s end and was yelling for Barresi to cross so that, if the catch was taken, at least van der Merwe would be on strike rather than a new batsman. But Barresi had already tucked his bat under his arm and begun walking to the pavilion, underscoring the Dutch despondency. Thirty-five minutes later, Nizakat Khan took the final catch to officially KO Holland.Wrath of Khan? No. Rath and Khans? YesComing off their 87-all-out first-innings implosion against Oman and with only a slim mathematical calculation keeping them afloat for a chance at the semi-finals, expectations were low for 17th-ranked Hong Kong, especially coming up against the 11th-ranked Netherlands. Nizakat ambushed van der Merwe in the first over, smacking the first three balls for four through point and over mid-on. Borren and van der Merwe had to pause to realign the field.After two dots, van der Merwe produced the desired result as Nizakat laced a drive to Ahsan Malik at cover point, but he spilled a regulation chance at head height and Nizakat continued to plunder the Dutch attack until he was run out for 59. If they thought the wicket would provide respite, the Dutch were in for a rude awakening.Rath came to the crease at the fall of Nizakat and when captain Babar Hayat fell in the 13th it brought Waqas Khan to the middle. The pair continued to keep Netherlands’ bowling attack off balance with a mix of orthodox and inventive shots to add 77 in seven overs. Rath’s innings stood out most, though, because he played against type. Usually a reserved accumulator, the left-hander charged down the pitch, shuffled back and forth, anything to throw the fast bowlers off their lines. It was an effective ploy allowing him to hit over the infield and pierce unprotected gaps on the boundary.Rath then capped off his Man-of-the-Match performance with the ball by striking on his first two deliveries in the 10th over to reduce Netherlands to 52 for 7, then took another in the 12th. His only blemish on the night came with the score on 69 for 9 when he came in off the deep midwicket rope only to see a chance go over his head and land just over the rope for six. Netherlands added 23 more runs in all as a result, which could be crucial in the context of the net-run-rate tiebreaker if Scotland hands Oman a defeat on Thursday.”Devastated yesterday, embarrassed today”That was Borren’s description in the post-match press conference as he reflected on how the meltdown against Scotland in Abu Dhabi compared to the lie-down against Hong Kong in Dubai, making them the first team from their half of the draw to be eliminated.”The two are not unrelated,” Borren said. “We obviously had a few hours to review yesterday and then to look forward to tonight. The way that yesterday’s game panned out, it probably wasn’t quite long enough given what we’ve done here tonight because we simply were not good enough tonight.”A Hong Kong box of chocolatesHong Kong opened the 2015 World T20 Qualifier in Ireland with a nine-wicket throttling at the hands of Jersey. Two matches later, they defended 129 to beat Ireland at Malahide. A day later, USA doled out a convincing seven-wicket thumping to leave them on the brink of missing the knockout round. Seventy-two hours later, they had beaten Afghanistan for the first time in seven T20 attempts in a last-ball thriller to punch their ticket to the World T20 in India.At this tournament, they followed up a stinker against Oman with a blooming rose of a showing against Netherlands. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, Hong Kong is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. Coach Simon Cook says the side’s inconsistency can be put down to giving young players as many opportunities to play so they can learn and grow on the field.”It’s a challenge,” Cook said. “Our consistency has been slow starting to tournaments. It’s about getting the back-against-the-wall attitude in terms of winning every game from the first game, rather than waiting until we are literally backs against the wall to pull out performances like this.”

Nikita Miller, the Jamaica captain, has said he was more focused on securing victory for his side rather than gaining a record 10-wicket innings haul against Trinidad & Tobago in the recently concluded fourth round of the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament

Colin Benjamin14-Dec-2016Nikita Miller, the Jamaica captain, has said he was more focused on securing victory for his side rather than gaining a record 10-wicket innings haul against Trinidad & Tobago in the recently concluded fourth round of the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament.Miller’s figures of 9 for 41 in T&T’s second innings were the best in West Indies’ domestic history. He became only the sixth bowler to claim nine in an innings in recorded West Indies first-class statistics since 1966.The five that also took nine

Derek Parry 9-76 v Jamaica in 1980

Bernard Julien 9-97 v Jamaica in 1982

Rajendra Dhanraj 9-97 v Leeward Islands in 1996

Ryan Hinds 9-68 v Leeward Islands in 2001

Devendra Bishoo 9-78 v T&T in 2014

“My reaction was quite normal and wasn’t overly excited to be honest,” Miller told ESPNcricinfo. “I didn’t know at the time it was the best, since I knew Bishoo had taken nine wickets a couple of seasons ago, so I was just glad it was accomplished in a winning team effort.”Miller took the first nine wickets of T&T’s innings, before the legspinner Damion Jacobs had Roshon Primus lbw to deny him the honour of being the first West Indian to take all ten in an innings. Miller says the feat wasn’t on his mind, in the heat of the moment.”Leaving the field some fans asked me why I didn’t push to get all 10, but really as captain I was mainly focused on getting Trinidad all out,” he said. “There was many points at other end when the batsmen were scoring freely, so even while bowling and I didn’t even celebrate the ninth wicket, I was thinking about bowling options, field placements for next bowler and over.”During West Indies’ decline over the last 20 years or so, there has been a long-standing debate over the standard of domestic cricket in the Caribbean. The pitches have tended not to help the fast bowlers, which has meant spinners such as Miller have always among the leading wicket-takers. Some believe the success of spinners reflects how poorly Caribbean batsmen have tended to play slow bowling.In the case of Miller, who has an outstanding first-class record – 428 wickets in 84 matches at an astounding average of 16.64 – and was a major player in Jamaica winning six first-class titles between 2007 and 2014, those aforementioned reasons have probably played a part in the last three West Indies chairmen of selectors – Clyde Butts, Clive Lloyd and Courtney Browne – ignoring him for Test cricket.”If called up to do a job [by West Indies], will do to best of ability – but my mind is not really on it,” Miller said. “The one thing I’d say about criticism of whether I could replicate my domestic performances at Test level, and can only speak for myself – I have played in A team cricket in 2013 versus India and Sri Lanka, playing against guys like [Virender] Sehwag, [Gautam] Gambhir, [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Yuvraj [Singh] and got five-wicket hauls and was the leading West Indies A wicket-taker.”Yes, the standard (of West Indies domestic cricket) could improve to another level, but if it was I believe I’d still do well, because if you’re good, you perform despite the standard.”