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West Zone may have virtually sealed the Duleep Trophy in their favour by notching up 526 in the first two days, but overnight rain further confirmed their imminent victorious status.

Staff Reporter11-Apr-2002West Zone may have virtually sealed the Duleep Trophy in their favour by notching up 526 in the first two days, but overnight rain further confirmed their imminent victorious status.Play could begin only at 4:35 p.m. due to the wet conditions, and inexplicably, West Zone chose to play 10 minutes and two overs before declaring on 529 for six, a mammoth total by any standards, but a particularly important one considering that West merely need to draw this match to win the tournament.East Zone played four overs before the close of play, but Parag Das retired hurt after 3.2 overs. East reached three for no loss, with Debang Gandhi unbeaten on two and Rashmi Ranjan Parida yet to score.Except for academic purposes, this match is over. The fourth day may provide an opportunity for some individuals to shine, but West Zone’s celebrations may as well start tonight.

Tahir Amin Malik31-May-2001

Motto in life: Better to light a candle than complain about the dark

Gloucestershire CCC22-Apr-2002Full Name: Ian Douglas FisherDate of Birth: 31/3/76Birthplace: BradfordNicknames: Fishy, Flash, FlickEducation: Denholme First, Parkside Middle, Beckfoot GrammarRole: Left arm spinner / Left Hand BatCounty Cricket Debut: 1995/96 For Yorkshire v SomersetBest Batting: 68 Not Out for Yorkshire against SomersetBest Bowling: 5 for 76 for Yorkshire against EssexMost memorable Match: Beating Lancashire in the Benson & Hedges semi finalWorst Match: Being 12th Man in the Benson & Hedges FinalCricketing Heroes: Shane Warne, Viv RichardsGreatest Influences: FamilyCurrent Player Most Admired: Darren LehmanWhat do you do when rain stops play: Crosswords, GymWhat do you think you would be doing if you had not become involved incricket: ButcherHobbies and interests: Football, Music, Films, CookingOther sports followed: Football, Tennis, Rugby LeagueWhat music do you listen to: Oasis, SterophonicsFavourite Films: Gladiator, Snatch, Godfather, Any Given SundayFavourite Television Programmes: Father Ted, Only fools and HorsesFavourite Food: Roast DinnersFavourite Drink: Diet Coke, Guiness, WineFavourite Holiday Destination: Rome, New ZealandWho would you like to have dinner with: Jamie OliverWhat are you most afraid of: FailureMotto in life: Better to light a candle than complain about the dark

Middlesex’s middle order batsmen battled hard for two sessions but by the end of the second day’s play they still needed 45 runs, with four wickets standing, to avoid the follow-on

Andy Jalil at Lord's26-May-2001Middlesex’s middle order batsmen battled hard for two sessions but by the end of the second day’s play they still needed 45 runs, with four wickets standing, to avoid the follow-on.Much of the credit for taking the total to 273 for six at stumps goes to two partnerships, the second of which, between David Nash and Simon Cook, remained unbroken with 67, for the seventh wicket, with Nash 35 and Cook 38.They got together after Owais Shah was dismissed in the first over after tea and Paul Weekes’ wicket fell 36 runs later with the total on 206.Having lost two wickets in a little over an hour’s batting before lunch, Middlesex had lost two more in the second session of the day to reach 170 – 4 at tea. During that period Shah, having taken advantage of being dropped on five, at first slip, in the third over after lunch, went on to complete a fine unbeaten half-century.After Nottinghamshire had removed Stephen Fleming, 14, with a simple catch at forward short leg with the total on 84 and then claimed the fourth wicket fifteen runs later, Shah had settled into a solid partnership with Paul Weekes. The two put on 71 from 131 balls as they went about their task of rebuilding the innings.They looked for every opportunity to score but took no risks as Middlesex, at tea, still needed 148 with six wickets remaining to avoid the follow-on.Earlier, Nottinghamshire’s most impressive first innings ended after forty five minutes play this morning leaving Kevin Pietersen not out with 165.Resuming on the overnight score of 409 for eight, Nottinghamshire hit 58 in quick time with Pietersen adding 35 to his overnight score with the help of four boundaries.But Middlesex, having claimed one early wicket when Tim Bloomfield had Greg Smith caught behind in his second over, then allowed as many as 49 runs to be added for the last wicket. For that they would have regretted dropping Richard Stemp, second ball, before he had scored. Stemp went on to hit 22 before Bloomfield had him caught behind to finish with his first five-wicket haul of the season.In reply to such a daunting first innings total, Middlesex had begun their innings steadily but, on 47, they lost the wicket of Andy Strauss (20) when a slash at Smith provided a catch for the wicket-keeper. Then in the last over before lunch Robin Weston, 29, went in the same manner as Strauss, off the bowling of Paul Franks and Middlesex were 57 for two. That score, in view of the visitor’s huge total, had given an early indication of the difficult day that lay ahead.

Birmingham City’s Chief Executive Officer Xuandong Ren has resigned from his position at St. Andrew’s.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a statement posted on the Birmingham City website, which confirmed the departure of the CEO, before the club’s board thanked him for his “service and contribution” to the Blues throughout his four-year spell in Birmingham.

In reaction to the news, Lee Bowyer claimed that he was unaware of Ren’s apparent resignation until shortly before the club’s statement, but insisted that his side will look to move on as quickly as possible following the development.

As cited by Birmingham Live, the 44-year-old said: “The first I was aware of it was late [Monday], I got made aware late [Monday] they had made that decision, I was not aware that discussions were going on behind the scenes regarding Dong or any other member of staff.

“That’s a decision they have made and us as a football club, we have to move on. I will now look to try and sit in front of the people upstairs and see what the plan is going forward for the football club because the most important thing is we get things right and all move forward.”

Fans will be buzzing

Ren had been the face of the club’s owners, Trillion Trophy Asia – the company that have overseen the parting with or appointment of eight different managers, spanning from Gary Rowett’s time at the club up until the current manager Bowyer – since 2017, and his departure is likely to leave fans of the club buzzing.

Blues fans recently protested against the way that Ren and Trillion Trophy Asia have run their club in recent years, with the fanbase left furious at seeing their side having points deducted after breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules, selling their 115-year-old St. Andrew’s stadium to a third party, as well as the aforementioned regular chopping and changing of the manager in charge of the side.

Indeed, following the confirmation of Ren’s departure on Twitter, fans of the club appeared to be understandably over the moon, with one dubbing it as the “best news ever” while others claimed that Ren “won’t be missed.”

So, with Ren now out of the picture, the future would appear to be slightly more bright for Bowyer and Birmingham, who can now concentrate on building a side over the summer that is capable of pushing on from their 18th place finish last season.

In other news: Bowyer must sanction Birmingham City summer swoop for “outstanding” £7.1k-p/w bargain – opinion

Manchester City are the latest Premier League club to be linked with Leeds United winger Raphinha, with two of their biggest rivals also reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, City have joined the race to sign the highly-rated 24-year-old, with Manchester United and Liverpool both still holding an interest in him ahead of the summer transfer window.

He also suggested that Leeds are eager to keep him, which is unsurprising after his superb debut season with the Elland Road outfit, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side having signed him from Rennes following their promotion from the Championship last summer.

Would he be a good signing?

In 26 appearances for Leeds so far this season, Raphinha has contributed six goals and six assists, averaging a superb 7.17 WhoScored rating for his performances.

He was one of Leeds’ most impressive performers in their 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in April, with his pace and trickery regularly causing problems for City’s defence, so it is no surprise to hear that they are now showing an interest in him ahead of the summer.

Raphinha has averaged 2.1 key passes and 2.3 shots per game so far this season, which only Kevin De Bruyne can better in the current Manchester City squad, which immediately suggests that he would be an excellent addition to Guardiola’s side ahead of next season.

The £22.5m-rated winger has won no shortage of plaudits for his displays this season, with Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes reportedly a big fan, as his teammate Fred confessed earlier in the season, perhaps in an attempt to convince him to move to Old Trafford.

The Brazilian said: Bruno’s been talking about Raphinha ever since he arrived. They played together at Sporting.

He’s a great player having an amazing season and a lot of clubs have their eye on him.

Considering his impressive performances this season, it would be a blow for City to lose out on Raphinha to their nearest rivals, so sporting director Txiki Begiristain should be putting plans in motion to bring him to the Etihad this summer.

In other news… Man City handed huge injury boost as £36m-rated star confirms update, Pep will be relieved

Xisco Munoz’s Watford side are considering allowing Ben Wilmot to leave Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that the Hornets are yet to decide whether or not to extend the 21-year-old’s contract, which is set to expire at the end of next season.

It is reported, however, that the club have the option to extend the centre-back’s stay until 2023 due to a clause in his current deal.

As a result of Watford’s apparent indecision regarding the £2.7 million-rated man, The Athletic claim that Swansea City are keeping a close eye on the England U21 international ahead of a potential move this summer.

Wilmot must stay

Despite his tender age, Wilmot nevertheless played an important role in helping Watford achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League last season, with the centre-back making 25 Championship appearances for Xisco’s side, over which he helped to keep six clean sheets as well as averaging a respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.76.

However, it is not exactly the defender’s performances in the season just past that are the reason why Watford should look to keep the youngster on their books, but rather those that are to come in the future.

Having progressed through the England youth setup, while currently playing for the U21 side, it is clear that, from a national perspective, the perception is that Wilmot’s game bears a great deal of promise.

Indeed, this was an opinion shared by his former centre-back partner, Jack King, during his time at Stevenage, who stated his belief that Wilmot has a “bright future ahead of him.”

As such, while the argument could be made that the defender may not be ready for Premier League football just yet, it would be highly advisable for Cristiano Giaretta to avoid cashing in on the 21-year-old this summer, as, after gaining more experience at Championship level – perhaps on a loan deal – we would not bet against Wilmot flourishing into an extremely good option for the Hornets at some point in the not so distant future, as well as one who has the potential to become a lot more valuable financially.

In other news: Watford suffer huge blow in pursuit of “talented” £25k-p/w gem, Giaretta will be livid – opinion

Following their role in the planning of the now-failed European Super League, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool are set to be punished.

It was reported that each of the 14 Premier League clubs not involved in the plans conducted a meeting in order to discuss any possible sanctions for the likes of the Reds, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Whilst those punishments have not been decided yet, it is clear that there is a feeling of disdain for the ‘Big Six’ amongst those clubs.

As a matter of fact, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Chief Executive Paul Barber has appealed to both the Premier League and the FA to “take appropriate action” should any rules and regulations have been broken.

Any punishment could certainly have disastrous consequences for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

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Any of the options being mooted could hamper the club quite considerably whether that be points deductions, eliminations from Europe or instant relegations. Indeed, finishing lower down the current standings, missing out on European football or being demoted would certainly have a glaring impact on the club’s reputation and revenue.

However, it would also leave Jurgen Klopp in a hugely precarious position.

Following the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Leeds United the day after the Super League was announced, the German suggested that it was not “fair” that his team were getting criticised for decisions made by the owners of the clubs.

Any sanctions imposed though would surely have an impact on his squad, despite the players and management team not playing a role in the creation of the Super League.

So with Barber appealing for punishments to those involved, Liverpool and Klopp will certainly have to keep a cautious eye on proceedings in the near future and hope that they are not impacted too severely.

If the club are punished due to actions of ownership, then Klopp, and his players, will rightly be furious.

AND in more news, take a look at which defender Liverpool may regret not signing…

Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation to League One could be confirmed as early as tonight, depending on their own match and other results across the league.

The Owls welcome Blackburn Rovers to Hillsborough Stadium and will need to see a strong reaction having lost won just once in their last five outings.

If the south Yorkshiremen are defeated, and relegation rivals Derby County win at Preston North End, then their fate will be sealed way before the season’s end.

And whilst manager Darren Moore, assistant Jamie Smith and the rest of the Owls set-up haven’t given up hope of survival, it seems hugely unlikely, so they ought to make some decisions now with one eye on the future.

It’s rather plausible that they lose many of their high-earning key stars in the summer and with relegation all but confirmed, it would be wise to give a run out to several players who should certainly be around next term.

One of which should be Andre Green, the rarely-seen January arrival who signed an 18-month deal following his exit from Aston Villa.

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Smith threw the gauntlet down to the 22-year-old winger after a decent cameo from the bench against Bristol City on Saturday – he’s a player that could prove to be an integral part of Moore’s plans next season.

“Andre has got a lot of potential and hopefully he will fulfil that with us,” revealed Smith to YorkshireLive. “Andre looked a threat when he came on and got in behind them a couple of times.”

If given a chance from the off, it would only be Green’s second start since joining the Owls, but he’s a very viable option in attack as he can play wide and through the middle, where he has drawn praise as a “real handful” by former Charlton teammate Lyle Taylor.

Earlier this month, the young attacker dropped a huge statement by impressing for the U23 squad and now he’s backed that up with an eye-catching impact at the weekend, he must be handed a start.

According to Green’s former Villa boss Tim Sherwood, he’s “got ridiculous pace and goes past people like Ronaldo used to” and is a player with “great ability”

That calibre of player cannot be rotting away on the bench when you’ve got to fight for every point and at the end of the day – Championship or League One – he’ll be here, unlike the many other out-of-contract wingers at Hillsborough.

AND in other news, Wasteful Owls star who lost possession 32x badly let Moore down on Saturday…

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has tipped Helder Costa to leave Leeds United this summer, with between £10m and £13m cited as enough to sell him.

It has been a frustrating season for the 27-year-old, who has found himself largely out of favour and not playing a key role in an impressive campaign for the Whites. The Portuguese has been limited to just 10 starts in the league, often having to make do with a place on the substitutes’ bench.

Marcelo Bielsa seemingly doesn’t consider him an important part of his plans, raising doubts over his long-term future at Elland Road.

Phillips tips Costa to leave

It could be that Costa moves on at the end of the season, and someone who believes that will happen is former England international Phillips.

Speaking to Football Insider, he admitted that £15m could be too much for another club to pay, but a similar amount would likely see Leeds accept an offer:

“I don’t think they’ll be a million miles away but to get £15million, I think they’ll do well.

“It hasn’t quite worked out for Helder at Leeds has it? He’s shown glimpses of what he can bring but he hasn’t been consistent enough.

“For me, they could get between £10million and £13million and that would be an offer that Leeds would find hard to turn down.”

Transfer Tavern take

Costa is a talented player who has contributed three goals and three assists in the league this season, but it makes sense to move him on this summer, especially as he has started just two top-flight games since the November international break.

The money Leeds receive for his services could be spent on a more tailor-made option for Bielsa as he looks to strengthen his squad for next term.

In other news, a former Leeds player is keen on the Whites signing a Premier League defender this summer. Find out who it is here.