England women will conclude their busiest-ever year of international cricket by taking on Sri Lanka in the final round of ICC Women’s Championship in November.The three-match ODI series was today confirmed by the England & Wales Cricket Board, and will take place at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on November 12, 15 and 17.England are currently third on 19 points in the Championship standings, which serve as the qualification tournament for the 2017 World Cup, with Sri Lanka lying in eighth, having won just twice in their first five rounds of the competition.

England women in West Indies and Sri Lanka

• 1st ODI, Florence Hall, October 8
  2nd ODI, Florence Hall, October 10

• 3rd ODI, Kingston, October 14
  4th ODI, Kingston, October 16
  5th ODI, Kingston, October 19
  Training camp, Abu Dhabi, November 1-7
  1st ODI, Colombo, November 12
  2nd ODI, Colombo, November 15

• 3rd ODI, Colombo, November 17

Arguably the bigger test of England’s credentials will come when they travel to Jamaica next month to play West Indies in the penultimate round of the ICC WC. Stafanie Taylor’s team are one point ahead of England in second place on the table, meaning that the result from that series will have a significant bearing on the final qualification standings.”The tour to Sri Lanka will mark the end of the busiest ever year for the England women’s team and the conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship,” said Mark Robinson, England Women’s Head Coach. “It will be another good test to mark how we are progressing as a squad, as we bid to overcome a passionate home team in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka.”As always, it will be a challenge that we will relish, as we keep building for the future and look ahead to the ICC Women’s World Cup on home soil next year.”Prior to arriving in Colombo, the squad will take part in a six-day training camp in Abu Dhabi from November 1-7.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a steady renaissance under Julen Lopetegui and have guaranteed their Premier League safety heading into next term.

A combination of defensive solidity, maximizing their potential at home and the poor form of sides around them have managed to see the Old Gold rise to 13th in the table and they could still finish as high as 12th come the close of play.

Heading into the summer, Lopetegui will have plenty of work to get his teeth into regarding incomings and outgoings. Several Wolves stars face uncertain futures at the club due to their contracts expiring, including Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho.

Another player that may depart Molineux in the off-season is experienced striker Diego Costa, who's £50k-a-week terms are also set to run out shortly.

What's the latest news involving Diego Costa and what has he brought to the table?

As per The Daily Mail, Wolves are contemplating offering Costa a one-year extension to his deal, with his boss Lopetegui said to have been 'impressed' by his presence on and off the pitch.

The report states that the former Spain international has become a 'hugely important figure' at Molineux and Lopetegui believes he has been a key reason behind their improved performances in the second half of this term.

Wolves have undergone something of a transition this campaign and have already lost plenty of behind the scenes leadership in the form of defender Conor Coady, who joined Everton on a loan-to-buy basis last summer and the Toffees have an option to make his deal permanent for £4.5 million, as per Football Insider.

Costa embodies similar leadership qualities and always brings the fight to the battle and has previously been labelled as a "warrior" by his former coach Antonio Conte.

In 2022/23, the Lagarto-born veteran has made 25 appearances for Wolves in all competitions this term, registering one goal in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored notes that Costa has also won 1.3 aerial duels per match in the Premier League, helping his side to get up the pitch and providing a handy presence for defenders to deal with.

As per The Guardian, Lopetegui praised Costa's work rate since joining the club on a free transfer last year following their 2-0 victory over Brentford in April, stating: “He has a big heart. He is a very competitive player, in the bad moments he continued working because he has his spirit. You can’t buy this spirit. That’s why he’s made the career he’s had. We are happy for him, he has to continue working. He has made a very good match and when he came here, he came with the intention to help the team, the club and the coach."

Costa may be a throwback of a striker in comparison to modern-day forwards. However, his determination has never been called into question. As per FBRef, Costa ranks in the top 12% of forwards across Europe's top five divisions for clearances completed over the last 365 days, having managed 1.23 per 90 minutes.

His statistics may not be overwhelmingly good, though he must be leading by example on the field and in the dressing room if he is spoken about so highly by Lopetegui.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones doesn't think that Costa will sign a contract extension if he isn't guaranteed to play regularly.

Jones told FFC: "I think Wolves have to prioritise exactly what they want over the summer, because Lopetegui is only going to have a certain amount of money to spend and it seems he's already slightly concerned about the limits that might be put on him for that. So I can't see Costa getting the contract that he would normally want if he's only going to have limited play time."

Given Wolves' financial problems that has put Lopetegui's position 'in doubt' according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, as per BBC Sport, the Old Gold may not be able to enjoy a flurry of transfer activity this summer as they rebuild for next term.

In that case, it may be wise to keep hold of Costa, who is also fluent in Portuguese and has found himself at home in the dressing room for another season to avoid losing his experience for free.

Kent were level with Essex at the top of Division Two for a few heady hours before a thumping innings win for Essex against Worcestershire reasserted the superiority of the long-time leaders

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford02-Sep-2016
ScorecardTom Westley picked up a couple of wickets after scoring a career-best 254•Getty Images

“I’d be lying if I said I weren’t checking the scores,” admitted Essex’s head coach Chris Silverwood.Every interval – virtually every moment of peace – at Chelmsford over the last three days had been broken by an update of scores from around the country, both in the stands and the players’ balcony.News of Kent’s emphatic victory over Sussex, taking them level on points with Essex at the top of Division Two, filtered through as the players were walking off the field for tea. Just over an hour later, Essex had completed their demolition job of Worcestershire. This victory by an innings and 161 runs will have registered down the road in Kent, too.A three-day finish was on the cards when Worcestershire were reduced to 64 for 5 by lunch, in their first innings on day one. That Essex were able to fulfil expectations was ultimately down to Graham Napier, who picked up his fourth five-wicket haul of the season, after Ryan ten Doeschate had brought up his third century of the season before declaring 371 runs ahead.It was not the cleanest morning’s work from Essex. They lost Tom Westley run out for 254: his innings ended at 506 minutes after ten Doeschate dropped the ball into the off side and ran instantly. Westley gave up the run about halfway down, as Brett D’Oliveira swooped from point to throw down the stumps.Still, the Essex skipper remained calm and brought up his century from 114 balls. His innings also took his season’s tally past 1,000 first-class runs for the first time in his career.Essex should have struck in the first over of Worcestershire’s second innings. Jamie Porter got his fourth delivery to lift off a length and take Daryl Mitchell’s edge, only for Nick Browne to put down a simple catch at third slip. Browne would make amends later with a stunning one-handed catch at point, off the bowling of Will Rhodes, to remove Tom Fell.Mitchell’s reprieve allowed him and D’Oliveira to survive until the last over before lunch. It was then that David Masters, in his first over from the Hayes Close end, where he nabbed all seven of his first innings wickets, sent Mitchell on his way with a delivery that kept low as it moved in, knocking into middle and off stump.With the fourth ball after lunch, D’Oliveira was accounted for – becoming the first of Napier’s three afternoon-session wickets when he edged through to James Foster. The second came when Joe Clarke played on, looking to continue on an enterprising innings that was cut short at 22.At this point, George Rhodes, the only bright spot for Worcestershire at Chelmsford, seemed to be on his way to a second half-century in the match.It was at this point that ten Doeschate decided to throw the ball to Westley. Despite the change in regulation, spin has played little part at Chelmsford. In fact, Westley’s first over, the 39th of the second innings, was the first sight of spin from the hosts. It took just four balls to come good, as Ross Whiteley was trapped in front from around the wicket. In Westley’s next over, he drew Rhodes out of his crease to give James Foster his first Championship stumping of the season. The wicket of Leach, bowled by a full Napier delivery that moved late into the right-hander, took the teams to tea.There was a carnival feel to the evening session, as the floodlights were superseded by the sun, which found a gap in the clouds as Essex pushed for a day off. Ed Barnard, caught by Westley at second slip off Napier and then Ben Cox, flicking Masters tamely to Jamie Porter at mid on, gave Napier four in the innings and Masters nine in the match (he had never taken 10). And so the game within a game began – who would get the final wicket? In the end, it went Napier’s way, as Jack Shantry, having stroked a couple of boundaries, offered a high leading edge that ten Doeschate caught brilliantly, sprinting in from mid off.Essex now have a round off, while Kent host a revitalised Northamptonshire at Beckenham. In the meantime, the Essex players will be given some time off before they return to Chelmsford on September 12 to play Glamorgan, before a potential winner-takes-all clash with Kent at Canterbury in the final round of the season.Essex will play their remaining two matches without Alastair Cook, hence the acquisition of Adam Wheater on loan. With Hampshire happy for the wicketkeeper batsman to court opportunities elsewhere ahead of next season, Essex are thought to be interested in bringing him back to the club he left in 2013 on a more permanent basis. Silverwood, though, was keen not to comment on the matter just yet.

The ECB have contacted Durham’s creditors to try to negotiate a part writing-off of debts to put the county on a firmer financial footing

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2016The ECB have contacted Durham’s creditors to try to negotiate a part writing-off of debts to put the county on a firmer financial footing.The message to creditors is that, unless debts are further reduced, Durham’s involvement in events such as the 2019 World Cup cannot be guaranteed and their long-term viability remains uncertain.Durham have received a £3.8m bailout from the ECB. They have been relegated from Division One of the County Championship because of the need for emergency ECB support during the season and have been told that they will no longer be allowed to bid to host Test matches at Chester-le-Street.That, though, is only part of the approach. An ECB spokesman told the : “ECB has written to Durham County Council and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership asking them to support an all-creditors solution to enable Durham County Cricket Club to move towards a fully secure future.”The club’s acceptance of the ECB financial aid package is significant, but on its own does not give a long-term solution.
“For the club to have the best chance of a viable future in first class cricket – as well as host prestigious internationals and play a part in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup – it needs an approach which has the support of all creditors.”We have outlined a proposal which we believe gives the cricket club a viable future whilst ensuring creditors have the best opportunity to get their money back.”Durham City Council and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership will now be invited to reduce the debt burde4n in a similar manner in which Glamorgan escaped potential bankruptcy last year when Cardiff Council wrote off £4.4m debts as part of a restructuring in which creditors waived 70% of loans.In Glamorgan’s case, politicians conceded that the survival of the club was vital to the Welsh economy and the sporting community and its bankruptcy could not be contemplated. The ECB hopes that the same conclusion will be reached in the north-east.With too many international grounds to go round, the loss of Chester-le-Street as an England venue could easily be masked. But the north-east has been a fertile production ground for England players, leaving the ECB and the public bodies with deloicate negotiations ahead.The ECB already supports each first-class county to roughly £2m a year and felt obliged to penalise Durham heavily so that the impression does not grow that they will happily be the lender of last resort to every county that is badly run or that has embraced necessary expansion to bring England’s cricket grounds into the 21st century.

Crystal Palace are interested in signing Colombian legend James Rodriguez during the summer transfer window, a new rumour has claimed.

Where is Rodriguez playing currently?

The 31-year-old has enjoyed a stellar career, scoring 26 goals in 90 caps for Colombia, as well as enjoying spells with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, among numerous others. This season, he has been plying his trade at Olympiakos, but he only made two Greek Super League appearances and his contract was terminated last month.

It means that Rodriguez is now a free agent and will be on the lookout for a new club, and while his best days are arguably now behind him, he could still be a wanted man, having won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup, following an exceptional tournament that saw him score six times.

Palace will be on the lookout for new signings once this season reaches its conclusion, and a fresh update suggests that they could be in the race to snap up the midfielder.

Could Palace make summer move for Rodriguez?

According to journalist Christian Martin for AS in Colombia [via Sport Witness], the "doors of the Premier League would be open" for Rodriguez to move there this summer. Palace are mentioned in the report, but there is also believed to be interest from Bournemouth and Everton. He went to add more regarding the situation, as the Eagles weigh up a potential move:

"We understand that he prioritises continuing in European football. Could it be England? We understand that yes, there is a possibility that clubs like Crystal Palace, Bournemouth or even Brighton itself, who are not used to making this type of signing, at least find out the conditions in which the Colombian could arrive.

"The English clubs have the money, the greats of Scotland too. No one would be deprived of at least evaluating the possibility of bringing James to the UK. From our sources, the inquiries have been, through intermediaries, from Crystal Palace, by Bournemouth, from Everton themselves."

Rodriguez would certainly be a high-profile signing by Palace in the summer, considering he has been hailed as "world-class" by Alvaro Arbeloa in the past, but there would clearly be a risk element to it.

As mentioned, there is a strong argument to say that he is not the player he used to be, given his age and lack of impact at Olympiakos, and injuries have also continually plagued him throughout his career. Granted, the fact that he would arrive for free would make it less of a gamble, but his wage demands could be high and Palace would be wiser to look at bringing in a younger alternative.

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland ran through Tasmania with a five-wicket haul on the first day in Hobart, where the Tigers were dismissed for 203 after choosing to bat first

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2016
ScorecardJon Holland claimed his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty Images

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland ran through Tasmania with a five-wicket haul on the first day in Hobart, where the Tigers were dismissed for 203 after choosing to bat first. At stumps Victoria were 3 for 54 in reply, with nightwatchman Scott Boland on 1. Jackson Bird, captaining Tasmania for the first time in any format, had 2 for 25, having dismissed Travis Dean and Marcus Stoinis cheaply.But Tasmania still had much work ahead of them after their own batting struggles. Dom Michael made 54 and Simon Milenko chipped in with 52, but they were the only contributions of note as Victoria’s strong attack – all of its members have represented Australia in one format or another – gave them little respite.Holland finished with 5 for 49, the second-best figures of his first-class career, and he now has 25 at 17.08 in this Sheffield Shield season. John Hastings, overlooked for Australia’s ongoing Chappell-Hadlee campaign against New Zealand, picked up 2 for 29 from 16 overs, and Chris Tremain also claimed two wickets.

The newly-committed striker discussed his decision to join the USMNT after officially making the switch on Tuesday.

In the end, the decision wasn't much of a decision at all. Despite the circus that has gone on for the last few months, Folarin Balogun knew, deep down, what he wanted. The choice to represent the U.S. men's national team was made official on Tuesday and, in Balogun's own words, it was always a "no-brainer".

FIFA and U.S. Soccer confirmed that Balogun has committed to the USMNT and is eligible to make his debut for the team as soon as next summer. With that commitment, the recruiting battle has come to an end, with the U.S. ultimately having their hand raised over England and Nigeria.

The decision to commit to a national team is a deeply personal one. Balogun, who was born in New York to Nigerian parents and raised in England, opted for the country of his birth, and the country that gave him the most clear path to success. Balogun immediately becomes the USMNT's starting striker on the road to the 2026 World Cup on home soil, another selling point for the young star.

Many in American soccer worked to convince him, from interim coach Anthony Hudson to former teammate Yunus Musah. But perhaps the biggest influence of all was the American soccer public, which made sure Balogun received a warmer welcome than he ever could have imagined.

The USMNT striker opened up on his decision in an interview with U.S. Soccer, detailing his family's reaction, his own feelings and why he never could have prepared for the chaos of American Soccer Instagram.

(C)Getty Images'What took you so long?'

Dual-nationals face decisions that are tougher than many realize. They are forced to choose between different parts of themselves in moves that not only impact them, but the people around them. Some opt for where they were raised, some go for where they were born, some play for their parents' homeland but, no matter the choice, someone ends up on the wrong side of it all.

For Balogun, though, there was nothing but support, especially his mother.

Born in New York to Nigerian parents, Balogun's family moved to England when he was just two years old. Until recently, he had represented England almost exclusively on the youth level, save for a few appearances for U.S. youth teams. As his career exploded in Ligue 1, he became faced with a decision: U.S., England or Nigeria.

Upon deciding on the U.S., and, in the process, turning down England and Nigeria, Balogun was asked only one question by his mother: why he took so damn look to make what seemed like an obvious choice.

"When I broke the news to my family they were all just over the moon, especially my mom," Balogun said. "She said, ‘What took you so long?’, so for sure we were all on the same page. Then after that conversation, I just sent the message across to my agent and said ‘Let’s make it happen.’"

He added: "My decision to represent the United States, it came together with my family. We decided it would be the right thing for me, to represent the country I was born in. In the end it became a no-brainer, but for sure, it’s just something I wanted to do and it feels like I’m at home here.”

AdvertisementGettyLooking back, and forward, to the World Cup

Balogun, like many all over the world, watched the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, and it's safe to say he liked what he saw.

“I think we all saw them at the World Cup," he said. "It’s a really young, energetic squad and for sure the potential of the squad is amazing, so definitely with me coming into it I think I can add my qualities and it will really come through in the next few years.”

In Qatar, the U.S. went toe-to-toe with England, the other country vying for the striker's allegiance. In what was a cagey, back-and-forth affair, the two sides played to a 0-0 draw, with both ultimately advancing to the knockout rounds.

From the moment the U.S. were knocked out by the Netherlands in the round of 16, the focus shifted to the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Getting the chance to play at a home World Cup is something Balogun is very much looking forward to as he now has three years to acclimate himself to his team.

“It’s almost too good to be true," the striker said. "To have the World Cup in America is just crazy and then to be the host nation and my first World Cup, it’s all come together nicely. Some things are just meant to be.”

Getty/TwitterThe Instagram flood

If you are one of the USMNT fans responsible for flooding Balogun's social media posts over the last few months, take comfort in the fact that you played a part in this.

For months, anything Balogun posted was immediately overwhelmed with American fans in the comments, with bald eagles and American flags dominating the discourse. The saga truly began when Instagram sleuths discovered that Balogun was in Orlando during USMNT camp, sending American soccer into a frenzy.

“I think that’s when I really saw the full force of the U.S. fans," Balogun said. "I was there and I just posted a photo with my friends thinking that it was just a holiday picture. Before I knew it, I just saw loads of comments and people knew I was in America, and I just really felt the love from there. There’s been a lot of build up, so I’ve obviously seen people saying that I should choose to represent the U.S. and it’s just something I’m really happy that I’ve decided to do.”

In the weeks since that trip, the support hasn't died down as American fans have gone all-out to show Balogun love.

"To be honest I was a bit overwhelmed," he added. "I knew the U.S. was obviously a big country, but I didn’t realize how many people were involved in soccer, especially every time I went on social media I was seeing loads of comments with people saying I should choose to represent the U.S. It’s nice to feel that appreciation for sure.” 

On the flip side of that, though, is Balogun's own cryptic message to England after missing out on its March squad. While not confirmed, Balogun's Instagram post shortly after, "Go where you are wanted", was seen by many as a shot at England and Gareth Southgate after he was ignored in favor of other striker options.

In the end, the U.S. support was enough to convince him, so at least some credit will have to go to the USMNT fans that took this recruiting battle into their own hands.

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Getty / GOALConversations with Hudson

Anthony Hudson's time in charge of the USMNT on an interim basis will likely come to an end soon. It will go down as a success on the field thanks to some solid wins.

Hudson's tenure, though, will be most remembered for this particular moment, the one where he helped convince the team's striker of the future to join the squad.

Throughout the process, Hudson said he had good conversations with Balogun. He wasn't trying to convince him of anything, he said, but was instead just showing him the program, how it worked and what he could be a part of.

“The conversations I had with the coach were very brief," Balogun said. "We spoke numerous times, but he was just obviously telling me about the plan and how much he wants me to join the team. Of course, I just told him that I was keen and I understood the project. It was just a matter of when.”

In the end, it worked. Hudson played his role to perfection.

Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket

Alan Gardner28-Sep-2016Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket.Away teams were given the choice of bowling first or asking for a toss (if they wished to bat), a move designed to discourage teams from preparing green, seaming pitches and give spinners more of an opportunity as games wore on. Rogers led Somerset to second place in Division One – missing out on a first title by four points to Middlesex on the final day – after overseeing the club’s switch to playing on turning surfaces during the latter half of the season.Although Rogers, a regular performer in county cricket for more than a decade, said he felt his game was better suited to playing on traditional English surfaces that aided swing and seam, he was encouraged by his own development against spin, in his final season as a professional, and suggested the experiment could be taken to Australia and the Sheffield Shield.”I think Australia would benefit from it as well,” Rogers said. “The one thing that seems to be happening in Australian cricket, all the wickets there are becoming quite uniform in the way they play. The drop-in wickets, at Melbourne and Adelaide, and then Sydney doesn’t play the way it used to.”So in the end I worry if we’re producing players who only really know how to play in a certain type of condition. If it meant that sides were trying to get different types of wickets that might help Australian cricket as well. So I’d like to think that they’d consider it.”Australia’s Test side has struggled on overseas commitments in recent years, winning in South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand but suffering chastening defeats in England, India, the UAE and, most recently, Sri Lanka. The coach, Darren Lehmann, expressed similar concerns about the state of home pitches during the 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka, with questions being asked of Australia’s batting and the ability of players to adapt to different conditions.Discussion of the surfaces produced in Shield cricket has gone back and forth in recent years, with a trend for increasingly bowler-friendly pitches being reversed by Cricket Australia directive.An experiment with using Dukes balls in the Shield has already been flagged for 2016-17, after Ricky Ponting’s call in the wake of Australia repeatedly coming unstuck against the lateral movement achieved by England’s pace attack during the 2015 Ashes.Rogers did express a concern that a shift away from seaming pitches in England might diminish what has historically been a strength – both in terms of bowlers coming through and top-order batsman able to combat the moving ball. But, after signing off his first-class career with a century in each innings at Taunton, he felt that the change to the toss had helped rebalance the domestic game and also provided him fresh learning opportunities as a batsman and captain.”How to captain spin, that’s quite a skill in itself,” he said. “I felt my captaincy got better the more we played on those wickets. Everybody’s learning, which is great.”I’ve never been a great player of spin, I found it really hard, but to get two hundreds in the last game, on a wicket that was turning – I think I was getting better and better, even at this late stage of my career, and that’s a good thing as well. It’s going to help the younger guys when they go to some of the Asian countries and play there, it’s going to be so hard but at least they’ll have a little bit of experience.”

ScorecardWayne Madsen’s century saved the innings defeat for Derbyshire but Worcestershire prevailed in the end•Getty Images

For the first time in 92 years Derbyshire finished a County Championship season without a single victory after losing to Worcestershire by nine wickets in their final Specsavers Division Two fixture at New Road.Having started the last day at 15 for 1, still 212 behind, they held off the home side for five hours until they were dug out for 266. Worcestershire had to make 40 and lost Brett D’Oliveira before securing third place behind Essex and Kent.At least the division’s bottom county went down on a note of defiance thanks to Wayne Madsen’s sixth championship century of the season and Harvey Hosein’s achievement in becoming only the fourth Derbyshire wicketkeeper to make a hundred and a fifty in a match.The last Derbyshire player to score six hundreds was Chris Rogers in 2009, and there was another milestone for Madsen in closing the campaign with a personal-best total of 1,292 runs, the fourth year in a row that he has topped 1,000.There was also a distinction on the bowling side as Joe Leach took 7 for 108 in the match and ended his summer with 65 wickets, the most in Division Two.Leach had given Worcestershire encouragement in his second over of the day. Alex Hughes went forward and drove hard but edged to Tom Kohler-Cadmore.More trouble for Derbyshire followed when Billy Godleman hoisted a ball from Miguel Cummins straight to Ed Barnard at fine leg, a shot that was perhaps not in keeping with a side battling to avoid defeat.At 29 for 3, Derbyshire were still 198 behind but Madsen gave them some hope with Tom Wood’s help until his younger partner was caught behind the wicket off Barnard after making 10 out of 45 in 10 overs.It was the appearance of Hosein that injected new conviction. In making his fifth consecutive score of 50 or more, the 20-year-old judged his role to perfection, allowing Madsen to take the main role but scoring consistently himself as they put on 124 in 26 overs.Another New Road pitch conformed to the pattern of the season in becoming flatter the longer the game went on.Even Madsen’s dismissal, leg-before to Charlie Morris for exactly 100 after hitting 15 fours and a six, did not immediately open the door to Worcestershire.Hosein maintained his unflappable tempo and Tom Milnes brought a bolder approach until Daryl Mitchell intervened with two wickets in eight ballsThe seventh bowler in the attack, the home captain bowled Milnes for 36 and Greg Cork for 4. Suddenly Worcestershire’s challenge was reignited and in the next over, D’Oliveira accounted for Hosein, caught at short leg for 59, and Will Davis, lbw without scoring, in successive deliveries.Cummins then took the new ball and when Tony Palladino was given out leg-before, the last five wickets had fallen for the addition of 11 runs.

Manchester United are 'pushing' ahead in their efforts to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount this summer, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

As per The Guardian, Manchester United have 'reached an agreement' on personal terms with Mount and he is likely to link up with Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford this summer.

The report states that Chelsea will seek at least £60 million to allow Mount to depart SW6 in the off-season. Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have also expressed an interest in signing the midfielder.

Contractually, Mount is tied to Chelsea on a contract worth £80,000 per week and his deal in west London is set to run out in June 2024, as per Capology.

Pundit Roy Keane told Sky Sports quoted by The Daily Express that he isn't sure whether Mount would be able to have a major impact at Manchester United, stating: "I wouldn’t be hanging my hat too much on Mason Mount, in terms of improving United and closing the gap. I think he’s a good player but would he improve Manchester United? I’m not so sure. I know Mason Mount can bounce back and he’s got qualities, I was raving about him a few years ago, but he’s just gone missing this last year or two. Again, one or two injuries, the fact he can’t get in a bad Chelsea team.

Mount featured 35 times in all competitions for Chelsea in 2022/23 and registered three goals and six assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer guru Romano has detailed that Manchester United are pressing ahead to try and bring Mount to the North West this summer.

Romano said: "It should be around £50m, and so this is why at the moment it looks difficult. But, for sure, there will be some developments soon because Manchester United are pushing for Mason Mount."

Who else may Manchester United try to sign this summer?

Manchester United have been linked with several targets this summer as Ten Hag looks to bolster his squad ahead of 2023/24, where the Red Devils will compete in the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane has been extensively rumoured with a switch to Manchester United and is reportedly open to moving to Old Trafford, as per The Sun.

L'Equipe claim that Bayern Munich full-back Benjamin Pavard is also of interest to the Premier League giants and could be a high-profile addition to the ranks in the off-season.

As per The Evening Standard, Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is also in the frame to provide competition for David De Gea between the sticks.

In a time of excitement at Manchester United, plenty of new arrivals could help Ten Hag construct a bid for the Premier League title heading into next term.