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The batsman sustained an injury on his right arm while diving during a fielding drill on the Bangladesh tour

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2018Sri Lanka batsman Asela Gunaratne’s injury woes continue, having now been ruled out of next month’s T20 tri-series – the Nidahas Trophy – with an injury to his right arm. An SLC release said he sustained a “grade II rotator cuff strain with contusion” while taking part in a fielding drill on their recent tour of Bangladesh. Although Sri Lanka won each of the three trophies that had been up for grabs, the 32-year old did not have the best time personally: he made only 35 ODI runs in four innings.While Gunaratne is the only player to have been ruled out so far, several others are also battling to regain fitness. Most notable among these is captain Angelo Mathews who missed the majority of the Bangladesh tour with another in a long line of hamstring injuries, and is yet to make a full recovery. Also ailing from a hamstring complaint is fast bowler Shehan Madushanka, who sustained the injury during the final match of the Bangladesh tour. Batsman Kusal Perera, meanwhile, had been out with a side strain since mid-January.More clarity on who will be available for selection should emerge after this weekend, when the first round of a domestic T20 tournament is set to be played. “All players are asked to play club T20 games this weekend,” cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha told ESPNcricinfo. “After that we will look at how the injured guys come up.”Injuries – particularly muscle strains – have been rife among Sri Lanka’s national players over the past year. In fact, before he got injured again, Kusal Perera had only recently made a return to international cricket after five months due to a hamstring tear. Gunaratne had also missed several months of cricket, though that was due to a fracture. Mathews meanwhile, has been fit for fewer matches than he has been unavailable for, over the past 18 months.The Nidahas Trophy will be contested by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and will begin on March 6.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is expected to receive an offer to extend his contract at the club, according to manager Unai Emery.

When did Ollie Watkins join Aston Villa?

England’s seven-cap international first arrived in the Midlands from Premier League rivals Brentford back in 2020, and during his three years at the club so far, he’s clocked up a total of 116 appearances to date whilst becoming one of the most integral members of the manager’s squad.

The Villans centre-forward still has another two years to run on his deal, but having emerged as his side’s both offensive and overall best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.96, he’s bound to attract some kind of interest during the ongoing window.

Back in April, the Daily Mail reported that the 27-year-old had entered talks regarding putting pen to paper on an extension, but obviously, nothing has since come to fruition and it’s important that it does should NSWE and Monchi not want to lose their prized asset.

Is Ollie Watkins signing a new contract at Aston Villa?

As per Birmingham's Live John Townley, Emery was asked where Aston Villa were at with regards to fresh terms for Watkins, to which the manager gave a hugely promising response.

He said: "The idea is of course to extend his contract because we are very happy with him and he is our striker, not only him because we also have Jhon Duran and Cameron Archer. We have to use every player and we need other players as well to help and support us. Ollie Watkins’ experiences, his capacity and his commitment to Aston Villa is very important and it’s very important to try and get him for a long time."

How many goals has Ollie Watkins scored?

In the Premier League last season, Watkins racked up 21 goal contributions (15 goals and six assists) over the course of the campaign so played a major role in the club’s success having secured qualification for the Europa Conference League, and being offered a new contract would be nothing less than the striker deserves.

The Under Armour client, who earns £75k-per-week, also recorded a total of 84 shots which was the highest number out of the whole of the squad, via FBRef, and even proved to be an extremely useful target man, averaging 1.9 aerial wins per top-flight game, displaying the excellent physical presence that he has up top.

The Torquay-born talent, who has the versatility to operate in six different positions across the attack, has additionally been dubbed the “perfect” player for his impressive performances by journalist Josh Bunting and it is hard to imagine what the boss would have done without him at his disposal during the previous term.

Aston Villa will obviously want to continue spending their summer bringing in even more fresh faces having already secured the signings of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby, but it's equally as important that Emery is able to retain the services of Watkins because there's no doubt that he will carry on being a key player for his side moving forward.

USMNT star, Matt Turner, was restored to the the Nottingham Forest line-up as Steve Cooper made seven changes for crunch Wolves clash.

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Cooper desperate to turn around his fortunes Rang in the changes and brought back Turner Manager reported to be on borrowed time at City groundWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old keeper was brought from the cold at the Molineux with Cooper's job on the line. Turner had lost his place to Odysseas Vlachodimos following their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in October but the manager was forced to fall back on his trusted lieutenant after a 5-0 thrashing to Fulham at Craven Cottage in their previous match.

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Turner started the campaign as the first-choice keeper for Forest following a summer move from Arsenal and stood between the sticks for the first 10 Premier League games, before being replaced by Vlachodimos. Cooper explained that Turner was dropped as he was "10 per cent not so good" but hailed him for his "work and his commitment" in the training sessions.

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Turner opted for a switch to Forest from the Gunners with the hope of getting more playing minutes. But his mistake against Liverpool that saw Mohamed Salah tapping into an empty net moved him down the pecking order.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Forest are currently going through a lean patch of form after succumbing to four successive defeats in the Premier League. It has been reported that Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, is not entirely convinced with Cooper at the helm, with his side winning just one in 11 games since September, and has lined up former Real Madrid and Wolves manager Julen Lopetetegui as a potential successor. If Forest fail to turn the tide against Wolves, Cooper could head towards the door.

Sri Lanka’s limited-overs captain has decided to take time off Tests to focus on the white-ball formats, and has been left out of the provisional squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Sep-2017Sri Lanka’s limited-overs captain Upul Tharanga has opted out of Test cricket for six months in order to focus on the white-ball formats. The outgoing selectors, headed by Sanath Jayasuriya, did not name Tharanga among the 25 in the provisional Test squad for the forthcoming games against Pakistan in the UAE.Tharanga has been modest in Tests this year with 430 runs from eight matches, but has been successful in ODIs with an average of 47.21 – even as he has presided over two 0-5 whitewashes at the hands of India and South Africa.The squad is expected to be trimmed to 15 by the next set of selectors, who are yet to be named.Notably, fast bowler Dhammika Prasad, who expected to be fit following a hiatus of almost two years due to a major shoulder complaint that required surgery, is in the squad. Also included are Kaushal Silva, who was dropped after the South Africa tour, and Sadeera Samarawickrama – the top-scorer from this years’ first-class season.The provisional squad also features spin bowlers Akila Dananjaya and Jeffrey Vandersay, in addition to Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan. Allrounder Asela Gunaratne and batsman Kusal Perera remain injured.Provisional squad: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilruwan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Roshen Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad

Arsenal could make their interest in one star striker a reality, waiting until the last moment to hijack the move from a rival…

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

Whilst Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a swoop for Montpellier's Elye Wahi more recently, the Gunners actually hold a longstanding interest of their own in the marksman who has been tearing up French football of late.

With Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz having already been welcomed into the fold, Edu has shown he is not afraid to spend big to give Mikel Arteta the strongest squad possible for the new season.

Especially given the €40m (£34m) touted price tag, which would likely hamper the Lilywhites far more than it would their rivals.

Perhaps in hijacking this Spurs swoop, it could emulate their move from 2021, when they too stole Martin Odegaard from their clutches, to great success.

How good is Elye Wahi?

During that January, as chances at Real Madrid had been limited for the Norwegian maestro, he sought game time out on loan, demanding he be allowed to explore his options.

Two interested parties that arose both came from north London, and yet it was Arsenal who eventually captured his signature.

Reports emerged from Norway suggested that after speaking to Arteta, the decision became easy. He rejected the Lilywhites, and the rest is history.

He would move to the Emirates permanently the next summer and has since announced himself as one of the Premier League's leading creative forces from midfield.

As such, he improves with each passing season too, as his 15 goals and eight assists from last campaign mark an upgrade on his first full year since making his full-time switch, where he only posted 11 goal contributions.

His 7.35 average match rating from the most recent term even made him the division's sixth-best performer, as per Sofascore, as he has truly flourished in his role as captain.

Now, should Edu snatch another target from their rivals, Wahi could have a similarly transformative effect up front, adding some much-needed proficiency and a different dynamic to play off.

The 20-year-old would score an outstanding 19 goals in Ligue 1 alongside six assists, building upon his ten-goal haul from the season prior. His most recent exploits also saw the Frenchman maintain a 30% goal conversion rate, which is a marked upgrade on the 14% Gabriel Jesus recorded in the Premier League.

Whilst likely not a wholesale replacement for the Brazilian, his direct play style matched with his pace and power would make him a unique asset for Arteta, allowing him to switch up his philosophy should it be failing.

Such a new dimension could unlock a whole new type of goal for his side to score, as ex-Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo outlined those key assets: "He is a powerful, athletic and fast player with a range of dribbling skills where only he knows what he is going to do next".

Whilst not a move the Gunners need to make, they could still once again leave their rivals looking foolish by snagging a deal from right under their noses.

Should he prove half as successful as Odegaard has, it would be worth every penny.

Sri Lanka have been out-thought and then outplayed by India and the stats tell the tale

George Binoy13-Nov-2005

Irfan Pathan’s 70-ball 83 at No. 3 at Nagpur set the tone for the rest of the series © Getty Images
With a scoreline of 6-1, it’s pretty obvious that one team has received a shellacking. Sri Lanka have been out-thought and then outplayed by India and the stats tell the tale.For Sri Lanka, only Kumar Sangakkara averaged over 40 whereas Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had skyscraping averages of 156 and 115 and three other Indians scored more than 50 per innings. Among the regular bowlers, only Sreesanth went for more than six an over while the others conceded less than 5.5, but for Sri Lanka, only Muralitharan gave less than 5.5 and most of the fast bowlers went for over six.A look at the way the teams took advantage of the Powerplays further magnifies the gulf between the sides. Sri Lanka scored at more than a run a ball in just three of their 20 Powerplays while India managed it 11 times.

Sri Lanka in Powerplays

Powerplay Overs Runs scored Wickets lost Run rate

170357 11 5.10 235142 11 4.06 3 301344 4.47

India in Powerplays

Powerplay Overs Runs scored Wickets lost Run rate

170466 10 6.66 235202 4 5.77 3 352145 6.11The crippling blow was the ineffectiveness of Sri Lanka’s key players. Before this series, Sanath Jayasuriya averaged 40.26 against India but he could only manage a paltry 14.16 this time around. Chaminda Vaas normally averages 26.03 while playing India at 4.45 per over but in seven matches Vaas could only eke out four wickets at 76.25 apiece while leaking runs at 6.03 per over. Even the wily Muttiah Muralitharan was below his high standard, taking just six wickets in five games. Sri Lanka’s spinners, who are experts at administering the slow death at home, were countered effectively, and after their fast bowlers were carted everywhere, this was the killer punch.

Fast bowlers comparison

Country Overs Runs Wickets Econ. rate

Sri Lanka 169.3 1084 226.39 India 188 984 375.23

Spinners comparison

Country Overs Runs Wickets Econ. rate

Sri Lanka 117 656 115.60 India 123.4 594 164.80Throughout the series, India have built their innings beautifully. In almost all the matches the top three batsmen got off to quick starts and the middle order set the innings up perfectly for the slog where India drove home the advantage. In Sri Lanka’s case, the top order failed repeatedly and it was left to the middle order to salvage the innings. India’s flexible batting order worked marvellously and their No. 3 contributed 342 runs at an average of 57 while his Sri Lankan counterpart could only manage a meagre 140 runs at 20 per innings.

Partnerships for each wicket

Wicket India runs/avg SL runs/avg

1 297/42.42 129/18.42 2 372/53.14 208/29.71 3 234/39 258/36.85 4 344/68.8 234/33.42 5 220/55 162/27 6 24/8 352/70.4 7 119/59.5 30/6

Sanjay Manjrekar and Dileep Premachandran dissect India’s ODI slump

31-Oct-2006Dileep Premachandran – India must get their ingredients right
Audio – ‘Its time to hold individuals accountable’ – Sanjay Manjrekar
A report card – Catching the shortbus
A statistical analysis – A batting debacle

Mikel Arteta demands better technology after VAR was unable to give a definite ruling on Tomas Soucek's controversial opener in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat.

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Arsenal beaten 2-0 at home by West HamMore VAR controversy at EmiratesArteta insists technology 'is not good enough'WHAT HAPPENED?

Controversy arose in the first half when Soucek scored in the 13th minute, and VAR was unable to conclusively determine if the ball had gone out before Jarrod Bowen played in a cross. On-field referee Michael Oliver awarded the goal to West Ham which sparked a fiery debate about whether it should have stood. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg weighed in on the situation and suggested that a chip should be embedded in the ball to ensure clarity in such situations.

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Clattenburg said to Amazon Prime: “Just get a chip in the ball. If the ball is chipped like we do, say, in major tournaments, which is possibly what we could get going forward, if that chip was in the ball, they could have the technology to clearly see if the ball went out of play.”

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A fuming Arteta took aim at VAR after the shock home defeat to the Hammers and called for better technology to be implemented. When asked if he'd advocate for a chip in the ball, he said: "We all want the best technology possible so that the decisions are clear. So today, if it is inconclusive with the technology that we have nowadays, probably this is something we can improve." Later said: "I don't know, I haven't seen it, but everyone is saying 'is the technology good enough?' to understand where it [the ball] is, and that's probably the question, but I haven't seen it".

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Arsenal had 30 shots compared to West Ham's six and yet the Gunners could not breach West Ham's fort.

Liverpool officially kick off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the 13th of August and there could be a few new faces on show for the club.

Who have Liverpool signed this summer?

The Reds made their first addition of the summer transfer window last month as they signed Argentina international Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion, in a deal that could eventually rise to £55m.

Jurgen Klopp followed that up with a swoop for RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at the start of July. The Merseyside giants have reportedly splashed out a fee of £60m to secure the Hungary international's services.

There could also be a departure in that area of the pitch for Liverpool as it has been reported that Brazilian enforcer Fabinho is closing in on a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, whilst Bayern Munich are also interested in signing him.

It has been claimed that the Reds could be in line to receive £40m for the former AS Monaco star, which could help towards funding a possible replacement before the end of the window.

Who could replace Fabinho at Liverpool?

Klopp could forget all about Fabinho by striking a deal to sign Fulham defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha ahead of next season, following his impressive debut season in England.

The Daily Mail reported in June that it could take as much as £90m to snap up the Portugal international and it was recently claimed that Liverpool have considered the Portugal international as an option to bolster their midfield, although it remains to be seen how much they would be willing to pay for him.

Signing the former Sporting titan could improve the German head coach's squad. Palhinha averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 35 Premier League starts last term, compared to the £40m-rated warrior's score of 6.87, and caught the eye with 5.5 tackles and interceptions per game.

His 4.2 tackles per match for the Cottagers was 1.8 more than any Liverpool player in any position managed throughout the campaign and 2.4 more than Fabinho's 1.8 per outing.

Palhinha, who was dubbed "Casemiro-esque" by journalist Zach Lowy, also won more duels per clash (8.0) than the Brazil international (3.5) and came out on top in a higher percentage of his duels (59% to 50%).

This suggests that the 28-year-old monster would be an upgrade in terms of his ability to win battles and regain possession for his side on a regular basis.

In fact, the Fulham colossus ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for tackles made per 90 (4.26) over the last 365 days – three percentiles higher than Manchester United's Casemiro – which shows that he has been one of the best ball-winning midfielders at the top level since his arrival in England.

His instant adaptation to Premier League football was impressive and his form suggests that he could come in as a significant upgrade on Fabinho, based on the monstrous enforcer's average performance level and defensive contributions each game in comparison to the current Liverpool man.

Therefore, Klopp could forget about the Brazilian midfielder and sanction the move to Al Ittihad with no concerns about the state of his squad by signing Palhinha to fill that role within the team.

Arsenal youngster Kathrine Kuhl has joined fellow WSL side Everton on loan for the rest of the season, opening up another space in the Gunners' squad.

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Kuhl joins Everton on loan until summerArsenal free up space in squadGunners have already signed Emily FoxWHAT HAPPENED?

Kuhl will finish the 2023-24 campaign with Everton in the hope of securing more regular game time after making just two WSL appearances for Arsenal totalling six minutes in the first half of the season. She reunites with manager Brian Sorensen at Everton, having played under the Dane at former club Nordsjaelland. Kuhl immediately made her Toffees debut off the bench during Saturday's 3-0 Women's FA Cup win over Aston Villa.

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Kuhl said to evertontv: "It feels really good to sign for Everton. I'm really looking forward to this experience. Everton's a big club and it's a privilege to be here. My experience so far in the Women's Super League has been really good. I feel I've learnt a lot having come from the Danish league to England. It's a big step. It's an enjoyable and competitive league, and I enjoy playing here.

"Everton felt like a good opportunity for me to come and play alongside some really good players and hopefully gain some minutes."

WHAT ARSENAL SAID

Arsenal director of women’s football Clare Wheatley said: "We've been impressed by Kathrine’s development during her time with us so far and this move will provide her with an opportunity to continue her progression in the WSL. Kathrine is a wonderful young midfielder and we look forward to seeing her grow over the coming months and as her Arsenal career unfolds."

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Kuhl's temporary departure is important for her development but has an additional benefit for Arsenal. During the first half of the season, the Gunners had fully filled their 25-player squad quota and it took Noelle Maritz to leave the club for Aston Villa before United States defender Emily Fox could be signed. Kuhl heading to Everton has effectively opened up the space for Arsenal to make another new signing to give manager Jonas Eidevall further options in the crucial months ahead.