Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that Newcastle United could be keen on signing Mohammed Kudus in the summer though it remains unclear what role he would want to play for the club.

What's the latest on Newcastle and Mohammed Kudus?

It seems as though the Ghana international is one of the game's hottest properties right now with certain sections of the media linking him with a big-money move away from Ajax in the summer.

For instance, reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Kudus. The report, however, also mentions AC Milan, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund as possible destinations.

On top of all that, Jacobs has now told NUFC Matters that Newcastle have been tracking the Ajax player for some time and mooted him as a great fit for their midfield.

He explained: "Erik ten Hag is looking to link up with him as well, and Newcastle have tracked the player, too. There's a few teams, really – even Chelsea have taken a look as well. It's going to be very difficult for Ajax to keep hold of him. He's had a breakthrough season playing in an advanced position and scored 11 goals in 24 games.

"And I think the fit with Newcastle is actually that Kudus at the moment is playing in a front three as a wide forward, but his preferred position is attacking midfield.

"So it's a strange one in many ways, because if you like Kudus now, then you're buying a forward, but if you listen to where Kudus wants to play, he's an attacking midfielder. And I think, as I said before, Newcastle would quite appreciate an attacking midfielder, especially one that has the versatility to play in a more advanced position.

He then added: "So Newcastle are there for sure. There's nothing advanced at this point. There's nothing moving towards the summer.

"But interestingly, they had scouts watching him at the World Cup where he scored two goals and they were considering him as a possible January move.

"So there's a little bit of history there with Newcastle and Mohammed Kudus, and now we have to wait and see whether they rekindle that."

What's the latest on Newcastle and Mohammed Kudus?

The Ghanaian has shown his quality this season with 18 goals and five assists across all competitions for Ajax. However, for the most part, he has done so playing as a centre forward or out on the right wing.

As Jacobs alludes to, though, he actually prefers playing a little deeper in a central attacking midfield role. Indeed, Kudus told De Telegraaf (via Ajax Showtime): “I still feel that I can do my best in the number 10 position. I play as number nine for the team."

With that in mind, it does remain unclear where Eddie Howe would want to use him but perhaps if Newcastle were able to give the 22-year-old the freedom to play where he likes, the Magpies could be a more enticing option in the near future than someone like Real Madrid who may view him purely as a striker.

What's more, the club do seem to be in the market for a creative midfield player with a long-term interest in James Maddison. But if they can't land the Leicester City star, perhaps Kudus will be an ideal alternative.

Ivan Cavaleiro was once a fan favourite at Wolverhampton Wanderers but his career since leaving Molineux suggests that the Old Gold did brilliantly to sell him for as much as they did.

How did Cavaleiro perform at Wolves?

Wolves would sign the Portuguese winger from AS Monaco in 2016 for what was a club-record fee at the time, and he would play a significant role in their eventual promotion to the Premier League.

He would hit five goals and five assists in his first season with the Old Gold, which included a memorable late winner in a 2-1 triumph away at Brentford.

Paul Lambert sang his praises after the game, saying to the Express & Star (via HITC):

“He’s a threat, Cav. If he can find consistency in his game he’s a massive player. You saw when he came on…I changed his position and I thought he was absolutely fantastic.”

The wide man was able to find that consistency the following season as he was comfortably one of the top performers in Nuno Espirito Santo's side as they won the Championship title and secured a return to the top flight.

Across 42 league appearances, Cavaleiro would contribute a hugely impressive nine goals and 12 assists, a tally which he was sadly never able to achieve in the Premier League for the Midlands club.

Despite Wolves' impressive performances in their first season back in the top division, the former Portugal international would manage just three goals and one assist in 23 appearances, which led to him joining Fulham on loan in the Championship again the following season.

How has Cavaleiro done since leaving Wolves?

The second tier appeared to be his level as he once again earned promotion, with six goals and seven assists under his belt, and the Craven Cottage outfit opted to pay £15m to sign him permanently that summer, which now looks to have been a brilliant deal for Fosun and the Old Gold.

Although he was a regular for the Cottagers in the Premier League the following season, he would manage just three goals in 36 appearances as they were relegated, and that certainly seemed to knock his confidence, as he then notched just two goals in the Championship last season, despite Marco Silva's side running away with the title.

It was no surprise therefore that he was loaned out by Fulham, with the 29-year-old joining Alanyaspor in Turkey, where he boasts a modest return of four goals and three assists in 18 appearances this season.

Unsurprisingly, Cavaleiro's move away from England and lack of goal contributions in recent years have seen his market value plummet since his Wolves exit, with FootballTransfers now suggesting that he is worth just €2.7m (£2.4m), which represents an 84% decrease on the fee Wolves received just three years ago.

Journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has mooted Ruben Amorim as the next possible man to take charge of Tottenham Hotspur after Antonio Conte was fired.

What's the latest on Ruben Amorim and Spurs?

To absolutely no one's surprise, Spurs decided to part ways with their Italian head coach following the fall-out of his remarkable recent press conference.

Indeed, after the draw at Southampton, Conte seemed to take aim at his own players as well as the way the club has been run under Daniel Levy.

Indeed, he said: "I see selfish players, I see players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart."

Before adding: "They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench."

Consequently, Tottenham are now on the hunt for a new manager – while Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason will remain in charge for now – and a number of big names will likely be linked in the near future.

While speaking about the possible options on TalkSport, Pitt-Brooke outlined a series of possible options before tipping Amorim as his personal favourite.

He explained (4:29): “It's going to be really interesting to see what sort of manager they're able to land. Will it be Luis Enrique, is someone who [Fabio] Paratici is a big fan. [Mauricio] Pochettino is obviously the fans' favourite choice.

"My personal preference would be for someone a bit fresher. Like Ruben Amorim. I think would be great. Roberto De Zerbi would be great. But frankly, we're all in the dark. Everyone is in the dark about what next season's gonna look like at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment.””

Why would Spurs want Amorim as manager?

Seeing as he recently master-minded a Europa League quarter-final win over Spurs' bitter north London rivals Arsenal, it's not hard to see why some may already be excited to see the 38-year-old manager linked.

What's more, despite being pretty young, Amorim already has plenty of experience winning major trophies having the Portuguese league with Sporting Lisbon as well as multiple other domestic cups, including the league cup when still at Braga.

And so, he already ticks the box on that front and will certainly be interesting to see if Spurs make a move for the talented coach in the near future.

South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis praised Imran Tahir’s control and variations after his side’s three-wicket victory over England, in which the bowler took 4 for 21

Firdose Moonda20-Feb-2016

Imran Tahir’s almost two-year-old son Gibran predicted that his father would end up with a four-for in the first T20I against England but no one can guess what the legspinner would have had done had he taken a fifth, not even the man himself.”I was talking to my wife earlier and she asked my son, ‘How many wickets is daddy going to take today?’ and he said ‘two plus two.’ That’s what he said and I’m really happy I got it,” Tahir stated after the match, which South Africa won off the last ball with three wickets to spare.Tahir’s third and fourth wickets, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, came off successive deliveries and he was inches away from taking a fifth to complete a hat-trick when Chris Jordan missed a googly that carried over the top of the stumps. Had the ball hit, Tahir would have “probably ended up in the crowd but I am not sure.” Faf du Plessis guessed that his bowler may have “run up the mountain” in delight but perhaps Tahir would have instigated a group hug – similar to the one he smothered du Plessis in when Moeen Ali was dismissed.Du Plessis was at cover when Tahir dished up a full delivery to Ali, who picked out the South African captain exactly as the side had planned. “We get excited when stuff we are working on falls into place. That was a big hug between me and Immi because that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” du Plessis said. “I said make him hit the ball to me at cover and he did exactly that.”Tahir final returns of 4 for 21 equalled his career-best effort and ensured England did not get away after Alex Hales and Jason Roy’s blazing start. “His control tonight was great. He bowled one full toss but the rest was exceptional. He spun the ball both ways,” du Plessis said. “He wins games of cricket on his own. As a captain, that’s a huge weapon to have. Even though they had a great start, I knew that on that surface, Immi was going to be a handful.”But South Africa almost bottled the advantage Tahir gave them and had to rely on another individual effort to chase down a small target of 135. Chris Morris scored 15 runs off the final over and two off the last ball to pull South Africa over the line. After his heroics in the Wanderers ODI, Morris has earned the moniker ‘Chuck Morris’, but du Plessis explained there is a trick to bringing out the big-hitter’s destructive best.”The key is to get Morris to the crease not when there are four overs left but when there are one or two overs left. He is very good at clearing the rope. He can hit sixes from ball one,” du Plessis said. “Him and David Wiese can both do it. It just makes your batting line-up so destructive. When it’s going for you, like it is for Morrie, it’s important that you ride the wave and he is doing that. He is winning games and that makes him an x-factor player.”Du Plessis believes that South Africa have collectively improved in do-or-die situations and he hopes this will stand them in good stead at the upcoming World Twenty20. “In the last two years, I think we have made some big strides. That’s all you can do. You can try and get better at pressure moments,” he said. “That’s the only difference between games like these and games in the World Cup. The World Cup is 10-15% more pressure. If we can do well in games like this, like we did tonight, that’s great learning for us.”

Arsenal transfer target Declan Rice is now 'pushing' for a summer move, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

As per recent reports, it appears central midfield is a major priority for transfer chief Edu and manager Mikel Arteta as a host of top players in that position are linked to joining.

As well as Rice, the likes of Moises Caicedo of Brighton, Barcelona star Raphinha and Everton midfielder Amadou Onana have all been mentioned in the last week.

Meanwhile, in other areas, Arsenal are reportedly in talks with the agents of Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans – who is looking set to leave the King Power Stadium as a free agent.

Across the pond, the north Londoners are also said to be targeting one of South Americas most exciting prospects Vitor Roque – who is also wanted by rivals Chelsea.

Arteta's side may have the pull to convince this crop of players to join them, especially considering they're currently eight points of clear of closest challengers Man City at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal have a real chance to end their near-20 year wait for a domestic crown, and if Edu can seal deals for some of the club's top targets later this year, it's safe to say these are exciting times to be a supporter.

Now, as per talkSPORT reporter Crook, it is believed that one of Arsenal's main priorities – England international Rice – has adopted a firm exit stance.

The Hammers captain is apparently 'pushing for a summer move' as the Gunners target him, coming amid West Ham's worry of having to sell other key players like Jarrod Bowen.

Should Arsenal sign Rice?

The 24-year-old has been praised for his 'sensational' form for the east Londoners in recent seasons and it's hard not to see why going by the numbers.

As per WhoScored, Rice is West Ham's best-performing player by average match rating and has featured over more league minutes than any other Irons star – making their most interceptions per 90 in that time.

Former assistant boss Stuart Pearce recently said this to talkSPORT on the player:

"He’s got so much more in his locker. He’s got a brilliant range of passing.

“When I talk about getting teams turned, he is in a key position to get us turned and go forward with diagonal passes or forward passes through the lines.

“He’s got a great range of passing. I’ve seen it first hand for two years."

Homegrown also, Rice could seemingly add a real degree of steal Arteta's midfield.

Elyse Villani top-scored with 43 from 35 balls to keep Australia women’s semi-final challenge firmly on track in Delhi, as Ireland’s disappointing campaign came to a close with a seven-wicket defeat, their fourth loss in as many outings

The Report by Andrew Miller in Delhi26-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMegan Schutt’s three-for kept Ireland to 91•Associated Press

Elyse Villani top-scored with 43 from 35 balls to keep Australia Women’s semi-final challenge firmly on track in Delhi, as Ireland’s disappointing campaign came to a close with a seven-wicket defeat, their fourth loss in as many outings. Australia’s qualification to the next round was secured following New Zealand Women’s big victory against South Africa Women a few hours later. *On a slow surface, the same one that was used for England’s men’s match against Afghanistan and will be back in action for their Group 1 showdown with Sri Lanka tonight, boundaries were scarce and dot balls plentiful as Ireland struggled for headway after being asked to bat first.Thanks to a doughty trio of 20s from their top three, Clare Shillington, Cecelia Joyce and Kim Garth, who top-scored with 27 from 46 balls, they eventually reached 91 for 7 in their 20 overs. However, as a measure of their struggles, that total was their second highest of the competition, behind the 115 for 8 they made against Sri Lanka.The tone for Ireland’s innings was set in the first 11 balls, from which they failed to score a single run, and though Shillington in particular responded impressively with three fours and a solitary six through midwicket in her 22 from 18 balls, her team-mates struggled to obtain the same momentum.Megan Schutt returned Australia’s best figures of 3 for 29, but it was Rene Farrell’s accurate medium pacers that really derailed Ireland’s challenge.With 2 for 11 in her four overs, Farrell combined with the spinners Kirsten Beams and Jess Jonassen to squeeze the life out of the contest, and she was aided by some exceptional work in the field as well. Two direct-hit run-outs came on her watch, as Jonassen pinged down the stumps to remove Laura Delany before Villani did likewise to Mary Waldron from the final ball of the innings.Ireland’s total never looked like being enough to challenge the irrepressible Australians, the three-times reigning champions whose key defeat to New Zealand earlier in the tournament has left them guarding against complacency as they seek their habitual place in the knockout stages.Australia did ship two early wickets in their reply – Isobel Joyce’s brilliant one-handed scoop at midwicket to remove Alyssa Healy was followed by Meg Lanning’s swipe across the line to be bowled for 8 by Garth. The ball seemed to keep a touch low as it plucked out Lanning’s middle stump, which was a sight that may have some bearing on how the men’s match pans out.Villani and Ellyse Perry, however, combined for the key stand of Australia’s chase – a third-wicket alliance of 54 in 7.4 overs that featured the sort of power, placement and judgement of a single that their opponents had been unable to match.Villani struck six fours before miscuing a wipe over mid-off to give Garth a hard-earned second wicket, but by that stage Australia needed just seven runs to win. They might also have removed Perry late in the chase, when she hoisted a full-toss from Ciara Metcalfe to deep midwicket, only for the dismissal to be overturned because the ball was above waist-height.*GMT 16:43 – This report was updated to reflect that Australia are through following the result of the New Zealand-South Africa match

Match facts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)4:18

Agarkar: Good test for all teams ahead of World T20

Big Picture

It was all telenovela in 2015. MS Dhoni as the hero who had gone on to be perceived as villain. “If I am the reason for all the bad that is happening to Indian cricket, definitely I would love to step away.” R Ashwin was the steadfast sidekick. “If my captain asks me to die on the field, I’ll do it.” And Mustafizur Rahman was the shy, rising star; he had become a world-record holder after playing two ODIs and you could barely get two words out of him. All he would do was flash that big, toothy grin and say he was happy to perform for the team. There is no sign of a resumption of the ad wars, but the rest of the protagonists are back for season two, with the added twist of an Asia Cup and World T20 implications.Bangladesh’s limited-overs team has maintained their Mirpur stronghold jealously since failing to chase 106 against India in 2014. They have played 19 matches and won 14 of them. The trouble is, out of those five losses, three have come in T20Is. With their one-day cricket in prime order, the coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been concentrating on building skills that are vital to success in the shortest format. The team goes into the Asia Cup after a couple of camps in Khulna and Chittagong.India are not light on preparation either. They have been playing T20 cricket since the start of the year (the carnival continues through to May with the IPL) and are quite certain of their first XI. The only issue might be some of the players in that XI have not had enough match practice. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and the returning Virat Kohli have been merciless in their plunder of runs that the middle order has not had much to do. Over six matches, Yuvraj Singh has faced only 26 balls and rookie allrounder Hardik Pandya 18. India do not seem to be worried though, as both Dhoni and Kohli have said their players are well tuned to T20 cricket thanks to the IPL.

Form Guide

(last five completed matches)India WWLWW
Bangladesh LLWWL

Watch out for

Yuvraj Singh signs in at the dotted line under returning old favourites. Fifteen years since his international debut, he is still madly sought after. The last three IPL auctions have netted him a whopping Rs 37 crores. At the team hotel in Dhaka, he was spirited aside by a few players from the Oman team to take some pictures and share some secrets. It is unlikely that anyone will ever forget what happened the last time he was in these parts, but with a Sri Lanka rematch and a clash with Pakistan around the corner, maybe he has the opportunity to do something about that.Mahmudullah signs in at the dotted line under captain’s understudy. He is seen as an option to take over Bangladesh after Mashrafe Mortaza having led Barisal Bulls, a team sans any big names, into the final of the Bangladesh Premier League. But he is not seen as the best fit for T20s. He tends to be grilled about his strike-rate a lot and when the question was put forward this time, he quipped that he will try to hit the first ball he faces in the Asia Cup for six.

Team news

Dhoni returned fitter and leaner after a rare break from international cricket just before the Australia tour in January, but suffered an onset of back spasms two days out from India’s first match of the Asia Cup and three weeks out from their first match of the World T20. The team management said he was recovering well and will be assessed before the match. If he is not fit, Parthiv Patel, who last played for India in 2012, has arrived as back-up. But if Parthiv is brought in, will he fit in the middle order or at the top where he’s had most of his success in domestic limited-overs cricket?India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk)/Parthiv Patel, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish NehraCoach Hathurusingha was impressed by Mohammad Mithun in the Chittagong camp, so he could get a first look in ahead of Imrul Kayes. Both Taskin Ahmed and Abu Hider might miss out while Nasir Hossain too could be benched with Nurul Hasan taking wicketkeeping and late-hitting duties.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Soumya Sarkar, 2 Mohammad Mithun, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

Pitch and conditions

Mirpur sprung a green pitch on India’s juniors at the Under-19 World Cup and more recently, the final game of the Asia Cup qualifiers played under lights helped the new ball dart around considerably. If the early phase is seen through, however, lots of runs are on offer. There is also the slim possibility of rain playing spoilsport.

Stats and trivia

• Since 2014, Bangladesh batsman have scored at 132.33 in the last four overs, which is the worst among Full Members in T20Is. In the Powerplay, the Bangladesh batsmen’s strike-rate of 112 is second worst after Pakistan’s.
• In T20Is since 2014, India’s No. 5 to No. 7 have averaged just 16.78 – only Hong Kong, Nepal and Papua New Guinea have averaged worse.

Quotes

“As many different teams as we play before the World T20, it gives us an opportunity to assess what the teams are like, what the balance is like, what their strengths and weaknesses are and where we stand against them.”
“We had all our experiments done against Zimbabwe in January. There’s no room for any such experiments in the Asia Cup. This is a very important tournament ahead of the World T20.”

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is “back in the squad” for their Europa Conference League game against KAA Gent, according to David Moyes.

What's the latest injury news on Paqueta?

The Brazilian arrived in the Premier League back in August when he put pen to paper on a five-year deal from Lyon and during his 28 appearances to date, has been a real standout performer at the London Stadium. As per WhoScored, the Irons talisman is currently the E20 outfit’s top-performing defensive player and second overall with a match rating of 6.85, but he has recently been on the sidelines.

The Nike-sponsored star was missing from the matchday squad for Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Fulham, with the boss detailing that he picked up a minor knock to the ankle during the previous 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United, though a positive update on his situation has now emerged.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Moyes confirmed that Paqueta will be available for selection for tonight’s fixture under the lights against Gent. As quoted by West Ham’s official website, he said:

"Paqueta got quite a bad knock [against Newcastle] and he trained a little bit on Friday. We thought he'd be okay [for Fulham], but his ankle was too puffy. But he's trained a couple of days [this week] and he's back in the squad."

Will Paqueta's return be positive for West Ham?

Paqueta’s technical ability has been lauded a “total joy” by journalist Josh Bunting and it’ll be a massive boost for Moyes to have him at his disposal for West Ham’s highly anticipated European showdown.

The Brazil Soccer client has provided three assists and scored two goals across all competitions this season, including one assist in six Conference League outings, so is capable of stepping up to the plate and contributing to efforts in the final third (Transfermarkt).

Even when he’s not on the scoresheet, the left-footed ace ranks in the 96th percentile for shots at a rate of 2.29 per game – higher than any other Irons midfielder – when compared to other players in his position at the top level over the past year (via FBref).

Paqueta is additionally a wonderfully versatile operator, having played in defensive, central and attacking midfield over the course of the current campaign, so is a useful option for the manager to have available for selection and he will undoubtedly have a huge role to play should he be given the nod tonight.

Marlon Samuels, Man of the Match in West Indies’ World T20 final victory, had scores to settle with Shane Warne and Ben Stokes afterwards

Sidharth Monga at Eden Gardens03-Apr-2016″Badass” is a word often thrown around lightly. Not for Marlon Samuels. Having won his second Man of the Match award in World Twenty20 finals, Samuels came for his press conference still in his pads. The England press conference was on when he arrived, and he sat and waited, accepting congratulations from those working in the media centre. About five minutes had gone by when he finally lost patience, and inquired when the thing would start. He had come without the West Indies media manager and he was going to do things media managers lose their jobs for.Finally Eoin Morgan left the press conference room. They didn’t look at each other. Samuels walked in. Sat sideways because he was wearing pads, and couldn’t stick his legs under the table. The ICC representative, who was going to coordinate the press conference, tried to explain to him the cameras were in front. In a heaving room, though, Samuels had the audience on side. Without moving his head, he looked at the cameras and asked, “Are you ready for me?” No one objected. They’d be damned if they objected to him.And then, just to make himself more comfortable, Samuels placed his feet on the table, spikes and all. The ICC representative tried to talk him out of it. Samuels just wanted to be comfortable. He had played some of the most gorgeous straight drives under immense pressure just minutes ago. Surely nobody minds him not giving the cameras the perfect angle. The ICC records this press conference on a camera just to the right or the left of the player. All it is likely to have got is the spikes talking. And the words stung more than his scorching hits.There is history between Shane Warne and Samuels. During a BBL match in January 2013, Samuels seemed to have grabbed Warne’s Melbourne Stars team-mate David Hussey as he turned for a second run. Warne indulged in some shirt pulling when Samuels came out to bat. Then a Warne throw from close range whizzed by Samuels’s face after which Samuels threw away his bat in anger.Warne the commentator has also not been very complimentary of Samuels, who doesn’t like it. When accepting his Man of the Match award, Samuels said he had only Warne on his mind when he woke up, and – following criticism of his dismissal against India in the semi-final – that he knew he would turn up for the final. Then he displayed his trophy to the cameras and said, “This is for Shane Warne.”At the press conference he laid into Warne some more. “Every team I play for, Shane Warne has a problem with me,” Samuels said. “I don’t know what, I’ve never disrespected him, it seems he has a lot inside him that he needs to come out with. I don’t appreciate the way that he continues to talk about me, and the things he keeps doing. I don’t know, maybe it is because my face is real and his face is not.”Ben Stokes, who also has some history with Samuels, came in for stick as well, after their ongoing tussle through the final. Samuels was waiting for the third umpire to rule on a catch – eventually he was given not out – when he and Stokes had a word. Once the umpires confirmed Samuels was to come back, he gave Stokes an angry word or three. After the match was won, Samuels removed his jersey and rushed across to be in front of the England dressing room to gesticulate. He was later fined 30% of his match fee by the ICC for “abusive and offensive language” directed at Stokes.Marlon Samuels and Ben Stokes exchange words•Getty Images

“Stokes is a nervous laddie,” Samuels said when asked of his chat with Carlos Brathwaite before the last over, off which West Indies needed 19 to win. Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes to win the match with two balls to spare. “So what I tell Braithwaite is to just hold his pose, and he’s going to bowl a couple of full tosses, as always, and it will work in our favour. And he played a brilliant knock at the end there to give me a little break down at the other end.”Stokes came in for further anger. “Well, he doesn’t learn,” Samuels said. “They keep telling him when he plays against me, do not speak to me because I’m going to perform. I didn’t even face a ball and he had so much to say to me that I know I had to be right there at the end, again.”Samuels said that the needling kept him going. “That’s what I thrive on,” Samuels said. “That’s why I’m still around for so long, despite so much ups and downs. I’ve turned my life around in the last five years, and I wake up every day and give thanks to god and to my kids, this is what I am doing for them.”For some inexplicable reason the press conference was ended abruptly at six minutes. Samuels wanted to talk more. He asked for more questions. At this moment he was laying into everything that moved. The ICC representative, though, put his foot down. Perhaps it was Samuels’ posture, perhaps it was the lack of political correctness. They might want to control him off the field, but on the field Samuels couldn’t be controlled on the night.

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta could be set to leave his position at Elland Road if the Whites are able to survive the drop this season.

Could Orta move on sooner rather than later?

The Spaniard has recently spoken to media back in his homeland of his desire to return to Spain at some point in his career:

“Being Monchi’s successor, in any team, I don’t know if it’s something I’m prepared for, but obviously at some point, I want to return to Spain," he said.

This comes at a time when the Whites are fighting for their life at the wrong end of the Premier League table with a potential return to the Championship on the cards.

And speaking on his podcast, journalist Phil Hay has claimed the Spaniard could leave Leeds to join a 'major' Spanish club:

"It wouldn't be any surprise to me if he went from Leeds to see him at a Spanish club – you know, a fairly major Spanish club.

"And I think – I always say this – there are a lot of people in the game who really rate Orta and I don't think he'll be short of offers particularly."

Could Leeds improve on Orta?

Orta's time in Yorkshire has certainly had its ups and downs both on the pitch and off it as the Whites have endured their struggles in the last two league campaigns.

Having survived the drop on the final day of the season last year, Leeds have failed to improve much with three points separating them from the bottom of the table.

And along the way, Orta has found himself in the middle of controversy with sections of the Leeds fans where he has allowed his emotions to get the better of him.

Incidents at Elland Road have seen the Spaniard hit out at the home fans with incidents seeing him shush sections of the home crowd.

In relation to his actual job, the director of football has certainly had his hits and misses since arriving in Yorkshire with the likes of Raphinha proving his best buy.

But there have definitely been some poor additions under his tenure with the likes of the Jean-Kevin Augustin debacle coming under Orta's time at Elland Road.

It has been a difficult last two seasons for Leeds and Orta's managerial decisions may have played into that with the appointment of Jesse Marsch clearly not working out.

But it will be interesting to see whether the potential takeover from 49ers Enterprises could see Orta leave sooner rather than later if it does go ahead over the summer.