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Manchester City could make a move for Eberechi Eze if they miss out on Jeremy Doku, but they will have to do battle for his signature with a rival Premier League club, according to a new report.

What's the latest Man City transfer news?

Cole Palmer has impressed Riyad Mahrez with his performances in the early stages of the season, scoring the equaliser against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this week, but Pep Guardiola is still searching for a replacement for the Algerian.

At one stage, it was deemed "very probable" that Man City completed a move for Michael Olise, but the Crystal Palace winger has recently surprised everyone by signing a new four-year contract to remain at Selhurst Park.

City have also been linked with a move for Doku, with Kevin De Bruyne said to be driving the move for his Belgium teammate, and journalist Dean Jones believes he could be an interesting addition to Guardiola's squad, saying:

"Doku has got unbelievable potential and ability, but I probably didn't see him making a move like this so soon.

"He does always get me excited though when I watch him play. He's capable of really special things and is available at a very reasonable price as well, and that makes the deal potentially even more intriguing."

However, there will be stiff competition for the Belgian youngster, with The Independent reporting that West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are also on his trail, and the former have already submitted their opening offer.

The Sky Blues remain confident about getting a deal over the line, however, as they can make persuasive claims about coming to a club competing at the very top level, but they do have an alternative in mind if they miss out.

In fact, there is a feeling that all three clubs will pursue a move for Eze if they miss out on Doku, if the Palace winger does not commit to a new deal, with talks currently ongoing.

How many goals has Eberechi Eze scored?

Palace's £30k-per-week star has a total of 40 professional goals to his name, across spells with the Eagles, Wycombe Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers, and his 2022-23 season was his most impressive yet.

Having featured in every Premier League game for Palace, the 25-year-old registered four assists and ten goals, reaching double figures for the first time in the top flight, and his experience in English football could make him a decent alternative to Doku.

However, the Rennes winger is four years Eze's junior, and he is already performing better on some key metrics, including dribbling, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and progressive carries per 90 in the past year, having completed over twice as many than City's other target.

Although it must be noted he has been playing in Ligue 1, a weaker league, the 21-year-old has also weighed in with more assists and non-penalty goals, displaying he should be Guardiola's main target this summer.

Eze has been hailed by Guardiola in the past, as well as being branded "outstanding" by members of the media, but there are clear indications that Doku would be a better addition to the squad.

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Os dirigentes da “Turner” começam a observar com pessimismo o panorama das transmissões dos jogos do Brasileirão, de acordo com o “Uol”. Mesmo com a MP 984 – que transfere os direitos de imagem das partidas aos clubes mandantes -, a vitória judicial da “Globo” e a ausência de um nome político forte que assuma a causa da MP no Congresso Nacional são dois fatores que auxiliam numa possível desistência da “Turner” à longo prazo.

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Ainda segundo as informações do portal, a empresa dona dos canais “Esporte Interativo” acredita que dificilmente impedirá a decisão favorável à “Globo” na Justiça, onde já passou por desembargador na Segunda Instância. Sendo assim, caso a “Turner” sonhe em exibir partidas de futebol de clubes com quem não tem contrato, terá que desembolsar uma bagatela de R$ 2 milhões.

Ou seja, até 2024 – tempo de extensão contratual da maioria dos clubes com a “Globo” -, caso algum confronto do Brasileirão seja exibido na “TNT” ou “Space”, a ilegalidade será punida com a multa. Vale lembrar que a “Globo”, na petição judicial, alegou inclusive a proximidade da empresa com a Sky, segunda maior operadora de televisão no país.

Além disso, a MP tem duração até outubro e pode deixar de ser avaliada no Congresso. Com isso, a “Turner” estaria começando a trabalhar por novos caminhos. Segundo o “Uol”, no acordo feito com os clubes, a emissora pode deixar os direitos de transmissão em 2022.

APOIO DOS CLUBES
Nos últimos meses, clubes parceiros da “Turner” chegaram a se encontrar com o presidente da República, Jair Bolsonaro, para garantir seus direitos de transmissão como mandantes de jogos. Alguns clubes vêm se manifestando pelas redes sociais e com faixas no estádio pela MP 984.

Vale lembrar que a emissora tem contrato de exclusividade em todas as plataformas com os seguintes clubes da Série A: Atlético-GO, Atlético-MG, Botafogo, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fluminense, Goiás, Grêmio, São Paulo, Sport e Vasco.

Sete equipes assinaram com o “Grupo Globo” para TV aberta e pay-per-view e acordaram com a “Turner” para TV fechada, como anunciado pela emissora. São estas Bahia, Ceará, Coritiba, Fortaleza, Inter, Palmeiras e Santos. O Athletico-PR tem acordo com a Globo apenas para TV aberta e com a “Turner” para TV fechada. O Bragantino foi o único clube que não assinou qualquer contrato de transmissão.

Liverpool have reportedly agreed on personal terms with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.

Are Liverpool signing Romeo Lavia?

The Reds and Jurgen Klopp have already splashed the cash on two new midfielders so far this summer, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai arriving from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively. Mac Allister was the first through the door at an initial cost of £35m, whereas Szoboszlai was more expensive at £60m.

It doesn’t look as if the club plan on stopping there when it comes to midfield additions, though, especially as James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all departed on free transfers over the summer, whereas Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are poised to move to Saudi Arabia.

Lavia, who made the move to Southampton from Manchester City last summer, has emerged as a real target in recent weeks, however, they could be rivalled by Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.

According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri on Tuesday, the Reds have now agreed on personal terms with Lavia, who was actually getting “annoyed” with those at Anfield as he felt a potential deal was “dragging”.

“Liverpool FC finally starts the talks with Southampton for Romeo Lavia! Belgian midfielder’s side just agreed on personal terms. These days, Romeo Lavia was waiting for the green light of LFC Board and was a little annoyed that it was dragging… It moved now!

“First official bid to be send soon by the Reds. I understand Reds wants to start with an offer close to £35M… Wait & See.”

Since then, it has been reported that Liverpool have made an opening offer of £40m for the Belgian, however, the Saints have turned that down and are holding out for a fee closer to £50m, with the Reds expected to make an improved bid.

Who is Romeo Lavia?

Lavia, labelled as a "10/10 talent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, is 19 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play slightly further forward in a central midfield role. His Transfermarkt valuation has rocketed from €2m to a career-high €32m over the past 12 months following an impressive first season on the south coast where he made 34 appearances in all competitions.

Journalist Jacob Tanswell certainly feels Lavia is worth a £50m fee after watching him during his first Premier League season, saying:

“Regarding Romeo Lavia. Watched every minute of him last season and heard a lot about him. If LFC really want him, they should absolutely pay the £50 million. He is that good. Saints can wait as he's one of the few – if not only – player who has retained their market PL value.”

As per FBref over the past 12 months, Lavia has ranked highly in the defensive side of the game and is in the top 4% of midfielders for blocks, top 9% for passes blocked.

He averages 7.58 ball recoveries per 90, with all three attributes named considerably higher than Fabinho. Therefore, you could argue that the Saints man could be a shrewd addition both in the short and long run in the No.6 role, but Liverpool may need to up their offer to Southampton despite personal terms already being agreed.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been an admirer of Mateus Tete "for a long time," and links to Celtic this summer have "some substance", according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Is Mateus Tete joining Celtic this summer?

It has been a mixed transfer window for the Scottish champions so far this year. While they have welcomed new faces to the club, like the exciting Odin Thiago Holm from Norwegian side Valerenga, and extended the contracts of stars like Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi, they have also lost their best attacker Jota who was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad for a fee of £25m.

With the departure of the fan favourite, the club have begun looking for a replacement, and according to reports from Ukraine (via the Daily Record), that replacement could be a player who has already played under Rodgers at Leicester City, Tete.

The rapid attacker's contract at Shakhtar Donetsk is set to expire at the end of the year, but due to the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, he has revealed he wants to leave, saying:

"Shakhtar became the first serious club in my career and gave me a lot. I will always love this team. But I can no longer stay here. I hope the fans understand my point of view.

"There are clubs that are interested in me. My agent is already negotiating with the management of Shakhtar about my contract."

It is almost impossible to guess what kind of transfer fee would be involved in a deal like this due to the unprecedented situation in Ukraine, but Transfermarkt have valued the 23-year-old at around ​€25m (£22m).

The reports coming out of the country have named the Glasgow giants the 'red hot favourites' to sign the player, and transfer insider Dean Jones believes this transfer could happen.

What has Dean Jones said about Celtic and Matheus Tete?

Jones explained that while he is usually sceptical about stories such as this one, the links to Tete are different.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "He's ready to leave Shakhtar. Brendan Rodgers has obviously admired this player for a long time. I've said in the past that I'm sceptical about links to previous clubs, but in this case, I believe there is some substance to it, and Tete would be a good asset."

How good is Mateus Tete?

While he certainly isn't an out-and-out world-beater, Tete has proven his ability over the past 18 months, staring for Lyon and performing to a decent standard for Leicester.

For the Ligue 1 side last season, he started 14 games, scored six goals, provided two assists, and achieved an average rating of 6.93, per WhoScored.

Whereas his time in the East Midlands was a little less productive, seeing him score just one goal and create no assists in nine starts in the Premier League, earning himself an average match rating of just 6.48, also per WhoScored.

Despite his output being somewhat disappointing at the King Power, Rodgers was still full of praise for the Brazilian, saying:

"Tete was what I have been talking about for 18 months – a right-winger that can take the ball, pass the ball, look after it, make runs and work.

"He knows football, he knows the type of game we were trying to play, his touch is immaculate."

While not out of this world, his underlying numbers are certainly still good enough and suggest that he could reach even higher levels if he moved to the Scottish Premiership.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the dynamic winger sits in the top 17% for non-penalty goals, the top 19% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 21% for interceptions, the top 24% for tackles, the top 27% for successful take-ons, and the top 30% for progressive passes received, all per 90.

If Celtic and Rodgers can convince the 23-year-old to move to Glasgow this summer, Jota's absence might be much more manageable and palatable.

West Ham United are "destined" to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja "soon" as manager David Moyes attempts to shore up his attacking options.

Who will West Ham sign?

The east Londoners have received a huge financial windfall after the sale of star midfielder Declan Rice, a British record transfer for an English player amounting to around £105 million, including add-ons.

Rice's exit is set to bolster West Ham's kitty this summer but he'll be a hard, hard player to replace – especially considering he has been one of their main stars for the last few seasons.

Moyes, following the 24-year-old's departure, has been linked with a plethora of midfielders to potentially succeed him – including the likes of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, Switzerland international Denis Zakaria, Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka and Man United's Scott McTominay.

The Hammers could strengthen in other key areas all over the pitch, too, leading to links with AC Milan forward Charles De Ketelaere and Arsenal's Folarin Balogun.

Broja, who may be likely to leave Chelsea following a lack of game time, is another attacker who could make the move to east London this summer.

The Albania international has been linked with West Ham before, but in Moyes' search for extra forward options, their interest has been reignited recently.

According to a report out of Italy, courtesy of newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, things actually seem fairly advanced when it comes to Broja and the Irons.

Indeed, as per their information, the 21-year-old "soon seems destined" to make a permanent move to West Ham, a deal which could amount to around £30 million.

The move would also free up Roma in their attempts to sign West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca, as it would leave Moyes with four strikers.

"The key to convincing the Hammers to deprive themselves of Scamacca – temporarily – is called Armando Broja," the outlet wrote.

"A twenty-one-year-old Chelsea-owned striker who soon seems destined to move permanently to the other side of the Thames.

"An operation worth around 35 million [euros], aimed at strengthening Moyes' offensive department which will soon be able to count Antonio, Ings, Broja and – precisely – Scamacca."

Not much else is said when it comes to details of just how far along West Ham are in their move for Broja, but going by this message from La Gazzetta, it appears they pretty far forward.

How good is Armando Broja?

The 6 foot 3 centre-forward impressed most on a temporary spell at Southampton over 2021/2022, where he scored six goals and was praised for his contribution.

Former Rangers star Sergio Porrini, who formed part of the Albania national team coaching staff, heaped praise on Broja in an interview last year.

Porrini called the attacker "devastating" in space and revered his brilliant campaign at St. Mary's.

"He's grown a lot since last year and at Southampton he's exploded," explained Porrini.

"His greatest qualities are in his progression, especially ball and chain. With due comparisons, he's a bit like Leao in how he becomes unstoppable if he stretches the ball into space.

"Less good instead with his back to goal, in building the action, but he's devastating in space."

Burnley target Jean Butez is “keen to join” Vincent Kompany’s side this summer, according to reliable journalist Ryan Taylor.

Who is Jean Butez?

Butez is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian Pro League having moved there from Mouscron back in 2020 where he’s since gone on to make a total of 129 appearances to date.

The Frenchman started all 40 league games under Mark van Bommel last season and is his manager’s firmly established number one, and with Vincent Kompany holding knowledge of players in his homeland, the 28-year-old has been highlighted as a target at Turf Moor.

L’Equipe recently reported that the Clarets have made an approach for the shot-stopper who still has another three years remaining on his contract, but despite their advances initially getting turned down, it sounds as if a deal is firmly back on the cards.

Are Burnley signing Butez?

Taking to Twitter, Taylor revealed that Burnley are currently in discussions with Royal Antwerp regarding a move for Butez who is believed to be pushing to complete his switch to the Premier League. He wrote:

“Antwerp goalkeeper Jean Butez keen to join Burnley. Talks ongoing between clubs after Clarets saw opening bid rejected. Kamil Grabara of Copenhagen another GK admired, Vincent Kompany has scouted him. #LFC have 20% sell-on clause.”

Where could Butez fit in under Kompany?

Burnley and Kompany had Arijanet Muric as their first-choice between the sticks for the majority of last season but you can never have too much competition so Butez joining could push the formerly mentioned goalkeeper for the number one gloves next season.

The DVL Management client, who pockets £13k-per-week, kept an outstanding 19 clean sheets from 34 Jupiler Pro League outings last season, form which saw him not only collect four man-of-the-match awards but also hailed “very impressive” by journalist Josh Bunting.

Furthermore, the 6 foot 2 colossus made a total of 74 saves from 100 shots on target against, giving him a save percentage of 76%, via FBRef, ever so slightly under the 76.6% of Muric showing just how close in quality the two shot-stoppers are.

Finally, Butez knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having won two trophies with Antwerp, one of those being his side's division title, so should he put pen to paper, he would be able to match the winning mentality of the current squad already in Lancashire.

Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s vice-captain, needs a break from the game to rediscover his form, according to stand-in skipper Upul Tharanga. Chandimal was left out of the team to play the fourth ODI after a string of low scores on the South African tour and could even miss the final match on Friday as he seeks to put a poor tour behind him.”It was a hard decision [to leave him out],” Tharanga said. “We chatted to him and he was okay to rest. He needs a few days away from cricket. We all know he is a very good cricketer. He will come back in the next tour. For a few days he needs to get away from cricket and get some rest.”In 12 international innings across all formats on this visit, Chandimal has scored 180 runs all told at an average of 16.36. His highest return has been 36 in the second ODI in Durban and he has endured six single-figure scores. But a break would not be the obvious choice for the vice-captain.He sat out Sri Lanka’s last tour, to Zimbabwe, as he recovered from a hand injury and, earlier in the series, coach Graham Ford had said he thought Chandimal came into this tour “slightly underdone”. Ford believed Chandimal is not far off his best but that he needed game time to get there.Now it seems he may have to wait until the T20s in Australia, with his replacement Sandun Weerakkody impressing with a half-century in his second ODI. Weerakkody took Sri Lanka to the brink of victory at Newlands and earned special praise from Tharanga for making the most of the chance he got against a strong South African attack.”This series was a very good opportunity for youngsters to learn the game and the way we played today, everyone learnt really good lessons,” Tharanga said. “Sandun playing his second game – the way he batted is good for him and the team.”The same could be said for Tharanga himself. Although a veteran of the international game, who has played for more than a decade, he has gone almost four years without an ODI hundred and has only recently returned to opening the batting. Tharanga batted in the middle order in 2015 and 2016 but now, back at the top, he has fulfilled a life-long dream to score a century in South Africa.”Opening has given me the chance to get some big scores,” he said. “It’s very different conditions. The South African attack always has very good fast bowlers. To get a hundred in South Africa, as a batsmen, gives me a lot of confidence.”

تحدث إبراهيم عادل لاعب فريق الكرة الأول بنادي بيراميدز، عن فوز السماوي على نظيره الداخلية في خضم منافسات الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وشارك عادل في فوز بيراميدز الفوز على الداخلية بهدفين دون رد في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ16 من عمر الدوري، بتسجيله الهدف الأول.

فيديو | بيراميدز يستعيد الانتصارات بثنائية أمام الداخلية ويصعد للمركز الثالث في الدوري

وقال إبراهيم عادل في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “بدأنا المباراة بشكل جيد وكنا ضاغطين”.

وأضاف: “منذ فترة نعاني من سوء التوفيق، وربنا كافئنا اليوم وإن شاء الله مكسب اليوم يكون بداية لنا ونواصل المنافسة ونفوز بالدوري”.

وتابع: “المدير الفني بدأ يفهم الدوري المصري، والمكسب سيعطيني دفعة قوية وهذه بداية”.

وأتم: “أتمنى التوفيق لمنتخب مصر، سأجتهد وأفعل ما بوسعي وعندنا حلم أولمبياد باريس مع المنتخب الأولمبي نتمنى توفيق الله”.

ويرتفع رصيد بيراميدز إلى النقطة 25 ويصعد إلى المركز الثالث في ترتيب جدول الدوري المصري الممتاز، خلف إنبي والمصري أصحاب المركزين الأول والثاني على الترتيب بنقطة واحدة، لكن بمباريات أقل.

Steven Smith and Peter Handscomb capitalized on the platform laid by Matt Renshaw with an unbroken 137-run stand to take Australia to 288 for 3 at stumps

The Report by Daniel Brettig15-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:00

Chappell: Dropped catch cost Pakistan dearly

It is hard enough for touring teams at the Gabba without providing instances of charity to the hosts. On a night when floodlights and the pink ball ushered in Brisbane’s biggest ever non-Ashes Test crowd, Pakistan allowed the throng of 26,343 to salute a century for Australia’s captain Steven Smith with a pair of contrasting reprieves.The first, in the final over before the tea break, came via an unexpectedly sharp leg break from Azhar Ali and an equally surprising fumble behind the stumps by Sarfraz Ahmed. Several hours later and Mohammad Amir fizzed the second new ball across Smith to coax the thinnest of edges. This time Sarfraz took it crisply – yet it was a nick so fine no appeal was made.The fact Amir took the second new ball at all felt almost as remarkable as his return to the Pakistan side from an infamous jail sentence. Having bowled tidily early, his right knee had plugged in the Gabba outfield and seemed to have suffered an injury akin to that inflicted on Simon Jones in 2002. Yet Amir found a way to return, in a show of resilience Pakistan must now emulate collectively in order to find a way back into this first innings.Smith’s innings was the centrepiece of Australia’s day, equal parts patient and punchy, but it would not have been possible without a pair of tremendous supporting hands from the young batsmen Matt Renshaw and Pete Handscomb. Renshaw’s discipline in early stands with David Warner and then Smith blunted the new ball in the hands of Pakistan’s pace attack and also compelled Yasir Shah to bowl a high volume of overs early in the match.While Wahab Riaz was able to find Renshaw’s outside edge before he could go on to three figures, Smith and Handscomb then fought their way through to the whole final session with hope for more runs on resumption. Handscomb did not always look comfortable but fought his way through, at the same time showing no desire to depart from the batting methods that have served him well at domestic level.Renshaw played an exemplary innings, showing his usual sound judgment around the off stump but also showing an ability to hit with power through midwicket and down the ground. In doing so he invited further comparisons with another tall Queensland opening batsman in Matthew Hayden – Australia’s selectors will dream of more such performances.There had been some swing for Amir and Rahat Ali in the early overs, but Renshaw and Warner did very well to cover any movement and also punish any errors in line or length – in Warner’s case he started by punching Rahat to the cover fence first ball. Wahab’s greater pace was unable to make much of an impression, and Misbah was left to call on Yasir as early as the 11th over of the innings.Matt Renshaw scored most of his runs through mid-on and midwicket•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesBounce was plentiful even if the Gabba pitch will likely quicken up in pace on day two, but Yasir’s early overs were characterised by a somewhat odd tactic – attacking the leg stumps of Renshaw and Warner with a 6-3 leg side field. For the most part the batsmen took advantage of this, the only semblance of a chance coming when Yasir strayed wide of the off stump and Warner edged fractionally short of slip.However Amir was brought back in the lead-up to the break and was able to pin Warner as he shuffled across the stumps to try to work the ball to the leg side. Gould’s finger was raised and Warner did not review; ball-tracking showed the ball would have clipped the outside of the leg stump.Khawaja got started with one neat leg glance, but he was soon to be on his way when he lifted a Yasir delivery on the pads directly into the midriff of Misbah. Renshaw finished the session with a boundary from Azhar, before finding more gaps when play resumed – leaping out once to flay Yasir over cover.Smith also played admirably straight, refusing to be tempted into a surfeit of deliveries angled across him by the Pakistani left-armers, and the pair were looking increasingly secure until Wahab found a modicum of away movement to coax an edge from Renshaw’s bat.Coming in at No. 5, Handscomb again demonstrated his idiosyncrasies, staying deep in his crease to the pacemen while also trying to dance down the wicket to Yasir. There were a few nervy moments for him before the break, but Smith’s passing of 50 gave the hosts some cause for optimism as the match crept into the floodlit night.Intriguingly Misbah resumed with twin spin after dinner, and Smith and Handscomb were duly able to get back into rhythm. The genuine concern for Amir left the tourists a bowler short, with Rahat also looking sluggish at various points. The second new ball brought Amir’s welcome return and the aforementioned unappealing edge from Smith, and after a protracted period in the 90s, the Australian captain was able to drive down the ground for Test hundred No. 16.Of all the surprises thrown up by the first night’s pink ball cricket in Brisbane, a wicketless final session was surely the most startling. No-one will be more grateful for that than the No. 6 Nic Maddinson, who can now look forward to batting in sunlight on day two – whenever Smith and Handscomb exit the stage that is.

Stuart Binny’s ninth first-class century – a 158-ball 156 – gave Karnataka an opportunity to push for full points after they took a 245-run lead over Assam at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in Mumbai. Assam went to stumps on 48 for 1, with Gokul Sharma, the captain, and Rahul Hazarika at the crease.Assam made early inroads to pick up three quick wickets, including those of overnight centurions Robin Uthappa (128) and Karun Nair (145), whose third-wicket stand was worth 265. Assam were left frustrated, however, as Binny forged two century stands – 131 for the seventh wicket with Shreyas Gopal and 105 for the sixth wicket with CM Gautam (73) – to help post 570. Arup Das, the medium-pacer, was Assam’s best bowler, taking 4 for 86.After suffering an innings loss against Karnataka last week, Delhi put themselves in a position to inflict a heavy defeat on Odisha in Mohali. Delhi’s seventh and eighth-wicket pairs added a total of 212 before Gautam Gambhir, who top-scored with 147, declared the innings on 495 for 8 to open up a 258-run advantage. Odisha were tottering at 109 for 4 in the second innings, and needed 149 more to make Delhi bat again. Ishant Sharma, playing his second competitive match after recovering from chikungunya, picked up two wickets.Delhi, who resumed on 351 for 7 in response to Odisha’s 237, were driven by a 156-run eighth-wicket stand between Milind Kumar and Manan Sharma. Milind, who registered a pair in the previous game, brought up his second first-class century and was unbeaten on 106, while Manan recorded his highest first-class score of 81. He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh, who took 4 for 84. In reply, Govinda Podder, Odisha’s captain, was unbeaten on 52 and stood between Delhi and a second outright win this season.Rajasthan were left to rue a batting collapse that had them 299 for 8 at stumps, in response to Maharashtra’s 461 in Hyderabad. Each of the top six batsmen got starts, with opener Manendar Singh’s 63 the top score. Resuming on the third day from 76 for 2, they lost Ashok Menaria, the captain, for 42 to expose the middle order. Mahipal Lomror (32) and Siddarth Dobal (59) held the fort briefly before Maharashtra’s spinners, Akshay Darekar and Chirag Khurana, opened up the game by picking four wickets between them. Chetan Bist, the wicketkeeper who retired hurt on 13 after being hit on the helmet by a Mohsin Sayyed bouncer, returned and was 43 not out at stumps.An improved batting performance in the second innings brightened Vidarbha’s hopes of salvaging one point against Jharkhand in Wayanad. Opener Sanjay Ramaswamy made 102, while three others – Faiz Fazal, Aditya Shanware and Ravi Jangid – made half-centuries as Vidarbha, ended the day on 315 for 3. They had been bowled out for 105 in the first innings and had conceded a 257-run lead. The unbroken fourth-wicket stand between Shanware and Jangid was worth 85.