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Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, admitted to the IPL’s brand value taking a hit in the aftermath of the 2013 spot fixing scandal, but stressed on the market not having lost faith in the tournament and Indian cricket.”As far as the branding is concerned, I personally feel yes, we got a hit,” Thakur said, while officially unveiling Vivo as the IPL’s title sponsor for the next two years. “In the last couple of years, we have struggled. But we have brought reforms in the last few months. That has paid off.

Mini-IPL proposed for CLT20 window

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has hinted at the possibility of unveiling a new domestic T20 tournament during the window that was earlier allocated for the now-defunct Champions League T20.
“After eight seasons of the IPL, we can proudly say that we have given a tournament which is successful, vibrant, and where talent meets opportunity not only for the Indian cricketers but also globally,” Thakur said.
“Today if we’re thinking of getting rid of one of the domestic T20 leagues, say for example the Syed Mushtaq Ali – I am not saying that we are going to do it – you have another set of tournaments where you have six to eight teams using that window to give opportunity to more players and play in that center.
“They will get the opportunity to earn more, play with better talent, and the competitive cricket will help Indian cricket to build better bench strength. That is just talk; I have thrown the idea about.

“We had four people lined up to bid for the title sponsorship. I am glad that Vivo came on board. They wanted to be partners for the next seven to twelve years but we had the option to go for only two years. As far as the brand is concerned, cricket is still a popular game and IPL still remains one of the strongest brands.”While he declined to spell out the names of the four interested corporate entities, he hinted that some of those “first-generation companies” will soon be unveiled as BCCI/ IPL partners. Thakur also added that the BCCI’s recent move to introduce ‘no conflict of interest’ declarations among representatives of its affiliates and former cricketers was an outcome of the 2013 scandal.”If you look at it, that’s an initiative taken by the BCCI, because where the incident started, when it happened, if someone in that crucial position was unable to take any call at that time, was that because of conflict of interest? Has that dented the image of the BCCI? In future, how you can take precautions?” he explained.”We wanted to draw a line somewhere against anyone having a conflict of interest, irrespective of whether he is a coach, player or administrator, so that the image doesn’t get any dent or no such untoward incident happens in the future. We are trying to create a paper which makes it clearer. We are trying to circulate a paper to all the members to come back with the various relations and clarifications, which will be discussed in the upcoming AGM on November 9.”

Floyd Reifer and Nekoli Parris getting assistance from 12th man Ramnarine Chattergoon © The Nation

It was the perfect end to the perfect story.Sagicor University of the West Indies (UWI) ended their dream season on Saturday night by defeating Carib Carlton by six wickets to win the Sagicor General Super Cup. The result was their tenth consecutive win of the tournament and they maintained a 100% record this year.The climax came around 10 pm, as scores of elated students and supporters sprinted onto the 3Ws Oval to hoist Floyd Reifer in the air after they reached 234 for 6 off 48.2 overs. Reifer, 35, was brilliant with the bat hitting 78 not out off 82 balls to walk home to victory in the first day/night match at this level.He was edged out for the Man-Of-The-Match award by Nekoli Parris who made an accomplished 93 at No. 3 – adding 150 for the third wicket with Reifer – in the march to victory and the winner’s cheque of $10,000.”We came prepared for this and we planned it moment by moment. I was really up for this . . . I was in fighting mode and all the guys gave 100% and more,” Reifer told The Nation in the locker room as the night’s party got into full swing. “We batted well after the bowlers did a good job for us . . . This is special for the team and very special for me. We played unbeaten [in the Super Cup] this year and I rate this result very highly.”After limiting Carlton to 233 for 6 off 50 overs, UWI were never in trouble during their chase. Reifer joined Parris at 55 for 2 and together they dominated. Reifer crashed eight glorious fours and two towering sixes off 83 balls, while Parris – who would have caught the eye of Sir Garfield Sobers in the stands – showed his class with eight boundaries off 127 balls in three hours of entertainment.They came together after free-scoring left-hander Omar Phillips showed a blitz of brilliance with 30 from 57 balls – with a memorable whip over mid-wicket off Corey Collymore. “He (Parris) batted so well. He kept his cool and never looked under pressure. He just keeps getting better and is definitely one for the future,” Reifer said.Captain Shirley Clarke, a former Carlton skipper – made little contribution to the win making a single and going wicketless off eight overs – but said that winning the title was testimony to the hard work put in during the season. “We’re elated. We have only been in the competition [Division 1] for two years so we feel like true kings. We have worked hard and deserve our success. Thanks to everyone for their contribution,” Clarke said. “We thought we could restrict them for around 170 but they got away near the end and managed to get away from us a bit. It was the first time we were chasing under lights, but we were confident because we knew we had depth.”Carlton had a good start from skipper Dale Richards, who made 60 from 68 balls at the top of the innings, but in the middle overs they stalled. The innings had a rousing end as Carlo Morris hit two sixes in 61 not out from 78 balls. He added 26 for the sixth wicket with Marlon Graham (16) and then an unbroken 47 in the final five overs with Nikolai Charles (17 not out).

Shahriar Nafees gets his first shot at the national captaincy © AFP

Shahriar Nafees, the opening batsman, will lead Bangladesh in it’s first ever Twenty20 International, against Zimbabwe at Khulna. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today announced the squads for the first three one-dayers, the Twenty20 international, and the warm-up one-dayer against the touring Zimbabweans.Habibul Bashar will lead the BCB President’s XI in the warm-up one-dayer at Savar on November 26 and for the first three one-dayers. However, he was omitted from the squad for the Twenty20 international as was Khaled Mashud, the wicketkeeper. Mohammad Ashraful, the dashing middle-order batsman, and opener Rajin Saleh have been left out of all three squads owing to their poor form.The one-day series begins at Khulna on November 30, with the second and third matches scheduled for Bogra.One-day squad Habibul Bashar (capt), Shahriar Nafees, Khaled Mashud, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Rafique, Tushar Imran, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel, Saqibul Hasan, Farhad Reza, Mehrab Hossain JrTwenty20 international Shahriar Nafees (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Nazmus Sadat, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Rafique, Nadif Chowdhury, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tapash Baishya, Mehrab Hossain JrBCB President’s XI Habibul Bashar (capt), Mehrab Hossain Jr, Nadif Chowdhury, Nazmus Sadat, Mahmudullah Riyad, Farhad Reza, Nazmul Hossain, Tapash Baishya, Tapash Baishya, Marshall Ayub, Musharaf Hossain Rubel, Ziaur Rahman

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How they were out

Marcus Trescothick celebrates bringing up his half-century – he went on to make 135 not out by the close © Getty Images

England love it when a plan comes together, and their team were certainly on their A-game today as Marcus Trescothick hit an imperious century to complement his bowlers’ earlier destruction of Pakistan’s tail. By the close he was unbeaten on 135, with his side trailing by just 21 runs in the first innings, and with seven wickets left.Ian Bell may not have figured in England’s original thoughts, but he slotted in at No 3 with a stylish, composed 71. Together he and Trescothick put on 180 to hand England firm control of this match.England bossed proceedings from the off, skittling out Pakistan’s last four wickets for 30 runs – then batting calmly, serenely and at a fair pace, too. They coursed along at nearly four an over, although Inzamam-ul-Haq did slow proceedings after lunch with the introduction of Shabbir Ahmed and Danish Kaneria.Trescothick, England’s mainstay in their warm-ups, was their leader in Multan. He could count himself very lucky, though, that Billy Bowden kept his finger down when he was on 48, when Kaneria brought one back in at him which was going on to hit middle. He survived and cruised to his 13th Test hundred, his second against Pakistan.Bell responded to Trescothick’s example, and played well, off the back foot in particular. If his confidence was shaken before the match by the knowledge that he was only included because of Michael Vaughan’s absence, you wouldn’t have known it. Where he had hesitated against Australia, here he was positive, organised and decisive: sweeping here, picking the wrong’un there. His 71 was well deserved.There was some relief, finally, for Pakistan in the evening session when Shoaib Malik edged him out. The other Shoaib, Akhtar, believed he had got his man earlier – and he certainly celebrated as if he had – with a clever slow yorker that bowled Bell; but a not-so-clever overstepping gave the batsman a brief stay of execution.

Ian Bell compiled a composed 71 as England piled on the runs © Getty Images

After the wicket-that-wasn’t, Bell pulled himself together, and such was his concentration that he faced a delivery from the world’s fastest bowler without the aid of the sightscreen. After some frantic waving from the England dressing-room Bell had it sorted, going on to despatch Ahktar to third man with a sweet late cut, and digging out a second attempted slower one. Then Malik struck with a decent ball as Bell inside-edged to Salman Butt at forward short leg.The loss of Andrew Strauss for 9 was the only minor blemish in the first two sessions, while Paul Collingwood fared little better during Pakistan’s last dart, falling to Shabbir Ahmed for 10 just before the close. True, England were helped by some wayward bowling throughout – from Akhtar and Mohammad Sami in particular – but their timing and self-confidence was second-to-none.So nevermind England’s poor pre-Test preparations – it’s been all right on the night so far – it’s Pakistan, without a Test since June, who are looking undercooked. Even their premier bowlers, Akhtar and Kaneria, were thoroughly out-thought by England, so much so that at one stage Inzamam turned to the part-time spin of Malik in desperation.England bowled to a different script – their lines were tight and polished, their execution disciplined. Their aim had been to dismiss Pakistan for under 300. Mission possible. Matthew Hoggard was the first to strike, with just the fifth ball of the day he found Sami’s edge. Andrew Flintoff accounted for Inzamam five overs later as England made great use of the new ball and swinging conditions.Pakistan’s captain had wasted no time in bringing up his 40th Test fifty, working the ball round the ground and playing with confidence until he was undone with his first false shot of the day. Five balls later Flintoff added the all-at-sea Shabbir, who didn’t have time to find his sea legs before a searing yorker found his middle stump. Flintoff finished with 4 for 68.Steve Harmison ended proceedings with his second ball, a short-pitched delivery which had Kaneria flashing to Ashley Giles at gully. England were mightily – and rightly – pleased with their bowling effort: Collingwood aside, they each conceded fewer than three runs an over. Their batting was pretty handy, too – no Plan B needed for them. For Pakistan, though, it’s back to the drawing board.

England
Andrew Strauss lbw Sami 9 (18 for 1)
Ian Bell c Butt b Malik 71 (198 for 2)
Paul Collingwood c Akmal b Shabbir 10 (251 for 3)
PakistanShoaib Malik lbw Flintoff 39 (80 for 1)
Salman Butt c Jones b Udal 74 (161 for 2)
Mohammad Yousuf b Flintoff 5 (166 for 3)
Younis Khan lbw Harmison 39 (181 for 4)
Hasan Raza b Harmison 0 (183 for 5)
Kamran Akmal c Trescothick b Hoggard 28 (238 for 6)
Useful first-slip catch as the ball was dyingMohammad Sami c Jones b Hoggard 1 (244 for 7)
Inzamam-ul-Haq c Strauss b Flintoff 53 (260 for 8)
Shabbir Ahmed b Flintoff 0 (260 for 9)
Danish Kaneria c Giles b Harmison 6 (274 all out)

‘There are kids following cricket now who think 350 runs in a day is normal’© Getty Images

As Ricky Ponting’s XI wrapped up the Test series against Pakistan at the MCG today with an unassailable 2-0 lead, the fans took yet another opportunity to hail their Baggy Green-wearing heroes. The occasion seemed appropriate for the conducting of a vox pop. After all, over 121,000 people had attended the match, all of whom were acutely aware that the chances of Australian victory were better than odds on. And after all, this present team has changed the face of the five-day (or four, or three, or two as the case may be) game beyond recognition.So, in the homage to the “Where to now?” arm of global cricket’s administrators, I posed the question: “Isn’t Australia’s domination just the teeniest bit boring?” When the results of the survey were tallied and checked, the answer seemed to be a resounding “No!”Matty from Perth was the first to offer his words of wisdom. “I’m old enough to remember Australia being thrashed in the ’80s, especially by the West Indies,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, the more wins the better. The circle will turn eventually, a lot of these guys will retire and we’ll start losing again, and the other teams will rise, so until then, let’s go with it.”His friend Simon, who had made the trip from Adelaide to experience a Boxing Day Test at the “G” was happy to take the argument a step further. “Us beating the pants off everyone is good for the game, and anyone who doesn’t agree with me has got a short memory,” he suggested, while waving his Australian flag through the chilly currents of the south-westerly breeze. “It’s up to the other nations to bring their game into line with ours. And with money and development that will happen soon enough.”But I pushed the controversial line of interrogation: what has happened to the age-old Aussie tradition of barracking for the underdog? Aren’t we, according to cultural stereotypes at least, supposed to admire those who “try and fail” far more than those who “brag and succeed”? Aren’t we supposed to be egalitarian by nature? Aren’t we supposed to live in the land of the “fair bloody go”?Peter from the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton was having none of this sociological claptrap. “How can you not love this team? How can you not support this team?” he asked while aiming his multi-megapixel digital camera towards Gilly for a close-up of some behind-the-stumps squatting action. “They’ll be talking about this lot in a hundred years’ time. And anyway, when did winning become such a bad thing? As far as I’m concerned it’s a good thing. A very good thing,” he added, while zooming in on the slips cordon.Peter’s wife Helen was keen to add some logic and balance to the discussion. “There are kids following cricket now who think 350 runs in a day is normal,” she smiled. “That’s what this team has accomplished. That’s why it’s still thrilling to see them win. That’s why it will never be boring. Because of them Test cricket will never be the same again.”OK. So much for the “fair go” theory I thought, as my trudging continued along the length and breadth of the MCG. But surely there must be dissenters, somewhere. Surely there must be someone, anyone, willing to venture away from popular – or vox-popular – opinion? When all the votes were in, I’d found two.The first was Fiona from Clayton who, from her vantage point in the Great Southern Stand, voiced her psychological concerns. “I’m totally sick of the cockiness of these guys,” she frowned. “It’s as if they’re starting to believe their own publicity. I’d like to see them brought down a peg or two. Winning doesn’t necessary breed character. And the ‘we’re so hot’ attitude of these guys is really beginning to annoy me.”The second was Paul from Caulfield, who, from the second tier of the Members’ Stand, was approaching the solemnity of the survey with all the consideration of a seasoned philosopher. “I’d like to see two teams battling it out and introducing some real tension to the game. We haven’t had that for a while. Plus it’d be nice for a Test to go for the full five days.”Meanwhile, coming quickly back in to bat for the “negative” was his friend Adam from Canterbury, who shook his head at the notion of a level playing field. “We’ve got to take these victories while we can,” he advised. “Some teams dominate. Some teams have winning streaks. Sink the boot in. That’s what sport is all about.”At the end of the match, as Ricky Ponting’s XI walked towards the presentation area, the fans took yet another opportunity to applaud and cheer their all-conquering heroes. OK, I thought, so much for vox pops.Christine Davey is a freelance writer based in Melbourne.

A fortnight after Sunil Gavaskar had a little dig at the Australians during his Spirit of Cricket address at Lord’s, Steve Waugh reckoned that television had made too much of too little.Delivering a talk on “Leading a winning team” in Bangalore, he said, “There is far too much talk of sledging. These days, cricket is played in the right spirit, though occasionally things do go wrong. And when they do go wrong, you have 20 or 30 [television] replays and people come to talk about it.”Waugh was of the opinion that sledging was often misinterpreted, with the critics, more often than not, placing too much faith on conjecture. “My definition of sledging is when someone has been giving personal viewsin a one-on-one situation, or a group of individuals against one person,” he said.Waugh then perplexed some in the audience when he said that the Australians didn’t indulge in sledging. “Occasionally there are things said on the cricket field, and we have examples of it during the last six to 12 months,” he said. “I am very aware that we do not want that to happen in my side as we play the game hard and fair,” he added, in an oblique reference to the Glenn McGrath-Ramnaresh Sarwan incident which so tarnished Australia’s 3-1 series win in the West Indies.Waugh also spoke about the strength of character and magnificent team spirit that have made Australia peerless. “The key is the characters we pick in our team,” he said. He then cited Justin Langer – who spent over a year practising how to hit the slow bowlers over the infield – and Andrew Bichel as examples of the work ethic and attention to detail that have given Australia the edge.Bichel has been a fringe player for most of his career, but Waugh said his selfless spirit was an inspiration to the rest of the side. “If someone hits a century or gets five wickets, he [Bichel] takes a photo with his camera and says, ‘Here is a momento’. He did a lot of things to make the side what it is,” he said.Waugh said the team was looking forward to the Indian tour next year. Their last attempt at conquering what was referred to as “the last frontier” ended in a 1-2 defeat in 2001. “It’s a big challenge to win in India,” he said. “India are a great side on the home soil.”Waugh is in India to promote certain charities and also to fulfil some commercial obligations.

The sun finally shone in Kandy, but that did not brighten the mood of theWestIndian players, who suffered yet another batting collapse; a capitulationthat squashed any faint hopes of squaring this Janashkathi National Testseries and leaves them with a desperate fight for survival tomorrow.This morning a draw appeared a near certainty after two rain-ruined days,but Sri Lanka dominated the day to such extent that they now have a goodchance to finish off the Kandy jinx.Sri Lanka bowled out West Indies for 191 and then added 128 for one in theirsecond innings to finish the day with a healthy 225 run lead on a pitch thatis offering both the pace bowlers and spinners encouragement.With Brian Lara waiting in the wings, setting totals is a dangerous businessand no easy targets will be offered tomorrow. Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmoresaid afterwards that they were looking at 300-odd in 80 overs (105 overs arescheduled tomorrow) depending on how quickly they are able to score.In normal circumstances, the West Indies would be expected to salvage adraw. But so meekly did the batsmen play today that a further calamitousperformance cannot be ruled out.After three innings so far in the tour, there is the widespread belief thatthe West Indies fifth wicket signals the eminent innings close. In Galle thelast five wickets yielded just 25 and 13 runs respectively. Here, theyrealised 24 runs.One dare not wonder their plight had Brian Lara not been batting somewherenear his regal best. He followed scores of 178 and 44 in Galle with abrilliant 74 before he was last man out today.West Indies, starting the fourth day on 39 for one, lost regular wicketsthroughout their 66.5 over innings. The early damage was inflicted byMuttiah Muralitharan, who took three wickets in the morning and four in all,but the most eye-catching performance came from Chaminda Vaas.Vaas, normally the team’s journeyman, has been working hard during the last12 months to try to master the art of reverse swing. Today he showed he hadgone a long way towards learning that devastating skill, as the old ballbent all over the place in a final six over burst that yielded four wickets(6-3-12-4).He was pulled into the attack by acting captain Marvan Atapattu after afrustrating 41 stand between Lara and Ridley Jacobs, who had swept his wayto 24. Second ball, though, he dragged the ball onto his stumps.Mervyn Dillon, back in good health after his mystery chest injury, thenplayed and missed four times before edging a low catch to Kumar Sangakkarabehind the stumps.Vaas’s next ball veered into Dinanath Ramnarine’s pads at the last momentand umpire John Hampshire upheld the appeal. Pedro Collins averted ahat-trick but was also trapped lbw for a 21-minute duck.Vaas should also have been awarded the wicket of Lara, with another sharpinswinger, but it did not prove expensive. Lara left high and dry by hiscolleagues, tried to farm the strike, but was eventually trapped lbw byMuralitharan.Earlier in the day, Ramnaresh Sarwan started the Caribbean procession inMuralitharan’s second over of the morning, as he lost his balance and wasbowled through the gate for 17.Chris Gayle had looked in prime form last night, hitting the ball withtremendous power. This morning he started more cautiously, but havingfinally opened his boundary count with two rollicking drives off Vaas andthen Muralitharan, he flailed wildly at an inswinger from Nuwan Zoysa andlost his middle stump.Three wickets down for 72, the onus once again fell up captain Carl Hooperand Brian Lara. They battled hard in the opening stages, as both Zoysa andMuralitharan bowled good spells, but runs started to flow freely whenleft-arm spinner Niroshan Banadaratillake was brought on to bowl.Muralitharan was reintroduced from the opposite end and he finally won abattle of pad play with Hooper, who was caught stranded on his crease andadjudged lbw by umpire Gamini Silva.Marlon Samuels has looked totally at sea against Muralitharan and he quicklyedged a catch behind for a duck.In a long evening session Sri Lanka’s openers started the second inningscautiously, mindful of collapses in previous situations in Kandy.Jayasuriya went onto score 53, his first half-century of the tour, before hedrove straight into the covers. Marvan Atapattu batted out the day and was58 at the close.

Shoaib Malik, whose unbeaten 96 had kept Pakistan on course during a severely tense chase of 277 in Harare, admitted he was disappointed by the way the match ended after the umpires took the players off for bad light. At the time, Pakistan needed another 21 runs to win in two overs with two wickets in hand. But with play being curtailed, Duckworth-Lewis calculations indicated the visitors were short by five runs.”The way we were batting then, I think the game was in our favour,” Malik said. “Obviously there are certain ICC rules and we have to follow them. I think overall it was a great game, but at the end of the day it’s a little bit disappointing the way it ended. But being a professional cricketer and representing your country, you have to follow certain rules and regulations.”Malik batted for almost 42 overs and helped Pakistan recover from a precarious 76 for 6. He added 111 runs for the seventh wicket with Aamer Yamin, who struck a maiden ODI fifty, and an unbeaten 63 for the ninth wicket with Yasir Shah.”I had one thing in my mind,” Malik said. “If we play the full 50 overs, then we might have a chance. The minute that Aamer Yamin came in he gave me that hope, ‘okay I’m here and I can hit boundaries’. So he started hitting boundaries and I started taking singles. And it was just one thing that I always had in my mind during the game: that I have to play until the 50th over. And whichever way the game goes, either to Zimbabwe or us, I still have to play the fifty overs.”Yamin departed with 90 still needed from 61 balls and Pakistan were left with three wickets in hand. But Malik insisted he never felt the game had slipped away. “I never thought of it that way. The way [Yamin] batted, he gave us hope. Even when Yasir Shah came in, the way he was batting I think the pressure was on the Zimbabwe team. It’s like a team thing. Obviously we lost, but at the end of the day we have achieved a lot from this game.”Earlier in the day, three of Pakistan’s top-four batsmen had fallen playing aggressive strokes. But Malik said an attacking approach had been part of the visitors’ gameplan. “The way cricket is going I think you have to play aggressive cricket, and that’s what we even talked about in our meeting before this game. Sometimes you lose wickets, sometimes you score runs. It’s part of the game.”Malik also gave credit to the Zimbabweans for the way they played, singling Elton Chigumbura out for particular praise. “We started off well bowling as a unit, but obviously we must also give credit to the Zimbabwean batsmen, especially [Chamu] Chibhabha and Chigumbura. Especially Chigumbura and the way he batted at the end. There are areas of improvement for us, which we’ll look at and come back hard.”

Journalist Liam Keen has revealed a Wolves concern over the availability of Ruben Neves, as he is not fully fit and at risk of suspension amid their relegation fight.

What's going on with Neves and Wolves?

The Portugal international has been a standout player for Julen Lopetegui's side this season, scoring five times as Wolves aim to surivive the drop.

However, they could lose their captain ahead of a crucial few weeks as he struggles with a calf knock that is being carefully managed. He has been withdrawn in each of his side's last two games, having played the full 90 minutes in every previous league start this season.

He has also accumulated nine yellow cards this season, and one more will see him pick up a two-match suspension.

Speaking on the Express and Star podcast, Keen bemoaned the situation, which means Wolves either have to gamble on the availability of their talisman or purposefully rest him in crucial matches.

He said: "I think Neves is difficult. I think they probably are trying to save him, but you can't do that for the next four games, you can't take him off every single game.

"At the same time, Lopetegui has said that he was at the limits with a calf injury and they've been managing it, so it's a difficult one.

"If they are trying to save him for games, I don't think you can do that, I think you have to just play him and hope that he gets through.

"Of course, he did it last season where he got through eight games without a booking, so it's something he's capable of doing, albeit it's difficult."

Who could Wolves play in his absence?

Rio Ferdinand once referred to Neves as "fantastic", and he will be difficult to replace if he picks up an injury or a suspension.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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The £50k-per-week captain has missed just one game this season, which was the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, and Wolves will be eager to avoid a similar disaster should they have to play without him.

One option could be to bring Matheus Nunes back into the starting XI. The summer signing has been benched for the last two games, and could return having been made available after the club won their appeal against a three-match ban for the midfielder.

Joao Moutinho and Joao Gomes could come in alongside Nunes to fill the three-man midfield, and this could be a taste of what is to come next season. With one year left on his deal, Neves looks likely to depart the club as it stands, and Lopetegui could trial his internal solutions in his absence now before turning to the transfer market.

Cricket Kenya is set to announce the launch of a national elite league with matches starting this November.In the aftermath of Kenya’s performances at the ICC World Twenty20 there was widespread media criticism of the fact that there was no such competition, but it emerges that the board’s plans were already at an advanced stage.The proposals are for a four-side zonal league in which teams will play in three formats – three-day, one-day and Twenty20. The zonal sides will be geographically based, with it appearing likely that two will come from Nairobi, one from the Coast and one from the other regions.Players in the centrally-contracted national squad will be divided between the four sides to ensure there is balance between the teams and to ensure that the standard of all matches is as high as possible. In practice, that will probably mean that each team has seven local players supplemented with four members of the national side.”This will give ample opportunity for people to play for the zones who will be able to show us what they can do in each type of format,” Samir Inamdar, CK’s chairman, told Cricinfo. “The selectors will then be able to distinguish between players who are good at one format but not at another, rather than have the same squad throughout.”Inamdar admitted that getting sides out for three-day matches could pose the biggest problem. Most non-contracted players are unavailable in the week, and five players who were invited to join the national squad as they prepared for the ICC World Twenty20 all declined because of work commitments. To work round this Inamdar said that three-day matches might be played over long weekends or scheduled to coincide with public holidays.CK is seeking corporate sponsors for each region to help offset travel costs, and also an overall tournament sponsor. It is likely to receive a US$20,000 grant from the Africa Cricket Association to help cover costs.