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Zimbabwe probably forfeited their place in the Coca Cola Cup finalwhen they lost to India by four wickets at the Queen’s Sports Club inBulawayo on Wednesday. They put up a spirited fight against a ratherbelow-par Indian team, but luck was definitely against them on thisday.First, they suffered a serious body blow with the withdrawal ofcaptain Heath Streak due to an abdominal strain. For the thirdsuccessive match, Zimbabwe had a different captain. Guy Whittall tookover the reins for the first time but the home team were without theirtwo world-class players as Andy Flower is still injured. India, fortheir part, were without the injured VVS Laxman.Cricket did its usual job of attracting the rain overnight, andalthough the morning dawned clear, the start of the match was delayedfor 15 minutes to ensure that parts of the field had dried out.Although the pitch was hard and firm, it had quite a bit of grass andwas slightly damp on top, so once again it was a very important tossto win.And once again the inflexible rule stands: if the toss is important,Zimbabwe will lose it. Sourav Ganguly had no hesitation in puttingZimbabwe in to bat again.Zimbabwe lost Campbell (2) almost immediately, driving Zaheer Khanstraight to mid-off without employing any footwork. In the same overStuart Carlisle (0) played back to a superb full-length delivery thatcut back sharply and trapped him lbw. At 7 for two, it looked like thesame old story for Zimbabwe. Khan’s wickets, though, came off raregood balls in an erratic spell that conceded a number of extras.Ashish Nehra was similarly profligate.The first four only came in the tenth over, when Craig Wishart crackedKhan past mid-off. Dion Ebrahim, though far from fluent, hung on andsurvived three chances, two difficult and one a simple return catch toAjit Agarkar, before reaching double figures. Gradually he found histouch, and he and Wishart produced a splendid fighting partnership forZimbabwe.Wishart (46) spoilt a fine innings with a tame catch to mid-off offGanguly to make Zimbabwe 94 for three. The 100 came up in the 28thover, but Ebrahim (42) fell soon afterwards, lbw hitting across theline to Khan, who was reaping unexpected dividends from erraticbowling. He finished with rather flattering figures of four for 43.With the end of the innings in sight, Grant Flower and Whittallstruggled to keep the score moving at an acceptable rate. Khan struckagain to have Flower (45) caught at mid-off just as they were comingto terms with their task. Andy Blignaut hit 11 off nine balls beforebeing well caught at long-on by Harbhajan Singh off Agarkar from ahuge skier, while Whittall ran to his fifty off 52 balls.As many as 85 runs came in the final ten overs. Whittall finished on58 and Zimbabwe ended with the fighting total of 234 for six. Indiahad caused to be disappointed with the inability of their bowlers toexploit the conditions – 28 extras were conceded – but against anattack without Streak they were still considered favourites.India began slowly, but in Blignaut’s third over Ganguly unleashed twohandsome drives for four, one through the covers and the otherstraight. It was not until the tenth over, though, that he reacheddouble figures for the first time in an international match on thistour. Tendulkar (9) fell first this time, caught low in the covers offStrang when playing an uppish drive; he seemed strangely out of touchon this occasion.Strang, ignored by the selectors until Streak’s temporary resignationled to a change in policy, was to keep the Indians quiet with anopening spell of eight overs for 16 runs, but none of the otherbowlers was able to exert similar pressure. Zimbabwe fieldedheroically but were unable to stem the tide as India accelerated. ThenMongia (37) swung David Mutendera to square leg and was superbly takenby Whittall; India were 91 for two in the 26th over.Ganguly reached his fifty by hammering Whittall for a four to long-onand then swung him over midwicket for six. Rahul Dravid too battedaggressively against bowlers not consistent enough to drag them out oftheir comfort zone, and this pair steadily took Zimbabwe out of thegame. The end appeared to be in sight when Ganguly (85) was caught onthe midwicket boundary off Flower for an innings that to him must havebeen like a welcome downpour after a drought. In the same over HemangBadani was bowled by the first ball he faced.Dravid reached 50 off 44 balls, whereupon Flower had Shewag (2) caughtat long leg and then caught and bowled Sameer Dighe for 9. India were210 for six in the 46th over and a good finish was still possible. Butwithout Streak, Zimbabwe had no strike bowler and Dravid (72 not out)took them home comfortably with four balls to spare, aided by somelusty blows from Agarkar (13 not out). Flower’s four for 44 was hisbest one-day return.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now entered the race to sign a “superb” defender in 2026, and he could be available on a free transfer.

Wolves looking to shore up shaky defence

At this point, Wolves are likely to have major concerns about recording the lowest-ever Premier League points total, having taken a measly two points from their opening 17 games, with Derby County the unwanted holders of the existing record, after collecting 11 points in 2007-08.

Not only have the Old Gold been extremely poor from an attacking point of view, having scored just nine league goals, their defence has also leaked goals far too often, shipping 37, the highest number of any top flight side.

In truth, it could be difficult to attract new players when the transfer window opens in just over one week, given that Rob Edwards’ side are already 16 points adrift of safety, having lost nine matches on the spin in all competitions.

However, they have now set out to sign a new defender, according to a report from Quotidiano Sportivo (via Sport Witness), which states that Wolves have joined the race for Union Berlin’s Diogo Leite, who is expected to leave the German club in 2026.

Indeed, with Leite’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, he will be free to start negotiating a move to a new club next month, with a free transfer possible in the summer, and there is no shortage of potential suitors waiting in the wings.

Bologna, Fiorentina and Girona are also credited with an interest in the Union Berlin star, with a move to Molineux currently deemed unlikely, given that he has aspirations of playing in Europe.

Related Wolves now want to sign 'top talent' from Man City with player set to leave in January

Rob Edwards’ side need inspiration from somewhere.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini "Superb" Leite could be excellent signing for Wolves

In truth, the chances of Wolves being able to get a deal done seem thin, given that it is looking increasingly likely they will be playing Championship football next season, but the 26-year-old could be a solid addition to Edwards’ squad.

Lauded as “superb” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Portuguese defender is experienced in Europe, having made 16 appearances in the Europa League and 10 in the Champions League, while he has also caught the eye in the Bundesliga over the past year.

Diogo Leite’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Interceptions

1.63 (94th percentile)

Blocks

1.59 (88th percentile)

Clearances

7.04 (88th percentile)

Aerials won

2.75 (77th percentile)

In fact, given the level of the Porto-born defender’s performances, he is now starting to attract interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

As such, while Wolves clearly need some inspiration from somewhere if they are going to avoid the drop, Leite may not be an attainable target in January, or at the end of the campaign, at which point they will most likely be a Championship club.

Bangladesh have named their Under-15 team that will participate in the upcoming International U-15 Challenge Competition in the West Indies.Iktedar Nazeef Ahmed will captain the 14-member squad, with wicketkeeper-batsman Litton Kumer Das as his deputy.Eight teams will contest in the tournament, which runs from April 19 to May 4. Besides hosts West Indies and Bangladesh, the other teams involved are Pakistan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Holland, Bangladesh and an ICC Americas team, comprising players from Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands and The Bahamas competing.Matches will be played in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados and St Kitts, and the tournament is the first of its kind since the 2000 U-15 World Cricket Challenge in England that was won by the West Indies.The tournament has a knockout phase before the league competition begins on April 26.Bangladesh U-15 squad: Iktedar Nazeef Ahmed (capt), Litton Kumer Das (wk), Mohammad Anisur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Anik (wk), Ahamedul Kabir, Khaza Khairuddin, Rakin Ahmed, Ratnak Saha, Shihabuddin Ahmed Arpon, Shahariar Islam, Mohammad Didar Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Jashimuddin, Mohammad Asif Hasan.

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James Sutherland speaks to reporters following Australia’s decision not to tour Zimbabwe © Getty Images

The Australian government has ordered the country’s cricket team not to tour Zimbabwe in September. John Howard, the prime minister, said it was not fair to leave the decision up to Cricket Australia and the players.However, James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, has foreshadowed the possibility of relocating the three-ODI series to a neutral venue, possibly South Africa. Howard said he had received legal advice that the government had the power to cancel the trip to Zimbabwe.”The government through the foreign minister has written to Cricket Australia instructing that the tour not go ahead,” he said on ABC television. “Whilst it pains me both as a cricket lover and someone who generally believes these things should be left to sporting organisations … I don’t think we have any alternative.”Howard said the government could prevent the tour by stopping the players’ passports being used to leave the country. He said his discussions with players and CA indicated they did not want to act against public opinion but also hoped it would be the government that made the decision.”I don’t think it’s fair to leave a foreign policy decision of this magnitude on the shoulders of young sportsmen,” Howard said. “It’s much better, in the end, for the government to take the rap.”I hope the rest of the cricketing world understands that, and it would be a very good idea if the rest of the cricket world adopted the same attitude towards [Robert] Mugabe’s regime. I’m not going to stand around and allow some kind of aid and comfort be given to him by the greatest cricketing team in the world visiting his country.”

There is still a chance Australia and Zimbabwe might meet at a neutral venue © Getty Images

He said he was confident CA would follow the wishes of the government, which could take further action if necessary. “In the end we can prevent people taking part in such a tour,” Howard said. “We would rather that not be the case but we are making it very plain to Cricket Australia and I think they will understand the import.”Sutherland said CA recognised the government’s responsibility in such international matters and would assess the advice as quickly as possible. He said CA was still committed to ICC’s Future Tours Program and would examine the options regarding the series.”We are obliged to do what we can to help Zimbabwe cricketers and we could help them by playing somewhere else,” Sutherland told AAP. “We are discussing with the government where we could play Zimbabwe at a neutral venue.”Ricky Ponting said it was appropriate for the government to issue instructions in the case of the Zimbabwe visit. “As far as this situation is concerned, I’m comfortable that the Australian government has taken the responsibility for making international affairs decisions on behalf of the country,” Ponting said. “As captain of Australia I’ve never had a problem playing against international cricketers from Zimbabwe.”

Cricinfo was unable to get a response from Zimbabwe Cricket as it refuses to answer any questions put to them by us as it objects to our coverage of cricket in the country.

Javed Miandad: ‘The PCB has basically given the impression that it is trying to put the allrounder under pressure to change his mind’ © Getty Images

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to find out the genuine reasons for which Shahid Afridi, the allrounder, decided to stop playing Test matches until the next World Cup.”I was surprised to read today, that the PCB Chairman told the reporters that the board would have to review the terms of the central contract it has given to Afridi, if he does not change his decision,” Miandad told . “Instead of talking about money and contracts, I think the board should try to find out why he has taken this strange decision.”Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, told reporters on Sunday that the board would speak to Afridi and would try to persuade him to change his mind. He added if this didn’t happen, then it would have to obviously review the terms and conditions of his contract.Afridi has taken a temporary retirement from Test cricket saying that he wanted to concentrate on one-day matches and prepare for the World Cup. He citied excess of cricket these days and his failure to adjust to both forms of the game as the reason for his retirement.But Miandad said that the board needed to find out what led Afridi to make such a drastic move. “If excess cricket is the reason with which I don’t agree, then you could have other players also following the same line in the near future,” he said. Miandad, 48, who played 124 Tests and 233 one-dayers, said that instead of worrying about the sort of contract which was given to Afridi, the board should get to the bottom of the reasons for his decision.”By saying that the board would have to review the terms of his contract if he didn’t change his decision, the PCB has basically given the impression that it is trying to put the allrounder under pressure to change his mind,” he explained. “I have played for over 20 years for Pakistan and I think the board needs to handle the Afridi issue more efficiently and sensibly. He is a good player and a rare commodity. You don’t get players who can bat, bowl and field brilliantly and have the potential of being true matchwinners in both forms of the game.”Miandad, who was also the team coach on three occasions, said that he also didn’t agree with the boards’ decision to try and hireJonty Rhodes, the former South African player, as a fielding consultant. “I don’t know where this idea came from,” he said. “And I don’t think Jonty would be able to make much of a difference to our fielding standards by just coming over here for a few weeks. It would be a waste of good money.”I am willing to tell the board, the reasons for our inconsistent fielding standards. But at the end of the day, when it comes to fielding, each individual player must have enough keenness and interest by himself in order to try, improve and gain experience in the fielding department. You can’t force a player to dive, he does it himself.”

The captain and the coach would be hoping to avoid another humiliation against South Africa © Getty Images

West Indies might have slumped to two crushing defeats in the opening two games of the one-day series but Shivnarine Chanderpaul, their captain, was optimistic about his team fighting back and winning the five-match rubber.”The same way South Africa came out and won two games we can come out and win three games,” Chanderpaul was quoted as saying in The Nation. “Anything is possible, we still believe in ourselves and we will stay positive all the time.” South Africa cruised to an easy eight-wicket win in the rain-affected second one-dayer, after restricting West Indies to just 152 for 7.”We lost some early wickets … and the wicket was a little bit low and the ball was gripping, but with the total on the board, anything was possible. We just needed to go out there and put the ball in the right areas and anything can happen for you.”We need to think more on our cricket,” he said. “Our batters need to stand up, they need to lay the foundation … to give us a score to fight with.” Chanderpual also mentioned that the South African bowlers have managed to put the bowl in the right spot and made early inroads in their batting line-up.However, Graeme Smith, was a satisfied man and was confident of a clean sweep. “The last two days have been unbelievable, the intensity in the field, the half stops, the half chances … are all crucial to winning one-day cricket, but from a bowling point of view, I was really satisfied today,” he continued. “We are looking to win all five, and the one in Barbados is really important for a series win. We want to do well there and hopefully leave there with a series win.”

Bob Simpson: ‘Some of our most high-profile and successful bowlers have actions which, to say the least, are less than doubtful’ © Getty Images

Bob Simpson, the former captain and coach of Australia, has slammed the International Cricket Council for its lax attitude towards bowlers with suspect actions.”While bowlers with illegal actions have been with us since bowling actions went upright, I have never seen so many bowlers infringe as they do today,” Simpson wrote in his column in India’s Sportstar magazine. “Why should bowlers who don’t conform to the laws be handled with kid gloves while fair bowlers and batsmen have to abide by the laws of cricket?”Simpson’s comments have more clout as he was a member of the ICC committee charged with assessing bowlers’ actions. And coming on the eve of the series between Sri Lanka and Australia, with all the history that involves, his remarks are sure to stir up anger in certain quarters.Simpson was especially critical of the ICC’s method of dealing with bowlers whose actions are reported which he described as “hopelessly flawed”. He also accused match referees and umpires of being willing to report lesser-known players but of bottling it when big names are involved.”Unfortunately some of our most high-profile and successful bowlers have actions which, to say the least, are less than doubtful,” he continued. “Little wonder we have so many bowlers around the world with actions which do not conform to the laws of the game.”This is hardly surprising as players have always copied their heroes. Unfortunately cricket’s governing bodies are doing very little to help the situation. I still visit quite a few countries and do a lot of coaching around the world and doubtful actions are reaching almost epidemic proportions.”

What should have been the clash of the titans, turned into a wet squid as rain in Cape Town forced the Standard Bank Cup fourth round match between Western Province and Free State into a 32 over smash and grab with the hosts running out victor by six wickets.Free Sate winning the toss batting first, on an overcast afternoon, lost the wicket of Jonathan Beukus in the second over minutes before rain forced the players off the field for three hours.Restarting with the game reduced to 32 overs Free State immediately lost the wicket of Morne van Wyk and then had to leave the field again as the Newlands lights went out.Play eventually got under way with Free State unable to recover or get on top of some good swing bowling from Charl Willoughby taking 3-29 in seven overs.A 44 from Neil Dippenaar helped the cause with Nicky Boje (20) and Rayno Arendse (28*) helping Free State to 125/7 when the 32 overs were completed.With the two breaks in the innings, and Free State having lost early wickets, the Duckworth/Lewis method calculated a Western Province target of 124.With the likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis in the Province line up the target was never going to be enough.Herman Bakkes was not going to let names get the better of him, having Gibbs (15) and Smith (12) back in the pavilion to leave Western Province 33/2 in the eighth over.Gary Kirsten, in excellent recent form, stabilised the innings with the help of first HD Ackerman scoring 17, and then Andrew Puttick making 15. Kirsten finished on an undefeated 53, seeing the hosts through to a 6-wicket win.For Free State, Bakkes ended with 2-26, Boje 1-27 and Allan Donald 0-19.

Trevor Ward struck a brilliant unbeaten 160 – his second CricInfo Championship century of the season – to lead Leicestershire to a nine-wicket win over Northants with a day and a half to spare at Grace Road.It was a spectacular innings from Ward who hit 28 fours and a six as the home side made light work of their victory target of 232.With the weather forecast threatening storms for the afternoon, they knocked off the runs in 53.3 overs, Ward smashing three successive fours off Kevin Innes to clinch the victory and 15 points, an hour after lunch.That brings Ward’s total Championship runs this season to 436 in six innings and he has an average of 87.2 – stark contrast to last summer when, in his first season at Leicestershire, he managed only 110 runs in seven matches and averaged just over 12.A delighted Ward put it down to a return of his confidence and self-belief and said: “I have been striking the ball well and it was nice to have a knock like this in a match we needed to win.”Leicestershire began the third day at five without loss, requiring 227 more runs to complete the win they needed to lift themselves up the table and leave Northants marooned in bottom spot.By lunch the match was as good as won with Ward and Iain Sutcliffe sharing an unbeaten partnership of 157 dominated by Ward.He enjoyed two moments of good fortune when he was dropped at square leg and at slip on 30 and 50 but they were both extremely difficult chances. Other than that he totally dominated the bowlers, striking the ball beautifully both sides of the wicket.Although Sutcliffe was out soon after lunch, caught at slip off Darren Cousins for 55, Ward continued to pound the Northants attack. He hit Cousins for three successive fours, pulled Lesroy Weekes for a six and reached his century off 127 balls.By the time he had won the game with his flurry of boundaries off Innes, the Leicestershire opener had faced 172 balls and hit 28 fours and a six.

Frank Lampard and Everton must do everything in their power to keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park, with interest said to be high this summer.

What’s the latest?

The Everton striker has been heavily linked with a move to Mikel Arteta’s resurged Arsenal side, with reports suggesting that Calvert-Lewin could in fact leave in the summer to help the Merseyside club with the £373m losses suffered over the last few seasons.

The rules surrounding financial fair play allow for maximum combined losses of £105m over three years, with Everton looking as though they will be forced to sell one of their big-name players in order to comply with FFP.

Former Tottenham and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has suggested that the 25-year-old England forward would be better placed at West Ham United:

“I think for Calvert-Lewin, West Ham. They need another centre-forward, they cross the ball.”

Though Bent also added that Everton would have to lower their reported asking price of £60m if they wanted to attract viable suitors for the 25-year-old.

“If Everton ask for £60m no one’s buying him for that.” When prompted on Calvert-Lewin’s worth, Bent said: “£35m-£40m”

No DCL, No Party

With the pressures of FFP surrounding them, Everton will need to offload one of either Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison in order to relieve some pressure and reach a more confident position when it comes to balancing their books.

Of course, if the Toffees are to suffer relegation to the Championship this season, both would likely depart.

Having featured just 11 times for Everton this season, scoring on just three occasions, Calvert-Lewin’s goals have been a big miss for the Toffees and it is no coincidence that the Merseyside blues find themselves in the precarious position of 17th, having played their fair share of games without the star man.

It’s easy to forget that the £72k-per-week forward netted a solid 16 Premier League goals just last season and 13 the season prior, which showcases how big a disaster it would be to lose him permanently.

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Calvert-Lewin has been a big miss for the Toffees and his importance has been evidenced this season, as Lampard’s side are battling to avoid what would be a catastrophic relegation to the second-tier.

The Toffees faithful will be hoping that Calvert-Lewin can return to his goalscoring ways before the end of the season.

In other news – Forget Keane: “Embarrassing” Everton dud who lost 100% duels let Lampard down…