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Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs interested in signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien, according to a report from TEAMtalk. 

The lowdown: Ruben Neves successor?

The 23-year-old central midfielder has amassed 174 career club appearances across spells at Huddersfield and a loan stint at Barnsley and could be ready for a step up to the Premier League.

Such a step could be forthcoming in one-way shape or form as the Yorkshire club embark on a Championship play-off semi-final clash with Luton Town for a shot at promotion.

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However, with talismanic Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves heavily linked with a move out of Molineux this summer, Bruno Lage may already have pinpointed a possible successor…

The latest: Wolves ‘keen’

As per the report from TEAMtalk, Wolves, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Brighton and Southampton are all ‘keen’ on O’Brien.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit could land the man described as an ‘exceptional player’ by Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan owing to his supreme versatility by triggering a £12million release clause.

Furthermore, the report states that the future of O’Brien ‘could depend’ on the ongoing promotion bid as it is ‘highly unlikely’ the Englishman stays at the club should they fall short.

The verdict: Bargain fee

Albeit unproven at the Premier League level, O’Brien has forged a stellar second-tier career and this season earned a superb 7.00 average Sofascore rating whilst completing 2.0 successful dribbles, winning 7.5 of his duels and making 2.2 tackles on average per game – evidence of a well-rounded overall midfield package.

Under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), the opportunity to sign the workmanlike midfielder for the mooted £12million release clause is one the Wolves hierarchy shouldn’t pass up.

Whether or not Lage and co can persuade Neves to stay at Molineux beyond this summer remains to be seen, however, the club would be wise to make a move for O’Brien either as a provision or even as a future successor to Joao Moutinho.

In other news, Premier League side could join the race for ‘amazing’ Wolves star. Find out more here.

Rahul Dravid has said his former India team-mates decided to contest the Karnataka State Cricket Association elections because it was time for fresh ideas

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2010Rahul Dravid has said his former India teammates Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad decided to contest the Karnataka State Cricket Association elections because they felt things had stagnated and it was time for fresh ideas.”A lot of things that should have happened didn’t in the last three to four years, and which is why we thought it’s time for change,” Dravid told the in Bangalore, en route from Hyderabad to Nagpur for the third Test against New Zealand, which begins on November 20.”What these guys are doing is a great sacrifice in a lot of ways. I mean they are 40-41-42 … They might probably have other opportunities but the fact that they are willing to do a lot of things for the association and provide better facilities to players and members is what I am proud of. I think they must be lauded.”Dravid said the players had been exposed to different ways of administering and running the game in various countries, and their willingness to learn would stand them in good stead if they were elected. “Quality of time is what is important, not quantity. It’s about prioritisation. One of the things of having been an international cricketer is possessing one or two qualities that have made you play for a long time.”You will be confronted with many issues during a career and you would have to provide solutions to survive for a long time.”Dravid cannot run for office himself since he is still playing international cricket, but he plans to contribute in other ways. “I have my ideas of what changes need to be made, with the leagues for example, and I will spend whatever time possible with these guys discussing the same.” He could also become a member of the managing committee through his club, the Bangalore United Cricket Club, should it win the right to have a representative on the committee.

Mahela Jayawardene has led Sri Lanka into the fourth major limited-overs final of his career – now all he has to do is win one

David Hopps in Colombo04-Oct-2012Mahela Jayawardene has led Sri Lanka into the fourth major limited-overs final of his career – now all he has to do is win one. He calls himself “blessed,” and he is, but he knows that only victory in Colombo on Sunday will silence complaints that Sri Lanka always fail at the final hurdle.Sri Lanka had to battle for their 16-run win against Pakistan after setting them a target of 140, which was distinctly vulnerable even on a slow, turning pitch at the Premadasa Stadium. The manner in which they did it deepened Jayawardene’s faith that this time their experience in the final will be different.Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga have all joined their captain in suffering defeat in three previous finals, the worst of them coming last year when Sri Lanka were routed by India in the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai, following defeats against Australia in Barbados in the 2007 World Cup, and a World Twenty20 loss against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2009.There was no time for Jayawardene to savour victory against Pakistan before he had to make light of talk of rising tension. “We are all really happy to be part of a very successful group over a period of time,” he said. “We have been blessed with four now – although I know we haven’t won anything. But four finals, it’s amazing. In one’s career you are lucky enough to play in one final.”They have all had to be approached in different ways. One final was in Barbados, one in England, one was in Mumbai. Now we are playing in Premadasa, so we will approach it differently.”I think experience-wise we are much better: Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis were all pretty new when we lost against Pakistan and we have played a lot of Twenty20 since then. We play with a very positive mindset. We spoke at the start of the tournament that we would have to play on three different surfaces in Hambantota, Pallakele and now Colombo. We had to adapt. It is about handling tough situations better.”Jayawardene tonight was a captain who actually captained. There were none of the high jinks that entailed in the final Super Eights game against England in Pallakele he officially handed the captaincy to Sangakkara, so as to protect himself from a potential suspension for a second transgression for slow overrates, but then ran the show unofficially much as he always would.The likelihood is that the authorities – Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC or most probably a bit of both – let it be known that further mischief would be frowned upon. That is the thing about a good trick – it is best not repeated.Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captain, felt around 150 was par on this pitch and repeatedly blamed his team’s defeat on a middle-order collapse. Jayawardene, by contrast, felt 140 was around par – “a score where we could challenge.” “The way we started, we probably fell short by about 15 or 20 runs, but Umar Gul bowled well and pulled us back.”Pakistan brought in an extra bowler so we had to adjust ourselves up front. Sohail Tanvir usually picks up wickets for them so we changed our game plan and tried to hold out for six overs and then we knew we could attack their spinners. Today it worked for us. Sometimes you may lose calls and it doesn’t work, but I think our situation has been pretty good in this tournament.”Chasing down runs is always going to be a tough call in a semi-final. Hafeez batted really well and guided them through the first 10 or so overs, but we knew they were a batter short today and we kept pressure on them.”

Brian Lara has been invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to represent the side in domestic Twenty20 events if he is interested

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2010Brian Lara has been invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to represent the side in domestic Twenty20 events if he is interested.”There is only one Brian Lara in this world, and if he is interested in representing T&T at T20 cricket, I am sure the selectors will be more than willing to give him a very serious look,” TTCB president Azim Bassarath said. “Brian has done a lot for cricket. He is a hero, a legend and we have to take care of our heroes. I would like him to know that the TTCB stands ready to support him in his future endeavours.”Lara retired from the international game in 2007, but returned to action in October this year when he turned out in the Zimbabwe domestic Twenty20 tournament. He has also expressed an interest is participating in the 2011 edition of the India Premier League, and has been included in the preliminary auction list, at the highest base price of $400,000.Bassarath hoped Lara would play in the Cricket Festival T20 series starting Tuesday. “I spoke to Brian and offered him an opportunity to play in the T20 invitational,” Bassarath said. “However, he flew into Trinidad on Thursday night and said he would be off again on Monday so it will be difficult to take part in the series.”Earlier Lara told ESPNcricinfo that the league in Zimbabwe was not the toughest. “If I was to give myself a chance to play in the IPL, then I need to start now,” he said. “I tried negotiating with Surrey in May and that fell through. I am not going to say that I am ready for the IPL. The option is around the corner, and I have put my name in the hat. But I need to play cricket regularly from now till then to get fit and capable of doing justice to the game and to my form in such a highly competitive league.”

Jonty Rhodes, the former South African batsman, will continue to help Kenya with their preparations for the World Cup, which starts on February 19

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Jonty Rhodes, the former South African batsman, will continue to help Kenya with their preparations for the World Cup, which starts on February 19. Rhodes, who first worked with the team during a three-week training camp at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria in November 2010, will link up with the squad when they return to Kenya later this week, following a tour of India.Kenya are currently engaged on a World Cup warm-up tour of India and crashed to heavy losses in the first four encounters of their trip, with their final match against Baroda XI at Vadodara on Tuesday.”Jonty will be a tremendous asset to the squad during the final phase of our preparation,” said Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears. “The reports that came back from the squad after working with him in South Africa were incredibly enthusiastic and we are delighted that he will be with us again during this crucial period.”We are doing everything we can to ensure our squad arrive at the World Cup in a position to fulfill their undoubted potential and Jonty’s involvement will be a key part of that.”Rhodes will be with the squad during their World Cup preparations in Nairobi, and will also travel with them to an ICC High Performance Camp in Dubai on 30 January and then on to Sri Lanka for the final stage of the preparations and warm up matches. Kenya’s first game of the competition is against New Zealand at Chennai on February 20.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly now eyeing up a potential summer move for Jordan Veretout.

The Lowdown: January transfer failure

Spurs were strongly linked with a deal for the 28-year-old in the January transfer window, but ultimately a move never came to fruition, so he has stayed put at AS Roma.

Under former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho, who dubbed him a ‘quality’ player last month, he has four goals and nine assists in 33 games across all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt) – handy numbers indeed for a central midfielder.

No Lilywhites midfielder has more than three goals or assists combined in the Premier League this season, so it is an area where they could certainly improve.

The Latest: Spurs eye summer move for Veretout

As per Roma Today, Tottenham are now eyeing a move in the summer for Veretout, as are Newcastle United

Antonio Conte is an admirer of the Frenchman, but it would cost Spurs no less than €25m (£20.9m) to land his signature.

The Verdict: Bargain

Given that his market value is currently rated at £27m by Transfermarkt, signing Veretout for less than that figure would be a bargain for Spurs.

At 28 years of age, he is in his prime, so now is the best time to go and get the £91,000-per-week playmaker, who already has Premier League experience from his time at Aston Villa.

Also, Conte will know him well from his time in the Serie A, so the Italian should be able to get the most out of the player should he make the switch to north London.

In other news, Spurs are ready to sign this ‘world-class’ Mauricio Pochettino favourite

Sulieman Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, has been suspended for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team’s third Test match against South Africa in Barbados

Cricinfo staff10-Jul-2010Sulieman Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, has been suspended for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against South Africa in Barbados last month. South Africa had asked the ICC to take disciplinary action against him last week following his altercation with fast bowler Dale Steyn on the third day of the Test.Benn pleaded guilty to a Level 2 breach of the code and was penalised by match referee Jeff Crowe. His previous disciplinary troubles means he now faces a ban of one Test or two ODIs or two Twenty20s, whichever comes first.The incident took place during lunch on the third day at the Kensington Oval when Benn barged into the South African dressing room and taunted some of the players and management. This followed the dismissal of Steyn a few overs before lunch when the fast bowler appeared to spit in the direction of Benn as he walked towards the pavilion. That cost Steyn his entire match fee, though the match referee agreed that Benn had provoked Steyn in the overs leading up to his dismissal.”Whatever had gone on before Sulieman entered the Proteas’ dressing room, while helping to explain his behaviour, cannot justify it,” Crowe said. “Clearly, Sulieman has acted inappropriately here and in a way that is contrary to the spirit of cricket.”Benn has had behavioural issues over the past year, including a dust-up with Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin during the Perth Test in December, which earned him a two-ODI ban. He was fined his full match fee by the West Indies management last month after he was ordered off the field by captain Chris Gayle for failing to follow his instructions during the fourth ODI against South Africa.His spat with Steyn was not the only ugly incident in an ill-tempered final Test in Barbados. Fast bowler Kemar Roach lost half his match fee after a run-in with Jacques Kallis during the closing stages of the match. He repeatedly walked up to and exchanged words with the batsman after testing him with a series of bouncers. The stand-off threatened to escalate and required the intervention of the umpires and West Indies fielders to come under control.

Soccer legend Ronaldinho recently repped NBA superstar Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics jersey on an episode of Survivor Turkey.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Ronaldinho guests on Survivor TurkeyWears Jayson Tatum jerseyPlays beach soccer with contestantsWHAT HAPPENED?

In the clip posted by the survival TV show, the Brazil legend was a guest speaking to contestants, who then proceeded to play a game of beach soccer with them. Of course, Ronaldinho wore the Celtics jersey on the sandy pitch while skilling alongside contestants!

The ex-Barcelona man followed it with a game of soccer tennis on the beach with the group.

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Tatum recently met up with soon-to-be real Madrid star Endrick last December, when the duo posed for photos courtside at TD Garden. Ronaldinho, meanwhile, is thoroughly enjoying his retirement from the professional game. Last June, in another visit to Turkey, the Brazil legend scored a 120-meter long-range volley onto a boat into a river. Safe to say Turkey is treating him well!

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDINHO AND TATUM?

The Boston Celtics currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, with a record of 43-12 this season. Meanwhile, Ronaldinho is enjoying retirement, with his latest cameo being on the survival TV show in Turkey. Who knows where he will pop up on our screens next!

This was the game the summer so desperately needed. A tight contest, in front of a full house, fought to the bitter end as England held their nerve, securing a four-wicket victory with three balls remaining to ensure Andrew Strauss’s fantastic 126 didn’t

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at Headingley12-Sep-2010
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss scored his fifth ODI hundred to power England’s challenge•Getty ImagesThis was the game the summer so desperately needed. A tight contest, in front of a full house, fought to the bitter end as England held their nerve, securing a four-wicket victory with three balls remaining to ensure Andrew Strauss’s fantastic 126 didn’t go to waste. For a while that looked a close-run thing as the middle order stuttered in the final 10 overs, but Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan retained their composure to keep the home side’s winning run going, and hoist them up to No. 2 in the World ODI rankings.Strauss and Jonathan Trott added 146 for the second wicket to break the back of a stiff 295-run chase after Pakistan’s most complete batting display of the tour. England were never in total command of the asking-rate, but the requirement was looking more challenging than they would have liked after some less-than-clear thinking during the batting Powerplay. After 40 overs they were 221 for 3 – exactly the same score that Pakistan had reached- however, Strauss fell lbw sweeping at Saeed Ajmal before Eoin Morgan, England’s cool-headed finisher, picked out the only fielder on the off-side boundary at deep point. Ravi Bopara then failed to clear long-off against Ajmal in the penultimate over to keep the punters on tenterhooks.But Yardy is also proving himself to be a consummate closer of run-chases having twice been in the middle during the Twenty20 internationals, and he collected a pair of vital boundaries off Umar Gul and Ajmal. Needing 13 off the last two overs, all that was required was clear thinking, but Bopara tried to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and failed, which left Bresnan to guide the side home in front of his home crowd. He cut his first ball through the covers then, in the last over from Gul, top-edged a pull off the keeper to level the scores and extinguish the doubts.Bresnan had shown calmness earlier in the summer against Australia, at Old Trafford, as England nicked a one-wicket win having looked like throwing victory away, but it was fitting that this win was secured in marginally shambolic fashion as Bresnan chanced a non-existent single to mid-off only for Fawad Alam’s throw to miss. So after a few deep breaths and nervous moments England could celebrate a 2-0 cushion in the five-match series and it would have been harsh on Strauss if his innings had ended in a losing cause.There are still those who question Strauss’s place in the one-day side because of a concern his style – dominated by square-of-the-wicket shots – won’t be so successful on the slower subcontinent pitches England will face during the World Cup. But he can do no more than score a bucketload of runs, which he has done in recent one-day matches with this being his second hundred in three games following the 154 he struck against Bangladesh at Edgbaston.Strauss’s game is also evolving and while he will probably never plunder runs between mid-off and mid-on, they are still viable scoring areas. His swipe for six over midwicket off Shahid Afridi to reach fifty showed how his game has developed against slow bowling since his return to the one-day arena 18 months ago. It was his 21st six in seven years of ODI cricket. Eleven of those have come since June.Pakistan will rue two moments; firstly when Mohammad Irfan spilled a catch at short fine-leg with Strauss on 23, then when he was on 38 as Kamran Akmal held a superb catch diving down the leg-side off Gul and Pakistan were convinced there was a glove. Billy Doctrove, however, was unmoved. Still, though, the visitors’ fielding was poor with too many fumbles and poor arms in the outfield.Steven Davies had given another eye-catching glimpse of his ability with 26 off 21 balls to help launch the innings positively before edging behind against Shoaib Akthar and then Strauss was joined by Trott in the crucial partnership. Trott continued to bat in the bubble he has occupied all summer, content to work the gaps while his captain was batting so fluently.His fifty came from 67 balls and progress was serene for England with barely more than a run a ball required over the last 17 overs. That changed, though, when Trott was run out from short third-man having survived an lbw shout only to charge down the pitch for a reaction single. Paul Collingwood again couldn’t get his innings going and picked out long-off against Afridi with Pakistan suddenly believing. They couldn’t quite pull off a comeback, but there were continued signs of improvement throughout.Kamran led from the top with a powerful 72-ball 74. That was followed by a maiden one-day fifty from the impressive Asad Shafiq while Mohammad Yousuf contributed a calm 46. England were below their usual high standards especially with the ground fielding, while Stuart Broad’s 4 for 81 was the most expensive four-wicket haul in ODI history.James Anderson was the only bowler to offer early control as Kamran took to Bresnan and Broad in an opening stand of 122 with Mohammad Hafeez – Pakistan’s best in any international during their stay in England. Kamran collected his second consecutive fifty, this one at a run a ball, before playing across the line at Collingwood’s second delivery.However, for once the middle order had a platform set for them which allowed Yousuf and Shafiq to consolidate before attacking again. Yousuf, who offered one very tough opportunity on 18 when Morgan couldn’t quite make up considerable ground at deep midwicket, fell when he tried to guide Broad to third man, but Shafiq continued to show his talent when he skipped down the pitch and launched Graeme Swann over long-on.But Pakistan didn’t make full use of their Powerplay as Broad, despite being expensive, claimed three wickets in seven balls while Bresnan and Anderson had their yorkers on target. That lack of late ignition meant the total didn’t cross 300 and that proved crucial in the final outcome.

Mervyn Westfield, the Essex pace bowler who was questioned by police over spot-fixing allegations along with Danish Kaneria, has been released by the county

Cricinfo staff20-Aug-2010Mervyn Westfield, the Essex pace bowler who was questioned by police over spot-fixing allegations along with Danish Kaneria, has been released by the county.Westfield, 22, made his debut in 2005 but has played just seven first-class games and taken 11 wickets alongside eight one-day appearances.”It is a huge disappointment that it has come to this; for the past few years we had high hopes for Merv to become a big name in cricket,” said Paul Grayson, the Essex head coach. “He has received a lot of guidance from our players and coaches and he has not progressed as we would have hoped. Mervyn is keen to stay in the game and we wish him every success in finding another county to play for.”John Maunders, the left handed batsman, has also been let go after failing to secure a regular first-team place and is unlikely to gain another county.”It has come to that time of year once again, it is always a tough time of year,” Grayson said. “John has nearly reached the age of 30, he has unfortunately been injury prone this season and has been limited to a few County Championship appearances.”He needed to be scoring runs, and that has not been the case so it is time for us both to move on. John is currently looking at other avenues of employment.”