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West Ham United have plenty of money to play with in the remaining weeks of the transfer window after landing £105m through the sale of Declan Rice.

However, with just three weeks to go until the new Premier League season begins, it appears that the Irons may be getting desperate in their search for new recruits.

Who are West Ham United's strikers?

While a midfield replacement for Rice is a priority for Moyes, West Ham could also do with strengthening in various other positions, not least up front.

United spent £35.5m to sign Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo last summer, but the Italian striker failed to make the impact expected of him in his debut campaign at the London Stadium.

Other than Scamacca, David Moyes has just Danny Ings, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma to call upon in attack – hardly the most prolific list of goalscorers.

A number of potential options have emerged for West Ham in the striking department, with AC Milan striker Divock Origi the latest on the list.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the club have held talks with the Italian side over a possible deal.

How many goals has Divock Origi scored?

Origi joined Serie A giants Milan on a free transfer last year after bringing an end to his seven-season stay at Liverpool, with whom he became a fan favourite.

The Belgium international had a knack of scoring important goals, but a return of 22 from 107 Premier League appearances was hardly much to shout about.

That has been a similar story at the San Siro, having netted only twice – while assisting another – in 27 league appearances for Milan. Origi's slow start led to him being labelled Serie A's worst signing last season by Italian journalist Alvise Cagnazzo.

A change of surroundings has not exactly led to a change of fortunes for Origi, and it begs the question of exactly why Moyes' men would want to bring him on board.

Indeed, with 0.15 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes over the past year, Origi ranks in the bottom 10% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues, as per FBref. Scamacca does not fare much better in that regard, mind, as he is in the bottom 17% with 0.24 non-penalty goals per 90.

Moyes would surely be better off putting his faith in Scamacca, who was often unfairly left out of the side at times last season, as the former Sassuolo ace not only scores at a better rate than Origi (0.29 v 0.18 goals per 90 respectively), but he also comes out on top in various other metrics.

That includes goals per shot (0.10 v 0.07), aerial duels won (44.7% v 30.6%) and tackles and interceptions per 90 combined (1.36 v 0.88) – an increasingly important trait for a forward – while they are pretty much identical in terms of pass-completion percentage (66.7 for Scamacca; 66.3 for Origi).

Previously described as a "terrible" player by football reporter Leigh Curtis, it is difficult to see how 28-year-old Origi – on wages of £85,000 a week, according to Capology – can improve West Ham's attack.

Instead, Moyes would be better off biding his time in search of the right man, even if that means taking his search right down to the wire.

The former Pakistan opener has 14 days to respond to the charges of alleged breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code

Umar Farooq11-Apr-2017

The Pakistan Cricket Board has formally charged Nasir Jamshed, the former Pakistan opener, as part of its ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption in the 2017 Pakistan Super League. Jamshed has been charged with two violations of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code, which deal, essentially, with obstructing and not cooperating with an investigation.Related Articles of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code

2.4.6: Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation carried out by the PCB Vigilance and Security Department in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (whether as part of a formal Demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.

2.4.7: Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the PCB Vigilance and Security Department in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under this Anti- Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.

Jamshed, who is presently based in Birmingham, has 14 days to respond to the charges. The former batsman was arrested by England’s National Crime Agency [NCA] in February and is also being investigated by the agency as part of the same case.Jamshed is alleged to have breached clauses 2.4.6 and 2.4.7 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code, for “failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate” with a PCB investigation and “obstructing or delaying any investigation” of the board. Those charges stem from unsuccessful efforts the PCB claims to have made to try and meet or communicate with Jamshed – one official was in the UK recently but was unable to meet him.The board believes him to be a central figure in the corruption controversy that occurred during the second edition of the PSL and the possibility of laying further charges, said one official, has not been ruled out. Jamshed was arrested on the same day that he was provisionally suspended by the PCB, and was later released on bail.At the time, the NCA released a statement which said that the two men were arrested “in connection with bribery offences as part of an ongoing investigation into international cricket match spot-fixing.” The agency also stated it was “working closely” with PCB and ICC anti-corruption units.Four other players – Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan and Shahzaib Hasan – were also provisionally suspended as part of the investigation. Irfan was later banned from all forms of cricket for one year after he pleaded guilty to failing to report details of two approaches to corrupt the game. Sharjeel, Latif and Shahzaib were charged for alleged breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code. Hasan was charged with breaching three major clauses of the PCB’s anti-corruption code, including allegedly inducing players in corruption indirectly. However, like Sharjeel and Latif, Hasan has contested the charges and the three players will attend hearings before a three-man tribunal constituted by the Pakistan board.Not that long ago, Jamshed was Pakistan’s first-choice opener in limited-overs cricket, and with three ODI hundreds against India between March 2012 and January 2013, one with a potentially long career ahead of him. Thereafter, however, a dip in form and confidence led to his ouster. Between the end of the India series in January 2013 – a peak in his short career – and the start of the 2015 World Cup, Jamshed scored 458 runs at an average of 19.91 with only two fifties, featuring in 23 of Pakistan’s 50 ODIs in this period. Before this, he had averaged 50.26 in 22 ODIs since his debut, scoring 955 runs, with three centuries and six fifties.His last appearances for Pakistan was at the World Cup where he only made five runs in three matches. So poor has his form been that he was not picked for either season of the PSL. Jamshed has also played two Tests, both against South Africa in February 2013.

While AB de Villiers admitted South Africa enjoyed getting their own back at Eden Park, he stressed there was more to the series win than just erasing bad memories

Firdose Moonda at Eden Park04-Mar-2017While AB de Villiers admitted South Africa enjoyed getting their own back at Eden Park, he stressed there was more to the series win than just erasing bad memories. Victory in the decider has put the Champions Trophy firmly in South Africa’s sights as they proved to themselves they can perform under pressure.”There’s a bit of emotion in us winning the series, especially chasing under pressure. We’ll enjoy the victory. It doesn’t make it right after we lost the semi-final. That will never change,” de Villiers said. “But as we sit here now, we’ve just won a game against New Zealand in a final at Eden Park so it’s a great feeling. We’ve come a long way since that semi-final.”South Africa have won seven of their nine series since the 2015 World Cup, including a one-off match against Ireland and a 5-0 whitewash over each of Australia and Sri Lanka this summer, and have hit a run of form that gives de Villiers hope that an ICC trophy is not far away.”I felt ready [for the Champions Trophy] before this tour but this was a really good test for us. I truly believe we are ready,” he said. “It will be silly for me to say yes we are going to win it even though I believe that in my heart, but no one is going to make silly statements like that. We are going there to win and I think we are ready, so if all things go well I think we will be there at the end of the tournament.”No regrets over Test hiatus for de Villiers

South Africa’s ODI series win in New Zealand was not enough to change AB de Villiers’ mind about his decision to take a break from Test cricket until at least December this year. De Villiers has opted out of South Africa’s upcoming three Tests in New Zealand, the four-Test series in England and a two-match series at home against Bangladesh in September-October, as he focuses on workload management in order to stay fit until the 2019 World Cup.
“I can’t wait to get home. I am really looking forward to get to my family,” he said. “A three-week tour works really well. A couple of weeks at home before more cricket starts again is coming at a great time for me. I will really miss the boys and I will watch the cricket, but it’s a great time for me to get back and rest the mind.”

De Villiers is particularly pleased with South Africa’s consistency with the ball – they have bowled their opposition out in 10 of their last 16 ODIs – and confidence with the bat, which he thought shone through on Saturday. Although South Africa were only chasing 150, the surface offered the bowlers a bit and things could have gone very wrong very quickly. South Africa were 48 for 3 and then 88 for 4, when de Villiers was dismissed, and they needed calm heads to get home.Faf du Plessis’ second half-century of the series and David Miller’s 35-ball 45 got them there and showed de Villiers improvement in the way his team approaches chases. “Tonight was a great way to show everyone we can handle pressure, that we can cross the line in tight games with tricky totals and a really good bowling opposition who squeeze you very hard,” he said. “All our batters showed a lot of positivity, which was great. In the past we fell into traps of being conservative and being stuck in a bubble when the pressure is on. We hit ourselves out of that with great body language and good skill throughout the innings. It’s a great step in the right direction.”His pace spearhead, Kagiso Rabada agrees.The 21 year old used exactly the same words to describe South Africa’s position at the moment and also thinks they are ripe for major-tournament success, but Rabada’s assessment came with a warning: the Champions Trophy is still three months away. “We are going in the right direction. If the Champions Trophy was tomorrow will be ready but, when we get to England, we will be apart from each other for quite a while,” he said. “We will get back together when it’s closer to the time and recuperate and then we need to get going from where we left off. That’s going to be important.”That South Africa’s major preparations for the Champions Trophy are complete long before the event could be considered super-efficient. It could also become a case of peaking too early, so their biggest challenge will be sustaining the momentum they have gathered so far.What might assist them in that cause is the differing nature of their most recent series wins. South Africa have swung from complete domination over Sri Lanka to a seesaw contest against New Zealand, in which the advantage changed hands after every game. Rabada saw the value in both experiences and chances are the rest of the team did too.”It was nice to beat Sri Lanka 5-0. It shows a clinical performance and attention to detail and then this one was really nitty gritty. Both of them have their pros and both have their own feelings,” he said. “Beating a team 5-0 shows you are going into every game not being complacent, paying attention to the small things and professionalism. In a tight series, there’s more pressure and we handled the pressure really well. Competition keeps you on your toes, so I enjoy both.”

Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement in principle with Clement Lenglet over a three-year contract, according to reports from Spain.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham are now edging closer towards completing a deal for James Maddison, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting contracts and documents are set to be completed in the next 24 hours, before the move will finally be made official.

It is not only attacking areas in which Ange Postecoglou is looking to strengthen, with several new defenders also being considered, including Tosin Adarabioyo, Edmond Tapsoba, Micky van de Ven, and at least one other.

As well as looking at options from elsewhere, Postecoglou is also keen to bring Barca loanee Lenglet back to the club on a permanent basis, and there has now been an update on Spurs' pursuit of the defender.

According to reports from Spain (via Sport Witness), Tottenham remain in continuous contacts with the La Liga club over a deal for the Frenchman, and there has been some progress made on the player's side in recent days.

Spurs have now reached an agreement in principle with the 28-year-old over a three-year deal, meaning the only obstacle remaining is agreeing a fee with Barcelona, who are keen to get him off the wage bill.

A transfer fee of €10m (£8.6m) is currently being considered, with the Lilywhites aware of Barca's desire to sell the defender, and unwilling to overspend.

Is Clement Lenglet joining Tottenham?

At this stage, it seems very likely the France international will complete a switch to north London, considering his current club are so eager to get rid of him, and there is evidence he could be a solid addition to Postecoglou's squad.

Hailed as a "brilliant" talent by members of the media, the former Sevilla man put in some promising performances on loan last season, capping off the campaign with a 7.1 Sofascore rating against Leeds United, after making 13 clearances, the most of any player.

The £145k-per-week defender did struggle at times, however, putting in a particularly disappointing performance in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United in April, winning just one of the eight duels he contested.

A fee of £8.6m is hardly going to break the bank for Tottenham, so Lenglet is certainly worth bringing back to the club as a depth option, but Postecoglou will be hoping the centre-back can become more consistent in his second season in the Premier League.

Newcastle United could land themselves Sofyan Amrabat this summer, with a report from FirenzeViola.it, via Sport Witness, stating that they are one of the only teams currently "ready" to stump up the funds for the player.

Are Newcastle United signing Sofyan Amrabat?

Having completed a permanent switch to Fiorentina in Italy three seasons ago, the midfielder has gone on to become an important first-team regular for the Serie A side during his time there. He featured on 29 occasions for them in the league this season and also helped lead them to the Europa Conference League final, with 13 outings in that competition.

It's not his first time in continental action either, having played in both the Europa League and Champions League before for previous sides Club Brugge and Feyenoord. Amrabat then is well-versed in top-level football and having now made a name for himself at the World Cup, he is drawing interest from elsewhere.

That's because, according to a report from FirenzeViola.it, via Sport Witness, the midfielder is wanted by both Newcastle and Liverpool during this summer window.

It states that both Premier League outfits are keeping tabs on the 26-year-old and that of all the interested parties in the player, they are the two clubs "ready to pay" the asking price for his services, though it does not specify what the price actually is.

What is Amrabat's transfer value?

Having become a key player for Fiorentina, they will no doubt want to recoup more money for the midfielder than they paid for him. No fee is mentioned in the report, but Transfermarkt suggests that his value currently could be around 30 million Euros (or £25.7m).

If that was the case, then Newcastle would have to pay at least slightly more than the Italians did for Amrabat, meaning the Serie A side would at least make a profit on him.

It could be worth paying that amount of money too. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has called the former Hellas Verona man an "icon of Moroccan football" because of his showings for club and country. You don't get that label for a World Cup semi-finalist without being a solid player, regardless of the concerns about buying players after international tournaments.

Newcastle would clearly be getting themselves a midfielder who can really do the business for them in the centre of the field, with Amrabat even likened to Gennaro Gattuso by former England manager Fabio Capello.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly identified their target to solve the clubs’ goal scoring woes, as Julen Lopetegui looks towards a busy summer.

The Spaniard will face a challenging transfer window following the emergence of Wolves’ FFP issues, however the show must go on and Molineux must see improvements over the break.

One name has been on the radar since the conclusion of the Premier League season, in a move that could transform Wolves in the final third.

What’s the latest on Viktor Gyokeres to Wolves?

As reported by talkSPORT at the beginning of May, Wolves are interested in Coventry City talisman Viktor Gyokeres.

Since the news first surfaced, it has emerged that the Midlands side will face competition for the striker, with Sporting Lisbon and Burnley also interested.

Portuguese outlet Record (as relayed by Sport Witness) revealed this week that Wolves remain in the race for the Swedish forward, with Sporting CP set to ‘struggle’ to battle the Premier League side due to their ‘bigger financial capacity’.

The report claimed that the price set by Coventry for the goalscoring machine is in the region of €20m (£17m).

What could Viktor Gyokeres bring to Wolves?

Ending the season as the lowest scorers in the Premier League, Lopetegui must solve the equation to get his side firing again, having netted just 31 goals in 38 games.

Once hailed as “unplayable” by former teammate Maxime Biamou, Gyokeres could be the man to end the stagnant nature in front of goal at Molineux, having scored 21 goals in the Championship this campaign.

While Wolves as a club would benefit hugely by the influence of having a goal machine leading the line once again, one player in particular could be unearthed by his presence.

Matheus Nunes made the move from Sporting CP to Molineux last summer, and has shown glimmers of his quality since arriving, but has been starved of having an attacking outlet to generate play with.

Having also been described as a “playmaker” by members of the media, the Portuguese ace averaged 0.8 key passes per game, a number that could be significantly raised should Lopetegui bring in the correct reinforcements.

As per FBref, the 24-year-old averaged 3.06 progressive passes per 90 this season, far fewer than his average the term before in Portugal, where he completed an average of 5.74 per 90, which shows what he is capable of should Wolves sign a frontman.

Gyokeres could finally unlock Nunes by acting as a player that is goal hungry and always looking for the ball, as communicated by his monstrous 11.01 progressive passes received per 90 over the past year, via FBref.

Placing financial constraints aside, Wolves must find a goal scorer this summer and not many could be more suited to the club than Gyokeres, who could prove to be a vast influence on Lopetegui’s attack.

India A blew away a strong opening partnership by losing four quick wickets and ended the third day of their four-day game still 108 runs behind Australia A with six wickets remaining in their second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2016
ScorecardIndia A blew away a strong opening partnership by losing four quick wickets and ended the third day of their four-day game still 108 runs behind Australia A with six wickets remaining in their second innings.Australia A, who began the day on 5 for 319 in their first innings, piled on 435 for a first-innings lead of 266 runs, with Hilton Cartwright, who was unbeaten on 99 overnight, completing his century. He eventually fell for 117, caught behind off Shardul Thakur, who completed his tenth first-class five-wicket haul and first outside India. He finished with figures of 5 for 101.India A then lost their first four wickets in a cluster – three to Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner, and one to a run out – to finish the day on 4 for 158, with opener Akhil Herwadkar unbeaten on 82 and Sanju Samson giving him company on 34. Holland had 3 for 59 after 15 overs.He could have had four had he not dropped Faiz Fazal off his own bowling. That was one of four reprieves handed to the India A openers during the course of a chancy 84-run partnership. Herwadkar was dropped twice, first by Nic Maddinson at first slip, and then on 53, when Jackson Bird put down a tough chance at leg slip. The dropped catches apart, Australia A also missed a run-out opportunity.India A’s opening partnership ended with a chaotic run-out – a throw at the striker’s end missed the stumps before Travis Dean, backing up, hit the other end to catch Fazal short of his ground. Fazal had played second fiddle to Herwadkar, contributing 29 off 88 balls with two fours and a six. Thereafter, Holland struck three times. First, Karun Nair was trapped lbw, before Manish Pandey was caught by Beau Webster, and finally, Naman Ojha was caught by Bird with the score having touched 100.Herwadkar and Samson then came together for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 58. Samson faced 76 balls for his unbeaten 34, while Herwadkar had faced 188 balls and struck six fours and three sixes.When the day began, Cartwright added 37 more to Australia’s overnight total with Sam Whiteman. After he was dismissed, having faced 193 balls and struck 15 fours and a six, Whiteman batted on. Whiteman, who was unbeaten on 9 overnight, raised a half-century. His 100-ball 51, along with contributions from Kane Richardson (19) and No. 10 Jackson Bird (24), ensured that the lead swelled.

Intentful India pushed sloppy West Indies to a 237-run defeat despite losing a day’s play to rain

The Report by Sidharth Monga13-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:00

Manjrekar: Familiar issues resurfaced for West Indies

On Thursday, the third day of the St Lucia Test, India saw rain wash a whole day’s play out, with runs having been scored at about 2.5 an over on the first two days. The bowlers’ last memory of having taken a wicket was 79.2 overs ago. By the end of the play on Saturday, the fifth day, India had taken 17 wickets in 63.5 overs to complete an incredible Test and series win, one that was borne as much out of belief and intent as out of West Indies’ lack of resistance after what hopefully wasn’t a false dawn in Jamaica.Rohit, Bravo fined after verbal exchange

Darren Bravo and Rohit Sharma have been fined 15% of their respective match fees for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct on the final day of the third Test in St Lucia. Bravo and Rohit were found to have breached Level 1 Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel that deals with conduct that is against the spirit of the game.
Rohit and Bravo had verbally sparred with each other on the fifth morning and did not pay heed to repeated warnings from on-field umpires Nigel Llong and Rod Tucker. Both players admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle. There was no need for formal hearings. The charges were laid by Llong, Tucker, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Nigel Duguid.
Level 1 breaches come with a minimum penalty of a warning or reprimand and/or a fine of up to 50% of the applicable match fee.

India began the final day believing they could still win; West Indies did nothing to make India doubt it. After Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing masterclass left India 285 in lead at the end of the fourth day, India quickly ran away to 60 runs in nine overs to leave West Indies with no chance of winning and 87 overs to survive.That was a big difference between Jamaica and St Lucia: there, one counterattack put the hosts within sight of parity and gave them direction. Here they didn’t know where to go. Feet stopped moving, brains got muddled, plans went absent, and India stayed relentless. The victory, the first time India won two Tests in a series outside Asia since 2005 and the first time ever in the West Indies, arrived before tea.The gulf in the class and awareness between the teams was glaring on the fifth day. It began with awareness and intent. India knew the outfield was slow, they knew they were short on time, so they came out running runs as if in street cricket. Tip and run, runs to slip, second runs with the ball in the fielder’s hand, thirds because of panicked throws and poor backing-up, India almost literally stole these runs from under West Indies’ noses. A six-wicket haul for Miguel Cummins as the batsmen went after the bowling was the only silver lining on a dark day for West Indies cricket. Ajinkya Rahane, not surprisingly, top-scored with an unbeaten 78.Then came the question of class. West Indies still had only 87 overs to survive on a pretty reliable surface. Except that the batting was not reliable. Coming into this innings having lost their last seven first-innings wickets in 16.2 overs, West Indies needed a solid start. It wasn’t to be. On a new-ball pitch, the India quicks were soon going to be all over them. This was going to call for gumption, especially if West Indies lost a wicket early on. Which they duly did, with new opener Leon Johnson fending Mohammed Shami to short leg.Bhuvneshwar, who had cracked the game open with a quick five-for on day four, then had Kraigg Brathwaite – not the only West Indies batsman who prefers to stay back – with a really full delivery. The inswinger held its line a little, Brathwaite played across its line and was caught dead plumb. With openers gone in the fifth over, there was extra responsibility on the most experienced West Indies batsmen, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo. Samuels couldn’t have played a more irresponsible innings.Samuels went from fasting to sugar rush, betraying no sense of plan or direction to his batting. He faced the first 12 balls of his innings responsibly, avoiding the short-pitch barrage nicely. With no run to his name, and no intent to score any until then, out of nowhere he looked for a lofted off drive to the 13th ball he faced. Having survived that rush of blood, having scored his first run off the 21st ball he faced, Samuels got two half-volleys from R Ashwin, boundaries off which should have settled down nerves.Samuels, though, went on a hitting spree. He was lucky he mistimed his next big shot, an attempted loft with a long-on in place. This one fell short, but Samuels, having been dormant for the first half of the innings, struggled to calm himself down. The feet didn’t move, the bat went high, an inswinger from Ishant Sharma burst through the gate and sent the off stump on a cartwheel.Three wickets had been lost in 13.2 overs, but Roston Chase and Bravo batted more sensibly and saw West Indies through to lunch. Post lunch, Ishant produced the delivery of the innings to remove the centurion from Jamaica, Chase. India had got their act together for Chase, bowling fuller than they did in Jamaica, giving him less time to recover should there be any misbehaviour off the pitch. This one misbehaved massively, seaming back in from a full length to take the off stump out.Jermaine Blackwood’s attacking ways were less likely to work here; India had anyway cut off his runs by not bowling in his zone. A frustrated big drive – trying to save a Test with parity nowhere in sight – brought an on-the-line stumping, and half the side was gone even before the ball became old and settled down.After about the 30th over, the pitch settled down a little. The edges began to die, as R Ashwin found out with Bravo who reached his first fifty in eight innings. The seam movement ceased. A main batsman would have found this period easier to negotiate, but Shane Dowrich fell to a disciplined spell from Shami, who followed on from a seven-over interrogation by Bhuvneshwar. Jason Holder ran himself out, and with the tail in the middle it was just a consolation that West Indies managed to cross 100 and didn’t succumb to their lowest total against India.

Chelsea will have to face Manchester City this weekend without seven players on Sunday, with Benoit Badiashile the latest to join the injury list.

What is the Chelsea team news?

The Blues have only three games left this season to try and seal a spot in the top half of the Premier League table. Prior to the weekend's fixtures, the Blues were currently sat 11th and need as many points as they can from their remaining three fixtures if they want to break into the top ten. That is still possible but any higher is mathematically out of the equation for the side this season.

It means that Chelsea are set for their lowest league finish since the 1995/96 season. It's been a torrid campaign for the club, which resulted in both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter being relieved of their duties. Frank Lampard has since taken interim charge of the Stamford Bridge outfit until the end of the season, and it is largely expected that Mauricio Pochettino will then be unveiled as their next boss in the summer.

Their next fixture will see them come face-to-face with high-flying Manchester City, who can seal the league title with a victory over the Blues this weekend, provided Arsenal don't lose to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

However, speaking ahead of the clash, via Absolute Chelsea, Lampard revealed that there are seven players who will miss out on the game. One such name, Kalidou Koulibaly, has made strides and returned to training, but the boss revealed he is still "not really ready" for a fixture such as this one. In addition, there is a fresh name sidelined, with Badiashile, who played last time out against Nottingham Forest, now added to the injury list.

Lampard said:

"Mason [Mount], Reece [James], Chilly [Ben Chilwell], N’Golo [Kante], [Marc] Cucurella not fit. Kouli [Kalidou Koulibaly] has been training this week, but not really ready for a game like this. He’s ahead of schedule to be fair. Benoit [Badiashile] has injured himself in training, so will miss the game."

Who are Chelsea playing in their last three fixtures?

The Blues will have to hope that their fixture against Pep Guardiola's side goes a lot better than it did last time out, with the club suffering a 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup at the Etihad. They also lost 1-0 the last time the two faced in the Premier League. Once they have dealt with City, they then have another tough fixture against Man United and then a final-day clash against Newcastle.

However, in the short term, Lampard will be without Badiashile, labelled as a "complete" defender by a former Monaco coach, so he may need to look towards the likes of Wesley Fofana or Cesar Azpilicueta, both of who were unused substitutes last weekend, or even revert to a back three.

A deep-seated trust issue is central to the problems Zimbabwe Cricket faces as it attempts to build a unified outfit, according to former national coach Alan Butcher

Firdose Moonda27-May-2016A deep-seated trust issue is central to the problems Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) faces as it attempts to build a unified outfit, according to former national coach Alan Butcher. That conclusion was the starkest takeaway from his book , an account of his three years in charge of Zimbabwe.The honest, personal story of Butcher’s time with the team, which he largely enjoyed thoroughly, is filled with details of suspicions, misunderstandings and hidden agendas between ZC management and the players. In some instances, these divisions were racially motivated; in others, they were personality-driven, but combined they had a detrimental effect on morale and performance.”There are massive trust issues in Zimbabwe, and these go back to a time before independence. Independence didn’t just flick a switch and make everything okay….” Butcher writes. “That there will be mistrust of each other’s motives is the most natural thing in the world.”In particular, Butcher reveals how the actions of former convener of selectors Givemore Makoni during the 2012 World T20 led to the retirement of Ray Price the following year.Makoni was appointed to the post in October 2011, 18 months into Butcher’s tenure. Butcher admits only knowing Makoni “a little” but being “apprehensive” about his appointment, having previously dealt with him as a selector.Butcher’s reservations were confirmed shortly after, when the selectors, led by Makoni, unilaterally announced the Test squad to play New Zealand, without meeting with the coach or captain. The group initially excluded Chris Mpofu and Tatenda Taibu, who both ended up playing in the match at Butcher and Brendan Taylor’s insistence. Butcher won that battle, but he would not win many more.The next March, during the World T20, Butcher was invited to dinner with ZC’s communications manager Lovemore Banda, Makoni, and assistant coach Steven Mangongo in Colombo. There, Banda told Butcher there was a perception that Butcher was marginalising Prosper Utseya.”The point was a none too subtle warning there were ‘people’ who were disappointed by the fact that if I thought someone should be dropped from the team that person was always Prosper Utseya and that those people were beginning to think that there was an agenda of some sort against him and that I would be wise to think about the possible consequences of that perception,” Butcher wrote.The quartet went on to enjoy the evening, but once they moved to Hambantota, the venue of their first match, Butcher was made to understand why Banda had communicated that message.The night before Zimbabwe’s opener against Sri Lanka, the coaching staff agreed that Utseya would sit out the first match against Sri Lanka in favour of Graeme Cremer and Ray Price. When Makoni heard the decision, he accused Butcher of “trying to wreck Utseya’s career, of racism and much more besides…”Makoni insisted Utseya should play and Butcher realised “fighting it would cause the team many more problems than having Prosper in it,” and so gave in. However, he then had to inform Price that he would be benched.Price had spent the afternoon in the hotel pool, opposite where the meeting with Makoni and Butcher had taken place, and already had an idea of what was coming. “Although disappointed, recognised an impossible position the captain and I were in and took it pretty well.”Butcher thought the matter was over, but on the day of the match, Grant Flower, the then batting coach, refused to go to the ground because of Utseya’s inclusion in the team. Butcher met with Flower and persuaded him otherwise, but the players had by then learnt of Flower’s threat. Butcher’s immediate task was to see how Utseya was handling it and he discovered the player was “not feeling great about being the reason for a coach refusing to go to the ground.”Utseya was among the better bowlers on the day, but Zimbabwe’s performance was, in Butcher’s words, “shambolic,” and things were only going to get worse.

Utseya’s omission was described as bordering on “the issue of colour,” which Butcher took as an accusation against him of racism. He described it as his “darkest time” in Zimbabwe and it may have played a role in him opting not to reapply for his job later that year

Zimbabwe did not play again until the next February, when they toured the West Indies, and as with any tour, the first job was to pick the squads. Butcher wanted Price “in my team in all formats,” and expected Makoni to disagree, but at their meeting, “Makoni indicated he thought Price should be in the squad.”A few days later, Butcher saw the squad list without Price’s name on it and called Makoni to clarify. Makoni said Price would not be travelling. Butcher gave Price the news, but instructed him not to do anything until Butcher had sorted it out, fearing Price would “retire on principle.” Price, however, set up a meeting with Mangongo and Makoni in which he was “virtually forced to retire from ODIs to continue playing Tests.” As a result, Price travelled as part of the Test squad but not the limited-overs team.Price retired that July after being left out of the ODI squad to play India despite new coach Andy Waller wanting him in the group.In the immediate aftermath of the squad selection for the 2013 tour of West Indies, Butcher noted with “sadness,” that “turned to anger,” reports in the Zimbabwean press detailing the argument with Makoni at the 2012 World T20. Utseya’s omission was described as bordering on “the issue of colour,” which Butcher took as an accusation against him of racism. He described it as his “darkest time” in Zimbabwe and it may have played a role in him opting not to reapply for his job later that year.After Butcher’s departure, Makoni was promoted to a managerial role in ZC in 2015 and Kenyon Ziehl was appointed selection convener. That may change in the next few weeks with ZC set to unveil yet another new selection panel.Butcher compared that kind of constant change to a “revolving door spinning from all exits,” caused by there not being “enough people everybody trusts”. Caught in the middle of that, “a national team of mixed races is expected to just knuckle down and win cricket matches,” which for Butcher is a big ask.Despite the overarching problem in Zimbabwean cricket, Butcher left with the impression that, “trust between the races was alive and well among the younger generations,” but warned that the spirit of goodwill should not be overshadowed by a political system which hardens attitudes. The Good Murungu: A Cricket Tale of the Unexpected