Chelsea have more attacking reinforcements in mind, namely Victor Osimhen, despite a deal being close for Nicolas Jackson, according to 90min journalist Graeme Bailey.

How many goals has Nicolas Jackson scored?

The current Villareal forward had the best season of his career to date in Spain in 2022/23, as the player plundered 12 goals over the course of just 16 starts in the division for his side. Previously, he had produced no goals for the team in La Liga, playing nine times in the last campaign with no return in front of goal.

This year though, the 21-year-old has emerged as a key player for the side and his goalscoring antics have even led to him outperforming some more experienced strikers across Europe. When you compare his stats to others upfront in the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe for example, he does compare well. With 0.68 non-penalty goals per 90 on average, he sits nicely in the top 6% for that stat – which shows just how clinical he has been in front of goal.

Chelsea have been the most keen to bring the player to the Premier League and it looks like the Blues will get their wish too. A recent report suggests that a deal is getting closer and closer, with Mauricio Pochettino's side ready to pay Jackson's release clause of 35 million Euros (£30m) to get a deal done.

Most notably though, Bailey believes that even if Chelsea get a deal over the line for the player, that will not stop them splashing out on a big name centre forward. It appears as though even if the Villareal man does make the jump to England, he might not be the guaranteed line-leader for the Blues – they remain interested in Napoli's Osimhen, despite a price tag of over £100m, which could make things difficult.

Should Chelsea sign both Jackson and Osimhen?

Despite his age, Jackson has already been highly praised for his contributions at Villareal. Having bagged goals and assists aplenty, football talent scout Jacek Kulig labeled him as La Liga's "MVP" over the last few weeks of the season and added that he had been in "incredible form."

If Chelsea manage to seal a deal for him then, they could be getting a really promising young forward who already knows where the back of the net is. The youngster can also play on either wing though, and that would make room for Osimhen, who boasts a quite ridiculous rate this season of 0.87 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes.

The Nigeria international, dubbed "incredible" and an "absolute beast" by Owen Hargreaves, could lead the line for years to come, with Jackson perhaps more targeted for the versatile role Kai Havertz has often filled.

Chelsea remain in pole position to land Brighton's Moises Caicedo as a deal edges closer to completion.

Will Chelsea sign Caicedo?

Chelsea's current focus may be on selling players, but the Blues are still very interested in strengthening their team this summer, with Brighton's Moises Caicedo top of their transfer shortlist.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Chelsea are still extremely interested in the midfielder, with a potential deal moving in the right direction.

"Chelsea, as I told you guys many, many times, are really close to complete agreement on the personal terms. This is 95% done, it's just about the final details, but Caicedo says yes to Chelsea," Romano assured.

He continued: "So Chelsea, at the moment, while I'm speaking, remain in control of Caicedo situation. In advanced talks – more than advanced – with the player and prepare to bid with Brighton."

"So, this is the situation. Chelsea feel they are in control, but, of course, we know very well that in the transfer market you have to close deals".

Romano insists that Chelsea are prioritising offloading players before they look at signing £100m-rated Caicedo, citing the Blues' "big deal" with Saudi Arabia for Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech and Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as potentially Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Callum Hudson-Odoi, as what is taking up most of Chelsea's time right now.

He added that Chelsea are also looking to finalise moves out of Stamford Bridge for Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount to Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.

New boss Mauricio Pochettino already has his first new arrival in the form of £52m Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, albeit the deal was agreed long before he arrived at Chelsea.

Why is Caicedo in demand?

While seen as a more combative defensive midfielder, Caicedo has many strings to his bow.

Following a Premier League campaign in which he made 37 appearances for Brighton, helping them to a Europa League finish, it is easy to see why the Ecuadorian is in such high demand.

He rarely loses the ball in the centre of the park, sitting in the top 6% of Premier League midfielders last campaign for pass accuracy (88.5%). He also sits in the top 10% for short passes completed (92.5%), the top 15% for medium passes (90.5%) and the top 5% for long passes (79.2%).

His defensive statistics are also mightily impressive with an average of 4.47 combined tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, the majority of which come in the middle and defensive third. He is a great shield for a defence and also has the intensity and power to press higher up the pitch and recover the ball closer to the opposition goal.

Despite only being 5ft 10, Caicedo won 64.9% of his aerial duels, featuring in the top 7% among league midfielders and, averaging 7.11 ball recoveries a game, consistently showcases his strong physicality in and out of possession.

At just 21-years-old, the sky is could well be the limit for the South American gem.

While Australia are still navigating their way through a calendar that sees them start a Test in India the day after a T20 at home, South Africa have scheduling challenges of their own. They will play a warm-up match in New Zealand less than 48 hours after their final ODI against Sri Lanka at Centurion and a T20 within a week of their series win. The difference between them and Australia is that South Africa are taking the same group that was on duty at home across 11 time zones to New Zealand.”It’s not ideal. Usually we have a seven to ten day period to acclimatise,” Mohammad Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, who is also a medical doctor, said. “We will have some tricks up our sleeve to help players deal with the jet lag.”But that was as much as Moosajee would give away about how he is planning to help the players adjust. Not even the men themselves seem to know what’s in store. “We will sleep a lot on the plane I guess,” Faf du Plessis joked. “I’m not too sure but we have an amazing team doctor, so I’m sure he has got a plan.”South Africa will play a T20 and five ODIs in New Zealand, with only one change to the squad that beat Sri Lanka 5-0, and that change is only for two matches. Cobras’ quick Dane Paterson has been included as cover for Dwaine Pretorius, who will remain at home to welcome his first child, before flying over.The T20 series, in which du Plessis will captain, will not have as much emphasis placed on it as the ODIs, which form an important part of preparations for the Champions Trophy. South Africa want to be tested, not least because Sri Lanka did not present an adequate enough challenge but they also want to banish some bad memories. The last time South Africa were in New Zealand was at the 2015 World Cup and their semi-final defeat against the hosts still stings.”We have got a bit of unfinished business there form the 2015 World Cup,” AB de Villiers, ODI captain said.While a bilateral series in no way compares to a major tournament, South Africa will use the matches as a barometer to justify their newly gained No. 1 ranking. They took the spot from Australia, who have just been beaten by New Zealand, who sit third. “Being the No. 1 team in the world, people expect you to play a certain level of cricket all the time. With what we’ve got going at the moment, I think we will thrive under that kind of pressure,” de Villiers said. “We’re very positive, we have a great culture and we go there with a lot of confidence and belief in our ability.”The same can be said of the Test outfit, who will play three matches after the limited-overs fest, by which time South Africa will definitely have adjusted to the time difference – any additions to the squad would have enough time too. South Africa will fly over a fresh attack for the three Tests but they need to hope they are all fit. Vernon Philander is nursing a slight ankle impingement and Morne Morkel, who has been out of action since the CPL in mid-2016 with a back concern, will play in domestic one-day matches to determine his availability. Duanne Olivier, who has taken over 50 wickets in this season’s first-class competition, also has a good chance of playing but du Plessis hinted they may also hang on to a few players from the one-day outfit.”The only gap available in our Test team is the third seamer. Morne is coming back. I faced him the other day in the nets and he is bowling beautifully but we’ve also got guys like Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell, who have been bowling well.”Both Morris and Parnell are part of the limited-overs’ squad that depart South Africa on Saturday. On Monday, they will be in action again. No rest.

The Islamabad United captain expressed his disappointment after two of his players were provisionally suspended for alleged breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code

Umar Farooq in Sharjah18-Feb-2017Misbah-ul-Haq, who did so much to steer Pakistan away from the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, has spoken of his disappointment at having to face up to another case of corruption in Pakistan cricket. Six years ago, Misbah took over a Test side gutted by the sudden loss of its captain and opener, Salman Butt, as well as its new-ball pair of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. This time, he was already captain of the Islamabad United side from which Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were chargedfor alleged breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code.”Nobody wants Pakistan and Pakistani players to be associated with fixing again,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “After six years of hard work such things happening again is a matter of great concern and disappointment. I am really disappointed. But, I think whenever such things happen, you have got to be very strong to face them. Forget about the individuals who are responsible and try to make sure that things are not happening again; move forward, try to perform better, try to be disciplined and improve the reputation around the world.”This latest case, during the ongoing Pakistan Super League, has come as the Lord’s trio stands all but reintegrated into the Pakistan system. Misbah has captained Amir at the international level through the course of 2016, while Butt and Asif are back playing domestic cricket. ESPNcricinfo understands Butt is also in contention to make the national squad for the tour of the West Indies in March. But given what has happened in the PSL, the PCB could be forced to rethink that situation.Frustratingly for the Pakistan board, the latest incident has come after six years of concerted effort to tighten its anti-corruption code and practices. Men’s and women’s teams, at all levels, are given lectures before any tour or series, emphasising the dangers of corruption, as well as the ways in which approaches might occur. Players are given literature in Urdu as well. At the domestic level, apart from the regular programme, Amir, Asif and Butt gave anti-corruption lectures in which they spoke about their experiences.The alleged incidents of corruption in the PSL have come as big blow for the PCB, which had taken great steps to stamp it out of Pakistan cricket•PCBBoth Sharjeel and Latif are Pakistan internationals. Sharjeel, especially, was on the verge of becoming a vital cog in the national side. He has played 25 ODIs and 15 T20Is since his debut in December 2013, and over the last year or so, blossomed into the kind of opener Pakistan needed, especially in limited-overs cricket. He was one of the few bright spots in Pakistan’s chastening tour of Australia recently, from the time he made his Test debut in Sydney to his three fifties in the ODI series. Potentially, under the PCB’s anti-corruption code, he could be facing a life ban.Losing Sharjeel and Latif, along with Andre Russell before the season began for an anti-doping code violation, has hit Islamabad hard as they try to defend their title. At the halfway stage of the PSL, they have two wins and two losses.”It obviously affects you when your match-winners and best players go down, but then, there are other boys on the bench raring to go in, and they are equally good,” Misbah said. “There are tough situations, but it’s about the environment and the winning habit so that it doesn’t matter who comes and goes. The boys take inspiration from every win. They are building up, they are getting the confidence, and with couple of victories, we have a way forward in this PSL. They know their roles, they are always ready to chip in and win us games. Our squad is capable enough to retain the title this year.”Islamabad retained their 17 players this season. The core of their side, however, is an aging one, with several of them over 35 years old. But for Misbah, that is an asset.”Philosophy is just to have players who have better understanding about the game,” he said. “Players who are fit for the game, know their roles, handle pressure very well, and if there are younger players around, then they have good chance in making in our squad as well. It’s not deliberate, but this is actually helping us because we have players from around the world who are mature and experienced in this format. This is actually an advantage for us in many ways as we have players who are mentally strong.”

Sunderland have thrown their hat into the ring in the race to sign Sonny Perkins on loan this summer, according to a report from TeamTalk.

Who is Sonny Perkins?

The 19-year-old currently plays for Leeds United, having been poached from West Ham at the beginning of the campaign. Whilst he hasn't been a first-team regular for the Whites, he has already been handed his first-team debut for the squad and even has a goal to his name in his three appearances for them.

Before leaving, he was also given the same amount of action by the Hammers.

Whilst he is clearly highly regarded to have been thrown into the first-team squad at his age, he has had to make do with reserve team football for the most part. However, the player has thrived in those outings and has become even more impressive since his move to Leeds.

Having produced twelve goals in 23 games for West Ham's Under-21 team, he has now managed a further 13 efforts in 23 games for the Whites' Under-21 side. It's led to him being called up for England's Under-19 team, where he has continued to shine with five goals in just three games for them. In addition, he's featured for his country's Under-18, Under-16 and Under-15 outfits previously.

Are Sunderland signing Sonny Perkins?

Now, this form has caught the eye of several Championship sides who are prepared to give him that regular first-team action. According to a report from TeamTalk, Sunderland are one of the second tier sides who are keen to try and bring Perkins in on a short-term basis for next season.

It's a surprise that Leeds are prepared to let the 19-year-old leave on loan, considering that they too are back in the Championship, but it appears that the club are willing to allow Perkins to go and find more playing time and the Black Cats have "registered their interest".

He certainly looks like he could have the potential to be a real asset for Sunderland. Back when he joined up with Leeds, he was labelled as a "very interesting signing" and "on fire" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig for example, who highlighted how impressive he had been for both his country's youth team and West Ham United's.

If he can get regular football with the Black Cats, it could bring the same kind of form out of the player next season.

Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea will still feel like "they can win the signature of Lavia" as the race to land the Southampton midfielder is still "pretty open", claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Arsenal transfer news – what's the latest on Romeo Lavia

The summer window has kicked off in some style in Islington as the Gunners have already confirmed the £65m purchase of Chelsea's Kai Havertz, and the deal to bring Declan Rice to the Emirates is also nearing completion.

Alongside these established names, the club has been linked to Southampton's exciting young prospect and full Belgian international, Romeo Lavia.

According to a report from the Independent, Arsenal first turned their attention towards the £45m player after concluding that any deal to bring in Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo would be too difficult to achieve alongside their other targets.

However, the race has become a lot more complicated as Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be directly challenging the Gunners for his signature, with Liverpool 'monitoring' developments for now.

Where there is some doubt as to where Lavia would fit in at Arsenal, there is less about any potential move to the Red Devils.

At the moment, Erik ten Hag's choices in defensive midfield are the imperious Casemiro and the hard-working but under equipped Scott McTominay. If United could bring the 19-year-old to Old Trafford, he could make for the perfect understudy to the 30-year-old Brazilian, eventually stepping in to replace him a few seasons from now.

Chelsea on the other hand have just sold a huge portion of their midfield with N'Golo Kante moving to Saudi Arabia, Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City and the aforementioned Havertz to Arsenal deal, so a move for the Brussels-gem would make perfect sense, filling a current gap in the team and potentially staying with the club for the next decade.

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about the race to sign Romeo Lavia?

Jones was confident that no club had the upper hand regarding the young Belgian at the moment and that all three teams will feel relatively good about their chances.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I honestly think it's pretty open race at the moment. I wouldn't say that Arsenal are placed any better than Chelsea any better than Man United. I think that all of those clubs will feel that they can still win the signature of Lavia."

Do Arsenal need to sign Romeo Lavia?

The sides in this transfer saga could clearly use Lavia both now and in the future, but what about Mikel Arteta's side?

Well, it's a little more complicated; as things stand, the club have Thomas Partey and Mohammed Elneny in that defensive midfield position and will soon add Rice, the club's most expensive transfer ever.

From that, it looks hard to see where the "monster" – as dubbed by football writer Benjy Nurick – would fit into Arteta's immediate plans.

However, if the recent report from the Telegraph claiming that the club will cash in on Ghanaian international Partey is true, there could well be a way into the team for the ex-Manchester City wonderkid.

However, with Rice likely to take Partey's place as the clubs go to defensive midfielder anyway, Lavia would still be firmly behind a player only five years his senior.

While he would certainly be a fantastic rotation option, the player might view himself as something other than just a backup.

Whoever ends up landing the Southampton starlet will have an unbelievable prospect on their books, but it looks like some teams need his services more than others.

Celtic have endured a difficult summer so far as they have had to deal with plenty of change, both in the dugout and throughout the playing squad.

Australian manager Ange Postecoglou left last month after two years at the helm and has been replaced by Brendan Rodgers, who is now in his second stint in Glasgow.

They have also been rocked by the retirement of midfielder Aaron Mooy and, most recently, the departure of Portuguese star Jota to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.

The winger spent two seasons with the Hoops, one of which was on loan from Benfica, and has now moved on to join the likes of Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante in the Middle East.

Who could replace Jota at Celtic?

Rodgers will need to replace the 24-year-old magician ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and could already have the dream heir to his position in the squad in Israel international Liel Abada.

Football Insider reported earlier this summer that the Hoops are expecting the young forward to depart for £10m amid interest from the Premier League, as he has rejected the offer of a new contract in Glasgow.

However, Jota's departure could provide the exciting ace with the opportunity to become a regular starter for Celtic next season, something that could well tempt him into sticking around.

The ex-Benfica star was Postecoglou's outstanding wide option as he racked up 11 goals and 11 assists in 26 Scottish Premiership starts. Only Kyogo Furuhashi's goals (27) and Matt O'Riley's tally of 12 assists stopped the terrific dynamo from leading the charts for the club in both statistics, which highlights the immense influence he had in the team.

Abada, meanwhile, contributed with ten goals and five assists in 13 league starts for Celtic, whilst he also created ten 'big chances' for his teammates. This means that the 21-year-old was directly involved in a goal every 0.87 starts on average for the Glasgow giants.

Whereas, Jota averaged one every 1.18 starts in the division on average with this suggesting that the potential is there for the £10m-rated talent to be the dream replacement for the Al-Ittihad winger.

Former Scotland full-back Alan Hutton previously described the "revelation" as being "under the radar" because of Jota, something that is evidently backed up by the aforementioned statistics.

The £15k-per-week maestro has been incredibly productive in spite of being in the shadow of the Portuguese ace, so imagine what he could do as a regular starter for the Hoops next season under the Northern Irishman.

Rodgers must place his faith in Abada by making him the replacement for Jota instead of splashing out on a new player to take his place. A fresh addition in that area could also provide strong competition for places to spur the Israel international on to up his own game.

The £14.5m-rated speedster has the quality to score and assist goals week-in-week-out in the Scottish top flight, which is why he deserves an opportunity to stake a claim for a starring role next term.

Half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis took South Africa’s total to 314 – from 5 for 2 and 190 for 6

The Report by Alagappan Muthu26-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:41

De Kock stalls New Zealand despite finger trouble

Injured tendon? The liability New Zealand hoped to exploit became a blaring irritant to their hopes of levelling the series as Quinton de Kock – with a strapped finger on a splint – produced 90 runs of the highest quality. That he has turned 12 of his 29 innings into scores of 50 or more is testament to why South Africa wanted him in their XI for this Test, no matter what.NZ’s rare opening stand

3 Fifty-plus opening stands by New Zealand in 38 Test innings against South Africa since 2000. Before this, they had averaged 17.43 in the last 37 innings.

36.50 Average runs per wicket added by South Africa’s last four wickets this series. Their first six wickets have averaged only 32.69. South Africa added 124 runs after the fall of their sixth wicket in Hamilton, and 265 runs for their last four wickets in the first innings in Wellington.

29.22 Average of South Africa’s batsmen at No. 8 or lower in this series, as opposed to New Zealand’s average of 14.60. South Africa’s tail has had a significant bearing on this series given that the two teams’ top-orders have similar averages.

76.27 Quinton de Kock’s strike rate in his 118-ball 90; the other South African batsmen scored at 52.63. De Kock had rescued South Africa with quick runs in Wellington too – a 118-ball 91 after coming in to bat at 94 for 6.

4-93 Matt Henry’s best figures in Tests, on debut at Lord’s in 2015. His figures in South Africa’s first innings equalled that effort.

On a pitch supporting seam movement and under clouds promising swing, South Africa’s 314 was a better-than-par total. To Tom Latham, it might have looked like a monstrous one. He had not passed 10 in the series, and suddenly had 28 overs to survive against Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada. By stumps, however, he had put on the highest opening partnership of the series with Jeet Raval. The determination both men showed, making 67 runs in the process, was necessary, considering they had let South Africa off the hook. A team that had been 190 for 6 should not have made it to 314.Apart from undermining themselves, New Zealand were also fighting their weather. Forty nine overs were lost on the first day and a few more went down the drain at Seddon Park on the second. Both delays were caused by showers that did not last that long.Perhaps the only reason Kane Williamson thought better of leaving the field to investigate who was sabotaging his team with repetitive rain dances was the wickets his bowlers were able to give him. Matt Henry, on comeback, was responsible for four of them. His strength is bowling a full length and controlling his line well enough to test batsmen outside off stump. So much that in 75 deliveries to right-handers, barely any slipped down the leg side.De Kock, being left-handed, coped far better as he made 26 runs off 28 deliveries from New Zealand’s stand-in spearhead. And if Henry couldn’t make him budge, what chance did the rest have? De Kock launched Jeetan Patel’s offspin for a six over midwicket. He carved cuts behind point when there was little room, and his pull shots were outstanding. He finished with 90 off 118 balls – an innings in defiance of a pitch that wasn’t all that great for strokeplay.It was slow as Temba Bavuma found out, toe-ending a pull to first slip. The humidity and cloud cover ensured there was consistent swing too. Knowing that – and perhaps the fact that a draw was enough to win another trophy – Faf du Plessis reached into his closet and put on his Adelaide gear: do as you please but you won’t get past me. It wasn’t that he was particularly troubled by the bowling. At a drinks break, when a chair was run out for him, the only way du Plessis could have looked more at home was if his dog Giorgio had been by his side and there a braai in the background. So calm was du Plessis, just sipping on his water and chatting with his partner.New Zealand needed something magical to remove the South African captain, and they got it soon after he got to his 12th Test fifty. Latham, at short leg, saw du Plessis premeditating a lap sweep and began moving quickly to his right. He had already covered a yard or so when the ball came within his reach, and then, it was a matter of letting his reflexes take over and hoping they were good enough. Latham stuck out his right hand and secured a catch to give Mitchell Santner a wicket. The left-arm spinner had to wait 61 overs to get into the mix.Williamson was far more partial to his quicks, and Henry would feel unlucky that he still does not have a five-for in Tests. He nabbed Philander, who became the sixth South African to the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets, with a teaser outside off stump. Latham did his bit again to enable the wicket with a fine catch, low to his right at second slip.Henry found the edge again the very next ball, but it fell short of the cordon and Keshav Maharaj survived. Later, an inswinging yorker only just missed making a mess of Morkel’s leg stump. Neil Wagner knocked over Rabada in the next over to finish the innings and deny his team-mate his fifth.

Soon after being picked up at the IPL auction, the Afghanistan duo of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were snapped up at the CPL draft too

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2017

Mohammad Nabi made more history on Friday when he became the first Afghanistan player to be picked in the 2017 CPL draft. The former captain was picked up by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for USD 90,000 in the fourth round of the draft and was closely followed by team-mate Rashid Khan, who was taken in the sixth round for USD 60,000 by Guyana Amazon Warriors.This follows an excellent couple of months for Afghanistan cricket in general. The same pair of Nabi and Rashid had been snapped up at the IPL auction in February by Sunrisers Hyderabad and beginning in December the team has been on a 10-match winning streak in T20Is – a world record. Mere hours before he was picked up, Rashid produced a spellbinding display against Ireland, picking up five wickets in nine balls to turn the game around in an eventual 17-run win.CPL squads

BARBADOS TRIDENTS: Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson*, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Nicholas Pooran, Wayne Parnell, Ravi Rampaul, Wahab Riaz, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Imran Khan, Damion Jacobs, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Wiggins, Tino Best, Shamar Springer, Akeem Dodson
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS: Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill*, Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshan Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Shimron Hetmyer, Ali Khan
JAMAICA TALLAWAHS: Lendl Simmons, Kumar Sangakkara*, Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Rovman Powell, Gidron Pope, Kesrick Williams, Garey Mathurin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Foo, Kennar Lewis, Andre McCarthy, Odean Smith, O’Shane Thomas, Timroy Allen
ST. KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: Chris Gayle, Chris Morris*, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Jonathan Carter, Tabraiz Shamsi, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Sheldon Cotterell, Kieran Powell, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Nikhil Dutta, Carlos Brathwaite
ST. LUCIA STARS: David Miller, Lasith Malinga*, Shane Watson, Darren Sammy, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Kamran Akmal, Rakheem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers, Shane Shillingford, Eddie Leie, Keddy Lesporis, Sunil Ambris, Obed McCoy, Timil Patel
TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS: Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum*, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Javon Searles, Nikita Miller, William Perkins, Kevon Cooper, Brad Hogg, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq
* denotes marquee players

The top pick at the draft was Lendl Simmons, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament’s three-year history with a tally of 1238 from 39 matches. Also a two-time World T20 winner, he went to Jamaica Tallawahs for USD 160,000 having represented Patriots in 2016. Tallawahs, the defending champions, needed the muscle at the top of the order after they traded their captain Chris Gayle and top-scorer in all of CPL to the team that finished bottom last season, the Patriots. West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite might also turn out for the Patriots provided he does not have any WICB commitments at the time.Among the biggest gainers from the draft were West Indies wicketkeeper batsman Chadwick Walton. His USD 30,000 contract last year became a thing of the distant past after he was bought for over three times the price – USD 110,000 – by Amazon Warriors. Australia allrounder Ben Cutting also went for the same amount and is all set to play in his first CPL, for Patriots, who had also enlisted the services of South Africa’s Chris Morris for USD 130,000 the day before the draft.There were several notable players who went unsold as well. To name a few, Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah, their Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who struck six successive sixes in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz on Thursday, England T20 specialist Tymal Mills, Corey Anderson, who at one time held the record for the fastest century in ODIs and Shaun Marsh, who plays for Perth Scorchers, three-time BBL champions.Tallawahs invested in, among others, Mohammad Sami, who defended four runs off the last over in the recently concluded PSL to put Islamabad United into the play-offs, and Krishmar Santokie, the former West Indies left-arm quick known for his slingy action and accurate yorkers. They were the most active team in the draft, alongside the newly renamed St Lucia Stars, picking up seven players each.Marlon Samuels may have dismantled Lasith Malinga in the 2012 World T20 final, but they will be playing together under the leadership of Darren Sammy for the Stars this CPL. They also purchased Pakistan wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who was the only centurion in the 2017 PSL, and the big-hitting offspinning allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who had previously represented the defunct Antigua Hawksbills.The six franchises had chosen their marquee picks a day before the draft. Kane Williamson joined team-mates Martin Guptill (Amazon Warriors) and Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders) as the only New Zealand players in the tournament. Williamson was recruited by Barbados Tridents, who also bulked up their fast bowling reserves by picking up Wahab Riaz, Wayne Parnell and Tino Best. Knight Riders, like their namesake in the IPL, showed a fondness for unusual spinners and bought the 46-year old Brad Hogg and the 18-year old Shadab Khan, whose googlies were rarely picked by the batsmen in the PSL.A total of nine Associate players have been placed with teams in the CPL along with Rashid and Nabi. From the USA team, allrounder Timroy Allen was retained by Tallawahs after appearing in six matches during their 2016 title campaign. Fast bowler Ali Khan was retained by Amazon Warriors while batsman Steven Taylor was snapped up for USD 30,000 by Amazon Warriors after spending the last two seasons with Barbados Tridents. Legspinner Timil Patel was picked for the first time, by Stars, and wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson was taken by Tridents. Canada’s Nikhil Dutta and Hamza Tariq were retained by Patriots and Knight Riders respectively.

قدّم البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور نصيحة لمواطنه إندريك، لاعب ريال مدريد المعار إلى بالميراس.

وشارك إندريك وفينيسيوس في مباراة البرازيل الودية أمام إنجلترا، التي أقيمت مساء السبت خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الحالية.

وقاد إندريك البرازيل للفوز بهدف دون مقابل، وأصبح أصغر لاعب يسجل هدفًا دوليًا في ويمبلي، بعمر 17 عامًا و246 يومًا.

وقال فينيسيوس في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” البريطانية: “أنا أستمع دائمًا للاعبين الأكبر سنًا، لقد تطورت كثيرًا عند الاستماع إليهم جميعًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | فينيسيوس جونيور يوجه رسالة لـ ووكر بعد إصابته

وأضاف: “إندريك، لاعب عظيم وشخص عظيم، أتمنى أن يستمر في الاستماع إلينا جميعًا، ونستمع إليه أيضًا، فمن لديه الخبرة ليتحدث إلينا، آمل أن يتمكن من مواصلة التطور ليكون جاهزًا قدر الإمكان لمساعدتنا في ريال مدريد”.

وأردف فينسيوس: “أتمنى أن يستمر في اكتساب الثقة حتى يتمكن من مساعدتنا في المنتخب الوطني ومساعدة ناديه بالميراس ومواصلة التطور”.

وأتم مهاجم ريال مدريد: “إنه يبلغ من العمر 17 عامًا، وأمامه مسيرته بأكملها، أتمنى أن يتمكن الجميع من دعمه”.