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Leeds United's relegation has condemned them to at least another year of Championship football, just three years after they thought they had left that league for good.

Whilst their 2004 demotion came as a shock to most, their 16-year failure to return to the top flight surpassed all of these emotions. They had gone from a sleeping giant to a comatose one, and it felt like no matter what occurred they would never earn that romantic Premier League return.

That was until Marcelo Bielsa was appointed, and his magic enacted.

His team was steely and hard-working, completely enamoured with a hard-working philosophy that saw them dominate the division. It was the perfect storm, with Kalvin Phillips conducting from within its eye.

An academy graduate handed a show of faith in a league where the top-flight often send their youngsters to develop, he instead was allowed to learn on the job, quickly becoming their most influential player. That promotion year saw the 27-year-old maintain a 7.28 average rating, alongside 1.8 key passes and 2.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

Now, in an effort to repeat that feat at the first time of asking, perhaps they could once again seek to put their faith in the academy, with Sean McGurk surely high on the list for those deserving of a first-team berth.

Who is Sean McGurk?

His potential inclusion within the senior squad is made all the more likely given the expected exit of Luis Sinisterra, who The Athletic suggest could seek to move, with a reported release clause encouraging this. With the possibility of relegation now a reality, the Colombian will be a fine signing for someone out there should he find fitness.

After all, his tally of seven goals in all competitions, whilst slightly underwhelming, was largely marred by a lack of fitness throughout the term.

His failure to adapt to the physicality of the English game cost him, especially after the 23-year-old joined having hit 23 goals and 14 assists the season prior in Holland.

Although having posted numbers nowhere near this level, McGurk has remained one of Michael Skubala's most consistent performers from that left flank, with his six goal contributions in 17 games a solid return. He has been a mainstay in the side that recently earned promotion into the Premier League 1 Division 1.

Seeking to cut in from his wing onto that favoured right foot, the 20-year-old boasts similarly blistering pace and sought to outline his other outstanding attributes after joining the club in 2021: "People describe me as a player who is quite exciting, I like to create goals and score goals and I think that is the strongest part of my game."

Whilst that is yet to shine through in the U21s, perhaps a promotion into the senior squad could see him realise this potential at the Championship level. After all, it only takes the new manager to hand him a few starts to figure out whether he can terrorise the division.

With his frightening speed, quick feet and youthful energy, that is sure to be a given though.

As the search for a new permanent manager continues at Tottenham Hotspur, supporters will likely be fearful of seeing a repeat of the protracted quest to find a replacement for Jose Mourinho back in 2021, with chairman Daniel Levy having missed out on a string of potential targets before settling on Nuno Espirito Santo.

The fear will be that history may be repeating itself, with the Lilywhites having already seen a possible candidate in the form of former boss Mauricio Pochettino opt to join rivals Chelsea, while German visionary, Julian Nagelsmann – who appeared to be a favourite for the role – is also now out of the running.

With the end of the season rapidly approaching, Levy will surely have to settle on a new full-time appointment sooner rather than later, with the Englishman also likely to be sweating over the future of talisman, Harry Kane, with the England skipper being linked with a move to Manchester United amid his expiring contract.

According to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, however, the north Londoners could well ease those fears over the 29-year-old's potential exit by turning to Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as the long-term successor to Antonio Conte, with the 41-year-old's arrival at N17 possibly set to be enough to tempt Kane into staying put.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the future of the prolific striker, the respected insider stated: "It depends really. Obviously, he wants to win trophies, but at the same time, you could also launch a counter-argument for that as he's had Conte, he's had José Mourinho, he’s had Mauricio Pochettino and still not won a trophy.

"So it depends on what he wants to do, if he's happy to stay, I think someone like Xabi Alonso might actually excite him. I think it's clear Alonso is a forward-thinking manager with fresh ideas, and he's well respected in the game.”

This comes amid a recent report from Sky Sports that named Alonso as a target – in the wake of the shock Nagelsmann blow – with the piece revealing that senior figures at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are admirers of the Spaniard.

Would Xabi Alonso be a good appointment for Spurs?

As per Taylor, the capture of the former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder may prove enough to sway Kane's thinking this summer, with 3-4-3-based Alonso having made a promising start to life as a manager at senior level.

Having taken the reins at Leverkusen back in October after previously spending over three years with Real Sociedad's B team, the up-and-coming coach has quickly caught the eye due to his fine work, having turned the Bundesliga side from relegation contenders to European hopefuls in such a short space of time.

With the German outift having been languishing in 17th with just one win from their opening eight matches of the season at the time of his arrival, the one-time Bayern Munich maestro has since guided his new side up to seventh in the table, as well as taking them to the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Currently trailing 1-0 following the first-leg meeting with Jose Mourinho's Roma side in that competition, Alonso has received notable praise from the former Spurs boss in recent times, with the Portuguese ace stating that he "has all the conditions to be a very good coach.”

The Tolosa-born gem has also received a glowing assessment from Leverkusen starlet Jeremie Frimpong who hailed him as a "great coach", with the hope being that Alonso can replicate such a turnaround in fortunes were he to move to north London.

On the evidence of his early work in Germany, it is easy to see why Kane – and his teammates – could be excited by the potential appointment of the World Cup winner.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons lauded the side’s top order for driving their four-wicket win over Australia in the ODI tri-series match in Basseterre

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-20162:36

Top four have been asked to put their dancing shoes on – Simmons

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has credited the side’s top order for driving their four-wicket win over Australia in the ODI tri-series match in Basseterre. Marlon Samuels led the 266-run chase with an aggressive 92, after West Indies benefited from a brisk opening stand of 74 between Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, and Darren Bravo’s 39 at No. 3.Charles and Fletcher took advantage of the short boundaries at Warner Park to collect six fours and three sixes in the first seven overs. Their swift partnership also allowed Samuels and Bravo to settle and forge an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Once Bravo was dismissed in the 31st over, Samuels opened up to attack the Australian bowlers and helped ensure a comfortable victory for West Indies.”The pressure has been put on the top four to make sure that they set up whatever we have to do at the bottom,” Simmons said. “We know how devastating we can be at the end of an innings with the players we have, so the top four have been asked to put their dancing shoes on and make sure that we are in a position where the latter part of the batting can do what they do, and they’ve done that today and they’ve seen us through.”The 87-ball 92 was Samuels’ second fifty across formats in 2016, after his match-winning 85 not out in the World T20 final against England in April. He had a poor tour of Australia in December-January – scoring only 35 runs in five innings of the three-Test series – and copped heavy criticism, and one of his critics was former Australia legspinner Shane Warne, with whom he had an infamous run-in during the Big Bash in 2013. After his Man-of-the-Match winning knock in the World T20 final, Samuels made a reference to those comments and dedicated his award to Warne. Simmons, however, believed Samuels had left those feelings at the World T20.”I think the fact that he has taken us to victory in the game will be enough for him. I don’t think he’s still worrying about what some people in Australia said,” he said. “I think he answered that in the World T20 final. I think he’s left that there. He’s just happy to score the runs and help the team win.”The West Indies coach stressed the importance of the experience that Samuels and Kieron Pollard brought to the their line-up. Charles and Fletcher have opened in only six ODIs so far and with a young captain in Jason Holder, Simmons believed Samuels and Pollard were important to the side.”In every team you can see there’s experience. You have to have experience all through the team,” he said. “Most of the teams in the world, you have young guys coming in, but only one or two [youngsters] and the rest of the team is experienced veterans, you would call them; after five years, you are a veteran. It’s great to have him, it’s great to have Pollard back because he’s experienced in limited-overs cricket, young Bravo is getting there. So it’s great to have that sort of experience especially where Jason is a young captain and Carlos [Brathwaite] is young.”Despite the victory, Simmons had an area of concern he wanted the side to address, specifically the importance of set batsmen carrying on and finishing the game.”Marlon and Bravo finishing off the game rather than somebody getting out. It’s a case where we have two guys who have put us in a position and they need to carry on. I think there can be a little bit of improvement,” he said. “We are always looking to improve our fielding, which I think today was as good as it has been. And I think we are looking to improve on where we bowl in the first 10 overs and things like that.”

Fidel Edwards has suffered a fractured right ankle after injuring himself in warm-ups ahead of the final day of Hampshire’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2016Fidel Edwards has suffered a fractured right ankle after injuring himself during a football game in warm-ups ahead of the final day of Hampshire’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley.Edwards will see a specialist on Thursday which will give a clearer idea of the length of time he faces on the sidelines but he is set to miss a considerable chunk of the season.On Thursday morning he posted Instagram photos of him in hospital in Leeds and said: “I broke my leg,” before thanking doctors for their help.Hampshire had been evasive on Wednesday when asked to confirm that Edwards had joined a long list of county cricketers over the years to be injured in a football kickabout, preferring to call it a “running injury – not a football injury”.Dale Benkenstein, Hampshire’s coach, was more forthcoming. “We were only 45 seconds away from the end of the game when Fidel went to kick the ball,” he told “I was just about to get the mitts on for fielding practice when his foot got stuck in the turf and all his weight went over on it. There was no-one near him, it was a really freakish fall and there was a loud crack.”Hampshire have suffered an extensive early-season injury list and will have to explore the loan market for extra resources. Reece Topley suffered a broken hand in the opening match of the season against Warwickshire, Chris Wood suffered a knee injury in the first innings against Yorkshire (although he was able to bowl in the second) and Liam Dawson picked up an abdominal strain in the same match.Despite their injury woes, however, Hampshire have secured battling draws in their opening two Championship matches of the season. Against Yorkshire, they showed considerable resolve to save the follow-on having conceded 593.They also face the prospect of losing James Vince next month with him being heavily tipped for a place in England’s middle order against Sri Lanka.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves this summer, albeit with Erik ten Hag's side likely to face competition for the midfielder's signature.

What's the latest on Neves to Man United?

According to Football Insider, the Red Devils – as well as rivals Liverpool – are currently said to be leading the race ahead of La Liga giants Barcelona in the battle to sign the 26-year-old, with the Portugal international facing an uncertain future at Molineux with just over a year to run on his existing deal.

The suggestion is that the former Porto man – who arrived in England on a £15m deal back in 2017 – is intent on leaving the Old Gold this summer even if Julen Lopetegui's men are able to stave off relegation in the coming months.

The 36-cap maestro – who is now valued at around £22m according to CIES Football Observatory – had appeared set to leave his current side at the end of last season, with United among those who were said to be tracking his progress at the time.

Would could Neves replace at Man United?

If Neves is brought into the fold at Old Trafford, the Wolves "hero" – as described by Express and Star reporter Matt Maher – could represent a notable upgrade on Scott McTominay, with the latter man having been linked with a move away from the Premier League outfit at the end of the season.

The United academy graduate – who could be the subject of an approach from high-flying Newcastle United – has racked up over 200 appearances for the club since emerging from the youth ranks, although has been restricted to just seven league starts this season following the arrival of Casemiro.

Although Ten Hag and co seemingly fended off interest from other top-flight clubs regarding McTominay amid the signing of the influential Brazilian, it remains to be seen if they will sanction an exit this time around, with the Scotland international's limited role this season a marker of his slide down the pecking order.

Deemed "not good enough" by club legend Roy Keane, the 26-year-old has failed to score or register a single assist in the league this season, having also been unable to offer a truly destructive midfield presence as he has averaged just 1.4 tackles and only 0.6 interceptions per game this term.

Neves, by contrast, has been far more influential from his deep-lying berth, notably scoring five goals from his 27 league starts so far this season as an illustration of his greater quality in the final third, with that attacking thrust also matched by the playmaker's workman-like approach, as he has averaged 2.4 tackles and 1.5 interceptions.

The £50k-per-week man's forward-thinking style is also showcased by the fact that he has averaged 6.56 progressive passes per game across the last 12 months, while McTominay appears far more restrained and safe on the ball as he averages just 3.34 for the same metric.

Hailed as an "incredible player" by teammate Hugo Bueno, the Wolves talisman would seemingly be a player of ready-made, Premier League quality who could go straight into Ten Hag's side, with such an addition allowing the former Ajax boss to finally move McTominay on.

West Ham are targeting Morocco international star Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou as a possible heir to Lukasz Fabianski, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Fabianski deal expiring…

The Pole has been a faithful servant under manager David Moyes and was even rewarded with a new contract last summer, penning fresh terms until the summer of 2023 with an option to extend by one year.

Fabianski, having turned 37-years-old, is nearing the end of his twilight years and this season could be one of the last times West Ham supporters see him sport claret and blue.

The Premier League relegation-battlers, as a result, may have one eye on the veteran’s eventual heir or at least another shot-stopper to provide competition for Alphonse Areola.

The Latest: West Ham eye Bono…

According to a report in the print edition of AS (via Sport Witness), West Ham are one of the clubs in contention to sign Bono this summer.

The east Londoners are mentioned as an interested party when it comes Sevilla’s goalkeeper and the La Liga side apparently know important offers will be coming for him later this year.

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The Verdict: Fantastic option…

The 31-year-old seriously made a name for himself at last year’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar, standing out as a key player in Walid Regragui’s plucky Morocco side.

They became Africa’s first ever nation to reach a WC semi-final, making history and forever etching themselves into the memories of football supporters from that continent.

Bono started six tournament games and clinched a Man of the Match award before they were eventually knocked out by France.

Regragui called his keeper one of the best in football with members of the media also branding him ‘world class’ for his Morocco displays.

If West Ham are looking for a safe pair of hands alongside Areola, Bono could certainly be the man, especially considering league champions Man City even allegedly made an approach for him in January.

Marks out of 10 for the West Indies squad

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan04-Jul-2006West Indies

8
Jerome Taylor
Quick and accurate, Taylor turned into West Indies’ spearhead as the series progressed. He wasn’t picked for the first Test at Antigua and took some time to find his groove at St Lucia but transformed into a dangerous proposition in the final two games. His pacy burst on the lifeless surface at St Kitts won many admirers but it was his lethal performance at Kingston that underlined his worth. Getting the ball to lift off a good length, he thrilled his local crowd and was rewarded with his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests. West Indies will hope it is the first of many.Corey Collymore
Collymore pegged away all through the series, providing a valuable tourniquet at one end. He was way ahead of the other fast bowlers in terms of his economy-rate (2.33) and always appeared capable of taking a wicket. His spell on the first morning at Antigua floored India and, despite not looking fully fit, maintained his accuracy throughout.7

Dwayne Bravo
Full of spunk, chipping in with both bat and ball, Bravo, as he had done in the one-day series, often tormented India. He was handy when the ball moved around, producing fine spells in Antigua and Kingston, and put together valuable contributions with the bat. His fielding too was inspirational.

6
Brian Lara
An average of 26.37 after four Tests is a poor showing, especially for a player of Lara’s calibre. His 120 at St Lucia was a lesson in application, helping West Indies hang on for a draw, but he had a poor series overall, hardly looking the threat that he once was. His captaincy was erratic, though he later revealed that his hands were tied due to peripheral issues related to team selection. His catching too, while fielding at slip, was below par.Daren Ganga
With pressure constantly on his back, Ganga, with a hundred and a fifty, had a satisfactory series. Through his patient century at St Kitts, he allowed the rest of the batsmen to flower around him. He was also the most assured West Indian batsman in the final Test at St Kitts. His catching remained suspect throughout. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Having not made even a fifty in West Indies’ last two Test series, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 301 runs in four games was welcome relief. It was tough to predict his approach – at Antigua, with his side fighting for a draw, he made a glorious fifty; at St Kitts, with his side pushing for a win, he bizarrely turned defensive. The crowd at Sabina Park might have abused him for the reckless stroke he played at the crucial stage of the first innings, but he remained the glue that holds the batting together.Ramnaresh Sarwan
Sarwan couldn’t match the consistency he’d shown in the one-day series, ending with a middling average of 32.12. His century at St Kitts strengthened West Indies’ position while his fifty in the second innings at Kingston was a marvelous effort under pressure. Getting the big scores when the going gets tough, though, remains his biggest challenge.Pedro Collins
Collins might not have even played had Fidel Edwards, his half-brother, not been injured but he manfully toiled away under the given conditions. Like Collymore, he stressed the importance of being accurate while bowling on featherbeds and occasionally got the old ball to reverse as well.5
Chris Gayle
A series of two halves for Gayle, beginning well and ending badly. His three fifties helped provide the boost at the start but, disappointingly, he couldn’t kick on to a big score on even one occasion. He ended the innings on a low, grabbing a pair at Sabina Park, his homeground. His offspin was innocuous and his catching in the slips wasn’t always safe.Denesh Ramdin
It was only in the first and last innings of the series that one got to see Ramdin’s potential as a batsman. His keeping, though, was impressive throughout even though the ball was often dying on him. The calculated manner in which he took on the Indian bowlers at the final stages of the Kingston Test will always remain in memory.4
Marlon Samuels
In what was a comeback of sorts, Samuels managed one half-century in the two Tests he played and that too when West Indies were in a comfortable position. The talent he possesses was never in question but his inability to pick the right balls to hit remains a concern. He didn’t make too much of an impression with the ball.Dave Mohammed
In the only match he played, at Antigua, he made a match-saving fifty, one that was filled with some audacious strokeplay. His bowing was patchy – briefly impressing in the first innings before being tonked all over the place in the second.3
Fidel Edwards
Edwards was forced to hobble off after suffering a hamstring pull at the start of the second innings at Antigua. By then, though, he had shown what a potent weapon he could be by troubling the Indian batsmen with his fiery spells. His tenacious batting at the end of the game, though, remains one of the enduring memories of the series.Ian Bradshaw
His heroic 25-over spell at Antigua, where he applied the brakes, was the high point of Bradshaw’s series. He was, quite bizarrely, under-bowled in the second Test at St Lucia and didn’t get a chance thereafter.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the future of Aymeric Laporte and Arsenal's interest in the defender.

The Spaniard is currently the subject of an offer from Al Nassr.

What is the latest news regarding Aymeric Laporte?

Al Nassr have improved their salary offer to Laporte in a bid to convince the Spanish international to join according to Romano.

Manchester City are reportedly open to allowing the defender to depart this window and gave the green light for the deal to go ahead due to the arrival of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig this summer, which pushes the 29-year-old further down the pecking order at the Etihad, with the defender making just 12 appearances in the Premier League last season.

Speculation about the centre-backs future was only strengthened earlier this week when he was seen reacting and applauding new Arsenal signing David Raya on Instagram, adding more fuel to the fire.

There have been reports throughout this summer that the former Athletic Bilbao defender was considering making the switch to North London and following the likes of Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to the Emirates to work under Mikel Arteta, who Laporte worked with for 12 months at the Etihad before he became Gunners boss.

However, it seems unlikely that the Cityzens will sell any more players to the Gunners after last summer, where the players who made the switch became key pieces in what was City's closest competitor for the Premier League title last season.

Should the Gunners be able to complete the transfer, Laporte could be the perfect replacement for summer signing Jurrien Timber, whose season looks to be over after he suffered a devastating ACL injury in the side's opening day victory against Nottingham Forest.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano revealed that Arsenal did hold an interest in the Spanish international earlier in the window, however the deal was very expensive. The journalist also referenced the fact that Man City were not "keen" on selling another player to the Gunners after last summer.

He said: “It’s true that they appreciate a player like Aymeric Laporte. At the beginning of the market at the end of June and beginning of July, they considered a move for Laporte, but it was very expensive. Man City weren’t keen on selling another player to Arsenal after Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko and all the others. So, that's why it was not an easy one.”

What next for Arsenal this window?

The Gunners seem to be looking in the market to replace Timber

One player who has been linked is Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. The Englishman was recently appointed as the Eagles captain, but the situation surrounding Timber could force the North London side to act upon their long-term interest on the former Chelsea man. However, the £50m price tag on Guehi's head may scupper any potential move. A cheaper alternative could be Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, who reportedly has a €25m (£21m) release clause.

Arsenal may need to see some departures to fund more incomings. One potential departure could be Folarin Balogun, who impressed last season on loan at Reims in Ligue 1. A host of sides around Europe are interested in the USA international, with Monaco having seen a verbal offer rejected. A shock report has linked the Arsenal forward with a move to the Gunners rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who have the money available following the sale of Harry Kane. The striker reportedly has an asking price of £50m, and should a side pay that, it could free up the Gunners to attack the market before the deadline.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their attempts to bolster the playing squad before the end of the summer transfer window.

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

Gers boss Michael Beale has been backed by the board over the last few months as he has made nine new signings; including Abdallah Sima, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Danilo, Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jose Cifuentes, Leon Balogun, and Jack Butland.

According to the Daily Mail, the Light Blues are one of several sides eyeing up Peterborough United central defender Ronnie Edwards as the English head coach looks to improve the depth of his side.

Read the latest Rangers transfer news HERE…

The report claims that Premier League trio West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace have also been keeping tabs on the 20-year-old centre-back.

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony is also quoted as saying that "three" Premier League teams will bid for him before the deadline, whilst Rangers appear to be eyeing their own swoop for his services.

How good is Ronnie Edwards?

The superb 5 ft 11 brute is an excellent young defender who has caught the eye with his performances in League One over the last 12 months or so.

Edwards' displays in the third tier of English football last season suggest that he has the potential to be an upgrade on current Rangers prospect Leon King in that position at the heart of the defence.

The Posh enforcer only turned 20 in March of this year but was able to start 40 league matches for his club during the 2022/23 campaign, which shows how much faith his manager had in him.

Edwards averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.04 across those 40 games as he delivered consistently impressive displays at the back. Meanwhile, King averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 over 15 outings in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues.

In fact, Connor Goldson (7.29) was the only Rangers centre-back who averaged a higher rating than 6.96 for the club last term, which illustrates how well the Peterborough star performed – albeit at League One level.

The Gers target made 3.4 tackles and interceptions combined per league match for his side – more than any of Beale's players managed – and won an outstanding 73% of his ground duels throughout the campaign.

King, on the other hand, made 1.6 tackles and interceptions per game and won 67% of his battles on the deck for the Scottish giants.

These statistics suggest that Edwards has the potential to make more defensive interventions than the Scottish battler whilst being more efficient in doing so, which speaks to his physical strengthdespitef his age.

The Peterborough warrior, who was dubbed a "Rolls-Royce" by his club's director of football Barry Fry, has showcased his ability to dominate opposition attackers whilst also winning possession back for his team regularly.

His performances for the English side suggest that the potential is there for him to be a big upgrade on King for Rangers if he can translate his form over to Scottish football, which is why this could be a shrewd signing for Beale this summer.

Delhi’s bowlers shot out the opposition for 86 within 25 overs to win by an innings and book their team’s spot in the title bout

Arun Venugopal in Pune19-Dec-2017Gautam Gambhir plays through the off side•AFP

On a day when fast bowlers on both the sides produced game-altering spells, it was Bengal’s freefall with the bat that had them plummet to a defeat by an innings and 26 runs in Pune. After Mohammed Shami’s 6 for 122 limited Delhi’s lead to 112 runs, Delhi’s bowlers shot the opposition out for 86 within 25 overs to book their team’s spot in the final. Bengal’s batting line-up was spliced open by Navdeep Saini and Kulwant Khejroliya, who relied as much on their red-hot pace as the batsmen’s muddled thinking as they helped themselves to four wickets each. All of Saini’s dismissals – Sudip Chatterjee, captain Manoj Tiwary, Aamir Gani and B Amit – were bowled. Saini knocked over Gani and Amit off successive deliveries that registered speeds of 140 kph and 144 kph respectively. He finished with seven wickets in the match.While Saini and Khejroliya spearheaded Delhi’s raid, it was Vikas Tokas who set it up with Abhishek Raman’s dismissal in the third over. Bowling from wide of the crease, Tokas slanted one in and Raman, beaten for pace, was pinged on his back leg and adjudged lbw. “Beaten for pace” soon became a recurring theme, as Bengal slipped from 32 for 1 to 44 for 5. Much as Saini and Khejroliya were threatening, Bengal didn’t do themselves any favours. Abhimanyu Easwaran was let off twice – on 6 and 13 – when first Saini put down a simple caught and bowled chance and then Kunal Chandela dropped him at midwicket. But Easwaran returned the gift by pulling one straight to Chandela off the next delivery, and froze in disbelief.Saini then broke through Sudip’s defence to clean him up. While a delivery that kept low could be held up as a mitigating factor in his case, there could possibly be no reasonable explanation for Writtick Chatterjee’s run-out. Having completed an easy single, Tiwary set off for the second after the throw at the non-striker’s end headed towards the fielder backing up at square leg. Even as Writtick yelled out a loud “no”, Tiwary kept going and Writtick eventually sacrificed his wicket. A little over two overs later, Anustup Majumdar nicked one down the leg side, which was followed by Tiwary being knocked over by a scorching Saini delivery that straightened after pitching on the fuller side of length to clatter into the top of off.Seven overs later, Bengal’s innings had come to an end, with Shami unbeaten on 13, probably wondering why he was faced with the situation he found himself in. He had good reason to feel aggrieved considering his part in keeping Bengal in the match with blistering spells on either side of lunch. He bowled 39 overs in the innings – the most by a Delhi bowler. In the morning, Shami put the second new ball to good use almost right away, pegging Nitish Rana in front of the stumps. Rana was a touch unlucky though, as the ball had pitched outside leg stump. Ashok Dinda matched Shami’s act by having Delhi captain Rishabh Pant lbw in the next over. With Delhi having slipped to 281 for 5, it looked like they would fail to capitalise on the advances made on Monday.However, Himmat Singh (60 off 115 balls) ensured that the lower order wouldn’t fold easily. He first put on 47 with Manan Sharma, who made 34 off 33 balls, before raising a 56-run stand with Tokas, who gritted out 10 off 51 balls. The defining feature of their batting was the spunk they displayed in the face of some scorching short-pitched bowling from Dinda and Shami. The batsmen ducked and weaved awkwardly and even got hit, but refused to give in. In the face of such bowling, you can bat for long enough to be bruised in the quest for runs or wilt cheaply as a unit – Delhi and Bengal represented both ends of the spectrum.