Having beaten Ireland in a last-over thriller, Oman, whose game against Netherlands was washed out, will head into their knockout shootout clash against Bangladesh high on confidence

The Preview by Mohammad Isam12-Mar-2016

Match facts

Sunday, March 13, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)Oman can ill afford a washout as Bangladesh are marginally ahead on net run rate•ICC/Getty Images

Big Picture

When the tournament’s schedule was first announced, few would have given Oman a chance of qualifying ahead of Bangladesh and Ireland from their group. Having beaten Ireland in a last-over thriller, Oman, whose game against Netherlands was washed out, will head into their knockout clash against Bangladesh high on confidence. But confidence alone won’t help them if the iffy Dharamsala weather intervenes. It has been raining for the last two days, and plenty more is forecast on match day. If there were to be another washout, Oman would endure heartbreak as Bangladesh are marginally ahead on net run rate.Oman would rely on Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali to power them upfront, to give Jatinder Singh and Amir Ali an opportunity to lend the finishing touches. Ajay Lalcheta and Munis Ansari, whose action resembles Lasith Malinga’s, will be key if Oman are to restrict Bangladesh’s in-form batting unit.That could be a herculean task if Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman tee off like they did against Ireland in eight overs before the rain came. Tamim, in particular, looks in fine touch, having made an unbeaten 83 and 47 against Netherlands and Ireland respectively. Sarkar and Sabbir would want to prolong their stay in the middle to take the pressure off the slightly out-of-touch Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan.Bangladesh’s bowling may be a concern with Arafat Sunny already in Chennai to conduct his bowling action test after being warned by the ICC. He could be missed on a slow pitch, but Bangladesh have variety as Shakib, Mahmudullah and even Nasir Hossain can cover up in his absence,

Form guide

Bangladesh WLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Oman WLLWL

Watch out for

Soumya Sarkar is becoming an expert in getting the side off to fast starts, but he has also been guilty of frittering the early advantage, as was the case against Netherlands and Ireland. The game against Oman could be a good chance for him to bat deep into the innings and bring up a score of substance.Amir Ali is a marketing manager at an Indian restaurant in Muscat but after his 17-ball 32 against Ireland, Bangladesh would have done well to mark him as one to watch out for in a high-pressure clash.

Team news

Against Ireland, Mohammad Mithun and Abu Hider replaced Nasir Hossain and Arafat Sunny. Bangladesh could retain this line-up, though Nasir’s bowling is handy in the shorter version. Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mohammad Mithun/Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Abu Hider, 11 Taskin AhmedUnless they spot something dramatically different in the pitch, Oman are unlikely to tinker with their starting XI Oman (probable) 1 Zeeshan Maqsood, 2 Khawar Ali, 3 Jatinder Singh, 4 Adnan Ilyas, 5 Mehran Khan, 6 Aamir Kaleem, 7 Amir Ali, 8 Sultan Ahmed (capt. & wk), 9 Ajay Lalcheta, 10 Munis Ansari, 11 Bilal Khan

Pitch and conditions

There’s more rain on the radar on Sunday. But despite being under covers for a long time on Friday, the pitch played well in the Bangladesh-Ireland game, though the bowlers preferred slower variations.

Stats and trivia

• This is going to be the first Bangladesh-Oman cricket match at any level.
• Tamim Iqbal is now 11 runs short of 1,000 T20I runs while Shakib remains at 979 runs.

Quotes

“We won’t be taking Oman lightly. We don’t have much footage for them, but we will prepare as hard as we do for India and Pakistan.”
“It is a win-win situation for us. If we win we go through to the next round, but unfortunately if we can’t do that we have still achieved a lot in this tournament.”

Josh Hazlewood has pleaded guilty to breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct after showing dissent at the result of a decision review during New Zealand’s second innings in Christchurch. Hazlewood, who was fined 15% of his match fee for the incident, along with captain Steven Smith was part of an ugly confrontation with umpire Ranmore Martinesz in the last over before lunch.The incident occurred after the Australians appealed for lbw from a near yorker that Hazlewood delivered to Kane Williamson, and Martinesz ruled not-out. Smith immediately asked for a review from third umpire Richard Illingworth, who saw a small Hot Spot mark near the bottom of Williamson’s inside edge and instructed Martinesz to stay with his not-out decision.The Australians, who had seen the replays on the big screen at Hagley Oval, appeared to be furious with the review, indicating to Martinesz that they thought the Hot Spot was the result of Williamson’s bat hitting his boot. Smith walked towards Martinesz to remonstrate and Hazlewood was heard on the stump microphone to say: “Who the f*** is the third umpire?”Their reaction drew immediate criticism from the TV commentators on air at the time, Mark Richardson declaring the actions of the Australians as “intolerable” and Ian Smith saying that Martinesz “does not deserve a grilling out there”. Hazlewood also appeared to express frustration as the players walked off at the lunch break, speaking to New Zealand batsman Corey Anderson.”I didn’t actually hear anything, I got told that he was saying something to me,” Anderson said after play. “But I’m actually deaf in my left ear, so he could have been on my wrong side. Whether he said something or not, I’m not too concerned. You hear a little bit every now and then when you’re out there, but you’re so focused and consumed by what you do, you end up blocking most of it out.”One factor in the drama appeared to be that the replays shown on the big screen at Hagley Oval, which the players saw at the time, were less clear than those seen by TV viewers at home. Anderson said Williamson had been “unsure” whether he had nicked the ball or not, and that it was sometimes not until the players saw replays in the change-rooms that they understood the process.”It was one of those ones where it’s so close you don’t know sometimes whether you’ve whacked your foot or if you’ve whacked the ball,” Anderson said. “I know from the big screen there’s a few bits and pieces that are harder to tell. I know there was one yesterday with Joe Burns that we thought nicked the glove and it was turned down. Once you go back in the sheds and see what has actually happened, it’s a lot clearer.”It’s always one of those things. We’ve been on the end of those where you want a wicket so badly and you want something to happen in the game and it doesn’t quite go your way. It’s part of it. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again.”The incident occurred near the end of a session in which Australia had failed to take a wicket, despite a dropped catch, an edge that fell fractionally short of wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, and another lbw review that also showed an inside edge. Jackson Bird, who eventually finished with a five-wicket haul, said frustration had played a part in the response of the Australians.”We bowled pretty well in the first session and we probably thought it was out,” Bird said. “But those 50-50 calls, they either go your way or they don’t. So it was probably the frustration of the whole session. We’d bowled pretty well and hadn’t got a wicket. We’d been pretty close a couple of times. So you know – it’s one of those things. We couldn’t quite tell what was going on. It didn’t go our way but that’s how the game goes sometimes.”However, the Australians were unhappy at the fact that Hazlewood’s comment – “who the f*** is the third umpire?” – was broadcast. Stump microphones are not supposed to remain live when players and umpires are conversing.”Yeah it is a little bit [disappointing],” Bird said. “We’re all for having technology in the game, and all the new technology that comes out every year is great and great for the viewers at home. But I don’t see why the stump mics need to be broadcast to the whole world. I’m not sure why they were.”

Tottenham Hotspur are yet to make contact with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, despite him being open to talks over a reunion.

What's the latest news on Pochettino and Spurs?

The 51-year-old has been consistently linked with a return to Spurs since the north Londoners announced Antonio Conte's mutually agreed departure. Pochettino is one of the big-name free-agent managers currently available for hire, alongside the likes of Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Zinedine Zidane, with all four attracting interest from Tottenham.

Pochettino's possible return to Spurs is seen as a fan-favourite option, not least because the Lilywhites have arguably failed to really kick on since his exit in 2019. That same year, he guided Spurs to a first-ever Champions League final.

The former Southampton boss, though, is just one manager Spurs have been linked with and left-field options like Brendan Rodgers, who is also a free agent after leaving Leicester City, have not been ruled out completely.

As well as the Northern Irishman, chairman Daniel Levy is said to hold an interest in the likes of Oliver Glasner, Arne Slot, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Celtic's Ange Postecoglou.

Going back to Pochettino, a report by The Evening Standard has shared the latest on Tottenham and a possible reappointment of the Argentine. Indeed, it is believed that he is 'open to talks' over re-joining Spurs, but there's one problem.

Despite Pochettino's apparent eagerness to speak with his ex-club, Levy is yet to take any action, with the South American still waiting for contact.

Should Pochettino return to Tottenham?

If or when Spurs do make an approach, we believe he is exactly the kind of figure who could reignite a sense of positivity at N17 and steer Tottenham back in the right direction.

Pochettino already possesses proven Premier League experience at the Spurs helm and has worked with many of the club's current crop of players already – potentially ensuring a smooth transition from the Conte era.

Hailed as being a 'ruthless' tactician by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, Pochettino would return to Spurs with trophy-winning pedigree – having clinched a Ligue 1 title with PSG last year.

His status as a free agent who is open to making the move is yet another reason Levy should waste no time in opening talks with Pochettino.

As Chelsea threaten to poach Tottenham's other manager targets, their former boss could be the best solution for Spurs.

A visibly angry Waqar Younis has labelled Pakistan as “not good enough,” after a defeat to New Zealand, which might cost them a shot at making the semi-finals

Sidharth Monga in Mohali22-Mar-2016Four – the number of times a visibly angry Waqar Younis called Pakistan “not good enough” in his eight-minute press conference. It was preceded variously by “simply”, “once again” and “just”.In particular the targets of Waqar’s ire seemed to be – he did not name them, but it was easy to join the dots – young batsmen Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, whose partnership of 17 runs in four overs, stalled the momentum that Sharjeel Khan’s explosive start gave Pakistan. The two couldn’t pick the singles, tried the big shots, failed, and by the time the partnership broke, the asking rate had risen to 11 from eight when Sharjeel got out.Akmal has reportedly made public comments that he is not getting to bat at his desired positions, higher up in the order. In both of Pakistan’s earlier matches in the tournament, Akmal got to bat after Shahid Afridi. This time he got to bat with time in hand, but managed only 24 off 26 balls with no boundaries.”You have to be able to adjust in T20, you have to be adaptable,” Waqar said. “Still, those who were shouting about not getting to bat in the position they want, this was their perfect opportunity. We were just not good enough. You can cry all you want, you can talk all you want, we are just not good enough. People will have to take a hard look at themselves.”Shehzad was not spared either, and the rebuke came as Waqar tried to explain Afridi’s promotion to No. 5. “I thought logic was right,” Waqar said. “If you see, we didn’t move at all from the eighth to the 15th over. Two of our so-called youngsters, upcoming cricketers, they both batted for a good chunk of time in the middle where we thought we would take the game away. We were always in the hope. But yeah couldn’t really finish it. I thought Afridi’s move to go up the order, I thought it was a good one.”Waqar also asked the selectors to look at this performance. “Of course it hurts,” Waqar said. “I can’t say what injection we need, but the selectors will have to pay attention to this performance. They will have to find out what players this team needs. Once again, not good enough. If I go into detail, there will be a lot of issues. About first-class cricket too. But we will have to start by solving the immediate problems.”Pakistan still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semi-final. If they beat Australia, and if Australia beat India, there is a good chance the three of them might end up with four points each. When reminded of that faint hope, Waqar summed up the state of mind the team was in: “If you say so, we will continue to hope, but the way we have been playing we don’t deserve to go through.”

A 60-ball 122 from Babar Hayat carried Hong Kong to the threshold of their 181-run target but Oman managed to stave them off and seal a five-run win on their Asia Cup debut

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Babar Hayat struck nine fours and seven sixes in his 60-ball 122•ICC

A 60-ball 122 from Babar Hayat carried Hong Kong to the threshold of their 181-run target but Oman managed to stave them off and seal a five-run win on their Asia Cup debut. Hayat’s 122 was the fourth-highest score in all T20Is. The innings, which included nine fours and seven sixes, carried Hong Kong almost single-handedly through their chase: the next highest score was Aizaz Khan’s 15.Hong Kong’s situation seemed desperate when Aizaz was sixth out in the 17th over, with 48 needed from the last 21 balls. But Hayat smashed four sixes in the 18th over, bowled by the left-arm spinner Zeeshan Maqsood, to bring the equation down to 18 from 12 balls. But the momentum swung back in Oman’s favour after a tight 19th over in which Bilal Khan conceded only three runs, and Hayat fell in the final over, going for a big hit with 11 needed from the last three balls.There was a controversial moment in the ninth over of Hong Kong’s innings, when Aamir Kaleem spotted Mark Chapman backing up too far and Mankaded him. At that point, Hong Kong were 77 for 3 with Hayat already on 57. The wickets of Nizakat Khan and Tanwir Afzal, coming close on the heels of Chapman’s dismissal, set back their momentum considerably.Having chosen to bat, Oman’s innings got off to a solid start thanks to Jatinder Singh (42 off 35 balls), who added 34 with opening partner Zeeshan and 41 with No. 3 Vaibhav Wategaonkar to move them to a solid 75 for 1 at the 10-over mark. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed dismissed both Jatinder and Wategaonkar in the 11th over, but every member of Oman’s middle order chipped in to ensure there was no loss of momentum. Adnan Ilyas (23) and Aamir Kaleem (19) were dismissed in quick succession after putting on 38 for the fourth wicket, before Mehran Khan (28* off 16) and Amir Ali (32* off 13) gave the innings an explosive finish, adding an unbroken 50 runs for the sixth wicket, off just 24 balls.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that Mikel Arteta leaving would ‘be a massive blow’ for Arsenal after reacting to some recent exit links.

The Lowdown: Wanted in Spain

It was reported by Spanish news outlet Sport back in November that FC Barcelona would be interested in hiring Arteta as their next manager, while he is also thought to be an option to eventually replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, after previously being his assistant at the Etihad Stadium.

More recently, the Spaniard has also been linked with taking over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, as his superb season is being noticed by some of Europe’s top clubs.

Indeed, his Arsenal side were five points clear of City in second at the top of the table in the Premier League, before the visit of Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium earlier this afternoon.

The Latest: ‘Massive blow’ if Arteta leaves

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that it would ‘be a massive blow’ if the Gunners were to lose Arteta, but added that he does not think that there is any ‘real fear’ that he will leave anytime soon:

“It’d be a massive blow to lose him but it’s no surprise to see Arteta attracting interest from other clubs.

“There was talk of Barcelona not long ago – I would take it as a compliment for the work that he’s doing.

“I don’t think there’s any real fear for Arsenal fans to think Arteta might leave the club right now. He’s in this project.”

The Verdict: Keep him!

The North London club simply need to keep Arteta at all costs, as he is headlining their project at the Emirates Stadium.

The 40-year-old has turned his team from top-four hopefuls at the end of last season, where they missed out on a UEFA Champions League place to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, to title challengers within the space of less than a year, showing his outstanding coaching skills in getting his players to move up to the next level.

It must not be forgotten that Arteta also won a trophy in his first season at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup at the end of the 2019/20 season, while he also won the Community Shield in the following campaign.

Nonetheless, the Gunners will no doubt want to keep him for as long as they can, with recent links to the likes of Real Madrid a testament to the job that he is doing.

YouTuber Conor McGilligan has slammed Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson and questioned whether he can even kick the ball hard enough to deliver key goalscoring contributions.

What's the latest on Brenden Aaronson and Leeds?

With the international break now upon us, it's a great time for Premier League clubs to reflect on the current season as we head into the final run-in.

Leeds currently sit 14th in the division, just two points above the bottom three with just 11 games left to ensure they don't end up getting relegated.

Alongside fellow USMNT star Weston McKennie, Aaronson has left England to go and represent his country as they look to progress to the CONCACAF Nations League Final Four.

While he's done enough to maintain his status in the US side, it seems as though things haven't been going too well for the 22-year-old at Leeds as he has failed to deliver a goalscoring contribution since the return of Premier League football after the break for the winter World Cup.

And while speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan dropped some pretty damning claims on Aaronson, expressing doubt over his ability to deliver the goods when needed.

He said: "Listen, I'm willing to be proven wrong here, by the way, always. But those fine moments where you're playing as a central attacking midfielder and under pressure, you need to play that pass, you need to have a strike on goal. You know, all those technicalities, I just don't know if he's got the ball-striking ability.

"I've never seen him hit a ball hard. You know, a free kick, you normally get a lot of central attacking midfielders as being able to take set pieces. I don't really see that with him.

"And I just think some of the central attacking midfielders in world football you'd expect Leeds to maybe look at in the next couple of years would come in and naturally be picked over Aaronson straight away."

Where has it all gone from for Aaronson with Leeds?

The midfielder left Red Bull Salzburg in the summer to join the Whites on a five-year contract after a £25m transfer, while he earns a reported £43,000 a week.

Things got off to a pretty bright start for Aaronson in England too as he scored on his third Premier League outing for the Whites in a 3-0 win over Chelsea, before getting his first assist two games later.

Since then, however, he has just one more assist in the top flight which came back in November, playing in 12 more league games and four FA Cup matches without scoring or setting anyone up.

With that in mind, it's not hard to see why McGilligan has expressed such major doubts over the player's ability to deliver in the final third of the pitch.

Still only 22, however, perhaps Aaronson can turn things around in the future to fulfil his potential.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has offered to step down after the side’s poor performance at the World T20 2016 but has warned that cosmetic changes will be insufficient to address the deeper issues within Pakistan cricket. Speaking to the media in Lahore before meeting with a committee set up to look into the side’s performance, Waqar also apologised to the fans for the poor World T20 result.Pakistan won only one of the four group matches in the World T20, after a debacle in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh last month where they failed to qualify for the final. Following the team’s early exit in the Asia Cup, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had hinted at sweeping changes, and the board formed a special committee to monitor Pakistan’s performance. This committee is expected to submit its recommendations to the PCB chairman later this week. Waqar’s two-year contract ends in June but it is learnt that his tenure with the side is unlikely to be extended.”I apologise to the whole nation, to all of you and to all the people who were at the airport chanting against us, all the people at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] who look after us,” Waqar said. “I apologise to everyone. Literally, I fold my hands and request all of you to forgive us for the way we performed, it should not have been this way. Our performance should have been better, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”This is Waqar’s second stint as coach, after he had guided the side in 2010-11. He had parted ways with the team in 2011 due to a rift with captain Shahid Afridi. With Waqar and Misbah-ul-Haq at the helm, Pakistan had climbed to No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings, and are currently at No. 4. Their position in the limited-overs rankings, however, has been weak. They are currently ranked No. 8 among ODI sides and No. 7 in the T20I format. The side’s last win in a T20I series came in September 2015 against Zimbabwe, and they subsequently lost series to England and New Zealand in the lead-up to the Asia Cup and the World T20.Waqar refrained from blaming individuals, and instead urged the PCB to address the deeper issues in the system.”These days there is a notion being discussed to dismiss the chairman, selectors or the coaches, but the point is whether the problems are really being understood. Are we really getting down to the problem in our country and mending it? Are we really correcting the system which needs to be rectified?”So cosmetic changes will not help. This might bring temporary relief, might make you feel that things have changed and everything is fine but I think we should think about this deeply and mark the problems,” he said. “We know where the problems are and we have to open our eyes, eradicate the politics from cricket and get things right. I had mentioned these problems in 2015 and have put them up again. I can hope the PCB can deal with them.”We don’t need to hide anything, everything is in front of us, they way we played. It’s not like I am hiding anything. In fact, the time to sweep things under the rug is over. It is time to step up and solve problems. People have blamed me. That’s not an issue. I will go home but the problem remains. If the problem is solved by sacking me, then sack me. Not tomorrow, but today. But the problem is deeper than that.”Waqar also chose to play down the uncertainty surrounding his future in the role.”My future as coach isn’t relevant. Why is there a sense that Pakistan cricket is linked with my future? It is definitely not. I had a stint previously as well and I am here again but I may not be there in the future and someone else may come in. The point is, I am not the problem. We have to find the real problem.”Waqar has submitted his report of the tournament to the PCB chairman and it is learnt that the report covers a wide range of issues, from selection matters to the players’ capacities and the issues he has faced in last two years. While he refused to divulge information about the report, he said that most of the issues facing Pakistan cricket were in the public domain, prime among them being the lack of international cricket in country.”It’s not that roots have always been weak in the country … cricket not being played here in Pakistan is one of the many problems but we have to take care of our stadiums and domestic cricket to get it going.”Yes not having international cricket in Pakistan did make an impact and disturbed the roots of cricket. Whatever you have made in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, a home away from home, isn’t really a solution. India and other countries are producing cricketers by playing at home grounds. Cricket the game isn’t for stars, it’s a game for heroes. We often mix it as you may see a star doing TV ads but cricket is played by heroes and those who play the game don’t see other things around. So we want heroes and not the stars.”

Newcastle United are believed to be showing an interest in the Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes ahead of the summer transfer window.

Do Newcastle want another left-winger?

Eddie Howe's men have established themselves as serious contenders for the top four this season after a stunning 2022/23 campaign so far.

And with the prospect of playing more games next season as a result of European qualification, it seems as if the Toon are looking to beef up their squad depth.

Over the January window, Newcastle splashed the cash on the England youngster Anthony Gordon who is yet to make much of a splash himself on the pitch.

In fact, the 22-year-old has only really made the headlines in a black and white shirt after his reaction on the weekend after being substituted off by Howe.

The youngster was clearly left unimpressed having only been brought on off the bench earlier in the game.

Despite having options on the left wing, reports have suggested the Magpies are looking to take another option from a fellow Premier League outfit in the form of Barnes.

And speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, insider Graeme Bailey has waxed lyrical about how good of a fit the 25-year-old would be for the Tyneside club:

(35:30) "So they do want this other player and I think Barnes would suit Eddie Howe down to the ground. I really do. I think he'd be the perfect fit for Newcastle.

"And I think he's great. I love Harvey Barnes. I think he's not had the plaudits he deserves at Leicester I think [James] Maddison's overshadowed him press-wise/media-wise, but he's got 10 goals from out wide in that Leicester team which is mightily impressive."

Could Barnes be the perfect fit for Howe?

On the right side of the front three, Miguel Almiron's transformation under Howe has provided the Toon with a strong return in front of goal.

Indeed, the Paraguayan winger has been able to provide the Magpies with an impressive 11 goals and one assist in the Premier League alone (via Transfermarkt).

The impact off the left has not been as impressive with Allan Saint-Maximin having only offered up one goal and five assists as Gordon remains in search for his first contribution.

And if Newcastle are to play in the elite European competition next season, then they are going to need players from all over the pitch contributing to the side.

Barnes is a player who has certainly provided an impressive return in the Premier League this season with 10 goals and one assist (via Transfermarkt).

The £35k-per-week winger has been hailed as "special" by journalist Adam Bates in the past and he is certainly showing signs of that this season as he exceeds his XG by over two goals (via FBref).

Spending £45m on Gordon in January shows Newcastle have a lot of belief they can get the absolute best out of the youngster.

However, if they are to be playing Champions League football next season, perhaps they need a proven option out left who they could rely on to chip in with goals.

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.