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The USA batter is the fourth man to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket, after Gibbs, Yuvraj and Pollard

Daya Sagar11-Sep-2021As you would expect after equalling an international record previously achieved only by Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard, there are 4000-5000 unread WhatsApp messages on Jaskaran Malhotra’s phone. One of the first to congratulate Malhotra after he hit six sixes in an over for USA against Papua New Guinea was Pollard, who was also his captain at St Lucia Stars during the 2018 edition of the CPL.Like his more famous colleagues at the Stars from that year, like David Warner, Daren Sammy and Lendl Simmons, 31-year-old Malhotra aspires to play in the IPL one day, his early ambition of turning out for India having come to nothing. That said, there is pride and satisfaction of being a part of an improving USA outfit.Related

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Six sixes in an over

Thisara Perera smashes six sixes in an over

“It’s quite amazing, really. I had not planned on any such thing when I went in to bat,” Malhotra told ESPNcricinfo about his innings of 173* (in 124 balls, with four fours and 16 sixes), also the first ODI century in men’s cricket for USA. “I entered the field with our team in a spot of bother, having lost three wickets for 29 inside the first ten overs. My first target was to just stay till the end. As the innings progressed, I got the confidence to play my shots.”In the final over (bowled by the unfortunate Gaudi Toka), once I was able to hit four sixes, that’s when the thought of six sixes first came in. I am grateful that I was able to equal this record.”Of the six sixes, which took USA to 271 for 9 and a 134-run win, Malhotra picked out the second as his best, having gone inside-out over cover. Shades of the third one Yuvraj had hit off Stuart Broad back in that 2007 T20 World Cup game there.And though there has been a surfeit of messages and calls since September 9, the one Malhotra has been waiting for hasn’t. “I know Yuvi (Yuvraj) will also be calling me soon. I am eagerly looking forward to that.”It’s a long way, that international fixture – his 13th across ODIs and T20Is – in Al Amerat from his formative years playing in Himachal Pradesh.”I captained Himachal Pradesh at Under-15 and Under-17 levels. I was also the most prolific domestic wicketkeeper-batter at Under-17 level. In fact, I was rewarded with a place among the 20 probables for the Under-19 World Cup in 2008, and was part of the NCA camp,” Malhotra said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the final 16, which won the tournament under Virat Kohli.”Malhotra did, however, find a place in the Himachal Pradesh senior team, but never got a look-in at the first-class level. A chance encounter with cricket in the USA came after the 2010 domestic season in India, when he was visiting a relative in America, ended up playing in a local tournament while there, and did well.After that, there were invitations each year from cricket bodies in the USA, and simultaneously a drop in the likelihood of ever making it big in India.In 2014, Malhotra decided to make his move to the USA. Permanently.”I did dream of playing for India at the highest level, but playing for USA in international cricket has been very satisfying too,” he said. “Cricket here is on the right track, and with possible inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, it will give us a chance to take on the best on a global stage quite soon.”Besides this, we need to make the most of the qualifying rounds for World Cups in T20 and 50-over formats, so that we can get better exposure at the highest level.”

India’s bowling coach also says they’re tracking the injured Gill’s progress on a “day-to-day” basis

Alagappan Muthu20-Nov-20243:38

Morkel: We’re probably under pressure based on recent results

Keep an eye on Nitish Kumar Reddy this series, says Morne Morkel. India’s bowling coach is hopeful that the bowling attack they have brought over to Australia can cause problems, especially with the conditions in Perth.Morkel has had his work cut out over the past few days, overseeing a set of bowlers who haven’t had a lot of experience playing Test cricket. India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah and his usual new-ball companion Mohammed Siraj had a good workout under the sun at the Optus Stadium nets but their support acts – the uncapped duo of Reddy and Harshit Rana along with two-Tests old Prasidh Krishna – have a stiff challenge, replicating the success they have had at the domestic and India-A levels on a full-fledged Test tour. Morkel has been helping bridge that gap by sharing his own experiences of playing in Australia.”It’s great to have them around in the squad,” Morkel said of Prasidh and the other specialist fast bowler in the squad, Harshit Rana. “I think they add a lot of variation to their attack, especially Harshit, who bowls at a good pace, finds a way to also extract some bounce out of the surface.Related

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“It’s their first tour, Prasidh had a bit of experience with India A tour where he had a bit of game time, but for Harshit it’s a bit of an unknown. My message to him was just, when I toured my first time here, playing in Australia, an intimidating place, to listen to the stories, take their advice. But for me it’s just staying in your own bubble and finding those experiences, work them out for yourself.”[Reddy] is one of the young guys that we’ve mentioned, he’s got that sort of batting, all-round ability. He’ll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up first. He hits the bat a little bit harder than you think. So on these sort of conditions where there might be a little bit of seam movement up front, especially the first couple of days. He’ll be a very accurate wicket-to-wicket style of bowler. It’s a lovely opportunity for him to hold that allrounder spot.”Any team in the world always wanted the allrounder to take that load off your fast bowlers, just to give them an extra bit of breathing time. So how we use him, how Jasprit is going to use him, with maybe the spinner, to give himself, whoever’s going to be the other quicks, time to catch their breath a little bit is going to be important. He’s a guy that is a player you can keep your eye on in this series.”0:56

Perth Test: Who is Manjrekar’s pick for the third quick?

India’s batting may also be reliant on some of their newer players coming through, if Devdutt Padikkal makes it at No. 3 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6.”It’s going to be great learning for these guys,” Morkel said. “It’s young guys that can come up and front up against a quality Test bowling pack. Australia’s not going to bowl you many bad balls, but in saying that, you know, there’s good leadership within the group that can help and settle the nerves for that. So I think as a group we’re all excited for the challenge, we know what’s sort of to come, we know the wicket’s going to be fast, it’s going to be bouncy, and it’s up to the individual now to formulate their game plans, and get themselves in a mental sort of battle state, that for the next 43 days it’s going to be a tough cricket.”India waiting on Gill’s fitnessMorkel also said that the fitness of batter Shubman Gill, who hurt his left thumb while fielding in the pre-series intra-squad match, is being tracked on a day-to-day basis.”Shubman is improving every day, obviously picked up a nasty blow in the mock game, in the squad game. I think with him it’s going to be a day-to-day sort of process, fingers crossed for that improvement, but I think they’ll wait, [and not] make a call with him up until the morning of the [match].”Gill was present at training on Wednesday but that was the extent of his participation even as the rest of the squad got in a full workout under the sun. He just hung out with Rishabh Pant for a while and then left. The chances of him playing in Perth in two days’ time are still slim. Padikkal, who has been added to the squad now after being asked to stay back in Australia following his work with the India A team, is shaping up as a stop-gap No. 3 batter.

Five-wicket haul secures first-innings lead before home batters cement advantage

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2024Middlesex 433 and 302 (Robson 67, Higgins 67, du Plooy 59, Thomson 4-115) lead Derbyshire 339 (Reece 125, Donald 54, Roland-Jones 5-81) by 396 runsMiddlesex captain Toby Roland-Jones tore through Derbyshire’s tail with a five-wicket haul to put his side in control going into the final day of their Vitality County Championship clash with Derbyshire.Seamer Roland-Jones finished with 5 for 81 – including four wickets in 19 deliveries – as the visitors, who began day three on 308 for 4, were hustled out inside the opening hour at Lord’s for 339.Having top-scored with 163 in Middlesex’s first innings, Ryan Higgins played a supporting role with the ball, taking 3 for 60 before helping his side stretch their overall lead to 396 with a total of 302 second time around.Higgins and Sam Robson both scored 67, with former Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy contributing 59 – his second half-century of the match – ensuring the visitors will need to break their record fourth-innings total to secure victory.Trailing by just 125 with six wickets intact at the start of play, Derbyshire’s prospects of a first-innings lead looked fair – but those swiftly evaporated as their batting was blown away by Roland-Jones and Higgins.Luis Reece was first to depart for a season’s best 125, caught behind prodding outside off stump at Higgins and, once the new ball had been taken soon afterwards, wickets began to tumble.Aneurin Donald completed his second successive Championship half-century, advancing to 54 before Roland-Jones had him caught at short cover and the dismissal of Anuj Dal in the next over opened up the visitors’ tail. Roland-Jones made short work of Derbyshire’s last three, with Zak Chappell leg-before not playing a shot and Alex Thomson and Daryn Dupavillon both out to slip catches as the home side secured an advantage of 94.Chappell immediately responded with the ball, slanting his opening delivery across Mark Stoneman to have the left-hander caught in the slips, but Robson put his first-innings duck firmly behind him with a series of confident strokes on both sides of the wicket.The opener raced to his half-century before lunch, dominating a partnership of 85 with Max Holden, who was dropped on nought at second slip and took 25 minutes to get off the mark, but settled down to play a gritty knock.However, Chappell struck again when Robson clipped him into the hands of midwicket and that, along with Thomson’s consistent and prolonged spell of offspin from the Nursery End, helped Derbyshire to apply the brakes.With Middlesex restricted to less than two-and-a-half an over during a lacklustre afternoon session, Reece’s medium pace finally prised out Holden, who prodded to a close fielder five shy of his half-century. Reece also removed Nathan Fernandes, bowled having a swing soon after the tea interval and the home side seemed reluctant to commit to a change of gears as they trudged past 200.Du Plooy’s innings, which ended when he skied Thomson to deep midwicket, was watchful more than exuberant and, despite taking successive boundaries off the spinner, Higgins also looked unusually subdued.Despite that, the allrounder brought up his half-century by hammering Thomson over mid-on for six, just after Dal’s flying catch in the deep to remove Luke Hollman had provided him with a well-deserved second wicket. Thomson gained his third by having Roland-Jones caught at long-off, finishing the day with figures of 4 for 115 when Henry Brookes holed out in the final over.

Quadricep tear could force her to miss eight of Sydney Sixers’ 10 league games

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2024New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against India after tearing her left quadricep muscle. Kerr picked up the injury during the opening game on Thursday, which India won by 59 runs, and is expected to take approximately three weeks to recover. She will not be replaced in the ODI squad.This also puts her WBBL participation in serious doubt for Sydney Sixers with the tournament set to start on Sunday. Amelia was a big-name pre-signing for Sixers as a platinum-category pick and could miss eight of Sixers’ 10 league games even if she recovers in three weeks.An NZC release stated Amelia was taken for scans on Friday morning, which revealed a grade-one quadricep tear, and that she would return home on Sunday to start her rehabilitation.”We’re really gutted for Melie,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Injuries are always a challenging time for a player and we know how disappointed she is to not be able to play these games.”Everyone knows how much of an integral part of this team Melie is so we’ll certainly miss her but we’re wishing her a speedy recovery.”Soon after playing a pivotal role in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, Amelia was New Zealand’s best bowler in the opening ODI too, taking 4 for 42 before scoring an unbeaten 25 off 23 in the chase. The remaining two ODIs are on October 27 and 29, also in Ahmedabad.Amelia’s absence could hurt New Zealand’s hopes of climbing the Women’s ODI Championship table, where a top-six finish will ensure direct qualification for the ODI World Cup in 2025. New Zealand are currently placed sixth out of 10 teams and will next play Australia in December.

West Indies aren’t unhappy either. “When we looked on the schedule, all the batters were excited to come to St Lucia,” Rovman Powell says

Matt Roller17-Jun-20241:46

Do England have the bowling attack to win the World Cup?

England are anticipating “a run-fest” in St Lucia as they resume their six-hitting battle with West Indies in a Super Eight fixture. The sides hit 120 sixes between them in a five-match T20I series in December – which West Indies won 3-2 – and are both expecting high scores at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.There were two group-stage games in St Lucia this weekend, which were played on the same strip and gave an indication as to how good the pitch is for batting. Australia pulled off the second-highest run chase of the T20 World Cup so far, hauling in 181 against Scotland – which sent England through – and Sri Lanka’s 201 against Netherlands was the joint-highest total of the tournament.England’s players watched Saturday’s game (local time) nervously from their hotel in Antigua after beating Namibia, exchanging WhatsApp messages on the team’s group chat and even turning off when the game was tight. “It wasn’t nice,” Sam Curran said. “A few of us were having dinner and watching the Scotland game. It got quite close, and some of us turned it off because we got a bit nervous. Thankfully, the Aussies played really well to chase that down.”England play twice here in the Super Eight – against West Indies and South Africa – and made note how flat the pitch looked, with relatively short square boundaries allowing Australia and Scotland to hit 20 sixes between them. “It looks like a really good wicket, the way guys were able to hit through the line and the way the ball was travelling,” Curran said, “[and] in last night’s game, it looked like some good scores again.”

“Sometimes it’s about turning your sixes into fours as a bowler, and small things like that. It might sound silly, but that’s where the game of cricket’s going. Even if you go for a lot of runs, if you take a wicket in that over, you could change the game”Sam Curran

West Indies will get a first look at the pitch when they face Afghanistan, with the same strip due to be used for a second time for their game against England. Their captain Rovman Powell expected his batters to relish a truer surface after variable bounce in Guyana and Trinidad.”Tomorrow presents an opportunity here at the Daren Sammy Stadium for us as batters to get it right,” he said on Sunday. “It’s also a better opportunity on a better wicket… When we looked on the schedule, all the batters were excited to come to St Lucia. Traditionally, St Lucia has been a place where batters like to bat. But it’s also an opportunity for bowlers to bowl good spells here – especially the fast bowlers.”This has been the lowest-scoring men’s T20 World Cup out of nine, with just 6.69 runs per over on average. But those numbers have been skewed significantly by some dicey pitches at the temporary Long Island venue, and England – based on their experience in December – have long believed that the World Cup will be “a slug-fest”, as their managing director Rob Key put it.West Indies won the six count by a margin of 64-56 in that series, with all five games won by the team that hit more sixes. England’s batters had a range-hitting session with Kieron Pollard – who has captained St Lucia in the CPL – when they trained on Monday morning, and are looking to beat West Indies at their own game.”Sometimes it’s about turning your sixes into fours as a bowler, and small things like that,” Curran said. “It might sound silly, but that’s where the game of cricket’s going. Even if you go for a lot of runs, if you take a wicket in that over, you could change the game. Looking at our batting line-up, we deal in a lot of sixes as well: it’ll be a run-fest on Wednesday, I’m sure.”1:53

Knight: No. 5 is too low for Brook

The other major factor to note in St Lucia is the breeze: winds of around 10mph have blown from the east to the west of the ground, with some balls flying unexpectedly for six and others swirling in the breeze. “We have chatted as a bowling unit: in the Caribbean, the wind’s a big factor,” Curran said.Curran played his first match of the tournament in England’s rain-shortened game against Namibia on Saturday, with him and Chris Jordan replacing Will Jacks and Mark Wood. Jos Buttler, their captain, said after their win that those changes were due to the specifics of an 11-over game – which was later reduced to ten – but there are tough calls to make ahead of Wednesday night.Liam Livingstone left training early after netting on Monday and is a doubt due with a niggle in his side, while England must decide whether Jacks should come straight back in at No. 3 or whether their batting line-up is better balanced with Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook shuffling up to three and four respectively.England selected Jordan in their squad in anticipation of high-scoring games, offering extra batting depth from No. 8, but he has conceded 10.87 runs per over so far at the World Cup. They will weigh his all-round capabilities up against the need for early wickets against a West Indies side who will bat very deep themselves.

da dobrowin： A three-time league champion has now reportedly held talks with Rangers about becoming their next permanent boss this summer.

Rangers manager latest as 49ers eye new Ibrox boss

da betobet： it has been confirmed that Barry Ferguson won’t continue in charge of the Gers, having only come in as interim boss midway through the campaign, taking his side into the Europa League quarter-finals but ultimately not doing enough to get the job on a full-time basis.

Instead, Rangers and prospective new owners the 49ers Enterprises now looking for the perfect manager to come in and guide the Scottish Premiership giants to future success, with club CEO Patrick Stewart recently providing an update on the search, saying:

“The review is progressing well. We have got a lot of insights into things that are going well and not well at Auchenhowie. I would really compliment the staff and how open and honest they’ve been. And they provided really valuable feedback to myself and also the consultants we’ve got on supporting with it. And we’re beginning to get some real tangible insights that are flowing into real recommendations that we’re starting to action.”

Steven Gerrard has constantly stood out as a leading choice for Rangers, having won the league title with them back in 2020/21, while Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti has also been linked with the job.

Former Italy international Gennaro Gattuso is another rumoured contender, and now a new name has been thrown into the mix.

3-4-3 manager holds talks with Rangers

According to a significant update from BBC Sport, former Feyenoord manager Brian Priske has held discussions with Rangers about being their next boss.

The 48-year-old departed the Dutch club in February, being sacked after a disappointing run of results, but it looks like he is on the Gers’ list.

Priske is certainly a more proven option than the likes of Gerrard and Ancelotti, considering he has won an impressive three league titles in his managerial career to date.

Two of those came in his time in charge of Czech giants Sparta Prague, while another was during his stint at Danish outfit Midtjylland. He has also won one Czech Cup and Danish Super Cup apiece, so he knows how to deliver trophies.

Priske favours a 3-4-3 formation, getting the most out of his wing-backs, but he is also versatile in his tactics, switching to a 4-3-3 system at times with Feyenoord.

Brian Priske’s managerial career

Matches

Points per game

Feyenoord

33

1.85

Sparta Prague

96

2.19

Royal Antwerp

49

1.53

FC Midtjylland

68

1.88

Stewart and those high up at Rangers have a massive decision to make this summer, and it is vital that they make the right appointment, following the doomed reign of Philippe Clement.

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The Gers need to hit the ground running next season, not allowing Celtic to pull away in the title race, and in Priske, they may have an experienced option who could back himself to win plenty of silverware at Ibrox.

Arsenal are now believed to be among the frontrunners for the signing of a new forward target after missing out on Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané, who is committing his future to the Bundesliga side with a new contract.

Leroy Sané on verge of Bayern Munich stay after talks with Arsenal

Earlier this week, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg shared news of fresh Arsenal talks with Sane over a potential move to the Emirates Stadium, but the former Man City star appears more likely to snub Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal hold "high-level talks" to sign "bargain" attacker "in recent days"

Negotiations have apparently taken place this week.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 12, 2025

The 29-year-old, who’s impressed with a string of standout performances for Bayern in recent weeks, was due to leave on a Bosman deal past June 30th. However, he is now edging towards signing fresh terms at the Allianz Arena.

Plettenberg reports that Bayern have made an official new contract offer to Sane, with all parties now working to reach an agreement over an extension, which spells bad news for Arsenal’s attempts to bring in a new right-winger this summer.

The journalist also states that Sane is about to extend his Bayern contract in a separate message, so it’s more likely than not Arsenal are about to miss out on a free deal for the Germany international star.

Interestingly, the Sky reporter has now claimed that the Gunners are eyeing an alternative in wantaway Bayern teammate Kingsley Coman.

Arsenal now "most concrete" option for Bayern Munich star Kingsley Coman

According to Plettenberg, Arsenal is now the “most concrete” landing spot for Coman, who has told Bayern chiefs that he’d like to leave this summer.

However, it won’t be a free run for Arteta’s side either, with Tottenham also eyeing a move for the Frenchman and Saudi planning transfer talks.

“Kingsley Coman has already internally expressed his desire to leave this summer, as revealed,” wrote Plettenberg on X.

“Saudi clubs are now taking the matter seriously and are planning a visit to Munich for talks with Bayern. In England, Arsenal are currently the most concrete option – especially since Leroy Sané is about to extend his contract with Bayern. Spurs would like to sign Coman but are currently in a waiting position due to his high salary.”

While the 28-year-old earns a reported £284,000 per week in Germany, which would make him one of Arsenal’s highest-paid players, Coman’s price tag stands at up to £39 million – making him an obtainable option in terms of club-to-club negotiations.

The former PSG and Juventus winger has racked up nearly 140 goals and assists combined over almost 330 appearances since joining Bayern, all whilst showcasing real ability on the highest stage.

“He was at PSG as an eight-year-old boy,” said pundit Rio Ferdinand.

“With the money that came in with the Qataris, he was one of the players who were offloaded, and he’s come back and done this. His trophy haul since leaving – it shouldn’t be allowed. It’s unbelievable. The kid knows how to win.”

One major drawback which Arsenal need to be aware of is Coman’s injury history, with Arteta keen to avoid being left so short of wide options akin to this season.

أبدى إيدير ميليتاو، مدافع نادي ريال مدريد، سعادته بالفوز الذي حققه فريقه اليوم السبت على حساب إسبانيول، ببطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى.

وتحدث ميليتاو عن هدفه الذي سجله في لقاء اليوم والذي جاء بشكل أكثر من رائع في شوط اللقاء الأول.

ميليتاو قدم مباراة كبيرة وسجل هدف ريال مدريد الأول، والذي جاء من تسديدة رائعة خارج منطقة الجزاء، عجز حارس مرمى إسبانيول عن التصدي لها.

اقرأ أيضًا .. ألونسو بعد فوز ريال مدريد على إسبانيول: قدمنا مباراة قوية وهذه خطتي بشأن بيلينجهام

وقال ميليتاو في حديثه إلى قناة “ريال مدريد”: “كان الهدف مميزًا وجاء من تسديدة رائعة، أحيانًا تحدث أشياء جيدة وهذا ما حدث اليوم، في التدريبات الأمر مختلف تمامًا عن المباريات”.

وعن استمرار ريال مدريد في تحقيق الانتصارات، أضاف ميليتاو في حديثه: “نحن نتحسن مع كل مباراة، نؤدي بشكل جيد وفقًا لتعليمات ألونسو، الفوز مهم لمواصلة الأداء الجيد”.

وأوضح الدولي البرازيلي: “هكذا يعمل الجميع، هناك مجموعة متحدة تنفذ تعليمات المدرب وهذه هي النتيجة”.

وعن تحسنه على المستوى البدني بعد إصابته في الرباط الصليبي، اختتم ميليتاو: “أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة جدًا، وأعمل كل يوم لتجنب أي إصابات أخرى والعودة إلى مستواي”.

Unbeaten centuries in hefty fifth-wicket stand thwart Derbyshire’s bid for control

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2024

Gloucestershire’s James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren blasted their side out of trouble with swashbuckling centuries before rain took a hand on the third day of the Vitality County Championship Division Two match with Derbyshire at Bristol.The fifth-wicket pair launched a savage attack on the second new ball, producing a boundary blitz and adding 156 runs to their team’s overnight first innings total of 243 for four in just 21 overs before the heavens opened, with Bracey unbeaten on 137 and van Buuren having raced to 156 not out.No play was possible after lunch. At 399 for four, Gloucestershire were still 127 short of Derbyshire’s first innings total of 526, but on the most benign of batting surfaces, with two players in top form, they can feel optimistic of avoiding defeat on the final day.Bracey was on 87 and van Buuren 61 when play began, with 14 overs to bat before Derbyshire could take a second new ball both sides knew could be central to the outcome. Bracey moved comfortably to his second hundred of the season, reaching the milestone with his 15th four, a cut off Luis Reece, having faced 151 balls.Gloucestershire had just claimed a second batting bonus point when van Buuren elected to cut loose, moving from 88 to his 15th first class century with three fours off successive deliveries from off-spinner Alex Thomson in the over before the new ball became due.Derbyshire took it immediately, but suffered as a result when both Daryn Dupavillon and Sam Connors strayed in line and length, producing a plethora of short deliveries, while others were overpitched. The first five overs with the harder ball went for 65 runs.Bracey and van Buuren attacked at every opportunity, the latter pulling Connors over mid-wicket for six and clearing the ropes again off the same bowler with a sweetly-timed flick over fine leg. The diminutive Gloucestershire skipper needed only 28 deliveries to move from 100 to 150, sending the ball to all parts of the Seat Unique Stadium.From 318 for four when the new ball was taken, Gloucestershire had posted 383 for four by the end of the 85th over. Derbyshire captain David Lloyd had little option but to remove Dupavillon and Connors from the attack, bringing on Anuj Dal and Reece.Play had already been interrupted by a short shower when heavier rain arrived and lunch was taken. Bracey had faced 175 balls, striking 19 fours and a six, while the inspired van Buuren had clocked up 22 fours and 2 sixes in facing 172 deliveries.The partnership was worth 268 in 48.3 overs when the weather set in. Umpires Paul Pollard and Naeem Ashraf made a 3pm pitch inspection, ordered tea to be taken at 3.10pm, and looked again at 4pm, by which time more rain had fallen. They abandoned play for the day at 4.15pm.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is not surprised by the transfer interest in star striker Julian Alvarez amid Arsenal and Barcelona links.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Alvarez starring for Atletico Madrid
• Linked with Arsenal and Barcelona
• Simeone responds to transfer links

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 25-year-old swapped Manchester City for Atletico last summer in a fee worth up to £82 million ($111m), and since then, he has proven to be an excellent acquisition. Arsenal and Barcelona have been credited with interest in the Argentine, and now manager Simeone has said it is "only logical" that big sides are sniffing around the striker.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT SIMEONE SAID

  On the Alvarez transfer interest, Simeone told La Nacion: "It’s logical, I can’t imagine any other scenario. Julian is 25 years old, he’s an extraordinary player, with hunger, with enthusiasm, with humility, with work, with goals, with status. How could everyone not want him? And Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool… the best have to want him. And for us, Atletico fans, it should be a source of pride that everyone wants him. Why? Because he’s ours. And since he’s ours, we have to take care of him. We have to help him feel happy. How will he feel happy? By winning. And to get there, we all have to give 110 per cent. And not just for him, of course, but for everyone."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Alvarez justified his big-money move to Atletico after scoring 29 goals and adding five assists this season. Arsenal icon Thierry Henry believes the ex-City ace would be an ideal signing for Mikel Arteta's men, while Barca are looking for a long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski. But if he does go, it will not be on the cheap.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Argentina international Alvarez, who is said to have a €500m (£420m/$570m) release clause, is currently preparing for Atletico's Club World Cup campaign in the United States, which gets underway this weekend.