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The January transfer window will officially be open for business by the time that Tottenham Hotspur play their next match in the Premier League.

Thomas Frank’s side claimed a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday in their last game of 2025, thanks to a header from Archie Gray.

It will be interesting to see what the Lilywhites do when the transfer window opens because attacking reinforcements should be a priority, with Antoine Semenyo one name that has already been linked with a move to North London.

Premier League side in talks to sign Antoine Semenyo

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that a Premier League side are in talks with Bournemouth to complete a deal for the Ghana international next month, but it is Manchester City.

The reporter added that Liverpool and Arsenal would only consider moves for the former Bristol City man at the end of the season, which has left City in the driving seat.

This update comes a matter of days after David Ornstein reported that Spurs proposed an attractive wage offer to the Bournemouth superstar, only for the 25-year-old attacker to ‘politely’ turn down their advances.

This suggests that the Cherries left winger, who has produced nine goals and three assists in the Premier League this season (Sofascore), is not interested in signing for the Lilywhites at this moment in time.

Unfortunately, shortly after that frustrating transfer update, a current Spurs player has shown exactly why the club needed to sign a player like Semenyo to bolster their attack.

Why Spurs need to sign a player like Antoine Semenyo

Despite beating Palace 1-0, Frank’s side failed to impress at Selhurst Park on Sunday, as they only created one ‘big chance’ and 0.84 xG in 90 minutes, per Sofascore.

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Randal Kolo Muani was selected to start on the left flank ahead of Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, but failed to reward the manager’s faith in him with a positive performance.

The £150k-per-week loanee from Paris Saint-Germain, to his credit, did win the first of two flick-ons before Gray’s close-range winner, but his general play was largely poor.

Per Sofascore, the France international did not register a single cross or shot on goal and failed in all four of his attempted dribbles, whilst he did not create a single ‘big chance’ for the side.

Kolo Muani, who lost five of his six ground duels (Sofascore) in the game, was incredibly ineffective on the left wing, as he failed to create anything for the team or for himself from open play.

25/26 Premier League

Kolo Muani

Semenyo

Appearances

11

17

xG

1.19

6.11

Goals

0

9

Big chances missed

4

5

Key passes per game

0.7

1.4

Big chances created

0

4

Assists

0

3

Dribble success rate

29%

44%

Stats via Sofascore

Unfortunately, as you can see in the table above, Kolo Muani’s lack of threat at the top end of the pitch has been a theme throughout his performances in the Premier League this season.

The French flop has been thoroughly outperformed by Spurs target Antoine Semenyo, as the PSG loanee has not delivered a single goal contribution in 11 appearances and nine starts in the top-flight this season.

That is why Tottenham needed to sign the Ghana international, who has now rejected them, and why they need to go out and find an alternative to him in the January transfer window.

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Kolo Muani, whose only two goals for Spurs in 17 games came against his parent club, has not offered enough in the final third to justify a continued inclusion in the starting line-up.

The fact that the French flop has started nine of his 11 Premier League appearances, despite failing to provide any goal contributions, illustrates how dire the club’s attacking options are at this moment in time.

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Therefore, Frank must push the club to bring in a new option on the left wing to replace Kolo Muani before the January transfer window closes.

Ashwell Prince played a knock of real character to give South Africa a handy first-innings lead© Getty Images

West Indies were backed up against the ropes but still standing and still scrapping after another round of intense struggle in the second Test at Newlands yesterday. Once again, every punch was followed by a counterpunch but South Africa’s blows on opponents handicapped by significant injuries, were more frequent and more telling.Trailing by 25 at the start of a day of glorious, cloudless sunshine with half their wickets still in tact, the home team battled their way to an eventual lead of 78 and proceeded to further reinforce their position by removing four West Indies wickets for 96 by close.The equation entering the fourth day is a distinct advantage for the highly-ranked home team. The unexpectedly plucky contenders are ahead by just 18 with hopes of extending the 1-0 lead in the series – gained by their shock, deserving win in the first Test in Port Elizabeth – dependent mainly on sizeable contributions by their two best and most experienced batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Chris Gayle, who resume their partnership this morning.On a thickly-grassed outfield that devalues shots, even though cut before the start, and a pitch that has yielded 14 wickets to catches off the outside edge between wicketkeeper and gully, apart from more playing and missing than is usual in an entire series, a winning target even as modest of 180 or thereabouts would not be as straightforward as it appears.But this would require an exceptional effort for West Indies, especially in light of the hamstring injuries that have incapacitated two key players.Gayle’s, sustained in Zimbabwe back on December 2 and aggravated while batting in the first innings, forced him to abandon the opening position he has filled in all but six of his 124 Test innings, and appear quarter-hour to the end at No. 6 in the company of a runner. The last time he dropped down the list was in South Africa four years ago, in the Johannesburg Test, once more because of a leg muscle injury.Fidel Edwards, the main strike bowler, was not available for the rest of the match and probably series by a grade-two strain that struck him down after 4.5 overs in the first innings. His absence placed heavy responsibility on the rest that may have taken its toll on their fitness.The contest had swung towards South Africa over the last two hours, 10 minutes of the second day when Ashwell Prince and the feisty wicketkeeper Mark Boucher lifted their team from the instability of 131 for 5 with an unbroken stand of 87.They defied steady bowling through the first hour, 10 minutes yesterday to stretch their partnership to 129 and the lead to 17. The closest they came to being separated was by Marlon Samuels’ throw from midwicket that missed its target with Boucher, at 51, well short of his ground.It took the introduction of Dwayne Bravo to make the break. The bowling hero of the previous day with his 24 consecutive overs and three wickets, lost a close lbw appeal against Boucher one ball and induced a misjudged pull the next that was diverted into the stumps in a replay of his second-innings dismissal in the first Test.Daren Powell, so short of control the previous day he conceded 69 from 19 wicketless overs, took up the slack left by Edwards’ absence with 16 consecutive overs. Reward for his tireless effort was the wickets of Paul Harris and Andre Nel, caught off tentative outside edges by second slip and keeper.South Africa were a manageable 41 to the good when No. 10 Dale Steyn joined Prince on Nel’s dismissal, carrying AB de Villiers with him as a runner in deference to a reported hamstring strain. It was a strange course since the injury didn’t prevent him from taking his place when West Indies batted again or from delivering nine overs for the return of Runako Morton’s wicket.A couple of missed catches in the deep, the first signs in the series of fallibility in the series, aided the addition of 37 valuable runs for the last two wickets. The first was by Morton off Prince’s top-edged hook off Bravo, when the left-hander was 91, the second by substitute Darren Sammy at deep midwicket off Steyn’s slog off Marlon Samuels.

	Dwayne Bravo ended a gutsy stand of 129 for the sixth wicket between Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince © Getty Images

Prince, excited by the prospects of his seventh Test hundred, did not make use of his opportunity – and had only himself, and Jerome Taylor, to blame. He was three short of his goal when he chose to chance a second run on a shot to third man. He lost. Taylor swooped on the ball and his return to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, fast and accurate if a little high, beat Prince’s dive for home by a yard to so. His statistics of just over five hours and 225 balls in changing such a delicate balance represented an innings of real character.Steyn and Makhaya Ntini put on a further 20 for the last wicket, vital runs in a low scoring match, until Rawl Lewis’ second Test wicket, in his fifth match, ended the innings to a catch at deep midwicket.Gayle returned to the team room between innings in such distress from his tender hamstring after 118.2 overs in the field that he reluctantly acknowledged it would be foolhardy to try to head back out to open the innings.A volunteer was sought and, according the media manager Philip Spooner, Ramdin immediately raised his hand. The wicketkeeper is a novice to the position and, for the 17 overs to tea in which three sets of leg-byes boundaries helped put West Indies at 30 without loss, he confirmed it.He seemed to be batting blindfolded, so repeatedly did Nel especially, Ntini and Steyn pass his bat. But he kept his composure under Nel’s usual verbal barrage and gradually found the middle of the bat with five aggressive boundaries in 32.He and his Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga lasted into the 27th over, putting on 59, before Ramdin finally touched a catch to the keeper, off Jacques Kallis.Morton followed in the next over to an inappropriate drive at Steyn that presented Boucher with another catch.The dismissals of Ganga and Marlon Samuels, both assured but always under threat from the occasional unplayable delivery from the tricky surface, tightened South Africa’s grip. Ganga’s vigil of two-and-three-quarter hours for 22 was ended by Ntini’s first ball of a new spell, bowled off the pad by one that cut back.Samuels fought hard for an hour and 25 minutes for 18 but was quarter-hour short of batting through to the end when Nel won an lbw decision against him. It scuppered Gayle’s hope of not to having to bat for the remainder of the day. He saw through the end comfortably but he carried his real job into the fourth day.

Billy Doctrove: the umpire during The Oval Test © Getty Images

Billy Doctrove is looking back on his first 12 months as a member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires as a year of achievement.Doctrove, 51, came under the microscope in August for his involvement with Australian umpire Darrell Hair in a Test match at The Oval in London when Pakistan were penalised for ball-tampering.It was the one negative in what Doctrove considers to be a year of many positives. “It has been a very interesting first year, very challenging, but I can look back at it and say that I’ve been very satisfied with my performances,” he told Sunsport yesterday prior to the start of the third day of the Carib Beer Challenge Final at Guaracara Park.”I’ve done very well. The reports from the captains and the match referees have been good.”After the Oval Test in which Pakistan refused to continue, and which was subsequently awarded to England, Hair was relieved of his duties on the elite panel and Doctrove wasn’t among the eight umpires selected for the ICC Champions Trophy in October and November.Since then, however, he has resumed duties in the middle. “A lot of attention was placed on me with the Oval Test match. Although it was a negative at the time, I look back at it as a learning experience.”I learnt a lot from that episode both personally and professionally. I’ve become not only a better umpire, but a better person. I’ve learnt about myself, about how to react under different situations.”As far as he is concerned, the Oval script is a closed chapter. “I’m generally a positive person and any negative thing that comes my way, I always try to turn it into a positive,” he said.”That’s what I’m doing with this one and I’m hoping that it is history, as far as I’m concerned. You never know when those things can come back up, but I’m hoping it is behind me.”In his first year as an elite umpire, he stood in four Tests and 15 ODIs. While we’ve heard extensively on the Oval scenario, the positive stories have been in the background.”The players and match referees have been very complimentary about my performances,” Doctrove said. “Most of my games have been away from the West Indies. This is the first time that I’ve had that concentration of games outside of the West Indies. I’ve learnt a lot from that. There are many more plusses than minuses during my first year as an elite umpire.”He said there were instances when a player might have felt aggrieved by a decision against him, but later, that same player would come to him and tell him he got it right.”You always get those things. You get guys who are not happy at the particular time, but when they get a chance to look back at the replay or get a consensus from the coaching staff, they have a change of mind.”Some of them who are big enough will come and tell you that they were happy with the decision. The technology can work both ways.”For the forthcoming World Cup in the Caribbean, Doctrove has been assigned to warm-up games in St Vincent and group stage matches in St Lucia. Appointments for the Super Eight stage will be made after the first phase of the tournament.His current contract with ICC expires at the end of March; and he is optimistic that he will be maintained on the elite panel. “I’m hoping that I can get an extension. That will depend entirely on the officials of ICC.”Based on my performances, I have no doubt in my mind that I warrant an extension. I’ll leave it in the hands of the officials. Whatever they decide, I’ll go along with.”

Jamie Cox, playing for Somerset in 2002, was on the fringe of Australian selection but never got the call © Getty Images

Jamie Cox, the Tasmania and Somerset opening batsman, has retired after 264 first-class matches in a 19-year career. Fading in his last couple of seasons, Cox, 36, managed only 60 runs in three Pura Cup games this summer and was more prominent in the commentary box and on the television show than on the field.Nobody has played more Pura Cup-Sheffield Shield games than Cox’s 161, and he finishes in second position behind Darren Lehmann for the most runs after bowing out with 10,821. It is a record that shows his longevity and also his inability to crack the national team. A solid opener, he was in contention for the 1997 and 2001 Ashes tours but was overpowered by Michael Slater, Mark Taylor, Matthew Elliott, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer.Making his debut in 1987-88, Cox was Tasmania’s first inductee into the Cricket Academy and had his best season in 1996-97 when he struck 1,349 runs. In 2000-01 he was named the Pura Cup Player of the Season and was also making his mark at Somerset, where he captained the county for three northern summers. Somerset won the C&G Trophy under Cox in 2001 and his overall first-class record for the two teams was 18,614 runs at 42.69.”He retires as one of the best players never to have represented Australia at senior level, but his contribution to Tasmanian cricket is immense,” Brent Palfreyman, the Tasmania Cricket Association chairman, said. Cox is a player career development coordinator with the TCA and Palfreyman said he was keen for him to remain involved with the organisation.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Makhaya Ntini: 13-wicket hero© Getty Images

Makhaya Ntini recorded his best Test figures of 7 for 37, to complete a sensational 13-wicket match haul and set South Africa for an emphatic eight-wicket victory on the final day in Trinidad. AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith then rubbed salt into the open wounds by rattling along to a 117-run opening stand in the second innings, and though both then fell before tea to massage the margin of defeat, Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph sealed the win 15 minutes into the final session.It was, from start to finish, an utterly depressing day for West Indies. They had resumed with an overnight lead of 119 and a faint hope of saving the match, but squandered their position with a collapse of five wickets for 24 runs in just 59 balls of the new ball, four of them to the unplayable Ntini. Then, with a meagre target of 144 to defend, their hopes were utterly deflated in a ten-minute spell either side of tea, when Reon King twice committed the ultimate – and in West Indies’ case, the long-overdue – crime of taking a wicket with a no-ball.On an increasingly devious track, de Villiers had decided that a swift denouement was in order, and beat Daren Powell out of the attack with three classy overs in his opening over. He continued in similar vein until, in the penultimate over before lunch, King removed his off stump with a beauty. David Shepherd, however, had already signalled the no-ball, and as a grinning de Villiers led the teams off for lunch, King remained out in the middle, scratching the popping crease like a disconsolate rooster.He measured and re-measured his run-up, but it was all to no avail. In the third over after the resumption, Smith flinched a dolly to short midwicket, but once again King had overstepped, and Brian Lara was already grimacing as he stooped to complete the catch. From that moment on, the fight went out of the West Indian performance, and though they salvaged some pride with two late wickets, the sight of Ramnaresh Sarwan dropping Rudolph at gully with two runs needed for victory was a more apt commentary on the day’s events.In fact, West Indies’ solitary bright spot came in the third over of the morning, as Sarwan, 93 not out overnight, brought up his seventh Test century with a firm push for four down the ground. Thereafter, Ntini entered the attack to share the new ball, and the end of the innings was swift and dramatic.Ntini made the big incision with his third ball of the morning, as Dwayne Bravo flashed hard at a wide one and feathered an edge through to Mark Boucher behind the stumps. He was gone for 33, and Ntini had completed his second haul of ten wickets in a match. One over later he surpassed his previous-best performance, against England at Lord’s in 2003, when Courtney Browne was trapped on the move to become a very rare lbw victim (188 for 7) – it was just Ntini’s 13th such dismissal in 57 Tests and 217 wickets.

Andre Nel adds to the West Indian collapse© Getty Images

Andre Nel then got in on the act as well, as Powell deflected a thick edge towards second slip, where Jacques Kallis, quick as a flash, reached to his right to pluck a lightning chance. Sarwan could do nothing but look on and hope for the best. Pedro Collins played down the wrong line and lost his off stump to Ntini, and after an emphatic four through point from Sarwan, King was beaten for sheer pace as Ntini completed his share of the rout.Ntini’s match figures of 13 for 132 were the best by a South African in Test history, surpassing a record that had stood for 53 years – Hugh Tayfield’s 13 for 165 against Australia at Melbourne in 1952-53. It was a performance made all the more memorable by the absence of Shaun Pollock, who has been South Africa’s premier strike bowler since the retirement of Allan Donald, and showed that the succession is in safe hands.How they were outWest IndiesDwayne Bravo c Boucher b Ntini 33 (180 for 6)
Lapse in concentration, swished at a wide oneCourtney Browne lbw b Ntini 2 (188 for 7)
Caught on the move, hit just inside the lineDaren Powell c Kallis b Nel 1 (189 for 8)
Flying edge, plucked at second slipPedro Collins b Ntini 0 (190 for 9)
Played down wrong line, lost off stumpReon King b Ntini 0 (194 for 10)
Beaten for pace, stumps splatteredSouth AfricaGraeme Smith c Gayle b Bravo 41 (117 for 1)
Loose drive to first slip
AB de Villiers b Powell 62 (119 for 2)
Squared up by one that kept fractionally low

‘It all goes pretty quickly’ © Getty Images

Despite the result being a foregone conclusion, 29,262 turned up at the MCG to show their appreciation of one of Australian cricket’s most beloved sons. “This is one Waugh we won’t forget,” said one banner, while another simply said, “Tugga, Our Hero”. Steve Waugh was certainly moved by it, as he trooped around the crowd, soaking up the acclaim. “It all goes pretty quickly,” he said afterwards. “But the crowd was outstanding and they showed why it’s one of the great sporting venues.”Waugh admitted that the stage was set for a fitting finale in Sydney, with the series so beautifully poised. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “But I want to think about the side and concentrate on the job that I have to do, both as a captain and as a batsman.”He said that there was a brief period following the blow on the elbow from Ajit Agarkar when he feared that Sydney would prove one hurdle too many. “I thought I’d broken my arm,” he said. “And I thought this might be it … but the X-rays didn’t show anything and I’ll definitely play in Sydney.” He said it was a struggle to get any sort of momentum going with the bat. “I couldn’t hit through the off side, but it was mainly a case of getting a partnership going.”According to Waugh, the game tilted decisively in Australia’s favour on the second morning, when they ripped out the last six Indian wickets for just 16. “We were desperate on the first day because I was bowling,” he said with a laugh. “But I got a lucky wicket. The crucial session though was the first one on day two. I think India realised, too, that it had slipped out of reach after that.”Waugh refused to compare the emotions centred around the upcoming Sydney Test to those that had propelled him to an epic century against England last year. “While there’s a lot happening around me and the team, I think it’s positive. Last year, there were a lot of negative emotions leading up to the Test, because I thought that might be it if I failed.”He promised that neither he nor his team would be fazed by the occasion. “You want pressure,” he said with a hint of a smile. “The best teams and the best players lift themselves for the big occasion.” There was also no question of ruling India out of contention, despite the fact that the momentum may have shifted in Melbourne. “Against most sides, barring India, you might think that. But they have a great batting side, a world-class spinner in Kumble, and three guys who can swing the ball. They’re very hard to get out, and just tougher mentally than they were in previous years. Not many teams have lasted five days against us.”Waugh refused to be drawn on Sachin Tendulkar’s recent travails, saying, “Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly and Sehwag have covered for him. I think instead of being concerned about him not making runs, they should be proud of how the other guys have stepped up. That’s the beauty of team sport.”

Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting: starting a contagion © AFP

He paid fulsome tribute to his own bowlers, and admitted that it would be difficult to leave out anyone if Jason Gillespie was indeed fit to play in Sydney. There were also encomiums for Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, who both continued to pile on the runs without pause. “It’s hard to say who’s batting better,” he said. I’m just happy that I’m playing in a team where I can watch them both. If I wasn’t playing, I’d be turning the TV on to watch. They’ve made people watch Test cricket again.” Waugh suggested that Australia’s aggressive approach had rubbed off on other teams, saying, “I think it’s contagious. Kallis, Gibbs, Kirsten, Lara … all these guys are doing it because they’ve seen the Australian guys do it.”The applause that rang around the stands at the end, from spectators on both sides, will linger long in the Waugh memory, but for the moment, the blinkers are on for Sydney. “I don’t want to go out as a losing captain,” he said with extra emphasis. “It happened to me in my last series as one-day captain, and I don’t want to leave Tests that way.” And unless India find large doses of the Eden Gardens-Adelaide elixir, not to mention a couple of bowlers to support the lion-hearted Kumble, he won’t.

ADELAIDE, Dec 20 AAP – Justin Langer finally capitalised on what he believes is his career-best form to score his first first-class century of the season, handing Western Australia first innings points and control of its Pura Cup match against South Australia at Adelaide Oval today.At the end of day two, the Warriors were 2-299 in their first innings, with Murray Goodwin on 108 and Mike Hussey on nine, holding a first innings lead of 73 after SA was dismissed for 226 in its first innings on day one.The highlight of the day was WA skipper and Australian Test opener Langer’s 164, which included 16 fours and two sixes from 263 balls, and ensures he will head into the fourth Ashes Test, starting at the MCG on Thursday, in absolute top form.While Langer’s performances have been overshadowed by his run-guzzling Test opening partner Matthew Hayden this summer, he said he had been batting better than ever, despite failing to notch a hundred until today.”I’ve got a lot of starts and I’ve been batting probably as well as I have in my whole career,” Langer told reporters.”I said a number of times for the last three or four weeks ‘someone’s going to pay soon’ because I felt like I was due for a really big score.”Batting’s about getting momentum and it doesn’t matter whether you play in a grade game, a Pura Cup game, or a one-day game, if you’re scoring runs the momentum usually goes with you, so I’ll be looking to take that momentum into Boxing Day.”Langer and Goodwin shared a 247-run second-wicket stand, dominated by Langer, which carried WA past SA’s total and was only one run short of the highest second-wicket partnership for WA against SA, scored by Greg Shipperd and Mike Veletta here in 1984/85.It was eventually broken by Paul Rofe in the third over with the second new ball, when Langer got a thin inside edge to keeper Shane Deitz with the total on 267.But by then WA was in command, and Langer said he expected SA would find it difficult to get back into the match on a pitch that is likely to get tougher to bat on.He said young left arm spinner Beau Casson, who took six wickets in the first innings in just his second first-class match, was likely to pose an even bigger threat in the second innings.”We’re in a great position now, I imagine it’s going to get harder and harder to bat on,” Langer said.”We saw it spin in the first innings, so young Beau Casson will be confident and for our other guys it will be a bit up and down, it will be tough to bat on.”In the one bright spot for the Redbacks, 19-year-old debutant paceman Shaun Tait showed promise and captured the wicket of WA opener Chris Rogers for six in the 10th over of the day.The fiery teenager also struck Langer on the shoulder with a short ball during his opening spell.

Northern Districts won an extraordinary and sometimes bizarre match by three Duckworth/Lewis runs at Blake Park, Mount Maunganui, leaving Wellington angry and disappointed at the end.With 14 still needed, six overs and two balls to bowl and the last pair at the wicket, the umpires offered Northern the light. Knowing that they were ahead on Duckworth/Lewis calculations, the offer was gleefully accepted.With two spinners bowling (as demanded by umpire Bowden as a condition for play continuing in the gloom) there was no danger to the batsmen. Indeed, it could be argued that they were in less danger than anybody else in the ground.Wellington were obviously disgusted at the decision, with hats being thrown on the ground and the players remaining in the middle for some five minutes, debating the issue with umpires Wright and Bowden before reluctantly accepting their fate.That was not all. Earlier a rain interruption had been extended by an unnecessary 90 minutes because the covers had come apart at the seams, like the two teams at various stages of the day. Without this interruption a full, fifty over match might have been completed.All this overshadowed a magnificent performance from Wellington quickie Andrew Penn. He finished with figures of 8-1-28-7, the second best ever in domestic limited overs cricket (Willie Watson holds the record with 7-23 for Auckland against Otago in 1984/85). Penn now holds the best bowling records for Central Districts and Wellington, both against Northern.He finished with figures of 8-1-28-7, the second best figures ever domestic limited overs cricket (Willie Watson holds the record with 7-23 for Auckland against Otago in 1984/5) Penn now holds the best bowling records for Central Districts and Wellington, both against Northern.It was an outstanding piece of bowling, with movement and extra bounce on a consistent off stump line. It was also one of those days when the edges were found and carried to the fielders, but Penn deserved any good fortune that came his way. With the ODI squad being announced tomorrow, he could not have picked a better day to stake his claim.Wellington began well, having won the toss and chosen to bat. Nevin hit three fours off Tuffey in the sixth over, taking his side to 47-2 when he was out.Thereafter it was a struggle, as Wellington crept to 119-7 from 40 overs when the rain fell and the covers leaked. Bradburn, as usual, was Northern’s best bowler, finishing with 10-1-25-1.The numbers having been crunched, Northern were left with a target of 144 in forty overs. They began appearing to think that it would all be a bit of a breeze, Hamish Marshall and Simon Doull appearing to be aiming to finish it all in less than 20 overs, never mind 40.Then, thanks to Penn, it all turned to dust, with a spectacular collapse reducing the home team to 47-6. Hart and James Marshall worked quietly and carefully to bring Northern back into it (the required rate was always around three an over and was never an issue).The return of Penn disposed of both of them. Tait and Tuffey continued the good work, Tuffey hitting a six over mid-wicket off Jefferson, a sign that the light was not an impenetrable problem for the batsmen.The last few balls were, in some ways, the strangest of the lot. Roger Twose bowled them, his first spell of the season. His first four balls were all wides, with another following later in the over. However, he got the wicket of Tait, caught by a skyer at mid off.It was then that the umpires took the decision to offer the light. Common sense said that the game should be played to a conclusion, but when has that had much to do with events on a cricket field?The win puts Northern equal on points with Otago at the top of the table. Wellington are bottom and need to win against CD on Sunday if they are not to lose touch.

Wolves’ midfield could look completely different next season, with both Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho possibly leaving the club at the end of the season.

Youngster Luke Cundle is expected to feature more for the first team next season after impressing in the limited appearances he has made so far, while fans will be hoping Morgan Gibbs-White is given a chance next campaign after impressing on-loan at Sheffield United in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Leander Dendoncker could be the club’s most senior midfielder – having been a regular at the club since 2018, when he initially joined on-loan from Anderlecht, before signing permanently for £12.42m the summer afterwards.

However, Bruno Lage might be nervous about deploying the Belgian in place of Ruben Neves, given he has averaged just a 6.79 match rating this season, compared to the 7.20 match rating that the Portuguese star has averaged in the Premier League this season.

If the West Midlands club went down an alternate route back in 2018, they could have had Cameroon international Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa already in place to step up and replace Neves – and have had him to start alongside the Barcelona target.

According to French news outlet Espoirs du Foot, via Get French Football News, Wolves were interested in bringing  Zambo-Anguissa to Molineux for their first season back in the Premier League, back in 2018. However, he joined Fulham instead for £22.3m.

The Cottagers star, currently on-loan with Serie A giants Napoli, was labelled “first-class” by former manager Scott Parker during the club’s Premier League campaign back in the 2018/19 season, and he has gone from strength-to-strength in Italy – with his value increasing to £27m according to Transfermarkt.

His manager in Italy, Luciano Spalletti, has admitted he is a huge fan of the former Stade Reims and Marseille youngster, saying earlier in the season: “He always comes into the locker room and talks about what happened in the first half, what was going on around his position, paying close attention to the movements that the opposition do. He is very tactically intelligent.”

The 26-year-old has proven himself as not just a physical brute in the defensive third to get past, but also a progressive midfielder like Neves, ranking among players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions in the top 3% for both dribbles completed per 90 (1.77) and tackles in the attacking third per 90 (0.56), as well as ranking in the top 8% for carries into the final third per 90 (2.42).

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Described as a “machine” by Joachim Andersen, his development since first arriving in England four years ago has been significant, having spent time on loan at La Liga giants Villarreal too – and he is now proving Wolves wrong for not taking a chance on him.

Chairman Jeff Shi will likely rue that decision in the summer if they do lose Moutinho and Neves.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

Scorecard

	Kumar Sangakkara was declared the Man-of-the-Tournament for his 264 runs © AFP

Rain was the ultimate winner in the Inter-Provincial Limited-Overs Tournament final between Kandurata and Wayamba which ended in a no result with only 35.3 overs being bowled in the entire match. The teams were declared joint champions and picked up prize money worth Rs 1.7 million (US$15,700) each.The weather has not been at its best for the past fortnight and Sri Lanka Cricket, who organised the tournament, were keeping their fingers crossed that it would clear away on Sunday and allow a full day’s play at the SSC. However it was not to be. Heavy rain on the previous night left the pitch and the outfield with a great deal of moisture which pushed back the start by one-and-a-half hours.The match was reduced to a 43 overs-a-side and Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene had no hesitation in inviting Kandurata to bat. It proved a good move as Wayamba captured two wickets including the prize one of Kandurata captain Kumar Sangakkara in the opening ten overs.Sajith Fernando and tailender Suraj Mohamed, surprisingly promoted in the order, mended the innings with a partnership of 67 off 62 balls. Fernando scored 44 off 58 deliveries and Mohamed 42 off 69. Fernando’s dismissal at 98 sparked off another mini-collapse as Kandurata lost a further two wickets for the addition of seven runs before the rain arrived with Kandurata 131 for 5 off 29.3 overs. The innings ended on that total and when play recommenced at 4pm Wayamba were set the task of chasing 143 runs from 25 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.Michael Vandort and Mahela Udawatte gave them a flying start posting 37 runs off six overs before the rains returned to bring an end to the game.Sangakkara with 264 runs at 66 and the scorer of the only century in the tournament (109 v Basnahira South) won the Man-of-the-Tournament award of Rs 100,000 (US$923).