Florian Wirtz will undoubtedly have envisaged a wide range of scenarios after completing his (briefly) record-breaking £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool during the summer, but it’s unlikely the German would have thought he’d be without a goal or an assist in the Premier League just before Christmas.

But that is Wirtz’s reality, with the silky playmaker having struggled to adapt to the English game. That being said, Arne Slot’s system has been so dysfunctional that it’s been difficult to dovetail into – Alexander Isak is struggling too.

Still, the 22-year-old is considered a “generational talent” in his homeland, as has been said by media professional Cristian Nyari, and he needs to crank up the gears over the next few months, especially with the Reds scraping to retain their place in the Champions League, let alone challenge for the league title.

There remains anticipation that Wirtz will come good, but he’s got a long way to go before he begins rivalling like-styled predecessors like Phil Coutinho, and the hierarchy have already begun to sniff around for an upgrade.

Liverpool eyeing Wirtz upgrade

Wirtz’s place in Slot’s Liverpool squad is not in jeopardy, but the Germany international will need to start hauling more weight if he wishes to become a focal part of this new era.

Coutinho would be the benchmark, the star to aim for. Sold to Barcelona for a jaw-dropping £142m sum in Janaury 2018, the nifty Brazilian was the star of the show in those early Jurgen Klopp days, and to land a new version would be quite a thing.

Wirtz has been envisaged as that man, but transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Como talent Nico Paz has been earmarked as a potential signing for the Anfield side, with initial enquiries already made from the Reds and their elite Premier League rivals.

However, Real Madrid are firm favourites to bring the 21-year-old home, having nurtured the Argentine playmaker through his formative years before sending him to Italy with a buyback clause embedded in his contract.

Valued at £70m, Paz would mark a significant outlay, but there’s no question that he’s going straight to the top.

Why Nico Paz would be the new Coutinho

Paz has many qualities, but he’s been singled out as a “magician” of an attacking midfielder by talent scout Jacek Kulig, a natural creator cut from the same cloth as someone like Coutinho (and Wirtz, for that matter).

Under Cesc Fabregas’ wing in the Italian top flight, Paz is developing his skills as a crafty and entertaining attacking midfielder, one whose defensive work rate is second to none too.

Well, not quite, but he does rank among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles per 90, as per FBref, illustrating that point.

This, too, was true of Coutinho when in his Liverpool pomp, the Brazilian winning so many duels to complement his flashy passing and stunning strikes.

Coutinho (17/18) vs Paz (25/26)

Stats* (* per game)

Coutinho

Paz

Matches (starts)

14 (13)

15 (15)

Goals

7

5

Assists

6

5

Shots (on target)*

3.9 (1.2)

3.5 (1.3)

Pass completion

79%

81%

Key passes*

2.9

2.2

Dribbles*

2.8

2.1

Tackles*

1.2

2.8

Duels won*

5.6

7.7

Stats via Sofascore

Perhaps it’s something taught when out in Serie A. Liverpool, after all, signed their little magician from Inter Milan for a crisp £8m fee way back in January 2013, moulding him into a superstar.

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Paz is further back in his development, but he’s already shining, proving himself to be a player capable of surviving the toughness of the Premier League and indeed thriving for a club like Liverpool.

Wirtz is Liverpool’s man, and fans want nothing more than to see him click into gear and start proving to FSG that they have received bang for their buck.

However, if FSG’s desire for Paz is genuine, then it’s understandable. He’s the real deal and has the potential to become a bona fide sensation at the top of the global game.

If Liverpool can sign a star with shades of Coutinho back in his heyday, they might just be onto a winner. Given that Paz has the pizzazz but also the tenacity and grit too, he might just be the man for the job.

Related The new Szoboszlai: Liverpool "have every chance" of signing £35m "monster"

Liverpool are getting ready to add to their ranks in the January transfer window.

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The January transfer window is just around the corner and it will be interesting to see what Tottenham Hotspur decide to do with their squad.

A winger seems to be one of the positions that is on the agenda for Fabio Paratici. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz are two players who have been linked with a move to the club in recent weeks.

Signing a new winger is not the only move that Spurs should make to bolster their attack ahead of the second half of the season, though, as they should also be in the market for a new number nine.

Why Spurs need to sign a new centre-forward

Centre-forward has been a problem position for the club since they sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for £86.4m in the summer of 2023, which is not a surprise given that Tottenham’s all-time top scorer, with 280 goals, was always going to be a tough act to follow.

Dominic Solanke was signed from Bournemouth for £65m last year, but the English striker only scored nine goals from 10.97 xG in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, and has been out since August with an ankle injury this term.

Richarlison has been the first-choice centre-forward for Tottenham in the 2025/26 campaign, partially down to Solanke’s injury, and has only scored seven goals in 25 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore.

The Brazil international has scored some stunning goals, including the one above and an overhead kick against Burnley on the opening day, but he has not provided consistency on the pitch, as evidenced by the graphic below, which is why a new striker should be signed.

Richarlison, despite his inconsistency in front of goal, has not been Tottenham’s most frustrating player this season, though, as there is another flop who should be sold in January.

The Spurs flop who should finally be sold in January

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Spurs should finally cash in on Pedro Porro, whose form has left a lot to be desired in the 2025/26 campaign.

OnlyTottenham podcaster Seb Martin claimed that the Spain international has been “absolutely diabolical” at the end of last month, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment of his performances this season.

Porro lost possession 22 times and lost five of his eight ground duels, per Sofascore, in the dismal 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at the weekend, which was the latest in a long line of disappointing performances from the full-back this term.

Pedro Porro – Premier League

24/25

25/26

Appearances

33

16

Possession lost per game

17.5

19

Key passes per game

1.7

1.3

Big chances created

10

3

Assists

6

1

Ground duel success rate

53%

49%

Pass accuracy

76%

75%

Cross accuracy

31%

18%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the former Sporting defender has been far more wasteful and less creative in possession than he had been in the top-flight for Spurs last season.

Porro, as of a couple of weeks ago, was also the third-most dribbled past defender in the division, which shows that his defensive work has also been lacking.

His performances have declined under Thomas Frank, as evidenced by these statistics, and the January transfer window provides the club with an opportunity to part ways with him.

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Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Manchester City are keeping tabs on the defender’s situation in North London, ahead of a possible swoop for his services, which suggests that there is interest in the full-back if Spurs decide to cash in on him.

Porro has been even worse than Richarlison, who has at least provided some big moments with his goals, this season and that is why Tottenham should finally cash in on him, after almost three years at the club.

City may be hoping that they can get him back to the form that he showed in the past for Spurs, but there is no guarantee that he will not continue to underperform and regress on the pitch.

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Tottenham need to make a signing or two in the January transfer window.

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Therefore, Spurs should cut their losses and cash in on him amid interest from their Premier League rivals, to fund a move for a new right-back to come through the door.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Leeds United are on the verge of sealing a deal for Derby County forward Matej Vydra. The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to the Whites in recent times and has reportedly been left out of Derby’s squad for their pre-season tour of Tenerife, and with a deal for the Czech star close, the Yorkshire giants must now seek to add Jordan Rhodes to their ranks in a bid to storm the Championship.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 26-year-old Vydra finished as Derby’s, and indeed the Championship’s, top goal-scorer last term in netting 21 goals in 40 appearances for the Rams, thus continuing to prove his credentials as a hugely adept forward at second tier level.

And with 65 goals in 187 appearances in the Championship, the Czech Republic international will add a significant amount to the Leeds striking ranks, while the addition of Sheffield Wednesday’s Rhodes would add even more to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

The 26-year-old made the move to Hillsborough initially on loan in 2017 before making the move permanent later that year, yet things haven’t quite gone to plan for the Scotland international given he has scored just eight league goals in 51 Championship appearances for the Owls.

However, his struggles in Yorkshire shouldn’t detract from an otherwise outstanding second tier record, with Rhodes having scored 83 goals in 159 games at Championship level for Blackburn Rovers, as well as six in 18 games for Middlesbrough to help them win promotion back in 2016.

So while things haven’t gone to plan at Hillsborough, one mustn’t forget that just a matter of years ago, Rhodes was scoring goals for fun in the second tier, and alongside the equally-prolific Vydra, they could strike up quite the partnership in Bielsa’s side.

And even if the Leeds chief decided against playing both of them together, there aren’t many better players to have on the bench if one isn’t quite producing the goods – it would be a striking department to be feared.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know

Yes, the Whites weren’t the lowest goal-scorers in the second tier last season, but only two men reached double figures in Kemar Roofe and Pierre Michel Lasogga, and with the latter not returning after spending last term on loan at Hamburg, goals could be a problem this season.

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Yet they certainly won’t be if Vydra and indeed £5.4 million-rated Rhodes (as per Transfermarkt) join the club this summer, which is why with the former closing in on a move to Elland Road, the Whites must seek to add the latter in a bid to take the Championship by storm this season.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Lancashire began the final day of this match needing 399 to win, but more conceivably knowing that they had survived one hundred and forty overs to achieve a draw against Somerset recently. The pitch was good, the sun was out and the loss of nearly a day to rain had ensured that the wicket had not dried out as much as it might at this point in the game. Lancashire were also able to call on a batting line-up which with Fairbrother and Flintoff on form and Crawley having scored centuries in two of the last three matches, they also have the services of a Ganguly top Indian batsman who set last year’s world cup alight and the Australian Joe Scuderi and the rugged Warren Hegg who scored ninety five in this fixture last summer.Unfortunately that was the end of the good news for the visitors, they were up against a bowling attack that averages under seventy five overs to get a side out this summer and against which they had capitulated, chiefly to the pace of Alex Tudor, for just 120 yesterday. Tudor made the early breakthroughs disposing of makeshift opener Chapple early and then last week’s centurion Flintoff with the power of his pace alone (although he was ably assisted by the almost black hole like catching of Ben Hollioake on both occasions) while Bicknell remained unlucky, but almost impossible to score from at the other end. Cricket may not have a ladies day, but the last day at Kennington remains firmly enshrined as spinners day, and Saqlain came into the game early on. Lancashire in the usually spin resistant persons of Fairbrother and Ganguly resisted well initially after the loss of Crawley to yet another catch to Adam Hollioake at his customary loopy mid off position. They stayed together until shortly before lunch when Salisbury’s box of tricks supplied a ball to slice through Ganguly’s defences bowling one of the worlds best players of spin to leave Lancashire four down at the lunch interval.Lloyd departed to yet another Hollioake catch (Adam this time) to give Saqlain yet another victim before Scuderi emerged to begin a prolonged pause in the home teams progress. Each played well, as they had in the first innings, but each fell making the fatal mistake of believing that Salisbury is still the same fragile bowler he was when he first came to the Oval and tried to get at him. A few loose balls were dispatched to the boundary by each of them through the huge gaps in the attacking field, but Fairbrother swept hard to send up trivially simple looped catch – this time, novelly, to Ali Brown before Heggs momentary visit to the crease gave Sali his second victim of the over to put him ahead of Saqlain head count for the first time in the innings. Chris Schofield was winkled out by Saqi a few overs later to leave Scuderi with the support of just the two non-batsmen Keedy and Smethurst. The Australian managed a couple of clubbed fours as a swan song before he too surrendered to the inexorable march of the spinners and supplied a catch at the wicket to Batty. This left little to the contest apart from the question of who would take the final wicket, Smethurst who kept Lancs in the game initially with his excellent first innings bowling, cracked first and sent a high looping edge to the capable waiting hands of Martin Bicknell at mid off, Bickers raised his hands theatrically in triumph, Salisbury had netted another five bag to take Surrey’s total to 13 fivefers in the season to date.Lancashire will return to Old Trafford for three of their remaining four games in the hope that they will be ready to turn the tables on the champions who so comprehensively massacred them here, on a pitch their coach described as an excellent track, in the last game of the season. Whatever happened here they are still a good side (as they proved in the natwest trophy), but they will be eagerly looking forward to getting Martin back fit, and they and Yorkshire will do all they can to take the championship down to the wire.Surrey march on towards a second consecutive title with just the considerable hurdles of their two away matches against Lancs and Yorkshire seemingly in their way, in their seven consecutive wins they have beaten both roses counties by over two hundred and humbled fourth and fifth placed Somerset and Leicestershire by even greater margins. All five of their bowlers are now looking near unplayable on good pitches and their batsmen are at last delivering regular runs. If they are to be unseated their great rivals will almost certainly have to combine their efforts inflicting unfavourable results at both Scarborough over the August bank holiday and Old Trafford in the final game of the year, both have yet to travel to Leicestershire’s stronghold where it is notoriously difficult to worst the midlands on their own excellent pitches.

Add another name to the emerging crop of young fast bowlers in New Zealand, Ian Butler from Northern Districts.The New Zealand Under-19 representative from last summer allowed his side to gain a significant advantage over Central Districts in their State Championship match at Blenheim’s Horton Park today.Times were when Marlborough’s own fast bowlers Gary Bartlett and Michael Wilson were in their prime the Horton Park pitch was one of the fastest in the country.It still remains one of the bouncier pitches, and while not as fast as in its heyday, it created enough problems for bowlers of both teams to exploit.But at the moment it is Northern Districts who are in charge, although just how much they are able to cash in depends on the batsmen, and three of them are gone.By stumps, CD had been dismissed for 181 and in reply ND were 84/3.However, this was not a pitch that should have so favoured the bowlers. Rather it demanded greater application and graft by batsmen prepared to bide their time.CD has been a batsman short in games to date, and with that in mind it tried promoting Campbell Furlong to No 3 to try and arrest some of the batting decline that cost it a chance against Auckland.His 23 under normal circumstances would have suggested the ploy hadn’t worked, however, given the nature of the CD batting, it positively shone out of the scoreboard.It is likely to have caused Furlong only small comfort, because he had done all the hard work to build a more substantial innings when he chipped an easy return back to bowler Joseph Yovich to be caught and bowled.Yovich had earlier claimed a key wicket when removing David Kelly, a century maker in his last game, for 11.But it was Butler who added sting to the ND attack to give it an even more effective look than last season.He had Richard Scragg out in his first spell downwind this morning, and then had Richard King leg before wicket for 31 in the middle of a fiery, fast spell.Captain Robbie Hart kept manoeuvring his attack, especially when he had Scott Styris bowling impressively to keep the scoring down, to good effect.While wicket-keeper Bevan Griggs offered some hope of a lower-order recovery, he was only able to find suitable support from Michael Mason. They added 28 runs, hardly earth-shattering but timely in the context of CD’s innings before Butler ended Griggs’ 109 minutes of defiance with a catch to Robbie Hart. Griggs scored 31 and then Butler shattered Lance Hamilton’s stumps to finish with four for 44, an impressive return and one that offers ND great hope if it can keep its attack together.ND then found itself under pressure, as CD’s bowlers responded. Mason cleaned up James Marshall for seven with the score on 16.Matt Hart and Mark Bailey were just starting to look comfortable but CD had just the right man to sort them out in Andrew Schwass. And sort them out he did in his first over.Off the first ball Hart, who had been milking space wide of slips for boundaries, didn’t get his measurement quite right and found Furlong waiting to take a low catch, then four balls later Bailey tried to tickle a ball down the leg side, but he failed to get enough bat on it and it flew to Griggs to leave ND 58/3.Schwass ended on two for 11 from his five overs while Mason had one for 15 from 10.It was left to Styris and Hamish Marshall to take ND to 84/3, but to make CD pay for a disappointing batting effort, they must assume control tomorrow morning.However, such has been the lack of batting commitment on the first day, there is no way that CD can be considered out of this match yet.

After bowling Bangladesh out for under 100 in the first T20, South Africa’s attack intends to apply the same heat to their opposition in the second game as they go in search of a series win.”We need to be pretty aggressive; that’s our game plan,” Charl Langeveldt, who is on his first assignment as South Africa’s bowling coach after succeeding Allan Donald last month, said. “Normally when we come to the subcontinent, we try and use our aggression. That’s why we play four fast bowlers.”South Africa’s pack of Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, David Wiese and Wayne Parnell broke the back of the Bangladesh chase, with six wickets between them. Abbott and Rabada set the tone through effective use of the short ball, which made matters uncomfortable for the Bangladesh batsmen even though there was not much bounce or pace from the surface.Abbott’s first over was exclusively about holding his length back and varying his line from wide outside the off stump to closer in, aimed at the batsman’s body. He was rewarded with a wicket at the end of it. Rabada initially bowled on a length but soon saw he would need to get the batsmen into awkward positions. As soon as he banged in a bouncer, it produced a wicket.But Langeveldt explained that despite the brutish nature of a barrage of short balls, he is not teaching his bowlers to single-mindedly adopt a caveman-like, forceful approach to their bowling. “It’s also about the follow-up ball and our guys executed that well too,” he explained. “We need to adapt. You can’t just come and be aggressive to a Shakib [Al Hasan] or a Mushfiqur [Rahim] if he is going well. It’s also about adapting to the conditions.”Wiese demonstrated how taking pace off the ball was an equally effective tactic, while Parnell found a hint of reverse-swing. Those subtle arts are what Langeveldt is placing the focus on in limited-overs cricket ahead of the World T20, which will be played in India next year.With conditions likely to be more like the ones South Africa are experiencing now in Bangladesh than those they play in at home, Langeveldt wants his men to have enough variation in their game to perform on any surface. “The main thing for us for the T20 World Cup is to improve our skills. It’s not 100% yet. We’ve got a young attack – they are good listeners and they ask good questions.” Chris Morris is the other member of the attack and he may come in for Parnell for the second game.Eddie Leie will also hope to get an opportunity. The legspinner could make his international debut, likely at the expense of Aaron Phangiso, if South Africa want to give all their bowlers a run in this series, something Langeveldt hinted at. “We are experimenting with the new guys to see where they are,” he said. “We know what we are going to get from Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel so this is a good opportunity to see what the young guys have got.”

In another step to roll out in-house reforms, the BCCI has asked all its state units to be more accountable, seeking relevant proof and information from them for the various subsidies they have been granted in the last ten years.In three separate letters sent earlier this week, which have been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has also urged the states to set up individual vision documents for the development of the game under their jurisdiction, and submit the same to the board by September 15.”BCCI has been distributing huge amount of subsidy since 2005 to the state units. We are now in the process of documenting the steps taken by the State Units to develop and promote the game of cricket in the last decade,” Thakur wrote in the first letter, sent on August 5.Every year the BCCI disburses about 70% of its profits to its members. But with no checks and balances in place till the mid-noughties, states did not bother to justify their expenses to the board. BCCI administrations in the last ten years, though, have taken a firm stance if they sniffed any wrongdoing on the part of the states. In the recent past the BCCI has hauled up various members – including the Delhi District Cricket Association, Rajasthan Cricket Association, Kerala Cricket Association, Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, and Assam Cricket Association – for different reasons, including allegations of misappropriation of funds and embezzlement.The BCCI has appointed senior administrator Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s game development manager, as the coordinator of this project. According to Thakur, the BCCI wanted the states to share information related to five specific areas: “Construction or refurbishment of international stadium, creation of cricket facilities at the district level, creation of cricket academy and its activities, domestic tournament in your association, and welfare measures undertaken by the association.”Thakur stressed the states need to take up the issues as “top priority”, and also appoint an official, who would become the “one-point contact” for the BCCI to coordinate with.Another important area, Thakur pointed out, where the states need to become more vigilant, is when they avail funds from the Infrastructure Subsidy pool – since 2005, the BCCI has set up a annual pool of Rs 50 crore from which the states can claim expenses for buying land for new stadiums, constructing a new stadiums, refurbishing an existing stadium, and buying ground equipment. Usually such claims need to be supported by the relevant documents listed in the BCCI’s guidelines, but Thakur said that some states had not only failed to adhere to them, but also misused the funds in certain cases.”I am writing to you this letter to request you to advise your office to strictly adhere to the guidelines for claiming reimbursement under Infrastructure Subsidy. We have come across some claims for items other than for Infrastructure Development or in some case the relevant document for purchase of land are not enclosed and in some cases the auditor’s certificate is not enclosed. This leads to undue delay in clearing the files for release of payment,” Thakur noted in a separate letter that was sent to the state units on August 6.Calling the state units a “partner in the development and promotion of the game in India”, Thakur urged them to help in the BCCI’s endeavour to formulate a Vision2020 document. Asking them to take the matter up “as an agenda” with their respective managing committees, the states have been asked to prepare their own Vision 2020 document and submit that to the BCCI by mid September.”There is no doubt that cricket in India has developed and prospered over the years due to our collective effort. The State Units have taken new initiatives to develop and promote the game all these years. The BCCI would like to involve its member units in setting up the Vision2020 document for the game,” Thakur wrote.With a Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee looking into institutional reforms for the BCCI, the board has already taken steps to clean up the administration of cricket in the country. In the last week of July, the board had for the first time acknowledged and sought to address the issue of conflict of interest. In a letter written to its members, Thakur, had asked representatives of every state association, and members of various committees and sub-committees of the BCCI, to sign a declaration stating they have no conflicts of interest.

Tahir moves to No. 2 on ICC rankings

Imran Tahir has become the second-ranked ODI bowler in the ICC rankings, while South Africa, by virtue of having registered a 2-1 series win over New Zealand, have climbed up to third position.
Tahir, who was in fifth position when the series began, jumped up three places following his five wickets in the series. While moving up the rankings, Tahir also pushed his team-mate, Dale Steyn, down to fifth position.
South Africa and New Zealand, who started the series on 109 and 110 points respectively to be the fourth and third-ranked sides, have now swapped places.

If Hashim Amla had his way, all ODI cricket would be played in the same way as the recently completed series between South Africa and New Zealand. Not because both teams could use the contest for experimentation, not because there there was very little at stake but because of conditions.”The wickets had a lot in it for the bowlers, which is very good. I think this is how ODI cricket should be played – there is something in it for the bowlers and guys have to bat semi-decently to get some runs,” Amla said at the post-series presentation, where he was named Man of the Series.Pre-season pitches in South Africa had their first taste of international cricket and did not prove as pacy as they usually are. Instead, they were slow and sticky, sometimes had some extra bounce and demanded batsmen show patience if they wanted reward. Amla is a master at that and ended as South Africa’s highest run-scorer, two behind Tom Latham who led the charts.He also scored South Africa’s only century and ended a lean patch that stretched seven innings and was beginning to bother even him. “It was a bit disappointing not getting runs too often before that,” Amla said. “Sometimes when you don’t get runs, the hunger increases and you look forward to scoring more runs.” Even if those runs come in challenging conditions.AB de Villiers, who top-scored with 64 in the decider, also found it heavy going. “It wasn’t easy at all; it was hard work upfront. I didn’t expect it to be difficult until the 30th over,” de Villiers said. “Fortunately, David Miller and I managed to get some momentum.”New Zealand did not find anything similar as they tried to suss out what was required to score off a sticky surface. “It was different conditions again and they adapted much better than we did,” Kane Williamson said. “We weren’t able to get on the front foot and get ahead of it.”South Africa were in the driver’s seat in Durban but overall neither side could conclusively say it steered proceedings through the contest with the advantage swinging throughout. Both were able to test their depth and both discovered what could work in future. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada’s control stood out, for New Zealand, Latham’s and Ish Sodhi’s “Overall this tour has been of great benefit to the team as a whole and a bunch of individuals,” Williamson said. And to the organisers because it showed that cricket can be played in winter.

ScorecardFile photo – Rohan Prem scored more than 50% of the runs scored on the first day•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kerala and Hyderabad played out an attritional first day, with Kerala scoring scoring at just over two runs an over for the entire day in their Group C match against Hyderabad. After choosing to bat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium Kerala ended the day on 186 for 5.Rohan Prem scored the bulk of those runs with an unbeaten 106 off 245 balls – a knock that included 13 fours and two sixes. Vijay Jagadeesh’s 160-ball 42 was the next highest individual score of the day, with no one else crossing 10.Jagadeesh and Prem shared a 91-run second-wicket stand but Jagadeesh’s dismissal just before tea opened the gates for a clump of wickets in the final session. Sanju Samson, batting at No. 5, was caught behind for 1. Raiphi Gomez and Prem batted out the last 13 overs without further loss. Vishal Sharma and Akash Bhandari picked up two wickets each for the home team.
ScorecardThree half-centuries put Services in a position of strength after being inserted on the first day against Goa in Porvorim, to finish at 230 for 3 off 85 overs.Anshul Gupta and captain Soumik Chatterjee hit steady fifties and combined in an 89-run opening stand before Shadab Jakati had Chatterjee trapped lbw in the 40th over.Rajat Paliwal provided the impetus late in the day with an unbeaten 71-ball 57. Amit Yadav had Gupta lbw in the 80th over for 89 but Yashpal Singh blocked out 22 deliveries without scoring. Saurabh Bandekar took the other wicket to fall, also having Ravi Chauhan lbw for 23.Jammu & Kashmir 274 for 8 (Rasool 101, Singh 47, Dhawan 3-98) v Himachal Pradesh
ScorecardParvez Rasool struck his seventh first-class century to end an evenly contested opening day as Jammu & Kashmir finished at 278 for 8 against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala.Rasool remained unbeaten on 101 at stumps, and struck eight fours and three sixes. Although no one else scored a fifty, middling partnerships throughout the innings ensured that J&K had a decent total on the board.Adil Reshi and Ian Dev Singh contributed with 45 and 47 respectively. All bowlers except Ronit More, picked up at least a wicket, with Rishi Dhawan being the most successful having claimed three.Jadeja’s all-round efforts put Saurashtra in lead

PepsiCo India, the title sponsor of the IPL, is set to terminate its five-year contract with the league two years ahead of schedule. The decision, understood to be linked to the negative publicity enveloping the tournament following the 2013 corruption scandal, will be the first major setback in terms of perception for Shashank Manohar, the new BCCI president, who was elected largely because of his clean image.It was reported that PepsiCo was considering such an exit soon after the Lodha panel announced a two-year suspension for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in July. While it is understood that PepsiCo has sent the termination notice to BCCI and IPL authorities, it’s statement to ESPNcricinfo was carefully worded. “BCCI and PepsiCo have had a longstanding cordial relationship and have been in discussions to work out a solution which addresses PepsiCo’s concerns. Both parties will share it when ready,” the statement said.The BCCI, for its part, issued a similar statement as well on Friday. “BCCI and Pepsico have had a long-standing cordial relationship. Pepsico has raised certain concerns with the BCCI,” the statement said. “BCCI has assured that steps will be taken to address the concerns and will work necessary solutions in the interests of the league as well as Pepsico. As part of the process BCCI and Pepsico have been in amicable discussions and further update will be shared in due course.”IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla confirmed that the BCCI would not enter into any legal dispute with PepsiCo, which had signed a deal worth Rs 396 crore in 2012. “They have been a very good partner all this while and we do not want to disturb our relationship with them. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen in a very smooth manner,” Shukla told .A settlement with Pepsi is likely to be rubber stamped in the BCCI working committee meeting in Mumbai on October 18.Shukla tried to downplay the issue by stating the BCCI has already started the hunt for PepsiCo’s replacement. “We are in talks with other sponsors as well, so the title deal with Pepsi is not that big an issue. They have certain points and we are going to settle them amicably in the next meeting,” he said.It remains to be seen if the IPL, in its most tumultuous phase, attracts a new sponsor that could match the price that was being paid by PepsiCo. For now, even the number of teams that will participate in IPL 2016 is uncertain, with Super Kings having challenged their suspension in the court, and the BCCI still having the power to exercise its right to terminate the franchise agreement of both Super Kings and Royals.PepsiCo will be the second corporate house to end its association with IPL as a title sponsors. DLF India did not renew its association after the expiry of its five-season deal following the first five editions of the league.