All posts by h716a5.icu

Rohit Sharma has said that he is mentally ready should he be asked to make his Test debut at the SCG on Tuesday

Sidharth Monga at the SCG01-Jan-2012Rohit Sharma has said that he is mentally ready should he be asked to make his Test debut at the SCG on Tuesday. If he is asked to play, it will be in the place of Virat Kohli, who has scored 107 runs in seven Test innings away from home. Kohli was dropped after a disappointing tour of the West Indies, and then scored two fifties against the same side when recalled for a home Test. In the first Test of this series, he scored 11 and 0.Rohit said he has to stay mentally prepared all through the tour, even if he doesn’t get a game. “Of course [I’m ready],” he said. “I don’t want to be unprepared. My preparation has to be 100%. It doesn’t matter if I am playing or not. Preparation has to always be the same. I have to be ready [to play] each and every time. Because you never know, somebody might get injured on the day of the Test. You have to be ready.”Rohit should know about injuries on the morning of a Test: one he suffered during the warm-ups cost him his Test debut in Nagpur, against South Africa, in early 2010. Under MS Dhoni, India have been known to given players a decent run before dropping them, if required. Keeping that in mind, smart money has to be on Kohli getting another chance.They haven’t been told either way as of now. “As far as the team combination is concerned, we have not decided anything yet,” Rohit said. “Maybe tomorrow we will have a better idea as to what the wicket will be like. Probably by tomorrow I will be told whether I am playing or not.”Rohit said the morale in the team is “very good” right now. “We really had a good time off,” he said. “We had a team get-together yesterday, which was nice. And we got back again today to see how we are going to take it forward. We don’t want to think about what has happened. We need to focus on what we have to do now. The process is still on. Hopefully things will turn around for us.”We spoke about what went wrong, and what we need to do, and stuff like that. Which always happens, whether you win or lose. That is nothing new for us. As I said, we need to keep doing the right things.”Rohit gave credit to the Australian bowlers for their performance at the MCG, but denied the notion that the Indian batsmen might be shaken up or intimidated. “Not shaken up,” he said. “They really bowled well, we need to accept that. Our batters also batted well in the first innings, but somehow we didn’t manage that in the second. Credit goes to their bowlers.”

Zimbabwe have announced a strong A side to face New Zealand in the two-day warm-up match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, which starts on October 28

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2011Zimbabwe have announced a strong A side to face New Zealand in the two-day warm-up match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, which starts on October 28. All but one of the group have international experience, with seamer Mike Chinouya the only player not to have represented the national side.Chinouya has, however, been picked twice for Zimbabwe A and played in one of the four-day matches against the visiting New Zealand A side in October last year. He picked up four wickets in the match and played against the likes of Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie, Chris Martin and Graeme Aldridge, who are all in New Zealand’s Test squad.Tino Mawoyo will captain the Zimbabweans, and the match will allow several players likely to be included in the Test side with a valuable warm-up. It will also provide seamers Chinouya, Ed Rainsford, Njabulo Ncube and Shingirai Masakadza – who has not played for Zimbabwe since the World Cup in India – with a chance to push for selection.Zimbabwe A squad Tinotenda Mawoyo (Capt), Elton Chigumbura, Mike Chinouya, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Natsai Mushangwe, Forster Mutizwa, Njabulo Ncube, Edward Rainsford, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller.

Piyush Chawla was run out off what turned out to be the last ball of a dramatic final, as India Red matched India Green’s score of 238 to share the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt was a day for spinners to play starring roles with the bat•AFPPiyush Chawla was run out off what turned out to be the last ball of a dramatic final, as India Red matched India Green’s score of 238 to share the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. India Red were out of the game when they lost their fifth wicket in the 23rd over with just 102 on the board, but Chawla held the lower order together and whittled down the target. When Bhargav Bhatt was ninth out, they still needed 26 off 16 balls, and Chawla’s dare-devilry almost got them over the line.The match boiled down to the last over with Chawla chasing 17 off left-arm seamer Samad Fallah, who was enduring a horrid night. A dot ball, a slogged couple and a wide reduced it to 14 off 4, with Chawla having to hit a boundary to stay in the game. He responded by lofting Fallah over mid-off to make it 10 off 3, before pushing two more through long-on. Fallah’s penultimate ball was fuller on off stump, and Chawla launched it over the sightscreen for a six that made India Red favourites for the first time in the last quarter of the game.With two needed off the last ball, Chawla was set on running, regardless of what happened. As it transpired, Fallah bowled a wide down the leg side. The non-striker Jaydev Unadkat rightly declined the single but Chawla had charged across to the bowler’s end, allowing CM Gautam to break the stumps and tie the game. The ending was reminiscent of the finish to an India-Zimbabwe ODI in 1997, when Robin Singh was the last man out off a wide, which left the scores level. The finish also had similarities to the famous tie involving Lance Klusener and Allan Donald in the 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia.That such an electric denouement was possible was down to Chawla’s second score in the 90s in a century-less List-A career. By the time he took guard, Abhimanyu Mithun and Harbhajan Singh had made incisions through the top order to push the chase into freefall. Chawla kept fighting, though Iqbal Abdulla kept striking at the other end. Chawla worked the fields to move to 40 off 48 balls by the end of 40 overs before stepping up. His first six came off T Suman in the 41st over, and he began to target Fallah towards the closing stages, picking up two fours in the 46th over. Bhatt’s exit in the 48th left India Green a wicket away from victory, but Chawla forced them to share the trophy.India Green’s batting effort was an equally up-and-down affair on a pitch that offered spin and bounce. S Anirudha and Mohammad Kaif were the only top-order batsmen to come to terms with the surface, before a triple-strike from the seamers in the middle overs reduced India Green from 134 for 3 to 151 for 6. Harbhajan Singh hauled his side out of the doldrums with a responsible innings, where he overcame his propensity for flashy strokes.Tail-enders Sumit Narwal, Abdulla and Abhimanyu Mithun played around Harbhajan, who made an unbeaten 49 off 54 balls despite not slogging till the very end. The headlines, however, were stolen by the batting efforts of an opposition spinner.

The South Africa A squad that has gone to Zimbabwe has 14 players who have played for South Africa and they will all be competing for a recall to the senior side

Firdose Moonda 27-Jun-2011South Africa’s cricketers are experiencing their first, full-length winter break in 14 years. The team last played on March 25, when they were dumped out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage and they will not take the field again until October 13, giving them a break of almost seven months.Some, like JP Duminy and Graeme Smith, are using the time to tie the knot while others, like Dale Steyn, have gone on an extended holiday. But the likes of Roelof van der Merwe and Loots Bosman aren’t curling up around fires or exploring parts of the world that cricket doesn’t take them to. They’re part of the South Africa A side that have headed to Zimbabwe, where they will play in a tri-series also featuring Australia A.The trip to Zimbabwe is short, with South Africa A playing just four one-day games, but significant. Ten of the 14 players in the A side have been part of the senior national team before and, with no other competitive cricket before the season starts, have to take this opportunity to stake their claim for a national recall.Vincent Barnes, the South Africa A coach, enunciated the significance of the tour. “We’ve sent an important message to these players, that this is not just an ordinary tour or just any other set of pre-season games,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We need to find out who’s next, in terms of everything from wicketkeeping to spin.”With Heino Kuhn and van der Merwe the only specialist wicketkeeper and spinner in the A squad respectively, it is clear that they have been identified as players for the future. The trip to Zimbabwe will present the pair with the chance to break further away from the chasing pack, with the focus on van der Merwe, now that South African attitudes are more embracing to spin. The left-arm spinner is known for his aggression with both bat and ball and is experienced enough to merit another stint at the highest level. “Roelof fell by the way side with the national team a few years ago, but he has worked really hard in our camp over the last few days and showed his commitment,” Barnes said.In the batting department, Jacques Rudolph, who will captain the A side and is being tipped for a recall to the South Africa team, will be closely watched. Rudolph returned from Yorkshire last season to play domestic cricket in South Africa. He topped the run-scoring charts in the 2010-11 SuperSport Series and was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the MTN40 tournament. His captaincy of Titans, and of South Africa A during the home series against Bangladesh A, has been innovative and his maturity evident. “My goal is always to score as many runs as possible,” he said. “It’s a good time to show the strength and depth of our cricket.”The fast bowlers could prove the most interesting area, with none of the five quicks in the A squad having finished the MTN40 season in the top ten on the bowling charts. Vernon Philander and Rusty Theron are considered the two closest to a comeback for South Africa. Philander has been outstanding at first-class level, but less so in the limited-overs formats. “It will be good to play against more international players and see how I go against the big boys,” Philander said.Philander last played for South Africa in August 2008 and said that being dropped allowed him to develop as a player. “I know a lot more about my game now than I did before and I know what’s expected at international level.”Theron has had a frustrating time; he has been picked for various South Africa squads and given a national contract but has only played five Twenty20 internationals and four ODIs. He said he will use this tour to show that he is a “complete bowler.” Theron is known to be a death-over specialist but feels he can offer more. “I can also bowl an efficient first spell and come back in the middle as well. If there is a good training ground to show those skills, this is it.”Allan Donald, who took over as national bowling coach when Gary Kirsten was appointed on June 6, is accompanying Barnes on the tour in order to get a first-hand look at the fast bowlers. Donald replaced Barnes and, on the face of it, the situation they find themselves in appears, at best, awkward. But Barnes denied any tension and said the pair enjoyed “sharing ideas.”The tour is Barnes’ first in his new position at the High Performance Centre, after he spent eight years with the national team. While it is mostly about the players proving their worth, Barnes said he will also use it as a step to re-establishing himself as a coach in his own right. “It’s very good to be able to consider myself a head coach now,” he said. “I am actually running the nets and not just working with the bowlers now.”

Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the Emerging Players tournament to be held in Australia from August 1 to 13

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2011Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the Emerging Players tournament to be held in Australia from August 1 to 13. Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who has an impressive first-class average of 67.72, will be the vice-captain of the 15-member contingent.The squad includes a number of players on the fringes of the India team, who have impressed through the domestic season and in the IPL. Manoj Tiwary, who failed to shine when given an opportunity in the West Indies one-dayers, has been included in the side. Saurabh Tiwary was picked despite a lacklustre IPL.This year, the Emerging Players tournament will feature three-day matches as opposed to limited-over matches as in previous years. India’s campaign at the tournament starts with a match against South Africa from August 1. They will then play New Zealand from August 6, and Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) from August 11.Ashok Menaria, who led India in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand before fruitful Ranji and IPL seasons with Rajasthan, was also picked. S Anirudha, Manish Pandey, and Ambati Rayudu were the other IPL regulars who made the squad. Karnataka’s C Gautam got the wicketkeeper’s spot.Legspinner Rahul Sharma and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who made waves with their incisiveness in the IPL, make up the spin attack. Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar, who toured West Indies with the senior one-day team, will lead the fast-bowling department. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, both of whom have built reputations based on their ability to generate pace, and left-arm seamer S Aravind complete the pace attack.India had won the tournament in 2009 after Virat Kohli led the team to a 17-run win over South Africa with a rollicking century. They reached the finals of both the 20-over and 50-over legs of the tournament in 2010, but lost to AIS in the 20-over final and lost out to South Africa for the 50-over title. The final of the 50-over leg was abandoned due to rain and South Africa were declared winners because they finished higher in the points table.Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), S Anirudha, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Menaria, C Gautam (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Rahul Sharma, Iqbal Abdulla, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, S Aravind, Vinay Kumar

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo25-Apr-2011Match factsTuesday, April 26, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Virender Sehwag found the quicker surface at the Kotla more to his liking•AFPBig pictureAfter lacklustre starts to the tournament, both Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore have taken bold steps to try to improve their fortunes; for each of them, the moves worked in their last games. The newly-prepared green top at the Feroz Shah Kotla allowed Virender Sehwag and David Warner to play their strokes, as the ball came on to the bat, and the Delhi fast bowlers enjoyed the bounce they got from the track.For Bangalore, the shot in the arm came in the form of new signing Chris Gayle, whose century helped turn around a trend that had seen Bangalore not manage an opening stand of more than seven in their previous four matches.The switch from the traditional slow-and-low Kotla wicket to a livelier one makes sense for Delhi, since all their foreign players are either Australian or South African – and therefore used to bouncy tracks – while their most-expensive player, Irfan Pathan, is a seamer. Tuesday’s match will be a test of whether the win against Kings XI Punjab was a one-off or whether their strategy to pack the side with seamers for home games can be a consistently successful one.From Bangalore’s point of view, they will want to make as much use of their new opening partnership before Tillakaratne Dilshan leaves for England, which could be as early as May 10.Adding further interest is the fact that Bangalore snapped up four of Delhi’s foreign stars from last year in the January auction. “Old Delhi v New Delhi,” Delhi coach Greg Shipperd dubbed the contest, though with several players changing teams in the rejigging, former team-mates clashing is not uncommon.Apart from the fluidity of players’ loyalties, the other salient feature of the IPL tomorrow’s match exposes is its innate forgivingness. In many other sporting leagues Delhi and Bangalore’s starts of three losses in their first four games may have seen heads roll at the franchises. But because of the congested nature of the IPL table, both teams find themselves in a position where a single win will put them right back in contention for the knockout stages.Form guide (most recent first)Delhi: WLWLL (ninth in points table)
Bangalore: WLLLW (seventh in points table)Team talkBangalore’s batting has a settled look, but the problems in the bowling department are perhaps illustrated by the fact that Virat Kohli, who has an IPL bowling average of 93.00, has been one of their more economical options this season. They might want to include an extra seamer to make use of the Kotla pitch, but with Dirk Nannes injured there aren’t too many options; both S Aravind and Abhimanyu Mithun have gone for more than 10 an over so far, while Johan van der Wath has gone at 9.87. So they may give left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad, who impressed in the last game, another go.Delhi went in with five seamers in their last game, and may stick with that strategy since they don’t have any established international spinners in their squad. Ajit Agarkar went for 47 runs in four overs in the last game, but the man who could replace him, Ashok Dinda, hasn’t exactly set the tournament on fire either.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.In the spotlightAaron Finch entered the tournament with a big reputation, after his match-winning innings in a Twenty20 international against England, and his impressive performance for Victoria in the 2011 Big Bash. However, he has struggled on the slow Indian wickets, only managing 47 runs from five innings. The grass cover at the Kotla makes it a more familiar habitat and Tuesday is a chance for Finch to justify his billing.Bangalore would have been pleased with the 123-run partnership between Gayle and Dilshan against Kolkata Knight Riders, and will now be looking for the middle order to give AB de Villiers some more support. Saurabh Tiwary will be key in achieving that end. He hasn’t had the same impact since joining Bangalore as he did for Mumbai Indians last season, and will be looking to turn things around.Prime numbers Out of all the bowlers who have bowled more than five overs in IPL 2011, Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori has the best economy rate. He has gone at 5.75 in 20 overs so far.
David Warner has got the joint-highest number of half-centuries in this IPL, with three in five innings. He is fourth in the list of leading run-getters. The chatter”I prefer it when there is some bounce and carry on the pitch … and I’m definitely in favour of this wicket.”
“Half of their [Bangalore] side played for Delhi. They were our valued players. We tried to keep them in the auction but at last couldn’t afford them.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in Bangalore

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit18-Apr-2011Match factsTuesday, April 19
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Can the new Sri Lanka captain turn Bangalore’s fortunes around?•AFPBig pictureSeveral franchises have started this season of the IPL with completely new squads, led by new captains. Results have varied. Sides like Kolkata Knight Riders, who have breezed to three consecutive wins, and Kings XI Punjab, who have won two on the trot, have found success. But Royal Challengers Bangalore have found life hard, losing their last three games. While a new squad will naturally take some time to settle, what could be more revealing is the background of sides going in for an overhaul. While a side like Kolkata had every reason to do so given their woeful performances in preceding seasons, Bangalore’s decision, on early evidence, could well turn out to be a case of trying to fix something that, albeit a bit creaky, wasn’t broken.Their problems have started at the top. Despite having Tillakaratne Dilshan in the squad, their opening partnerships have been worth 7, 0, 8 and 1 in their four matches so far. The bowling has leaked in excess of 160 on all three occasions they have bowled first. Sending in Zaheer Khan and Asad Pathan at No. 3 can be called either unconventional or desperate, depending on what view of the half-filled glass one holds. Not to mention the numerous misfields and dropped catches in their previous match against Chennai Super Kings.At the moment, Bangalore could do with lots of inspiration, as could Rajasthan Royals, who put in a performance against Kolkata on Sunday that, according to their captain Shane Warne, was “weak, soft and embarrassing” . Rajasthan’s abject batting capitulation – they scored 81 – even led Warne to call it a “boys against men” kind of innings. Rajasthan have generally punched above their weight in the IPL but have been blown away by a strong Kolkata unit twice in three days. Tuesday’s match is the second of their three away games in five days. Can the strong words from their inspirational captain make them lift their performance against a struggling Bangalore side?Team talkBangalore could look at sending Virat Kohli in at No 3, given how the experiments with pinch-hitters have come unstuck. Mayank Agarwal hasn’t made use of his opportunities at the top of the order, and could be replaced. Cheteshwar Pujara would not be a bad idea as opener, considering he is a top-order batsman and is being wasted at No. 7.Rajasthan have missed the injured Rahul Dravid and Johan Botha. While Dravid should walk into the XI if he is fit, it will be interesting to see whether Rajasthan drop Shaun Tait for Botha. On current form, and considering the all-round skills of Botha, they should. Amit Paunikar hasn’t got going as an opener, and his place could also come under scrutiny.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.In the spotlightThe newly-announced Sri Lanka captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, hasn’t got going so far in this IPL, with a slow half-century against Mumbai Indians his only double-figure score. Will the added responsibility back home result in a better performance on Tuesday?Shane Watson has threatened to explode in each of his two games since returning from a demolition of Bangladesh. He was undone by a beauty from L Balaji against Kolkata. Will he tee off at the Chinnaswamy?Prime numbers Two of the three 150-plus partnerships in the IPL have been scored against Rajasthan
There were no five-wicket hauls in the 2010 IPL. Lasith Malinga has one in this edition; can Shane Warne or Zaheer Khan take one tomorrow?
In his time as a Bangalore player Virat Kohli has scored 859 runs in IPLs at a strike-rate of 122.01, marginally behind now visitor Rahul Dravid who had 898 runs for the franchise in IPLs, at 122.8The chatter”I really can’t pin-point anything that we are doing wrong except for bad fielding, bad batting and bowling.”

Liverpool have been rocked with rumours that Sadio Mane will leave the club this summer after Sky Sports revealed that Bayern Munich were interested in signing the star forward and now an update from a reliable Merseyside source has been revealed.

What’s the latest?

Following the reports of a potential move for Anfield’s number 10, supporters have been keen to know if there were any truth in the rumours and Liverpool’s journalist for The Athletic, James Pearce, has given his input and an update on Mane’s future.

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Pearce responded to a question on the rumours in a Q&A last night via The Athletic saying:

“Been no approach from Bayern at this stage and I’m told the talks that took place in Mallorca between Salihamidzic and Mane’s agent last week were to discuss another Roof client, Gnabry.

“Liverpool will hold talks with Mane about a new contract after the end of the season.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Since the turn of the year, Mane has upped his game following a slow start to the season, and has not only been influential for Liverpool in their pursuit for multiple trophies in the second half of the season but has been breaking records along the way.

The Senegalese winger started his run of impressive form by leading his country to their first ever African Cup of Nations trophy, winning Player of the Tournament and further leading them to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Back in Merseyside, Mane brought the quality he showed in AFCON back with him, playing a key role in the Champions League progression for Liverpool by scoring against Benfica and finding the back of the net in both legs of the semi-final against Unai Emery’s Villareal. That has taken the team to their third Champions League final in five years.

His recent goals in the European competition helped the goal-machine break records with Mane becoming the highest scoring African player in the Champions League knock-out stages, and following his strike in the second leg of the semi-final, joined Frank Lampard as the joint highest scoring player for an English team in the knock-out stages of the competition.

In the Premier League since returning from the African competition, Mane has scored seven goals and bagged two assists, proving that he is an extremely valuable asset to Liverpool that they cannot afford to let go.

Supporters will be buzzing that the star could potentially extend his contract beyond June 2023 as he has become an important player and fan favourite for the Reds, and with the potential of a FA Cup and Champions League trophy on the horizon, the thought of Mane leaving is unimaginable given the position Liverpool are in.

AND in other news: FA Cup final blow: Liverpool rocked by “massive problem” that’ll leave Klopp gutted

A high-intensity earthquake that caused widespread damage in Christchurch has sparked concern among the cricketers currently in India for the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2011A high-intensity earthquake that caused widespread damage in Christchurch has sparked concern among the cricketers currently in India for the World Cup, but there has been no report of any loss of life to their immediate family. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.3, struck the city on Tuesday with 65 people reported dead so far.”All immediate friends and family are [okay], but that doesn’t detract from the fact that there have been fatalities,” Ellery Tappin, the New Zealand’s media manager said. All the members of the Australian women’s team, who were training at Lincoln University, 22 kms away from Christchurch, when the quake struck, have emerged unscathed.Brendon McCullum, Hamish Bennett, coach John Wright and several members of the support staff have links to the area. Some members of the team had taken to Twitter to express their concern for those back home. “Thoughts go out to the people of Chch today. Terrible thing to have happened again,” New Zealand opener Martin Guptill wrote on the micro-blogging site. Meanwhile allrounder Scott Styris expressed his concern for the members of his squad who have families in Christchurch, “Watching CNN. Amazing scenes. Some worried boys here in India. Be safe.” Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder, too, tweeted their concern, while Iain O’Brien used the site to direct people to organisations that are offering aid.ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said he will be discussing with the World Cup organisers how those affected by the quake could be remembered at New Zealand’s match against Australia in Nagpur on Friday. “We [the ICC] have contacted the New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Dr Justin Vaughan. The news we have is that the NZC offices have been severely damaged but thankfully everyone who works for NZC seems to have escaped without injury.”Through the course of the day, several international cricketers voiced concern on Twitter. Damien Martyn echoed the tweets of players like Graeme Swann, Dominic Cork, Adam Hollioake, Rohit Sharma and Wayne Parnell when he posted “so sad to watch the news coverage in Christchurch. What a start to the year.”

All is not lost in West Ham United’s bid to keep midfield star Declan Rice at the club, according to journalist Paul Brown…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected insider revealed that the 23-year-old could still be convinced to stay at the club, should the Hammers manage to run out winners in this year’s Europa League.

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Amid rumours that the Englishman could leave the club this summer, following interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, Brown said of his future that:

“We don’t know yet how desperate Rice is to get out of West Ham. Moyes said this could be a negotiating tactic just because he wants more money. He has been offered more money by West Ham and it’s clear that he’s ambitious and wants to win things too. West Ham could still win things this season. That might change his thinking.”

Recent reports had suggested that the 29-cap international – who David Moyes claimed could be worth as much as £150m – has turned down a contract extension to stay at the London Stadium, although with two years still remaining on his existing deal, plus the option of a further 12 months, it is not time to panic just yet, particularly after this latest news.

Supporters will be buzzing

Following all the recent speculation about his future, Brown’s update will surely have West Ham supporters breathing a sigh of relief, with there seemingly still lingering hope that the club’s talisman will be lining up for the east London outfit at the start of next season.

It is perhaps no surprise that the £67.5m-rated man is courting so much attention of late, such have been his outstanding performances for both club and country in recent times.

Fresh off the back of featuring in all seven games of England’s surge to the Euro 2020 final last summer, Rice has kicked on again this term for Moyes’ men, carrying the mantle of being his side’s main man and skipper, in the absence of club captain Mark Noble.

In his 33 Premier League outings this season, the academy graduate has registered 1.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and 1.2 clearances per game, while also enjoying a pass success rate of 92%, showcasing he is much more than just a midfield destroyer.

That is the view shared by pundit Joe Cole, who likened his progression to that of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and also noted his ability “breaking from midfield with that power”, with the £62k-per-week gem ranking in the top 6% among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries.

A constantly developing talent, the London-born star has plenty of strings to his bow, albeit with one thing that is missing at present being silverware.

As Brown mentioned, that bid to win trophies may sway him to depart, although he still has the chance to claim what would be a remarkable Europa League triumph this season, even with the Hammers currently 2-1 down at the halfway stage of their semi-final tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.

If the club can match his potential, there’s no reason why can’t continue to delight the home support for years to come.

IN other news, West Ham can unearth huge Antonio upgrade in £9m-rated gem who gives “a new dimension”…