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Richard Halsall has resigned as Bangladesh’s assistant coach because of family commitments. The 49-year old who joined as fielding coach in 2014 and later promoted as Chandika Hathurusingha’s assistant two years later, will step away with immediate effect.Halsall’s last assignment with the national team was the tour of Sri Lanka in January and February. He was granted leave for the Nidahas Trophy that concluded in Colombo on Saturday. His exit leaves BCB with another vacancy to fill.They are already without a full-time head coach since Hathurusingha took up a similar role with Sri Lanka in November. Courtney Walsh stepped in as the interim head coach for the Nidahas Trophy.”Richard [Halsall] has officially submitted his resignation,” said Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB CEO. “We understand that his decision is from family considerations and he wishes to stay close to home especially to be by the side of his ailing father. The board respects his priorities and has accepted the resignation.”Richard has been an integral member of the Bangladesh team management during the last four years and part of many successes of the national team. The board would like to thank Richard for his contribution to Bangladesh cricket and wishes him the very best for his future.”Halsall, in a statement via the BCB, spoke glowingly of his time in the country. “I wish to thank the board for four brilliant years with the national team. I have worked alongside some excellent colleagues, and have had so many opportunities to grow and develop in my career.”I will always be grateful for how my family was accepted and treated and the great memories of famous victories versus England, Pakistan, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia will always remain with me. I will never forget my time with the Bangladesh Cricket Team and wish them every success in the future.”

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak’s surprise recall to the Bangladesh Test side takes the mind back to the comebacks of Brian Close, Darren Pattinson, and RP Singh. On Sunday evening, the BCB called Razzak and told him that his air ticket to Chittagong was ready, but he felt like someone was playing a prank on him.A little while later, the selectors announced that Razzak had been picked in the Bangladesh squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. Despite his prolific domestic form over the last four years, Razzak was overlooked several times by two selection committees, which had regularly suggested that recalling him would be a step back. But he has now forced his way back into the national reckoning on current form: he leads this season’s wicket-takers’ list with 40 scalps in nine matches, combined in BCL and NCL. In addition, Razzak recently became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 500 first-class wickets.”Sajib [Kawsar Azam], who called to tell me my ticket is confirmed, first congratulated me,” Razzak said. “I asked him if it is for the 500 wickets. He said that it was because of my Bangladesh team call-up. I got a call from Nannu [Minhajul Abedin] who confirmed to me. Sometimes you hope for something and it happens; this was not anything like that.”Things in Mirpur started to unravel from Saturday evening when Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of the first Test due to a finger injury. The selectors first called up left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam and allrounder Tanbir Hayder. On Sunday evening, rumours swirled of a possible recall for Razzak although Minhajul Abedin had only said that the veteran’s case was part of a discussion with the team management in Chittagong. With Taijul suffering a slump in form and Sunzamul being uncapped in Test cricket, Minhajul eventually turned to the experience of Razzak.”It wasn’t a sudden call-up,” Minhajul said. “It was part of a process. We depend on spinners in home Test matches. We called up Razzak because he is experienced and we have lost the experience of Shakib. We have Sunzamul in our ODI and T20 setup while Taijul has been around for a while too. Razzak has been doing well in domestic cricket so we thought we could keep him in the squad.”Sunzamul is very inexperienced, hasn’t played a Test. We have to take into account Taijul’s form, he didn’t do well in South Africa. This is why we took the extra spinner. Whoever will be in a better position tomorrow, he will play.”Razzak said that while he never gave up hope of playing for Bangladesh again, he did not expect the call-up now.”It is hard to play domestic cricket if you don’t have a larger goal so I never really gave up hope,” he said. “But I didn’t expect it now, not like this.”He also hoped that his return would pave the way for many such domestic performers to make the national side. “I think this should set an example for everyone to never give up,” Razzak said. “Even young players think that they will not get selected, but one should always keep in mind that if you are performing consistently, you will be needed at some stage.”Waiting for the opportunity is tough. I think 95 percent of the people thought that I would never make it back. But in the back of my mind, I always thought that I would get the call.”

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will get a 'chance' under Sean Dyche this term and is unlikely to be sold amid rumours linking him with a move away from Goodison Park, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Will Jarrad Branthwaite leave Everton this summer?

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United are keen to bring in left-sided Everton defender Branthwaite following his impressive spell on loan at PSV Eindhoven last term.

Scouts from the Red Devils are said to have been impressed by £15k-a-week earner Branthwaite's qualities and he is being targeted alongside Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo at Old Trafford.

On loan at Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, Branthwaite made 37 appearances in all competitions last season, registering four goals and two assists, as per Transfermarkt.

FootballTransfers have revealed that Manchester United do have Branthwaite on a shortlist of potential defensive additions at Old Trafford; however, Everton will look to refuse any offers for the England Under-21 international.

Liverpool have also looked at Branthwaite in the past, though it isn't likely that Everton would entertain any proposals from an arch rival for one of their brightest homegrown talents.

His stature, rare status as a left-footed centre back and suitability to help fill quotas for European competition as an English player will undoubtedly appeal to elite-level clubs.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown indicated that he doesn't expect Everton to sell Branthwaite and instead reckons that he will get an opportunity to stake his claim for senior involvement at the Toffees moving forward.

Brown stated: "I don't see Branthwaite going to United. No, their defence, it's true, could be in flux this summer, there's a lot of talk of a couple of defenders being wanted by other people, but while I think they have an interesting brand point, I don't think he's high on their lists and I think he knows that he will get a chance at Everton this season."

What next for Everton?

Everton boss Dyche will be keen to add some additional bodies to his squad alongside Arnaut Danjuma and Ashley Young before his side take to the field to host Fulham next Saturday in their Premier League opener, as per ESPN.

According to iNews, Sporting Clube de Portugal striker Youssef Chermiti is in 'advanced' talks over a move to Goodison Park for a fee of £12.8 million that will include a considerable sell-on percentage for his current employers.

Football Insider report that Everton are also keen on Southampton striker Che Adams this summer amid stiff competition from Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign the Scotland international.

His teammate Kamaldeen Sulemana is also being explored as a potential option to add depth in the wide areas by the Toffees after they grew frustrated in their pursuit of Leeds United attacker Wilfried Gnonto, according to The Daily Mail.

In a separate article from Football Insider, it is believed that West Ham United veteran forward Michail Antonio is being tracked as another potential solution to help bolster Everton's options in the final third following news that his proposed move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq has fallen by the wayside.

The West Indies captain believes that consistency, in selection and performance, could play an important role in the outcome of the Test series against Zimbabwe

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo20-Oct-2017

West Indies have had a topsy-turvy year. They lost the first and last Tests in both three-match series against Pakistan and England, while winning in Bridgetown and Leeds between times. But that has not lead to chopping and changing in what can sometimes be a revolving selection door for unpredictable teams, and ahead of the first Test against Zimbabwe, consistency – in selection and performance – was the keyword for both captain and coach.”I think we’ve had a pretty reasonable year in terms of improvement,” said captain Jason Holder. “The guys have been getting attuned to Test cricket. We’re still not the finished product but we’re headed in the right direction. With a young and inexperienced side you have to give guys opportunities and be as consistent as you can. We’ve got to stick with a set of players who we believe can take the team forward.””We’re not about trying to pick players and discard after only a couple of games,” agreed West Indies coach Stuart Law, who has now been in the job for 10 months. “That just creates an atmosphere in the dressing room where you’re always looking over your shoulder. We want to get away from that. We want to make sure that we are consistent with our selections. We’re trying to give everyone a fair shake at putting something up on the board, something substantial.”Along with consistency, Holder suggested that reverse swing could play a crucial role in the outcome of the first Test. “With the Kookaburra balls, reverse swing is always a factor. They tend to reverse earlier than most and go a bit softer. I would expect some reverse swing in these dry conditions. The square looks pretty decent but you never know what to expect.”There too, Law was in agreement: “With the characteristics of this ground, it does favour spin bowling more than medium pace bowling. Having said that, we’ve got two or three guys who can crank it up to over 90mph and that pace it doesn’t really matter where you play, it’s hard to bat against. We will be focussing on the dryness of the conditions, the dryness of the pitch, and maybe spin will play a huge part, but also reverse swing.”Law has backed his team when they have been under fire after poor performances, and has also said he wanted a settled unit going into the World Cup qualifiers in March next year. The upcoming matches are obviously of a different format, but building a cohesive, successful team has to start somewhere. So does responsibility for performance, Law is quick to add.”There also comes a time where the players are responsible for their performances in the middle. They’ve got to perform, that’s the number one thing. It’s a game of performances. I’ve been involved in teams and campaigns before in domestic and international cricket, and you can’t focus on the end result,” Law explained. “You’ve got to focus on the little steps you’ve got to take to get through that. We have targets, we have goals.”The boys want to make sure that we’re giving ourselves every opportunity to win every contest we’re going in to. We just had a reasonable result in the UK, where the second Test was outstanding. We lost the other two Tests but we started to show some fight. After that first Test, to come back the way we did was an outstanding effort. What happened, for example at Edgbaston, really toughens you up. We’ve got to be that tough from ball one coming up on Saturday. Hang in the contest for as long as we can and push ourselves.”

It has now been more than two years since Sri Lanka’s last high-profile retirement, and the team is “sick and tired” of talking about transition. These sentiments have been put forth by several players and coaches over the past year, most recently by Dinesh Chandimal in April. Now, interim coach Nic Pothas – who has often struck an optimistic tone on Sri Lanka’s recent travails – has joined the chorus.Sri Lanka are tired of languishing in their larval stage, he said. The team is desperate for the series against Pakistan to feature resurgence and regeneration.”We are probably in an era where we are sick and tired of talking about transition,” Pothas said, three days out from the first Test. “Sick and tired of about talking about it as a ‘learning period’. It is time to go out and perform, and that is the challenge. You are going to meet a world-class team. We have to move forward.”Part of Sri Lanka’s failure to progress since the retirement of its batting stars has been down to individual inconsistency. Kaushal Silva, for example, replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan in the XI, but although he had initially impressed – not least on Sri Lanka’s 2013-14 trip to the UAE – he had since been dropped twice from the squad.Kaushal has been recalled again, but Pothas suggested he must compete for a top-order spot with the uncapped 22-year-old Sadeera Samarawickrama. Though generally a middle-order batsman and wicketkeeper in the longest format, Samarawickrama has been picked as a top-order player, Pothas revealed. In limited-overs cricket, Samarawickrama has generally opened for his domestic sides.”Sadeera’s a top-order batsman and we are very fortunate that we can use him in that regard. The selectors have said that we can use the players in the position they have been picked for, and he has been picked to cover the top three.”With Angelo Mathews unavailable for the first Test, Roshen Silva is the other uncapped batsman in contention for a place in the XI. Perhaps the most consistent domestic batsman over the past six years, Roshen averages 48.19 in first-class cricket. He had made 614 runs at an average of 55.81 in the most recent Premier League Tournament.”Roshen has come into the side at the back of runs in the domestic competition,” Pothas said. “We are making a mark to indicate that if you score runs in the domestic circuit, you will get a chance to play for the national team. His record [in domestic cricket] is second only to Kumar Sangakkara, and he is at great form at the moment.”The first Test begins in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

With Zimbabwe having come so close to winning their first Test against Sri Lanka, and fallen short, there was disappointment for captain Graeme Cremer. Disappointment about missing a vital stumping chance and two catches on day five. Disappointment that a third-umpire’s decision Zimbabwe felt was straightforward, went against them. And even some disappointment that their next international assignment is as far away as October, so there is nowhere really to put all this confidence they have built up on this tour.But trumping all of that, he said, was pride.”We thought 388 was going to be tough – especially on the last day. We had picked up three wickets yesterday so we only needed to pick up seven today. It has been a sort of a rollercoaster of emotions. But I am still proud of the way the guys played and the way they fought. I’m very proud of the way the guys played to win an ODI series here. Then push them in the Test match and almost beat them, and into the fifth afternoon – it’s a good effort from our boys.”A “rollercoaster” partly because Zimbabwe had been in control of the match, when Cremer dismissed the overnight pair in the first hour, leaving Sri Lanka five down with 185 runs still to get. They should have been six down with 151 to get, had third umpire C Shamshuddin ruled Niroshan Dickwella out when he was stumped on 37. It was a close decision: no part of the popping crease was visible behind Dickwella’s boot at the moment the bails came off. However, it was unlikely that any part of the boot was behind the crease either, which should result in an “out” decision.”From what I saw, I honestly didn’t see any doubt as to why he shouldn’t be out,” Cremer said. “It’s just one of those things. If you’ve got technology, it clearly shows it. It happens to us quite a lot as well, we feel. It’s tough when those things go against you, especially when you are trying to win a Test match on a last day.”Zimbabwe’s strength right through the tour has been their batting. They became the first team to successfully chase a score of over 300 in Sri Lanka, in the first ODI, and breached 350 in both innings in this match. The score of 377 in the second innings was particularly impressive, as Zimbabwe had been 59 for 5 at one stage.Apart from surviving the stumping, Niroshan Dickwella was put down by Regis Chakabva on 63•AFP

“It’s usually with the bat that we struggle a bit, but having lost early wickets in the first and second innings, it shows that guys’ skill levels have improved, to be able pull it back the way we did, and get over 350 in both innings,” Cremer said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do – a bit more with the ball. And when we get into a position like we were in the first innings, we could have probably got 400. It’s a learning curve for us because we don’t get to play a lot of Test cricket. The way the guys fought was excellent.”While Sri Lanka will immediately begin preparing for a long home series against India, Zimbabwe lay dormant across all formats through the months of August and September. Cremer hoped the team’s performance on this tour would help Zimbabwe Cricket leverage other cricket boards, in securing a fuller schedule.”Even before this Test match our Managing Director said he wanted to push for more Test cricket and more cricket in general. We have shown that we can push big teams even away from home. We have West Indies coming to us for two tests in October, and we’re confident of pushing them because we’re playing in Zimbabwe.”Ireland and Afghanistan are also competitive teams, so now that they have Test status, I’m hoping we get more cricket.”