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The former Australian legspinner will be joined by another old Royals hand Zubin Bharucha, who has taken over as head of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-20181:00

Warne announces Royals arrival

Shane Warne has returned to the Rajasthan Royals franchise as its mentor ahead of the 2018 IPL season. Warne, 48, will renew his association with the side he led to a title in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. The former Australian legspinner went on to lead the Royals for the next three editions, before retiring after the 2011 season. Warne, who has mentored the side in the past, remains the Royals’ third-highest wicket-taker of all time, with 58 scalps from 56 matches.”I am very happy and excited to be back with the Rajasthan Royals, who I believe hold a very special place in my cricketing journey,” Warne was quoted as saying in the Royals website. “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection showered on me by the franchise and fans of Rajasthan Royals. We have a strong, young and energetic bunch of boys, and I am looking forward to work with them.”While Warne has worked with India batsman Ajinkya Rahane in the past, he will work with compatriot Steven Smith – the frontrunner to lead the side – for the first time in the IPL. Warne will also be joined by another old Rajasthan Royals hand Zubin Bharucha, who has now taken over as head of cricket. Bharucha and Warne had worked together during the early years of the Royals. Manoj Badale, co-owner of Royals, said bringing back Warne was a way of giving back to the fans “who have stood by us in trying times.””As we are looking to build a strong team that can be in contention for the title, we believe Warne is the right person to mentor the Rajasthan Royals,” Badale said. “Zubin has also contributed immensely to the growth of the team, and we are happy to have both back on board. We are excited and looking forward to a successful comeback.”According to the Royals website, Warne will have a “multitude” of tasks on and off the field. “His main role will be to work closely with the senior leaders in the team, particularly the captain, to ensure all areas of strategy and tactics are covered. In addition, he will be working with all the spinners to impart technical knowledge in the art of spin.”

Arsenal have undergone a remarkable transformation in recent seasons. From missing out on the Champions League to arch-rivals Tottenham in 2021/22 to running Manchester City close to the Premier League title in 2022/23, the Gunners' meteoric rise has seen them shift their spending up a gear in the transfer window.

In the summer of 2022, Mikel Arteta was allowed to open up the chequebook and raid his former club for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus for a combined £82m, with the pair becoming vital cogs in the Spaniard's footballing machine.

With the aim of challenging Man City for the title once more, Arsenal have turned their volume of spending up a notch, replacing the likes of Matt Turner, Rob Holding, Granit Xhaka and Florian Balogun with David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz for a combined £208m.

Out of that quartet, it is Rice who has made the most impressive start to life in north London, etching his name into Gunners folklore by scoring the winner in a pulsating 3-1 victory over Manchester United.

The Englishman is forming a strong partnership with Thomas Partey in the engine room and despite the qualities the latter possesses, Arsenal could have upgraded on the Ghanaian by signing Federico Valverde in 2016.

Did Arsenal almost sign Fede Valverde?

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal had the opportunity to sign Valverde in 2016 when he was plying his trade in Uruguay for CA Penarol.

While the 25-year-old has become one of the best midfielders in Europe, his path to the top could have been a lot different.

The Gunners took the 50-cap Uruguay international on trial for a week seven years ago but Arsenal's manager at the time, Arsene Wenger, declined the opportunity to secure his services with Real Madrid swooping for him instead in a £4.5m deal.

Despite being rejected by the Frenchman, Valverde spoke fondly about his brief stint at the club and particularly, the impact Alexis Sanchez had on him as a youngster.

He said: "I have always been grateful to him. When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me.

"I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player."

What has Valverde achieved at Real Madrid?

Lauded as "untouchable" by manager Carlo Ancelotti, Valverde has enjoyed a glittering career so far in the Spanish capital, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League in 2022. Such sparkling form and honours have seen his value rise to a meteoric £129m, as per Football Observatory.

The versatile midfielder, who can operate box-to-box, as a number 10 or on either flank, has become an important player in the Italian's system due to the fact he can play in a variety of positions, but it isn't just his versatility that has caught the eye.

Speaking on BT Sport after Real's 5-1 demolition of Celtic in the Champions League last season, Joe Cole heaped praise on Valverde for the array of technical and physical attributes he brings to the party while putting him in the same bracket as Jude Bellingham, saying:

"He's standing right at the top of the tree with Bellingham in the young players, and he's on the verge of becoming the best.

"He's box-to-box, he scores goals, he's a technician he was the unsung hero in the final, I thought he was outstanding against Liverpool.

"His stats this year are unbelievable, his goals, assists, goal involvements, incredible player and we talk a lot about Bellingham in this country, but this kid is every bit as good as Bellingham."

The departure of Casemiro to Manchester United was the catalyst for the £134k per-week star to grasp more opportunities to impress next to the untouchable duo of Luca Modric and Toni Kroos, doing so by becoming the driving force in that midfield, covering ground quickly and making lung-bursting runs to contribute further forward.

In the 2022/23 season, Valverde scored more goals than he managed in his previous five seasons for the club, amassing 12 goals in 56 appearances, compared to a total of six in the seasons prior, demonstrating that his influence on this Real side grows fast as he continues to play more regularly.

Valverde's former teammate Casemiro always believed in the Uruguayan's ability and predicted he would stand tall among the world's elite.

Speaking in 2020, the Brazilian said: "He's going to be one of the best No 8s in the world in two years"

According to FBref, Valverde is backing up that claim by producing frighteningly good metrics when compared against players positionally similar to him across Europe's top five leagues. He ranks in top 8% for progressive carries, top 10% for non-penalty goals, top 10% for expected assists and top 13% for progressive passes recorded.

For as long as Valverde continues to have a growing influence at Real by producing in every department, Arsenal will continue to rue their decision to let the 25-year-old slip through the net who is now worth a whopping £129m, as per Football Observatory.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Stokes requested permission to leave the court via a back door in the hope of avoiding an anticipated media scrum

George Dobell07-Feb-20181:09

ECB’s Lord Patel happy for Stokes to make his England return

Ben Stokes’ hopes of avoiding the spotlight when he attends court next week appear to have been dashed.ESPNcricinfo understands that Stokes, who is set to appear in Bristol Magistrates Court on February 13 to answer charges of affray, requested permission to leave the court via a back door in the hope of avoiding an anticipated media scrum. That permission has been denied, however, meaning Stokes will have to enter and leave the court through the front door.Stokes was arrested following an incident outside a bar in the city on September 25. Two other men, Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali, have also been called to attend court on the same day in connection to the incident. Stokes has intimated that he will plead not guilty.Stokes missed the Ashes after the ECB decided he would not be considered for selection until a decision had been made over whether he was to be charged. They have subsequently cleared him for selection and he is expected to depart for New Zealand shortly after his appearance in Bristol Magistrates Court.It had initially been hoped that Stokes would link up with the squad for the start of the T20 leg of the tour in New Zealand, but a day after he was made available the court date was confirmed for February 13 which is when England play in Wellington.He will face the ECB’s disciplinary committee following the culmination of criminal proceedings. It is entirely possible that date could be anything up to 12 months away.

Tottenham Hotspur's late deadline day attempts to sign Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly have taken another transfer twist.

Who will Spurs sign on deadline day?

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are reliably believed to have finally agreed a deal to sign winger Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest.

The Wales international, who has been chased by Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy for much of the summer transfer window, looks set to join the likes of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon and striker Alejo Veliz in signing for Tottenham.

Fabrizio Romano has even given his famous "here we go" as the north Londoners target travels to the English capital for a medical; coming as brilliant news so late in the day.

However, amid d-day links to both Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and Bournemouth's Kelly, there is reason to believe Spurs may not be entirely done with Johnson's pending arrival.

Indeed, according to an update in the last hour from The Times and journalist Gary Jacob, Kelly continues to attract serious late interest from Spurs.

Reports today have suggested that Tottenham had a bid rejected for the defender earlier today, but despite that knock-back, Postecoglou could potentially add another defender to his ranks before the 11pm cut off.

Kelly, who started 23 league games for Bournemouth last season as they comfortably avoided relegation in the end, is currently subject to an incoming new and improved offer from Spurs.

Jacob writes, as relayed on their live blog [14:05], that the Lilywhites are "set to increase" their bid for the 24-year-old, coming after they agreed a £45m deal to sign Johnson from Forest.

Little else is said on the nature of this proposal or figures behind it, but there is reason to believe more players could come in tonight, as Spurs historically like to do late deals.

How good is Lloyd Kelly?

The centre-back ranked in Bournemouth's top three for clearances and blocks made per 90 last season, according to WhoScored; possibly highlighting why Tottenham are considering a move for him this late on in the window.

Ahead of a long season, Spurs and Postecoglou arguably need defensive depth in case of serious injuries to the likes of van de Ven or Cristian Romero.

Former Bournemouth boss Scott Parker, commenting on Kelly's "quality" ability last year, was effusive in his praise for the player during their top flight promotion push.

"I think Lloyd Kelly has got the attributes and the ability to be a top Premier League centre-half," said Parker.

"And I think we are blessed and very, very lucky to have someone of his quality, really.

"The standards he sets are very high as a captain of this team and he's still so young in his age that he's got a lot on him.”

Anustup Majumdar joined Bengal’s list of second-innings centurions as they ground Gujarat into the dust on the fifth day in Jaipur

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2017PTI Anustup Majumdar joined Bengal’s list of second-innings centurions as they ground Gujarat into the dust on the fifth day in Jaipur. Having already secured a first-innings lead of 130 and extended it to 613 by the end of the fourth day, Bengal chose to rest their bowlers ahead of the semi-finals and not declare their second innings.Gujarat dismissed the overnight double-centurion Writtick Chatterjee in the fourth over of the morning and took the wicket of Boddupalli Amit not long after, but those would be their only successes of the day. Majumdar, on 6 overnight, made up for the disappointment of falling for 94 in the first innings, and scored an unbeaten 132 (172b, 17×4, 1×6). He added an unbroken 157, in 45 overs, with Aamir Gani, who made an unbeaten 53 off 156 balls (4×4).By the time the foregone conclusion was reached, Bengal had made 695 for 6 in 231 second-innings overs. Gujarat extracted 70 overs from their offspinner Rujul Bhatt, who finished with figures of 2 for 175. Bhatt had only bowled four overs in Bengal’s first innings.

Mikel Arteta acquired the Dutchman from Ajax in a deal worth £38m earlier in the summer, however after just 50 minutes of his debut Premier League campaign, the 22-year-old was forced to withdraw.

It was later revealed that the versatile defender had sustained damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, leaving him sidelined for the foreseeable future, and leaving Arsenal light in the defensive areas once more.

To add to the stress of Timber’s absence, recent reports have speculated that the Gunners could be without another defender, giving Arteta and Edu even more of an incentive to recruit before the end of the transfer window.

What’s the latest on Arsenal’s transfer situation?

While the ongoing doubts over the future of striker Folarin Balogun are well documented, there was a shocking revelation provided by journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan, that suggested another star could depart this summer.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

Taking to social media, Al-Ajlan relayed news from sources of Al Jazeera that there is interest from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.

It was claimed that the Brazilian was part of negotiations in London with club president Anmar Al-Haili over a potential move, with Al-Ajlan claiming that talks were “proceeding positively”.

There could however be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Gunners, with rumoured interest in defender Jules Kounde, who cost FC Barcelona around €60m (£51m) in 2022.

Should Arsenal sign Jules Kounde?

Speaking after Arsenal’s 1-0 away win to Crystal Palace on Monday night, Arteta played down the speculation regarding the 25-year-old’s potential departure, despite him being benched for the opening two fixtures.

In the instance that Gabriel could depart north London, Kounde would be the perfect figure to replace the Brazilian, if the opportunity arose.

Having been lauded as “terrific” and a “sensation” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the Frenchman has impressed during his first year at the Nou Camp, having joined from LaLiga rivals Sevilla a year earlier.

Deployable as both a right-back and centre-back, the 24-year-old has a host of attributes identifiable in Arteta’s demands of his back line, with strong versatility and strengths in going forward.

Based on his averages over the past year, the Paris-born gem ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top-five leagues for his progressive play, averaging 7.18 progressive passes and 2.29 progressive carries per 90, via FBref.

Defensively, the former Sevilla gem averaged closely to Arsenal’s Brazilian machine last term, averaging 1.37 tackles per 90 to Gabriel’s 1.27, as well as making 0.70 interceptions to the 25-year-old’s 0.84 per 90.

During his debut LaLiga campaign with the Catalan giants, Kounde made 29 league appearances and contributed to 18 clean sheets, via Sofascore, a contribution that guided the Blaugrana to become champions of Spain.

Winning mentality, versatility and a youthful aura, Arteta could land his ideal defender if the regrettable scenario of Gabriel bidding farewell to the Emirates plays out.

Hibernian have endured somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde approach to the 2023/24 season so far. In the Premiership, they have lost their opening two matches and currently sit second bottom in the league standings.

They have made progress to the quarter-finals of the League Cup however, while they are still in Europe, made even more remarkable considering they suffered a humiliating defeat to Andorran minnows Inter Club d’Escaldes during the first leg of the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

They have since gone on to win that tie before sending Swiss side Luzern packing following a stunning 5-3 aggregate victory to set up an all-British tie against Aston Villa.

What is the latest Hibs team news vs Aston Villa?

The Easter Road outfit defeated Raith Rovers in the last 16 of the League Cup on Sunday having rested a few first-team regulars, although they could be without summer signing Dylan Levitt, who sustained an ankle injury against Luzern last week.

He watched the tie against Raith from the stands, and it appears as though the Villa match could come too soon for the youngster.

Another summer signing, Dylan Vente also suffered an injury scare, being caught with a high boot which resulted in Raith defender Liam Dick being sent off, yet assistant manager Adam Owen stated he will be available for the European tie.

He said:

“Dylan should be fine. It was a nice welcome to Scottish football! He got it right on the nose; they just couldn’t stop the bleed outside on the pitch but they stopped it in the changing room. He should be fine.”

Lee Johnson must therefore start him against the Premier League outfit if he has any ambitions of securing group-stage football.

Will Dylan Vente start vs Aston Villa?

The £700k arrival from Dutch side Roda JC has enjoyed an impressive start at Hibs, scoring twice in four appearances, including the winner against Raith, and it looks as though Johnson has invested wisely since Kevin Nisbet departed the club earlier this summer.

Before he joined Hibs, Vente had netted 56 times across 83 matches whilst grabbing 13 assists too, and it was evident that his goal-scoring abilities would allow him to thrive in Scotland.

He certainly gave the supporters a glimpse of his talents during the home tie against Luzern, receiving a Sofascore rating of 8/10 for a performance which included a goal and an assist along with making one key pass and winning five of his eight duels, including two out of three aerial efforts.

He is clearly a nuisance in front of goal and offers a solid physical presence which could certainly get under the skin of Villa defender Pau Torres.

The Spaniard has won just 33% of his ground duels during his two appearances for the club so far, and he has been dribbled past once per game, suggesting that Vente could have a decent chance of winning the physical battle between the pair on Wednesday evening.

Hibs face an uphill battle to get a result, never mind actually qualify. With the 5 foot 11 machine leading their attack, however, Johnson knows his side have a chance, albeit a small one.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have a history that goes back a long way. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about the fixture as the two teams prepare to meet in the Premier League.

While the form book is still taking shape, it is difficult to tell how each side comes into this fixture. United were rather fortunate to escape from their opening fixture against Wolves with three points.

Meanwhile, Spurs had to settle for a point against Brentford in their first match under new management.

Tottenham vs Man United: What's their head-to-head record?

Tottenham and United have met in 199 matches in their history, making their upcoming clash in north London number 200. It's a massive number of matches, of course, dating back to 1898.

In fact, Spurs have never faced anyone as often as they've faced United. But that doesn't mean it's their most successful fixture. United have won almost half of their 199 competitive meetings, with Spurs only just edging out the number of draws.

This fixture unquestionably belongs to the Red Devils.

Tottenham wins: 53 Draws: 51 Man United wins: 95 Tottenham vs Man United: What's their record at Spurs?

97 of the 199 fixtures have come in north London and it's certainly where Tottenham have had most of their luck. They've won 35 of them – nearly twice as many as they've managed at Old Trafford.

There have been 34 draws, too, leaving United with the spoils in the remaining fixtures. That's a positive record for Spurs, then, and few teams can boast that against United in their history.

Tottenham wins: 35 Draws: 34 Man United wins: 28 Tottenham vs Man United: What's their record at Old Trafford?

There have been 100 instances of this fixture at Old Trafford and, unsurprisingly, the figures swing in United's favour. Quite dramatically, actually.

They've won 67 of them – almost four times as often as Spurs do in Manchester. It's one that very rarely ends in a draw, either, with only 16 throughout the history of this tie.

So while things are quite mixed at Spurs, you can feel pretty confident when predicting a home win for United.

Man United wins: 67 Draws: 15 Tottenham wins: 18 Tottenham vs Man United: What's their record on neutral grounds?

Spurs and United have met twice at Wembley Stadium and in two different competitions. The first came in 2009 as the two competed in the EFL Cup final.

The game went through 120 minutes before heading to penalties, where United triumphed 4-1 to win the trophy. They'd then meet again nine years later in an FA Cup semi-final – albeit when Spurs were using Wembley as their temporary home.

Nevertheless, United once again came out on top, though within normal time on this occasion. Dele Alli had Spurs in front, but Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera scored in a 2-1 win.

Tottenham vs Man United: What's their Premier League record?

Spurs and United have met on 62 occasions since the start of the Premier League – and it won't surprise anyone to learn that the latter have been utterly dominant in that span.

United have won 39 of these fixtures, losing only 10. There have only been 13 draws, in fact.

Boosting those numbers is the fact that United didn't lose to Spurs from 2001 through 2012. It's one of the most dominant runs in Premier League history – Spurs managed only five points against them in that span.

Tottenham vs Man United: Which team has the most goals?

Well, it's United, as you may have guessed. They've scored 319 goals in 199 games, with Spurs replying with only 259.

Though, Spurs hold a sizeable lead in their home games. They've scored 156, having conceded 124 to United when the fixture takes place in north London. That's not quite as impressive as United's own home record, however.

That reads as such: 100 games, 190 goals, 100 conceded. United are nearly outscoring Spurs 2:1 in Old Trafford fixtures, then – and that's even with their 6-1 defeat a few years ago.

Tottenham vs Man United: What happened in last season's fixtures?

United won the first meeting last season. It took place at Old Trafford and ended up being a fairly routine result for the Red Devils. Fred put them 1-0 up just after half-time before Bruno Fernandes finished to make it 2-0 on 69 minutes. It finished that way to give United the three points.

Things weren't so straightforward at Spurs, however. Jadon Sancho had United 1-0 up after only seven minutes and Marcus Rashford sent them into the break 2-0 up with a goal on 44 minutes.

However, Spurs hit back 10 minutes after the restart through Pedro Porro. That set the stage for Son Heung-min to equalise on 79 minutes and split the points with United.

Tottenham vs Man United: What is Marcus Rashford's record?

Rashford typically does well in this one. He's faced Spurs 14 times in his career so far, with 13 coming in the Premier League. He's managed five goals against them in that span, all of which came in the top flight.

Only Leicester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have conceded to Rashford more often than Spurs. Combined with his eight wins, this is a fixture that usually leaves him happy.

Read more about Rashford's record vs Spurs HERE…

Tottenham vs Man United: What is Son Heung-min's record?

Son has faced United 17 times in his career, though two of those did come while he was at Bayer Leverkusen. He played two Champions League group-stage ties against them – losing both, but registering an assist in one.

Things haven't been too much better in the Premier League. There have been 14 meetings with United, where Son has lost eight of them. He's only won four of his 17 meetings, actually – not a fine record.

But Son does have four goals and an assist against the Red Devils for Spurs. Encouragingly, they've all come in his last six Premier League fixtures against United, while he scored in the most recent meeting.

Tottenham vs Man United: What is Tottenham's biggest win?

Tottenham's record win over United is, as you might have guessed, 6-1. Though, you may not have known that they've done this twice against the Red Devils.

The first occurrence was all the way back in 1932 when both teams played in the Second Division. Spurs won 6-1 at home in a game that wasn't nearly as high-profile as their later effort.

Of course, Tottenham went to Old Trafford and won 6-1 in October 2020. United actually took the lead in that one – Bruno Fernandes scored after just two minutes from the penalty spot. Then Spurs went a bit mad.

They were 2-1 up inside eight minutes thanks to goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Son. Harry Kane then scored with 30 minutes on the clock and Son found another seven minutes after that.

The second half was a little more mellow – Spurs only scored twice more. Serge Aurier bagged one before Kane got himself a second to complete the scoring.

Tottenham vs Man United: What is United's biggest win?

Again, we're split between two results here. United have never managed a win as big as Spurs' 6-1 scoreline, but have won by four goals in this fixture on three occasions.

The first came in 1965 in what was the first truly legendary United team. George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law all featured in a 5-1 win – Charlton opened the scoring and Law scored twice.

The next occasion came in 2002 as United won 4-0. David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy each bagged a brace in a dominant win at Old Trafford.

United also won 4-0 away at Spurs back in 2007. Once again, it was down to a legendary side, with Cristiano Ronaldo opening the scoring and Nemanja Vidic adding a second before goals from Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs rounded off a big win.

Tottenham vs Man United: What are the recent results?

Things have been all United across the last five meetings. The most recent match – happening in late April – finished 2-2, however, with Spurs hitting back after falling behind 2-0.

The other fixture last season was a 2-0 home win for United, though, and that was the last of a string of four back-to-back wins for the Old Trafford side.

The previous season saw a 3-2 win for United at home and a dominant 3-0 win away at Spurs. Before that, they'd won 3-1 at Spurs – though that was the same season that they lost 6-1 at home to Tottenham.

What is interesting, though, is that game is the only time Spurs have beaten United at home since 2018. It's usually a happy hunting ground for United, or at least has been as of late.

Tottenham vs Man United: When is it?

Tottenham host United on Saturday 19th August at 5.30pm UK time. As always, it's one of the most notable fixtures of the Premier League season and one where both teams have a lot to prove.

Spurs go into it having undergone big summer changes. Ange Postecoglou will want to generate some early momentum if he's to turn things around at Tottenham.

Of course, he'll have to do it all without Harry Kane following his departure to Bayern Munich, while there is a fresh feel to the team given ex-captain Hugo Lloris has also left, while the likes of Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison made their debuts last weekend.

United still very much have Erik ten Hag as boss, but they've still made some big changes. They, too, changed their long-time goalkeeper as David de Gea left and André Onana has come in.

Mason Mount is another big-money signing, while Rasmus Hojlund will hopefully be the striker they've been searching for once he reaches full fitness.

Both teams have the top four in their sights this season and can send an early message in the race with a win in this one. It promises, as ever, to be an intriguing clash.

Marco Marais earned himself a slice of cricketing history at East London last week, by crashing his way to the fastest first-class triple-century

Firdose Moonda01-Dec-2017Border batsman Marco Marais earned himself a slice of cricketing history at East London last week, by crashing his way to the fastest first-class triple-century, for Border against Eastern Province.”I don’t think anyone actually thinks they are going to get 300,” Marais told after making an unbeaten 300 off 191 balls. “Before the season started I was targeting over 500 first-class runs and I have already passed that, so now I am going to have to make new goals for myself for the rest of the season.”Not only did Marais achieve a career-first triple-century but he broke a record that has stood for 96 years. Australia’s Charles Macartney’s triple-hundred came off 221 balls against Nottinghamshire in 1921. He went on to finish on 345.Marais may well have surpassed Macartney’s score at Buffalo Park but Border called time on his innings as soon he reached the triple-century. They declared on 512 for 4, bowled their provincial rivals Eastern Province out for 212 and were 66 for 2 in response.Though the match was not won, Marais will claim a personal victory after an innings which featured 35 fours and 13 sixes and featured a record fifth-wicket stand of 428. He hopes the innings can provide a stepping stone to break into the Warriors franchise side.

300* in 1 session and a half special knock Marco Marais #forthelads #whoisthisguy #EpvBears pic.twitter.com/UuzsQI5zl1

— somila seyibokwe (@seyibokwe) November 23, 2017

“I really hope someone sits up and takes notice. I think every semi-pro player dreams of playing at the next level, which is franchise cricket, and I would love to play in it,” Marais said.The franchise are currently engaged in the Ram Slam 20-over tournament, where they sit at the bottom of the table with only one win from six matches. Their woes would well call for someone with Marais’ confidence, especially as his approach appears to be based on self-belief.”I was striking the ball so well,” he said. “I decided that I was just going to go hard at them and it came off in the end.”Marais’ coach Frank Plaatjes said he had “never seen anything,” like the innings before and believes there is more to come from the 24-year old. “I have always said Marco is a special player, I knew something was on the cards because he has been playing so well, but we didn’t expect 300 to be honest,” Plaatjes said.Marais is currently in action for Border against Northern Cape in Kimberley, where they are struggling. Border were bowled out for 115 in their first innings and Marais made just 5. He currently sits second on the three-day cup run charts.

Manchester United will now turn to signing a defender or two before the transfer window slams shut in just three weeks.

Erik ten Hag has already signed Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, giving his team a new look spine, yet the focus now turns to defensive reinforcements.

Benjamin Pavard has been strongly linked, however, could it be a deal for Jean-Clair Todibo that will be the priority for Ten Hag over the coming days?

How much will Jean-Clair Todibo cost Man United?

According to The Athletic, United are looking at defensive reinforcements and Todibo, along with Pavard, are top of the list.

The Nice defender has been tracked by scouts at the Red Devils, and he could cost as little as €30m (£26m) this summer, representing excellent value.

Read the latest Man United news HERE…

The need for another centre-back has heightened due to the fact that Harry Maguire is edging closer to securing a move to West Ham United following four years at Old Trafford.

Todibo’s former club, Barcelona, have also been offered the chance to sign the Frenchman during the transfer window, yet it appears as though United are in the ascendancy with regard to a potential swoop.

Could Jean-Clair Todibo improve Manchester United?

The 23-year-old has already played in Ligue 1, La Liga, and the Bundesliga across his short career so far, yet it is at Nice where he has made the biggest impression.

He has racked up 103 appearances over just three seasons and the Frenchman has also been likened to a World Cup-winning United centre-back – Raphael Varane.

Writing in his Substack column, Jonathan Johnson said: 'I do think there is the potential that Todibo makes that kind of Man United move in the near future and if the Manchester club do get him, I think there are some similarities with Raphael Varane in many ways.'

It certainly isn’t a bad comparison considering just how impressive Varane has been over the previous decade. The 30-year-old has won a plethora of honours, including four Champions League titles, three Spanish titles with Real Madrid and steering France to glory at the 2018 World Cup.

Indeed, WhoScored lists concentration as being a major strength for both Todibo and Varane and it’s evident that the younger defender could be an ideal heir to the former Madrid player in the coming years.

Additionally, the former Barcelona starlet has actually registered a higher pass completion rate (88.5% to 86.3%) than Varane, while also winning a higher percentage of challenges (73.2% to 41.2%) and winning more tackles (48 to nine) indicating that he was not only a reliable passer, but strong in the challenge and looked to win the ball back as often as possible.

When compared to positional peers across the top five European leagues, Todibo also ranked in the top 15% for progressive passes per 90, and in the top 10% for tackles and successful take-ons per 90, suggesting that his forward-thinking approach would be an ideal fit for Ten Hag’s tactical system.

Varane missed a total of 32 games across his first two seasons at United and given that he will turn 31 towards the end of the forthcoming campaign, Ten Hag must be eyeing up someone who could turn into a perfect heir.

The Nice gem has shades of Varane about him and over the previous 12 months, he has certainly proven his worth on the continent.