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Celtic have been in excellent form across the Scottish Premiership campaign and pundit Frank McAvennie has now singled out one of Brendan Rodgers’ men for special praise due to his impact on proceedings.

Celtic form under Brendan Rodgers

Unsurprisingly, Celtic have been in their usual imperious form in the Scottish Premiership over the first 12 fixtures of the campaign, taking 32 points in total despite a tough run of games. The Hoops have an eight-point advantage over arch-rival Rangers at the summit; however, Phillipe Clement’s side have a game in hand that could narrow the margin to five points.

Nevertheless, a 3-0 triumph away to Ross County on Saturday courtesy of goals from David Turnbull, Luis Palma and James Forrest has placed Celtic in a handy position as they aim to retain their Scottish Premiership title. Speaking in his post-match press conference after the game, Rodgers applauded his side’s patience and ability to open up space against a dogged opponent, as he stated: “It's never easy when a team goes down to 10 men – believe it or not – because the spaces are minimal afterwards.”

He then praised summer signing Palma for his tremendous effort to double the Hoops’ lead, saying: “Celtic are used to quality, and Luis [Palma] has quality. Celtic have always had wingers who can get you off your seat and he certainly does that.”

Earning plaudits from Rodgers, Palma has made a bright start to his career at Parkhead, notching three goals and two assists in his opening seven top-flight fixtures (Palma statistics – WhoScored). The Honduras international also has a strike against Atletico Madrid to his name in the Champions League; however, pundit McAvennie has afforded encouragement to another of Rodgers’ new boys who has recently come into the fold.

Frank McAvennie praises Paulo Bernardo's impact

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit McAvennie has complemented the impact of loanee Paulo Bernardo since joining Celtic. McAvennie said:

“I’ve got to be honest, Bernardo came in and he was unbelievable considering he’s not played. By all accounts, he’s soaking everything up, taking everything in that he can. He’s taking it on board, and I thought he did very, very well at the weekend [against Hibs].

“We know David Turnbull, we know what he can do. He’s a different type of player. When Aaron Mooy was there too, he was a good player who took over that position. But I think the boy Bernardo.”

Despite making six appearances in all competitions for Celtic, Bernardo has only actually completed 191 minutes of action in total for his new side. However, McAvennie seems to be excited by his potential to step into midfield and be an efficient cog in Rodgers’ engine room (Bernardo statistics – Transfermarkt).

Bernardo’s performance against Ross County made for decent reading, as the Portugal Under-21 international completed 22 passes from 29 attempted and recorded an average match rating of 6.7/10, according to SofaScore. Over the next few weeks, Celtic may well be able to get a more detailed feel of Bernardo’s attributes as they enter a congested period of fixtures, with the likes of Reo Hatate sidelined.

USA heroes Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie showed just how well they know each other's features in a hilarious TikTok challenge.

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• USMNT stars took part in TikTok challenge
• Had to identify team-mates based on images
• Dest's hairline proved easy to recognise

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The likes of Pulisic, Reyna, McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi were shown small sections of their team-mates' faces and asked to identify who it belonged to. Sergino Dest's hairline and McKennie's goatee proved to be the most recognisable of all among the USMNT stars.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

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  Name the Teammate USA edition (Part 1) 🇺🇸🤔 #Concacaf #NationsLeague #USA #USMNT

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The United States players are preparing for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League semi-final clash against Jamaica on March 21. The winner of that match will take on either Panama or Mexico in the final on March 24.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR USMNT?

  Pulisic and McKennie are expected to be given the nod to start against Jamaica by coach Gregg Berhalter, while Reyna may have to settle for a place in the bench as he has barely featured for Nottingham Forest since joining on loan from Borussia Dortmund in January.

Tottenham Hotspur have approached one club over signing their "little superstar", and there is a real belief that he's a "special" player.

Spurs form under Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou's high-flying Lilywhites are taking everybody off guard with their sumptuous displays so far this season, and few could've envisaged their best start to a campaign since 1960/1961. Spurs are currently top of the Premier League pile after an unbeaten run of six wins from a possible eight, sealing all-important wins against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in that time.

This has all been achieved without star striker and all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, who departed Tottenham for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window. The England international's exit was seen as a potentially major blow to Spurs, but they've since thrived in his absence. Kane himself is overjoyed with the start Postecoglou has made in north London.

"I have made it clear my whole career I am a Tottenham fan and I would love to see Tottenham do well," Kane said at a press conference with England.

"It's great to see. I think I've said before, the manager is doing great for them with the way they're playing. The fans are right behind the team and it's definitely what they needed after the last few years. I'll always keep an eye on Spurs and the Premier League.

"There is no other team in the Premier League I would want to win than Tottenham. I have to be respectful to Bayern Munich and of course, the fans know I will always have a soft spot for Spurs – there is no question about that. Of course, I hope [Tottenham] do as well as possible but my main attention is where I am now and trying to perform for Bayern."

Will Tottenham sign anyone in January?

While their imperious form has been just that, there are still suggestions that Tottenham could make some signings in the January transfer window. The likes of Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba and Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly are reported targets to bolster Postecoglou's backline, while it is believed Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermereen is of interest as well.

The 18-year-old, who has been likened to Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta, has also been praised by former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld.

"Do I sometimes watch with my mouth open? Certainly," said Alderweireld.

"Everyone knows perfectly what to do when in possession of the ball and when losing the ball. Then the qualities of such a boy come to the fore. What he shows at his age is fantastic. I have rarely seen that."

Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has joined in on the praise, calling him a "little superstar" and "special" player as Spurs make contact for him. Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, sharing the latest Vermeeren transfer update, he said:

“This guy is special. Antwerp have a little superstar on their hands here in Arthur Vermeeren. He really is, from what I’m being told speaking to scouts, they think he’s special. Our understanding is that Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham have all enquired about him, so have Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Juventus, Barcelona as well who looked in the summer at him."

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho could face punishment from the FA for a social media post to teammate Andre Onana, with Mark Goldbridge left fuming at that possibility.

Alejandro Garnacho post on Andre Onana

The Red Devils were involved in a dramatic Champions League encounter against FC Copenhagen in the week. Erik ten Hag’s side were in a must-win group game and Harry Maguire’s goal would be the difference between the two teams, with goalkeeper Onana saving a stoppage-time penalty from Jordan Larsson to be the hero.

It was a brilliant moment for the summer signing and after the game, Garnacho took to social media to give his reaction. Garnacho's social media post was a picture of Onana celebrating with his teammates, however, after using two gorilla emojis above a picture, the winger was advised to delete the post after he was made aware of the racial connotations. Onana has since defended Garnacho online, though, saying:

“People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what @garnacho07 meant: power & strength. This matter should go no further.”

Possible Alejandro Garnacho ban

Recent reports have claimed that the FA could ban Garnacho as a result of the post, with similar previous instances resulting in Edinson Cavani receiving a three-match ban back in 2020 while at United following a response to a fan, whereas Man City’s Bernardo Silva received a one-match suspension in 2019 for an “aggravated breach” of the FA’s code of conduct.

Mark Goldbridge, of The United Stand, has recently hit out at the possibility of Garnacho being banned, saying it is “ridiculous” and that it would be a “disgrace” if the player is banned.

“This is the world we live in now – anyone can be offended by anything even when the intention was very, very clear. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.

“Why did he delete it? Because if he leaves it up, you get loads of people accusing him of being racist when that wasn’t the intention – you have to take it down. I think it’s ridiculous to say why did he delete it."

Goldbridge added: “Onana doesn’t perceive it to be racist. Anyone with a brain doesn’t perceive it to be racist, so why can’t the FA grow a pair and say clearly it’s not racist, it’s not meant to be racist, and therefore, we’re just going to move on.

“Now people would compare it to Bernardo Silva, but what he did was just massively naive and silly. This is not massively naive and silly, there’s just no awareness that it could cause a problem. I think it’s a disgrace, if he gets a ban for that it’s an absolute disgrace.”

Southampton moved up to ninth in the Championship table this week as they beat Alex Neil's Stoke City 1-0 away from home on Tuesday night.

The Saints have now won back-to-back league matches for the second time this season, having beaten Leeds United 3-1 last weekend at St. Mary's, and will now be hoping to carry on this form.

Russell Martin's men had lost four straight games prior to the victory against Daniel Farke's side and now have the opportunity to head into the international break on a high with a win against Hull City on Saturday.

Southampton's four-match losing streak

Opponent

Result

Sunderland

5-0

Leicester

4-1

Ipswich

1-0

Middlesbrough

2-1

Southampton are only outside of the top-six on goal difference as it stands and could go into the break in a play-off position if results go their way this weekend, which would put some of the doom and gloom from earlier in the season to bed.

However, that is not to say that all of the club's issues have been solved as there were still some concerning signs throughout the win against Stoke.

How did Southampton perform against Stoke?

Southampton controlled 58% of the possession and claimed all three points thanks to a stunning free-kick from Scotland international Stuart Armstrong.

However, they only created 0.97 xG, to Stoke's 0.72, and had six fewer shots than the hosts, as per Sofascore, as they struggled to consistently create high-quality chances in the final third.

To put that into more context, they scored three goals from 1.48 xG in their win over Leeds, which suggests that they have significantly outperformed their expected output in front of goal over the last two matches.

Martin may hope that his side can create better opportunities with greater regularity over the weeks and months to come and getting the best out of Che Adams could be key to that.

Charly Alcaraz operated as a false nine against Leeds and Stoke and the lack of a natural number nine was evident as the Saints were forced to check back and play infield after getting into promising positions only to look up and see that no one was in the box.

The Argentine was dropping deep to collect the ball and make things happen in midfield and that created space for Adam Armstrong to exploit out wide, but the skipper had no target to hit within the penalty area and had to play backwards.

Alcaraz did make some runs in behind to stretch the Stoke defence and found himself in advanced positions. However, Kamaldeen Sulemana, on the left flank, was not busting a gut to get into a goalscoring position.

Where should Adams play for Southampton?

Martin has showcased, with Alcaraz and Armstrong, his willingness to try players in different positions in order to make the most of their skillset to suit the team's tactics and he could utilise Adams in a left wing position.

The Scotland international, who is a centre-forward by trade, has played over 40 matches as a winger in his career, with 21 on the left side, and could be deployed there as part of a fluid attacking set-up against Hull on Saturday.

He could use his work rate to track back and help Ryan Manning out when needed and then use his natural instincts to know when to invert into a central position to make runs into the space that is created by Alcaraz dropping deep to drag defenders out of the way.

This would then provide the ex-River Plate star and Armstrong with a reliable attacking outlet through the middle of the pitch in certain situations, rather than being left with no choice but to pass back.

Sulemana started on the left against Stoke on Tuesday and the Ghana international does not offer a significant goal threat to make up for the lack of a natural number nine.

The former Rennes forward has scored two goals in 23 matches in all competitions for the Saints since his move to St. Mary's during the January transfer window, which shows that he is not a regular goalscorer.

How many Championship goals has Adams scored?

Adams, on the other hand, has plundered 37 goals in 124 Championship matches throughout his career and 25 in his last 54 outings in the division.

The English-born finisher, who scored 22 goals in 46 second-tier matches for Birmingham during the 2018/19 campaign, has produced three goals and two assists in four league starts so far this season.

He has showcased his quality in front of goal, as a scorer and a creator, in his limited minutes on the pitch for Martin and should now be unleashed from the start as part of this new-look set-up for the Scottish head coach.

As per FBref, Adams ranks within the top 6% of his positional peers for Expected Assists per 90 (0.26) and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90 (2.59). This suggests that there are not many better centre-forwards in the Championship at creating opportunities for their teammates than the Saints star.

The 27-year-old ace, who was once dubbed "clever" by pundit and former Rangers striker Ally McCoist, also ranks within the top 6% of players in his position for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.60).

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for Adams to be an outstanding forward at this level, as someone who can score and create goals on a regular basis, and this new system could get the best out of him by using Alcaraz's movement to create space for him to run in behind.

The opportunities that it creates for Armstrong out wide could also allow Adams to either thrive off the service that can be produced from the wing, or the 5 foot 9 gem could use his creativity to create opportunities for his captain.

Journalist Benjy Nurick claimed that the ex-Birmingham striker was "on fire" in 2022 and Martin now has the chance to reignite that flame this season.

The former Swansea tactician could get the best out of Adams by unleashing him out wide alongside Alcaraz and Armstrong in attack against Hull, which is why the forward should be named in the starting XI this weekend.

MatériaMais Notícias

No domingo, o São Paulo tem uma partida de extrema importância para as pretensões do clube na temporada. Em casa, a equipe de Fernando Diniz mede forças com o Fortaleza por uma vaga nas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. Competição que falta na galeria que títulos do clube, o torneio mata-mata é uma obsessão são-paulina. Apesar disso, o Tricolor vem de seguidos tropeços na competição nacional.

TABELA
>Veja como está o chaveamento da Copa do Brasil

Nos últimos quatro anos, o São Paulo teve participações modestas na Copa do Brasil. A última vez que o clube do Morumbi chegou a disputar a fase quartas de final do torneio aconteceu em 2015, quando caiu na semifinal para o Santos. De lá para cá, o clube soma eliminações traumáticas e precoces.

No ano passado, a participação do Tricolor na competição limitou-se a duas partidas contra o Bahia e duas derrotas, caindo logo no confronto de estreia das oitavas de final. Pior cenário, no entanto, aconteceu em 2016, quando o São Paulo caiu para o Juventude – que até então disputava a Série C do Campeonato Brasileiro – pelo critério do gol qualificado fora de casa.

RelacionadasSão PauloSão Paulo treina no CT da Barra Funda; Luciano fica na fisioterapiaSão Paulo22/10/2020São PauloDiniz tem problemas para escalar o São Paulo contra o FortalezaSão Paulo22/10/2020

Para apagar as más impressões deixadas em temporadas anteriores e recuperar o protagonismo no cenário nacional, o São Paulo aposta na Copa do Brasil como prioridade para esta temporada, sobretudo após a queda precoce na Copa Libertadores.

– As competições são todas importantes. Claro que a Copa do Brasil, principalmente por ser uma conquista inédita para o clube, tem um peso diferente – afirmou o técnico Fernando Diniz, no último sábado, após empate sem gols com o Grêmio pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

O jogo contra o Fortaleza acontece no domingo, às 20h30, no estádio do Morumbi. O duelo de ida, no Ceará, acabou empatado em 3 a 3 e, portanto, qualquer vitória classifica o São Paulo para a fase quartas de final. Não há o critério do gol qualificado nesta fase da Copa do Brasil. Sendo assim, qualquer empate leva o confronto para a decisão por pênaltis.

The two batsmen hit counterattacking centuries in the second innings after Central Zone had secured a 111-run first-innings lead in Rajshahi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2018

Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain hit centuries to help South Zone secure a draw against Central Zone, after they had conceded a 111-run first-innings lead in Rajshahi.After being sent in, South Zone collapsed to 191 all out in 49.5 overs, with only opener Fazle Mahmud (40) passing 30. Seamer Ebadot Hossain and left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain took four wickets each for Central Zone.Central Zone’s batsmen showed greater fight and posted 302, with opener Shadman Islam top-scoring with 93. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who had recently made a comeback to the national team, claimed 6 for 106 in 31 overs for South Zone.South Zone started shakily in their second innings, too, and were 84 for 3 in the 26th over. Mithun, however, revived the innings with a 193-run stand for the fourth wicket with Tushar Imran. Mithun hit 118 off 121 balls, including 16 fours and a six, while Tushar made 88 off 141 balls, with 10 fours and a six.Mosaddek then took charge of the innings, despite a shoulder injury. He added 53 for the seventh wicket with Ziaur Rahman before adding 121 runs for the eighth wicket with Nayeem Hasan, who chipped in with 43. Mosaddek stayed unbeaten on 102 off 107 balls.Central Zone were 158 for 5 when play was called off on the final day. Razzak took three wickets to stretch his match tally to nine.

Australia suffocated England with the ball and hammered them with the bat to register three Twenty20 wins from three games and secure a place in the triangular series final

Report by Daniel Brettig10-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAustralia suffocated England with the ball and hammered them with the bat to register three Twenty20 wins from three games and secure a place in the triangular series final as the series moves to New Zealand after the match at the MCG on Saturday night.In front of a crowd of 42,691 for the closing fixture of the international summer, the Australians galloped to their target with 33 balls to spare, as Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Glenn Maxwell all contributed. The fit-again Aaron Finch then put an exclamation mark on the result with a pair of mighty sixes off the bowling of David Willey, after he had been demoted to No. 5 to allow the younger Short to continue his impressive audition alongside the stand-in captain David Warner.Another low score for Warner was just about the only trouble spot for the Australians, with Billy Stanlake, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, AJ Tye and Ashton Agar all bowling exemplary spells with the ball. They were well and truly backed up in the field, epitomised by Warner’s quicksilver running throw to beat Dawid Malan and Agar’s athletic running take to dismiss Jos Buttler at the end of a halting England innings.Buttler had been the only England batsman to make a substantial score, but even he was at less than his best, a rare occasion when he scored below a run a ball. All of the visiting bowlers suffered for the fact they had few runs to defend, while also lacking the advice of their captain Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a muscle strain before play.Though he has led the team expertly and energetically in the field, Warner has found himself mired in a rut with the bat, and Willey’s early away swing proved too much for his minimal footwork, resulting in a thin edge behind in the very first over of the chase. Lynn was once again beaten by the ball moving back into him first up, but this time saw the ball squirt away towards the off side rather than thudding into the stumps.Duly reprieved, Lynn set about clobbering some trademark blows, cutting short balls over the off side field, swinging a leg-side delivery over the rope behind square leg, then arrowing a boundary to wide long-on. His stay was eventful but brief, ending with a top edge from the bowling of Chris Jordan that settled comfortably into the gloves of Buttler.A career opener for Australia, the returned Aaron Finch found himself shuffled down as far as No. 5 with Maxwell coming in at the fall of Lynn’s wicket, and quickly reprising his effective Hobart stand with Short. The pair found the boundary consistently in bringing down the target, taking a particularly heavy toll on Liam Dawson’s flat left-arm spin. Tom Curran was also expensive, while Adil Rashid was unable to claim the rush of wickets England desperately needed to be a chance.Maxwell’s third substantial contribution of the series ended with 22 runs still required, as he swung presumptuously at a slower bouncer from Jordan and skied another catch for Buttler, but this at least afforded Finch the chance to bat for the first time since he was injured last month. He duly accompanied Short to the finish, leaving Australia’s players with three T20 wins from three in this series and a spring in their step ahead of the Allan Border Medal awards ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night.The visitors were shorn of the services of Morgan due to a right groin strain suffered at training on Friday, Dawson and James Vince coming into the team and Buttler standing in as leader. Mark Wood was dropped. In the final international match of the Australian summer, Finch returned for the hosts following a hamstring strain that he suffered during the preceding ODI series, but significantly Short was retained at the top of the order and Travis Head left out of the team that won in Hobart.Stanlake had been harshly dealt with by England’s batsmen in that match, but this time he was able to get into the game early when Alex Hales skied one in the first over and Finch made decent ground running with the flight of the ball towards the boundary from mid-on to hold a juggling catch. Jason Roy’s quiet series continued when he tried to run Richardson towards third man but succeeded only in snicking to Alex Carey – a very 1990s ODI dismissal – and Malan could last only 10 balls for as many runs when he was brilliantly thrown out by Warner from mid-on, the captain picking up and throwing in virtually the same motion.These early blows caused England to pull back on their customary aggression, but the fall of regular wickets meant this policy did not work particularly well either. The recalled Vince was fooled and yorked by a terrific slower ball from Tye, before Sam Billings’ useful union with Buttler was ended by a mistimed swing and a catch for Warner at mid-off. Billings had been fired out earlier for a deflection behind off the bowling of Stoinis, but his use of England’s lone review showed the ball had struck trouser rather than glove.Willey seldom needs an excuse to swing hard, and first ball of the final over he found the boundary with a miscue over Carey’s head, before another top edge skewed into the off side and allowed Warner to claim another catch. The excellent Richardson was to claim his third wicket when Buttler tried to clear the fence from the final ball of the innings, but could not quite reach the sight screen, where Agar, who had also been economical with the ball, made a running chance look far less difficult than it was. Australia’s T20 fortunes have taken a decided turn for the better; Warner and company will hope they stay that way after the flight to New Zealand.

Manchester City have been provided with an update on John Stones' return from injury by assistant manager Juanma Lillo.

When is John Stones back from injury?

After playing the whole 90 minutes in the Community Shield against Arsenal, Stones is yet to feature for Man City in the Premier League this term as a result of a hip injury he sustained in pre-season, which means he will not be back until after the international break.

Pep Guardiola said the centre-back would not be able to play against Sheffield United or Fulham back in August, meaning assistant manager Lillo will probably have to make do without him today – although he is not exactly short of defensive options.

In quotes relayed by the Manchester Evening News, Lillo has now revealed that Manuel Akanji's omission from the squad against Sheffield United was not a sign of anything serious, saying: "Manu's problem was more prevention. He's more or less there."

Unfortunately for City, Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined for a considerable amount of time, with Guardiola stating the Belgian will be a huge miss, despite the wide array of talent in the squad:

"It's a serious injury. He will be out for a few months. The injury is a blow, a big loss. He has specific qualities. For a long time, [it] is really tough for us. We have to look forward. We have alternatives. Kevin is irreplaceable, but we have talented players. They will take it."

However, there is some more good news for the Citizens on the injury front, with Phil Foden set to return, having "completely recovered" from his illness, while Stones also appears to have put his injury woes behind him.

Lillo said: "John [Stones] is more or less there, as well. We're fine, we're okay. It's not decisive."

In the report from the Manchester Evening News, it is speculated that the defender could even make his return today, despite Guardiola previously claiming he will be out of action until after the upcoming international break.

How good is John Stones?

Whenever the 29-year-old is back available for selection, his return could be a real boost for City, given just how impressive he has been, particularly over the past year, during which he has showcased his ability to play in midfield.

During that time, the maestro ranked in the 99th percentile for his pass completion rate per 90 when compared to other midfielders, and in the 95th percentile compared to centre-backs, highlighting his ability in possession of the ball.

Journalist Henry Winter lauded the former Everton man for his performance against Atletico Madrid last August, saying: "John Stones absolutely magnificent. Defiance and concentration personified out of possession, and so composed in possession. Brilliant performance."

That said, City have fared well in the England international's absence, winning their first three Premier League games and defeating Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, so there is no point risking him this afternoon.

Instead, Lillo should rest Stones until after the international break, giving him the optimal amount of time to put his injury behind him.

The month-long tour will be the first time Sri Lanka will play a Test series in the Caribbean since March 2008

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017Sri Lanka will play a Test at the iconic Kensington Oval in Barbados for the first time during their three-match tour of West Indies in May-June 2018. Barbados will host the second Test of the series, from June 14-18, according to the fixtures announced by Cricket West Indies on Monday.Sri Lanka’s schedule in the West Indies

Tour match: May 30 – June 1, Brian Lara Cricket Ground, Trinidad
First Test: June 6-10, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Second Test: June 14-18, Kensington Oval, Barbados
Third Test: June 23-27, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

The Test series will begin with the first match at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, from June 6, while the third Test is scheduled to be held at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia from June 23. Sri Lanka are also scheduled to play a three-day tour match, between May 30 and June 1 at the Brian Lara Cricket Ground in Trinidad.The tour, which had been put down in the Future Tours Programme, will be Sri Lanka’s first Test tour of the West Indies in ten years. The last time both sides played a Test series in the Caribbean – in March 2008 – the series ended in a 1-1 deadlock, but was memorable for the visitors who won in the West Indies for the first time. Since then, Sri Lanka have travelled to the West Indies for limited-overs fixtures – the World T20 in 2010 and a tri-series featuring the two sides and India in 2013. Overall, this will be the fourth Test series between the two sides in the West Indies.The most recent Test series between the two sides took place in Sri Lanka, in October 2015, where the hosts thrashed West Indies 2-0 to claim the Sobers-Tissera Trophy.