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Manchester United have been stepping up their search for the next manager to take charge at Old Trafford, and now information has emerged on the potential appointment of the leading favourite Erik Ten Hag.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist Angelo Mangiante has given a fresh update on Manchester United’s progression with Ajax boss ten Hag, Tweeting to his followers:

“Erik ten Hag is now very close and he still leading the race to become the new Manchester United manager. For sure, he wants a final answer from Manchester United as soon as possible. In any case, compensation for Erik ten Hag is not an issue for Manchester United.”

Supporters will love it

Ten Hag has been a clear favourite amongst Manchester United fans ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked back in November, so the news that the club may finally be close to sealing the deal with the 52-year-old manager will be a huge relief for the long-suffering Man United fans and they will surely love it.

There was concern that the Dutch coach could be snapped up by another club with speculation of interest from two other European sides who want to also hire him this summer, but if Mangiante’s statement is true then surely it will now be only a matter of time before he is announced by the club as the new manager to take the reins at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has been successfully managing his current side, Ajax, after leading them to a Champions League semi-final in 2019 and then going on to win two Dutch league titles and three Dutch domestic cups with his squad, and fans will be hoping he can inject this winning mentality back into their team over in Manchester so that they can return to consistent trophy winning.

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As Ralf Rangnick discussed following the draw with Leicester City, there is still a huge amount of work to be done at Manchester United over the next few seasons and the interim boss revealed it could take “two to three transfer windows” to catch up with Liverpool, but with ten Hag, that timeframe could well be lessened.

In other news: Man Utd now dealt huge new manager setback, supporters will be furious

Scorecard

Chris Gayle scored 49 as Jamaica eased to a six-wicket victory over Barbados © AFP

Former Queensland allrounder Brendan Nash turned in a fine performance with both bat and ball to help Jamaica coast to a six-wicket victory over Barbados in their final Zone A league match of the KFC Cup. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals but Jamaica topped the table as a result of this victory.Nash bowled a miserly spell of 10-2-11-1 and Jerome Taylor took three wickets as Barbados were restricted to 170. Even that modest total was reached because of a 34-run stand for the tenth wicket. After a brisk start, the scoring-rate fell as the batsmen struggled on a pitch which was not conducive to strokeplay with Kirk Edwards facing 70 balls to make 17.In reply, Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment early but the rest of the batsmen played handy knocks to help overhaul the target with seven overs to spare. Chris Gayle, the captain, top scored with 49. Shawn Findlay chipped in with 39 while Nash remained not out on 36 as Jamaica maintained it’s unbeaten streak in this year’s tournament.Barbados coach Henry Springer blamed the batting for the loss. “It was a lack of situation awareness. Our batsmen need to understand what situation they find themselves in and to be able to deal with it,” he told the
ScorecardIn a match between two teams who had no chance of progressing further in the tournament, Leewards Islands rode on a solid all-round performance from Omari Banks to beat West Indies Under-19s by five wickets.Despite some wayward bowling from Leewards Islands, who gave away 28 extras including 19 wides, the Under-19s could only manage 159. Banks bowled a tight spell of 2 for 18 in his ten overs while offspinner Chaka Hodge took three lower-order wickets to keep the Under-19s in check. Opener Chesney Hughes top scored with 31 while no other batsman passed the 25-run mark.In reply, Leewards Islands started shakily as fast bowler Jason Dawes took three wickets to reduce them to 40 for 3. Spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs bowled economically giving away just 35 runs in their 20 overs to make the Leewards Islands’ batsmen work hard for their victory. Banks, who batted with a runner because of a hamstring injury, remained unbeaten on 55 while Steve Liburd and Tonito Willett played useful knocks to ensure the target was reached with two overs to spare.The result was a consolatory win for the Leewards Islands and means that the Under-19s are the only team to have not picked up a point during the tournament.

Glenn McGrath stood tall at Brisbane, but he was also upset by a minor heel injury © Getty Images

Australia have thrown out the possibility of using two spinners and asked for fast-bowling reinforcements as they search for a 2-0 Ashes lead in Adelaide from Friday. The national selectors met over two days to consider their options following Shane Watson’s second consecutive withdrawal with a hamstring injury and Shaun Tait joined Mitchell Johnson in the 13-man squad.Tait was part of the outfit before leaving Brisbane ahead of the first Test, which Australia won by 277 runs at the Gabba, and Johnson was released for Pura Cup duty when a seam attack of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark was preferred. McGrath and Clark excelled with seven wickets each, but the expanded squad indicates the selectors are concerned with McGrath’s bruised heel.McGrath had a pain-killing injection in his left foot on Sunday and returned 1 for 53 to follow his 6 for 50 that rocked England’s first innings. Lee was the most disappointing of the trio, but he is unlikely to be overlooked after one below-par performance and the option of a five-man frontline attack disappeared with Watson’s slow recovery.Shane Warne is currently irreplaceable, especially on a surface in which he has 25 wickets from his past four Tests, and only an injury or doubts over fitness can realistically provide an opening for Tait or Johnson. Stuart MacGill tipped yesterday that he would miss the squad and his hunch was correct.”The possibility of using two specialist spinners continues to be discussed,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “That decision is made more difficult while Watson is unfit, but it will be reviewed depending on the particular conditions we will face at each venue.” There is a chance Watson and MacGill could be required in Perth for the third game following the WACA’s transformation from a fast-bowling haven to a batsman-dominated arena.Michael Clarke retained his spot at No. 6 following his 56 in the first innings at Brisbane and his left-arm spin will be a handy asset during the second Test. “I’ve been ultra-impressed with the way Clarke’s gone about his cricket over the last 12 to 18 months,” Ricky Ponting said after the victory. “He’s extremely hungry and he’s trained hard and he’s worked on his technique for the longer form of the game. It’s great to see him play well.”Australia squad Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

With 101 wickets, Glenn McGrath is now the highest Australian wicket-taker against the West Indies © Getty Images

The incomparable Glenn McGrath homed in at regular intervals, and despite a chancy innings of great character from Devon Smith, West Indies were staring at a considerable first-innings deficit by stumps on the second day at the Gabba. When play ended 45 minutes past the scheduled close, they were 6 for 182, still 253 in arrears, with McGrath having scalped 4 for 54.Having defied the Australians for four hours and 175 balls, Smith was finally undone by McGrath going round the wicket, and he stared in bemusement at his tormentor as he walked back to the pavilion. There had been some handsome drives through cover and point early in his innings, especially against a lightning quick but erratic Brett Lee, but Smith was frequently clueless against Shane Warne getting the ball to spin like a top out of the rough.Having just about survived a stumping chance off a slider, and then seen Ricky Ponting put down a tough chance at silly point, Smith was still alert enough to take full toll of the chances that came his way. After being clunked on the helmet by a ferociously fast (151.3 kmph) bouncer from Lee, he added 60 with Brian Lara – the victim of a very ordinary umpiring decision – and then went on to see Warne and McGrath squeeze the life out of the West Indian innings.Earlier, both Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan had looked in ominously good touch, but McGrath eventually wore both down with his patented line of attack outside off stump. Sarwan’s dismissal was especially important given that he and Smith had been motoring along at close to six an over after giving Lee a real pasting. But once Nathan Bracken helped stemmed the run flow, and Warne came on to display his inimitable wares, it was backs-to-the-wall time.Lara was circumspect rather than dashing until a full-length delivery from Lee trapped him on the crease, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul attempted to hit his way out of stroke-less quicksand. Most unfortunate was Marlon Samuels, who had scored 257 against Queensland in the warm-up game. Having started with a peachy drive through the covers off McGrath, he perished to a ball that could only be described as perfect.In truth, it had always seemed a question of when, rather than if, the West Indies would crumble, especially once Australia’s tail wrested the momentum by refusing to subside in the morning session. After rain had caused a half-hour delay, both Warne and Lee were jittery against the second new ball, but a combination of luck and stout defence kept Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore at bay.When the bowlers strayed, they were usually made to pay, and a Lee straight-drive off a Collymore full-toss set the tone for what was to follow. Warne, who had edged, driven and glanced his way to 47, finally succumbed to Daren Powell’s first ball of the day, but by then the partnership was worth 75. And if West Indies assumed that Warne’s exit meant the end was nigh, they were swiftly set right by Bracken, who started by pulling Powell for four, and then dismissively thumped Collymore over extra-cover.The odd delivery continued to zip past the outside edge or swaying helmet, but as both men grew in confidence, the scoreboard started to tick over. Lee unveiled a sumptuous on-drive off a Powell half-volley and after a vociferous leg-before appeal was turned down, he slashed one over the slips for four more.Bracken wasn’t idle either, getting some beefy blows in, but the definitive shot of the morning was left to Lee, a monster hit over midwicket that resulted in the ball being lost. Powell, who had earlier had Bracken snick a no-ball behind the stumps, had his revenge with the replacement ball, but as Lee walked off to a standing ovation, West Indies were left to ponder a morning session where the best-laid plans had gone awry. And in would get no better, with McGrath – who now has 101 wickets against West Indies alone – intent on proving just why he’s been in a fast-bowling league of his own for so very long.

AustraliaShane Warne c Ramdin b Powell 47 (8 for 369)
Beaten by away movement, edged behindBrett Lee c Collymore b Powell 47 (9 for 417)
Mistimed pull caught over his head at mid-onNathan Bracken c Sarwan b Edwards 37 (435 all out)
Hint of away movement, edged drive well caught at second slipWest IndiesChris Gayle c Gilchrist b McGrath 10 (1 for 21)
Big flail results only in a thin edge behind the stumps Ramnaresh Sarwan c Gilchrist b McGrath 21 (2 for 74)
Drawn into a tentative prod, and a thin edge behindBrian Lara lbw Lee 30 (3 for 134)
Struck on the back pad by Lee bowling round the wicket. The angle would most likely have taken the ball past leg stumpShivnarine Chanderpaul c Bracken b Warne 2 (4 for 149)
Mistimed a pull to a short ball, brilliant caught on the dive inches from the ground at wide mid-on Marlon Samuels c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 (5 for 161)
Edged a perfectly pitched leg-cutterDevon Smith b McGrath 88 (6 for 174)
Shouldered arms to a round-the-wicket delivery that shaped back a touch

Sourav Ganguly batting during Saturday’s one-dayer© Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly has appealed to the International Cricket Council against the two-Test ban handed down to him on Sunday. Ganguly was suspended because of India’s slow over-rates during Saturday’s one-day international against Pakistan. It was his second such transgression within the year, which meant that he was automatically liable for suspension. If the punishment is upheld, he will miss both Tests against South Africa.The ICC said that it would name the members of the commission which will hear the case within the next 24 hours, and that they would then have seven days to hear and determine the appeal. The statement added: “Should this appeal not be finalised before the start of the India’s first Test against South Africa on November 20 2004, Ganguly would be able to compete in the match.”While Ganguly was within his rights to appeal within 24 hours of the judgement, the move meant that the uncertainty over captaincy would continue. Rahul Dravid was made captain after Sourav Ganguly pulled out due to an injury 40 minutes before the start of the third Test against Australia. It was a move that was questioned, for it came as a blow to India in a crucial match with the series still alive. John Buchanan later stated his belief that the aftershock of losing a captain so suddenly could be hard to withstand, and that the pressure showed on Dravid’s batting. While Buchanan’s comments could be attributed to an attempt at psychological hurt, Ganguly’s withdrawal gave Dravid little time to prepare.The decision on the appeal could take up to seven days, in which case Ganguly would be eligible for the first Test. But theoretically, a decision to uphold the suspension could be taken a day before the Test, which would give Dravid little time to prepare his own game-plan.

Scorecard

Tempers flare: the umpires move in as Hall and Youhana exchange unpleasantries © Wisden Cricinfo Ltd

Chasing under lights yet again in the second game of their one-day series against Pakistan, South Africa could not resist the pressure for long enough to make a realistic assault their target of 268, falling short by 42 runs. Pakistan’s second win in three days at Lahore gave them a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.The script followed that of the first match quite closely. After Yousuf Youhana missed another chance of a century, a late flurry brought Pakistan vital runs. Boeta Dippenaar then shepherded South Africa’s chase until it crumbled against some tight bowling and fielding.Tonight it was Mohammad Hafeez’s part-time offspin that derailed the chase. Hafeez had Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph all sweeping at deliveries too full for the stroke, bowling Dippenaar and trapping the other two lbw. Mohammad Sami, who had Graeme Smith caught at slip in the fifth over, returned to reverse-swing the old ball, knocking back the stumps of Robin Peterson and Andrew Hall with immaculate yorkers.The South African chase looked healthiest when, after Smith’s dismissal, Kallis and Dippenaar added 89 for the second wicket. Dippenaar played the sheet-anchor and rotated the strike well, while Kallis took advantage of Umar Gul’s discomfiture at the clouds of hovering insects. Despite the insecticide sprayed during the interval, Gul pulled up short more than once, turning to his team-mates to de-bug his eyes. His line and length became progressively more erratic, and Kallis capitalised. Off consecutive balls from Gul he flicked a four to square leg, cut him for four more, and then clipped one behind square to the fence.But Kallis’s eventual dismissal to Hafeez was the beginning of the end. Neil McKenzie survived a stumping chance but then pushed the ball to Sami at mid-off and went for a non-existent single. Sami got in another direct hit when Dippenaar called Mark Boucher for a run after dabbing it to backward point. Younis Khan ran out the final semblance of batting resistance in Shaun Pollock, and Pakistan had sealed the result long before Ntini smashed the final ball of the day over long-on for a huge six.Yousuf Youhana, captaining on the field after Inzamam-ul-Haq strained a leg muscle while batting (he’s in some doubt for the next game, at Faisalabad on Tuesday), led his side cannily. He could have used some of that judgment when he was batting earlier on: for the second match running, he squandered a splendid opportunity to get a century.Ntini and Pollock had got rid of Yasir Hameed and Hafeez, the openers, by keeping a strict rein on line and length. But things changed with Youhana’s arrival. Suddenly the bowling seemed to hold fewer demons, and the runs started to flow. That, apparently, was not to South Africa’s liking: after Youhana hit him for four, Hall elbowed him during a single. When Youhana objected, Hall eyeballed him and launched a verbal tirade. Only the intervention of the umpires and a stern warning to Smith, South Africa’s captain, prevented the incident from snowballing.Inzamam hobbled off in the 17th over, and Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, signalled to Youhana to stay put. But almost immediately Youhana tried to tickle Kallis to third man and was caught behind – an almost identical dismissal to his one in the first game.Shoaib Malik, after his whirlwind assault on Friday, looked set for an encore, and indeed did thump fours off Kallis and Alan Dawson. But Ntini’s return for his second spell proved decisive. Bowling full and straight, he had Younis caught behind before inducing Shoaib and Abdul Razzaq to inside-edge into their stumps. Rashid Latif was adjudged run out by the third umpire – there was some doubt about the decision – and suddenly Pakistan were struggling to reach 250.They did eventually get there, courtesy of some big hitting from Inzamam, back with a runner and disdainfully punishing Hall in the final over of the innings. The over cost 16, most of them to Inzamam, but in the final analysis, they hardly mattered. Pakistan won the match easily enough, with 42 runs to spare, and they now need to win only one of the remaining three matches to take the one-day series.

The West Indies selectors yesterday named two changes to the currentteam for the upcoming triangular One Day Series, which starts onDecember, 8.Barbadian all-rounder, Ryan Hinds, has been elevated to represent thesenior West Indies, along with compatriot Corey Collymore, who makeshis return to the senior team.Hinds and Collymore, are the only two changes announced yesterday tothe West Indies team which have already conceded the Test series, andnow must try and salvage some pride during the remainder of the tour.Collymore, who was overlooked for the present Test series against SriLanka after coming highly recommended during the West Indies’ homeseries earlier this year against South Africa, returns to the seniorWest Indies team. His selection however, is sure to raise someeyebrows across the Caribbean. Collymore only represented Barbados intwo preliminary round matches of the Red Stripe Bowl, and lost hisplace because of lack of form and control. It is for this reason whyhis inclusion in the West Indies’ team for the triangular series issure to cause some unease and certain discomfort.The West Indies selectors however, have lived up to their widelyregarded reputation as “never failing to surprise”, and surprise theydid since their are obviously more qualified seam bowlers and allrounders available in the West Indies, especially at a time when theWest Indies bowling is depleted.Hinds and Collymore will replace Jamaican Leon Garrick and Guyanese,Colin Stuart in the West Indies squad, which is already in Sri Lanka.The two One-Day selectees are scheduled to leave the Caribbean onFriday and arrive in Sri Lanka on Sunday morning (Sri Lanka time).Twenty-year-old Hinds on the other hand, made his first-class debut in1999 against the Windward Islands and is widely regarded as one of thefew genuine all-rounders in the Caribbean. He last representedBarbados in the 2001 Red Stripe Bowl when he led the team, averaging75.20 runs with two half-centuries in the four matches he played. Healso captured five wickets in the tournament at an average of 26.20runs apiece.The triangular One Day Series begins on December 8.

An unflinching, unbeaten century from England Test discard Mark Ramprakashhas guided Middlesex to a score of 227 all out on the first day of itsCounty Championship clash with Sussex at Southgate.Come rain, thunder and shine all in the one day, Ramprakash was not to bemoved from the crease in an innings that showcased all of his trademarkdetermination. His smooth-stroking 110 was certainly the best possibleriposte in the wake of his omission from the team to play West Indies atOld Trafford next week.Aside from the diminutive right hander’s play, though, this was anothertough day for the Division Two cellar dwellers. In overcast conditions,there was little resolve about their batting. Medium pacers James Kirtley(5/50) and Robin Martin-Jenkins (3/55) revelled in the early going,reducing the locals to 26/2 inside the first hour. The former was evenmore impressive later in the day, coming back in a second spell to inspirethe quick destruction of the home team’s middle order in a collapse thatsaw six wickets lost for the addition of a meagre 95 runs.Middlesex made two strikes of their own – including one in the shadows ofstumps – to have Sussex at 84/2 in reply by the close, but there remains noimmediate indication that its bowlers will be able to summon adequatereward for the considerable skill of their number four batsman.

Aston Villa have a wide range of forward players but Steven Gerrard has struggled to establish which combination of a front three is the best for the team, and despite having a number of options there is no doubt that the Villa manager will bring in even more players if he can identify the right player to get the job done.

Moussa Diaby has been linked to Aston Villa yet again, after he was a hot prospect for the club last summer ahead of the signing of Leon Bailey, and now the winger is reportedly drumming up interest from other Premier League clubs including Newcastle United.

The Frenchman has been making a huge impact on his Bayer Leverkusen team in the Bundesliga this season, with 15 goals and nine assists across all competitions in 31 appearances, so it is no wonder that the 22-year-old is gaining lots of attention from other clubs.

According to One Versus One, only Thomas Muller and Christopher Nkunku have created more chances in the Bundesliga this season so far, with the £47k-per-week gem who was hailed “clever” by team mate Kerem Demirbay, currently the fourth highest assister and has the second most key passes in the German league.

This attacking output and creativity is something Gerrard will find hard to ignore, and will definitely not want to lose out on the opportunity to have a young player of Diaby’s calibre going to Newcastle United who will be easily competing for a higher position in the Premier League alongside Villa next season.

Ollie Watkins was predicted to have a goal rich relationship with his strike partner, Danny Ings, when Villa signed the Southampton striker to work with the 26-year-old last summer. However the pair have failed to find that connection on the pitch, and Watkins definitely benefits playing in a centre forward role, as opposed to out wide.

As a result, bringing in a winger with the creativity levels Diaby is displaying and combining it with Watkins’ finishing means the pair could form a fantastic partnership.

However, the former Rangers boss does have a large amount of attacking players on his books and would surely need to offload some of his current attacking options to accommodate any new arrivals in the forward line to actually enable him to offer them first-team football. That’s especially when many of the current forward players are struggling with getting consistent game time.

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Gerrard will have a lot of decisions to make about his attacking players at Villa this summer, and will need to put a plan in place to either make his forward players happy with consistent rotation, or offload the ones that he won’t get the best out or be able to offer game time to, which could then in turn open up a spot for Diaby to come into the team.

In other news: Jacob Ramsey let down Gerrard vs Southampton

A vintage performance from 41-year-old Peter Siddle has helped power the Melbourne Stars to a confidence-boosting eight-wicket upset of reigning BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes.Siddle’s 3 for 30 helped restrict the Hurricanes to an underwhelming 158 for 9, after Stars captain Marcus Stoinis elected to bowl first at the MCG.The Stars then coasted to victory, reaching 159 for 2 with 24 balls to spare. Stoinis (62* from 31 balls) and Campbell Kellaway (41* off 27) handled the chase with ease, as the skipper ended the match with a six.Stoinis was Player of the Match for his brutal knock and 2 for 18.Ben McDermott played a lone hand for the Hurricanes•CA/Getty Images

The only BBL franchise yet to claim a title after the Hurricanes’ success last summer, the Stars couldn’t have started this campaign any better.Veteran matchwinner Glenn Maxwell opened the bowling, with his gentle offspin working wonders as he dismissed the dangerous Mitch Owen with the fourth ball of the game. Owen, who smashed a memorable century in last season’s final, holed out on the boundary to Hilton Cartwright, who had dropped a catch off the previous delivery.That dismissal started the rot for the Hurricanes, with Siddle and fellow paceman Haris Rauf cleaning up the tail with 4 for 6 in the final eight balls of the innings.First playing domestic cricket back in 2005, Siddle committed to the Stars again this season after bagging 12 wickets in the 2024-25 campaign. The evergreen 67-Test veteran, who retired from international cricket in 2019, ended his Victorian career last summer, but has kept fit for another BBL tilt. Siddle played in a 10-over league in Canada in October, before fronting up for the PM’s XI against England in Canberra last month.Thomas Rogers made a quickfire 30 in 18 balls•CA/Getty Images

” I just love competing and I don’t want to put out poor performances,” Siddle said. “I’ve worked hard to prepare for this. I was a bit nervous, it’s been a long time since I played a proper competitive game so it was good to get it out of the way. The stuff I was doing with my strength and conditioning trainer, who works for the Vics, was very individualised stuff because I only have to train to bowl four overs.”Ben McDermott played a lone hand for the Hurricanes, crafting a well-made 69 after arriving at the crease in the second over. Combining with Tim David, McDermott threatened to push Hobart to a competitive score. But David lost his wicket to Siddle in the powerplay, sparking the Hurricanes’ collapse.Maxwell, arguably the world’s best outfielder, pulled off another stunning catch when he helped dismiss former Australia teammate Matthew Wade. The Stars’ master blaster was able to jump over the boundary rope and then throw the ball back to himself, making the difficult effort look extremely easy.Hobart are back in action on Sunday against the Melbourne Renegades in Geelong, while the Stars face the Strikers in Adelaide next Tuesday night.