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Greg Mail ground out a determined 125 for New South Wales in his first Pura Cup match of the season © Getty Images

Greg Mail, who was a late addition for New South Wales, registered his first Pura Cup century since 2005-06 to give the Blues a healthy lead of 278 at the MCG. At the close of the third day the Blues had 6 for 281 with Dominic Thornely on 48 and Matthew Nicholson out for 20 from the last ball.It was slow going once again – the run-rate has been below three for the entire match – until Nicholson and Thornely added a brief spark. Nicholson’s 16-ball flurry ended when he clipped Bryce McGain to midwicket where Rob Quiney took an excellent catch, giving McGain just reward for his day of hard work.Mail contributed to the leisurely pace, scoring 125 from 276 balls as Victoria’s attack plugged away with only occasional success. He only played because Ed Cowan withdrew with an ankle injury, and would be pleased with his contributions of 43, 125 and 1 for 12. There was no express delivery from Mail, who struck eight fours in his stay of nearly six hours.He was stuck in the 90s for some time before reaching triple-figures, which was a relief in his first game since his horror 2006-07, when his top score from five matches was 27. He eventually edged an attempted drive to slip off McGain, who was clearly Victoria’s best bowler and finished with 4 for 83.McGain became the first man to dismiss Simon Katich for less than 50 in a Pura Cup game this season when he deceived the batsman with a straighter ball. Katich misjudged the line and feathered a catch to the wicketkeeper, departing for 10 and adding the first blemish to his outstanding first-class summer. Phillip Hughes enhanced his developing reputation with 51 before he flicked McGain to Brad Hodge at midwicket just before lunch.After the break the other of New South Wales’ young top-order prospects, Peter Forrest, was dropped by the bowler McGain only to be run out from the same delivery. After the ball eluded McGain, Forrest took off for a gettable single but his partner Mail was oblivious, and Shane Harwood at mid off threw to the wicketkeeper who removed the bails with Forrest still halfway down the pitch.It was a rare moment of excitement on a quiet day that the Blues used to set up their tilt at a fourth-day victory. The Bushrangers might need to lift the tempo of the match when they are set a target on a final day that could be interrupted by Melbourne showers.

Marcus North has been a strong performer for Western Australia © Getty Images

Gloucestershire have announced that the Australian batsman Marcus North will deputise for Hamish Marshall at the start of next season.The county expects Marshall to be with the New Zealand squad at the World Cup in the West Indies until the end of April after he was chosen in the touring party for the CB Series.The coach Mark Alleyne said: “I am extremely pleased that a player of his calibre and pedigree is joining us.”North is averaging more than 60 for Western Australia in the current season and has previously played for Lancashire, Durham and Derbyshire.He has also been a member of the Australia A side, bowls tidy off-spin, and will join the Pakistani seamer Umar Gul at Bristol.

Faced with a deficit of 290, Jamaica staged a spirited rearguard action as they ended the third day at 310 for 8 against Barbados at the 3Ws Oval. Resuming their overnight score of 11 for 1, an innings defeat seemed inevitable for Jamaica with the score at 68 for 4 until Wavell Hinds, the captain, started the fightback. He put on 85 for the fifth wicket with Tamar Lambert, who was later dismissed for 54.Carlton Baugh, the wicketkeeper, gave solid support to his captain as the two added a further 117 for the sixth wicket. Baugh scored at a healthy strikerate, his 75 coming off 94 balls. The two threatened to build a challenging lead until Ian Bradshaw took two wickets in quick succession with the second new ball.Hinds, who was dropped on 61 by Alcindo Holder off Edwards, added another 21 runs to his run tally but his untimely dismissal marked the end of Jamaica’s resistance on day three. Jamaica are leading by 20 runs with only two wickets remaining. Barbados would be looking to complete the formalities as soon as possible and claim their first win of the competition.

ScorecardSteven Davies and Joe Denly provided the impetus with a 160-run opening partnership as England’s Under-19s pulled off a relatively comfortable five-wicket victory at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to keep alive their hopes in the five-match one-day series. Chasing 222 for the win, Davies made 82, and Denly a sedate 71 before Piyush Chawla nipped in with three quick wickets to put a few seeds of doubt in English minds. But Michael O’Shea and Tom Smith ensured that victory would be achieved with four balls still remaining.The damage had been done much earlier in the day, with India Under-19s slumping to 72 for 5. Moeen Ali bowled both Ankit Rawat and Gaurav Dhiman, and with Mayank Tehlan – who led the side to victory in the last game – being run out, it was left to the lower order to restore some pride.They did that with some purpose, as Ravikant Shukla, a left-hander from Uttar Pradesh, smashed 85 from just 93 deliveries, including two big sixes. He was superbly supported by Andimoni Pradeep (34) and Chawla, who made 22 not out. Ali was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 46.

Australia will certainly remember their epic Test match against India atthe Eden Gardens in 2001, but the final of the TVS Cup will be theirfirst time against India in an ODI here. And they should knowthat India have won eight out of the 11 times they played here.Australia’s only ODI at the Eden Gardens before was the eventfulfinal of the 1987 Reliance World Cup where they edged out Englandby 7 runs.Like most venues in India, the Eden Gardens has seen its share of highscores. On five occasions, the side batting first has posted 270 ormore. Not surprisingly, only once in these occasions, the teamchasing won. That happened when West Indies scored 273 and still lost to Pakistan in the MRF NehruCup in 1989.In 17 ODIs that have taken place at the Eden Gardens, only fourcenturies have been scored. Kris Srikkanth opened the account in1986-87 and was followed by Desmond Haynes and Marcus Trescothick. Ofthe current Indian team, only SachinTendulkar has reached three figures here.Bowlers of all kinds should know that they have their work cut out forthem. Only once has a team been bowled out for less than 150 inan ODI here. That was when Anil Kumble sliced through the West Indies inthe final of the Hero Cup in 1993. West Indies made just 123 in pursuitof 226 for victory.Having said that, sevenbowlers have taken four wickets or more in one-dayers at Eden Gardenswith Allan Donald and Saqlain Mushtaq being the only non-Indiansto do so.

Pakistan again defeated Bangladesh in the third and final one-day match, completing a three-nil series win. The tourists won a one-sided match by eight wickets, needed just 35.4 overs to pass Bangladesh’s 220.The afternoon started well for the hosts, as Khaled Masud opted to bat first and Mehrab Hossain and Javed Belim put on 88 for the first wicket. They batted patiently and prudently, before they were separated by Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi. Belim (35), Mehrab (41) and Al-Sahariar (6), all fell in quick succession, reducing Bangladesh from 66 without loss to 99 for three.Bangladesh fought back as Aminul Islam and the promising Tushar Imran built a 77-run stand between them. Imran, the more aggressive of the two, top-scored with 43 off just 56 balls. Aminul Islam made 31.After losing their fourth wicket on 176, Bangladesh added just 44 runs from the last 46 deliveries. Abdur Razzak created the mayhem, with a career-best haul of six for 35 to restrict the hosts to 220.Shahid Afridi then launched a ruthless onslaught from the outset of Pakistan’s innings, hitting seven sixes and six fours in a knock of 83 that took only 44 balls. Three of the sixes were off Manjural Islam, with two coming consecutively from a single over.Afridi hit Enamul relentlessly in his opening over for 28 runs, a record in Dhaka. The first three balls went for sixes, Afridi blocked the fourth one, slammed the fifth for another six and ended the over with a boundary.Khaled Mahmud finally dismissed Afridi, but only delayed the inevitable. Younis Khan (66) remained until the end, well assisted by Navid Latif and Abdur Razzaq.Pakistan reached the target in 35.4 overs with eight wickets in hand. Afridi was rightly adjudged the man of the match for his extraordinary knock.

After demolishing Pakistan for 316 runs through an extremely tight bowling-fielding combination, England took a cautious start but eventually succumbed to Pakistan’s spin. They lost 3 precious wickets to the duo of Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria in the last hour of play. The day ended with England at 110 for 3, the honors almost evenly shared.The game started with the overnight’s not outs Yousuf Youhana and Moin Khan resuming the innings with Pakistan at 243 for 5. England attacked with the combination of Craig White and Ashley Giles on a pitch providing equal support to spinners and the pace bowlers. The new ball was taken after the expiry of 80 overs while the batsmen at the crease crossed the 100 run partnership after being together for 227 balls.England met the first success of the day when Youhana lifted a rising delivery from Darren Gough and was caught by Graham Thorpe at square leg after playing an invaluable innings of 77. Youhana was so well set at the crease that he had no need to play such an atrocious shot. Moin Khan was next to leave after playing a masterly innings of 67. The dismissal of the two stalwarts rendered Pakistan to 271 for 7. Both the batsmen who raised the Pakistanis innings from ruins to a position of respectability literally threw away their wickets.The remaining players namely Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Arshad Khan and Danish Kaneria were out one after the other. Saqlain was the only one among them who played the gem of an innings scoring a valuable 37. Pakistan was all out for 316 runs. The England bowlers dominated the show throughout the day, Ashley Giles leading the battery with 5 for 75 followed by Darren Gough 3 for 79. Apparently it did not look to be an impressive total in the present era of tall scoring matches but with England losing 3 wickets for 110 runs later, it appeared safe.Though Pakistan’s total was not a daunting one, England some how played a dismal innings. The first three batsmen Mike Atherton, Marcus Trescothick and skipper Nasser Hussain though a class by themselves were caught in a groove. They only came out of it when ousted by the Pakistani spinners.Trescothick was the first to be out after playing a solid knock of 30. A wave of jubilation gripped the atmosphere when young Kaneria claimed his first wicket in test cricket. On a lovely leg break he drove a well dug Trescothick out of the crease to be smartly stumped by Moin Khan.After a long wait and hectic efforts Pakistan met with the 2nd success when Atherton was out after playing a patient innings of 32 rendering England to 105 for 2. The 3rd success came immediately after, when Nasser Hussain not being able to sustain the spinners pressure was trapped LBW by Saqlain, for a painstaking innings of 23 scored in 102 balls.The play ended with England at 110 for 3. Saqlain with 2 wickets and Kaneria with one were the successful bowlers. Though it was a day of fluctuating fortunes, the honors seem to be equally shared.

Everton striker Richarlison is pushing for a move away from Goodison Park this summer, and English duo Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford could also join him through the exit door.

The potential departures of the Brazilian and Calvert-Lewin would leave the club short in attacking options, with forgotten man Cenk Tosun also set to leave the club at the end of the season upon the expiration of his contract.

They may not need to find a replacement, however, with the likes of Ellis Simms and Thomas Cannon making great progress with the U23s, and Juventus loanee Moise Kean potentially returning to the club in the summer.

What’s the news?

According to Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, who told Calcio Mercato, Juventus are trying to get out of their agreement to permanently sign the striker, saying: “Regarding Kean, the signals are not very good.

“They will try to return him by not continuing with the deal set when they took him.”

The deal, which would have seen the Merseyside club earn £6.6m up front and another £23.3m in bonuses, is now in doubt – after the Turin club signed Dusan Vlahovic in January – pushing him further down the pecking order.

Could replace Richarlison

With Everton potentially losing their star attackers in the summer, the Kean deal breaking down could present the Toffees with a blessing in disguise, and Frank Lampard should certainly give the Italian a second chance at the club, after scoring 22 goals across his loan spells with Paris Saint-Germain and Juve.

While his first spell in the Premier League didn’t work out, having learned from the likes of Paulo Dybala, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe over the last two seasons, the 22-year-old, who was described by now Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel as “fearless” and “courageous”, he could now be a success in the Premier League.

A technically gifted forward, Kean is an excellent dribbler, evident by him ranking in the top 10% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for dribbles completed per 90 (1.77) and top 6% for percentage of dribbles completed per 90 (65.9%).

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Compared to one of PSG’s great, with Eric Rabesandratana saying that “he is on the same path as Cavani,” there is a lot to like about the young £29m Italian.

He won’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees, with him already being under contract, meaning that Lampard could spend the money earned over any potential summer sales to improve other areas of the squad.

In other news: Everton plot bid to sign “magical” £16.2m-rated talent, he could replace Richarlison

Group A

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) were eyeing a possible climb to the top spot as they gained a 131-run first-innings advantage over ranking leaders Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the NBP Sports Complex. The hosts dismissed WAPDA for 312 after compiling 443 in their first innings. The lead was stretched to 190 as NBP moved onto 59 without loss in their second innings. Resuming on their overnight 121 for 3, needing another 173 runs to avert the follow-on, WAPDA achieved their first objective but fell considerably short of the lead. Nawaz Sardar, overnight on 32, added only three runs to his score and his fourth-wicket stand with Aamer Sajjad ended at 77 runs. Aamer then added 84 with Bilal Khilji before Zulqarnain Haider chipped in with 33 runs to reduce the deficit further. For National Bank, Wahab Riaz excelled with figures of five wickets for 93 runs in 29 overs while seamer Tahir Mughal picked up 3 for 71.Habib Bank Limited (HBL) took a big step towards returning to the top against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore Country Club. After obtaining a first-innings lead of 105, HBL declared their second innings at 212 for 7, gibing them an overall advantage of 317 runs. Fahad Masood set HBL’s victory in sight by picking up 4 for 13 in seven overs as Lahore Ravi crashed to 58 for 4 in their second innings, still 260 runs away from a win with six wickets standing.Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) are still 175 runs behind Faisalabad with only one wicket intact at the Sargodha Stadium. Replying to Faisalabad’s 521 for 7 declared, SSGC made 346 but lost nine wickets on the way. Saeed Bin Nasir showed the way with a composed 73 and Mohammad Zafar hit 81 while Ahmed Zeeshan, the wicket-keeper, missed his century by just one run.Placed at the bottom of the Group A table and with six successive defeats, Pakistan Customs hit 446 for 6 against Multan at the Gymkhana Ground, requiring a further 121 runs to match Multan’s first-innings total. Customs’ imports from England domestic cricket finally came good in the form of Rawait Khan (62) and Bilal Shafayat (99) while former international Zahoor Elahi scored a 191-ball 132 to boost his team’s score. The 36-year-old Elahi batted for almost four and a half hours while hitting 23 fours in his 28th first-class century.Sialkot reached a comfortable 346 for three but still trail Hyderabad by 69 runs at Jinnah Stadium. Their innings was powered by a 158-run opening partnership between Kamran Younis (90) and Naeemuddin (122*) before a useful contribution from Faisal Khan allowed the hosts to post a strong reply.

Group B

Karachi Blues were struggling at 41 for 3 against Lahore Shalimar as they chase 352 for victory at the Sheikhupura Stadium. Lahore compiled an impressive second innings total of 329 runs after gaining a slender first-innings lead of 22. Reduced to 112 for 5 at one stage, Lahore were rescued by Ahmed Butt (75) who shared an 80-run sixth-wicket partnership with Ali Raza (60). Needing a strong foundation for a march towards victory, Karachi were left reeling by the Lahore bowlers as they need a spirited, and improved, batting performance to have any chance of gaining maximum points.Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) thrashed third-placed Islamabad by an innings and 54 runs inside three days at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground and took top spot in the group for the first time this season. With a first-innings lead of 222 runs, SNGPL had Islamabad reduced to 102 for 9 after seamer Asad Ali grabbed 10 wickets in the match. However, Raja Kashif delayed the inevitable with an aggressive 53 off 59 balls and added 66 for the last wicket with Yasin Bari (22*).Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have every opportunity to displace SNGPL at the top after they first grabbed a 153-run first innings lead and then left Quetta tottering at 166 for 6 in their second innings at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium.Abbottabad posted 440 for 9 in their first innings to take a big lead over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Riaz Kail scored a career-best 153 off 231 balls with 17 fours and three sixes while useful contributions from the middle and low-order enabled Abbottabad to race past 400.KRL were looking towards an innings-victory over Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Powered by Yasir Arafat’s 6 for 54, KRL had Peshawar bowled out for 131 runs in the first innings thus gaining a 321-run advantage. Following on, Peshawar were 205 for five in the second innings and still require another 116 to make KRL bat again.

Fans have another chance to score tickets for Boxing Day © Getty Images

A small amount of general public tickets for the first three days of Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test will go on sale from 9am on Wednesday. Cricket Australia said the extra 6000 seats were mainly AFL members’ seats that were being “put back into circulation”.The announcement means 235 tickets for day one will be up for grabs, as well as 2334 places for day two and 3507 spots for day three. There are still about 17,000 seats available for the fourth day but tickets for day five will not go on sale until the match is on.The new allocation means Victorian cricket fans have one last chance to secure a place to potentially see their home-ground hero Shane Warne become the first man to take 700 Test wickets. The 6000 extra tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster.