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Everton could submit an offer for an overseas forward during the transfer window in January, and a new report has revealed that his club are hoping they receive a bid from the Premier League.

Who did Everton sign this summer?

Over the summer, Sean Dyche’s side recruited five fresh faces in the form of Beto and Youssef Chermiti on a permanent basis, whilst Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison joined on loan, alongside Ashley Young who put pen to paper on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

Whilst that particular window has now closed, Toffees chiefs are already assessing their options in the market ahead of January where they have been linked with Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton, as well as Manchester United’s Harry Maguire who could be allowed to leave on loan should his game time not improve.

Beside those, Sevilla’s Adnan Januzaj is the third player to have emerged as a target for the Merseyside outfit after Spanish reports credited them with an interest in the right-winger, and there has now been a fresh update regarding the club’s pursuit of the 28-year-old.

Are Everton signing Adnan Januzaj?

According to VamosMiSevilla (via Sport Witness), Everton tabling an offer for Januzaj would be a "real miracle" for Sevilla, who are hoping to receive money to help with their financial struggles in La Liga.

Jose Luis Mendilibar reportedly wants to keep his prized asset in the building, but having not played a single minute of football so far this season, it's clear that he's out of favour and low down in the pecking order to the point where he's not getting a look in.

The Toffees could at the very least make a loan proposal that would see them cover the attacker's wages, and having previously played for Manchester United, there's always a chance that he may want to return to the Premier League.

How many goals has Adnan Januzaj scored?

Since the start of his career, Januzaj has posted 89 contributions (42 goals and 47 assists) in 332 appearances, form which has seen him described as a “gifted footballer” by ESPN editor David Cartlidge, so whilst he’s not yet hit the ground running at Sevilla, he could still be a fantastic addition for Dyche should he sign on the dotted line at Everton.

Sponsored by Nike, the Belgium international is also a versatile operator having been deployed in an outstanding seven different positions since first bursting onto the scene, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so this is another attribute that the boss may well find attractive alongside how prolific he can be in the final third.

Furthermore, the £52k-per-week earner already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured five senior trophies throughout his professional life, including the Premier League and the FA Cup titles, so he could be able to pass his winning mentality onto the rest of the squad who are already at Goodison Park, making this one to watch over the coming months.

يبدأ منتخب البرتغال بقيادة النجم كريستيانو رونالدو، مشواره في منافسات كأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024″، اليوم الاثنين بمباراة أمام التشيك.

وتأتي مباراة البرتغال والتشيك على ملعب “ريد بول آرينا” في إطار مباريات الجولة الأولى لدور المجوعات بـ يورو 2024.

وتتواجد البرتغال ضمن فرق المجموعة السادسة والتي تضم منتخبات التشيك وجورجيا وتركيا.

ستكون هذه المواجهة الرابعة بين الفريقين منذ عام 1996، حيث فازت التشيك في المباراة الأولى 1-0 في يورو 96، وفازت البرتغال في المباراتين الأخريين بنتيجة 3-1 في عام 2008 و1-0 في عام 2012.

وسبق وسجل كريستيانو رونالدو هدفاً في مرمى التشيك في نهائيات كأس الأمم الأوروبية 2008 و2012.

وسيكتب رونالدو جزءاً آخر من التاريخ إذا شارك حيث سيصبح أول لاعب يشارك في بطولة كأس الأمم الأوروبية ست مرات. موعد مباراة البرتغال والتشيك

تنطلق مباراة البرتغال والتشيك في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة البرتغال والتشيك

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD 1 Max. معلق مباراة البرتغال والتشيك

يعلق على المباراة، حفيظ دراجي.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 97 allowed England to reach the close in credit after another troubling top-order collapse

The Report by Andrew Miller29-Mar-2018

England 290 for 8 (Bairstow 97*, Leach 10*) v New Zealand
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere’s a school of thought that England’s best route out of their current Test-match malaise would be to pretend that every innings is a 50-over affair, and thereby guarantee themselves a score of 350 every time they go out to bat.Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood did little to dissuade anyone of this logic on the first afternoon at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, as their harum-scarum eighth-wicket stand of 95 in 18 overs helped transform another flat-lining performance and give themselves a chance of competing on an even footing in a match they must win to claim a share of the two-match series.By the close, a measure of order had been restored, thanks to another virtuoso performance from Tim Southee, whose full delivery to rattle Wood’s stumps on the stroke of the 80th over ended a maiden half-century from England’s No. 9 and secured the bowler a richly deserved five-wicket haul, his seventh in Test cricket.However, England endured to the close, with Bairstow closing on 97 not out from 154 balls, having played out a tense final-over maiden from Neil Wagner, with the debutant Jack Leach alongside him on 10.Their close-of-play total of 290 for 8 was a massive improvement on their prognosis at 164 for 7 in the opening overs of the evening session. It had been a familiar diet of failings from a Test team that has been in arrested development for far too many months now – inconsequential efforts from Alastair Cook and James Vince; promising but unfulfilled performances from Mark Stoneman and Joe Root; and yet another troubling middle-order collapse. But eventually the revival was set in motion by the belligerent blade of Bairstow, whose last innings at this ground had been an eye-popping 104 from 60 balls in the ODI series decider at the start of the month.On this occasion, Bairstow had ground his way to 39 from 80 balls when he was cattle-prodded into overdrive by the limp departure of two more of his colleagues in quick succession. Ben Stokes was strangled down the leg side by Trent Boult in the first over after tea – bringing to an end a determined stand of 57 – before Stuart Broad, suffering from vertigo at No. 8 after the decision to drop both Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, flopped a tame drive off Southee into the hands of Ish Sodhi at mid-off.Bairstow’s counterattack was not entirely flawless. After slogging three fours in quick succession to bring up his fifty, he was dropped by BJ Watling as he cleared his front leg for a mow across the line, then survived an improbably savage bouncer from the medium-pace of Colin de Grandhomme that knocked his helmet clean off and sent it rolling past the stumps. But the moment that proved his luck was in came on 62, when Neil Wagner somehow managed to flick his off stump at pace, without dislodging a bail.But Bairstow made his own luck with the quality of his strokeplay in between whiles. He and Wood traded lusty blows through their buccaneering stand, as if closing their eyes and visualising a white ball instead of red. That was easy enough for Wood, for whom this was a first Test outing since July last year, and his combating driving through the covers and lusty pick-ups over midwicket might as well have been air-dropped from the 45th over of a floundering run-chase.The efforts of Bairstow and Wood could not entirely atone, however, from another troublingly feeble display from England’s flat-lining top order. After being routed for 58 on the first morning of last week’s Auckland Test, the omens weren’t promising as Kane Williamson won another toss and chose to bowl again, and when Cook was extracted for his third single-figure score of the series – England’s scoreline has been 6 for 1 on each of those occasions – pessimism was rampant.Sadly, the arrival of Vince did little to restore any faith. Vince’s recall at No. 3 had been a consequence of Moeen’s absence at No. 8 rather than on any real merit, and he was duly pinned lbw for 18, a self-parody of an innings that featured three boundaries – two of them particularly sumptuous – followed by a leg-sided lbw decision that prompted the decaying sense of another opportunity squandered.England did at least stop the rot in the short term with a third-wicket stand of 55 between Root and Stoneman, but then – not entirely out of the blue, but certainly without the air-raid-siren warning of their Auckland meltdown – they contrived to ship their next three wickets for a solitary run in the space of nine deliveries to plunge themselves back into crisis at 94 for 5.Tim Southee picked up a five-wicket haul•Getty Images

Root, as so often, was the cause of both their serenity while he was at the crease, and their panic when he was gone. He overcame a rocky start, which included a fourth-ball bouncer from Southee that clanged into the badge of his helmet, to ease along to 37 with five pleasingly crisp boundaries, the pick of which was a pearling on-drive off Southee that looked set to click him into a higher gear.Instead, it was the direct cause of his downfall. One delivery later, Root lined up a similar shot, but was utterly suckered by Southee’s ‘three-quarter’ ball, one that gripped from just back of a length, seamed through a wide and gaping gate, and flattened his off stump via a deflection off the back pad.Root, not for the first time this winter, looked crestfallen as he left, knowing that he had fallen short of both his own and his team’s expectations. And the consequences would prove dramatic. Five balls and one run later, Boult was back into the action, as Dawid Malan faced up to his first delivery of the match, failed to get his feet moving, and was pinned plumb in front of middle by a full-length seamer that jagged back into his pads.And before England had rediscovered their bearings, their anchorman was dragged from the crease as well. Stoneman had survived a torrid first hour, including an inside-edged four to get off the mark against Southee, and was beginning to find his fluency when Southee turned him inside-out with another perfect seamer, which nibbled half a bat’s width from just back of a length, and fizzed off the edge into the safe hands of Tom Latham at second slip.It was another infuriatingly half-formed effort from Stoneman, a player who looks to have the temperament to be the rock at the top of the order that Cook, on current form, can no longer be, but whose scores are consistently falling short of matching those impressions. He has made just four single-figure scores in 17 visits to the crease in Tests, but also reached four half-centuries with a best of 56. His 35 was typically middle-of-the-road.That is, however, an improvement on the returns of both Vince (two fifties from 21 innings) and, surely more troublingly, Cook, who has passed 50 just twice in his past 20 innings. Admittedly, those two scores have been the small matter of 243 against West Indies at Edgbaston and 244 not out against Australia in Melbourne – an innings which point to his enduring class, and his enduring ability to make a start count.However, those starts have been fewer and further between for Cook, and he never looked likely to bed in here. He survived a tight appeal from Southee’s first delivery, which struck the pad on the line of leg stump but would have be going over, but with his footwork going nowhere, he was a sitting duck for Boult’s pace and seam movement, and had his off stump detonated for 2.Cook’s current series total of nine runs in three innings epitomises the fact that the New Zealand leg of this long and arduous winter has been no rest cure. But it also confirms a growing sense that his long and distinguished career is reaching a crisis point.

While England built a 128-run lead, Thorpe confessed to “a little edge of frustration” that every dismissed batsman in the top order reached 20

George Dobell at Headingley02-Jun-20181:23

Bess rewarded for batting work – Thorpe

Graham Thorpe, England’s lead batting coach, admitted it is proving harder than ever to produce Test-quality batsmen.Thorpe, who made 16 centuries in a 100-Test career, believes the increased onus on limited-overs cricket and the scheduling of the County Championship may have contributed to the difficulties in producing players who are accustomed to batting for a long time in varying conditions.And while England built a 128-run lead on the second day at Headingley, Thorpe confessed to “a little edge of frustration” that every batsman in the top seven reached 20 but none have, as yet, gone on to register a half-century. Jos Buttler will resume on Sunday unbeaten on 34.”Yes, without a shadow of a doubt [it is harder to produce Test-quality batsmen],” Thorpe said. “It is a challenge. It is tough [on early season pitches]. It’s that ability to have a game that can work in different conditions.”And there’s the mental side of it. I don’t know if the white-ball game has altered that to an extent, but that ability to apply themselves…Test cricket is longer and more mentally wearing than the one-day game. There’s more thinking time and they have to understand they have to adapt and adjust to different conditions.”Thorpe’s words largely echo those of England’s head coach, Trevor Bayliss. After the first Test defeat, he questioned the value of playing on early-season Championship cricket where seam bowlers are sometimes provided copious levels of assistance. As a result, few batsmen play the long innings that tend to define Test matches. As a result, there is not the competition for places that the England selectors – and coaches – may desire and Wasim Khan, the Leicestershire CEO, is leading a working party looking into a better structure for the domestic game.”We want to create competition for places,” Thorpe said. “As teams often play better when they have that competition. At present, the one-day side has more players available than the Test side.”Perhaps the most impressive batsman on the second day was 20-year-old Dom Bess. Sent in as nightwatchman towards the end of day one, Bess failed by only one run to record a second successive Test half-century. And, so assured did he look, that at one stage Pakistan were bowling with two slips to him and three to Dawid Malan, while at another stage, the crowd mistook him for Joe Root – they chanted “Rooooot” – when Bess produced a perfect back foot force through the covers.”He’s shown some good character and fight,” Thorpe said. “And he’s enjoying the nightwatchman role.”Eighteen months ago his batting wasn’t at this level, so it shows the work he has put in. And, credit to the senior guys in the team, he has come into the dressing room and felt settled. I could say the same for Sam Curran and Keaton Jennings, too. They’re all settled and natural in the dressing room.”Thorpe also admitted there had been some reflection among the batsmen after the first Test and felt there had been more application in Leeds as a result.”After the first Test, which was a huge disappointment, the players have talked and probably had some hard words with themselves,” he said. “But they’ve applied themselves here.”There is a little edge of frustration that all the batters have got past 20 but none have got 50, but we’re pleased with the lead. The game isn’t in the bag, but we have shown some fight, character and application over the past couple of days and that has been pleasing.”

انتهت مباريات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة للمجموعة الرابعة في بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024”.

وتضم المجموعة الرابعة منتخبات فرنسا وهولندا وبولندا والنمسا، ولعبت مباريات الجولة الثالثة في السابعة مساء اليوم الثلاثاء.

والتقى منتخب فرنسا مع بولندا، في حين واجه المنتخب الهولندي نظيره النمساوي بختام دور المجموعات.

وتغلبت النمسا على هولندا بنتيجة 3-2، فيما تعادلت فرنسا مع بولندا بهدف لمثله.

وبتلك النتائج تتصدر النمسا المجموعة بـ 6 نقاط متأهلة إلى دور الـ 16، كما تأهل منتخب فرنسا كوصيف للمجموعة بـ 5 نقاط.

في المركز الثالث جاء منتخب هولندا برصيد 4 نقاط، وودع منتخب بولندا البطولة متذيلاً بنقطة وحيدة.

وحتى الآن يتواجد منتخب هولندا بين أفضل ثوالث في المجوعات، وبانتظار نهاية دور المجموعات لمعرفة موقفه من التأهل لدور الـ 16. ترتيب مجموعة فرنسا وهولندا النهائي في يورو 2024

1. النمسا، 6 نقاط.

2. فرنسا، 5 نقاط.

3. هولندا، 4 نقاط.

4. بولندا، نقطة واحدة.

MatériaMais Notícias

Através de estudo feito pelo agência internacional Samba Digital em parceria de públicação com o portal ‘MKT Esportivo’, o Fortaleza figurou entre os dez clubes nacionais com maior poderio de mobilização nas redes sociais quando analisado o período entre os dias 21 e 26 de outubro.

Ao todo, o Leão do Pici promoveu 2,19 milhões de interações na somatória entre as redes sociais mais utilizadas (Facebook, Twitter e Instagram), elemento que o colocou na sexta posição geral do Top 10 que está elencado, na ordem, por Flamengo, Santos, Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Fortaleza, Vasco, Internacional, Atlético-MG e Grêmio.

Nas análises isoladas de cada rede, o local onde o Tricolor apresentou seu desempenho mais destacado foi no Insta, angariando 1,77 milhões de interações em terceiro lugar onde ficou atrás nesse quesito apenas de Flamengo e Corinthians.

O aproveitamento da retomada das competições foi elemento vital para a obtenção dos números expressivos na análise do coordenador das redes sociais do Fortaleza, Dudu Oliveira:

-Acredito que não somente para o Fortaleza, mas para os clubes em geral. Procuramos sempre explorar novos públicos, mas temos ciência de que que com a bola rolando fica bem mais fácil para engajar nossa torcida. Aproveitar os lances de jogos para ativar promoções, gerar comentários, realizar um tempo real nas redes sociais bem descontraído, além da questão da exclusividade de determinados conteúdos, como fotos e bastidores. Essas são algumas das estratégias que, com a volta do futebol, podemos aproveitar para ter esse alto número de engajamento.

O teor dos confrontos disputados pelo clube também ajudou para que a visibilidade das redes sociais do Leão do Pici ganhasse forma. Além da final do Cearense onde o time bateu por 1 a 0 o arquirrival Ceará e ficou com o bicampeonato, a equipe dirigida por Rogério Ceni brigou por uma vaga nas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil onde, nos pênaltis, acabou eliminado pelo São Paulo.

RelacionadasFortalezaTorcedor mirim que sofre de anemia falciforme recebe recado especial de OsvaldoFortaleza27/10/2020FortalezaApesar de eliminação, Rogério Ceni avalia: ‘Coloca o Fortaleza em patamar mais alto’Fortaleza26/10/2020São PauloNos pênaltis! Volpi salva, São Paulo supera Fortaleza e vai às quartas de final da Copa do BrasilSão Paulo25/10/2020

Arsenal fell to a shock defeat on the road on Tuesday night, as they could not follow up their emphatic Champions League curtain-raiser with another fine performance.

Instead, in front of a hostile French atmosphere, Mikel Arteta saw his men whimper to a disappointing 2-1 loss against RC Lens.

What went wrong for Arsenal vs RC Lens?

In a game that came down to the respective cutting edge each side boasted in front of goal, despite the Gunners taking the lead, a string of squandered chances afforded their hosts the opportunity to turn the game around.

As such, goals either side of half time saw them sneak in front, and despite boasting 67% of the ball and raining down 11 shots on goal, the north London side could not find a response.

The clash was also marred by the injury to Bukayo Saka, who had been a doubt for the past few fixtures but remained ever-present. Last night proved a step too far, and despite assisting the opener, the England international was withdrawn after 34 minutes.

Thus instigated Arteta's big issue, as his replacement, Fabio Vieira, narrowed their formation aggressively. Both he and Leandro Trossard were desperate to come to feet for possession rather than spin in behind and stretch the stubborn hosts, and as such once he was brought on, their attack was largely blunted.

However, this was hardly aided by the disasterclass suffered by the usually-magical Belgian wizard.

How did Leandro Trossard play vs RC Lens?

Starting on the left flank, it was a decidedly anonymous display from the former Brighton and Hove Albion man, who many expected and hoped would start, to replicate his Champions League form from their PSV Eindhoven clash.

Having scored and assisted in that emphatic 4-0 win, the 28-year-old could not have posted a more differing display last night, with his lack of influence emphasised due to the fact that even goalkeeper David Raya enjoyed more touches of the ball (32 v 52).

However, that was not all that underpinned a torrid night for Trossard, who remained profligate with what little possession he did enjoy.

Although it was far from a vintage performance from Arsenal, the £27m trickster could have put the game to bed with a golden opportunity, which he squandered. The winger received the ball from Kai Havertz inside the penalty area before chopping back onto his right foot and sticking a tame effort at Brice Samba. Then, to make matters worse, the £90k-per-week dud would go on to lose 75% of the eight duels he competed in, outlining a lack of physicality to match such a disastrous night.

Emphasising this disappointment further, the words of journalist Dan Kilpatrick stand as supporting evidence, who wrote the following before handing him a dismal 4/10 rating following the match: "Might have done better from close range but his shot was tame and easily saved. Faded and replaced."

Writer Phil Costa would then seek to outline that aforementioned narrowness issue, suggesting that should such a trend continue it could pose a worry for him and Arteta: "Our offensive distances were too big and I worry now with Trossard and Vieira wide – both who want the ball into feet – about being able to stretch the game."

Whilst hardly likely to curtail their entire Champions League campaign, the Spanish tactician will quickly want to figure out where the issues stemmed from and put them right. After all, he can afford hiccups at this stage, but if he is serious about challenging for elite honours, such a tactical and technical shocker cannot be afforded later on in the competition.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos recebeu duas propostas pelo zagueiro Lucas Veríssimo. Em reunião realizada na manhã desta sexta-feira (06), o Comitê Gestor analisou o interesse de Al-Nassr (SAU) e Benfica (POR) pelo zagueiro.

RelacionadasSantosConselho Deliberativo mantém afastamento de Peres da presidência do SantosSantos05/11/2020SantosDiretoria do Santos ainda não enviou ao Conselho proposta de empréstimo do CRB por CearáSantos06/11/2020

O Benfica ofereceu ao Peixe a aquisição por empréstimo de um ano ao defensor, que se apresentaria em janeiro de 2021 e ficaria cedido aos europeus até janeiro de 2022. A partir daí, o Benfica pagaria ao Alvinegro 6,5 milhões de euros (R$ 41,7 milhões) em prestações. Precisando de verba nesse momento, a alternativa santista seria acertar um empréstimo bancário onde o Peixe arcaria apenas com o valor de 5,2% de juros ao ano e o restante seria transferido diretamente do clube lusitano a instituição.

Já os sauditas ofereceram um pagamento instantâneo de 3 milhões de dólares (R$ 16,2 milhões) por Veríssimo com o depósito de mais 3,5 milhões de dólares (R$ 18,9 milhões) em janeiro, quando o Al-Nassr espera a chegada do zagueiro.

O interesse português agradou mais o defensor, que sonha em atuar na Europa e ganhar mais visibilidade para defender a Seleção Brasileira, já o saudita encheu mais os olhos da direção santista. Ambas as propostas foram encaminhadas do Comitê Gestor ao Conselho Fiscal e terão que ser discutidas pelo Conselho Deliberativo para aprovação ou não.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

كشف رونالد كومان، المدير الفني لمنتخب هولندا، عن تشكيل اللاعبين لمباراة رومانيا، في منافسات بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

ويواجه منتخب هولندا نظيره الروماني، في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 بكأس أمم أوروبا في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”، على ملعب “أليانز أرينا”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. مواجهات دور الـ 8 من يورو 2024 (محدث باستمرار)

وتأهل المنتخب الهولندي إلى منافسات الدور الـ16 عقب صعدوه من أفضل ثوالث، حينما جاء في المركز الثالث عن المجموعة الرابعة برصيد 4 نقاط.

بينما تأهل المنتخب الروماني إلى الدور ذاته عقب احتلاله صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الخامسة برصيد 4 نقاط.

يذكر أن الفائز من هذه المواجهة، سيلاقي الفائز من مباراة النمسا وتركيا والتي ستقام مساء اليوم. تشكيل هولندا أمام رومانيا في يورو 2024

حراسة المرمى: فيربروخن.

خط الدفاع: دومفريس، دي فراي، فان دايك، ناثان آكي.

وسط الملعب: شوتين، رينديرز، تشافي سيمونز.

الهجوم: كودي جاكبو، ممفييس ديباي، ستيفن بيرجوين.

𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐄 𝐗𝐈 for #ROUNED! 🦁🇳🇱#NothingLikeOranje pic.twitter.com/WUX9ENIv74 — OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) July 2, 2024

They played key roles in Sri Lanka not taking the field for two hours on the third day of the St Lucia Test and were hit with a Level 3 charge

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted to breaching the ICC Code that relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” and could be suspended for two to four Tests, or between four and eight limited-overs internationals.They were charged with a level 3 offence by ICC chief executive David Richardson, after Sri Lanka refused to take the field on the third morning of the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia and delayed the start of play by two hours. Sri Lanka did this after the on-field umpires had informed them ten minutes before the start of play that they were changing the ball because they suspected its condition had been illegally altered.”This action was alleged to amount to a serious breach of the Laws of Cricket and to be contrary to the spirit of the game,” the ICC said.The ICC appointed Michael Beloff QC as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the case against Chandimal, Hathurusingha and Gurusinha to determine the appropriate sanction.Among the points the Sri Lanka camp is likely to make to Beloff is that the entire two-hour delay was not exclusively down to their reluctance to play. It is possible Sri Lanka’s team management believe that roughly midway through the scheduled morning session, they felt they had come to an agreement with the match officials, wherein although Chandimal would still have to face a ball-tampering charge at the end of the Test, the officials would refrain from imposing the five-run penalty and changing the ball. In fact, on the basis that there would be no immediate penalties, the Sri Lanka side did take the field at 10:50 am, an hour and 20 minutes past the scheduled start. However, to Sri Lanka’s surprise, the umpires changed the ball at this stage. It was at this point that the Sri Lanka team dug in its heels again. They left the field, returning only forty minutes later, to actually start play.It must be stressed, however, that there is strong disagreement about this sequence of events. There is another suggestion that no deal was actually struck; such a deal, it is felt, would effectively mean there was no charge to be laid, and that umpires were not following playing conditions. In this version of events, the false start is blamed on a misunderstanding between the match officials and the Sri Lanka team.When play did eventually begin on day three, Sri Lanka Cricket issued a release denying wrongdoing and said they were playing “under protest”. The Sri Lanka captain later pleaded not guilty to the charge of ball-tampering, but video footage suggested he had taken something from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and applied saliva to the ball only a few seconds later.The ICC match referee Javagal Srinath found Chandimal’s explanation unsatisfactory and gave him two suspension points – meaning he would miss the third Test against West Indies – and fined him 100% of his match fees. Chandimal, however, appealed the ball-tampering verdict and his case will be heard by Beloff on June 22.The ICC said Beloff would use Chandimal’s appeal hearing to “establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges.” A person guilty of a level 3 offence could get between four and eight suspension points.