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Suzie Bates blasted her way to an eighth ODI ton to help New Zealand make light work of their 189 target after Holly Huddleston’s third five-for paved way for a crushing win

The Report by Shashank Kishore24-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSuzie Bates hit 11 fours and one six in her unbeaten 109-ball 106•Getty Images

New Zealand had never lost to Sri Lanka in nine previous ODI meetings. They had bowled Sri Lanka out for under 150 in eight of those games. For a while on Saturday in Bristol, they may have wondered if the tide had turned. Chamari Atapattu and Chamari Polgampola put together 92 for the second wicket as Sri Lanka progressed serenely to 141 for 1. Then, a moment of brilliance on the field from Suzie Bates – a tumbling catch low to her left to see off half-centurion Atapattu – triggered an alarming slide. Sri Lanka lost eight wickets for 46 and eventually huffed and puffed to 188 for 9. It was inadequate against a power-packed batting line-up.Starring with the ball was Holly Huddleston, the medium-pacer, whose use of the crease, angles and subtle changes in pace fetched her a five-wicket haul – her third in ODIs – on World Cup debut. “To start off like that was obviously a dream come true,” she said. “I just wanted one or two [wickets]. I would’ve been happy with that and then they just kept coming which was awesome.”Huddleston did not play a single game for New Zealand between September 2014 and October 2016 and she took a little time out to explain how she had worked her way back to international cricket.”Being dropped was obviously hard to take. But I kind of looked at myself and said, ‘okay, what do I need to do to get back into the team?’ and fitness was one of them and I worked really hard on my fitness and then I wanted to play more cricket so went to Middlesex last year and this year and having more game time and having Sanjay Patel, who was the coach, he really just brought the enthusiasm back to my bowling which has obviously sparked my return back to the White Ferns.”After her bowlers had set up a small chase, Bates blasted a century during the course of an unbroken second-wicket stand of 170 with Amy Satterthwaite as New Zealand cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket win in the 38th over.Apart from being lacklustre with the ball, Sri Lanka were poor in the field, with wicketkeeper Prasadini Weerakkody reprieving Bates on 65 off Shashikala Siriwardena. Inoka Ranaweera, the captain, employed as many as seven bowlers; only Sripali Weerakkody managed to come back with something of note, stifling two in-form batsmen briefly with her mix of seam-up and fast offspin to finish with figures of 6-0-17-0.While Huddleston was the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers, the 16-year-old Amelia Kerr was equally impressive with her loopy legspin. The degree of control she maintained, even when Atapattu and Polgampola going strong, shone through on a flat deck where the batsmen had no hesitation in hitting through the line.Sophie Devine, the allrounder, played no less a role with the ball, breaking the second-wicket stand to expose an anxious middle-order that came out playing million-dollar strokes when Sri Lanka needed a period of consolidation. They ended up losing four wickets for eight runs in 27 balls.New Zealand lost Rachel Priest in the sixth over, but Bates, cautious initially, found her bearings to muscle 11 fours and a six in a near run-a-ball knock. Satterthwaite bossed the bowling as well, before retreating to watch from the other end as her captain gunned down the target in her quest for an eighth ODI century.”In the lead up to this, I hadn’t felt that great out in the middle and I just wanted to be patient and wait for the ball,” Bates said. “There’s a lot we can improve on; I thought Sri Lanka batted really well early on and whenever we gave them any width they put it away.”But the way we came back with the ball was really pleasing to keep them below 200, then to get the target with just one wicket down will give us some momentum.”Sri Lanka captain Ranaweera admitted her team had a few holes to plug. “We didn’t want to bat first but we lost the toss and New Zealand made it hard for us. Our batting, bowling and fielding all needs to improve before the next game.”

West Ham United are chasing the signature of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher; however, it looks like the prospective transfer may be 'off' due to his hefty price tag, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Conor Gallagher moving to West Ham United?

According to The Daily Mail, West Ham fear that they will miss out on Gallagher this summer as he would prefer to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

The report states that the Hammers saw a £40 million bid plus add-ons turned down for the England international, who has also attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Due to advances from West Ham, Chelsea are believed to have slapped a £50 million price tag on Gallagher's shoulders, though the Epsom-born man is 'relaxed' about his future, as per talkSPORT.

Gallagher has two years left on his deal at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are faced with the conundrum of this window potentially being the last chance to recoup a sizeable fee for the 23-year-old.

Last term, Gallagher made 45 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and managed to register three goals and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

West Ham source Sean Whetstone has claimed on Twitter X that Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was offered to the Hammers during talks for Gallagher, though he could be on his way to Fulham, who are in the 'box seat' to sign the 22-year-old, according to Football Insider.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that any notion of a deal for Gallagher is now 'off' due to Chelsea's asking price for the midfielder.

Jacobs told FFC: "The West Ham deal is off for now and I stress for now because it's a long window, but West Ham's bid was rejected around the £40 million mark and Chelsea are looking for; I would say, at least £45 million on preferable terms, but some even say £50 million, which would even be an increase on some of the numbers that the club were willing to sell Gallagher for in previous windows and the West Ham interest is obviously genuine, which is why they've placed a bid, but they're not prepared to go that high."

Who else could West Ham United sign this window?

According to The Sun, West Ham have seen a £25 million bid turned down for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, who the Saints want closer to £40 million for before sanctioning his exit.

Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox confirmed the news, stating: "Have we rejected the bid? Yep. Is there another offer? Not as I know. I think when a club makes an offer, very rarely is it their full and final offer. If we get the right offer, we will consider it. Consider is an important word because we don’t have to sell."

Initial discussions have also taken place regarding Manchester United pair Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire; however, a gap in valuation currently exists for both players between West Ham and the Red Devils, as per Sky Sports.

Football Insider have claimed that West Ham are 'confident' that they can land Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez for between a fee of £35-40 million as David Moyes looks to fill the void left by Declan Rice in his engine room.

Somerset arrived just in time for the 6.30pm start at a sold-out Bristol but as Gloucestershire took West Country bragging rights they rather wished they hadn’t

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2017David Payne took three wickets•Getty Images

Gloucestershire gained derby bragging rights over their local rivals with an seven-wicket NatWest T20 Blast victory over Somerset in front of an 8,000 sell-out crowd at BristolSomerset could muster only 146 all out after arriving at the ground late due to traffic congestion. Johann Myburgh and Craig Overton were the main contributors, while David Payne and Benny Howell were the pick of the Gloucestershire attack.In reply, the home side never looked in trouble as Ian Cockbain, Michael Klinger, and man-of-the-match Kieran Noema-Barnett (33 off 12 balls) took them to their target with ten balls to spare.The match began 45 minutes late after Somerset’s team coach had only just arrived at the scheduled start time of 6.30pm.Somerset director of cricket Matthew Maynard said: “Some of our batsmen didn’t give themselves a chance to assess the pitch and there was some dull thinking at times. Johann Myburgh showed what was possible when taking a few balls to play yourself in.”We are not always going to play on perfect wickets and sometimes it is necessary to take stock of the situation. It was probably the poorest we have batted in the competition and we need to bounce back quickly against Surrey on Sunday.”As if their late arrival was not bad enough, Somerset lost the toss and their innings was something of a roller-coaster, openers Steve Davies and Lewis Gregory departing with only 13 balls bowled and 12 runs on the board. Payne was the successful bowler in both cases.Myburgh then looked to transform the match with a brilliant 18-ball cameo that featured 5 fours and 2 sixes. The South African took 24 off an over from left-arm spinner Tom SmithSkipper Jim Allenby offered solid support and at the end of the six-over power-play his team were well placed on 66 for two.From there some kamikaze cricket saw Somerset plunge to 90 for seven, James Hildreth perishing to a reverse sweep off only his second ball and Tom Abell running himself out attempting a suicidal single.Gloucestershire skipper Michael Klinger kept faith with Smith and was rewarded when the bowler conceded only 12 off his final three overs.Howell produced his customary changes of pace to flummox the batsman and did not concede a single boundary in his four overs.Overton gave Somerset some hope with some big hits at the end, but the total still looked well below par on a decent batting strip.So it proved as Klinger and Phil Mustard gave Gloucestershire a fast start, Klinger hitting Lewis Gregory over mid-wicket for six and Mustard clearing the ropes off Tim Groenewald.Klinger was struck a painful blow in the ribs by a quick delivery from Paul van Meekeren, in the sixth over, but continued after treatment. The opening stand was worth 48 when Mustard (29) drove a catch to long-on off Roelof van der Merwe.Ian Cockbain lofted Max Waller over long-on for six as Gloucestershire eased towards the required run rate and repeated the treatment off Overton. He and Klinger brought the 100 up in the 14th over and by then the outcome was all but settled. Klinger fell for 35, but with only 45 needed off six overs, the hosts were well in control.Noema-Barnett eased any suggestion of late nerves with successive straight sixes of the previously impressive van Meekeren and followed up with two more maximums off van der Merwe to the delight of home fans before holing out with the job virtually done.Jack Taylor finished the match with a six to complete a miserable night for Somerset, who were well beaten.

أعرب عبد الرحمن البانوبي، لاعب فريق الكرة الأول بنادي زد إف سي، عن سعادته بالفوز الذي تحقق على حساب فريق الجونة ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل”.

وكان البانوبي قد شارك في فوز فريقه بثلاثية دون رد في أولى مواجهات الجولة الـ19 من عمر الدوري المصري، بتسجيله هدفين.

فيديو | زد يضرب الجونة بثلاثية ويصعد إلى وصافة الدوري المصري

وقال البانوبي في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس1”: “الفترة الماضية كانت صعبة جدًا تعادلات وخسارة، ولكن بداية من مباراة الإسماعيلي بدأنا نعود للفوز، وسعداء بالأداء اليوم”.

وأضاف: “خلال الشوط الأول كنا متفوقين في الملعب ونفذنا تعليمات المدير الفني مجدي عبد العاطي، وحصدنا 3 نقاط”.

وتابع: “كرة القدم أرقام وكل لاعب يبحث عن زيادة أرقامه سواء أهداف أو صناعة، وأنا كل مباراة أركز على تقديم شيء”.

وأتم: “طموحي كبير مع زد، ونحن نبذل أقصى جهد لنصل لمنطقة بعيدة”.

الجدير بالذكر، أن البانوبي قد حصل على جائزة رجل مباراة زد أمام الجونة التي أقيمت مساء اليوم.

بهذا الفوز رفع فريق زد رصيده إلى 30 نقطة محتلًا وصافة ترتيب جدول الدوري حصدها من 7 انتصارات وتسع تعادلات فيما تلقى 3 خسائر. أهداف مباراة زد والجونة

يلاقي فريق ريال مدريد نظيره فريق ريال سوسيداد في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ33 من الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم لاليجا، على ملعب “ريالي أرينا”، مساء يوم الجمعة.

ويحتل ريال مدريد صدارة الترتيب العام للدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، برصيد 81 نقطة، بينما يأتي ريال سوسيداد في المركز السادس برصيد 51 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. أنشيلوتي: إصابتان جديدتان في ريال مدريد.. وفعلت مثل تشافي موعد مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

تنطلق مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساء اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، وبتوقيت السعودية أيضاً. القناة الناقلة لمباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد اليوم

تذاع مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد عبر قناة beIN sports HD1. معلق مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد في الدوري الإسباني

يعلق على مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد الجزائري حفيظ دراجي.

Kevin Pietersen made a grand return for Surrey in the NatWest Blast in front of 23,000 at Kia Oval, but not without an immediate injury worry

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2017
ScorecardKevin Pietersen soaked up the adulation once more•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen hit four sixes in an over as he made an explosive return to domestic cricket for Surrey in the NatWest T20 Blast.The 37-year-old’s 52 off 35 balls – his highest score in 22 games for Surrey in the format – helped his side to victory by ten runs, their third win in five South Group games in front of a 23,508 crowd at the Kia Oval.Defending a total of 150 for 9 on a stodgy, two-paced pitch, Surrey restricted Essex to 140 for 7, although Pietersen was unable to field during because of a calf strain. Surrey said it was too early to assess whether he would recover in time for Friday’s game against Middlesex.Pietersen was playing his first domestic match for nearly two years and aiming to improve on a modest competition average for Surrey of 22.30. That looked unlikely in the 10th over when he picked out deep mid-wicket with a slog sweep but Dan Lawrence dropped a straightforward catch, to the obvious frustration of the unlucky bowler Ashar Zaidi, when Pietersen had made 12.Pietersen takes the strain

Kevin Pietersen: I absolutely loved being back out there. It was a date in my diary I had looked forward to for a very long time so to get there and do what I did and help the boys get the victory was magnificent.
“My calf is a little bit sore and, at 37, I know my body. If I had gone out there and started sprinting I could have done a lot of damage to it. I want to play on Friday against Middlesex but if I need to pull up I will.
“It was just nice to be batting, manipulating the field and keeping things ticking over. Hitting sixes is a by-product of the art of batting and I still love the art of batting.

Earlier, Pietersen reverse-hit his fifth ball from Simon Harmer for his first boundary but it was in the South African off-spinner’s third over that he made Essex pay for dropping him, hitting the first two deliveries for six into the crowd at long on and repeating the shots off the final two balls of an over which cost 26 runs and forced Harmer, the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship this season, out of the attack.Pietersen added 43 with Dominic Sibley in the most productive stand of the Surrey innings and he also launched Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate back over his head for his fifth six before holing out to long on off Paul Walter in the 16th over, three balls after reaching his 40th half-century in T20.Finch made 21 in an opening stand of 40 in four overs with England’s Jason Roy, but both fell victim to Mohammad Amir who was the pick of a disciplined Essex attack with 2 for 13 while Walter picked up three wickets in 12 balls to finish with 3 for 24.Essex began their chase confidently, but after openers Varun Chopra (27) and Dan Lawrence (24) were parted in the seventh over with the score on 47 no Essex batsman was able to play with the freedom Pietersen had shown earlier.Surrey captain Gareth Batty picked up Tom Westley (17), courtesy of a smart stumping by Kumar Sangakkara, who was keeping wicket for the first time in England since 2014, and Adam Wheater off successive balls and when Jade Dernbach had Ravi Bopara held at long off for 24 it left ten Doeschate too much to do.He struck boundaries off Jade Dernbach to leave Essex needing 19 to win off the final over but the impressive Tom Curran held his nerve and conceded just eight runs.

Leeds United continue to be linked with a man certain to ease the biggest issue emerging from Elland Road of late…

Who are Leeds United signing this summer?

Having already welcomed Ethan Ampadu and Karl Darlow to the club this summer, it could be argued that Daniel Farke has sufficiently bolstered a weak backline.

It seems like the German clearly feels that way too, given how reports are detailing their new pursuit of Swansea City striker Joel Piroe.

Football insider has offered a fresh update, suggesting that it will take a sum of around £20m to tempt the Welsh outfit to part with their star man, who has just one year left on his deal at The Swansea.com Stadium.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

They are set to battle with a host of Championship clubs for his signature.

How good is Joel Piroe?

Whilst acquiring the Dutchman would mark outstanding business in its own right, the current injury crisis plaguing Farke's front line is a point of serious concern that makes this move even more important.

Journalist Graham Smyth wrote on Twitter: "Bamford (hamstring) and Rutter (core muscle injury) now doubtful for Cardiff but Farke not yet certain of timescale."

To be without these key attackers for the opening day of the new campaign will be a worry for the new boss, which he will seek to ease before that deadline in just under a week.

Although both struggled last season in the Premier League, at present this would leave them with only youth team strikers to occupy such a role, or else be forced to play someone out of position.

That is where Piroe would come in as a star above all else, likely even the injured pair.

After all, the 23-year-old has shone ever since trading his homeland for England, scoring 22 goals and assisting six in his debut year, before posting a further 21 goal contributions in the league just last season.

Such form unsurprisingly has drawn praise, with Chair of the Swansea City AFC Foundation Andrew Rhodes having predicted something "special" from their new frontman. That has since come to fruition.

Russell Martin would later outline this, detailing his lethal scoring touch as a fine asset in April 2022: "If you wanted it to fall to anyone, it is him, he is so clinical with both feet, and he is a great technician. But the most important thing he has is the right mentality when he gets around the goal.

“He shows composure, he is calm, and he just focuses on his technique, something that all top strikers possess."

Whilst Bamford might have scored 16 during his last Championship campaign, and Rutter boasts immense potential that could thrive under less pressure their new level brings, Piroe would still represent a far more reliable source of goals given he has shone for two consecutive years now.

The former proved himself far from the requisite level last campaign in the top flight, missing 13 big chances as they fell to the drop. Meanwhile, the Frenchman would start just once following his club-record switch in January.

For just £20m, the young finisher would take the goalscoring burden off both of these struggling forwards, hopefully to fire Farke to an instant promotion.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، عن تشكيل اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة نوتينجهام فورست، في الجولة 35 من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتنطلق مباراة مانشستر سيتي ونوتينجهام فورست في تمام الساعة السادسة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” على ملعب “سيتي جراوند”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد تعادل ليفربول أمام وست هام يونايتد

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز الثاني مؤقتاً في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 76 نقطة، بينما يأتي نوتينجهام فورست في المركز السابع عشر برصيد 26 نقطة.

ويتواجد المهاجم النرويجي، إيرلينج هالاند، على مقاعد بدلاء مانشستر سيتي في مواجهة اليوم. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي ضد نوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

حراسة المرمى: إيديرسون.

خط الدفاع: يوسكو جفارديول، مانويل أكانجي، ناثان أكي، كايل ووكر.

خط الوسط: كيفن دي بروين، رودري، برناردو سيلفا.

خط الهجوم: جاك جريليش، خوليان ألفاريز، جيريمي دوكو. بدلاء مانشستر سيتي ضد نوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

أورتيجا، كارسون، جون ستونز، ريكو لويس، كوفاسيتش، سيرجيو جوميز، ماتيوس نونيز، أوسكار بوب، إيرلينج هالاند.

إليكم اختيارات بيب جوارديولا لمواجهة نوتنجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الممتاز @PLinArabic 📝#السيتي pic.twitter.com/lsT83oQS8z — مانشستر سيتي (@Cityarabia) April 28, 2024

The final night in the NatWest Blast group stages leaves just about every county involved in an extraordinary dash to the line

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2017

Fifteen of the 18 counties could still qualify for the quarter-finals of the NatWest Blast ahead of Friday’s final round of matches in the most remarkable climax to the group stages that the tournament has ever known.The last eight games began with only Notts Outlaws, in the North Group, and Glamorgan and Hampshire, in the South, assured of a place in the last eight.North Group leaders Notts can already anticipate a home quarter final at Trent Bridge – their seventh in eight years – whereas Glamorgan, top in the South, need to take a point from their home game against Middlesex to be certain of staving off a potential Surrey challenge for second place.In South Group, if Hampshire beat Somerset at the Ageas Bowl, they will guarantee themselves a home quarter-final. Similarly, the winners of the Kent-Surrey game in Canterbury will qualify – and might even steal a top-two finish and a home tie.But the fact that Kent are playing Surrey opens up the chance for the bottom four sides – Middlesex, Sussex Sharks, Somerset and Essex Eagles – to overtake the losers of that game, and snaffle the fourth qualifying spot.If teams are level, qualification will be decided by Net Run Rate. Significantly, the bottom four all have better rates than both Surrey and Kent, which partly explains why the losers of that game in Canterbury will be eliminated.In the North Group, Yorkshire currently lie second, a position secured by Adam Lyth’s record T20 score in English domestic cricket, made against Northants at Headingley on Thursday.But it was a bitter-sweet victory. Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Lancashire can all overhaul them tonight – although in Lancashire’s case it would take something extra special to get their Net Run Rate ahead of their Pennines rivals.To make matters worse for Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Birmingham and Leicestershire only need a point to pass them – which could be relevant, with an uncertain weather forecast for the Midlands.However, rain would not automatically take Derbyshire, Birmingham and Leicestershire through because the defending champions, Northants, can still hit the top four if they beat Durham at Wantage Road and other results fall in their favour.Even seventh-placed Lancashire could still sneak in, if they beat Birmingham, and two of Northants, Leicestershire and Derbyshire also lose.Spare a thought for Durham, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire – the only three counties who have already abandoned hopes of a place in next week’s quarter-finals. Gloucestershire have played their final game but the other two could still influence the final line up of next week’s quarter-finals.

West Ham United have yet to make a summer signing and with the 2023/24 Premier League campaign kicking off next week, David Moyes will need to act swiftly if he aims to bolster his squad.

He has seen a move for Carlos Borges fall through, with the youngster joining Ajax instead of West Ham and with £105m in the transfer kitty due to the sale of Declan Rice, Moyes certainly has the cash to spend.

French striker Elye Wahi has been eyed for a potential move and Moyes could make the youngster his first summer signing.

Could West Ham sign Elye Wahi?

The Montpellier hitman has been attracting interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea also keen on luring him to London. Journalist Fabrice Hawkins shared a recent update, tweeting: “Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and Frankfurt are interested in Elye Wahi.

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

“In recent days the Germans insist on convincing the player. Chelsea made a first offer of 30 million euros including bonus. Montpellier wants about 40M €.”

Moyes certainly faces tough competition for his signature, yet for a fee of €40m (£35m), it could turn into a stunning bargain given his meteoric rise in Ligue 1.

How good is Elye Wahi?

West Ham scored just 42 league goals last term, a drop from the 60 they registered the season before, and it suggests some added firepower is required this summer.

The only centre forward to score more than ten goals was Michail Antonio, with 2022 summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca failing to impress, netting just eight goals in total across all competitions.

It looks as though the Italian is departing the London side, joining Atalanta in the coming days, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Wahi would certainly be a wonderful replacement for the striker and judging by his statistics over the previous 12 months, he could even be a major upgrade.

The 20-year-old ranked first across the Montpellier squad for goals and assists (24) and shots on target per game (1.2), while also ranking seventh for key passes (0.7) and sixth for successful dribbles (0.9) per game, showcasing his abilities across a range of attacking metrics.

In contrast, Scamacca failed to rank in the top five across the West Ham squad for goals and assists (three), while managing just 0.6 shots on target, 0.8 key passes and 0.4 successful dribbles per game, failing to impress following his big money move from Serie A last summer.

The French talent also ranked in the top 7% when compared to positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.64) over the previous 12 months, whereas Scamacca fails to even rank in the top 50%, averaging just 0.29 non-penalty goals per 90, and it’s evident that Wahi is much more effective in front of goal.

Lauded as a “real beast” by reporter Andres Onrubia Ramos in 2022, Wahi has scored 32 senior goals and he is yet to turn 21. The Italian, in comparison has netted 50 goals during his career, yet he is four years older, and it looks as though the youngster could break through that barrier in no time.

Judging by the evidence, the Montpellier hitman is a major upgrade on the 11-cap Italy international and Moyes should be doing everything he can to lure him to West Ham.