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Antonio Conte reportedly now ‘wants’ to sign Wilfried Singo for Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

The Lowdown: Defenders wanted

It is no secret that Conte is looking to upgrade his defence, with the likes of Pau Torres and Juan Cuadrado being linked in recent days.

They have conceded 36 times in 29 games in the Premier League so far this season, and having scored more goals than their North London rivals Arsenal, they have conceded five more and suffered two more defeats, which seems to be holding them back for that precious fourth spot at the moment.

The Latest: Singo wanted

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Conte now ‘wants’ to sign Singo from Torino in the summer, and ‘especially’ likes the player.

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However, his current deal at the Serie A club does not expire until 2023, and there is an option to extend it for a further year.

The Verdict: Big upgrade

Singo, who can play as a right wing-back, would seemingly be a big upgrade on both Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal, at least from an attacking sense.

He is currently averaging more shots, dribbles and successful long balls per game in their respective domestic leagues this term (WhoScored), and his three goals and four assists just show how much of an attacking threat he can be.

With ‘own goals’ being the third-most potent source of goals for Spurs this campaign, behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, they could really do with more help in other areas of the pitch, and Singo would certainly provide that.

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Nonetheless, at just 21 years of age, the Ivory Coast international is only going to get better, and could well be the long-term solution for Conte at right wing-back.

In other news, find out which THFC target surely impressed Daniel Levy on international duty here!

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	Brett Geeves, a strong performer for Tasmania over the past couple of seasons, collected 4 for 41 in South Australia’s second innings © Getty Images

Dan Marsh stood up at a crucial time to collect two first-innings points for Tasmania, who had to fight off a superb performance from Ryan Harris at Adelaide Oval. Harris captured a career-best 7 for 108, but his batting team-mates failed to offer the necessary help and they ended the third day on 6 for 196.The home team has a lead of 157 and the Tigers will be desperate to clean up the last four batsman on the final morning of what could be a tense tussle. Brett Geeves continued Tasmania’s dominance when he picked up the first three wickets, but the Redbacks recovered through useful contributions from Daniel Christian and Callum Ferguson.Christian was nearing his second half-century in consecutive games when he was caught by Marsh for 47 off Chris Duval, the former South Australia bowler. Ferguson reached his fifty but fell soon after when caught-and-bowled by Geeves for 54. The Redbacks’ troubles had already increased with the loss of Shane Deitz for 8, but Graham Manou, the captain, prevented any further damage and was 22 not out at stumps.Tasmania started the day at 5 for 228 and Marsh cautiously navigated them past the home team’s 344 with help from Tim Paine, who picked up 57. Paine fell to Harris 16 runs before the total was overhauled, but Marsh stayed until his off stump was taken by Harris.He was 109 and the century, which contained 11 fours from 192 balls, was the third of a fine season. Harris’ final wicket came when he bowled Geeves for 0 and he continued an excellent day by being 6 not out at the close.

Dav Whatmore: “We’ve got the resources and talent to really progress” © Getty Images

Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, is dreaming of a golden future for his young side who edged out India for a place in the World Cup Super Eights. Bangladesh have made the second round for the first time and will face Australia, Whatmore’s own country, in their next match at Antigua on Saturday.”It’s terrific,” said Whatmore of his team whose average age is just 22. “We’ve got a couple of more experienced players, but the vast majority of them are under 25, which is absolutely perfect for an emerging team like us.”They now have an absolutely wonderful opportunity to play against seven of the world’s best sides and they will grow enormously because of that experience. I understand that we are still ranked number nine in the world and have a long way to go before we are consistently challenging the big boys.”But we’ve got the resources and talent to really progress and we will be going to the Super Eights to really enjoy ourselves. And from a personal point of view it’s great to be in a position where your team is playing well and your methods are being validated.”Whatmore is no stranger to World Cup sensations, having been at the helm when Sri Lanka won the title in 1996. Bangladesh made the second round with a win over India and a seven-wicket victory over Bermuda in the semi-gloom at Trinidad on Sunday.”I thought the game [against Bermuda] was an extremely difficult one and the boys did brilliantly to keep their focus,” said Whatmore. “I know we were only chasing a small total [96], but the ball was doing all sorts of things out there in the first ten overs, and it took a very brave batting performance from the middle order to get us through.”They’ve never really been in that situation before, with so much on the line and with so much to lose. This is very significant for us. It’s something we always believed we could do if we played to the best of our ability and had a little bit of luck.”We were the first team to arrive in the Caribbean and had a couple of extra matches in the conditions against Canada and Bermuda. We’ve only had one training session called off because of bad weather and in general our preparation has been as thorough and as focused as it possibly could be. People might think we’ve caused upsets’ but we knew deep down that we were capable of beating the best teams on our day.”

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Shane Warne fine-tunes for South Africa with 5 for 71 © Getty Images

Shane Warne’s five wickets sparked a Victorian recovery as he and Matthew Hayden completed ideal warm-ups for the South Africa Test series. Queensland, who will seal a spot in the Pura Cup final if they win outright, were in perfect shape with a 153-run opening partnership between Hayden and Jimmy Maher before Warne upended the top order and they wobbled to 7 for 286.Warne added Maher (67), Martin Love (11) and Clinton Perren (7) in 28 balls before tea – each batsman was caught at slip by Cameron White – and he collected Hayden lbw after the break for 89. Hayden had scored only 38 at lunch, but he moved freely in the second session, hitting Warne for six to mid-on and finishing with 11 fours, and will head to South Africa next week in good touch for the opening Test at Cape Town on March 16.Hayden’s dismissal was immediately followed by the departure of James Hopes, who was caught and bowled by White, leaving Queensland flapping at 5 for 182. The second-placed Victoria, who want a victory to overtake their rivals at the top of the table, struck again with the wickets of Brendan Nash (25) and Chris Hartley (40) before stumps to conclude an impressive second half of the day. Warne was strong through 27 overs and was rewarded with 5 for 71, his first major haul for the Bushrangers in five years.

Sachin Tendulkar takes a rare breather in the course of his hurricane innings© Neil Lane

Sachin Tendulkar
Contrary to what people think, I hadn’t really planned to bat that way. I was pumped up for the match all right, but when we went out to bat, the idea was to stay in for the first few overs and see off the new ball. When you’re chasing 275, you don’t want to lose three or four quick wickets. Obviously, you can’t afford to fall too much behind the run-rate either, but we knew that if we played out the first 10 overs, we had enough batsmen to play strokes later. So there was no question of targeting Shoaib or anybody else.It just worked out differently. I got a couple of balls to hit, they went nicely off the bat, and things started happening. Shoaib bowled short and wide. It was there to be hit, and I hit it well. It went for a six. I thought, this is working well so why not carry on? Cricket is about making plans and executing them, but you have to be prepared to change your plans if things change out there in middle. It was one of those days.Shoaib Akhtar
Sachin is the greatest batsman in the game, and if he comes out with something like that, it’s no surprise. I was the one who got him out first ball when I was a nobody [in the Asian Test Championship, 1999]. And if he smashes me it doesn’t mean Shoaib Akhtar is finished. Yes, we make strategies, and I make a strategy for the whole team rather than only for Sachin. Obviously, he is a key player and it’s always an advantage to get him out fast. I had a strategy at Centurion too, but I was unfit. I had a problem with my knees and went into the game after having taken six injections. My entire right leg was numb and I was only about 40 per cent fit. It was just a bad day for us. It was bad being hit for sixes. It was just bad to lose in that way. They asked me to play, and they made me play, and I had to play for the sake of my country.

Close Australia 342 for 6 (Langer 117, Katich 51*; Kumble 4-103) trail India 705 for 7 dec (Tendulkar 241*, Laxman 178) by 363 runs
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Anil Kumble demonstrated that he could be as potent a strike bowler overseas as at home © Getty Images

Think of a man with these following qualities: grit, the will to win, mental strength, and tons of experience. This might have been Steve Waugh’s last Test, but the third day at the SCG was dominated by a man with a near-identical mental make-up – Anil Kumble. Australia had motored to 147 for no loss, in response to India’s 705 for 7 declared, when Kumble struck. Bowling with intelligence and discipline, varying his pace and his turn, Kumble scythed through Australia’s top order, taking 4 for 103 as they finished the day on 342 for 6. It would have been a respectable score in any other context, but chasing 705, with two days still left, it was inadequate. Irfan Pathan, with the late wickets of Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, and Justin Langer, with a manic century, had their moments – but it was Kumble’s day.Halfway through the day, a run-fest seemed on the cards, and the match appeared destined to be drawn. Langer and Matthew Hayden had counterattacked the Indian bowlers from the start, and were cruising along at five an over. Ajit Agarkar and Pathan had been ineffectual with the new ball, and Murali Kartik had been mauled out of the attack, with Hayden smashing him for six fours in two overs just after lunch – four of them being typically powerful sweeps. Only Kumble looked likely to make a breakthrough.Repeatedly, Kumble beat Hayden with his googlies; repeatedly, Hayden swept his legbreaks. Hayden cut him, cover-drove him and smashed him over his head, but when he wasn’t hitting boundaries, he was playing uncertainly, and it was no surprise when he mishit Kumble to Sourav Ganguly at mid-off (147 for 1). Hayden was out for 67; would the tempo slow down now?No. Langer went berserk after Hayden was out, dominating a partnership of 67 with Ponting, which came in just over 12 overs. He charged Kartik and hit him to long-on for a four and a six when he was brought back into the attack, and reached his 17th Test century with a reverse-sweep for four off Kartik’s next over. He swept Kartik for another four the ball after that, and Kartik went on to finish that spell with overall figures of 0 for 62 in seven overs. Welcome back to Test cricket.

Justin Langer got Australia off to a flier with a fiesty century, but it may not have been enough © Getty Images

But Kumble didn’t give up. His variations in pace were magnificent, and the batsmen were struggling to read his wrong `un. He eventually snared Langer, holding one back just a wee bit as Langer tried his umpteenth sweep and got a top-edge. The ball looped into no-man’s land at midwicket, and Parthiv Patel sprinted as if after a school bus on the day of his final exam, and took a superb tumbling catch (214 for 2). Langer had made 117.The Kumble masterclass continued. He set Ponting up with four legbreaks in a row around the 85 kmph mark, then slipped in a straighter, flatter one which rushed through at 100 kph and caught Ponting plumb in front, stuck on the crease. Ponting was out for 25. Australia were 229 for 3.Waugh walked in to a rapturous reception – even the Indian team lined up to applaud him. Then they got back to the job at hand, as Agarkar came back into the attack and tested Waugh with some short bowling. He was struck on the arm off one such ball, in a similar manner to which he had injured his elbow in the last Test, but he soldiered on.Martyn played a circumspect innings of 7 off 45 balls, which came to an end when he was deceived by the lack of pace on a Kumble ball, and hit it straight back to the bowler (261 for 4). Simon Katich was ill at ease to begin with, as Kartik came back into the attack and there were spinners at both ends. But he began to use his feet well when he settled down, stepping out and driving with confidence, and rocking back and cutting anything even slightly wide and short.Waugh had constructed a typically combative innings of 40 when the spotlight suddenly shifted a generation, to the most inexperienced player in this Test. Pathan came back into the attack, generated some late swing, and induced a prod and an edge from Waugh, which Patel held on to comfortably (311 for 5). The crowd went silent. Then, remarkably, swathes of people began to leave the ground – with Adam Gilchrist walking in to bat.They should have stayed – to watch Pathan dismiss Gilchrist, in the penultimate over of the day, with a ball that Wasim Akram would have been proud of: a yorker that swung in viciously and hit the middle stump, with both bails going up in the air in a smooth synchronised movement. Pathan danced up a little less balletically, and with good reason – it was an unplayable delivery that would have got rid of any lefthander in the world. The tail was in, with Australia still needing 164 runs, at the close, to avoid the follow-on. The last time Australia had followed on was in 1988-89, against Pakistan. This was not the kind of nostalgia Waugh would have expected to encounter.Earlier in the morning, as expected, India had batted on, blazing away in an effort to put on quick runs. Patel hit some crisp boundaries off Brett Lee before being out for an impressive 62, and though Agarkar was out early, Pathan played a positive innings of 13, off 14 balls.Tendulkar, meanwhile, motored on to 241 not out, the highest score by an Indian in Tests overseas, and the second highest, after VVS Laxman’s 281, in all Tests. Ganguly did not, interestingly, declare after India had reached 700, their highest Test score, but after Tendulkar had passed Sunil Gavaskar’s 236 not out, which was, until the 21st century, the highest score by an Indian in Tests. It had been a mythical benchmark that Indian batsmen of Tendulkar and Ganguly’s generation must have aspired to, and it was good to leave history behind, while forging a bright new future.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Dave Tiller, Portsmouth’s leading wicket-taker for eight of the past nine seasons, is returning to his old roots to play Hampshire League cricket with Southsea this coming season.An economical right-arm fast-medium pace bowler Tiller, 28, captained Portsmouth only three seasons ago but missed the second half of last summer after breaking his collar bone in a fielding accident.His part company with Portsmouth after a verbal outburst at club policy in the local newspaper. He played little subsequent part in Portsmouth’s Premier Division 2 title success.Tiller’s return to Southsea, where he began his club career as a lanky, raw teenager, is looked upon a significant boost for the St James’s club, who are anxious to feature among the County Division 1 promotion contenders during the coming season.

Western Australia has today defeated West Indies by a margin of seven wickets in the teams’ first-class match at the WACA ground in Perth. The triumph, which came half an hour into the post-lunch session, was clinched when Test hopefuls Damien Martyn (25*) and Simon Katich (18*) added an unbroken stand of thirty-six runs following a shaky start to their team’s second innings.The locals’ final day effort put the seal on a game upon which they had held a strong grip from the time that they consigned the tourists to the paltry total of 132 on a good wicket for batting on the opening day. Nonetheless, the closing stages of the contest still featured more of the spirit and defiance that the West Indians had shown yesterday in their own second innings with the bat.After they were finally dismissed for a total of 293, the tourists this time showed renewed resolve with the ball. In the hour before lunch, pacemen Mervyn Dillon (2/37) and Marlon Black (1/17) struck three times, reducing their opponents to a mark of 3/34 at one point as they set out after the modest target of sixty-eight for victory.Having apparently taken a lead from opening batsman Sherwin Campbell’s gritty century yesterday, the two pacemen produced an inspired display burst before the interval, removing quality batsmen Adam Gilchrist (6), Justin Langer (5) and Mike Hussey (11) in quick succession.Gilchrist made his fatal error when he drove a Dillon delivery to short cover; Langer, having been comprehensively beaten by the previous ball as well, departed after outside-edging when Black slanted one across him; and Hussey, following several nice drives down the ground, succumbed after chasing a wide ball from Dillon. It was all enough to give the West Indians a look of real enthusiasm and spirit in the field, a mood that could have been buoyed even further if Jimmy Adams had been able to grasp a half-volleyed chance at third slip to help remove Martyn for a pair.Earlier, the Western Australians had been able to mop up the remains of the West Indian second innings relatively efficiently. Once Tom Moody (4/14) had found the outside edge of the bat of the stubborn Adams (44) to send a low, brilliantly taken chance to Martyn at slip, the end came speedily. Ramnaresh Sarwan (12) fell when playing across the line at the rampant Moody, and Colin Stuart (6) lost his wicket when he scooped up a dipping Brendon Julian (2/58) full toss to square leg.The visitors now move on to Alice Springs for a one-day match against a Northern Territory Invitational XI on Wednesday, and then to Melbourne for their last first-class match prior to the opening Test on this Australian visit. For the Western Australians, their opening first-class victory of the summer should serve as an excellent spur for two upcoming matches later in the week against Tasmania in Hobart.

Leeds United are ‘confident’ that they will be able to strike a deal with the representatives of right-back Luke Ayling regarding an extension of the 30-year-old’s contract, which is set to expire in 2023.

What’s the story?

According to a source speaking to Football Insider, the Yorkshire club are ‘confident’ of extending the Englishman’s deal at Elland Road by at least one year with his current deal due to expire next summer.

Ayling is currently in his sixth season as a Leeds player having signed from Bristol City for around £200k in August 2016 and has worked his way up to cult hero status amongst Whites supporters.

After what’s been a tricky campaign for the Yorkshire outfit, the right-back produced his best moment of the season on Friday night by scoring the decisive goal to complete a vital 3-2 comeback victory against Wolves at Molineux.

Jesse Marsch’s side are now seven points clear of the relegation zone, but the likes of Everton, Burnley (three), Watford and Brentford (one) all have games in hand.

 Supporters will be over the moon

Whilst being a Leeds player, Ayling has certainly seen highs and lows with managerial changes, near misses with promotion before finally securing a long-awaited return to the top-flight in 2020.

The right-back has impressively improved his standard to ensure of a place in the Premier League for Leeds and certainly deserves a new deal.

However, despite the Englishman’s popularity at Elland Road, his age does have to come into question regarding a contract extension, with the 30-year-old set to be two months shy of his 32nd birthday when his current deal expires.

The Yorkshire club will certainly be keen to progress, particularly under Marsch with the American manager signing a three-and-a-half-year contract at Elland Road when replacing Marcelo Bielsa earlier this month.

Therefore, regularly relying on a right-back who is likely to decline won’t be a long-term solution. It is, though, deserved and something that will go down well with supporters given his popularity.

When available, Ayling has played this term, making 21 appearances thus far in the top-flight this season either side of a knee injury that ruled the Englishman out for two months between September and November.

In the league, the right-back has averaged 77 touches per game this season as well as a 79% passing accuracy. Moreover, his contribution defensively is particularly impressive, producing 2.6 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game.

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However, as is expected with the sometimes kamikaze defending of Leeds, the 30-year-old hasn’t yet kept a clean sheet this term.

The right-back position is certainly Ayling’s with Stuart Dallas the only other player recognised as a fully capable fit on that side of the defence, with the Northern Ireland international regularly playing at either left-back or in midfield.

Although Leeds may look elsewhere for a new first-choice right-back in the coming seasons, having a figure as popular as Ayling in the squad will certainly be shrewd and, for his services to the club, the Englishman certainly deserves a contract extension.

In other news: Phil Hay relays 3-word Thorp Arch update that will have Leeds supporters buzzing

	The team bonding session at Bondi beach seems to put the smiles back on the Indian players © Getty Images

India have done what many Australians do when they are under extreme stress and headed to the beach to relax. Having spent a large part of the last 48 hours in their rooms, the players left the hotel for a “team bonding session” at Bondi as they wait for news on the state of the tour after the fall-out from the suspension of Harbhajan Singh for a racist slur.The team is strongly supporting Harbhajan, who was ruled to have called Andrew Symonds a “monkey” at the SCG, and the players want the ban lifted before next week’s third Test in Perth. The board has issued a statement saying it did not accept the punishment and will file an appeal to the ICC.A team spokesman hoped the ban would be overturned. “We’re very clear that Harbhajan has not said that,” Dr MV Sridhar said. “We feel there’s not much evidence to say he said that.”Sridhar expected the board would make a decision on Tuesday on whether the series continued. “There’s no thinking as of now of doing anything drastic towards the tour,” he said. “We’re awaiting instructions from the BCCI and we’re hoping they will communicate something to us today and as soon as we receive the instructions we will react accordingly.”The side, which was due to leave on Monday, has stayed in Sydney instead of travelling to Canberra for a tour game. The match is due to start on Thursday, but the players have not shown any signs of departing Sydney since they spent two hours on the team bus on Monday. Officials in Canberra are preparing as if the match will go ahead.Greg King, the India trainer, is said to have organised the beach session, which was due to involve the team playing volleyball and making a trip to the lifeguard tower. The players, who are tired after the events of the past few days, continue to wait to see where the board will send them next.The board is also trying to have Steve Bucknor removed from standing in Perth after a series of his decisions cost India dearly. Brad Hogg has also been reported for allegedly using abusive language at Anil Kumble.