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Crystal Palace must do all they can to keep Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park in the summer with the £36m rated gem a potential target for top clubs.

What’s the story?

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has urged his former club to sign Zaha insisting he is ‘a better player now’ than when they tried to previously sign him back in 2019.

The 29-year old winger who was dubbed “electric” by GOAL was a target for the Gunners during Unai Emery’s reign, but Arsenal’s £40m bid was not enough to persuade the South London club to sell.

He even handed in a transfer request at the time to try and force a move through but he ended up staying at Selhurst Park.

With his contract expiring next summer, now could be the time for Arsenal to get him at a reduced price.

Zaha is vital for Vieira

As a result of standing their ground, Palace have reaped the rewards with Zaha proving to be a star player since.

The Ivory Coast international is the Eagles’ top scorer this season with ten goals and has been key to manager Vieira’s positive start at the club.

However, it’s not just goal scoring that Palace rely on – Zaha ranks in the 90th percentile for passes into the penalty area when compared to other wingers in Europe’s big five leagues this season.

He also ranks the highest in the Palace squad when it comes to passes that lead to a shot attempt at 51 so far this campaign, proving his distribution and playmaking is simply crucial.

Despite these contributions, his manager still believes he has “potential to fulfil” and called on him to show more consistency.

There’s no doubting that’s a challenge that Zaha will relish with him saying that he feels like he “performs better” when he’s under the added pressure.

Seeing him attract interest from several big clubs isn’t a new thing. During his first stint with the Eagles, he was targeted by then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

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He made the move to Old Trafford in 2013 for £10.5m just after the Scottish manager retired, but it didn’t quite work out for him during a period where United declined.

Zaha made only 14 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils and didn’t score once before he eventually moved back to Palace in 2015 for a fraction of the price (£3.4m)

His value has once again soared, but if Palace are to continue thriving under Vieira they may need him to stick around for longer. Anything less would be seen as a disaster for Steve Parish and co.

IN other news: Sold for £25m, now worth just £608k: CPFC struck gold on dazzling 32 y/0 – opinion.

	Shoaib Akhtar has been barred from the IPL just days after being banned for five years by the Pakistan board © AFP

The steady descent of Shoaib Akhtar’s career continued after the Indian Premier League (IPL) decided that he won’t be allowed to feature in its tournament till the end of his five-year ban or until his ban is lifted by the Pakistan board.”Shoaib has been banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board, and even though they have cleared him to play for IPL, we felt that international discipline needs to be respected,” IS Bindra, a member of the IPL governing council, told Cricinfo. “If he can’t play for Pakistan, how can we play him? There will be no discipline left in the game, if we play him. It will set an unwanted precedent.”We [the IPL] want to be part of the international system, not operate outside it. If somebody is banned on disciplinary grounds, that is a serious offense, and we felt it would be very odd if he was to play in IPL.”Shoaib, however, plans to appeal the ban and if he wins, he could yet turn out for his team. “If he is able to clear the ban and wins the appeal process, he will be allowed to play”, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, clarified to a private television channel.A spokesman for the Kolkata Knight Riders confirmed to Cricinfo that they have been informed by the IPL that Shoaib will not be available to play for them. “In this situation, we will abide by the IPL directive as the final availability of a player depends on a clearance from the league.”However, Shahrukh Khan, the owner of the Kolkata franchise, said he will take the matter up with the IPL. “I will talk to Lalit Modi to reconsider the decision,” he said. “I hope things get sorted out in our favour.”I know I am allowed to take another player but I want Shoaib back.”Cricinfo has learnt that the Kolkata franchise is now free to look for Shoaib’s replacement, though nobody has been identified as yet. Besides, the money that was bid on Shoaib [US$ 450,000] will not be counted in the team’s spending cap of $5 million, and the franchise will be free to use that money to buy the services of a new player.Only yesterday, Shoaib had claimed that the willingness of the Knight Riders to play him confirmed there were no disciplinary issues. “If I had been so indisciplined and had an attitude problem as the Pakistan board claims do you think that Shahrukh Khan or [Sourav] Ganguly would want me to play for their team in the IPL,” Shoaib said.Until he can clear his name, it seems they don’t.

Ron Archer played 19 Tests during the 1950s © Getty Images

Ron Archer, the allrounder who played 19 Tests for Australia during the 1950s, has died of lung cancer at the age of 73. Archer’s death on Sunday came just two days after the passing of his Australia team-mate and fast-bowling colleague Bill Johnston.Archer was a talented all-round sportsman when he was plucked from the Queensland side to make his Test debut at just 19, against South Africa in 1952-53. However, a knee injury ended his international career when he was only 22, leaving him with 713 runs at 24.58 and 48 wickets at 27.45.He was one of Australia’s record five centurions in the first innings against West Indies at Kingston in 1954-55. Archer made 128 – his only Test hundred – at No. 6 and joined Colin McDonald, Neil Harvey, Keith Miller and Richie Benaud in reaching triple-figures.Archer had already made 84 and 98 on the tour, which undoubtedly marked his high-point as a Test batsman. However, he cemented his place in the side largely as a new-ball or first-change fast bowler.Like his older team-mate Johnston, Archer held his own in a quality attack that often featured Miller, Ray Lindwall and Alan Davidson. His best bowling in an innings was the 5 for 53 he claimed at The Oval in 1956, in what would be his second last Test.On the way home, Australia played a one-off Test match against Pakistan at Karachi and it was there that Archer sustained the knee injury that ended his career. He returned as a specialist batsman for Queensland in 1958-59 and averaged over 40, but his body would no longer stand up to the rigours of first-class cricket.He had made his debut for Queensland in 1951-52, at the age of 18, having played first-grade cricket in Brisbane since he was 15. Joining his brother Ken in the state side, Archer made an immediate impact, taking eight wickets on debut against South Australia. He was also a highly-skilled rugby union player, Australian Rules footballer and baseballer, but he focused on cricket after he was chosen in the Test team barely a year after joining the Queensland side.Archer finished with 255 wickets at 23.36 from his 98 first-class matches and also scored 3768 runs at 31.93. Like Ken, who also played for Australia, he became a TV executive, rising through the ranks to become general manager of Channel 0. He also retained his links with cricket as Cricket Australia’s Code of Behaviour Commissioner and once acted as an ICC match referee.Creagh O’Connor, Cricket Australia’s chairman, said Archer gave tirelessly to the game after his playing days prematurely ended. “Ron Archer had a brief and very successful Test career which was tragically cut short by an injury of the type that modern sports medicine would today probably have overcome,” O’Connor said.”But while his international playing career was too short, he still devoted an energetic and cheerful lifetime of support to the game that he loved, contributing right up until his final summer”.Damien Mullins, the chairman of Queensland Cricket, said Archer would be remembered as one of the state’s greats. “Ron was not only an outstanding cricketer, he was a wonderful cricket person and everyone who knew him will miss him enormously,” Mullins said.

Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe will take place in late July after Zimbabwe Cricket finally confirmed dates with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The five-ODI series will start with a match at Bulawayo on July 29 and conclude eight days later at Harare.Confirmation of the series had been delayed after the Zimbabwe board had asked for the matches to take place in September, but the BCB was adamant that the original timeline as specified by the ICC in its Future Tours Program should be adhered to.Local reports indicate that the BCB is unhappy with the packed itinerary which sees five matches take place in eight days. It is thought that the BCB will continue to press for more rest time to be included between games.What is also unclear is the situation regarding the Zimbabwe players who are contracted to play club cricket in England. At least eight of the side which toured the Caribbean are believed to be in that position, and given that they arrived a month into the English season anyway, the clubs may be loathed to release them.That could account for Zimbabwe’s eagerness to play the series in September, as by then all those players will have finished in England.Draft itinerary
July 29 1st ODI Bulawayo
July 30 2nd ODI Bulawayo
August 2 3rd ODI Harare
August 4 4th ODI Harare
August 5 5th ODI Harare

The post mortems have seldom been so exhaustive, tedious or varied in their verdicts. Two days after the drawn Ahmedabad Test, Indian newspapers can’t get enough of comment from former cricketers. The inability to force a win raised many questions: Were the Indians too defensive? Were New Zealand more resilient than expected? Was the pitch at fault? The answers depend, almost entirely, on which newspaper you read with your morning cuppa.

“Slow, low pitches like this do harm to the game.” © Wisden Cricinfo

Asian Age readers were treated to Geoffrey Boycott, never short on words, and fast strengthening his standing as the darling of the Indian masses. “Could India have done anything different to win the match? I don’t think so,” wrote Boycott in his column. But a scapegoat is needed. We must have someone to blame for every match not won. “Blame should lie fairly and squarely with the guy who prepared the pitch. There was no pace, no movement and no spin. It never gave the bowlers a chance and batsmen found it easy to stay in and defend but became frustrated at not being able to play shots. This pitch was no good to anybody.”Nadeem Memon, the curator, may have struck Boycott off his Christmas-card list, but he won’t be the players’ favourite either, if you believe Boycott: “Even the players don’t enjoy this sort of cricket. They do their best and keep their mouths shut. Any critical comment would be frowned upon!” The players might have to be diplomatic, but Boycott does not. “Slow, low pitches like this do harm to the game.”Another opener, the not-so-orthodox Kris Srikkanth, did not buy into Boycott’s logic. The Times of India took the trouble of listening to what Srikkanth said on TV and reproduced it for its readers. “I’m disappointed. Kumble and Harbhajan were tired. That the wicket was flat is no argument. Tendulkar and Sehwag should have bowled longer spells. Tendulkar was flighting the ball well. We didn’t show the killer instinct.”The Doordarshan studios must have a specific effect on people, for Madan Lal too thought that the pitch was not to blame. “Had the spinners flighted the ball a little more it could have made the difference. The New Zealand batsmen applied themselves and were successful in hanging on in the middle, especially in the morning. For the moment it is advantage New Zealand. They have learnbed a thing or two on how to negotiate spinners.”

“The fact is New Zealand have come better prepared mentally.” © Wisden Cricinfo

Sunil Gavaskar chose to be a touch more diplomatic than his one-time opening partner. “The draw will make Ganguly’s critics sharpen their pens finding fault with his bowling changes, field placements and just about everything. The fact is New Zeland have come better prepared mentally and are thus tougher customers than their previous teams.”Glenn Turner, another former opening batsman (if English papers are dominated by former medium-pacers, India seems to like to see openers in print), told the Indian Express that there were no real gains from the game. “New Zealand might feel satisfied at getting out of jail and India may feel cheated, but there is no room for moral victory in this game; in my book no-one scored any point.” He also spared a thought for the spinners: “There is bound to be some criticism of the spinners but the wicket was such a flat deck that their best efforts did not yield results.”Sanjay Manjrekar (who, thankfully, cannot be called a former opener despite having done occasional duty in that role) could not make up his mind about the Indian captain. “Ganguly has made it amply clear that he felt that the Ahmedabad pitch was responsible for the eventual outcome of the Test, he wrote in the Times of India. I would tend to agree with him, but not wholeheartedly. Now to give the pitch all the credit for the draw would be terribly unfair to the curator and the Gujarat Cricket Association.”Manjrekar also wondered why Ganguly seemed to lack a certain spark, conveniently glossing over the fact that he was suffering from an irritating groin infection. “So why was the spark missing in Ahmedabad? My guess today would be that the Indian captain just started off in a bad mood. The local association just did not support him where they could at the start of a very important game, signalling the start of the Indian cricket season. I think Ganguly, perhaps, went into the Test match just feeling let down.”Ravi Shastri, in his column in the Times of India, was full of praise for Anil Kumble. “New Zealand not only walked away with a draw, but also the honours in the first Test. India’s trump card at home is still Anil Kumble. Remember, Anil did not play at home against Australia, else he would have finished with a bagful. He was under pressure to perform now, but proved yet again that on such wickets he is the best.” Shastri, like Manjrekar, reckons that all was not quite well. “I sensed that the Indians got frustrated a little too early and surrendered thoughts of a win. Having been beaten 2-0 in the last series against New Zealand some more fire and ambition was warranted.”The debate, you can be sure, will rage on till the Mohali Test starts on Thursday, when there will fresh points to ponder over a cup of coffee.

A recovery by the lower order gave Western Province the edge as KwaZulu-Natal let it slip on the first day in the second round of the SuperSport Series

Claude Henderson blasted a career-best 71 from No. 9© Getty Images

Western Province 311 (Henderson 71, Tsolekile 63, Johnson 58, McLean 4-43) v KwaZulu-Natal
Scorecard
At Newlands, Western Province lost the toss and were put in to bat on a green track by their nearest log rivals KwaZulu-Natal. Early movement had the ball beating the bat at regular intervals, and a solid start was squandered as Province slumped to 106 for 5 before Neil Johnson and Thami Tsolekile restored some order to the innings. Johnson, on going past his 50, threw his wicket away with an ugly missed sweep while Tsolekile grew in confidence with an impressive 63. Claude Henderson, coming in at No. 9, scored a career-best 71 as he punished some wayward bowling. Nixon McLean was the most successful Natal bowler, causing much of the early damage and ending with 4 for 43.Free State 267 (van Wyk 77, van der Wath 68, Roe 5-54) v North West 40 for 2
Scorecard
At the North West Stadium, Free State were put in on a pitch that appeared to be bowler friendly. Morne van Wyk, cracking 13 boundaries and a six in his 77, saved Free State some embarrassment as five wickets fell for 136. A sixth-wicket partnership between Kosie Venter and Johannes van der Wath pushed the total to 198 for 5 when rain caused a 20-minute delay and an early tea. When play resumed, van der Wath’s 68 helped Free State to scrape 267. Garth Roe used the conditions well to end with 5 for 54. When light faded early North West had struggled to 40 for 2.Griqualand West 169 (Langeveldt 5-42, Kreusch 4-52) v Border 241 for 8 (Sugden 87*)
Scorecard
At Buffalo Park in East London 18 wickets fell in a day where only Border’s Craig Sugden looked at all settled. Border’s decision to insert Griqualand West was justified as they bowled them out for 169 in 30.4 overs shortly after lunch. Only a whirlwind 34 in 13 balls (four boundaries and three sixes) from Deon Kruis saved Griqualand’s blushes. Charl Langeveldt ended with 5 for 42 while Justin Kreusch cleaned up the tail with 4 for 52. Border made a nervous start with three top-order batsmen out for single figures. Mark Bruyns and Kreusch got into the thirties but it was Sugden who gave Border a valuable first-innings lead with 87 not out, including 16 fours. When bad light brought an early end, Border were 241 for 8, 72 ahead.

Hampshire Academy 2003

The start of the new cricket season may still be four months away, but Hampshire’s latest crop of Academy recruits are working hard at their game throughout the winter months.Hampshire Second XI coach Tony Middleton has had his seven-strong group of prodigies training twice weekly at the Rose Bowl for the past six weeks.”They don’t just come to the Indoor School for practise net sessions,” Middleton emphasised. “There is much more to it that that.”In addition to a pretty strenuous fitness training routine, the learn about tactical awareness and the mental approach to the game – two kep elements of their development,” he added.Hampshire have recruited three newcomers to the Academy ranks – opening batsman Kevin Latouf from Bishop’s Waltham, Calmore Sports opening bowler Matthew Metcalfe and promising Shanklin all-rounder David Griffiths.They join second-year academy students David Wheeler, Luke Merry, Martin Bushell and Tom Burrows, who impressed Hampshire supporters in August when he came on as a substitute wicket-keeper against Yorkshire at the Rose Bowl.”These seven youngsters are all focussed on a professional career in the game and have the potential to do well, provided they continue to work hard at their game,” added Middleton.All seven will play in the newly promoted Hampshire Academy team in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League this summer.

Sri Lanka selectors have appointed all-rounder Tilan Samaraweera to lead the Sri Lanka A team against Pakistan A in the three-Test unofficial series commencing this month.Samaraweera, who has represented his country in seven one-day internationals, was a strong candidate for the job, having proved his credentials as captain by leading Sri Lanka A to victory over Zimbabwe A in last year’s home series.In the recently concluded Premier tournament, Samaraweera (24), a right-hand batsman, scored 368 runs (avg. 61.33) and took 33 wickets (avg. 19.12) with his off-breaks for Singhalese SC.Pakistan A are due to arrive on June 10 and play the first of three unofficial Tests commencing on June 13. They will also play a series of three unofficial One-Day Internationals for which the captain has yet to be named.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, West Ham are among the clubs interested in signing Hull City forward Keane Lewis-Potter. 

The lowdown: Gaining attention

Called up to the England Under-21s for the first time this week, Lewis-Potter has rightly garnered appreciation following a rapid rise to prominence in the Championship.

Starting in all 39 of the Tigers’ league matches so far this season, the 20-year-old has earned a respectable 6.87 average rating whilst averaging 2.2 shots per game (Sofascore), finding the back of the net eight times in total.

Unsurprisingly, that form has led to huge interest in the exciting winger from the top-flight.

The latest: London calling?

According to the report, the Hammers, alongside Tottenham, are keen on signing the starlet.

It’s claimed that Brentford were ‘close’ to landing Lewis-Potter in January but now the exciting ace is ‘attracting attention’ from elsewhere.

Furthermore, the report states that a fee of ‘more than £12million’ was in place to sign the Hull academy graduate.

The verdict: A clear pathway

Having already signed and subsequently progressed the career of Jarrod Bowen from Hull, there is a clear drawn out career path for Lewis-Potter to follow in east London.

And, with Bowen already being linked with a move away from West Ham, such is the extend of his success, David Moyes could be on the lookout for a replacement for the 25-year-old in the not too distant future.

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Billed as a ‘special talent’ and compared to Arsenal legend Marc Overmans by manager Shota Arveladze, Lewis-Potter would be the ideal candidate to either further boost the Irons’ squad or indeed succeed Bowen.

In other news: Injury expert makes ‘nightmare’ West Ham.

	Marcus Trescothick: ‘There was no point in delaying the inevitable. There are no regrets’ © Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick said that his withdrawal from Somerset’s pre-season tour to the UAE convinced him to retire from international cricket.He arrived at Heathrow with the squad but then pulled out of the trip. “Everyone realised at that point it was never going to happen,” Trescothick told the BBC. “There was no point in delaying the inevitable. There are no regrets.”I won’t look back on anything that has happened and feel bitter or too sad about it because the stats speak for themselves. I had a great time and played international cricket for nearly seven years. It was just a brilliant time when I played it, and I’m really pleased that I had the opportunity to do so.”I understand what it takes to play at that level and I’m not prepared to reach up to those anymore. I’m not prepared to put myself, my body and my family through that and everything it takes to sacrifice to do that.”It was great while it lasted, but it’s time to move on and let somebody else have a go.”