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Lamine Yamal has described Xavi's sudden sacking as "very strange" but is very excited for the arrival of new Barcelona boss Hansi Flick.

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Xavi sacked by BarcelonaFlick to replace him next termYamal reacts to manager changesWHAT HAPPENED?

Spanish international Yamal was handed his Barcelona debut by manager Xavi in April 2023 but just over a year later, the former Blaugrana midfielder was dismissed by the Spanish giants. Ex-Bayern Munich boss Flick was named as his successor soon after and now the 16-year-old has weighed in on Barca's managerial changes.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT YAMAL SAID

When asked about Xavi's sacking, he told Mundo Deportivo: "It was a very strange moment. At first he left, then he stayed… It was strange, because we saw the same thing that you saw too. [It was] very sad because for me he was the first coach in the elite that I've had, but these are things that happen in football."

The youngster added on Flick's appointment: "The last thing I saw was when he was at Bayern, and also in the German national team. They have a fairly offensive game, quite direct. I'm very excited."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

It's been a chaotic six months for Barca. Xavi initially said he would step down in January at the end of the season, before being convinced by the club's board to stay on. President Joan Laporta took exception to Xavi's comments about the state of the Catalan outfit and now Flick is at the helm. But the club's financial issues remain and more players may have to be sold to balance the books.

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While Yamal heads out to Germany to represent Spain at this summer's Euros, the teenager is likely to return for their pre-season fixtures against Manchester City, Real Madrid, and AC Milan in late July and early August.

Apart from the allrounder’s second-innings performances, KS Bharat and Anmolpreet Singh contributed heavily with the bat

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2019India A completed a resounding 2-0 series rout of Sri Lanka A with a 152-run triumph in Hubli, thanks to legspinner Rahul Chahar’s six-wicket match haul and a maiden fifty with the bat. Chahar’s efforts were complemented ably by KS Bharat and Anmolpreet Singh, who contributed significantly with the bat in both innings.Sri Lanka A lost the toss for the second time in the series, but resisted India’s onslaught for longer than they had done in the first match that had lasted three days. In Hubli, the hosts were bowled out for 269 – of which wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat made 117 – thanks to Lahiru Kumara and Lakshan Sandakan, who picked 4 for 53 and 4 for 64 respectively. Tottering at 64 for 3, India A’s innings found resuscitation through Bharat and Anmolpreet’s 91-run stand. Anmolpreet chipped in with a knock of 65, studded with six fours and two sixes.In reply, the visitors conceded a 57-run deficit as no other batsman, apart from No. 7 Kamindu Mendis, made a half-century. Mendis’ 68 helped his side scrape to 212 as all six India A bowlers took at least a wicket each. Offspinner Jayant Yadav was the pick of them with 3 for 24 from his 12 overs while Sandeep Warrier and Shivam Dube took two apiece.India A put on a more convincing show with the bat in their second dig, with the middle-order trio of Anmolpreet (60), Siddhesh Lad (53) and Bharat (60) leading the way. The 123-run eighth-wicket stand between Rahul Chahar and Jayant then built on this platform, taking India A past 350. Chahar hit a 109-ball 84 for his maiden first-class fifty, while Jayant made 53, having been dismissed for single-digit scores in the preceding three innings. The pair fell in a span of nine balls, but their partnership ensured India A amassed 372 to set Sri Lanka A a target of 430.A score of 277 in 66.4 overs was all the tourists could get, despite Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s rapid 110 at No 3 – his seventh first-class ton – and an enterprising 46 from Kamindu. Chahar played a big role in their undoing, snaffling 5 for 112, his sixth five-wicket haul at this level.

With Everton still sitting precariously above the relegation zone by one point in the Premier League, the January transfer window could prove to be more important than ever. The Toffees have enjoyed some excellent displays throughout the current campaign, but a 10-point deduction has left them in an unwanted scrap to survive.

Sean Dyche will hope that this month hands him the perfect opportunity to push away from the bottom three and bring their position in the top flight to where their performances have been.

With that said, the former Burnley boss has reportedly identified one particular midfielder as a major target this month. Given Amadou Onana's exit links, it may well be the perfect move for Everton.

Everton transfer news

The Toffees are at serious risk of losing Onana, with several clubs are reportedly plotting moves to sign the Belgian this month, which could leave Dyche without a key part of his side.

Perhaps hoping to reinforce their midfield before it reaches crisis point, however, reports suggest that Everton are interested in signing a Premier League player who's been in top form in the current campaign. It would certainly be a major coup for Dyche this month.

According to Football Transfers, Everton are interested in signing Scott McTominay and Dyche has identified the Manchester United man as a major target. The Scotland international has been the standout in a disappointing United side this season, with his goals playing an important part in the few good moments that Erik ten Hag's team have enjoyed.

It remains to be seen whether United are willing to cash in on their academy graduate amid Everton's interest, but with the Red Devils reportedly opening talks to sign Onana, the Merseyside club could use the Belgian to their advantage in any deal for McTominay this month.

"Unbelievable" McTominay has outperformed Onana this season

Whilst it would be a blow to lose a young midfielder of such high potential in Onana, McTominay would be an adequate replacement capable of making an instant impact at Goodison Park. McTominay's versatility allows him to play in central midfield, centre-back and in defensive midfield would certainly hand Dyche a boost when it comes to sourcing options in the relegation scrap too. And as McTominay's stats show, he's even outperformed Onana in certain areas this season.

Player Goals Blocks Interceptions Clearances Scott McTominay 5 17 10 30

Amadou Onana

1

13

9

15

It's no wonder when looking at the numbers that the United man has been at the centre of praise from several Old Trafford icons this season, including Wes Brown. The former defender told MUTV, via United In Focus: "He’s playing unbelievable at the moment, the runs into the box, he makes himself a nuisance, people can’t pick him up.”

In what could prove to be a vital month, McTominay may have a vital career decision to make. As Everton look to avoid the drop once again in the Premier League, they would be wise to move for the versatile midfielder before the end of the window.

Quinton de Kock breezed to 121 off 108 balls before the South Africa middle order propelled the team to 331 for 5, and following a rainy Kingsmead evening, the adjusted Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target was ultimately 72 too many for Sri Lanka.Following a rain delay of several hours, which arrived when Sri Lanka were 75 for 2 after 16 overs, the visitors were posed with an incredibly challenging required rate upon resumption, needing 118 off 48 balls. With Kusal Perera out of commission due to a torn hamstring that will now rule him out of the series, Sri Lanka were unable to make a serious charge at the target. Kusal Mendis – who had looked in good touch before the rain break – mustered a couple of sixes off Tabraiz Shamsi after play resumed, but was outwitted by Imran Tahir soon after. No other batsman could hit a boundary after resumption, with Tahir taking another wicket to finish with figures of 2 for 19.The result means that South Africa wrap up the ODI series, and have now won each of the last four bilateral series between these sides. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are yet to win a one-dayer in 2019 in six attempts.Earlier, apart from de Kock, every batsman who came to the middle made an important contribution for South Africa, apart from opener Reeza Hendricks who had been out for 4. The best of the middle-order innings, perhaps, belonged to Andile Phehlukwayo, who exploited some modest Sri Lanka death bowling to clobber 38 not out off 15 balls. Thanks to largely Phehlukwayo, South Africa plundered 53 off the last four overs.Sri Lanka’s fielding fell apart towards the end of South Africa’s innings, but before that, it was their indiscipline with the ball that hurt them. Thisara Perera was wayward – his five overs costing 38 runs. Kasun Rajitha was even more expensive, his economy rate up at 8.62 from eight overs, even if he did get de Kock’s wicket eventually. The best of their bowlers was perhaps debutant Kamindu Mendis – the ambidextrous 20-year-old allrounder – who delivers both offspin and left-arm ortherdox. One of his left-arm deliveries even brought him the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen – the only South Africa batsman to make a half-century apart from de Kock.De Kock himelf had been fluent from the outset. The first delivery of the innings – a length ball on middle stump from Lasith Malinga – he clipped serenely through midwicket for four. Two balls later, a wider delivery he sent scorching past point.Composed and hungry against the new ball, de Kock laid a platform and then embarked on a mini-rampage twelve overs in. He clubbed Akila Dananjaya down the ground for six, smoked two fours off Rajitha next over (bringing up his half-century with the first), before crashing Dhananjaya for another six and a four, then finally putting Thisara away for three successive boundaries – two of them in the fine-leg region. The salvo yielded him 39 runs in the space of 17 balls faced, and South Africa appeared to be headed towards a truly gargantuan score.Sri Lanka managed to wrest back some control at this point – Malinga injecting himself into the attack and dismissing Faf du Plessis, while Dhananjaya also produced a couple of tight overs at the other end. But de Kock gritted his way through this period, and continued to advance single-mindedly towards that elusive triple-figure score. He got there in the 25th over – off the 89th delivery he faced – crashing Thisara past point. He had made six half-centuries – including 94, 81 and 83 in his three most-recent international innings – since his last ODI ton. The relief of finally achieving the milestone was writ across his face as he celebrated.De Kock was eventually out edging a fuller, wide delivery from Rajitha, as he attempted a to sock the bowler over cover. But by this stage South Africa were 187 for 3 after 31 overs, and beautifully placed to push for a giant total. Van der Dussen accumulated smartly, hitting only three fours in his 50 off 67 balls. David Miller also produced a steady innings rather than a blockbusting one, making 41 not out off 46 deliveries.Phehlukwayo, though, ensured the South Africa innings got a fast finish. He hit five fours, all of which came behind square, and also tonked Isuru Udana high into the grass banks beyond midwicket. He should have been caught in the final over, when he swung a ball high into the air on the legside, only for the converging fielders to mis-communicate, and leave the catch for each other. Miller had also been dropped in the previous over.Sri Lanka began the chase of 332 poorly, with Niroshan Dickwella holing out to mid on for 2, in the third over. Asitha Fernando played a few attractive shots but was also caught at mid on, for 23 off 26. Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis seemed to be building a half-decent partnership when the rains came, but if a Sri Lanka victory seemed unlikely before the break, it was nearly impossible when play resumed – tbhe required rate up near 15 an over. With Tahir’s overs in reserve, South Africa were almost certain to win at that point.

Tottenham are now believed to be eyeing a major club's longest-serving player after Cristian Romero's recent injury blow, according to reports.

Spurs hit by suspension and injury crisis

The January transfer window could represent a very significant moment in Spurs' season, as Ange Postecoglou's side have been one of the Premier League's unluckiest teams when it comes to injuries and suspensions.

Related Tottenham "working" as Ange eyes "special" centre-back alongside Todibo

The Lilywhites have more than one defender on their radar.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 26, 2023

Tottenham have been hit with a series of key absences in the last month and a half, with their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in early November starting it all. Micky van de Ven and James Maddison were hauled off with long-term injuries during Spurs' first loss of the season back then, with Romero also suspended for a period.

Fast forward to now, their luck has scarcely changed bar a brief upward trajectory, with Tottenham now missing Romero again through injury.

Spurs rumoured centre-back targets for January

Latest update

Trevoh Chalobah

20th December

Jean-Clair Todibo

20th December

Morato

19th December

Radu Dragusin

16th December

Sebastian Caceres

14th December

Jarrad Branthwaite

13th December

The Lilywhites have as many as nine first-team players unavailable to face Bournemouth in their next league match, with Dejan Kulusevski (suspension), Yves Bissouma (suspension), Romero (injured), van de Ven (injured), Maddison (injured), Rodrigo Bentancur (injured), Manor Solomon (injured), Ivan Perisic (injured) and Ryan Sessegnon (injured) all set to miss the 90.

Spurs are particularly light in central defence, with Postecoglou now forced to play a makeshift centre-back pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies yet again after Romero's injury.

It is believed that signing a new defender is a top priority for Spurs heading into the winter transfer window as a result, with Postecoglou suggesting as much to Sky Sports recently.

"We let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's defensive issues.

"We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn't get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine. But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier's had some issues as well, we don't have another centre-back."

New targets are appearing on a fairly consistent basis with January on the horizon, and it is now believed Tottenham are keen on Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

Spurs now eyeing Gomez after Romero injury

Indeed, as per The Daily Mail and reporter Matt Barlow, Spurs are eyeing a move for Gomez after Romero's hamstring strain. The Englishman joins Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice, Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth and Genoa's Radu Dragusin on their shortlist.

Nothing else is added other than Tottenham's interest, but we believe Gomez comes as an interesting option given he is Liverpool's current longest-serving player.

The 26-year-old possesses bags of Premier League experience as well, and while he isn't exactly a mainstay under Jurgen Klopp, former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman has called Gomez a "priceless" asset to have.

"He can play left-back, but not as well as Andy Robertson. Robertson is left-footed and wants to get forward more. That’s not Joe’s fault. He is a great defender and always does an incredible job for Liverpool.

"I would be gutted if he left because people like Gomez are absolutely priceless to you at a football club. If you go back to Real Madrid, they’ve got Lucas Vasquez and Nacho, who have both been at the club for over ten years. If you speak to any of their team-mates about what they think of them, they adore them."

Newcastle United have sent scouts to watch a "complete" player in action, but they are far from alone in showing an interest, according to a new transfer update.

Newcastle want January signings

The Magpies return to Premier League action with a clash against Chelsea on Saturday, as the Blues make the trip to St James' Park for a crucial encounter for both sides. Newcastle have struggled hugely with injury problems throughout this season, while Mauricio Pochettino has made a fairly slow start to life as manager in west London, so the pressure is on both to get a positive result.

With the north east giants toiling at the moment, Eddie Howe may well be relieved that the January transfer window is edging closer, at which point he could look to bolster his squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Newcastle eyeing move to sign £100k-p/w "monster" for Eddie Howe

The St. James’ Park side are keeping tabs on a long-term target as they consider an approach at the end of the season.

ByChloe Chadwick Nov 24, 2023

The Magpies have been linked with many players in recent weeks, with Kalvin Phillips backed to join Newcastle from Manchester City, and Ruben Neves potentially making the move to St James' from Saudi Arabia, although it looks as though he may stay put at Al-Hilal for the time being. Signings in other areas away from midfield could also be needed, however, and it looks as though Howe is eyeing a highly-rated young player to come in and boost his options.

Newcastle scout Arouna Sangante

According to a fresh update from Football Insider, Newcastle are interested in signing Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante, with the club sending scouts to watch him in action.

"Newcastle United, Wolves and Fulham have joined elite Premier League sides in the race for Le Havre defender sensation Arouna Sangante, sources have told Football Insider.

"Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (21 November) that Man United, Man City and Chelsea have set their sights on signing the 21-year-old – who is one of the hottest properties in French football. Newcastle, Fulham and Wolves have also sent scouts to cast an eye over Sangante ahead of a potential move to England in 2024."

Sangante looks like a footballer of great promise, having already made himself an important player for La Havre, proving to be a mainstay of the Ligue 1 side's starting lineup in 2023/24 to date. The Newcastle transfer target has started 10 league games this season, completing 84.9 of his passes, and averaging 3.7 clearances and 1.8 aerial duel wins per match, too. (Arouna Sangante stats – WhoScored)

The Senegalese youngster could be looked at as a long-term option in the Magpies' back-line, especially with Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles both now in their 30s, and he could go on to become a greater force as the years pass.

Sangante has been hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has said of him in the past that he is is a "complete and dominant" centre-back who possesses "pace, tackling, positioning, athleticism, passing" and strength in the air. It may not be easy for Newcastle to get their man, but the quick Le Havre defender could look at the future of the club and see the potential there, deciding that they are the best option in his career moving forward, making this one to watch.

West Ham United may have invested heavily in the summer transfer window, mainly utilising the £105m freed up from the sale of Declan Rice, but David Moyes is still in need of January reinforcements.

Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and coming to within touching distance of the Europa League knockout stages, fixture congestion has taken its toll on their squad.

The Hammers have won just one of their last five matches in the Premier League and although they stopped the rot with a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last time out, the squad could do with more competition for places as Moyes eyes up a new right back to challenge Vladimir Coufal.

West Ham transfer news – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

As relayed by Football Transfers earlier this week, West Ham could go back in for Aaron Wan-Bissaka in January, after failing to secure a deal for the 25-year-old in the summer.

It is reported that the Irons are looking at the Manchester United star as a possible target following the news of Coufal's uncertain future with the club unwilling to extend his contract beyond the summer.

Negotiations with the club's other right-back, Ben Johnson, have also hit a stumbling block, as the club and player remain some distance apart in agreeing terms of the deal.

That said, West Ham could launch a bid for Wan-Bissaka, who is valued at £17.5m (€20m) as per Football Observatory, and land an upgrade on Coufal.

The stats that show Wan-Bissaka would be an upgrade on Coufal

This time last year, it looked as though Wan-Bissaka would be departing Man Utd in January after being overtaken by Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at right-back, but the Englishman fought for his place and thanks to some solid form, won the starting berth back from Dalot.

With the Red Devils more interested in extending his one-year option as opposed to entertaining talks for a long-term renewal, his future is once again up in the air, which suggests he is not guaranteed to be a key part of their plans moving forward.

At West Ham, however, he would likely play a pivotal role in Moyes' starting XI, returning to his home city where his attributes as an all-encompassing full-back would be allowed to flourish.

Described by James Maddison as a "ridiculously good" one vs one defender and the "best in the world bar none" for how difficult he is to get past, Wan-Bissaka has reined in the plaudits for the fundamentals of his defensive work, prioritizing his ability to tackle and pocket opposing wingers as opposed to marauding up the pitch.

For a Hammers side that are tasked with doing a lot of defending, having a full-back capable of doing the above is imperative, with the 25-year-old boasting the physical attributes and defensive statistics that demonstrate he's an upgrade on Coufal in that area.

Statistic

Wan-Bissaka

Coufal

Tackles won

1.64

1.46

Interceptions

1.60

1.33

Blocks

1.49

1.03

Progressive carries

2.63

2.39

Pass completion

84%

66.3%

Successful take-ons

1.07

0.20

All stats via FBref

Although Coufal eclipses Wan-Bissaka for his attacking output, posting four assists this season compared to the Englishman's one, the Man Utd titan is better than his compatriot in every other department, offering added strength in the tackle, explosive ball carrying and better accuracy with his passing.

With Wan-Bissaka open to leaving Old Trafford, Moyes should pounce at the opportunity to sign the former England under-21 star and solidify a position that is in need of surgery.

Big Picture

A bunch of globe-trotting T20 specialists couldn’t stop the Pakistan juggernaut in the first T20I, but they have convinced the top-ranked side that they have an equal footing in the series. New Zealand have already shown the hosts that this series is unlikely to be similar to the one against Australia. This, despite the fact that the New Zealand side has combined after a seven-month hiatus from international cricket. Pakistan know that their winning streak is under threat, even as they eye their 11th successive series win in the shortest format.The result didn’t particularly seem to disappoint the visiting captain Kane Williamson, who was all smiles at the post-match presentation. His team had given him little reason to criticise them. His pacers troubled the batsmen, and spinners Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi, despite their limited experience in these conditions, were as impressive as their Pakistan counterparts. His fielders were electrifying; they took three brilliant catches and inflicted a run-out on the day. The batsmen showed signs of struggle only in middle overs, where they lost three wickets for 10 runs, but a brief period of recovery followed. On Friday, he would be hoping to win the toss and put up a testing total, now that he knows what ails Pakistan.And Pakistan’s batting fell apart again. In the three T20Is against Australia, they heavily depended on Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez to do the bulk of scoring and later hoped their bowlers would finish the job, and they found themselves in a similar situation on Wednesday. With Babar’s failure, it was Hafeez who came to the rescue. The pressure situation also forced some changes in the batting order, with Asif Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed batting higher up than usual, which brought in some stability and quick runs.Pakistan do have one of the best bowling units in the world, and it was on full display when their youngest player with an experience of just nine international games, showed oodles of discipline while bowling to two T20 veterans with a combined experience of 134 T20Is. Shaheen Afridi didn’t break a sweat while he was trying to defend 16 runs off the last over, neither letting Ross Taylor nor Tim Southee take a chance to go big.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand LLLLW

In the spotlight

The in-form Mohammad Hafeez had yet another great outing on Wednesday. He led Pakistan’s recovery and made a 36-ball 45 after the openers fell early, attacking the pacers and the spinners alike. He also bowled three miserly overs and stifled the opposition batsmen with his offspin.Adam Milne was the pick of New Zealand bowlers. He struck in his very first over to dismiss the top-ranked T20I batsman Babar Azam and then came back in the 12th over to send Hafeez back, with the short ball doing the trick both times. If he puts in a similar performance in the second T20I, he will increase New Zealand’s chances of leveling the series.

Team news

Pakistan’s decision to go with Afridi for the role of the second seamer instead of Usman Khan had paid off. Hasan Ali was seen limping, clutching his hamstring around the 15th over of New Zealand’s innings, but he came in to bowl the very next over and did not show any signs of struggle later. A fitness test ahead of the game will decide if Fakhar Zaman, who missed the last two T20Is, will play.Pakistan (probable XI): 1 Babar Azam, 2 Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen AfridiNew Zealand are expected to go with the same combination. It is unlikely that they would bring in allrounder Seth Rance in place of Corey Anderson or Colin de Grandhomme in the must-win game.New Zealand (probable XI): 1 Colin Munro, 2 Glenn Phillips (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Adam Milne

Pitch and conditions

No surprises. Hot and dry conditions await both the sides.

Stats and trivia

• Babar Azam is 88 runs away from becoming the sixth Pakistan batsman to reach the 1000-run landmark in T20Is
• In ten innings in 2018, Kane Williamson has scored just 154 runs, with only one fifty

Quotes

“It’s the nature of the whole series. Quite a quick turnaround. In just two sleeps, you’re back with another chance. Hopefully we can square the series tomorrow and push it to a decider.”

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has explained the tactical tweak that led to the club's much-needed 3-1 win over Grimsby Town.

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Parkinson made tactical tweakLined up in different shape to usualWon comfortably to strengthen promotion hopesGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham beat Grimsby 3-1 this weekend to get back to winning ways, having drawn with Harrogate Town and lost to Tranmere in their two most recent outings. The result moves the club back into third place, just three points behind leaders Mansfield Town, and Parkinson has explained that there was a small tactical shift that helped his side to victory.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

A brace from Andy Cannon and a goal from Paul Mullin proved decisive for Wrexham against Grimsby and Parkinson has explained that he tried to line up in a way that would shock their opponents, with Elliot Lee deployed in a No.10 role. And the result led to a delighted tweet from Rob McElhenney.

WHAT PARKINSON SAID

Parkinson told reporters: "We changed the shape slightly. We put Elliot Lee in behind the front-two because I knew Grimsby had worked very hard in their preparation to stop us and it really worked for us.

"It gave us a different dimension. Tom (O'Connor) is great at just picking up pieces and filling the holes when other players go forward and we scored some great goals."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Wrexham are next in action on Friday against leaders Mansfield in a huge game that could be decisive for their automatic promotion hopes.

ScorecardDan Lawrence made his first County Championship century in nearly a year to underpin one of Essex’s best days with the bat this summer.The previous of his first-class hundreds also came against Hampshire in the penultimate game of last season but Lawrence has struggled, like most of his team-mates, for runs in Essex’s post-title-winning campaign and had just one half-century to his name previously this summer.He started circumspectly, and was outscored at one point in his first century partnership by Ryan ten Doeschate, who came in two wickets later, but picked up with the return of the confidence that brought him an England Lions call-up in the winter. He was 114 not out from 192 balls at the close.Essex finished the day on 363 for 6, only the fourth time this season they have gone beyond 300 in an innings. The top-order had endured such a parlous season they had accumulated just 11 batting points before Hampshire’s arrival at Chelmsford. But that was advanced by four on a day when nearly everything and everyone clicked and five batsmen surpassed their season’s averages by considerable margins.In addition, Essex posted three century partnerships with Varun Chopra and Tom Westley putting on 101 for the second wicket, Lawrence and ten Doeschate compiling 122 for the fifth, and Lawrence and Adam Wheater 105 for the sixth.It was a day of toil for Hampshire, barring when Kyle Abbott caused a mini-collapse in mid-afternoon as he reduced Essex from 117 for 1 to 124 for 4 with three wickets at a personal cost of four runs in 16 balls.The players spent the entire first day in the changing rooms because of damp areas on the outfield, but play started promptly with eight overs tagged on to the second day’s duration. Hampshire opted for a toss, lost it and Essex made them pay.Nick Browne exited in the fifth over when Fidel Edwards swung a ball in to clip the top of middle stump. That brought together Chopra and Westley for a partnership that embraced 33 overs.Spinner Liam Dawson made a surprise appearance as early as the 11th over, and found some turn off the pitch almost immediately. Westley played down the wrong line and got an involuntary edge for four to third man, then was fortunate to miss one that turned from middle to fly past off stump.Abbott stopped the steady progress. Westley departed for 40 when one nipped back and knocked over off-stump. Chopra followed when he was pinned plumb in front and Ravi Bopara lasted just four balls before edging to Jimmy Adams at slip.ten Doeschate corrected the downturn with three successive fours off Gareth Berg and a straight six off Dawson. Lawrence had eight fours in his 83-ball half-century, achieved on the stroke of tea, including a particularly well-timed boundary off his hip against Holland.The captain was the third player to fifty when he drove Dawson through the covers to reach the milestone from 65 balls, courtesy of six fours and the day’s only six. But he fell, nibbling at an Ian Holland delivery outside off stump to give Adams a second catch.Wheater’s fifty against his old team came with an edge through the slips and had taken 74 balls with 10 fours. In quick succession, the sixth-wicket stand passed 100 in 23 overs and then Lawrence reached his century from 173 balls with 14 fours.Wheater had maintained Essex’s momentum but eventually departed when he was bowled by Dawson for 52.