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Fulham could return with another attempt to try and land Manchester United midfielder Fred later in the window, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Which clubs are interested in Fred?

According to Corriere dello Sport via Man Utd News, Manchester United will ask for around €10-15 million for Fred this summer and Turkish Super Lig outfit Galatasaray lead the race to sign the Brazil international.

Galatasaray are in negotiations with Manchester United regarding a possible deal for Fred, though no official bid from them has been submitted for the £120k-a-week ace. Lazio president Claudio Lotito holds an attraction towards Fred in addition; nevertheless, Maurizio Sarri isn't keen to bring the midfielder to the Stadio Olimpico this off-season.

The Daily Mail report that Fulham alongside clubs in Saudi Arabia retain an interest in Fred. Marco Silva is believed to be a huge fan of his abilities and would like to bring him to Craven Cottage if possible.

Nevertheless, the outlet claim that Manchester United will in fact demand £20 million for Fred before sanctioning his departure from Old Trafford. Fred has changed his agency and is unlikely to have a long-term future at Manchester United under Erik Ten Hag.

Last term, the 30-year-old made a whopping 56 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United, notching six goals and six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Sheth doesn't think the door is completely closed on Fulham returning to the table for Fred later this window.

Sheth stated: “There has been interest from Fulham. They couldn't agree on a fee simply because United were asking for too much money.

“Don't rule that one out, though, just yet. I think the later you go in the window and the more that United might think, ‘We want to bring in another midfielder’, Fulham might spot that as an opportunity to be able to do a deal on their terms rather than on what Manchester United would want at this stage of the transfer window.”

Who else could Fulham bring in this summer?

Fulham boss Silva will be desperate to bring in some extra bodies this summer to join new additions Raul Jimenez and Calvin Bassey at Craven Cottage to prepare his side for a second successive campaign back in the English top flight, as per Transfermarkt.

Nevertheless, uncertainty continues to rear its ugly head in west London as Aleksandar Mitrovic ploughs on with his attempts to force through a lucrative move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, as per The Daily Mail.

In terms of prospective incomings, Fulham are keen on Everton forward Demarai Gray and are willing to pay £7 million to offer the Jamaica international an escape route from Goodison Park, though the Toffees are seeking to recoup £10 million for his services, according to The Sun.

Chelsea outcast Callum Hudson-Odoi could be set to move to Fulham despite further interest from Lazio and Nottingham Forest, with the Cottagers believed to be in the box seat to convince the 22-year-old to sign on the dotted line in the final month of the window, as per Football Insider.

The New Zealand batsman was the top-scorer in the domestic Super Smash T20 competition, and made his international debut in a T20I against South Africa earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2017New Zealand batsman Glenn Phillips, who made his international debut in a T20I against South Africa earlier this year, is set to join Jamaica Tallawahs for CPL 2017.Auckland Cricket confirmed that 20-year-old Phillips will join Tallawahs as the franchise’s fifth overseas player, alongside Shakib Al Hasan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mohammad Sami and Imad Wasim.Phillips was the highest run-getter in New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition, the Super Smash, in the 2016-17 season with 369 runs in ten innings, at a strike rate of 143. He struck three fifties and a century in the tournament, becoming the first New Zealand player to hit centuries across first-class, List A and T20 formats in the same season.The performance earned him a call-up for the sole T20I on South Africa’s tour of New Zealand in February and he made his debut in Auckland.Tallawahs, the defending champions, have played two matches so far, with one win and a loss. Their assistance coach, Mark O’Donnell, who also coaches the Auckland Aces in New Zealand’s domestic set-up, said Phillips added value as a back-up wicketkeeper, too.”Glenn is valuable to any team he joins as he can turn a game on its head with his batting. He is also handy behind the stumps so to have him as a keeping option is also helpful for the Tallawahs.”

USMNT leged Clint Dempsey believes that the 2024 Copa America could either be the peak or end of boss Gregg Berhalter's tenure.

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• Dempsey gives exclusive Berhalter interview
• Believes Copa America is make-or-break for USMNT boss
• Says 'questions' will come about if bad performances arrive

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  On the set of with CBS Sports Soccer, Dempsey spoke to the Daily Mail about Berhalter's current form with the USMNT. The ex-striker believes, now, that the next year will define the American's time with the USA – NOT – the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The result of that tournament is in the past, and this is a new era for his squad, meaning they can only look forward.

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  Berhalter's performances of late have put him under the scrutiny of many after falling to Germany in an international friendly in October, and then suffering an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Concacaf Nations League in November. Now, with the biggest tournament of 2024 upon him, Dempsey believes that Copa America could define his tenure with the USMNT.

• WHAT DEMPSEY SAID

  "I think Copa America is truly how you're going to be graded for the team,' Dempsey told Mail Sport, 'And, you know, for the coaches, are we doing the right thing? Because you're not gonna get another bigger opportunity to do well in the World Cup on home soil in 2026. So if you do well in [the Copa America] and you're building towards something, then that's great. But if you're not, I think there's still time to change things if you need to.
  "You don't do well, then you're always on the chopping block,' Dempsey added. "That's what comes with every job, right? If you're not performing, the question starts to be asked. So I think there's still time to show what you can do. But I think Copa America is going to be a huge test for this team and for this coach in terms of where we're going."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

  The USSF have scheduled an international friendly against Slovenia for January 20, with the first test of the year for Berhalter and co. being against the EURO 2024 side. For now, though, Berhalter will be having his eyes on his player's club performances, especially that of Ricardo Pepi, who notched a stoppage-time winner for PSV in the Champions League Wednesday.

When Sunil Narine was introduced in the fifth over of Sunday’s game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, David Warner was busy razing the visitors. If anyone thought Narine’s arrival would herald a period of watchfulness from Warner, he dismissed such thoughts first ball, switch-hitting a six over short third man to register a fifty off 20 balls, halfway to what would become the fifth-fastest hundred in IPL cricket. After Sunrisers completed their 48-run thumping of KKR, Warner said his assault was planned.”It was great that I went out there and had a clear game plan,” Warner said at the post-match press conference. “I just said to the guys ‘commit to your shots’.”Speaking to the IPL website later, he elaborated on this plan to apply pressure on KKR, especially their spinners. “When you got a quality spin-bowling unit bowling against you, you always have to have a game plan. I try and take that risk out by backing my strengths. The reverse-sweep is one of my strengths.”I thought, tonight, I had to have that clear plan while playing and I did. I wanted to try and mix it up by coming down the wicket and putting a bit more pressure on them. I tried to make them bowl faster into the wicket. They bowled faster on a few occasions and didn’t at times. But that is the kind of game plan you’ve got to have.”Warner finished with 78 runs off 30 balls against the spinners, and Sunrisers’ opening stand amounted to 139 in 12.4 overs. However, Warner’s partner Shikhar Dhawan accounted for just 29 off those, off 30 balls. Warner said that was the kind of batting required of Dhawan at that stage.”I have to make a special mention of Shikhar Dhawan – the role that he played tonight,” Warner said. “I had to play that role [at the start of] last game when he was going all guns blazing. And Kane Williamson is unbelievable, he just comes and knocks it and gets a 40. It just sums it up for us.”Warner also praised 23-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who made the first breakthrough for Sunrisers in their defence of 209, and then claimed a well-set and threatening Robin Uthappa. “Siraj is learning on the go and that is what we expect. It is fantastic. That is the quality of this Sunrisers unit. We are not harsh critics, but we allow the guys to get chances, and the way he has come out and taken his chances is fantastic.”And it is great to have Bhuvneshwar Kumar there always talking to him. An experienced bowler like Bhuvi is of great help.”

AB de Villiers rallied the middle and lower order to help South Africa score 271 for 8 before their fast bowlers scripted New Zealand’s collapse for 112

The Report by Andrew McGlashan in Wellington25-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

McGlashan: NZ batting beginning to look a little flaky

AB de Villiers had called on his batsmen to take responsibility for an innings and he showed the way in Wellington as South Africa surged to a crushing 159-run victory. De Villiers’ controlled 85, during which he became the fastest player to 9000 ODI runs, turned the tables after a middle-order slide, then the pace bowlers combined with unnerving accuracy to dismantle New Zealand for 112 in the 33rd over.

Another Latham duck

6 Number of lower scores at home for New Zealand than the 112 they made against South Africa. This was also New Zealand’s lowest score against South Africa in ODIs. The previous lowest was 134 at Newlands in 1994.
3 Ducks scored by Tom Latham in his last four innings. Latham has scored 13 runs in this period.
5 Consecutive fifties for Quinton de Kock in ODIs. He equaled the record for most consecutive fifties for South Africa joining Jonty Rhodes. The overall record for most consecutive fifties is held by Javed Miandad who made nine such scores in 1987.

On a slower-than-normal pitch that offered assistance for seamers, especially in the evening, South Africa’s 271 for 8 – bolstered by a seventh-wicket stand of 84 in 10.4 overs between de Villiers and Wayne Parnell – had the makings of a demanding chase and it soon proved that way.Kagiso Rabada, back in the side after missing Christchurch, set the tone with an exemplary new-ball spell. He was followed by Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius who removed the cream of New Zealand’s batting by nabbing Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the space of five deliveries. The pair bowled nine overs between them in their first spells, returning figures of 4 for 16, in the sort of seam-friendly conditions that could be on show in the Champions Trophy. Pretorius finished with 3 for 5 from 5.2 overs.New Zealand had entered this match buoyed by their batting performance at Hagley Oval, but this display will raise a few concerns as they fell in a heap in a manner not often seen. Tom Latham collected his third duck in four ODI innings and there was another failure for Neil Broom.They had made one change, replacing legspinner Ish Sodhi with the pace of Lockie Ferguson and may ponder if that was correct after he went for 71 in his 10 overs – the most expensive bowling performance of the day.Quinton de Kock, with his fifth 50-plus ODI score in a row, and Faf du Plessis led South Africa to 114 for 1 in the 23rd over but then followed a collapse of 5 for 66. Colin de Grandhomme gave New Zealand the control they strived for, claiming two wickets in four deliveries and bowling his 10 overs straight through, while Mitchell Santner produced another impressive performance of left-arm spin.De Grandhomme removed du Plessis who riffled a drive low to mid-off, then in what is becoming a habit on this tour, de Kock picked out the leg-side field having set himself for a century. He hung his head and could barely drag himself off.De Villiers was greeted by a hostile delivery from Ferguson which rammed into his gloves but quickly ticked off the five runs he needed to jump past Sourav Ganguly to top the 9000 list. However, senior batsmen came and went. JP Duminy, who had struggled for fluency, was run out by a direct hit from Tim Southee at backward point and David Miller chipped a low catch to midwicket which was upheld by the third umpire.AB de Villiers scored his 51st ODI half-century•AFP

In each of the three matches in this series, someone from the lower order has stepped forward for South Africa. It wasn’t Pretorius this time – he was bowled by Ferguson – but Parnell helped de Villiers stop New Zealand in their tracks.De Villiers had been above a run-a-ball early in his innings, but bided his time as he lost partners for the closing overs. Back-to-back boundaries off Ferguson, rasping shots through midwicket and cover, hustled him through the 40s and the half-century came from 59 deliveries. He went from 39 off 51 balls to 85 off 80; it was not one of de Villiers’ more explosive innings, but it was a masterclass in repairing damage, judging conditions and not overreaching.And his efforts were soon put into context. Latham middled a square drive but picked out point. Dean Brownlie then feathered to the keeper off Rabada who found considered seam movement and proceeded to work over Williamson.Williamson was dropped at slip on 4 by Hashim Amla off Parnell and alongside Taylor weathered the new balls for a period although scoring was always hard work and the pressure did not relent.Phehlukwayo had conceded just four runs into his third over when Williamson, trying to dab the ball to third man, played into his stumps and in the next over, Taylor fell across a full, straight delivery from Pretorius. He was not far off walking for the lbw decision. The stuffing had been knocked out of New Zealand’s innings and there was precious little else on offer. Broom’s poke outside off against Phehlukwayo was a poor shot and Pretorius’ miserly spell, as he nipped the ball around off the seam under the lights, also accounted for Mitchell Santner.New Zealand’s total was their lowest completed innings at home since being bowled out for 73 by Sri Lanka, in Auckland in 2007, and the result their heaviest runs defeat to South Africa.

ESPNcricinfo is set to start the County Championship Cricket season with a bang as it sets off on a cross-country road trip which aims to take in action from every match on the opening day of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2017ESPNcricinfo is set to start the County Championship Cricket season with a bang as it sets off on a cross-country road trip which aims to take in action from every match on the opening day of the season.Dan Norcross and Ebony Rainford-Brent will be taking on the ESPN #CountyCricketLive Road Trip as they try to see a ball of cricket at each match on Friday, April 7. The pair will attempt to visit six grounds, witnessing cricket in three Division One matches and three Division Two contests on the day.To mark their arrival at each venue, the pair will reprise their familiar roles as radio broadcasters by attempting to commentate on at least one delivery of the BBC’s local radio coverage.The challenge starts at 11am in Leeds at Headingley with Yorkshire v Hampshire, then Norcross and Rainford-Brent will travel down the M1 to Grace Road for Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire, followed by Northampton where Northamptonshire host Glamorgan at the County Ground.After navigating the M25, Chelmsford will be their next stop, for Essex v Lancashire at the County Ground, before they head down the M2 to visit the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury as Kent face Gloucestershire. The final leg of the journey will see the duo race down to London and The Oval, where Surrey are playing Warwickshire, trying to catch some action before play ends at around 6pm.The journey will see the pair competing against traffic as well as the clock, and they will keep cricket fans up to date using ESPNcricinfo’s #CountyCricketLive, sharing live updates, pictures and video throughout the day. The hashtag is an extension of the site’s comprehensive county coverage and live county cricket blog, which in October 2016 won “Online Publication of the Year” for the fifth year running in the ECB’s County Journalism Awards.”The first day of the county cricket season is one of the great days in the British sporting calendar,” said Andrew Miller, ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. “We’re very excited to start the campaign with this celebration of the game. Dan and Ebony are a great pairing and they are looking forward to the challenge. It’s the perfect complement to ESPNcricinfo’s in-depth coverage of the day, which includes writers covering the matches at all three of the Division One venues.”You can track our progress throughout the day on ESPNcricinfo’s social media channels across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Christian Pulisic believes leaving Chelsea for AC Milan was the “perfect step for my career” after enjoying a dream debut for the Serie A giants.

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• American forward bid farewell to Chelsea
• Embracing a new challenge in Italy
• Already up and running for the Rossoneri

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international spent four years in England at Stamford Bridge, but is now taking on a new challenge in Italy after completing a €22 million (£19m/$24m) transfer to San Siro. He has made the perfect start to life in Italy, with a flurry of pre-season assists followed by a stunning goal on his league bow for the Rossoneri against Bologna.

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  Pulisic has told of opening his account in style for new employers: “It was a fantastic start, for sure. I’m really excited to be a part of this team. The two early goals really helped us, because it was a difficult game after that. For me just a great start personally, nice to get a goal, while a clean sheet and a win are always nice.” He added on linking up with ex-Chelsea team-mates Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in Milan: “It was just speaking with those guys like Olivier, we had some good experiences together. I played with Fikayo, I played with Ruben and the connection is there, as you saw tonight. It was great to get the assist from Oli again. It just felt like the perfect step for my career, I feel really welcome and excited to be part of this club.”

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  Pulisic often struggled to nail down a regular starting role at Chelsea, amid fierce competition for places and regular fitness struggles, but he is setting lofty targets in Italy. He said of his goals for 2023-24: “We want to fight to win this championship of course, to compete for all the titles we can. Personally it is to continue creating and scoring goals the way I did tonight and to help this team win titles.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  After getting off the mark on the road for Milan, Pulisic will be hoping to make his home debut on Saturday when the Rossoneri play host to Torino.

Jason Roy is little more than a year into ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2016Jason Roy is little more than a year into his ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month. In the absence of Alex Hales, who pulled out of the tour over fears about security, Roy will take to the field alongside a new partner, beginning with England’s first warm-up match in Fatullah on Tuesday.Roy has opened with Hales in 27 of his 29 innings, building an impressive record together since the 2015 World Cup. The hugely impressive but uncapped Ben Duckett has been tipped to take Hales’ place, although England appear to be considering a return to the top of the order for Moeen Ali.”Whoever comes in deserves a go,” Roy said. “They are going to get a huge opportunity to state their mark on international cricket. Whether it’s Duckett or Moeen, I’ve been batting with a few of the guys, I don’t know yet – I just get on with it. We get on that well we don’t need to worry.”Joining up with the boys now, been away for a couple of weeks, it’s straight back in. We have great team cohesion. I won’t think of myself as the senior partner – we are all equal, just crack on and maybe try help whoever it is out. If it is the new man Duckett, he might be nervous, but he deserves to be here.”Moeen has only opened once in ODIs since the World Cup, when Hales hurt his back in the field against Sri Lanka at The Oval earlier this year. If he is asked to open, that could leave Duckett competing with James Vince for a spot at No. 3.Roy is among a handful of batsmen to have scored 1000-plus ODI runs at a 100-plus strike rate and he said that he will try to bat the way he has so far in his short career, in which he has found early success. He said he considers himself far from being the finished product as an international batsman and is focused on developing himself as a consistent match-winner.”I still have lots of work to do, loads more runs, a few more hundreds,” Roy said. “I don’t really settle for mediocrity. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I want to improve and win more games for England but I’m pretty happy with where my game is. I’ve matured playing in big games.”I probably won’t change my approach mentally, but maybe a couple of things technically. Really it’s all very similar, trying to get the team off to a good start – the first 15-20 balls are going to be huge, getting myself in. Like I said, we have just had one real net session today so we will assess how the game goes tomorrow and go from there.”Roy said that the hot and humid conditions in Bangladesh – the temperature was around 33C in Mirpur on Monday, with 75% humidity – will need some time to get acclimatised, but he hopes to be prepared for the first ODI on Friday. Roy suffered a dizzy spell in a game against Pakistan in August and will know the importance of taking on fluids.”You don’t really think about it too much,” he said. “You’ve just got to get on with your job. It can be draining but that’s what training days and practice matches are for, so that when we come to Friday we are ready.”You don’t realise how much you are sweating and the next minute you can feel a bit weird. Concentration will be key, just keeping yourself ticking over and batting for as long as possible.”

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play

Arun Venugopal24-Aug-2016
ScorecardAbhinav Mukund followed up a fifty on the opening day with an unbeaten 162 in India Red’s second innings•PTI

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play. Thanks to Nathu Singh’s six-for, India Red needed only a little more than 10 overs to bowl out India Green in the afternoon, before going to stumps on 344 for 3. The centerpiece of their second innings was the 240-run alliance between Abhinav and Chatterjee.

Abhinav Mukund on…

His innings: It’s been a long time since I scored such a big hundred, so I put my mind to it. I haven’t batted under lights so I was a bit more focused and I wanted to concentrate – I had worked a lot on my fitness – and I wanted to prove that. I have been on the field through both the days so definitely towards the end I was tiring a bit, but I wanted to push [myself] mentally and carry on.
Batting with Sudip Chatterjee: I have played with him for Vijay CC, so we have batted together before. We knew things would get easier if we gritted it out initially. I just told him to hang on because it takes a bit of time to get set with the new ball.
Behaviour of the pink ball: I think the ball came on to the bat much better in the evening session. There was a little bit of seam movement initially with the new ball, and it’s starting to turn a little bit. It is also skidding on a little bit so it is slightly harder to play the spinners. Shreyas Gopal was giving it a good rip. I think it (the pitch) is dry underneath, that is why it’s turning.

With Abhinav still at the crease, unbeaten on 162, and with recognised batsmen to follow, India Green’s bowlers and fielders might have to work overtime. In any event, the side’s misery was to a certain extent self-inflicted with some slipshod fielding – they dropped four catches – and profligate bowling.The narrative on day two was nothing like the first day: 379 runs were scored for the loss of six wickets, as opposed to 277 for 17 on Tuesday; bowlers 1- batsmen 1. Two factors, though, remained constant. First, the pink ball itself has not had a disproportionately heavy bearing on either outcome. The second factor was Abhinav.His effort was remarkable as much for its longevity – he batted for more than five hours – as its unhurried rhythm. There was no dulling of tempo, however, as his strike-rate constantly remained upwards of 75. While Abhinav might want to offer a quiet ‘thank you’ to India Green captain Suresh Raina, who dropped him on 66 and 92, the reprieves seemed little more than an incentive for his positive, risk-free approach.If Abhinav’s 22nd first-class hundred was the well-rehearsed jig of an accomplished dancer, Chatterjee’s was a laboured effort enhanced by improvisations. After having made only 5 in the first innings, Chatterjee took 18 balls to score his first run, but the longer he stayed the more irritated India Green’s bowlers became. By the time he scored his sixth first-class hundred, Chatterjee’s strike-rate had crossed 60. Chatterjee’s first false stroke in a long period – an ill-timed sweep – eventually saw him trapped lbw to Shreyas Gopal, but Abhinav, and later Gurkeerat Singh, ensured the show went on.India Red entered the afternoon needing three wickets to bowl out their opponents, and despite Saurabh Tiwary’s fifty and a rain interruption, Nathu made light work of the tail. When the second session began, it was, at least in parts, a re-run of the first afternoon’s play: Abhinav alternated between leaving and driving the ball with equal assurance, Ashok Dinda leap-charged his way to banging the ball on the shorter side of full length, and Sandeep Sharma did the un-Dinda thing by pitching the ball up to bring swing into play. The most conspicuous change from the first innings was the approach of the India Red batsmen. Sample this: Dinda went for Srikar Bharat’s throat, like on Tuesday, and Bharat responded with a pull – this time he was on top of the ball rather than the other way around – in front of square for six.Pink ball or not, Abhinav was not going to deviate from a formula fare. He left anything on a length around the off stump, especially with the new ball, while driving, punching and upper-cutting – his release shot in the first innings – errant deliveries. He made matters worse by pinching sharp singles to further throw India Green off gear. The most abiding visual of Chatterjee’s innings was his well stretched-out forward defence, but sneakily he worked his way towards a bigger score. As he grew in confidence, the cuts and the drives became a more regular occurrence.India Green’s fielding, particularly that of Ankit Rajpoot, was a throwback to the Indian fast bowler of the 1990s. While he offered a cheeky boot to halt cover drives, he was let balls slip through, or reacted late to a catch – one such somnolent attempt let Chatterjee off the hook when he was on 74.Raina himself appeared lost, and was intermittently off the field, leaving Parthiv Patel in charge. The wickets of Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh late in the day offered India Green a sudden shot of enthusiasm, which they will need to build on over the next two days.

The tale of an utterly one-sided contest was summed up neatly by the reactions of the two dressing rooms when Middlesex finally finished Hampshire off

Will Macpherson at Merchant Taylors' School01-Jun-2016
ScorecardJames Fuller impressed on his Championship debut for Middlesex (file photo)•PA PhotosThe tale of an utterly one-sided contest was summed up neatly by the reactions of the two dressing rooms when Middlesex finally finished Hampshire off.Middlesex, who took maximum points having waited six painstaking, flat-decked, rain-wrecked draws for a win, sang their long-awaited team song raucously and enjoyed a couple of cleansing, hard-earned beers. Hampshire, seven days after a brilliant win over Nottinghamshire, sat down for a 20-minute, sombre-sounding debrief. They had been trounced – out-batted, out-bowled and out-fought, and only the rain had prevented an innings defeat from arriving sooner. They claimed just one bonus point but subsequently lost it, and another point too, for a shoddy over-rate. They left with one point fewer than they arrived and joined Surrey at the foot of Division One.It was the pace and carry of James Fuller, who took a five-wicket haul on his Championship debut for Middlesex, that finally did for Hampshire. Fuller was signed from Gloucestershire primarily to help Middlesex remedy their white-ball woes but, having impressed all and sundry with a simple, friendly attitude and the ability to bowl 90mph, he was handed a debut here with Steven Finn – who popped by for that post-match beer – on England duty and James Harris rested.Having had a bye in week one, this was Middlesex’s seventh consecutive game. Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones bowled brilliantly, picking up six and five wickets respectively, but Fuller’s fresher legs, and the extra bounce they helped generate, were invaluable.It was Roland-Jones, as so often, who picked up the first of the six wickets his team required, as Joe Weatherley – who looked a cricketer at ease on Championship debut – lost his off-bail. More like his director of cricket, Angus Fraser, by the day – in gait and bowling style – Roland-Jones is simply the kind of cricketer who makes his team-mates look better.In the field, it is hard to recall an error. With the bat, coming in at No. 10 when many sage judges believe he could be as high as seven, he so often adds useful runs. With the ball, he bowls long spells off an even longer run-up and can play the pacy enforcer – as he did for much of the match here – or nag on line and length.Roland-Jones was left frustrated for the rest of the day, just missing the outside edge or, when he found it, the nick not quite finding a hand. After Weatherley fell, Jimmy Adams dug in, as he had late on Monday and during the 17 overs on Tuesday, to make 78, pulling when Roland-Jones dropped short and clipping neatly off his legs, too.Adam Wheater drove nicely and the pair shared 53 before falling in consecutive overs. James Franklin made the vital breakthrough, having Adams lbw, then Wheater failed to move his feet and was caught at the wicket to become the first of Fuller’s three on the day. A brief shower brought an early lunch shortly after.Fuller’s first four balls upon resumption were as short and sharp as any in the match. With the trap set, Tino Best tried – and failed – to hook all three. The fourth was fuller and Best simply found mid-on, just as he had in the first innings. It is hard to recall notably animated celebrators Middlesex, irked at the beamer Best bowled Adam Voges on day two and angry at the way he had been speaking to their close fielders in the short period before lunch, toasting a dismissal more raucously. After his second pair in consecutive matches, Best was told exactly where to go, and it would have been noted that he did not return for a handshake at day’s end.Before then, Mason Crane had some fun, edging for the rafters, but soon slapped Fuller to point and, after Ryan McLaren – who lacked luck throughout the game – played some fine strokes to delay the inevitable, James Tomlinson edged Ollie Rayner to slip.There was much to discuss at Hampshire’s debrief. Best, in many ways, appears to be becoming an apt embodiment of the team as a whole; brilliant on the good days – such as the spectacular win over Nottinghamshire last week when he was so electric – but miserable on the worst ones (these were very much four of the worst ones), and with an injury never far away. For all those injuries, as their captain Will Smith pointed out afterwards, of this XI only Weatherley and Crane have played fewer than 100 first-class matches, yet performances remain brittle and bipolar.”It seems to be a pattern for us in this format,” Smith said. “When we have our backs to the wall, we do something, like we did last week, but it’s about having that mentality from ball one and not getting yourselves into these situations.”A couple more weeks like this, you sense, and last year’s great escape will be required all over again.