Russians in £35m bid for Mancini!

Roberto Mancini has been offered £35million to manage World Cup hosts Russia as contract talks with Manchester City drag into another week.

Roberto Mancini

Sources in Russia claimed on Saturday night that Mancini had agreed to take over the national team in a six-year deal that would see him in charge when they host the World Cup in 2018. 

However, City quickly rebuffed the story, insisting the Italian will join club players at their preseason training camp in Austria on Sunday and that negotiations over a new contract would be 'concluded' positively in the week.

Read more: Daily Mail

Emirates interested to host Pakistan-Australia series

The Emirates Cricket Board has offered help to their Pakistani counterparts, allowing them to host their home series against Australia in UAE.

Earlier, the contest was scheduled to take place on Lankan soil and both boards were in the final stages of giving the series a go ahead. However, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board retracted from their comments following the announcement of the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League – which will kick-start during the same period as the proposed International series, in August.

PCB are now contemplating other suitable venues with South Africa, Malaysia and Zimbabwe among the most preferred options. UAE had been given a thought but was initially overlooked as it coincided with the holy month of Ramazan, along with the hot summer conditions.