ernationals, while Bowden umpired his 200th earlier this year; Alee

ROME -- With Edin Dzeko improving match by match and Arkadiusz Milik down and out, Roma has overtaken Napoli as the top challenger to Juventus in Serie A.Dzeko scored twice in Romas 3-1 win at Napoli over the weekend, giving him a league-best seven goals in eight league appearances this season -- just one less than he scored in 31 appearances in his first season with Roma.Initially a disappointment after transferring from Manchester City in August 2015, Dzeko is now displaying the same ruthlessness in front of goal as in his best seasons in the Premier League.Still, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti is not satisfied.Edin is an exceptional player but considering the skills that he has hes still not fully taking advantage of them, Spalletti said.The win moved Roma into second place, five points behind five-time defending champion Juventus.Its too early to say, even though its evident that if we play these matches like this we can attempt to be the anti-Juve, Spalletti said.Napoli, meanwhile, needs to find a better solution with Milik out for six months after tearing a ligament on international duty. The Poland striker had a great start to the season and replacement Manolo Gabbiadini looked lackluster at center forward against Roma.Gabbiadini was booed by the crowd at the San Paolo Stadium after getting replaced by Dries Mertens early in the second half.The energetic Mertens was one of the few bright spots for Napoli and looks to have earned a spot in the lineup against Besiktas in the Champions League on Wednesday.Meanwhile, 40-year-old Roma captain Francesco Totti should play in a Europa League match against Austria Vienna on Thursday after being left on the bench for two straight games.Here are a few other things learned over the weekend in Italian soccer:---JUVES LUXURIES: That Juventus can still win with an error by Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain on the bench has to be worrisome to its rivals.Buffon gifted an early goal to Udinese but Paulo Dybala responded with two scores in a 2-1 win over Udinese that saw Higuain stay on the bench until midway through the second half -- after all of the goals had been scored.The Bianconeri visit Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.---MILANS YOUTH MOVEMENT: AC Milan has consistently featured the youngest team in Serie A and two teenagers were in the starting lineup in a 3-1 win at Chievo Verona that moved the Rossoneri up to third place, level on points with Roma.Seventeen-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma has been a fixture in goal for Milan and 18-year-old midfielder Manuel Locatelli has taken on extra responsibilities since captain Riccardo Montolivo was sidelined for six months with another injury.With Silvio Berlusconi in negotiations to sell a majority stake in the club to Chinese investors, Milan is aiming to return to European competition after a three-year absence.Were starting to smell it, Milan coach Vincenzo Montella said.Up next for Milan, which is on a five-match unbeaten run and won four of five, is a home game against Juventus on Saturday.The last time Milan collected 16 or more points over its first eight matches was in 2010-11, when the Rossoneri won their last title.---INTER, ICARDI IN CRISIS: Mauro Icardi risks being stripped of Inter Milans captaincy after taking aim at the clubs hard-core ultra fans in his autobiography.Things only got worse for Icardi after he missed a penalty in a 2-1 loss to Cagliari -- his third miss in his last four penalty attempts.While Inter beat Juventus in September, the Nerazzurri are now on a three-match winless streak in the league and risk being eliminated from the Europa League when they host Southampton on Thursday following embarrassing losses to Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Sparta Prague.---CRAZY GOALS: With 10 goals in six matches, former Italy forward Giampaolo Pazzini has helped Hellas Verona to the top of Serie B and is on pace to break Luca Tonis modern-day scoring record for the second division.Pazzini, nicknamed il Pazzo -- the crazy one -- scored twice in a 4-1 win at Ascoli on Saturday.Toni scored 30 goals with Palermo in 2003-04 and paired with Pazzini at Verona until he retired at the end of last season. Toni is now a member of Veronas staff.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Cheap Air Jordans Australia . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Jordan Shoes Sale Australia . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. http://www.cheapairjordanaustraliaonline.com/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Cheap Jordan Shoes Australia . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Air Jordan Shoes Australia Online . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. There were ten DRS reviews in Englands first innings at Chittagong - this must have been a record?! asked Derek Giles from England The remarkable run of reviews - most of them seemingly involving Moeen Ali - during Englands first innings against Bangladesh in Chittagong last week did indeed constitute a new record for Tests. The previous mark seems to be eight, in Sri Lankas first innings of 388 against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013-14. Indias S Ravi, the hard-pressed third official in the Chittagong Test, was one of the on-field umpires in Dubai.Was Mehedi Hasan the youngest bowler to take five wickets in an innings on Test debut? asked Feroze Hossain from Bangladesh Bangladeshs precocious new offspinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz was five days short of his 19th birthday when he took five wickets on the first day of his Test debut, against England in Chittagong last week. He ended up next day with 6 for 80. Three younger bowlers have taken debut five-fors. Shahid Nazir was 18 years and 319 days old when he claimed 5 for 53 for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996-97, while another Pakistan cricketer, Shahid Afridi, was 18 years and 236 days when he took 5 for 52 in his first Test, against Australia in Karachi in 1998-99. But the youngest debutant of all to do it was Australian Pat Cummins, aged 18 years and 196 days when he took 6 for 79 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12 - in what, sadly, remains his only Test to date, because of various injuries.The youngest bowler to take a five-for in any Test was Nasim-ul-Ghani, who was only 16 when he took 5 for 116 for Pakistan against West Indies in Georgetown in 1957-58 - that was his fourth Test, having made his debut earlier in the series. A slow left-armer, Nasim added 6 for 67 in the fifth Test in Port-of-Spain. Another Pakistani, Mohammad Amir, was only 17 when he took 5 for 79 against Australia in Melbourne in 2009-10, in his seventh Test. In all, 12 bowlers have taken Test five-fors when younger than Mehedi. The only other Bangladeshi to do it was Enamul Haque junior, against Zimbabwe in 2004-05, not long after his 18th birthday.The BBCs Test Match Special statistician Andrew Samson revealed that the only spinner to take more wickets than Mehedi on his first day of Test cricket was Alf Valentine, the West Indian slow left-armer, who took the first eight to fall on his debut against England at Old Trafford in 1950. The only other one to take five was slow left-armer Albert Rose-Innes, in South Africas inaugural Test, against England in Port Elizabeth in 1888-89.Gareth Batty broke the record for the longest gap between Test appearances, but who holds the same record in ODIs and Twenty20s? asked Savo Ceprnich from South Africa England played 142 Tests between Gareth Battys seventh Test - against Bangladesh in Chester-le-Street in June 2005 - and his eighth, after his recall for the first match of the current series, in Chittagong. That broke the previous record for matches missed, 114 by Martin Bicknell for England between 1993 and 2003.The equivalent record for one-day internationals is a dizzying 271 matches missed, by New Zealands Jeff Wilson between 1992-93 and 2004-05. Goldie Wilson had a pretty good excuse: he was carving out a very successful rugby career with the New Zealand All Blacks during most off that time.dddddddddddd Floyd Reifer missed 254 West Indies ODIs between 1998-99 and his recall in 2009, as captain during a contracts dispute. The record for T20 internationals is currently held by Englands Liam Plunkett, who missed 74 between June 2006 and November 2015. He was run close earlier this year by Farveez Maharoof, who was recalled by Sri Lanka in July after missing 72 T20 internationals.Battys time gap between Test appearances - 11 years and 137 days - was noteworthy, but not a record: hes only 17th on that particular list. John Traicos went 22 years and 222 days between Test appearances (for South Africa in 1969-70 and Zimbabwe in 1992-93), while England batsman George Gunn played no Tests for almost 18 years between 1911-12 and 1929-30, when he was 50. Gareth Batty opened the bowling in both innings of his comeback Test at Chittagong. Who was the last England spinner to do this? asked Kamran Muhammad from Pakistan This is, as you suspect, quite rare - although Mehedi Hasan also did it for Bangladesh in Chittagong - and the last England slow bowler to do it before Batty is hardly a household name. It was the Nottinghamshire offspinner Sam Staples, in the last of his three Test appearances, against South Africa in Durban in 1927-28. He took 3 for 96 and 1 for 30 as South Africa won the match and squared the series 2-2. The list of those to have done it includes Kumar Dharmasena, one of the umpires in Chittagong, who took the new ball in both innings for Sri Lanka against Australia in Galle in March 2004. He wasnt very successful (2 for 52 and 0 for 100), and it turned out to be the last of his 31 Test matches as a player.Which current umpire has stood in the most internationals? asked Rajan Gokhale from India The only current umpire to have stood in more than 100 Tests is Aleem Dar, with 105; overall, he is behind only Steve Bucknor (128 between 1989 and 2009) and Rudi Koertzen (108 between 1992 and 2010). Theres a long gap to the next member of the current elite umpires panel, Ian Gould, who has stood in 53 Tests so far, although Billy Bowden, who stood in a Test in 2015, has done 84 in all. Koertzen stood in a record 209 one-day internationals, while Bowden umpired his 200th earlier this year; Aleem Dar is currently on 182, but he does lead the way for T20Is with 41. Overall, Dar has umpired 328 international matches in all three formats, and is set to overtake Koertzens grand total of 331 soon. Bucknor (309) and Bowden (308) come next.Whats the fastest hundred by a wicketkeeper in one-day internationals? asked Ajay Avachare from India The fastest hundred in all one-day internationals was smashed in just 31 balls by AB de Villiers for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January, 2015 - and, in addition to captaining, AB also kept wickets in that game. The record he broke, as far as wicketkeepers are concerned, was set by another South African in September, 2006: Mark Boucher sprinted to three figures in only 44 balls against Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom. Boucher remains fourth on the overall list, behind only de Villiers, Corey Anderson (36 balls) and Shahid Afridi (37).Post your questions in the comments below ' ' '