Reports suggest the Brazilian club is willing to pay up to $14 million for the player, but his priority is a move to Europe
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The race for qualification is hotting up going into the final round of group games
Sampath Bandarupalli29-Aug-2022Related
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Mady Villiers four-for, London Spirit rumbled for 80 as Invincibles qualify
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Hartley takes four as Originals hammer Phoenix to close in on knockout spot
Trent Rockets currently top the table in the men’s Hundred•ECB/Getty ImagesMen’s tournament
Match 29, Trent Rockets (Wins 5) vs Welsh Fire (Wins 0):
Trent Rockets have the best chance to strengthen their case for direct qualification to the final, alongside sealing their berth in the play-offs. They face Welsh Fire in their last league game, a team that has lost all seven matches. A win in this fixture will make Rockets the first team to qualify for the play-offs this season, but their place in the final depends on net run rate (NRR). Rockets are about five runs ahead of London Spirit’s NRR, the only other team who can finish on 12 points.Rockets would then hope Spirit either lose to Birmingham Phoenix or the winning margin be no more than five runs better than their victory margin against Welsh Fire. Rockets can still seal their play-offs qualification even if they lose against Welsh Fire, if their losing margin is no more than 48 runs (In a 150-run chase) or 31 balls to spare. If Rockets lose by a heavier margin, they will need to root for Spirit to win against Phoenix or lose by a narrow margin on Tuesday.Match 30, London Spirit (Wins 5) vs Birmingham Phoenix (Wins 4):
A 79-run defeat against Manchester Originals has left Birmingham Phoenix on the brink of elimination. However, they still have an outside chance of making it to the play-offs. They will need a big win in their last league match against London Spirit – by 42 runs or 28 balls to spare approximately. Any win margin less than that would end their road in the tournament unless Rockets lose by more than 48 runs to Welsh Fire on Monday, which would be an unlikely result.While Phoenix aim for a huge win to qualify for the play-offs, Spirit will be making their calculations to get a direct place in the final. If Rockets lose against Fire, a win would be enough for Spirit to make it to Lord’s. However, if Rockets win on Monday, Spirit will need a winning margin against Phoenix that is about six runs higher than Rockets’ win margin.Match 32, Manchester Originals (Wins 4) vs Oval Invincibles (Wins 4):
The final league game of the season between Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles will be a virtual play-off to finish in the top three. The winning team gets closer to the title, while the losing team gets knocked out. If Rockets and Spirit lose their respective final league matches, the winning team among Originals and Invincibles will likely qualify directly for the final based on their better NRR.Birmingham Phoenix were on the brink of qualification before defeat to Manchester Originals•Getty ImagesWomen’s tournament
Southern Brave or Oval Invincibles – Battle for top spot:
Southern Brave, despite winning all the five matches they played, not yet assured of a direct route to the final. A win over Northern Superchargers in their last game would guarantee top spot, but they can achieve this despite a loss if second-placed Oval Invincibles do not win big in their final league match against Manchester Originals. If Brave lose to Superchargers by ten runs (in a 125-run chase), Invincibles should not win by more than 11 runs or six balls (in the case of a first-innings total of 125).Birmingham Phoenix – Wins 3, Points 6:
Birmingham Phoenix were a win away from securing their top three finish, but an 18-run loss against Manchester Originals on Sunday left the table open. They now face threats from Trent Rockets, Originals and Superchargers, all tied on four points.If Phoenix can defeat London Spirit in their last league game, they will bin all the scenarios and join Brave and Invincibles in the play-offs. If Rockets win by 12 or more runs, or with ten or more balls to spare (assuming a first-innings total of 125) against Welsh Fire, they will put Phoenix in a position where they cannot afford to lose in their last match.Rockets, Originals and Superchargers – What are their chances?
Trent Rockets are more likely to finish in the top three than Originals and Superchargers, due to their better NRR. However, all three teams would need Phoenix to lose against Spirit on Tuesday. The margin of Phoenix’s defeat will not matter for Rockets if they get the better of Welsh Fire by 12 runs or ten balls. But Originals and Superchargers will need big wins for qualification as they are currently 33 and 42 runs behind the Phoenix’s NRR.
It’s entirely possible a patched-up England will lose next week, but for now the tour narrative has changed
Andrew Miller09-Jan-2022Two Sydney Tests, 11 years apart. The first of which concluded in an atmosphere akin to the Last Night of the Proms, as a packed auditorium of flag-waving England fans thronged the Brewongle and Trumper Stands to sing hosannahs to Andrew Strauss’ all-conquering heroes as they went through the final-day motions to wrap up their third innings victory of a 3-1 series win.The second occasion, on the other hand, was more like the Last Fight of the Poms – a rather more sparse choir of ex-pat Englishmen singing “Football’s Coming Home” didn’t have quite the same impact on the acoustics, even if the loins of a much-lampooned batting line-up managed to be sufficiently girded in the circumstances.And the acclaim at the moment of “victory” wasn’t quite as raucous either – more of a collective exhaling than a mass outpouring, as James Anderson did the needful to see off Steven Smith’s final legbreak of a tricksy two-over spell.Related
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Nevertheless, between those two SCG finales lies a barren wasteland of Ashes ignominy in Australia – 12 defeats in 13 Tests to be precise, and if the last one to get away, the Melbourne Test of 2017-18, was a more statistically dominant display thanks to Alastair Cook’s 244, then the moribund nature of the pitch had drained the contest of any jeopardy long before its end.So this is it then. This drawn dead-rubber contest is the high point of more than a decade of Ashes-tour batterings – a match that was still a solitary wicket away from being yet another 100-plus-run defeat, and which might have gone the same way as England’s last attempted rearguard, in Adelaide in December, but for the loss of seven crucial overs to rain.”It’s a small step forward,” Joe Root, England’s captain, rightly put it at the close. “Coming into the game, I spoke about putting some pride back into English cricket, and the fight and the desire and the character shown today, and throughout the five days, has shown that in a small way. I’m really proud of the way the guys dug in.”Celebrating a losing draw is not really the done thing in cricket – in 2005, Australia’s euphoria after clinging on at Old Trafford was seized upon by England’s captain Michael Vaughan as evidence of how the balance of that particular series had shifted, so who knows what it would have said of the current state of this rivalry if England had dared to get too giddy about this dead-rubber lock-out.And yet, sometimes, all you can ask is for someone to stop the rot. After the humiliation in Melbourne last month, where England’s final-day 68 surrendered the Ashes within barely an hour of day three, 5-0 was writ large across this contest. There was no fight left in the squad, and consequently there was no hope. And without even that to fall back on, there was no point.Now? Well, it’s a stretch to suggest that England have even turned a corner with this performance. They managed, by the skin of Anderson’s bat, to avoid losing ten wickets in a single day’s play, but they still haven’t managed a total in excess of 300 in eight innings of this campaign, while Usman Khawaja – with twin hundreds in his Player-of-the-Match display – has already made more runs in the series than any England batter bar the ubiquitous Joe Root.But there was a substance to England’s display in Sydney that simply had not materialised outside of Root and Dawid Malan’s abortive alliances in Brisbane and Adelaide. Jonny Bairstow’s pluck was backed up in both innings by Ben Stokes, who found the cussed mood that had eluded him during the sharp end of the series, when he had played like a man who was too busy reacquainting himself with his bat to get distracted by such niceties as the match situation.Stokes’ movement may have been restricted by the side strain that he suffered while bowling on the second day, but Root dropped a sizeable hint that he’ll be fronting up in Hobart, irrespective of the injury.”It seemed to refocus him when it came to him to bat,” Root said. “You could see that look in his eye which we’ve seen a couple of times before. His performance with the bat was more like Ben Stokes near his best, which is a really exciting thing to see going into the last game.”Root noticed a “clarity” in Zak Crawley’s game, which he feels will “give him a huge amount of confidence” going forward•Getty ImagesAnd then there was Zak Crawley, whose Test career reads like the static on a badly-tuned long-wave radio – intermittent bursts of clarity interspersed with frustrating hisses and wails. No England player all series long has looked as assured or domineering as he did during his 77 from 100 balls in this final innings, just as his 53 on the first morning in Ahmedabad in February had given a thrillingly misleading outlook to a match that England would lose inside two days.It takes some tekkers to make batting look quite as easy as Crawley has done on the occasions when everything has clicked – most famously during his 267 against Pakistan in 2020, which was then followed by a total of 173 runs at 10.81 in his next eight Tests in 2021. But having come into this latest contest with the bullish prediction that he’d make a century in Sydney, Crawley departs with the respect of such luminaries as Ricky Ponting, who declared on Channel 7’s coverage that “there’s something about this young man”.”You’ve got to have a really good understanding, individually, of what you need to do to score runs,” Root said. “That clarity was there for Zak in this game. His tempo, his rhythm, he looked very in control which will give him a huge amount of confidence moving forward.”With his 24th birthday coming up next month, there should be something about Crawley for many years yet, but then we were saying that 18 months ago after that gargantuan maiden hundred. The difficulty for England’s young players at present is that so much learning needs to be done on the hoof, in particular their high-profile failures – the likes of which might once have taken place in relative anonymity following a return to the county circuit.Right now, in the bubble lifestyle, there’s no alternative but to take each setback on the chin and jut it straight back out for another blow – as Bairstow did with some success in Sydney, after a mixed return to red-ball cricket in Melbourne, but which Haseeb Hameed continues to do with mounting futility after his sixth single-figure score in a row. Somewhere, within his ransacked technique, there still lurks a Test-class batter, but it’s going to take some character, above and beyond that which Root called for in this game, for him to bounce back from this ignominy.
Celebrating a losing draw is not really the done thing in cricket – in 2005, Australia’s euphoria after clinging on at Old Trafford was seized upon by England captain Michael Vaughan as evidence of how the balance of that series had shifted
But such are the reasons why this draw could yet hold a longer-term significance for England, because collectively they needed to stop free-falling. On the face of it, it’s a long way short of the 2002-03 Ashes win, again in Sydney, which saved Nasser Hussain’s men from a whitewash and served a timely reminder that even the mightiest Australia team of all time had its weaknesses, but draws are a rarer currency in Test cricket these days.Root, England’s most-capped skipper, has presided over just nine draws in 60 Tests, compared to Mike Atherton’s 20 in 54 – a difference which hints at the fast-forwarded nature of the modern game, with fewer players equipped for the long haul, and so more surprise when a team manages to steel itself as England did at the SCG.It’s entirely probable that normal service will be resumed under the Hobart floodlights next week, particularly against a patched-up England team that could have up to three enforced changes, including a debutant wicketkeeper in Sam Billings. But at least the tour narrative has been altered for now, and for that Root is happy to accept the “positives” that were so manifestly lacking when the team’s head coach, Chris Silverwood, attempted to front up after the Melbourne debacle.”It was hugely important, especially off the back of the previous Test match, which was a really dark day for English Test cricket,” Root said. “It would have been very easy for us to roll over and feel sorry for ourselves, but it was up to the guys to put some pride back into the badge and show how much they care about playing for England.”We never make it easy for ourselves,” he added. “You guys probably feel that as much as anyone watching. But we found a way to get it done today, albeit the guys at the end there had to deal with a tricky period. It was a team effort.”
da apostebet： With Jaka Bijol officially signed and delivered, Leeds United have now reportedly turned their focus towards a second defensive addition in the form of a £38m La Liga ace.
Jaka Bijol completes Leeds move
da bet nacional： It took some time but Bijol is finally a Leeds player. The defender has arrived from Udinese for a reported £15m and becomes the Whites’ second signing of the summer after Lukas Nmecha.
After putting pen to paper to make his move official, Bijol told Leeds’ official media channels: “This is a big day for me, for my family and I’m happy to be here. Maybe the biggest one of my career so far, but I’m ready for it.
“I work for it and that’s why I’m here, because it’s a big challenge for everyone. It’s a big challenge for me, for the club, and we’re getting ready for it together. I think the club and myself are ready for the Premier League.
“I can promise that I will give everything, that I will give everything in every training as well to be ready for the first game of the season and then just go from there.”
Bijol may be the second arrival of Leeds’ summer but he looks unlikely to be the last. The 49ers look set to back the Yorkshire club as they prepare for their return to the Premier League, with names such as Oscar Gloukh now threatening the steal the headlines. The talented attacker would instantly be one to watch in England’s top flight, there’s no doubting that.
The Red Bull Salzburg man isn’t the only one on Leeds’ radar, however. Reports are now even suggesting that they’ve turned their attention towards another defensive addition after already welcoming a central defender in the form of Bijol.
Leeds make formal approach to sign Natan
According to Estadio Deportivo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds have now made a formal approach to sign Natan de Souza from Real Betis. The central defender has just made his loan move permanent in Spain but could already be on the move again amid interest from those at Elland Road and Lazio.
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Reports have claimed that Betis have already rejected a proposal worth as much as €27m (£23m) from an unnamed club to sell their defender and instead value Natan at a hefty €45m (£38m) this summer. Whether Leeds are willing to reach that figure will be the big question as their pursuit continues.
League stats 24/25 (via FBref)
Natan
Bijol
Minutes
2,175
2,963
Progressive Passes
52
98
Tackles Won
24
25
Ball Recoveries
75
101
Keeping up with Bijol in a number of areas, albeit whilst failing to outperform the new Leeds star, Natan could yet form an impressive partnership with the former Udinese man at Elland Road.
The 24-year-old won’t come cheap but if Leeds are to stay afloat at the first time of asking back in the Premier League then the 49ers must be prepared to spend big.
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank says his side's pre-season win over Arsenal – thanks to Pape Sarr's wondergoal – was "very pleasing".
Tottenham beat Arsenal 1-0 Sarr wondergoal secures winFrank delighted with pre-season victoryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Sarr's long-range strike was the difference as Spurs won the first-ever north London derby in Hong Kong 1-0 on Thursday. The former Brentford boss said this was a very positive result for Tottenham and provides a platform ahead of the new season.
AdvertisementAFPWHAT FRANK SAID
"This was as positive a result as you can get in terms of reinforcing the messages and team building, and desire to defend was good," he said. "It is very pleasing to win my first north London derby. And you could not call that a friendly. People could see the desire from both teams and our great desire to keep a clean sheet."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While it is early days and pre-season can count for little when it comes to a Premier League campaign, Frank will be buoyed by Tottenham's victory and the way they went about beating Arsenal. The Dane will be under a lot of pressure to succeed, and this result over Spurs' bitter rivals will have done him plenty of favours.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Tottenham continue their Asian tour when they take on Premier League rivals Newcastle United on Sunday. Frank's side then come up against Bayern Munich in another pre-season friendly next Thursday, before locking horns with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on August 13.
Oval Invincibles came out on top by five wickets in a tense match on a slow, low wicket at Trent Bridge to earn the right to face London Spirit in the Hundred eliminator at The Oval on Saturday.South African allrounder Marizanne Kapp starred with both ball and bat, taking 3 for 8 from her 20 balls and scoring an unbeaten 26 to guide the Invincibles home.”I’m just happy to get over the line today,” Kapp said. “I’ve been in that situation a lot of times for all the franchises I’ve played for around the world, so it helps a lot. I can’t think about [the eliminator] at the moment: today was too stressful. But I’m happy to go through.”Chasing 92 to win, the Invincibles started the chase positively, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu striking three early boundaries before falling caught at long-off to the offspin of Ashleigh Gardner for 16.Captain Lauren Winfield-Hill went lbw to Heather Graham to see the Invincibles 33 for 2 and they were 33 for 3 one ball later when Alana King bowled Alice Capsey with a beautiful legbreak.Alana King roars after knocking back Alice Capsey’s off stump•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images
At halfway, the Invincibles were 45 for 3, Paige Scholfield looking industrious against the turning ball with her side still requiring 47.With the rate required hovering around a run a ball, Kapp launched a counter-attack, striking Graham for two boundaries to relieve some pressure before Scholfield hit back-to-back fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt to take the equation to 22 required from 30.Scholfield fell for 26 with eight still required, and Mady Villiers (1) went with seven needed, but Kapp remained cool to see the London side home with six balls to spare.Kapp’s skill bookended the match. She bowled the first 10 balls of the innings and was well rewarded, striking twice to remove Grace Scrivens for a duck and then having Bryony Smith (1) spectacularly caught by a flying Villiers two balls later.Trent Rockets then found themselves in even more trouble at 3 for 3 after 13 balls when a back-of-a-length delivery from Rachel Slater kept low and claimed the big wicket of Sciver-Brunt, also for a duck.Gardner’s 43 kept Rockets in the game, but after her dismissal their innings fizzled out to end 91 for 8 – a total that Kapp was able to overhaul to ensure passage to the last three for Oval Invincibles.
Arsenal have asked about signing an “important” Real Madrid player amid their reliably reported talks for Brazil international Rodrygo, but negotiations over the latter are proving far from straightforward.
Rodrygo to Arsenal talks stall due to wage demands
As reported by Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, a very reliable source when it comes to transfer news, Arsenal have been in discussions with all parties over a summer deal for the 24-year-old.
Arsenal offer "game-changer" a five-year contract worth nearly £30m to join
The north Londoners are moving ahead with ambitious summer plans.
ByEmilio Galantini May 28, 2025
Rodrygo bagged 13 goals and 10 assists over 50 total appearances under Carlo Ancelotti during 2024/2025, but his future at the Bernabeu is far from certain amid Arsenal’s serious interest.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
It’s been reported that the South American is dissatisfied with his role in the squad, as he wants to be used in his preferred role on the left-hand-side rather than on the right, which is where he’s been forced to play due to the presence of Vinícius Jr and Kylian Mbappé (Ben Jacobs).
Sensing an opportunity, sporting director Andrea Berta commenced work to potentially tempt Rodrygo with a north London move, amid the club’s serious pursuit of a new winger who could provide further cutting edge in the final third.
However, since beginning talks, the transfer has hit a snag due to Rodrygo’s salary demands, prompting Berta to look at alternatives like Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma.
The Japan international isn’t Berta’s only different option for the wide area, though, with another Real Madrid star under consideration at the Emirates.
Arsenal ask about conditions for Arda Guler deal
That man is Turkish attacking midfielder Arda Guler, who started Real’s last six La Liga games of the season and gradually became a more imperative player for Ancelotti during the latter stages of 24/25.
The 20-year-old bagged five goals and nine assists in 42 total appearances by the end of Ancelotti’s final campaign in charge, with the Italian branding him an “important” player in the squad.
Ancelotti also tipped the versatile forward to have a big future at the Bernabeu, leaving little surprise he’s on Berta’s shortlist of attacking targets for Arsenal.
That is according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who reports for The Boot Room that Arsenal have asked about the conditions of a deal for Guler. Whether they’ve approached Real themselves or the player’s agents isn’t exactly stated, but it is believed Los Blancos won’t sell him under “any circumstances” this summer.
Other forwards attracting Berta’s attention come in the form of Nico Williams, Rafael Leao, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Ademola Lookman, Bryan Mbeumo and Mohammed Kudus, as per TBR, with Arsenal seemingly in hot pursuit of a star new wide player.
Track the squads ahead of the new seasons as clubs build their lists
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2024 • Updated on 12-Oct-2024Adelaide StrikersMenFabian Allen, James Bazley, Jordan Buckingham, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Chris Lynn, Jamie Overton, Lloyd Pope, Ollie Pope, Alex Ross, D’Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake WeatheraldIn Fabian Allen, Jordan Buckingham, Ollie Pope, Alex Ross (Thunder)
Out Wes Agar (Thunder)Women Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Maggie Clark, Ellie Johnston, Katie Mack, Eleanor Larosa, Smriti Mandhana, Anesu Mushangwe, Tahlia McGrath, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Orla Prendergast, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt,In Maggie Clark, Ellie Johnston (Heat), Eleanor Larosa, Smriti Mandhana, Orla Prendergast
Out Dani Gibson, Georgia Adams (Thunder), Courtney Neale, Annie O’Neil, Ella WilsonBrisbane HeatMenTom Alsop, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Callum Vidler, Paul WalterIn Tom Alsop, Callum Vidler
Out Josh Brown (Renegades), Sam Billings (Thunder)WomenBonnie Berry, Nadine de Klerk, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Shikha Pandey, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mikayla WrigleyIn Bonnie Berry, Sianna Ginger, Shikha Pandey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mikayla Wrigley
Out Amelia Kerr (Sixers), Georgia Voll (Thunder), Courtney Sippel (Sixers), Ellie Johnston (Strikers)Hobart HurricanesMenIain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Peter Hatzoglou, Shai Hope, Rishad Hossain, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Mac WrightIn Shai Hope, Rishad Hosein, Charlie Wakim
Out Corey Anderson, Sam HainWomenSuzie Bates, Nicola Carey, Zoe Cooke, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Tabatha Saville, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Chloe Tryon, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson, Danni WyattIn Lauren Smith (Thunder), Chloe Tryon, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Suzie Bates
Out Maisy Gibson (Stars), Shabnim Ismail, Bryony Smith, Naomi Stalenberg (Renegades)Melbourne RenegadesMenJacob Bethell, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Laurie Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Adam ZampaIn Jacob Bethell, Josh Brown (Heat), Laurie Evans, Gurinder Sandhu (Thunder)
Out Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson (Thunder) Shaun MarshWomenAlice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Hayley Matthews, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney WebbIn Alice Capsey, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum (Stars), Milly Illingworth (Stars), Naomi Stalenberg (Hurricanes)
Out Tammy Beaumont, Jess Duffin, Harmanpreet Kaur, Ellen Falconer, Erica Kershaw, Rhiann O’DonnellAmelia Kerr has been a big-name signing for Sydney Sixers•ICC/Getty ImagesMelbourne StarsMenScott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Tom Curran, Ben Duckett, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Usama Mir, Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Beau WebsterIn Tom Curran (Sixers), Ben Duckett, Hamish McKenzie (Stars)
Out Nick LarkinWomenYastika Bhatia, Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Maisy Gibson, Hasrat Gill, Liv Henry, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid, Deepti Sharma, Annabel SutherlandIn Yastika Bhatia, Maisy Gibson (Hurricanes), Marizanne Kapp (Thunder), Deepti Sharma, Hasrat Gill
Out Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Nicole Faltum (Renegades), Milly Illingworth (Renegades)Perth ScorchersMenAshton Agar, Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Matthew Hurst, Josh Inglis, Keaton Jennings, Matt Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matthew Spoors Ashton Turner, Andrew TyeIn Finn Allen, Mahli Beardman, Sam Fanning, Matthew Hurst, Keaton Jennings, Matthew Spoors
Out Hamish McKenzie (Stars)WomenChloe Ainsworth, Stella Campbell, Piepa Cleary, Maddy Darke, Sophie Devine, D Hemalatha, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Amy Jones, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Chloe PiparoIn D Hemalatha, Mikayla Hinkley (Heat)
Out Taneale Peschel (Thunder), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Lauren Winfield-HillSydney SixersMenSean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Jafer Chohan, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Akeal Hosein, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Perry, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steven Smith, James VinceIn Jafer Chohan, Akeal Hosein
Out Steve O’Keefe, Tom Curran (Stars)WomenHolly Armitage, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Sophie Ecclestone, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Amelia Kerr, Isabella Malgioglio, Kate Pelle, Ellyse Perry, Kate Peterson, Courtney SippelIn Holly Armitage, Sophie Ecclestone, Amelia Kerr (Heat), Isabella Malgioglio, Courtney Sippel (Heat)
Out Chloe Tryon, Suzie Bates, Jess Kerr, Lindsey SmithSydney ThunderMenWes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Sherfane Rutherford, Will Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David WarnerIn Wes Agar, Sam Billings, Lockie Ferguson, Nic Maddinson (Renegades), Sherfane Rutherford
Out Alex Ross (Strikers), Gurinder Sandhu (Renegades)WomenGeorgia Adams, Chamari Athapaththu, Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy Jo-Johnson, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia WilsonIn
Georgia Adams, Sienna Eve, Shabnim Ismail, Taneale Peschel (Scorchers), Georgia Voll (Heat)Out Lauren Bell, Marizanne Kapp (Stars), Lauren Smith (Hurricanes)
Over the last two years, their batsmen are averaging below 30 at home. And if they can’t score big at home, how can they be confident of scoring abroad?
Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2018Bangladesh’s batting average against spinners, 19.85, was marginally better than West Indies’, 18.25, in the Chattogram Test last week. It is similar to their batting average against spin at home in the last two years (27.92) and only slightly higher than the sides they have faced in this period (24.89). These numbers confirm that Bangladesh’s gamble on spin-friendly pitches isn’t entirely paying off, particularly for their batsmen who already struggle in overseas Tests and now haven’t been up to the mark in their own conditions.
Sep 2012 to Aug 2014
Bangladesh: Inn 12, Runs 1933, Ave 48.60
Away teams: Inn 10, Runs 3080, Ave 49.68
Sep 2014 to Aug 2016
Bangladesh: Inn 14, Runs 2242, Ave 39.33
Away teams: Inn 12, Runs 2780, Ave 35.00
Sep 2016 to Nov 2018
Bangladesh: Inn 18, Runs 3239, Ave 27.92
Away teams: Inn 17, Runs 3610 Ave 24.89
This new normal dates back to England’s tour of Bangladesh in October 2016. Bangladesh lost a close game in Chattogram but in Dhaka, Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan took 10 wickets in one session to level the series.Ever since then, Bangladesh have preferred to welcome teams with turning pitches and have had great success in the process. They secured first-ever wins over England and Australia as well as a maiden win at home over West Indies last week. The standout bowlers have been Taijul, who has taken 50 wickets at 23.76, Mehidy, 46 at 23.54 and Shakib, 29 at 19.44.Between September 2012 and August 2014, sides visiting Bangladesh used to average 49.68 against spin. In the next two year period, that came down to 35, and now it has sunk as low as 24.89. The hosts haven’t fared any better, their numbers coming down from 48.60 to 39.33 to 27.92.Privately, many of Bangladesh’s batsmen have expressed their concern about what is turning out to be a long-term policy of employing spinning tracks. However, their disappointing returns in even slightly bowler-friendly conditions raises the question about whether they are even willing to apply themselves.
Bangladesh are 1-0 up against West Indies and they’ll be keen to complete the whitewash. So it’s entirely possible the game will be played on another turning pitch and the players have to be on their guard.
“I would never want my batsmen to fail,” Shakib said. “Whenever a batsman goes out, I always wish that they play a big innings or put together a big partnership. But the sort of wicket we are playing on, we have to accept [that a batting collapse is possible].
“It is therefore important for a batsman to cash in whenever he is set. A new batsman always has less of a chance to do well on these wickets.”
The onus is on the top order to make things easy for the rest of the line-up, but Bangladesh have been having trouble in that department. With Imrul Kayes’ injury, they’ll be using their fifth opening combination in eight Tests this year.
“We make good starts with the ball, but not with the bat, which has forced us to make many changes. I think we will ultimately run into someone who can be given a longer rope. It is important that someone wins our trust.”
This could well be a consequence of playing a lot of limited-overs cricket, where the flatness of the pitches enables attacking strokeplay. Mahmudullah, for instance, has struggled in Tests but has always come good in shorter formats, particularly in crunch situations where he is often needed to bat at a high tempo. Soumya Sarkar is a more recent example of a batsman who has returned to form in ODIs, with his century against Zimbabwe, but endured twin failures against West Indies. While it is difficult to switch formats, several players around the world have retained their style of batting for all formats, with slight adjustments.Bangladesh’s Test captain Shakib wants his players to follow their instincts, going as far as to suggest they were free to attack from the get go.”I always feel that a batsman shouldn’t tinker with his style of batting,” he said. “Unless it is very necessary for the side, I don’t want a batsman to change his natural game plan. Virender Sehwag would hit a four off the first ball whether he was playing Tests, ODIs and T20s. It is an important approach. I would never want a batsman to defend or leave the first ball in a Test if they look to hit that ball for four in ODIs and T20s.”He should have a similar mindset in every format, because it was this style of cricket that got him picked in the first place. I don’t think he has to try anything different here. The team never asks for anything out-of-the-box or outside his nature from any batsman.”West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite agreed. “Staying positive on this type of wicket is key. The bounce varied a lot in the first Test and even myself could have gone forward. The onus is on ourselves to trust our defence and attacking methods.”I think the key is to be light in your feet, and treat each ball as it comes. I think we need to be clear in our mind, how we are going to do it. I definitely believe we can do it.”That’s the application bit. Choosing the right ball to hit. Figuring out the shots that can lead to a wicket and avoiding them at all cost. Identifying the weak link in a bowling line-up and exploiting it, while taking extra care against the ones in form. These nuances are hardly necessary in one-day and T20 cricket with conditions so heavily in favour of the batsmen. But with Bangladesh choosing to play their home Tests on pitches that turn from day one, it is quite likely that their batsmen will always have to deal with tough days in the office. Even when they tour, especially outside the subcontinent, it’s likely that oppositions will roll out seamer-friendly surfaces to gain the upper hand.Something needs to be done, and perhaps the Mirpur Test on Friday will be a good starting point. Bangladesh are looking at a year-long stretch of matches abroad and their best chance of success lies in having a group of players who are confident about their game. Scoring big runs automatically solves that problem.
يواصل ليفربول مشواره في الموسم الحالي 2025/2026 في جميع المسابقات بعد مباراته أمام كريستال بالاس ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”.
وخسر ليفربول لأول مرة في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم أمام كريستال بالاس بنتيجة 2/1، في الجولة السادسة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وظهر ليفربول بمستوى سيئ للغاية في المباراة إذ لم يكن في المستوى المطلوب خلال أحداث الشوط الأول من المباراة التي شهدت فرصًا كبيرة ضائعة من لاعبي كريستال بالاس.
ولم يفز ليفربول في آخر 3 مواجهات أمام كريستال بالاس إذ تعادل مرة وخسر مباراة كأس الدرع الخيرية ومباراة اليوم.
اقرأ أيضًا | ماذا قدم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وكريستال بالاس بـ الدوري الإنجليزي؟
بتلك النتيجة توقف رصيد ليفربول عند النقطة 15 في صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “بريميرليج”، فيما ارتفع رصيد كريستال بالاس إلى النقطة 12 في الوصافة. موعد مباراة ليفربول وجالطة سراي في دوري أبطال أوروبا
يواجه ليفربول نظيره جالطة سراي في إطار الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الثلاثاء المقبل الموافق 30 من شهر سبتمبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية، على ملعب “رامس بارك” معقل الفريق التركي.