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“My mind wants to keep going, but my body can no longer endure the pain, the breakdowns, and the strain”

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-20241:58

Pollard: Champion Bravo has given cricket his all

Dwayne Bravo has confirmed his retirement from all cricket after his final season in the CPL was cut short by injury.Bravo, 41 next month, is the leading T20 wicket-taker in history. He had previously called time on his international career in 2021, and stepped away from the IPL last year, as he began to move into coaching – in the last 12 months he has worked with Chennai Super Kings and the Afghanistan men’s team.”My mind wants to keep going, but my body can no longer endure the pain, the breakdowns, and the strain” Bravo said in a post on Instagram. “I can’t put myself in a position where I might let down my teammates, my fans, or the teams I represent.”So, with a heavy heart, I officially announce my retirement from the sport. Today, the Champion bids farewell.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIn an 18-year career, Bravo helped set the benchmark in T20 cricket, winning titles at the IPL, PSL and Big Bash, as well as becoming a two-time world champion with West Indies. He finishes with 631 wickets in the format from 582 appearances – second only to compatriot Kieron Pollard.Bravo announced before the ongoing edition of the CPL that it would be his last. He had been due to play in the third season of the UAE’s ILT20, having been retained by MI Emirates, but has decided to bow out after suffering a groin injury playing against St Lucia Kings in Tarouba on Tuesday.Bravo was the most decorated player in CPL history, having won five titles in all, including three with Trinbago Knight Riders alone. He had led TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 before captaining Patriots to their first title in 2021.Related

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In a number of T20 leagues around the world, especially at the CPL, Bravo has been harnessing his experience to nurture youngsters, settling into a role like MS Dhoni has been fulfilling for CSK for a while. During CPL 2021, for example, he took allrounder Dominic Drakes under his wing and helped transform him into a match-winner. Drakes came away with the Player-of-the-Match award in the CPL 2021 final and continued to work with Bravo in other leagues, including IPL (CSK) and T10 (Delhi Bulls).Bravo has also worked closely with Ali Khan, the USA fast bowler, who also often fronts up to bowl at the death for TKR. Bravo had first spotted Khan in the US Open T20 tournament and signed him on for the Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Canada, before recommending him to TKR.

A blistering Lizelle Lee backed up a record century with another ton, becoming the first player to score hundreds in consecutive WBBL matches.The Hobart Hurricanes opener cracked 103 off 59 deliveries as her side beat a struggling Adelaide Strikers outfit by 28 runs. Lee’s knock, which featured 13 fours and four sixes, came after she notched the highest-ever WBBL score of 150 not out against Perth Scorchers on Sunday.Hurricanes posted 191 for 2 and restricted the last-placed Strikers to 163 for 3 to jump to the top of the ladder with three matches in hand before finals.South Africa’s Lee, who retired from international cricket in 2022, had to change bats after hitting a six in the second over. She was dropped twice in the 20s off the spin of Anesu Mushangwe in the fourth over and made Strikers pay dearly. She brought up her half century off just 35 balls with a six before reaching triple figures in the 14th over with a boundary.Lee was run out in the next over at the non-striker’s end after a ball touched bowler Jemma Barsby’s hand and ricocheted into the stumps. Across the past two matches, Lee has hit 253 off 134 balls with 25 fours and 16 sixes. She also equaled Alyssa Healy with the most WBBL centuries.Lee was supported well by Nicola Carey, who made an unbeaten 64 off 46 balls, and skipper Elyse Villani’s 23 not out from 14 at the death.Smriti Mandhana got Strikers’ chase off to a flying start, but when the India international fell to Lauren Smith in the eighth over her side’s chances dipped.Young legspinner Amy Smith put the breaks on Strikers in the middle overs and finished with an impressive 1 for 16 from four overs. South African import Laura Wolvaardt was unbeaten with 63 off 40 but it wasn’t enough.

يرى أحمد حسام ميدو، لاعب ومدرب الزمالك السابق، أن غياب لاعب الأبيض عن مباريات الفريق في بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، سيكون مؤثرًا.

وسيلعب الزمالك مع بيراميدز، في دور نصف النهائي للموسم الحالي من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، بالإمارات، يوم 6 نوفمبر المقبل.

ومن المقرر، أن يغيب لاعب الزمالك نبيل عماد دونجا، عن مباريات الفريق، في كأس السوبر المصري، على إثر إيقافه من اتحاد الكرة في بطولة السوبر المصري الموسم الماضي، بسبب أزمته خلال مواجهة بيراميدز في نصف النهائي بالاشتباك مع أحد منظمي اللقاء.

وقال ميدو خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “أوضة اللبس” المذاع على قناة “النهار”: “نبيل عماد دونجا، بحالته الفنية الحالية غيابه في كأس السوبر سيفرق مع الزمالك”.

وأضاف: “دونجا هذا الموسم مختلف ومهم لفريق الزمالك ويمتلك خبرة المباريات الكبيرة، غيابه سيؤثر بالفعل”.

طالع | اتحاد الكرة يرد على استفسار الزمالك بشأن عقوبات كأس السوبر المصري وإيقاف دونجا

ومن جانب آخر، توجه ميدو، بطلب إلى هاني أبو ريدة رئيس الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، قائلا :”لا بد من تكوين لجنة للتخطيط للمستقبل، أشخاص عملها يكون بعيد عن المشاكل نهائيًا، وتقوم بعمل تقييم وتضع خطة لكي نحل المشاكل المتواجدة لدينا”.

وواصل: “اللجنة الفنية المتواجدة في اتحاد الكرة كلهم قامات محترمة، لو كان عملهم الرئيسي حل المشاكل الحالية.. فكيف سيكون لديهم وقتًا لكي يخططوا للمستقبل؟”.

The allrounder has impressed for Brisbane Heat after paying his own way back into the game

Alex Malcolm10-Jan-2021They say it takes years to become an overnight success, and that certainly is the case for Brisbane Heat allrounder James Bazley.The 25-year-old Bazley burst into the BBL this season with two outstanding innings in his first two games, scoring 31 not out and 49 not out against the Hobart Hurricanes prompting queries about where he had been hiding.Bazley was hiding in plain sight, having spent three years in the Queensland and Cricket Australia pathways plus a brief spell with the Hurricanes in the 2016-17 season before slipping out of the system at 22.Three years later, having continued to pursue his dream of being a full-time professional cricketer outside the system, and out of his own pocket, he’s finally reaping the rewards.”You get so much coaching in the system that it was to my detriment a little bit when I was a young player,” Bazley told ESPNcricinfo.”I probably listened to too many people all the time. That’s just a natural thing. That’s a young player and they’re trying to help you. So obviously there are no hard feelings or anything there. But it was just a really good lesson for me to learn. You need to know how to coach yourself and work out your processes because at the end of the day that’s how you find a game that you can trust because you know what works and you’ve trusted it.”The BBL is not Bazley’s first taste of professional cricket. He played 13 matches for the Cricket Australia XI between 2014 and 2016, when the CA XI was used as a pathway program for emerging domestic players. That included a T20 against the touring South Africans and a first-class match against West Indies where he made 50 and took four wickets, including bagging Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo. He also played 11 List A matches when the CA XI was included in Australia’s domestic 50-over competition as a seventh team, made up of young players who were not selected by the six states.The concept was controversial and has since been abandoned. Bazley played in the two largest defeats in Australian domestic 50-over cricket history of 279 runs and 246 runs, where the youngsters were mauled by the likes of Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, and Shaun Marsh.”I got thrown in there and so did a lot of other young players,” Bazley said. “And it kind of was a bit of sink or swim. For me, I felt like I probably wasn’t quite ready. I felt good enough but I was super young and wasn’t quite ready there and it’s almost like as soon as you don’t perform in those matches then it becomes your own mental battle in your own head about knowing whether I might not be good enough anymore, because I haven’t performed.

“I was basically training as a full-time cricketer without being professional, without getting paid obviously, and then I just had to try and go and do some work around it.”

“Then you worry about the Queensland team not picking you because they’ve seen you not perform there. But I was 20, 21 years old. There are very few players who can really be a dominant cricketer at that age. Looking back now, I’ve made it a good thing because I’ve kept working hard after those years of disappointment and losing my contract and getting back into grade cricket. I’ve made it work because I’ve chosen to make it work.”Bazley’s relationship with Marnus Labuschagne was the catalyst for his return to professional cricket. The pair had grown up together playing junior representative for Queensland and bonded on an interstate trip. When Bazley was contracted to Queensland at 19 he was forced to move from his family home on the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, and he moved in with the Labuschagne family and stayed for three-and-a-half years.The pair moved out when Labuschagne got married, but Bazley has re-entered the family recently.”I’ve lived with Marnus again, this year, in the Covid period,” Bazley said. “And his lovely wife Rebekah of course who is an absolute legend as well.”The trio are bonded by their strong faith. “My Christian faith has definitely helped me through those years of struggle and disappointment,” Bazley said. “It has given me perspective and hope that I can keep pursuing something I love and I’m passionate about.”That passion drove Bazley, through Labuschagne’s urging, to link up with Labuschagne’s batting coach Neil D’Costa after he lost his contract. He flew to Sydney out of his own pocket to see him.”I used to fly down to him a couple of times in the winter,” he said. “He was just really good for my batting and my training habits and some purpose. He just really taught me how to believe in myself. He didn’t really change my batting much. He just taught me how to believe in myself and he believed in me. So we’ve created a really good partnership.”D’Costa advised him to link up with manager Dean Kino who has also been a source of guidance for both Bazley and Labuschagne. Bazley trained with strength and conditioning coach Louis Ellery and sought counsel from sports psychologist Alan Mantle to help create good routines and visualisation processes.James Bazley takes a wicket against West Indies: ‘I felt good enough but I was super young and wasn’t quite ready’•Getty Images and Cricket Australia”I was basically training as a full-time cricketer without being professional, without getting paid obviously, and then I just had to try and go and do some work around it,” Bazley said. “I was just really professional and structured the last three years, being off-contract, and that’s all paid off in a way.”He has been doing disability support work to bring some balance to his life away from cricket.Bazley’s break came this season when the Heat re-signed him, six years after first adding him as a rookie. He repaid the faith with a four-wicket haul and 158 in grade cricket for Redlands and applied the same mental approach on his BBL debut.”I think the biggest thing for me, being able to play grade cricket and perform well this year, I’ve just created some processes and some routines that I’ve just started to really trust,” he said.”For me then stepping into the Big Bash, I just decided that if it works in grade cricket then why can’t it work in Big Bash. There’s no reason it can’t work. I think that’s been really helpful for me. I haven’t changed anything.”That’s helped me relax and be more comfortable. With the bat in those high-pressure situations, it’s the same thing, I just go through my pre-ball routine, yeah I’m feeling the pressure, but I just know that I give myself the best chance to just watch the ball and play it.”Bazley is now hoping for more opportunity with the ball having bowled just four overs in the tournament, despite feeling it is his strong suit.”It’s funny actually, after that first game I batted pretty well and didn’t bowl and everyone thought I was a batter but I’m probably even a bowling allrounder to be fair,” Bazley said. “But I’m trying to be a genuine allrounder. We’ve got a lot of allrounder’s in our team so I’ve just got to be patient with ball. The overs will come I’m sure.”Bazley is still dreaming big despite the rollercoaster ride to this point.”I’d love to play all formats,” Bazley said. “I’d love to play for Queensland in 50-over and Shield cricket. I’d love to go and play for Australia at some point but it’s just about trying to perform well wherever you’re playing.”

That Sana Mir hasn’t been at her best of late is clear, but is there more to her omission than that?

Umar Farooq21-Jan-2020You’d expect Sana Mir to be an automatic choice in most Pakistan women’s squads. But when the 15-member squad for the women’s T20 World Cup was announced on Monday, there was no place in it for the former captain, and chief selector Urooj Mumtaz justified the decision by pointing to the 34-year-old’s loss of form.The numbers: Mir has averaged 27.81 with 22 wickets in 27 T20Is over the last two years. As a straight comparison, fellow spinner Anam Amin has had a much more productive time in this period, averaging 18.04 in 20 T20Is. In the recent domestic T20 Women’s Championship, Anam was the leading wicket-taker with seven strikes at 13.71, while Mir managed four wickets at 30.25. Anam also picked up five wickets at 9.40 against Bangladesh late last year.”Unfortunately, Sana’s present form in T20 cricket hasn’t been great and we have taken into consideration two internationals series and domestic tournaments,” Mumtaz said. “There can be no doubt about her achievements, and the fact that she has been an inspiration in the sport. Her experience is unmatched but now we have an expanding pool of players and we have to pick players who are performing consistently.”We’ve never had such a rich pool, so we have to look towards younger players. The average age of this side is 24, and that’s very exciting. The team has been selected keeping in mind current form and performances along with the conditions in Australia. Women cricketers have limited opportunities as compared to men to exhibit their form and Sana in the last series against Bangladesh hasn’t done a great deal, and later missed the England series. All we had was the domestic tournament in which she almost had an economy of ten in the first two games.”Last year, Mir skipped a chunk of the home series against Bangladesh, instead going to America on a personal visit. She returned to play the second T20I, and conceded 35 runs in four overs, before being left out of the last game. She played two ODIs against Bangladesh in Lahore and then took a surprise break from the all-important series against England in Malaysia, saying that she wanted to “reset her future objectives and targets”.Shortly before the squad was announced on Monday, Mir posted a cryptic tweet: “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.” Make of that what you will.It’s true that while Mir’s exclusion might have been a surprise to casual followers of the game, relations between her and the Pakistan management haven’t been especially cordial of late.She was removed from the captaincy in 2017 and the then women’s general manger Shamsa Hashmi had said that she had been trying to control Mir’s “manoeuvring and hegemony by counselling”. Her captaincy was severely criticised by Shamsa, who accused her of taking “shocking on-field decisions”.Then, later, Pakistan’s winless 2017 World Cup campaign ended with head coach Sabih Azhar accusing Mir of adopting a “negative approach” and being “completely self-obsessed”.After this latest development, one wonders whether Mir, now 34, will be able to add to her 106 T20I and 120 ODI appearances.

Like he did in the previous match, Abhimanyu Easwaran waged a lone battle for India B as they stare at a substantial first-innings deficit in the final round of the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy in Anantapur.Easwaran backed his unbeaten 157 in the previous game with a second-straight century, a 170-ball 116, before being adjudged caught behind. Easwaran, who went for a hook shot, seemed to suggest the ball had deflected off his arm guard.He couldn’t contest the decision because the BCCI has enabled DRS only for the other fixture, between India A and India C, which is being broadcast.The runs couldn’t have come at a better time, given India will be looking to possibly narrow down on a reserve openers’ slot while looking ahead to the India A tour to Australia, followed by the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy, also in Australia.Related

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Prior to Easwaran’s typically gritty knock, it was Sanju Samson who brought the thrill, racing to what was only his 11th first-class century, in 105 innings, at better than a run-a-ball. Samson hit 12 fours and three sixes in his 101-ball 106 that formed the bedrock of India D’s 349.Navdeep Saini had a second impressive outing, picking up 5 for 74, to go with his five wickets and a half-century in the opening round of matches.Already out of the reckoning for a trophy having lost both their games so far, India D hit back with the ball courtesy Arshdeep Singh and Aditya Thakare. Arshdeep, who is looking to build his way up the red-ball charts after becoming a white-ball regular for India, picked up 3 for 30 across 12 overs.This included the big wickets of Suryakumar Yadav (5) and the in-form Musheer Khan (5). Nitish Kumar Reddy, among the BCCI’s target pool of players, bagged a third single-digit score in the tournament, two of them ducks, when he was nicked off by Arshdeep.Washington Sundar batted with composure to remain unbeaten on 39 at stumps. He’ll have to do a bulk of the scoring on Saturday if India D are to minimise what could be a massive first-innings deficit.

Liverpool took a gamble when they signed Darwin Nunez in 2022. FSG have a way of doing things on the financial front, you see, and that modus operandi is built on the premise that data-driven analysis dictates the strategies.

But Nunez impressed in the 2021/22 Champions League, scoring against Barcelona, Bayern Munich and, crucially, Liverpool, thus convincing Jurgen Klopp to push for a deviation from the typical approach, signing a raw but brilliant prospect for a lofty £64m.

Nunez will depart Anfield this summer having failed to activate the full £85m payment of his transfer, with wastefulness in front of goal and struggles to adapt to Arne Slot’s system alienating him, leaving him with one Premier League start since Boxing Day, scoring only seven goals all season.

He goes with Merseyside’s blessing, but he needs to leave this summer. The 25-year-old has suitors in Italy and the Saudi Pro League, and when movement starts to happen on that front, Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes can move ahead with the signing of a new first-class number nine.

Liverpool in race for new striker

As per Football Insider, Victor Osimhen is still on Liverpool’s radar as FSG prepare to cash in on Nunez. After completing a successful loan spell with Galatasaray, Osimhen will leave Napoli this summer.

Valued at £67m, the Nigerian striker has also piqued the interest of Manchester United, but Liverpool will hope European football, a title-winning team and more stable conditions will hold sway in the race.

Al-Hilal had been pushing to sign Osimhen, but a deal fell through after the player made known his preference to remain in Europe. The door is very much open for the Anfield side.

Why Liverpool want Victor Osimhen

Now that Liverpool have agreed a £116m deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, they can turn their attention toward the front of the ship, and Osimhen could be the perfect man to upgrade on Nunez, affordable and fantastic at his job.

Hailed as “world-class” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley, Osimhen has been one of the most prolific marksmen in Europe for several seasons now, and despite his unhappy divorce with Napoli, has jetted the flame alive out with Galatasaray this term, posting 37 goals and eight assists across just 41 games.

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His consistency bespeaks his elite-class ability, and with nine goals and an assist from just 17 outings in the Champions League, the 26-year-old has the perfect arsenal to thrive for Slot’s Liverpool, a fierce blend of pace, power and potency in the final third.

It really goes without saying that he’d prove an upgrade on Nunez, whose struggles have been personified by his profligacy in England’s top flight, only scoring 25 Premier League goals across three campaigns and missing a staggering 55 big chances, as per Sofascore.

To be fair, Osimhen has missed 64 big chances across league performances over the same timeframe; the difference, however, is that he’s tucked away 67 strikes.

Ranked among the top 9% of strikers across Europe last season for aerial battles won, the top 6% for shot-creating actions and the top 18% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, Osimhen is more than just a focal point, instead, utilising his athleticsm and strength to dominate in the final third, linking play together and controlling in the air.

Osimhen might cost a fair amount this summer, but the proof is in the pudding with this one, and there’s little question he’d prove a huge upgrade on Nunez.

Slot's new Gakpo: Liverpool still in the running for "one of the best STs"

Liverpool are looking to sign new forwards in the transfer market this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Jun 13, 2025

The Stokes experiment hasn’t worked and there are many reasons for it

Hemant Brar23-Oct-20202:39

Who should open for the Royals – Stokes or Buttler?

The worst innings in T20 cricket is not a first-ball duck. It’s the one where a batsman can neither hit out nor get out. Ben Stokes’ struggle with the bat on Thursday belonged to that very category.Opening the innings, Stokes laboured to 30 off 32 balls as the Rajasthan Royals finished with a below-par 154 for 6 and went on to lose to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. In other terms, Stokes consumed 26.7% of the total balls while scoring 19.9% of the bat-runs the Royals managed.It’s not that Stokes didn’t show any intent. He tried to slog, reverse sweep and scoop but was hardly in control. His control percentage of 68.75 was the worst among the top five in the Royals batting line-up. When on 17 off 19, he was dropped in the deep. Twice before that, the ball had fallen short of the fielder; Stokes failed to make use of those chances. In fact, he struggled so much that, ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index favoured the drop catch, instead of it hurting the Sunrisers.The Sunrisers too had done their homework. Right from the outset, Jonny Bairstow stood up to the stumps to prevent Stokes from advancing down the pitch. The first time he went back was when Jason Holder came in to bowl – Stokes walked down and flat-batted him for a boundary over mid-on.Bairstow stayed back when Vijay Shankar came on to bowl. Shankar is arguably the least threatening of the Sunrisers bowlers and bowls at a pace similar to that of Sandeep Sharma, the new ball bowler. Out of the nine balls he bowled to Stokes, six were either on a good length or just short.The idea, it seems, was to bang it into the pitch and cramp Stokes for room. It worked as he managed only five off those nine deliveries. Also, while Stokes was in the middle, David Warner didn’t bowl left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, whose angle he would have found easier to score off.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo far in IPL 2020, Stokes has opened in all five matches he has played, scoring 110 runs in 103 balls. He is yet to hit a six, and his strike rate of 106.79 is the lowest among those who have played at least 100 balls in the tournament.There can be many reasons why Stokes hasn’t clicked as an opener. For one, he has been batting out of position. Stokes doesn’t open for England in any format. In international cricket, he has opened only once – against West Indies in a Test earlier this year when England were looking for a quick declaration. In white-ball cricket, his role for England oscillates between a middle-order stabiliser and a finisher.In fact, before IPL 2020, Stokes had opened only five times in T20 cricket, scoring 188 runs at a strike rate of 139.25. But those came over two years ago. With him batting out of position and teams bowling their best bowlers in the powerplay hasn’t helped his cause.He has been short of match practice too. Unlike most players, who had arrived in the UAE well in advance and had the time to acclimatise to the conditions, Stokes had to jump into the competition as soon as he finished his mandatory quarantine following his arrival from New Zealand, where he was on compassionate leave to be with his ailing father.By the time Stokes played his first game of IPL 2020, the tournament was already approaching the second half. While he didn’t get the time to get used to the conditions, the slowing pitches meant he is yet to find the timing. Like Shankar on Thursday, other bowlers too have consistently denied him room by targeting the stumps, or by bowling just outside off, on a good or short-of-good length.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile promoting Stokes to open the innings, the Royals would have expected him to take advantage of a hard, new ball as his numbers against spin are not very flattering. Since 2018, he averages 18.76 against spin while striking at 114.55.But with Stokes as an opener doing more harm than good, there is a case for Jos Buttler to swap positions with him. Buttler performs the best at the top of the order, while Stokes’ numbers are much better in the middle order. It’s time the Royals revisited their decision, or is it already too late?

Sometimes in football, things are just meant to be. Despite not picking up a single victory in their last six standard Championship games, Sunderland rallied and came up through the play-offs in dramatic circumstances.

As they weaved their way through the most lottery system in world football, they must have thought the gods were with them when Dan Ballard powered home an injury-time goal in the semi-finals against Coventry.

The gods were shining down on them again last weekend when Tom Watson, soon to be of Brighton, slid the ball home in the dying embers to send the Black Cats up.

Sunderland have been through hell and back since their exit from the top-flight several years ago, so you can’t say they don’t deserve to be back.

But, what lies in store now? Well, a move for Jordan Henderson could be on the cards.

The latest on Jordan Henderson's future

A Premier League and Champions League winner, Henderson left Liverpool behind in search of luxurious riches in Saudi Arabia.

However, his move to the Pro League wasn’t exactly filled with success. He left after a matter of months, heading to Ajax.

A European titan, his spell in the Netherlands hasn’t been too pleasing either. He’s been attacked by reporters for showing an alleged disrespect to the club amid talk he could leave, while the Amsterdam club lost the Eredivisie title on the season’s final day to PSV.

Still, there has been some solace for Henderson who, after Thomas Tuchel was appointed England manager, is now back in the Three Lions setup.

To top things off, he could also return to his boyhood club. That’s according to talkSPORT, who revealed earlier this week that the Mackems are ‘contemplating’ a move to bring the midfielder back to the Stadium of Light.

Henderson first left Sunderland behind back in 2011, having played 79 times for the club.

Would he be a good signing? Well, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of BetVictor Casino, former Black Cats defender Wes Brown seemed to think so.

“Jordan Henderson going back to Sunderland would make sense. He’d understand that he might not play every week, but when needed, definitely show the heart,” Brown began.

Sunderland’s squad boasts some fabulous young players from Jobe Bellingham to Chris Rigg, but Brown thinks adding some experience to the squad now they’ve been promoted would be a fine idea.

The former Manchester United star said: “You do need a few experienced players in the squad, to settle the ship. We all know it’s not going to be perfect next year and there are going to be games where it’s not a good day. There has to be people in the squad to pick the other players back up. You see it year after year, how teams that come up, they can’t quite get back up from a defeat and their heads go down, everyone’s nervous.”

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Concluding why the 34-year-old should head back to the northeast, Brown commented: “You need players to bring the life back into the team and Jordan would definitely be a player that would easily help do that. It’s his boyhood club as well. He would try everything to help the team.”

While Henderson’s arrival would be noteworthy, so would a potential exit for Bellingham.

Brown provides verdict on Jobe Bellingham's future

With a name like Bellingham, you’re always going to attract the attention of elsewhere and it looks like the younger brother of Jude could follow in his footsteps this summer by heading to Germany.

Sky Sports Germany reported this week that the attacking midfielder has been in talks over a move to sign for Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt.

What does Brown make of the young Sunderland star?

He told FFC: “I like Jobe Bellingham, he’s not his brother but he’s a solid player, still young. I can tell you, I played in the Championship, it’s a tough league to get out of, it’s horrible. You could be sitting pretty one minute, you lose two games on the bounce and you’re back in tenth, and you don’t know what’s going on. He’s got a great mindset, determination and they seem like a great bunch of lads.”

Brown concluded: “He’s fitted into that team fantastically and there’s a lot of people who will be looking forward to seeing what Jobe can do in the Premier League.”

While the 19-year-old’s numbers were not jaw-dropping this season, scoring four and assisting three, it’s clear he’s got immense potential and losing him just as they earn promotion would undoubtedly be a big blow.

Big O'Nien upgrade: Sunderland targeting move for "freak" £20m "monster"

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ByKelan Sarson May 30, 2025

SA had some positives though: runs from de Kock, and impressive performances from spinners Peter and Fortuin

Firdose Moonda25-May-2024West Indies sealed the three-match T20I series against South Africa, with a match to spare, and successfully defended 208 in front of enthusiastic Sabina Park supporters. With all the fixtures in this series being played at the same venue in Jamaica – which will not host any T20 World Cup games – the weekend crowd were out in full force on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy another strong performance from their side.After choosing to bat, West Indies started slower than the first match (where they had reached 100 runs by the halfway mark) but paced their innings well. They accelerated in the middle and latter period, thanks to a 56-run fourth-wicket stand off 36 between Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher and a 63-run fifth-wicket stand, off only 25 balls, between Chase and Romario Shepherd. In the process, Chase scored his first T20I fifty.Anrich Nortje returned to the South African side after almost nine months on the sidelines as he recovered from a lower back stress fracture and was expensive on his return. His four overs cost 47 runs, and he went wicketless. The star of South Africa’s bowling was debutant Nqabayomzi Peter, who took 2 for 32, but is not in the T20 World Cup squad.In response, South Africa were quick out of the blocks and brought up 100 in eight overs but no-one could kick on after Quinton de Kock’s 17-ball 41. The middle-order were particularly disappointing and folded from 113 for 2 to 167 for 7, losing 5 for 54. South Africa may not be too concerned because none of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller were involved in this series and all four will return for the T20 World Cup.Still, South Africa have not won a T20I series since August 2022, and have lost four of their last five series. Their ability against spin remains a concern and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie benefited most from that. He picked up career-best figures of 3 for 22 and has taken three wickets in each of his last three matches.Newcomer Nqaba makes a nameLittle more than a year ago, Peter was a net bowler, without a domestic contract, bowling to South Africa’s batters in their preparation for a home series against West Indies. Now, after finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker at the CSA T20 Challenge for the title-winning Lions, he made his international debut at Sabina Park and immediately impressed.Brought on to bowl just after the Powerplay, he tempted West Indies’ stand-in captain Brandon King into a big shot with his fourth ball that was full and wide outside off. King slapped it across the line but could not clear Wiaan Mulder at long-on, who took the catch over his head to give Peter the biggest name on debut. In his next over, Peter was not put off by Kyle Mayers hitting his googly for six and bowled it again. Mayers pulled to the area between deep square leg and fine leg, where Ryan Rickelton ran around to take the catch. Peter finished with 2 for 32 in his four overs.Chasing half-centuriesRoston Chase has played high-level cricket for a dozen years but this is only his 13th T20I and before today, he had yet to score a half-century. That changed with an innovative innings that held West Indies together and ensured they accelerated in the second half of their innings. Five of Chase’s six fours were scored behind square and two of them were big ones, both off short balls. The second, off Lungi Ngidi, sailed over the stands and broke a window of one of the parked cars, as he brought up fifty off 30 balls.Quinton’s quick startQuinton de Kock has not been at his most fluent since retiring from ODI cricket at last year’s fifty-over World Cup but showed signs of returning to his best as he gave South Africa a speedy start. De Kock pulled the first ball he faced to fine leg and beat Kyle Mayers to find the boundary and went on to hit four fours and as many sixes in the 17 balls he faced. The shots of his knock were back-to-back sixes off Akeal Hosein, the first off a full ball that he slammed over mid-on, and the second off a short ball that he pulled over long-on. He was bowled in the same over but was still the major contributor to South Africa’s highest Powerplay score of 85 for 2.Catches win matches Andile Phehlukwayo was promoted to No.6, above Wiaan Mulder, and was called on with eight overs left, and South Africa still 84 runs away from the target. They had not hit a boundary since the eighth over, and Phehlukwayo had no choice but to try and get one when Motie offered one full and wide. Phehlukwayo attempted a shot go over cover but Shamar Joseph moved to his right and dived diagonally to take an amazing catch in the deep. Two overs later, Hosein, at long-off, timed his jump well to end Rassie van der Dussen’s innings on 30, and with it South Africa’s hopes.