Virgil van Dijk has revealed that his contract standoff with Liverpool is finally over and there has been 'progress' in discussions over an extension.
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Finalists The Blaze secure seven-wicket win on back of her unbeaten fifty, plus two wickets
ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2023Kathryn Bryce scored a superbly-judged unbeaten half-century to propel Charlotte Edwards Cup finalists The Blaze to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Western Storm at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.Chasing 135 to win, The Blaze achieved their target with eight balls to spare thanks to an innings of 54 not out from 35 balls by Bryce, who shared in stands of 66 and 41 with Georgie Boyce and Marie Kelly for the third and fourth wickets respectively.Put in to bat, Storm slumped to 49 for 4 and were indebted to Emma Corney, who top-scored with 23 and shared in a restorative stand of 42 for the fifth wicket with Sophie Luff, while Alex Griffiths clubbed 19 not out at the death.But Blaze were always in control, Grace Ballinger taking 2 for 24 with the new ball and Kathryn Bryce weighing in with 2 for 17, including the key wicket of Luff, as Storm were restricted to 134 for 7.Having already qualified for Saturday’s final at New Road, Worcester, group winners Blaze ensured they finished with a 100 percent winning record, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 matches in 2023. A team in transition, Storm won three of their seven fixtures to claim fifth place.Even without star players Kirstie Gordon, Tammy Beaumont, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sarah Glenn, who were involved in England’s two-day training match ahead of the women’s Ashes, Blaze proved too strong for a Storm side that were missing Heather Knight, Dani Gibson and Lauren Filer.Ballinger made a breakthrough in the first over, bowling Nat Wraith for four with her second delivery from the River End, after which she and Nadine de Klerk sent down 10 consecutive dot balls to apply immediate pressure.Orla Prendergast had registered a superb hundred on debut in her last appearance at Sophia Gardens in April, but managed just 19 from 14 balls on this occasion as Storm slipped to 35 for 2 in the fifth over. The Ireland international plundered three consecutive fours at the expense of Ballinger, who then exacted a swift revenge by pinning Prendergast lbw next ball.Although the powerplay yielded 44 runs, Storm continued to lose wickets and Niamh Holland, promoted to open the batting in the absence of Gibson, was run out by de Klerk, having contributed a 23-ball 21. Fran Wilson went in the very next over with the score on 49, driving at a length ball from Sophie Munro and finding Kathryn Bryce at extra cover.Charged with the task of rebuilding, Luff and Corney played spinners Josie Groves and Lucy Higham well, combining deft placement and quick running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking over during the middle overs.Corney enjoyed a large slice of good fortune when, having scored seven, she was dropped by Beth Harmer at mid-on off the bowling of Groves with the score on 76. But there was no let-off when Luff stepped in front of a straight ball from Kathryn Bryce and was adjudged lbw in the 15th over. Storm’s influential captain had raised 19 from 18 balls and helped add 42 runs in 6.5 overs for the fifth wicket, but her dismissal represented a body blow to the home side, who were 91 for 5 in the 15th over.Previously deployed in the role of chief support, Corney now picked up the cudgels, driving fluently to register her highest score in the competition, advancing to 23 from 32 balls before being bowled by the returning Kathryn Bryce as Blaze sought to reimpose their earlier dominance. Sophia Smale was bowled by de Klerk for 10 in the penultimate over, but Griffiths was able to score an unbeaten 19 at a run-a-ball to haul Storm to respectability.Prepared to take a risk at every opportunity, Sarah Bryce and Beth Harmer rode their luck to provide the Blaze reply with early momentum, the opening pair adding 28 in 4.2 overs. But Harmer then scooped off spinner Claire Nicholas to short fine leg and departed for 12 and Smale had Bryce held at mid-off for 15 in the next over to reduce the visitors to 30 for 2.Unperturbed by that double setback, Kathryn Bryce and Boyce initially went about their business in workmanlike fashion, finding the gaps and running hard to keep the rate down. When Bryce hoisted Smale over mid-wicket for the first six of the match and then drove her next ball through the covers for four, Blaze were 69 for 2 at the halfway point of their innings, requiring a further 66 at 6.6 an over with plenty of wickets in hand.Becoming ever-more expansive, Bryce then helped herself to three boundaries in the twelfth over, sent down by Prendergast, at which point the rate was below a run a ball for the first time. Nicholas returned to have Boyce caught at mid-off for a 27-ball 26 in the 14th over, in the process terminating a productive stand that had yielded 66 runs in 8.1 overs and giving Storm renewed hope.But skipper Kelly slammed the door shut on West Country ambition, seizing the initiative in a forthright knock of 20 in 18 balls, which put the outcome beyond doubt before Bryce raised her 50 from 31 balls with her sixth four in the 18th over.
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2015… as Moeen Ali top-edged a slog sweep to Younis Khan at slip•Getty ImagesIt was another failure at the top of the order for Moeen, who has now scored 62 runs in five innings in the UAE•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook was England’s mainstay in the morning session•Getty ImagesHe added 71 for the second wicket with Ian Bell•Getty ImagesHowever, soon after lunch, Cook fell for 49 to Yasir Shah•Getty ImagesIt was the third time in three innings that Yasir had captured the England captain•Getty Images… and the second time that Cook had fallen to a close catcher on the leg side•Getty ImagesIt was the breakthrough that Pakistan needed to revive their spirits•Getty ImagesJoe Root then fell for 4 to a fine low catch by Sarfraz Ahmed•Getty ImagesRoot initially stood his ground but replays showed the catch was clean•Getty ImagesHowever, Bell endured, growing in confidence as his innings progressed•Getty Images… and James Taylor started well in his first Test since 2012•Getty ImagesBut, after tea, Yasir lured Bell out of his crease to be stumped for 40•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow arrived at a key moment of England’s innings•Getty ImagesTaylor looked solid as England ground towards first-innings parity•Getty Images
Brian Close had the magical ability to defray pain as if it wasn’t there
Geoffrey Boycott15-Sep-20155:04
Boycott: Close intimidated batsmen without saying anything
I believe Brian Close will always be sort of an iconic Yorkshire cricketer. He played for a long time for the club, he was captain of four championship winning teams, two Gillette Cups and I think that’s what he’ll be remembered for. People will say he’s the youngest player ever to play for England at the age of 18, he went to Australia. It was not his batting or his bowling for which he’ll be remembered. They built up over many years for Yorkshire, they weren’t particularly special for England, but what was special were his captaincy and his legendary courage. His courage against Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith at Lord’s and the courage against Michael Holding and the West Indies attack at Manchester when he was 45 years of age.I saw at Yorkshire he would field very close to the bat. Remember, no helmets then, no protection so if he got hit it could be serious. And he did get hit from time to time, he caught many catches, he intimidated many batsmen without saying anything, just by his presence and he was good enough to catch many batsmen but he did get hit on the head, the legs. I’ve seen him go down twice, hit on the head and blood coming out of his head, everybody rushing to him and all he could say is, “Did you catch it?” In other words, “Did you catch it off me head?” and then one of them said no and he gave him a few swear words. One time the other guy did catch it off his head.He was a rare individual that put pain to one side. He had this very strong mind over matter, and that’s all it was. While he was playing, batting or fielding, if he was hurt by the ball, he would tell himself he wasn’t hurt. And it was only when he’d come off the field and if you pushed the area where he got a bruise or something, he’d jump up and down and it would be painful just like the rest of us. But while he was playing he had this magical ability to just defray pain as if it wasn’t there.Then his captaincy was very good, he was very positive. I can’t remember him ever being negative, it was all about winning, how do we get a win, take a risk and I learnt a lot by watching him and asking him questions. When I was in the dressing room as a young kid, I would ask him at lunch or tea or end of play, “Why did you only bowl Fred Trueman two overs?” And he’d give you a reason, maybe the pitch or something else and why did he switch so-and-so ends. And by asking questions and watching, and the answers I got, I learnt a lot about cricket. He’ll be remembered for his captaincy and his courage.I wasn’t keen on [opening against] the Duke ball, I had been batting in 1963 most of the season down at No. 5 or 6 and sometimes behind Ray Illingworth, who was the offspinner but a very good batsman. And I was doing quite well, I gave up my job in the civil service and I had no contract, I just had match fees so I had to play well.And it was at Scarborough actually and he just called me to one side after breakfast, I think it was early August, and said, “I want you to open.” I said, “Ooh, no, no, no! I’m not interested. I’m all right where I am, at 5 and 6, I’m doing all right.” But he said, “Well, I think you’ll make a good opener,” and I told him I was not keen. He said: “Well, you’ve got two choices, you can either open or do 12th man.” I said, “You can’t do that.” He said, “I can, I’m captain.” So I had no choice. I made 68, I think, and 28 and we won the match against Warwickshire. Then the very next match I went to the big Roses game at Old Trafford, which was huge for Yorkshire then – full houses, 25,000-30,000, people stood. And I got a hundred, so next year I opened for Yorkshire for about five weeks and then I was playing for England. So I think he got it right.I didn’t know him particularly as a human being, I knew him as a person in the dressing room as a human being. In the dressing room, that’s what I want to remember him by, because he was a very fine cricketer.
After losing five of their previous six games, Royals scored a thumping win at Eden Gardens to keep their campaign alive
Karthik Krishnaswamy11-May-20234:50
Dasgupta: ‘Jaiswal’s innings was absolutely flawless’
Rajasthan Royals reignited their IPL campaign in spectacular fashion, brushing aside the despondency of winning just one of their previous six games with a brutal takedown of Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Two of their big names stood up in big ways: Yuzvendra Chahal became the leading wicket-taker in IPL history while bagging his second successive four-wicket haul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal made a two-paced pitch look like a belter while scoring the IPL’s fastest-ever fifty.Having restricted KKR to 149 for 8 after choosing to bowl, Royals chased down their target in just 13.1 overs, lifting their net run rate from an already healthy 0.388 to 0.633, the second best in the league behind table-toppers Gujarat Titans. It should hold Royals in good stead if they get into an NRR battle for playoffs qualification. They are now third on the table with 12 points from 12 games, above Mumbai Indians who have the same points total with a game in hand.
Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler was fined 10% of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. Buttler admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2, which covers the abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match.
Trent Boult was back for Royals after missing their heartbreaking loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he immediately made an impact with wickets in his first two overs. He usually takes early wickets by defeating top-order batters with new-ball swing – on this occasion he took them with some help from the fielders. Shimron Hetmyer sent Jason Roy back with a sprinting, jumping grab at deep square leg, while Sandeep Sharma ended Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s stay at the crease with a diving catch to his right at mid-off.
On a pitch where the odd ball was stopping on the batter, Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana made a ponderous start to their third-wicket partnership. The first 30 balls after Gurbaz’s dismissal brought KKR just 30 runs, with just the one boundary, and Venkatesh endured a particularly difficult struggle while moving to 11 off 20 balls.Related
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But he started finding the boundary regularly from that point. He hit R Ashwin – who had conceded just eight runs in his first two overs – for a pair of sixes in an 18-run ninth over, and then hit Chahal for two sixes and a four in the 13th over. He was eventually dismissed at the start of the 17th over, for 57 off 42 balls.
Venkatesh’s dismissal was a classic death-overs wicket from Chahal – a loopy delivery hung wide outside off stump after angling across the left-hander, inviting the big hit that was miscued to a fielder inside the circle.Chahal had already gotten among the wickets before that, having Nitish caught at deep backward square leg in the 11th over to go past Dwayne Bravo and become the IPL’s top wicket-taker.Yuzvendra Chahal exults after removing Venkatesh Iyer•BCCI
There would be two more on the night: Shardul Thakur lbw while missing a sweep in a double-wicket 16th over, and Rinku Singh caught at long-off in a three-run 19th.
If you bowl the first over for your team, Jaiswal is the last batter you want to bowl to. Coming into this game, Jaiswal had hit more fours (13) and more sixes (two) in the first over than any other batter in IPL 2023. It was interesting, then, that Nitish brought himself on to bowl the first over of Royals’ chase.Nitish is better than part-time, but he hasn’t bowled regularly this season. He may have thought his offspin would match up nicely against Jaiswal’s left-handedness, or he may have gambled on buying a wicket if either opener went after him too hard.In the event, Jaiswal tore into Nitish, going 6, 6, 4, 4, 2, 4 in the second-most expensive first over in IPL history, falling one run short of the record of 27, set by Royal Challengers Bangalore – Chris Gayle, mostly – against Mumbai’s Abu Nechim in Qualifier 2 in 2011.
A mix-up in the second over cost Jos Buttler his wicket, but that did nothing to slow Jaiswal down. He picked up a lucky four later in the over thanks to overthrows, and then hooked Harshit Rana for six. Then he went 4, 4, 4 off Shardul Thakur in the third over, driving and pulling and finding gaps as if there were no fielders on the 30-yard circle. Having thus moved to 49 off 12, Jaiswal tucked a single off his hip to bring up the IPL’s fastest fifty, going one ball better than KL Rahul and Pat Cummins.
Jaiswal’s masterful timing and placement suggested this pitch may have eased up, but Samson showed it still wasn’t straightforward to bat on, moving to 21 off 21 balls at the other end while having a skied return catch dropped by Sunil Narine.Then he joined the party with three clean, straight sixes off Anukul Roy in the 11th over, and the end was nigh. All that remained to see was whether Jaiswal could get to his hundred, and it was still possible when the 14th over began with Jaiswal on 94 and Royals three runs from victory. A six would do it, but Jaiswal was going to get the winning runs as quickly as he could, however they came. He shuffled across to a wide full-toss from Thakur, and swiped it behind square for four, to finish on 98 off 47.
James Tarkowksi apologised to Alexis Mac Allister after he escaped a red card for a shocking challenge on the Liverpool star.
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The pressure is rising for Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil. The bad results continued into this week for the Old Gold, after West Ham United got a crucial 2-0 win over their relegation rivals. That leaves the Midlands club in 19th place in the Premier League with nine points to their name.
The Old Gold are rumoured to be targeting Jose Mourinho as an ambitious ÂŁ5m replacement according to reports. Well, the legendary manager is good but not a magician and would need his entire squad to pull together as they look to keep the club afloat in the Premier League.
Matheus Cunha would no doubt be a crucial player under Mourinho, as he looks to continue his fine form this season.
Despite the Old Gold being the second-worst side in the Premier League, according to the table, Cunha is actually having a phenomenal season. He has played all 15 games for the club in the top flight so far, scoring seven goals and grabbing three assists.
Impressively, the Brazilian forward has scored or assisted multiple goals in a single game twice this season. Unsurprisingly, they have both been matchwinning contributions, against Southampton and Fulham.
Against the Cottagers, he scored twice and grabbed an assist to help his side win 4-1 away from home.
He is actually on track to exceed his goals and assists total from the 2023/24 campaign, where he was impressive, too. The Brazilian forward scored 12 goals and had seven assists in 32 games last term, an average of 0.59 goal involvements per game. At his current rate of 0.66 goals and assists per game, he will beat that.
Not only does Cunha look Wolves’ best player by watching him, as games such as the 4-1 win over Fulham show, but he leads the way in many different stats this season, as per Sofascore. That includes the most big chances created with nine and the most combined goals and assists with ten.
|
Cunha stat ranking for Wolves in 2024/25 PL |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
Rank |
|
Goals |
7 |
1 |
|
Assists |
3 |
=1 |
|
Goals and assists |
10 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
9 |
1 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.9 |
1 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.8 |
=1 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
||
It is fantastic that Wolves have such a deadly player in attack, but they do not have many players who can profit from his creativity, aside from the in-form Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has six top-flight goals.
To give themselves the best chance of survival, the Old Gold have been linked with someone who could also form a great partnership with Cunha, potentially under Mourinho.
The player in question here is Cunha’s fellow Brazil international Igor Jesus. According to a report from Brazilian news outlet UOL last week, Wolves are interested in signing the £16m striker in the January transfer window. However, they will face competition from Everton for his signature.
Jesus currently plies his trade in his homeland for Botafogo, after leaving UAE outfit Shabab Al-Ahli earlier in 2024. He has impressed so far for Fogo, scoring eight goals and grabbing five assists in 31 games for the club.
The 23-year-old scored on his debut for his national team, for whom he has featured in the same squad as Wolves midfielder Andre but not Cunha. The goal will certainly pique the interest of the Molineux faithful, making a late run across goal to meet a cross and direct it home with his head.
This signing could be the perfect one to link up with Cunha. Jesus could be the man to convert all the chances his compatriot creates. To have three assists despite having created nine big chances is not a good reflection of Wolves’ attackers.
However, bringing in a clinical machine like Jesus could be the player Cunha needs to put away his chances, and they could develop a formidable partnership together. This could certainly go a long way to pulling Wolves out of the relegation zone, particularly should that man Mourinho take charge in the near future.
The Portuguese coach enjoyed notable Premier League success in the past when deploying his own Brazilian marksman, with Diego Costa – who was also briefly on the books at Molineux – having scored 25 goals in just 57 games under the serial winner at Chelsea.
Signing Jesus, then, makes a lot of sense for Wolves. They would be showing intent by backing rumoured new manager Mourinho early, whilst £16m doesn’t blow all the budget and leaves some for other investments.
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However, the Old Gold board would be signing the striker they, and Cunha, need, to help survive relegation from the Premier League.
Wolves must now sell £90k-p/w flop who Shi was “delighted” to sign
Wolverhampton Wanderers could be due a clear out this January.
1
By
Kelan Sarson
Dec 12, 2024
Sri Lanka now dependent on other results, as hopes of direct entry to World Cup are hit further
Madushka Balasuriya28-Mar-2023Unrelenting rain in Christchurch meant that the second ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was washed out without even the toss taking place. While rain had been forecast for much of the day, there had nevertheless been hope of a shortened match getting underway at some point.But as the day wore on and the rain persisted at the Hagley Oval, that prospect looked less and less likely. The cut-off time for a 20-over game, the minimum allowed for rain-curtailed ODI, had been marked for 7.02pm local time, but with the rains persisting, the umpires called the game off following the final inspection at 4.25pm.As a result, the teams split points, with Sri Lanka’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification being hit further. The top eight teams from the Super League table get direct entry in the World Cup, but Sri Lanka are currently placed ninth after 82 points, and have just one more match remaining in the cycle – the third ODI against New Zealand in three days’ time.While a win will take them above West Indies and thus up to eighth, Sri Lanka will hope that tenth-placed South Africa win at most one out of their two upcoming ODIs against Netherlands. That will leave South Africa stuck at 88 points, and allow Sri Lanka, who will finish on 92 should they beat New Zealand, to scrape through to the World Cup.However, New Zealand are set to end the Super League as table toppers despite the washout in Christchurch, and even if they lose to Sri Lanka in the third ODI in Hamilton. They have 165 points at the moment – ten clear of England, who are second – but will have hoped that their fringe players get enough practice ahead of the World Cup.Also, the washout has meant they can’t lose the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, as they had thumped them by 198 runs in the first ODI in Auckland on Saturday. In fact, they will finish the Super League having lost just one ODI series.
Arsenal are believed to be in talks over potentially selling an “extraordinary” player to Napoli in January, with Emirates Stadium officials making their winter transfer stance clear to Antonio Conte’s title-contenders.
Mikel Arteta has no room in his starting eleven on a regular-enough basis for a few big-name members of his squad, and it is believed some of them could depart the club once we reach 2025.
Arsenal hold initial talks for "sensational" ÂŁ60m Premier League forward
The Gunners are after a new attacker, both out wide and through the middle.
By
Emilio Galantini
Dec 5, 2024
Kieran Tierney, who was recently re-introduced to the matchday squad after returning from a hamstring injury, is said to be a major contender for the exit door as Arteta decides that the Scotland international has no long-term future at N5.
Tierney has accepted he will be sold by Arsenal, and it could happen as early as January, despite the left-back featuring on Arteta’s bench for their wins over Sporting Lisbon, West Ham and Man United recently.
Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the futures of both Thomas Partey and Jorginho, with both midfielders out of contract next summer and may well leave Arsenal on a free deal – even if both men have contributed well when called upon so far this campaign.
|
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Fulham (away) |
December 8 |
|
Everton (home) |
December 14 |
|
Crystal Palace (away) |
December 21 |
|
Ipswich Town (home) |
December 27 |
|
Brentford (away) |
January 1 |
There is also the possibility that Arsenal decide to offload Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, with well-connected former Premier League scout Mick Brown expecting the former Man City duo to be on Arteta’s chopping block.
“There are three players at the club they’d be looking to sell,” said Brown to Football Insider.
“And that’s Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney. They’re not in the manager’s plans.
“When it comes to sales, you have to look at who your assets are. We know there’s been interest in Saliba, for example, but I think he’s one of the last players they’d ever consider selling for any sort of money.
“If they feel they need to raise money, they’ve got these players who they’re far more likely to turn to. That’ll take a big chunk off of the wage bill and help them to reinvest in strengthening their squad.
“Sometimes the way it works is you’ve got to let some fringe players leave, raise a bit of money from them, and then refresh the squad with new backup options.”
Poland international Jakub Kiwior deputised for the injured Gabriel Magalhaes against United earlier this week, helping them to keep a clean sheet in their 2-0 win, but he’s been on the fringes of Arteta’s eleven overall – leading to reports the “extraordinary” defender could leave next month. Arsenal are not willing to let Kiwior leave on loan, though, and will only green-light a permanent exit.
This is echoed by Sky Sports Italia reporter Luca Marchetti, who told Radio Marte (via Area Napoli) that Arsenal are in negotiations with Napoli over selling Kiwior, with Arteta’s side making it “known” they are prepared to sell but not lend.
“Kiwior can arrive on loan, while Danilo can be bought on sale? We confirm that both negotiations are there, but they are not simple,” said Marchetti.
“Teams that have interesting players do not lend them to you at the start of the market, and those who buy focus on the needs of those who sell, going to look for those who are perhaps playing less at the moment.
“The club’s work is to make Kiwior understand that he could have more space at Arsenal, but they are not giving it to him. The Gunners, for their part, have made it known that they are willing to sell but not to lend.”
Danny Welbeck has revealed that legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson phoned him after his extra-time FA Cup winner for Brighton.
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