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ECB domestic contracts and success of the Hundred gives England their “widest pool of players” to pick from

Alan Gardner30-Aug-2021The impact of increased professionalisation is already beginning to show in the women’s game, with England captain Heather Knight saying selection for the upcoming T20Is against New Zealand had featured the “widest pool of players” under discussion since she was appointed in 2016.Last year, the ECB handed out its first batch of full-time domestic women’s contracts, with 41 players brought into the regional set-up as professionals, alongside those centrally contracted by England. That system has underpinned an increased playing programme this summer, featuring the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and 20-over Charlotte Edwards Cup, in addition to the Hundred (for which players were signed up separately).The Hundred, which concluded at Lord’s just over a week ago, saw record-breaking attendances for women’s cricket in the UK, and contributed to first time call-ups for Maia Bouchier and Charlie Dean – although both will miss Wednesday’s opening T20I after being deemed close contacts of a Covid-19 case – as well as Emma Lamb, who was added to the squad as cover.Another star of the new 100-ball tournament was Alice Capsey, the 17-year-old whose aggressive batting and canny offbreaks helped Oval Invincibles lift the trophy. Capsey caught the eye of Invincibles coach, Jonathan Batty, during last year’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – because of her age he had to ask her mum’s permission before offering a spot at the Hundred – and she is already being touted as a future England international, albeit that studying for her A Levels may take precedence for now.”Lots of people have talked about Alice, obviously she had an outstanding Hundred,” Knight said. “She’s been someone that’s been talked about a lot, as have a number of players, there’s been a lot of players that have stood up and put in performances and that’s been so good in terms of selection. It was probably the widest pool of players I think we’ve talked about since I’ve been captain, that’s for sure, and that’s a great things for the team.Related

• From agony to ecstasy: Farrant set to live the Lord's dream

• ECB set to increase women's Hundred salaries

• Bouchier, Dean out of first T20I vs NZ

“Alice is definitely one we’ve got on our radar, but we’ve gone with a few different players that we want to have a look at and want to see how they react to being around the group.”Knight said that giving domestic women cricketers “the opportunity to train as much as the England players” would only increase competition for spots in the coming seasons, and pointed to the ability to follow performances much more closely than before. “The pool of players that we’re talking about now in selection is much bigger,” she said. “It’s just so great that we can watch every game and see these players in action just at the click of a button, through the streaming service and obviously having stuff on telly as well.”The increased game-time means England may look at rotating their XI against New Zealand, with the three T20Is followed by a five-match ODI series that will aid preparations for the 50-over World Cup. Having been put back by the pandemic, the 2021 tournament will be held in New Zealand early next year, where England will be attempting to defend their title.Tash Farrant finished as the leading wicket-taker in the women’s Hundred•Getty Images

“Those ODIs are going to be a huge focus for us with the World Cup,” Knight said. “It might give us the chance to have a little look at a few players, and the schedule for the ODIs is pretty mad to be honest; we’ve got five games in I think, 10 or 11 days so I’m sure we’re going to have to look at potentially rotating a few players and looking after players.”It’s been a long old summer with various bubbles, etc, so we’re going to have to make sure we look after players physically and mentally. But anytime you play for England, anytime you preparing for a series you’re looking to give your best and try and put together the best preparations to try and win those games.”The Hundred was also an opportunity for those who have already played for England to remind the selectors of their abilities – and none did so more effectively than Tash Farrant, the Invincibles left-armer who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and impressed with her change-ups at the death.”Having that squad depth and different players performing well – you saw Tash Farrant, how well she did in the Hundred, the performances she put in, and she was on the bench for the whole of the India series,” Knight said. “So people putting in those sort of performances and making it really, really tricky for us to leave them out is what we want.”Knight was also in no doubt about the impact of the Hundred on the women’s game, particularly how the marked increase in attendances – ECB figures recorded 267,000 spectators at women’s fixtures across the tournament – would help players learn how to deal with greater scrutiny and pressure.”What a tournament it was. The crowds that we had, the support that we had, and the cricket that was on show. It’s going to be a huge thing, I think, for women’s cricket, but I don’t think we’re necessarily going to see the impact straightaway in terms of the series coming up. I think the biggest impact will for us will be being able to play under that sort of pressure, and [in front of] crowds consistently, it’s is going to be huge for us how we deal with that as players. The players that really embrace it and grow, when they are under that pressure, is going to be a big learning I think.”

Ipswich Town won't want to walk into the Premier League and be completely overwhelmed with the task at hand. Instead, they'll want to continue hanging onto the wave of their unbelievable success to try and stave off relegation.

New incomings through the door will boost their chances of not succumbing immediately to dropping straight back down to the Championship, with the likes of Armando Broja and Eddie Nketiah being linked with switches to the Premier League new boys to add some quality here and there.

There could even be a new signing between the sticks at Portman Road this summer for Ipswich fans to look out for, with the target in question once fancied for a surprise England call-up by Gareth Southgate, when an injury crisis struck the goalkeeper department for the Three Lions.

Ipswich looking at "incredible" new goalkeeper

Journalist Darren Witcoop has recently stated that Ipswich are monitoring the manager situation at Brighton and Hove Albion when going after young Seagulls shot-stopper Carl Rushworth, with a new manager on the South Coast potentially taking a fancy to the 22-year-old 'keeper.

Excelling out on loan in both League One and in the Championship with Lincoln City and Swansea City, with Swans manager Luke Williams labelling Rushworth as "incredible" for his efforts last season, the current Brighton reserve figure has dazzled in the second-tier and in the third-tier with his distribution out from the back catching the eye as much as his shot-stopping ability.

His now former Welsh employers did want to keep Rushworth past his prior golden loan stint, after playing every single minute of action he could in the Championship, but that looks unlikely especially with such fervent interest from the league above.

How Rushworth would suit McKenna's Ipswich

Rushworth could also be perfect for the style of play McKenna likes his Ipswich sides to play, with calm and measured play out from the back before springing into life in attack normally on the menu, as the Tractor Boys look to tweak subtly all over the pitch to deal with the step-up.

Ipswich will know they will need to shut up shop more in the division above having still been a leaky team even during their promotion heroics, shipping 57 goals compared to Leicester's 41 sitting at the top of the tree, and Rushworth could be the answer.

Although he kept only ten clean sheets in total for the Swans, the highly-regarded 22-year-old managed to prevent 4.02 goals from rippling the back of his net across the full season, with a staggering 143 saves notched up across all 46 of his second-tier clashes.

Making more overall saves this season than current Ipswich number one Hladky, alongside being more alert in preventing goals from squirming in, Rushworth's rise up the EFL could now culminate, much like Ipswich's, in an opportunity to test himself in the bright lights of the top division.

Hladky will feel slightly aggrieved, having been a consistent starter for Ipswich last campaign, but Rushworth's confidence and assuredness on the ball, alongside his age being 22 contrasted with the Czech keeper being 33 years of age, could mean he's a more trusted long-term option to persist with.

McKenna might well make calls that don't go down well with the entire fanbase, but with Rushworth succeeding at every level he's played at so far in the EFL, he could pass his upcoming Premier League assessment with flying colours if secured.

Ipswich could sign Davis rival in forgotten "special" talent

Ipswich Town would certainly keep Leif Davis on his toes by signing this gem.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 3, 2024

Inter Miami believe Lionel Messi has hit “ideal form” at “the most important part of the year”, with the Herons setting their sights on MLS Cup glory.

Article continues below

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• Martino's side break single season points record
• Have already secured 2024 Supporters' Shield
• Talismanic captain looking to land another trophy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Argentine superstar has endured a couple of injury setbacks in 2024, with the most recent of those seeing him suffer ankle damage in the Copa America final. Messi sat out several weeks when working his way back to fitness, but has picked up where he left off since returning to Tata Martino’s plans.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi recorded an 11-minute hat-trick in his latest appearance, as Inter Miami saw off the New England Revolution and posted another record with the highest single season points tally in MLS. They are now readying themselves for play-off action, with their talismanic captain peaking with perfect timing.

• WHAT TATA MARTINO SAID

  Martino has told reporters of working Messi back to his mercurial best when it matters most: "After the big injury that he had in the Copa America, we had to be very careful with his recovery and to bring him back to the team. So in both the Argentina team and here, we were very careful with that topic.

  "The Columbus game (on Octover 2), especially second half, Leo was participating a lot in what happened in that match, and the last game with Bolivia also, we saw him a lot looser, a lot more in rhythm, with a lot more performance. Tonight, the first ball back he touched was the pass to Jordi Alba so he could make a goal. I have the feeling that we have him in ideal form in the most important part of the year for us."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & INTER MIAMI?

  Messi is a contender for the 2024 MLS MVP award, with 20 goals and 11 assists to his name, and Inter Miami will be hoping to see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner maintain remarkable standards when opening their play-off campaign on October 25 against either CF Montreal and Atlanta United.

“When we get into such good positions, we have to get them by the throat and we have to finish them off”

Mohammad Isam11-Jul-2021Donald Tiripano has said that he is ready to take up the challenge of batting higher up the order, after he frustrated Bangladesh with a 144-ball 52 coming in at No.5 in the one-off Test.While Bangladesh were always on course for victory, Tiripano managed to stall the visitors for most of the final day, and it was eventually a poor umpiring decision that ended his stay at the crease. Ebadot Hossain got the ball to jag back enough, but the replays clearly showed that there was daylight between bat and ball, before Liton Das collected the ball. Tiripano, however, felt the game swung decisively on the first day when Zimbabwe failed to get their opponents “by the throat and finish them off”.Related

• Mominul Haque admits Bangladesh 'got away' thanks to long batting line-up

• The strange silence on Mahmudullah's last day of Test cricket

• Mahmudullah shines in Test swansong as Taskin, Miraz hand Bangladesh big win in Harare

“It is a challenge that I am willing to take. I am happy to embrace it if given the chance to bat up the order. I like being challenged. I enjoy pressure,” he said.The pressure on the fifth day was unrelenting for Zimbabwe, particularly after they lost four wickets in 19 balls just after the first drinks break. Dion Myers, Timycen Maruma, Roy Kaia and Regis Chakabva all departed, leaving Tiripano alone with a long tail.He managed the pressure quite well though, ensuring Bangladesh needed more than 30 overs to dislodge the last three wickets. Tiripano struck six fours during his stay, couple of them driven through the covers and midwicket, and one from a reverse sweep. This was his second Test fifty, both coming this year.Tiripano, however, was disappointed Zimbabwe couldn’t put up a higher score in the first innings.”It is unfortunate that we couldn’t get a good total in the first innings. There are a lot of positives that came out from this game. Guys tried to score some runs and build partnerships by putting their head down. But we should work hard on our batting and make sure that we don’t play catch up cricket in a Test match.”He also rued Zimbabwe letting Bangladesh off the hook on the first afternoon when the visitors were 132 for 6 at one stage.”We started well in the first morning. The wicket was doing a bit. After taking six wickets, we let them off. Mahmudullah and Liton Das put together a partnership.”I think we have to make sure that when we get into such positions, we have to get them by the throat and we have to finish them off.”Tiripano was all praise for the two debutants Kaitano and Myers.”They are exciting guys. Kaitano is very talented. Everyone has seen what he can do. Dion also showed glimpses of how great a batter he is going to be for Zimbabwe. The future looks bright with these guys.”

Stats highlights from a dramatic night in Bengaluru, where Ellyse Perry became the leading run-scorer in the WPL

Namooh Shah24-Feb-20251 – The match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and UP Warriorz (UPW) in Bengaluru on Monday was the first in the WPL to end in a tie. UPW won the Super Over.835 – Runs scored by Ellyse Perry in the WPL to become the leading run-scorer of the league, going past Meg Lanning’s tally of 782. Perry has scored 507 runs in her last ten WPL innings averaging 84.5 with five 50-plus scores.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7 – 50-plus scores by Perry in the WPL, the joint-highest alongside Lanning. Three of Perry’s seven fifties in the WPL have come in 2025.90* – Perry’s score against UPW is the second-highest for RCB in the WPL, behind Sophie Devine’s 99 against Gujarat Giants in 2023. It is also the joint-fourth-highest individual score in the WPL.11 – Dismissals for Smriti Mandhana against offspinners in the WPL, the most for any batter. She has scored 126 runs off 131 balls against offspin, averaging 11.45. Mandhana has been dismissed three times each by Ash Gardner and Deepti Sharma. Lanning comes next in that list, with six dismissals to offspin.33 – Runs scored by Sophie Ecclestone in the chase, the highest by a batter at No. 9 or lower in WPL, bettering the record of RCB’s Megan Schutt, who scored 30 not out in 19 balls against Delhi Capitals in 2023.113 – Runs scored by RCB in the last ten overs of their innings, compared to only 67 in the first ten overs. Nearly 63% of their total came in the second half. That’s the joint-second-highest runs they have added in the last ten overs of the innings, bettered only by the 114 against the same opponents in 2024, also in Bengaluru.