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All the records that the South Africa batter broke on his Test debut against Zimbabwe

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Jun-202519 years, 93 days Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ age on Saturday, when he scored 153 in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. He became the youngest batter to score 150 in Test cricket, bettering Javed Miandad, who was 19 years and 119 days old when he notched up 163 against New Zealand on the opening day of the Lahore Test in 1976.4 Number of players younger than Pretorius with a hundred on their Test debut. Three of those four have done it in the second innings on debut.1 Pretorius is also the youngest among seven South African men to score a hundred on their Test debut. In fact, no man younger than Pretorius had scored a fifty in any format for South Africa in International cricket. His hundred off 112 balls is also the fastest for South Africa on debut.157 Balls that Pretorius needed for his 150 against Zimbabwe. It is the fastest 150 for South Africa in Tests, a record previously held by AB de Villiers, who had achieved it off 162 balls against Australia in 2012 (where data is available).His effort is also the second fastest by a debutant in Tests, only behind Shikhar Dhawan, who got to his 150 in only 131 balls against Australia in 2013.4 Batters to have scored a century on their Test debut as well as their first-class debut. Pretorius had scored 120 on his first-class debut in December last year against the Warriors. Gundappa Viswanath, Dirk Wellham and Prithvi Shaw are the other players to have achieved this feat.38 Balls that Dewald Brevis needed for his half-century on Saturday, the fastest by a debutant for South Africa in Tests. The previous quickest was by Dave Nourse, who scored a fifty off 40 balls on his debut against Australia in 1902. Brevis’ 38-ball effort is also the joint-fourth fastest on debut in men’s Tests.95 Partnership runs between Pretorius and Brevis for the fifth wicket. It is the highest partnership between two debutants for South Africa in men’s Tests. The previous highest was 92 between Andrew Hudson and Adrian Kuiper, also for the fifth wicket against West Indies in 1992.

قلب فريق أستون فيلا الطاولة على تشيلسي وحول تأخره إلى فوز بهدفين لهدف خلال منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وحل تشيلسي ضيفًا على أستون فيلا بملعب “فيلا بارك”، ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة والعشرين للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وعانى تشيلسي من إصابة مبكرة للاعبه تريفوه شالوباه، حيث تعرض لإصابة في الظهر، في الدقيقة الثامنة، ولم يتمكن من استكمال المباراة، ليغادر أرض الملعب، ويحل مكانه توسين أدارابيويو.

وبعد دقيقة واحدة تقدم تشيلسي بهدف، بعد انطلاقة من بيدرو نيتو في الجانب الأيمن، ومرر كرة عرضية داخل المنطقة تجاه إنزو فيرنانديز، الذي سدد كرة على الطائر في الشباك بالدقيقة 9.

ومع بداية الشوط الثاني شارك ماركوس راشفورد مع فريقه أستون فيلا كبديل لزميله جاكوب رامزي.

وتمكن راشفورد من صناعة هدف تعادل أستون فيلا بتمريرة إلى ماركو أسينسيو الذي سجل في الدقيقة 57.

وعاد الحكم لتقنية الفار للتأكد من صحة هدف تعادل أستون فيلا ومن ثم تم احتسابه.

اقرأ أيضًا | ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هزيمة آرسنال أمام وست هام

ومجددًا مرر راشفورد إلى أسينسيو ليسجل هدف أستون فيلا الثاني في الدقيقة 89 من اللقاء.

حسمت المباراة بفوز أستون فيلا 2-1، ليتقدم للمركز السابع برصيد 42 نقطة، ويتوقف رصيد تشيلسي عند 43 نقطة في المركز السادس.

وعرقل أستون فيلا خصمه تشيلسي عن الصعود للمركز الرابع في الترتيب، والذي يحتله الآن مانشستر سيتي بـ44 نقطة. أهداف مباراة أستون فيلا وتشيلسي اليوم

United knocked out in the second eliminator after producing PSL’s best-ever league stage performance

Danyal Rasool22-Jun-2021The league stage suggested that Islamabad United were red-hot favourites for their third PSL title, but a comprehensive Peshawar Zalmi performance guaranteed that they wouldn’t even make it to the final.A ruthless bowling performance from Zalmi was followed up by a clinical chase, spearheaded by the irrepressible Hazratullah Zazai and debutant Jonathan Wells. Their 126-run partnership led to an eight-wicket rout of Shadab Khan’s side, with the chase of 176 was achieved with more than three overs to spare.Zalmi were on top from start to finish, aside from a four-over spell at the back-end of the first innings, where a spirited Hasan Ali knock ensured that United would at least remain competitive in the contest. The match began with an unfortunate run-out of Usman Khawaja when Shoaib Malik was controversially deemed to have got his foot to a ball that went on to clatter into the non-striker’s stumps. Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz kept a lid on things, even if Colin Munro cut loose from time to time, ending up as United’s most potent hope in the first half of the innings.But it was the middle stages where Zalmi pulled clear. Amad Butt and Umaid Asif came back in strongly to pick up regular wickets, with Shadab, Iftikhar Ahmed and Brandon King all falling cheaply. There was a danger that United would end up being bowled out under 120 before Hasan’s brutal onslaught gave his side hope.In reply, United kept Zazai on a leash for the most part, bowling away from his hitting arc. But the failure to get more wickets up top meant there was always the fear that Zalmi had enough firepower at the end to catch up with a climbing run rate. Wells and Zazai saw off the pressure without throwing their wickets away, the Australian doing particularly well in his first game to adjust to conditions and pace his innings accordingly. It was in Shadab’s third over that they cut loose, smashing the United captain for three sixes in four balls on a forgettable day for Shadab; he would go on to concede 55 in his four. He has never been as expensive in PSL history, and his team was on the ropes.Zazai and Wells seemed to mirror each other for most of the stand, which was finally broken after 126 hard-fought runs when Zazai chopped on to Mohammad Wasim. The asking rate was almost run-a-ball by then, and a Shoaib Malik blitz – 32 off 10 balls – made light work of the last rites.The Hasan Ali cameo Is it really a cameo if a player ends up being their side’s top-scorer? United looked like they had blown their chances at a spot in the final spectacularly after a listless display from the top and middle-order saw them reduced to 110 for 8. Crucially, though, Hasan was still out there, and he wasn’t in the mood to simply bat out 20 overs. Two fours and two sixes off Asif’s 17th over just whet his appetite as the 26-year old let loose in a blur of monstrous shot-making. Zalmi were guilty of being one-paced to him, and Ali loved the ball coming onto the bat; Riaz was tonked for 19 in the penultimate over as the two-time champions plundered 64 off the final four.Wasim offered fantastic support at the other end, thumping a pair of sixes on his own as the frontal assault continued from both sides. Hasan, meanwhile, was heroically run out trying to get back on strike for the final delivery, having raced to a sizzling 45 off 16. No player deserved a half-century more, but the knock had given his side more than a fair chance.Mohammad Irfan’s eventful dayPlenty went on with Irfan today, but one thing it really shouldn’t detract everyone from is the veteran’s unerring consistency of performance. For the third consecutive game, Irfan conceded exactly 21 runs in his four overs, astonishing figures as bowlers around him have found themselves clubbed to all parts. The pace and length variations continue to remain unpredictable, as batters as diverse as power hitters and anchors struggle to settle against the giant Zalmi bowler.He also doubled up with the priceless wicket of Munro at a time when the New Zealander had helped United off to a flying start and looked exceptionally threatening. He was unfortunate not to have had him a few balls earlier, coaxing an outside edge that Kamran Akmal spilled. Off the final ball of the over, though, Munro played at one down leg side, and this time, Irfan had the wicket he deserved.It wasn’t – as we now know – what will dominate Irfan-related chat in the game’s aftermath. He pulled up with an injury at the end of his spell umpire Aleem Dar deemed less than convincing, refusing to allow a substitute fielder in his place. That meant Zalmi were forced to play with just ten players for a brief period before Khalid Usman was permitted to come on as a cover. But Irfan’s most salient contribution to the contest had already been made.Where they stand United are eliminated despite boasting the best ever group stage performance in the PSL. Zalmi go through to face Multan Sultans in Thursday’s final.

They have received plenty of criticism for it over the last couple of years, but Chelsea seem determined to continue building a team full of exciting young talents.

For example, the West Londoners added Jorrel Hato, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Estevao to Enzo Maresca’s side this summer.

However, one player who is just that little bit older than them is Liam Delap, who, at 22, is arguably still a prospect, but at the same time, needs to start delivering on a more consistent basis.

If he does do that, there is also more than a passing chance he could establish himself as an England regular; if not, Cobham is already producing an incredible gem who could surpass him for club and country.

Delap's route into the England team

While Thomas Tuchel arguably has the strongest England squad for a very long time, a narrative that has been doing the rounds this international break is that, after Harry Kane, there aren’t many, if any, obvious strikers to take as backup for the World Cup.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

For example, Ivan Toney is still playing in the Saudi Pro-League, Ollie Watkins has just one goal and no assists in 16 games this season, and Dominic Solanke is still out injured.

In fact, the search for a backup number nine has been so desperate that there are now genuine conversations around recalling Danny Welbeck ahead of the summer, and while he deserves to be in the conversation, he’ll be 35 this month, so he is not a long-term option.

This, then, is how, even though he’s not had the best of starts this season, Delap could very realistically find himself on that plane to the World Cup next summer.

After all, even though he was playing for a really relatively poor Ipswich Town side last season, the former Manchester City prospect was still able to rack up a reasonable enough tally of 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances.

So, if he can rediscover some form this year, there is surely a place in Tuchel’s squad with his name on it, but if not, one of Cobham’s most exciting prospects in a long time could eventually usurp him for club and country.

The Chelsea gem who could usurp Delap

Cobham have long produced Premier League-level youngsters who have gone on to star for Chelsea or other sides, and it looks like Shumaira Mheuka is the next one up.

The 18-year-old goalscoring machine began his footballing journey on the south coast with Brighton & Hove Albion, but made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2022.

In the two and a half years since, the youngster has gone from strength to strength and is without a doubt one of the most exciting up-and-coming centre-forwards in the country.

For example, even though he was just 16 at the start of last season, he ended the campaign with 11 goals and three assists in 30 appearances across the u18s and u21s.

However, while his exploits last year were impressive, what he has been able to do this year has been utterly remarkable.

Appearances

61

Goals

34

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.70

So far, the teenage phenom, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed “Cobham’s finest,” has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances for the youth sides, totalling 997 minutes.

In other words, he is currently averaging 1.33 goal involvements per game, or one every 62.31 minutes, which is frankly ridiculous.

If that wasn’t enough, the Birmingham-born monster is also doing the business for the national side, racking up a tally of 14 goals and three assists in 20 appearances for the u19s.

With numbers and performances such as these, it’s easy to see why Kulig described the youngster as “the future of Chelsea and English football.”

Ultimately, if Delap doesn’t start performing for Chelsea soon, there is every chance he could be replaced by Mheuka, who could also soon make his way into Tuchel’s plans.

Bye-bye Tosin & Chalobah: Chelsea submit bid to re-sign "the world's best CB"

The iconic defender would be excellent for Chelsea, but bad news for Tosin and Chalobah.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 20, 2025

Birmingham Bears have announced the signing of Carlos Brathwaite for their T20 Blast campaign.Brathwaite, who recently won the Big Bash League as part of the Sydney Sixers side and is currently playing for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, is likely to be available for the full group stage. However, he is likely to be unavailable for the knockout stages of the Blast – if the Bears qualify – due to a clash with the Caribbean Premier League.He is likely to be the club’s only overseas player for the T20 season after the signing of Danny Briggs at the end of last season and with Jake Lintott, the left-arm wristspinner, recently signing his first professional deal. The Bears have fielded Jeetan Patel as an overseas player for a number of years, while Chris Green had been lined up to return in 2020 but looks unlikely to do so in 2021.Related

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“Carlos is an outstanding addition to our team,” said Paul Farbrace, the club’s director of cricket. “I was part of the England coaching team in 2016 when Carlos’ four successive sixes changed the ICC T20 World Cup final, so I’m well aware of his capabilities. I’m just glad that we’ll have the benefits of his qualities now that he’s signed for the Bears.”It is understood that Warwickshire had been in contact with several potential overseas players, including Moises Henriques, but convincing players to travel to the United Kingdom with the country still in lockdown has not proved straightforward for any county.When he is not playing in franchise competitions, Brathwaite is based in Oxford, a 70-mile drive from Edgbaston, meaning the prospect of spending the summer in England is significantly more appealing than it might be for others. This will be his second stint in county cricket, after a spell with Kent for the 2018 Blast.”It’s very exciting to join the Bears and to make Edgbaston my home this summer,” Brathwaite said. “I’ve heard a lot about the atmosphere and the big T20 crowds that come to Edgbaston to watch the Bears. I can’t wait to get started this summer in the Blast.”I know that the team went very close to reaching the quarter-finals last year, but we’ve got a lot of young talent in this squad and I’m hoping that we can push on further this year. Getting to Finals Day at our home ground would be fantastic.”Warwickshire are also currently looking for an experienced batsman as an overseas player in the Championship, to fill the gap left by Ian Bell’s retirement at the end of the 2020 season. They have been linked with a deal for Cheteshwar Pujara, though his availability is in doubt after he was signed by Chennai Super Kings in last week’s IPL auction. They will not sign an overseas player for the Royal London Cup.

حقق فريق إنتر ميامي، بقيادة النجم ليونيل ميسي، لقب بطولة الدوري الأمريكي لكرة القدم نسخة 2025، للمرة الأولى في تاريخه عقب فوزه على فانكوفر، مساء يوم السبت.

واستضاف ملعب “لوكهارت” مباراة نهائي بطولة الدوري الأمريكي لتلك النسخة، بين إنتر ميامي بطل القسم الشرقي وفانكوفر بطل القسم الغربي، حيث توجت كتيبة ليونيل ميسي باللقب، بعدما فازت بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

كان إنتر ميامي قد تقدم بهدف سجله اللاعب إديير أوكامبو، في الدقيقة الثامنة من عمر الشوط الأول، بالخطأ في مرمى فريقه.

وفي الدقيقة 60، تمكن فانكوفر من تسجيل هدف التعادل عن طريق اللاعب علي أحمد، ولكن إنتر ميامي عاد بهدفين سجلهما رودريجو دي بول وتاديو أليندي، في الدقيققتين 71 و96.

وشارك ليونيل ميسي في مباراة اليوم كأساسي رفقة إنتر ميامي، وخاضها حتى النهاية، وصنع الهدف الثاني والثالث، ليقود الفريق إلى لقب الدوري الأمريكي الأول في تاريخ النادي.

Australia’s bowlers almost turned the game around but New Zealand’s lower order came through

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2021Beth Mooney believed Australia’s bowlers could close out the second T20I in Napier, but conceded the visitors had been under par with the bat on a surface where they were not able to significantly accelerate.Despite only having 129 on the board, Australia had squeezed the chase after the fall of Frankie Mackay to the extent that New Zealand needed 21 off the last two overs which they were able to achieve through Maddy Green and Hannah Rowe, the last ball being edged to fine leg.”I’d back our bowlers to defend 21 off 12, but Hannah Rowe and Maddy Green were outstanding,” Mooney said. “When you need three of the last ball, it can go anywhere.”Australia’s innings included nine fours and a six, while the home side managed 13 fours and two sixes. Mooney batted through the first innings for 61* off 54 balls, but Rachael Haynes scored 11 off her first 16 deliveries before lifting herself above a run-a-ball.Related

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Throughout the third wicket stand of 49, Ash Gardner, who struck a superb 73 off 48 balls in the first T20I in Hamilton, was sat in the dugout and eventually walked in with a just ten balls remaining, but Mooney said the team had faith in all their batters to perform in any situation.”They were tricky conditions and it was really hard to start on,” she said. “Even someone like me, I was out there the whole game and never felt I could get the ball out of the middle. New Zealand bowled really well, had some great plans so credit has to go to the way they played. Thought they were an outstanding fielding outfit today, too.”Anyone in our batting line-up can bat anywhere. Rach Haynes has done really well in the middle order for our team and been going beautifully. [We] would never question the decisions the coaching staff make because at the time it’s the right one.”You look at the top six in our team we have some of the best batters in the world so we have batters who can play any role in any situation on any given day. Whilst it might seem from the outside that we don’t try too much or change too much within our group we are really confident and supportive of each other. We were probably 10 or 15 runs short. Whether Ash came in earlier or not, who knows, but it was definitely a really hard wicket to start on considering how tight they were bowling.”The victory was more notable for New Zealand as they achieved it without captain Sophie Devine, who was ill. It meant a reshuffling of the batting order with Mackay, who was due to be left out a few hours earlier, opening the innings and then she suffered a calf injury which left her largely restricted to trying to hit boundaries.Despite not being able to secure victory in Hamilton after reducing Australia to 14 for 3, stand-in captain Amy Satterthwaite said the performance had lifted the team’s confidence after the difficult time against England.”Really proud of the way everyone stood up,” she said. “The belief in what we were doing was getting bigger and bigger, the last game probably gave us more belief than people probably realised in the way we carried ourselves. It was a step forward of where we’d been against England. Today we talked about lifting that again. Thought the fielding had been setting the tone we were outstanding again. That lifted everyone and the bowlers were all brilliant.”

Australia become the first team to score 350-plus in three successive ODIs

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Oct-2023771 – The match aggregate during the Australia-New Zealand match in Dharamsala. It is now the highest aggregate for a men’s ODI World Cup match, bettering the 754 during the South Africa-Sri Lanka game in Delhi earlier in this tournament.383 for 9 – New Zealand’s total is the highest by any team in a chase at the ODI World Cup. It is also the highest total by any team against Australia at the World Cup, surpassing India’s 352 for 5 in 2019. Only once New Zealand have posted a higher total at the World Cup – 393 for 6 against West Indies in 2015.32 – Sixes hit during the match – the second-most in a World Cup game, behind the 33 sixes between England and Afghanistan in Manchester in 2019.77 – Balls Rachin Ravindra needed for his century, the fastest for New Zealand in the ODI World Cup, improving his own record of 82 balls against England in the opening match of this edition. It is also the fastest century against Australia at the World Cup; the previous fastest was off 82 balls by Clive Llyod in the 1975 final.1 – Mitchell Starc went wicketless for the first time in his 24-match ODI World Cup career. His streak of taking at least one wicket in 23 matches is the best for any bowler.20 – Sixes hit by Australia – the most by them in an ODI, surpassing the 19 they hit against India in 2013 and Pakistan in 2023, both in Bangalore. These are also the most sixes hit by any team against New Zealand in an ODI innings, surpassing the 19 by India earlier this year in Indore.388 – Australia’s total is the highest by any team against New Zealand in ODI World Cup, surpassing their effort of 348 for 6 in 2007. It is also the third-highest total for any team against New Zealand in ODIs.Getty Images3 – Number of consecutive 350-plus totals by Australia, following up their 367 for 9 against Pakistan and 399 for 8 against Netherlands. They are the first team to score 350-plus in three successive ODIs.Getty Images59 – Number of balls Travis Head needed for his century, the fastest by an opening batter at the World Cup, betting Rohit Sharma’s 63-ball ton against Afghanistan earlier in this edition. It is also the fastest on World Cup debut, a record previously held by David Miller off 81 balls against Zimbabwe in 2015.1 – Head’s 59-ball hundred is also the third-fastest by any batter against New Zealand in ODIs. Thisara Perera’s 57-ball century in 2019 is the fastest against them, while Jonny Bairstow took 58 balls in 2018. Today’s was the fastest against them in World Cups – the previous fastest-recorded century against New Zealand in the showpiece event was by Carlos Brathwaite – off 80 balls in the 2019 edition.25 – Balls Head needed for his fifty, the fastest by a World Cup debutant. The previous fastest in the category was by Rilee Rossouw – 31 balls against West Indies in the 2015 edition. It is also the joint-second fastest fifty for Australia in the World Cup overall, behind Glenn Maxwell’s 21-ball effort against Afghanistan in 2015.118 – Runs scored by Australia in the first ten overs, which is the second-most in this period by any team in an ODI World Cup game since 1999. The highest is 119 by West Indies, who scored those against Canada in 2003.These are also the joint-third most runs in the first ten overs of an ODI innings overall and the highest for Australia (where ball-by-ball data is available). It is also the first time New Zealand conceded 100-plus runs inside the first ten overs of an ODI innings.10 – Sixes hit by Australian batters in the first ten overs are the joint-most by any team in an ODI innings (where ball-by-ball data is available). West Indies also hit ten sixes in their first ten overs against England in 2019.1 – Number of previous instances of both opening batters completing their fifties inside 30 balls in an ODI innings. Mitchell Marsh and Head needed 28 and 29 balls for their half-centuries against India earlier this year in Visakhapatnam, while it was 28 for Warner and 25 for Head today.1 – Number of all-out totals in ODIs higher than Australia’s 388. The highest is 389 by West Indies against England in 2019, in pursuit of 419.

Returning to Test cricket was not an overwhelming motivation for Shai Hope, but now that he’s back for the first time since 2021, he’s ready to commit to a fresh era under new captain Roston Chase.Hope, who leads West Indies in both white-ball formats, had been approached to be interviewed for the role of Test captain after Kraigg Brathwaite stepped down. But he declined to be included in the process, in part, he said, due to the workload of being a three-format player, which was also in the conversations with head coach Daren Sammy about a return to the Test side.To add to the scrutiny of his recall, Hope has been handed the wicketkeeping gloves for the opening match against Australia in Barbados, just the third time in Tests he’s started as the designated keeper, although he’s a regular in the role in limited-overs cricket.Related

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“Representing West Indies, they always give me a lot of joy and pride,” Hope told ESPNcricinfo in Barbados. “I think that was the main focus, just being able to represent the region and bring my impact on the game and obviously the transfer of that inspiration back into the next generation.”I’m happy to be back. It’s not something I would say I was looking forward to in terms of, ‘I have to play Test cricket again’. But if the opportunity came, I would always be willing to take it.”I believe if I’m doing something, I’m committed to it,” he added. “So if I decided to come back and play Test cricket, my main focus would be to give it my all. If success is there or not, the decision to leave me in or include me, that’s up to the decision makers. But, yes, as long as I’m being committed to the task at hand, I think I’m going to give my all.”With a T20 World Cup early next year and the build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, where West Indies face a scrap for direct qualification through the rankings after having missed on the 2023 edition, there will be a lot of pressure on Hope in the months and years ahead.”The reality is the best or the most elite players, they don’t play all throughout the year in all three formats,” he said. “So there’s some rest involved, [and] there’s some give or take. But I pride myself on being as fit and being as ready as possible for whatever is thrown at me. And that’s what I’m going to try to do. If I’m playing all three formats, let’s say for the next two, three, five, ten years, however long, I want to make sure I’m doing it the best I can.”The amount of cricket I’ve been playing for the last couple of years, the workload has been pretty intense. It’s just about managing that a little bit better. We understand the magnitude of games that we have over the next cycle.”It’s about seeing what’s best for West Indies cricket. I guess they felt as though I would have been the perfect person to come in at this stage in my career and see what impact I can have. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”In this Test side, alongside Chase, the recalled John Campbell and debutant Brandon King, Hope is part of a reshaped batting order.Pat Cummins and Roston Chase will lead their sides at the Frank Worrell Trophy•AFP/Getty Images

He announced himself to the world with twin centuries against England, at Headingley, in 2017 to help West Indies to victory and followed that with 62 at Lord’s in the final match of the series. His next outing against Zimbabwe brought 90, amid a golden two-month period, but only two more half-centuries followed over a four-year stretch until he was left out after playing Sri Lanka in 2021. Since that series, he has played just four first-class matches – two for Barbados and two for Sussex.”Shai Hope is a class player,” Chase said. “He has a lot of experience in the international arena. He’s also the captain in the white-ball format. I’m just looking for him to lead by example as a senior player and someone that I can lean on in pressure situations and to help me lead the troops in being a competitive Test team.”Hope was wicketkeeper in his most recent red-ball outing, against Trinidad and Tobago in March, where he reportedly struggled with the gloves, but Chase backed him to put in the hard work needed to do the role at Test level.”He’s been in the international arena for some time and, at this level, you have to put those things behind you very fast,” Chase said. “[I know] that he will be able to put that behind him. I’ve seen him working on his keeping a bit more now, too. So, hopefully that should put him in good stead and do a great job for us.”

An encouraging new development regarding the future of West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has emerged, following a fresh development before the weekend Championship action.

West Brom prepare for Bristol City clash

The Baggies return to the field on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Bristol City to The Hawthorns for another important game in the promotion race. Their weekend opponents sit 11th in the Championship table and only five points adrift of Corberan’s eighth-place side, highlighting the importance of the game, as they look to pull eight points clear of them.

West Brom have endured a frustrating period of form in recent months, topping the table back in September before going on a long winless run, with so many draws thrown in. In fact, they have drawn 11 of their 21 league matches so far this season, leading to them falling out of the playoff places.

For Corberan, it has been such a frustrating period, and considering that managers are ultimately judged on results, there has been some understandable criticism aimed at him in recent times, during a season in which many expected the Baggies to be one of the leading contenders to win the Championship title.

That said, the 41-year-old has largely impressed since taking charge at West Brom back in 2022, guiding his side into the playoffs last season, being beaten by Southampton in the semi-finals. Now, a significant update has emerged regarding the future of the Baggies manager.

Encouraging update over Corberan's West Brom future

Despite a claim from AS [via Sport Witness] that Southampton have sent an “important offer” to West Brom boss Corberan, following the sacking of Russell Martin, they have instead agreed a deal with Ivan Juric, according to Fabrizio Romano on X.

For all the disappointment at West Brom’s form at times this season, this update still represents a real boost for the Baggies, considering what an influential figure Corberan has been over the past couple of years.

The fact that a Premier League club were actively trying to prise him away from a Championship club says a lot about his credentials, but it looks as though he is staying put. To see him leave The Hawthorns midway through the season would be a bitter pill to swallow.

Hopefully, Corberan feels that West Brom are the perfect club for him for the time being, believing that he can guide his West Brom team into the top flight in the coming months, masterminding an upturn in fortunes.

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That said, the lure of the Premier League is great for so many managers, both in terms of being able to test yourself against some of the best coaches in the world and also the financial benefits.

It remains to be seen if Corberan’s head could be turned by another approach from a different club, assuming Juric does complete a move to Southampton, but his sole focus is now hopefully on sealing promotion in the coming months.