India’s ten-wicket win in the first ODI against England took them past Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20224:32

Is Jasprit Bumrah the best all-format bowler in the world?

India’s first 10-wicket win against England in men’s ODIs has taken them to third place in the ICC rankings, ahead of Pakistan.With 108 rating points, India need to win or draw the three-ODI series against England to stay ahead of Pakistan, who have 106. New Zealand lead the ODI rankings with 127 points, while England are second with 122.Pakistan had pushed India down to fourth place last month by beating West Indies 3-0 at home. However, their stay at No. 3 was short lived after India routed England for 110 in the first ODI, after which Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan sealed the win with their fourth century partnership in six ODIs at The Oval.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With two ODIs left in the series, and three more in the West Indies later this month, India have an opportunity to extend their lead over Pakistan in the rankings and close-in on England. However, India could drop below Pakistan and down to fourth if they lose the final two matches of the series against England.As India look to claim the series at Lord’s on Thursday, questions marks loom over Virat Kohli’s fitness. He had missed the series opener due to a groin strain that he sustained during the third T20I in Nottingham last Sunday.”I don’t know the status of his injury because I did not play the last game [3rd T20I],” Jasprit Bumrah said after the first ODI. “Hopefully, he recovers, but I really don’t know the status of his injury.”The groin strain is the latest setback for Kohli on a difficult tour of England. He scored 11 and 20 in the Edgbaston Test that India lost to draw the series 2-2, and then was dismissed for 1 and 11 in the second and third T20 internationals.Kohli has already been rested from the ODI series in the Caribbean from July 22, along with four other senior players Rohit, Rishabh Pant, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. It remains to be seen whether Kohli will play the five-match T20I series in the West Indies that begins on July 29. The squad for that series is due to be selected in the coming days.

For Harmanpreet Kaur, playing for the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games “means a lot” and a favourable result in the final can “change a lot of things” for the game in India.Speaking after India’s four-run win in a seesaw semi-final against England at Edgbaston on Saturday, Harmanpreet, now India’s all-format captain, said the result was possible because of the players’ immense self-belief and their never-say-die attitude. For the record, this was India’s first win in a knockout game in a T20I competition outside the Asia Cup.”It means a lot for us, we’ve been working hard for so long,” Harmanpreet said. “This is a great platform for us. Participating for the first time [in the CWG], if we can do well [in the final], a lot of things can change for us.”We never thought or wondered what we are playing for and what we aren’t playing for. [Gold] medal coming or not coming isn’t in our hands. We just want to play well. The way we’ve played so far, we’ve learnt a lot.”At one stage, with England needing 33 off 24 balls with seven wickets in hand, it looked like the momentum may have slipped away from India. But their spinners, Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana, delivered just when the team needed them to. For Harmanpreet, seeing the energy on the field right, especially under pressure, was a revelation.Sneh Rana showed off nerves of steel•Getty Images

“Until the last moment, we believed we could win, even though they had a couple of strong partnerships,” she said. “Even when they were going well, no one gave up. We’ve been working on this for a while. If you keep doing this, results will come at some point along the way, and I’m glad it is showing now.”It was an important match. It feels good that that everyone stepped up to their responsibilities with the bat, ball and on the field. It’s important that all of them remain together in such matches. In the last over, if you see, our fast fielders took the responsibility of fielding in the deep. That shows how keen you are to do well for the team.”Harmanpreet suggested that the key to India becoming serious contenders for global titles in recent times, even if they won any, was because they were trying to embrace pressure and not be intimidated by the big stage. She credited the support staff for trying to bring about this change and also for “bringing in new plans”.”I’m a great fan of knowing how other teams are doing,” she said. “If you’re aware of it, you can plan. We need someone who can help us like that and I’m happy it’s working for us.”Among the plans that were put to good use on Saturday were, firstly, taking pace off the ball against England’s middle-order batters, and secondly, having the deep-cover fielder squarer than usual in the death overs. The decision to bowl Shafali Verma in the 11th over, with England needing 79 off 60, was also such a move.Jemimah Rodrigues gave India the impetus they needed at the close•Getty Images

Earlier, India’s pacers had been taken for plenty, and Harmanpreet knew bringing herself on at that stage would have not have added much, given India had already used two offspinners in Deepti and Rana.”When we brought her [Verma] in, there were two offspinners bowling,” Harmanpreet explained. “If we would have brought in a third [offspinner], it would have been easy for England. Shafali mixes it up well, she is always keen to bowl. You need someone who enjoys bowling and wants the ball in tough situations.”Whenever I ask her if she wants to bowl, she gets excited. Under pressure, sometimes, a bowler may not be able to give it their best, but her excitement motivates the others too. It sends out a message that if someone who isn’t a regular bowler is so keen to bowl and make a difference, it gives extra responsibility to the [main] bowlers.”On the batting front, Harmanpreet said the plan was to go big in the powerplay to try and take England by surprise. On the day, Smriti Mandhana’s charge, which brought her a 23-ball fifty – the fastest for India in T20Is – helped India massively, and their 50 came up off 4.3 overs, their quickest in the format.”The reason why we batted [after winning the toss] is we wanted to dominate in the first six,” Harmanpreet said. “We were ready to lose one wicket, but we needed to utilise the first six overs on a fresh wicket. The way Smriti batted was outstanding to watch. We were looking for more than 150. In games like these, you need to have [a big] total on the board.”Smriti is someone who is keen to do well for the team always. That innings charged us up, and when the opponent’s body language is down, we could utilise those moments. Also, the way Jemi [Jemimah Rodrigues, who made 44 not out off 31 balls] batted was outstanding. We needed someone who could finish and it was great that she was there till the last ball.”

Glasgow Rangers won’t take many positives from their weekend draw at Easter Road, especially considering the Ibrox side led 2-0 and 3-2 at stages during the game, yet they still managed to draw 3-3.

Defensive issues ensure the Light Blues won’t win the Premiership title this season, as Robin Propper and Dujon Sterling struggled against Hibs on Sunday afternoon, failing to deal with the opposition in the final third.

Despite the dropped points in Edinburgh, one player stood out among the underperformers for the Gers – Hamza Igamane.

The striker has been one of the stories of the season for the club. Eyebrows were raised last summer when Philippe Clement spent £1.7m on the youngster, who joined from AS FAR in Morocco.

Fast-forward seven months down the line and Igamane is showing up plenty of the established first-team players at the club.

Hamza Igamane’s season in numbers

The 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow nursing a small injury which meant he took a few weeks to eventually make it into the senior squad for a match. His debut came at Parkhead during the final stages of a 3-0 defeat. Talk about a baptism of fire for the striker, who hadn’t played football outside of Africa before.

It didn’t take him long to make his mark, especially in Europe. Across the four matches between October and December, Igamane not only started twice, but he scored four goals and grabbed one assist.

Alongside his goals, the centre-forward has averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.3 successful dribbles per game, as well as averaging 1.5 shots per game and this has seen his confidence skyrocket.

Over the festive period, if it was not for Igamane, Rangers would certainly have slipped further behind Celtic. That’s a certainty.

The Ibrox side were trailing 2-0 against Motherwell during their last game of 2024 before the striker netted twice to ensure a point was secured.

As mentioned, his three-goal salvo against Hibs over the weekend should have been enough for the club to gain all three points, but it wasn’t to be.

His displays recently have even attracted plenty of attention, as Igamane could perhaps be the next big thing to leave Ibrox for a major profit.

Indeed, Everton reportedly sent scouts to watch Rangers against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League just before Christmas and it surely won’t be long before a club submits an offer to test the Light Blues’ resolve.

Metric

Europa League

Premiership

Goals

4

7

Shots per game

1.5

2.6

Big chances created

0

4

Assists

1

0

Successful dribbles per game

1.3

1

Clement will be looking to add some more players to his squad between now and the end of the winter window. With defenders the obvious priority due to the injury issues plaguing the club, could the Belgian also make a move for a striker too?

One name has been linked, and he could be a dream rival for Igamane, no doubt about that.

Rangers could sign Igamane rival this month

Towards the end of 2024, South African publication SNL24 claimed that the Ibrox side were monitoring striker Iqraam Rayners ahead of making a potential move when the winter window opened.

“There has been an enquiry about Iqraam (Rayners) from Rangers of Scotland,” a source told SNL24. “I don’t think there has been an offer from them at this stage. What I know is they have shown interest and they continue monitoring him.”

Much will depend on what budget Clement has to play with this month and whether or not he may have to move on some deadwood in order to free up space in his squad.

Rayners is certainly a late bloomer, but if he did make the move to Glasgow, the 29-year-old could rival Igamane for the place in the starting XI, especially after a solid start to the season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Since moving to Mamelodi Sundowns last summer, the South African hitman has been on fire, scoring 13 goals across just 19 games in all competitions, which works out as a goal every 1.46 matches.

A strike rate like this wouldn’t go a miss at Ibrox, that’s for sure. The question is, could Rayners transfer the form he is showing in his homeland to Scotland should he secure his dream move this month?

His success throughout 2024 was praised by journalist Joshua Hendricks, who said: “Rayners has netted an impressive 23 goals across all competitions in 2024, outscoring every other top-flight player. This milestone marks his best scoring year yet, with 11 goals at Stellenbosch and 12 at Mamelodi Sundowns.”

Domestically, Rayners averages 1.7 shots per game, succeeds with 75% of his dribble attempts and has created one big chance. More importantly, perhaps, is his clinical nature in the opposition box.

Indeed, throughout the South African Premier Division season, Rayners has missed just one big chance, while his goal conversion rate currently stands at 40%, indicating how impressive he has been in front of goal this term.

At international level, the striker was also in fine form. Across ten games for South Africa during the calendar year, Rayners managed to find the back of the net on four occasions, including two in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations as South Africa went through the entire campaign undefeated.

Following Igamane’s success after making the move from Africa to Scotland in recent months, Clement will be hoping that Rayners could replicate this success should he secure a permanent move to Rangers.

If so, the Gers might just open up a new market which could see more players from Africa link up with the club shortly, going on to shine before leaving for a big profit.

The manager has both Igamane and Danilo to call upon, with the pair shining over the festive period, but Rayners would add some stiff competition.

The club need to make a signing sooner rather than later and diving back into the African market could see the Light Blues sign another gem.

Imagine him & Igamane: Rangers could land Hagi 2.0 in "incredible" star

Rangers will be looking to make a few signings this month…

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 4, 2025

Arsenal’s record in the transfer market under Mikel Arteta could be described as a mixed bag.

While some fine signings have helped the Gunners become challengers for the Premier League and Champions League, others have arguably held the Gunners back.

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Indeed, since taking over in December 2019, the manager has had his fair share of transfer flops over the years.

With this in mind, we have examined the 10 worst signings made by Arteta during his spell in charge of the club…

10 Raheem Sterling Loan from Chelsea (2024)

When Raheem Sterling joined the Gunners from Chelsea last summer on a season-long loan deal, it appeared to be a smart move by Arteta. Not only was he adding a player who had enjoyed plenty of success in the Premier League, but he wasn’t even paying a penny for his signature.

The winger had scored 10 goals while providing eight assists for the Blues during the 2023/24 season, becoming one of Mauricio Pochettino’s key attacking threats.

Thus, Sterling would be able to chip in consistently for the Gunners this term, perhaps even earning a recall to the England squad in the process.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone to plan for the 30-year-old so far, managing to score just once for the club in a Carabao Cup rout of Bolton Wanderers. And with both Bukayo Saka and Jesus out injured, the jury is still out over whether he will be able to step up or go down as one of Arteta’s worst signings.

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Posts ByHenry Jackson Dec 20, 2024 9 Oleksandr Zinchenko £32m from Manchester City (2022)

Not only did Jesus join from City in 2022, but Oleksandr Zinchenko also made the move, costing the Gunners around £32m.

His positional flexibility – being able to play in midfield and at left-back – was seen as a positive, allowing the Ukrainian to fill in across a range of positions for the Gunners on and off the ball.

Over his first two seasons, Zinchenko made 68 appearances in all competitions, but he has struggled this term, playing just 11 matches, suffering from a succession of injury problems and falling down the pecking order.

During his limited time on the pitch in the league, the defender has failed to create a big chance, averaging just 0.1 key passes per game while winning 37% of his total duels per match.

Zinchenko is one of Arsenal’s most expensive players of all time, but he has yet to fully demonstrate his true talents at the Emirates, and may even already be past his best.

8 Fabio Vieira £34m from Porto (2022)

Alongside Jesus and Zinchenko, Arsenal’s other major signing in 2022 was midfielder Fabio Vieira. The midfielder joined for £34m, but it didn’t take long for him to fail to live up to this lavish fee.

Eight goal contributions in 35 games during his maiden season was decent, if unspectacular, but last term, he failed to kick on. A groin injury meant he played only 17 games as he struggled to make an impact, before being sent back to Porto on loan.

It is clear his signing, at least so far, has been a massive waste of money by Arteta.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Jan 17, 2025 7 Albert Sambi Lokonga £18m from Anderlecht (2021)

Albert Sambi Lokonga joined four years ago for £18m as Arteta was looking to build for the future, with the highly rated midfielder only 21 at the time of his arrival.

24 appearances were made in his first season, yet he failed to score or grab an assist in those games. He dropped further down the pecking order during 2022/23, playing 15 times before joining Crystal Palace on loan in January.

Since then, he has been sent out on loan to Luton Town and Sevilla, failing to live up to his early billing as a potential future star in the Arsenal midfield.

With 18 months left on his deal, it seems as though the Gunners will struggle to recoup the £18m spent on him in 2021.

6 Gabriel Jesus £45m from Manchester City (2022)

Eyebrows were raised when Arteta spent £45m on Gabriel Jesus in 2022. Of course, he had played a part in City’s dominance of the Premier League between 2017 and 2022, scoring 95 goals in the process.

It was certainly seen as a major coup for the Gunners, but Jesus hasn’t really become the talisman that many of the supporters had expected at the time of his arrival.

In 96 games, the Brazilian has netted just 26 goals. However, his lack of firepower in the final third is not the main concern, with his injury record rather alarming.

He had missed 35 games until suffering his recent ACL injury, which will see him miss the rest of the campaign. In terms of value for money, Arteta has endured a howler over Jesus.

5 Marquinhos £3m from São Paulo (2022)

The success of Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal convinced Arteta to dip back into the Brazilian market in 2022, signing Marquinhos for just £3m.

It was very much a signing for the future, but he did make six appearances in his maiden season – even scoring on debut – before being loaned to Norwich City.

He is now on his fourth loan spell since joining Arsenal, signing for Cruzeiro in his homeland. It seems as if the move to the Gunners perhaps happened too quickly, as he looks even further away from making it in the senior Arsenal side under Arteta.

£3m wasn’t a massive amount of money, but the Marquinhos gamble failed to pay off.

4 Nuno Tavares £8m from Benfica (2021)

“He is a young player with great promise who has developed very well,” said Arteta after signing Nuno Tavares in 2021 for £8m.

Capped for Portugal U21 and playing 25 times for Benfica, the deal looked like a real bargain, but Tavares has ended up playing just 28 times for Arsenal, all coming during his first season.

Loan spells at Marseille and Nottingham Forest over the previous two seasons have seen him develop into a solid defender, but it is at current loan club Lazio where he is finally showcasing his skills.

Is there a chance he could make it at Arsenal? Only time will tell, but with Arteta famously berating him on multiple occasions, the defender certainly has a lot of work to do.

3 Matt Turner £7m from New England Revolution (2022)

Arteta spent £7m on goalkeeper Matt Turner from MLS side New England Revolution in 2022.

Despite his status as the United States’ No 1 ‘keeper, Turner struggled to make much of an impression at the Emirates, featuring just seven times for the club throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

The move obviously didn’t work out, and he was swiftly sold to Nottingham Forest in 2023 for around £10m, ensuring the club made a decent profit. The move was certainly one of Arteta’s worst decisions in the transfer market.

2 Alex Runarsson £1.8m from Dijon (2020)

The £1.8m fee paid to sign Alex Rúnarsson in 2020 is up there as one of the worst transfers made by Arteta during his time in charge of the club.

As backup to Bernd Leno, the Icelandic goalkeeper wasn’t expected to get many chances in the side, making just one Premier League appearance during the 2020/21 campaign.

His contract was terminated in 2024 after spending the majority of his time in London out on various loan spells, as his underwhelming performances saw his time at Arsenal fall flat.

1 Willian Free transfer (2020)

On the surface, signing Willian on a free ahead of the 2020/21 season was looked upon as a very clever transfer by Arteta. This was a player who had played nearly 350 matches for Chelsea, scoring 63 goals while registering 57 assists during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

Bringing in this sort of experience was vital, especially as Arsenal was trying to build a side that could return to the Champions League before challenging the likes of Man City and Liverpool for the league title, but the Brazilian failed to shine for the Gunners.

He lasted just a solitary season in north London, making a total of 37 appearances, registering just eight goal contributions in the process, with only one of those being a goal.

He dazzled on debut against Fulham (ironically where he enjoyed a brief career renaissance), but thereafter flattered to deceive, disappointing on several occasions. According to Sofascore, he created just 5 big chances in 25 Premier League outings, while he won barely half of his duels in the top flight.

Despite the Gunners not paying a penny to bring him to the Emirates, Willian earned £100k per week during his spell with the club.

With just one goal scored, the move didn’t work out as expected, and he left England to join Corinthians, sacrificing a massive chunk of money to make the move happen.

His lack of impact and massive wages means he is the worst signing made by Arteta since taking charge of the club, and supporters will be hoping that mistakes like this are not repeated in the future.

Arsenal’s disappointing season went from bad to worse last night.

Mikel Arteta’s side played host to Newcastle United in the first League Cup semi-final, which has become increasingly important as a result of their poor Premier League form, but instead of taking a first-leg lead, the Gunners were blown away by the visitors.

There were impressive performances across the pitch for the Toon, but the clear stand-out was Alexander Isak, who has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates, and if yesterday’s game was an audition, he passed with flying colours.

However, signing the Swede in the summer, let alone this month, could cost the North Londoners a king’s ransom, so recent reports linking them to an alternative number nine shouldn’t be a massive surprise.

Arsenal target sublime striker

According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have maintained their longstanding interest in Juventus marksman Dušan Vlahović and have been handed a new opportunity to sign him this month.

The report has revealed that due to the Serbian’s monster wage of around £352k-per-week and the lack of progress made in renegotiating a lower salary, the Old Lady are happy to sell him this month to avoid him leaving for less in the summer or worse yet, for free next year.

According to the report, this desire to get the towering striker off the books has seen the Turin outfit lower their asking price to just €55m this month, which works out to around £46m.

Now, that is still a sizable fee, and few people will argue that he’s on the exact same level as Isak, but given Vlahović’s impressive ability and output over the last few seasons, it could prove to be a bargain and one that allows the club to spend elsewhere to boot.

How Vlahović compares Isak

So, the first thing to say is that, in a perfect world where money was no object and Arsenal could land any striker in world football, we imagine most fans, and likely the club, would also go out and get Isak.

However, that is simply not how the transfer market works, and while the Gunners could perhaps sign the Swede this year, reports from earlier this month indicate that they would have to spend a mammoth £150m to do so, and considering Declan Rice is the club’s current record signing at £105m, that seems incredibly unlikely.

So, with Vlahović supposedly available for less than a third of that price, he seems like a realistic and brilliant alternative, especially as his recent form isn’t a million miles off the Toon star’s.

For example, in just 23 appearances this season, the “world-class” Serbian, as dubbed by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, has scored 12 goals and provided two assists, equating to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games.

In comparison, the former Real Sociedad ace has scored 15 goals and provided four assists in 22 appearances, equating to a slightly better average of a goal involvement every 1.15 games, although it’s not £104m better.

Moreover, while the Newcastle star is fantastically talented, he has a worrying injury record.

For example, since the start of his career, the Solna-born ace has missed 66 games through injury, whereas the Belgrad-born titan has missed just 26 games.

Ultimately, Isak is a simply sensational footballer, but at potentially £150m, it seems incredibly unlikely that Arsenal will sign him, especially when Vlahović is supposedly available for less than a third of that while only being marginally worse.

It might not be a move that makes the fans happy, but signing the Juventus star and using the £104m left over to invest in more wide players could be the smartest option for Arteta and Co.

Arsenal plotting move to sign their new Aaron Ramsey this January

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Captain justifies Beaumont omission as England seek to cash in on fielding restrictions

Andrew Miller20-Jul-2022

Sophia Dunkley could be rewarded for her explosive form in the ODIs against South Africa with a role as England’s T20I opener, after Heather Knight indicated that “ultra-aggression” in the powerplay was the means by which her team intended to target Gold in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games campaign in Birmingham.Dunkley, 24, thrived after being handed a promotion to No.3 for the ODI series, scoring 180 runs from 170 balls all told, including her maiden international hundred in the second match at Bristol. And, in the wake of the surprise omission of Tammy Beaumont from England’s CWG squad, she may well get the chance to partner the incumbent Danni Wyatt at the top of the T20I order, when the final leg of the multi-format series against South Africa gets underway in Chelmsford on Thursday.”In terms of T20, Sophia is definitely an option to open the batting,” Knight said. “She’s done it a little bit here and there, and been really impressive in how she goes about doing things. She’s naturally a very quick scorer and wants to hit boundaries and take things on, so she’s certainly an option for us at the top end.”Related

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It was Knight herself who made way at No. 3 to allow Dunkley to move up the order, and though the captain’s initial returns suffered in the opening two ODIs, an innings of 63 from 49 balls at the death in Leicester was evidence of what she hopes she can achieve as a designated finisher, as England racked up an imposing 371 for 7 – only seven runs shy of the team’s all-time record.”Two areas that we haven’t been as good at in ODI cricket is being super-aggressive in the powerplay and also being able to manage the innings towards the back end,” Knight said. “We felt like Sophia has the strength to be super-aggressive in the way she plays at No.3. And also my strengths are probably managing an innings, so we felt like it was the best move for the team to try and create a really strong, dynamic batting line-up.”Sophia has taken her opportunity massively, I’m really pleased,” Knight added. “I have got a really good relationship with Sophia, and I’ve really loved seeing her develop over the last few years. It’s been a bit strange, I guess, batting at five, getting a little bit of pad rash and waiting for a lot longer to go in, but it’s just something to get used to, I guess.”The mainstay of England’s innings at Leicester, however, was Beaumont, whose 119 from 107 balls was the perfect response to her T20I axing. But while Knight praised her team-mate’s tenacity and insisted the “door was not closed” for a 20-over comeback, she doubled down on the decision-making that had led England to make such a tough call.”Tammy’s ODI form is undisputable,” Knight said. “She’s one of the best players in the world and I knew she was going to get a hundred in one of those three games. Knowing Tammy’s character, she would have wanted to prove a point, and her ODI cricket is absolutely not in doubt.Alice Capsey impressed for Oval Invincibles in the maiden season of the Hundred•Getty Images

“We just felt like we wanted to be more aggressive in that powerplay in T20. And we feel we’ve brought in players that can add that fearlessness and aggressiveness to the squad. I’ve no doubt Tammy will go away and grow, and she’s certainly not out of the frame in the future. But at the moment, we’ve gone down that line of the ultra-aggressive players that can go in there and really take the game on the front end, when there’s only two fielders outside the circle.”To that end, Knight admitted that the team management already had an idea of their first-choice line-up for the T20I leg of the summer – one that could feature as many as eight games in 18 days if England make through to the Commonwealth Games final at Edgbaston on August 7. However, Knight added, the first priority was to ensure a new-look squad had a chance to get to know one another, given the addition of a number of fresh faces, most notably the teenage pairing of Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp.”Obviously we’ve added six players to the squad, and they only arrived yesterday,” Knight said. “But the main thing we want as a batting unit is to be really flexible and adaptable to situations, and to make sure we’re getting the right players in to maximise various stages of the innings. We want the players that come in to be really clear on their roles, and what we want from them.”Knight said that the next opportunity to mesh the squad’s blend of new and old players would come with Wednesday evening’s Women’s Euros clash, with England taking on Spain in a quarter-final in Brighton.”We’re going to have a bit of a team social tonight,” Knight said. “The Lionesses are obviously playing a big match, so we’re going to get everyone together and that’ll be quite nice to bring people together as a group. We’ll obviously be in it together at training today too, but I think just keeping it simple and trying to have those conversations is going to be key.”It’s a really exciting squad, it’s quite a bold squad,” Knight added. “Exciting not just in terms of their cricket skills, but in the way they’ve gone about it. The mentality of those younger players is exactly what we want to add to our squad, and you saw it in the ODI series too, with younger players bringing that rawness and freshness.”Few are fresher than Capsey, who turns 18 in August, but whose talents were felt first-hand by Knight during a remarkable innings of 59 from 41 balls for Oval Invincibles against London Spirit at Lord’s last summer.Tammy Beaumont responded to her T20I axing with a century at Leicester•Getty Images

“I was at the other end bowling and she whacked me over my head, so I certainly know what she can do,” Knight said. “She adds a little bit of all-round ability with the ball as another spin option, and she’s a 360-degree player that can score quite quickly.”The fact that Capsey was able to command such a big stage at the age of 16 is one of the reasons why England have felt able to trust their rookies in this format, to a degree that would not have been possible even two years ago. And while Knight admitted that Beaumont’s omission was bound to be a wake-up call to all the seniors within England’s ranks, she also acknowledged that it was a welcome problem to have to embrace.”It’s a huge positive,” she said. “It’s going to be really good for us as a group to have that competition. If you don’t perform, someone’s going to come in and take your place. That pressure is there for sure, but it will keep everyone on their toes, and enable us to push our standards further.”That’s what’s been very big for Australia,” Knight added. “Over the last three years or so, with young players coming through in the Big Bash, they seem to be able to slip in and perform and that means that their senior players have to perform and warrant their place too.”The Hundred and the professionalisation of the domestic game means those players are a lot more well-known when they do get the call-up. They’ve probably got a bit more experience of dealing with scrutiny, being on telly, playing in front of big crowds. It’s definitely a positive but it’s also something different to manage. So it’s important that we get to know those individuals, know what works for them, and how we can best help them to be at their best when they’re in an England shirt.”

Strong opening partnership from Bates and Devine sets foundation before NZ wobble and recover

S Sudarshanan02-Aug-2022A strong opening partnership and a priceless eight-ball cameo from Lea Tahuhu, followed by some incisive bowling led by Hayley Jensen saw New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 45 runs and march into the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games. The result also helped England confirm the other semi-final spot from Group B .Sri Lanka have never beaten New Zealand in a T20I and that record was theirs to change when the spinners were in operation in the middle overs – New Zealand could manage only 67 runs for the loss of five wickets between overs 7 and 16. However, a strong finish from New Zealand followed by a capitulation from their own batters denied Sri Lanka.Bates, Devine get going
Sri Lanka began with spinners from both ends in a bid to keep Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates quiet. But Devine broke the shackles with two fours off Oshadi Ranasinghe in the second over. Bates and Devine then combined to hit a four each off Sugandika Kumari’s third over inside the powerplay.Despite the track assisting the slow pace of the spin twins, New Zealand had managed to get to 41 for none when the fielding restrictions ended.Ranaweera, Ranasinghe trigger collapse
Inoka Ranaweera was immediately summoned after the powerplay. While Bates struggled to middle her sweeps, Devine had managed to get underneath one and deposit it over deep square leg. Devine and Bates added their 12th half-century stand in the format with the former on course to become only the second woman to hit 100 T20I sixes after Deandra Dottin. However, a well-judged catch from Kavisha Dilhari after getting to her right from long-off ended Devine’s pursuit of the milestone for now. Ranaweera then had Amelia Kerr missing a darted length ball to be bowled.Ranasinghe struck twice in her third over to trigger a collapse. She first had Maddy Green brilliantly caught behind by Anushka Sanjeewani before the wicketkeeper pulled off another terrific diving catch after running towards point to end Bates’ stay. From 51 for none, New Zealand had slid to 79 for 4, which became 89 for 5 when Jensen was stumped.Tahuhu, the batter
While Brooke Halliday and Isabella Gaze – the latter batting for the first time in international cricket – resurrected the innings, it was not until Tahuhu walked out that New Zealand’s finish got the desired impetus.She hit a four and a six off successive deliveries from Ranaweera to get going before helping score 13 off the final over of the innings to power New Zealand close to 150. Tahuhu’s stay of eight deliveries had yielded 20 runs.Sri Lanka fold cheaply
For Sri Lanka to chase down 148, Chamari Athapaththu would have had to score big. But her ungainly four-ball stay ended when she walked down to Jensen’s inswing only to york herself and be bowled. This was after New Zealand missed opting for a review for lbw against her on the very first ball.Hasini Perera was clueless against Jensen’s swing and Tahuhu’s pace, piling on the dots. Vishmi Gunaratne’s enterprising cross-batted shot then found mid-on before Jensen ended Perera’s misery. Jensen also bowled Sanjeewani to finish with 3 for 5 from her four overs.Eden Carson picked up a couple of wickets – her first in internationals – to further dent Sri Lanka. Nilakshi de Silva’s 36-run knock helped Sri Lanka get close to 100 before she mishit a wrong’un from Kerr to mid-off.Though they managed to cross the hundred-run mark, the result was almost inevitable after the initial exchanges in the chase.

In what has been quite the trend over the years, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly turned their attention to Portugal once again in the hope of landing a Ruben Neves repeat.

Wolves transfer news

Those at the Molineux have already welcomed one much-needed fresh face this month in the form of Emmanuel Agbadou, who should instantly provide new manager Vitor Pereira with a defensive boost given Wolves’ lack of options in that department. Now, they’ve seemingly shifted their focus towards further reinforcements in pursuit of avoiding Premier League relegation this season.

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On that front, names such as Renato Veiga have already been mentioned in what would be an impressive arrival from Chelsea. Whether the Blues will be willing to sell their versatile defender remains to be seen, however. Wolves could certainly do with his ability to step into midfield though, given that Mario Lemina is reportedly heading for the exit door to swap the Midlands for Saudi Arabia.

Failing to sign Veiga won’t simply stop Wolves in their tracks if Lemina departs, of course, and it seems as though another potential replacement has already emerged this month.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Wolves have now submitted an opening £10m bid to sign Manu from Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes with the deal now underway. Just 23 years old and a controlling defensive midfielder, Manu’s arrival from Liga Portugal would have shades of Ruben Neves’ arrival from Porto all those years ago.

If Manu is anything close to Neves then Wolves will be in for a treat if they can get any deal over the line before the end of the month. Their former midfielder is now written into the Molineux history books even after completing a move to Saudi Arabia in 2023 and now those in the Midlands could see a similar rise in the case of Manu.

Manu can follow successful Neves path

When Wolves signed a young Neves from Porto in 2017, it was seen as a major coup – and rightly so. The midfielder was ready for the top-flight but Wolves managed to lure him their way and went onto benefit almost instantly. As a result, his departure was always going to hurt and leave Wolves in desperate need of a technical player to bless Pereira’s midfield, which is exactly where Manu could come in.

The Vitoria star can play in defensive midfield and at centre-back to offer Pereira yet another solution alongside Agbadou in that department. Meanwhile, he could simply become a natural replacement for the departing Mario Lemina and find himself next to the likes of Joao Gomes or Andre in the middle of the park.

Breaking that Brazilian partnership up in Wolves’ midfield could prove to be a difficult task for Manu, but that competition will only benefit Pereira’s side as the fixtures come thick and fast in their battle to avoid Premier League relegation.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta terça, às 21h30, Flamengo e Universidad Católica, do Chile, se enfrentam no Maracanã pela quinta rodada do Grupo H da Copa Libertadores. O confronto – no qual o time de Paulo Sousa entrará pressionado – terá transmissão da Conmebol TV e do SBT, além do Tempo Real do LANCE!, onde você acompanhará todas as emoções.

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E MAIS: Confira a situação do Grupo H da Copa Libertadores!

Com 10 pontos após quatro rodadas, o Flamengo garante a vaga nas oitavas de final da Libertadores com um empate diante nesta terça, enquanto uma vitória assegura a primeira posição da chave com uma rodada de antecedência, além de deixar o time de Paulo Sousa em condições de brigar pelas primeiras posições gerais, o que garante a vantagem de decidir os confrontos no mata-mata como mandante.

Apesar da boa campanha na Libertadores, o Flamengo enfrentará um cenário de pressão no Maracanã. A equipe não tem entregado desempenho nem resultado no Campeonato Brasileiro. Além disso, decisões políticas do Conselho Deliberativo desagradaram a Nação, que já protestou contra a diretoria no Ceará e em Volta Redonda.

Os ingressos para a partida seguem à venda, de R$ 45 a R$ 500, e, até a manhã deste domingo, haviam entradas disponíveis para todos os setores. Confira todas as informações sobre vendas clicando aqui!

سجل فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، الهدف الثالث، في شباك منافسه المصري، بالمباراة الجارية بينهما حالياً ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع المصري، على أرضية استاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية، في الجولة الخامسة من المرحلة النهائية لتحديد بطل الدوري الممتاز.

وأحرز وسام أبو علي الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 58 من عمر اللقاء بتسديدة متقنة من ركلة حرة مباشرة خارج منطقة الجزاء، سكنت شباك محمود جاد.

وتقدم المصري  بهدف في الدقيقة 6 من عمر الشوط الأول، بعد كرة عرضية من كريم العراقي قابلها صلاح محسن برأسية متقنة سكنت الشياك.

ثم سجل إمام عاشور هدف تعادل الأهلي في الدقيقة 35، بعد تمريرة من وسام أبو علي داخل منطقة الجزاء قابلها إمام بتسديدة قوية سكنت الشباك.

طالع أيضاً.. رامي ربيعة يغادر مباراة الأهلي والمصري مصابًا

وتقدم طاهر محمد طاهر بالهدف الثاني للأهلي في الدقيقة 45 من عمر الشوط الأول، بعد عرضية من أحمد نبيل كوكا قابلها طاهر بتسديدة سكنت الشباك.

ويدخل الأهلي المباراة محتلاً المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 46 نقطة، بينما يتواجد المصري بالمركز الرابع برصيد 35 نقطة.  هدف الأهلي الثالث أمام المصري

جووووووول..هدف عالمي أوروبي من وسام أبو علي يسجل من ضربة حرة مباشرة في شباك المصري ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sUei3plyoV — ON Sport (@ONTimeSports) May 8, 2025