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da esoccer bet： No encontro de cerca de três horas realizado em um hotel na Zona Sul do Rio de Janeiro nesta segunda-feira, 25 representantes de clubes das Séries A e B chegaram a um consenso sobre a divisão de receitas e como será feita a negociação para a adesão de uma Liga. O próximo passo é conversar com os 10 que já integram a Libra (Liga do Futebol Brasileiro) e buscar um acordo. Além dos 23 do Futebol Forte, Atlético-MG e Internacional também enviaram seus presidentes. As ausências mais importantes foram de Grêmio e Bahia.

+ Saiba quais times já aderiram à Libra e quem está na espera

RelacionadasAtlético MineiroPresidente do Atlético-MG sinaliza caminho por consenso com a Libra: ‘Mesmo lado da mesa’Atlético Mineiro16/05/2022Futebol NacionalPresidente do Internacional diz que não há posição ‘inegociável’ em debate com a Libra e prega unidadeFutebol Nacional16/05/2022Futebol NacionalMarcelo Paz, do Fortaleza, critica critério de engajamento da Libra, mas mostra otimismo por acordoFutebol Nacional16/05/2022

da fazobetai： Os mandatários presentes preferiram não entrar em detalhes, mas a divisão acordada foi de 45% igualitários, 30% de performance e outros 25% por engajamento. Esse último critério causa bastante debate pois é considerado por todos como subjetivo. Na Libra, ele engloba critérios como média de público no estádio, base de assinantes de pay-per-view, número de seguidores e engajamento em redes sociais, audiência na televisão aberta e tamanho da torcida.

Vale lembrar que nos novos critérios de divisão já há uma sinalização de meio-termo dos dois lados. Ainda não há uma data para nova reunião, mas a expectativa é que aconteça ainda nesta semana ou na outra. Para isso, foi formada uma comissão com América-MG, Atlético-MG, Fortaleza, Fluminense e Inter, além de um representante da Associação Nacional de Clubes de Futebol (ANCF), que representa um bloco de equipes da Série B.

+Globo deve travar nova batalha com SBT por direitos de transmissão; relembre os embates entre as emissoras

O Grêmio não enviou representantes pois joga na noite desta segunda contra o Ituano, pela Série B, às 20h, mas pediu as informações da reunião. É importante ressaltar que os 40 clubes das Séries A e B foram convidados para participar do encontro, mas os participantes da Libra não confirmaram presença. São eles:Botafogo, Bragantino, Corinthians, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo, Cruzeiro, Ponte Preta e Vasco.

Estiveram nesta reunião os seguintes clubes: América-MG, Atlético-GO, Avaí, Ceará, Athletico-PR, Atlético-MG, Coritiba, Cuiabá, Juventude, Fluminense, Fortaleza, Goiás, Internacional, Chapecoense, Brusque, CSA, CRB, Náutico, Criciúma, Guarani, Londrina, Operário, Sampaio Corrêa, Sport e Vila Nova. As empresasLive Mode e Alvarez & Marsal foram nomeadas pelo grupo de clubes como consultores e participam das conversas.

O Futebol Forte inicialmente propunha uma cópia da divisão adotada na Premier League, da Inglaterra: 50% divididos igualmente, 25% por performance e 25% da receita nos critérios de engajamento, que poderia ser rediscutida adiante. Segundo eles, isso faria cair a diferença entre primeiro e último para 3,5 vezes, valor considerado mais justo. Na Libra, essa diferença entre o campeão brasileiro e o lanterna da competição geraria um abismo de até 6,5 vezes.

Para a Liga ser implantada, o estatuto da CBF define que haja a adesão de pelo menos um terço dos participantes das séries A ou B. Ou seja, a Libra precisa de 13 assinaturas. Se isso não ocorrer, o Brasileirão continua organizado pela CBF e os dois lados negociarão por conta própria seus direitos de televisão.

QUEM JÁ É INTEGRANTE DA LIBRA

Corinthians
São Paulo
Palmeiras
Santos
Bragantino
Ponte Preta
Flamengo
Vasco
Botafogo
Cruzeiro

QUEM INTEGRA O FUTEBOL FORTE

Athletico
América-MG
Atlético-GO
Avaí
Brusque
Ceará
Chapecoense
CSA
CRB
Coritiba
Criciúma
Cuiabá
Fluminense
Fortaleza
Goiás
Juventude
Londrina
Náutico
Operário
Sampaio Corrêa
Sport
Tombense
Vila Nova

QUEM SÃO OS MODERADORES E AINDA NÃO APOIARAM NENHUM DOS LADOS

Grêmio
Internacional
Bahia
Atlético-MG
Novorizontino
Guarani
Ituano

da esport bet： Manchester United’s summer transfer window in 2024 was an interesting period for the Old Trafford club.

da cassino online： Under their newly appointed footballing hierarchy, the Red Devils made six major signings as they looked to improve on an eighth-place finish under Erik ten Hag last season. It has not quite gone to plan yet.

As has often been the theme under the Dutchman, United signed two players whom he coached at Ajax, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. They signed De Ligt’s international teammate with the Netherlands, Joshua Zirkzee, and also added Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte from Ligue 1 sides Lille and PSG respectively.

With Ten Hag’s future currently up in the air, it remains to be seen how United will plan ahead of the 2025 summer window, although they have been linked with one player who could add superb quality to their side.

Man United target Bundesliga midfielder

The player in question here is Bayern Munich and Germany international midfielder Jamal Musiala. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the premium number 10s in world football and could be on his way out of the Allianz Arena within the next 18 months.

That is because his contract expires in 2026, and there are currently no signs that he will renew his current deal at the German giants. According to a report from The Mirror, via The Express last month, the German rejected the Bavarian club’s most recent contract proposal.

Thus, United, along with arch-rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, North Londoners Arsenal and Spanish giants Real Madrid, are interested in signing the youngster. The report from September suggests he could cost upwards of £120m, which would be a record fee for all of the sides named above.

How Musiala compares to Bruno Fernandes

At just 21 years of age, Musiala’s quality is simply indisputable. He has already played 171 times for Bayern, scoring 46 times and grabbing 34 assists since his breakout term in 2020/21.

This time around, the attacking midfielder has made a superb start to the season. He has already scored three goals and registered two assists in all competitions, with three of those strikes, plus one assist, coming in the German top flight.

Should the Red Devils get the signing of Musiala over the line, they could have their dream replacement for Bruno Fernandes.

United’s captain has been a shadow of himself this season and is yet to find the back of the net in 11 games. He does have four assists, although half of those came in the 7-0 Carabao Cup thrashing of Barnsley, and only one has come in the Premier League.

The United skipper’s form is certainly a cause for concern for Red Devils fans, and signing a replacement within the next few seasons might be on the agenda. Fernandes is 30 years of age, and struggling to find his best form. Musiala could be the dream alternative.

The pair are not necessarily the most competitive of players. Whilst the Portugal international is a high-volume passer in the final third, trying expansive through balls and smart passes from all over the pitch, Musiala is a superb dribbler, a player who glides past defenders and excels in short, sharp combination play and fluid rotations.

With that being said, it is still possible to get an idea of the better this season by comparing underlying stats courtesy of Squawka.

Per 90 minutes this term, Musiala has created more chances with 1.7, and completed more take-ons, with 3.3, than the Portugal star. In contrast, Fernandes averages just one chance created and one completed take-on per game.

Musiala vs Fernandes attacking stats 2024/25

Stat (per 90)

Musiala

Fernandes

Shots in target

1.2

0.5

Chances created

1.7

1

Through balls

0.5

0.4

Forward passes

17.5

12.5

Take-ons completed

3.3

1

Take-on success rate

51.85%

60%

Fouls won

3.1

1

Stats from Squawka

Described as someone who has “the potential to win the Ballon d’Or” by his national team boss Julian Nagelsmann, if there is ever a time to replace Fernandes, this could be it. With Musiala’s contract up in just under two seasons, they must pounce quickly to beat their rivals to his signature.

There is no doubt the Bayern superstar is a wonderful player. He is a creative force, a masterful dribbler, and someone who is nowhere near the top of their game yet. It would be a superb acquisition from United and one that would send a real statement to their rivals.

Related Not just Evans: Man Utd star who won 100% duels just saved Ten Hag

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Posts 1 ByMatt Dawson Oct 6, 2024

خاض فريق باريس سان جيرمان، مساء يوم السبت، مباراة في بطولة الدوري الفرنسي لكرة القدم، موسم 2024/25، ضد نظيره ستراسبورج.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية والثلاثين من الدوري الفرنسي، حيث خسر باريس سان جيرمان بهدفين لهدف.

كان ستراسبورج قد استفاد من النيران الصديقة بعدما سجل اللاعب لوكاس هيرنانديز هدفًا بالخطأ في مرمى فريقه، في الدقيقة 20 من عمر الشوط الأول.

وقبل نهاية الشوط الأول، وتحديدًا في الدقيقة الثالثة من الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع، تمكن فيليكس ليماريشال من تسجيل الهدف الثاني لـ ستراسبورج.

وقلّص باريس سان جيرمان الفارق بعدما سجل هدفًا في الدقيقة 46 عن طريق اللاعب برادلي باركولا.

بتلك النتيجة، تجمد رصيد باريس سان جيرمان عند 78 نقطة في المركز الأول، حيث حسم لقب الدوري الفرنسي بالفعل قبل جولتين، في حين ارتفع رصيد ستراسبورج إلى 57 نقطة في المركز الرابع.

وتُعد تلك هي الهزيمة الثانية على التوالي التي يتعرض لها باريس سان جيرمان في الدوري الفرنسي بعدما خسر في الجولة الماضية بنتيجة 3/1 أمام نيس.

ويستعد باريس سان جيرمان لخوض مباراة إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام آرسنال على ملعب “حديقة الأمراء” الأربعاء المقبل، حيث فاز في الذهاب بهدف دون رد.

جاء هدف فوز باريس سان جيرمان على آرسنال عن طريق عثمان ديمبلي الذي عانى من إصابة، ولا يزال هناك شكوك حول إمكانية مشاركته في الإياب.

Australia “deserved a victory today” to lift their seventh World Cup title, after being “extremely consistent over a long period of time”, captain Meg Lanning has said. Australia were unbeaten throughout the tournament and have had a phenomenal run in ODIs since the 2017 World Cup, winning 40 out of 42 games for a win-loss ratio of 20. The next best is South Africa’s 2.75 (33 wins and 12 losses in 51 games) in that period.Australia had an unmatchable run through the league stage, barely going close to a loss in a World Cup full of close finishes. After a one-sided semi-final against West Indies, they were mostly ahead of England while defending a massive 356 in the final on Sunday and eventually won by 71 runs to lift the trophy, for the first time since 2013.”I think we have been extremely consistent over a long period of time, it’s been a massive build-up to this tournament,” Lanning said at the post-match presentation. “It’s been a long time coming. We felt like we have waited a hell of a long time. To come out and perform so well through the tournament, to be honest, it’s pretty amazing and I think we deserved a victory today.”Australia were especially dominant with the bat. Alyssa Healy flattened England with a career-best 170, off just 138 balls, and along with Rachael Haynes compiled another century stand. The duo also led the run charts for the tournament.”Healy’s knock was incredible,” Lanning said. “To do it in a World Cup final, I am probably not surprised, to be fair she’s done it before as well. To be able to come out and play so well, to play those shots she was playing was ridiculous and just to put the bowlers under pressure at the back-end was really important and she set the base really nice. We’ve spoken as a batting group about being patient upfront and building a partnership to get to explode at the back-end, and that’s what happened today.”Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes got Australia off to a strong start once again•Getty Images

Lanning was full of praise for her younger team-mates as well, especially legspinner Alana King and fast bowler Darcie Brown. King made her ODI debut only two months ago and was the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia with a tally of 12, just behind Jess Jonassen’s 13, whereas Brown’s speed gave Australia’s attack another dimension to add to Megan Schutt’s swing early on. Brown played six of Australia’s nine games for six wickets.”We came over with a squad mentality, we knew we had to have a number of different people contributing, which we’ve had throughout the tournament and it’s just been so great to see the team evolve over the tournament,” Lanning said. “We’ve had some young players come in and perform really well and make an impact straightaway which has been great for the team and for the more experienced players to keep pushing them to get better. Off the field, we’ve had great support from coaching staff to get us to this point as well.”Tay [Tayla Vlaeminck), Wolf [Georgia Wareham] and Soph [Sophie Molineux], big shoutout to you guys,” Lanning said of the three injured players who were back home. “There’s some good depth within our squad, we’ve seen Alana King and Darcie Brown come in and dominate and really lift the team, to be honest. It’s important to have some depth there. Injuries are unfortunately part of the sport and we’ve been able to cover that this time around.”Lanning said she was nervous almost throughout the final, particularly when Nat Sciver scored another century in the chase – just like in the league stage – but she ran out of partners in the end.”I was [nervous] the whole way through , especially when Nat Sciver went there,” Lanning said. “She’s an incredible player, played a really special innings today and would have been a match-winning one on any other day. We know England would come hard at us, we expected a contest today and got one.”Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross wear a dejected look after England’s loss•AFP/Getty Images

England captain Heather Knight showered praise on Sciver as well but said her team needed to learn from the way Australia build big partnerships to take the game away from oppositions.”I guess we didn’t quite find an answer [to Australia’s batting],” Knight said. “It was an amazing wicket, and if we had kept them to just about 300, probably par, we were in with a good chance of chasing it down.”Remarkable, absolutely unbelievable from Nat. The skill against spin, against seam, scoring all around the ground and unfortunately we couldn’t have someone stay with her. With the runs on the board we had to take a few more risks and unfortunately we couldn’t have a big partnership, something Australia do outstandingly and we can learn from how they have that big partnership in a ruthless way and they really take the game away from the opposition.”Knight was still “super proud” of her team for turning their campaign around in dramatic fashion after starting the tournament with three straight losses, before they won five on the trot, including the semi-final against South Africa.”Massively, super proud of the group, given how we managed to turn things around,” she said. “The fact that we’ve shown that character and resilience to turn it around and be within a shot of winning the World Cup. Unfortunately, one win was too many for us.”

A leaner Virender Sehwag came in at No. 4 for Delhi in their Challenger Trophy match against India Blue and produced a typically belligerent innings

Sidharth Monga26-Sep-2013A leaner Virender Sehwag emerged to play for Delhi in the Challenger Trophy, batted at No. 4, and scored only his second fifty since being dropped by India in March this year. The runs he scored – 59 off 38 balls, treating the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla with scant respect – are incidental. Sehwag made two statements: like Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh he has come back fitter, and more importantly he might have finally made his mind up to present himself as a middle-order Test candidate, something he said he wanted to do even when he was at the top of his powers as a Test opener.A big crowd built around noon at Holkar Stadium in Indore with the prospect of watching Virat Kohli and Sehwag batting. There was disappointment in store when Sehwag didn’t come out to open. Further disappointment arrived when Kohli went chasing a wide delivery in the third over, and edged it through.At 7 for 2 out came Sehwag, beginning what looks like a longish audition at No. 4. In attendance was chief selector Sandeep Patil, sporting the mo’ and rat-tail that is the trademark of Sehwag’s replacement as Test opener – Shikhar Dhawan. After this Challenger Trophy, the clean-shaven and follically less-blessed Sehwag has two first-class games against West Indies A and the start of the Ranji season before the selectors pick India’s next Test squad.Albeit against an average attack, Sehwag came out with most of his trademark strokes intact. The first three balls he faced – from Bhuvneshwar – were typical Sehwag: a driven four through cover to widish delivery, a cut to third man for two, and then a flick through midwicket. Then came Vinay for his dose: a cut for four and a loft over extra cover for six.The crowd in Indore was getting post-lunch delicacies, and it made its pleasure known through loud cheering. Sehwag pushed their vocal limits with shot after shot of authority. The run-out of Unmukt Chand didn’t slow him down, but a familiar foe soon turned up: spin. Sehwag decided Chawla and Iresh Saxena were not to fit to bowl to him, and fell to Saxena after taking 19 runs off 11 balls of spin.He was down the pitch, beaten slightly in the flight, but went ahead with the drive, and provided Saxena a return catch. It was an interesting end because he will have to face a lot of spin – at least in India – if he wishes to move down the order.Delhi lost by 18 runs with 13 balls still to go. Will Sehwag be thinking a little more discretion against spin might have won them the game? Will he be thinking a little more discretion against spin might help him in the future if he indeed wants to be an India middle-order batsman?

West Ham have had some brilliant attacking players in the past decade, with Dimitri Payet being the pick of the bunch.

The Frenchman was signed from Marseille for around £10.7m back in 2015, spending a year and a half at the club before returning to Marseille for nearly double the fee.

Payet made 60 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 15 goals and providing 22 assists in 4,981 minutes played.

They have signed a number of players since then in a bid to replace his genius in the final third, with Mohamed Kudus one such player.

However, there was a player who happened to earn even more, but whether or not he was a success is very up for debate.

Felipe Anderson at West Ham

One player that West Ham signed in an attempt to find their next superstar was Felipe Anderson, who arrived from Lazio in July 2018 for an initial fee of around £35m, with add-ons, making him a club-record signing at the time.

It caused quite a stir, with Mario Husillos, then West Ham’s director of football saying: “We believe we have signed one of the most exciting talents in European football. This is a very big statement.”

After joining the club in 2018, Anderson didn’t have the worst start to life in London, scoring ten goals and providing five assists in 40 appearances, totalling 3,199 minutes played.

However, the following season, the Brazilian only managed one goal, still getting six assists in all competitions, but starting to slack with his output.

This poor form in the 2019/20 season, alongside the success of Jarrod Bowen who signed in 2020, saw Anderson phased out, first on loan to FC Porto, before rejoining Lazio on a permanent deal for just £2.6m.

Anderson was reportedly earning £100k per week when at the club, representing a transfer fee and a wage fee – earning over £10m in salary – which didn’t reflect his impact on the side, especially when compared to someone like Mohamed Kudus, who is earning £90k per week.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

How Kudus compares to Felipe Anderson

Kudus was signed from Ajax last summer, joining the Hammers for a fee of around £38m. The 24-year-old has already made 54 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals and providing seven assists in his 4,118 minutes. That goal tally is already better than the 12 Anderson managed in London.

His debut season at the club was superb, settling in really quickly with his team, making 45 appearances in 2023/24, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists.

Another quality he has already shown is his positional versatility, playing on both the left and right wing, as a number ten, and even as a centre-forward last season for the Hammers.

Goals

0.37

0.28

Assists

0.17

0.14

xG

0.25

0.16

xAG

0.15

0.18

Progressive Carries

4.07

5.95

Progressive Passes

2.94

5.65

Shots Total

2.52

1.78

Key Passes

1.18

1.89

Successful Take-Ons

4.04

2.25

Shot-Creating Actions

3.62

4.11

These metrics tell us Anderson actually had quite a good campaign with the stats he was producing, offering good creative numbers, progressing play for his side, and constantly getting involved. However, he clearly wasn’t as efficient on the output end, with Kudus beating him for goals, assists, xG and shots taken per 90.

Perhaps Anderson was unlucky with his timing, as Bowen joined as he was being phased out, whilst Kudus now gets to link up with Bowen, who seems to get the best out of others, as well as Lucas Paqueta, another extremely talented playmaker.

Whilst the transfer fee paid clearly wasn’t worth it, as he left the club just two years later, he did seem to produce some top-tier metrics considering the side he was in, which has to be taken into account when assessing his wages compared to others in the squad at the time.

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ByConnor Holden Oct 10, 2024

Tests don’t come grander than the Boxing Day and the first day’s play at the MCG lived up to expectations, with its subplots and slow twists

Sidharth Monga at the MCG26-Dec-20141:50

Agarkar: Shami, the pick of the bowlers

All things grand come with a high probability of a let-down. And Tests don’t come grander than Boxing Day. When 70,000 people flock to a venue, for a day they’ve been looking forward to for most of the year, a social event during the week where they forget how hard and mundane the rest of the working year has been, expectations are high. For a day’s Test cricket to live up to them is a big ask.For most of the day, in the cricketing world as a whole, MCG’s Boxing Day Test was the second-most talked about thing. Cheekily, Canterburians reminded Victorians that Christchurch’s Hagley Park Oval was 100% full, MCG merely 70%. In Christchurch, more runs were scored, more wickets taken, more records broken, more action packed in an 80-over day. It must have been thrilling to watch. But for a more wholesome day, filled with old virtues of Test cricket, full of plots and subplots, slow twists and turns, sunny and breezy weather, the soothing though fleeting return of Bill Lawry, don’t look beyond Melbourne and its 5 for 259 scored at 2.87 an over.There was discipline from India’s new-ball bowlers, a reminder of the fickleness of the game for David Warner, redemption for Mohammed Shami, perseverance from Chris Rogers and R Ashwin, a rousing welcome to debutant Joe Burns, self-denial from Steven Smith, flattery and deception from Shane Watson, pain and fight for Brad Haddin, and a Test match in balance at the end of the day. There wasn’t a performance that you would call great yet – these are two middling teams trying to fight their own problems – but the ebbs and flows kept you hooked and rose above the mundaneness of the rest of the year.The day didn’t begin with too much cheer in the Indian camp. Varun Aaron had heard of the death of his grandfather. He is going away for the funeral and will return on December 31. Before his replacement, Shami, came on to bowl, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav began with three successive maidens at the top. This is the first time India have managed that since Edgbaston 2011.The pressure brought them the wicket of Warner, and already you could see this pitch was going to be difficult to bat on. Some balls were skidding through, some were stopping and bouncing steeply. When it gets difficult, at least on quicker pitches, the 37-year-old Rogers can be relied on. All his scores of 50 or more have come when Warner has failed. He feels the added responsibility and responds to it. He is also candid enough to admit it is almost scary to bat when Warner is going; you feel like you are not doing your bit.Shami provided him the first bit of relief. A half-volley and a short and wide one. Two fours in an over after you have been made to crawl in the first eight. Cheers, lad. Rogers was away. Watson took a bit longer, but the two batsmen – whose places were under scrutiny – took Australia towards prosperity. Shikhar Dhawan saw the ups and the downs too, taking a nice low, diving-in-front catch to send Warner back, but then reprieving Watson. Who knows how he would have celebrated had he caught his bête noire Watson diving to his left, after his thigh-five in Brisbane? Was he thinking, for a fleeting moment, of the celebration before he could complete the catch? Another story within a story.R Ashwin has cut down his variations to almost a point where he doesn’t bowl them, he has realised his role in Australia is to contain•Getty ImagesThe story within the story for Watson was that before he fell leg-before today, in the last Test of the year, he had been trapped in front of the wicket in the first Test of the year. So maligned has been his lbw habit that not even his opposition noticed that he has worked on it and almost eliminated it. They kept feeding him balls at the stumps, and Watson kept working them deftly to leg.Just when it was all getting out of hand, the man responsible, Shami, produced a good ball. That’s what Shami does. He bowls a lot of poor deliveries that release the pressure, and he bowls really good balls that tend to get him wickets. Among the Indian bowlers, he bowled arguably the poorest, but ended up with better stats. Rogers was so annoyed he went back cursing himself. Another start gone without a century. At 37, you feel the pinch more.Ashwin could argue he contributed to Shami’s bowling stats. Apart from the first wicket that went in the second over, whenever a wicket fell Ashwin was either bowling at the other end or bowling himself. Figures of 27-7-60-1 won’t do much to correct his average of 64 and strike rate of 122 away from home, but this is a remarkably improved performance from the time he lost his place in overseas Tests first to Ravindra Jadeja and then to Karn Sharma. He has cut down his variations to almost a point where he doesn’t bowl them, he has realised his role in Australia is to contain, but containment cannot come about through darts.At one point, Ashwin’s figures were 11-5-8-1. He was bowling well, and bowling well to a plan. Dhoni and he took a risk by placing a mid-on and a long-on directly in line. That meant square leg was vacant, but if Ashwin could keep bowling full and not too straight, with varied trajectories, they could eliminate both the easy single to long-on and the loft over mid-on. Ashwin was up to the task. Such accuracy demanded respect from the batsmen. Smith complied.It was not that Smith was struggling, but when the bowling was good he scored just eight runs off 40 balls. Now this is a man known for quick scoring. The captain, though, was taking full responsibility of steadying the ship after two wickets had fallen just after lunch. He opened up only when Ashwin’s long fingers showed signs of tiredness and dropped one slightly short. He went back, and punched him through cover-point, and then ran all four. Only when he had reached 23 off 60 did he step out and drop Ashwin inside-out over mid-off for a six. That shot seemed to rattle Ashwin a bit. A carrom ball or three made a reappearance. He looked less effective now, but the new ball was approaching. You can work hard all day, and can then give it all away once the new ball is taken, both as the batting side and the bowling side.Just before the new ball, though, Burns’ dismissal brought Haddin in. The other 37-year-old in the Australian side. He is still keeping well, but it seems India have got into his head with their bodyline. His dismissal in Brisbane, trying to evade a short ball but popping up a dolly to short leg, was quite tame. These things aren’t forgotten in a hurry. The first ball he faced today was with a leg slip, a forward short leg, and a long leg in place. Yadav went round the wicket and aimed at his armpit. Haddin didn’t know what to do, and wore it on his arm. He didn’t flinch, but for the rest of the day he held his bat in his right hand when running, at the cost of having to turn blind.Haddin ducked, he swayed, he ran inside the line of the ball, he pulled, but this time he didn’t play a weak shot. For about 20 overs, adding just 43 runs, he gave support to the man who was named captain ahead of him, the man he rallied behind in the captaincy call. Had either he or Smith played a loose shot, the day would have belonged to India. Had they got loose balls from the Indians, they might have gone close to 300 to make this day their own. That wouldn’t have been half the fun.

Sri Lanka’s limited attack stood exposed in Mohali

Sidharth Monga04-Mar-2022Sri Lanka managed to deny Virat Kohli even a fifty in his 100th Test. They didn’t let Hanuma Vihari convert his fifty into a hundred in his 100th first-class match. By the end of the day, though, they might have regretted getting them out because it brought Rishabh Pant to the middle, who went from 50 to 96 in 19 delightful balls and ended up dismissed in the 90s for the fifth time in his career. India racked up 357 for 6 in just 85 overs.Sri Lanka’s limited attack stood exposed on a day-one Mohali pitch, which offered turn from full lengths and promised more in the coming days. Their lack of resources were apparent at the toss when they announced they were playing three fast bowlers on a track that the hosts picked three spinners.One of them, Lahiru Kumara, broke down in 10.5 overs. The others hardly drew any uncertainty: India batted with 89.4% control. When this is happening and the pitch is not offering you much, you expect your bowlers to keep the scoring under check, but India could hit boundaries without taking risks. They managed 44 of them on the day; Sri Lanka could string together just six maidens.. The lone specialist spinner, Lasith Embuldeniya, started off well, but lost control of his lengths as the game wore on.In a way, Sri Lanka were lucky they got the first five wickets with just 41 mistakes induced in the first 61.1 overs of the day. Rohit Sharma looked ominous, charging to 29 off 28, but found long leg with a third attempted pull to the boundary in the same Kumara over. He clearly fancies himself against the short ball, but since April 2018 he has been out to the pull or the hook seven times at an average of 27.4.Embuldeniya then managed to get past the inside edge of Mayank Agarwal, another heavy scorer in Indian conditions when he gets in. And he had got in with 33 off 49. What Embuldeniya did presented a sense of threat on a pitch that had a clear, differently-watered dry area on a spinners’ full length. He got some drift, pitched right at the start of that full area, and the ball would either turn or go straight on because of the rougher surface.In the same over, Emduldeniya drew a leading edge from Kohli too. This, though, would be the last time in a while that Sri Lanka would see a mistake from the batters. Vihari, replacing Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3, had already got himself set. Vihari and Kohli added 90 from 25.5 overs for the third wicket without having to strain themselves. They did nothing more than keep the good balls out and score off the bad ones. That they could score at 3.6 an over tells you the proportion of good balls was low.Virat Kohli made 45 off 76 in his 100th Test•BCCIIn the middle of the second session, though, Embuldeniya did Kohli in with his trajectory. It was a flatter delivery, which made Kohli go back, but it still pitched full, about a foot inside the dry patch. It now had the time to turn past Kohli’s bat but not past the off stump. A remarkable crowd that turned up on two days’ notice was left as stunned as Kohli walked off, along with unfulfilled hopes of a 28th Test hundred.Vihari effortlessly made his way to 50 in 93 balls, but in the one period of credit to Sri Lanka’s bowling as a unit, they pushed him into a spell where he could score just eight off the next 35 balls. So for the first time they forced batters to take risks to score. On the first occasion, a catch was dropped off what turned out to be a no-ball. On the second, Vishwa Fernando managed to get a chop-on, making it 175 for 4.Pant came out to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane’s replacement. Iyer, too, managed a start but fell to Dhananjaya de Silva’s part-time offspin. Now check Pant’s presence: a team that had just taken two wickets for five runs had three men on the leg-side fence. If you can scare oppositions into having defensive fields as soon as you walk in, there are quite a few easy runs to be taken. That’s what Pant did in the early parts of his innings, never mind the one huge six and one lofted cover drive off Suranga Lakmal early on. They were happy to give him singles, he was happy to pick up singles.Pant was on an even 50 with five overs to go to the second new ball when he launched an all-out assault on the spinners. Embuldeniya was the first to cop it: six over midwicket, six over wide long-on, punch through the covers, late cut, and he had taken 22 off the 76th over. de Silva is supposed to turn it away but it didn’t matter as he took 10 off three balls in the 77th over.Within 10 minutes, Sri Lanka had gone from “hang on, what if we get a couple of quick wickets” to looking completely listless. The idea seemed for Pant to get to his hundred before the new ball, but he didn’t get enough strike to be able to do so. When the new ball did arrive, though, Lakmal kissed the top of his off stump from over the wicket.Pant went down on his haunches, and took an age to get back. He is now behind only Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar as Indians with dismissals in his 90s, and this one would have hurt the most because he got out trying to defend. There is always solace if he gets out in the 90s trying to hit a six for that is the facet of his game he backs more.Immediately at the other end, Ravindra Jadeja consoled him and applauded him: it was the 96 that he scored that mattered more than the four he didn’t.

Comfortable five-wicket win as Northamptonshire take control at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2022

Northamptonshire 155 for 5 (cobb 70) beat Derbyshire 151 for 9 (Taylor 4-27) by five wickets Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Josh Cobb struck 70 from just 44 balls, his highest score of this Vitality Blast season to help his side chase down 152 and earn a five-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons with 11 balls to spare.Cobb, deprived of opportunities this season by Chris Lynn’s power-hitting, picked up the mantle after the Australian fell to a rare first-ball duck. Playing a belligerent innings, he struck six fours and three maximums before Rob Keogh took the Steelbacks over the line.Earlier Tom Taylor took three wickets in an over as the Steelbacks’ bowlers restricted Derbyshire Falcons to a modest total. Wayne Masden was the only batter to offer any real resistance with 37.The Falcons were kept to 40 for two at the end of the powerplay. Luis Reece swung one high over deep midwicket in the first over but Taylor and Ben Sanderson applied the brakes, backed up well by some sharp Steelbacks fielding.Reece attempted to up the scoring rate but miscued a big shot against Taylor and offered a steepler of a catch to Neesham at midwicket. Shan Masood fell shortly afterwards to an astonishing running catch by Keogh on the boundary at backward square off Sanderson.Hayden Kerr (29 off 22 balls), promoted to number three, looked assured and put on 39 for the third wicket with Leus du Plooy (19). Any hope of building a big total fell away though when the Falcons lost three wickets for 16 runs in as many balls to stutter to 80 for five at the end of the twelfth over.First du Plooy hit Freddie Heldreich straight to Taylor on the long-off boundary before Kerr holed out at deep midwicket off Jimmy Neesham. Brooke Guest then gave Heldreich his second scalp caught at point.The Falcons went four overs before scoring another boundary as Madsen and Alex Hughes rebuilt. Hughes finally cleared the square leg boundary dispatching the ball into the gardens of the neighbouring terraced houses.Masden survived two dropped catches off Sanderson but Taylor struck back in the next over. First he removed both set batsmen who both fell to catches by Cobb at cover before knocking back Mattie McKiernan’s stumps. With a run-out off the last ball, the Falcons finished on 151 for nine.An expectant Wantage Road crowd were momentarily hushed when Lynn, fresh from his heroics in the previous two Steelbacks home games, edged behind off the first ball of the chase bowled by Kerr.Cobb though started aggressively, clubbing Kerr over mid off and then cutting him for consecutive boundaries.He slog swept George Scrimshaw over deep midwicket for six and hit Watt down the ground for another to take the Steelbacks to 53 for one at the end of the powerplay.He rode his luck at times, offering two sharp chances which the Falcons failed to hold. Later he was caught on the ropes only for the fielder’s boot to touch the rope in the process.He had put on 55 with Ben Curran before his partner fell to a catch behind square off Scrimshaw when Conners took a well-judged catch sliding on his knees to get to the ball. Saif Zaib made only six before he offered a catch behind off an attempted pull shot.Cobb meanwhile advanced to his half century reaching the landmark off 31 balls. He continued in belligerent fashion crunching the ball through the covers and playing some deft cut shots before finally falling off a thick edge to Conners at deep point off Scrimshaw to leave the Steelbacks on 102 for four in the 13th over.Neesham hit 20 before he fell to a catch at long-on but Keogh held his nerve, finishing with an undefeated 28 off 24 deliveries.

Pep Guardiola revealed what he told Stefan Ortega in a bizarre outburst on the pitch after Manchester City's collapse at Brentford.

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• Guardiola lifted lid on Ortega rant
• Man City gave up a two-goal lead
• Brentford held Man City to a 2-2 draw

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester City were just 12 minutes away from registering their third consecutive win in the Premier League for the first time since October with a two-goal lead at the Gtech Community Stadium, but Brentford scored two late goals to snatch away the victory from the champions. Phil Foden scored a brace in the second half, but Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard's late goals denied City all three points.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After the full-time whistle, manager Guardiola appeared to rage at goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who perhaps could have done a better job keeping out Norgaard's late header. The Spanish coach cut a frustrated figure but also repeatedly embraced Ortega with a wide-eyed look on his face in bizarre scenes. He was also seen having a serious conversation with Josko Gvardiol and Savinho. The City boss, however, clarified that he did not admonish the players.

• WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the 53-year-old said: "I was satisfied, we’re talking one action. The same with Ortega, I said how good he played in the actions with the ball, had good passes to Erling [Haaland], how happy and satisfied I am, especially with these two players with what they have done."

  Guardiola was also asked about Foden's admission that City players were 'leggy' in the closing stages, and replied with a wry smile: "Yeah, that’s why I replaced him."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The Cityzens, who are sixth in the table after 21 games, will be back in action on Sunday as they take on Ipswich Town in another important Premier League clash at Portman Road.