Opener continues breakout season at the Ageas Bowl

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2023Fletcha Middleton produced a classy innings to score his maiden professional century as Hampshire opened their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign up with an 18-run DLS victory over Middlesex.Opening batter Middleton caressed exactly 100 to continue his breakthrough season at the Ageas Bowl – having become a regular in the LV=Insurance County Championship.Nick Gubbins and Tom Prest, with 40 and 38 respectively, also contributed as Hampshire reached 238 for 5 in their pursuit of 310 before rain brought an early end.Ryan Higgins had earlier thrashed a 53-ball 78 but Scott Currie’s 3 for 54 held Middlesex to 309 for 7.Middlesex were stuck in and cruised through the powerplay risk-free before Mark Stoneman was undone by some extra bounce from Currie to pull out to deep square.Joe Cracknell was never knowingly out of control as he intelligently rotated strike in stands of 54 with Stoneman, 43 with Sam Robson and 35 with Joe Davies.His second List A fifty came in 59 balls which switched his mindset to attack. It resulted in a pulled six, a wonderful one-bounce four over mid-off and his downfall – advancing and chipping to short cover.With Davies falling soon after to make it 156 for 4 in the 30th over, it felt like attacking shots weren’t getting value and 300 would take some effort. Higgins scoffed at that assessment.Higgins hadn’t played List A cricket since scoring an unbeaten 55 for Gloucestershire against Australia A in 2019, due to his participation in The Hundred. He kicked the innings into gear quickly and mainly targeted the shorter boundary in his 40-ball half-century. He tonked Dom Kelly over long on twice, hammered Felix Organ over his head and slog-swept Gubbins twice.The latter brought up a century stand with John Simpson – who had largely got out of Higgins’ way – but next ball Higgins was stunningly caught by 17-year-old Eddie Jack – one of three Hampshire teenagers – and by the end of the following over Simpson had followed him back to the dressing room.Josh de Caires didn’t last long, as he gave Currie his third, but Luke Hollman’s 17-ball 28 gave the death energy and smoothly took Middlesex over 300.With rain around at the end of Middlesex’s innings, temporarily false-starting the start of Hampshire’s and forecast in the area, Middleton and Gubbins kept the DLS par score in close focus and masterfully got themselves ahead of it.Both tried to out do each other on the aesthetics scale with luscious strikes in the V during a high-tempo 74-run partnership.Gubbins fell when he pulled to long off, but Tom Prest maintained the cantering – with aggressive running a key proponent of Hampshire’s success.Blake Cullen limped off in his fourth over to compound Middlesex’s problems but Prest, having smashed his first six, toed his second attempt to deep midwicket Robson with Ben Brown following having been bamboozled by a Hollman googly.Middleton was solid in last year’s competition but his increased confidence and maturity was in abundance as he took control of the chase. His first century came in exactly 100 balls and had showcased every aspect of his skill-base – patience, gap-finding, shot-making with a sprinkle of power.Robson’s part-time leg spin was needed to make up some of Cullen’s overs. It threatened to turn the match around with two wickets in three balls as he had Organ stumped and Middleton caught behind. But rain soon after saw Hampshire, who topped their group last year, 18 runs ahead on DLS.

Luis Enrique has confirmed that Ousmane Dembele will feature for Paris Saint-Germain against Arsenal in their Champions League semi-final second leg.

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• Dembele suffered hamstring injury
• Missed Strasbourg clash at weekend
• Will feature against Arsenal in midweek

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dembele missed PSG training last Thursday due to a hamstring injury and was subsequently kept out of the matchday squad for the club's trip to Strasbourg for their Ligue 1 clash on May 3. There were fears in the French capital that their talisman might not feature in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal at Parc des Princes. However, PSG boss Luis Enrique has now confirmed that the France international is fit to start against the Gunners.

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• WHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID

  Speaking to reporters at his pre-match press conference, the Spanish coach said: "He's been training with the group for two days. I have him at my disposal tomorrow."

  Luis Enrique added when quizzed on the strongest aspect of his PSG side and whether they can repeat their 1-0 first leg win at the Emirates: "I don't think there's a single line in the team that's superior to the other, I think that's the great success of this PSG. We're not a calculating team. We try to repeat the same match mechanism. It's not easy to do, it requires a very clear mindset and principles. The match will be difficult tomorrow. It's complicated on paper, but we'll try to repeat what we've done since day one. With the quality I have, I see that as an advantage."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dembele has been Les Parisiens' standout performer in the 2024-25 campaign, as he has scored 33 goals across all competitions in 45 appearances and has also provided 12 assists. He scored the all-important goal against Liverpool in their round of 16 second leg clash, which dragged the game to the penalties, where the French giants emerged victorious. He also scored PSG's winner away at Arsenal last week.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

  After facing Mikel Arteta's side on Wednesday, the French champions will be back in action in Ligue 1 on May 10 as they face Montpellier in their penultimate league game.

يرى واين روني، أسطورة نادي مانشستر يونايتد، أن نادي ليفربول سيصبح فريقًا لا يقهر خلال الموسم الجديد، وذلك حال ضم أحد اللاعبين إلى صفوفه قبل إغلاق فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

ليفربول قام بعمل كبير خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي وصرف حوالي 250 مليون يورو على تدعيم صفوفه، في رسالة واضحة من إدارة الريدز على الرغبة في الفوز بجميع الألقاب خلال الموسم الجديد.

طالع.. نونيز يرد على رسالة محمد صلاح بعد رحيله للهلال السعودي

وحث روني في تصريحات إلى شبكة “بي بي سي سبورت”، إدارة ليفربول على إتمام التوقيع مع ألكسندر إيزاك، نجم نيوكاسل يونايتد.

وقال روني: “أرى ليفربول بالفعل المرشح الأوفر حظًا للفوز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا العام، ولكن إذا انضم إيزاك، أعتقد أنهم سيكونون لا يقهرون، انظروا إلى الجودة التي يمتلكونها”.

كما أشاد روني بصفقة ليفربول جيريمي فريمبونج، والذي عوض رحيل ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد إلى ريال مدريد.

وأضاف: “أعتقد أن النجاح في تعويض رحيل ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد كان من أهم إنجازات ليفربول هذا الصيف، لأنه خلق العديد من الفرص والأهداف في هذا الجانب، يمتلك جيريمي فريمبونج الإمكانات اللازمة للقيام بذلك، إذًا، نعم، يبدو ليفربول قويًا”.

وأكدت العديد من التقاير الصحفية والإعلامية على سعي إيزاك إلى الانتقال إلى ليفربول هذا الصيف، حيث تمرد على نيوكاسل ولا يريد لعب أي مباراة أخرى مع الماكبايس من أجل حمل ألوان الريدز هذا الشهر.

Also, can Sri Lanka and Netherlands still qualify?

S Rajesh01-Nov-2023

India
With 12 points already in the bag and three games still to come, India are almost through to the semi-finals. Another win will confirm qualification, but even if they lose all three, Afghanistan will have to win their three remaining games, while New Zealand and Australia will have to win two each. If those three teams have higher net run rates than India, then they, along with South Africa, can qualify ahead of India.South Africa
South Africa have as many points as India but have played one extra game. Two more points will confirm qualification, but even with 12, their exceptional NRR should keep them safe.Related

Pluck or luck: New Zealand trust in the 'Kiwi' way

Australia
After a slow start, Australia have come into their own with four wins on the trot. Three more wins will confirm the qualification, but two will also do if one of those comes against Afghanistan. Given that they also play Bangladesh, who are already out of the tournament, Australia are favourites to qualify.New Zealand
New Zealand won four games at the start but lost their next three matches. The huge loss to South Africa has also brought their NRR crashing down, while the numerous injuries are doing their chances no favours.If they win their last two and finish on 12, New Zealand will still have an excellent chance of qualifying, but a defeat on Saturday against Pakistan will put both the teams on eight points each from as many games, while a defeat by 84 or more runs (in a chase of 301) will push them below Pakistan on NRR. Afghanistan will get to eight too if they beat Netherlands on Friday, while Sri Lanka might also be in the mix.All of this means the next ten days will be crucial for all these teams. New Zealand’s last game is against Sri Lanka, and even if they win that one after losing to Pakistan, it could still come down to net run rates.Afghanistan
Afghanistan are the only team other than those in the top four that can still get to 12 points. However, two of their three remaining games are against Australia (in Mumbai) and South Africa (in Ahmedabad). Two wins in those three matches will keep them in the mix if the top four teams don’t all get to 12 points. A win on Friday against Netherlands will take them level with New Zealand on points, but they will also need to win by a significant margin to improve their net run rate, which is currently a poor -0.718.One of the teams that could benefit from New Zealand’s loss to South Africa is Pakistan•Associated Press

Pakistan
New Zealand’s walloping by South Africa has opened up the points table, and one of the teams that could benefit is Pakistan. They are now only one win behind New Zealand, and a victory against them on Saturday will mean both teams are level on eight points from eight games. Pakistan’s last match will be at Eden Gardens against bottom-of-the-table England. Depending on other results, Pakistan’s qualification chances could hinge on that result.If Pakistan lose on Saturday, their chances will hang by a thread: Australia will have to lose all their matches and stay on eight, while other results involving Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will have to go in Pakistan’s favour as well.Sri Lanka
If Sri Lanka win their three remaining games, they will finish on 10, but even then they will need other results to go their way. A defeat against India will mean they can end up with a maximum of eight points. For them to still be in contention, several other results will have to work in their favour, but it’s still possible for multiple up to seven teams to finish on eight points, fighting for two slots.Netherlands
Netherlands have the same points tally as Sri Lanka, but their NRR is much poorer. Wins in all their remaining games will give them a chance, but eight points is unlikely to cut it for them.England
England could still finish on eight points if they win their remaining games, and join the melee if several other results align, but with a net run rate that currently stands at -1.652, their best bet will be to try to make it to the top seven and qualify for Champions Trophy 2025.

da esport bet： If there was any positivity left surrounding Arsenal’s domestic campaign heading into this weekend, then there certainly isn’t anymore.

da betcris： Mikel Arteta’s side had a real chance to close the gap on Liverpool atop the Premier League by beating West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, but instead, they capitulated and fell to a 1-0 defeat.

It was one of the Gunners’ worst performances of the season, and while injuries certainly played a part in that, those on the pitch were dire.

There were poor performances across the board from the hosts, but Martin Odegaard once again stood out for all the wrong reasons, and the manager must be regretting his decision to sell someone who’s now outperforming him in the league.

Odegaard's dismal campaign

At the end of last season, Odegaard was named the club’s Player of the Year for the second campaign on the bounce, and there was a real sense that he might be able to finally lead the club over the line this year.

Unfortunately, the incredible midfielder of the last two campaigns has simply not turned up this year.

While his ankle sprain has likely played a significant role in his poor form, he’s been back fit for long enough now and continues to disappoint.

In all, the Norwegian international has racked up a rather paltry haul of two goals and three assists in 18 league games this season, totalling 1469 minutes, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 3.6 games, but also every 293.8 minutes.

Moreover, his overall tally of three goals and six assists in 27 games isn’t much better, especially when he’s supposed to be the team’s main creative force in the middle of the park.

Worse yet, there has been a feeling among some fans that he’s gone missing in big games this season, with the defeat on the weekend another case of that.

For example, football.london’s Tom Canton gave him a 4/10 match rating at full-time and wrote that the 26-year-old ‘simply didn’t’ stand up as the leader on the pitch.

In all, while he has shown himself to be an incredibly talented footballer in seasons prior, Odegaard has simply not been good enough this year.

That is a situation made all the more frustrating by the fact that a former Arsenal player sold by Arteta is outperforming the former Real Madrid wonderkid in the Premier League this season.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Expand Collapse The former Arsenal star outperforming Odegaard this season

On top of not making a single permanent attacking addition to the team over the summer, Arsenal decided to sell several players who could make a difference in the middle and final thirds, including Emile Smith Rowe.

The Hale End graduate was a firm favourite at the Emirates, but after missing a lot of game time through injury and then losing his place in the team, the club decided to sell him to Fulham for a pretty decent fee of around £27m without add-ons.

However, while the money certainly wasn’t bad, we reckon Arteta and Co would much rather have the player back at the moment, as while he hasn’t been world-class this season, he has been undeniably effective for the Cottagers, and as things stand is comfortably outperforming Odegaard in the Premier League.

Smith Rowe vs Odegaard in the PL

Player

Smith Rowe

Odegaard

Appearances

24

18

Minutes

1589′

1469′

Goals

5

2

Assists

2

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.29

0.27

Minutes per Goal Involvement

227

293

Pass success %

90%

83%

Progressive carries per 90

2.80

3.19

Stats via Transfermarkt & FBref.

For example, the 24-year-old “difference-maker,” as dubbed by Mesut Özil, has scored five goals and provided two assists in 24 games this season, totalling just 1589 minutes.

That means the Croydon-born ace has averaged a goal involvement every 3.42 games, or every 227 games, which, for a team like Fulham, who are fighting outside the European places at the moment, is really quite impressive.

Moreover, when he is on the pitch at the moment, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who’d accuse him of disappearing or hiding.

Ultimately, Odegaard is an undeniably talented footballer and may well get back to his very best next year, but this season, he has been underwhelming at best, so we can’t help but imagine Arsenal massively regret the decision to sell Smith Rowe in the summer.

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Leeds United are in a promising position for promotion even despite Saturday’s draw with West Brom, but there is a collective realisation that squad surgery this summer could be required in a couple of positions.

Leeds held by West Brom but continue planning for promotion

Daniel Farke could only watch as his side were held in a somewhat frustrating Saturday lunch time encounter with West Brom, as they racked up 15 shots but only put two on target, settling for a point courtesy of Darnell Furlong cancelling out Junior Firpo’s opener.

Still, the German will be delighted with Leeds’ position in the hunt for a return to the Premier League, and there is plenty to be done in Yorkshire to ensure his squad possesses sufficient depth to handle the rigours of next season.

Irrespective of what league his side ply their trade in later down the line, the Whites have been linked with several statement moves for high-calibre stars that could revolutionise Farke’s project at Elland Road.

Recently, Leeds United’s interest in Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn has become public knowledge. Capable of playing on either flank, the former Bayern Munich man has been an impressive force north of the border with 18 goals to his name this campaign.

Continuing the theme of exciting potential arrivals, AC Milan loanee Tammy Abraham is an ambitious target for the Whites after a spell at San Siro where he has struggled to fire with regularity.

His previous experience in the Premier League and homegrown status would appeal should promotion come to fruition. Over the last few years, the tale of new top-flight sides being unable to retain their place in the division has been all too common, so you need to be equipped for the challenge that may lie ahead.

Leeds United’s last five league finishes

2023/24 – Championship

3rd

2022/23 – Premier League

19th

2021/22 – Premier League

17th

2020/21 – Premier League

9th

2019/20 – Championship

1st

Farke will be aware of this having experienced a similar fate at Norwich City, where he was dismissed with his side sitting adrift in the hunt for survival after 11 matches in 2021/22. Undoubtedly, he is keen to avoid a prospective repeat scenario, and Paul Robinson has urged the Leeds United boss to act in the market by securing the services of an England international.

Paul Robinson urges Leeds United to sign Aaron Ramsdale

Speaking to Football Insider, Paul Robinson has urged Leeds United to sign Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale this summer, with the outlet confirming the Whites leadership are “planning” to replace Illan Meslier with a new signing.

He explained: “The big one Leeds should look at is Aaron Ramsdale. If Leeds are in the Premier League next year, keen an eye on Aaron Ramsdale’s situation. You’ve got to admire his attitude, the way he’s gone to Southampton and played a lot of this season injured, playing in a team that’s struggled.

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“He’s not wanted to be part of a title-challenging team or Champions League side as a cup goalkeeper, he’s gone to Southampton to play week in, week out. I think he’s a top-class goalkeeper and would be a huge addition for Leeds. That’s going to be a key position for Leeds next year.”

Despite Southampton’s struggles in the Premier League, Ramsdale has made 86 saves this season and the former Arsenal man, who joined the Saints for £25 million, has also recorded a pass completion rate of 87% in his own half.

Keeping two clean sheets in 19 top-flight appearances, the England international looks primed for a new challenge to keep his hopes alive of featuring in the Three Lions’ World Cup squad in 2026. Leeds may be the ideal environment for him to keep developing, but they will likely need to secure promotion before the possibility can advance to becoming a feasible pursuit.

Chris Wilder will hope Sheffield United’s well-known spending habits across the last few transfer windows end up paying off instead of looking like a rash waste of cash.

Amazingly – since being relegated back down to the Championship – the Blades have purchased a ridiculous 18 new players in a bid to rebuild and go again, with the considerable churn seeing them pick up seven fresh faces in the window that has just slammed shut.

The busy winter window did see them only fork out for some permanent purchase, however, but it was a costly one at that, with former Leicester City man Tom Cannon joining the ever-expanding group for a whopping £10m.

Sheffield United's statement buy of Cannon

The promotion chasers clearly wanted to send out a statement to the rest of the division that they won’t be easily toppled in the ongoing race for the top two spots, with Cannon also a wanted figure by fellow Premier League hopefuls in Sunderland.

In the end, Cannon would choose South Yorkshire over the Stadium of Light, with the Blades confident that the 22-year-old poacher can fire in the goals to make an instant return to the top flight happen.

After all, when on the books of Stoke City earlier in the season as an on-fire loanee, Cannon would help himself to a mightily impressive 11 strikes from 25 games.

Therefore, parent employers Leicester would have been compelled to bump up his price tag to cash in on his red-hot form, as the Blades then coughed up a hefty £10m to land the Championship’s flavour of the month.

He hasn’t opened his goalscoring account yet for his new employers, but everyone at the club will hope the goals start flowing soon, considering he is only two games down in his fresh surroundings.

Whilst Cannon has stolen most of the United headlines in recent weeks, there are stars already at Bramall Lane worth more than the 22-year-old hotshot, with this one ace definitely a firm favourite of Wilder’s.

The Sheffield United "leader" who's worth more than Cannon

Joining the top-flight ranks last season as a surprise buy from Belgian outfit Lommel S.K., Vinicius Souza has slowly but surely become an integral part of the Blades machine since his arrival in England.

Market Movers

Whilst his lowly team did eventually accept their grim relegation fate last campaign, the Brazilian would still stick out as a valiant battler in the middle of the park.

Indeed, the Rio De Janeiro-born star won a punchy 6. duels on average that season to try and gift his side some desperately needed grit.

Wilder has regularly waxed lyrical about the 25-year-old off the back of these constantly committed displays, with the 57-year-old notably stating in November last year that Souza was a “real leader” and an “outstanding” individual to have around the place.

He has excelled in the drop-down a division too, with the occasional Blades captain’s average duels won count increasing to 6.8 in the often full-blooded Championship, leading to his transfer value also going up.

Year on year, ever since emerging onto the scene at Lommel, Souza has seen his valuation steadily increase, with his price tag coming in now at £11.6m – according to Transfermarkt – which actually makes him an even more prized asset than the £10m Cannon.

Reports before the new second-tier season started even suggested that Wilder’s men wanted Fulham to fork out £30m to win his services, with Marco Silva’s Cottagers perhaps trying to exploit the Blades’ fragile nature after relegation.

But, Wilder and Co managed to thankfully keep a firm grip on their star, with the 25-year-old no doubt keen to continue to put in some top displays, alongside the wave of new signings, to help his defiant side leap straight back up to the Premier League.

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Chris Wilder could now drop this Sheffield United star to start this new purchase.

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New Zealand 254 (Blundell 68, Nicholls 49, Sodhi 35, Mahedi 3-45, Khaled 3-60) beat Bangladesh 168 (Mahmudullah 49, Tamim 44, Sodhi 6-39) by 86 runsIsh Sodhi had a field day in Mirpur with bat and ball to hand New Zealand a 86-run win. Somewhere in between all that he was run-out backing up too far at the non-striker’s end and recalled to resume his innings. It was his 35 off 39 balls that lifted the visitors from 187 for 7 to 254 just as it was his 6 for 39 that ripped through Bangladesh’s batting order.Sodhi was brought on in the ninth over of the chase, with Tamim Iqbal and Tanzid Hasan picking up 23 runs in the two previous overs and preparing a platform from which Bangladesh could launch. He struck twice in his second over, first enticing Tanzid into a big shot with a full, loopy legbreak that was miscued to mid-off and then having Soumya Sarkar caught and bowled off a leading edge.Towhid Hridoy’s attempt to rebuild the innings was undone by a Sodhi googly that took the inside edge onto the stumps. Tamim, who was the only set top-order batter, paddled a ball that spun big to the wicketkeeper. Sodhi started his first spell with the hosts on 42 for 1 in eight overs. And when it ended, Bangladesh were reeling at 93 for 5 in 19 overs while he was flying with 4 for 29 off six.Mahmudullah, who was playing his first ODI innings in six months, and Mahedi Hasan knuckled down to deny Jamieson, Rachin Ravindra, and Lockie Ferguson for just over ten overs. They even started to pick up a boundary every over after a 35-ball drought. And then, Sodhi came back, ripped out Mahedi’s middle stump with the first ball of his new spell to claim his first ODI five-for.A few quiet overs later, Mahmudullah pulled a rank long-hop, from Cole McConchie, straight to Finn Allen at short fine leg. Nasum Ahmed extended the innings with a 30-ball 21, bashing two sixes along the way, but Bangladesh could add just 19 runs for the last three wickets, which was where Sodhi made a difference with the bat earlier in the day.Sodhi was on 5 off 13, and New Zealand were 187 for 7, when Jamieson joined him in the 39th over. They saw off the better part of three overs before Sodhi heaved a length ball from Nasum over long-on. Jamieson picked up a couple of boundaries himself before being caught and bowled by Mahedi.Then came the most talked about moment of this innings. Three balls into the 46th over, with New Zealand on 224 for 8, Hasan Mahmud ran Sodhi out for backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Sodhi was walking off, wearing nothing but a smile on his face, which suggests that some players are starting to get used to this form of dismissal. But, a few seconds later, the Bangladesh stand-in captain Litton Das chose to withdraw the appeal and invited Sodhi back to resume his innings. Sodhi returned, wearing an even bigger smile on his face, hugged the bowler Mahmud and ushered New Zealand to a total of 254. He was on 17 off 26 when he was run out and recalled and went on to make 35 off 39 with three sixes. New Zealand added 67 runs for the last three wickets.At the start of the day, New Zealand chose to bat after winning the toss and were in trouble at 36 for 3. Mustafizur Rahman turned on his fizz mode with the new ball, extracting sharp bounce to nick off Will Young for an eight-ball duck. Mahmud found swing to trouble batters regularly. Allen had picked up fours off the first balls of the first two overs but he couldn’t keep the trend going. He fell at the start of the seventh over, when he flashed at a full ball from Mustafizur to Sarkar at first slip.For the second time in two ODIs, Henry Nicholls found himself having to repair the New Zealand innings, a job made easier by the new ball losing some spite and Tom Blundell’s thirst for a fight. The duo passed the challenges put forth by Mahmud and the debutant Khaled Ahmed by seeing off the good balls and punishing the ones that were short, wide or overpitched. It was just what New Zealand needed after they couldn’t score off 45 of the first 60 deliveries they faced.Blundell brought up fifty at the end of the 26th over but two balls later, Khaled got some extra bounce and subtle seam movement away to nick off Nicholls for 49. Their 95-run partnership had staged a recovery but Mahedi and Nasum led New Zealand into their second slump in the innings. With close to 12 overs to go and seven wickets down, it looked like the visitors would struggle to get to the finish line, but Sodhi and Co took what they were given and ran away with the game.

This will be the third franchise in the IPL for either player, and comes after Super Giants traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Nov-2023

Fast bowler Avesh Khan is set to make a move to Rajasthan Royals from Lucknow Super Giants, who will acquire top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal in a straight trade swap ahead of IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the franchises and players agreed on the trade in the past week with the BCCI set to put a stamp on the swap this week.Avesh, who is part of the India squad for the T20I series against Australia starting Thursday, was bought by Super Giants in the mega auction in 2022 for INR 10 crore (US$ 1.2 million approx.). Royals, meanwhile paid INR 7.75 crore (US$ 945,000 approx.) for Padikkal. Both the players were retained by the respective franchises this year.Despite bright starts to their IPL careers, both players had a lean time of it in 2023.Related

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Super Giants trade Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians

IPL 2024 auction scheduled for December 19 in Dubai

It was especially disappointing for Padikkal, who, despite playing every match for his team in 2022 (17) and 11 games in 2023, struggled to fulfil the top-order role Royals had assigned to him. In 28 matches in these two seasons, Padikkal scored 637 runs at an average of 23.59 and a strike rate of 125.88 with just three half-centuries. Overall, Padikkal has scored 2768 runs in 92 IPL games at 33.34 with 17 fifties and three centuries striking at 133.52.Super Giants will be the third franchise for Padikkal, who started his IPL journey with his hometown franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore where he spent two seasons (2020 and 21).For Avesh, too, Royals will be the third franchise after he debuted at Delhi Capitals: in 2021, he was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 24 wickets at 18.75. After Capitals released him ahead of the mega auction, Super Giants bid fiercely to buy Avesh in a four-way bidding war. He finished the 2022 season as Super Giants’ highest wicket-taker, helping them make the playoffs in their inaugural IPL season.However, on the slow and underprepared pitches in Lucknow, Avesh struggled in 2023. Failing to finish his full quota of four overs in five of the nine games he played, Avesh finished the 2023 season with just eight wickets at 35.37, going at an economy of 9.75.Avesh, who turns 27 in December, will be hungry to reclaim his confidence at Royals, whose Indian fast-bowling pack includes Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma and KM Asif.”Avesh has proved his mettle in recent years to be one of the top Indian pacers in the country,” Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ director of cricket, said in a statement. “He has the ability to both swing and seam the ball, and is an effective asset at both the start of the innings and towards the end. He has a lot of variations in his armour which will be extremely valuable in the different conditions that we play in across the country. He will prove to be a valuable addition to our pace-bowling department and we are looking forward to having him contribute to the team’s successes.”This is only the second trade ahead of the 2024 season so far after Super Giants traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians earlier this month. IPL has set a November 26 deadline for the franchises to announce their retention lists. The player auction for the 2024 season will take place in Dubai on December 19.

England captain draws line under “watershed” Ashes, onus on growing competition for places

Andrew Miller30-Aug-20230:35

How ‘unique’ Mahika Gaur could be the future for England

Heather Knight says that England’s T20I series against Sri Lanka marks the start of the team’s new cycle, in the wake of a transformative Ashes campaign this summer, and that the aim of the coming weeks will be to create competition for places ahead of next year’s T20 Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh.Speaking on the eve of the first T20I at Hove on Thursday, Knight talked enthusiastically about the “freshness” within a youthful squad, from which several notable names will be missing – among them Sophie Ecclestone (who had been due to sit out the series even prior to her shoulder dislocation last week), Sophia Dunkley and Nat Sciver-Brunt.In their place come two uncapped youngsters: Mahika Gaur, the 17-year-old left-arm seamer who impressed for Manchester Originals having made her international bow for the UAE as a 12-year-old, and Bess Heath, Northern Superchargers’ hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter.Freya Kemp, one of the break-out stars of England’s 2022 season, returns (as a batter only) after a back injury, while Knight promised that one of the main beneficiaries for this series would be Maia Bouchier, the talented 24-year-old whose opportunities at international level have been limited to 19 T20Is since 2021, but whose haul of 268 runs at 38.28 in the Hundred was a key factor in Southern Brave’s maiden title.”We’ve obviously rested a few senior players so that gives us a chance to give opportunities to few youngsters, and try and grow the pool of players that we’re picking from,” Knight said. “Maia deserves an opportunity because we’ve been carrying around for a long time and she’s been amazing in the Hundred as well.Mahika Gaur has been impressive for Manchester Originals•Getty Images”We want to see how these girls adapt to international cricket, how they are around the group, how they react to things. I think it’s really exciting. The more players that we can have, knocking down the door and keeping everyone on their toes … I think really good teams have that competition.”The most exciting name on the squad-list, however, is Gaur, whose remarkable physical attributes, allied to her extreme youth, mark her out as a potential superstar of the future.”She’s unique, a left-armer that’s actually six foot three, which is pretty mad,” Knight said. “I think she’s had a growth spurt since the first time I met her a couple months ago. She obviously brings that, and she’s got a pretty good action and swings the ball late.”Knight confirmed that Gaur would be handed her England debut at some stage of the campaign, but acknowledged that, as captain, she would be obliged to ease her new recruit into the action and not expect too much, too soon.”She’s obviously very young, so we’ll have to manage her pretty carefully and make sure we’re looking after her as a person and as a cricketer,” Knight said. “Younger players coming in adds that freshness, and tests my skills as a captain.”She’s certainly exciting, but I don’t know her super well, so I’ll just try to keep her calm, really, and do the things she’s done domestically that have been so impressive.Related

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“It always feels different internationally. There’s more pressures, more scrutiny. So it’s about how they cope with that and just trying to play the cricket that we want them to play, that fits in with the team.”The series will be the first in which England’s women will receive equal match fees to their male counterparts, a development which Knight said felt like due “reward” for a remarkable summer in which they matched Australia blow for blow in an 8-8 Ashes campaign, and attracted 110,000 fans across the seven matches.”That [series] felt like a real watershed moment,” Knight said, adding that the challenge for her players now was to keep moving forward, given that Australia’s world-beating team will doubtless be seeking their own improvements ahead of the World Cup, after being run so close this summer.”With the World Cup a year away, Australia and other teams are going to be looking to get better and improve. There’s a lot of areas that we can still get better in, come Bangladesh in October next year, so this is the start of that that post-Ashes cycle.”Despite the absence of some big-name players, Knight insisted that England would not be taking Sri Lanka lightly, especially in light of their impressive display in the last T20 World Cup in February, where they beat the hosts and eventual finalists, South Africa, in their opening match at Newlands.”They’ve just beaten New Zealand for the first time ever too, so they’ll be pretty confident and on a high from that,” Knight added. “They’ve got a world-class better in [Chamari] Athapaththu, who can be really hard to stop when she gets going. And they’ve got some wily spinners in the middle so we’ve certainly been preparing for that as a batting group.”We’ve obviously rested a few players but that’s not because we’re taking Sri Lanka lightly. But that World Cup is our next big focus, and you don’t always get the opportunity to be able to try new players. We saw this, at the back end of a pretty busy summer, as a chance to do that.”