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A clinical bowling performance led by Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and Alana King helped Australia romp to a dominant eight-wicket win over West Indies and a 2-0 ODI series triumph. But their victory at Junction Oval was slightly overshadowed by two controversial TV umpiring decisions.Sutherland claimed three wickets, while Garth, King and Tahlia McGrath picked up two each as West Indies were bowled out for just 103 inside 31.4 overs after being sent into bat. Then a 57-run opening stand at better than a run-a-ball between Phoebe Litchfield and Alyssa Healy laid the foundation for a comfortable chase with Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney finishing the job untroubled with 34.3 overs to spare.The only concern for Australia came when Ashleigh Gardner copped a blow on the thumb in the field, which required an x-ray, but she was cleared of any damage.West Indies were thoroughly outclassed by Australia but controversial decisions from TV umpire Claire Polosak did them no favours, although it is highly unlikely they had a significant impact on the result.West Indies were 38 for 2 in the 12th over, after Garth had struck twice early including the big wicket of skipper Hayley Matthews for 23, when the first of two decisions went against them. Stafanie Taylor chipped a return catch back to Sutherland, which dipped at the bowler’s feet in her follow-through. Sutherland did very well to get her right hand down but the ball appeared to wedge in her fingers after brushing the ground first. However, Polosak took a long look at various slow-motion replays and was satisfied that Sutherland had got her fingers under the ball to complete the catch cleanly and Taylor was given out.Annabel Sutherland took a controversial sharp, low return catch to send back Stafanie Taylor•Getty Images

Two balls later, in the next over from King, Polosak was called on again. This time, Shemaine Campbelle had been given out lbw by onfield umpire Eloise Sheridan and she immediately reviewed the decision. Campbelle was trying to defend King on the front foot with her bat and front pad very close together. Again, Polosak needed a long look at the slow-motion replays to determine whether Campbelle had hit the ball before it struck the pad. It looked clear that the ball had deflected off the bat as there was evidence both on UltraEdge and on the replay to show the ball deviating. But Polosak determined that the ball touched the front pad first before hitting the inside edge and then deflected. After deeming it hit the pad first, ball tracking showed three reds, with the ball smashing middle stump well under bail height.The decision caused Matthews to walk out of the team dugout and voice her frustration to the fourth umpire on the boundary edge.West Indies coach Shane Deitz was interviewed by broadcaster Channel Seven shortly after. He said he believed Taylor’s catch did not carry but he was measured in his analysis of the lbw decision.”[It] definitely looked like there was some bat and deviation from bat into the pad, but it’s hard to say,” Deitz said. “We just have to accept the decision and move on. The umpire on the side can’t do too much about it so we will just wait after the game and get clarification. But it’s out, so we just have to move on.”It left West Indies in tatters at 39 for 4 and without any reviews left after Matthews had earlier burnt one on her plumb lbw off Garth. Although they were out of reviews, they did not need them despite the next three batters also falling lbw. Chinelle Henry and Aaliyah Alleyne were both trapped plumb in front playing from the crease to straight balls from Sutherland.King continued on from where she left off on Thursday, causing West Indies batters all sorts of problems with her immaculate control. She had Rashada Williams dropped at slip by Mooney after inducing the edge with a beautiful legbreak but later trapped Shabika Gajnabi at the crease with one that skidded on straight.Captain Healy strangely opted not to continue with the destructive duo of Sutherland and King despite the pair having claimed five wickets between them, following six last Thursday, and pulled them from the attack with West Indies teetering at 80 for 7. With Gardner unavailable because of her thumb injury, Healy opted to give Georgia Wareham and McGrath a bowl instead, the latter having not bowled since the second T20I in Sydney.Wareham did pick up Williams for 25 when she skied a slog straight up in the air to leave the visitors 84 for 8. But Cherry-Ann Fraser provided some plucky resistance striking a huge six off Wareham over deep midwicket that bounced off the concourse and out of the ground on to Lakeside Drive. Karishma Ramharack struck a blow lofting McGrath over cover to find the rope but fell trying to repeat the dose holing out to Wareham, who had been placed there shortly after. Fraser was the last to fall, chipping McGrath to mid-off.The chase was a straightforward affair with Healy and Litchfield barely taking a risk while finding the boundary at will with some lovely drives and flicks. West Indies helped the Australian duo with some woeful ground fielding. Both openers fell trying to accelerate proceedings. Perry and Mooney took no such risks to see Australia home.

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.”

Leeds United have now suffered a fresh injury concern alongside captain Ethan Ampadu, according to a new update from manager Daniel Farke.

Leeds frustratingly held by West Brom

The Whites had another opportunity to pull further clear at the top of the Championship on Saturday afternoon, as they hosted West Brom at Elland Road.

In the end, though, it proved to be a frustrating day for Farke and his players, with Junior Firpo’s opener cancelled out by a Darnell Furlong header before the break, and the scoreline remained 1-1 in the end.

The result was far from a disaster, though, and Leeds are still in a wonderful position, despite the fact that Sheffield United won 2-1 away to Queens Park Rangers. The Whites are three points clear of the Blades, and perhaps more importantly, eight ahead of third-place Burnley, who have one game in hand.

Injuries can have the potential to define any season, so Farke will be keeping his fingers crossed that as many key players stay fit as possible, but a worrying update has emerged regarding one individual.

Leeds suffer fresh injury blow

Speaking after the West Brom game on Saturday, Farke confirmed that Leeds ace Mateo Joseph has now picked up an injury alongside the influential Ampadu: “[We have] a few concerns over Mateo. He rolled his ankle a little bit. Hopefully it’s not so bad.”

Losing Joseph for a sustained period would be an undoubted blow for the Whites, but the manager does at least sound relatively hopeful about his absence not being too lengthy.

The 21-year-old may not always have been a regular this season, but he has still been an important squad player, chipping in with three goals and assists apiece in the Championship. He has made 23 appearances from the substitutes’ bench, adding quality when opposition legs are tiring, while Whites pundit Kris Smith has lauded him, saying:

“I have no doubt in my mind that Mateo Joseph is going to be a Premier League-quality striker in the near future. I don’t think he’s going to take him that long to get there. But the only thing standing in his way right now, for me, is being given the patience to work through his current weaknesses.”

At 21 years of age, there is still an understandable rawness to Joseph’s game, but he has a high ceiling as a player and would hopefully prove to be a hit for Leeds in the Premier League, as Smith alludes to.

There is still plenty of work to be done in the Championship promotion battle this season, however, and the Spaniard can have a big say in ensuring that his side swiftly return to the top flight.

Farke must brutally axe 3/10 Leeds star who won’t cut it in the PL

The Leeds star had fewer touches than Meslier against West Brom on Saturday lunchtime.

1 ByJoe Nuttall Mar 1, 2025

The sooner he returns from his ankle issue the better, and Farke will hope that he is available for next Sunday’s trip to Portsmouth, in another massive game, especially with Patrick Bamord showing no signs of returning.

The PCB’s proposed hybrid model for the Asia Cup is likely to be approved by the Asian Cricket Council

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2023The PCB’s proposed hybrid model for the Asia Cup is likely to be approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue where India can play their games. The model sees four – and possibly five – of the tournament’s 13 games being played in Pakistan. All the India-Pakistan games will be played in Sri Lanka, as will the final if India is involved.ESPNcricinfo understands an official announcement is likely after the weekend. The window set aside for the tournament currently is between September 1-17. For the Pakistan leg, the games are likely to be played in Lahore.The likely approval represents a significant breakthrough in an impasse which has not only dragged on for some time but has also threatened fallout for ICC events, most pressingly the World Cup in India this year but also the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. There is a possibility now that an agreement here could ease Pakistan’s path to traveling to India for the World Cup.The hybrid model was proposed as a solution due to India and Pakistan unwilling to travel to the other’s country. India’s refusal to tour Pakistan prompted Pakistan to go with this model in order to retain the hosting rights.Pakistan initially offered UAE as a second venue citing the lucrative opportunity for gate receipts during Pakistan-India matches in the tournament, but Bangladesh raised concerns over the extreme weather in the middle east in September.The PCB head Najam Sethi had presented details of the hybrid model to Pankaj Khimji, head of Oman Cricket and the ACC’s vice-president, in a meeting in Dubai a couple of weeks ago. It was the solution the PCB had proposed to account for the fact that India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament because of ongoing political tensions between the governments of the two countries.Those political ties have led to a long and cumbersome path to this solution – the PCB, as appointed hosts, have been keen to ensure that at least part of the tournament is played in Pakistan. The UAE was in the running as a neutral venue, and Sri Lanka was keen to host the entire tournament. At one stage the BCB and SLC had said no to a hybrid model.India and Pakistan have been grouped together along with Nepal in the six-nation Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in the 50-over format as preparation for the World Cup. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in the other group.A total of 13 matches, including the final, are expected be played across 13 days. Like the format from 2022, it is expected that the top two teams from each group will advance to a Super 4s round, before the top two teams from that contest the final. That leaves open the possibility of India and Pakistan playing each other three times, should they make the final.

Quadricep tear could force her to miss eight of Sydney Sixers’ 10 league games

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2024New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against India after tearing her left quadricep muscle. Kerr picked up the injury during the opening game on Thursday, which India won by 59 runs, and is expected to take approximately three weeks to recover. She will not be replaced in the ODI squad.This also puts her WBBL participation in serious doubt for Sydney Sixers with the tournament set to start on Sunday. Amelia was a big-name pre-signing for Sixers as a platinum-category pick and could miss eight of Sixers’ 10 league games even if she recovers in three weeks.An NZC release stated Amelia was taken for scans on Friday morning, which revealed a grade-one quadricep tear, and that she would return home on Sunday to start her rehabilitation.”We’re really gutted for Melie,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Injuries are always a challenging time for a player and we know how disappointed she is to not be able to play these games.”Everyone knows how much of an integral part of this team Melie is so we’ll certainly miss her but we’re wishing her a speedy recovery.”Soon after playing a pivotal role in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, Amelia was New Zealand’s best bowler in the opening ODI too, taking 4 for 42 before scoring an unbeaten 25 off 23 in the chase. The remaining two ODIs are on October 27 and 29, also in Ahmedabad.Amelia’s absence could hurt New Zealand’s hopes of climbing the Women’s ODI Championship table, where a top-six finish will ensure direct qualification for the ODI World Cup in 2025. New Zealand are currently placed sixth out of 10 teams and will next play Australia in December.

Fans of both Ted Lasso and Mumford & Sons were taken by surprise as an unexpected collaboration took place on stage during a Kansas City concert.

• Ted Lasso cast joined Mumford & Sons on stage
• They sang the show's theme tune
• Season four filming is underway

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lead actor Jason Sudeikis and other members of the Ted Lasso cast such as Hannah Waddingham made a show-stopping appearance on stage during the concert to sing and dance along to the show's theme song, as promotion continues for the upcoming fourth season of the iconic show.

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  Sudeikis is a Kansas City native himself and so this was the perfect location for a surprise guest appearance. The much-loved show, which follows American Ted Lasso on his unexpected journey into football management in England, is gearing up for a fourth season after much critical acclaim and many awards won during the first three seasons, including 13 Emmys.

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  This on-stage appearance will only have done more to build anticipation for fans for the next season of the show when is does hit screens across the globe. Maybe we will see Sudeikis and Co. make more surprise public appearances before then.

West Indies made light work of their run chase under the Kensington Oval floodlights, centuries from Keacy Carty and Brandon King setting up a dominant eight-wicket win that sealed a 2-1 series victory over England.Carty’s maiden hundred, from 97 balls, made him the first cricketer from St Maarten to reach the landmark for West Indies. He was followed to three figures by King, who made the most of being dropped twice with a timely knock, his first 50-plus score in ODIs since the World Cup Qualifier in July 2023. Their double-century stand, eventually worth 209, was the highest for West Indies against England in the format.England had scrapped their way up to what might have been a competitive total after a nightmare start saw them 24 for 4 at the end of the first powerplay. Phil Salt knuckled down to play his longest international innings, in terms of balls face, while Dan Mousley was inventive on the way to a maiden ODI fifty. With an injury to Romario Shepherd forcing Shai Hope to turn to Sherfane Rutherford – whose 3.5 overs at the death disappeared for 57 – England had at least given themselves a glimmer.It took one ball of the reply to suggest that conditions for batting had eased, as King spanked Jofra Archer’s opening gambit through the covers. He did the same to the second delivery, with Archer’s first three overs eventually costing 24 – and although Jamie Overton claimed a first ODI wicket with his third legitimate ball, Evin Lewis bounced out for 19, West Indies were already up and running.King finished the powerplay by bashing Reece Topley for two fours in three balls, putting West Indies ahead of the asking rate at 65 for 1 after ten. And while Carty, who picked up his first four by gliding Topley behind square in the same over, had some uncertain moments against the legspin of Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone early on, the second-wicket pair were soon motoring towards the target.Rashid’s first three overs had gone for just seven, but King pumped him down the ground for six to mark a shift in the mood. An edge off Livingstone evaded Salt’s gloves when King was on 44, and the West Indies opener went to a 60-ball fifty in the next over, clubbing Rashid emphatically through midwicket.Carty had been given out lbw to Livingstone’s first ball, but reviewed in the knowledge that there was bat involved. He cut and swept consecutive boundaries in the same over, and later launched Rashid over the deep midwicket boundary as West Indies steadily brought the required rate down while negotiating England’s seven bowling options. After bringing up a 61-ball fifty, Carty again took back-to-back fours off Livingstone, before doing the same to Sam Curran.A muscular pull for six off Topley ended up in the crowd at deep midwicket, as Carty overtook his partner, followed up by a flat-batted four down the ground. Having surpassed his previous ODI best of 88, he reached his hundred with a glide for four off Jacob Bethell’s left-arm spin – removing his helmet and raising his arms aloft as applause rolled around the ground.The moment was repeated at the start of the following over as King, who also saw a cut off Archer burst through the hands of Jordan Cox in the covers on 86, swatted the same bowler through fine leg to raise his third century in the format. King was bowled by Topley with 13 required but the result was beyond doubt.The alacrity with which West Indies hunted down their requirement amply demonstrated why both captains had wanted to bowl first at the toss. Shai Hope, who grew up at Kensington Oval, said he was “not sure what we’re going to get” from the surface – but his seamers certainly knew how to exploit the conditions, leaving England four down and tottering inside the first powerplay.The main source of discomfort for West Indies early on came via an extraordinary on-field contretemps between Alzarri Joseph and Hope, the fast bowler seemingly unhappy with the field set for England’s No. 3, Cox. Joseph could be seen repeatedly remonstrating with his captain from the top of his run-up, and he took his frustration out on the batter, Cox barely seeing a 148kph/92mph lifter that flicked the glove on its way through. Joseph didn’t celebrate and walked off at the end of the over, briefly leaving West Indies with 10 men on the field.Matthew Forde had already struck in his second over, responding to being driven for four by Will Jacks with a similar delivery that went away just enough to take the outside edge. Shepherd then enjoyed immediate success when replacing Joseph, as Bethell slashed at a wide delivery only to be spectacularly held by the leaping Roston Chase at point. When Livingstone fell to another catch at the wicket trying to force a drive off Shepherd, England were flatlining at 24 for 4 with one ball left in the powerplay.One of the England batters still standing was Salt. His half-century in the second ODI was the first time he had batted through the powerplay since June 2022, but he backed up that effort in Barbados – albeit 11 not out off 26 balls told of England’s struggle.He found useful allies in Curran and Mousley, adding consecutive stands of 70 for the fifth and sixth wickets. Curran, again up the order at No. 6, was proactive from the outset but fell looking to take on Chase’s offspin. Mousley then continued the rebuilding effort, with Salt grinding away to a 79-ball fifty – by far the slowest of his five in ODIs.England were 163 for 5 at the end of the 40th but lost Salt in the following over, King’s athleticism at deep midwicket resulting in a comfortable relay catch for Joseph. Shepherd then collapsed after catching his studs in the turf and had to be helped from the field, as the momentum shifted again. Mousley fell shortly after reaching fifty but lower-order cameos from Overton (32 off 21) and Archer (38 not out off 17) saw Rutherford’s medium-pace take a battering and 100 runs bleed from the last ten overs. That ended up as a footnote after King and Carty took charge.

After being the top wicket-taker in the Vitality T20 Blast, and stints in various leagues, the Afghanistan quick bowler is raring to go in his first senior World Cup

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu24-Oct-2021Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has established himself as a T20 – and T10 – globetrotter, following in the footsteps of his seniors Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. Having featured in the CPL, BPL, Lanka Premier League and the Vitality T20 Blast, the 22-year-old is now preparing for his first ICC world event with the Afghanistan senior team.You captained Afghanistan in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. How excited are you to play for the senior team in the T20 World Cup?
As a kid or as a teenager, when you start playing cricket and then you captain your Under-19 side in a World Cup, you dream of all this, representing your country in the men’s World Cup also. So, yeah, it was a dream since childhood. I started playing cricket when I watched Afghanistan qualify for our first T20 World Cup, which was in the West Indies, I think [in 2010].Related

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• Rashid Khan steps down as captain protesting T20 World Cup squad selection

What are your memories of watching that 2010 T20 World Cup?
I remember we played against India and South Africa. It wasn’t as competitive as we are now in T20 cricket, but it was our first World Cup and the team qualified, so it was a joy to watch that tournament.Hamid Hassan was part of that Afghanistan squad in 2010 and you grew up idolising him. At the upcoming World Cup, you could get a chance to bowl alongside him
Growing up, I always looked up to him. He inspired me to take up cricket and fast bowling. Not everybody is lucky to play a World Cup with someone who was his hero or idol during his childhood. So it will be a great experience for me.Your slingy action can potentially be quite tricky to pick for batters who haven’t played against you before. Do you see that as an advantage?
Nowadays there are stats, videos and footage available, so I don’t think it will be a positive or something like an X-factor for me. I’ll do whatever I’ve been doing for the last two, three years. I just have to concentrate on the basics and focus on the things that have worked for me rather than thinking about who has faced my bowling before or hasn’t. We haven’t played against the Indian players, but we have played against a lot of other teams and some of us have also played alongside a lot of the guys in T20 leagues, so nowadays you know the [opposition] players well.Did this action come naturally to you?
I’ve always had this action since I started cricket. I’ve just done little tweaks on it, adjusted some things here and there because of back issues and injuries coming back in 2015-16.3:37

Naveen-ul-Haq: ‘Playing for Afghanistan in a World Cup is a dream’

Afghanistan’s series with Pakistan was recently postponed and you have a new captain for the World Cup. Has that affected the team’s preparation?
Yeah, it does [affect the preparation] and does not help the team. But our team was preparing back home earlier – we had camps in Kabul and Nangarhar. The other guys like Nabi, Rashid and Mujeeb [Ur Rahman] were part of IPL teams and I was in the CPL. So there were about five, six players who were busy in league cricket. The Pakistan series postponement we couldn’t do anything about, and then Covid struck again in Sri Lanka. They had to go into lockdown and we had to deal with visa issues.We actually planned to come to the UAE three weeks ago before our warm-up games were to start, but visa issues kept the team in Qatar. So we have prepared, just not as well as we have wanted to as a team to gel together before a big event, but we can’t do much. It is what it is. We have to just cope with the situation.In your first T20 Blast stint in England, you finished as the top wicket-taker. What was that experience like?
It was actually my first experience playing in English conditions, I hadn’t been there for club-level cricket or on national duty for Afghanistan. So I was looking forward to it, enjoyed every bit of it, and luckily finished as the top wicket-taker of the tournament.You were asked to bowl the tough overs up front and at the death in the Blast. How did you deal with that pressure?
To be honest, it has become normal for me to bowl two overs in the powerplay and then two at the death. This has become my role in T20 cricket – that’s why Leicestershire brought me in to do this job. Luckily, I did well there and it wasn’t a strange thing to me. Wherever I go now, I’m told to bowl in the powerplay and at the death.”All the Afghanistan players know the conditions in the UAE quite well; you need to come up with slower ones and variations on these pitches”•Abu Dhabi CricketIt all depends on how much you practise and how much you back yourself in a match situation. I’m just backing myself to bowl against anybody, and just do what has made me and worked for me. The result is not in our hands. Sometimes when you bowl a good delivery, you get hit. Sometimes when you bowl a bad delivery, you get a wicket. It can also go the other way, so you’ve got to take it in your stride.In the game against Durham in the T20 Blast, you bowled two beamers in the 19th over and had to be pulled out of the attack. How did you overcome that setback?
Before that [two beamers] happened, I think I had bowled three overs for about 17 runs and I bowled well, but I don’t know what happened during that over. I couldn’t figure it out, because normally I don’t bowl beamers – I don’t remember when I bowled one before that game. It slipped out of my hand. I bowled two no-balls and we lost the match.After that I was a bit upset but not much, because I knew nothing was wrong in my rhythm or in my thinking. I backed myself and throughout the tournament it did work for me.You got your slower balls to dip in the Blast. Is that something you’ve been working on in recent times?
Yes, I’ve worked a lot on my slower balls. In the Blast you play a home game and then an away game against the same opposition. Once, when I played one team, they started targeting my slower balls – they were standing back and waiting for them. This stuck in my mind and I worked it out during the tournament that if teams are standing back for my slower balls, then I will bowl fewer.ESPNcricinfo LtdThen, at the back end of the tournament, most of my wickets were not off slower ones. I maybe bowled three-four slower balls in my four-over spell. Earlier I would be bowling ten slower balls in a four-over spell. Since they were lining me up for them, I changed it up. So slower balls became like a surprise [weapon].You also bowled into the pitch at the CPL for Guyana Amazon Warriors. Is that something that will help you in the UAE as well?
Yes, we’ve also been watching the IPL, and the UAE is like a second home to us – we’ve played a lot of cricket here. All the Afghanistan players know the conditions quite well; you need to come up with slower ones and variations on these pitches. The pitches will only get slower, [as you can see in] the IPL games also. So we need these variations to do well at the back end of the innings or after the powerplay. Whoever varies his pace or length well, I feel their team will do well. As a T20 side, we have that in the back of our minds.Speaking of variety, your attack has plenty of it. How do you assess Afghanistan’s overall attack?
Afghanistan has been known for their bowling attack lately but now we also have a few good batters coming up. So we are a strong side. We have more variations or experience [than some of the other sides]. We have Rashid, Mujeeb, Nabi, and I’m quite hopeful that we will do well with this bowling line-up in these conditions.You were born in Kabul, then went to Pakistan as a refugee. Now you are a T20 globetrotter and an Afghanistan international who plays all around the world. Is that something you dreamt of?
I was born in Kabul and then we had to move to Pakistan for some time because of our condition back home. I didn’t start playing cricket there, I was just going to school there for five, six years. I started taking cricket seriously and watching cricket when I was back in Afghanistan.”Every league has experienced players with whom you share a dressing room and learn from, so league cricket is not just about financial benefit”•Getty ImagesEvery professional cricketer wants to experience different conditions and different leagues and environments. It was the same for me also. First [the goal] was to represent my country, do well for my country, and the next was to explore different leagues and conditions, get to know different players and cultures. You play in the Caribbean league, you get together with West Indies players… I enjoyed playing with [Shimron] Hetmyer and [Nicholas] Pooran. When you play for your country in an ICC event, you are against them. So yeah, it does help you become a better professional cricketer and also helps you develop as a person.LPL, CPL, T10 – every league nowadays has experienced players in a team with whom you can share a dressing room and learn from them. You see them how they prepare and how they go into a match, or you can ask them how they go through their down patches. So league cricket is not just about financial benefits for a player, you can get more out of the experience. How have you coped with bubble life?
After Covid struck, the only tournament that I played with some [attending] crowd was CPL and there was some crowd in the UK for the T20 Blast too. I was asking other players about the [challenges of] bubble life also. They said it is very difficult and it gives you mental stress and you get tired of it. I earlier felt like I didn’t feel any [stress] doing this, but once I came to Abu Dhabi from the UK it struck me, and now I also think it is hard. It is just six days [of quarantine] but I feel fatigued now. So, fingers crossed that I come out, relax a bit and start training. But, yes, the bubble life is now getting to me.Have you picked up any new hobby or skill in your quarantine?
Nothing new (). I think I’ve finished watching everything on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I don’t know what to do next, but I’ll find a new hobby for myself to keep me busy in the bubble.

MatériaMais Notícias

da blaze casino： Na quarta-feira (11), Leila Pereira concedeu uma entrevista coletiva recheada de polêmicas no Palmeiras. Entre os assuntos debatidos, um deles acabou ficando em segundo plano, que foi o do planejamento para abrir concorrência para novos patrocinadores interessados em ocupar as posições que hoje são da Crefisa, sua empresa, na camisa do clube. O processo se assemelha a uma licitação e é chamado de BID.

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da bet nacional： + Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

– Temos contrato e vamos honrar até o final. Vou ser candidata a reeleição no Palmeiras e se o associado tiver confiança no meu trabalho e eu for reeleita, terei o maior prazer de continuar patrocinando. Mas nós faremos uma BID, uma concorrência, caso vier alguém pagamento acima do valor que vou me propor a pagar, desde que seja uma empresa idônea – declarou a mandatária palmeirense.

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O termo BID vem de “Bidding Process”, que em tradução para o português significa “Processo de Licitação”. Ou seja, Leila quer abrir para o mercado a possibilidade de outras empresas oferecerem suas propostas para patrocinar o Palmeiras. No mundo empresarial, nem sempre os valores mais altos são os mais vantajosos, mas sim o pacote que acompanha o projeto apresentado, dependendo dos desejos da instituição que abriu para os “lances”.

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+ Leila Pereira lança desafio que pode aumentar valor do patrocínio do Palmeiras

No caso do Palmeiras, o valor definido para o mercado será aquele que a Crefisa se propuser a pagar, se alguém chegar com cifras maiores e/ou uma proposta mais vantajosa, terá prioridade. Atualmente, a empresa de Leila desembolsa R$ 81 milhões fixos por ano por todos os espaços da camisa. Parte da torcida alviverde questiona que essa quantia já está defasada, até pela marca ser exclusiva no uniforme.

– Até hoje não chegou nada. Estou sempre aberta a propostas, mas o que desejo é que finalize o nosso contrato de patrocínio em dezembro de 2024 e só então que vamos abrir para novas empresas que queiram patrocinar o Palmeiras.

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Como disse Leila, esse processo somente será aberto a partir de dezembro de 2024, quando termina o mandato da presidente e o contrato de patrocínio, que foi renovado em 2021, na época em que o presidente era Maurício Galiotte. Segundo a apuração da reportagem, de fato nenhuma outra empresa abordou o Verdão de forma oficial para um contrato de patrocínio para a equipe masculina.

No Feminino, que fazia parte do pacote do patrocínio da Crefisa, Leila abriu mão da exclusividade para que o mercado bancasse a modalidade. O processo deu certo e quatro marcas estampam atualmente o uniforme das jogadoras.

+ Do amor ao ódio: o passo a passo da implosão da relação de Leila Pereira com organizada do Palmeiras

A verdade é que ansiedade da torcida terá que esperar, pois estamos a mais de um ano de esse processo ser aberto. Enquanto isso, o clube permanece com o patrocínio das empresas de Leila Pereira, que também dá direito a bônus por títulos e metas.

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Palmeiras

There is an opportunity for both teams to use this series as a kind of laboratory ahead of the Champions Trophy

Alagappan Muthu08-Feb-2025

Big picture: Kohli fit again

Cricketers. They’re just like us, from having for lunch to cueing up Netflix with dinner. This deeply normal kind of life may be beckoning a first-choice Indian team member as they continue on their Champions Trophy fact-finding mission.Shreyas Iyer usually plays entertainer, and he did this on Thursday night, his strokeplay containing everything but a backwards step even against extreme pace. He’s got his IPL coach, Ricky Ponting, sitting bolt upright in his seat saying things like “If Shreyas is out in the middle, then he’s as good as anyone” on the ICC review. India can’t keep him on and bring Virat Kohli in and explore the possibilities that Yashasvi Jaiswal presents them as a left-handed, top-order basher. Someone will have to switch to being the one that gets entertained.Related

• Virat Kohli fit to play second ODI against England

• India's left-arm orthodox spin twins give them a good headache to have

Despite their loss in Nagpur, England will be pleased with the work of Jacob Bethell, the 21-year-old displaying the kind of level-headedness that could prove invaluable over the coming weeks. Another ICC trophy comes up for grabs starting February 19 and although the pressure there will be significantly higher, this bilateral series, with the quality of players involved, should be able to replicate some of it.Performances like Bethell’s, or Shubman Gill’s in the No. 3 role, or Axar Patel’s as a disruptor at No. 5, are important beyond the context of winning and losing, because they offer exactly what all teams want going into a world event – options, a way to stand out, a way to surprise.

Form guide

India WLLTW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
England LLWLL

In the spotlight: Harry Brook and Virat Kohli

Ninety-one runs in six innings on tour is not the performance England wanted from a player in whom they have made a serious investment. Harry Brook plays all formats for them. He’s captained them. And when on song, he absolutely smashes it for them, but once again he has been unable to find a repeatable and consistent method of handling high-quality spin on pitches that are slower than he is used to. Fifty-over cricket offers batters a little more time and Brook could leverage that to get himself back in form.Harry Brook has struggled against spin on this tour•BCCI

The last time Kohli batted for India, he left the field in a fury, mistaking his thigh for a punching bag. It is unlikely that he thinks he is in decline. At least not to the extent that things can’t be turned around. His fans know things absolutely can turn around, and the switch in format could be just the break he needs to get the good times rolling again. India are weighing upsides. Iyer is already in form, and they know what he can do. If his making way means they get to arm an all-time great with game time and simultaneously find out if Jaiswal can be an asset in ODIs too, that’s probably a win.

Team news: A chance to experiment

This trophy doesn’t matter as much as the next one these two teams will be playing for so there is an opportunity to see this series as a kind of laboratory to know what works and what doesn’t. India picked Arshdeep Singh over Mohammed Siraj in their Champions Trophy squad and maybe they’re thinking of bringing him into the XI too. Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to give Rishabh Pant some match practice either.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Harshit Rana/Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami.England rested Mark Wood from the first ODI. His pace has always been a point of difference and so there is always a temptation to stick him into a starting XI.England: 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Jos Buttler (capt), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Jacob Bethell, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Saqib Mahmood.

Pitch and conditions: A reprise of the 2017 thriller?

Cuttack hasn’t hosted any ODIs in half a decade but when it last did, it presented itself as a batting paradise. India and England have already experienced these highs when they put up totals of 381 and 366 in 2017. The game is unlikely to come under any threat from the weather with clear skies expected; there might be dew though, given the temperature drops from 30C at 5pm to 23C at 9pm.

Stats and trivia:

• In the last 20 years, England have beaten India in India only five times in 31 ODIs.
• Cuttack offers more or less equal help to pace (137 wickets at an average of 40.86 and economy rate of 5) and spin (88 wickets at an average of 36 and economy rate of 4.74).
• Gill has found incredible consistency in ODI cricket. He’s been good enough to score a fifty roughly once every 2.4 innings.
• Jos Butter is such a regular, and rapid, run-scorer in this format that he’s part of a pretty exclusive club: 5000 runs and a strike rate of 100-plus.