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New Zealand legspinner Amelia Kerr took three wickets in an over on her WBBL debut

Andrew McGlashan19-Oct-2019Brisbane Heat backed up their championship-winning performance in last year’s WBBL final by launching their title defence with a crushing 92-run victory over Sydney Sixers who slumped to their lowest ever total.Beth Mooney struck a half-century but the game-changing innings came from Laura Harris who arrived at No. 8 and hammered 36 off 17 balls to give a late surge to a Heat batting display which had spluttered after a strong base in the powerplay.Amelia Kerr came close to a hat-trick on her WBBL debut•Getty ImagesShe dominated a seventh-wicket stand of 50 off 24 balls with Mikayla Hinkley which included Harris’ onslaught that brought 25 runs off the 18th over.The Heat then made crucial inroads into the strong Sixers top order as Sammy-Jo Johnson removed Alyssa Healy and Ash Gardner to take out two of the power hitters. The loss of Ellyse Perry in the 13th over was curtains for the Sixers and the tail folded to the variations of New Zealand legspinner Amelia Kerr who landed her googlies perfectly on WBBL debut. In a dramatic slide, the last six wickets fell in the space of 14 balls.The Sixers, who opened the tournament with a strong performance against Sydney Thunder, were off colour from the start of the match with a lethargic display in the field which enabled Mooney, who was dropped at cover on 4, and captain Kirby Short to add 51 before Lauren Smith sparked the Sixers with a smart run out to remove Short.The innings then slipped with Grace Harris run out in a mix-up with Mooney and Hayley Silver-Holmes picking up a brace of lbws. As usual, Healy was sharp behind the stumps with her dismissal of Mooney especially swift although Healy was back in position for the next delivery when it became clear the batter was out.That left the Heat 6 for 115 and in need of a late charge which Laura Harris provided as she targeted the leg side with hefty slog-sweeps.Healy looked in the mood to take charge of the chase, striking the ball cleanly one again, but picked out mid-off in the fourth over where Laura Harris kept her cool to take a juggling catch at the third attempt.Her sister, Grace, then held a well-struck shot by Gardner at cover which was followed by Erin Burns top edging an attempt to lap-sweep Delissa Kimmince which left the innings on Perry’s shoulders. She couldn’t get going amid the loss of wickets and eventually picked out long-on in the 13th over from Jess Jonassen who removed Maddy Darke two balls later.Kerr then ripped through the tail with three wickets in four balls in the 14th over and was within a whisker of a hat-trick when No. 11 Stella Campbell shouldered arms to another googly.

Tottenham Hotspur secured a hard-earned point against title-chasing Liverpool on Saturday evening with the Champions League finalists needing a deflected goal to salvage a draw at Anfield.

Heung-min Son opened the scoring for Spurs in the 11th minute after Ryan Sessegnon squared the ball across the face of goal for the South Korean to slot home his 20th goal of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The 29-year-old was among the Lilywhites’ standout performers in Merseyside, hardly a surprise given there have been few better than him this season.

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However, some of his teammates certainly fought for the cause and arguably, Eric Dier was one of the names to steal the show against the 2020 champions.

The English colossus was a big part of why the north Londoners held on amid a barrage of late attacks from the home outfit.

He registered a whopping match-high 11 clearances, on top of a further three blocks and two interceptions with the latter two figures only being beaten by one other player in the match, as per SofaScore.

It’s no wonder he was described as “very impressive” by The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare at full-time. The praise didn’t stop there as much of the local press waxed lyrical about his performance.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote in his post-match ratings column: ‘An imperious display in the heart of the back three. Superb in the air and led Spurs’ brave approach to playing out [from the back].’

Indeed, just three of the Reds’ 22 shots were on target and they failed to convert any of their 11 corners, further proving the £18m-rated titan was an absolute rock at the back for Conte.

Elsewhere on the pitch, he was equally adept with the ball at his feet, averaging an 83% passing accuracy despite attempting seven long balls. Dier also won three of his five duels (60%).

Once lauded as “sensational” by former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, Dier was certainly an absolute animal up at Anfield this weekend. Those sorts of performances could well put him back in Three Lions’ reckoning before the winter’s World Cup in Qatar.

AND in other news, Conte could land his own Jorginho in Spurs swoop for “extraordinary” £45m-rated titan…

Arsenal may be hesitant about making a big-money move for Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin off the back of his ‘really poor season’. 

That’s according to journalist Paul Brown, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

The Athletic reported in the final week of the January transfer window that the Gunners intended to sign one of Calvert-Lewin, Dusan Vlahovic or Alexander Isak. The Serbian would ultimately join Juventus, while the other two targets stayed put at Everton and Real Sociedad respectively.

Calvert-Lewin hit 21 goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 season but has only managed three in a heavily disrupted 2021/22 campaign. The Englishman fractured his toe just three games into the season and duly spent four months on the sidelines.

Under contract at Goodison Park until June 2025, the 25-year-old is currently valued at £37.8m by Transfermarkt.

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The latest

Brown has said that Arsenal have previously made a concerted effort to sign Calvert-Lewin, but hinted that they may be having second thoughts over him now as he ‘doesn’t look like the same player’ following his injury-plagued campaign.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: “Calvert-Lewin, who I’m told is the guy they really pushed for.

“The fact that he’s hardly played the last few weeks and has had a really poor season and doesn’t look like the same player might make them think twice about spending too much money on him, but I do think that’s the type of player Arsenal want.”

The verdict

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal may choose to focus on the best version of Calvert-Lewin and put his woes this season to one side. The 25-year-old simply hasn’t been able to gain any sort of rhythm, failing to start more than three Premier League games on the bounce at any point.

On top of that, things have somewhat fallen apart for Everton, with Rafael Benitez sacked in January and the Blues now fighting to avoid a first-ever relegation from the Premier League.

That said, his value will surely be lower now than it was 12 months ago, so prospective suitors may sense an opportunity to land a comparative bargain if they make their move this summer.

Elsewhere, Joe Thomas was stunned by this ‘surprise’ sight from Sunday’s win over Chelsea

Franchises also exempted from paying bank guarantee for 2020 season which the PCB hopes to host in Pakistan

Umar Farooq30-Sep-2019In a bid to reduce losses incurred by PSL franchises, the PCB has reduced the salary cap to assemble a full squad from USD 1.38 million to USD 1.1 million.PSL franchises have struggled to turn a profit ever since the start of the tournament in 2016. In January this year, the original five – Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators – reported losses of PKR 200 million to 700 million (USD 1.4 million to USD 5 million approx) after just the first two seasons.The PCB met with representatives from all six teams on Monday and, in addition to bringing down the salary cap, it also exempted them from paying their bank guarantee, a combined value of USD 14.51 million, ahead of the 2020 season.”We had fruitful discussions with our valued partners and we have found a way forward,” said PCB’s Chief Executive Wasim Khan. “In the days ahead, our preparations for the HBL PSL 2020 season will continue in full swing, we are committed to staging the entire edition in Pakistan and the franchises are on-board with us.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the change to the salary cap happened after an understanding that a majority of the players who play the PSL participate in other franchise-based T20 leagues for lower wages. In addition, the squad sizes were reduced from 21 to 18, meaning the higher salary cap could be brought down without negatively impacting individual players. Besides, ESPNcricinfo understands the upper limit for the capt had never fully been utilised, further lessening the impact of the change.PCB had earlier classified the US$ 1.38 million purse into five categories: Platinum (USD 570,000), Diamond (USD 270,000), Gold (USD 180,000), Silver (USD 140,000), and Emerging (USD 25,000) with provision for an extra USD 175,000 for supplement players.In comparison, and according to an internal PCB document, IPL franchises spend USD 1.38 million on players, CPL USD 0.764 million, Global T20 Canada USD 0.65 million, while the postponed Euro T20 Slam had a pocket of USD 0.65m approximately.The financial structure has caused plenty of friction between the PCB and PSL franchises and hit its peak when the board was late in distributing the franchises’ share of the revenue generated during the 2019 season. This led to all six owners refusing to submit their bank guarantee. Pushed to a corner, the PSL’s general council met in Karachi along with PCB chairman Ehsan Mani to deliberate on the matter. Qalandars and Multan Sultans were represented by their owners themselves while the rest of the teams sent proxies.The falling value of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar has been another bone of contention. At the time of signing the franchise agreement in 2016, the exchange rate pegged the Pakistani Rupee at 105 to the dollar. That value has now slumped to 154.In what could be seen as some consolation for the owners, the PCB has agreed to lock this conversion to PKR 138.50. Further, the PCB will engage with a consultant to evaluate the financial model and advise the PCB to find a middle ground.

Birmingham City are on the verge of finalising a transfer for German forward Marvin Ducksch from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The Blues minority owner and NFL legend Tom Brady was reportedly pushing for the transfer, as the club look to secure a promotion to the Premier League next year. The Championship side are in advanced talks with the German club to wrap up the deal.

Birmingham set to sign Werder Bremen's DuckschClose to terms with Bundesliga sideBlues preparing for Championship returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Sky Sports Germany's , Birmingham are closing in on 31-year-old Werder Bremen forward Ducksch. The two clubs are on the verge of an agreement as the Blues have reportedly agreed to pay a hefty transfer fee of €2 million (£1.7m/$2.3m) to sign the striker on a three-year deal.

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Ducksch, who started his career at Borussia Dortmund in 2013 after graduating from the club's academy, joined Werder Bremen in 2021 from Hannover. In the 2024-25 campaign, the experienced forward scored eight goals in 32 league appearances. Ducksch made his international debut against Turkey in 2023 and has earned two caps for the German national team thus far.

DID YOU KNOW?

Birmingham are also competing with newly promoted Championship side Wrexham to secure a transfer for Liverpool star Lewis Koumas, with Brady set to battle fellow A-list owners in the Red Dragons' Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BIRMINGHAM?

Chris Davies' side will kick off the new season on August 9 as they take on Ipswich Town in their Championship opener.

Knight had injured her lower back during the opening overs of the first ODI of the series in Coolidge

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2019The CWI interim selection panel has replaced the injured Kycia Knight with Britney Cooper for the third and final ODI of the series against Australia, on Wednesday in Antigua.Knight had injured her lower back during the opening overs of the first ODI of the series in Coolidge, where Australia thrashed West Indies by 178 runs. Knight did not bat in the West Indies chase as a result, and did not feature in the second game. After “examining the scans” done on her, the CWI medical panel ruled Knight of the third ODI.Cooper joined the team in Antigua on Monday in preparation for the final game even as West Indies trail the series 0-2.Cooper last played an ODI in June in England but her single-digit scores in the series led to her omission from the original ODI squad against Australia. In six international innings this year – two ODIs and four T20Is – she has scored only 57 runs so far with a high score of 20.West Indies are also without their regular vice-captain Hayley Matthews, who had been withdrawn from the series just hours before the start of the opening ODI, due to disciplinary issues. The exact nature of her breach of the code of conduct is not known yet.

Derby County have now submitted a £1 million bid to sign a “versatile” ace, and they have already received a reply, according to Sky Sports.

Derby close in on more defenders after Beck signing

The Rams have been very productive in the transfer market so far, adding former players who John Eustace has worked with to the squad. But with the Championship season a couple of weeks away from kicking off, Derby are looking to add a few more bodies before then.

Derby County agree £3m deal to sign "real leader" who Eustace knows well

Derby County have moved a step closer to reuniting John Eustace with a player he has worked with before.

ByBrett Worthington Jul 23, 2025

Derby have now confirmed the signing of Owen Beck on loan from Premier League champions Liverpool. The left-back joins on a season-long deal and will link up with Eustace once again, as he worked with the manager at Ewood Park. Beck is the third player to join the club who has worked with Eustace before, after the arrivals of Andreas Weimann and centre-back Danny Batth.

But it might not be stopping at three, as Derby have also agreed a fee with Blackburn Rovers to sign defender Callum Brittain. However, Middlesbrough, who have already seen a bid turned down, are expected to match Derby’s £3m offer, meaning it will be down to the player to decide his next move.

Derby submit a £1m bid to sign "versatile" ace; they've had a reply

After the arrivals of Beck and possibly Brittain, the Rams are also keen on strengthening their centre-back options. According to Sky Sports, Derby have placed a £1 million bid to sign Zak Vyner, but it has been rejected by Bristol City.

Vyner has entered the final year of his contract at Ashton Gate, but despite his contract situation, Derby’s bid falls below Bristol City’s valuation for the centre-back, who is a product of the club’s academy. It is unclear how much the Robins are looking to get for Vyner, but his expiring contract means they can’t ask for a huge sum.

After loan spells away from Ashton Gate at clubs such as Accrington Stanley, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United and Aberdeen, Vyner established himself in the Bristol City first team in the 2020/21 season. Since then, the defender, who was labelled “versatile” by former Robins manager Nigel Pearson, has been a regular starter and contributor in the last four Championship seasons.

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Last season, Vyner played every single minute of Bristol City’s Championship campaign, as the Robins reached the play-offs for the first time since 2008. Indeed, his durability and versatility would make him an impressive addition for Eustace’s side.

The Rams do have some experienced heads in central defence already with the likes of Batth, Matt Clarke, and Curtis Nelson, but Vyner’s ability to play at full-back gives the manager plenty of options.

Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco did not want to blame the VAR for their loss against Slovakia on Monday.

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Tedesco refused to blame VAR for defeatBelgium saw two goals ruled outSuffered a shock loss against SlovakiaWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils suffered a major setback in their opening match of Euro 2024 as they shockingly went down 1-0 against Slovakia courtesy of a seventh-minute strike from Ivan Schranz. Belgium found the back of the net twice, however, both attempts were ruled out by VAR.

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Despite the frustrating outcome, manager Tedesco refused to blame the officials as he claimed he did not want to sound like a sore loser. He even backed VAR and the referees for doing their job fairly as he accepted the loss gracefully.

WHAT DOMENISCO TEDESCO SAID

Speaking to reporters after the match, the head coach said: "It’s tough for me to speak now. If we would have won, I could probably share my opinion a little more. But we lost and I want to be a good or at least a fair loser; we shouldn’t be talking about VAR. We trust these guys, we trust the VAR and the referees and if they blow and say it’s handball we have to trust and accept it and that’s that."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BELGIUM?

Belgium will hope to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes alive of making it to the knockout stage as they next face Romania on Saturday.

As Everton get their pre-season underway, The Friedkin Group are reportedly preparing a £35m proposal to welcome another key reinforcement for David Moyes and his side.

Everton commence Hill Dickinson era

A new era is officially underway at Everton after they squared off against Port Vale in their first-ever game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. In many ways it was, of course, an insignificant game. But it will have its place in history and so will Carlos Alcaraz for scoring the first-ever goal for Everton men’s at their impressive new ground.

After sealing a 2-1 victory against their latest pre-season opponents, Everton will now travel to the USA to take part in the Premier League Summer Series. It’s there that they will square off against Bournemouth, West Ham United and Manchester United in three tough tests to hand them a glimpse of what could be to come next season.

It’s not just pre-season that those in Merseyside should be concerning themselves with between now and next season, however. There’s also still plenty of work to be done on the transfer front.

Friedkin reportedly want to splash out as much as £150m this summer, having already welcomed Thierno Barry, Mark Travers and Alcaraz to kick things off.

Eyeing a replacement for Abdoulaye Doucoure, as well as another midfielder, plus a new right-back and right-winger, Everton have already reportedly set their sights on the likes of Douglas Luiz and James McAtee.

The latter would be a particularly impressive signing, given how he still starred for Manchester City last season even in the face of little game time. The last time that City sold such a prospect, it was Chelsea who benefited and Cole Palmer who thrived. Now, the Toffees could be next in line.

Before then, though, Friedkin are seemingly planning to turn their focus towards an impressive La Liga star.

Everton preparing Takefusa Kubo offer

According to reports in Spain, Everton are now preparing a formal €40m (£35m) offer to sign Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad this summer. The Japan international has enjoyed a standout spell at Sociedad at times in the last three years, having swapped Real Madrid for the chance to become the star that he is today in 2022.

He's a dream for Barry: Everton open talks to sign £50m "superstar"

Everton initiate talks to sign LaLiga star in bold bid to strengthen attack

ByWill Miller Jul 23, 2025

Now, the Premier League could be calling and Everton could yet make an impressive statement. Once a Liverpool target, Kubo may come back to haunt those at Anfield at the opposite end of Merseyside next season.

Previously dubbed “amazing” for his form by scout Jacek Kulig, Kubo is still just 24 years old and still has plenty more to come. There’s no doubt that he’d also be an instant upgrade on Jack Harrison.

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Alongside Barry, Kubo’s arrival would continue the much-needed attacking changes taking place at Everton this summer, as they step into a new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Fans have been left stunned at seeing Frank Lampard “bodied” by Gary Lineker, with an “outrageous” balding joke made at the Chelsea legend’s expense.

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Ex-Three Lions stars on Euro 2024 dutyFace of Blues legend dropped after jokeBBC presenter has vowed to say sorryWHAT HAPPENED?

Two former England internationals were on punditry duty as the BBC covered Germany’s 2-0 victory over Hungary at Euro 2024. At one point, those in the studio turned their gaze in the direction of a fan park that is positioned behind their vantage point, with their view of the Brandenburg Gate being blocked by a giant screen.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesWHAT LINEKER SAID

Ex-England striker Lineker said: “I wish they'd take that screen down, then we'd see all the punters. But if they took the screen down, they wouldn't be able to watch the game.”

Lampard responded by saying: “The back of our heads… who wouldn't turn up for that?”

Lineker then chipped in with what is considered to be a swipe at Lampard’s thinning locks. He added: “No one wants to see the back of your head these days, do they Frank? That's for sure.”

WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

Having seen the smile on Lampard’s face drop as the realisation of what had been said began to sink in, fans were quick to air their shock on social media. Sharing a clip of said exchange, @Slaughts_1 said: “Gary Lineker has just absolutely bodied Frank Lampard on live TV. Lampards face is killing me. The fume.” @ladbible added that Lampard’s face was “pure gold”, while @Footballhub said the ex-Chelsea star’s expression is “killing me”. @ggdotcom6787 claimed that Lineker’s comment was “outrageous” and @JordanBrown91 said: “Can’t see myself getting tired of that clip of Lineker calling Lampard a slap head.”

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Lineker has responded to unwittingly going viral, telling podcast: “Obviously Frank’s slightly thinning, I’m slightly thinning, and I actually meant it about everyone. But when it came out, it came out a bit wrong. And you know Frank does that thing where he smiles, and then he suddenly doesn’t smile? Frank’s great fun, he won’t mind. I must admit, when I got back to the hotel I saw it on social media and thought, ‘Oh you f*cking idiot.’ I felt really bad, I’ll have to apologise. I will apologise because it wasn’t deliberate but I get how funny it was. Those things happen on live TV.”