Neymar looked sharp during Al-Hilal agility drills as he began training on grass to step up his recovery from ACL surgery.
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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 will be looking to build on their derby day triumph in midweek as they welcome Burnley to north London for today’s lunchtime kickoff in the Premier League.
After thrashing arch-rivals Arsenal 3-0 on Thursday night, Antonio Conte’s side moved to within one point of a place in the top four but the Clarets, who also need a win to bolster their survival chances in what is surely a huge game at either end of the table.
The Italian head coach is left with plenty to ponder in terms of team selection and he could well be tempted to remain unchanged – some of his in-game decisions against the Gunners certainly suggested that as both Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski were withdrawn prematurely.
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And the latter is an interesting dilemma, having already been dropped from the starting XI once in recent weeks, despite a red-hot start to life in the English captial.
Since his move from Juventus in January, the Sweden international has delivered three goals and eight assists across 18 appearances, including two assists from the bench against Leicester City, where he was initially amongst the substitutes for nearly an hour.
Conte may have felt he was in need of a rest but it does show that he’s not completely undroppable, with both Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn as alternative options.
Tired or not, Kulusevski must start against the Lancashire outfit today.
The £31.5m-rated winger, described as “explosive” by former Aston Villa man Marcus Allback, has all the attributes to destroy a struggling team like Burnley.
As per FBRef, Kulusevski ranks amongst the top 2% of all his positional peers across Europe’s ‘big five’ divisions for assists per 90 (0.46), amongst the top 4% for pressures (23.96 per 90) and amongst the top 6% for interceptions (1.69 per 90).
It’s no wonder he has quickly cemented himself as first-choice under Conte as he clearly defends from the front, often forcing the opposition into a mistake or handing the possession back to Spurs.
Elsewhere, the Juve loanee is third to only Son and Harry Kane for shots (1.4 per game) and second to the South Korean for key chances created (1.4 per game), via WhoScored.
The Clarets are expected to be without their first-choice central defensive pairing of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, so Kulusevski could quite easily wreak havoc at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon.
Said to be in “ridiculous” form by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, the persistence with the Swedish machine out wide could seriously bolster the Whites’ top-four chances.
He must be unleashed once more today.
AND in other news, Conte demands Spurs to sign £25m-rated “revelation”, he’s miles better than Emerson…
The Asia Cup final went down to the wire as Tilak calmly helped India chase down 147
Alagappan Muthu28-Sep-20253:17
Which Indian spinner had the biggest impact?
India blinked. They were 20 for 3 chasing 147. Their world-beating batting line-up was panicking as Pakistan came at them – this time for every reason because there was a title on the line.A collapse of 9 for 33 had left Salman Agha’s men with no room for error and for the most part they coped with it. They got rid of Abhishek Sharma early. That sent jitters through a middle-order that was upended to accommodate Shubman Gill.A straightforward chase was going pear-shaped. And Tilak Varma felt all of this out in the middle. The quiet of the stands. The belief among the Pakistan players. The doubts of a billion people back home. Somehow he absorbed it all and produced a really special half-century.Concentrating as hard as he had to, there wasn’t a single moment through the innings where Tilak showed emotion. But once it was done, he yelled, he punched, he made little heart signs with his hands and basked in the glory of winning India their ninth Asia Cup title.
This entire Asia Cup has been a referendum on Pakistan’s decision to move on from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. There is credence to the theory that they do not push hard enough when they bat up the order, and the powerplay is not a time to be shy.Sahibzada Farhan went for his shots early•Getty Images
Sahibzada Farhan took that to heart and although he didn’t always come up with the goods, he never stopped swinging. A series of slogs took him to 26 off 21. And those same series of slogs – when they started connecting – brought him 50 off 35.
Farhan and Fakhar Zaman were able to put one of India’s bankers – Kuldeep Yadav – under pressure. The left-arm wristspinner’s first two overs went for 23. That prompted Suryakumar Yadav to turn to Varun Chakravarthy, whose mystery Pakistan have just not been able to solve. As if on cue, he took down both of Pakistan’s top scorers. Farhan and Fakhar were the only two to cross 15.On the back of Varun’s incisions, his team-mates came into their own. Axar Patel took two wickets in back-to-back overs. Kuldeep took three in one single over. Pakistan were 107 for 1 with 44 balls to play. They were bowled out with five balls remaining. A large part of their innings involved the batters going for slogs. In the front 10, they either made good contact or just plain missed. So just one wicket fell. In the back 10, the big hits were all mis-hits. So nine wickets fell.
Where all his team-mates tried to force the issue, Tilak found ways to trust himself. He was 24 off 26. But he didn’t seem to care. Early in his innings, he hit a back foot punch though extra cover for four off Ashraf. There was no pace on that ball. The only way he could find the boundary was if he timed the ball perfectly. And for that to happen, he had to have the measure of this pitch down pat. He did.Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube’s brisk stand lifted India•Getty Images
That confidence fuelled the rest of his innings, reminding him that he needn’t over-exert himself. India had to settle for either singles or dots through the eighth and ninth overs of the chase as Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub stuck to the basics – keeping the stumps in play and asking India to take risks if they wanted to score quickly. Tilak rose to that challenge but even then, he was careful to go after the full one, the one that he could get to the pitch of and negate the turn. All that good work meant even with long-on in play, the ball went for six.In the 15th over, Tilak did another cool thing. With wickets falling around him, he had shown he was ready for a fight. In rebuilding India’s innings with barely a false shot, he showed he was in the zone. Now, seeing Haris Rauf running in, he showed a mind for problem-solving. He had seen how hard it was to hit with pace off the ball. Now that Pakistan were offering pace, he took full toll. Seventeen runs came from that 15th over and changed the complexion of the game. From needing 64 off 36, India needed 47 off 30.
India were without their first-choice seam-bowling allrounder. Hardik Pandya was nursing a quad niggle and couldn’t make the XI. Shivam Dube did, after resting the last game. He was responsible for two absolutely vital sixes. The first of those showcased his spin-hitting ability as he tonked Abrar down the ground. The second exemplified how well he reads the game. He had faced, and watched from the other end, as Ashraf in the 19th over, tried to hide the ball outside off stump. So when he got back on strike, he indulged in an exaggerated trigger movement across his stumps to get closer to the ball and launch it over wide long-on. Dube contributed 33 off 22 to a momentum-shifting, match-winning, fifth-wicket partnership that yielded 60 runs off 40 balls. He also had to open the bowling for the first time in any format of cricket, finishing with 3-0-23-0. It was a splendid day’s work.
These three India-Pakistan games have taken place under the shadow of far greater events. The two countries were in military conflict earlier this year. The two teams have not shaken hands. The two captains have even been avoiding eye contact. Rauf was fined for making gestures that seemed to point to those cross-border tensions. Jasprit Bumrah used the same gesture – hand pointed down, arcing to the floor – to give it back to Rauf after bringing down his stumps with a yorker.Tilak Varma celebrates a tense victory•AFP/Getty Images
The highly charged atmosphere that has been taking focus away from the cricket now added to it. The two coaches – Mike Hesson and Gautam Gambhir – would not accept being left on the sidelines, sending out messages to help the teams as the equation grew tighter. 30 off 18. 17 off 12. 10 off 6.With eight to get off five, Tilak launched a six over square leg – once more showcasing just how well he had grown accustomed to tough batting conditions and Rauf once again falling short by putting pace on the ball. Everything that happened after that will be turned into a meme. Tilak making the heart sign. Rinku Singh haring off into the distance. Gambhir banging a desk. This was an India-Pakistan classic worth the 41-year wait both teams needed to make the final of the Asia Cup.
“I didn’t imagine it sometime back that we would we playing Tests again with what was happening around us”
Sidharth Monga18-Dec-2020Leading wicket-taker, crucial runs with Cheteshwar Pujara, an economy rate of under two throughout the Test. That was R Ashwin the last time India played in Adelaide. Yet there were questions around whether he should be the spinner representing India in Adelaide this time, not least because by the end of the last tour his coach had openly said Kuldeep Yadav was his No. 1 choice in away Tests.You would expect the old Ashwin to follow up his four-for to put India in a dominant position in the Test with an equally aggressive verbal display in the press at the end of the day, but he is a changed man now. This has been an extremely tough year on everyone, and Ashwin says he is thankful to be able to be back on the park and wants to enjoy every minute he spends on it. The competitor on the field is still there but he is not smarting for a fight off the field.Virat Kohli leaps high while R Ashwin is all smiles after a key strike•Getty Images
“I am so happy we are playing Test cricket again,” Ashwin said at the end of the second day. “I didn’t imagine it sometime back that we would we playing Test cricket again with what was happening around us. For me, being extremely mad about the sport and still doing a lot of work even during the lockdown, it just felt so refreshing to go there and have a bowl. The feeling was great. Pink-ball Test and all that. Just felt amazing to go out there. I felt like I was making my debut again. I enjoyed my bowling.”A lot has been spoken about the styles of the two offspinners in this Test, Ashwin and Nathan Lyon, especially the bounce Lyon gets and how it works in Australia. “I think every spinner is different,” Ashwin said. “I think sometimes things can get blown out of context when comparisons are made with how one approaches his trade in comparison with the other. Even in this Test, Nathan and I bowl very differently. We are both very different bowlers. Successful in our own way.Related
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“For me it is about trying to change it up and make it difficult for the batsman to be able to defend and also score at the same time. Sometimes when you are playing just four bowlers, especially away, my trade is just to hold one end up and rotate the fast bowlers at the other end and also go for wickets if I do get enough assistance or early wickets. For me it is extremely important to make it as difficult as possible for the batsman to defend.”2:04
R Ashwin: ‘Felt refreshing to go out there and have a bowl’
Ashwin did get testy for a brief while when asked if he considers trying to bowl a little like Lyon in Australia or Moeen Ali in England. “Sometimes I feel these comparisons and the way we look at things is skewed,” Ashwin said. “Nobody asks batsmen to go and watch how Smith bats and replicate it all the time when we tour Australia. Nobody asks them to bat like Alastair Cook or Joe Root when they play. I think we are all aware that everybody skins a cat differently.”There is no end to what you can learn, you can always learn all the finer things, how they go about their business, what fields they set, the passage of play. I have always maintained this, especially when you play away from India, the passages of play need to go your way as a spinner because you are doing a twin job and against the conditions. As far as I am concerned, I watch carefully to see if I can learn and also prepare thoroughly for the batsmen and put in an earnest effort. How people perceive it and how they compare it is for them to do.”Even when asked if this was the best he had bowled away from home, Ashwin said he didn’t want to compare, but also made it a point to say that he has been pretty good away from home last two years or so. “Look in the last two years if people might not reflect upon a couple of not-so-great situations or matches if you may call so, I have pretty much had decent outings every time I have gone out to play abroad over the last 18 months or so,” Ashwin said. “And things can get blown out of context. I have put those things behind me, and I only want to enjoy my trade and have all the fun I possibly can. I don’t want to sit back and think whether it is the best or not. For me there is an innings to go and I am looking forward to the entire series. It is a great opportunity for me to play the game I love.”The entire series is a crucial point because he has started three of his last four tours superbly only for an injury to sideline him. His numbers in the first Test of series are way better than the subsequent ones. Correcting that is his next challenge this tour.
Batsman to miss Afghanistan and Sri Lanka fixtures, while Eoin Morgan continues to be monitored after back spasm
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2019Jason Roy will miss England’s next two World Cup matches, against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and will be assessed on an ongoing basis in the lead-up to their clash against Australia at Lord’s next week, after it was confirmed that he had suffered a hamstring tear during the eight-wicket win over West Indies at Hampshire Bowl on Friday.Roy may yet be joined on the sidelines for the Afghanistan game by England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, who also left the field on Friday with a back spasm. Although Morgan’s condition has since improved, the ECB medical team will monitor him over the next 24 hours before a decision is taken ahead of the toss at Old Trafford on Tuesday.The double setback is a blow to England after their most convincing victory of the World Cup to date. Roy sustained his injury while sprinting after a ball in the covers during West Indies’ innings, and underwent an MRI scan on Saturday in London, in which the tear to his left hamstring was confirmed.It is the second time this season that Roy’s progress has been disrupted by injury – he missed much of Surrey’s Royal London campaign in April and early May after suffering a back spasm while batting against Essex.Since his return to action, however, he has been England’s outstanding performer with the bat, picking up the Player of the Series award against Pakistan after making two fifties and a hundred in three outings, before setting up victory over Bangladesh in Cardiff last week with a formidable innings of 153 from 121 balls.In Roy’s absence, as well as that of Alex Hales – his long-term understudy who was axed from England’s World Cup plans prior to the tournament due to two failed drugs tests – James Vince is set to slot in alongside Jonny Bairstow at the top of England’s batting order.Given that England beat Afghanistan convincingly in a World Cup warm-up at The Oval last month, the management may well be tempted to give Morgan more time to regain full fitness as well, after he was forced to address the media standing up at Hampshire Bowl, due to his discomfort, on Friday.In Morgan’s absence, the captaincy would pass to Jos Buttler, while Moeen Ali – who missed out against West Indies – might be the likeliest replacement in the XI.At this stage – with five group-stage fixtures still to be played ahead of the semi-finals and final – it is highly unlikely that England would be considering any replacements to their original squad, given that neither Roy nor Morgan would be permitted to return at a later date once their injuries had healed.Joe Denly, who was replaced in the 15-man squad on the eve of the campaign, is one of the players on standby in the event of a long-term injury.
Wrexham have delivered back-to-back promotions for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but the club are already “playing catch up” in League One.
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Red Dragons climbing into third tierAmbition of Hollywood co-owners rewardedBig summer ahead in North WalesWHAT HAPPENED?
That warning has been sounded a matter of hours after the Red Dragons confirmed a top-three finish in League Two. Having claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season, the Welsh outfit are enjoying a meteoric rise up the EFL ladder.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE
They will be playing third-tier football in 2024-25 for the first time in 20 years, with a considerable investment of faith and funds being rewarded. Wrexham have come a long way in a short space of time, and that means their Hollywood co-owners need to find more answers to difficult questions in the weeks to come.
WHAT KER SAID ABOUT WREXHAM
Wrexham’s executive director, Humphrey Ker, has told of the project Reynolds and McElhenney are working through: “Above everything, we have proven again this is not a gimmick, it's not a joke, it's a serious operation. We are playing catch up on infrastructure and facilities, but we will do everything to give players and staff the standards you would expect. And then we go again.”
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of the fact that they want to guide Wrexham towards the Premier League, but the playing field will start to level out in League One and that will mean bigger challenges for head coach Phil Parkinson and a star-studded squad to overcome.
The 29-year-old had fared modestly for Barbados Tridents before the injury, scoring 185 runs in seven innings
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2018Australia batsman Steven Smith will miss the rest of this year’s CPL with a side strain. The injury was revealed by his Barbados Tridents captain Jason Holder at the toss ahead of their game against St Lucia Stars on Sunday at Kensington Oval.A subsequent interview with the side’s head coach Robin Singh revealed that Smith has left for home to receive treatment for the injury.Smith was signed as replacement for Shakib Al Hasan after he became available to play in the CPL for the first time following his one-year suspension from international cricket for his role in the ball-tampering scandal during Australia’s tour of South Africa.The 29-year-old had fared modestly before the injury, scoring 185 runs in seven innings while also taking three wickets, though he was Man of the Match in one of the only two wins this year for the bottom-placed Tridents by scoring 63 and taking 2 for 19 against Jamaica Tallawahs in Florida.
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt left Monday's New York Yankees Spring Training game vs. the Toronto Blue Jays early because of a sore back he's been dealing with for a few days.
Goldschmidt left the game after the third inning, which caused concern. However, Goldschmidt reassured everyone after his exit that he left the game early for precautionary reasons. He "didn't want to push it," so he didn't finish the game, MLB's Bryan Hoch reported.
The first baseman also noted there is "zero" concern that he will play on Opening Day next Thursday vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at home.
Goldschmidt will be entering his first official season as a Yankee after he signed with the team in free agency following six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
So far through Spring Training, Goldschmidt's averaged .313/.389/1.077. He's had 10 hits, seven runs, three home runs and 10 RBIs.
أعلن أحمد جاب الله، طبيب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن سبب غياب 4 لاعبين من قائمة الفريق لمباراته المرتقبة أمام حرس الحدود في الدوري المصري.
ويخوض فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي مباراة هامة غدًا أمام حرس الحدود في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثامنة من بطولة الدوري المصري.
وشهدت قائمة الأهلي غياب الرباعي، محمد مجدي أفشة ومحمد بن رمضان وأحمد نبيل كوكا وأحمد رمضان بيكهام.
طالع | قائمة الأهلي لمباراة حرس الحدود في الدوري المصري.. موقف أحمد عبد القادر
وكشف طبيب الأهلي، عن تعرض محمد مجدي أفشة لآلام في عضلة السمانة خلال المران الأخير، مشيرًا إلى أن اللاعب سيخضع لأشعة خلال الساعات المقبلة لتحديد موقفه الطبي من المشاركة.
وأضاف جاب الله أن الجهاز الطبي استبعد الثلاثي أحمد رمضان بيكهام، وأحمد نبيل كوكا، ومحمد بن رمضان من قائمة مباراة حرس الحدود، وذلك بسبب معاناتهم من إجهاد في العضلة الخلفية وعدم الجاهزية الطبية.