Young pace bowler speaks of Shrubsole’s influence as she sets sights on ODI debut

Valkerie Baynes09-Jul-2022Lauren Bell is relishing her chance to join England Women’s next generation of fast bowlers as attention turns to the ODI leg of the multi-format series with South Africa.Bell finds herself at the forefront of England’s succession planning, forming part of a new-wave pace attack with Issy Wong during the recent drawn Test, which kicked off the series in Taunton last month.Both impressed sufficiently there to hold their places in the squad for the three ODIs, which also includes veteran Katherine Brunt, who has retired from Tests but is aiming to play a part in England’s white-ball fixtures this summer. England will, however, be without Anya Shrubsole, who retired from international cricket after the World Cup final in April.”Anya and Katherine have been so amazing for so many years now, but I think it’s really exciting that there’s a group of us coming through,” Bell said. “Me and Izzy and Freya [Davies] are all in the same situation, we’re all trying to break into the squad and doing everything we can so it’s really nice to have other people in the same situation.”Obviously, there’s that natural competition but it’s exciting for England cricket and it’s great to have so many options and so many youngsters coming through.”Related

Lizelle Lee retires from international cricket

Issy Wong, Lauren Bell seize chance to shine

Four-day cut-off robs yet another women's Test the room to thrive

Alice Davidson-Richards, Lauren Bell in England ODI squad

Bell took two first-innings wickets and played a part in reducing South Africa to 45 for 4 before Marizanne Kapp’s 150 rescued the tourists’ Test hopes and, while she went wicketless in their second innings, she only conceded 26 runs from 14 overs at an economy rate of 1.85.Wong, meanwhile, took three wickets in all, including two in as many overs late on the third evening to leave the Test intriguingly poised before rain ruined the final day.Wong received her Test cap in a stirring presentation by Brunt, and Bell said she had been moved after receiving her cap from Shrubsole, her team-mate at Southern Vipers, having joined as a player and bowling coach for this season, and at Southern Brave, where they will be reunited for a second season of the Hundred.”She’s been amazing,” said Bell who, like Shrubsole, can threaten with her inswing. “At training I could just learn so much and she was so invested in chatting to me.”Having her at the Vipers has been so great because it’s like she’s experienced everything that hopefully I can do in my career and it’s someone who understands what I’m going through, has probably been there and done what I might be struggling with or going through. It’s really great to have her around with a great perspective on everything.”Bell was also looking forward to the chance to play alongside Brunt during the ODI series, which opens in Northampton on Monday.”Everyone missed Katherine at the Test match, she’s got such an energy about her and it’s great to have her back,” Bell said. “In training she just wants to give off all of her knowledge and just share everything she’s got on to me and Izzy Wong, for example. She’s got a real energy about her and even though she’s played for quite a while now she still just loves it.”Bell’s Test call-up came after she toured Australia with the England Women’s A side during the Ashes at the start of the year and went on to New Zealand as a travelling reserve for the World Cup. As a result, she said she felt settled within the England set-up ahead of what she hopes will be her maiden ODI appearance.”We spent a lot of time with each other,” she said. “It’s a very open group but I feel really comfortable here now and I feel quite settled into this squad. It really helped being around and seeing how the system works, so I think it’s put me in a good place to hopefully put my hand up to make my debut.”Eng vs SA fixtures

1st ODI – July 11, Northampton

2nd ODI – July 15, Bristol

3rd ODI – July 18, Leicester

1st T20I – July 21, Chelmsford

2nd T20I – July 23, Worcester

3rd T20I – July 25, Derby

England have also retained Test debutant Emma Lamb, who was composed opening alongside Tammy Beaumont in Taunton, although she could move down the order depending on whether England decide to play Danni Wyatt as an opener or finisher. Alice Davidson-Richards, who made a century on her Test debut against South Africa, will be available for selection upon rejoining the squad after playing for South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy on Saturday, scoring 42 and taking three wickets in a losing cause against Southern Vipers.Emily Arlott, another tall quick like Bell, was not considered for selection in the ODI squad as she continues her return to fitness following a bout of Covid-19. Davies, part of the Test squad but overlooked on match day, also missed out on the ODI squad and was instead part of the England Women’s A side which beat South Africa by seven wickets in their 50-over warm-up match on Thursday.Laura Wolvaardt, who fell to Wong twice for just 16 runs each time in the Test, and Kapp both made fifties in the warm-up while Chloe Tryon, who didn’t play in the Test, made 43.The tourists will be without batter Lizelle Lee, who announced her immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday having played 184 matches for her country, 100 of them ODIs.Bell expected South Africa, who won their group-stage fixture at the World Cup before England turned the tables in the semi-final, to prove “a real challenge” in the 50-over format.”They hadn’t played a Test match for many years and they were a little bit less experienced, but South Africa have played plenty of one-day cricket and are really, really experienced in this format,” Bell said.

Chelsea skidded into the international break with a run of five wins on the spin halted at home by Nottingham Forest.

The early parts of the season suggest it was a wise decision from the club’s hierarchy to part company with Mauricio Pochettino at the back end of last term and bring in Enzo Maresca instead.

He has done a fine job since arriving from Leicester, turning Chelsea from the chaotic mess that they were into genuine top four contenders.

Are we surprised? Kind of. With a bloated squad and a lack of direction, who knew what was going to happen to the Blues this season? Yet, with the squad they do have we shouldn’t be overly shocked. It’s a cracking selection of players and most of them have hit the ground running swiftly in 2024/25.

So, how did some of those star players get on while in action for their countries over the break?

Chelsea during the October international break

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind week and a half for those of an England persuasion with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill now fresh in the knowledge that former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will replace interim manager Lee Carsley in 2025.

Palmer will no doubt be an imperative part of that side having starred now for well over a year in Chelsea colours. He’s come flying out of the traps this term too, scoring six goals in as many games, although four of those did come in the romp over Brighton.

Still, the former Manchester City ace enjoyed a fine break. Although he didn’t score or register an assist, he was named England Player of the Year. Not bad work at all, Cole.

His England colleague, Colwill, was unfortunately left out for the win in Finland but he was part of the backline that lost so dramatically to Greece last week.

Elsewhere, there was a goal for Christopher Nkunku in France colours against Israel as Les Bleus won 4-1.

For Portugal, Joao Felix was benched in their 3-1 win over Poland and then only appeared as a second-half substitute for the final two minutes in their 0-0 draw with Scotland. International colleague Pedro Neto played no part in that match but did start against the Polish, creating one key pass and completing all three of his dribble attempts.

England Player of the Year: 4 players who deserved it more than Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer has been voted England Player of the Year, but were some of his teammates robbed?

1

By
Barney Lane

Oct 11, 2024

Away from Europe, Enzo Fernandez looked in pretty good touch for a rampant Argentina…

Enzo Fernandez's performances for Argentina

Over the summer Argentina were victorious in the Copa America and with the great Lionel Messi in tow, they have continued their fine form.

Lionel Scaloni’s men were pegged back by Venezuela, drawing 1-1, but they were rampant against Bolivia in the early hours of Wednesday morning, winning 6-0.

Messi scored a hat-trick, of course, he did, while another goalscorer was former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, now of Atletico Madrid.

Fernandez may not have scored but he was phenomenal in that win over the Bolivians. GOAL notably handed him an 8/10 match rating, writing: ‘Thought he earned an assist early in the first half, but VAR called Otamendi’s header back. Otherwise, ran the game in the centre of the pitch in calm and composed fashion.’

The numbers help paint the picture of just how good the Chelsea midfielder was.

During the course of the contest, the 23-year-old World Cup winner was exquisite, registering a mammoth 126 touches and completing 108 of his 113 passes. For context, no player on the field registered higher numbers in either category.

Furthermore, Fernandez won three of his six duels and completed seven of his nine long passes, spraying the ball about in sublime fashion.

The Argentine perhaps hasn’t quite been at his best in Chelsea colours this term but this was a reminder of his qualities.

Maresca will no doubt be hoping for more of the same after the break.

Chelsea must regret selling £20m star who's now worth more than Madueke

Chelsea must regret £20m sale who’s now worth more than Madueke.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 16, 2024

One of Sunderland’s Championship promotion rivals are believed to be interested in signing one of their key players in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

Sunderland stuttering after flying start

After a blistering start to the season by Regis Le Bris’ side, there is no question that their campaign has started to lose a little bit of momentum in recent weeks.

On Saturday afternoon, Sunderland blew a 2-0 lead at home to a Coventry City side who sacked manager Mark Robins last week, eventually drawing 2-2. It was their third draw in a row in the league, and having led the way at the top of the Championship table by five points, they are now only ahead of Sheffield United on goal difference, following their 1-0 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

There is certainly no reason to panic for the Black Cats, who still looked primed for a promotion push this season, but an improvement in form is needed after the international break, with the absence of the suspended Jobe Bellingham acting as a blow.

It is imperative that Sunderland keep hold of their most influential figures between now and the end of the season, however, and possibly even make new signings in January, but a concerning update has now emerged regarding one current Stadium of Light hero.

"Fantastic" Sunderland ace wanted by rivals

According to a fresh claim from The Sunday Mirror [via Football League World], Leeds United are eyeing a move for Sunderland ace Dennis Cirkin in January, in what would be a shock exit from the Stadium of Light. The Whites are keeping tabs on the Black Cats hero, who has been an ever-present for his side in the Championship this season, starting all 15 of their matches in the competition.

The idea of Sunderland allowing Cirkin to join Leeds midway through the season is nonsensical, considering they would be both weakening themselves and strengthening one of their biggest Championship rivals this season.

The 22-year-old has excelled for the Black Cats in 2024/25 to date, scoring twice and assisting once from left-back, as well as averaging 3.4 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game.

Praise from his former manager, Lee Johnson, speaks volumes about what Sunderland would lose out on: “Fantastic player, he’ll have a top career. No question of a doubt but we need to accelerate that leadership and obviously we’re looking to do that. Communicating in his best way and if that’s having a lot of individual chats with players around him, to canvas, to make sure that connection is there, then so be it.”

The £10,000-a-week Cirkin is a player Sunderland simply must keep hold of, at least for the remainder of the season, or risk seeing their promotion hopes damaged.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

At 22, there is still so much more to come from him too, so he should be viewed as an important long-term figure at the club by Le Bris.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betway： Após vencer o Universidad Católica por 4 a 2 na quinta-feira (30/6) pelo duelo de ida das oitavas de final da Copa Sul-Americana, o São Paulo volta suas atenções para o Campeonato Brasileiro. A equipe enfrenta o Atlético-GO às 16h (de Brasília) deste domingo (3), fora de casa, e como vem sendo rotina, o técnico Rogério Ceni segue com sua filosofia de pensar jogo a jogo do Tricolor por conta dos problemas no elenco.

RelacionadasSão PauloSão Paulo abre venda de ingressos para jogo de volta com a Universidad Católica; veja valoresSão Paulo01/07/2022São PauloSão Paulo quebra jejuns em partida tumultuada de SantiagoSão Paulo01/07/2022São PauloSão Paulo foi último time a ter três expulsos no mesmo jogo da Sul-Americana, contra o River em 2003São Paulo01/07/2022

da aposte e ganhe：
Galeria
> ATUAÇÕES: Com o São Paulo com três a menos, Luciano desencanta em goleada cheia de emoções

Para esta partida, o Tricolor fará apenas um treino preparatório, neste sábado (2), no CT da Barra Funda, visto que o elenco desembarcou do Chile em São Paulo (SP) apenas na tarde de sexta-feira (1).

Nem tudo, contudo, deve ser desespero para Ceni no Tricolor. O treinador vive a expectativa da liberação de Nikão e Talles Costa pelo menos para se sentarem no banco de reservas em Goiânia (GO). Ambos estão na lista de nove contundidos do clube, mas já iniciaram a transição para o campo após recuperação no Reffis.

Além disso, Ceni também pode ter a liberação de Moreira, jogador que se recuperou da amigdalite sofrida enquanto estava na Europa defendendo a seleção portuguesa sub-18.

Seguem machucadosmachucados Sara (cirurgia no tornozelo direito), Alisson (entorse no joelho direito), Colorado (lesão no reto femoral direito), Arboleda (cirurgia no tornozelo esquerdo), Caio (cirurgia no joelho direito) e Luan (cirurgia no adutor esquerdo).

O jogo ante o Dragão rubro-negro também será visto com atenção pela comissão técnica já que dez atletas estão pendurados com dois cartões amarelos:Diego Costa, Reinaldo, Pablo Maia, André Anderson, Leo, Eder, Luciano, Nestor, Patrick e Gabriel Neves.

TABELA
> Confira jogos, classificação e simule resultados do Brasileirão-22
> Confira os jogos da Copa Sul-Americana-22
> Conheça o novo aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

He and D’Arcy Short put on an opening stand of 166 after Peter Handscomb had lifted a stuttering Victoria

AAP25-Sep-2022A massive opening partnership from Western Australian pair Josh Philippe and D’Arcy Short lifted the defending Marsh Cup holders to a commanding five-wicket win over Victoria in Melbourne.WA eased over the line with 14 balls to spare. The contest seemed settled as the WA openers put on a match-defining partnership of 166 at almost a run a ball.Philippe was dismissed for 100 the ball after reaching his ton, while Short made a more measured 90 before falling with victory in sight. Philippe, having brought up his half-century with a six, reached three figures off just 95 balls in a knock that featured three sixes.Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland, who had Philippe caught at the wicket, then produced an extraordinary one-handed catch to send Short back to the pavilion. Despite some late pressure, Hilton Cartwright helped WA home with an unbeaten 26.The visitors, in their first outing of the domestic summer and first since holding off Victoria in last season’s Sheffield Shield final, impressed with both bat and ball.Victoria won the toss but slipped to 5 for 92 in the wake of some fine pace and seam bowling.Jhye Richardson was absent from the WA line-up as a precaution with hamstring soreness. The Test quick’s absence had little impact with Andrew Tye returning 4-54 to headline a strong team bowling performance.Victoria captain Peter Handscomb held the home side’s innings together just as it threatened to crumble. He made 93 from 110 balls, while there were also fast-scoring contributions from middle-order pair Matt Short (43 from 38 balls) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (36 from 42).Victoria opened the domestic season on Friday with a contentious victory over New South Wales, with the umpires ending the weather-impacted match for bad light the ball after the lead had changed hands via the DLS method.Will Pucovski, having shone in the opener with a half-century, fell cheaply for just 5, while there was also a failure for another Test aspirant with Marcus Harris making 8.

West Ham United have endured a tricky start to the new Premier League campaign under boss Julen Lopetegui, often failing to hit the heights many anticipated them to in pre-season.

The Hammers saw a massive overhaul of the playing squad, with nine first-team additions during the off-season, spending upwards of £120m on new talent to take the side to the next level.

However, in the first nine league outings of 2024/25, the Spaniard’s men have only won three times, currently sitting in 13th place and just a couple of places above the relegation zone.

Players such as Guido Rodriguez, Max Kilman and Niclas Füllkrug all arrived at the London Stadium, with hopes of returning the club towards European contention.

The latter has only featured for 63 minutes in the league, suffering an injury and failing to make an impact after his £27m move from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

One player has shown glimpses of his talent, with his most recent outing for the Irons his best during his short stint in East London.

Crysencio Summerville’s stats for West Ham

Despite huge interest from various sides all over Europe, West Ham won the race for the signature of winger Crysencio Summerville from Championship side Leeds United.

The 22-year-old cost the Hammers £25m before add-ons, with real expectations of providing that added quality in attacking areas, but he’s often struggled in recent months.

He’s often found himself behind Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in the pecking order, featuring for just 215 minutes in the Premier League.

However, after Kudus’ dismissal against rivals Tottenham Hotspur a couple of weeks ago, he could’ve been handed a rare start against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Lopetegui opted with Carlos Soler in a wide role instead, but Summerville was given the opportunity to impress off the substitutes’ bench – taking his chance with both hands.

The Dutchman scored the opener, helping the Irons secure a victory over the Red Devils, subsequently resulting in Erik ten Hag losing his job over the last couple of days.

However, he still earns less than one player who cost the club an arm and a leg during his unsuccessful stint at the London Stadium.

The man who earned more than Summerville at West Ham

Striker Sebastian Haller arrived at West Ham with high expectations after his £45m transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2019 under Manuel Pellegrini – a deal that still remains as a club record.

However, the Ivorian’s time in East London never lived up to the hype, scoring just 14 times in his two full seasons as a Hammer, before departing the club.

The 30-year-old would join Ajax in a £20m deal, a move which saw them lose £25m in a two-year period, further showing how much of a poor deal it was in hindsight.

Games played

54

Cost per game

£977k

Minutes played

3681

Cost per minute played

£14.3k

Goals scored

14

Cost per goal

£3.7m

Assists

1

Cost per assist

£52.8m

Haller’s transfer fee was bad enough, but the forward pocketed himself £75k-per-week during his time at the London Stadium, one of the highest figures during the 2019/20 campaign.

His subsequent weekly income saw him earn over two times more than current first-team ace Summerville, who only earns £30k-per-week despite his big-money transfer this summer.

When combining Haller’s wages during his time in the Premier League along with his transfer fee, he cost the club a staggering £52.8m – which worked out to around £3.7m per goal he scored.

Given the staggering money spent, the deal was a complete disaster, undoubtedly burning a hole in the club’s finances.

The hierarchy undoubtedly made the right call in offloading the striker when they did, preventing them from losing any more money on their club-record investment.

West Ham must rue offloading star who's the perfect Paqueta replacement

Lopetegui has already got rid of a West Ham talent who’d replace the underperforming Paqueta.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 28, 2024

Plays of the day from the Champions League T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Dolphins in Bangalore

Rachna Shetty22-Sep-2014The half-chance
Watching an athletic fielding effort in a Twenty20 can be as exciting as a stroke-filled fifty. Faf du Plessis pulled off one such effort in the deep. A loft smacked straight down the ground by Morne van Wyk almost ended up as a catch as du Plessis raced in from the leg side. He took the ball but his momentum took him across the line. He threw the ball back over the line but stumbled before he could get to the other side.The acrobat
As remarkable as du Plessis’ effort was, it paled in comparison to Brendon McCullum’s near Fosbury flop that saved a certain six. McCullum fielding in the deep kept his eyes on the ball and the boundary line while trying to get under a straight slog from Robbie Frylinck. He jumped up, grabbed the ball but realised he would fall outside the boundary. Almost parallel to the ground, and turning mid-air, McCullum released the ball back over the rope with a flick of his right wrist and then landed smoothly, the left arm taking the weight of his body. A save worthy of the price of admission into the ground.The missing bowler
They might have won by 54 runs but one question to emerge from Monday’s game is Ishwar Pandey’s absence from the Super Kings attack. The fast bowler had bowled his full quota of overs in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders but his most conspicuous moment against Dolphins came thanks a misfield at short fine leg in the sixth over, when he let a ball go through for four.The bat-breaking swipe
Cameron Delport greeted Mohit Sharma at the crease with a six over long-off and successive fours, reaching a manic 28 off 6. He was in the mood to swipe another one to the boundary but mistimed the shot through cover and was left holding his bat handle while the rest of the blade swung wildly in the air. Delport was out for a nine-ball 34 off the last ball of the over, Dolphins went on to lose the match, and he also had to cope with the loss of his favourite bat.The hat-trick
Robbie Frylinck completed an unusual hat-trick in the match against Super Kings. The game against Perth Scorchers ended with Mitchell Marsh smacking two sixes off Frylinck to take the Australian side to victory. Frylinck faced the same treatment when he came on to bowl here, as Suresh Raina hit him for a six over cover first ball.

A solid innings of 47 by returning captain Kane Williamson and a dashing 33 from 15 balls by Jimmy Neesham propelled New Zealand to a 13-run win over West Indies in the first of three T20Is in Jamaica.Neesham struck three fours from the last three balls and 23 runs from the last over of the innings as New Zealand made 185 for 5 after being sent in to bat at Sabina Park. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner took 3 for 19 as New Zealand restricted West Indies to 172 for 7.”There was a lot of spin which was a big surprise,” said Santner, who was voted the Player of the Match. “I think the lengths are key against these guys. They can hit you pretty far, so back of a length worked today and as a unit we were able to pick up wickets which was pretty key.”New Zealand’s innings had two parts, separated by a lengthy rain break. Openers Martin Guptill and Devon Conway gave the tourists a strong start, putting on 62. But the pair fell to consecutive deliveries from Odean Smith, who went on to take career-best T20I figures of 3 for 32.Guptill fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Shimron Hetmyer, who was backed up against the boundary at deep point, while Conway’s innings of 43 from 29 ended when he top-edged a catch to wicketkeeper Devon Thomas.The rain came in the 12th over with New Zealand on 95 for 2 and Williamson at the crease with Glenn Phillips. Players were off the field for almost two hours and when play resumed New Zealand immediately lost Phillips for 17.The New Zealand innings briefly lost momentum but Williamson re-established the impetus of the innings by taking 33 runs from his next 18 deliveries. He finally was out to another brilliant catch on the boundary, this time from Hayden Walsh who dashed from midwicket to pocket a comfortable catch at speed.Neesham struck a six from the second ball of an over in which he also was dropped by Romario Shepherd from the bowling of Jason Holder. West Indies paid the price with Neesham’s three fours from the last three balls.”We want to get better as a group but in saying that I was happy with the performances,” West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said. “Santner bowled very well and Ish [Sodhi] got away with a few. Scores above 175-180 are tricky for us. Unfortunately losing is contagious and we’re a losing side at the moment.”Shamarh Brooks anchored the top of the West Indies innings with 42 at almost a run a ball. But there was a lack of consistent momentum afterward. Pooran with 15 from eight balls, Holder with 25 from 19 and Rovman Powell with 18 from 12 all threatened to take control of the game but couldn’t carry on.Finally, Shepherd and Smith shared a 50 partnership from 23 balls for the eighth wicket to fan West Indies’ hopes. Shepherd struck an unbeaten 31 from 16 balls and Smith 27 from 12. But West Indies came to the last over needing 26 runs and the task proved too much.

ICC Ex-Co head Wally Edwards on his preferred structure for the first stage of the showpiece tournament, his idea to rebrand ODIs as World Cup Cricket, and more

Daniel Brettig27-Jul-2015Wally Edwards is tired. It is early afternoon on what should have been day five of the Lord’s Test, and his usually jovial visage is clouded over with the effect of a week’s meetings, lunches and dinners. He has just been out in Kensington with his wife Kerry, and is soon to leave London for Taunton and the start of the women’s Ashes.As we meet, Edwards is trying to figure out why the final round of the Open and its bevy of Australian challengers is not yet available on his television set. Weather has delayed the tournament’s conclusion, but it seems strangely absent from broadcast. Cueing up my voice recorder, I tell him that the BBC’s coverage isn’t commencing until around 2pm.Resigned to the fact he will not be seeing any of Jason Day, Marc Leishman or Adam Scott anytime soon, Edwards settles in to speak about the other reason he’s tired: four years as Cricket Australia chairman, and near enough to two as chairman of the ICC’s all-powerful Executive Committee, or ExCo. He has been widely praised for his work in the first role; almost as widely pilloried for his choices in the second.He was mentioned in, but not interviewed for, a documentary, , that unpacks cricket’s turbulent past few years through the prism of the men in suits who preside over it. While Giles Clarke comes across badly and N Srinivasan inscrutably, Edwards isn’t there at all. It is a pity, for his plain speech and happiness to debate points could have served the story well, just as it has the effective operation of CA and the ICC.But Edwards’ adamant view about the way the game is developing stands at odds with that of the documentary’s creators. For a start he thinks that Srinivasan, cleared of any direct link to corruption at the now suspended Chennai Super Kings, is doing a fine job. “He’s divested all his shares in CSK, so there’s no issue hanging over him to my knowledge,” Edwards says. “The Supreme Court [of India] came out with a positive affirmation many moons ago that he could become chairman of ICC, and that’s what he is. He’s doing a fantastic job.”

“What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format”

Edwards’ relationship with Srinivasan began within days of his official beginning as CA chairman at the 2011 AGM. The board received correspondence from the BCCI indicating that India’s 2011-12 tour of Australia would only cover two Tests instead of the scheduled four. Rather than thundering down the phone at Srinivasan, Edwards flew to Chennai in what proved a successful effort to have the tour played as originally scheduled, and thus began a relationship that culminated in the “Big Three” reforms.The major criticism of Edwards’ role in this change to cricket’s governance was that he too readily went along with India rather than challenging their view of where and how ICC revenues should be distributed. He has spoken previously of the climate in which those discussions took place, and of what was at stake, but he also feels that without the changes made in 2014, any thought of evolving into the kind of structure outlined in Lord Woolf’s review would have been impossible.”We’ve done really poorly in the last 40-50 years in terms of developing cricketing nations,” Edwards says. “You could say only really Sri Lanka has come in and been competitive. Bangladesh are showing good signs now, and that’s what I’ve been preaching to them for the last three years: get back and get your cricket better, don’t be trying to worry about opening the door to other nations coming in simply to protect your position; go and get your cricket better.This dovetails into discussions about the World Cup, a matter Edwards has been heavily involved in.”What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format. You go to 14 and it doesn’t quite work. To have a 14-team World Cup, you need 16 or 18 competitive nations, and I think we’ve got 12 at the moment. That’s why a ten-team World Cup still makes sense.Cricket at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Edwards hopes the game can feature beyond the opening-day formalities in the near future•Getty Images”I can understand all these nations [being unhappy], but don’t forget the ten teams are the ten best teams. It’s not barred to anybody, and in fact in the new rights cycle, in the third year there’s no ICC event other than a World Cup qualifier, and we’re hoping that will become a significant event in the broadcaster’s calendar.”This qualifying event, scheduled to take place in 2018, is yet to be completely settled in terms of format. Debate has intensified over how many Full Member countries should be required to qualify.”I hope I get my way – but I wouldn’t guarantee it – which would be four Full Members having to qualify in that tournament after the first six qualify on the rankings,” Edwards says. “I think that would be a fantastic tournament, a lot of interest. But I’d say the view is eight, because no one wants to put themselves on the line. That’s part of the club mentality that has been there for 100 years that I’ve been working hard to try to break down.”The beauty of having ICC events without having to have India, Australia, England or South Africa playing is good, because they’re the teams who are overloaded in terms of their annual calendars. So to be able to bring those other nations to the top of the pile [in a qualifying event] is good.”On the subject of formats, I counter that the number of guaranteed games for India is clearly the central consideration, otherwise why would cricket be the only global sport to deliberately shrink the size of its World Cup?

“Poor old India sits there. Everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour”

“The debate is a quality debate,” Edwards says. “The World Cup in Australia was great, the smaller nations did okay, but really Scotland and UAE didn’t do much. It was nice to have them there, but if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal, I don’t think. Really in a World Cup you want hard, well-fought cricket. It’d be great to have 16 in there, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to lift the quality.”The reality is the world of cricket relies on India, and the discussions that are happening are: How can we grow the market outside of India? What will generate more interest outside of India. Poor old India sits there, everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour.”A stumbling block for any rise in global quality is the way the ICC’s global development pie has been re-cut by the Big Three. While funding for Associate and Affiliate nations has risen relative to the previous set of commercial rights deals, it has shrunk enormously as a percentage of total funding, as India, England and Australia take the lion’s share of the proceeds.Cricket’s inclusion at the Olympics and its subsequent attraction by way of major government grants for major nations such as the USA and China would be a significant counterbalance to this, and Edwards believes headway might finally be made.”Australia’s position is very simple – we believe cricket should be an Olympic sport in T20,” he says. “But we haven’t got a majority around the board table, so that debate will go on. I think it’s got to be resolved by 2017 for the 2024 games. It was good to see England make some positive comments after the MCC meeting, because they were certainly against it, because they just see it interrupting their cricket summer.”The World Cup in Australia, if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal”•International Cricket Council”It should happen in the future, but these things take time. Debates happen, they’re voted on, and if you don’t win, you don’t win. There’s many things I’ve lost over the last four years, many debates, even though I think they’re bloody good ideas. But we’re in a conservative industry too, things don’t change quickly.”Of all Edwards’ ideas, the one he would most like to bequeath to world cricket is that of a calendar where every match has a reason for existing that is competitive rather than financial. His proposal for limited-overs cricket to be played to a harder ranking system for World Cups – he would like to see the 50-over game labelled World Cup CricketTM – is progressing with a view to presenting it to broadcasters for the next rights cycle.”Realistically it would start after the next World Cup if we get somewhere, which I think we will,” Edwards says. “It’s rolling now, it could never have rolled without the reforms at ICC, we’d have gone nowhere. I tried debating it in the good old days and you couldn’t even get it on the agenda. But now ICC are working on it, it’s coming through ExCo, my committee, and I’m driving it. We had good discussion in Barbados about it.”Such a proposal would work better with a greater number of nations performing strongly and thus becoming more attractive as touring teams. The current patchwork of bilateral agreements is predicated almost purely on money, and has effectively left Test cricket, in particular, to be played among the favoured few. Not for the first time, Edwards stresses that better standards of play can drive the commercial side of the game, rather than things always being the other way round.”It’s not that simple because some nations play a lot more games than others. The FTP’s there until 2023, so there needs to be changes made to that, depending on what format you settle on,” he says. “The idea would be, every game you play would be going towards a table or ranking system so that every one-day game or World Cup Cricket game, which is what I want to call it, counts.”How we’re going to do it? There’s a lot to be done, and nothing can really happen until after the next World Cup, but that will come around quickly.”What has come around quickly is the looming end of Edwards’ term as CA chairman. Unlike Clarke, who has invented the post of ECB president to continue on at the ICC, Edwards has no desire to extend his time in the chair. Instead he is determined to give his best for whatever time he has left, and then leave the reins to others, including his CA successor David Peever. It is a lot to fit into four years – no wonder he’s tired.

There has been a development regarding Newcastle United’s interest in signing a 23-year-old European champion, according to a new update.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies’ season is struggling to spark into life, with last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat away to Chelsea leaving them sitting 12th in the Premier League table. Supporters aren’t happy about a lack of summer transfer business, hoping to see new faces come in soon, and plenty of players are being linked with moves to St James’ Park.

West Brom midfielder Tom Fellows has been mentioned as a possible target, for example, with the 21-year-old a young footballer with plenty of promise. Plenty of top-flight clubs are eyeing him up, however, with Everton even sending scouts to watch him in action.

Newcastle are also believed to be keen on signing Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres in the January transfer window, which would significantly bolster Eddie Howe’s attacking options. The Spaniard is struggling for playing time at the La Liga leaders, so a move away could appeal to him.

The Magpies are also reportedly eyeing another attacking star at a huge Spanish club, this time Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler, with a loan switch for the Turkish starlet seen as a possibility. He is an enormous talent, so it would be a huge shock if the reigning Champions League winners allowed him to leave permanently.

Newcastle regularly scouting £54m Spain midfielder

According to a new update from Caught Offside, Newcastle have once again sent scouts to watch Alex Baena in action for Villarreal, having done the same in the recent past.

The report states that the Magpies “had scouts in attendance to watch Baena in recent games against Getafe and Real Valladolid”, suggesting that they still see him as a good option to bring in. Aston Villa are also keen on snapping him up, though, with his current club demanding £54m for his services.

The fact that Newcastle have scouted Baena so intensively suggests that he is considered a genuine target at this point, and it’s easy to see why Paul Mitchell would see him as a great addition to Howe’s squad.

The 23-year-old already has five assists in just nine La Liga starts this season, outlining his creative quality, and he has been described as “very impressive” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past.

Baena is a Euro 2024 champion, too, earning glory with Spain earlier this summer – he made two appearances as a substitute in Germany – and he possesses the quality to play in a left-sided attacking role and in midfield, adding depth in several positions at once.

Newcastle now eyeing move for West Brom assist machine Tom Fellows

He is wanted by a number of Premier League clubs.

1

By
Henry Jackson

Oct 28, 2024

At 23, he is also a maturing footballer who should become even more polished in his all-round game, so Newcastle would be signing a player with huge potential.