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Glamorgan’s batting has troubled them all season and Josh Poysden’s career-best ensured there would be no let up

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2018
ScorecardA career-best five for 29 from Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden continued Glamorgan’s batting struggles on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.The Welsh county chose to bat, aiming to at least double their haul of just three batting points collected from the first four games.But they added just one more as, on a slow pitch, they were bowled out for 220 after Poysden, playing his first championship game of the season, dismantled the lower order.Poysden said: “It has been a really frustrating time for me, not being in the team at the start of this year and for most of last year. I didn’t play as much as I wanted to, especially in the championship last year, and with us getting relegated it hurt not to be able to contribute.”But I went away in the winter and worked hard with Stuart MacGill again and then, after I came back, have worked hard with the coaches here at Edgbaston.”Australia Test star Usman Khawaja made just four on his debut and, though David Lloyd, Owen Morgan and Chris Cooke all got decent starts, no-one built the big innings required.The total looks well under par, although Glamorgan fought back well in the last session, removing both Warwickshire openers to leave the home side on 24 for 2 at the close.After Chris Cooke, captaining Glamorgan for the first time, won the toss, young openers Nick Selman and Jack Murphy added 44 in 14 overs. They were parted by Henry Brookes when Murphy was adjudged lbw by Indian umpire Yeshwant Barde, officiating in the first match of his exchange trip.Connor Brown then edged Chris Wright behind and Selman (30, 74 balls, four fours) bat-padded Jeetan Patel to short leg.Khawaja’s uncomfortable, 47-minute stay was ended by a Keith Barker inswinger and Barker should have immediately also dismissed Cooke, who was dropped on nought by Dominic Sibley at second slip. The captain survived to add 57 in 15 overs with Morgan before misreading Poysden’s first ball and falling lbw.Poysden struck again in each of his first two overs after tea when Morgan was lbw and Andrew Salter clipped to short mid-wicket.Lloyd, having batted forcefully to pass 2,000 first-class runs in his 50th match, then departed deeply unimpressed with the decision that he had edged a ball from Patel on to pad before Tim Ambrose reached forward to catch it.Ruaidhri Smith became the fifth lbw casualty when he missed a sweep at Poysden who bowled Lukas Carey first ball to complete his five-for.Glamorgan hit back hard when the home side replied as Carey rattled Will Rhodes’ stumps with the first ball of the innings and Timm Van der Gugten castled Sibley with the 56th.Both sides are depleted in the seam-bowling department with Warwickshire’s Olly Stone and Ryan Sidebottom ruled out by side strains and Glamorgan missing captain Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange due to hamstring injuries.

Peter Siddle collected five wickets to put Australia well on top, thanks to some advice from a recent England bowler

Peter English at Headingley07-Aug-2009It took three Tests but Peter Siddle remembered the lessons given to him by Darren Pattinson, his Melbourne club-mate and the former England bowler, as he captured career-best figures to put Australia on track to level the series. Siddle rammed into England’s tail to collect 5 for 21 off 9.5 overs, finishing with four wickets in 14 deliveries, and after play told of his chats with Pattinson, who appeared in a Test at this ground last year.Dandenong is the Australian summer home for both players and Siddle chased up his friend of a decade for some advice. “We’re very close and I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Siddle said. “We had a few chats about the conditions and the way you go about stuff over here. It’s been handy. He gave me some good insight into how to handle the conditions.”This was the performance the Australians have waited for as Siddle finally lived up to his Sid Vicious nickname in England. In the opening three games he hadn’t been tame, but was inconsistent and unreliable, a shadow of the 24-year-old who grew up during the home and away series against South Africa.Mixing short balls to ruffle the batsmen and fuller ones to dismiss two of them, Siddle shook the hosts after lunch to back up the impressive return of Stuart Clark, whose three wickets before the break made everyone wonder why it had taken four Tests to call for him. Until Nathan Hauritz was removed from the line-up this morning it was Siddle who thought he was in danger.Brett Lee was also chasing Siddle’s spot but the selectors held firm and the Victorian stayed. Merv Hughes, one of the panel members at the ground, is a huge admirer of Siddle’s intimidating style and the group retained their unswerving belief in a player in his 12th Test.”Coming into this match I didn’t know what would happen,” Siddle said. “There was talk that I’d miss out or Hauritz would miss out. I was lucky enough to get the nod, went about my business, and in the end it paid off and I had a bit of success.” With 15 victims, he is now the series’ leading wicket-taker and was the muscular presence required at the opposite end from Clark and Ben Hilfenhaus.Siddle started by removing Andrew Strauss with serious help from Marcus North, who flung out his right hand at third slip, but the real damage came when the tailenders arrived full of padding. Suddenly Siddle was an intimidator and after England chose an extra bowler in Steve Harmison, he had extra targets.Graeme Swann was pushed back by some short deliveries before a fuller one clipped the edge on the way to Michael Clarke at first slip. The second ball to Harmison rattled his helmet, which is a serious bouncer to a guy standing at 6ft 4in, and in the following over Siddle brushed the side of his bat with another lifter.Anderson was forced to fend to Brad Haddin before the innings ended when Graham Onions popped an uncomfortable rising effort to Simon Katich, the short leg. It struck his armguard instead of his bat but he was probably happy to escape further damage.As the players stepped from the field in the second session a couple of fans wearing Aussie rules jumpers ran over to congratulate Siddle. This was his second five-wicket haul and came at an incredibly valuable time for Australia, who must win here to retain a chance of claiming the series.By the end of the day they owned a 94-run lead and had Siddle and his bowling mates to toast for the strength of their position. “We knew how we’d gone over the first three Tests and we knew we had to change something,” he said. “We just relaxed a bit. It was good having Sarfy [Clark] at one end bowling so tight and consistent, it frees up that other end. I got my goodies at the end.”

While the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees, 4–2, in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, it did not come without a cost as Shohei Ohtani was forced to exit after suffering a subluxation of his left shoulder sliding into second base at the end of the seventh inning.

But after the game manager Dave Roberts said the team was "encouraged" by what tests revealed about Ohtani's injury and that he still expected the slugger to be able to suit up in the World Series.

On Sunday, Roberts made that official and told ESPN's Karl Ravech that Ohtani was a go for Game 3 in New York on Monday night.

This is great news for the Dodgers, who are loaded with talent but would miss Ohtani's presence at the plate and on the basepaths. It's also great news for everybody watching. Ohtani is a singular talent and the baseball world should hope he's able to play every inning of his first-ever appearance in the World Series. It will be history, no matter what happens.

Game 3 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees will commence on Monday at 8:08 p.m ET.

All of a sudden the favourites going in to the tournament find themselves one defeat short of being ousted from the event.

Sidharth Monga in Karachi02-Jul-2008The possible scenariosIf India win against Sri Lanka, they go through to the final, and the Pakistan-Bangladesh match becomes inconsequential.If India lose, and Pakistan beat Bangladesh, Pakistan go through. This scenario will have both India and Pakistan tied at four points, but Pakistan would head into the final by virtue of more wins in the Super Four stage.If India lose, and Pakistan lose to Bangladesh, India’s higher points tally will see them through.If either of the India-Sri Lanka or Pakistan-Bangladesh games is tied or has a no-result, then Pakistan won’t be able to catch up with India on points, and will be out of the final.Another flat subcontinent pitch, another ineffective performance by the Indian bowlers. And all of a sudden the favourites going in to the tournament find themselves one defeat short of being ousted from the event. If India lose to Sri Lanka on Thursday, and if Pakistan, as expected, beat Bangladesh the day after, both teams will be tied on four points. In that scenario, by the virtue of having won more matches in the Super Four stage, Pakistan will go through.However, India still haven’t reached a stage where they rely on some other match. All they need to do is beat Sri Lanka, something they did twice in three matches during the CB Series in Australia. Therein lies the story: the CB Series was played in Australia, the Asia Cup is being played in Pakistan. And the Indian bowlers react differently to the two types of conditions.When they lost to Pakistan today, it was the tenth time in the last one year that they conceded a total of 300 runs, seven of those in the subcontinent. While most of the Indian bowlers boast of a better record overseas, Chaminda Vaas’ statistics are slightly better in the subcontinent than outside. Muttiah Muralitharan’s effectiveness on subcontinent pitches can hardly be overstated.Even today, it was the Indian fast bowlers who perhaps made the target look about 20 less than it was. Praveen Kumar, who has almost always got the new ball to do something so far in his career, was out of sorts bowling to two left-hand openers. Ishant Sharma, who came in to replace Praveen, gave away 16 in his first over. Irfan Pathan, with his reduced pace, was always going to struggle on pitches that give him zero assistance. Dhoni thought the bowlers gave it their all, but the pitch was just too unresponsive. “They tried everything, whatever they had in the armoury they tried,” Dhoni said. “On a wicket like this, the only way you can stop batsmen from scoring runs is taking wickets. While we were batting we lost three quick wickets when we were batting, and all of a sudden Rohit and I were under pressure.”Apart from the continued ineffectiveness of the fast bowlers, Piyush Chawla looked quite innocuous too. But to ask someone so inexperienced to deliver on a pitch so doped might be a bit harsh, Dhoni reckoned. “There is no assistance, especially for spinners, on this wicket. You have to be an experienced spinner with a lot of variations. You have to exploit [whatever little the pitch has], and bowl according to wicket. If you have someone like that you can put pressure on batsmen, otherwise even 330 can be difficult to defend.”To set all this right India have about 13 hours after having played a gruelling match in tough conditions. Dhoni, who has been critical of the schedule, which has Pakistan playing the last match against Bangladesh, chose to look only at what was in his side’s control. “It’s definitely tough, especially if you are playing Sri Lanka,” Dhoni said. “But it’s very rare that you get to play back-to-back matches. And as a professional cricketer you have to be ready.”The playing conditions also, in a way, render the points carried forward from the first round ineffective by making Super Four wins the tie-breaking criterion. In last year’s World Cup, by contrast, teams carried forward points but didn’t face their first-round opponents in the next stage. Dhoni and his team, though, would not want to think about these things for the next 13 hours, and during the match.

Wasim Akram is in Australia to commentate on the Women’s World Cup and now he knows all about the top women and their rankings

Jenny Roesler24-Mar-2009For the last fortnight, the king of Pakistan cricket has been striding around North Sydney Oval, looking predictably suave in well-fitting shirts and purple-tinted sunglasses. Wasim Akram is in Australia to commentate on the Women’s World Cup for ESPN Star Sports and, ever too cool for school, he refused to do his homework.He arrived here not knowing the names of any players, realising that his co-commentators would give excellent assistance. He notes that he never even studied his opposition when a player, then again when forming a powerful alliance with Waqar Younis, he didn’t have to.Now he knows all the top women and their world rankings. “I’ve been impressed by the standard of the cricket ability, the standard of the fielding, the standard of the talent – they’ve got every shot,” he enthuses. “The fielding was phenomenal. For England, New Zealand and Australia, the fielding was mind-blowing, I was amazed.”It didn’t even take a fortnight for Wasim, who had never seen women’s cricket before – unless you count a brief hour at the World Cup final at Lord’s in 1993 – to become a big fan and an important, if unofficial, ambassador.From the moment he began commentating on the opening Australia-New Zealand match, it was obvious he was impressed, and perhaps even surprised. As Karen Rolton smoked a bullet through point, Wasim asked his co-commentator: “Is Karen mainly an off-side player?”That instant she cracked a sweet pull to square. Within overs, Wasim was confidently announcing, as if he had always known, “Karen, of course, can play shots all round the wicket.” He was smitten.His favourite players are Rolton, Mithali Raj, Suzie Bates, Claire Taylor, Laura Marsh and Holly Colvin – notably all batsmen or spinners. One thing he would like to see is batsmen going after the slow bowlers. “I haven’t seen anyone attacking the spinners, playing with the spin, using their feet, apart from a few of the seniors.”The absence of pace bowlers in Wasim’s list of notables is attributable to the fact that they could be even stronger, and so have more speed. “They’re not genuinely sharp, but they can become sharp if they play a longer version of the game – at least two-day cricketwhere they can bowl a lot more overs and, by doing that, their bowling muscles will get strengthened and their pace will increase.”That’s what happens with fast bowlers. If you’ve got to play one tournament in two years or five one-day internationals, you’re not going to improve your pace.”But his dream is likely to remain such. If anything, more one-day and Twenty20 cricket is being played than ever before – with no winds of change on the horizon. For years the only country to play two-day domestic cricket, Australia finally wound up playing such long matches a few years ago, while Tests have been waning.I turned briefly to Wasim’s fellow commentator Belinda Clark, the manager of Australia’s Centre of Excellence, for her comments. “As a player, I think that developing that opportunity to play in all forms of the game is really important,” she agreed. “I think, really, in terms of international exposure, it’s going to come through one-day and Twenty20 cricket for the girls.”I agree with him that [longer cricket] plays a very important role in developing not only bowling skills but the ability to bat for long periods and actually learn the game is done in the longer form of the game. The harsh commercial realities are that that’s going to bedifficult to do going forward.”Wasim Akram, the unofficial ambassador of women’s cricket•AFPFinances have played a pointed part in this World Cup. The best-funded team, England, won the US$45,000 prize fairly comfortably – sending a clear message to other boards.But as well as monetary assistance, the game needs prominent advocates such as Wasim. Australia has an official ambassador in Ian Healy, a perfect fit, as his niece Alyssa is a junior Australia player, and he even flew himself in for the final. More big names actually discovering the game is a big aim, however, which is where Wasim’s opinion really counts.So impressed has he been that he is keen to spread the women’s word among the male bastions. “Of course I will be saying the standard is really good and we should support it – and I will support it all the way.”They just need to play a bit more cricket to get more exposure and then they’ll improve as players as well,” he says. “I think that women’s cricket has a future for sure.”

Leeds United’s scouts have now reportedly been spotted keeping close tabs on a Champions League talent who just helped shock Borussia Dortmund.

Leeds join the race to sign Tyrique George

The Whites are beginning to turn their full attention towards the January transfer window. With survival in mind, those at Elland Road have already reportedly set their sights on key attacking reinforcements, who could take Daniel Farke’s from a relegation battle into much-needed Premier League comfort.

Whether one of those reinforcements is Tyrique George will certainly be interesting to see. The Chelsea youngster has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge this season and desperately needs a move away from West London to get back on track next month.

The 19-year-old isn’t the only name on Leeds’ reported shortlist, however. Alongside the Chelsea youngster, the Yorkshire club have also reportedly set their sights on Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji in what would be a sensational move.

The young La Liga star is one of the best young talents around recently scored his first league goal for Barcelona since arriving in the summer.

Improving Farke’s frontline seems to be the priority at Elland Road next month and that should come as no surprise after Leeds missed out on a number of attacking targets in the summer.

Whilst the likes of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have got off to impressive starts, the addition of another consistent goalscorer would certainly do Leeds’ survival hopes no harm. And if it’s not George or Bardghji, then it may well be Jens Petter Hauge who arrives in January.

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The Bodo/Glimt winger is reportedly on Leeds’ radar, with the 49ers joining their Premier League rivals in the race to secure his signature when 2026 arrives.

Leeds scouts spotted watching Jens Petter Hauge

As reported by TeamTalk, Leeds scouts have now been spotted keeping tabs on Hauge ahead of making a potential January move. Joined by Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton in the race for the 26-year-old, the Whites would be landing an impressive coup if they secured Hauge’s signature.

It’s easy to see why there’s so much interest in his signature, too. The Bodo/Glimt star was in clinical form in the Champions League earlier this week, shocking Borussia Dortmund by equalising for his side and securing a 2-2 draw against the odds.

His strike against Dortmund took Hauge’s total for the season to 11 goals in all competitions, which certainly looks good alongside the 11 assists that he’s also provided for the Norwegian side.

Having returned to his best form with a return to Bodo/Glimt in the summer, reports are now suggesting that Hauge wants to complete a Premier League switch in a major boost for Leeds and others.

Dubbed “exceptional” by Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank earlier this season, Hauge could earn redemption away from Norway after previous struggles at AC Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt on Europe’s top stage.

Anita 2.0: Farke signing already looks like he’ll never make it at Leeds

On paper, Australia remain favourites, but India wouldn’t be too displeased either with how things stand going into the MCG

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2024At 2.33pm on Wednesday the players left the field at the Gabba for the final time. A short while later, the approaching rain hit the ground and the umpires didn’t wait too long to bring down the curtain on a rare five-day Test that felt much longer than that. The evening before, KL Rahul had joked he’d got more tired walking up and down to the dressing room than he did in the middle.And yet, the final day included its fair share of intrigue. There was a curious Australia second innings in which Steven Smith appeared at No. 6; Jasprit Bumrah taking his series tally to 21 wickets at 10.90; a (seemingly brief) injury scare around Travis Head; and finally the most surprising development, the international retirement of R Ashwin.It means Ashwin won’t be at the MCG, where he had such a big impact on India’s victory in the 2020-21 series, when the teams reconvene on Boxing Day tantalisingly poised at 1-1.But how do you assess the tied scoreline? Offer that to India before arriving and there’s a good chance they’d have bitten your hand off for it given the historic success of Australia in Perth and Adelaide especially and the fact they were coming off a whitewash against New Zealand. After the first Test, though? Perhaps they would have hoped for more.Related

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From Australia’s point of view, it feels under where they would have expected to be for the same reasons of their records at the venues but it’s been a strong response to the thrashing at Optus Stadium. Last week’s pink ball gave them a leg up when it was desperately needed. Despite the odd-looking second innings in Brisbane, they were never on the back foot in this match once Head and Smith had lifted them from 75 for 3.India were not shy of celebrating when they saved the follow-on through the fighting efforts of Bumrah and Akash Deep. Rohit Sharma had a wry smile on his face when he was asked if India’s joy at that moment was a reflection of deeper cracks in the side.”I have been here enough to understand what are mind games and what are chit-chatters and all of that,” he said. “From our personal point of view, we were behind the game. Obviously, it is a little victory for us to avoid that follow-on, looking at how the weather was going to play, looking at where the game was heading. Eventually, we ended up in a draw.”With Australia being ahead in the game, they didn’t manage to get the result. For us to celebrate that, it was a little victory for us. There is no harm. We enjoy each and every moment. We saw two guys who were fighting for the team and we were really happy with that. So, we were celebrating how these two guys batted at the end.”Cummins, playing his role in the mid-series fun, later laughed off suggestions that India took more than Australia from how the game panned out.”Can’t say I’ve ever been scared of momentum,” he said. “Don’t really care about that. Think we can take a lot from this week. A couple of great partnerships. To be sent in on a wicket and score 450 and then be a bowler down and manage to bowl India out for 250 when the wicket was probably a bit better, think we can take a lot from that.”Heading to Melbourne, both sides have similar issues to confront around the top order. For India, the form of Rohit and Virat Kohli remains a concern, Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been able to back up his 161 in Perth and Rishabh Pant has been kept quiet, particularly by Cummins.For Australia the spotlight is on openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney. Marnus Labuschagne’s half-century in Adelaide has eased some pressure on him, but he was again out loosely to Nitish Kumar Reddy in this Test. Bumrah is proving a mighty handful for the top order although Cummins added little should be read into Australia’s second innings at the Gabba given the attempt to set a target.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc took on most of Australia’s bowling load•AFP/Getty ImagesMitchell Marsh’s series has also yet to take off: he walked when he didn’t nick one in Adelaide and has bowled six overs in two Tests, despite Australia being a bowler down for most of the game in Brisbane. Two excellent catches aided his team in this match, but he has yet to suggest he can hit the heights of last season when he was named the Allan Border Medalist.However, one area where Australia have better depth than India is the pace bowling. While Josh Hazlewood’s injury is a significant blow, it is quite the luxury to know that Scott Boland is waiting in the wings to return on his home ground where he is such a force. Meanwhile, Rohit did not sound confident about Mohammed Shami being available at all during the series although Akash, who is often compared to Shami, was much better than his 1 for 95 would suggest.On balance, Australia remain favourites for the series although that is largely based on the stunning form of Head, a revived Smith and the durability of Cummins and Mitchell Starc.And so the roadshow heads to the MCG, a surface that has been a fast bowler’s dream in recent seasons, with the prospect of a record opening-day crowd. The weather forecast, whisper it, looks good for Boxing Day (it’s also good for Brisbane the moment the Test leaves town) and there is a series where everything remains up for grabs. Merry cricket Christmas.

Following an inconsistent start to the season, Newcastle United and PIF are now reportedly willing to show the door to a player in January that Eddie Howe previously blocked from completing a departure.

Newcastle transfer news

It’s been one step forward, two steps back for the Magpies so far this season. Whilst Howe’s side secured impressive victories over Arsenal and Nottingham Forest before the international break, they’ve since suffered defeat at the hands of struggling West Ham United and were forced to settle for a point against relegation contenders Crystal Palace. With Premier League leaders Liverpool up next too, those at St James’ Park could be in for another difficult evening.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, Newcastle could be one of the most interesting clubs to watch, given how they failed to complete their recruitment during the summer.

Deals for players such as Marc Guehi never quite got over the line and amid their recent defensive struggles, it would come as little shock if the Magpies went again in pursuit of the defender, whose own goal to give Newcastle the lead this weekend was full of irony.

There could also be movement on the exit front, meanwhile. According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, PIF and Newcastle are now willing to accept offers to sell Kieran Trippier in the January transfer window just months since Howe reportedly blocked the right-back from leaving St James’ Park.

Howe must now ditch 6/10 Newcastle star who lost the ball 20x vs Palace

Newcastle failed to secure three points against Crystal Palace today

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Now 34 years old and behind in the pecking order to the impressive Tino Livramento, a January exit could suit all parties. But Newcastle should act with caution, given just how fragile the depth of their squad has been throughout the current campaign. The last thing Howe needs is to be scrambling for internal solutions that have already headed for the exit door.

Newcastle must still replace "strong" Trippier

Although it’s far from in doubt that Trippier, on £120,000-a-week, is now past his best and is now a backup and backup only to Livramento at St James’ Park, Newcastle must still ensure that they replace the right-back if he completes a move away in the January transfer window. A player with experience on Europe’s biggest stage and someone who now offers key depth, the Magpies can’t afford to stretch their defensive options thinner than they have done already this season.

Trippier’s potential exit comes just one season after he found himself at the centre of Howe’s praise, with the Newcastle boss telling reporters as relayed by the Daily Mail last December: “Tripps [Trippier] is an incredibly strong character. As I’ve said many times he’s a transformative signing. Someone that’s taken the group onto a totally different level.”

All good things must come to an end, however, and after starting just three Premier League games all season, Trippier looks destined for the Newcastle exit door. Livramento, meanwhile, looks likely to only push on after making the right-back role his own in the last few months.

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 30 teams across Major League Soccer

A new leader has emerged in MLS, with the Vancouver Whitecaps sitting atop the Supporters' Shield race with 16 points. Brian White and company secured their fourth straight win to open the season, making them the only club yet to drop points in 2025.

Others are hot on their heels after Matchday 4. Inter Miami sits second overall and leads the East after exacting revenge on Atlanta United – the club that knocked them out of the 2024 postseason – on Sunday.

The Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, San Diego FC, and St. Louis CITY SC are also in the mix, each with eight points after securing results over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union dropped points for the first time this season, falling to Nashville SC.

Not everyone had a weekend to remember. The New England Revolution, Toronto FC, and Houston Dynamo all struggled. However, after Matchday 4, every team in MLS has finally gotten on the board, with both the LA Galaxy and CF Montreal earning draws.

So, who's leading the pack, and who's falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest 2025 MLS Power Rankings.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

USA Today Images30New England Revolution ⬇️

It just keeps getting worse for manager Caleb Porter. A 2-1 loss to NYCFC is just the latest shortcoming from the Revs manager as they move to 0-3-1 on the season.

The good news?

They finally scored a goal – their first of the campaign. Shoutout to own-goal for bagging New England's first of the season.

Woof.

Advertisement29Toronto FC ⬇️

Their third-straight loss after earning a point on opening day, TFC are really, really struggling. Their defense is far from adequate to compete in this league.

A Matchday 4 loss to the Chicago Fire was just the latest domino falling.

28CF Montreal ⬆️

A point is a point in the grand scheme of things. CF MTL are officially on the board after a 0-0 draw with D.C. United – but it was as bland as it sounds – there's not much else to say.

27Houston Dynamo ⬇️

Another week, another loss. Houston is now 0-3-1 (WLD) after a 2-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake. The club's inability to replace outgoing stars Adalberto Carrasquilla and Hector Herrera has really damaged their core. Despite a move for Jack McGlynn, the front office, overall, continues to let Ben Olsen and the fans down.

One-Test batter selected in eight-man group to head to MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai in August

Alex Malcolm24-Jul-2022Will Pucovski remains part of Australia’s long-term plans, and has been named in an eight-man group of emerging batters and spin bowlers to head to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai for a ten-day training camp in August.Pucovski, 24, has played just three first-class matches since making his Test debut in January 2021 against India in Sydney. He suffered a shoulder dislocation in that game and required surgery. He then suffered a concussion at Victoria training last October that kept him out of cricket for three months and then another incident in his first-class return in February triggered concussion symptoms forcing him into another break given his extensive history of head trauma.He made a successful return for Victoria at the end of the season, making 59 in the Sheffield Shield final against Western Australia. Selectors opted not to take him to Sri Lanka with the Australia A squad, with chairman George Bailey saying they were keen for him to have an extended run of uninterrupted cricket before calling him up for Australia A or national duty again.But the selectors have named him in a group of emerging prospects to head to Chennai for a training camp from August 7 to August 17. Pucovski joins fellow internationals Josh Philippe and Matthew Kuhnemann in the group, while Australia A players Henry Hunt, Tanveer Sangha and Todd Murphy have also been named. Two of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup representatives, Cooper Connolly and Teague Wyllie, will also make the trip. Wyllie made his first-class debut late last summer and was part of WA’s Sheffield Shield-winning team.Will Pucovski made a half-century in the Sheffield Shield final•Getty ImagesThe eight players will integrate with local Indian players for training sessions, and play one one-day match and a two-day game. Former Sri Lanka batter Thilan Samaraweera will coach the group after being part of the coaching staff for the Australia A team in Sri Lanka. Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath will also be there as a coach as part of his role as a consultant to the MRF Pace Foundation. Selector Tony Dodemaide will be the tour manager.”It is exciting to renew the partnership with the MRF Foundation and provide this group of young players with a truly unique experience,” Dodemaide said. “Some players have toured the subcontinent in the past so this trip will further refine their skills while others will gain valuable new experience in these testing conditions.”The news follows Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Choudhary being named to play in the KFC T20 Max series in Queensland next month as part of the exchange programme with the MRF Pace Foundation. The duo will also train at CA’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and be involved in Queensland Bulls’ pre-season preparations.