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Their current approach to ODI cricket has taken them to No. 1 in the world but if they want a trophy to go along with that ranking in 2019, they need to mind match situations better

George Dobell at The Oval14-Jun-20181:20

Winning ugly an important skill for England – Morgan

In the same way the ice bergs didn’t “put any doubt” in the mind of the captain of Titanic, some of England’s batsmen seem determined not to allow “any doubt” – or even reason – to be put in their minds when they bat in limited-overs cricket.That’s how it seemed as they stumbled over the line at The Oval, anyway. Thanks to David Willey’s highest – and probably best – ODI innings, England may be able to paper over (sandpaper over, if you will) the cracks in this performance. But there were, once again, a few warning signs they would be best to heed ahead of the World Cup in a year’s time.The problem – not for the first time – is that England seem unable to harness the welcome aggression with which they now play limited-overs cricket with just a modicum of common sense.Take the dismissal of Moeen Ali. By the time he was out at The Oval, England required only 18 to win and they had 69 balls in which to score them. All he needed to do – as the last senior batsman – was keep the strike and pick off the runs when the opportunity arose.Instead he went for the big stroke. And, after he was taken at deep midwicket, England were forced to rely on two bowlers – albeit bowlers who can bat – to see them over the line. On another day, against a more incisive attack, it is a mistake that will cost them. They haveto learn to play more sophisticated cricket.It wasn’t the first time Moeen had made this error. Just a few days previously, in Edinburgh, he had done something similar: with 25 required from the final 28 balls of the match, he had tried to hit a six and been caught on the long-on boundary. It seemed an unnecessary risk. He was the eighth-wicket to fall and England subsequently lost.In between the games, Moeen defended the approach by saying it was best “not to have any sort of doubt.” He insisted he would “stay true” to himself and continue to take such an approach. And, a few days later, he showed he was true to his word.Moeen wasn’t the only one, either. While Jos Buttler, caught at mid-on, was probably the victim of a fine slower-ball, it again seemed unnecessarily aggressive to try to hit over the infield in the match situation. And while Jonny Bairstow may well feel his pull was so well struck that he deserved a boundary, the fact is he hit it almost straight to the man placed for the shot on the leg-side boundary. It was a naive stroke.David Willey and Liam Plunkett celebrate the moment of victory•Getty ImagesThere’s a context here. So keen were England to embrace a new mindset in their ODI cricket following the debacle of the 2015 World Cup that it was, for a while, essentially they played uncompromising, unmitigated, undiluted, aggressive limited-overs cricket. They neededthat approach to take root. They needed it to become the norm.But we’ve moved on from that now. And while the general approach is still welcome, it seems fair to add a little sophistication to it. So while nobody is asking them to play the percentage cricket that was the hallmark of earlier generations of England teams, it does seem fair to expect them to temper their aggression to cater for the match situation or even bowler-friendly conditions. Even Lewis Hamilton slows down for corners.There was lots to admire about England’s performance at The Oval. Their two main spinners – who claimed 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them – were especially impressive, with Adil Rashid not conceding a boundary until his ninth over and Moeen going into his tenthhaving conceded only a four and a six. Equally, Eoin Morgan and Joe Root batted with calm common to break the back of the run chase.It is true, too, that, with both bat and ball, England are missing Chris Woakes. Not only is Woakes their highest-rated ODI bowler, but he has increasingly gained a reputation as a calm head in the batting order. His worth to this side has been best demonstrated by his absence.But just as England were knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy last year through an inability to adapt to conditions, so Morgan will know his side have to add some wisdom to their flair if they are to win the World Cup next year.”We were below par with the bat,” he admitted, “but we found a way to get over the line. Finding a way to get over the line was important.”Morgan will know, however, that England got away with it at The Oval. And he will know that they won’t get away with it against better sides. Or sides which are not shorn of at least five first choice players, as this Australia side was.By the time the World Cup comes around, England still need to be playing this type of aggressive, fearless cricket. But if they are to win it, they will surely need to complement it with the ability to adapt, adjust and temper their wonderful aggression with just a little nous.

From Jamaica to Sydney, Andre Russell has made an impact in T20 cricket in several countries

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2017Andre Russell was an important part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ XI in 2015 and 2016•BCCIIslamabad United
Andre Russell was part of the Islamabad United team that won the first season of the Pakistan Super League in 2016. He was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 16 in ten games and he had an economy of eight per over.Kolkata Knight Riders
Russell has been part of the KKR team since 2014 but became a key part of their first-choice XI over the last two years. In 2015, Russell scored 326 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 193
for KKR and was their highest wicket-taker with 14 and had an economy of eight per over. In 2016, Russell made 188 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 165, and was once again their highest wicket-taker – 15 wickets.Jamaica Tallawahs
Russell has played for Jamaica Tallawahs for four years and won two Caribbean Premier League titles with them – in 2013 and 2016. His best season was in 2016, when he made 286 runs at a strike rate of 172 and took 11 wickets at an average of 19. Russell was one of two players in the tournament to score more than 200 runs at a strike rate of more than 170.Sydney Thunder
Russell has played two seasons of the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder. In 2015-16, he was an integral part of their title triumph – with 185 runs at a strike rate of 187 and 16 wickets – second most in the tournament – at an average of 19. His 2016-17 Big Bash was crippled by leg injures, though, and Russell dropped out of the tournament after five games.Andre Russell won two CPLs with Jamaica Tallawahs•LatinContent/Getty ImagesDhaka Dynamites
Russell has played three seasons for three different teams in the Bangladesh Premier League, and in 2016 he was part of the Dhaka Dynamites squad that won the tournament. He made 46 off 25 balls and had figures of 4-0-16-3 in the first Qualifier, which Dynamites won to seal their place in the final.Nottinghamshire
In 2016, Russell played three matches for Nottinghamshire in their run to the semi-final of the T20 Blast. He took 2 for 28 and scored 41 off 25 balls against Worcestershire, 2 for 34 and 15 off 8 balls against Derbyshire, and 3 for 20 and 39 off 18 balls in the semi-final against Northamptonshire.West Indies
Russell has only played T20 internationals for West Indies since November 2015; he is ineligible for ODIs because he did not play the domestic 50-over competition, which is one of the WICB’s criteria for selection. In 43 T20Is for West Indies, Russell has a batting average of 14.37 and strike rate of 130, and has taken 21 wickets at 37 apiece with an economy of over nine. Though his international career stats are not as impressive as his domestic numbers, Russell played a crucial innings in the 2016 World T20 semi-final against India in Mumbai, where he made 43 off 20 balls in a successful chase of 193. West Indies went on to win their second World T20 title by beating England in the final.

Manchester City’s winter spending spree is underway.

On Monday, the Sky Blues unveiled Abdukodir Khusanov, joining from Lens for a reported fee of £34m.

This week, the Citizens are also expected to complete the signings of Vitor Reis from Palmeiras and Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt, but Pep Guardiola is not done yet, now eyeing up a move for one of the most exciting English talents currently playing abroad.

Man City chasing a new winger

According to a report from Spain, Manchester City, alongside Chelsea and Bayern Munich, are set to ‘compete’ for the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.

Fabrizio Romano adds that Liverpool are also “monitoring the situation”, with Florian Plettenberg and Patrick Berger of Sky Sports Deutschland believing the 20-year-old is valued at around €100m (£85m).

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The Englishman spent time in both Chelsea and Manchester City’s academy set-ups, but ditched the Sky Blues for Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16, taking a similar path to that established by Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.

Since making his senior debut against Wolfsburg in April 2022, Gittens has scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists in just 84 outings for die Schwarzgelben, registering a goal involvement every 132 minutes on average.

So far this season, despite the fact Nuri Şahin’s side are struggling in general, the youngster has gone to another level, scoring seven times in the Bundesliga and four times in the Champions League, most notably on target against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu in October, as well as in November’s Klassiker draw at Westfalenstadion.

You may know this player as Jamie Bynoe-Gittens however, at the start of this season, he decided to shorten his name following a discussion with his father, the pair agreeing it would be ‘easier to pronounce’.

What Jamie Gittens would bring to Manchester City

Regardless of what is on the back of his shirt, he’s certainly a player to watch, with data analyst Ben Mattinson on X particularly enthused by his “electric pace”, while Sebastian Stafford-Bloor of the Athletic believes his “two-footed finishing and blazing speed” will be impossible for new England manager Thomas Tuchel to ignore.

The 20-year-old is certainly attracting attention from clubs in England, so could we soon see him gracing the Premier League?

Guardiola has plenty of wingers at his disposal already, namely Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Savinho and Jérémy Doku, but keeps on chopping and changing in search of a winning formula.

Will Unwin of the Guardian has praised Doku’s “maverick tendencies”, saying they provide Man City with something different, which is in stark contrast to Grealish, who Richard Jolly of the Independent believes is no longer “exciting”, with Guardiola’s over-coaching responsible.

Thus, stylistically, the Man City player Gittens is most similar to is certainly Doku, so let’s see how the duo compare.

Jamie Gittens vs Jérémy Doku (23/24 & 24/25)
Statistics (per 90)	Gittens	Doku
Appearances	60	85
Minutes	3,162	4,758
Goals	0.37	0.15
Assists	0.23	0.42
Shots	2.99	2.61
Goals – xG	+6.6	+2.4
Attempted take-ons	7.41	7.15
Take on success %	45%	51.6%
Progressive carries	5.44	8.07
Touches	41	44
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table, using data since the start of last season outlines, Gittens and Doku are very similar players.

Gittens ranks higher for both goals and shots per 90, while Doku has the slight edge when it comes to assists, progressive carries and take-on success %.

Nevertheless, across Europe’s top five leagues this season, Gittens ranks second for attempted take-ons (118), behind only Lamine Yamal, who’s not bad, while the young Englishman also sits eighth for goals – xG, with an impressive tally of +4.6, bettered only by one Bundesliga player, that being Marmoush, who’s already on his way to Man City.

What is clear is that Gittens is a future superstar, so if the Sky Blues, or anyone else for that matter, get the chance to secure his services, they should certainly take it.

Worth way more than Marmoush: Pep has struck gold on Man City "superstar"

Man City have a youngster in the squad who is worth more than Omar Marmoush

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Ross Kilvington

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Spinner takes six wickets to help West Indies inflict an innings defeat on Zimbabwe

Abhimanyu Bose14-Feb-2023Gudakesh Motie spun West Indies to a 1-0 series win as they wrapped up the second Test against Zimbabwe by an innings and four runs.Motie, playing his third Test, returned figures of 7 for 37 and 6 for 62 as West Indies won the match convincingly inside three days, despite rain wiping out large durations on the second and third days. His figures of 13 for 99 are also the best in a Test match by a West Indies spinner, as he went past Sonny Ramadhin’s 11 for 152 against England in 1950.Despite good performances by Victor Nyauchi, Innocent Kaia and captain Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe succumbed to a big defeat, with their batting line-up faltering in the absence of Gary Ballance, who missed the game due to a migraine headache.Related

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Play started late on day three due to a wet outfield and once it did, Nyauchi made an instant impact, getting Jason Holder to nick off with the first delivery of the day.Motie, the other overnight batter, soon became Nyauchi’s fifth victim as he found deep midwicket with a pull as West Indies added just two runs to their total, taking a 177-run lead. It was Nyauchi’s first five-wicket haul in Tests.For the second time in the match, Kaia was off the blocks quickly, hitting three fine strokes for boundaries in the first two overs. But Alzarri Joseph gave West Indies the first breakthrough in the third over as Tanunurwa Makoni edged behind, looking to play an expansive drive.Then, the first bowling change brought a wicket, with Chamu Chibhabha chopping on off Holder’s bowling in the seventh over.Kaia, Zimbabwe’s best batter in the first innings, continued to chip away at West Indies’ lead, even hitting Holder for three consecutive boundaries.Ervine held down one end as Kaia scored 30 of the 41 runs that they made for the third wicket.When Motie came out to bowl, Kaia immediately started attacking him with the sweep, but looked less in control than he was against the pacers. Kaia and Ervine saw Zimbabwe reach lunch at 46 for 2. In the third over after lunch, Kaia finally fell to the sweep, as he got a thin top edge that Joshua Da Silva held on to after a small juggling act.Innocent Kaia got off to strong starts but failed to convert them•APHe fell seven runs short of a half-century, after being dismissed for 38 in the first innings.Ervine then shed his defensive approach to keep the scoreboard ticking, even as Motie castled Milton Shumba and Tafadzwa Tsiga in quick succession to complete his first Test 10-wicket haul.Gabriel further dented Zimbabwe’s ambitions when he got one to sneak under Donald Tiripano’s bat to uproot the off-stump.Ervine then brought up his half-century off 73 deliveries with a reverse-sweep off Motie.Motie soon struck again as Wellington Masakadza gifted a simple catch to forward short leg as he came out of the crease to defend.West Indies would have hoped to wrap things up quickly, but Ervine and Brandon Mavuta held firm to see Zimbabwe reach 158 for 7 at tea, with the deficit whittled down to 19 runs.Zimbabwe then took seven off the first over after tea, bowled by Joseph, to bring the deficit down to 11 runs. But Chase had Mavuta caught at forward short leg with the first ball of the next over to give West Indies another opening.Motie came back into the attack immediately and was quick to wrap the game up.He trapped Ervine lbw for 72 – Zimbabwe’s highest score in the match – as he played back to a length ball that spun in and stayed low before getting the ball to spin past an advancing Nyauchi for Da Silva to complete a simple stumping.

A worrying new Liverpool exit claim has emerged, with one star player now reportedly close to completing a deal to join another club.

Liverpool contract concerns

While Reds supporters will be hoping to see new faces arrive at Anfield in January and next summer, the contract situation of three star players is dominating the headlines currently.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are all out of contract at Liverpool at the end of this season, at which point the iconic trio will be allowed to leave on a free transfer. They are even able to strike a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January 1st.

It remains to be seen how many of the three will sign extensions with the Reds, but as things stand, it arguably looks as though Van Dijk and Salah are the most likely to. Both are now in their 30s and there are no specific clubs being mentioned as alternative options for them, so the hope is that their futures are sorted sooner rather than later.

With Alexander-Arnold, however, there is constant speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid, with the reigning Champions League winners seeing him as a perfect option to come in and be Dani Carvajal’s long-term successor at right-back. That’s not to say that a new contract won’t be signed, and one has been offered, but it feels far from a given currently.

Alexander-Arnold close to leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid

According to AS [via Sport Witness], Alexander-Arnold is edging closer to joining Real Madrid from Liverpool, with an agreement ‘almost complete’.

A January switch is preferred by the La Liga giants but could be unlikely; however, there is confidence at the Bernabeu that they can strike a summer deal for the services of the 26-year-old.

This isn’t an update that any Liverpool fan will enjoy seeing, considering Alexander-Arnold is arguably someone with more ability than any other full-back in world football.

At 26, his prime years are also potentially about to arrive, unlike Van Dijk and Salah, so to lose their vice-captain at this point in his career would be an almighty blow. He is irreplaceable in terms of his technical ability and creativity, with Neil Jones saying of him back in 2022: “He may be flawed, but he’s still a genius. But then you knew that anyway, right?”

Ultimately, the decision rests with Alexander-Arnold, who has to weigh up whether to remain at Liverpool and possibly end up becoming captain of his boyhood club, or succumb to the lure of Madrid, playing alongside some of the biggest names in world football.

In fairness, it is easy to see why he may feel conflicted, considering he has won all there is to win for the Reds, with a fresh challenge at his peak appealing to him.

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The likes of Steve McManaman and Michael Owen did the same in their careers, however, and it arguably affected their reputations among Liverpool supporters, which he may be wary of.

He did have a niggle, the KKR allrounder says, but is “back to bowling” now and ready to do the job if called upon

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2023

Shardul Thakur hasn’t bowled much for KKR at the ongoing IPL•BCCI

He doesn’t have any injury concerns, and isn’t bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023 only because of the surfeit of allrounders in the team, Shardul Thakur said on Tuesday.”We have a side full of allrounders with [Andre] Russell, Sunil [Narine]… we have got maximum of eight bowling options that also includes Nitish [Rana], who also bowls an over or two nowadays,” Thakur, who missed three matches during the course of the season because of a niggle, told PTI a day after KKR’s last-ball win over Punjab Kings.He has bowled just 14.5 overs across six bowling innings so far, picking up four wickets at an economy rate of 10.78. In the game against Kings, KKR used seven bowlers, but Thakur was not one of them.Related

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“It also depends on the situation of the game, if the captain feels the need to bowl me or not bowl me completely depends on him,” Thakur said. “As far as team’s strategy, decision-making is concerned, I would not pay attention to it a lot.”I had a small niggle, so I didn’t play a few games, when I came back, I didn’t bowl as I was not bowling-fit. But yes, now I’m back to bowling and hopefully whenever I get the ball, I will get the job done.”Thakur is one of five fast-bowling options in the India squad for the WTC final, to be played at The Oval against Australia from June 7. Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav are part of the main squad, while Mukesh Kumar is among the reserves. So, for 31-year-old Thakur, there is a fair bit of work to do to keep the body in shape.”It is difficult and not easy. It’s difficult in the sense body-wise, because when you go in for practice, you literally have to do everything – fielding practice, bowl and bat,” he said. “On top of that you have to do a bit of running around to stay fit.”Overall, it’s not easy but yeah that’s the challenge in modern day’s cricket that you have to manage your body to stay fit and keep going.”The 29-ball 68 against RCB has been the high point of the IPL 2023 season for Shardul Thakur•BCCI

Shardul Thakur: ‘In T20s, I’m ready to bat at any position’At the IPL, Thakur has contributed more to KKR’s cause with the bat, totalling 109 runs from 61 balls for a strike rate of 178.68, those numbers boosted by the 29-ball 68 he scored early in the tournament against Royal Challengers Bangalore at home at Eden Gardens.”I always try to contribute with the bat whenever I get an opportunity,” he said. “Obviously, I succeed and fail on fewer occasions. But that’s completely part and parcel of the game.”There is no preferred [batting] number, whenever the team asks me to bat, I’m ready to do it. In fact, in a game like T20, I’m ready to bat at any position.”I padded up in a lot of games and they could have sent me at any position. In fact, I had padded up to go at No. 3 against Punjab Kings. The T20 game is such that you need to be ready at any given position.”Overall, I’m enjoying my time at KKR. We come up with different ideas and strategies against the team, against individual batters. But it all depends how bowlers are executing their skills in the middle.”

da esport bet： Liverpool dropped points at home for just the third time in the Premier League this season, drawing 2-2 with Manchester United at Anfield earlier this evening.

da cassino online： Goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah looked to secure all three points for Arne Slot’s side after Lisandro Martínez put the visitors ahead just minutes into the second half.

However, Amad Diallo found the net late on, securing a point for Ruben Amorim’s men, with the Reds’ backline unable to prevent a run and cut back from substitute Alejandro Garnacho.

After Arsenal’s failure to secure all three points against Brighton yesterday, Slot’s side still sit six points ahead of the Gunners with 19 games remaining in the 2024/25 campaign.

However, it was an afternoon to forget for numerous players, potentially putting their first-team future at risk, especially given the opening of the transfer window earlier this week.

Who struggled alongside Trent for Liverpool

Attacker Luis Diaz started at the top end of the pitch once more for Liverpool this afternoon, looking to build on his impressive display against West Ham last weekend where he scored his third goal in just two matches.

However, he was a lonely figure against the Red Devils, only managing 23 touches and completing just nine passes in the process as the visitors sat in a low block for the majority of the first half.

The Colombian also lost 58% of his duels and lost possession seven times, looking wasteful and ineffective when the ball eventually fell his way before his withdrawal on the hour mark.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future has been a huge talking point in recent weeks amid interest from Real Madrid, with his head evidently not in the clash today after his woeful showing on Merseyside.

The academy graduate endured a performance to forget, losing possession 25 times – the most of any player – whilst losing 100% of his duels, often looking well off the pace of a derby day clash at Anfield.

He was eventually booked for preventing a counter attack before being replaced by Conor Bradley in the closing stages, topping off his dismal showing for the Reds.

However, despite his lack of positive impact, another first-team star was just as disappointing, failing to take advantage of the opportunity handed in his direction.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Expand Collapse The Liverpool star who was as bad as Alexander-Arnold

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai missed the clash against United through illness, with boss Slot handing a starting role to Curtis Jones once again.

The 23-year-old has already scored three times in the league this campaign but was unable to add to his tally this afternoon, looking slow in possession and unable to provide that creative spark within the final third.

Like Diaz, he was replaced upon the hour mark as Slot hunted for the goal to give his side the lead, but after his lack of impact, his withdrawal was warranted, potentially putting his starting role at risk in the coming weeks.

Jones only notched a total of just 37 touches, just four more than goalkeeper Alisson, completing just 25 passes at a pass completion of 89% – undoubtedly a misleading figure, with 9% of his efforts moving in a forward direction.

Curtis Jones’ stats for Liverpool against Man Utd

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

61

Touches

37

Passes completed

25/29 (89%)

Possession lost

6x

Duels won

2/4 (50%)

Shots taken

0

Key passes made

0

Dribbles completed

0

Stats via Sofascore

He gifted possession back to the opposition six times – an average of once every 6.1 times he touched the ball, whilst only managing to win 50% of the duels he entered on the pitch.

The midfielder’s lack of creativity was evident by the fact he failed to produce any shots on goal, whilst completing zero key passes or any dribbles past the opposition.

As a result, he was handed a measly 5/10 match rating from The Express’ Charlie Gordon, with Gary Neville claiming the academy star “really struggled” during his commentary duties at Anfield.

Given his showing, Jones will be lucky to maintain his role as a starter on Wednesday night when the Reds travel to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

Many supporters will be hoping Szoboszlai will be able to feature after his illness, further pushing the 23-year-old down the pecking order after his latest disappointing display.

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Weather warning on North Island as two-day tour game peters out to draw

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Feb-2023England XI 465 (Brook 97, Lawrence 85, Root 77, Foakes 57) vs New Zealand XIAs England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted to an inevitably tame conclusion, the prospect of further fine-tuning ahead of the series opener in Mount Maunganui was thrown into doubt with warnings of an incoming tropical cyclone.On Thursday the MetService issued a warning that Cyclone Gabrielle would hit the upper of New Zealand’s North Island from Sunday morning, bringing gusts of up to 150kph and as much as 300mm of rain at the start of the week. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has extended the state of emergency for a further seven days as a result, a week after torrential rains caused widespread damage to the region. The Coromandel Peninsula, which sits just above Mount Maunganui, has followed suit.England are due to arrive on Sunday with the first Test starting next Thursday (February 16). The first three days of next week were viewed as the ideal lead-in to bring players fully up to scratch, supplementing the four days training at the venue earlier in the tour, and this week in Hamilton, which culminates in an optional session on Friday morning (February 9). Now that build-up looks under serious threat.Day two of England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted predictably. A New Zealand XI flayed for 465 inside 69.2 overs on day one made the endeavour worthwhile with a spirited 310 all out in 82.1 overs through to 8:52pm local time. Quinn Sunde’s battling yet classy 91 was the pick of their resistance.The main quicks James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Olly Stone got a reasonable workout with the pink ball across three spells during the day. while Jack Leach led the way with 17 overs of left-arm spin.Ben Stokes, however, remained a bystander as Ollie Pope captained in his absence, as was the case in England’s warm-up match against the Lions ahead of the Pakistan series in Abu Dhabi. While he put himself through the wringer in the nets and out in the middle during the interval, there is a real chance that cyclone will prevent Stokes from getting the ideal amount of work in before the series begins.Related

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It is not a fear not shared by head coach Brendon McCullum, however, who backed Stokes’ decision to stay out of his whites for the last couple of days.”Some characters don’t need warm-up games,” McCullum said. “The bigger the competition, the more they step up. He [Stokes] has never been a warm-up-game kind of guy and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”Anderson and Broad opened proceedings, reunited after Broad missed Pakistan for the birth of his first child, and it was the latter who got the ball rolling, taking a sharp return catch off William O’Donnell. Anderson was made to wait until the 73rd over, removing Curtis Heaphy, caught at first slip by Joe Root once the lights had taken over for the first time in the match. However, he did affect a dismissal earlier with the run-out of Robert O’Donnell.Numerically, Stone was the pick of the attack, finishing with 3 for 54. His previous first-class match had been the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston in June 2021 before a fourth stress fracture of the back and subsequent operation kept him out for a year.Up to now, Stone’s return to action had been white-ball only: for Warwickshire, Chennai Braves in the T10, MI Cape Town in the SA20 and the first two ODIs of England’s series with South Africa, before flying to New Zealand. Here, he bowled with good pace, eventually snaring Sunde with a sharp delivery eliciting a twitch outside off stump from the right-hander.Matthew Potts, however, was perhaps the most impressive quick on display, after missing out on the tour of Pakistan. His luck was summed up with his first delivery, which tailed in and seamed away to catch Test opener Will Young’s outside edge, only for Zak Crawley to put down the catch at second slip. Potts did eventually get one in the wicket column when Kyle Jamieson hooked a bouncer high to Pope out at deep square leg.Potts, Stone and Broad will be vying for one spot in the XI for the first Test, with Anderson, Robinson and Leach in possession. The consideration for Stokes and McCullum is who will offer the best point of difference as England seek to bring to an end a seven-match winless run in New Zealand and in turn register a first series win here since 2008.On the face of it, Stone’s ability to tip the speed gun into the 90s is the precisely the point of difference England would want, particularly with a pink Kookaburra ball on a batter-friendly pitch. England’s only previous match at Mount Maunganui saw them lose by an innings and 65 runs after New Zealand posted 615 for 9.

في وجه سيل من الانتقادات، خرج مهاجم برشلونة ومنتخب بولندا، روبرت ليفاندوفسكي ليدافع عن قراره بعدم الانضمام لمعسكر منتخب بلاده هذا الشهر.

وكان مهاجم برشلونة قد أعلن في 26 مايو عن انسحابه من وديتي بولندا أمام مولدوفا وفنلندا، مما أثار استياء البعض.

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ورد ليفاندوفسكي على الانتقادات في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “لست مضطرًا لتبرير قراري، هل كان القرار صائبًا؟ نعم، في لحظة اتخاذه، كنت أراه كذلك، أعتقد أن اللاعبين قادرون على التعامل من دوني، فالمنتخب لا يعتمد علي”.

وأوضح ليفاندوفسكي أن قراره لم يكن مفاجئًا، بل جاء بعد محادثة صريحة مع المدرب، ميخال بروبيرز: “أخبرته أنني لا أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة بدنيًا أو نفسيًا، كنت أمر بمرحلة هبوط في المستوى، وشعرت أن الذهاب إلى المعسكر لن يساعدني على الوصول للمستوى الذي يريده مني”.

وفي لهجة حادة تجاه الإعلام، تابع قائلاً: “الناس لا يملكون كل المعلومات، ويفسرون الأمور بشكل خاطئ، مع كامل احترامي للإعلام والصحفيين، لم يفكر أحد منكم أن الإرهاق الذهني لا يقل خطورة عن البدني، من منكم يعرف كيف أشعر فعلًا وما هو الأفضل لي؟”.

وتابع ليفاندوفسكي: “أدرك أن الفرص المتبقية أمامي للعب على هذا المستوى باتت قليلة، أعلم أن قراري لن يلقى قبولًا لدى الجميع، لكن الاحترام يجب أن يكون حاضرًا دائمًا”.

واستمر: “بدأت إحدى المباريات على دكة البدلاء، فانهالت الأسئلة لماذا لا يلعب؟ ثم شاركت في مباراة أقل أهمية وتعرضت للإصابة، وجاءت الأسئلة بالعكس لماذا شارك؟”.

وأتم مهاجم بولندا: “أنا ألعب من أجل الجمهور، هؤلاء الذين دعموني طيلة السنوات الماضية، ألعب من أجلهم ومن أجل عائلتي، تحمل مسئولية بلد يتكون من 40 مليون نسمة ليس سهلًا، أحيانًا، أحتاج أيضًا إلى أن أرتاح”.

An “amazing” Leicester City January transfer target is keen on joining the club so he can play under Ruud van Nistelrooy, according to a new report. The Dutchman gets his Leicester reign underway on Tuesday evening, as the Foxes welcome West Ham United to the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City now want to sign £25m+ Olympic winner for Van Nistelrooy

He could be the perfect man to kickstart their great escape.

ByBen Browning Nov 30, 2024 Leicester transfer news

This is Van Nistelrooy’s first permanent role in England as a manager, and he will be hoping it goes as well as his interim spell in charge at Manchester United did. The first task for Nistelrooy is to turn this current form around, as the club have failed to win in their last six games in all competitions.

The good news for the new Leicester manager is that January is not far away, and he may already have his eye on a few players he would like to bring to the club. It has been reported that the Foxes are interested in signing Valencia forward Diego Lopez, as the young forward is seen as a “fundamental pillar of their sporting project”.

Leicester have also been linked with a move for Hertha Berlin’s Ibrahim Maza in the past, and he could be one they look to bring to the King Power Stadium in the New Year. There are several Premier League clubs keeping an eye on his situation, and he could be available for around £17 million. Van Nistelrooy’s arrival could help Leicester a lot when it comes to transfers, and that appears to be the case already, as one target is keen to join the club and play under the Dutchman.

Ferguson keen to sign for Leicester so he can play for Van Nistelrooy

According to Football Insider, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson is keen to make the move to Leicester City as he wants to work under van Nistelrooy. The 20-year-old has been with the Seagulls since January 2021, but it wasn’t until the last two campaigns that he really started to impress in the first team.

In the 2022/23 season, Ferguson, who has been described as “amazing” by former teammate Alexis Mac Allister, scored six goals in 19 league games. He followed that up by scoring six goals again last season in 27 Premier League matches, but he has struggled for regular minutes in this campaign, starting just one of eight league games he has featured in.

Therefore, a loan move in January looks to be on the cards, and Leicester are interested in securing his services. This report now states that working under van Nistelrooy would be a “great opportunity” to develop his game, and while there is still work to be done on completing a deal, Ferguson is keen to make the move with the promise of increased playing time.

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Leicester see the Republic of Ireland international as “pivotal” in their fight to stay in the league, but Brighton have yet to decide whether they will accept loan offers in January. Ferguson is keen to remain in the Premier League should he move and would welcome the chance of becoming a key player for the Foxes. Furthermore, he would love the chance to learn from van Nistelrooy, who knows what it takes to be a top striker in England.