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da leao： O Corinthians está nas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. Na partida de volta das oitavas de final, o Santos derrotou o Timão por 1 a 0, mas, como o time do Parque São Jorge venceu o primeiro confronto por 4 a 0, ficou com a vaga para a próxima fase da competição. Marcos Leonardo, de pênalti, fez o único gol da partida.

No fim, muita confusão. Torcedores do Santos invadiram o gramado e tentaram agredir os jogadores do Corinthians. O goleiro Cássio foi um deles. Ele chegou a ser atacado pelas costas com um chute.

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Na próxima terça-feira (19), a CBF realizará o sorteio dos confrontos e dos mandos de campo da próxima fase, às 13h30. Os oito times classificados ficam no mesmo pote e poderão se enfrentar.

A última vez que o Timão classificou às quartas de final da Copa do Brasil foi em 2018, quando terminou com o vice-campeonato.

No sábado (16), às 19h, o Santos vai até Florianópolis, onde encara o Avaí, pela 17ª rodada do Brasileirão. Mais tarde, às 21h, o Corinthians vai até a Arena Castelão, onde enfrenta o Ceará.

+ TABELA – Veja datas e horários dos jogos da Copa do Brasil

INÍCIO MORNO

Nos primeiros minutos da partida, o Santos ensaiou uma pressão no campo de ataque, enquanto o Corinthians se defendia em linha de cinco, com Piton descendo para ajudar no lado esquerdo, mais acionado pelos mandantes.

A equipe visitante trocava passes na defesa, e o Peixe acionava bastante Ângelo e Lucas Braga para tentar penetrar a adversária. Aos 21 minutos, o camisa 11 puxou da direita para o meio e arriscou de longe, mas a bola passou ao lado da meta de Cássio.

Três minutos depois, Marcos Leonardo pegou a defesa corintiana desprevinada, mas o atacante santista tentou uma cavadinha, e o goleiro corintiano apenas agarrou a bola.

GIGANTE CÁSSIO

Se com a bola rola rolando o Santos não conseguia ameaçar o Corinthians, a primeira grande chance veio na bola parada. Após escanteio cobrado, a bola chegou na pequena área para Marcos Leonardo, que cabeceou para o gol. Cássio saltou e fez grande defesa, evitando o primeiro gol da partida.

A resposta do Timão veio aos 34 minutos. Du Queiroz tocou para Adson, que avançou pelo meio e descolou bom lançamento para Róger Guedes. O camisa 9 deu um leve toque para tirar João Paulo, mas com pouco ângulo finalizou na rede pelo lado de fora.

TIMÃO CHEGA COM PERIGO NO SEGUNDO TEMPO

Na volta do intervalo, o interino Marcelo Fernandes colocou Sánchez e Bruno Oliveira nas vagas de Camacho e Léo Baptistão, respectivamente, na tentativa de marcar um gol nos minutos iniciais do segundo tempo. Vítor Pereira tirou Giuliano para a entrada de Mosquito.

Aos cinco minutos, após boa trama do Corinthians pela esquerda, a bola sobrou para Roni na entrada da área. O meia arriscou de longe, mas a bola passou por cima do gol de João Paulo.

Sete minutos depois, após bate-rebate na área, Adson inverteu a jogada e achou Gil sozinho na área. O zagueiro dominou e bateu cruzado, e a bola passou ao lado da trave.

GIOVANE…INACREDITÁVEL

Aos 16 minutos do segundo tempo, o Corinthians teve chance de ouro para abrir o placar.Após cobrança de escanteio afastada pela zaga do Corinthians, Giovane recebeu o lançamento de Bruno Melo. O atacante saiu cara a cara com João Paulo, mas o camisa 42 bateu colocado, tentando tirar do goleiro, e chutou para fora.

QUEM NÃO FAZ, TOMA

Três minutos após o lance de Giovane,Marcos Leonardo recebeu lançamento pelo lado esquerdo da área, tentou tirar de Cássio, e o goleiro derrubou o atacante dentro da área. O árbitro assinalou penalidade máxima, e o próprio camisa 9 converteu a cobrança.

SANTOS NA BRONCA COM A ARBITRAGEM

O gol do Santos animou os santistas presentes na Vila Belmiro, e o time da casa se lançou ao ataque. Aos 34 minutos, o árbitro de vídeo recomendou para Jean Pyerre uma possivel penalidade de Gil em Marcos Leonardo. O árbitro consultou o monitor, mas manteve sua marcação de campo, sem penalidade.

O jogo esquentou após Raul Gustavo empurrar Marcos Leonardo. Ambos foram amarelados.

Nos minutos finais do jogo, o Santos se lançou ao ataque em busca do segundo gol. O Corinthians, bem postado na defesa, conseguiu neutralizar as chegadas do rival, e garantiu a vaga às quartas de final da Copa do Brasil.

CONFUSÃO NO FIM

Após o apito final, uma grande confusão. Torcedores do Santos invadiram o gramado e foram para cima de jogadores do Corinthians. O goleiro Cássio chegou a ser alvo de ataques pelas costas e recebeu um chute. Logo em seguida, os jogadores do Timão deixaram o gramado às pressas em meio ao clima de insegurança.

SANTOS 1 X 0 CORINTHIANS
COPA DO BRASIL – OITAVAS DE FINAL – JOGO DE VOLTA

Local: Neo Química Arena, São Paulo, Brasil
Data e hora: 13 de julho de 2022, às 21h30
Árbitro:Jean Pierre Goncalves Lima (RS)
Assistentes:Fabricio Vilarinho da Silva (FIFA/GO) eLeirson Peng Martins (RS)
Árbitro de vídeo:Vinicius Furlan (SP)
Público/renda: 12.294 / R$ 408.772,50
Cartões amarelos: Rodrigo Fernández e Marcos Leonardo (SAN); Du Queiroz, Bruno Melo e Raul Gustavo (COR)
Cartões vermelhos: –

GOLS -Marcos Leonardo (22 ‘2ºT) (1-0)

Santos
João Paulo; Madson (Wesley Patati, 17/2ºT), Maicon (Luiz Felipe, 29/2ºT), Eduardo Bauermann e Felipe Jonatan; Rodrigo Fernández, Camacho(Carlos Sánchez, 1/2ºT) e Léo Baptistão (Bruno Oliveira, 1/2ºT); Ângelo (Lucas Barbosa, 17/2ºT), Lucas Braga e Marcos Leonardo. Técnico: Marcelo Fernandes

Corinthians
​Cássio; Rafael Ramos, Gil, Raul Gustavo e Bruno Melo; Du Queiroz (Xavier, 10/2ºT), Roni e Giuliano (Gustavo Silva, 1/2ºT); Adson (Felipe Augusto, 17/2ºT), Róger Guedes(Giovane, 10/2ºT) e Piton.Técnico: Vítor Pereira

Chelsea has been the home to countless elite-level attackers over the years, helping the club transform into one of the biggest names in England and across Europe.

Eden Hazard will go down as one of the most memorable, featuring over 300 times for the Blues, scoring some crucial goals – helping them claim the Premier League title twice during his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian would also make the club a hefty profit in the process, leaving for Real Madrid for a fee in the region of £150m in the summer of 2019 – making them a profit of £118m on their investment from 2012.

Frank Lampard was another who featured at the very top level during the entirety of his time in West London, making just shy of 650 appearances for the Blues, breaking their record and becoming the top scorer in their history with his tally of 211.

The Englishman has since returned to manage the first-team squad on two separate occasions, trying to stabilise the ship in uncertain times such as embargoes and poor on-field performances.

One striker will remain in the hearts of almost all supporters forever after his impact at the club following his out-of-the-blue transfer under José Mourinho.

Didier Drogba’s stats for Chelsea

Didier Drogba will always be remembered for his goalscoring ability with his array of different finishes following his time at the Bridge, scoring 147 times in his 344 appearances for the Blues during a combined 11-year stint in West London.

He joined the club in the summer of 2004 from Ligue 1 side Marseille, with then-manager Mourinho having to convince former owner Roman Abramovich to splash the cash for his signature – with the Ivorian his number one target.

Drogba scored various key goals for the Blues, but his ability to create an opportunity or an opening in front of goal, essentially out of nothing, made him as popular as he was, with the fans adoring him for his efforts.

The now 46-year-old achieved double figures in every season he played in England bar his final one in 2014/15, providing the goals when the side needed them most.

Undoubtedly, his most memorable moment for the club came in the 2012 Champions League, where he scored the crucial equaliser, before scoring the winning penalty in the shootout – cementing himself in the club’s history forever.

It’s now been nine years since his final game for Chelsea, with various managers and behind-the-scenes staff trying to find the club their new version of the African superstar.

However, their attempts are yet to be successful, with one player previously having high hopes upon his move to England.

Chelsea's next Didier Drogba not living up to the hype

Fellow Ivorian David Datro Fofana followed in the footsteps of his compatriot, joining the Blues in an £8.4m deal from Norwegian side Molde back in January 2023.

The striker would make four appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 season, which remain his only appearances for the club to date after his transfer.

His move to the Bridge was an exciting one, with Turkish commentator Hakan Gulec, dubbing the 21-year-old as the “baby Drogba” – a huge heap of pressure that up to now, he’s failed to live up to.

Fofana has since been sent on various loan spells across Europe to allow him to reach his potential and have an opportunity to prove that the comparisons really on in his career were accurate.

Union Berlin and Burnley were the sides who signed the youngster on temporary loans, before returning to West London this summer for pre-season ahead of 2024/25.

However, he wouldn’t get his chance under new boss Enzo Maresca, being shipped on loan to Turkish side Goztepe after a failed move to join Greek outfit AEK Athens.

Games played

6

Goals scored

1

Pass accuracy

71%

Dribbles completed

33%

Duels won

34%

Shots taken

3

Aerials won

48%

Given his young age, there’s still a lot of time for Fofana to progress and reach the levels he was credited with before his move to England, but he needs to do so quickly if he is to remain at the Bridge.

Owner Todd Boehly isn’t afraid to axe or sign new players if he feels that an area needs strengthening, with the centre-forward area undoubtedly the one in need of most attention – but Fofana could find himself on the brink if he doesn’t impress this season.

Chelsea set to unearth their own Yamal in "crazy" £100m star in the making

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يستعد فريق مانشستر سيتي لإنهاء موسم 2024/25 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مساء يوم الأحد، بمباراته ضد خصمه فولهام.

ويستضيف ملعب “كرافن كوتيج” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الثامنة والثلاثين، والأخيرة، من الدوري الإنجليزي.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي حاليًا المركز الثالث برصيد 68 نقطة، في حين أن فولهام لديه 54 نقطة في المركز العاشر.

طالع | تشكيل مانشستر سيتي الرسمي أمام فولهام في الدوري الإنجليزي.. موقف مرموش

ويسعى مانشستر سيتي إلى التعادل أو الفوز من أجل حسم تأهله إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل، حيث إن الهزيمة ستجعل مصيره في يد باقي منافسيه.

ومن المتوقع مشاركة النجم المصري عمر مرموش في مباراة اليوم، خاصة بعدما سجل هدفًا عالميًا في الجولة الماضية ضد بورنموث. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي المتوقع أمام فولهام اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

حراسة المرمى: إيدرسون.

خط الدفاع: ماتيوس نونيز، روبن دياز، أكانجي، جفارديول.

خط الوسط: برناردو سيلفا، جوندوجان.

خط الوسط الهجومي: سافيو، كيفين دي بروين، عمر مرموش.

خط الهجوم: إيرلينج هالاند.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Stats highlights from Australia’s 62-run win against South Africa in Harare

S Rajesh02-Sep-201462 The margin of victory for Australia; also the number of runs they scored in the last four overs of their innings, which propelled them from 220 after 46 overs, to 282 after 50. Australia scored the following number of runs in each of the last four overs: 21 off Dale Steyn, 16 off Ryan McLaren, 9 off Morne Morkel, and 16 off McLaren.3 The number of times a South African No. 3 batsman has scored more than 126 against one of the top seven Test-playing teams, excluding Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Including all opposition, du Plessis’ knock is the eighth-best score for a South African No. 3 in ODIs.57.3 The percentage of South Africa’s runs scored by du Plessis, which is the third-best for South Africa in a completed ODI innings. The two higher ones are Gary Kirsten’s unbeaten 188 out of South Africa’s 321 in the 1996 World Cup against UAE, and Herschelle Gibbs’ unbeaten 59 out of 101 against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2000.86 Mitchell Marsh’s score, the third-best in ODIs by a No. 6 batsman against South Africa, after Chris Cairns’ unbeaten 102 and Ajay Jadeja’s 92.168.6 Marsh’s strike rate in his innings of 86 is the fourth-best – and the best by an Australian – for a batsman at No. 6 or lower in an ODI innings in which he faced at least 50 balls. The best is Shahid Afridi’s 124 off 60 balls (strike rate 206.66) in Dambulla in 2010.3 The number of sixes that were hit off Dale Steyn in the 47th over of the Australian innings. It was the first time Steyn’s disappeared for three sixes in an over in international cricket. He has been hit for two in an over five times in ODIs, three times in Tests, and twice in Twenty20 internationals.5 The number of times Steyn has gone at more than seven runs an over, when he has bowled at least eight overs in an ODI. The last such instance was in November 2010 against Pakistan in Dubai, when he conceded 79 from 10 overs.60 The number of instances of batsmen getting out hit-wicket. Du Plessis’ score of 126 is the highest among those 60 instances. The only other batsman to get out in this manner after scoring a century is Virat Kohli, for 107 against England in Cardiff in 2011.133 The margin by which Zimbabwe need to beat South Africa to eliminate them from the final, if Zimbabwe bat first and score 250. If South Africa bat first and score 200, Zimbabwe will need to chase the total down in about 23.3 overs.

Namibia’s JJ Smit and Zimbabwe’s Raza have also made significant gains following their performances in the T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2022Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has moved up one spot to become the No.1-ranked allrounder in T20Is – going past Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi – following his superb outing in the recent tri-series against New Zealand and Pakistan.While Bangladesh did not win a single match in the series, Shakib was the player in form for his team, scoring 154 in three matches at a strike-rate of 150.98. He made a 44-ball 70 in the match against New Zealand and followed up with a 42-ball 68 against Pakistan. He now has 266 rating points, 20 ahead of Nabi.Namibia’s JJ Smit broke into the top five allrounders while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza entered the top ten following their impressive starts in the first round of the T20 World Cup. Smith moved four places up to fourth following his 1 for 16 – in addition to scoring 31* – and 2 for 24 against Sri Lanka and Netherlands respectively. Raza, who’s been in superb form lately, scored a 48-ball 82 and picked up one wicket against Ireland.Among the batters, New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips jumped 13 spots to No. 10 after scoring 130 runs in four innings – including a 24-ball 60 – in the tri-series.In the bowling charts, Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb ur Rahman moved up two places to fifth position, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj went one spot up to No. 8.Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan, on 861 rating points, further extended his lead at the top of the batting rankings after another consistent showing during the New Zealand tri-series, while India’s Suryakumar Yadav is behind him on 838 points.

Here’s how we captured the record over in our ball-by-ball commentary

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-20222:44

Giles: ‘Broad probably got carried away in the emotion’

83.1: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Hooked, into the gap! Massive top edge, and I think Crawley might have just got to it… Bounced through and over the rope83.2: Broad to Bumrah, 5 wides. Dug in short, clears Billings! Way above the batter as he began to swing for it again. Wides signalled83.2: Broad to Bumrah, (no ball) SIX runs. Hoicked into the boundary boards, another fat top edge… and it’s a no-ball as well! Bumrah finagling vital runs here. This one went fine of third, but Leach was never getting to it83.2: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Full toss, bludgeoned through mid-on! Must have been close to another no-ball, on height – but Aleem Dar only signals four. Smoked down the ground by India’s captain83.3: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Thick-edged to fine leg, four more to Bumrah… and that boundary takes India galloping past 400!83.4: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Swung off his feet through midwicket! Bumrah ends in a crumpled heap, but he’s middled it nevertheless! Four in front of deep square leg83.5: Broad to Bumrah, SIX runs. Splatted for six more! World record for Bumrah! More short stuff and he whirls it up and away over deep backward square leg. Knee in the air, some Calypso flourish to that one83.6: Broad to Bumrah, 1 run. Tip and run, Broad sweeps up and throws himself into the stumps with Siraj diving for his ground. Just makes it home!

Hasan Ali has been dropped from both Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series in the Netherlands as well for the Asia Cup T20Is later this month. Naseem Shah has been named in both squads. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed the second Test in Sri Lanka last month because of a knee injury, has been included in both squads, with a PCB statement saying, “his rehabilitation programme will be overseen by the team trainer and physiotherapist, who will also decide on his return to international cricket”.Babar Azam continues to be in charge of both the set-ups, with Shadab Khan as his deputy.Hasan’s form across formats in the last year has been middling at best, with his T20I bowling strike rate moving to 23.2; he has picked up eight wickets in nine games in this period. In the three ODIs he has played in the last 12 months – all at home between March and June this year – he averaged 76.50 with the ball, picking up two wickets overall. Earlier this year, in the PSL, he had a bowling average of 40.55 and had an economy rate of 10.84 as he got nine wickets in nine games for Islamabad United.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We have done our homework, especially for the players who have served Pakistan well and have won so many games for the country,” Mohammad Wasim, the men’s chief selector, said when asked about Hasan. “To give them a longer run is a part of the plan, but then there is the stage when you realise that now is the time we think he needs a break for his own and the team’s betterment.”So we had a similar thought process with Hasan Ali, to give him an extended run, but now we think he needs to regather himself and return as a match-winner. We hope going forward we will find the same old Hasan Ali.”It has been a downward spiral for Hasan since last year’s T20 World Cup, where he dropped a catch that could, potentially, have won Pakistan the semi-final against Australia. He ended the tournament with five wicket in six bowling innings, at an average of 41.40 and an economy rate of 9.00.Naseem, who has never played ODIs or T20Is, has taken Hasan’s place after a good performance in the two Tests in Sri Lanka last month, when he picked up seven wickets on not-very-helpful pitches. Naseem had struggled with fitness issues till recently, but has come back stronger.”Naseem Shah is a quality bowler, and we have seen him in domestic white-ball cricket,” Wasim said. “He has got express pace and we wanted to include an attacking option; it is important to take wickets in white0ball cricket. He has that ability. He can swing the ball, he has got pace, and if we talk about his temperament, we have seen the evidence in Tests.”He was a good replacement for Hasan Ali, and we hope he can take his success from red-ball to white-ball cricket.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Agha Salman, the middle-order batter who made his international debut in the Test series against Sri Lanka last month, now has a chance of making his ODI debut in the Netherlands.The selectors have also kept faith in PSL sensational Mohammad Haris, the wicketkeeper-batter, for the ODIs. He made his debut in the home series against West Indies in June, but failed both the times he got a chance to bat, scoring 6 and 0 from the middle order.He has, however, been identified as the back-up to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps, which will likely ensure more opportunities, at least in the short term. Haris shot to prominence at PSL 7, scoring 166 runs in five innings at a strike rate of over 185 for Peshawar Zalmi. At the 50-over Pakistan Cup last year, he scored 289 runs in eight innings at an average of 41.28 and strike rate of over 100 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The selected players will assemble in Lahore on August 6 for a six-day training camp. The ODI side will leave for Amsterdam in the wee hours of August 12 for the three-ODI series – the matches are on August 16, 18 and 21, all in Rotterdam – and the T20I specialists will reach Dubai on August 22, where they will be joined by the T20I members of the ODI squad.

Glasgow Rangers dropped to six points behind the top two this weekend after they were beaten 1-0 by Kilmarnock away from Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

The Light Blues conceded a late goal to Marley Watkins that cost them against Kilmarnock, after they failed to provide enough of a threat in the final third throughout the rest of the match.

It was a disappointing result and performance for Philippe Clement, who have lost two of their opening eight matches in the division, and they will have to bounce back quickly to get back in the title race.

One player for the Scottish giants who will be frustrated with the part he played in the winning goal for the hosts is central defender John Souttar.

John Souttar's performance against Kilmarnock

The Scotland international appeared to be the favourite to get on the end of a bouncing ball in the penalty area but was bullied out of the way by Watkins, who then got to the ball first to prod the ball past Jack Butland.

It was unusually weak play from the former Hearts titan, who was too easily brushed out of the way by the former Norwich City and Bristol City attacker.

Souttar won seven of his eight physical duels during the game, but lost the most vital one in the end, and this shows that he was having a dominant game up until the 87th minute.

The central defender also made two blocks and one interception to protect Butland, and completed 80 of his 88 attempted passes in possession, which shows that it was far from a terrible performance from him on the whole.

His one slip-up may not have mattered, though, if the attackers had done enough to trouble ex-Gers man Robby McCrorie at the other end of the pitch, as Cyriel Dessers was one player who was even worse than Souttar on Sunday.

Cyriel Dessers' struggles against Kilmarnock

The Nigeria international was selected to lead the line for the Light Blues against Kilmarnock and produced a frustratingly ineffective display.

Dessers, of course, ended the match without a goal or an assist, as Rangers lost 1-0, and the underlying statistics are even worse than the headline.

The former Cremonese man lost possession 13 times from just 22 touches of the ball and only completed six passes, failing to create a single chance, in 71 minutes on the pitch.

Vs Kilmarnock	Cyriel Dessers
Minutes	71
Goals + assists	0
Dribbles completed	0/1
Pass accuracy	50%
Duels won	0/4
Possession lost	13
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Dessers only completed 50% of his attempted passes in the match and lost 100% of his duels with Kilmarnock defenders, which shows that the opposition found it far too easy to get the better of him.

The Rangers lightweight offered nothing in the final third, with zero goals, assists, or key passes, and was a liability off the ball with his weak centre-forward play.

Therefore, the striker was even worse than Souttar, who defended brilliantly for 86 minutes before his costly error, and should now be in danger of losing his place in the XI.

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Captain Ervine says the team is still positive ahead of the clash against Netherlands, but a lot of things need to go right

Himanshu Agrawal01-Nov-20222:24

Moody: Zimbabwe will look to maintain momentum and popularity

Big picture

It is not often that Zimbabwe stand a decent chance of qualifying for the semi-final of an ICC tournament. They were one win away from making the final four of the ICC Knockout – later renamed Champions Trophy – in 2000, but fell short against New Zealand; they made the Super Sixes in the 2003 World Cup, but fizzled out in the race to the last four.All these years later, a well-rated Zimbabwe unit led by an allrounder living a dream are two steps away from history. To begin, they will need to beat Netherlands, something they will surely fancy.Although they are still in contention, Zimbabwe need a collective performance to keep themselves afloat before the much-tougher challenge of India comes their way. Wessly Madhevere helped them rack up 79 in nine overs against South Africa but the rest of their batters hardly contributed, before the bowling was clubbed for 51 in three overs; but when they squeezed through a one-run win against Pakistan, it was their bowlers Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava who helped defend a meagre 130; and come Bangladesh, only Sean Williams made a defining contribution as Zimbabwe fell short by just three runs in pursuit of 151.For Netherlands, four out of their six games so far in this World Cup – including the first round – saw tight finishes. They won two of those four matches, before India and Pakistan brushed them aside. But like their bowlers showed by dismissing four batters and making Pakistan work hard even in their chase of 92, Netherlands aren’t easy to push over.Although they are already out of the tournament after threatening to upset Bangladesh in their first game of the Super 12s, the Dutch have certainly left their mark. After all, Max O’Dowd is the World Cup’s fifth-highest run-scorer and Bas de Leede is its joint second-highest wicket-taker.Zimbabwe and Netherlands don’t meet often – they have played each other only seven times across formats so far – No. 8 will be on the biggest stage and both teams will be relishing it.Sean Williams is one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced players•Getty Images

Form guide

Zimbabwe LWWLW (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
Netherlands LLLLW

In the spotlight

Zimbabwe will seek more consistency from their captain Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, two of their most experienced members in the current set-up. They have fallen for a combined seven single-digit scores in 12 innings since landing in Australia, even as Zimbabwe hope they can deliver when it matters most. Both are in the twilight of their careers, and what better opportunity to ensure they walk away with sweet memories?Netherlands’ bowlers have conceded 160-plus only twice across six matches in this competition. The show has been led by Bas de Leede, who has nine wickets at 14.44, while Paul van Meekeren isn’t far behind with seven at 19.42 and an excellent economy of 5.66. De Leede will turn 23 in a few days’ time; van Meekeren will turn 30 next January but Netherlands will hope these two can serve them just the same way for the years to come.

Team news

Zimbabwe have used 13 players in the Super 12s stage, with tweaks only in their bowling line-up. They wouldn’t want to make too many changes to what looks like a settled unit, with the only decision being whom to leave out in case they decide to recall Luke Jongwe.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Wessly Madhevere, 2 Craig Ervine (capt), 3 Milton Shumba, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Regis Chakabva (wk), 7 Ryan Burl, 8 Tendai Chatara, 9 Brad Evans, 10 Richard Ngarava, 11 Blessing MuzarabaniPaul van Meekeren has picked up seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.66 at the T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Netherlands have nothing to lose now, so might give opener Stephan Myburgh another go, considering this could be his farewell tournament. De Leede was substituted against Pakistan after being hit under his eye while batting and might miss out on WednesdayNetherlands (probable): 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Stephan Myburgh, 4 Tom Cooper, 5 Colin Ackermann, 6 Scott Edwards (capt, wk), 7 Roelof van der Merwe, 8 Tim Pringle, 9 Logan van Beek, 10 Fred Klaasen, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions

It was cold and windy in the build-up to the game in Adelaide, and it might still be cold on Wednesday with up to 2mm of rain also expected. However, the game is unlikely to be affected.

Stats and trivia

• These two teams met at the highest level for the first time in the 2003 World Cup, where Bas de Leede’s father Tim was a part of the Netherlands’ side that lost to Zimbabwe. Side note: Bas’ cousin Babette also plays for the Netherlands women’s team.
• Sean Williams was in Zimbabwe’s squad for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, where they beat Australia, and were eliminated in the group stages only on net run rate.
• Sikandar Raza’s strike rate of 150.56 is the second-highest for batters with at least 600 runs in T20Is in 2022.

Quotes

“The real highlight for us would be to make the semis. I think that would really put the icing on the cake. The guys are still very positive that we’ll get there. We’ve just got to come into these last two games with a lot of energy.”
“The novelty [of making it to Super 12s] has kind of worn off now after the first three games. We haven’t put in a complete performance in these three games, and so the guys are determined to change that when it comes to these last two matches and walk away with at least one win, but hopefully two wins.”

Glasgow Rangers are already on the ropes in the race to secure the Scottish Premiership title and are in danger of missing out on the trophy for a fourth year in succession.

Philippe Clement’s side are already nine points adrift of Celtic and Aberdeen, who are both unbeaten, and need an incredible run of form and a drop-off from their rivals to have a chance of overtaking them.

The Light Blues have already lost three times in the top-flight this season, once each to the Hoops and the Dons, and dropped points in a 0-0 draw with Hearts on the opening day.

Their struggles, once again, in the league could see a major change to the squad, with a recent report suggesting that a key player could be sold.

Football Insider recently claimed that Rangers are planning to cash in on James Tavernier next summer, with his contract up in 2026, because of his ‘declining’ performances on the pitch.

If the Ibrox giants go ahead with their plan to sell the English full-back, the Gers would need a new captain, and here are three possible options for Clement to choose from.

1 Jack Butland

One contender to take on the armband is goalkeeper Jack Butland, who joined the Light Blues on a free transfer from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2023.

The 31-year-old star is one of the most experienced players in the dressing room and has played at a high level, with 87 appearances in the Premier League in his career.

Butland could be the oldest player in the squad at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, as the only two players currently older than him are James Tavernier and Leon Balogun. The former is reportedly due to be sold and the latter is due to be out of contract at the end of the month when he turns 37.

This suggests that he could be in the best position to pass on advice to the younger members of the squad and would have the most experience in big moments to calm the troops when needed.

Butland has also been incredibly reliable for the Gers on the pitch, both in terms of his performances and his availability. Since his move to the club last year, the English titan has made a whopping 78 appearances for the club in all competitions – playing every single minute of league action in that time.

Appearances

38

11

Sofascore rating

6.99

7.17

Save success rate

71%

72%

Saves made

80

21

Clean sheets

18

6

As you can see in the table above, the former England international has kept 24 clean sheets in the Premiership since the start of last season and saved 71% of the shots against his goal.

This shows that he has been a safe pair of hands, saving the majority of the efforts against him to keep a healthy number of shutouts, and that is why he should be a contender for the captaincy, as he is a strong performer and an experienced head in the dressing room.

2 John Souttar

Another strong option to be the new captain if Tavernier is sold is central defender John Souttar, whose performances have been impressive this season.

He initially arrived at Ibrox on a free transfer from Hearts in the summer of 2022 but endured an incredibly frustrating debut campaign with the Gers, with 13 appearances in all competitions due to a long-term absence with an ankle injury.

Souttar worked his way back to fitness and played 41 times in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign under Michael Beale and Clement, scoring two goals from centre-back.

Appearances

10

Pass accuracy

92%

Dribbled past

1x

Ground duel success rate

65%

Aerial duel success rate

66%

Clean sheets

6

As you can see in the table above, the former Jam Tarts star has been a dominant force at the back for the Scottish giants and helped to keep an impressive six clean sheets in ten league outings.

Butland described Souttar as “brilliant” in October and claimed that the Scotland international “gives everything for the club”, which suggests that he is captain material, as the defender is committed to the team and plays with passion.

The colossus is also vastly experienced in Scottish football, with over 200 appearances in the Premiership, and could be a great role model for the younger players to look up to, as he has been there and done it in the top-flight, which is another reason why Clement must consider him to be the next skipper.

3 Dujon Sterling

The third potential option to take on the captaincy is versatile star Dujon Sterling, who has yet to nail down a regular starting spot in his favoured position at right-back.

His lack of regular starts in the team may make this selection seem odd, but Football FanCast recently posted an article suggesting that the sale of Tavernier could open the door for the former Chelsea man to establish himself on the right side.

Sterling has only started four games at right-back since the start of last season, with other outings at right-midfield, defensive midfield, left-back, central midfield, and left-midfield, but the captain leaving in January or next summer could allow him to play there regularly.

The 25-year-old star has shown his commitment to the Gers by being willing to play in such a variety of positions for the club, being ready to play wherever he is needed, across 53 appearances.

Since his move to Ibrox, Sterling has not missed more than two games in a row through injury, which suggests that he has the availability required to be the captain, as it would be pointless for Clement to appoint a new skipper if they are constantly missing through injury.

At the age of 25, the former Stoke loanee is the youngest player on this list by several years and that means that he would have the time to grow into the role and be the long-term replacement for Tavernier, both in terms of the right-back position and the captaincy.

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ByDan Emery Nov 12, 2024