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Klaasen clubs England as defending champions sink further into the mire while Sri Lanka out-class Netherlands despite some sloppy moments

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-20231:50

Pujara: South Africa’s confidence in Jansen paying off

–Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament IndexTop Story: Klaasen sends England’s title-defence hopes spirallingHeinrich Klaasen crumpled to his haunches in a dripping mess after every shot. In between whiles, he flayed England’s bowlers for a 61-ball century to set up an emphatic South Africa victory at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.The brutality of Klaasen’s 109 from just 67 balls all told matched the harshness of the heat and humidity which had also left England bowler David Willey cramping throughout South Africa’s innings, ending on 399 for 7 and requiring the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history. England capitulated instead, crashing to 170 all out in 22 overs and suffering their heaviest ODI defeat.Click here for the full reportMatch analysis: Classy Klaasen digs deep to make Wankhede his ColosseumHeinrich Klaasen brought up his maiden World Cup ton off 61 balls•Associated PressHeinrich Klaasen was so spent by the time he faced his 61st delivery, the one he pulled wide of fine leg to bring up his fourth ODI hundred, that almost immediately after he raised his bat in celebration and screamed, his knees gave way and he ended up in a squat. His face contorted between unbridled exhilaration expressed directly at Mark Wood, to ultimate exhaustion and eventually to the realisation of the unquestionable enormity of the moment: this was not just his first century at a World Cup, it was a century against the defending champions in a match South Africa earmarked as must-win after their chastening defeat to Netherlands earlier in the week.As the emotions sunk in, Klaasen composed himself, and acknowledged his team-mates and the crowd, which included his wife and daughter, and the heavens. Then, he went straight to Wood to apologise, several times. Wood settled on a fist-bump or three and Klaasen could have his moment back but only until the next wave of weariness set in. Then it was back onto his haunches to try to conserve the energy to bat to the end, and summon the reserves to keep finding the boundary. It’s a small ground but today it felt like a cauldron and Klaasen had to both absorb and transfer the heat.Read the full analysis from Firdose Moonda in MumbaiMust Watch: What’s gone wrong for England1:40

What’s gone wrong for England?

Match report: Sri Lanka overcome Engelbrecht-led resistance to finally open their accountAn unbeaten 91 from Sadeera Samarawickrama shepherded home a tricky chase as Sri Lanka overcame a resilient Dutch outfit and finally got points on the board. The result means Sri Lanka join Afghanistan, Netherlands, Bangladesh and England on two points after four games; they did however go past Afghanistan on net run rate – before England plummeted later in the evening – to move off the very bottom of the table.Set a target of 263, the chase was built around key partnerships – the first a counter-attacking 30-ball 34 between Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka, to recover from the early loss of Kusal Perera, followed by more substantial stands of 52, 77 and 76 – with Samarawickrama a key cog throughout.Click here for the full reportMatch analysis: Sri Lanka find new lionhearts in sloppy-to-sublime performance7:49

Maharoof: The new-ball spell of Madushanka and Rajitha set up the win

It’s the 47th over of Netherlands’ innings. Logan van Beek, running between the wickets, is nowhere near safety and has resigned to fate. Substitute fielder Dunith Wellalage flicks the throw from cover to Chamika Karunaratne, who botches a simple run out chance at the bowler’s end. Van Beek gets to his maiden ODI half-century.Then in the penultimate over, van Beek heaves Kasun Rajitha’s slower ball to the deep midwicket. Charith Asalanka covers some ground first before throwing himself full stretch on the edge of the boundary. It was towards the shorter side and momentum could’ve taken it over, but for Asalanka’s athleticism and balance.Read the full analysis from Shashank Kishore in LucknowNews headlines Rahul Dravid has expressed disagreement with the two “average” pitch ratings that ICC match referees have dished out in the first 11 days of the 2023 ODI World Cup. In doing so he has called for greater diversity in the kinds of surfaces that will be considered “good” or “very good” – the ICC’s highest pitch ratings.
Travis Head will slot straight back in at the top of Australia’s batting order when he is cleared to return to action, which could be as soon as their next game against Netherlands in Delhi on Wednesday, meaning a move down the list for the in-form Mitchell Marsh.Match previewIndia vs New Zealand, Dharamsala (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT5:39

Bond: NZ vs India’s top three could be the decider

Ask any ardent Indian fan which is their second-favourite cricket team, and New Zealand will remain a common answer. Ask the same set of fans which team spooks them the most when it comes to ICC events: New Zealand will once again be the unanimous reply. Why you ask.Southampton 2021. Nagpur 2016 and Dubai 2021. Manchester 2019.It’s probably the memories of the last one here that has most Indian fans flinch. And as much as India would like to deny it, New Zealand have been their bogey team over the years. There are numbers to back this up. In all ICC events since 1992 (considering only the final from the WTC 2019-21 and 2021-23 cycles), India have beaten New Zealand just once in nine attempts.Full previewTeam newsIndia (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Suryakumar Yadav/Ishan Kishan, 8 Shardul Thakur/Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed SirajNew Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Lyonnes, eight-time European champions, agreed on a fee with Ajax for the teenager's services

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USWNT's Yohannes completes OL Lyonnes moveTeenager picked USWNT over Netherlands in 2024Will play with national team captain Heaps in FranceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. women's national team phenom Lily Yohannes finalized a transfer to French powerhouse OL Lyonnes from Ajax on Monday.

Yohannes, 18, signed a three-year contract with the club, with her deal running through 2028 in France.

The teenage midfielder reportedly garnered a fee of $530,000 (€450,000), with Ajax also receiving a sell-on percentage fee for a future transfer. Her previous contract in the Netherlands with the Dutch club ran through June 2026.

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Reigning champions of England, Chelsea, were also reportedly in the running for Yohannes' services.

Yohannes has 10 caps for the USWNT, and in June 2024, she scored 10 minutes into her international debut in a friendly against South Korea.

In November, she declared her international allegiance to the USA after previously mulling the options of playing for the Netherlands. She was born in Virginia but moved to the Netherlands with her family when she was 10. At age 15, she signed a professional contract with Ajax.

"She's got unbelievable maturity and coachability, and someone who I know is going to become an important part of our program," USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said in May. "But I'm invested in that development, and we have to be patient with that considering her tender age and her lack of international and high-level experience."

At Lyonnes, she will play with fellow U.S. international Korbin Albert and team captain Lindsey Heaps.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2023, Yohannes became the youngest player to ever start a UEFA Women's Champions League game at 16 when she was named to the starting XI for Ajax in a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR YOHANNES?

Lyonnes' 2025/26 campaign begins this fall, and she will report for preseason action in the coming weeks.

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

The CONCACAF Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup are officially wrapped. With it, players have returned to clubs, teams are at full strength, and MLS is back in the swing of things as the second half of the campaign is well underway.

Matchday 24 of the campaign saw riveting action take center stage across the league, including a thrilling comeback in the derby from the Columbus Crew, and a magnificent brace from Lionel Messi to secure three points for Inter Miami in a top-5 Eastern Conference clash with Nashville SC.

Then, the Vancouver Whitecaps' downward spiral across June into July extended into the weekend, with a disappointing showing against the Colorado Rapids leaving them with their heads in their hands. They were joined by the Portland Timbers, Atlanta United, D.C. United and NYCFC in letdowns across the Matchday.

It's full team ahead now for the rest of the season, and with the summer transfer window opening in 10 days, clubs will be engaging in conversations on how to bolster their rosters in the coming weeks.

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

Getty Images Sport30D.C. United

Prior Ranking: 28

Result: Lost to LA Galaxy 2-1

Ramifications: Following the sacking of manager Troy Lesesne, D.C. were hoping to use that as fuel to spark them to victory against LA, but their woes continued into the match until the final whistle. Winger Gabriel Pirani earned a goal back late, but nothing else came from his strike.

Winless in five, and are completely uninspired.

Advertisement29St. Louis CITY SC

Prior Ranking: 29

Result: Defeated Portland Timbers 2-1

Ramifications: A surprising victory, by all accounts, but one that the CITY faithful will welcome with open arms. A brace from Marcel Hartel saw them secure their first victory since May 31, and just their fourth of the season overall. CITY are still on the outside looking in, but this was a promising result.

28CF Montreal

Prior Ranking: 27

Results: Drew Orlando City 1-1

Ramifications: A relatively decent result, all things considered. They've taken seven points from their last 15 possible, and that's the best stretch they've gone on yet this season. Still so far out of the Eastern Conference picture, though, there's not a lot to put that towards presently, aside from building for 2026.

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27Los Angeles Galaxy

Prior Ranking: 30

Results: Defeated D.C. United 2-1

Ramifications: A top showing from them against a fellow struggling team, while Marco Reus continues to show why he is the perfect man to be leading their line. Another goal from the German has them dreaming of a late-season surge.

The Hardik Pandya trade was perhaps the most high-profile player transfer in IPL history. Here’s an explainer of how such trades work in the league

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-2023What is a player trade, and when can it happen?
It’s when a player moves from the IPL franchise that has bought him to another franchise during the trading window. A trade can be an all-cash deal or a player-for-player swap. According to the IPL rules, the player-trading window starts a month after a season ends, stays open up to a week before the auction date, and then continues up until a month before the start of the next season. So the current trading window is open until December 12, with the auction scheduled for December 19, and it will open again on December 20 up to a month before the 2024 season begins.Have player trades always been there in the IPL?
Yes, the trading window was activated in 2009, when Mumbai Indians got Shikhar Dhawan from erstwhile Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in exchange for Ashish Nehra.What is a one-way trade?
A player moves from Team A to Team B in an all-cash deal. Team B will pay Team A an amount equivalent to the player’s price at the auction, or in Hardik Pandya’s case the amount Gujarat Titans paid when they signed him ahead of the 2022 player auction. There have been all-cash trades previously in the IPL as well, for example, when Kolkata Knight Riders traded in Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in November 2022.Related

Mumbai Indians trade Hardik from Titans and trade Cameron Green to RCB

Gill appointed captain of Titans

RCB release Hazlewood, Hasaranga; KKR let Shardul go

What is a two-way trade?
This is essentially a player swap between franchises, with the difference in their prices being paid by one team to the other.Do players have a say in the trades? Can they initiate it?
Yes, the player’s consent is mandatory before he is traded. In Hardik’s case, ESPNcricinfo understands that Mumbai Indians began discussions with Titans immediately after the 2023 IPL to figure whether it would be an all-cash trade or a player swap. The Titans director of cricket Vikram Solanki said Hardik had “expressed a desire” to return to Mumbai, who eventually paid INR 15 crore in an all-cash trade.But wasn’t Ravindra Jadeja banned for having a side chat with another franchise?
In 2010, the IPL had banned Ravindra Jadeja for one season because he did not sign his renewal contract with Rajasthan Royals, and attempted to negotiate a new contract with Mumbai. The IPL said at the time that he was in breach of player trading and operational rules.What if a player wants to move to another team but his franchise doesn’t want to let him go?
The franchise has the final say in that case on whether the player stays with them or not.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat is a transfer fee? Who decides it? Is there a limit?
A transfer fee is an amount paid by one franchise to another during a trade, in addition to the player’s price. In Hardik’s case, Mumbai paid Titans an undisclosed transfer fee, and this amount will not impact a franchise’s auction purse. The transfer fee is mutually agreed between the franchises before the trade is completed. There is no limit for a transfer fee, but the amount is known only to the IPL and the franchises involved in the trade.Does the player get a cut of the transfer fee?
Yes. As per the contract, a player can get up to 50% of the transfer fee, but that depends on the agreement reached between him and the franchise that is selling him. There is no guarantee that the player will receive a share of the transfer fee.Does the transfer fee affect the auction purse?
No, it doesn’t. So in Hardik’s case, Mumbai’s auction purse will reduce by only INR 15 crore (Hardik’s price), while Titans’ purse will increase by that amount. The transfer fee is separate from the auction purse.So does it mean franchises with deeper pockets can gain by offering high transfer fees to lure players from other teams? Doesn’t it go against the principle of equality of the auction purse?
In a sense, yes, franchises can spend amounts much larger than their auction purse would allow to trade in the players they want. However, no trade can proceed without the consent of the team the player currently belongs to.

The Cityzens have outspent every Premier League team in 2025 so far but there is still plenty of work to do before the season starts

While most Premier League clubs are running their players into the ground to get back in shape for the new season, Manchester City's squad are still on their holidays. Erling Haaland and Co. are trying to make the most of their time off after the Club World Cup before reporting for a delayed pre-season training campaign on July 28.

However, Pep Guardiola and new sporting director Hugo Viana cannot afford to rest as they continue work on assembling the best squad possible for next term.

The Cityzens made a frantic start to their transfer business in June, bringing in no fewer than five players before the Club World Cup at a cost of £111 million ($148m). The club were picking up where they left off in January, where they went on an unprecedented spending spree in the winter window, splashing £180m ($241m) on four new arrivals.

But despite a total spend north of £290m ($390m) in 2025 so far, City's embarrassingly early exit from the Club World Cup to Al-Hilal demonstrated that there are still plenty of areas in the squad to address if they want to reclaim their Premier League crown.

Here are six things Guardiola and Viana need to do before City begin their season away to Wolves on August 16…

Getty Images SportGet a top class right-back

The signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri signalled an end towards Guardiola's era of inverted full-backs and a move back towards a traditional back four with two wide men bombing forward. And the coach needs to complete that transition by signing a top-class right back to complement the Algeria international. Tino Livramento is the ideal target, although Newcastle seem unwilling to sell the England international this summer. City were also heavily linked with Flamengo's Wesley but the Brazilian looks set to join Roma.

City had three right-backs last season and none of them truly convinced in the role. Kyle Walker's performances declined so sharply that he sought a quick exit on loan to AC Milan and he has since completed a permanent move to Burnley. Rico Lewis, who was supposed to be Walker's heir, struggled playing the position regularly and his best performances – such as in the FA Cup semi-final win over Nottingham Forest – came in midfield.

Matheus Nunes took his time to adapt to the role after Guardiola deemed him not intelligent enough to be a midfielder and although he had his moments and notched 10 assists, he was found out against the biggest opponents.

AdvertisementGetty Clarify Ederson's future

The situation of City's two goalkeepers is the elephant in the room. Both Ederson and Stefan Ortega performed badly last season and are both entering the last year of their contracts. Many supporters believe the time has come for City to sign a successor to Ederson, especially after a poor Club World Cup in which he gifted Juventus a goal with a misplaced pass and conceded four times in the last-16 defeat by Al-Hilal.

City have been looking at potential new goalkeepers, in addition to signing Marcus Bettinelli to replace Scott Carson as third-choice, but the lack of offers for Ederson and Ortega makes it difficult for them to go into the market for a new No. 1. Although there have been reports of interest in Ederson from Turkey and Napoli, GOAL understands that City have not received any bids. And Ederson has slammed speculation that he is leaving as "fake news" and declared his intention to stay.

If City see Ederson as remaining as their No. 1 for the next couple of seasons, then they should give him a new contract. Right now, the uncertainty is not helping anyone.

Getty ImagesSell McAtee at the right price

It is an open secret that James McAtee will be leaving the club that he joined aged 11. With no fewer than seven players ahead of him in the pecking order in midfield and attack, he knows he must head elsewhere to kickstart his career.

From City's point of view his stock is high after captaining England to glory at the U21 Euros and his potential sale can be banked as 'pure profit' to keep the Premier League's profitability and sustainability enforcers at bay.

It is not a question of if McAtee will leave but instead it is which club he will go to and for how much. While reports have set his price at £25m ($34m), GOAL understands that City are hoping for a fee closer to £40m ($54m), which was the price Chelsea paid to sign Cole Palmer from City in 2023. McAtee has played more matches for City than Palmer at the time of his departure and also got an additional year of Premier League experience with Sheffield United.

McAtee is reported to have visited Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund, while Nottingham Forest have also expressed interest in him.

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Getty Say goodbye to unreliable defenders

Late last season Guardiola dropped a big hint about which players he would be looking to move on. In fact he didn't even hint, he named names. Specifically Nathan Ake and John Stones. He did not question their form, but instead mentioned their struggles to stay fit. "Ake and Stones have been injured all season," the coach said in April. "You can't perform if you aren't reliable and cannot play every three days. We need to build a squad for next season."

Stones made 11 Premier League appearances last season, of which just six were starts. Ake played in 10 league games, starting eight. The Dutchman suffered five setbacks during the campaign, missing a combined 166 days. While Guardiola is grateful to both players for their contributions in the treble-winning season, his patience with their run of injuries has worn thin.

And as Guardiola looks to trim down his squad, Ake and Stones are unlikely to make the cut. City would not need to replace either player as they have three reliable centre-backs in Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji plus two defenders for the future in Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.

Oman’s Bilal Khan turned out to be Chattogram’s unlikely hero, even as Barishal’s Shoaib Mailk abruptly left the BPL

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2024While table-toppers Khulna followed up two wins from the last week with two more in this one, Chattogram Challengers were in good form too, having now won three matches in a row to sit just below Khulna. Rangpur Riders also bounced back from a defeat at the start of the week with two important wins.Led by Anamul Haque – and with a heavy West Indies contingent – Khulna beat Rangpur by 28 runs before thumping Durdanto Dhaka by ten wickets in a 131-run chase, which they completed with more than five overs to spare. Allrounder Mohammad Nawaz starred for Khulna in both games. While he smashed 55 off 34 balls and took two wickets against Rangpur, he took 3 for 15 against Dhaka. Apart from Nawaz, Khulna have also been boosted by the consistency of Anamul and Evin Lewis.Related

Shakib diagnosed with eye condition but will continue playing cricket

Malik leaves Fortune Barishal abruptly after just three games

Josh Brown signs up with Chattogram Challengers

Chattogram, meanwhile, also won both games this week. While they just inched past Fortune Barishal by ten runs while defending 193, they dominated Sylhet by chasing down 138 with eight wickets and 14 balls in the bank. Finalists last season, that was Sylhet’s fifth loss in a row. Either side of losing to Chattogram, they also suffered heavy defeats to Comilla Victorians and Barishal.The injured Mashrafe Mortaza might have been part of the reason for Sylhet’s poor run, as he played for and captained the side despite not bowling regularly. Mashrafe has since decided to take a break from the tournament to focus on his political work. He had earlier admitted that it was “not ideal” that he was still in the side.The change of venue from Mirpur in the first week to Sylhet in the second might have been a factor in there being a majority of wins for sides batting first – all eight games in Mirpur were won by the chasing side – as dew apparently became less of an issue at the picturesque Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.Babar Azam has two half-centuries in the BPL so far this season•Raton Gomes/BCBMeanwhile, there was a nagging off-field debate surrounding Barishal’s Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik. In the previous week, Barishal owner Mizanur Rahman wasn’t pleased with Malik bowling as many as three no-balls in an over against Khulna, claiming “that’s where we lost that match”, as Khulna chased down 188 rather comfortably.Soon after, on January 26, Mailk abruptly left the BPL after playing only three games, although as per Mizanur, Malik’s contract ran “till February 14”. That led to rumours about a rift within the team, though Malik later said that it was not the case.Batter of the weekRangpur’s Babar Azam struck his second fifty of this season’s BPL when he made 62 off 46 balls in a match-winning effort against Dhaka. He followed it up with a better-than-a-run-a-ball 37 against Comilla, again Rangpur’s highest score in their eight-run win.While Babar doesn’t entirely dominate bowling attacks with a flurry of boundaries, he remains steady while building crucial partnerships. For instance, against Dhaka he added 50 with Nurul Hasan after Rangpur had lost two wickets in the powerplay, before having a union of 55 for the second wicket with Fazle Mahmud against Comilla.Bowler of the weekSomeone in the top six of the all-time ODI bowling averages with a minimum of 50 wickets slipped into the BPL without notice. Bilal Khan hails from Oman – he is one of their stars. And the left-arm quick has been effective for Chattogram too, picking up eight wickets at 18.25 to currently top the bowling charts in the BPL. That included a haul of 3 of 24 against Sylhet, for which he was given the Player-of-the-Match award.

Batter grabbed opportunity after years on England sidelines, with Bangladesh campaign looming

Andrew Miller25-Apr-2024Maia Bouchier says her goal for the 2024 summer is to cement her new-found status at the top of England’s batting order, as the countdown begins for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September.Bouchier, 25, enjoyed a breakthrough winter on England’s recent tour of New Zealand, where she capitalised on the late arrival of several senior players from the Women’s Premier League in India, including the incumbent opener Danni Wyatt and senior batter Nat Sciver-Brunt, to make a strong case for a permanent role.Having previously batted exclusively in the middle-order in her limited opportunities over the previous two years, Bouchier was first promoted to open during Sri Lanka’s visit last summer, where she complemented Sciver-Brunt’s century in the third ODI in Leicester with a career-best 95 from 65 balls.But given England’s main focus for the year, it was Bouchier’s performance in March, in the 4-1 series win in the T20Is against New Zealand, that truly stood out. She batted at No.3 in the first three matches, making scores of 43 not out, 12 and 71, then a series-sealing 91 from 56 balls after being promoted to open for the fourth match.”I’ve been waiting for that moment,” Bouchier told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s been great, I’ve really enjoyed my cricket and putting in some performances for England. Going into this summer, I’ll do as much as I can to grab every opportunity and keep that spot now.”Bouchier’s form was the culmination of a settled run in the side, one that had been promised to her last summer by England’s head coach, Jon Lewis, when she was picked ahead of the veteran Tammy Beaumont despite the latter’s impressive form in the Hundred. The reason Lewis gave at the time was that Bouchier “had been carried around the world”, but her total of 13 innings in 19 T20Is since her debut in 2021 meant she hadn’t been given a chance to prove her worth.Maia Bouchier made a strong impression on England’s tour of New Zealand•Getty ImagesShe’s done that now, outshining both the returning Beaumont and the struggling Sophia Dunkley in New Zealand, to the extent that she is now ready to stake a claim to be a first-choice opener for the World Cup – a point reiterated last week by her captain Heather Knight, when she praised Bouchier’s form in New Zealand while acknowledging that England “haven’t quite nailed” their opening partnership yet.”It was all about being patient for that moment,” Bouchier said. “[Lewis] talked about giving me a little run-in, to make sure I wasn’t thinking that everything was riding on one opportunity.”I guess I had to do those tough years to get to that point, but playing in those [lower-order] positions meant I had to be able to adapt quickly, so that has only helped me going up to the top of the order. I can’t really regret any of it. I’ll always take that as much as I can.”Related

England Women turn to AI to aid borderline team selections

Durham, Essex big winners as top-flight women's teams are named

Knight challenges England players and hopefuls to 'dominate' regional games

Bouchier's 91 powers England to series-clinching victory

England’s summer comprises home series against Pakistan in May and New Zealand in June-July ahead of the Hundred, where Bouchier will once again be playing for the defending champions, Southern Brave. And while the swift transition to Bangladesh’s pitches will be a tough one for England, she’s confident that the batting unit has shored up its game against spin – a notable shortcoming last year, both in the Ashes, as well as the shock T20I series loss to Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh is going to be difficult, and spin is always a talking point, but really it comes down to the game situation and the ball in hand at that moment,” Bouchier said. “Everyone has been working on playing to their strengths against spin, whether it’s reverse-sweeping or long sweeps to the other side of the pitch. We’ll just being looking to put the pressure back on the bowlers as much as we can.”Bouchier was speaking at the launch of the MCC Foundation Hubs tournament in Leyton, a competition that involves more than 100 girls’ and boys’ teams playing for the chance to appear in a Lord’s final.The programme has already reached more than 20,000 state school children since its launch in 2012, and recently received a £1million funding boost from MCC and the ECB. With 126 hubs already in existence, the aim is to reach the 150th location by next year.On the girls’ front alone, the scheme has seen a 53% increase in participation over the past year, and in the week that the ECB announced the eight counties to have been granted Tier 1 status for the new national women’s competition from 2025, Bouchier said that trend reflected the huge growth in interest she had witnessed in the course of her own career.”It’s amazing,” she said. “I was playing for Middlesex when I was 16, and there wasn’t an England development pathway or a county set-up. I’m super lucky and super privileged to have been driven all round London by my parents, who funded everything for me. Without that I would have fallen out of the game.”I also I knew a lot of talented but under-privileged players who just didn’t have anywhere to go. This foundation is there for kids and teenagers in that range, who don’t know whether they want to play, but they’re really interested in getting involved. It gives them access and brings the community together as well, which is exactly what you want.”

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has put the brakes on discussions regarding a contract extension, sparking growing uncertainty about his long-term future in the Spanish capital. The Brazilian has less than two years remaining on his current deal, and at this stage, his representatives have decided to step away from the negotiating table entirely, at least for the foreseeable future.

Vini has a contract with Real until 2027 The forward wants to be among the highest-paid playersHas turned down a proposal close to €20m Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Vinicius is frustrated with the unfounded assumptions that an agreement was imminent and is now signalling that the matter is not even up for discussion right now. He believes his contributions warrant a much higher figure and has stated that accepting the €20 million (£17.5m/$23m) annual salary proposal would not be in line with his market value, as revealed by journalist Toño García during a segment on

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Sources close to Vinicius say he is looking to earn over €25m (£22m/$29m) net per season. His stance is not based on internal comparisons with teammates, especially with Kylian Mbappe, but rather a reflection of what he believes his status and impact deserve. He is not seeking special treatment but simply wishes to be compensated fairly for his role as one of the club’s most important players.   

DID YOU KNOW?

In anticipation of a possible departure, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is already laying the groundwork for a contingency plan. According to , Perez has set his sights on Manchester City star Erling Haaland as the ideal replacement should Vinicius depart. He dreams of a formidable frontline featuring Haaland alongside another Galactico, Mbappe. While signing the Norwegian striker would require a massive outlay, Madrid’s leadership sees it as a necessary move if they lose one of their most marketable and effective players. 

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR VINICIUS AND REAL MADRID?

Any chance of a contract breakthrough appears unlikely soon. Both sides have reportedly agreed to pause negotiations entirely until at least 2026. While there is optimism that the situation could be revisited more productively in the future, a significant gap remains between the club’s offer and Vinicius' expectations. For now, he remains a central figure in Madrid’s plans, but with tension bubbling beneath the surface, the coming season will be decisive.   

Victoria received special extension from Cricket Australia on Pucovski’s contract as his playing future is to be decided by a medical panel in coming weeks

Alex Malcolm03-May-2024A decision on Will Pucovski’s playing future has been delayed with Victoria receiving a special exemption from Cricket Australia (CA) on his state contract after his assessment with a medical panel was pushed back due to the fact he had suffered extended symptoms from his latest concussion in March.Cricket Victoria (CV) finally released their contract list on Friday after weeks of delays, which included new signing Josh Brown from Queensland, but Pucovski’s name has an asterisk next to it. The 26-year-old came out of contract last season and his playing future is yet to be determined due to his latest concussion.Victoria has offered Pucovski a contract for 2024-25 but has received an exemption from CA to withhold committing to that contract until after he has been assessed by a joint medical panel which will comprise CV, CA and independent medical experts. The panel is being convened to assess his situation and map out his future due to the alarming number of concussions he has had in his career so far. The assessment with the panel has been delayed because Pucovski was still suffering concussion symptoms six weeks on from his latest hit in March, although those symptoms are understood to have finally eased.Related

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Pucovski was hit in the head in his last Sheffield Shield match on March 3 when he ducked into a bouncer from Riley Meredith in Victoria’s clash with Tasmania in Hobart. That blow ended his Australian domestic season and saw him withdraw from his county championship stint with Leicestershire.It is understood Pucovski’s symptoms have improved in recent weeks but there has been serious concern over how long the symptoms lasted after the blow in March. He could not convene with the panel until his symptoms had fully subsided. That is now likely to happen in the coming weeks and a decision on his future will be made after that.Victoria’s general manager of cricket performance Graham Manou confirmed that Pucovski would be offered a contract but that it was contingent on medical advice.”Understandably there will be a lot of interest in Will Pucovski and what the future holds,” Manou said. “The most important part of this process is Will, and his health and wellbeing. Cricket Victoria is working closely with Cricket Australia and the expert medical panel that is due to meet soon to review Will’s history. We’ll take the advice from that panel on the appropriate way forward this season.”If Pucovski cannot continue playing it is understood there will be significant injury compensation for him and support services available via CV and CA but he will not be formally contracted within Victoria’s domestic salary cap.There were hopes earlier this year that Pucovski might be returning to his best form after scoring a century against New South Wales at the SCG, re-igniting the possibility of adding to his lone Test appearance. There was optimism from Pucovski too that he had a better understanding of how his concussions and mental-health issues were linked.”I sort of link the mental-health stuff back to my first concussion…which was when I was about 15 or 16,” Pucovski had told the in February. “I have a lot of concussion symptoms that over a seven or eight year period, actually never subsided.”You just sort of got used to having them in a way. The brain’s pretty amazing and can find ways to adapt. I would fail concussion tests in the exact same way every single time, regardless of whether I had been hit in the head, and that was over a seven or eight year period.”The mental health has been a much bigger issue for me than even the concussions.”I don’t fear for my long-term health, it’s more the mental-health side that’s been the tougher part.”One day I’ll be ready to tell my whole story and it will probably make a lot more sense. I’ve explained what I’ve been through to my inner circle of people and actually all the responses I’ve got have been like ‘Jesus, I would never have guessed that in a million years, that doesn’t even make sense to me’.”It hasn’t made sense to me for years, either, but I’ve been on this pathway to understand it all.”BBL star Josh Brown has been contracted to play for Victoria in the Marsh Cup•Getty ImagesVictoria’s contract list featured some new faces after some recent departures. Nic Maddinson has headed back to NSW for family reasons while Shield-winning captain Travis Dean has not been offered a contract after his place in the side last season. Legspinner Wil Parker has also lost his contract.That has opened the door for Brown to be included after he recently signed with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. Brown will add some dynamism to Victoria’s Marsh Cup side after making his first appearance in List A cricket for Queensland late last season following his stunning finish to the BBL.Victoria have also added Australia Under-19 World Cup winner Harry Dixon onto the rookie list. Dixon was close to earning a contract last year after his excellent performances at Under-19 level. Fellow left-hander Dylan Brasher has been given a full contract after making 79 not out against Pakistan in a tour match last year and producing strong performances at Second XI level for Victoria and an excellent Premier Cricket season for his club side Footscray.Victoria were frustrated to lose young quick Brody Couch to Western Australia after offering him a contract.Victorian contract list 2024-2025: Liam Blackford, Scott Boland (CA contract), Dylan Brasher, Josh Brown, Ashley Chandrasinghe, Xavier Crone, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell (CA), Cameron McClure, Jono Merlo, Todd Murphy (CA), Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Will Pucovski (pending medical advice), Tom Rogers, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Douglas Warren

RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko has chosen Manchester United over Newcastle and talks are now advancing with the Red Devils.

Man Utd and Newcastle both bid for SeskoStriker wants Red Devils moveTransfer talks now advancingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Sesko has opted for Manchester United over Newcastle and all parties are now aware of his transfer preference, according to The Athletic. The Red Devils are now stepping up their efforts to land the striker and are thought to be closing in on an agreement with the Bundesliga side. United made an initial bid of €75 million (£65m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in add-ons for the 22-year-old, which was around €5m less than Newcastle's proposal. However, reported on Wednesday morning that United have increased their offer to €80m as a fixed fee plus add-ons, with Sesko now waiting for the green light to head to Old Trafford.

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According to , Sesko has reached a full agreement with United on personal terms for a contract until 2030, and now looks set to become another big-money attacking signing for the Red Devils, following Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha's arrivals at Old Trafford. The striker scored 21 goals for Leipzig in all competitions last season and Ruben Amorim will be hoping he can add some much-needed firepower to his attack. For Newcastle, it's another blow during what has been a disastrous summer. They are set to miss out on Sesko, having already failed to land top targets such as Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, Mbeumo and Liam Depay, while top scorer Alexander Isak is wanted by Liverpool.

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Manchester United have watched Sesko for some time. He first caught the eye of the club in 2019 at the tender age of 16 when he played for NK Domzale in Slovenia. The Red Devils also kept tabs on Sesko during the 2022-23 season while playing for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

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Manchester United play a final pre-season friendly against David De Gea's Fiorentina on Saturday before kicking off their Premier League campaign with a blockbuster clash against Arsenal. Amorim will hope that Sesko is officially drafted in as a United player by the time that fixture rolls around on August 17.