Devon Conway climbs 46 spots to No. 17 in the batting rankings after his 99 not out against Australia
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2021New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner have moved up to No. 6 and No. 7 in the T20I bowling rankings after their performances in the first two T20Is against Australia.Southee produced impressive figures of 3-0-10-2 in the first T20I to help New Zealand restrict Australia to 131 in a chase of 185, and Santner claimed 4 for 31 in the second match – a game in which Australia almost scripted a heist, going from 113 for 6 in 13 overs to 215 for 8, ending five runs short of their target.There were no other changes in the top ten in the latest rankings, but a number of others made gains outside the elite group of performers. Devon Conway was the biggest gainer, climbing 46 spots to No. 17 in the batting rankings after his unbeaten 99 in the first T20I. Martin Guptill, who made 97 off 50 in the second game, moved up three spots to No. 11.Australia’s big-hitting allrounder Marcus Stoinis also made a big leap on the table after smacking 78 off 37 in the second game to almost snatch it from New Zealand’s grasp, but remained outside the top 100 – he moved up 77 places to 110.The rankings were released before Australia’s big win in the third T20I on Wednesday, which kept the five-match series alive. The final two matches will be played in Wellington over the weekend.
A Manchester United-themed cafe near Old Trafford temporarily closed down after a rat infestation was discovered on the premises.
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The United Cafe voluntarily closed downHanded a zero-star hygiene ratingPopular spot for match-going fansFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The United Cafe, located just a few hundred yards from Old Trafford, voluntarily closed its doors after rats were discovered, according to the . The cafe received a zero-star hygiene rating when an inspection was carried out in August.
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The cafe is a popular spot for match-going fans, but they had to go elsewhere while it was temporarily closed. Following the inspection, which included an examination of the cleaning procedures and hazard analysis, a report read: "Visit due to issues with rat activity in the area. Premises closed voluntarily due to rat infestation."
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A deep clean and proofing work was required before the cafe was allowed to reopen. The same measures applied to a venue next door called Legends, which also closed due to the infestation.
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New United coach Ruben Amorim has his own issues to address as he attempts to revive a team currently 13th in the Premier League. The Portuguese coach will take charge of the Red Devils for the first time in Sunday's game at Ipswich Town.
The return of the Premier League is less than three weeks away, and while they still had a good campaign last season, Arsenal will be desperate to go one better in 2024/25.
Last year, Mikel Arteta's side produced the best defence in the league but scored five goals fewer than Manchester City, which saw them miss out on the title by just two points on the final day.
With the defence already strengthened following the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, Edu Gaspar and Co can now switch their focus to the attack.
Based on recent reports, that appears to be happening, as the latest name touted for a move to the club is an incredible goalscorer and someone who'd help make Martin Odegaard unplayable.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have rekindled their interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen
In recent weeks, it had been widely reported that the Nigerian superstar was set to join French giants Paris Saint-Germain once negotiations between the two clubs were completed. However, according to this report, that deal is now dead and very much off the table following the Parisians' refusal to pay the striker's €130m release clause, which is about £109m.
As a result, other clubs, including Arsenal, have re-entered the frame, with Football Transfers claiming that the Gunners have returned to Napoli to reopen talks over a potential move.
If the North Londoners were to pay his full release clause, it would be a record-breaking transfer, but based on his performances over the last couple of seasons, he's likely worth it – he could also make Odegaard one of the best midfielders in the world.
Why Osimhen would make Odegaard unplayable
So, while there may be several reasons why Osimhen would help Odegaard truly assert himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, there is one leading and overriding reason: his incredible output.
The Arsenal captain has proven he's a brilliant leader, technician and even goalscorer over the last few seasons. However, had he been playing alongside a genuinely clinical striker since joining the club, his tally of 25 assists in 153 appearances would be significantly higher.
According to Understat, the Norwegian international has consistently fallen short of his expected assists in the league by at least 1.50 every year for the past three seasons. This underscores the fact that his teammates are not converting the chances he creates as frequently as they should.
This is where the "world-class" Nigerian, as dubbed by managerial icon José Mourinho, would come into play, as in his 133 appearances for Napoli, he has scored 76 goals, equating to a goal every 1.75 games.
Moreover, over the last season, he has comfortably outperformed Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, racking up 57 goal involvements to the German's 31 and the Brazilian's 34.
Appearances
39
47
33
Goals
31
9
11
Assists
5
1
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.92
0.21
0.54
Appearances
32
51
36
Goals
17
14
8
Assists
4
7
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.65
0.38
0.44
Ultimately, while he's likely going to cost a king's ransom, Osimhen has proven himself to be one of the best goalscorers in world football, and with him playing in front of the mercurial Odegaard next season, the Gunners could end up outscoring everyone in the league, with the Norwegian racking up the most assists.
Therefore, Edu and Co should do whatever they can to ensure the Napoli star makes his way to N5 in the coming weeks.
Arsenal target £147kp/w "artist" who's the perfect Smith Rowe upgrade
The experiences international would be an excellent addition to the Gunners’ squad.
ESPNcricinfo understands that Steyn has pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons
Nagraj Gollapudi02-Mar-2024Former New Zealand allrounder James Franklin will replace Dale Steyn as the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Steyn, who was appointed in the role by Sunrisers in 2022, has pulled out for personal reasons.For Franklin, who played for Mumbai Indians in 2011 and 2012, this will be his first coaching stint at the IPL. At Sunrisers, Franklin, a former left-arm seam-bowling allrounder, will link up with Daniel Vettori, who was appointed as the head coach by the franchise after the 2023 season. The pair has previously worked together at both Middlesex (county cricket) as well as Birmingham Phoenix (the Hundred). Franklin had also served as a head coach at Durham, and currently is at the PSL as an assistant coach at Islamabad United.Related
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Sunrisers have a host of quicks in their ranks including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jaydev Unadkat and the uncapped Indian Akash Singh. The spinners’ lot include Wanindu Hasaranga, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed.Vettori and Franklin will be confronted with a stiff challenge considering Sunrisers had finished eighth in 2022 and slid further to tenth last year. One key contributing factor for the team’s regression has been the frequent change in leadership. Former Australia allrounder Tom Moody was replaced last year by former West Indies captain Brian Lara, who was dropped after just one season.Heading into the 2023 player auction, Sunrisers released one of their most senior players in Kane Williamson, who had led the franchise since David Warner was released in 2021. Williamson played for Sunrisers for eight seasons, including the title-winning run in 2016 and was retained in 2022 as their most expensive player. Since last season, South Africa batter Aiden Markram has held the captaincy.
Having lost Amadou Onana to Aston Villa earlier this summer, Everton were reportedly positioning themselves to sign a replacement who has starred at the Olympics, before suffering a major blow in their pursuit.
Everton transfer news
To their credit, even without a solution to their ownership troubles, Everton have spent well this summer. The Toffees have welcomed the likes of Iliman Ndiaye, Jesper Lindstrom and, most recently, Jake O'Brien in a move to hand Jarrad Branthwaite an ideal defensive partner for the long-term future. The former Lyon centre-back impressed in Ligue 1, earning a Premier League switch as a result.
The 23-year-old told Everton's official website after putting pen to paper: "I’m buzzing and so happy to have signed for Everton. I've been dreaming of this kind of move in the Premier League, with such a historic club. It's a very exciting move for me.
“Everton is a huge club with a lot of history behind it and there's a big future as well. When the transfer window opened there were other clubs in for me but there was only one club I wanted to go to – it was Everton. They’ve shown the faith in me so now it's my turn to show why on the pitch.”
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The Toffees could finally get their man…
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The Toffees didn't seem to be done there, either. According to L'Equipe, Everton were positioning themselves to sign Amir Richardson from Stade Reims this summer, having shown interest in the central midfielder earlier in the window.
Standing at 6 foot 5, Everton weren't the only club interested in Richardson, and a fresh report from Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that Serie A giants Fiorentina have won the race for the midfielder's signature in a frustrating blow for the Toffees.
"Complete" Richardson could have replaced Onana
By signing Richardson, Everton wouldn't have just been replacing Onana, but they'd also have received a player who would be more than capable of providing Sean Dyche's side with an attacking boost.
Amadou Onana for Everton
Not just someone who can screen the back four, Richardson is a box-crashing midfielder and a "complete player" as described by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Still just 22 years old, the Morroco international has had quite the summer of football too, helping his nation reach the bronze medal match at the Olympics and scoring in a 3-0 win against Iraq earlier in the tournament, but Everton's search for an Onana replacement goes on.
Mikel Arteta's side moved to within six points of leaders Liverpool in the Premier League with a thumping win at the London Stadium
Arsenal completed a superb week with an impressive 5-2 success at West Ham on Saturday evening, making it three wins and 13 goals in the space of just seven days for Mikel Arteta's rejuvenated side.
A crazy first half at the London Stadium saw seven goals fly in before half-time for only the fourth time in Premier League history, with the visitors racing into a commanding early lead thanks to a glancing header from Gabriel and a close-range finish from Leandro Trossard.
Bukayo Saka, who had set up both Arsenal goals, then won a penalty which Martin Odegaard converted before Kai Havertz raced away to add a fourth, all inside 34 minutes.
But West Ham then struck twice in two minutes to halve the deficit, first through Aaron Wan-Bissaka and then through a superb free-kick from Emerson, which flew past David Raya and in off the bar.
The comeback didn't last long, however, with Saka slotting home a penalty just before the interval after Lukasz Fabianski had been penalised for punching Gabriel in the head as he had challenged for a corner.
There was no repeat of all the drama in the second half as Arsenal eased off the gas with the three points already secured. Substitute Raheem Sterling went closest to extending the visitors' advantage, but his late free-kick drifted just past the post.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the London Stadium…
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence
David Raya (7/10):
Could do nothing with the West Ham goals. Did everything else that he needed to in impressive fashion.
Jurrien Timber (7/10):
Another strong performance down the right. Got forward to support the attack well. Made some excellent blocks.
William Saliba (7/10):
Strong as always. Handled the physical battle with Antonio well.
Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10):
An eventful 45 minutes. Scored a goal and won a penalty when Fabianski punched him in the head. Replaced at half-time, possibly because of the thump from the West Ham keeper.
Riccardo Calafiori (6/10):
Got caught a bit square for Wan-Bissaka's goal. Decent display aside from that before being replaced by Zinchenko.
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Jorginho (7/10):
Solid. Brought in for the injured Partey and performed well.
Declan Rice (7/10):
Finding his best form again. Was all over the pitch, always involved. Harshly penalised for the free-kick that led to West Ham's second goal.
Martin Odegaard (8/10):
Superb. His lobbed pass in the build up to Trossard's goal was worth the entrance fee alone and bagged the goal his performance deserved from the penalty spot.
Getty Images SportAttack
Bukayo Saka (9/10):
Another stand out game for the Arsenal winger. Two more assists, a goal and won a penalty. Tormented West Ham all night.
Kai Havertz (7/10):
Really composed finish to make it 4-0. Excellent play in the build up to Saka winning a penalty in the first half as well.
Leandro Trossard (8/10):
His return to form continues. On the scoresheet for the second game running and produced a wonderful pass to set up Havertz for his goal. Did get caught out for Wan-Bissaka's goal, though.
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Jakub Kiwior (6/10):
On at half-time to replace Gabriel and had a comfortable 45 minutes work.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (7/10):
Got himself involved having come on for Calafiori. Lively.
Gabriel Jesus (6/10):
Went close with one effort late on that hit the side netting.
Raheem Sterling (6/10):
Sent a free-kick just wide.
Ethan Nwaneri (N/A):
On for the last few minutes.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
Another convincing win for the Arsenal boss, although he will be a bit disappointed that his side conceded twice.
Lionel Messi has revealed that he believes he "belongs in Barcelona" but will not be returning to the club for the club's anniversary celebrations.
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Messi opens up on Barcelona longing Inter Miami suffered play-off heartbreakUnable to attend anniversary celebrationsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Messi has revealed that he and his family dream of one day returning to Camp Nou, but he has been unable to accept the club's invite to their 125th anniversary celebrations. According to , the World Cup winner has "unavoidable commitments" on November 29 and will be unable to fly to Spain.
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Messi tasted play-off heartbreak with Inter Miami this season, as the MLS club lost 3-2 to Atlanta United in Round One of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Whether Barca would be able to finance an actual deal to sign Messi remains to be seen, given that the prospect of financial meltdown remains very real.
WHAT MESSI SAID
Messi told : "We had to leave the city and Catalonia, but my children are Catalan and I have lived there all my life. I feel like I belong to Barcelona, in our mind [we are] always going to live there again in the future. My children, my wife and I miss life in Barcelona, we left a lot of things there."
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Messi will have to lick his wounds after Inter's play-off defeat. He could next be in action when Argentina play Uruguay in March.
With the opening day of the Premier League season just over a week away, Leicester City are reportedly set to make an official offer in an attempt to sign a player who knows all about England's top flight.
Leicester transfer news
Whilst they haven't been able to splash the cash so far this summer, Leicester have still managed to welcome a number of reinforcements. The likes of Issahaku Fatawu, Caleb Okoli, Michael Golding and Bobby De Cordova-Reid have all arrived to hand Steve Cooper's side a boost as they look to simultaneously complete their business and avoid crossing the profit and sustainability line.
That said, the Foxes could still make at least one statement-signing before the window slams shut at the end of the month in what could yet strengthen Cooper's new side enough to avoid relegation at the first time of asking.
According to De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, Leicester are set to make an official offer to sign Steven Bergwijn from Ajax in a deal that could be worth close to €20m (£17m). Those at the King Power are reportedly unwilling to go above that price, however, in what could yet make negotiations difficult to sign the winger, who earns £75k-a-week in the Eredivisie.
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Of course, Bergwijn is already a familiar name with Premier League fans, having previously played for Tottenham Hotspur from 2020 to the summer of 2022. It was in that time that the King Power became all too aware of the Netherlands international's quality, as he netted a dramatic brace to seal a 3-2 victory over Leicester.
If the winger does seal a move to the Foxes this summer, then it's fair to say that he'll have quite the making up to do.
"Great" Bergwijn would be an impressive coup
Whilst he was only able to show glimpses of his best form during his time at Spurs, Bergwijn may now have the opportunity to prove himself once and for all in the Premier League, courtesy of Leicester. For £17m, he would have to hit the ground running, however, as last season's stats showed he is more than capable of – scoring 13 goals and assisting a further five in all competitions.
Tottenham Hotspur's Steven Bergwijn celebrates
Earning the praise of former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho after scoring a debut winner against Manchester City, the current Fenerbahce manager said via TNT Sports: "The goal was a great goal and so important for us. (It was) the icing on the cake of a very good performance. Independent of the goal his performance was very good, very solid, very mature."
Now an experienced player at 26 years old, Bergwijn could get the opportunity to become the main man at Leicester this summer.
The fast bowler sustained the injury during the second T20I, where he was unable to finish his spell
Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Mar-2024Sri Lanka slinger Matheesha Pathirana is unavailable for the third T20I against Bangladesh on Saturday, after having sustained a grade one hamstring injury on his left leg during the previous match.Pathirana was seen clutching his left hamstring as he attempted to finish his fourth over, but was ultimately unable to close out his final spell, leaving Angelo Mathews to deliver the last two balls.Related
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By a distance Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, as he breached 150kph on occasion, Pathirana had had a mixed series. He had leaked 56 runs in his four overs in the first T20I, but took 2 for 28 from 3.4 overs in the second. Sri Lanka have looked to use him largely at the death.Sri Lanka do have what is as close to a like-for-like replacement for Pathirana as possible in their squad. Nuwan Thushara also bowls with a round-arm action, though he is not as quick as Pathirana. The other specialist seamers in the squad are left-armers Binura Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.The series is tied 1-1 as the teams go into the final T20I in Sylhet, on Saturday.Pathirana is also Chennai Super Kings’ designated death bowler in the IPL, which begins on March 22 in Chennai.
Captain MS Dhoni says the “players have taken more responsibility” this season
ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-20214:14
Stephen Fleming: We were really sure about what style we were going to play this year
A “change in attitude” in dealing with the various challenges posed by playing during a pandemic has resulted in a change in fortunes for the Chennai Super Kings, according to captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming.Six months ago, the Super Kings left the UAE having endured their worst-ever showing at the IPL, not making the playoffs for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 2008. Now, they are back on a familiar perch, top of the points table six games into IPL 2021, having completed another convincing victory, this time against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.Speaking at the post-match presentation in Delhi, Dhoni elaborated. “One of the facts was, five to six months we were out of cricket [before IPL 2020]. Nothing was really allowed. It was not like you could go and practice on your own, that also makes it slightly more difficult. Then the change of venue [from India to the UAE], and you know quarantine, it was a slightly longer quarantine, people were not used to it. There were quite a few factors that could have resulted in that [poor showing].Related
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“But overall, I think to really sum it up nicely, the players have taken more responsibility this year – you will be facing adverse things but ultimately it boils down to how each and every individual rises to the occasion and does that 10% extra for the team.”At the post-match press conference, Fleming spoke on similar lines. “It was tough in the UAE. We had a pretty bad run. A lot of things went against us, which we didn’t make too much of at the time. We got a pretty big knock at the start of the tournament for a number of reasons, but [during] the last part of the tournament we were really comfortable. We made some changes around our attitude towards what we were doing, and then we were really sure [of] what style we wanted to play going into this year’s IPL.”The Super Kings had a rocky start to IPL 2020, with more than ten of their contingent testing positive for Covid-19, and their batting mainstay over several seasons Suresh Raina returning home for personal reasons before the tournament began. While nothing more on the matter has been officially revealed, it is understood that he had told the team management that he had issues with staying in the bio-secure bubble.
“We needed to play a faster game, we needed to keep evolving if we were not in Chennai. And that’s what we are trying to do”Stephen Fleming
The Super Kings subsequently did not seem to be able to fix on a playing XI in the early part of the season, fielding 17 players across the first six matches and winning only two in that period. Eventually, they would go on to play 20 players across the season. By comparison, this year they have fielded 13 players in the first six games – with nine playing in all the matches so far – and have won five of these.Both Dhoni and Fleming admitted this clarity over the XI was a plus. “Whenever you start a tournament, you may or may not face some kind of issue with the playing XI,” Dhoni said. “If there are a few issues, the earlier you settle it, the better it is, because it gives some sort of a settled view to the team-mates.””The challenge we had – and most franchises had – was that we weren’t sure where we were going to play,” Fleming said and added the team worked towards correcting this in the latter part of the 2020 season, with an eye on IPL 2021. “We worked really hard on that in Dubai. It wasn’t that we just ran the season out, we made sure we made the most of every opportunity we had. We finished that well. To be honest, we were only one, maybe two, games away from getting through [to the qualifiers]. So it wasn’t actually a disaster – the finish was really good.”So we took a lot out of that, and in the off season we just looked at players that could fit and do a job – not just in Chennai but in conditions that were still a bit foreign. We needed to play a faster game, we needed to keep evolving if we were not in Chennai. And that’s what we are trying to do; we are not the finished product by any means, but we’re playing well at the moment.”That said, Dhoni had a special word of praise for the players who have not got their chance yet. “For the last 8-10 years we’ve not really changed a lot of players in our squad, and also we appreciate the ones who are not playing a lot,” he said. “Keeping the dressing-room atmosphere healthy is very important. I think the individuals, we need to credit them, because those are the persons who need to [not take sitting out personally and] really digest it, because it’s not an easy thing – when you are at the top level you want to play. I feel we need to give extra credit to the players who have not played so far.”