Category Uncategorized

England’s quest for being double world champions ended in a whimper after batting implosion

The Report by Shashank Kishore25-Nov-2018Australia have never lost to England in a women’s cup final, and that record will now stay at least till the next world event in 2020. Meg Lanning’s side romped to their fourth World T20 crown with an eight-wicket vanquishing of England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.As was the case four years ago in Bangladesh – when the sides last met in a World T20 final – England limped to 105. And remarkably, both times, Australia knocked off the runs in 15.1 overs – albeit this time, it was on a slow surface. Heavy dew negated England’s spin threat and run scoring was not really a bother.Alyssa Healy somewhat made up for multiple lapses behind the stumps to set the tone for the chase with a 20-ball 22, including 12 off Anya Shrubsole’s first over. She finished the tournament as the leading run-getter; her 225 runs came in one innings fewer than the next best. This also made her the undisputed choice for Player of the Tournament.In many ways, Healy’s career-turnaround came in 2014 in Bangladesh, where Australia last won the World T20. Still a rookie, far from assured of her place in the XI, it was her bristling knock at No. 7 in a tense semi-final chase against West Indies that put Australia in the final in the first place. Here in the West Indies, four years on, she stamped her authority to emerge as one of the undisputedly feared ball-strikers in the women’s game.Any chance England had of applying pressure on Australia lay in the Powerplay. But they ended up conceding 37 in exchange for just Healy’s wicket. Ashleigh Gardner and Meg Lanning then built on the early tempo to seal the deal. Australia’s batting, in many ways, masked their fielding lapses that may have proved costly on another night – they let go as many as five catches.Megan Schutt is ecstatic after dismissing Tammy Beaumont•ICC/GettyYet, that they found a way to still restrict England was largely due to the efforts of 19-year-old legspinner Georgia Wareham. Having begun senior cricket in men’s Division Three as a high-school student, she graduated to the WBBL, playing for Melbourne Renegades. All the early experience was put to use under pressure after Danielle Wyatt began briskly early in the innings. She would top score with 43.Wareham’s first touch in the final was a direct hit from mid-on to fell the in-form Amy Jones in the fifth over. Moving to her right quickly from mid-on, she swooped in and nailed a flat hit at the bowler’s end to offset two missed chances by Australia – first by Rachel Haynes at point and then by Healy – to reprieve Wyatt.She nailed two further blows and was on a hat-trick in the 13th over, having dismissed Lauren Winfield and Sophia Dunkley. Winfield was beaten by a flipper that crashed into the pad before hitting the bat; the wicket was triggered by Lanning’s late decision to review an lbw decision. Off the next delivery, Dunkley was beaten by drift as the ball spun away to sneak through the gap between bat and pad to hit the stumps. This double-wicket burst came in the same over when Healy missed a stumping chance.Heather Knight waged a lone battle, batting through pockets of resistance, but couldn’t get the final kick in the face of some superb death bowling by Australia. Her attempt to go over the top after plodding through a majority of her 28-ball stay that fetched 25 resulted in a chip to mid-off, to give Gardner her second wicket. She would finish with figures of 3 for 22.That wouldn’t be Gardner’s only contribution of the night. Still needing to dig in to ensure Healy’s quick start wouldn’t go to waste, Gardner rotated strike early and kept the scoreboard ticking. This gave the slightly rusty Meg Lanning, who hadn’t yet hit top gear, time to play herself in.With Australia needing 36, Gardner finally cut loose by walloping Knight’s full toss for six. Then, she took the attack to Kirstie Gordon by hitting her for two maximums in the next over – getting to the pitch on both occasions to negate any bite off the pitch. A savage blow came off Shrubsole, the hero of last year’s World Cup final, to level the score, before Lanning finished it off with a bunt into the off side to give Australia their fourth T20 title in five editions. The title was a shiny silver lining in what has been a tough cricketing year for Australia overall.

ScorecardJack Leach looked every bit an England player as he bowled unchanged from the River End for the entirety of the final day at Taunton, 32 overs in all, for career-best figures of 8 for 85. He beat the bat time after time; his voice must have waned after going up for appeal after appeal. He was Somerset’s match-winner, and he had a bullish air about him.It seemed a far cry from the analysis of Chris Rogers, Somerset’s then captain, who suggested in 2016 that “emotionally he still has a bit of a way to go” when asked about Leach’s England prospects. “He is still a young guy, he has only ever been in Somerset and the challenges in international cricket are a lot more difficult,” Rogers said. “If they pick him then good luck to him but they’d better look after him.”Then, resembling a follicly challenged IT technician, Leach would celebrate his wickets as though he had surprised even himself by getting a Championship batsman out. He was a superb county spinner, no doubt, but it was hard to imagine him being anything more.”Looking back,” Leach has said of Rogers’ comments, “he was spot on”.Two of his wickets in Somerset’s hard-fought victory over Essex stuck out as crucial. On the stroke of lunch, after accounting for the dogged Nick Browne earlier in the morning, his arm ball shot through Dan Lawrence’s defences to knock back off stump. Leach celebrated with a roar, but with only 111 needed and six wickets in hand, Essex were still in pole position.Then, after the interval, he beat Ryan ten Doeschate once, twice, and a third time for good measure, but could not end his resistance. The Essex captain raised his bat for a second fifty of the game, and he looked primed for a match-winning contribution. Instead, Leach straightened one past his outside edge and into the stumps, and Somerset were halfway there.Ravi Bopara was the next to go, bowled chopping a wide one on to his off stump, before Adam Wheater, Peter Siddle, and Jamie Porter followed. Leach had eight, and the best figures in Division One this season.Things do not tend to come easily for Leach. After his remarkable form in the 2016 run-in, his action came under scrutiny at Loughborough, and he spent the winter undergoing remedial work. After impressing on Test debut in New Zealand, he missed out this summer by breaking his thumb the day before Ed Smith’s first squad was announced. After being told he needed bowl more overs to press his case for the India series, he suffered a concussion against Surrey, ruling him out of Somerset’s next game.He has admitted he found his non-selection for the ongoing India series tough, though his involvement on the winter tour of Sri Lanka looks increasingly likely.”He’s a world-class bowler in my opinion,” said Tom Abell, the man now captaining Leach at Somerset, “it’s so exciting what the future holds for him. We all know how good he is, and hopefully he’s now seeing how good he can be as well.”While it may be assumed from afar that the pitch turned square for Leach, as this Taunton track has tended to over the past few seasons, that was not the case. It was firm and dry, but flattened out as the game wore on.That much was evidenced by Dom Bess, who had a tougher time of it. He bowled flatter, without Leach’s unerring accuracy, and to defensive fields.His day was best summed up by a moment in the field during Josh Davey’s first over with the new ball. Bopara – who came out to bat despite being ill with shingles – had scratched around for 16 deliveries. Still itching to get off the mark, Bopara took a couple of strides down the wicket as the ball rolled to Bess at point. Bess aimed at the stumps, but his wild throw missed by some way, and a misfield backing up meant it ran away for four.Bess lay prone on the ground, surely feeling that this would be neither his nor Somerset’s day. Instead, it was unequivocally Leach’s.

Jose Mourinho hailed Cristiano Ronaldo for opening the door to Saudi Arabia and revealed whether he would consider managing in the Saudi Pro League.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Mourinho refused to rule out Saudi move
• Had earlier turned down Al-Shabab
• Explained why he had been frequenting Saudi Arabia

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mourinho reportedly engaged in discussions with Al Shabab's sporting director just a week after parting ways with Roma. While the media speculated on his rejection of Al Shabab's offer, Mourinho clarified that he had received multiple proposals from Saudi clubs, including Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli earlier in the campaign. Despite the tempting financial incentives, Mourinho opted to remain committed to Roma, for the love and respect for the Serie A outfit.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mourinho's recent presence in Saudi Arabia, marked by appearances at sporting events like Anthony Joshua's boxing match and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, fueled speculation about his future in the Middle East. However, Mourinho clarified that his current visits to Saudi Arabia are primarily recreational, indicating that he is not rushing into any managerial commitments.

• WHAT MOURINHO SAID

  In an interview with , Mourinho said: "Cristiano opened the door in terms of believing that it is possible to be there and live there, to enjoy the development of a country that wants to be a different country with football that has a passion but is not developed.

  "When I had the proposal, of course economically it was important because it was more important for me with Roma, European football and commitment. If you ask me in the future, experience has told me never say never."

  While explaining his recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Mourinho said: "If you ask me why I’m travelling to Saudi, I’m travelling today to Saudi, because I’m going to enjoy three days, watching boxing, watching Formula One and being with some friends, not because I’m going sign contracts, because now I have time until the end of the season to make the right decision for me."

  ,

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Saudi Arabian outfits will face competition from Chelsea and Newcastle United as the Premier League duo wants the Portuguese to take charge and give them a new direction. European competition has always intrigued Mourinho and it remains to be seen if he turns down Saudi Arabia for the third time to continue in Europe.

Bangladesh will aim to build on their Asia Cup success as they square off against Ireland in Saturday’s final

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2018

Billed favourites to book the final two spots for the forthcoming Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean, Bangladesh and Ireland lived up to the tag in the eight-team qualifying tournament with convincing semi-final wins over Scotland and Papua New Guinea. A victory in the final on Saturday will be as much a contest for bragging rights as it will to validate or reverse the result of the 2015 edition, where Bangladesh finished second behind Ireland.Either Bangladesh or Ireland will face West Indies (in Group A) or Australia (in Group B) in the World T20 opener on November 9 and 11 respectively, pending the result in the final.Ranked ninth and tenth on the ICC multi-format women’s team rankings, Bangladesh finished atop Group A with a 49-run victory at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen hours within Ireland topped Group B by defeating PNG by 27 runs at the venue.Ireland Women players celebrate a wicket•Getty Images/ICC

Bangladesh’s entry into the World T20 comes on the back of a maiden Asia-Cup title-winning campaign in June, where they stunned heavyweights India twice. Ireland, meanwhile, recovered from big-margin, limited-overs series defeats against New Zealand and a 2-1 T20I series defeat against Bangladesh – both at home – less two weeks ago.An unbeaten, three-match-winning streak heading into the semi-final meant the crucial tie against Scotland was only for Ireland’s to lose. Having being put in at the toss by PNG, a wicket off the second ball of the game inspired hopes of a potential upset, but only momentarily. A top-score of 36 from the in-form Gaby Lewis anchored a 47-run second-wicket stand for Ireland, before Lucy O’Reilly’s career-best 3 for 13 rolled over PNG for 86 in 19.2 overs.For Bangladesh, their in-form opening pair of Shamima Sultana and Ayasha Rahman – who had laid the platform for the victors in the low-scoring Asia Cup final – added 51 in 6.5 overs, before middle-order batsman Nigar Sultana’s 31 lifted them to 125 for 6.Scotland wobbled early in the chase, losing opener Rachael Scholes to Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun in the fourth over. But the Bryce sisters – Sarah and captain Kathryn – kept Scotland’s hopes alive, with Sarah collecting a dogged 31 that took Scotland past 50 – in the 13th over.It was, however, a timely strike from legspinner Fahima Khatun, who, on Tuesday became the first Bangladesh bowler – male or female to take a T20I hat-trick, that sent back Sarah and triggered a collapse. Scotland lost 7 for 14 over the following three overs, and the four combined wickets from Nahida Akter and vice-captain Rumana Ahmed strangled them to 76 for 7 snuffed out their hopes of qualification.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen some spectacular talent grace Molineux over the years, with the glory days of Nuno Espirito Santo currently looking like light-years away.

To say that the Old Gold have suffered in recent months would be an understatement, going from bottom of the table of Christmas Day of 2022, to battling financial struggles and managerial changes late in the summer.

Gary O’Neil took charge of the squad just four days before the club’s 2023/24 Premier League season opener, with the former Bournemouth manager handed the impossible task of attempting to compete with an extremely frail Wolves squad.

The challenge of balancing the books and maintaining a strong squad proved to be out of reach, as big names were sold for critical profit with little reinforcements welcomed to ease the blow on the team.

Speaking after his side’s abysmal 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Championship side Ipswich Town, the manager admitted his squad is “£80m short” of quality due to the sales made in the summer.

While Wolves generated sufficient cash for the sales of stars such as Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes, ensuring profitable exits from Molineux hasn’t always been possible, with last season highlighting just how much the club fumbled on one player in particular.

When did Wolves sign Pedro Goncalves?

In 2017, 19-year-old Valencia academy talent Pedro Goncalves made the switch from Spain to England to become another Portuguese addition to Nuno’s newly constructed squad at Molineux.

The teen was signed under the manager at Valencia prior to his move to Wolves, telling of how much of a fan Nuno was of the young winger, who had built his career in his homeland before moving to Spain and on to the Midlands.

In the 2017/18 campaign, the forward made a quick start to life in the Old Gold’s academy, scoring four goals and providing one assist in just 16 Premier League 2 appearances.

In a total of 38 appearances for Wolves’ academy sides, the Chaves-born whiz contributed to 13 goals, scoring nine times and assisted four goals for his teammates, hinting at how effective he could one day become in the final third.

His coach at the time of his success in the academy was current Luton Town boss Rob Edwards, who has since admitted that the forward’s development in senior football “does not surprise” him.

Despite earning praise and making a positive impact in Wolverhampton, the Portuguese ace bid farewell to the club just two years after his arrival.

What happened to Pedro Goncalves?

A combination of missing home comforts and not seeing a path for a way into the first team under Nuno was suspected to be the cause of Goncalves’ swift exit.

The youngster left having made one appearance for the senior squad, which came in the form of 28 minutes in the league cup against Sheffield Wednesday, far from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League.

Unfortunately for both player and club, his arrival came at a critical time for Wolves, where the squad were doing well on their return to the top-flight, with stars such as Neves and Joao Moutinho dominating central midfield, where Goncalves had been positioned in the academy.

It was unlikely that the youngster would have broken through to the level that he desired, which led him to make the mature decision to leave his Premier League hopes behind and return to Portugal.

Wolves sold Goncalves, known as Pote, to Famalicao for a fee believed to be in the region of £1m, which began the start of a reel of difficult viewing for those at Molineux, as their former academy player began to grow into a different beast.

Pote spent one season at Famalicao in Liga Portugal before being picked up by Portuguese giants Sporting CP, having made a quick impact on his return to his homeland, scoring five times and recording six assists in the 2019/20 league campaign.

Having previously been lauded as “phenomenal” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the winger has become one of Sporting’s most influential players due to his power in front of goal and ability to add a constant threat in attack.

Having secured 136 Liga Portugal appearances, along with 10 Champions League and seven Europa League appearances for Sporting so far, the former Wolves outsider has caught the attention of Europe since his Molineux departure.

Speaking on the Express and Star’s Wolves podcast in 2021, The Athletic’s Tim Spiers described Wolves’ management of Goncalves as “frustrating” and his sale as a “massive mistake”, a fair judgement when reviewing his form in Portugal.

How many goals has Pedro Goncalves scored?

Last season, the Old Gold were the Premier League’s lowest-scorers after scoring just 31 goals in 38 games, 63 goals fewer than league winners Manchester City to highlight the difference in quality.

To put into perspective just how poor the sale of Goncalves was, the forward scored just 11 goals less than his old club in the 2022/23 campaign over all competitions, scoring 20 times and assisting 15 goals in 51 appearances.

The winger has directly had a hand in 94 goals in 136 appearances for Sporting, with his highest-scoring season coming in his debut Primeira Liga campaign, in which he was named on the scoresheet 23 times in 32 appearances.

Goncalves’ feat in the 2020/21 term, his first for Sporting, came less than two years after he left Wolves, highlighting just how horrendous the decision was to sell the forward for pennies rather than loan him to such clubs for development.

How much is Pedro Goncalves worth now?

Wolves currently sit short of goals, funds and inspiration, three things that the winger has been relishing over the past year.

This summer, Aston Villa were linked with a potential move for the Sporting hero, with news in Portugal, relayed by Sport Witness, revealing that Wolves’ rivals reportedly walked away from a deal due to the price the Portuguese club valued him at.

With a release clause of €80m (£68m) in place in his contract, Sporting understandably told interested buyers that they would not consider selling the player for less than the value of his clause, reinforcing the funds the Old Gold could have had if they had kept him on their books rather than selling him for so little.

In his position currently sits Pedro Neto, who has come to light this season, but has netted just 12 goals in his 117 appearances for Wolves, highlighting the drop in quality following the sanctioning of his compatriot's move away.

Away from his goal contributions, in which he scored 15 goals fewer than the former Wolves gem last term, Neto has fallen short of Pote in other areas of his game, as communicated through their season averages in their respective 2022/23 league campaigns.

As per FBref, Neto averaged 2.24 progressive passes,1.87 key passes and 3.83 shot-creating actions per 90 in the Premier League, falling short of Goncalves in the Primeira Liga who averaged 5.26 progressive passes, 4.55 shot-creating actions and 2.37 key passes per 90.

The sale of Goncalves was a low point for Wolves in hindsight, with the player having the potential to have generated significant profit to the Midlands side, as well as the quality he could have implemented in the squad, which is currently so short of luxury.

Wolverhampton Wanderers crashed out of the Carabao Cup after a disastrous loss to Ipswich Town at Portman Road, with Gary O’Neil’s side suffering a 3-2 defeat to the Championship outfit.

Journalist Steve Madley described the fortune of the game as “infuriating”, as O’Neil’s side looked to be the squad in the second-tier for the majority of the tie, in a result that saw them exit the cup early on.

The manager made 10 changes from his side that played in the draw against Luton Town last weekend, switches that proved to be costly as the squad struggled to maintain their fast start.

Who scored for Wolves against Ipswich Town?

It was an opening 15 minutes that Wolves could have only dreamed of considering their lacklustre start to the season, as Hwang Hee-Chan netted his fourth goal of the 2023/24 campaign after just four minutes played.

The Korean’s goal was quickly followed by the Old Gold’s second, as Toti Gomes put the visitors 2-0 up early into proceedings, marking their dominance over the heavily-rotated Championship side.

At the point of the second goal, it seemed as though O’Neil’s squad had already started their trip back to the Midlands, as the hosts got back into the game before halftime via goals from Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson and Freddie Ladapo.

After the interval, Wolves’ hard work in the opening minutes was ripped apart, as Jack Taylor put Ipswich ahead with an ambitious strike and some questionable goalkeeping by Dan Bentley, who had a shocking night.

The Express and Star’s Liam Keen stressed in his match report that the keeper “could have done better” for the third goal, as well as the second as he earned an inadequate Sofascore match rating of just 6.0.

While it was more difficult to pick out the better performers from the poor on the night, one player suffered as much as Bentley, as O’Neil handed Santiago Bueno his full-debut for Wolves.

How did Santiago Bueno play against Ipswich?

Signed on deadline day from Girona, the lightweight defender was thrown into the mix in the cup, with the hope that he could show his worth against a theoretically lesser opposition.

That was far from the case as the defender was shunned by Talking Wolves founder Matt Cooper as enduring a “tough debut”, which was matched by his notable frailties in the back line.

The £30k-per-week Uruguayan won just four out of eight of his attempted ground duels, as well as losing possession five times and committing two fouls in the heart of defence, via Sofascore.

While his numbers were far from impressive, his lack of game time of late shone through, as he was beaten to the ball by Hutchinson for the Blues’ opener, where he was criticised for looking “flat-footed” by journalist Steve Madeley.

With Manchester City up next in the league, Wolves fans expressed their upset at Tuesday night’s result, as fan account ‘Official Wolves Fans’ described the squad as being “disjointed”, which was a fair account of the evening’s entertainment.

To look so out of place on his debut against a side in the Championship was a worrying sight for Bueno and Wolves, however on what was a pitiful night for all associated with Molineux, the 24-year-old will have a shot at redemption in the future.

Sheffield Wednesday are considering a swoop for a new free agent, and a reliable journalist has confirmed that he’s already in the building at Hillsborough.

What's the latest transfer news at Sheffield Wednesday?

Over the summer, Xisco Munoz was extremely busy in the market bringing in 12 fresh faces, where Djeidi Gassama and Pol Valentin both joined permanently for transfer fees and the likes of Jeff Hendrick and Ashley Fletcher put pen to paper on loans, as per Transfermarkt, but there were also plenty of outgoings.

In terms of departures, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Dennis Adeniran, Jack Hunt, Jaden Brown, David Stockdale and Ben Heneghan all completed exits which has created space in the squad for future signings, and the boss has already set his sights on one star in particular.

At Nottingham Forest, Lyle Taylor left Steve Cooper’s side at the end of last season following the expiration of his contract, meaning that he is now a free agent on the market and waiting to be snapped up by a new club, and he could be on his way to the Championship.

On Tuesday evening, Montserrat’s international was spotted at the stadium for the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, and if the following update is to be believed, the centre-forward is currently at work behind the scenes in a bid to earn a move to South Yorkshire.

Are Sheffield Wednesday signing Lyle Taylor?

Taking to X, Darren Witcoop revealed that Sheffield Wednesday have offered a trial to Taylor, who has been training with the first-team in the hope of securing himself a permanent deal with Munoz's side in the near future.

“Free agent striker Lyle Taylor is training with Sheffield Wednesday in a bid to win a contract. Taylor, who left Nottingham Forest in the summer, has turned down contract offers from a host of League One clubs as he wants to play in the Championship.”

How many goals has Lyle Taylor scored?

Since the start of his career, Taylor has racked up an impressive 211 contributions (156 goals and 55 assists) in 463 appearances, form which has seen him described as a “natural finisher” by journalist Josh Bunting, so he could certainly be a fantastic addition for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Greenwich-born talent is also a versatile operator alongside the prolific attacker that he is in the final third having been deployed in four various positions over the attack since the start of his career, including three roles across the frontline and even in attacking midfield.

The Owls target even shares the same agent, SMI Sports Management, as both Barry Bannan and John Buckley, so the fact that his representative already has an existing connection to the club should give chiefs a strong chance at getting a deal over the line should he impress on trial.

The Hillsborough outfit will be aware that Taylor is now 33 years of age so it would make sense for them to only offer him a short-term deal, but nevertheless, he’s definitely a player who could be worth adding to the books for the remainder of the season.

CSA has not given up on the idea of hosting the T20 Global League yet and will spend the next “couple of months” assessing and deciding whether the tournament will go ahead

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2018CSA has not given up on the idea of hosting the T20 Global League yet and will spend the next “couple of months” assessing and deciding whether the tournament will go ahead. Crucially, the Members’ Forum, a body made up of the 12 provincial affiliate presidents and the president and vice-president of CSA will make the final decision on future of the proposed T20 competition.Previously, decisions were taken at board level or, if insinuations from sources close to CSA are to be believed, made primarily by one person: the former CEO Haroon Lorgat.CSA and Lorgat parted ways in October last year, weeks before the inaugural T20 Global League was due to kick off, after Lorgat’s position became untenable due to disagreements over the logistics of the tournament. Lorgat had failed to secure a broadcaster and title sponsor and the suddenness of his departure left CSA unable to do the same. After forecasting losses of US$25 million in the first season, CSA opted to postpone the tournament but still lost US$14 million, most of it in player payouts.Now, CSA will adopt what it has termed a “three-tier” approach to deciding on the future of the tournament. The firsts step will be for a task team – made of the CSA acting CEO Thabang Moroe, CFO Naasei Appiah, three Member presidents and three Member CEOs, who have not been named, to “interrogate the concept” of the T20 Global League. CSA was thought to be doing this already, after several employees were tasked with drawing up new business models for the tournament following its postponement, but the last three months appear not to have presented any viable solutions.Once the team have compiled a report, they will hold a workshop with all Member presidents and CEOs and all board members of CSA. Then, the Members’ Forum will take a final decision. “I envisage that the whole process will be completed in a couple of months as there is an obvious urgency to get the matter completed,” CSA president Chris Nenzani said.That means CSA ends this weekend’s board meeting in Durban in pretty much the same position it started – with no certainty over the future of the T20 Global League. It also did not announce any set date for confirming a new CEO – Moroe has been in office in an acting capacity since Lorgat’s departure four months’ ago and CSA appears no closer to confirming a permanent successor.The only thing it is sure of is a Transformation Indaba, which will be held after all fixtures are completed this summer, from April 13 to 15. The last indaba (conference) held at the end of 2013 resulted in the implementation of a black African quota for franchise teams, requiring them to field at least one player from the country’s majority race group and financial incentives for any team who exceeded that. In the years since, the transformation target has been increased and franchises have now been told to field six players of colour, including at least three black African. At national level, the team is required to field a minimum average of six players of colour including two black Africans over the course of a season.

Sri Lanka Cricket has organised the special training programme featuring 23 ODI cricketers, to allow Chandika Hathurusingha to have “quality time” with the preliminary squad

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Dec-2017Sri Lanka Cricket has asked 23 ODI cricketers to take part in a special training programme ahead of the Bangladesh tour, so new coach Chandika Hathurusingha can have “quality time” with the preliminary squad. Those cricketers, as a result, will not play in the ongoing domestic tournaments.”The players were asked not to play domestic cricket following a request made by the head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and we complied with that,” SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said.Hathurusingha has earned a reputation as a coach who likes to have close control over his team, and the training programme may be a means of establishing the culture he wishes to usher in. ODIs have also been Sri Lanka’s most problematic format over the past two years.The squad itself holds no major surprises, save perhaps for the re-inclusion of Kusal Mendis, who was left out of all Sri Lanka’s outfits for the India tour. This does not necessarily mean Mendis is back – eight of the players in this preliminary squad will be cut before the team travels to Bangladesh. However, it is an indication that Mendis remains in Hathurusingha’s long-term plans.Lahiru Thirimanne (who has been modest across formats over the past two tours), and Dhananjaya de Silva (who has produced outstanding Test innings, but has not quite warmed to the limited-overs formats) have been excluded from this squad. Sachith Pathirana, the left-arm spinning allrounder, has also been omitted, following a string of mediocre limited-overs outings.The only uncapped member of the squad is Shehan Madushanka – a 22-year-old right-arm quick who has played just five domestic matches so far.The training programme begins on December 28. The ODI schedule for the Bangladesh tour has not yet been released.Squad for training programme: Thisara Perera, Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dasun Shanaka, Lahiru Gamage, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Amila Aponso, Lakshan Sandakan, Chaturanga De Silva

انتهت مباراة باير ليفركوزن وروما، بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدفين لكل فريق في منافسات الدوري الأوروبي.

وواجه باير ليفركوزن نظيره روما، في إياب الدور نصف النهائي من مسابقة الدوري الأوروبي، على ملعب “باي أرينا”.

وتأهل باير ليفركوزن إلى منافسات الدور النهائي، بعد تفوقه في مجموع المباراتين أمام روما بنتيجة 4/2.

اقرأ ايضاً.. فيديو | أتالانتا يفوز على مارسيليا ويتأهل إلى نهائي الدوري الأوروبي

شهدت أغلب فترات الشوط الأول، سيطرة واضحة للفريق الألماني، حيث وصلت نسبة الاستحواذ إلى 55%، مع إهدار أصحاب الأرض لفرص عديدة.

وكاد آدم هلوزيك أن يفتتح التسجيل لصالح باير ليفركوزن، لكن تسديدته اصطدمت بالعارضة عند الدقيقة 30.

وتحصل روما على ركلة جزاء إثر تدخل جوناثان تاه على المهاجم سردار أزمون، نجح باريديس في تسجيل الهدف الأول من علامة الجزاء عند الدقيقة 43.

وفي الشوط الثاني وعند الدقيقة 66، وقع باريديس على ثاني أهدافه في اللقاء من علامة الجزاء.

وغادر سردار أزمون المباراة مصاباً عند الدقيقة 72، وحل بدلاً منه إدواردو بوف.

وبحلول الدقيقة 83، أحرز مدافع روما مانشيني هدفاً بالخطأ في مرماه، اثر تنفيذ ركلة ركنية لصالح باير ليفركوزن.

وعند الدقيقة السابعة من الوقت المحتسب بدل من ضائع، أحرز جوزيب ستانيستش الهدف الثاني لصالح باير ليفركوزن، بتسديدة يسارية في شباك روما.

وبهذا الفوز، يحجز باير ليفركوزن مقعداً في نهائي الدوري الأوروبي هذا العام على ملعب “أفيفا” في دبلن عاصمة إيرلندا، حيث سيواجه أتالانتا في المباراة النهائية. اهداف مباراة روما وباير ليفركوزن (2-2) الدوري الاوروبي