Category Uncategorized

ScorecardMiddlesex were frustrated by a combination of bad light and lower-order resistance as Essex clung on for a draw in the Specsavers County Championship at Lord’s.The champions were on course for their first win of the season when they reduced Essex, who were chasing a notional target of 452, to 130 for 7 in the first over after tea. But eighth-wicket pair Neil Wagner and Simon Harmer blunted Middlesex’s attack for 15 overs and as the light deteriorated home skipper James Franklin was forced to employ slow bowlers at both ends.Legspinner Dawid Malan immediately had Harmer lbw as he tried to defend off the back foot but only two more overs were possible before umpires Ian Gould and Paul Baldwin took the players off for the third time in the day with 13 overs remaining, Essex 160 for 8 and Wagner unbeaten on 16.It was harsh on Middlesex whose three-man seam attack, backed up by offspinner Ollie Rayner, had chipped away all day on a wicket which hardly deteriorated, even though cloud cover did encourage the ball to swing.Toby Roland-Jones finished with 3 for 42 and Steven Finn 2 for 39 while it was Rayner who picked up former England captain Alastair Cook, caught at short leg for 37 with his third delivery of the day. Cook had passed 20,000 first-class runs when he reached 16 and looked in the mood to repeat last week’s century in Essex’s win over Somerset, particularly when he drove first Tim Murtagh and then Roland-Jones back down the ground for four.Apart from Cook, Essex’s main resistance came from Ravi Bopara who dug in for just over two hours before he was seventh out in the first over after tea to a ball from Finn which jagged back sharply to knock back his off stump.Conditions were as good as they had been all day at that stage but Harmer and Wagner defied Finn and Roland-Jones for ten overs to give them their team the chance of escape.Franklin had the luxury of runs on the board and enjoyed the happy knack of making bowling changes which brought immediate reward. Middlesex’s slip fielding was faultless too with Malan epitomising their catching performance when he dived to his left to remove Adam Wheater for a duck in the first over of a new spell from Roland-Jones.Essex had added 19 runs to their overnight 19 for 0 when Murtagh made the breakthrough, bowling Nick Browne through the gate.Cook and Tom Westley took the score to 74 when Westley was lbw to a ball from Roland-Jones that kept a touch low. Cook fell without addition to the total and after lunch Essex lost two wickets on 104 when Dan Lawrence was held at slip driving at Finn before Wheater’s dismissal.Ryan ten Doeschate became Roland-Jones’ third victim but rain and bad light forced the teams off for an hour after a two-over stoppage during the morning.Bopara’s dismissal on the resumption left the Essex tail with 30 overs to survive but with a little help from the weather they were able to do so.

Virat Kohli has said he won’t engage with Steven Smith’s suggestion that Australia are “one or two sessions” away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy

Melinda Farrell in Bengaluru03-Mar-20170:50

I know about Australia’s mind games – Kohli

Steven Smith turned the heat on India on the eve of the second Test in Bengaluru, declaring Australia are just “one or two sessions” away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while Virat Kohli dismissed Smith’s words as “mind games.”After starting the series as underdogs and given little chance of drawing, let alone winning a match, Australia would take an unassailable lead in the four-Test series if they win at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ground where Australia has an encouraging record of two wins, two draws and just one loss.”I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure,” Smith said. “Obviously, going into this series, all I heard was 4-0 to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We’re one win away from [retaining] the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Things can happen pretty quickly here.”So we might be one or two sessions away from getting that back. I’m sure they’ll feel under a bit of pressure.”But Kohli was quick to brush off the suggestion that India would be feeling under pressure when he learned of Smith’s comments.”Me? As a team? Does it look like [we’re under pressure]?” Kohli said, smilingly. “I’m pretty relaxed. I’m happy. I’m smiling. It’s fine, those are his views and [he can say] whatever he wants to say. I think it’s time we focus on our skills more than what Australia is saying or preparing like. I know these minds games in these press conferences are something they’re very good at.”We’re still going to play the cricket that we’ve played for the last two years and see where the series ends after the fourth game.”Kohli also refused to be drawn on the importance of stopping Smith, whose gritty knock at Pune defied the conditions and was his third century from his past seven Test innings, instead pointing to the fact that India gave Smith several lives during his second innings.”The whole team has to play well against Australia to win a Test match, that’s something we’ve identified,” said Kohli. “We’re not focusing on one player at all.”If we don’t hold onto our chances it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, how many runs we score. We’re not focusing on one player only. The whole ten wickets have to be taken twice to win a Test match. The comments and headlines don’t matter. They never have, and we won’t base our cricket on it.”

Football, the game we all know and love, is so often as much as enjoying the pain of your rivals as it is about celebrating the success of your own team.

What are the most shameless recent moments in football?

After all, there’s nothing quite like a weekend when the team you support pick up a big win, and the team you hate suffers an embarrassing defeat.

And sometimes, even when your rivals do manage some sort of triumph, they do so in such a shameless way that it’s still easy to find a way to point the finger and laugh.

With that general spirit in mind, Twitter user @DxBruyne17 recently asked the football community to define “shameless”.

Football FanCast has picked out some of the best responses and compiled a list for your entertainment. Enjoy!

First up, we have an infamous moment when Arsenal defender Andre Santos asked to swap shirts with Robin van Persie at half-time during a match at Old Trafford.

The Dutch striker had recently betrayed the Gunners by moving to Manchester United and scored against his former side just three minutes into this game in 2012.

Understandably, Arsenal fans were furious with Santos for his behaviour and never truly forgave him.

Next, we have the hilarious moment from Qatar 2022 when Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated wildly after thinking he scored for his country.

The striker actually thought he’d matched Eusebio’s World Cup haul for Portugal only for Bruno Fernandes to be awarded the goal.

Replays showed that the CR7 failed to make contact when trying to head in his teammate’s sumptuous cross.

Also suggested was another memorable moment from the World Cup – this time concerning Sergio Aguero with Argentina.

Sadly, the former Man City striker was forced to retire in December 2021 aged just 33 due to a heart condition diagnosis.

Just a year on, though, he was there in Qatar celebrating on the pitch with his former teammates as if he’d played every minute of the tournament.

Fair play, some might say – but this fan seems to think it was pretty shameless.

Arsenal’s Rob Holding features next after the celebration he offered up when scoring a consolation goal as Arsenal’s title hopes were left in tatters.

With William Saliba injured, the English centre-back was asked to step up for the Premier League run-in and started away at the Etihad against Manchester City.

The home side thumped the Gunners 4-1 and went on to win the title, but this didn’t stop Holding from pulling off a cheeky wink to the camera after he scored a meaningless consolation.

Finally, no list of shamelessness could be complete without reference to Tottenham Hotspur in one way or another – and we have Richarlison to thank for this.

Even fellow pros Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson have mocked him for his ability to celebrate goals by taking his shirt off and getting booked, only for his efforts to be disallowed on multiple occasions.

Well, against Liverpool, he did score a goal that actually counted. And so, the Brazilian went wild, thinking that his last-gasp equaliser was enough to rescue a point at Anfield despite being 3-0 down at one stage – which is shameless enough considering his side were only going to come away with a draw.

However, to make things worse, with just seconds left on the clock, the Reds then went up the other end and scored a winner thanks to Diogo Jota – meaning Spurs lost 4-3 and Richarlison’s goal and yellow card counted for nothing.

A career-best match haul from Ashton Agar was not enough to save Western Australia from defeat at the SCG

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2016
ScorecardA career-best match haul from Ashton Agar was not enough to save Western Australia from defeat at the SCG, where New South Wales wobbled but reached their target of 96 with seven wickets down. The Blues started the morning at 0 for 3, but on a dry pitch offering plenty for the spinners, they lost enough wickets throughout the day to send some jitters through the camp before the task was completed.They did not lose their first wicket until the total had reached 36, when opener-nightwatchman William Somerville was run out for 23, but his opening partner Daniel Hughes fell to Agar for 13 just three balls later. Ed Cowan made 25 and Kurtis Patterson scored 13, but no other batsman reached double figures as Agar and his bowling colleagues gave the Warriors a sniff.However, in the end New South Wales did enough to secure their second win of the season, despite Agar’s 4 for 31. He finished with match figures of 10 for 141, the second ten-wicket haul of his first-class career, and it completed a match that was dominated by the spinners, with Somerville having taken nine for New South Wales and Steve O’Keefe eight.

For all the attacking talents in their ranks last season, Chelsea managed just 38 goals in 38 Premier League games – only four teams in the entire division performed worse.

Bringing in a clinical forward this summer is therefore imperative if new head coach Mauricio Pochettino is to have any chance of turning things around at Stamford Bridge.

Who is Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson?

The Evening Standard reports that Chelsea are in talks over the signing of Nicolas Jackson, who is coming off the back of a campaign in which he scored 12 goals and assisted four more in 26 LaLiga appearances for Villarreal.

Nine of those goals came in his final eight outings as Villarreal climbed into a Europa League spot, though it may have come at a cost for the Yellow Submarine as their star attacker is now wanted by numerous clubs.

The report suggests Jackson is available to purchase for £30m this summer, making him a far cheaper option than Napoli's £125m-rated Victor Osimhen, who was widely considered to be the Blues' top target.

Where would Nicolas Jackson fit in at Chelsea?

According to FBref's player comparison model, Jackson's form in LaLiga over the past year puts him in a similar bracket to superstar strikers Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski.

That is quite some company, but the statistics very much back that up. For example, with 0.68 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes across the past 12 months, Jackson is in the top 2% of all his positional peers across LaLiga.

The Senegal international averaged 0.90 goals and assists per 90 minutes last season, compared to 0.97 for Benzema at Real Madrid, but he performed better in terms of non-penalty goals per 90 – 0.97 v 0.90.

Jackson was more precise than Benzema when it came to shooting last season, too, finding the target from 56.1% of his attempts, which is an improvement on the latter's 36.4% accuracy.

Benzema did come out on top in terms of aerial duels won between the pair (51.9% v 30.2%), but Jackson's strengths lie in other departments, such as take-ons (2.08 v 1.95) and tackles won (0.62 v 0.22), showing two different sides to his game.

Still aged just 21, Jackson was labelled "extraordinary" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig for his output in 2022-23, which includes a goal conversion rate of 29%.

To put Jackson's clinical nature into some perspective, his average of 0.67 goals per 90 minutes came from an expected goals (xG) value of 0.45. At Chelsea last season, Joao Felix led the way with 0.38 goals per 90 minutes, yet this came from an xG of 0.47.

Effectively, that means Jackson requires far fewer chances to put the ball in the net, which is exactly what Chelsea require.

While he may not have the reputation of Benzema and Lewandowski, or indeed Osimhen, Jackson's performances last season suggest his current £30m valuation will only continue to rise with time. Chelsea would be wise to pounce while they can.

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Swansea City defender Ryan Manning this summer and the 26-year-old's potential arrival could see the Yorkshire outfit finally get rid of Junior Firpo for good.

Could Leeds United sign Ryan Manning?

According to Football League World, the left-back is on Leeds' radar regardless of the division they find themselves in next season, with relegation looking likely to be confirmed against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.

The former QPR man is available on a free transfer ahead of his contract's expiry at Swansea and would represent a solid option for Leeds considering his impressive displays in the Championship this term.

Would Manning be a good signing for Leeds?

Manning was named as the Swans' player of the year following a campaign which saw him register five goals and ten assists in the second tier, earning a superb 7.20 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Not only is this comfortably better than what any Leeds player has averaged in the Premier League, but it is also more goal contributions than anyone in Sam Allardyce's squad, which emphasises the attacking quality the £9k-per-week Irishman could provide at Elland Road.

Russell Martin identified him as an important player for the Welsh side even in 2021, saying:

“Ryan is someone who can play anywhere. We are going to be very demanding of him because he is a talented player. He knows my feelings on him as a character and a player and he is responding brilliantly.

“I hope he can keep going, wherever he plays he is going to be an important player for us.”

Manning's versatility and experience in the Championship suggest that he could be a superb option for Leeds on a free transfer, especially if he can oust Junior Firpo at left-back, as the Spaniard continues to struggle following his arrival from Barcelona in 2021.

Could Manning replace Firpo?

There is likely to be an exodus of first-team players should Leeds suffer relegation back to the second tier, with former Barcelona man Firpo perhaps one who would consider himself too good for the Championship.

There were high hopes when Marcelo Bielsa brought him in from the Catalan side in a deal worth £12.8m two years ago but he has never really adjusted to the Premier League, with journalist David Anderson dubbing him a "liability" after a tricky debut campaign.

Things haven't gotten much better this season, as his woeful 6.42 rating from WhoScored sees him ranked as the 20th-best performer at Elland Road, with his recent red card against Newcastle United once again highlighting that he cannot be trusted defensively.

Considering Manning has averaged more key passes (2.5 vs 0.4) and shots (1.3 vs 0.1), while he has also been dribbled past on far fewer occasions per game (0.5 vs 1.2) than Firpo, it seems clear that he would be a big upgrade this summer.

Zimbabwe have been dealt a major blow ahead of their two-Test series against New Zealand with fast bowler Tendai Chatara being ruled out of both games with an ankle injury. Chatara is the second seamer to miss out after Tinashe Panyangara failed to recover from a back problem in time for the Tests. Michael Chinouya has been called up as a replacement.Chatara sustained the injury, a recurrence of a prior problem, during the three-day warm-up game between Zimbabwe A and the New Zealanders. He bowled 16 overs on the first day, and took one wicket for 53, but finished the day complaining of pain in the left-ankle. Chatara did not participate any further in the match and received treatment and strapping on the ankle, but with no improvement in his condition, a replacement was selected.Instead of look to the members of the A side, who included the more experienced Shingi Masakadza, Zimbabwe opted for uncapped seamer Chinouya. With 166 first-class wickets to his name from 65 matches, Chinouya has played more matches than other members of the A attack – like Tatenda Mupunga (19 matches), Victor Nyauchi (12) and Gerald Aliseni (5) – but has not played any recognised cricket since February.More worryingly, Chatara’s injury has robbed Zimbabwe of all experience in their seam attack. Njabulo Ncube and Donald Tiripano have only played a Test each and Taurai Muzarabani, who replaced Panyangara, is uncapped in the longest format.Zimbabwe could also have a problem at the the other end of their line-up. Opening batsman Tino Mawoyo was also injured in the A game after being hit on the hand by Tim Southee. Mawoyo had to retire hurt after facing four balls in the first innings and did not bat in the second. He went for an x-ray which showed no fracture, so he will travel to Bulawayo but will continue to be monitored by the national physiotherapist ahead of the first Test, which starts on July 28.Should Mawoyo not be available, Zimbabwe have Brian Chari and Prince Masvaure to open in their squad but may recall Vusi Sibanda, who was dropped for this series. The other potential opener, Nkosana Mpofu, who played the tour game, also hurt his knee against the New Zealanders, but he was able to bat again.

Kent replaced Essex at the top of Division Two to set up their meeting at Chelmsford on Sunday in a rain-hit season that still smacks of stalemate

ECB Reporters Network29-Jun-2016
ScorecardSam Northeast, Kent’s captain: top spot, runs but more frustration•Getty ImagesA lifeless pitch and two injury-hit bowling attacks provided all the ingredients for a high-scoring draw in Canterbury where promotion-chasing Kent drew with a Derbyshire side still fighting to open their win account in the Specsavers County Championship second tier.Derbyshire banked 12 points for the draw, while Kent claimed 10 to move above Essex to the top of the Division 2 table ahead of their four-day trip to Chelmsford starting on Sunday.Kent skipper Sam Northeast hit 191 and an unbeaten 76 on a surface he believed was too placid for four-day cricket.”Yes we’ve gone top of Division 2 but who knows if this was a good draw or not,” he said. “I’m a little bit disappointed if I’m honest. I felt we should have posted a bigger score to help set the game up, but it was a tough pitch to bowl on and I’m hoping that for our remaining games here we’ll produced a surface with a little bit more pace and carry in it.”After Derbyshire’s mammoth first innings total of 574 for nine declared had helped the visitors to secure a 195-run first innings lead, Kent set out their stall to bat out the final three-and-a-half sessions of the match for their sixth draw of the summer.That they readily achieved the stalemate was mainly due to dogged half-centuries from Tom Latham and Joe Denly and sprightlier 47-ball 50 by Northeast, yet it was tame fare for the handful of purists who remained in the drizzle to witness the umpires’ inspection and abandonment at 4pm.By then Kent had wiped out the Derbyshire lead and, at 238 for three, had edged 74 ahead on a day when Derbyshire had hoped to dismiss Kent cheaply in order to secure their first four-day win in 2016.They were hampered greatly by the loss of rookie pace bowler Will Davis through injury. The 21-year-old pulled up with a sidestrain after trying to stop the ball in his follow through and was unable to bowl throughout Kent’s second innings. He could be sidelined for several weeks.John Sadler, Derbyshire’s coach, said: “Will was our most threatening bowler on day one, having also bowled magnificently last week against Worcestershire. For such a young lad who has not played that much cricket he’s a really exciting prospect, so he’s one we really have to look after.”He’s being assessed by the physio right now, but the early signs are that he’s going to have a spell off, that’s a real shame for him. But he’s young and his body isn’t perhaps totally ready for fast bowling yet. It’s a shame, but we think very highly of him and hope to welcome him back soon.”Sadler also paid tribute to Wayne Madsen, who scored his 22nd century for Derbyshire during the four-day draw. “Wayne is a magnificent player in all formats and I’m wondering what else he has to do to prove he’s good enough to get noticed by England and talked about in terms of international cricket,” said Sadler.”You could plonk him into the middle of a Test or an ODI anywhere in the world and he would succeed – he’s that good a player in my opinion. He’s a great lad with a superb attitude and I look forward to him getting an opportunity to step up.”Derbyshire began their task well enough when Ben Cotton removed Sean Dickson for 22, barely 20 minutes into the final day. Dickson received a belting leg-cutter that lifted and left him as he played in defence. The ball feathered the edge and flew to wicketkeeper Tom Poynton to make it 39 for one – it proved to be the only delivery of the day that misbehaved.Second-wicket partners Latham and Denly combined to add 103 either side of lunch with New Zealand Test opener Latham scoring a 115-ball 50 with five fours. It was his first half-century in all forms of cricket since early May.Three overs into the mid-session and with his score on 74, the Kiwi left-hander lapped leg-side against Wayne Madsen only to pick out Rob Hemmings, the 12th man substituting for Davis, who took a simple catch at square leg.Denly soldiered on to go past 50 for the third time this summer. His watchful half-century coming from 135 balls and with five boundaries, then Northeast pulled a Ben Slater full-toss for four to wipe out the deficit, one of six boundaries in his eye-catching knock.To their credit, Derbyshire tried eight bowlers and set some enterprising fields in a bid to force an error – including a short spell of Tony Palladino leg-theory bowled around the wicket to a 7/2 split field – but Kent were not to be tempted into an indiscretion.With drizzle in the air, Nick Broom enjoyed yorking Denly for 64 for his sixth first-class wicket to break a third-wicket stand worth 93, but rain soon forced the players in for an early tea. The rain and wind strengthened thereafter forcing the abandonment.

Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka's performances could potentially save Erik Ten Hag money in the transfer market this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Manchester United?

Wan-Bissaka has enjoyed a resurgence at Manchester United this term and has racked up 28 appearances in all competitions, registering a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

According to The Daily Mail, Leicester City and England playmaker James Maddison recently praised the defender for his defensive abilities, stating: "[Aaron Wan Bissaka] is ridiculously good at one-v-one defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him."

In January, The Manchester Evening News reported that Wan-Bissaka could've be set for a move away from Old Trafford; however, a spate of consistent performances have given him some credit in the bank as the Red Devils seek a top-four finish and more silverware between now and the end of the season.

Manchester United have also been linked with strengthening their right-back options in the summer, with Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong said to be a target in the summer, as per Sky Sports.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Wan-Bissaka's good form could lead Manchester United to keep him for the foreseeable future and help to save them some financial expenditure.

Jones told FFC: "He's definitely confident in his own ability and he always has been. I think he's always hoped that he would get opportunities to prove that he could have a longer career at United. We obviously know that United are looking at right-back as a potential spot to strengthen in the summer, but if Wan-Bissaka can convince them that he can do a good enough job, then maybe they can save some money in that area, too."

Should Manchester United look to keep hold of Aaron Wan-Bissaka?

It wouldn't be a bad idea for Manchester United to keep a hold of Wan-Bissaka, at least as a rotational squad option to supplement their depth at right-back.

WhoScored shows that the £50 million ace has won an average of two challenges per match this campaign for the Red Devils across all competitions, demonstrating his propensity to nip in and win back possession for his side efficiently.

Wan-Bissaka has also carried out 32 progressive ball carries for Manchester United this term, showing that he can also drive with purpose and contribute to offensive passages of play from the right flank, as per FBRef.

Manchester United will assess their transfer plans in the summer, meaning Wan-Bissaka will be keen to continue to produce solid displays between now and the end of this term in the hope he is part of Ten Hag's plans in 2023/24.

Tottenham Hotspur are a club in an aggressive transitional period, given the various managerial upheavals they have endured in recent years. However, considering the calibre of boss they have employed, this is a fact that chairman Daniel Levy should be far from proud of.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, the Lilywhites boasted consistent top-four finishes with a spectacular brand of football that captured the imagination – even resulting in a Champions League final. Now, after their annihilation last Sunday, Europe's prestigious competition seems likely to evade that half of north London.

It marks a depressing fall from grace for a side that perhaps flew too close to the sun in their pursuit of greatness.

This summer marks a huge moment for the Spurs supremo to perhaps alter the abysmal crash course that his club is currently on, by hiring a competent manager and allowing him to reset the failing mentality in the dressing room.

To accomplish this, so many within it needs to go.

Whilst there are many currently at the club who many would rush to lambast, perhaps first they could seek to offload those who are literally offering nothing whilst out on loan; this points towards Sergio Reguilon.

How has Sergio Reguilon got on at Spurs?

Having signed under Jose Mourinho in 2020, the £32m expended to Real Madrid for his signature was expected to be a fine investment in the bright future of their left flank.

However, just 67 games later and the Spanish international has already returned to his homeland in an effort to recapture whatever form enticed Spurs in the first place.

The 26-year-old’s debut season in England boasted a 6.74 average rating, which would increase to 6.92 the year following.

Whilst this might have suggested promising signs, it perhaps masked the defensive insecurities that were not eased by any offensive excellence.

Spurs insider John Wenham even branded him “the worst of the bunch” to Football Insider only last year as the defender continually failed to impress.

With just two goals and nine assists during his time in a Lilywhites shirt, he was far from the attacking revolution he was billed as.

Having spent the year with Atletico Madrid, an average rating of 6.66 is suggestive that little to no progression has been made that would merit a triumphant return.

For comparison, even the often criticised Emerson Royal has enjoyed a higher rating this campaign (6.85) despite journalist Josh Bunting once writing he was: "Maybe the worst player to play for Tottenham" in his lifetime.

Should the new manager want to stick with a wing-back-driven tactical system, surely the likes of Udinese loanee Destiny Udogie or Ryan Sessegnon would draw more preference than the toothless Spaniard out on the left flank.

This summer should really mark his last in north London, with Levy likely to be keen to recoup some of the mouth-watering fee that it took to pry him from the LaLiga giants.