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Christian Pulisic is flying at AC Milan, with a derby goal against Inter seeing the USMNT star post a career first.

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Found the target in dramatic win at San SiroGoal contributions in five successive gamesHas become a key man for the RossoneriFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international has been in fine form at the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He found the target on 15 occasions last season, with that return representing a personal best for the former Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea forward.

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Pulisic has found the going tough with his country of late – as a Copa America flop was followed by winless outings against Canada and New Zealand in the September international break – but the 26-year-old continues to deliver end product at club level.

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He opened the scoring for Milan in their dramatic 2-1 derby win over arch-rivals Inter – with golf pro girlfriend Alexa Melton on hand to witness that strike. Said effort means that Pulisic has been directly involved in a goal across five successive matches for the first time in his career.

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WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

Pulisic has been on target for the Rossoneri against Parma, Venezia, Liverpool and Inter, while also providing an assist in a Serie A clash with Lazio. Milan will be hoping to see that impressive run extended when they play host to Lecce on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be making the trip to Iraq to face Al-Shorta in the AFC Champions League, Al-Nassr have revealed.

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Ronaldo to miss key Al-Nassr fixturePortuguese suffering from a viral infectionHas been advised to rest for the next few daysWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo's absence will be a significant blow for Al-Nassr, who have struggled to get going in this campaign and have already dropped four points in the first three matches of the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese striker has been diagnosed with a viral infection and has been advised to rest in Riyadh.

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On Sunday, Al-Nassr released an official statement which read: "Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't feeling well today and was diagnosed with a viral infection. The team's doctor confirmed he needs to rest and stay at his place. As a result, he will not be travelling with the team to Iraq today. We wish a speedy recovery to our captain."

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Even as Ronaldo sits out the upcoming match, the 38-year-old continues to chase historic milestones. After his 900th career goal against Croatia, the Portuguese icon added yet another against Scotland. As he approaches the twilight of his career, Ronaldo has set his sights on reaching the unprecedented landmark of 1,000 career goals before retiring and if he keeps going at this pace, it might even get conquered. He has already scored five goals in four matches across all competitions for Al-Nassr this season and his recent form in the international break suggests that the 39-year-old is still a long way from hanging up his boots.

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Ronaldo should be able to return to action next Friday against Al-Ettifaq in the Pro League, provided he recovers from the viral infection in time.

Bangladesh allrounder hoping to pick from where he left off with the bat once he’s back in action

PTI12-May-2020

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is serving a two-year ban (one year suspended) for not reporting a corrupt approach, says not taking things lightly due to “ignorance” is the biggest lesson he has learnt from this whole episode.Shakib was banned by the ICC in October last after he accepted three charges of breaching the global body’s anti-corruption code. He will be free to resume international cricket on October 29 this year.”I have realised that there are certain things that you just cannot take lightly due to ignorance, and probably that is the biggest lesson I learnt during this time,” Shakib, who is currently in the USA, told . “It is a very difficult time for me because at the back of the mind you always think that I am not playing or not being able to play. The good thing is that I was able to stay with my wife during the birth of our second child.”I could not do that when my first daughter was born and I am trying to be with them in the lockdown. For me making sure that I am not depressed is extremely important as I am locked down in my house.”Shakib was in sublime touch with the bat before the ban brought him down, having scored 606 runs at 86.57 at the 2019 World Cup. Once he’s back, Shakib hopes to pick up again from where he left off.”First of all, I want to return to the game. I will return to the game after four-five months. No other decision [will be taken] before that. The biggest challenge is to be able to start again from where I had stopped, that is what I’m expecting from myself.”Wish I can start from where I ended up. That is the challenge for me, nothing else.”Shakib was sensational at No. 3 at the World Cup, and he said South Africa’s AB de Villiers inspired him to bat in that position.”I was talking to de Villiers during the BPL before the World Cup. It was just a normal conversation. He told me that at times he has batted late [in an innings]. If he had batted at No. 3 then he could have contributed more to the team and scored more runs.”Thinking about the team, he always had to play at four, five, six. His theory was to play in the middle order and score 70-80, which sometimes gives the advantage to the team and sometimes it doesn’t work. But had he batted at three, then he could have scored 100-120 and might have won more.”

The big news in the New Zealand Test squad, apart from the post-injury comeback for Trent Boult, was the return to the arena for 31-year-old left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel in place of Mitchell Santner. It’s a good change, as far as former batting coach Craig McMillan is concerned, because Patel “can pick up four or five wickets in a Test match”. As for Patel, he is just excited at the prospect of facing off against “some of the best in the world”.”Mitchell Santner, over a period of time, has done a holding role for New Zealand. And that’s down quite often to the conditions in New Zealand that aren’t really conducive to have the ball turning much. It’s the seamers who do all the damage and take most of the wickets,” McMillan, who finished up with the team after the 2019 50-over World Cup, told .Gary Stead, the New Zealand head coach, had welcomed Patel’s inclusion when the squad was announced, saying, “It’s a slight change in role we’re looking in terms of that position being one where we can take wickets and focus hard on that.”McMillan liked what he heard from Stead: “It’s good to hear, because Ajaz Patel is better than being just a holding spinner. He’s got over 230 first-class wickets [235 in 62 matches], so he knows how to bowl in New Zealand. So I hope they use him in an attacking role. They need to have a spinner who can pick up four or five wickets in a Test match. And Ajaz Patel is certainly a guy who could do that. So I thought it was encouraging to hear, and it will be interesting to see how they use him, because that’s one of the keys, when you have spinners in your side, it’s the time to use them and how to use them.”I hope they give him the opportunity to continue bowling how he does at the domestic level at the international level, because I think he can do a really good job, pick up wickets and be really useful in that New Zealand Test side.”Patel has played only seven Test matches since his debut in 2018, five of them in Asian conditions and only two in New Zealand, where the stress has been on pace with Santner trying to keep things tight without really being much of an attacking option. In the last 12 months, Santner has played one Test in Sri Lanka, two at home against England, and two in Australia, and picked up only five wickets in those games at an average of 96.80. The other spinners in the mix have been Todd Astle, who has since retired from red-ball cricket, and Will Somerville, who both played the New Year’s Test in Sydney on the back of an illness crisis in the squad.Back in the scheme of things now, Patel is looking forward to going up against Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and the rest of the mighty India batting line-up.”It’s a fantastic challenge. I suppose as a spinner, testing yourself against some of the best players in the world, it’s a great challenge and it’s something that you should, really, enjoy and cherish,” he said. “At the end of the day, I suppose, at some point in my career, I want to be known as the best in the world. So to be able to challenge some of the best in the world, it’s a great opportunity and a challenge, something that I look forward to.”Mitchell Santner is congratulated on a wicket•Getty Images

Whether he gets that chance or not depends on the Basin Reserve pitch. If it’s green, as McMillan pointed out, “perhaps playing a fourth seamer, which means Kyle Jamieson might get a run”.Patel understands that. “I suppose it depends on the surface and the scenarios of the game,” he said of the role he expects to play. “Either way, I am going to try and contribute in any way that I can, whether it be with the ball, with the bat, in the field. If it requires me to try and take wickets, then I’m going to try to do that, if it requires me to try and restrict runs, then I’ll try and do that. I feel my game’s pretty adaptable. So I’m going to just see what the conditions are and what the scenario and situation is and try to play to that.”The Basin could be quite interesting, I suppose. It depends on what kind of day it is and what kind of week you get. If you get a nice, sunny week, the wicket dries up pretty quickly. Although if there’s a bit of overcast conditions, that can be a bit different as well. And obviously you have the wind factor. There’s a lot of things you’ve got to think about at the Basin, but once again, it’s kind of adapting your game to whatever presents itself, and that’s probably one of the great things about Test cricket. You get different challenges thrown at you and you have to learn to adapt.”What could have gone against Santner, apart from just his own moderate returns, was the fact that even as he picked up just one wicket in two Tests on the December 2019 tour of Australia, Nathan Lyon topped the wicket-takers’ chart with 20 wickets in three Tests, all of which Australia won.Did that show up Santner, as well as New Zealand’s use with their frontline spinner? “I think it did in many ways,” McMillan agreed. “[Santner’s numbers] sort of stands out in itself, because his core role in the side is to pick up wickets as a spinner, not as a batsman. And he was getting picked in the side to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And New Zealand, with the bowling line-up they’ve got, need a spinner who can contribute four or five wickets a Test match, which just takes some pressure off the likes of [Tim] Southee, [Neil] Wagner and Boult.”

Allrounder could face ICC sanction following spectator altercation after his first-innings dismissal and faces demerit points

George Dobell at the Wanderers24-Jan-2020

Ben Stokes has apologised for his “unprofessional” actions, but could still face an ICC sanction following an angry exchange with a spectator who likened him to the singer, Ed Sheeran, on the first day of England’s final Test against South Africa.Stokes, England’s vice-captain, paused as he left the field following his dismissal and, in response to comments from a spectator, appeared to say: “Come say that to me outside the ground, you f***ing four-eyed c***.”Stokes’ words were picked up by broadcasters and, though not shown live, were broadcast shortly after his dismissal. They were soon shared multiple times on social media. The spectator’s comments were not broadcast, though it is understood that the individual involved, who is middle-aged, swore at Stokes and suggested he looked like Sheeran.”I wish to apologise for my language that was heard on the live broadcast today after my dismissal. I should not have reacted in that way,” Stokes said in a statement after the close of play. “As I was leaving the playing area, I was subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd.”I admit that my reaction was unprofessional, and I sincerely apologise for the language I used, especially to the many young fans watching the live telecast around the world.”Throughout the Tests so far, the support from both sets of fans (England and South Africa) has been brilliant. One incident will not ruin such a competitive series, which we are determined to win.”Use of an audible obscenity during an International Match is considered a Level One offence – the least serious – and carries a penalty of one demerit point. Stokes does not have any active demerit points, so the penalty – and any accompanying fine – would amount to little more than a slap on the wrist.In the unlikely event his words are considered a threat of assault, however, then he could be charged with a Level Three offence. If that charge was upheld, Stokes would be hit with five or six demerit points and would be facing a suspension.It is also possible his words will be considered ‘conduct that brings the game into disrepute’ which would leave him open to anything from a Level One to a Level Four offence. Level Four offences are the most serious.The match referee may well take several factors into mitigation. For one thing, the gravity of the comments aimed at Stokes may be considered, while there will also be some thought to Stokes’ state of mind as he deals with the ongoing illness of his father, Ged, who remains in hospital in the city having fallen ill at the start of the tour.The ECB may also be underwhelmed with the incident. The sponsors of Test cricket in England are Specsavers, while it is not so long since Stokes helped England win the Leeds Test in partnership with the bespectacled Jack Leach.Ashley Giles, Managing Director for England Men’s Cricket, added: “It is disappointing that a member of the public has gone out of their way to abuse Ben as he was leaving the field. Ben is fully aware that he should not have reacted in the way that he did and apologises for his actions.”In addition to this incident, members of our support staff were subjected to personal abuse during and after the day’s play. We have requested to the venue to ensure that security and stewarding are enhanced for the remainder of the match so that players’ and staff members can go about their duties without provocation.”Sheeran, the multi-awarding-winning pop star, was described as Stokes’ “biggest fan” when announcing the allrounder’s nomination for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, an award that Stokes won in a ceremony in Aberdeen in December.After the conclusion of the day’s play, Stokes came back out of the dressing-room to chat to spectators – including those by the players’ tunnel, where the incident took place – and to sign autographs.

West Ham United's 5-0 win over Freiburg on Thursday was as good as any that Hammers fans have seen this season, but Sunday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa will be a wholly different contest.

Unai Emery's high-flying side have been breathtaking this season but suffered a 4-0 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur one week ago, with John McGinn sent off.

While it feels like West Ham's campaign has been marked by inconsistency, David Moyes' team are into the Europa League quarter-finals and are currently seventh in the table, having finished 14th last term and sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m in the summer.

After dispatching Freiburg, Sunday's hosts will be fuelled with fire and belief that they can impose another defeat on the Villans, with Moyes likely to make at least four changes following Thursday's emphatic victory.

1 GK – Alphonse Areola

Alphonse Areola has taken the starring spot between the sticks this season and has done so emphatically, with his command and shot-stopping prowess crucial for Moyes' side.

1.

Alisson Becker

21

55

75.3%

2.

Alphonse Areola

25

104

75%

3.

Andre Onana

28

103

74.5%

4.

Nick Pope

14

39

73.6%

5.

Jordan Pickford

28

83

73.3%

The fitness of Ollie Watkins, who was forced off against Ajax in midweek, is a big question heading into the fixture but Areola will be confident of stopping the visitors' offensive threat.

2 RB – Vladimir Coufal

Having signed for West Ham for just £5m back in 2020, Vladimir Coufal has been incredibly important and has been one of the club's most underrated outlets this term.

As per Sofascore, the 31-year-old has supplied six assists in the Premier League this season, averaging two tackles, 2.7 clearances and 4.5 ball recoveries per game while succeeding with 53% of his ground duels.

3 CB – Kurt Zouma

Kurt Zouma was appointed West Ham captain at the start of the 2023/24 campaign but he hasn't played his best football this year, albeit scoring on his last Premier League appearance against Everton.

The Frenchman, aged 29, is an imposing presence in the backline and will need to harness his command and control if he is to emerge victorious against a fluid and dangerous Lions attack.

4 CB – Nayef Aguerd

West Ham's backline have already conceded 49 league goals this season and Nayef Aguerd is among those who need to perform well against Villa if he is to return to prominence in east London.

He missed out against Freiburg but could return to replace Konstantinos Mavropanos – the latter man notably netting an own goal against Burnley last weekend.

5 LB – Emerson Palmieri

Emerson Palmieri was injured in the first leg against Freiburg and has missed West Ham's past two matches, but he is making good progress and could return to the line-up.

The Italy international – hailed for his "unbelievable" all-encompassing showings by Flynn Downes – has emerged as a key cog in the London Stadium side's system this season and no defender has made more tackles than his 78 in the Premier League.

6 CM – Edson Alvarez

Edson Alvarez had some big boots to fill in the West Ham engine room when signing from Ajax for £35m last August, and while he's not his predecessor, The Athletic's Roshane Thomas has remarked that he has been West Ham's "best summer signing."

As per FBref, the Mexico international ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 20% for interceptions, the top 5% for blocks and the top 1% for clearances per 90.

Tough-tackling and tenacious, he will be key.

7 CM – Tomas Soucek

Tomas Soucek should retain his starting spot tomorrow, with Kalvin Phillips hardly proving himself a reliable starter in a Hammers shirt.

The centre-midfielder has been an important player throughout the Moyes era and has scored nine goals from 40 outings this season.

8 RW – Jarrod Bowen

Naturally, Jarrod Bowen was on the scoresheet in midweek and now boasts a return of 18 goals and seven assists from 36 appearances in all competitions this season.

He's rather good, isn't he? And, moreover, he's back in his favoured role on the right wing.

9 AM – James Ward-Prowse

James Ward-Prowse was harangued for his effort against Burnley last weekend and he was hooked at half-time after taking just 23 touches and failing to contribute with a single defensive contribution besides winning an aerial duel.

Still, he was a wand of a delivery and his creativity could be key tomorrow, especially given that Lucas Paqueta is a doubt after picking up a knock against Freiburg.

10 LW – Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus is a crowd-pleaser. After the Ghanaian showman's stunning first goal against Freiburg, collecting in his defensive half and beating his man, then another, then another, to finally slot past Noah Atubolu, one half-expected to see a bouquet chucked at his feet, or hear calls for an encore, as he perched on a stool and basked in the glory of a high-class goal.

In other words, he's darn good, and if West Ham are to produce a good display against Villa he will need to be on his a-game.

Australia offspinner signs for Championship campaign at the Ageas Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2019Hampshire have pulled off a coup for the 2020 County Championship season after signing Nathan Lyon on a red-ball contract that, international commitments pending, ought to keep him at the club for the entirety of the campaign.Lyon, who toured with Australia this summer as part of their World Cup and Ashes squads, is arguably the finest offspinner to have represented his country, and certainly the most prolific, having claimed 363 Test wickets in 91 appearances – second among all Australian spinners only to the great Shane Warne.His 20 wickets in this summer’s Ashes included nine wickets in a matchwinning display in the first Test at Edgbaston (his 6 for 49 sealed victory in the second innings), and in the course of a 2-2 series that ensured that Australia retained the Ashes, he went past Dennis Lillee’s tally of 355 Test wickets to sit behind only Warne and Glenn McGrath in Australia’s all-time list.”I very much look forward to playing with Hampshire in next year’s County Championship,” said Lyon. “It is a fabulous opportunity to be involved with a leading county who have had a long and successful relationship with Australian cricketers.”One of those Australians, of course, is none other than Warne, who was Hampshire’s captain in the early 2000s and who still has a stand named after him at the ground.”I love playing cricket in England and no doubt will enjoy the 2020 summer with the Hampshire players, coaches, members and supporters,” Lyon added. “We will all be focused on winning the County Championship in 2020 – I can’t wait.”Lyon will play at Hampshire under the captaincy of James Vince – whom he faced on the England tour of Australia in 2017-18 – and will form part of an incisive attack led by Fidel Edwards and Kyle Abbott, the former South African quick whose 17 wickets at the Ageas Bowl in September did so much to derail Somerset’s bid for their maiden Championship title.He will slot into a Hampshire squad that already features four home-grown spinners, among them Liam Dawson, who was an unused member of England’s victorious World Cup squad, and Mason Crane, the legspinner who made his Test debut against Australia at Sydney in January 2018. Lyon has had one previous stint in county cricket, when he turned out for Worcestershire for four matches in 2017.Hampshire Director of Cricket, Giles White said: “Nathan is a really high-class spinner and we identified him in the summer as someone who would be a great addition to our Championship side. He has a real appetite for county cricket and is keen to be a part of what we’re trying to do here, so we’re delighted to secure his signature and we can’t wait to have him on board next summer.”

Ajinkya Rahane is a relieved man, having broken a sequence of 17 Tests without a Test hundred. On the tour of the Caribbean, Rahane made 81 and 102 in the first Test in Antigua to mark his return to form.

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This shut down all talk of his Test berth being under the scanner, something Virat Kohli firmly brushed aside prior to the series when he labelled Rahane as the “most sorted guy.”Between his 132 against Sri Lanka in August 2017 and the series in the West Indies in August, Rahane had averaged below nine other Indian batsmen who have played at least ten innings in that period.”The question of when I’m going to get that hundred is now over. I’m feeling relieved,” Rahane said at a press conference in Visakhapatnam ahead of the first Test against South Africa. “I believe that each and every match and series teaches you so much.”When I was first selected for the Indian team, I had to wait for almost two years and 17 Test matches before making my debut. And here again, had to wait for 17 Test matches to score a hundred.”Prior to the series, Rahane had a mixed county season with Hampshire, scoring 307 runs in 13 innings, stats that were fueled by one century – 119 – and one half-century.”When I was playing for Hampshire, I was thinking about my debut, how my mindset was positive and I was enjoying cricket,” Rahane said. :During these 17 Test matches [when] I was batting well but not getting hundreds, I was thinking about the century and it was going away from me.”So when I went in to bat in the West Indies, I told myself that I’m not going to think about the three-figure mark, and I’m going to enjoy batting. Batting according to the team’s demand was my priority. And yes, I batted when the team needed it, and that elusive hundred also came through.”

Ella Toone treated Millie Turner with a belated birthday surprise in Lionesses training camp as they prepare for Euro 2025 qualifiers.

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Toone surprised Turner Turned celebrated belated birth in England campLionesses to play back-to-back Euro 2025 qualifiersWHAT HAPPENED?

Turner, who turned 28 on July 7, got a sweet surprise from Manchester United teammate Ella Toone in the England camp. Toone brought a doughnut with a couple of candles on it to celebrate her colleague's birthday two days later.

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Toone and Turner were an integral part of the United side that won the historic Women's FA Cup title in the 2023/24 season and finished runners-up after losing to Manchester City in the final of the Women's League Cup. The duo are now part of Sarina Wiegman's side who are currently preparing for their upcoming Euro 2025 qualifying matches.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

The Lionesses are set to appear in back-to-back Euro 2025 qualifying matches. On July 12 they face the Republic of Ireland followed by a meeting with Sweden four days later.

Mitchell Johnson, the former Australia fast bowler, has condemned the minority of spectators at Lord’s who booed Steven Smith on his return to the crease after being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer, telling ESPNcricinfo that they are “not cricket fans”.Smith’s return to Test cricket, after serving a year-long ban for his role in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal, has been spectacular, with matchwinning scores of 144 and 142 at Edgbaston last week, followed by yesterday’s 92 out in Australia’s first-innings total of 250.However, his visits to the crease have been greeted with a chorus of boos from some spectators who still maintain that he ought to be judged by his actions in Cape Town 18 months ago rather than his current exploits. And while Johnson believes they are broadly within their rights to do so, he felt that his reception on Saturday afternoon – as he resumed his innings on 80 not out after receiving treatment for two heavy blows to the neck and the left forearm – was beyond the pale.”One of the biggest disappointments for me was the crowd,” said Johnson. “Not the whole crowd, obviously, but a couple of boos could be heard through the effects mic, and that really disappointed me when he came back out to bat.”I don’t care what people say, they can say ‘yes, he’s a cheat and that’s why we’re booing him’, but that’s a load of rubbish to me. Yes, he’s done what he’s done, and you can boo him at the start of play when he comes onto the field if that’s how you feel. But for me, he’s taken a heavy knock – two heavy knocks – but he’s said ‘I can still bat here’. He’s braved up, he’s come through the concussion tests, and not many people would be able to do that.”Also read: Steven Smith blow brings cricket to a standstillJohnson, one of the few fast bowlers in recent Test history who was capable of bowling at the exceptional speed that Archer generated on day four of the second Test, also recalled the moment at Sydney in 2008-09, when South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith reappeared at No.11 in a bid to save the Test for his team, despite having had his hand broken by Johnson earlier in the match.”I remember in 2008 when Graeme Smith came out to bat, and the crowd were on their feet,” he said. “The majority of the fans here were, but for me, the ones that booed were not cricket fans.”Johnson, who had been commentating on Test Match Special when Smith was struck in the neck, recalled his unease at the incident, and said that he had sympathy with the England players – in particular Archer and Jos Buttler – who attracted some criticism on social media for appearing to laugh while Smith was receiving treatment.”I was on the radio when it happened, and I found it quite difficult to speak at the time because of the way Steve Smith hit the ground and lay there,” he said. “You could see he was moving around, but it obviously hurt him.”But what the England players did well was that Jos Buttler rushed straight up to him, and though Jofra Archer went back to the crease and rubbed his hands in the dirt, he then walked over to make sure he was okay.”In that situation they did everything they could as players. They made sure he was okay as best they could. They are not professionals in the medical world, so they have to leave that up to the professionals to make those decisions and sort that out.””There is a bit of stuff going around in social media about Buttler and Archer laughing and smiling, but you don’t know what they were laughing at, and for me they weren’t laughing at Steve Smith,” he added.”There was a bit of nervousness in the laughter. Archer was a bit shaken by it, he’s a cool character, really calm, but you could tell in his eyes there was a little bit of concern there as well.””But the game is played with the short ball,” Johnson added. “We saw Patty Cummins earlier in the Test going quite hard at Archer, so it’s expected in this game. There was nothing illegal about the delivery, I don’t think there was too much of it.”Speaking to Sky Sports before the start of the final day, Archer insisted that his primary aim had been to get Smith out, with a short leg and leg slip in place to combat his habit of working the short ball off his hip.”I honestly don’t know what I was thinking at the time,” Archer said. “Seeing someone go down, you don’t ever want to see anyone carried off on a stretcher, or you don’t want to see them missing a day, or a game, especially with what happened a few years ago [to Phil Hughes] as well. It’s never a nice sight.”Johnson agreed that England’s tactics were fair and appropriate, given the skill that Smith has displayed in the series to date.”How do you get Steve Smith out? We keep talking about it and England hadn’t tried that tactic of really going after him,” he said. “Unfortunately for Steve it has really rattled him up. He got hit on the arm first and he played a pull not too long after that he would not normally do. It definitely played on his emotions, his head, his skills. It’s part of the game and there’s been a little too much taken out of what’s happened out there today.”As a cricket watcher, I know everyone around the ground enjoyed that [battle], and even as an Australian fan back home, it would have been very exciting to watch a young up-and-coming superstar, going up against the best in the world, and getting the crowd riled up, and right behind him.”