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Bumrah has been out of action because of a stress reaction in his back but his recovery has gone satisfactorily, according to the BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2023Jasprit Bumrah has been added to India’s ODI squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka after three months away from the national side.Bumrah has been out of action since September last year because of a stress reaction in his back, and had been rehabilitating at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru since. ESPNcricinfo understands that the national selectors have deemed his recovery as satisfactory.He is understood to have amped up his training routine and bowling over the past week, resulting in his inclusion in the squad. “The pacer has undergone rehabilitation and has been declared fit by the NCA,” the BCCI said in a statement. “He will be joining the Team India ODI squad soon.”‘Related

Bumrah to miss Sri Lanka ODIs, doubtful for Test series against Australia

Sanju Samson ruled out of T20I series against Sri Lanka; Jitesh Sharma called up

Shivam Mavi impresses on debut as India defend 162

Rohit: Saving Bumrah's career more important than T20 WC

Was Bumrah rushed back from injury ahead of T20 World Cup?

When India’s squads for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka were announced on December 27, ESPNcricinfo had reported that Bumrah was fit, but the selectors were being cautious about rushing him back because of the way his back injury had resurfaced during the home T20Is against Australia last year. Bumrah was subsequently ruled out of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where India lost to England in the semi-finals.Bumrah’s rehab and recovery report is believed to have been discussed at the BCCI’s performance review meeting on Monday, leading to a change in stance regarding selection. The team management is reportedly keen on Bumrah building his way back to full rhythm in a match environment ahead of the four-Test series against Australia in February.Watch on ESPN Player in the UK

WATCH the first India vs Sri Lanka T20I LIVE

His return comes at a time when India are getting their preparations underway for the 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India this October-November. India could also have a World Test Championship final to play in June, soon after the IPL, depending on the result of the home Test series against Australia.Bumrah’s inclusion in the ODI squad means India have a near full-strength pace attack for the series against Sri Lanka, with Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, in addition to seam-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya, all in the mix.India play three ODIs against Sri Lanka on January 10, 12 and 15, after the three-T20I series that begins on January 3.India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

Seamer says aggressive gameplans can give her a second wind at back end of career

Valkerie Baynes02-Dec-2022Kate Cross says England Women are ready to embrace a more aggressive approach under the guidance of new head coach Jon Lewis.Upon linking up with his charges at their training base in Loughborough last week, Lewis revealed he wanted them to play less safe and “walk towards the danger” just as he had seen the England Men’s sides do across formats in his previous role as their elite pace bowling coach.It’s an approach that may come naturally to the younger members of the squad, with the likes of Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell all fearlessly grabbing the international opportunities given to them over the summer during the final months of Lisa Keightley’s three-year tenure as head coach.And while Kate Cross, the 31-year-old seamer, believes it will require a “mindset shift” for the team as a whole, she’s all in.”If you’re not willing to move with the times, then you’re going to get stuck behind anyway,” Cross said from Antigua, where the ODI squad is preparing for the first of three matches against West Indies on Sunday.”I’m not daft, I know that people are going to work out how to face me and how to attack me and that’s ultimately going to put pressure on me. So if I can get ahead of that curve now, then that’s pretty handy for me as a player.”How it looks for me might look very different to how it looks for Freya Kemp or Katherine Brunt. That’s where I think Lewy is going to come in and be really clear with our roles in the team, and what that looks like and what is needed from us.”From a bowling point of view, we’ve got such a big unit now and a really exciting unit, that it will be more how we approach the game as a unit, because it’ll be up to the five or six bowlers that are out there to try and bowl teams out. It’s going to be interesting, but I’m really looking forward to it.”Related

Maia Bouchier, Alice Davidson-Richards added to England T20I squad

Lauren Winfield-Hill earns recall as England Women name Caribbean squads

Jon Lewis' to-do list: Manage comebacks, nurture youngsters and see England Women soar

Jon Lewis: 'You don't coach gender, you coach people'

Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight back in West Indies squad for ODIs against England

Cross is an admirer of how England Men’s red- and white-ball teams have executed the positive ethos promoted by their respective head coaches, Brendon McCullum and Matthew Mott, reacting on her Instagram stories to an ECB post about the Test team’s feats on the opening day in Pakistan, saying: “Changing the game, this team”. And she said the concept wasn’t completely alien to the Women’s group, who had talked about adopting a similar approach under Keightley and captain Heather Knight over the summer.”Personally for me, it’s a really nice time for this to come in,” she added. “It’s getting that second wind in your career. You don’t want to be the old senior pro that is stuck in their ways and just does what they always do. It feels like a really nice time for me personally as well, to be getting that messaging.”The thing that I’ve noticed with the youngsters is just the lack of fear that they have when they play. That’s probably an element of coming in and making debuts in the Hundred and playing in front of big crowds, and having the opportunity to impress people. Sometimes I think players from my generation could have been doing that, but it was a bit behind the scenes, you weren’t on TV, it wasn’t even live-streamed back then.”Those youngsters are just used to that environment. For me, what is exciting is they don’t really care who’s bowling at them or who they’re bowling at, they just go and do their thing. That’s the making of a really exciting team.”The ODIs in Antigua will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, in which England are yet to get off the mark following their 3-0 defeat by India in September.Cross is not part of the T20I squad staying on – with Brunt, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sarah Glenn and Wong joining them – for five matches from December 11. She will return home along with Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards and Tammy Beaumont after the third ODI in a week’s time but for now she is relishing being back in the Caribbean, where she made her international debut in 2013 and where she came as a youngster herself to watch the men play on the 2004 Test tour.”I remember coming out here as a young kid watching [Steve] Harmison and [Matthew] Hoggard bowling on pitches like this and making West Indian players look silly,” she said. “I also did see Brian Lara get 400, so maybe I shouldn’t say that. But I’m a huge cricket fan, I’ve been lucky to come out here and watch England men play, so it’s great to be back here… it’s a special place for me.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Palmeiras e Atlético-MG fizeram um bom jogo neste domingo, para mais de 40 mil pessoas no Allianz Parque. Embora tenha sido um duelo digno de liderança, as equipe empataram por 0 a 0 e perderam a chance de assumirem a ponta do Brasileirão. Agora, com 16 pontos, eles ficam na segunda e na terceira posições, respectivamente (o que separa os dois é o saldo de gols). O primeiro é o Corinthians, que contava com a igualdade para segurar a ponta.

GALERIA
>Saiba os clubes que mais cederam jogadores à Seleção em Copas

> ATUAÇÕES: Defesa se destaca, mas ataque do Verdão é improdutivo

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Verdão e Galo mostram equilíbrio; Alviverde ficou mais perto do gol

Como era esperado, o início de jogo mostrou dois times bastante empenhados em manter a segurança de seus estilos, com o Atlético-MG sempre acionando Hulk, que tentou se impor logo de cara, com uma jogada individual. No entanto, ela foi neutralizada pela defesa do Palmeiras, que tentou responder em enfiada de bola para Veiga. O meio-campista acabou sentindo a coxa direita e deu lugar a Rafael Navarro, aos 13′.

Sem um de seus principais jogadores, o Alviverde demorou um pouco para se restabelecer. Aos 17′, após cobrança de falta, Sasha arriscou de bicicleta e quase colocou o Galo à frente no placar. Em seguida, os donos da casa reagiram em cobrança de escanteio de Scarpa, que gerou um bate e rebate, mas ninguém finalizou. No lance subsequente, Rony fez jogada individual e cruzou para Scarpa, que foi travado.

O Palmeiras tinha dificuldade para sair com a bola e ficava travado na marcação alta do Atlético-MG, que por sua vez não conseguia criar chances claras. Rubens, Nacho e Allan arriscaram de longe, mas sem sucesso e sem exigir muito de Lomba. O que pegou fogo mesmo foi o duelo Nacho e Gabriel Menino. Os ânimos ficaram exaltados algumas vezes e na última cada um foi advertido com um cartão amarelo.

Na reta final da primeira etapa, o Galo mostrou sinais de queda de produção, enquanto o Verdão tentou acelerar. Gustavo Scarpa teve chance em cobrança de falta, mas colocou para fora. O melhor lance do jogo até então, porém, ainda estava por vir. Aos 47, Dudu deu passe preciso para Navarro sair cara a cara com o goleiro, no entanto o centroavante perdeu o gol, deixando o empate em 0 a 0 no placar.

Verdão e Galo tentam se impor, mas não tiram o zero do placar

Na volta do intervalo, nenhuma equipe mexeu nos jogadores que estavam em campo, mas o Palmeiras se mostrou disposto a mudar o placar logo no início da segunda etapa. Aos quatro minutos, Scarpa conseguiu abrir para o chute e quase colocou rasteiro, no cantinho de Everson, mas a bola foi para fora. O Atlético-MG buscava os contra-ataques e levavam perigo com as investidas de Ademir pela direita.

A partir dos 15 minutos, o jogo passou a ficar mais físico e com poucas oportunidades claras de gol. Piquerez e Murilo faziam partidas impecáveis na marcação de Ademir e Hulk, que pouco espaço tinham para atacar pelo Galo. O Verdão, por sua vez, tentava aproximar Dudu e Scarpa, mas as oportunidades eram poucas.

Abel Ferreira mudou o time tentando colocar Gabriel Veron no lugar de Rony e Fabinho no lugar de Gabriel Menino. Dudu teve uma ótima oportunidade ao cortar para o meio e chutar de esquerda, mas a bola explodiu na marcação. Em seguida, Ademir teve uma grande chance, mas finalizou muito mal, direto para fora. As duas equipes ainda tentaram se impor, mas não conseguiram tirar o zero do placar.

E agora?

Com o empate, Palmeiras e Atlético-MG ficam com 16 pontos na tabela do Brasileirão e passam a ocupar a segunda e a terceira posições, respectivamente, ambos a dois pontos do Corinthians, que volta para a liderança. Na próxima rodada, o Verdão recebe o Botafogo, nesta quarta-feira, no Allianz Parque, enquanto o Galo, no mesmo dia, enfrenta o Fluminense, fora de casa, no Maracanã.

FICHA TÉCNICA

PALMEIRAS 0 x 0 ATLÉTICO-MG
Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP)
Data-Hora: 5/6/2022 – 16h
Árbitro: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (Fifa/GO)
Auxiliares: Bruno Raphael Pires (Fifa/GO) e Bruno Boschilia (Fifa/PR)
VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves Pinheiro (RN)
Público/Renda: 40.235 pagantes/R$ 2.701.274,45
Cartões amarelos: Abel Ferreira e Gabriel Menino (PAL); Otávio, Nacho Fernández e Mariano (AMG)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: –

PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Luan, Murilo e Piquerez; Gabriel Menino (Fabinho, aos 31’/2ºT), Zé Rafael (Pedro Bicalho, aos 42’/2ºT) e Raphael Veiga (Rafael Navarro, aos 13’/1ºT); Dudu (Breno Lopes, aos 42’/2ºT), Gustavo Scarpa e Rony (Gabriel Veron, aos 31’/2ºT). Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

ATLÉTICO-MG: Everson; Mariano, Nathan Silva, Junior Alonso e Rubens; Allan, Jair (Sávio, aos 36’/2ºT) e Nacho Fernández; Ademir, Eduardo Sasha (Otávio, aos 22’/2ºT) e Hulk. Técnico: Antonio Mohamed.

Former South Africa captain says CSA’s new T20 league will bring an investment that their game desperately needs

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2022

Test cricket could be played by only five or six countries with competitive teams in the future, according to former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Speaking on on day three of the first Test between South Africa and England at Lord’s, Smith, who is now Cricket South Africa’s T20 league commissioner, said he didn’t think South Africa “have any intent to not play Test cricket,” but that the format appears destined to shrink overall.”With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India really took Test cricket seriously. They lead the way with that. But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level.”Smith’s comments came on the back of the ICC’s new FTP, according to which South Africa play fewer Tests in the next cycle (2023-2027) than the current one (2019-2023) and no three-Test series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC).CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki explained that their calendar was constrained by their new T20 league and the financial implications of hosting Test cricket but understood there would be disappointment with their sparse fixture list. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) were among the first to voice their frustration.”We are disappointed with the lack of Test cricket. For youngsters, it’s the optimum test of your cricket ability,” Andrew Breetze, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “With fewer Tests being played and more two-Test series, Test cricket is being diluted. If you look at what FICA and SACA have been saying for the last five years, we said that the ICC should take ownership of this by looking at how we balance bilateral cricket with T20 events and if they don’t do that we are going to see Test cricket being diminished by the non-big three. We are there. And that’s disappointing.”Related

CSA downsizes international commitments to make room for new T20 league

CSA forfeits Australia ODIs to secure 'long-term sustainability of the game' in South Africa

Despite that, SACA and its members (South African domestic and international players) will throw their weight behind the new T20 league as they recognise the pivotal role it will play in keeping South African cricket sustainable. “We support the league. The league is critical for the survival of cricket in South Africa,” Breetzke said. “We’ve got three sources of revenue for cricket in South Africa – broadcast revenue, sponsorship and ICC revenue. Two of those are reducing, and because of that, we’ve got to find a source of revenue and that is the T20 league.”Broadcast revenue and sponsorships are the two streams that are shrinking, partly because of the state of the global game and economy and partly because of CSA’s recent administrative meltdown. “If you are not playing India enough, your broadcast revenue is down,” Breetzke said. “Sponsorship revenue is two-fold because we’re not playing as much and because of the last five years at CSA. No-one wants to get involved in our cricket and that’s the sad reality. There is a lot of work for CSA – and to give them credit they are doing it – to enhance the work of CSA and to get sponsors. That’s more critical than ever. The market has changed post Covid. You are not getting those 18-million-rand-a-year Standard Bank sponsorships. The market is more about short-term sponsorship deals, smaller sponsorship and more specific sponsorship. That’s where CSA have to up their game.”Graeme Smith: ‘I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away’•BCCI

The six teams in CSA’s new league have all been bought by IPL owners, a development that will inject unprecedented amounts of money into the country’s game. “It’s certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed,” Smith said. “The pressures on nations like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa to stay financially sustainable to keep up with England, India, and the world game to stay competitive is hugely important. I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away.”Asked whether he thought there were any dangers to private ownership, Smith said he did not see any drawbacks. “Cricket South Africa is still the major shareholder in this league. The investment into the South African game is still going to happen. It’s not people coming in and taking cricket away from the federation. A big part of this private ownership is that these owners had to look at the grassroots programmes, development programmes and how they would impact that. Hopefully we’ll see a talent pool would really get stronger and stronger and benefit cricket across the board. We needed partners that were sustainable. They’re not looking to make a dollar early on, they were prepared to invest in South Africa and grow this opportunity with us. And I think the key difference for us is that the money will still flow back into the game.”Given all the promises of the new league, CSA has been willing to move other commitments aside, including future Test engagements and forfeiting World Cup Super League matches in Australia next January. Smith said it was a necessary sacrifice, which was actually a lot smaller than it may seem. “For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn’t done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league,” he said. “People also look at those three ODIs wrong. Yes, South Africa hasn’t handled ODI cricket as well and it should never be in this position. But for South Africa to be in Australia out of their key part of the summer financially is a huge stress for them. It’s like asking England not to play during your summer. The commitment that South African cricket made to go for the three Test matches is good for the game. It’s something that won’t happen often.”South Africa will not travel to Australia for Tests at all in the next FTP, and overall they also play fewer ODIs than any of the other Full Members, and the third-lowest number of bilateral matches in total after Ireland and Zimbabwe. That number may increase after ongoing discussions with other members.Moseki said CSA were looking at ways to organise more ODIs before the 2027 World Cup but SACA hoped additional fixtures can also be secured before then. “It’s placed CSA in a position where they have to go out and negotiate additional white-ball matches,” Breetzke said. “If you look at that FTP and you look at areas there, there’s a negotiation for additional matches. Relationships are going to be critically important as to can we enhance that FTP with white-ball cricket.”

We are halfway through the season, and it already feels like Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League campaign is over.

Ange Postecoglou’s side slipped down to 12th place following their defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday and are currently 12 points off Chelsea in the final guaranteed Champions League spot.

However, the North Londoners have a League Cup semi-final to come tomorrow night, an FA Cup game on the weekend and remain in the Europa League, so there is still plenty to play for.

With that said, to stand any chance in those competitions, the club need to sort out their biggest weakness, which is their defence, and based on recent reports, that could be happening as they’ve been linked to someone who could finally replace Radu Dragusin.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in Udinese centre-back Thomas Kristensen.

In fact, the report claims that it’s currently felt that the most substantial interest is coming from the North Londoners, although the likes of Leicester City and Bayer Leverkusen are also noted as keen parties.

While the potential competition isn’t ideal, the good news is that, according to the story, the promising defender will likely be available for around £16.5m, which could leave some funds for more deals this month.

Overall, this seems like it could be a rather straightforward and relatively inexpensive transfer to get done and, considering Kristensen’s ability, one Spurs should be getting done, especially because he’d be a dream Dragusin upgrade.

How Kristensen compares to Dragusin

So, the first thing to say is that, given the importance of both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to Postecoglou’s system, the former for his leadership and experience and the latter for his lightning speed and decision-making, Kristensen would not be signed as genuine competition for them.

Instead, the Danish international would almost certainly be viewed as a rival for Dragusin to be the team’s first-choice backup, and based on their respective campaigns this season, it would be a competition the Udinese ace would win hands down.

Now, given where they play, we can’t show this through goals and assists like we would an attacking player, but instead, we can see the Dane’s superiority by comparing their underlying numbers.

For example, according to FBref, the Aarhus-born titan comes out ahead in the vast majority of relevant metrics, including but not limited to progressive passes and carries, key passes, tackles, tackles won, clearances, aerial duels, and he makes fewer errors leading to a shot, all per 90.

Moreover, on top of being far more impressive from a statistical perspective, the 22-year-old should be able to add more physical stature to the Lilywhites’ backline.

For example, he stands at a massive 6 foot 6 to the Romanian’s 6 foot 3, and according to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, is “a unit at the back.”

Ultimately, while Dragusin can sometimes be a scapegoat for Spurs, he is clearly not of the level required to cover for Romero and Van de Ven, whereas Kristensen looks like he could be.

Therefore, Daniel Levy and Co should act fast to bring him in this month before someone beats them to it.

An upgrade on Son: Tottenham chasing £29m phenom with "an eye for goal"

The incredible winger would be a brilliant signing for Spurs.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 6, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta segunda-feira (26), a CBF nomeou Luísa Rosa como nova diretora de patrimônio da entidade. Com a escolha realizada pelo presidente Ednaldo Rodrigues, a arquiteta se tornou a primeira mulher a assumir um cargo deste nível dentro da confederação. Ela chegou no ano passado com aval da Fifa para desenvolver projetos financiados com verba do Fundo de Legado da Copa de 2014.

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Luísa Rosa, que também já trabalhou no Comitê Organizador da Copa do Mundo do Qatar, terá como uma das primeiras funções a ampliação da Granja Comary, em Teresópolis, local que recebe os treinos da Seleção Brasileira.

A chegada da arquiteta é mais um movimento da nova gestão da entidade, encabeçada pelo presidente Ednaldo Rodrigues, no intuito de tornar a CBF mais plural ao colocar mulheres em comandos da instituição. A expectativa é de que novas lideranças femininas sejam nomeadas nos próximos dias.

Outro setor da entidade que sofreu mudanças foi a comissão de arbitragem. Na última segunda-feira (25), mais de 10 nomes foram desligados pelo presidente da pasta, Wilson Seneme. Entre os desligados estãoSérgio Corrêa, responsável pelo VAR e um dos nomes mais antigos do setor, Manoel Serapião, responsável pela análise da arbitragem, coronel Marinho, ouvidor, Cláudio Cerdeira, José Mocellin, Nilson Monção, Almir Alves de Mello (responsável por cortes de vídeo do VAR), Marta Magalhães (psicóloga) e Érika Krauss (logística).

A limping Hasaranga claimed four wickets after a sparkling innings but it was all in vain

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jun-2022Sri Lanka put up a commanding score, got early wickets, were decent through the middle, and looked for much of the chase like they would defend the rain-adjusted 282 off 44 overs. But then, Glenn Maxwell, pulled the rug from under them with 80 not out off 51.He arrived with Australia needing 93 off 84 balls, with five wickets remaining, and immediately took on the role of aggressor, on a Pallekele surface offering significant turn. Clearly he loves this ground, since he’d also struck a 49-ball T20I hundred here in 2016.But this innings was more methodical. He waited for errors in length, and used the reverse sweep to good effect, to keep Australia’s requirement at roughly a run-a-ball. He trusted the lower order up to a point, but then was also good at farming the strike towards the close. He faced 15 of the 18 balls in the ninth-wicket stand with Jhye Richardson. And when he got balls in his area, he struck successive sixes off Dushmantha Chameera to win the match with nine balls to spare.Wanindu Hasaranga, who was limping for much of the match, claimed four wickets to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt as well. Debutant left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage also contributed two wickets, including that of Steven Smith. But Maxwell took both for plenty of runs, hitting 20 off 12 against Hasaranga, and 18 off 10 against Wellalage. That, essentially, is where he won the match.Maxwell dominated the legside. All but one of his six sixes came in the arc between backward square leg and wide long-on. Only once did he seem slightly uncomfortable, and that was against the pace of Chameera, who by the end he had walloped for three sixes.Wanindu Hasaranga worked through injury to produce a fine all-round performance•AFP/Getty ImagesEarlier in Australia’s chase, Smith had hit 53 off 60, Finch made 44 off 41, and Marcus Stoinis provided the middle-order impetus following a long rain break, with his 44 off 31 balls, which featured four fours and two sixes. In all this, the highest partnership was the 67-run stand between Finch and Smith, and there was only one other fifty-plus stand. Sri Lanka kept taking wickets, but never in serious clumps.Through Finch, Smith, Stoinis, Maxwell, and even Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey – who both got scores in the 20s – Australia kept pushing themselves closer, and crucially, puttered along at a good run rate. Rains came down when Australia were 72 for 2 in the 13th over, clipping six overs from the chase. Perhaps the slightly slippery ball and deliveries skidding on to the bat helped Australia somewhat. But there was rarely a point at which their batters did not look composed.When they had begun the chase, the target was 301 off 50 overs, and Sri Lanka had mounted a score of 300 for 7 thanks to their openers, who put on 115 together, and Kusal Mendis, who hit 86 not out off 87. For the hosts, Pathum Nissanka made 56 off 68, and Danushka Gunathilaka hit 55 off 53, surging through the first 19 overs, before their wickets in quick succession slowed Sri Lanka’s progress. Mendis massaged them through that period however, with no little help from Charith Asalanka, with whom he forged a 77-run stand.Sri Lanka seemed headed for a score of around 280 off their 50 overs, which seemed pretty good on a slow track, until Hasaranga crashed five successive fours off Jhye Richardson in the 49th over, and put Sri Lanka in the vicinity of that 300 mark. Hasaranga’s 37 came off 19 balls.It seemed at that point that Sri Lanka had a fantastic chance of defending this total, because they had three frontline spinners in the XI, and Australia’s best bowler had been Ashton Agar, who took 2 for 49 from his 10. But these predictions clearly didn’t account for Maxwell. Sri Lanka will feel like they should have won this one. Maxwell’s hitting was just a little too good.

AC Milan legend Massimo Ambrosini has urged the club to extend Kyle Walker's stay at San Siro beyond the current season.

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Ambrosini urged AC Milan to retain WalkerJoined on loan from Man City in JanuaryWants AC Milan to make the transfer permanentFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Manchester City skipper joined the Rossoneri on a short-term loan deal in the January transfer window and in a very short time, the English full-back has adjusted to life at the Italian club. He has become a mainstay in Sergio Conceicao's starting lineup, having already appeared in nine matches across all competitions.

AdvertisementWHAT MASSIMO AMBROSINI SAID

Ex-Milan star Ambrosini has been left impressed by Walker's performances in the last couple of months and as a result, has urged the Italian giants to make the player's transfer permanent in the summer. Speaking to , the former midfielder said: "The best thing for Milan and Kyle Walker would be to extend his deal at the club. Next season is going to be a better season and Milan is a great place for him. He has an important role in the squad and if you look at Manchester City’s situation, it surprises me that they allowed him to leave, he’d be so useful for them.

"But he is here in Italy now and maybe he needed that change, the fans are all behind him and when he isn’t playing you realise how much he is missed already. You can feel the difference already and I think a permanent deal would be right for him and the club."

Getty THE BIGGER PICTURE

Walker's impressive performances in the Serie A have earned him a place in Thomas Tuchel's first-ever England squad that will face Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers on March 21 and 24. The 34-year-old will be joined by the likes of Marc Guehi, Reece James and debutant Dan Burn of Newcastle United in the Three Lions backline.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?

Milan will be back in action in Serie A after the international break on March 30 as they take on Napoli away from home.

The visitors will field a very different side from when the teams last met while Pakistan may be able to welcome back Shadab Khan

Andrew McGlashan04-Apr-2022Big pictureA one-off T20I at the end of the tour does not come with a huge amount of context, but if the last two ODIs are anything to go by, the atmosphere in Lahore should at least be terrific with the game starting after the heat of the day has passed.What either team can take from the match is debatable, but it’s another game on the road to the next men’s T20 World Cup later this year in Australia. This contest brings together two of the semi-finalists from last year’s event where Australia prevailed in a thrilling finish with Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis taking them to victory. It will be a very different looking Australia side for this game, though, with only three players from that semi-final – Stoinis, Aaron Finch and Adam Zampa – set to take the field with the rest absent for a variety of seasons.It’s a meeting of two in-form T20I sides: Australia have won ten of their last 12 matches [one after a Super Over against Sri Lanka] and Pakistan 11 of their last 12 – the only defeat being their T20 World Cup semi-final exit.Recent form
Pakistan WWWWW
Australia LWWWWIn the spotlightCan Babar Azam cap his personal tour de force with one more captain’s innings? A Test-saving masterclass was followed by two wonderful chasing centuries to take the one-day series and he is the No. 1-ranked T20I batter – his opener partner Mohammad Rizwan is ranked No. 2 in what is a formidable pairing.Adam Zampa is one of the premier T20 spinners in the world. After taking four wickets in the opening ODI, Pakistan’s top order played him well in their two successful run chases and, in what will be an inexperienced Australia attack, his four overs could be key to the outcome.Josh Inglis, as well as Ashton Agar, have tested negative for Covid-19 and could be available for selection•Getty ImagesTeam newsPakistan have a 17-player squad for this game, which seems a touch excessive, but at least gives them options. Shadab Khan may be available after injury kept him out of the ODI series. Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir could also be considered.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4, Asif Ali, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Haider Ali, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Wasim, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Haris RaufJosh Inglis and Ashton Agar have tested negative for Covid-19 following their recent isolation periods and were due to train on Monday. If they are assessed as being available for selection it would be a boost to a squad stripped of a lot of experience. Inglis was impressive in his debut series against Sri Lanka. Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne could make their T20I debuts and Travis Head could play his first match in the format since 2018.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Ben McDermott, 4 Josh Inglis/Alex Carey (wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Sean Abbott, 8 Ashton Agar/Mitchell Swepson, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Jason BehrendorffPitch and conditionsAlthough Australia’s batting struggled in the deciding ODI, this has the makings of a high-scoring match. The ball should come on nicely under the lights.Stats and trivia Babar and Rizwan have an average partnership of 56.65 in T20Is – the third highest of any pairing with a minimum 20 innings. Australia’s highest is 36.66 between Finch and David Warner. Three of Finch’s last four innings against Pakistan have been ducks.

أدلى ميكيل ميرينو لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي آرسنال، بتصريحات صحفية، وذلك عقب فوز فريقه على نظيره ريال مدريد في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وفاز آرسنال على نظيره ريال مدريد بنتيجة 0/3 في ذهاب دور الـ8 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، في نظامها الجديد على ملعب “الإمارات” (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

يذكر أن لقاء الإياب بين الفريقين سيقام على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”، يوم الأربعاء المقبل في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

وقال لاعب آرسنال ميكيل ميرينو في تصريحات لـ “أمازون برايم”: “كنا نتحدث في غرفة الملابس عن الحفاظ على وتيرة اللعب، وذلك بفضل دعم الجمهور لنا”.

وأضاف ميرينو: “كان الشوط الثاني مذهلاً، لعبنا بكامل طاقتنا على الجانب، عندما يلعب هذا الفريق بهذه الطريقة، يساندنا الجمهور”.

وعن ركلات ديكلان رايس الحرة، قال: “حصلنا على بعض الركلات الحرة الأسبوع الماضي ولم نسجل منها، رايس يمتلك واحدة من أفضل قدرات التسديد التي رأيتها في مسيرتي”.

واختتم ميرينو قائلاً: “لستُ متفاجئًا من تسجيل رايس لهدفين من ضربة حرة مباشرة، بل ربما أنتم أيضًا، نأمل أن نرى المزيد منها في المستقبل”.