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Xabi Alonso will stay with German champions-elect Bayer Leverkusen next season, in a crushing blow to former clubs Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

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Alonso to stay at LeverkusenSpanish head coach confirms decisionBlow to suitors Bayern & LiverpoolWHAT HAPPENED?

The Spaniard had been considered the priority candidate for the soon-to-be vacant managerial roles at both the Allianz Arena and Anfield, but having guided his side to within touching distance of a first-ever Bundesliga title amid a remarkable unbeaten season, he has announced he will stay with Leverkusen this summer.

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As expected, Alonso communicated his decision in a press conference on Friday, with suitors Bayern already informed of his choice. It emerged on Thursday that Liverpool had given up hope of bringing him in to replace outgoing stalwart Jurgen Klopp in the belief that he would stay at the BayArena, and that has proven to be the case.

WHAT ALONSO SAID

Speaking to reporters, the coveted head coach said: "We have had a lot of speculation regarding my future. I wanted to use the international break to reflect and take a decision. Last week, I had a very good meeting and informed the club my decision to continue being coach.

"My job is not over here. I feel this is the right place for me to be and develop as a coach."

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Incredibly, Bayer Leverkusen are still unbeaten in all competitions this season under the 42-year-old's tutelage and are on track for an unprecedented treble, if they can continue that run. The Werkself are 10 points clear in the Bundesliga and remain in contention in the latter stages of both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League, where they are set to face Dusseldorf and West Ham respectively.

ESPNcricinfo’s live blog of the first round of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season

Sidharth Monga04-Nov-2018

A “world-class” star is now pushing to seal a move to Manchester City quickly, but it will take a huge offer to secure his signature, according to a report.

Man City set to spend big despite lack of 115 charges verdict

Having endured a rare trophyless season in the 2024-25 campaign, Man City are set to spend big to rebuild their squad this summer, despite the fact they are yet to receive a verdict in their case against the Premier League.

Gary Neville has been particularly critical about the lack of a conclusion to the ongoing saga, saying: “That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it’s an absolute stain to the game.

“It has just been dragging on for years and years, it’s an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they’ve been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with.”

Man City register interest to sign £205k-p/w PSG star who Pep called "top"

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1 BySean Markus Clifford Jun 2, 2025

The lack of a verdict seemingly isn’t dissuading players from moving to the Etihad Stadium, however, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Rayan Ait-Nouri expected to join Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, while Lyon’s Rayan Cherki has also said “yes” to a move.

Cherki isn’t the only midfielder of interest to the Blues, however, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders, with a report from Italy (via Sport Witness) revealing the midfielder is pushing to seal a move to the Etihad Stadium quickly.

City have already made an offer of €60m (£51m) for Reijnders, but Milan are set to hold out for a fee of over €70m (£59m), so the two clubs may still be a little way apart in their valuation of the 26-year-old.

"World-class" Reijnders could be statement signing for City

Erling Haaland’s willingness to sign a ten-year contract may have allayed some fears that City will receive a harsh punishment from the Premier League, when the verdict is finally reached, and signing the AC Milan star would also be a statement of intent.

The Dutchman enjoyed a very impressive 2024-25 campaign with the Italian giants, picking up 20 goal contributions in 54 outings, during which time he also received very high praise from CBS’ Matteo Bonetti.

An outlay of around £60m would be justifiable for Man City, given Reijnders’ ability, and the fact he is pushing to seal a move to the Etihad should give them an edge in negotiations with Milan.

Stats highlights of a career which has been exceptional, and is still improving

Shiva Jayaraman25-Feb-2021If you fed a selection of R Ashwin’s bowling statistics to a clustering algorithm, chances are that he would be grouped with fast bowlers rather than spinners. Over the years, Ashwin’s numbers in Test cricket have taken a shape that fast bowlers would envy. A career strike rate of 53 puts him between Brett Lee and Morne Morkel among bowlers to take at least 300 wickets in Tests. Out of the 35 bowlers to have taken 300 or more wickets, 24 have an inferior strike rate than Ashwin and 16 of them are fast bowlers. No spinner has a better strike rate than he has. Muttiah Muralitharan comes the closest with a strike rate of 55.0. The race to 400 wickets
Ashwin has taken 21,242 balls to take 400 wickets, which makes him the fourth-quickest bowler ever to the landmark. Only Dale Steyn, Richard Hadlee and Glenn McGrath have got to 400 wickets in fewer deliveries. Rangana Herath is the quickest spinner after Ashwin, having taken 23,835 deliveries.The figure for Richard Hadlee is a range, since exact numbers are not available•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn terms of matches taken to take 400 wickets, only Muralitharan was faster than Ashwin because of having averaged higher number of balls per match than Ashwin. Ashwin has reached the milestone in his 77th match, which is three matches fewer than the next quickest bowler among the 15 bowlers who completed 400 wickets before him.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin is also the second-quickest in terms of time taken from making his debut, having reached the milestone in 9 years and 110 days since making his debut (days to the start of the match in which the milestone was reached). McGrath took just 8 years and 341 days, and is the quickest among all bowlers.The new-ball specialist
Ashwin’s effectiveness with the new ball makes him a unique spinner whose utility transcends the limit imposed by the skills of a spinner. He has some nifty tricks up his sleeve, not the least impressive of which is the drift he is able to get with the new ball with the seam upright that – but for the lack of pace – mimics the inswinger bowled by a fast bowler to right-hand batsman. Coupled with intelligent use of the crease, Ashwin is adept at beating both the edges of the bat.With variations like these in his armoury, Ashwin has taken 59 wickets in the first 15 overs of the innings in Tests at a strike rate of 47.4. Among ten bowlers to take at least 50 wickets in the first 15 overs since his debut, Ashwin is the only one with a strike rate under 50. Steyn just misses the cut-off in the period since Ashwin’s debut. But even Steyn – admittedly on the decline in the latter half of this period – took 53.2 balls on an average to take a wicket.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin hasn’t been effective with the new ball only in the second innings when the pitches would’ve deteriorated so much that spinners were into play early. He has taken 25 wickets at a staggering average of 16.04 and a strike rate of 41.1 in the first innings as well. No other bowler – pacers included – has taken 20 or more wickets at a better strike rate than Ashwin. Kemar Roach is the next best bowler having taken 35 wickets at a strike rate of 45.9 in the first fifteen overs.Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker for India in the first 15 overs of the innings since his debut. Ishant Sharma, who has taken 50 wickets with the new ball is the next prolific bowler for India in this period. Among spinners, Herath is next with 45 wickets. India’s de-facto spearhead
Since Ashwin made his debut, India’s bowlers have taken 1312 wickets in Test cricket in matches he played. Ashwin has contributed 30.5% of those wickets, which is the fourth highest among 35 bowlers who’ve taken at least 300 wickets in their career. For India, only Anil Kumble has contributed more wickets, but only by a fraction more. Kumble took 30.7% of wickets by India’s bowlers in Tests in which he played.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn fact, before 2018, when India’s fast bowling riches materialized at the Test level, Ashwin had contributed nearly a third of India’s wickets (32.9). That was the third highest ever among bowlers with 300 or more wickets till that time, next only to Muralitharan (40.4) and Hadlee (35.7). Scourge of left handers
Ashwin’s excellent record against left-hand batsmen is well known. No one in the history of Test cricket has dismissed most left-hand batsmen. However, if you think that Ashwin has dismissed as many left-handers just because there are more of them in Test cricket now than ever, then consider the following.There have been 601 innings – till the time Ashwin took his 400th wicket – by left-handers in the matches when Ashwin has played. The 204 dismissals he has inflicted makes that a percentage of 33.94. Among bowlers with at least 200 wickets in Tests, only Alec Bedser has ended a higher percentage of left-handed batsmen’s innings. In the last fifty years, only Muralitharan comes close to Ashwin, having ended 191 of 624 innings by left-handers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Towering overs others at home
With 278 wickets at an average of 22.19, and a five-wicket haul in every other match in Tests in India he is a champion bowler at home. But helpful conditions don’t guarantee wickets by default. The best bowlers make use of the conditions to the fullest, which Ashwin has done well over his career. In matches Ashwin has played at home, the other bowlers have averaged 34.1. The difference of 11.9 between Ashwin’s average and the match average of other bowlers is the third highest for any bowler to have taken at least 200 wickets playing at home. Only Muralitharan and McGrath have out-bowled other bowlers by a bigger extent.ESPNcricinfo LtdMoreover, Ashwin has built this gap between him and others largely in the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, who himself has excellent numbers in India (Jadeja averages 21.06 in Tests in India). Improving performance in SENA countries
Ashwin’s indifferent numbers in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) do take some sheen off a record that otherwise would place him among the pantheon of all-time great bowlers. He has taken 63 wickets at an average of 40.11 in Tests in these four countries, which pales in comparison to his record elsewhere. He concedes nearly 15 runs more on an average to prise out a wicket in these countries when compared with his overall career. Among India spinners to take at least 20 wickets in these countries, only S Venkataraghavan and Venkatapathy Raju have a higher average than Ashwin.However, these countries are tough for all spinners, not just Ashwin: none of the active spinners average sub-30 bowling in Tests in the SENA countries. Among them is Yasir Shah, who has struggled in these conditions: his 46 wickets have come at 55.08 apiece.Any spinner worth the name from India can’t escape comparisons to the likes of Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna. Bedi took 90 wickets in England, Australia and New Zealand at an average of 30.98. Prasanna’s 78 wickets came at 29.94 apiece and Chandrasekhar, whose average is closest among the three to Ashwin’s but still a good nine runs better, took 71 wickets at 31.33. Chandrasekhar took six five-wicket hauls in 19 matches in the SENA countries, while Ashwin is yet to take one from 20 Tests.However, to be fair to Ashwin, he hasn’t bowled as much on tours to these countries. He has been on nine tours but has played just 20 Tests – an average of 2.2 matches worth of bowling per tour. In comparison, Prasanna averaged 3.3 matches per tour, Bedi 3.1, and Chandrasekhar 2.7 matches per tour. This discounts the bowling time they would’ve got in the tour matches, which players don’t get in these times of packed cricket calendars.Ashwin has shown that this effectiveness in conditions increases with his experience of bowling in them. It was on evidence in the first Test of India’s England tour in 2018, when he took seven wickets at an average 17.28. He had gained invaluable experience bowling for Worcestershire in the county the previous year.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin’s ability to adapt is clearer when we look at his performances in Australia over the years. He has been on four tours to Australia and on evidence from the last tour, has worked out how to deceive batsmen without help from the pitch. He’s played three Tests on three of the four tours. On the first tour in 2011-12, he took nine wickets at an average of 62.77; he improved to 12 wickets at 48.66 on his next tour in 2014-15. On his last tour, Ashwin out-bowled Nathan Lyon – bettering the Australian bowler at the skill of getting overspin and use of the crease on Australian pitches, taking 12 wickets at an average of 28.83. This was against a full-strength Australian batting line-up, in condition that weren’t particularly helpful to spinners.Not too long ago Ashwin wasn’t the first choice spinner when India played outside the subcontinent. Ashwin’s recent track record in Tests has shown he’s coming up with ways to take the pitch out of the equation, and could well prove to be the bowler India would turn to in all conditions.

Inter Miami are off to the Round of 16 after settling for a draw against the Brazilian giants

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami booked their spot in the knockout round of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Monday night, drawing Brazilian giants Palmeiras 2-2 at Hard Rock Stadium in their Group Stage finale.

The Brazilian outfit finished first in the group, and Miami in second, as the two teams shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller of Group A action.

Miami opened the scoring in the first half through a blistering counterattack. Luis Suarez fed a sprinting Tadeo Allende, who, 1v1 with the goalkeeper, put the ball home to give the a 1-0 lead.

The Uruguayan forward then doubled Miami's lead himself, 20 minutes into the second half, scoring a stupendous effort to give them a 2-0 lead and what felt like a sure victory. However, the Serie A side didn't give up, and their grit and effort paid off as they secured two late goals to manage a point on the night. Midfielder Paulinho found the back of the net in the 80th minute, and 24-year-old Mauricio arrived off the bench to draw them level with two minutes to spare in regulation to make it 2-2.

Palmeiras, with momentum behind them, nearly scored a winner with the final kick of the game, but Paulinho's attempt at a brace was denied by Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano bemoaned his club's missed opportunity to seal three points and a group stage top seed after going up 2-0. Still, he's proud of his team for advancing to the knockout stages after being considered an underdog in the tournament.

“Unfortunately, we had the game in our hands and it slipped away," he told DAZN after the match. "We couldn’t maintain the intensity until the final whistle against a team with real quality and depth. Overall, the squad showed they belong here. Before the tournament, we were practically the underdogs, but with discipline, fight – and above all, football – we overcame obstacles, grew as a team, and now we’re in the quarterfinals.”

With the result, both teams confirmed their spot in the Round of 16 in the tournament. Messi and will take on his former club and current reigning champions of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain, while Palmeiras will meet Brazilian rivals Botafogo in Philadelphia.

“This level of competition isn’t something we regularly encounter in our domestic league. We’ve shown we have no complexes. It’s been a huge learning experience, and we have rightfully earned the privilege to play the European champions," Mascherano said. "We’ll strive to match them, but at the end of the day, it’s still 11 against 11.”

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Hard Rock Stadium.

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowAFPGoalkeeper & Defense

Oscar Ustari (6/10):

Nothing he could do about either goal, but came up with a few big stops otherwise.

Marcelo Weigandt (5/10):

Not his best performance. Struggled going forward, and in 1v1 moments, often found himself under pressure because he took too long on the ball.

Tomas Aviles (6/10):

Handed a surprising start, the Argentine defender held his own throughout the match for the most part. A promising showing.

Maxi Falcon (6/10):

So strong and composed in intense moments. Aggressive off the ball, he led the back line all night until the final 10 minutes, when their entire defense capitulated.

Noah Allen (7/10):

Filled in for Jordi Alba admirably. Struggled to maintain Estevao at times, but worked hard and stuck at it.

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Tadeo Allende (8/10):

Electric on the right flank. Took his goal brilliantly and timed his runs throughout the evening to near perfection.

Federico Redondo (6/10):

Largely ineffective outside of completing small, short passes in the center of the park. Didn't put a foot wrong, but didn't bring the forward progression Mascherano likely hoped for.

Sergio Busquets (6/10):

Solid centrally, but Palmeiras' quick press made for a few uncomfortable moments. Overall, consistent and reliable, but not at his best, either.

Telasco Segovia (7/10):

Lively in moments, but disappeared for chunks of the game, struggling to play off of Suarez in the attack. Some of his biggest moments, surprisingly, came defensively, as he helped keep the electric Estevao quiet.

AFPAttack

Lionel Messi (6/10):

Sloppy yellow on the verge of halftime, that was lucky not to go to VAR. A strangely ineffective performance from the Argentine.

Luis Suarez (8/10):

Recorded an assist on Allende's opener, intentional or not, and then followed it up in the second half with a stellar goal.

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Fafa Picault (N/A):

Brought in to close out the contest.

Benjamin Cremaschi (N/A):

Brought on with 15 minutes to spare, helped the midfield lock in to earn the point.

Jordi Alba (6/10):

Solid defensive performance as he helped close out the match.

Baltasar Rodriguez (N/A):

Introduced with 13 minutes to spare.

Javier Mascherano (7/10):

Through to the knockout rounds, and that's all that matters. Palmeiras were brilliant all evening, and he executed a game plan that secured them a draw. A surge of late pressure tested their defense, but for 80 minutes, the Argentine manager played his cards brilliantly.

The third day saw 24 wickets fall in little more than two sessions but Nathan Lyon expects the Test strip to be very different

Andrew McGlashan01-Dec-2023Former Australia captain Tim Paine has slammed the SCG pitch produced for the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania as an “absolute disgrace”, after 24 wickets tumbled on the third day with the visitors bowled out for 68, but there remains confidence in the quality of surfaces for upcoming matches including the New Year’s Test against Pakistan.The clatter of wickets came across just 63 overs on Thursday, as batters were confronted with extreme seam movement and uneven bounce. Tasmania fell well short of chasing 143 after the home side had themselves lost 9 for 55 in the second innings.”That wicket was absolute disgrace,” Paine told SEN Tassie. “This a Test venue in the strongest state in the country, and they rolled that up. That’s embarrassing. The ball was seaming sideways, it was going up and down, it wasn’t fit for first-class cricket. That was a disgraceful wicket.”I haven’t spoken to people, but you could see it on the screen it had those cracks where it’s like got grass over it. You don’t even see that in club cricket.”Related

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Paine questioned how such a surface could be produced at a major Test venue, and said that it undermined the Sheffield Shield competition.”What’s going on at Cricket New South Wales or the SCG? That was such a bad wicket to play cricket on,” he said. “Whether we won or lost, whatever, I could have bowled on that and taken wickets. It’s not good enough.”How that can happen at one of the premier Test venues around the world is a disgrace. That was below standard for grade cricket and this is meant to be the premier first-class cricket competition in the world, and that is meant to be one of the iconic Test match venues… and that’s what we are getting served up.”New types of grass are being used at the SCG this season, with the Shield surfaces comprising a different variety than will form the Test pitch against Pakistan in early January. ESPNcricinfo understands that there are no concerns about the quality of pitch that will be brought up for that Test, which is shaping as David Warner’s farewell from the format, and will be played on one of the centre wickets used for TV games.Nathan Lyon, who played in the Tasmania match, was sure the pitch for the Test match would bear little resemblance. “I expect totally different,” he said.The ground will also host three BBL matches before the Test, with Sydney Sixers facing Melbourne Renegades (December 8), Adelaide Strikers (December 22) and Melbourne Stars (December 26).However, it also understood that elements of the pitch preparation will be reviewed with the proximity of the WBBL double-header matches on November 26 a potential factor as well as some poor weather.Chris Tremain, the New South Wales quick who claimed 6 for 31 in Tasmania’s second innings, defended the groundsmen by saying they had been hampered in the build-up by the weather and that the surface had started soft which caused divots to form that then hardened to create the uneven bounce.”Don’t think that wicket was poorly prepared,” Tremain told ESPNcricinfo. “In the balance of bat versus ball obviously ball was the winner, but I wouldn’t be too quick to hang the groundsman out to dry.”Tasmania captain Jordan Silk, while more measured than Paine in his views, said conditions had been skewed too far towards the ball.”I’ve played quite a lot Shield cricket, and can’t say I’ve played on a wicket quite like that where the ball was nipping around a lot. There were cracks on lines, and it was snaky,” he said. “You had not just the sideways movement but you also had a few balls climbing up then some climbing down.”Think you can cop a bit of wear and tear over the course of a game; but when there’s been 40 wickets in 160 overs of cricket, you probably think it’s a bit too heavily weighted towards the bowlers. And that’s coming from someone who is really keen on having some sporting wickets, but it was slightly too far towards the bowling side.”

Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared a “really important” update on Aston Villa and their chances of signing Marcus Rashford permanently this summer, with the England international currently enjoying a new lease of life under Unai Emery.

Marcus Rashford praised since joining Aston Villa

After being left out in the cold by Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, the 27-year-old opted to pursue a different club in January.

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Rashford was linked with a Man United exit for months, before Villa eventually took the bait and signed him on loan with an option to buy for around £40 million – a move which NSWE and Monchi will be overjoyed with.

Since putting pen to paper on a temporary move to the Midlands, Rashford has worked his way back into the England fold with four assists from nine appearances in all competitions and some truly impactful performances.

Player

Average match rating

Youri Tielemans

7.05

Marcus Rashford

6.96

Morgan Rogers

6.83

Tyrone Mings

6.80

Marco Asensio

6.79

“The Holte End have a new hero,” said Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp after Rashford’s excellent substitute appearance in a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

“That sub made all the difference. He was fantastic. Rashford came on, he gave energy, enthusiasm, everything we want to see from him. The running, the desire… he was excellent. He gave them that impetus to put Chelsea on the back foot.

“Right now, he looks like he is loving every second of it. He’s involved, he’s showing enthusiasm – all the things that were thrown at him at Man Utd, he is now doing the opposite. And he’s got sweat on his face and he’s not jogging around like ‘I don’t want to be here’. He looks like he wants to be in that claret and blue shirt.”

His impressive form means Villa could even face competition from the likes of Bayern Munich for Rashford’s signature this summer, even if Emery’s side possess an option to trigger his buy clause.

Fabrizio Romano shares "really important" Marcus Rashford update

Now, speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness, respected reporter Romano has shared an update on Villa’s plans to sign Rashford permanently.

He claims that Villa’s finances will be “really important” in determining whether they’ll trigger the £40m buy option, but in any case, the journalist expects him to remain beyond 2024/25.

“Aston Villa are very happy with Marcus Rashford in general,” said Romano.

“So I don’t think, in any case, if they decided to trigger the £40m option clause, I don’t think they would do that just to sell the player again.

“So in that case, I see Marcus Rashford staying at Aston Villa and having the opportunity to make something long-term with the club. What I can say about Marcus Rashford is that it’s going to be really important to understand financially what happens for Aston Villa.

“So now they’re obviously really focused on the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and to see what happens in the Premier League table from now to the end of the season. That’s going to be obviously really important, and then we will have to see financially.”

The home side has a potentially fragile batting line-up and it is to be seen how long they can persist with their attacking outlook in the face of adversity

Ian Chappell03-Jun-2023Yet another Ashes series is looming, a continuation of the long-running cricket rivalry between Australia and England but this time with a difference.While this Ashes series will see five hard-fought Tests played again, they are crammed into just six weeks with an unusual July finish. This is physically and mentally demanding for all players but especially the faster bowlers. As the bulk of England’s genuine pace bowlers are suffering injury, it is a schedule that favours Australia.If, as expected, England bat ultra-aggressively, the question is whether they will continue to play in this manner if they experience failure. This is a fascinating proposition, because England will face fast bowlers who are difficult to attack if Australia are able to select their best trio.A fully fit Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are accustomed to opposition batters wanting to attack. Their vast experience will place a lot of pressure on an English batting line-up that can be fragile, especially at the top of the order. If England collapse early, will they have the nerve to maintain their attacking philosophy?Related

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Equally, if the English method pays dividends and they win convincingly, will Australia be tempted to retaliate? If England were to win a match or two convincingly, it would present Cummins, the Australia captain, with a big decision. It’s unlikely he will be stampeded into a drastic change of tactics, but the possibility makes for an interesting encounter.Australia play their best cricket when the team is purposefully aggressive. This policy worked spectacularly in the last Ashes series and over the long haul has proved superior to England’s more conservative methods. However, Ben Stokes’ attacking captaincy and England’s drastic change of batting tactics in recent times adds drama to an already potentially spicy series.If Australia hold their nerve, they have fewer questions to answer than England.England’s openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, tend to be either brilliant or brittle. Facing a strong Australian pace attack, they are in danger of being the latter, which would place enormous pressure on Joe Root. Ollie Pope is a good player but if he is in early, it will benefit Australia.

If the attacking English method pays dividends and they win convincingly, will Australia be tempted to retaliate? It’s unlikely Cummins will be stampeded into a drastic change of tactics, but the possibility makes for an interesting encounter

Then there’s Harry Brook. So far Brook has excelled in Test cricket but Australia could challenge him with some accurate short-pitched deliveries. The inclusion of Jonny Bairstow ahead of Ben Foakes as keeper is an indirect admission that England prefer an aggressor in the middle-order.The concerns over Stokes’ bowling are a major worry for England in view of the devastating loss of Jofra Archer’s pace and skill. Without Archer, England will rely heavily on the fitness and speed of a willing but injury-prone Mark Wood, and possibly the inexperienced Josh Tongue.An attack of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson is viable in English conditions. However, age issues and a similarity of style among those three bowlers will encourage Australia to plan on playing long first innings against such an attack.The Australian batting line-up has a more settled look than England’s but it still relies on Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to amass big scores. Travis Head, and to a lesser extent Usman Khawaja, have to establish their English credentials, while Cameron Green faces a tough test in the conditions.The big unknown, and the player who, if he succeeds, could tip the balance in Australia’s favour is David Warner. Despite his struggles in England in the past, Warner is a dangerous batter because of his tendency to score quickly. If he succeeds, Australia will be boosted but if Broad continues to have the edge over Warner, the series is wide open.Nathan Lyon is a superior spin bowler to Jack Leach and if England are unable to dominate Lyon, he will provide excellent variety to Australia’s powerful pace attack.In normal circumstances the odds slightly favour an Australia series victory. However, this is not a normal Ashes and the fact that the Tests are crammed close together, plus England’s desire to bat dynamically, make this a tantalising series.

New Manchester United signing Benjamin Sesko has revealed which iconic Red Devils player is his role model.

Sesko signs for Man UtdReveals who is role model isHopes to take after iconFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following his £74 million ($100m) switch from RB Leipzig to United, Sesko has revealed former Red Devils striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was his childhood idol. The Swede scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for the club and helped them win the Carabao Cup and the Europa League in 2017. Now, the 22-year-old is eager to emulate the ex-AC Milan star at Old Trafford.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT SESKO SAID

He told United's website: "He’s been my role model since I’ve been small. I've been watching him, like every single YouTube video that I can find, because he's just amazing for me, you know. We don't have the same, let's say, character. But I like to see him, the way he plays, the way he enjoys football, because that's when all the joy comes, you know. If you enjoy football, then everything works. And I think this is the most important. It's probably also one of the parts that just makes me love him so much, you know what I mean? So maybe one day to meet him, that would be great. He's my idol."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ibrahimovic went on to become one of the greatest strikers of the 21st century, so if Sesko has a career anything like the big Swede, he will have done very well. For the time being, the 6ft 5in player has been tasked with reigniting United's lukewarm attack as he tries to make them a force again.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Slovenia international Sesko, who signed a contract until 2030 with Ruben Amorim's team, could make his United debut when they host old adversary Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday in their first game of the Premier League season.

Scrappy contest sealed in final over as Pakistan rue lack of urgency with bat

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2023There’s always that point at a World Cup when the trophy becomes secondary to the smaller goals teams have set for themselves, and for West Indies and Pakistan this encounter was it. They both targeted their match against the other as the one that would prove they are moving in the right direction.For West Indies, beating Pakistan would add an 11th victory to their tally over them, from 17 meetings, and underline a dominance they don’t have over any other side. For Pakistan, a win would continue a World Cup record in which they have beaten West Indies in the last two major tournaments – the 2020 T20 World Cup and last year’s 50-over World Cup.Only one of them got what they wanted, in a scrappy, low-scoring affair that should never have become the thriller it did after West Indies managed only 116 for 6. Hayley Matthews assessed the total as being “at least 20 runs” too short. There were times when Pakistan made it look that much too many.They made much harder work of the chase than they should have, even given the slowness of the surface and the quality of the West Indies spinners. Pakistan went from needing less than a run a ball at the start of the chase, to eight an over after 11 overs, to 10 runs an over for the last three and 18 runs off the last over.Asked if it left her with too much to do, Aliya Riaz, who came in with 57 runs needed off 41 balls, conceded that it was probably a stretch for her when her captain Bismah Maroof was dismissed. “We were a little bit slow early on, and the wickets also fell fast. The way (Nida) Dar was playing and was set, she could have taken it well, but unfortunately, she got out there. But my whole effort was to take the match with Bismah and then Bismah got out. If we had played a little bit faster, then maybe we would have won.”In hindsight, Pakistan may look at their best partnership – of 44 runs between Maroof and Dar which took 8.5 overs at a scoring rate of 4.98 – as the passage of play where the chase went wrong. Bismah’s strike rate of 78.78 in this match will be scrutinised, especially as she also hit two fours, which means that she scored 18 runs off the remaining 31 balls she faced, and Pakistan’s overall ability to rotate strike should be in their post-tournament analysis.While West Indies faced 48 dot balls and hit nine fours, Pakistan saw off 51 scoreless deliveries and hit eight fours. Given the margin of defeat, you may point to the boundary count as the difference but a closer look at the match will tell you that Pakistan had many chances to pick off the four runs they needed for victory. Their running between the wickets was too hesitant too often and there were several occasions where they had the opportunity to turn a single into two, but refused.Aliya recognised there is work to be done in that department. “There was a bit of miscommunication. The calling between the batters could have been better,” she said. “And the strike rate can be improved. The target was not so high and it could definitely have been chased.”Matthews agreed and said West Indies knew “Defending 116 was never, ever going to be easy,” but reminded her team of the importance of this match. “We really wanted to win this game against Pakistan, not taking away from any of the other games. We knew walking into this tournament, this was one of the games where we knew if we really put our head down, we had a serious chance,” she said. “After being disappointed in that first innings with the total we put up, everyone knew that the 70% we might have given with the bat, we had to take that extra 30% and give it in the field. That’s what really motivated us.”Related

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West Indies achieved that and have completed their allotment of group matches, and while progression to the knock-outs is not impossible (they need England to beat Pakistan and Ireland to beat India by approximately 59 runs or with 47 balls to spare), it’s unlikely. So while they spend the next two days “sitting back and waiting and seeing what the other results go like in this tournament,” they will soon have to turn their attention to the future and how to catch up to teams like Australia and England.For Matthews, the key may lie in franchise leagues like the WPL, where she is the only West Indian player in the mix, the Hundred and the WBBL. “A lot of people look at these leagues as negatives taken away from international cricket, but for a team like West Indies that may not have the best domestic system, these leagues can be very fruitful and very helpful for us,” Matthews said. “I know they certainly helped me from a young international player growing up and I can only hope that for the rest of the team, the girls get the opportunity to do the same things. And you know, I experienced playing cricket all over the world and learning from it as well.”Pakistan’s players are entirely excluded from the WPL and have to wait until September for a WPSL to kick off, but they still have something to play for in this tournament. They take on England in their last match on Tuesday and like West Indies, it seems the tournament could end for them there. Unless they beat England and Ireland beat India, Pakistan will exit at the group stage, but that is not as much of a concern for them as making one last statement after failing to do so against West Indies.”We will try to finish the tournament on a good note,” Aliya said. “The way we played the first two matches – attacking cricket, with the same strike rate, fast and quick, we will play that match in the same way.”