Micah Richards surprised David Beckham and his celebrity guests during an episode of the Manchester United and England great's show on Paramount+.
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Richards crashed Beckham's watch-along with Hollywood guests
Guy Ritchie and Stanley Tucci were hosted in the studio
Richards had fans laughing during surprise appearance
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Micah Richards left fans in stitches of laughter when he gatecrashed the Paramount+ plus show 'David Beckham & Friends' to gift the former Manchester United and England midfielder with a jar of homemade jam as a belated birthday present.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Beckham was hosting Hollywood royalty in Stanley Tucci and Guy Ritchie alongside presenter Kate Scott in a watch-along of Tuesday night's enthralling meeting between Inter and Barcelona in the Champions League, ex-Manchester City defender Richards popped in to introduce himself and even plonked himself on Beckham's lap at one point.
DID YOU KNOW?
Viewers were left shocked and laughing by Richards' surprise appearance, with one social media user calling it "incredible" and another admitting they were "in tears" at actor Tucci's reaction.
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WHAT NEXT FOR RICHARDS AND BECKHAM?
Richards is bound to provide more viral moments during CBS' coverage of the latter stages of the Champions League, starting with Arsenal's crucial trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Beckham, meanwhile, recently celebrated his 50th birthday with a lavish party, where the likes of Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas were in attendance.
The Blues are dominant in England but are on the brink of a third-straight semi-final loss to the Catalans in Europe – so how do they bridge the gap?
Chelsea fans could be forgiven for thinking this would be their year in the Women's Champions League. After Emma Hayes led the Blues further than they'd ever been in this competition, reaching the 2021 final, Sonia Bompastor was appointed as her successor in the summer, having lifted the trophy as both a player and a manager.
With the experience of five-time winner Lucy Bronze following her to the club, and a January spending spree that included the arrivals of Keira Walsh and Naomi Girma, Chelsea were certainly pushing to go to that next level. Yet, if that elusive title is to make its way to Stamford Bridge, it will surely not be this year.
On Sunday, Bompastor's side lost the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona by a devastating 4-1 scoreline. It's the third time these two have clashed at this stage in three years – and for the third season in a row, the Catalans look set to emerge victorious.
Back in England, things are as rosy as they can be for Chelsea. In pole position to win a sixth-successive Women's Super League title, they've already lifted the League Cup and are into next month's FA Cup final. Domestic dominance, then, is continuing as usual – but how do the Blues translate that into European success?
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Barca & Lyon dominance
England's WSL is widely regarded as the best and most competitive women's league in Europe. Indeed, Aitana Bonmati, Barcelona's two-time Ballon d'Or winner, praised it highly last summer for the investment across the board. "I would say that England is an example off the field. Barca as a club is the same, but I would say England as a country," she said in an interview with . "England are investing a lot in women's football since the Euros – I cannot say the same about here in Spain."
But while that might seem like a good league for Chelsea to be dominating, as it should prepare them for the difficult challenges of facing teams such as Barca and eight-time European champions Lyon, it's not quite panning out that way. Instead, despite not playing in the best domestic divisions, it is the Spanish and French champions who continue to have a stranglehold on the Champions League. Barca have reached five of the last six finals, winning three of them, while OL have made seven of the last nine, winning six.
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More experience needed
Why is that? Bompastor is well-placed to answer, having played for Lyon for six years then coached them for three. In that time, she led OL to victory over Barca in the Champions League final too, back in 2022.
"When you talk about Lyon, they have won the Champions League eight times and Barcelona already three times. I think this experience is difficult to make the gap shorter between the teams," she said this week. "I think it's about keeping our ambitions, keeping our mentality to want to reach high expectations, ambitions and goals. I think one day we'll get there, hopefully this season. But if not this season, we will work hard to make sure we just close the gap between these two teams and the English teams."
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Work to do
Bompastor has a point, as there was certainly an experience gap on Sunday. Looking at those who featured for Chelsea in the 4-1 loss, Millie Bright, Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten all played in the final against the Catalans in 2021, while Bronze, Walsh and Catarina Macario are all previous winners of the competition. But that was it. Sophie Ingle and Sam Kerr, both starters in the 2021 final, haven't played all season due to injury, with Kadeisha Buchanan, another previous UWCL winner, has been sidelined since November.
Plenty of others in this Chelsea squad has some decent level of experience, of course. Every player is a senior international and most have represented their countries at major tournaments, as well as playing in finals and games of a similar stature at club level. But when it comes to experience of the Champions League and of getting over the line, the Blues pale in comparison to the likes of Barca and Lyon.
That's not something the club hasn't tried to address. After all, ex-Barca duo Bronze and Walsh were signings made just this season. But a club can't just sign a whole squad of Champions League experts; some of that has to be developed, which is an ongoing process, and perhaps the most difficult step to complete.
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Lacking match-winners
However, if there is one other area where it feels Chelsea really come up short right now when compared to Barca or Lyon, it is in their lack of top-level match-winners. Looking back at that 2021 final, the Blues had those players all over the park. With a front three of Kerr, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder, a midfield that included Ji So-yun and a bench that featured Reiten and Bethany England, these were the kind of names who could pop up with a match-winning moment. The problem on that occasion was that the team didn't have a lot of European experience – and that Barca were just far too good, of course.
While the experience has come along a little more in the time since, albeit still not to the necessary level, Chelsea just don't have the match-winners this year when it comes to a stage like the Champions League semis. That's why, though they kept the first leg tight for the most part on Sunday, it never felt like they had the weapons to really hurt Barca.
After all, Kerr and Lauren James are injured, Reiten is just coming back from time on the sidelines and Macario has struggled for starts. Of those available, Mayra Ramirez is still a little unpolished and, thus, inconsistent, while Aggie Beever-Jones is only 21 years old and developing.
Yorkshire celebrated a County Championship victory for the first time in 14 months when they beat Derbyshire by three wickets on the final morning of the match at Chesterfield.Shan Masood played the leading role against his former county with an unbeaten 95 off 112 balls while a run-a-ball 41 not out from Dom Bess helped see the visitors home after Dawid Malan had fallen to the first ball of the day.Yorkshire needed 65 when Mark Watt removed Malan but Masood and Bess played with composure to share an eighth-wicket stand of 68 from 82 balls to win a gripping contest on 215 for 7The odds had shifted in Derbyshire’s favour when Watt struck with the first ball of the morning. Malan tried to paddle sweep the left-arm spinner but only succeeded in lobbing a simple catch to Matt Lamb at short leg.Given the situation, it was a poor shot by a player of Malan’s quality and experience and put even more responsibility on the shoulders of Masood.With balls keeping low,, there was little margin for error but Bess eased some of the tension by sweeping Watt behind square for four before Masood stroked Alex Thomson to the cover boundary.There were more cheers from the Yorkshire dressing room when Bess cut Watt for four and clipped him through midwicket for three but there was an anxious moment for the visitors in the same over.Masood was on 76 when he missed a sweep at Watt and umpire Chris Watts appeared to uphold the appeal but was only signalling to the bowler to get off the pitch.Bess drove Thomson through the covers for another four and when Zak Chappell replaced Watt at the Pavilion end, Masood turned him behind square to the ropes.Watt switched to the Lake end but the target was now under 20 and Masood swept him to the midwicket boundary to move into the nineties.With 14 required, Thomson replaced Chappell but Bess skipped down the pitch to whip him through midwicket for four and in the next over, he swept Watt for another boundary to take Yorkshire to within touching distance of the finishing line.With everyone around the bat, Bess turned Watt through midwicket for three and struck the winning blow by pulling a Thomson full toss to the boundary shortly before midday to finally end Yorkshire’s 17-game wait for a red-ball victory.
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.
Rangers are expected to be extremely busy during this summer’s transfer market.
New Ibrox manager Russell Martin has a big job on his hands, needing to rebuild an underperforming and, in parts, dysfunctional Rangers squad, so plenty of ins and outs are forecast.
Southampton manager Russell Martin.
On Wednesday, the Gers will learn the identity of their first opponents of the Martin era, preparing to for their Champions League second qualifying round, coming up as soon as 22/23 July.
Before then, could the Gers secure the services of a “magnificent” new goalkeeper?
Rangers' goalkeeping dilemma
After joining the club two years ago, Jack Butland was Rangers’ undisputed number one, starting 102 of his first 111 matches at the club, described by then-manager Philippe Clement as a “top goalkeeper”, even touted with a potential England recall.
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland
However, Butland made a string of high-profile errors throughout the season, most notably at Old Trafford against Manchester United in January, indicating that the Gers can no longer rely on their shot-stopper.
Thus, following the appointment of Barry Ferguson as interim manager, Butland was eventually dropped, with Liam Kelly given the nod for the Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club, memorably saving Álex Berenguer’s penalty during the first leg goalless draw at Ibrox.
Nevertheless, the table below underlines that perhaps neither are equipped to be Rangers’ first choice going forward.
Goals against per 90
1.11
3rd
1
2nd
Save %
65.5%
17th
67.9%
11th
Clean sheet %
35.7%
5th
40%
4th
Butland and Kelly’s respective lowly save percentages in the Scottish Premiership this season are the most alarming statistics included in the table above, underlining that Martin should be in the market for a new goalkeeper, so could they land a statement new number one?
Rangers targeting a new goalkeeper
As previously reported by Sports Boom earlier this month, Rangers ‘have entered the race’ to sign Aaron Ramsdale this summer, with Martin hoping to be reunited with the goalkeeper he managed at Southampton just last season.
Ramsdale joined the Saints from Arsenal last summer, having fallen below David Raya in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order, for a reported fee of £25m, but is likely to be on the move again, after Southampton’s catastrophic relegation back to the EFL Championship.
A report in the Times claims that West Ham are targeting a move for Ramsdale this summer, valued at around £20m by the Saints, although his £100,000-per-week salary could see him only move on loan, which is where Rangers could enter the conversation.
So, would Ramsdale be a significant upgrade on Butland? Let’s find out.
Appearances
44
32
Clean sheets
14
4
Goals conceded
51
68
Saves
84
120
Save %
65.3%
66.8%
Post-shot xG – goals conceded
-0.4
-2.5
% of crosses stopped
4.2
5.5
Accurate passes
600
646
Average Sofascore rating
6.98
7.13
Worth noting that Ramsdale’s statistics are particularly impressive considering he was playing for a historically terrible Southampton side, hence why only Mark Flekken made more saves in this season’s Premier League than he did.
Importantly, his save % is better and he also stops a higher % of crosses, showing he’s more confident in the air.
Journalist Charles Watts labelled Ramsdale’s performances for Arsenal as “magnificent”, with Arteta describing him as “exceptional”, following a man of the match performance at Anfield two seasons ago, words that simply highlight his pedigree.
Thus, it is clear that the England international would be a massive coup for Rangers, if they can bring this deal to life.
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There is never a moment to catch your breath with Chelsea.
One second, the Blues are lifting the Conference League trophy, and the next, they’re making it to the next round of the Club World Cup.
It’s not just on the pitch where the West Londoners seem to work at breakneck speed either, as it’s been a busy summer of transfer business so far, with the likes of Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr already through the door, and links to Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho refusing to go away.
Garnacho
Fortunately, there are other reports suggesting the club are preparing an offer for someone who’d be a far better signing than the Argentine.
Chelsea moving to sign Garnacho upgrade
The first murmurings of a potential transfer to Chelsea for Garnacho appeared just ahead of the winter transfer window this season, but as we know today, those links never amounted to much more than rumour.
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Things are a little different this summer, though, as with it now known that the young winger has been told to leave United, the links to Chelsea in recent days feel like they carry a little more weight, especially as some have claimed that contact has been made.
However, it would be fair to say that this is not a move that many supporters want to see happen.
So, fans should be particularly excited about the intensifying links to a far better alternative: Jamie Gittens.
Yes, according to a recent report from talkSPORT, Chelsea have maintained their intense interest in the Borussia Dortmund star this summer, despite seeing a number of offers for him already rejected.
In further good news, the story claims that the West Londoners are in advanced talks and are now preparing a third bid for the player worth around £45m and hope it will be enough to convince the German side to sell.
It’s a lot of money to spend on a youngster, but Gittens looks like he could be something special, and he’d undoubtedly be a better signing than Garnacho.
Why Gittens would be a far better signing than Garnacho
There are a few key reasons why Gittens would be a far better signing for Chelsea to make than Garnacho this summer, and the first stems from their respective output this season.
Appearances
49
58
Minutes
2803′
3568′
Goals
12
11
Assists
5
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.34
0.36
Minutes per Goal Involvements
164.88
169.90′
For his efforts, the United ace was able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, totalling 3568, which comes out to a reasonable enough average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or every 169.90 minutes.
However, the Dortmund star has a better minutes-to-goal involvement ratio of 164.88, as in his 49 games for the German giants this year, totalling 2803 minutes, he scored 12 goals and provided five assists.
The second reason for signing the Englishman over the Madrid-born star is the fact that his slight advantage regarding their respective output becomes far more significant when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.
While the eight-capped Argentine does do better in a few areas, like progressive passes and carries, he is massively outperformed by the former Manchester City prospect in so many other, arguably more important metrics.
Non-Penalty G+As
0.56
0.33
Progressive Passes
2.13
2.22
Shots
2.58
3.61
Goals per Shot
0.16
0.06
Shots on Target
1.06
1.22
Goals Per Shot on Target
0.39
0.16
Expected Assists
0.20
0.12
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.20
1.05
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.27
0.17
Shot-Creating Actions
3.57
3.63
Goal-Creating Actions
0.45
0.37
Tackles
1.44
1.05
Tackles Won
0.79
0.65
Blocks
0.89
0.77
Interceptions
0.48
0.45
Clearances
0.38
0.37
Successful Take-Ons
3.57
1.31
Carries into the Final Third
2.96
2.93
Carries into the Penalty Area
3.06
3.04
For example, not only does the Reading-born gem score more goals from his shots, but he also creates more opportunities by completing more passes and crosses into the penalty area or being the far more accomplished dribbler.
Moreover, he is an incredibly hard worker, as evidenced by the fact he makes more tackles, blocks, interceptions and clearances than his potential competitor per 90.
Jamie Gittens
Ultimately, while Garnacho is a talented player, he’s simply not as good as Gittens, with the latter outperforming him when it comes to raw output and everything that goes on under the hood as well, which is why Chelsea should be doing all they can to sign the Dortmund star this summer.
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Real Madrid’s superiority was challenged in the early 2000s as Valencia disrupted La Liga’s natural order, and Galácticos legend Zinedine Zidane has revealed he requested the signing of an England legend to put Madrid back on their perch.
Zidane and Real’s path to the 2001/02 Champions League final was one of the great knockout runs in club football history, beating Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and arch-rivals Barcelona in the last four, before besting an elite Bayer Leverkusen team led by Michael Ballack in the final.
The French football legend scored perhaps his most famous goal in that final, volleying home Roberto Carlos’ looped cross from the edge of the box to win the match 2-1.
However, that triumph was the start of somewhat of a trophy drought by Madrid’s own lofty standards. They won the La Liga title the following year, but did not win another top flight title until 2007 and had to wait until 2011 before their next cup win, which was the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona accompanied English and Italian sides in dominating Europe’s elite competition, as Real president Florentino Perez adopted a policy of superstar signings to regain their status as Kings of the continent.
Luis Figo
2000
€60m
Barcelona
Zinedine Zidane
2001
€73.5m
Juventus
Ronaldo Nazario
2002
€45m
Inter
David Beckham
2003
€37.5m
Man Utd
Michael Owen
2004
€9m
Liverpool
Robinho
2005
€24m
Santos
Sergio Ramos
2005
€27m
Sevilla
Fabio Cannavaro
2006
€10m
Juventus
Ruud van Nistelrooy
2006
€14m
Man Utd
Kaka
2009
€67m
Milan
Karim Benzema
2009
€30m
Lyon
Cristiano Ronaldo
2009
€94m
Man Utd
Xabi Alonso
2009
€35.5m
Liverpool
Perez made a habit of luring the Premier League’s top talents to the Spanish capital, with Xabi Alonso revealing how Real tempted him: “I was really happy with the team (Liverpool) and my team-mates and felt that we could do great things.
“I was happy on that side but within a club you have to see the big picture and another season would have been too much for me. It was very difficult to take that decision (to leave) but it was probably for the best for me because if I had stayed another season it would have been uncomfortable for me.”
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However, not everyone caved to the temptation, with Zidane revealing he specifically asked Perez to sign Steven Gerrard, only for the Liverpool captain to refuse the move.
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Indeed, Real Madrid tried to sign Gerrard once in 2005 and again in 2009, potentially making him one of their biggest signings of the Galácticos era, and Zidane claims it was him who pushed Perez to make the move, as he believed the Reds star was the number one player in world football.
Gerrard is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in Premier League history despite never winning a league title with Liverpool, while his best finish on the Ballon d’Or podium was third in 2005, placing behind Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard.
There’s no doubt the Liverpool superstar was let down by his teammates in the quest to add team trophies to his individual accolades, and one has to wonder how his status in the game would be viewed if he had joined Madrid at Zidane’s request.
England struggle to combat vagaries of Antigua wicket, but battling half-centuries give them something to play with
George Dobell at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium01-Feb-2019It was, for sure, a bruising day for England.By the end of it, five of their batsmen had suffered blows while batting and their chances of clawing their way back into the series had receded sharply. Sides who score 187 in the first innings don’t win many games.But maybe a glance at the scorecard doesn’t tell the whole story. It doesn’t tell us what a par score might have been in this first innings – Kemar Roach reckoned 250 – and it doesn’t reflect how difficult batting was at the start of the day, in particular.First-class cricket tends to be at its most entertaining when ball holds a slight advantage over bat. Nothing is more likely to drive spectators away than games where 600 is followed by 700, and we have seen, in previous Antigua Test matches, several very slow, flat wickets which have encouraged horribly attritional cricket. So we have to be careful when criticising surfaces that try to redress that balance.But you want to retain meritocracy. And here, as some balls leapt from a length, you wondered if that was still the case. Nobody was seriously suggesting the Test be abandoned – it wasn’t anywhere near that bad – but it wasn’t especially safe and it wasn’t especially good. There really wasn’t a great deal Joe Root could have done to avoid the ball that reared and struck him on the gloves on its way to the slip cordon. It’s probably reasonable to expect a bit better than that.Both sides are on the same pitch, though. And while you suspect winning the toss was quite an advantage – the pitch seemed slightly damp on a length at the start – England have to accept it is not so long ago that they won eight tosses in a row. Rough with the smooth, and all that. This was not unfair.And maybe England failed to harness the conditions in quite the same way when they bowled, anyway. Only two deliveries in the first eight overs of West Indies’ reply would have hit the stumps and one of those was a leg-stump half-volley. Clearly that is a very rough guide for measuring the quality of bowling, but it does underline the impression that England failed to make the batsmen play as often as they might. Root confirmed he, too, would have inserted had he won the toss, but would his bowlers have taken advantage?It will be fascinating to see how this pitch plays on day two. One theory is that it will have dried out and eased a little. But the manner in which Stuart Broad gained lift and Sam Curran gained swing suggested there was still plenty of life in the evening session and England felt the extra grass and slight ridge in the surface would prove relevant throughout. West Indies may yet regret not using the heavy roller ahead of their innings: had they done so, the indentations created in the first innings might have been rolled out. As it is, they may now have been baked into the pitch for the rest of the game.But evidence from the England innings suggested the ball became a bit softer – and as a consequence, a bit easier to bat against – after about 40 overs. West Indies’ openers have done a fine job in seeing them to stumps without loss.Moeen Ali dug in for a vital innings•Getty ImagesThat England remain in the game is largely due to counter-attacking half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali. If Bairstow’s was little surprise – he seems to be at his best when doubted or under pressure – Moeen was a most unlikely hero.This was only his second half-century since the start of the Ashes in November 2017, after all. In the 12 Tests – and 24 innings – since, he had averaged just 17.56 and suffered five ducks including a ‘pair’ in Barbados. Since the start of England’s winter tours, the downturn had become even more pronounced: he came into this Test averaging 9.75 from four Tests.And, sure enough, the first few balls of his innings promised little. Clearly wary of the short ball, he was reluctant to get forward. And when the short ball did come, his attempt to hook seemed just a little hurried. His first three balls from Shannon Gabriel, who really has developed into a fine strike bowler, saw him snatch a hook just short of two fielders out for the stroke before being struck on the helmet.But he got back in line every time and he battled through. And when, at last, Roach and Gabriel gave way to Roston Chase and Jason Holder – offering just a little respite – his policy of calculated aggression was perfectly reasonable. Twenty-eight of his runs came against the pair, while he scored just three against Gabriel.Yes, the end looked ugly – he spooned a catch to mid-on – but that variable bounce probably made the stroke look worse than it was. This was a welcome return to form from Moeen and a reminder of his value. He may never be reliable and he may sometimes infuriate, but his seventh-wicket stand of 85 with the admirable Ben Foakes is, at present, the only partnership in the game worth more than 30.Bairstow’s innings felt more secure. He appears to be adapting to the demands on the No. 3 position – notably playing and leaving the moving ball – very well. In particular, he is waiting for the ball to come to him a little more and resisting the urge to push for it. While the percentage of boundaries in his innings was eye-catching – 42 of his first 50 came from such shots – it was his judgement in leaving the ball outside off stump that allowed him to attack anything he felt was over-pitched or short. By the time he made his half-century, he had scored 51 of England’s total of 71 for 4 and he was the only man in the top six to reach 15.You suspect he did not much mind donning the keeping gloves again, either. Foakes sustained a blow to the right hand in the process of being dismissed: an attempted pull resulting only in an awkward deflection off his gloves on to the stumps”I’m chuffed with the way I played,” Bairstow said later. “There’s not a tougher day-one pitch I’ve batted on that springs to mind, though there are different types of tough. But seeing as I’ve only played three Tests batting at No.3, it was an innings that was definitely up there. I was pleased with how my defence is improving. I’ve been working on that.”Several of his colleagues could learn from his approach. While nearly all of them received fine deliveries, nearly all might feel they could have done a little better. Jos Buttler edged a prod, for example, while Rory Burns edged one that bounced a little. Both might have been better served leaving the ball.But these were tough conditions, expertly harnessed by West Indies’ relentless four-man seam attack. While Ben Stokes, too, might reflect he could have left the ball that dismissed him, it was delivered from very wide on the crease, around the wicket from Gabriel. Angled in sharply to the batsman, it drew a stroke before leaving him off the pitch. It was, by any standards, a fine piece of bowling and desperately tough to negate for a batsman.It is for that reason England are, just about, still in this game. If conditions remain the same, they have the opportunity to use them in the same manner on day two. It promises to be a key day in this series.
انتقد خالد الغندور، كابتن الزمالك السابق، أحد لاعبي الفريق الحاليين، خلال مواجهة طلائع الجيش، التي أقيمت اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
وفاز الزمالك على طلائع الجيش، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، في اللقاء الذي أقيم ضمن مواجهات الجولة 13 لبطولة الدوري المصري، سجل للفارس الأبيض ناصر ماهر “هدفين” وعدي الدباغ هدف، بينما أحرز محمد عاطف هدف الجيش.
وقال الغندور خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “الزمالك قدم أداء جيدًا، لأن طلائع الجيش يقدم موسمًا ضعيفًا، الجيش من الفرق التي ستصارع من أجل البقاء”.
طالع.. فيديو | بعد رحيل فيريرا.. الزمالك يعود لطريق الانتصارات في الدوري بثلاثية أمام طلائع الجيش
وأضاف: “الزمالك تحكم في اللقاء تمامًا بعد الهدف الثالث، لكن بعد ذلك تم تسجيل هدف في مرماه وتراجع الأداء والجماهير شعرت أن طلائع الجيش يُمكنه العودة في النتيجة، وهذه مشكلة الزمالك، ليست أول مرة أن فريق يتحكم ويستحوذ في الشوط الثاني أمام الزمالك، وبالتالي هناك مشكلة في تباعد الخطوط”.
وأتم: “أنا عندي مشكلة مع عدي الدباغ مهاجم الزمالك، يُهدر انفرادات سهلة، المهاجم المفترض أن يطور نفسه، لكنه اليوم اتخذ 3 قرارات خاطئة في 3 انفرادات”.
وبفوز الزمالك، اليوم ارتقى إلى المركز الثاني في ترتيب جدول الدوري المصري، برصيد 22 نقطة.
“It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes, and think correctly at the right moment”
Deivarayan Muthu24-Jan-20252:51
Varun excited for first home game in Chennai: ‘Important day for me’
India spinner Varun Chakravarthy has given a ringing endorsement of the country’s domestic system, more specifically the 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, saying it is “almost on par” with the IPL and international cricket.”The level of cricket in the domestic [circuit] is extremely high,” Varun said on the eve of the second T20I against England in Chennai. “I would say [it is] almost on par with IPL and the other international matches we play. I would really suggest everyone to go and play the Syed Mushtaq Ali because we play on small grounds. It is very challenging [for bowlers].”Related
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Varun himself has benefitted from regular game-time in domestic white-ball cricket over the past two seasons. In the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023-24, his first List A tournament in five years, Varun came away as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 19 strikes at an average of 13.05. In the most recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker, with 18 strikes in six innings at 12.16. In this season’s 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was put under pressure on the easy-paced, bash-through-the-line pitches on a small ground in Indore. For instance, in Tamil Nadu’s opening game of the tournament, he was taken for 49 runs by Tripura in four overs.”I find it very tough playing SMAT,” Varun said. “It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes, and think correctly at the right moment.”Over the past two years, Varun has also been active in other T20 tournaments like the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai.Varun Chakravarthy took a match-winning three-wicket haul in the first T20I in Kolkata•BCCI
On Friday, he returned to Chepauk, the scene of his emergence as an international player. His family and friends will turn up at the venue on Saturday to watch him in action in his first international at home. Even before he had featured in TNPL 2018, which first put him on the T20 map, Varun bowled at the Chepauk nets to the Chennai Super Kings batters. It was his first professional stint in top-flight cricket after he had transformed himself from a medium-pacer in tennis-ball cricket to a mystery spinner. Having worked as an architect and made a cameo appearance in a Tamil movie back in 2014, Varun is eager to reintroduce himself as an international cricketer at his home ground.”Definitely [special],” Varun said of his homecoming. “Back to Chennai and in the blues is very important for me. I see it as a very important day for me. I’m coming back to Chennai after a long time. Playing for the country in front of my parents and the home crowd. Yeah, it is very special for me.”At his press conference, Varun was also asked about stepping into the shoes of the recently retired R Ashwin, his former India team-mate and current captain at Dindigul Dragons, under whom he won TNPL 2024.”It’s a big deal for me that you’re making this comparison,” Varun said. “Ashwin has played all three formats. I’m only just coming back into the team, and I’ve not yet done enough to merit this comparison. But still, everyone wants to get into the Indian team, and I’ve been doing my processes, and I’ll go wherever that takes me. I can’t think about filling the shoes of someone like Ashwin – he’s played so many matches, taken 500 [Test] wickets, big shoes to fill, I’m not even close yet.”R Ashwin, Varun’s captain at Dindigul Dragons, has encouraged him to bat up the order•TNPL/TNCA
During TNPL 2024, Ashwin had encouraged Varun to bat up the order and, in one of the games, he even batted above at Ashwin at No.7. Varun said he has also been working on his batting with Abhishek Nayar, the former assistant coach at Kolkata Knight Riders who is now with the India team in a similar capacity.”I have been working on batting for the last six-seven months,” Varun said. “I started my preparation in KKR only with Abhishek Nayar. That kind of helped me. There is still a lot of work to do.”In the first T20I against England, Varun took 3 for 23, including the big wickets of Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in the same over. With England’s Bazballers gearing up for a backlash, Varun might have to do more work with the ball on a fresh Chepauk pitch, where the ball is expected to slide onto the bat, and he’s prepared for it.”Even when you see Eden [Gardens], it’s a small ground,” Varun said. “Bowlers have the challenge of bowling [with smaller boundaries]. We do plan for that also. If they [England] are looking to have an aggressive approach, that is how T20 is. I cannot complain or be shocked by their approach. I am expecting that. I also have certain plans for that.”