Wayne Rooney won his first game as Birmingham City boss at the sixth attempt in a 2-1 comeback win over lowly Sheffield Wednesday.

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Birmingham beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1Bacuna and James cancel out Byers openerFirst win under manager RooneyGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The former D.C. United manager has had a tough start to life in Birmingham as results and the fans went against him. The Blues were sixth in the Championship but sacked then-manager John Eustace due to a "misalignment with the leadership of the club" in early October. As Birmingham's winless run under Rooney continued, some fans told the former Manchester United star to to 'f*** off back to America'. It looked like the West Midlands outfit could lose to bottom side Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday after George Byers gave them the lead, only for Juninho Bacuna to level in first-half stoppage time. And the much-needed three points were finally delivered when substitute Jordan James scored the winner nine minutes from time at St Andrew's.

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NFL icon Tom Brady, who is a minority owner at Birmingham, was thrilled to see Bacuna equalise against Wednesday. The 46-year-old, who is chairman of the club's advisory board, tweeted: "All about the Blues today. Banger."

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The Rooney era at Birmingham has been a tense and underwhelming tenure so far. Many viewed the fact that he got this role because the club wanted a big name at the helm. Now that he has got his first win as manager, the task will be to fire them up the Championship and to prove he has got the chops to succeed in the dugout.

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In Rooney's time in management, he has a win percentage of just 26.6% after being in charge at Derby County, D.C. United and Birmingham.

Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 22-year-old pace sensation, has leapfrogged team-mate Imran Tahir to become the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world. The top-two one-day bowlers aside, South Africa go into the Champions Trophy with four of the top-ten batsmen in the format as well, as per the latest update to the ICC rankings. AB de Villiers leads the charts, while Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla complete the quartet.Rabada climbed four spots following the three-match ODI series against England, in which he was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at 21.71 – including 4 for 39 in the third game, which helped reduce England to 20 for 6 – and an economy rate of 5.42. Overall in 36 ODI innings since his debut in July 2015, he has 64 wickets at 24.90 and an economy rate of 5.13.Amla and de Kock were the second and third top scorers in the series, and both move up on the rankings – de Kock from No. 6 to No. 4, and Amla from eleven to ten. De Villiers retained the No. 1 spot, while du Plessis and Tahir lost some ground on the table, falling to No. 2 and No. 6 respectively.Top-10 ODI batsmen
1 AB de Villiers, 2 David Warner, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Quinton de Kock, 5 Joe Root, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Babar Azam and Martin Guptill, 9 Kane Williamson, 10 Hashim AmlaTop-10 ODI bowlers
1 Kagiso Rabada, 2 Imran Tahir, 3 Mitchell Starc, 4 Sunil Narine, 5 Josh Hazlewood, 6 Trent Boult, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Shakib Al Hasan, 10 Mitchell Santner

Sussex have appointed wicketkeeper Ben Brown as their Championship captain for the rest of the season, with Ross Taylor taking charge in the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2017

Sussex have appointed wicketkeeper Ben Brown as their Championship captain for the rest of the season, with New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor taking charge in the NatWest T20 Blast, following Luke Wright’s decision earlier this month to stand down.Brown, who has been absent since early May after suffering a broken finger, steps up from vice-captain, after Chris Nash led the team to two wins from two as Wright’s initial replacement. Brown has been with Sussex since the age of 11 and captained the team in several games last season, with Wright injured.”For someone who has been associated with Sussex for so long being appointed as captain is a very proud moment for me,” Brown said.”I enjoyed the challenge of captaining the side last season but I feel in the last 12 months that the team has grown with a good core of senior players. Of course, I have my own ideas about how I want to lead the side but I also know there are some very solid cricketers in our dressing room who can give me support and advice if I need it.”It’s an exciting time. We have eight Championship games left but we go into Monday’s match against Gloucestershire with some real momentum. If we keep playing as we have in recent weeks the table will take care of itself and we can challenge for promotion.”Sussex lost three of their first four games in Division Two but rebounded with victories over Worcestershire and Leicestershire. Approaching the halfway point of the season, they lie fifth in the table, 43 points off the promotion places.Brown’s first game in charge will be a day-night fixture, played with a pink ball, against Gloucestershire at Hove starting on Monday. He scored 72 on his comeback from injury earlier this week, playing in a T20 for Nash’s testimonial in Horsham.Sussex’s head coach, Mark Davis, said: “As our vice-captain and a key senior member of the team we’re delighted Ben has agreed to take over as skipper. He learned a lot last season when he led the side when Luke Wright was injured and he will be a better captain for that experience.”He will do the job for the rest of the season when the cricket management team will review the situation. We have no plans to appoint a vice-captain because we feel there is already a good group of senior players in our squad who can support Ben.”I’d also like to say a big thank-you to Chris Nash who led us to victories in his two games in charge against Worcestershire and Leicestershire. I’m looking forward to Nashy making a big contribution in the rest of the season as a senior player and a key batsman in the side.”Taylor, the former New Zealand captain, is returning after a spell as Sussex’s overseas player last season and will lead the team in the T20 Blast, which begins next month.”I am very proud to be appointed captain of the Sharks for this season’s competition,” Taylor said. “I know the club and the players well from my time at Hove in 2016 and I am looking forward to joining up with the boys again. I believe we have a very exciting squad for this format and one that can challenge any team in the competition.”

Tom Brady had little to smile about after watching a bore draw at Birmingham, but was treated to an entertaining contest during a visit to Man City.

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• American football icon at the Etihad
• Is now an investor at St Andrew's
• Plans being drawn up for January window

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The NFL legend, who is now an investor at St Andrew’s, had to sit through a 0-0 stalemate when heading to Birmingham – with Wayne Rooney’s side unable to produce anything to get excited about against Rotherham. Brady’s latest trip to the United Kingdom has not been a complete write-off, though, after heading from the west midlands to the north west.

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  Brady was among those in attendance when Premier League champions Manchester City took in a home date with Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side showed how attacking football should be played as they created a number of golden opportunities against Spurs.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Brady saw Tottenham captain Son Heung-min score at both ends of the field during a bright opening to the game, before Phil Foden also got in on the act for the hosts before half-time. In the second half, Giovani Lo Celso equalised for Spurs in an end-to-end encounter. He will be hoping that Birmingham are playing a similar brand of football in the not too distant future.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BRADY?

  The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star may have got the chance to ask a few questions of City boss Guardiola and who he might be prepared to part with in January – with Birmingham hoping to freshen up their ranks in the next transfer window.

Chamara Kapugedara has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with an injury to his right knee, which was sustained during training on Wednesday

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Jun-2017Sri Lanka batsman Chamara Kapugedera has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with an injury to his right knee, which was sustained during training on Wednesday. He has been replaced with opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka, who was on stand-by in England.”Kapugedara [had] a heavy pounding on the right knee when he landed on it awkwardly during a fielding drill this morning, and radiographic investigation has revealed a meniscal tear coupled with an acute tendon injury,” a board release said. “Tournament and SLC Medical experts have recommended a supervised convalescence of two weeks, followed by a review of the injury.”Though Gunathilaka, who is likely to play the match against India on Thursday, is officially replacing Kapugedara, he will effectively be taking the place of Upul Tharanga at the top of the order. Kapugedara’s middle order position, meanwhile, will be assumed by Angelo Mathews, who is set to play his first ODI since August last year.Kapugedara was out first ball in Sri Lanka’s tournament opener against South Africa, but had been in some form in the approach to the tournament.

Leeds United remain interested in signing Coventry City midfielder Gustavo Hamer during the summer transfer window, but Fulham are also thought to be in the race to snap him up.

Is Gustavo Hamer leaving Coventry?

The Whites have now secured the services of former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke as their manager, which was an appointment that took time and seemingly slowed down their summer transfer business for the time being.

It is now vital that Leeds conduct good some work in the market in the next month or two, with new players required to boost their chances of making a quickfire return to the Premier League.

One such individual could be Hamer, who has been linked with a move to Elland Road, following an excellent season for Coventry, who so nearly achieved promotion from the Championship.

The 26-year-old midfielder enjoyed an impressive tally of 11 goals and ten assists in the league, en route to the Sky Blues reaching the playoff final against Luton Town, which he scored in, but his side eventually lost on penalties.

Coventry are finding it difficult to keep hold of their star players – the same applies to fellow Whites transfer target Viktor Gyokeres, who could be set to join Portuguese giants Sporting CP – and rumours of a move to Elland Road are refusing to go away.

Are Leeds signing Gustavo Hamer?

According to The Daily Mail in the early hours of Monday morning, Leeds see Hamer as a key summer transfer target, but are now joined by Fulham, who are of course able to offer him Premier League football:

"Fulham are keen on Coventry City midfielder Gustavo Hamer who has also been targeted by Leeds and has one year left on his contract. Hamer was one of the Sky Blues' standout stars in their run to the Play-off Final last season, scoring the crucial winner in the semi-final win over Middlesbrough.

"Leeds meanwhile are also interested in Hamer, as they look to bolster their midfield ranks following the departure of Brenden Aaronson."

Hamer could be such an exciting signing by Leeds if they manage to entice him to the club, transforming their midfield options in the process. His aforementioned end product in the final third is something that nobody for the Whites came close to replicating last season, with no central midfielders scoring more than twice in the Premier League.

The Dutchman is a former Netherlands youth international, further showing the pedigree he possesses as a player, and the fact that his current Coventry deal expires at the end of next season means that this summer is the last chance of them to receiving a good amount of money for his signature.

The fact that Fulham are reportedly in the race to sign Hamer is a potential issue for Leeds, though, given their guarantee of Premier League football next season, so Farke may have to sell him the Whites as a club, in order for them to leapfrog the Cottagers.

The Coventry ace has been hailed as "unbelievable" by Marko Marosi in the past, and if he can take his recent form with him to Elland Road, he could be a signing that ends up being inspired this time next year, at which point Leeds will hopefully be back in the top flight.

Sri Lanka had specifically ordered the unusual batting-friendly Galle deck, on which India achieved their biggest ever victory in terms of runs. Rangana Herath did not reveal why such a request should be made when facing a team who have an outstanding top order. Instead, he laid the blame on his team’s execution of what he felt was a good strategy.Where India made 840 runs at a run rate better than 4.5 an over across the match, losing only 13 wickets in the process, Sri Lanka mustered just 536. They were without Asela Gunaratne in both innings, however.”I think we made this pitch because we had a plan,” Herath said. “I said before the match that it will be a track that’s good for batting. We should take the main responsibility for the nature of the pitch. We didn’t bat or bowl well on it. We shouldn’t blame anyone else. We have to resolve our own issues.”Chief among those issues, Herath felt, was the batting. Three India batsmen made hundreds in the match, including two – Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara – who passed 150. Sri Lanka’s top score, meanwhile, was Dimuth Karunaratne’s 97. Dilruwan Perera also hit 92 not out in the first innings.”A few of our batsmen got close to three figures and got out, but the Indian batsmen not only got their hundreds, they went further. That was a big difference too in the game, and an area that we have to work on.”Herath also felt Sri Lanka gave a poor account of themselves with the ball. This was the first time since March 2013 that Sri Lanka conceded 600 runs or more in an innings – the last occasion having been against Bangladesh in a high-scoring draw in 2013. They have since given away 524 for 5 in New Zealand and 575 for 9 in England, but have generally been more penetrative at home.”We are a better team than this,” Herath said. “We really are. I felt that it was after a long time that a team scored 600 runs against us. We should have bowled better.”Sri Lanka’s worst bowling in the match perhaps came on the first day, when Shikhar Dhawan hit 190 off 168 balls. Only Herath maintained an economy rate of below four in the first innings.”At that point, we had a few plans for Shikhar Dhawan, but we failed to execute them,” Herath said. “For example, we allowed him too much width. In the first session of the match itself the game started slipping away from us. We bounced back well but he had by then got off to a terrific start.”Unusually for a Galle track, the quicks outperformed the spinners on what is traditionally one of the most spin-friendly tracks in the world. Of the 31 wickets to fall in this match 16 fell to seam bowlers – 10 of those breakthroughs shared between the two Sri Lanka quicks. This was the first occasion since 2014 in which fast bowlers were more successful at the venue. And where the track typically begins to offer drastic turn on days four and five, this pitch had remained relatively good for batting throughout.”I thought that on the fourth or fifth day there would be something for the spinners,” Herath said. “But there wasn’t as much help for the spinners as I expected at those late stages.”The seamer-friendly conditions allowed Nuwan Pradeep to become the first Sri Lanka bowler to claim a six-wicket haul at home since Chaminda Vaas, in 2005. His 6 for 132 in the first innings was also a personal best for Pradeep, who had never previously taken five wickets in an innings.”I think it was after a long time a fast bowler has taken a five-wicket haul in Galle,” Herath said. “There’s so much pressure on spinners when we play in Sri Lanka, and Pradeep bowling so well and taking so many wickets will be a huge plus point for us moving forward. He was outstanding in this game and his effort was fantastic. That was one of the positives.”

A loss for New Zealand would dent their chances of a straightforward entry into the semi-final, while a defeat for West Indies would further hurt their net run-rate, which is already down in the negative

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh06-Jul-2017With one win, one loss, and one washed-out match, New Zealand are tottering at fifth place on the points table. They are coming off a narrow five-wicket loss to Australia, which went down to the penultimate over, but will take heart from the resistance offered by their bowlers in that match. They will also take heart from the form of their opponents – West Indies, finalists in 2013, have yet to win a match and come into this game having been dismissed for 48 against South Africa, their second-lowest total in ODIs.A loss for New Zealand would dent their chances of a straightforward entry into the semi-final, while a defeat for West Indies would further hurt their net run-rate, which is already down in the negative.West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor has stressed that “panic is not in our books”, but has also acknowledged it was “down to business time” for her side, with the threat of falling out of contention for a semi-final berth. “All the teams are in the business mood; we, too, do need to get into the business mood. It’s all about belief, going out there and getting the job done,” she said.No West Indies batsman has made a half-century in the tournament so far and they would look to heed the advice of coach Vasbert Drakes, who emphasised the importance of clarity: “I want the players to be clear in what they want to do, be clear in their decision making, be clear in their thinking.”Their chances of a turnaround will depend heavily on former captain and wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira finding form in her 100th ODI appearance, after scores of 1, 6 and 3 so far. Allrounder Deandra Dottin, who followed her 20-ball 29 against Australia with scores of 7 and 0, will also look to summon her might with the bat and deliver breakthroughs with her medium-pace.No West Indies batsman has yet struck a half-century in the tournament•AFPA cloud cover is likely to loom over County Ground for a major part of the day, which could assist the medium-pacers early. However, considering spinners have bagged 21 wickets as opposed to the 10 by the seamers in the three matches played so far at the venue, it’s unlikely New Zealand would risk tweaking with their four-spinner attack, led by the offspin-legspin pair of Anna Peterson and Amelia Kerr.New Zealand allrounder Amy Satterthwaite, who had returns of 6 for 17 – the best T20I bowling figures – with her medium-pace at this ground in 2007, could also find purchase with her offspin should the match be played on a used pitch. In assessing the challenges West Indies may pose, Satterthwaite echoed coach Haidee Tiffen, underlining the need for her side to guard against the mercurial nature of the opposition. “They are a dangerous side and a quality side as well and must be hurting with their start and we know that they’ll come back strong. They showed that in the way they won the World T20 title last year, so they know how to win games,” Satterthwaite said.West Indies’ resources in the bowling department are limited. Having lost their fast-bowling strike bowlers Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell to injuries, their effectiveness revolves largely around Taylor’s offbreaks – she is the side’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with three dismissals. West Indies will look to left-arm spinner Shanel Daley and offspinner Afy Fletcher to back Taylor up in their pursuit of their first win on the tour so far.

Newcastle and PSG supporters have clashed in Paris ahead of the two clubs locking horns in Champions League competition.

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Magpies in France for European actionRival fans greeted them in ParisTrouble flared on Monday eveningWHAT HAPPENED?

The Magpies are in the French capital for their latest European outing – having previously savoured a memorable 4-1 victory over the Ligue 1 title holders at St James’ Park. Fans making the trip from England had been urged by Newcastle United Supporters’ Club to “stay safe in Paris” and to “look after each other”.

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Videos on social media appear to show members of the PSG Ultra groups targeting Newcastle followers as they gathered for pre-match drinks in local bars and restaurants. One video shows flares and chairs being thrown as glasses and windows are smashed.

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Another clip that was shared on social media was tagged with the menacing message “PSG ultras looking for the Toon”, with hooded individuals shown prowling the streets of Paris. Local police had advised that pubs designated for away fans should close early in a bid to reduce the risk of trouble.

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It is not the first time that Newcastle fans have become targets for continental rivals this season, with one Magpies supporter being stabbed during a visit to Milan on Matchday One. Eddie Howe’s side have taken four points from as many games in Group F and have work to do in order to reach the last-16.

Arsenal have done well to strengthen their squad early in the transfer window, with Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber soon set to follow Kai Havertz in signing on the dotted line in big-money transfers, but the Premier League heavyweights also appear to be on the lookout for a bargain or two.

Who are Arsenal signing?

According to Radio Guaiba reporter Rafael Pfeiffer (via Brazilian outlet Correio do Povo), the Gunners sent a representative to watch young midfielder Bitello in action for Gremio against Bahia on Wednesday.

It is claimed that Arsenal are readying a bid for the 23-year-old, who is valued at around £8.5m, and Gremio are already on the lookout for a replacement as they accept he will soon depart.

Should Arsenal indeed agree on a fee, Bitello would likely become Arsenal's fourth signing of the summer after Havertz, Rice and Timber, with deals for the latter two close to being made official.

Who is Gremio midfielder Bitello?

Bitello can play in a number of positions, but it is in central midfield that he has excelled.

The Brazilian, who has yet to be capped at senior level by his country, has seven goals and four assists in 33 appearances for Gremio this season.

As per FBref, Bitello is just as strong defensively as he is in terms of the attacking metrics, as he ranks in the top 2% of attacking midfielders across the eight leagues most similar to Brasileiro Serie A in quality for interceptions per 90 minutes (1.12)

The former Cascavel player is also in the top 5% for blocks per 90 (1.59), top 14% for tackles per 90 (1.91) and top 5% for pass-completion percentage (81.9), showing he is also capable of linking play.

While Bitello may be unknown to many outside of South America, Arsenal have had plenty of good experiences when it comes to buying similar players from Brazil.

The likes of Edu, Sylvinho, Gilberto Silva and, more recently, Gabriel Martinelli have all joined the Gunners from Brazilian clubs, with each making an impact in North London.

Gilberto may not be a like-for-like comparison for Bitello in that he was a defensive midfielder, yet there are other similarities to be made. For example, Bitello turns 24 next January – hardly an up-and-coming gem – but Gilberto was himself 25 when making his Premier League debut.

Bitello has never played outside of Brazil, which was also the case for Gilberto, while the latter also spent time on Gremio's books – albeit after his time at Arsenal had come to an end.

But Bitello is his own man, and it may well be that he challenges for a first-team spot should he arrive this summer.

As pointed out by football writer Johannes Skiba, Bitello is a "flexible" player who is good at winning the ball and also strong in terms of passing, suggesting he could come in handy for Mikel Arteta.

Many Brazilian gems have tried and failed to make an impact in the Premier League, but if Arsenal's success rate is anything to go by, there is no such risk of that being the case with Bitello.