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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Worcestershire have signed Nathan Lyon, the Australia offspinner, as a replacement overseas player to cover for John Hastings during the Champions Trophy.Lyon, who is Australia’s most successful finger-spinner with 247 wickets from 67 Tests, will also provide a frontline spin option in the absence of Moeen Ali who will be with England.”If you look at top international bowlers who are available while the Champions Trophy is going on – plus those with West Indies and Afghanistan – you don’t seem to see many who are available,” Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, said.”Nathan has never played county cricket and I really try to get overseas players who are looking for a challenge and are hungry to succeed. He is a great competitor and to get someone like Nathan is really important for Worcestershire.”Rhodes also sees Lyon playing an important role with Worcestershire’s young spinners. “Nathan is also a very committed dressing room man and our young spinners like George Rhodes and Ben Twohig will have the opportunities to pick his brains over that period. That will be fantastic for them and a big boost to those two players.”
The Bangladesh coach has said he “got everything he asked for” from the BCB during his coaching stint
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2017
Bangladesh have run impressive campaigns in the 2016 Asia Cup and the 2015 World Cup over the last two years•AFP
Coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said he would like to leave Bangladesh in the position Sri Lanka had been in 1996, and that he would happily work with Sri Lanka after his present contract ends in 2019.The mid-1990s were effectively Sri Lanka’s coming of age in international cricket. In addition to winning the 1996 World Cup, they also began to produce players who achieved world renown – such as Aravinda de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka also soon established themselves in Test cricket, beating most oppositions who toured the island.Bangladesh have recently made gains under Hathurusingha, winning a Test against England last year, and running impressive campaigns during 2016’s Asia Cup and the 2015 World Cup. They also qualified for the 2017 Champions Trophy, having missed out in 2009 and 2013.”In 2019, I want to bring the Bangladesh team to where Sri Lanka were in 1996,” Hathurusingha told . “That’s my target. Whatever happens, I’m not going to ask to stay with Bangladesh forever. I will also not resign. The only reason for leaving is if I’m not allowed to do what I want to do, but there’s no such situation at present.”Hathurusingha was complimentary of his dealings with the BCB, saying he had “got everything he asked for”, including a place on the selection committee and broad influence over the team’s development. However, he suggested that he harboured hopes of working with Sri Lanka in future, having made himself available to them before he took the job with Bangladesh, as well.”I will absolutely come [if SLC asks me to],” he said. “I am in this position today because of all the things I learned playing cricket in Sri Lanka. After I learned everything in Sri Lanka for about 20 years, I went to Australia and learned things there as well. But if Sri Lanka invites me at any time, I will happily come back to do something for the country.”Hathurusingha said Sri Lanka’s school cricket system remained much stronger than that of Bangladesh, but was less impressed with Sri Lanka’s senior cricket structure. He joined the chorus of former players lamenting the excessive number of teams in Sri Lanka’s first-class cricket. Twenty-three first-class teams competed in the recently-concluded Premier League tournament, though nine of those sides played in the second tier league.”If there are 22 or 23 first-class sides in Sri Lanka, then that’s definitely not good,” he said. “With the way that Sri Lanka is, I think there should be about 12 or 14 sides. But because school cricket is good here, players are still produced.”In Bangladesh, there is a four-day tournament, a one-day tournament with about eight teams, and their BPL T20 tournament. Because of that, the good players become highlighted. In the last two years, I changed a lot of things in their club cricket, including their pitches.”
Malik Tillman missed out on PSV's routine Eredivisie win over Almere after being punished by head coach Peter Bosz
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United's latest signing has been confirmed as the new owner of the iconic shirt, so GOAL looks at some of the others to have worn it over the years
Manchester United, of course, have had some truly iconic players wear the famed No.7 shirt, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, and Bryan Robson. There have also been some major flops, namely Michael Owen and Alexis Sanchez, and new signing Mason Mount will be hopeful he eventually falls into the first category having been handed the iconic jersey following his £60-million move from Chelsea.
The England international has plenty of experience behind him having become a regular contributor both at Stamford Bridge and for the Three Lions – but how will he deal with the weight of expectation that comes with wearing United's most legendary number?
GOAL takes a look at the history of the No.7 shirt at Old Trafford and how others have coped with it…
India coach Anil Kumble has given his wholehearted backing for Cheteshwar Pujara to have an uninterrupted run in the Indian middle order, admitting that it is “not good” that a “sword is always hanging on his head”
Gaurav Kalra10-Sep-20165:32
‘Pujara is very important for us’ – Kumble
India coach Anil Kumble has given his wholehearted backing for Cheteshwar Pujara to have an uninterrupted run in the Indian middle order, admitting that it is “not good” that a “sword is always hanging on his head.” Pujara lost his spot in the playing XI for the third Test in St. Lucia during India’s recent tour of the West Indies, Kumble’s first series in-charge, after making 16 and 46 in his previous two innings. His replacement Rohit Sharma made 9 and 41 in that match, and both he and Pujara were included for the final Test in Trinidad, where only 22 overs were possible and India didn’t get to bat.”With modern cricket, everybody looks at the strike rate rather than what that particular player brings to that table,” Kumble told ESPNcricinfo. “Pujara is a very important cog in our wheel and when he plays at No. 3, he is a very important player. Yes, there are times when he misses out and Rohit comes in. That’s when we probably feel we need someone lower down to accelerate. That’s why in one of the Tests in West Indies, he missed out.Pujara completes 10,000 first-class runs
Playing in the final of the Duleep Trophy on Saturday, with India coach Anil Kumble and the national selectors present at the ground, Cheteshwar Pujara became the 45th Indian to the landmark of 10,000 first-class runs.
He ended the first day’s play with a powerful backfoot drive for four through mid-off and was unbeaten on 111 off 164 balls with a strike-rate of 67.68. His team India Blue had put up 362 for 3 against the Yuvraj Singh-led India Red
“The one good thing about this team is that all 17 who were in the squad were all available to play and all of them show that intent. If they are playing, they are fine. When they are left out, yes, they are disappointed, but at the same time, they contribute in whatever way they can. Pujara, yes, the sword is always hanging on his head, which is not good. I certainly believe he is a very important player for us and he will play at No. 3, and for us to be successful, he is important to us in the short term and long term as well.”Pujara and Rohit have had to swap places in recent times as India have preferred to employ a five-bowler strategy in Test cricket, leaving room for one less batsman in the XI. Since taking over from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli has robustly advocated the tactic. Kumble, too, is on-board with the strategy, though he said it “wasn’t set in stone”.”It is not mandatory that you look to play five bowlers. It depends on the opposition, the surface and what the team requires,” Kumble said. “If we believe that four bowlers are enough to pick up 20 wickets and you need that additional batsman in the team, then we are open for that. It is not that the five-bowler theory is written in stone and we will approach every game like that. With four bowlers, you can win a Test match. Every team that you play has four bowlers and the fifth bowler you play is the all-rounder who fills in 10-15 overs for the other bowlers to come back again and pick the wickets. The approach will certainly be to win every game that you play.”In line with the tactic to play with five frontline bowlers, India made an intriguing decision in the West Indies, asking R Ashwin to bat at No. 6. The move was instantly rewarded – Ashwin made a hundred in the first Test at Antigua and following it up with another one in the third in St.Lucia. Kumble explained that the move was made in order to ease the pressure on wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who was struggling to come to terms with batting in the top six. Saha himself scored a hundred in the series and finished with 205 runs at an average of 51.25″Obviously, Ashwin has shown in the past what he’s capable of as a batsman,” Kumble said. “Saha was batting at six and we felt that the pressure that he was getting under wasn’t ideal for him. Someone like Ashwin can take that pressure off and then Saha can bat freely, and Ashwin has shown what he’s capable of. He’s scored two hundreds and made his mark at No. 6 whenever we played five bowlers.”India are scheduled to begin a lengthy home season where they will play 13 Tests, beginning with a three-Test series against New Zealand from September 22.
By stumps on the third day, Sri Lanka were remarkably on top in the Test as Kusal Mendis produced a stunning 169 not out
The Report by Brydon Coverdale28-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:59
Arnold: Mendis played a carefree and special innings
Kusal Mendis had one first-class century before today. He walked to the crease at 6 for 2, after a wicket fell on the third ball of the morning. Sri Lanka were 80 short of making Australia bat again. Mendis had survived only seven deliveries in the first innings. The ingredients were all wrong, but like the world’s greatest chef he worked his magic and fashioned them into something delicious.
Play was halted due to bad light on day three of the Pallekele Test because Sri Lanka Cricket chose not to allow the use of lights in this series. It was at first believed that the lights could not be used due to the fact that Galle and the SSC ground in Colombo are not similarly equipped. However, a Cricket Australia spokesperson clarified that the visitors would have been happy to use them.
“Just because there aren’t lights at other venues doesn’t mean they can’t be used here. We were happy to use them but both teams need to be in agreement. At the end of the day it is the host board’s decision.”
Play ended when Australia sought to take the second new ball but the umpires said that the light was too dull for anything faster than spinners.
Sri Lankan fans could only have dreamed of such a Kandy treat when play began. Yet by tea, Sri Lanka had at the very least made this a 50-50 battle and by stumps, called early due to bad light and rain, they were unquestionably on top. Their first-innings debacle of 117 had made their job tough, but Australia’s task in the fourth innings against Rangana Herath and friends would be no easier.Already the target stood at 197 but four wickets were still in hand. Importantly, one of those was Mendis, who walked off to a standing ovation on 169. This from a man whose previous highest score – in first-class cricket, mind you – was 108. This in a Test match in which no other batsman has reached 50. By stumps, you wouldn’t be surprised if he turned this into a double-century.All he would need was a little lower-order support. Dilruwan Perera was on 5 when the players walked off, having not long joined Mendis following the dismissal of Dhananjaya de Silva for 36. Mindlessly, de Silva had lofted a simple catch to mid-off to give Nathan Lyon his second wicket of the innings and the 200th of his Test career, the first Australian offspinner to reach that milestone.Mendis was sublime all around the wicket. He played straight when required but always looked to score, pulling and flicking classily through leg, sweeping effectively, cutting when the fast bowlers gave him width. He struck 20 fours and brought up his century from his 143rd delivery with his only six, slog-swept over deep midwicket off the bowling of Lyon.Mendis had made few mistakes throughout his innings, though on 142 he drove a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity through the hands of Josh Hazlewood. Australia were also left to regret not asking for a review when Mendis was on 66, after he missed a sweep off Lyon, who was coming around the wicket. The Australians seemed barely interested in sending that one upstairs.Instead, they frittered away both of their reviews on deliveries from Steve O’Keefe that were, respectively, pitching outside leg and only just clipping leg stump. Australia were not alone. Not since hit the cinemas have worse reviews flowed from all directions. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva both needlessly contested their lbws early in the morning.Mitchell Starc’s pace beat Karunaratne in the first over of the day and O’Keefe sneaked his arm ball through the defences of Silva. Neither man reached double figures, and nor did the captain Angelo Mathews, who on 9 was caught at bat-pad off the bowling of Lyon. Australia had picked up three wickets before lunch, but already Mendis was past 50 and proving a headache.Things got trickier for Australia in the second session as Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal compiled a 117-run partnership, easily the highest of the match. O’Keefe left the field with an injury to his right hamstring, and any half-chances presented to Australia seemed to go begging. On 24, Chandimal popped up a very catchable return chance that was spilled by Starc.Finally the breakthrough came, as Chandimal was trapped lbw by Mitchell Marsh, who managed to nip the ball back in late. Still, it was the only wicket of the session, for Mendis found a new ally. The debutant de Silva, who got off the mark with a six in the first innings, boldly thumped a boundary over mid-on to get off the mark this time, and by tea the new partnership had grown to 50.But this day was all about Mendis, the rest were simply his support staff. Just before tea he brought up his 150 with a cut to the boundary off Lyon, from his 207th delivery. By stumps, his score looked outrageous compared to the rest of the top order: 4, 7, 0, 169*, 9. It is hard to believe if anybody present – even Mendis himself – could have anticipated such a scenario this morning.
Aston Villa have five fixtures remaining of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign as they look to secure as high a finish as possible in a bid to nail down a place in Europe ahead of the new term that is set to get underway in August.
The Midlands outfit have experienced nothing short of a remarkable turnaround since the arrival of Unai Emery who has won 13 of his 22 games in charge, the most recent being the 1-0 victory over Fulham on Tuesday night. The Spaniard has also become the first manager in English top-flight history to have seen his team score in all of their first 20 games under a new boss, further highlighting the incredible impression he's made since taking to the dugout.
The Villa Park side absolutely have the right to get excited about what next season could look like under the stewardship of the 51-year-old, but even in the immediate short-term, they are currently in contention to seal qualification to the Europa League which is surely something that supporters would never have expected to be competing for if you would have asked them at the start of the term, so with that being said, here’s how we think their remaining handful of games will pan out.
Aston Villa fixtures
• 30 April: Man United (a)
• 6 May: Wolves (a)
• 13 May: Tottenham (h)
• 20 May: Liverpool (a)
• 28 May: Brighton (h)
Man United v Aston Villa
Following the 1-0 win over Fulham last night, the Villans will be pumped up, ready and raring to go when they make the trip to Old Trafford to take on Erik Ten Hag’s side on Sunday, with another three points for the visitors potentially definitive in the race for European football.
Emery has to ensure that his outfit maintain their confidence and positive run of form that they produced in midweek, and whilst they will be hoping to replicate their 3-1 victory from the reverse fixture in November, it won’t be an easy task to do the same in front of the United crowd.
But with this being an important match to Champions League-chasing Man United, they will not be able to take an in-form Villa lightly, and with an FA Cup final on the horizon, Villa may yet be able to land a psychological blow.
Prediction: Man United 1-1 Aston Villa
Wolves v Aston Villa
The Premier League fixtures are coming thick and fast for Aston Villa, whose next away game after United is versus Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Old Gold were in a vulnerable position and in danger of relegation but have since secured a much-needed victory over Crystal Palace, creating distance between themselves and the drop zone.
From a Villa perspective, this is likely to be considered a very winnable match against an inconsistent side, and another three points would allow them to continue their momentum and gain ground on their competitors around them in the table – which is what we expect on Saturday week.
Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa v Tottenham
On paper, Aston Villa facing Wolves, you’d expect to result in a comfortable victory, but the difficult tests return when they host Tottenham Hotspur in their next game back at home. Ryan Mason’s side will be desperate to change their fortunes after the heavy 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United as they compete to secure a top-four finish, so they could come out fighting – and with a completely different mentality.
The Midlands crowd are sure to be in great voice and prepared to get behind their team as ever, but this could prove to be the possible banana skin of the remaining fixtures during the run-in.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham
Liverpool v Aston Villa
Following what is sure to be an exciting and fast-paced contest against Spurs, Aston Villa hit the road once again, this time travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool who could still potentially qualify for some kind of European competition should they start picking up results.
Back in the reverse fixture in December, the Reds secured a 3-1 win, so Emery will be hoping that his side can head to Merseyside and gain revenge by turning the tables and picking up all three points, which on their day they are more than capable of doing.
And given the Reds' inconsistent form and that Villa may well have more to lose as they seek a first European berth in over a decade, Emery's men may yet spring a surprise.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-3 Aston Villa
Aston Villa v Brighton
Aston Villa’s final home game, and indeed the last fixture of the 2022/23 season, sees them come up against Brighton and Hove Albion who will also be hoping to secure a qualification spot in the Europa League, therefore making them one of their biggest rivals.
The Seagulls, however, could experience a lack of confidence during the run-in after crashing out of the FA Cup semi-final on penalties against Manchester United, so this is something that the Midlands outfit need to capitalise on, with the result likely to prove definitive when it comes to final standings for Emery.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Brighton
• Predicted run-in points: 8/15
• Predicted total points: 62
Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that Mikel Arteta leaving would ‘be a massive blow’ for Arsenal after reacting to some recent exit links.
The Lowdown: Wanted in Spain
It was reported by Spanish news outlet Sport back in November that FC Barcelona would be interested in hiring Arteta as their next manager, while he is also thought to be an option to eventually replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, after previously being his assistant at the Etihad Stadium.
More recently, the Spaniard has also been linked with taking over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, as his superb season is being noticed by some of Europe’s top clubs.
Indeed, his Arsenal side were five points clear of City in second at the top of the table in the Premier League, before the visit of Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium earlier this afternoon.
The Latest: ‘Massive blow’ if Arteta leaves
Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that it would ‘be a massive blow’ if the Gunners were to lose Arteta, but added that he does not think that there is any ‘real fear’ that he will leave anytime soon:
“It’d be a massive blow to lose him but it’s no surprise to see Arteta attracting interest from other clubs.
“There was talk of Barcelona not long ago – I would take it as a compliment for the work that he’s doing.
“I don’t think there’s any real fear for Arsenal fans to think Arteta might leave the club right now. He’s in this project.”
The Verdict: Keep him!
The North London club simply need to keep Arteta at all costs, as he is headlining their project at the Emirates Stadium.
The 40-year-old has turned his team from top-four hopefuls at the end of last season, where they missed out on a UEFA Champions League place to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, to title challengers within the space of less than a year, showing his outstanding coaching skills in getting his players to move up to the next level.
It must not be forgotten that Arteta also won a trophy in his first season at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup at the end of the 2019/20 season, while he also won the Community Shield in the following campaign.
Nonetheless, the Gunners will no doubt want to keep him for as long as they can, with recent links to the likes of Real Madrid a testament to the job that he is doing.
Leeds United showed huge faith in Jesse Marsch over his one-year stay at Elland Road, backing him with vigour in both transfer windows with which he took charge.
His summer spending welcomed seven new faces, whilst he was also allowed to break the club-record fee on two separate occasions.
However, despite all this overhaul, the American still saw fit to leave the left-back position unimproved despite it being a marked area of concern.
It did not take Marcelo Bielsa long to realise the error of his ways with the Junior Firpo deal, yet Marsch saw fit to persist with the former Barcelona defender as the only senior player who could naturally fulfil that role. The fact that Pascal Struijk has played there at all should speak volumes for the belief held in the 26-year-old.
Despite that, it might actually be a smart move to revert back to a starting side that allows the Dutchman to play in that unfamiliar role, as he will at the very least add defensive security to Javi Gracia's more pragmatic philosophy as they seek top-flight safety.
Why was Pascal Struijk playing at left-back?
The main reason behind Marsch's decision to start Struijk in that role came down to the defensive deficiencies of Firpo, who had been branded a "liability" by journalist David Anderson who had let his team down.
The 6.70 average rating of the £60k-per-week dud marks a huge improvement on his recent seasons, and yet even that is dwarfed by the 6.90 of his potential usurper from this campaign.
Not only this, but the presence of the natural centre-back alone is enough to command far more respect from within the dressing room, as captain Liam Cooper outlined: "Pascal has absolutely everything to be one of the best centre-backs out there, he really has. He’s unbelievable on the ball, he’s strong, good in the air. I always knew. We all know now. His improvement speaks for itself.”
Whilst this faith might be placed in the hulking defender fitting in the centre of a back four, he has already shown how he can do the job on the flank at least until safety is hopefully assured.
To put it bluntly, Struijk has played at left-back because Firpo has been deemed not good enough. His 6.60 rating from last campaign is still clearly fresh in the mind, and despite the occasional impressive display, he remains as such.
Should Gracia desire solidity, this personnel change is a no-brainer. Indeed, it could well ensure their survival.