Category Uncategorized

A national newspaper has lifted the lid on Chelsea’s multiple approaches to sign a £67 million star quite recently, with BlueCo not exactly afraid to splash the cash on major signings for new head coach Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea spent around £200m on 13 summer signings

Maresca was well and truly backed ahead of his first full season in charge at Stamford Bridge, with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali giving their green light for Chelsea to invest around £200 million on 13 new additions to the squad.

Chelsea already planning January exit for "absolute dream" summer signing

Todd Boehly, BlueCo and Behdad Eghbali will have the final say.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 27, 2024

Joao Felix, Mike Penders, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, Estevao Willian, Filip Jorgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley, Omari Kellyman, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho all agreed moves to Chelsea before deadline day on August 30, with a couple making serious impressions already.

Sancho is off the mark with two assists in the Premier League, while Neto bagged his first Chelsea goal against Barrow in the EFL Cup earlier this week. While Felix is yet to start a game for Chelsea, he did score off the bench in his second debut for the club – which came in a 6-2 demolition of Wolves at Molineux.

Jorgensen joined the backlog of Chelsea keepers with a glowing reputation as well. The 22-year-old Dane spent the whole of 2023/2024 as Villarreal’s number one shot-stopper, and his performances did enough to impress Chelsea so much that they splashed nearly £21 million on his signing from the La Liga side.

He put pen to paper on a long-term seven-year deal at Cobham, and Maresca suggested that Jorgensen could oust current number one Robert Sanchez if he performs better than the Spaniard in training.

“Even if you probably don’t believe me, I judge and I take the first XI depending on how they work every day,” said Maresca. “For all of them, if they are bad in training sessions and they don’t train with intensity, they are not going to play.

Brighton (home)

September 28

Nottingham Forest (home)

October 6

Liverpool (away)

October 20

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

“And if they don’t play Sunday in the Premier League, and think they are going to play Thursday, but if from Sunday to Thursday they don’t train well, they are not going to play in the Premier League and they are not going to play on Thursday – because Chelsea is a demanding club.

“You need to work hard, to fight until the end to get your place and give 100 per cent. If you think that I am going to give you a chance without working hard, forget about that.”

Newspaper shares multiple Chelsea approaches to sign Maignan

However, according to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea could’ve brought in an alternative.

Indeed, £67 million AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan was on their radar in the summer, as well as Jorgensen. Chelsea actually made contact over Maignan in 2023 as well, with Corriere explaining that Chelsea wanted him this year too.

The Italian newspaper share that Chelsea made multiple enquiries over signing Maignan, before they presumably settled on Jorgensen. The 29-year-old would’ve been quite the competition for Sanchez considering his form in the last three years, but his hefty price tag was probably a bit much for yet another shot-stopper.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that words like ‘crisis’ and ‘pressure’ were being thrown around to describe Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the season and Ange Postecoglou’s position as manager.

However, flash forward four wins in four games, and things in N17 are now looking far rosier, with the Australian’s side starting to play the fluid, attacking, and effective football they did at the start of last season.

The manager has made a few changes to the side in recent weeks, perhaps the most significant being the relocation of Dejan Kulusevski from the wing to the heart of midfield, where he has been utterly sublime.

However, before the club initially signed the Swedish superstar, they were interested in and could have actually signed another international winger, who might not have worked out as well.

Kulusevski's recent form

It would probably be fair to say that last season was not Kulusevski’s best campaign to date, as while he still managed to rack up a respectable haul of eight goals and three assists in 39 appearances, he had a quiet second half of the year.

For example, in his 17 league appearances after New Year’s Day, the Swede could only muster a paltry return of three goals and one assist, although considering the team’s overall form at that point, it might be unfair to pin that entirely on him.

Fortunately, despite his drop in form, Postecoglou persevered with the former Juventus ace, and so far this season, he has made eight appearances, in which he has already scored once and provided two assists.

However, one of the most notable things about his appearances so far is his new position in the heart of midfield.

For example, he has started five of those eight games in either central or attacking midfield, and considering he created the most chances of any away player at Old Trafford for 20 years on Sunday, he’s been undeniably superb in his new role.

Overall, things are looking up for Spurs and Kulusevski at the moment, but before the North Londoners signed the 24-year-old star, they were keen on another talented winger.

Spurs wanted to sign Ousmane Dembélé

Yes, before he made his way back to France to join Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham could have signed then-Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé.

According to a report from The Athletic, the North Londoners were so interested in the Frenchman that, in early January 2022, they inquired about his availability as, at the time, it was public knowledge that the Catalan club wanted him to either sign a new long-term deal or leave for a fee.

Unfortunately for the five-time European Champions, by the time they offered his services to Spurs on January 30th, the club turned them down, believing that adding another star to ‘a position where they were already reasonably well-stocked’ was pointless, especially as he was on an eye-watering £192k-per-week at the time.

Moreover, the reason the Lilywhites were suddenly so well covered in that position was down to the signing of Kulusevski, which was officially announced the following day, and based on the last few years, it looks like Daniel Levy and Co made the right choice for a few key reasons.

The first is that, for as talented as the “incredible” Frenchman is, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he had a simply atrocious injury record in Spain and across his career to date, he has missed a whopping 141 games due to an array of hamstring, knee and muscle problems. In comparison, the Swede has missed just 17 games in his career so far.

Number of Injuries

17

6

Games Missed

141

17

Days out Injured

794

78

Now, in his defence, the World Cup winner did manage to remain fit last season, but given the nature of his injuries and their frequency, it feels more like when and not if he suffers another significant setback.

The second reason is a financial one, as following his £43.5m move to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, the former Borussia Dortmund ace was handed a mammoth £401k-per-week contract – including bonuses – which would have utterly decimated the Lilywhites’ reasonable wage structure and in turn potentially cause issues down the line with future signings.

Lastly, not only is the Vernon-born dynamo three years older than Spurs’ talented number 21, but he has also fallen out with Luis Enrique in Paris and was subsequently removed from the squad that faced Arsenal in the Champions League, which does not seem like the sort of personality that Postecoglou would want in his team.

Ultimately, while Dembélé is an undeniably talented player, his injury issues, outrageously high wages, and recent fallout with his manager are all reasons why Spurs made the right choice when they signed Kulusevski instead back in 2022.

Spurs wanted to sign £55m star for Ange but ended up with Brennan Johnson

The North Londoners could have ended up with another winger entirely last summer.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 1, 2024

India’s marks out of ten, for the Test series against Australia

Sharda Ugra25-Mar-20138
M S Dhoni (326 runs at 81.50)
Produced the innings that snatched the first Test and with it, maybe Australia’s belief away from the series. His captaincy re-energised, Dhoni led a flock of rookies with a firm, confident hand and chose a new animated, responsive tack in his captaincy style. His hold on the captaincy is restored and by responding to the 1-2 series defeat against England with an emphatic 4-0, makes him a hard man to beat.M Vijay (430 runs at 61.42)
The opener who came in from the cold, turning his two successive failures in Chennai into a platform from where he launched the rescue of his India career. The only man to hit two centuries in the series, and the top scorer on either side with 430 runs, Vijay discovered another gear in his game that was between neutral and turbo. A central figure in two massive partnerships – 370 with Cheteshwar Pujara in Hyderabad and 289 with Dhawan in Mohali – gave India footholds in both matches.Cheteshwar Pujara (419 runs at 83.80)
An assured No.3 who opened on the worst wicket in the series and produced two half-centuries. He was second-highest run-getter, a mere 11 runs behind Murali Vijay with a century and two fifties, and was involved in three of India’s six century partnerships. Pujara’s consistency across the series and runs scored at a brisk strike-rate morphed into a stunningly effortless 82 not on the Kotla beastie in the chase.Shikhar Dhawan (187 runs)
Destiny gave Dhawan one chance in the series and he made it memorable. He stepped in as the replacement opener for Virender Sehwag in Mohali and produced the fastest century on a Test debut across history. It was an innings that was weightless in its composure and clear-sighted in its execution and it destroyed all Australian hopes of recovery. An injury put Dhawan out of a home Test but when he did turn up, he played his part and got the world to its feet.Ravindra Jadeja (25 wickets at 17.45, 85 runs at 21.25)
India’s trump card in the series, who had been fitted in as the fifth bowler and the third spinner but soon became an incisive threat. Jadeja’s bowling – disciplined, tight stump-to-stump, consistently on line – suited the conditions and the wickets. He took five wickets in an innings only once but was India’s second highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets, with a better average, economy rate and strike rate than the rest. His baffling hold on Australia’s best batsman Michael Clarke was the stuff of mass amusement and his batting came into its own in his last two innings.7.5
R Ashwin (29 wickets at 20.10)
Man of the series, with 29 wickets, now firmly established as India’s premier spinner. Ashwin shook off the blues of England and returned to bowl with the new ball, the old ball, the deteriorating ball. His ability to put his much-celebrated tricks on the back seat to the fundamentals of the trade helped him become the frontline bowler India needed in the series. His scores with the bat – 3, 1, 4, 12, at crucial points in a truncated batting line-up though – nip half a point off his score.6.5
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6 wickets at 39.83)

Like Dhawan, a debutant in the series, Bhuvneshwar did what was asked of him – to bowl incisively with the new ball. He bowled 64 overs across eight innings, largely with the new ball and his three-wicket burst in Mohali cracked open the Australian second innings, yet again and set up the win. He was a more than capable No. 9, scoring 38, 10, 18, 14* and was involved in a ninth-wicket century partnership with MS Dhoni during the Chennai whirlwind. A cricketer of greater capabilities whose true quality must be extended overseas.6
Virat Kohli (284 runs at 56.80)
The series should have been Kohli’s breakout given the conditions in which he was playing and the opposition he had to tackle. Kohli began with a century in Chennai but couldn’t cash in the rest of the games. What he did do was he became a support act in several key partnerships along the way, in two century stands and three fifty-plus partnerships.5
Pragyan Ojha (7 wickets at 34.00)
The most successful bowler in the series against England, sat out two Tests but returned in Mohali, came in as the third spinner after the success of his rival Jadeja. Ashwin and Jadeja picked up 53 of the 80 Australian wickets in the series and Ojha was relegated to being a bit-part player. He bowled far fewer overs and lacked the confidence in home conditions that have given him 100 Test wickets.4
Sachin Tendulkar (192 runs at 32.00)
In his first innings of the series, Tendulkar came with India at 12 for 2. His 81 in Chennai settled India’s nerves opening the door for Dhoni’s assault. After that though, Tendulkar didn’t cross 40, with scores of 13 not out, 7, 37, 21, 32 and 1. His role with the bat in India’s march to 4-0 was very limited: in Chennai and a first innings 32 on a devilish Kotla track. Of all the batsmen who played in all four Tests, Tendulkar’s was the lowest aggregate total in the top six.Ishant Sharma (7 wickets at 37.85)
Given more overs with the ball than his seam partner Bhuvneshwar, Ishant took one more wicket and played a bit parts. He had a burst in Mohali with the reversing old ball in Australia’s first innings, but was not partnership-breaker as planned. Australia’s lower-order got away with far too much. Rather than be a wicket-taker and tail-end destroyer like Zaheer Khan, when called, Ishant merely held one end up.3
Ajinkya Rahane (8 runs at 4.00)
Finally got out of the Indian dressing-room and onto the batting crease after 12 months of substitute duty. To make a debut on the worst batting wicket of the series, is to be handed the rough end of the stick. Two poor dismissals in Delhi gave Rahane a debut that belongs to nightmares, not memories.Harbhajan Singh (5 wickets at 40.80)
Brought into the side to be the nuisance factor, Harbhajan played the first two games, but was clearly Dhoni’s second choice offspinner. In his 100th Test, Harbhajan was tight, tense and once Ashwin tore away from him in the wickets column, there were to be few comebacks. Far too many short spells and a lack of consistency in line became the hurdles Harbhajan couldn’t vault over and he was dropped after two Tests.2
Virender Sehwag (27 runs at 9.00)
Switched to wearing glasses for the series and had an awkward first innings, playing on to a charged-up Pattinson bowling at top pace in his opening spell. Rather than go on the attack, Sehwag did try to settle in, but in his next two innings, had scores of 2 and 6, and was out defending to Nathan Lyon and nicking to the keeper off Peter Siddle. It gave the selectors no options. Despite India going up 2-0, Sehwag was left out for Mohali and the team trimmed from 15 to 14.

da dobrowin： West Bromwich Albion managed to add a cherry to the top of their cake right at the death of the transfer window, clinching a wonderful deal to win back former loan hero Mikey Johnston on a permanent basis on deadline day.

da wazamba： The now ex-Celtic winger would end up costing the Baggies a reasonable £3m, with Mason Holgate also joining on loan as the clock ticked down another eye-catching bit of business.

If he can reach the same heights he managed as a firm fan's favourite last season at the Hawthorns this campaign, Carlos Corberan's men could well be even more of a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, with the Baggies yet to taste defeat across their first four league clashes.

Johnston's time at West Brom

Johnston joined in January as a new loan recruit to help Corberan's side push to make the play-offs and stay there, with the Republic of Ireland international an instant hit in his fresh surroundings down the left flank.

The 25-year-old would twist and turn second-tier defences for fun, with a devastating finish usually finding the back of the net after a slaloming run forward, with Johnston helping himself to a stunning seven goals and two assists from 20 Baggies games.

Therefore, when an opportunity arose during the recently closed transfer window to try and snap Johnson back up, it was a chance West Brom couldn't say no to.

With Tom Fellows also operating as a creative machine down the right, with three assists already tallied up from his side's opening four Championship contests, both the homegrown West Brom menace and the £3m new boy could tear up the league together.

Away from the West Midlands outfit striking gold on deals in the here and now, they have been prone to making blunders in the transfer market too.

Sam Johnstone is one player who very much fits into that category.

Sam Johnstone's transfer value in 2024

Johnstone's recent £10m move to Wolverhampton Wanderers would have been particularly demoralising for West Brom, away from feeling overjoyed about Johnston's return, having waved goodbye to the new Wolves goalkeeper for nothing back in 2022.

Well known to keen football followers across the West Midlands – having lined up for Aston Villa as well as West Brom – Johnstone has now ticked off another big club from this area in the form of Gary O'Neil's Old Gold.

His best spell as a player to date arguably came at the Hawthorns, with Gary Lineker even labelling the former Manchester United youth prospect as "sensational" when he routinely starred for his former employers.

Johnstone's clean sheet record by division

Division played

Games played

Clean sheets

Premier League

67

15

Championship

222

74

League One

54

21

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Proving himself to be a reliable shot-stopper across his playing days to date, with a large portion of his career clean sheets coming in the second tier, Corberan would love to be able to call upon Johnstone now in his current West Brom XI.

The Baggies wouldn't be consumed with so much regret when it comes to Johnstone if they did manage to sell him on for a hefty fee when they could, considering West Ham United in 2021 reportedly bid £10m for his services.

Instead of cashing in, however, West Brom pushed back a bid and ultimately rejected it, only for the four-time England international to walk away from the building on a free transfer, after his side finished in an unsatisfactory mid-table spot in the Championship at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Now, the ex-Red Devils youngster is worth £7m more than statement buy Johnston, as the Baggies remain a team in the second tier aiming for a top-flight return.

Corberan does have Alex Palmer at his disposal in-between the sticks now, who has only leaked two goals so far this campaign in the league, but those with connections to West Brom must still wonder if Johnstone's time with the club could have ended on a better note.

Related West Brom struck gold on Hawthorns ace who is worth even more than Holgate

This West Bromwich Albion star continues to put in top performances for Carlos Corberan’s men.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Sep 3, 2024

تمكن وست هام يونايتد من تسجيل هدف التعادل في وقت قاتل أمام ليفربول في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن الجولة 32 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول يستضيف وست هام ضمن الجولة 32 على ملعب “أنفيلد”، وكان قد تقدم في الشوط الأول بهدف لويس دياز بعد تمريرة رائعة من محمد صلاح.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | بأسيست رائع من محمد صلاح.. لويس دياز يسجل هدف ليفربول الأول أمام وست هام

في الشوط الثاني، خرج محمد صلاح قبل 5 دقائق من نهاية المباراة، وبمجرد خروجه، تلقى ليفربول هدف التعادل، ليجد آرني سلوت نفسه في مأزق.

الهدف جاء بعد عرضية من بيساكا من الجانب الأيسر، حولها أندي روبرتيون بالخطأ في مرماه، ليعلن عن تعادل المطارق أمام الريدز.

MatériaMais Notícias

da apostebet： Depois do que pôde ter sido seu último jogo à frente da Seleção em solo brasileiro, o técnico Tite falou sobre a vitória sobre o Chile, por 4 a 0, nas Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas. Aos seus olhos, sobram emoções sobre a forma como a equipe venceu no Maracanã.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalO que está em jogo na última rodada das Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas para a Copa do Mundo do Qatar?Futebol Internacional24/03/2022Seleção BrasileiraVini Jr. celebra primeiro gol marcado pela Seleção Brasileira justamente no Maracanã: ‘Não tinha lugar melhor’Seleção Brasileira24/03/2022Seleção BrasileiraNeymar e Vini Jr. recebem cartão amarelo e ficam suspensos para jogo com a Bolívia, nas EliminatóriasSeleção Brasileira24/03/2022

da lvbet： -Tem muitos significados, muitas situações… São muitos e são muito particulares – afirmou o técnico, que depois optou por passar a palavra para o auxiliar César Sampaio e o preparador físico Fábio Mahseredjian.

Em seguida, o comandante agradeceu.

-Muito obrigado aos torcedores que compareceram hoje ao Maracanã, muito obrigado – declarou.

O treinador também detalhou como ajustou a equipe para superar o bloqueio de um Chile tão retraído.

-Quando joga contra 5-3-2, com cinco atrás, abre-se os dois pontas, trabalha-se com dois entrelinhas e dá liberdade de articulação com Paquetá e Neymar, ou Coutinho que entrou depois. Um avançado como meia-esquerda e o segundo meio-campista que joga entrelinhas, num plano de corredor pelo lado direito – disse Tite, que completou:

– Construção com quatro, balança a bola e inverte do outro lado, que vai ter um corredor livre para a construção e deixar os atletas no último terço com liberdade de criação. O que eu tento sempre colocar para eles: façam sempre a jogada de forma vertical, procurem o gol porque essa é a maior essência do futebol.

+ Tabela das Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas para a Copa do Mundo de 2022

Tite também comentou a nível individual, mas sem citar nomes de atletas, e parabenizou alguns jogadores por conseguirem manter a intensidade que demonstram em seus respectivos clubes.

– Dois aspectos têm balançado. Os atletas com a personalidade e confiança de virem na Seleção e repetirem os níveis de atuação de seus clubes, que é muito difícil, mais o trabalho para a gente poder de alguma forma organizar e tentar explorar o que o adversário tem de fragilidade – afirmou o treinador.

+ATUAÇÕES: Neymar e Vini Jr. marcam, são os melhores em campo e levam as maiores notas em goleada do Brasil

A Seleção Brasileira volta a campo na próxima terça-feira, às 20h30 (de Brasília), quando enfrenta a Bolívia. O jogo, válido pela 18ª rodada das Eliminatórias Sul-Americanas, acontece em La Paz.

After twin tons, Khawaja could replace Harris as opener in Hobart

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2022Australia captain Pat Cummins has indicated Usman Khawaja should retain his place for the final Ashes Test in Hobart after his stunning comeback with twin centuries at the SCG.Cummins is not on the selection panel – which consists of George Bailey, Justin Langer and Tony Dodemaide – but called Khawaja someone who is in “total command of their game”.However, speaking after the second of his centuries on Saturday, Khawaja said he remained resigned to this being a one-off comeback with Travis Head, who made 152 in the opening Test in Brisbane, assured of a return after missing Sydney due to testing positive for Covid-19.The only option remaining to the selectors is to drop Marcus Harris and install Khawaja as an opener. Harris has made 179 runs at 29.83 in the series which included a fighting half-century in tough conditions at the MCG but he twice gave away starts in Sydney.Related

• Khawaja vs Head vs Harris – Australia selectors set for 'challenging conversations' ahead of Hobart Test

• Head waits for selectors' call after Khawaja's stunning comeback

• A twist in the tale of James Anderson vs Steve Smith

• England cling on for thrilling final-over draw

• Jos Buttler to return home with broken finger

“I’ll preface it by saying I’m not a selector, but when someone comes out and hits twin hundreds, it’s pretty hard to go past them for the week after,” Cummins said. “So we’ll work through that, the selectors will work through that the next few days. But when someone’s running hot, has got a heap of experience like Uzzy, the way he plays is fantastic.”Khawaja has only opened in first-class cricket on three occasions in the last three years and in total in 24 of his 166 matches but does have two centuries in the role in Test cricket. His versatility was one of the key reasons behind him being the spare batter in the Ashes squad and he would have replaced David Warner in Adelaide if his damaged ribs had prevented him playing.”Felt like he could replace any batter from one to six,” Cummins said. “I know there’s been question marks historically on him playing over in Asia but you see how well he’s played spin recently – reverse sweeping, sweeping – he’s just someone who’s in total command of his game. That’s why you love experience.”There may also be changes to the pace-bowling attack for the final Test with Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser in contention but whichever line-up Australia go with in Hobart, hosting its first Ashes Test after replacing Perth in the schedule, they will not be aiming for a whitewash after being thwarted by England’s lower order.It was the second year in a row they had not been able to take victory from a strong position at the SCG but Cummins believed he had got his calculations correct. Seven overs were lost to rain on the final day and Australia had 64 balls to claim the last two wickets after Jonny Bairstow fell.”I wanted about three-and-a-half an over, though the wicket still wasn’t playing too many tricks,” he said. “I thought if they batted well 350 is pretty achievable. Thought 110 overs was enough time… but in the back of our mind we knew it could be a bit of a grind.”I think this year compared to last year we have made some improvements, we probably stuck at some plans a little bit longer. When you are that far ahead of the game of course you want to win it but I thought England played well. I was really proud of how everyone went, got close just not close enough.”

After a string of defeats since their Test comeback last August, this is a series victory to get Zimababwe cricket going again

Firdose Moonda24-Jun-2012Zimbabwe’s victory in the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series, which included a stunning nine-wicket win over South Africa in the final, is an indication that they are “on the right path” according to their coach Alan Butcher.Zimbabwean cricket started its upward trajectory since they made their Test comeback against Bangladesh last August but hit choppy waters soon after. Tough series against Pakistan and New Zealand set them back but their coup in this competition is an affirmation for Butcher that improvements have been made.”This is a real sign that we are on the right track,” Butcher told ESPNcricinfo. “It can sometimes get hard to convince people that things are going well when we don’t get the results so this has been really good from that perspective.” Since making their Test comeback with a victory over Bangladesh, Zimbabwe have lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in all formats, the latter both home and away.Their 2012 schedule is sparse, with no cricket from January until the World T20 in September. The tri-series was organised at the request of South Africa coach Gary Kirsten, who wanted to give his team match practice and a chance to experiment ahead of the World T20. It was initially supposed to be a bilateral five-match series played over five days. But, after Bangladesh had their tour to Pakistan postponed, they requested to join in. Their participation brought with it television coverage which gave the series a far higher profile, something Butcher said will add to the publicity of his team’s showing, albeit in a series of practice matches.”It didn’t matter that it was unofficial, we took it very seriously,” Butcher said. “We had training camps since the beginning of May and we worked very hard for this, so I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out. The guys worked well as a unit.”The coach had a few special words of praise for one of his stand-out charges. Hamilton Masakadza was named man of the series after finishing as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 267 runs at 66.75 and notching up four half-centuries in five matches. He also scored a hundred in the tour match against Bangladesh and is enjoying what some like Zimbabwe cricket committee chair Alistair Campbell, have called the form of his life.”I am very pleased for Hamilton. He had his problems and he was even left out of the side but he has worked on them,” Butcher said, referring to Masakadza’s exclusion from the 2011 World Cup squad. “He had an outstanding tournament and he deserved this.”Masakadza’s unbeaten 58 and Brendan Taylor’s 59 not out took Zimbabwe to a comfortable win in the final, but Zimbabwe gained the advantage first-up when their bowlers pinned South Africa down to 146 for 6. “We had a good start, which helped, but generally all the bowlers have worked well as a unit,” Butcher said. South Africa were 6 for 2 in the second over and had lost both their openers, Richard Levi and Hashim Amla.Chris Mpofu was the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with seven wickets and an average of 16.14. He showed good ability on a familiar surface to mix up pace with cutters and performed the role of the senior seamer that he is. Mpofu said he benefitted from being pushed by youngsters like Kyle Jarvis and now has another pace bowler to contend with as well.Richard Muzhange was the find of the tournament. He bowled with control and executed the yorker with perfection, especially at the death of an innings. Jason Gillespie, who coached Muzhange at the Mid-West Rhinos last season, identified him as a future star and Butcher could not be more pleased with what they have found. “He is definitely one for the future. He showed great composure and that he is willing to learn.”That is quality that could be associated with almost all of the Zimbabwe side. They have found that knowledge of what to do in certain conditions and how to play in certain situations has made them a more competitive team and Butcher said it has also had an influence on their mindsets. “The players are growing in confidence and self-belief. Hopefully, we will take that with us into the World T20.”

Shafali Verma fired for the first time in the Hundred with a brilliant unbeaten 76 as Birmingham Phoenix ended a run of three straight defeats with a thumping 10-wicket over Welsh Fire, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the latter stages just about alive.The precociously talented 17-year-old, who made 96 and 63 on her Test debut against England in June, was so much in control that she was able to hand centre stage to partner Eve Jones towards the end of the chase, allowing the Jones to claim her first half-century of the competition, before stepping up to hit the winning boundary herself as Phoenix cantered home with 24 balls to spare.Bryony Smith led from the front for Fire after Phoenix had chosen to bowl, registering her competition best score with 38 from 36 balls, including five fours and a six over wide long-on off Abtaha Maqsood, but Fire’s next best score was 19 and their 127 for for 9 always looked a little under-par on a good pitch, the result leaving them level on four points with Phoenix going into the last two fixtures.Smith might have made more but was run out after a mix-up with Georgia Redmayne, who declined a single to point off Emily Arlott, leaving Smith stranded halfway down the pitch as Phoebe Franklin threw in to the bowler’s end.Then again, she was dropped on 4 as Erin Burns shelled a low return catch.Otherwise, Fire’s effort with the bat was disappointing. Batting trump card Hayley Matthews, averaging 45.75 going in, mistimed to mid-off for 13, Redmayne offered a return catch that Burns did hold for 17, and skipper Sophie Luff was lbw on review for 7, sparking a disappointing end to the innings that saw the last seven wickets fall for 33.These included a brilliant piece of work by Phoenix captain and wicketkeeper Amy Jones to stump Sarah Taylor off an Eve Jones full toss that just about dipped below waist height and three wickets in four deliveries in Kirstie Gordon’s last set of five.Phoenix raced to 47 from the 25-ball Powerplay, of which Verma hit 37, taking 12 off Smith’s opening over including a six to midwicket, and finishing with four-four-six in consecutive balls off Matthews’s offspin. After that, the opening pair never took their foot off the pedal.Verma passed fifty off 22 balls and thereafter was content to play second fiddle to Eve Jones, with completed her half-century from 30 balls with her ninth boundary. Verma should have been run out on 70 when trying to get her partner on strike but that was her only mistake and it was only a few balls later that she walloped her ninth boundary over midwicket to seal victory with time to spare.