da supremo： Depois da classificação sobre o Iguatu-CE para a próxima fase da Copa do Brasil, o Santos começa um longo jejum de partidas oficiais. A equipe alvinegra não disputa mais jogos no mês de março e seu próximo compromisso será definido pelo sorteio da Copa Sul-Americana.
O treinador Odair Hellmann terá um longo período para realizar as atividades necessárias para melhorar o desempenho do Santos, que não fez um bom Campeonato Paulista. O Peixe só estreia no Brasileirão no dia 15 de abril, contra o Grêmio, em Porto Alegre.
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da apostebet： +ATUAÇÕES: Meninos da Vila brilham e garantem classificação tranquila do Santos na CDB
A equipe santista terá bastante tempo para aprimorar vários problemas, como o crônico desafio de melhorar a defesa nas jogadas de bola aérea. Nos clássicos do estadual, o Peixe foi vazado por este tipo de jogada em todos jogos.
O tempo livre no calendário também assegura um tempo hábil para recuperar atletas que estão lesionados. No momento, Soteldo, Alex, Sandry, Joaquim, Mendoza e Carabajal possuem problemas físicos ou estão na fase de transição de suas respectivas lesões.
Sob muita pressão da torcida, o Santos também deve ir ao mercado para reforçar seu plantel. O treinador Odair Hellmann participa da busca por contratações e terá tempo para integrar e adaptar os novos comandados.
da pinup bet： Neste Campeonato Paulista, mesmo que o São Paulo esteja na liderança do grupo B, com 11 pontos, a derrota para o Red Bull Bragantino acendeu um alerta: de nove pontos disputados contra times que estão na série A do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Tricolor só conseguiu um.
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da pixbet： Até agora, foram sete partidas disputadas no Estadual. As únicas vitórias do Tricolor no Paulistão aconteceram contra a Ferroviária, a Portuguesa e o Santo André. Nenhuma destas equipes disputa o Brasileirão na série A em 2023.
ATUAÇÕES: Galoppo faz golaço, mas meio de campo não ajuda em derrota do São Paulo
Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos
Porém, contra o Palmeiras, o Corinthians e o Red Bull Bragantino, nenhuma vitória. O único ponto que surgiu entre estes nove disputados contra estas equipes mais complicadas foi no clássico contra o Palmeiras, que aconteceu no Allianz Parque e terminou em um empate sem gols.
Contra o Corinthians e o Bragantino, foram duas – e únicas até então -, derrotas. E ambas com o mesmo placar: por 2 a 1. A única diferença é que o Majestoso aconteceu no Morumbi e o encontro com o Massa Bruta foi no Nabizão.
Neste domingo (12), o Tricolor tem a chance de melhorar este aproveitamento contra equipes de maior porte, e que mais tarde reencontrará no Brasileiro. O São Paulo enfrenta o Santos, no estádio do Morumbi. Analisando números das duas equipes no Paulistão até agora, a equipe de Rogério Ceni tem um certo favoritismo ao seu lado.
Além do fator casa e mais de 23 mil ingressos vendidos até o momento, está em uma situação melhor na tabela. Como dito antes, lidera o grupo B e soma três vitórias, dois empates e duas derrotas. Já o Peixe, está em terceiro lugar no grupo A, com nove pontos e duas vitórias, três empates e duas derrotas.
Veja as movimentações do São Paulo na janela de transferências
O duelo com o Santos será o último do São Paulo contra times da série A nesta primeira etapa do Paulista. Depois, encontra Inter de Limeira, São Bento, São Bernardo e Botafogo-SP. Os próximos duelos contra estas equipes maiores só acontecerá se o Tricolor passar para a próxima fase.
Sarah Glenn and Charli Knott took seven wickets between after Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne both impressed
AAP20-Oct-2023
Sarah Glenn picked up four wickets including a brace in the power surge•Getty Images
Spinners Charli Knott and Sarah Glenn starred with the ball as Brisbane Heat edged Melbourne Renegades by six runs to win a pulsating WBBL clash at Junction Oval.A swashbuckling cameo from Georgia Wareham (36 from 16 balls) put Renegades in position to snatch victory late on Friday after the Heat posted 187 for 9.She and Georgia Prestwidge each belted Courtney Sippel for two fours in the penultimate over, leaving Renegades requiring 23 runs from the last six deliveries.Related
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Wareham blasted fellow spinner Jess Jonassen for six over deep midwicket to put a stunning win within reach. But when Jonassen caught and bowled her from the next delivery, Renegades needed a miracle that did not transpire.Keeping superstar batters Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur quiet was key to Heat’s success in the second match of the new tournament, and they could thank spinners Glenn and Knott.English legspinner Glenn inspired a collapse of 5 for 55 either side of the drinks break and emerged as the pick of the bowlers for Heat.She took the crucial wicket of Kaur, who was player of the tournament the last time she appeared for Renegades but mistimed a slog-sweep and was sent packing.Knott broke the Heat’s 55-run opening partnership by taking down Tammy Beaumont with her offspin and in the same over dismissed Matthews, West Indies’ star player in the recent T20I series against Australia.Earlier, Heat’s openers had their side off to a similarly flying start, taking advantage of the batter-friendly Junction Oval wicket and fast outfield.Australian representative Grace Harris notably belted Ella Hayward for two back-to-back sixes in the second over.In her first WBBL game since rupturing her achilles tendon in last season’s semi-finals, Heat’s reigning topscorer Georgia Redmayne was similarly influential.But Wareham broke the 77-run opening partnership when Harris slogged her to Prestwidge at deep midwicket.Matthews took 2 for 2 just after the drinks break and though Heat never quite replicated their prolific start, their total proved enough.
Manchester City’s last outing was a hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat in the Champions League against Real Madrid. It saw the Citizens crash out of the premium European club competition in a frustrating manner, losing 6-3 on aggregate.
A phenomenal Kylian Mbappe hattrick was enough to sink Pep Guardiola’s side, with the French forward scoring three superb goals, including a lob over goalkeeper Ederson and a lovely strike from range with his weaker left foot to seal the treble.
City lost John Stones just minutes into the game, with the England international succumbing to injury. It was a bit of a makeshift defence for City, which included new signing Abdukodir Khusanov at right-back.
Khusanov’s performance vs. Real Madrid
So far, the Uzbekistan international has played a bit-part role in a Man City shirt. The January signing from French outfit Lens has featured four times, with his start against Madrid the first time he has played in the Champions League for City.
Abdukodir Khusanov in action for Man City
However, it was a tough night at the office for Khusanov against Los Blancos. Defending against Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, a quartet often quite fluid in their rotations, you could not have really asked for a tougher assignment.
In fact, the youngster received a 3/10 for his performance against the Spanish giants, courtesy of Goal. Richard Martin said Khusanov ‘was tortured from start to finish’ by the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius.
Chalkboard
When the Frenchman received the ball for his second goal, it came to him after City’s number 45 had the ball poked through his legs by Rodrygo.
It was certainly a baptism of fire in the Champions League for the first time donning that famous Blue shirt. It will be interesting to see if Guardiola keeps him in the side for the heavyweight clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
The same thing could be said for another City defender, who also struggled against Madrid.
The City player who could be dropped against Liverpool
When you’re defending against the likes of Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicius and Rodrygo, it is never going to be easy. Khusanov found that out first-hand, but perhaps no one can relate more than Josko Gvardiol.
If Khusanov had a tough night, then Gvardiol certainly did. He was, in many ways, embarrassed by Madrid’s hattrick hero, who sat him down for his second goal, moments after the Uzbek defender was nutmegged by Rodrygo.
With Gvardiol sliding in for a challenge on Mbappe, the Madrid number nine simply shifted the ball from his left foot to his right, and watched as the Croatian defender slid past him and ended up on his back. Gvardiol could only watch as Mbappe slotted home,
It was a poor performance from City’s left-back at the Santiago Bernabeu. He received a 4/10 from Martin, which was justified when looking at his stats on Sofascore.
He won just five out of 14 ground duels and was dribbled past twice, including for Mbappe’s second goal.
Stat
Number
Touches
69
Pass accuracy
90%
Ground duels won
4/12
Aerial duels won
1/2
Tackles won
2/4
Number of times balls lost
8
Fouls committed
3
Sadly for Gvardiol, there will be no respite this weekend against the Premier League leaders, Liverpool. Should he get the nod at left-back again, he will have to face one of the most in-form players in the Premier League, Mohamed Salah.
The Reds’ number 11 has 29 goals and 20 assists in just 37 games in all competitions this season, playing as a right-winger. That means Gvardiol will come up directly against the Egyptian international.
Liverpool's MohamedSalahreacts
Perhaps Guardiola will decide not to risk his number 24. After being embarrassed by Mbappe, there is no reason to say why the same will not happen against another world-class attacker.
This is a crucial game for City in their fight for a top-four spot, and perhaps the City boss will want a more watertight defence.
It would not be hard to argue against dropping Gvardiol for the clash at the Etihad Stadium. The left-back has not been playing to the high levels he can hit, and City might need someone else in better form to help keep someone like Salah quiet.
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Bangladesh batter was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad on Sunday morning, and scored a BPL hundred later that day
Mohammad Isam13-Jan-2025
Litton Das has been out in single digits in six of his last seven ODI innings•BCB
Bangladesh batter Litton Das has accepted that he was dropped from the ODI squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy because of his poor form. Bangladesh announced their squad on Sunday morning and later that day Litton smashed an unbeaten 125 off 55 balls for Dhaka Capital against Durbar Rajshahi in the BPL.”The Champions Trophy selection wasn’t in my control,” Litton said after his performance. “The selectors took the call. They decide whom to play. My job is to perform. I haven’t been able to do that. I think I was a bit upset about it. I have the same mindset before and after the game today. The day has already passed. I have played a good knock but it’s in the past. I start from zero again. I will keep working hard, let’s see what happens next.”I was given a clear message. Maybe not from the selectors but it is easy to find out why I wasn’t picked in the team. I was dropped because I wasn’t performing. There’s nothing to hide about it. Basic, normal.”Related
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Litton hasn’t made it out of single digits in his last seven ODI innings and his previous 50-plus score was in October 2023. “Fans will support me but then when I don’t do well, people will be negative. That’s not really my concern,” he said. “I am focused on what I need to do. I haven’t been playing well, so I need to improve my game. I won’t change overnight, so I have to keep trying. People will love it when I score runs.”I am not out there to prove to anyone. I only look for improvement. I don’t think I was playing well for the last few months. I will try to become more consistent from this point, especially after this innings.”Litton began the BPL season poorly with scores of 31, 0, 2 and 9 before making 73 and 125 not out in consecutive games. The hundred helped Dhaka Capital end a run of six consecutive defeats.His unbeaten 125 contained 10 fours and nine sixes and his 241-run opening stand with Tanzid Hasan was the second highest partnership in men’s T20 cricket. Litton credited Shahin, a member of the Dhaka support staff who has given him throwdowns for years, for helping him out of his rut.”Shahin has been working in the [Dhaka Capital]) team. He has worked with Comilla Victorians for the last three years … He helps me in training all the time, and passes on information from time to time. He is capable of pointing out a batter’s mistake. That’s why I thanked him. But listen, please don’t make a news that he has now become a coach.”Litton believes Dhaka’s 149-run win against Rajshahi will help them perform better in the second half of the BPL season. “We have a good team but we haven’t been able to click so far. I think today was the first time we performed as a unit, both with bat and ball. We still have five matches left. Two teams are at the top, while the rest are around the same points. I think our run rate will improve after this game. We got our rhythm going. I don’t know if we can win the next games, but we feel more confident.”
Worryingly for South Africa, Miller has a hamstring niggle and Shamsi is nursing a groin strain, and there isn’t much turnaround time
Firdose Moonda30-Oct-20211:56
Tabraiz Shamsi: ‘There’s a World Cup to be won, how can you not be passionate?’
It wasn’t perfect – almost nothing about South African cricket is these days – but they kept their knockout hopes alive with a scratchy but ultimately successful chase against their favourite opponents. This was South Africa’s sixth successive win over Sri Lanka and their best, because it came against the backdrop of serious pressure.Although defeat would not have guaranteed they would be knocked out, it would have made progressing to the semi-finals complicated. It may still not be straightforward but this team has now proved to itself that it can overcome adversity. They have done it twice this week, which could otherwise have descended into (even more) chaos following what most in the squad have described as their toughest time in international cricket.Related
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'I am not a racist' – de Kock apologises, will take the knee
The drama, in case you missed it, started on Monday night when the CSA board resolved to issue a directive to the men’s national team instructing them all to take a knee before every game. The players found out on Tuesday morning, five hours before their match against West Indies, and by the time they reached the ground, that Quinton de Kock had decided he would not comply and withdrew from the XI. Two days later, de Kock apologised and U-turned, and yesterday Keshav Maharaj said the squad was more united than ever.As they took the field against Sri Lanka, they were determined to show it. They stood with their arms around each other as they sung the national anthem, the first time they have done that at this tournament and, in the time of Covid-19, the first time they have done that in a while. They all took a knee. And then they worked together to end Sri Lanka’s most profitable partnership, the 40-run second-wicket stand between Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. Crucially, they kept Sri Lanka under 150, thanks mostly to Tabraiz Shamsi, who has now taken more T20I wickets in a calendar year than anyone else, and a strangling effort at the end of the opposition innings.
“We have won these kinds of moments more often than we have lost them. That’s a huge positive. We are here to win the World Cup”Tabraiz Shamsi
Dwaine Pretorius is not the perfect death bowler. In fact, South Africa entered this tournament without an obvious candidate for the final overs but chose Pretorius despite his domestic record, which does not immediately suggest he would be a good candidate. Prior to this tournament, Pretorius had bowled 36 overs at the death, taken 18 wickets and had an economy of 10.38. In the three matches he has had so far, he has bowled 5.4 overs at the death, taken six wickets, and has an economy of 8.64. His use of the slower ball, in particular, has been impressive. Today, two of them brought him wickets and he finished with his second three-wicket haul at this tournament.”If we had to give out an award for Scholar of the Team, it would be Dwaine Pretorius,” Shamsi said at the post-match press conference. “He wants to make sure he is well prepared and he is always working with our analyst. We can’t speak enough about the job he did for us at the end. The game was so close. It’s turned out that he has become our death bowling specialist and he has done a great job.”Temba Bavuma is not the perfect T20 player – and most of the criticism around him is about scoring too slowly – but he is, as de Kock put it, “a flipping amazing leader” and this was the week he showed it in word and deed. His run-a-ball 46 anchored a wobbly chase but there will still be pressure on him to get going. Bavuma faced 29 balls before he found the boundary and was on 37 off 42 when he hit the six over midwicket that took his strike rate to 100. He took that as his cue to finish the innings and tried to hit Wanindu Hasaranga over cow corner but picked out a fielder to become the filling in the hat-trick sandwich. Bavuma berated himself and told the television broadcast he wanted to see the chase through. “I took on that responsibility. I felt someone had to take it to the end.”South Africa have their problems, but they are learning to live with them•ICC via GettyDavid Miller is not the perfect finisher. Although his ability to clear the rope is reputed, he has not won a game for South Africa recently and he was fast going to run out of partners. Luckily Kagiso Rabada “always has the shot of the day”, as Shamsi put it, and the classy six he smashed over long-off cut through some of the stress of the situation but not all of it. “I was a bit tense,” Bavuma admitted. “But I had a lot of confidence in the fact that David was there. He hasn’t done that for us in a while but he has got the most beautiful swing.”
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Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of South Africa vs Sri Lanka is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).
This is not a perfect South African team, and their batting has big holes. Today was an example of where their top-heavy approach could backfire. Like it or not, there simply isn’t room to play what are essentially five openers – de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Bavuma, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen – in the top six, but because South Africa lack middle-order options, it’s a combination they are stuck with for now.Shamsi is comfortable with it, because “there’s different batters that put their hands up and take the team to victory”, but against stronger opposition, like Australia (as we saw in the Super 12s opener) and England, who are yet to come, it may not work. More worryingly, the only middle-order batter they seem to want to use, Miller, has a hamstring niggle. Shamsi, too, is nursing a groin strain. South Africa’s next match is against Bangladesh on Tuesday so there isn’t much time to recover.But these are all problems that tournament-winning teams, who are often imperfect, overcome and Shamsi believes South Africa will do the same. “We have won these kinds of moments more often than we have lost them. That’s a huge positive,” Shamsi said. “We are here to win the World Cup.”
Who should open the batting? Should Sam Curran play ahead of Moeen Ali?
Matt Roller24-Nov-2020The top-order conundrumEngland are overflowing with opening options. Their 50-over opening pair, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, have been separated by the emergence of Jos Buttler as one of the world’s most destructive T20 openers over the last two-and-a-half years. Dawid Malan – the ICC’s No. 1-ranked T20I batsman – is best suited to the top three, while Ben Stokes flourished at the top of the Rajasthan Royals order in the IPL.The likely outcome is that England will try to fit all five into their top six, with captain Eoin Morgan filling the extra spot. Despite Buttler’s success in the middle order for Rajasthan, he looks certain to continue at the top, most likely alongside Roy. In their T20I series in South Africa in February, England went with Bairstow at No. 3 and split the ‘spare’ batting position at No. 4 or No. 5 between Malan and Joe Denly, but Bairstow’s impressive record against spin and Malan’s tendency to start slowly before exploding into gear could see those roles reversed.Stokes, meanwhile, presents a headache: his record in the middle order is underwhelming, and like Malan, he tends to have a few sighters before teeing off. He batted at No. 3 in Monday’s warm-up game, but is more likely to slot into the middle order with Sam Billings left on the bench. Keeping Malan at No. 3 with Bairstow at No. 4 would also avoid England having three right-handers at the top of the order followed by four left-handers in the middle, a situation which would allow top teams to create favourable match-ups by using spinners who turn the ball away from the bat throughout the innings.Moeen Ali or Sam Curran – or both?The area in which England have the least depth is their spin bowling. While Adil Rashid is a lock in the starting XI, his shoulder has presented some level of concern over the last 18 months, and he is the only frontline spinner in the 15-man squad, with Liam Dawson (injured) and Matt Parkinson (omitted) both absent.Moeen Ali has been ever-present in the side this year but after being used in the Powerplay for a match-up against Quinton de Kock in February’s series, he bowled only one over of offspin in each of England’s five bowling innings in their home summer, and his returns with the bat have been sporadic.Sam Curran swings one over the leg side•Getty ImagesEngland have a balancing act to strike between looking to win the series at hand and preparing for the long term, with next year’s T20 World Cup in India likely to present a significantly different set of conditions to Newlands and Paarl. If they lean towards the latter, then Moeen will likely keep his spot at No. 7 and share four overs with Stokes; if they go for the former, his place could well be taken by Sam Curran, whose breakthrough IPL season with Chennai Super Kings demonstrated his game-changing abilities with both bat and ball, as did his match-winning cameo in Monday’s warm-up match.They could, of course, pick both, but it would leave their balance slightly off: that would mean they either had seven bowling options and left out one of their specialist batsmen, or had to split eight overs between Moeen, Curran and Stokes. As a result, Curran may edge Moeen out.Where does Morgan fit in with the bat?Morgan has spent the vast majority of his T20I career at No. 4, and his sparkling recent form in the format – he averages 44.27 with a strike rate of 183.77 since May 2019 – has primarily come in that role. But his particular strength has been hitting at the death: in that timeframe, he has scored at a mind-boggling 230.76 strike rate in all T20s in the final four overs of an innings. And his explosiveness does not seem to be reliant on having set himself in the middle overs, either; his strike rate in the first 10 balls of his innings has shot up in the past couple of years, with the influence of two T10 seasons seemingly rubbing off on him.ESPNcricinfo LtdPerhaps with that in mind, he shuffled down to No. 5 against Australia, and batted at No. 4 only twice in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. Given England’s wealth of top-order options, and their desire to give Stokes sufficient time to set himself, Morgan may push himself as far down as No. 6 in this series, depending on the situation in each innings. While that might mean he faces fewer balls on average than he would at No. 4 or No. 5, it should also give the top order licence to attack even more, in the knowledge that there is no shortage of batting depth.Who are their Powerplay bowlers?England struggled badly with the new ball in February’s series, taking only one Powerplay wicket in three games with Jofra Archer missing through injury. They again lacked new-ball bite in their home series against Pakistan this summer, though Archer’s success up front alongside Mark Wood against Australia in September suggested the issue might simply be down to a lack of depth.Jofra Archer lets one fly•BCCIWood was impressive in the Powerplay in the Australia series, taking two wickets in seven overs, but has only played 11 T20Is and his record in South Africa earlier this year – 4 for 118 across ten overs – might be cause for concern. With Reece Topley, the 6ft 7in left-arm seamer, likely to start on the bench, and the injured David Willey waiting in the wings, Wood will hope that the success of 90mph/145kph bowlers in the IPL extends into this series.England may also be tempted to give Archer three overs in the Powerplay, something that his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals never did due to their reliance on him at the death. With at least one of his death specialists – Tom Curran and Chris Jordan – likely to play, Morgan may opt to attack with Archer early. There is little in the way of previous evidence as to how likely this is – Archer has played only four T20Is due to injuries and rotation – but it is the sort of aggressive move that Morgan will doubtless consider. If he plays, Sam Curran may also be used with the new ball, as he was in New Zealand last winter.How will they cope with Shamsi’s threat?England may well consider it a shame that South Africa have not selected Imran Tahir for this series: they lost wickets regularly when facing Shadab Khan in the summer, and legspin will be a feature in next year’s T20 World Cup. Instead, the left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi is the main spin threat to counter over the next week, though he should not be taken lightly. As the below table shows, only two England batsmen managed to take him down in the high-scoring series earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn particular, it will be interesting to see how England fare immediately after the Powerplay. Buttler raised that phase as a possible area for improvement earlier this month, while Malan, Morgan, Roy and Stokes will all hope to do better against Shamsi than they did last time out.
Samad’s sparkling strokeplay made Jammu & Kashmir dream – until Karnataka came roaring back
Shashank Kishore in Jammu23-Feb-2020Abdul Samad, 18, sat motionless in the dressing room. Staring right through his shell-shocked team-mates who were trying to console him. He had just been dismissed looking to slog sweep. The ease with which he was using his feet to step out and drive forced J Suchith to switch back to over the wicket. Karnataka’s fielders were in a dilemma. Do they stop the boundaries or look to attack? Jammu & Kashmir were just 15 runs behind Karnataka’s first-innings total with three wickers in hand, within touching distance of a lead. Yet Samad slogged.For those who haven’t watched him bat, Samad isn’t an agricultural slogger. He has a stable base and excellent hand-eye coordination. He cuts well, loves to use his feet to spin and has a penchant to make big runs at a furious pace. Both his hundreds this Ranji Trophy season came at better than a run-a-ball. Could he play another defining knock in the quarter-final, against a heavily favoured Karnataka?Samad doesn’t care much about reputations. If the ball is in his zone, he gives it a whack. He had already stepped out to hit Suchith’s left-arm spin into the river bank, way beyond the long-on boundary wall of the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. A good 100-metre hit.This was a classic one-on-one contest. One man, or boy – Samad – whose team depended on him to take them past Karnataka’s 206. The other – Suchith – wanting to prove a point or two, after being brought in as a replacement for an out-of-form Shreyas Gopal.To dismiss Samad, Suchith cleverly held his length back a touch, got the ball to dip and turn sharply from outside leg. Samad went for it, only managing to top edge it a mile. Suchith trembled for a brief second, ran back, took two steps forward. It went that high. There was so much time, and he was literally on his knees by the time the ball descended. But he held on to it superbly in the end. A collective cry of anguish from 1000 fans, who had cheered wildly for every run, every boundary, told a story.The adrenaline was pumping right from the first ball. Not just for the set of 30 players and coaches, but for the fans too. The scorers, generally happy to share a chat while helping out travelling journalists with power sockets and WIFI passwords, suddenly went quiet and wanted as little distraction as possible. The catering staff lined up outside their tents to watch. The policemen on duty, often looking away, were trying to catch a glance every now and then. It was that kind of a morning.
“The scorers, generally happy to share a chat, went quiet. The catering staff lined up outside their tents to watch. The policemen on duty, often looking away, were trying to catch a glance every now and then. It was that kind of a morning.”
Samad had walked in to replace his captain Parvez Rasool, who had just been out nicking to the slips for a duck early in the day. With the score reading 110 for 4, he took strike against a fired up Prasidh Krishna. Off his second ball, he nonchalantly whipped one on a length from outside off to the midwicket boundary. It was a shot reminiscent of VVS Laxman, with whom Samad is likely to spend some time in the summer at Sunrisers Hyderabad, and who had raised the paddle to acquire Samad at the auction for INR 20 lakh.Prasidh worked him over with a series of outswingers. Samad played and missed twice, but didn’t hold back a third time as he tonked a half-volley inside-out, one bounce to the extra cover fence. Then, Prasidh went short and Samad took him on with the pull. The message was clear: he was going to fight fire with fire.This was his biggest moment as a first-class cricketer, and he was showing his full range of shots. Perhaps in his mind, keeping the scorecard ticking along gave J&K the best chance to pocket a lead. Five fours had come off his first 18 balls. Suddenly, the deficit stood at just 62.This is when the game turned again. Shubham Khajuria, J&K’s highest run-getter this season, threw his wicket away. For 154 deliveries, he had played with utmost discipline. Head right over the ball, leaving deliveries outside off, not lulled into a false sense of comfort. He didn’t even raise his bat after getting to a half-century. The J&K dressing room have stopped applauding fifties, according to their coach. “We reserve it for when someone crosses 80.” It told you the seriousness of the situation.Yet, it was like Khajuria rammed into the median on an eight-lane expressway after expertly navigating through narrow terrains and hairpin bends. He was out nicking behind while attempting a flashy drive off Ronit More. J&K were five down, still trailing by 62, and the tension was palpable.Having picked a wicket, Ronit then left his mark by tearing through the lower order in a fabulous spell of late reverse-swing bowling. Every ball, there was chatter from behind the stumps. Srinivas Sharath, Karnataka’s wicketkeeper, was even reprimanded on one occasion for charging towards the umpires while appealing. Encouragement in Kannada soon gave way to Hindi words: they wanted the batsmen to know what they were saying.It was a contest beyond just words. Aquib Nabi, J&K’s No. 9, made a mark as an allrounder in Karnataka’s club scene last year, making a century on debut for Chintamani Club in Division Two of the KSCA League. Here, even a small cameo would’ve sufficed.He needed to just hang in and support Samad. While Nabi held his end of the bargain for a while, the temptation to play his shots in the face of words and attacking fields was too hard to resist. Nabi reverse swept Suchith from outside leg to behind point. As the runs narrowed however, the pressure told, and eventually Samad fell to leave J&K 192 for 8.After Samad’s ill-fated slog sweep, Prasidh returned and dished out some death overs bowling. He went full and straight, needing four balls to take the remaining two wickets. The second ball tailed in late to trap Nabi lbw, and a yorker two balls later finished off J&K’s innings, to complete Karnataka’s great escape. They had snatched a first-innings lead after being on the verge of conceding one, and averted a fate which might have put them out of the semi-final race.
Russell Martin and his Glasgow Rangers players are already hard at work in pre-season as they prepare for their European qualifier later this month.
The new Gers head coach will be looking to progress through to the next round of Champions League qualifiers, and will want the best possible squad available to him at Ibrox.
Max Aarons and Lyall Cameron have already been added to the team during the summer transfer window so far, but the Light Blues will not stop there.
According to Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam, central midfielder Joe Rothwell turned down LaLiga teams to join Scottish Premiership giants on a permanent deal.
The former Bournemouth star has put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Ibrox and could make his debut against Panathinaikos later this month.
What Joe Rothwell could bring to Rangers
Rothwell will bring an experienced head in the middle of the park that Rangers do not currently have. Nicolas Raskin (24), Mohamed Diomande (23), Bailey Rice (18), and Connor Barron (22) currently make up Martin’s midfield ranks.
This means that the 30-year-old maestro, who has played 204 games in the English Championship, could be a mentor to the younger players in the squad, and give valuable advice to the likes of Barron and Rice, as he has been there and done at a good level in the game.
The midfield whiz, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Leeds United, will also offer quality in possession through his impressive passing range.
Rothwell is a metronomic midfielder who likes to constantly get on the ball to progress play for his team with progressive passes and passes into the final third, helping to create chances for his teammates.
Passes completed
63.74
Top 6%
Long passes completed
6.44
Top 2%
xA
0.22
Top 4%
Key passes
2.44
Top 1%
Progressive passes
6.64
Top 8%
Passes into the final third
7.40
Top 2%
As you can see in the table above, the experienced star provided plenty of quality on the ball in the 2024/25 Championship campaign with Leeds, who won the title to secure promotion to the Premier League.
He played in a ball-dominant title-winning side and showcased his ability to consistently progress play and create chances in the middle of the park, which suggests that he could thrive in a ball-dominant Russell Martin team chasing the Premiership title.
Whilst Rothwell, who is also capable of scoring screamers, looks set to be a terrific addition to the squad, Rangers are eyeing another midfielder who could be an even better signing.
Rangers in the race to sign former Liverpool gem
According to Liverpool-focused outlet DaveOCKOP, Rangers are one of a number of teams in the race to sign RB Salzburg central midfielder Bobby Clark in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Liverpool could be due a sell-on clause fee as a result of the English starlet moving on from the Austrian side this summer, just a year on from his Anfield exit for a fee of £10m.
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It adds that Rangers, Leicester, West Brom, Sunderland, Koln, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hamburg, Birmingham, Leicester, and Southampton are all eyeing up a move for the midfield talent.
DaveOCKOP reveals that the former Newcastle United youth prospect is expected to look for a fresh opportunity to play elsewhere next season, and that there is a concrete chance that he will leave Salzburg.
Bobby Clark
However, it currently remains to be seen how much of the £10m that was paid for him last summer Rangers would need to pay to secure his services.
Why Rangers should sign Bobby Clark
The Scottish giants should push to win the race for the English midfielder this summer because he could be an even better signing for the club than Rothwell in the long run.
Clark is ten years younger than the signing from Bournemouth, at the age of 20, and this means that he has far more potential, both in terms of development and his viability as a long-term option for Martin in midfield.
Liverpool player Bobby Clark warming up.
If the Gers can land a deal for the Salzburg youngster, he could be a starting option in the middle of the park for the next decade if all goes well, whereas Rothwell is heading into the latter stages of his playing career.
Clark is not the finished article in the present, like Rothwell, though, after he only started seven of his 17 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, but he did show a lot of promise in the OFB Cup, the domestic cup in Austria.
Appearances (starts)
2 (2)
Touches
217
Pass accuracy
85%
Key passes
8
Dribbles completed
12
Dribble success rate
63%
Ball recoveries
22
Duels won
30
As you can see in the table above, the English midfielder thrived as a starter in the cup across two appearances in the competition, creating eight chances and winning a staggering 30 duels.
Whilst it is an incredibly small sample size, it does show the kind of quality that he could provide if Martin is able to help him take the next step in his development after failing to earn regular starts with Salzburg.
Clark, who was hailed as “exciting” by reporter Lee Ryder, also showed a lot of promise during his time at Liverpool, with one goal and two assists in 14 first-team appearances for the Premier League giants, which earned him a £10m move to Austria.
The 20-year-old gem produced 18 goals and 11 assists in 64 games for Liverpool’s U18 and U21 sides combined, further illustrating the kind of attacking quality he can provide at his best.
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Therefore, Clark could be an even better signing than Rothwell because he could be an incredibly exciting midfield talent if Martin can unlock his immense potential as a dynamic, attack-minded, midfielder, who still has many, many, years left ahead of him to develop and improve.
da heads bet： O Botafogo inicia a semana lidando com um desafio de olho na caminhada da Copa Sul-Americana. A equipe alvinegra tenta ser incisivo para que seu poderio ofensivo se sobressaia e garanta a vitória no primeiro jogo das quartas de final, contra o Defensa y Justicia, da Argentina.
da betsul： Para isso, a equipe tenta garantir poder de decisão para o o confronto que acontecerá na quarta-feira (23), às 19h (de Brasília), no Nilton Santos. O técnico Bruno Lage tem alternativas para escalar o Glorioso.
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Lage testou Júnior Santos no empate em 0 a 0 com o Guaraní, do Paraguai, na competição. Depois, deu oportunidades aos jovens Janderson e Carlos Alberto. Recentemente, o clube contratou Diego Costa para ampliar seu leque ofensivo.
Prestes a encarar um jogo decisivo pela Sul-Americana, o técnico Bruno Lage tenta encontrar o melhor atalho para dar força ofensiva ao Botafogo. Após o empate em 0 a 0 com o São Paulo, o português traçou um panorama sobre o que tem à sua disposição.
– O Janderson é o exemplo perfeito daquilo que é um jovem valor e que nós não podemos colocar uma pressão tremenda em cima dele. Ele tinha feito no Santos uma boa entrada, depois não me recordo agora o jogo, mas foi a opção. Quis ver outros jogadores naquela posição, optei por ver primeiro o Júnior (Santos), porque o Júnior já tinha jogado naquela posição e o Carlos Alberto também vinha a desempenhar muito bem naquela posição e depois tinha uma entrada muito boa no último jogo internacional. E senti que hoje a equipe poderia iniciar da mesma forma que iniciou a segunda parte, e o Janderson fez um jogo seguro – afirmou, ao fim do empate em 0 a 0 com o São Paulo.
Outra opção testada na reta final, Diego Costa também foi vista com entusiasmo pelo treinador.
– Destes 20 minutos que ele jogou, vamos começar a aumentar para que ele tenha um rendimento mais sustentado e um volume de jogo maior – afirmou.
O Botafogo direciona sua rota para a Copa Sul-Americana.