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Sunrisers Hyderabad chop, change and even leave out the big names, it is this unpredictability that sometimes makes it difficult for oppositions to come out with a set plan against them

Sidharth Monga in Mohali27-Apr-2015Sunrisers Hyderabad have to be one of the more interesting teams to follow in the IPL. They don’t have the feel-good underdog qualities of Rajasthan Royals (when their owners are not being accused of hanky panky), they don’t have the efficiency of Chennai Super Kings (even when they need to make a request or two to acquire Andrew Flintoff), they don’t do as much charity work as Mumbai Indians do, but they mix and match charm and flaw. With their ordinary auctioning and their subsequent selections, there is no way they can be boring the Jose Mourinho fashion.Sunrisers don’t plan well in the off-season, they let the best dancer-cheerleader Kris Srikkanth go, they auction poorly, but somehow manage dream pairings. David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan. Two left-hand openers who not long ago were sledging each other but are now scoring 50% of their team’s runs. Trent Boult and Dale Steyn. The newest swing bowler in town taking over from old master on the decline. And for the lovers of a good old pair of Meerut’s kainchi [scissors], there are the Kumars, Bhuvneshwar and Praveen. A Kumar too many for the Indian team, but both at home in the same XI in the T20 competition.Yet the rest are such ordinary selections that it seems these six are fighting not just the other team but also their own team-mates. Which other team bids for three England batsmen, the least valued commodity in Twenty20 cricket, and still miss out on Alex Hales? It can be fascinating to watch the other six rise above mediocrity around them mainly because they have it in them.Against Kolkata Knight Riders, in a shortened game (how much more can you shorten it?) and with a wet ball, with the opposition only three down, the Kumars unleashed a spate of yorkers and low full tosses to defend 36 in three overs. That after the rest of the side had managed only 46 in 5.4 overs since Warner’s dismissal.In Mumbai, when the Kumars and Boult and Steyn all played together, they kept the hosts down to 157 for 8 on a pitch with a par score of 180, then Dhawan and Warner took them to 45 in five overs, but the rest contrived to lose by a whopping 20 runs. Coming to Mohali, Sunrisers kept persisting with the bumbling Ravi Bopara – with Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan on the bench – and also had to break the duo of Boult and Steyn, hoping an allrounder will strengthen the poor middle order a bit.So now six good men was reduced to five. How were they going to respond? On a green pitch with the ball moving around and with Dhawan out early, Warner batted as if on another surface, in another universe. While he was at the wicket he scored 58 off 41, the rest 18 off 18 – and that includes extras. It was a display of both daring and execution. He knew he couldn’t let Mitchell Johnson settle so he kept making room and kept using his pace. There was a top-edged six, but it was forgotten immediately to forward-defence one through mid-on for four. Sandeep Sharma began with a maiden to him in the first over of the game, but was taken to pieces as he let the ball swing and drove him late before cashing in with a fourth boundary in the fifth over when Sandeep pitched short as a reaction.Despite a green pitch Warner had given Sunrisers a start that would be good for 180 for any other team but that’s not how Sunrisers roll. Nobody who has followed Sunrisers this season could predict with any confidence what they would get. If Warner batted till the end, 200 was gettable, if he got out at that instant they could struggle to add even 60 runs in the last 10 overs. It even looked like a wicket might fall every time he was at the non-striker’s end. You want T20-style uncertainty? You get it every moment with Sunrisers.And then Warner got out in the 10th over. And once again while Sunrisers’ Indian domestic batsmen will get the stick – and the axe in KL Rahul’s case – it was the overseas players failing to take that extra responsibility. If it was Bopara who failed to get a move on against Mumbai, this time Moises Henriques scored 30 off 32 to go with Bopara’s two-ball duck. Henriques, though, can be called on to bowl more regularly than Bopara, and at least he got himself out with there being a theoretical chance of a win. Ashish Reddy got them to 150, and Sunrisers have now defended 150 or less half the times they have posted it.The delightful bowling combination then swung it early in the piece and yorked it late, and despite all the luck Wriddhiman Saha – two dropped catches, a boundary off the thigh pad from outside off to fine leg – brought with him to Mohali, they won by 20 runs. This team might not win the title, and it will be some ride if they do, but they will be the ones to watch out for twists and turns.

England have been steadfast in their approach to the start of ODI innings but they were given another lesson in the value of power at the top of the order by Aaron Finch

Vithushan Ehantharajah at the MCG12-Jan-2014″Bring in Tymal Mills!” they cried, when Mitchell Johnson and his slingy left arm rained down with great vengeance – because, quite clearly, the best way to combat a bowler is by picking an inexperienced one who shares the same action. “We need our own Boof!” claimed others – months after the same people mocked the promotion of Darren Lehmann, a man of the people, beers and smokes, at the expense of Micky Arthur.Quicker than you could say “whitewash”, Australia were the example to strive towards to be a better you; England were the dodgy friend your mum, in hindsight, never liked the look of.Cricket is a sucker for self-reflection but its real strength is this mock Stockholm Syndrome – the tendency to admire your captors that every side, not just England, have suffered from during their darkest hours.On this occasion, as the MCG swayed, by its own heady standards, with “just” 38,066 fans – most dressed in other people’s clothes – it was hard not to revel in a smiting by Aaron Finch, whose hundred guided Australia to a comfortable victory. The old grumbles about the pace of England’s own top order were quickly unpacked.”That’s how Australia went about it,” offered Alastair Cook afterwards, suggesting that England themselves dealt in top-order hundreds, at their very best. But Finch’s 121 couldn’t have been more un-English had it belched in your face and offered no apology.Cook denied the need for extra brawn at the top of the innings but you would be hard pressed to find any England fans who watched their team limp to 2 for 28 in their first 10 overs – compared to Australia’s 64 without loss – that didn’t yearn for similar force from a man in red rather than retro green and yellow.Truth be told, England have their own svelte Finch-a-like in Alex Hales – the No. 1-ranked Twenty20 batsman in the world (Finch is ninth) – who is currently on these shores biding his time with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League before the international Twenty20s begin.Since the new ODI regulations came into effect in late 2012, England have only managed to break the 50 barrier four times from 16 in which they have been allowed the full first 10 Powerplay overs. Only once, in Southampton last June, have they passed 60, their hand forced by a monstrous New Zealand total of 359. Even then, it wasn’t enough.Here, England’s lower-middle order of Ravi Bopara, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler (with the additional help of Tim Bresnan) was charged with reaching par rather than taking them out of sight. Were it not for Gary Ballance’s 79 and Eoin Morgan’s much-needed impetus when he came in at 3 for 62, this game could have been over before the seagulls arrived to make the MCG theirs for the night.Australia didn’t happen upon batsmen like Finch. Take a cursory look around the BBL and you will find a plethora of heavy-hitters who, to steal a line from Dirk Nannes, have “a bit of a waist, thanks to a steady diet of ‘cans’ and ‘darts’ with their mates”.For a while, that’s all Finch was – your mate at the pub that could hit a big ball. There was little doubt he could do the business in the small confines of the shortest format, but Australia’s reluctance to chance him in the 50-over game was noteworthy.It was the 2012-13 Ryobi Cup that won them around, as Finch notched two centuries and 504 runs across seven matches. Two years after his international T20 debut, he had his ODI one. But poor returns against Sri Lanka and West Indies cast an uneasy slant on 12 months since, which featured an astonishing 156 off 63 balls in T20 against England and a stat-buffing one-day 148 against Scotland.He has fought off other candidates to open, such as Shaun Marsh and Phillip Hughes, who enjoyed a more fruitful 2013 in ODI cricket but didn’t make Australia’s squad for this series. And Finch paid out tonight.At first he swung freely, enjoying three lots of good fortune, the most harrowing of which came when he just managed to pierce the hands of Ballance, positioned at mid-off, when he tried to force Chris Jordan over the top. On 8 at the time, he ran the bonus two runs and took the break between overs to collect himself. Another reprieve of sorts occurred two overs later when he edged through the second-slip region that had only just been vacated.From then on, he was seemingly happy to concede that this slow pitch wasn’t designed for his game. Twos were taken with ease, as boundary fielders were teased with drop-and-runs into the leg side. Once Australia were ahead of the rate, Finch helped maintain an appropriate, steady pace until he was eventually dismissed. By then, it was all over.

Trevor Bayliss talks about taking on as coach at Kolkata Knight Riders and looks ahead at their season

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi14-Apr-2012Managing Kolkata Knight Riders has never been easy, as the Australian pair of John Buchanan and Dav Whatmore will tell you. Last year the side finished fourth, their best showing in the first four seasons, but their passionate fans remained unconvinced, demanding nothing less than the crown. This year Trevor Bayliss, another Australian, decided to fill the position left vacant by Whatmore, who moved to coach Pakistan. Bayliss, a former New South Wales middle-order batsman, recently coached the Sydney Sixers team, which won the Big Bash Twenty20 League in Australia. Before that, he was coach of the Sri Lankan team that finished runners-up at the 2011 World Cup.You came to the IPL on the back of a successful domestic campaign with the Sydney Sixers, who won the Big Bash. What are the biggest differences you have found between that tournament and the IPL?
From the coach’s point of view there is not a lot different. The one big difference, I suppose, is that there are a lot more international players, the wickets are different, and there is probably more hype than even in the Big Bash, as obviously you see some bigger crowds.Was there pressure when 70,000 people turned up for the opening match at Eden Gardens?
The main thing with crowds that most people misunderstand is that big crowds are what get the players going – that is what pushes those buttons and gets them to perform well, in contrast to when they play in front of no crowds. That is harder.How do you assess Knight Riders’ performance after three matches, including two defeats in the first two games?
We did not play very well at all in the first game, played a little better in the second, and did well in the third game. We have been making improvements. If we make sure we don’t play any worse than we did in the first two games, we are going to have a good season. Our top four batters failed in the first couple of matches, except for Manoj [Tiwary]. In Twenty20 cricket at least two of your best guys need to perform, and if they don’t there is a lot of pressure on the rest of the team.You have coached at international and domestic levels. You come to the IPL and the franchise owners tell you you have freedom, but there is pressure to win every match. Do you agree?
There is nothing I can do. We can prepare the guys as much as possible in training and practice, and set a good environment. There is a good feeling around the group. Once that is put in place, it is up to the players on the field. They need to be honest about their own appraisals. If you make mistakes, you cannot move forward unless you are honest.As far as I am concerned, my role is no different to managing any dressing room. There are guys who need a lot of encouragement, there are guys you don’t need to talk to, there are guys you need to kick up their backsides, there are guys that you need to push to work hard. It is setting up a good environment and making everyone work together. That is the trick.You are possibly spoilt for choice with regard to the number of allrounders and top overseas players in the side. How do you manage a team of stars?
It has certainly got its challenges, but all international players know only four can play. We said at the outset that we will pick teams obviously on form but also on the conditions we are going to play on and the oppositions we come up against. Everyone is clear about how we select teams. And every international and India player understands he might have to miss a game or two.Isn’t that an interesting dynamic – that in the IPL, when you have big players sitting out, it creates pressure of its own, even creates doubt perhaps?
I don’t think so. They are all big, mature boys. They are professionals, wanting to play every game, but they are also smart enough to understand they will be left out. And that holds true at all levels of cricket. The players who are able to get over the disappointment of not playing are the ones that do come out when they are selected again and perform. If you are constantly worrying about not being in the team, you create pressure for yourself.For example, I have had chats with internationals like Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum so far, for not playing Morgs so far and dropping Baz for the third match. It is about the combination. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore we wanted to strengthen our middle order and get Shakib [Al Hasan], who could also bowl orthodox spin during the middle overs. I explained that to McCullum and he was happy about letting him know the plan.In international or domestic cricket, usually only one spot, often none, are discussed. In the IPL you have to chop and change in virtually every game at times.
That is the one big difference, yes. Even in the Big Bash final, Sydney Sixers left out the overseas players to keep the best team to win the match. Actually after Nathan McCullum left for New Zealand, we had only one overseas player, Michael Lumb, for the semi-finals and final. Lumb was disappointed but understood the reasons and took it on the chin.

“The players who are able to get over the disappointment of not playing are the ones that do come out when they are selected again and perform. But if you are constantly worrying about not being in the team, you create pressure for yourself”

Knight Riders are led by a passionate man in Gautam Gambhir. What’s his one quality you most admire?
Gambhir never gives up hope. He did not score any runs in the first couple of games, and the top order had failed too. But with his experience he created belief in the team. That way he lessened the pressure without pointing fingers at anyone. And you could see in the third match, we managed to keep our nerve despite the collapse during the latter stages of our innings when we batted. In the team meeting he and I just spoke about confidence in our own ability. If you just go out, think good thoughts, have enough guts to play your own game, then failure seems to turn around quickly. And Gambhir showed all that, leading by example with the bat in Bangalore. Yusuf Pathan is a big-name, big-impact player, but he has not done much yet for the Knight Riders in two seasons. At Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne gave Yusuf responsibility by calling him the “statement maker”. What is your role for him?
His role is, he is a good finisher: get him in in the last seven or eight overs and we can score quickly. That is his primary role. But if we make a good start, we might throw him in a little early, like we did against Bangalore, to carry forward the momentum established early. It did not work then but he is a quality player, and if he is put in that situation a number of times, more often than not he will come good. We just want him to play his natural game, wherever he bats in the order.Is that where someone like Rudi Webster, the mental-skill coach, can help you out?
We have no specific role for Rudi. We just want him around the group. His principles are no different to Gautam’s or mine. He does not call himself a sports psychologist – he is a speaker of common sense. It is about not putting pressure on yourself, and if you can do that, the chances of you performing well are higher. He has struck a chord already with the players, and that keeps spirits high in the squad.You have the right resources, the manpower, and a large fan base. The Knight Riders finished fourth last year. How do you make sure you move forward?
One of the challenges this year is, every team is strong enough. The tournament is very open, compared to the past four seasons, when only two to four teams stood out based on their strength. But we want to finish first. Sixteen games is a long time. Every team will go through a lull at some point, so my job is to ensure the downtime is as short as possible. It is about keeping the winning momentum. We want to make the semi-finals first and then see how it goes. The challenge is to get there. We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves, because it makes it harder to actually perform.

On a day when Rahul Dravid at least delayed further queries about his retirement plans, Matthew Hayden’s second failure of the match against South Africa has only intensified speculation over his future

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA19-Dec-2008
A man who made his name by intimidating new-ball bowlers around the world is himself beginning to look daunted © Getty Images
There are few more disheartening sights in sport than watching a great career sputter towards an unbefitting end. It’s a feeling that has gripped cricket fans in Australia and India in recent months and on a day when Rahul Dravid’s half-century against England at least delayed further queries about his retirement plans, Matthew Hayden’s second failure of the match against South Africa has only intensified speculation over his future.Hayden has hit a wall that is starting to look as impenetrable as Dravid’s defence at its peak. He took so long to get off the mark in the second innings at the WACA that when he finally struck his first runs in his 37th minute, he raised his bat to the crowd in a mock celebration. The fans cheered but must have been wondering if they will ever see him enjoy another genuine milestone.If he remains keen to go on next year’s Ashes tour, he needs to make a big score quickly. Hayden loves the MCG, where he has made centuries in six out of the past seven Boxing Day Tests, and he will be desperate to harness that positive vibe next week. The way he played in Perth it will take quite a turnaround. A horrible umpiring call contributed to his disappointment when he was given out caught off his pad, but he had been so scratchy that it was hard to imagine him lasting much longer anyway.In his early days Hayden had an unfortunate habit of occasionally getting bowled misjudging the length and shouldering arms. It’s such an ugly mode of dismissal that it magnifies a batsman’s flaws. The uncertainty returned in this innings when he was lucky not to be given lbw when he left a Dale Steyn ball that swung in and would probably have clipped the stumps.His hesitance was understandable. It was only by stripping away much of his aggression and returning to a cautious approach that he returned to form after a miserable Ashes tour in 2005. His first-innings dismissal must have been weighing on his mind as well. On the opening day, Hayden was buoyed by three confident fours when he flashed at a short, wide ball that he could easily have left and edged to slip. A man who made his name by intimidating new-ball bowlers around the world is himself beginning to look daunted.There have been glimmers of hope in recent months – he made two half-centuries on the tour of India – but he hasn’t looked right since missing the trip to the Caribbean due to an ongoing Achilles tendon injury. The heel was the fatal weakness of the mythological Greek soldier for which it was named and it could yet contribute to the undoing of a modern Australian warrior.There is doubt created by the fact he’s not having the success he’d like, there is doubt created by he hasn’t got a hundred for a few Tests, there is doubt created by the fact that people are speculating about his future, all those things go into making this a tough gameCoach Tim Nielsen on Hayden’s poor runTim Nielsen, the Australian coach, would like him to be sticking around longer and not exposing Ricky Ponting to the new-ball as early, although he said all the signs from Hayden off the field remained positive. But the pressure builds after every missed opportunity and Nielsen said it was to be expected that it might make things harder for Hayden each time he went to the crease.”There is doubt created by the fact he’s not having the success he’d like, there is doubt created by he hasn’t got a hundred for a few Tests, there is doubt created by the fact that people are speculating about his future, all those things go into making this a tough game,” Nielsen said. “There is speculation about you every day and at the moment he’s the one who’s under the gun.”But he insisted Hayden was not facing pressure from the Australian camp or the selectors and he did not believe the batsman had made a decision on his future. A chat with the team management is likely at the end of the South Africa series and Hayden’s future should become clearer.”At the end of this series we’ll sit down and see where he’s at,” Nielsen said. “It’ll make it more difficult if his scores aren’t as consistent as he’d like them to be but at the moment I think we’ve got to be patient. I’m sure over the next six months we’ll all know exactly where he stands.”If he gets a tap on the shoulder from the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, it would be a disappointing way to go. Hayden deserves to exit the game on his own terms, like so many of the men who with him were key parts of Australia’s most dominant period.Glenn McGrath departed after taking a record number of wickets at the 2007 World Cup. Shane Warne quit the game after helping Australia to a 5-0 Ashes triumph and has wisely resisted calls for his return, preferring the positive memories of his international swansong. Justin Langer went following the same Ashes victory. Hayden has missed Langer since their long-standing opening partnership was severed for good and Langer said this week that he felt Hayden was not sure about whether to try and push on to England in 2009.If he does not make the trip to England, Australia have plenty of opening options. Simon Katich and Phil Jaques would be the likely first-choice pair but there are others pressing their claims at first-class level. Two of the three leading run-scorers in the Sheffield Shield this season are opening batsmen: Chris Rogers, who has played a Test, and Phillip Hughes, who is only 20 but is in superb form for New South Wales.Hughes’ timing is impeccable. In the current match against South Australia at the SCG, he made 114 to add to the 93 and 108 he compiled in the previous game against Tasmania. Hayden, who is 17 years his senior, needs to rapidly rediscover his own sense of occasion to avoid a forgettable farewell.

The India captain however is proud of his team and wants to take all the learnings further into his career

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2024India’s captain Uday Saharan felt that a few rash shots by the batters, coupled with their inability to spend any significant length of time at the crease, were the main reasons behind the team falling short in the final of the Under-19 World Cup.”It was fine. We played a few shots and couldn’t spend some time on the surface,” Saharan said after India went down by 79 runs to hand Australia their fourth title. “We were prepared for it but we couldn’t execute well. That is where we went wrong.”Australia, after electing to bat, rode on Harjas Singh’s fifty and a useful cameo in the death by Oliver Peake to post 253 for 8 from their 50 overs. This was the highest total ever registered in the final of an U-19 World Cup, and India’s attempt at a record chase fell flat from the outset.Related

• Saumy Pandey: the cricketer who cried at the thought of being anything else

• Red-hot Australia defend 253 to win fourth Under-19 World Cup

They lost opener Arshin Kulkarni in the third over of the chase before Mahli Beardman cut a swathe through the middle order as India slipped to 68 for 4 in the 20th. Opener Adarsh Singh (47) and lower-order batter Murugan Abhishek (42) showed fight but the Australians never let the Indians get back in the chase.India came into the final with an unblemished record in the tournament and despite the result, Saharan said that he was extremely proud of how his team went about all through.”It was great, I am very proud of the boys, they played very well. The entire team, from the start to the end showed fighting spirit. They played very well and I am proud of them,” Saharan said.Saharan, the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 397 runs in seven games at 56.71 said that he has learnt a lot throughout the tournament and just wants to take these learnings as he moves forward in his career.”There have been a lot of learnings, right from the start to now,” he said. “I have learnt a lot from the staff and even during the match, have learnt so much. I just want to take all the learnings from this tournament and move forward in my career.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense ligou o sinal de alerta para as próximas partidas da temporada. Isso porque a equipe ganhou um problema no revés por 2 a 0 para o Flamengo no primeiro jogo da final do Campeonato Carioca, já que Martinelli sentiu a coxa direita e deixou o estádio chorando. Com isso, o meio-campista é dúvida para a estreia na Copa Libertadores contra o Sporting Cristal no Estádio Nacional de Lima, no Peru.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

O jogador se movimentou bem ao aparecer na frente para finalizar, porém sentiu a coxa ao fazer o movimento do chute e deixou o gramado aos 35 do segundo tempo. Ao ser substituído por Felipe Melo, o volante iniciou o tratamento com gelo no local, mas chorou bastante.

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Sendo assim, Fernando Diniz irá aguardar a definição do departamento médico para saber como irá escalar a equipe na quarta. As opções no elenco para substituir Martinelli são: Felipe Melo, Thiago Santos, recém-contratado, Alexsander, que vem sendo utilizado como lateral-esquerdo, ou recuar Lima para exercer essa função.

+Marcelo não sai do banco contra o Flamengo e adia estreia pelo Fluminense; auxiliar de Diniz explica

A delegação tricolor embarca para Lima nesta segunda-feira e voltará na quinta para finalizar a preparação para o jogo de volta da decisão do Carioca. O próximo duelo contra o Flamengo está marcado para o dia 9 de abril, às 18h (de Brasília), e o Fluminense terá que tirar uma vantagem de dois gols para lutar pelo bicampeonato.

+Auxiliar de Diniz no Fluminense detona arbitragem do primeiro jogo da final: ‘Bê-a-bá da aplicação da regra’

Além do Sporting Cristal, River Plate e The Strongest também compõem o Grupo D desta edição da Copa Libertadores. A primeira fase terá início neste meio de semana e irá até a semana do dia 27 de junho.

Thunder 125 for 7 (Morris 43, Davis 2-19) beat Central Sparks 121 for 8 (Arlott 28, Graham 3-16, Morris 3-22) by three wicketsLancashire Thunder achieved one of their best results of the season when they overcame the previously undefeated Central Sparks by three wickets in their Charlotte Edwards Cup match at Emirates Old TraffordHaving won the toss and opted to bowl first, Thunder restricted Sparks to 121 for 8 in their 20 overs, with Phoebe Graham taking 3 for 16 and Fi Morris 3 for 22. Thunder chased down that target with one over to spare, Morris again catching the eye with 43, although Sparks made their opponents fight all the way for their spoils.Sparks’ innings got off to a woeful start when Tara Norris bowled Chloe Brewer and Davina Perrin with the second and third balls of the match and those setbacks rather set the tone for the visitors’ effort with the bat.Abbey Freeborn took the attack to the bowlers but was caught by Morris at midwicket for a 12-ball 15 when she tried to pull a short delivery from Graham. And Morris then took the next two wickets, trapping Courtney Webb lbw for 9 and having the Sparks skipper Eve Jones caught at backward point by Sophie Morris for 19 when trying to drive a wide full toss.The departure of the former Thunder batter left Sparks on 54 for 5 at the midpoint of their innings but it was followed three balls later by a shower which delayed play for 25 minutes.On the resumption, Katie George and Charis Paveley took 19 runs off the next three overs but Fi Morris ended their promising stand with another full toss, George driving the full bunger straight back to the bowler and departing for 17.However, a late boost to the Sparks effort was provided by Emily Arlott who put on 47 in 36 balls with Paveley, a stand which included a huge six over square leg in Norris’s final over. Graham ended this fun in her last set of six when she had Arlott caught by Hannah Jones for 28 when sweeping and Grace Potts taken at deep midwicket by Danni Collins off the final ball of the innings.Those dismissals left Sparks very moderately placed and in no respect did 121 for 8 resemble a par total, Paveley finished with a useful run-a-ball 27 not out.Despite facing an asking-rate only a scrap above six runs an over, Thunder’s pursuit was littered with errors. Emma Lamb was caught at short fine leg by Chloe Brewer off Paveley for 10 and when Georgia Davis dismissed Seren Smale and Ellie Threlkeld with successive deliveries, the home side were 42 for 3 in the sixth over.Fi Morris tried to restore some stability but she soon lost Danni Collins, who was bowled for 5 when hitting across the line in George’s first over. Ailsa Lister then helped Morris add a further 38 in 28 balls but the opener’s luck ran out on 43 when she attempted another pull off Hannah Baker and George took a fine catch at deep midwicket.When Lister skied Arlott to Freeborn and trooped off with 23 against her name, 24 were needed off five overs. Norris’s straight six off Baker aided the home side’s cause but she was bowled by Arlott for 10 in the penultimate over and it was left to Graham to all but seal the win with an edged four off her first ball.

Everton and rival Premier League club West Ham United are fighting to complete the signing of a “brilliant” player this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

Who are Everton linked with?

There is plenty of optimism in the air among Blues supporters about a productive summer transfer window lying ahead, with plenty of funds set to be made available for new signings.

Everton have been linked with sealing a reunion with John Stones, amid doubts over his Manchester City future, which could prove to be extremely popular. Granted, his injury problems have been well-documented at times, but he would feel like a statement signing by Moyes.

Another City player, this time James McAtee, has also been mentioned as an option, with the Englishman unlikely to be able to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans moving forward. He could be ideal for the Blues, adding creativity in attacking areas.

With reported Everton target Liam Delap off to Chelsea, Tammy Abraham is considered an alternative option for Everton, as he potentially looks to seal a return to the Premier League this summer. The former Chelsea man has fallen out of favour at Roma, spending this season on loan at AC Milan, scoring just three goals in 28 Serie A appearances for the latter.

Everton battling West Ham for Brownhill

According to a fresh claim from Claret & Hugh, Everton and West Ham are locking horns over the signing of Burnley Player of the Year Josh Brownhill this summer, as the Clarets look to keep hold of him after their return to the Premier League.

It is described as a “straight shootout” between the two clubs, even though Leeds United get a mention in the report, with the Blues linked with signing the 29-year-old multiple times in the past and Moyes thought to be a big fan.

Brownhill feels like a player right at his peak, following an outstanding season for Burnley that saw him score 18 times in the Championship from midfield, playing a huge role in their promotion from the Championship.

The fact that Moyes wanted him during his time at West Ham can only bode well, as the update states, and the Englishman would bring box-to-box quality to Everton’s team, being hailed by Clarets manager Scott Parker early in the campaign.

“There are not enough words to compliment Browny. He’s a driving force in this team, he’s got brilliant box habits and he’s always in and around the right areas. He’s got huge quality and he’s now got nine for the season, so he’s been fundamental for us.”

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Posts ByRobbie Walls May 31, 2025

Granted, some may look at Brownhill’s age and wonder if a younger option should be the priority, but he could offer plenty for the next three or four years, coming straight in as a key starter, as Moyes plans for both the short-term and long haul on Merseyside.

نجح مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، برئاسة حسين لبيب، في حسم صفقة جديدة في إطار تدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

ونجح الزمالك في ضم 9 صفقات جديدة، خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي، المهدي سليمان، شيكو بانزا، عمرو ناصر، أحمد شريف، آدم كايد، عبد الحميد معالي، أحمد ربيع ومحمد إسماعيل وعدي الدباغ.

طالع| الزمالك يتوصل لاتفاق رسمي مع لوزيرن السويسري بشأن صفقة تيدي أوكو

وعلم بطولات أن إدرة نادي الزمالك، حسموا اتفاقهم مع البرازيلي خوان ألفينا، جناح نادي أوليكساندريا الأوكراني، للانضمام إلى فريق القلعة البيضاء.

ومن المقرر أن يصل اللاعب إلى القاهرة خلال 48 ساعة من أجل التوقيع على عقود انضمامه للزمالك، بعد الاتفاق على كافة تفاصيل التعاقد، ليصبح اللاعب الذي استقرت عليه إدارة النادي كبديل لأحمد سيد زيزو، الذي رحل عقب نهاية الموسم الماضي مجانا، للنادي الأهلي.

البرازيلي خوان ألفينا بيزيرا، خريج أكاديمية فاسكو دي جاما، وعمره 22 عاما، لعب الموسم الماضي 24 مباراة، أحرز 6 أهداف وصنع خمسة.

Hannah Darlington bagged her first five-wicket haul to crash Meg Lanning’s retirement party and help the Sydney Thunder go top of the WBBL ladder with a four-run win over the Melbourne Stars.Darlington claimed 5 for 10 at North Sydney Oval on Friday, as Thunder defended 125. The figures are the best of any bowler this season, and only second to Megan Schutt’s 6 for 10 for the greatest by a quick in WBBL history.Darlington’s wickets included Stars captain Lanning, who was caught behind for 19 the day after announcing her shock retirement from international cricket.Lanning had looked set to guide Stars to a much-needed victory, showing off her trademark cut shots and guiding the ball outside off stump with ease.But when she edged a cut shot off Darlington through to wicketkeeper Tahlia Wilson, Stars’ chase was suddenly in serious trouble.Some late hitting from No. 11 Milly Illingworth got the equation down to nine off the last over, before Thunder spinner Chamari Athapaththu held her nerve to finish the game with a dot ball when five runs were required.Lanning has set no end-date on her franchise T20 career, but Stars now need to see the very best of her over the final five games of this season. Sitting seventh on the ladder, they will likely need to win all of those matches to make the finals.Darlington was the catalyst for the Thunder’s win. She got England star Alice Capsey caught behind for 27, before dismissing Annabel Sutherland in the same fashion.The 21-year-old also bowled the ball of the day to dismiss Kim Garth for a golden duck, jagging it back from outside off stump to take middle and leg.And just as the Stars looked set to work their way into the game, Darlington had Maia Bouchier caught on the legside boundary for 23.Having made her Australia debut at 19, Darlington is now pressing for her first national selection in two years after taking 13 wickets in her last four WBBL games.Her work with the ball came after the Thunder looked down and out. Only Heather Knight’s 45 helped the host’s innings stay afloat, after they slumped from 30 for 0 to 39 for 3 early and were always rebuilding.Teenager Rhys McKenna, in particular, bowled superbly for Stars, while Sutherland took 3 for 22.Thunder’s victory moves them back ahead of Adelaide Strikers in first place, with six wins from seven games, after collecting the wooden spoon last season.