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Defending champions ease past Derbyshire target with more than 25 overs to spare

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2022Glamorgan began their defence of the Royal London One-Day Cup with an emphatic eight wicket victory over Derbyshire in the opening Group B match at Derby.Timm van der Gugten took 4 for 41 and Jamie McIlroy 2 for 13 as Derbyshire were bowled out for 110 after Glamorgan won the toss in a game reduced to 47 overs by rain with Mattie McKiernan’s 43 off 56 balls the only innings of substance.Glamorgan slipped to 28 for 2 but skipper Kiran Carlson’s unbeaten 54 off 53 balls and Colin Ingram with 30 not out took the visitors to 112 for 2 with 25 overs to spare.Derbyshire never recovered from losing three wickets in the first four overs on a humid and breezy morning. McIlroy and van der Gugten got the ball to swing in good bowling conditions and Derbyshire’s chances of setting a competitive total were all but over after the first powerplay.”I couldn’t have asked for much more really,” Carlson said. “The way we bowled at the start was exceptional, we didn’t really give them much, we took our chances and the big guys up top, Jamie and Timm really set the stall out.”The wicket was tough, there was a bit more in it than both teams thought but we bowled first just because of the overheads.”It was nipping a bit and swinging and it was really tough at the start when it was doing quite a lot. It flattened out a little bit as the ball got older but when we had them 6 for 3 it must have been tough for them because we were bowling so well.”Billy Godleman went in the second over when his attempt to turn van der Gugten through midwicket ended in the hands of mid-on and Luis Reece quickly followed, edging a loose drive behind.Harry Came was lbw half-forward and although Tom Wood drove van der Gugten over cover for the first boundary in the sixth over, he was brilliantly caught by Chris Cooke diving to his right when he cut hard at the same bowler.After a short rain delay, Brooke Guest drove a return catch back to McIlroy leaving Derbyshire’s hopes of respectability resting with Anuj Dal and McKiernan. The pair almost doubled the score but Dal swatted Joe Cooke to cover and when Mark Watt was bowled by David Llloyd, Derbyshire were sinking fast at 62 for 7.Ben Aitchison clipped Lloyd to long leg where Joe Cooke took a well judged catch just inside the rope leaving Sam Conners to help McKiernan get Derbyshire into three figures.McKiernan pulled Dan Douthwaite for four and drove van der Gugten for another boundary but he fell short of what would have been a first one-day fifty when he drove Douthwaite to cover.The innings ended when Conners edged a drive at van der Gugten which left Glamorgan to chase down what looked like a straightforward target.They got there in relative comfort but only after losing Lloyd and Sam Northeast inside the first 10 overs. Lloyd got a leading edge to Aitchison and was caught at point before Northeast, who scored a quadruple-century just over a week ago, drove at Conners and was well caught by Wood diving across at second slip.Another wicket then might have sowed some seeds of doubt in the Glamorgan camp but Ingram and Carlson restored order before accelerating towards an impressive victory.Derbyshire were well beaten and McKiernan admitted: “We’ve got to draw a line under that and move on to the game on Friday. It’s a disappointing start to the campaign but it doesn’t mean we can’t bounce back. There was a little bit in the wicket early on but I think we’re disappointed as a batting group not to get a competitive score.”

Fulham have registered their interest in a £12 million midfielder who could be a replacement for Harrison Reed, according to a new report.

The Cottagers have made a good start to this Premier League season and have come into this international break in very good form, as they’ve beaten Brentford and Crystal Palace in their last two games and have collected 18 points from a possible 33.

Fulham make enquiry to sign £2.49m star likened to "unstoppable" ace

Fulham have their eye on a player who has been impressing this season.

ByBrett Worthington Nov 12, 2024 Fulham transfer news

Fulham have been a strong side in the Premier League under Marco Silva, but their next step will be to try to challenge for a place in Europe. They are certainly in a good place to do just that, and the January transfer window may offer them a chance to refresh their squad ahead of the second part of the season.

It emerged earlier this week that Fulham hold an interest in signing Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich. The young star looks set for a loan move in January, as he’s struggled for game time under Vincent Kompany this season, and the Cottagers are among the teams who are willing to take him onboard.

As well as Tel, Silva’s side have also made an enquiry to sign Celtic player Nicolas Kuhn. The 24-year-old has been in impressive form in Scotland, and he has now caught the attention of Fulham, who could look to make a move in January but do face competition from Brentford.

Fulham register interest in £12m Liverpool outcast

According to Football Insider, Fulham have registered their interest in signing Wataru Endo from Liverpool. The midfielder joined the Merseyside club from Bundesliga side Stuttgart in August 2023, but after playing a key role under Jürgen Klopp has become unwanted under Arne Slot, with FSG now ready to sell.

Endo played over 40 times for Liverpool in all competitions last season, but this season he has yet to start a game in the league. This situation has left the 31-year-old frustrated, and Liverpool are now prepared to sell him when January arrives.

Slot is not relying on Endo, and therefore, an exit is on the cards, and that has alerted Fulham, who have registered their interest. However, they are not the only team interested in signing the player, as Ipswich Town and Wolves are also keen.

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It was reported earlier this week that Liverpool would be looking for around £12-14 million for Endo, which could be an ideal price for a team like Fulham. Should the Cottagers sign Endo, he would likely be seen as a replacement for Harrison Reed, who operates in that deep midfield role but has lost his starting place in Silva’s side this season.

Endo’s potential arrival would add to the likes of Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic in that deep midfield role, offering more depth in the absence of Joao Palhinha, who joined Bayern Munich.

Also: Moeen Ali’s Ashes distinction, other 3-2 Ashes scorelines, and the oldest living Australian players

Steven Lynch25-Aug-2015How many times has an Ashes series ended up 3-2? asked Martin Palmer from England
This one in 2015 was only the sixth Ashes series to end up 3-2, the first since 1997 when Australia came out on top. That, though, was a six-Test series which also included a draw: the last five-Test Ashes encounter to end up this way was the famous one of 1936-37, when England went 2-0 up but Australia – skippered by Don Bradman – won the last three Tests to pinch the series, a unique feat. The other 3-2s were all in England’s favour, in the 1884-85, 1894-95 and 1903-04 series in Australia.Moeen Ali scored nearly 300 runs in the Ashes series – is this a record for someone who never batted above No. 8? asked Martin Basterfield from England
Moeen Ali’s 293 runs in the 2015 series from No. 8 or 9 has been exceeded only once in the Ashes, by Australia’s Sammy Carter – their wicketkeeper and an idiosyncratic batsman – who made 300 runs in the 1907-08 home series, with a highest score of 66. Carter’s aggregate has been exceeded only twice in any Test series: Shaun Pollock made 302 runs in South Africa’s five home Tests against West Indies in 2000-01, but he was shaded by Harbhajan Singh, who made 315 for India at home against New Zealand in 2010-11. That came from only three Tests: Harbhajan scored his only two Test hundreds, and averaged 105 overall.England won the fourth Test by an innings then lost the fifth by an innings. Has such a turnaround ever happened before? asked Neil Cartwright from England
This seesaw end to the 2015 series was only the second time in Ashes history that the sides had traded innings victories in successive Tests. The other occasion was in 1965-66, when England won the third Test in Sydney by an innings and 93 runs, only for Australia to hit back in Adelaide, winning by an innings and nine. In other series it has happened three times. In India in 1952-53, in Pakistan’s inaugural official Test series, India won the first Test, by an innings in Delhi, only for Pakistan to turn the tables in Lucknow. This also happened in the series between England and West Indies in 1966, and the two-match rubber between India and South Africa in 2009-10.I know Ajinkya Rahane’s eight catches in Galle was a Test best, but was it a first-class record too? asked Mahesh Rahul from India
Ajinkya Rahane’s eight catches in the field in the recent first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle eclipsed the old Test record of seven, first achieved by Greg Chappell for Australia against England in Perth in 1974-75, and later equalled by Yajurvindra Singh (on debut, for India against England in Bangalore in 1976-77), Hashan Tillakaratne (Sri Lanka v New Zealand in Colombo, 1992-93), Stephen Fleming (New Zealand v Zimbabwe in Harare, 1997-98) and Matthew Hayden (Australia v Sri Lanka, also in Galle, in 2003-04). Rahane was the ninth outfielder to take five catches in a Test innings, a record originally set by Chappell’s grandfather, Vic Richardson, against South Africa in Durban in 1935-36. The first-class record, though, is held by Wally Hammond, who was a fine slip fielder as well as a superb batsman. Playing for Gloucestershire against Surrey at Cheltenham in 1928, Hammond took ten catches – eight of them off Charlie Parker – and also scored 139 in the first innings and 143 in the second.Moeen Ali’s 293 runs in Ashes 2015 is the second-highest by a No. 8 or below in an Ashes•Getty ImagesFollowing the sad passing of Arthur Morris, who is Australia’s oldest living Test cricketer? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada
The recent death of Arthur Morris, aged 93, leaves 89-year-old Len Maddocks as Australia’s oldest living Test player. Maddocks, a wicketkeeper from Victoria, played seven Tests during the 1950s. Two of them came in England in 1956: Tony Lock inflicted a pair on him at Headingley, then he provided Jim Laker with two of his 19 wickets in the next match at Old Trafford. In the second innings, Maddocks was the last man out to complete Laker’s ten-wicket haul. Morris’ death means there is now just one survivor from the famous Australian “Invincibles” team of 1948, which was captained by Don Bradman. The last man standing is Neil Harvey, who was only 19 during that tour and is now 86.Kumar Sangakkara played 594 international matches without ever bowling – is that a record? asked Sunit Kumar from Afghanistan
Well, it would have been a record – except that actually Kumar Sangakkara did occasionally have a bowl, sending down 14 overs in Tests in four different innings. Ten of them – for a respectable 34 runs – came at Karachi in 2008-09, as Pakistan amassed 765 for 6 declared. The man who has played the most international matches without ever bowling is Adam Gilchrist, with 396, ahead of Moin Khan (288) and Ian Healy (287). The top non-wicketkeeper is Eoin Morgan, who has played 213 internationals so far without ever turning his arm over. Sangakkara did play more matches (594) than anyone else without taking a wicket: Gilchrist is next, ahead of Herschelle Gibbs, whose one and only over in 361 international matches came as the 11th bowler used when West Indies piled up 747 against South Africa in Antigua in 2004-05.

Manchester United have made a £12.5 million offer for a defender who’s been called a “cheat code”, as Ruben Amorim eyes his first signing at Old Trafford, according to a recent report.

The Red Devils were very busy during the summer, adding five players to their squad in INEOS’ first summer transfer window. However, that was under Erik ten Hag’s reign, and the Portuguese will now have his eye on areas of the team he would like the board to strengthen.

Amorim now makes bringing £38m Sporting star to Man Utd his top priority

Amorim has yet to arrive at United but already has his eye on one player he would like to bring to his new side.

1 ByBrett Worthington Nov 5, 2024 Man Utd transfer news

The left-back area has been a concern at Old Trafford for a while now, given the recent absences of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia. United decided against buying a recognised left-back in the summer, instead opting to buy Noussair Mazraoui, who has been excellent since his arrival, but that appears to be an area that needs addressing, especially under Amorim.

The new boss will be looking to play a three-at-the-back system at Old Trafford, and therefore, he will need a left-back capable of playing the wing-back role. So, the Red Devils have identified Patrick Dorgu as a potential option, as he can play as a left-winger and full-back, fitting perfectly into the style of player Amorim likes to have.

Meanwhile, Amorim and United have made Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio a top target for next summer. They added Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt to their ranks in the summer, but Amorim appears keen to bring Inacio, who has been so important for him in Portugal, to Old Trafford with him next summer.

But Inacio is not the only centre-back that United are looking to sign, as they have reportedly made an offer for another European defender.

Man Utd make £12.5m offer for Andreas Christensen

According to reports in Spain relayed by Football365, Manchester United have made a €15m (£12.5m) offer for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen. The January transfer window is still several weeks away from opening, but United have made their move for the defender who could become Amorim’s first signing at the club.

Christensen has been at Barça since July 2022, when he joined the club on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea. The Danish international, who has been described as a “cheat code” by journalist Domagoj Kostanjsak, played over 160 times for Chelsea and has been an important player for the Spanish giants since his move.

Amorim is keen to strengthen his United defence in the January transfer window, and according to this report, his first target is going to be Christensen, which aligns with reports on Inacio detailing he cannot move until next summer.

The Red Devils have then made an early offer for the centre-back, who can also play as a right-back if needed. It is an offer that sporting director Deco is willing to consider too, as the player is not in Hansi Flick’s long-term plans.

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Christensen, who earns 250,000 euros a week at Barça, which is roughly £209,000, has an uncertain future at the Spanish club as he’s only played once in La Liga so far this season. This offer from United presents Barça with an opportunity to bring some reinforcements to other areas of the team.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Florian Wirtz is "exactly" the player Bayern Munich want, but admits it will be "difficult" to sign him.

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Wirtz starring for LeverkusenWinger "exactly" the player Bayern wantEx-player outlines "difficulty" in signing himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wirtz has been a target for Bayern for some time now but remains a Bayer Leverkusen player. However, the defending Bundesliga champions may face a tough task holding onto the German international as club CEO Rummenigge says Bayern are determined to sign him. He hailed the 21-year-old as Germany's "best player" but said it won't be easy trying to secure his signature.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT RUMMENIGGE SAID

Rummenigge, who is now on the Bayern board, told : "[Uli] Hoeness said that Wirtz is his dream – and that was putting it politely. Everyone at FC Bayern agrees that he is exactly the player we want to sign. Not to weaken Leverkusen, but to strengthen us. Wirtz is the best player in Germany.

"It's not the market value that's important, but the amount that would ultimately have to be paid in a transfer. That will undoubtedly be difficult because Wirtz is a very sought-after player."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Wirtz still has more than two years left on his Leverkusen contract and is rated at around €150 million (£124m/$155m), which the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid are said to be interested in paying. So as Rummenigge points out, signing him will be very difficult.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Wirtz, who has scored 15 goals and bagged 13 assists this season, is likely to feature for Leverkusen away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2015Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews then added 87 runs to guide Sri Lanka out of a tricky position•AFPR Ashwin sent the crowd into silence when Sangakkara’s edge found a diving Ajinkya Rahane who took a one-handed catch•AFPMathews was then dismissed by Amit Mishra in the next over before Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal steadied things, adding 125 for the sixth wicket. Ashwin and Rahane combined again to get rid of Thirimanne for 44•AFPJehan Mubarak brought up his highest Test score – 49 – striking four fours and two sixes before edging Harbhajan Singh to Rahane at slip, as Sri Lanka took the lead past 100•AFPChandimal on the other side was proving to be the thorn in India’s flesh, racing to his fourth Test hundred at run-a-ball•AFPChandimal eventually finished on 162* not before helping Sri Lanka turn the tables and setting India a target of 176•AFPR Ashwin capped off his six-for from the first innings with four wickets in the second and ended with match figures of 10 for 160•AFPRangana Herath trapped KL Rahul lbw for 5 as Shikhar Dhawan and nightwatchman Ishant Sharma helped India finish on 23 for 1 at stumps on day three•Associated Press

Kent buckle down in pursuit of survival and who-knows-what-else come season’s end

Paul Edwards28-Jun-2022Towards the back of what will always be known as the Peter May Stand at the Kia Oval a small encampment has been created. There is a canopied seating area with open sides and you might call the thing a gazebo if that description did not sound incongruous in an urban setting of concrete and glass. And one hesitates to dub the place a redoubt before checking the definition and finding the following: “a temporary or supplementary fortification, typically square or polygonal and without flanking defences”. That sounds better, not least because those sitting under the canvas clearly have something to defend. “No City Franchises – Save Our Cricket” declares one of their banners. “Peter May Boys” announces another. I think we get the picture. Let’s assume the Boys didn’t contribute to Tom Harrison’s leaving gift.But it would be pleasant if every county’s guardians declared their loyalties so plainly. As one watched 19-year-old Tom Lawes delight both himself and all Surrey supporters by taking two important wickets in successive overs just before lunch and then another shortly after the resumption, it came as a renewed shock to realise that the 18 first-class teams have only a limited idea what they are playing for.Actually, of course, that is not altogether correct. The season is barely half over and a clutch of sides in both divisions have their eyes on their respective titles. Just as significantly, a four-day, first-class match is an intense affair in which the players invest considerable physical and emotional capital. Winning is important and careers depend on the outcome of such games. So Lawes’s joy when he bowled Jack Leaning off the inside edge for 75 and then had Ollie Robinson caught at fine gully by Ryan Patel carried both collective and personal significance. It began a slow collapse that saw Kent lose their last seven wickets for 91 runs and be forced to follow-on 342 runs behind. For his part, Lawes strolled off this great field with figures of 4 for 51 against his name in what is his first Championship match.At the same time, all English seasons since the introduction of two divisions have offered the prospect of promotion and the jeopardy of relegation. This summer, recommendations as to next year’s structure will be made by Andrew Strauss’s high-performance review panel before being polished by a small group of carefully chosen county chief-executives and voted on by the county chairmen in the autumn. Only then might the mere players find out what their professional lives will be like in 2023. You need to be rather arrogant to develop such a plan but no less deranged to blame England’s Ashes defeat on county cricket in the first place. Perhaps someone should ask the ECB’s howl-at-the-moon crazies whether the domestic game is also responsible for the 3-0 victory against New Zealand.In the meantime, Surrey’s players will keep chasing what would be their county’s 20th outright title and Kent’s will keep on keeping on. The visitors’ chances of scoring the 523 they needed to avoid the follow-on were slim this morning but Daniel Bell-Drummond and Leaning had taken their side to 216 for 2 before their 161-run third wicket stand was ended when Bell-Drummond chased a wide offspinner from Will Jacks and skewed a catch to Hashim Amla at point. Lawes then took his first two wickets and induced George Linde to play on after lunch. Apart from Jordan Cox’s 47, the remainder of Kent’s batting never threatened to change the shape of a game the result of which will be dependent on its third innings. However, a mention in dispatches is required for the short leg catch by Ben Geddes off Connor McKerr that dismissed Jaz Singh and ended Kent’s innings. It was an absurdly good right-handed reflex effort and worthy of a more pivotal moment in any match.It was also Surrey’s final wicket of the day. Rather than be overwhelmed by a deficit of 342, Kent’s batted out the remaining 44 overs with some ease, thus leaving Surrey’s bowlers with plenty of work to do on a fourth-day pitch offering them limited assistance. Joe Denly, in only his second Championship innings of the season, is unbeaten on 63 and was the more expansive of the pair; his eight fours included flourished drives and a whack over mid-on against Jacks’ off spin. Ben Compton was more restrained but passed 1000 runs for the season and needs only four runs to reach fifty for the tenth time in 15 first-class innings.The contrast between the pair was beguiling and almost unexpectedly satisfying. Patel bowled the last over and by that time Rory Burns was trying to unsettle the batters with unorthodox fields, the sort some would label “funky”. There was a silly mid-on and silly mid-off posted when the final ball of the day was greeted with Denly’s resolute forward defensive. The players left the field and almost at once one wondered how many opportunities fine cricketers of Compton’s ilk might get should red-ball cricket be reduced to a niche activity, one whose only purpose is the production of Test players rather than also being concerned with the maintenance of strong counties and all the benefits they bring to clubs and communities across the land. Members and supporters around the country are expressing their views and it’s no use thinking it will be easy to find consensus. Me? I’m with Peter May Boys on their redoubt and a few county chairmen might also be receiving their call-up papers quite soon.

After serving as the catalyst for KKR’s 2014 IPL title run, Robin Uthappa’s early season struggles typified the Knight Riders’ fortunes. But Thursday’s win over Super Kings showed last year’s magic was still there just waiting to be stirred

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata30-Apr-2015Earlier that over, Manish Pandey had pulled a long-hop straight into deep midwicket’s hands. Now Robin Uthappa skipped down the track, looking to clip Pawan Negi to long-on. He didn’t quite reach the pitch of the ball. It gripped, turned past the closed face of his bat and clanged in and out of MS Dhoni’s gloves behind the stumps.This was the ninth over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings. They were 57 for 2, chasing 166, and their required rate was approaching 10 an over.Uthappa had made 34 and 39 in his last two matches. Knight Riders’ had lost both of them, losing steam after getting off to good starts in chases. Had Dhoni completed the stumping now, Uthappa would have been out for 28.At a similar stage in Chennai Super Kings’ innings, Uthappa had been similarly iron-gloved behind the stumps, failing to catch Dwayne Bravo when he nicked a googly from Brad Hogg. He had also shown lead feet twice in the early overs, diving late and awkwardly to let through five wides and then four runs off Brendon McCullum’s gloves, both off Pat Cummins’ bowling.Uthappa is no keeper. He performs the task eagerly and he presumably works hard on it, but he doesn’t move like someone who has done it all his life. Why would he? It is a difficult job. It is a specialist job. Like Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu – who wear the big gloves on and off for Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians – Uthappa keeps wicket to give his team the option of lengthening their batting or, occasionally, to fit in an extra bowler.It is an uneasy compromise, and it is likely Knight Riders treat his occasional lapses behind the stumps as a price they are willing to pay because of what he gives them with the bat.Knight Riders won nine straight matches on their way to the 2014 title and most of those wins followed a simple formula: field first, restrict the opposition to 160 or less, and chase it down with minimal fuss. The lack of fuss was largely down to the starts Uthappa gave them. He made ten successive 40-plus scores.After a slow start to the season, Uthappa had fallen just short of 40 in successive games and Knight Riders had fallen just short of chasing down reasonable targets. Now Uthappa had another shot at taking his team home.Given the start Chennai Super Kings made racing to 64 for 2 in five overs, it was quite a feat that Knight Riders restricted them to 165. A spin-friendly pitch played its part, but part of the reason had also been Super Kings’ overly aggressive approach.Suresh Raina yet again showed a tendency to throw his wicket away after an early sequence of dot balls. Brendon McCullum rushed to 32 off 11 before falling lbw to Hogg, trying to heave the spinner’s first ball across the line. Faf du Plessis, who had spanked Piyush Chawla for three gorgeous fours through the off side in the previous over, ran down the pitch and swiped at thin air playing across the line to Hogg’s googly.Knight Riders batsmen had shown the same sort of tendency too. Pandey was out to a soft dismissal. Gautam Gambhir top-edged an attempted leg-side swipe to third man. Immediately after Uthappa’s let-off, Suryakumar Yadav fell exactly like Gambhir.All those batsmen, from both sides, were either batting fluently or new to the crease when they were dismissed. Uthappa, on the other hand, was looking scratchy. He began his innings with a beautifully timed clip off his legs against Mohit Sharma, but since then had quietened, especially against Negi’s darts which were spinning sharply and causing problems.A lot of these problems were down to Uthappa’s tendency to play around his front pad. He has worked hard on this over the last couple of years. He has remodeled his pick-up and backlift to ensure his bat comes down in a far straighter line than it used to, and after every ball he plays a shadow front-foot drive – from that half-forward trigger movement, with his wrist cocking simultaneously to bring his bat up near his right shoulder, to the checked finish with the full face showing.Against the fast bowlers, Uthappa was generally getting it right. Against Negi, who was angling the ball into him with his low, round-arm style, Uthappa’s old instincts were taking over. On a surface with less help for the spinners, he might have got away with it chanceless. Here, he only got away thanks to Dhoni’s hard hands.If Uthappa had been out, it would have been out to a mixture of a good ball and a genuine weakness. He wouldn’t have thrown his wicket away. In Twenty20, the concept of ‘throwing your wicket away’ doesn’t carry the same weight of meaning that it does in the longer formats, but in this game, in this Kolkata Knight Riders chase, Uthappa’s role was to stay in the middle. They had the batting depth to be able to pull it off around him.Therefore, Uthappa didn’t attempt anything outrageous. He continued to flounder against Negi for a while and popped one off the leading edge not too far from short cover while trying to work Negi across the line again, but in between he simply drove down the ground or clipped off his pads, and picked up a couple of smart twos into the deep-set leg-side field.At the other end, Andre Russell gave him the room to play this way, carving Negi for a big six over cover, hoicking Ravindra Jadeja through midwicket and crashing Dwayne Bravo through point.The equation had come down to 63 off 36 when Ashish Nehra came back into the attack. The first ball was nice and full, within Uthappa’s driving arc. Down came that perfectly straight bat and the ball whistled low and flat over the long-on boundary. Nehra shortened his length a touch, Uthappa waited on him and used his pace and left-arm angle to guide him for two fours to the fine third man boundary. In the expanded repertoire of Twenty20, these were old-fashioned percentage shots. Fifteen came off that over and Knight Riders could see the finish line.With Russell doing the heavy lifting at the other end, Uthappa kept playing the percentage shots – even when it came down to six off six balls. He faced three balls in the final over, drove all of them down the ground, and picked up two singles and a double. He had set out to bat just this way, from start to finish.

The 10-man Herons snuck out a point thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer after two individual errors haunted their performance during regulation

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Inter Miami draw NYCFC 2-2Tomas Aviles sees red after scoring opening goalLionel Messi records two assistsGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportTELL ME MORE

Inter Miami narrowly escaped defeat to New York City FC, as Lionel Messi powered them to a 2-2 draw with two assists.

The South Beach club earned a crucial point to kick off the defense of their Supporters' Shield, but it almost wasn't meant to be.

The began things on a high note, taking a remarkably early lead just five minutes into the match. Messi recorded his first goal-contribution of the season, sending a delicious ball across the six-yard box to find a sliding Tomas Aviles, who found the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Two minutes later, though, things began to go downhill for the hosts.

Winger Fafa Picault pulled up with a non-contact injury, going to the ground holding the back of his leg, forcing Javier Mascherano into his first change just seven minutes into the match.

Then, in the 23rd minute, things went from bad to worse as Aviles saw red for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity offense. The young Argentine committed a reckless sliding tackle on the edge of his own box, taking out the legs of striker Alonso Martinez. Reduced to 10 men, Mascherano's men conceded an equalizer off the ensuing free kick, as the executed a brilliantly designed set-piece with Mitja Ilenic leveling.

Ten minutes into the second half, NYCFC took the lead in the contest, with Martinez capitalizing off a catastrophic error from Jordi Alba. The Spaniard lost the ball right outside his own box, and the Costa Rica international pounced, smashing home to give his club a 2-1 lead.

The had a handful of chances throughout the latter stages of the match to draw level, but a goal never arrived through regulation. However, 11 minutes of stoppage time were added, which proved to be their saving grace.

In the 100th minute of the match, defender Ian Fray drove forward in heroic fashion, finding Messi in NYCFC's end of the pitch, and from there, the Argentine did what he does best. He found the run of substitute Telascvo Segovia, whose looping shot dipped over a forthcoming Matt Freese, but the NYCFC goalkeeper could do nothing about it.

With the late equalizer, Miami earned a point, snatching what was looking to be a brilliant road victory out from under the nose of the on opening day.

AdvertisementDID YOU KNOW?

Miami and NYCFC last met in Fall 2024, with the two sides ending in a stalemate as U.S. international James Sands equalized in the dying minutes of the match.

THE MVP

Lionel Messi:

Down to 10 men, they needed some late magic, and boy did he bring it. Their best attacker throughout the second half, Messi finally helped them draw level in the 10th minute of stoppage-time via his brilliant assist to Telasco Segovia.

The Argentine's brilliance helped them overcome two major individual errors, and that is exactly why he was named the club's captain prior to the start of the campaign.

Getty Images SportTHE BIG LOSER

Tomas Aviles:

From hero to villain, the young Argentine let his team down on Saturday.

All throughout 2024, he was a loose cannon. He would go from having rock-solid performances to outings plagued by immaturity and poor decision-making. Saturday's match saw a mix of both.

Ultimately, his sending-off cost Miami three points, and he will have to accept that.

Michael Jones sets tone for hosts in comfortable 48-run victory at Riverside

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2022Durham 186 for 7 (Jones 44) beat Worcestershire 138 for 9 (Raine 3-23, Tye 3-27) by 48 runsDurham bounced back from successive defeats to get back to winning ways in the Vitality Blast with a comfortable 48-run victory over Worcestershire Rapids at Seat Unique Riverside.Michael Jones set the tone for the home side with a brisk 44 from 25 balls, notching five boundaries and three sixes. Ollie Robinson and Graham Clark provided useful knocks to allow Durham to post a competitive total of 186 for seven from their 20 overs.The Rapids were behind the rate from the off after losing Ed Pollock and Jack Haynes in the first nine balls of the innings. The visitors struggled to find the fence amid tight bowling from the Durham attack led by three wickets apiece from Ben Raine and debutant Andrew Tye, resulting in a dominant victory for the hosts.Worcestershire captain Ben Cox won the toss and elected to field in the bright sunshine at the Riverside. Clark and Jones continued their bright start to the Blast campaign by racing to fifty inside five overs. Jones was particularly destructive for the home side, smashing 15 off Pat Brown’s first over before taking a further 18 off spinner Josh Baker, including two sixes straight down the ground.Jones was pegged back going for one heave too many as Charlie Morris bowled the opener, while the visitors worked their way back into the game as Clark fell victim to a good delivery from Brett D’Oliveira.Robinson used the dimensions of the Riverside to great effect in his innings of 35 from 23 balls, but D’Oliveira turned one through the gate to send the wicket-keeper on his way. D’Oliveira’s fine evening with the ball continued when Paul Coughlin was stumped off a wide, earning revenge after being struck for a maximum from the previous ball. The Rapids skipper finished as pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of three for 24 from his four overs.David Bedingham, Brydon Carse and Ned Eckersley played vital cameos for the hosts in the latter stages of the innings, propelling them towards a competitive total of 186.Pollock scored six runs from the first two balls of Worcestershire’s reply, but Coughlin removed him with the third as Bedingham produced a brilliant diving catch at cover. Carse continued Durham’s strong start with the ball by bowling Jack Haynes for one, reducing the visitors to nine for two in the second over.D’Oliveira and Munro played within themselves after the early wickets, which resulted in the run rate ascending over 10 per over. As a result, the pressure was on the duo to accelerate, but D’Oliveira was pinned lbw by Raine before Munro was caught on the fence from a Scott Borthwick loosener.Tye marked his Durham debut with three late wickets amid a Worcestershire lower-order collapse, removing Ed Barnard, Cox and Matthew Waite, allowing the hosts to ease over the line.