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England to play four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is before Australia arrive for limited-overs tour

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2019Centurion will remain the host venue for South Africa’s Boxing Day Test against England later this year, with CSA confirming its fixture list for the 2019-20 season. As well as a full England tour featuring four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, South Africa will also host Australia for six limited-overs matches in February and March.England will travel to Cape Town, the traditional venue for South Africa’s New Year Test, followed by matches in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Durban misses out on a Test but is the venue for an ODI and T20I; England will also travel to East London for the start of the T20I series.The tour will begin in mid-December with one two-day and one three-day tour match in Benoni. After the Tests, England have two one-day warm-up games scheduled in Paarl.Australia’s arrival in late February will see them go straight into T20Is at Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, with the three ODIs scheduled for Paarl, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom – Australia’s first visit to Senwes Park since the 2003 World Cup.”This will be a huge summer both for our Standard Bank Proteas, who are currently ranked in the top three in all three formats, and for our fans who can look forward to action-packed and top-quality entertainment against two of the powerhouses of world cricket,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said.”The Test matches will take on particular significance as this will be our first home series in the ICC World Test Championship following our away series in India in October. I am delighted also to announce that we will be working closely with SA Tourism around the Test host venues of Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg to ensure that this series creates a win-win situation both for cricket and the South African economy.”The two KFC T20 international series take on extra relevance as we start our preparation for the ICC Men’s World T20 to be played in Australia in October and November next year.”South Africa 2019-20 fixturesDec 26-30 – 1st Test v England, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Jan 3-8 – 2nd Test v England, PPC Newlands, Cape Town
Jan 16-20 – 3rd Test v England, St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth
Jan 24-28 – 4th Test v England, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Feb 4 – 1st ODI v England, PPC Newlands, Cape Town
Feb 7 – 2nd ODI v England, Kingsmead, Durban
Feb 9 – 3rd ODI v England, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Feb 12 – 1st T20I v England, Buffalo Park, East London
Feb 14 – 2nd T20I v England, Kingsmead, Durban
Feb 16 – 3rd T20I v England, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Feb 21 – 1st T20I v Australia, Bidvest Wanderers, Johannesburg
Feb 23 – 2nd T20I v Australia, St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth
Feb 26 – 3rd T20I v Australia, PPC Newlands, Cape Town
Feb 29 – 1st ODI v Australia, Eurolux Park, Paarl
Mar 4 – 2nd ODI v Australia, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Mar 7 – 3rd ODI v Australia, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom

Jude Bellingham's dad copied his son's iconic celebration at Santiago Bernabeu ahead of Real Madrid's thrashing of Alaves.

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Bellingham's dad copies son's celebrationMadrid star laughs inside Santiago BernabeuFamily watch Los Blancos thrash AlavesWHAT HAPPENED?

Before Bellingham scored in Madrid's 5-0 rout of Alaves on Tuesday night, his father Mark Bellingham and brother and Sunderland star Jobe were seen in the stands ahead of kick-off. It was clear all parties were happy to see one another in the iconic ground, with the trio all smiles.

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Jude's dad can be seen with Jobe high up in Santiago Bernabeu while the Madrid star was on the pitch. The camera shows Mark copying the 20-year-old's celebration, something the England international found amusing.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bellingham has been a revelation for Madrid this season. Following his £88 million ($111m) move from Borussia Dortmund last summer, he has scored 23 goals and bagged 12 assists in all competitions. The former Birmingham City star has helped them to La Liga success and now just one game away from lifting the Champions League for a record-extending 15th time. And much of this would not be possible without the support of his family, celebrations and all.

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Bellingham's Madrid side are next in action on Sunday away to Villarreal before rounding off their La Liga season on May 25 at home to Real Betis. A week later, they take on former side Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley.

An injured Richarlison might have played his last game for Tottenham as Al-Hilal set sights on the Brazilian for a summer transfer.

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Richarlison has picked up an injuryWill miss Copa America with BrazilMight move to Saudi in the summer transfer windowWHAT HAPPENED?

According tothe Brazilian has picked up a calf injury which sidelined him from Brazil's Copa America squad. Manager Dorival Junior revealed to Brazilian media that the club had not officially confirmed Richarlison's injury, but it was significant enough to warrant his exclusion from Brazil's 23-man squad. This setback compounds Richarlison's recent struggles with fitness, having only recently recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for a considerable portion of the season.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT DORIVAL JUNIOR SAID

Brazil coach Dorival Jr said: “Richarlison has a calf injury. It has not yet been made official by the club, but we contacted the player and he informed us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Richarlison's latest injury would prevent him from playing with his Tottenham teammates in the remaining three fixtures in the Premier League. This means that his appearance against Liverpool on May 5 could well be his last match in Tottenham colours as Al-Hilal, the current leaders of the Saudi Pro League, have set their sights on acquiring him during the summer transfer window, according to

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite Richarlison having three years remaining on his contract, Al-Hilal is confident of securing a deal for the 27-year-old. While no formal approach has been made yet, Tottenham are expected to entertain offers, especially with manager Ange Postecoglou planning a significant squad overhaul in the upcoming transfer window. Moreover, the club, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, reportedly made inquiries to Tottenham regarding the Brazilian forward in January, following Neymar's season-ending knee injury.

PNG beat USA in third-place playoff, while Canada put it across Hong Kong

Peter Della Penna in Windhoek27-Apr-2019In a tournament where home-field advantage has often played a huge role in gaining promotion, Namibia was one of the few nations with a relatively modest record playing at home in the World Cricket League. But they corrected that in their final opportunity, walking away with the WCL Division Two title on Saturday afternoon with a thumping win over Oman at Wanderers Sports Club.In the process, Namibia also created history by winning an ODI for the first time, having gone 0 for 6 at the 2003 World Cup. Another historic achievement on the day was made by Australian Claire Polosak, who became the first female umpire to stand in a men’s ODI for the tournament final.Karl Birkenstock, who had batted as low as No. 9 earlier in the tournament, was sent in to open the batting and proved his worth by top-scoring with 61 off 108 balls. Oman took wickets at regular intervals though, as Birkenstock struggled to find a partner before he fell to Zeeshan Maqsood at the end of the 35th over.After adding an unbroken 103-run stand on Friday against Hong Kong, the duo of JJ Smit and Zane Green produced Namibia’s biggest partnership of the day, adding 57 for the sixth wicket at a time when the match was evenly balanced to help boost Namibia toward 200.Jan Frylinck decimated Oman with his left-arm medium pace early in the chase, claiming three wickets in the Powerplay as Oman sunk to 26 for 4 by the end of the eighth over. Christi Viljoen then struck twice in the space of three balls in the 16th over to break into the Oman tail, sending them on their way to a double-digit total for the second match in a row, after having dominated the first four days of action.Frylinck returned to claim Suraj Kumar for a top score of 27 before Fayyaz Butt was caught behind to complete his maiden List A five-wicket haul. After having claimed opening batsman Jatinder Singh for a second-ball duck with the new ball, JJ Smit wiped out the rest of the tail to finish with three wickets. It helped Smit cement Man of the Tournament honours as he finished the week tied for fourth overall with 13 wickets at 14.53, while also ending up third overall with 221 runs at 55.25.After being steamrolled by USA in a 10-wicket mauling during the round-robin stage, Papua New Guinea showed they truly earned back their ODI status with a thrilling last day win over Oman by exacting revenge on the Americans in a resounding five-wicket victory at Affies Park in the third place match.Sending USA in at the toss, PNG’s medium pace attack exploited variable bounce throughout the morning. Nosaina Pokana and Norman Vanua wrecked USA’s top order with four wickets inside the first eight overs. Man of the Match Vanua was on a hat-trick after claiming Aaron Jones caught behind for 2 followed by Jaskaran Malhotra dragging onto his stumps for a golden duck on ODI debut.Norman Vanua bowled Jaskaran Malhotra for a golden duck to put himself on a hat-trick•Peter Della PennaHayden Walsh Jr worked hard to revive the innings for USA, making 27 in a 43-run stand with Monank Patel, but USA’s innings began to flounder once more after Walsh chipped a catch to midwicket off Assad Vala to make it 78 for 5. Monank had grafted hard for his 39 after opening the batting, but walked too far across his stumps to legspinner Charles Amini and was given lbw. Karima Gore was then suckered into an attempt to clear mid-on hitting against the spin, resulting in a top-edge taken by Chad Soper to leave USA struggling at 105 for 7.Timil Patel fought valiantly to prop up USA’s tail, eventually ending up with USA’s maiden ODI fifty. But Vanua returned to help wipe out the tail with Pokana as USA were bowled out for 164 in just 43.4 overs.USA looked to be in with a chance of rallying to their first ODI win after Saurabh Netravalkar had Tony Ura caught behind in the sixth over, before Ali Khan bowled Vala shouldering arms to an inswinger in the following over to make it 25 for 2. Amini was caught behind edging a back of a length ball off Jessy Singh as PNG continued to teeter before Lega Siaka steadied the chase with his first 50-plus score in ODIs since making a century in his second ODI all the way back in November 2014 against Hong Kong.Siaka was especially strong on the sweep, punishing Timil’s legspin for a series of boundaries. Vanua than completed his Man of the Match performance by slugging three sixes straight down the ground off Karima Gore in the 33rd over as part of a 23-run frame that ended the match with 17 overs to spare.Canada bounced back from the heartbreak of narrowly missing out on ODI status by four runs on net run rate, to end with their third win of the tournament, dispatching Hong Kong with ease at United Cricket Club.Cecil Pervez claimed the big scalps of Anshy Rath and Kinchit Shah in the Powerplay before the Canadian ploy to open with spin at the other end paid off in the 11th over as Hiral Patel nabbed Jamie Atkinson and Ahsan Abbasi on consecutive balls. Babar Hayat added 53 with Scott McKechnie for the fifth wicket, but left-arm spinner Saad bin Zafar had Babar stumped for 32 to spark a rapid slide as Hong Kong lost their last six wickets for 30 runs, with four of them going to Saad.Hiral wrapped up Man of the Match honours by following his two wickets with a half-century at the start of Canada’s chase. Ravinderpal Singh took over the bulk of the scoring after Hiral fell in the 13th, smashing three sixes in a 23-ball 41 that took Canada over the line in just 16.5 overs.

The FedEx Performance Zone provides the top performers of the week as Real Madrid, Bayern, Paris and Dortmund play out the semi-final first legs

The stakes are tremendous, but the thrills are even greater. We're halfway through the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, but all four teams still have an excellent chance of booking their spot in the decider at Wembley Stadium.

After Bayern and Real Madrid played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Fußball Arena München, Borussia Dortmund secured a 1-0 victory on home soil in their first-leg clash against Paris on Wednesday.

Both games could have ended with completely different results, however, as the tightly contested matches saw plenty of excellent chances in a thrilling week of European action.

With the help of the FedEx Performance Zone, GOAL takes a look at the stars of the latest round of fixtures in the competition.

Getty ImagesVinicius Junior | Real Madrid | 137 points

Bayern may have had the brighter of starts to their clash against Real Madrid, but the German side were punished for their wastefulness with a fine move midway through the first half.

Toni Kroos found himself in acres of space in midfield and was able to pick out an excellent pass to send Vinicius Junior, who raced ahead of the Bayern defence and expertly tucked it beyond Manuel Neuer and into the bottom corner.

He was a real threat throughout the 90 minutes and, after seeing Bayern fly into a 2-1 lead in the second half, he started a tricky move that ended with Rodrygo being fouled in the box and earning a penalty. It was Vinicius who kept a cool head to fire in the equaliser from the spot.

AdvertisementGettyNico Schlotterbeck | Dortmund | 87 points

German defender Nico Schlotterbeck was one of many excellent performers for Dortmund as his side beat the recently-crowned French champions in Germany.

It was the centre-back who found Niklas Fullkrug, sending him on his way to netting the winning goal in the first half of the clash. Schlotterbeck did much more than that, however. He made three important tackles and a solid interception and was reliable on the ball to help his team see out the victory.

GettyHarry Kane | FC Bayern Munich | 87 points

English striker Harry Kane added yet another goal to his awesome record since joining Bayern from Tottenham last summer. He calmly sent his penalty beyond Andriy Lunin to give his team the lead just before the hour mark.

He even had many opportunities to fire in another goal, too, as the 30-year-old ended the game with five attempts, hitting the target with two.

GettyOusmane Dembele | Paris Saint-Germain | 65 points

Ousmane Dembele was a bit of a hellraiser for Paris despite their upset in Germany on Wednesday. After emerging as the hero in the previous round against Barcelona, the winger tried his best to bring his team back into the semi-final tie, too.

He had four shots in the game, was constantly driving at the Dortmund defence and was excellent with his passing, but simply could not get the ball into the net despite his efforts.

An attorney-at-law by profession, Rousseau was considered a visionary administrator for bringing in a professional set-up and initiating the corporatisation of the West Indies board

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2019Patrick Rousseau, the former president of Cricket West Indies, died on Tuesday in Jamaica. Rousseau, who hailed from Jamaica, was aged 85 and succumbed to a long illness.An attorney-at-law by profession, Rousseau was at the helm of Caribbean cricket between 1996 and 2001. He was seen as one of the visionary cricket administrators, responsible for providing a professional structure to, in addition to initiating the corporatisation of, the West Indies Cricket Board, as it was called then.A multi-faceted personality, Rousseau, who was awarded with the Order of Jamaica, was instrumental in the West Indies board’s successful bid to host the 2007 World Cup. He also launched the first professional cricket academy in the Caribbean in Grenada. He brought on board Chris Dehring as the board’s marketing head and the pair struck a lucrative broadcast deal with Sky TV that played a role in the development of cricket in the region.Rousseau created the most headlines around the turn of the millennium, as he led the board’s uncompromising stance against the players, who went on strike in 1998 before the South Africa tour. On the tour, West Indies lost the Test series 5-0 followed by another humiliation in the ODI leg which they lost 6-1 and questions were raised about Brian Lara’s captaincy.During transit, en route to South Africa, Lara led a revolt against the board asking for better financial incentives. An agreement was eventually reached and Lara, too, was retained as captain for the home series against Australia in March 1999. Lara was, however, told his performance was being monitored and he would be given performance targets. Malcolm Marshall and Clive Lloyd also lost their positions eventually as coach and manager respectively.In March 2000, Lloyd was replaced by a business executive from St Kitts, Ricky Skerritt who, recently was elected as the CWI president. Incidentally, Skerritt’s tenure would be short-lived, extending to only five series before he was dismissed halfway through his three-year contract in 2001. Rousseau, at the time, had said that his board believed in making changes “till we get the thing working efficiently.”Rudi Webster, who worked as psychologist with various West Indies teams, including Lloyd’s, was a close friend of Rousseau. After Rousseau’s death, Webster recounted the turbulent relations between the West Indies board and Lara’s team.”His great insight into reality was on display after the West Indies’ disastrous tour of South Africa where the players were reluctant to surrender part of their individual interests to build a platform on which the performance of the team and the revival of West Indies cricket could be built,” Webster said. “Back home, Brian Lara’s captaincy and position in the team were under close scrutiny.”Pat told me that neither he nor any of his board members had the skills to manage the situation successfully and asked if I would consider helping Brian during that period of crisis. He knew that Lara would go down in history as one of the world’s greatest batsmen and did not wish to place any roadblocks in the way. His strategy succeeded and Lara and his team performed amazingly well against the Australians here in the West Indies.”In a media statement, Skerritt praised Rousseau for being a “mentor” to many. “Pat was a strong man, always very focussed and determined,” Skerritt said. “He was a sharp legal and business mind, and it was reflected during his time in charge of the organisation between 1996 and 2001. Pat was also the driving force behind the incorporation of the WICB in November 1998 – starting the transformation of the organisation into becoming a more corporate operation – and the permanent relocation of the Corporate Headquarters to Antigua.”In a statement released by the ICC, the governing body’s chief executive, Manu Sawhney, said: “The death of Mr. Rousseau is sad news for the cricket world. His contribution in the game’s management has been widely acknowledged. He led cricket administration in the West Indies very capably and was a respected member of the ICC Board. It was with great sadness that we learnt of his death. On behalf of the ICC, I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to his friends and family and to our colleagues at the CWI.”

The Blues came back from being 2-0 down at the break to keep their slim hopes of European qualification alive with a point at Villa Park.

After a difficult week, Chelsea showed some fight to earn themselves a point at Aston Villa that could yet prove crucial in their fight for European qualification. Mauricio Pochettino's side came from 2-0 down at half-time to secure a 2-2 draw against Unai Emery's Champions League hopefuls.

The Blues were looking to bounce back from their chastening defeat to Arsenal last time out, but made the worst possible start when Marc Cucurella diverted John McGinn's scuffed shot into his own net inside the opening four minutes.

The visitors looked to battle back, and Nicolas Jackson came closest to equalising when he hit the post with a header, but Chelsea found themselves two goals down before half-time as Morgan Rogers was allowed to cut inside onto his right foot and fire a low shot into the bottom corner.

Chelsea were dominant after the break as Pochettino made a couple of tactical tweaks, and their improved display was rewarded around the hour-mark as Conor Gallagher won the ball back on the edge of the Villa box, and the ball was worked to Noni Madueke to curl home. Gallagher then produced a moment of magic with 10 minutes to play, as he whipped a 20-yard effort into the top corner.

Pochettino's team even thought they'd won it right at the death when substitute Axel Disasi headed home in stoppage-time, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review thanks to a shove from Benoit Badiashile in the build-up, and the Blues were forced to settle for a point.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Villa Park…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Djordje Petrovic (6/10):

Had no chance with the opening goal, but will be disappointed to be beaten at his near post by Rogers. Did make a decent save to deny Watkins in the first half.

Trevoh Chalobah (4/10):

Deployed as a narrow right-back, but didn't seem to fully understand where he was meant to be when Villa attacked. Will feel he could have done better for both goals.

Thiago Silva (6/10):

Beaten for pace on one occasion by Watkins, but an assured presence in defence otherwise. Limped off late on.

Benoit Badiashile (6/10):

Looked much more comfortable next to Thiago Silva having struggled so much at Arsenal. Punished for his slight shove at the death when Chelsea thought they'd won it.

Marc Cucurella (6/10):

Could do little about his own goal, though he wasn't great from a defensive point of view. Did offer a fair bit in attack, both out wide in the first half and in a more inverted role after the break.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Moises Caicedo (7/10):

An encouraging display with the ball, as he looked to play incisive passes and posed something of a threat around the edge of the box. Was caught on the wrong side of the ball when defending a couple of times, but made some crunching challenges to win the ball back.

Conor Gallagher (7/10):

Lacked quality in the first half, even if he worked tirelessly. Managed to put everything together after the break, however, as his excellent pressing led to Madueke's goal before his superb finish levelled the scores.

Cole Palmer (4/10):

Returned from illness but not at his best as Villa largely crowded him out. Set-pieces were disappointing before he missed a huge chance to win it in stoppage-time.

Getty ImagesAttack

Noni Madueke (7/10):

A real game of two halves. Forced to hug the touchline in the first half, and he was guilty of not tracking back for both Villa goals. Moved inside after the break and instantly became Chelsea's most dangerous attacker, with his goal a superb finish.

Nicolas Jackson (6/10):

Ran himself into the ground and unfortunate that a fine finish was ruled out for offside. Should have scored with a free header that hit the post.

Mykhailo Mudryk (3/10):

Struggled to get himself into the game, while his final ball was constantly lacking. A first-half shot that almost hit the corner flag summed up his performance.

Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Cesare Casadei (N/A):

Thrown on in the final minute.

Axel Disasi (N/A):

Almost the hero with his stoppage-time header that was controversially ruled out.

Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):

Didn't get his set up right in the first half, but deserves huge credit for both the tactical tweaks he made and how he was able to encourage his players to battle back.

England captain hopes to exploit Mandhana’s weakness, having seen her closely during the WBBL

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai21-Feb-20191:22

Opportunity for youngsters to step up and perform – Mithali Raj

England have more depth than India, a point captain Heather Knight touched upon ahead of the ODI series in Mumbai that counts towards the ICC Women’s Championship.They have proved it twice against India in recent times – none more famously than in the Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s in July 2017. England triumphed again, in a different format, in the semi-final of the World T20 in November.”We’ve got a lot of depth,” Knight said on the eve of the first ODI at Wankhede Stadium. “The ODI cricket we’ve played in the last couple of years, including the World Cup in England, has been very good. We have got performances from different players. We have got [some] inexperience [but also] a group that has been around for a while as well.”We’ve got quite a settled batting line-up and each of the batters in the top six or seven are match-winners. Hopefully a lot more players can step up, as they have done in the last two years.”By contrast, India are thin in the middle order, as exposed during the limited-overs series in New Zealand (India won the ODIs 2-1, but were blanked 3-0 in the T20Is). They now have a big void to fill as vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been ruled out of the series with an ankle injury. This is the first time since 2010, after 87 ODIs, that India will be without Harmanpreet in the format.1:22

Opportunity for youngsters to step up and perform – Mithali Raj

While Knight believes “any team in the world would miss” a batsman of her caliber, Mithali Raj, her counterpart, has suggested it is an opportunity for the younger players to step up.”Honestly, they should go about their business as they have been, because Jemimah [Rodrigues] and Smriti [Mandhana] gave us great starts in the last series. Our middle-order wasn’t tested much,” Raj said. “Yes, Harman’s not there in the side because of an injury, but we as a bating unit should be taking the responsibility to play that role of getting the team along.Knight knows India are no pushovers, and is gearing up for a challenge to stifle Mandhana, her WBBL team-mate and India’s most prolific run-scorer in the last 12 months.”I have obviously played With Smriti in Hobart [Hurricanes], very recently. She played in my team, so I know her very well,” she said. “I know she’s a very good player, and having seen a lot of her, obviously, it gives us the chance to look at her weaknesses as well, and try and figure out how we’re going to exploit them in the series.”England will be buoyed by the return of wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor and fast-bowling allrounder Katherine Brunt, two notable absentees from their World T20 squad. Knight, quite obviously, was delighted to have players of their ability and experience available.”The experience they bring to the side, obviously their skill level to the pitch is invaluable to us,” she said. “We’re really excited to have them back, and see how they go. They are both excited to be here as well. They bring different things to the group. They both really have a positive influence on the team, and the set-up in general.”Getty ImagesLast year, Nagpur offered turning tracks when England toured for three ODIs, which they won 2-1. In Mumbai, the series will be played on two adjacent surfaces – one grassy and the other one on a belter. That said, much of England’s bowling plans will revolve around Sophie Ecclestone, their leading wicket-taker during the ODI series last year. Ecclestone has since been awarded a central contract.”I think Sophie Ecclestone bowled really well last year in India,” Knight said. “She sort of emerged on that trip, and has been the leader of our attack. She’s been outstanding, and she keeps developing all the time. So I’d really like to see how she goes.”A key player missing from England’s squad from their last tour of India is the now-retired offspinner Danielle Hazell. Knight was hopeful that Hazell’s like-for-like replacement, Laura Marsh will be able to plug that hole and, in turn, cement her place in the starting XI.”We miss Danni, but we’ve got a fitting replacement in Laura Marsh,” Knight said. “She’s been around for a long time, experienced in these conditions and how to bowl in these conditions. I’m really excited to see how she goes. She has a good opportunity to be our main offspinner.”With Danni around, Laura and her were constantly competing against each other – a one in, one out sort of thing. Laura’s now got that chance to be our only offspinner and really stamp her mark on it.”

USMNT star Chris Richards has shared that both he and Crystal Palace have scheduled a date for his return to the pitch after a three-game absence.

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Richards sidelined with 'frustrating' injuryUSMNT star missed 3-straight gamesTimeline for return revealedWHAT HAPPENED?

The U.S. international, who had played in 16-straight matches for The Eagles prior to his knee injury, is finally set to return to the pitch. The central defender and Oliver Glasner's side are targeting a return against West Ham United this weekend.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT RICHARDS SAID

“I think frustrating would be a good word for it,” Richards said ahead of their Liverpool match last weekend.

“I feel like I worked hard over the last two seasons that I’ve been here and I think I was finally reaping the benefit of that. It’s always nice playing games.

“I have a knee injury. Hopefully, what we’re aiming for is West Ham. I’m just kind of taking it day by day, hoping that it continues to heal and that’s what I’m aiming for, at least, is the West Ham game.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Palace pulled off a shocking 1-0 victory last weekend at Anfield without Richards available, but in the two matches prior, they fell to Bournemouth and Manchester City. During his 16-match run with the Eagles, they pulled off a result in nine of the matches, keeping two clean sheets.

With his potential return at the weekend now on the cards, the Eagles could receive a massive defensive boost.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PALACE?

The Eagles take on West Ham Saturday in a Premier League clash. The South London club will hope to pull off a result for the second-straight week as they look to end their campaign on a high note.

Watson struck this BBL’s maiden hundred, McCullum registered his first BBL duck but the match came to a premature end under bizarre circumstances

The Report by Ankur Dhawan17-Jan-2019
No result
Sydney Thunder had not beaten Brisbane Heat in their last four matches, the Heat were yet to win at home this season, and the BBL had been parched for an individual hundred. Curiously, the one least likely to change did, as Shane Watson blasted his third T20 hundred in the last 12 months to catapult his team to 186, before Chris Jordan and Gurninder Sandhu snuffed fight out of the chase with the early wickets of Brendon McCullum, out for a maiden BBL duck, and Chris Lynn. However, a bizarre floodlight failure that occurred at the end of the third over of the Heat chase led to the match being called off and the points shared, much to the chagrin of the visitors who looked set to register their fifth win of the season.Hundred just a number for ageless WatsonUnlike the hundred in the IPL final where he took time to find his groove, here, Watson started in top gear. It started with two sixes off Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who erred in length and Watson rocked back and pulled him flat over deep midwicket, a shot that proved a loyal ally throughout his innings. Next ball, Mujeeb erred in line, drifting down leg, with the fine-leg up, Watson just helped him over, with a surprising amount of power behind the stroke.Watson had recently spoken about working on a few things as his BBL got off to a lukewarm start, clarified by coach Shane Bond as the position of his head and hands, and the work put in was on view as Watson struck the ball cleanly from a stable base, without once leaving his crease. The spinners Mujeeb and Mitchell Swepson suffered as he took 47 off the duo of 26 balls, and all his six sixes came off the pair. It was Mujeeb who eventually had him caught at long-off immediately after reaching a 61-ball century but he’d caused enough carnage by then.Costly missWatson was still 67 runs away from being this BBL’s first centurion when he was put down off the dubutant Jack Prestwidge’s bowling. It was a slower ball, both short and wide, but Watson’s flashing blade did not get all of it and he ended up spooning it to the right of cover point, without much timing. The diving fielder got both hands to it and for a moment it looked like he’d taken it but as is customary with such catches, it popped out of his hands when the elbows made contact with the ground.Devcich steps up in Buttler’s absenceJos Buttler had been Thunder’s best batsman this season but Anton Devcich has proved to be an able replacement. His inclusion has coincided with Watson finding form and the duo have laid a solid foundation for their side in the two matches that they have opened. Against Adelaide Strikers they added 37 in 21 balls, with Devcich playing lead in the partnership. The roles switched this match but the result was equally effective as they added 58 from 40 with Devcich contributing a 24-ball 26.