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Phoebe Franklin’s half-century in vain as Nadine de Klerk and Nat Sciver-Brunt claim five wickets between them

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Georgie Boyce hit a brilliant unbeaten 63 to steer The Blaze to a five-wicket victory over the South East Stars in the opening round of the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Beckenham.Boyce played a pivotal innings as the visitors recovered from a mid-innings wobble to win with four balls to spare, cashing in on a number of dropped chances to close on 161 for 5 in reply to the Stars’ 160 for 8.Phoebe Franklin was the Stars’ top scorer, hitting 53 from 32 balls and when she removed Tammy Beaumont for 48 it sparked a mini-collapse that had made the hosts look favourites until Boyce intervened.Nadine de Klerk had The Blaze’s best bowling figures with 3 for 21 while Nat Sciver-Brunt took 2 for 46.The Blaze won the toss and chose to bowl at a blustery, overcast New County Ground, a decision that looked questionable when Bryony Smith smacked 14 off Grace Ballinger’s first over, but her quickfire innings came to an end when Kirstie Gordon had her caught on the long on boundary by Marie Kelly for 18.Ballinger then trapped Tash Farrant for a three-ball duck and Paige Scholfield was out for four, driving Scivrer-Brunt’s second ball to Sarah Glenn at cover.Sophia Dunkley led an aggressive but short-lived counterattack until Sarah Glenn bowled her for 20 and it was left to Franklin and Kira Chathli to rebuild the innings with a partnership of 68.Chathli should have been out for 22 but Glenn dropped a dolly off her own bowling, though she fell soon after when she tried to scoop de Klerk and was bowled for 24.Franklin brought up her 50 when she pulled Gordon through midwicket for a single but she was finally out in the 19th over when she dragged a Sciver-Brunt delivery onto her stumps.Alice Davidson-Richards took the Stars past 150 with an elegant pull off Sciver-Brunt for four, but she was bowled by de Klerk in the final over, also for 24.De Klerk’s next delivery pinged back Kalea Moore’s leg stump and although Freya Davies blocked out the hat-trick ball, she couldn’t scramble any additional runs.It looked a challenging total but Beaumont made an electrifying start to the chase, which included a huge six over cow corner. Her opening stand of 30 with Kelly was broken when the latter was snared by Davidson-Richards off Scholfield for five.Beaumont was on 42 when she misjudged a Franklin delivery and although Davies couldn’t take a difficult chance, a cluster of wickets tilted the momentum back in the Stars’ favour.The Blaze were on 6 for 1 in the ninth over when Scholfield had Sciver-Brunt caught for 19 near the midwicket boundary by Farrant and in the tenth Ryana MacDonald-Gay claimed the key wicket of Beaumont, who fell to a brilliant diving catch by Smith.In the 11th Davidson-Richards had Kathryn Bryce caught behind and Glenn then holed to Franklin and was caught on the boundary by Davidson-Richards for four.At 91 for 5 the Blaze were in deep trouble, but Boyce then took centre stage, reaching her 50 with a drive off Davies that was nearly caught at deep cover but went for two.De Klerk played the anchor role at the other end and herself survived a tough chance for caught behind off Davidson-Richards.The Blaze needed just two from the final over and de Klerk hit the winning runs when she carved Davidson-Richards through the covers.

Nepal were dismissed for 230 before rain reduced India’s chase to 23 overs in Pallekele

Deivarayan Muthu04-Sep-20231:57

Uthappa: Rohit can afford to take time to get set in ODIs

Two days after the Pakistan-India game was washed out in Pallekele on Saturday, a similar rain threat hung over India’s first meeting against Nepal in international cricket at the same venue. But the rain wasn’t as persistent on Monday and relented by 9.30pm to cut India’s target to 145 in 23 overs. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then sparkled with an unbroken 147-run opening partnership to crash Nepal’s party and put India in the Super Fours round. Pakistan have already qualified for the next stage from this group.Nepal’s fans, though, had plenty to cheer about in the afternoon, especially when Aasif Sheikh made a solid half-century. Aasif’s innings was bookended by some fluid strokeplay from Kushal Bhurtel in the powerplay and Sompal Kami’s muscular blows in the slog overs. When Aasif reached his half-century off 88 balls in the 28th over, he had the Nepali fans grooving in the stands. The Nepali beats that played at the ground added to the revelry, with Rohit Paudel’s team eventually posting a fairly competitive total of 230 on a two-paced pitch.It was short-lived, though, for Nepal as Rohit launched an opening salvo after a lengthy rain break. He scooped, slog-swept, and reverse-swept his way to a 39-ball half-century. Gill, who had belted Kami for three fours in an over before the rain break, largely rode in Rohit’s slipstream upon resumption. By the time Gill got to his own fifty, India were just 29 away from victory. Rohit and Gill finished it off with 17 balls and all ten wickets to spare.Related

• Nepal show they are worthy of more opportunities at this level

• Rain could force Asia Cup matches out of Colombo

• Jasprit Bumrah to miss Asia Cup game vs Nepal

• Sri Lanka look to seal Super Fours spot vs Afghanistan

India weren’t as dominant in the early exchanges. Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan dropped three catches in the first five overs, allowing Nepal’s batters to ease in.Nepal’s batters were more comfortable against pace, driving languidly in the ‘V’ and also ramping audaciously in the ‘V’ behind the wicket. Bhurtel, who was reprieved twice, punished India with his attacking intent and enterprise. He played arguably the shot of the day when he hooked Mohammed Siraj over square leg and out of the ground. Siraj kept digging the ball into the deck and kept leaking runs.Allrounder Shardul Thakur provided India the opening breakthrough in the last over of the powerplay, but he was also lacklustre during his short shift of four overs.1:11

Jaffer: India ‘need to pull their socks up’ in the Super Fours

Aasif displayed stickability, something Nepal’s batters lacked on their Asia Cup debut against Pakistan in Multan. Siraj then returned to the attack with the old ball to dismiss Aasif for 58 off 97 balls.The left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav worked in tandem to help India seize control. Jadeja proved difficult to get away with his turn – and lack thereof – claiming figures of 3 for 40 in his ten overs. It wasn’t until Jadeja’s eighth over that Nepal scored a boundary off him. Kuldeep wasn’t among the wickets on Monday, but he was almost as thrifty as Jadeja with his stock ball and wrong’un on a helpful surface.Dipendra Singh Airee and Kami then showed that they could also cut it against India’s superstars. Kami, in particular, lined up the short balls from Siraj and Hardik Pandya during his 48 off 56 balls while Airee contributed 29 off 25 balls.Playing his first ODI since March, and only playing because of Bumrah’s unavailability on Monday, Mohammed Shami combined with Siraj to bowl Nepal out for 230 in 48.2 overs.Gill’s calm and the Rohit storm then blew Nepal’s attack away in a truncated chase.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane could return to the Premier League after the 2026 World Cup, with Manchester United keen on a deal.

• Bayern striker considering PL return
• Bundesliga club may be willing to do business
• Manchester United leading the race

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per the , industry insiders believe that Kane may be available next summer, after the 2026 World Cup. The England captain's contract is said to have a clause that decreases each year, and Bayern may be willing to do business. The striker turned 32 this month and his contract expires in 2027.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Per the report, Manchester United are deemed the most likely to land Kane's signature if he does move next summer. Tottenham secured a first-option clause in the deal to sell Kane to Bayern but it would only kick in if the Bundesliga club agreed to sell him, and if the former Spurs star were willing to return to north London.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kane has been remarkably consistent for Bayern since his arrival in 2023, scoring 85 goals in 96 games. He finally ended his long-running trophy drought last season as Bayern won the Bundesliga.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bayern play Lyon in a pre-season friendly this weekend, and then play Tottenham on August 7.

Dimitar Berbatov has admitted he was "disappointed" Viktor Gyokeres chose to join Arsenal as his former club Manchester United prepare to face him.

Arsenal play United this weekendGyokeres could make first-team debutUnited signed Benjamin SeskoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former United striker Berbatov has expressed his "disappointment" that Gyokeres chose to move to Arsenal in the summer, in what ended up being a £64 million ($87m) deal. The Red Devils, of course, signed Benjamin Sesko instead, and the pair are set to go toe-to-toe on Sunday, when the two sides kick off their Premier League campaigns.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Gyokeres scored a staggering 54 goals in all competitions with Sporting last season, while Sesko netted 21 times for RB Leipzig in all competitions. Berbatov, as a result, predicts an intriguing duel between the two forwards, and also Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim.

WHAT BERBATOV SAID

Berbatov told A Bola: "Yes, he was phenomenal in Portugal."

He added: "I'm a little jealous, to be honest. Sad and even disappointed because he did not go to United, because there was even a Portuguese connection. But he chose Arsenal. In a way, I get it. Arsenal are playing well, play good football, with pass, pass, looking for spaces. Mikel Arteta is a student of Pep Guardiola and that's how he plays, he's never going to change. 

"Gyokeres will have opportunities to make his mark there, for sure. And the first game of the season will be a test for everyone: Amorim against Arteta, United against Arsenal, Gyokeres against Sesko — United’s new 9. Therefore, you can already see some interesting duels on the field."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

United and Arsenal will both look to lay down a marker at the other's expense on Sunday. 

Are Aston Villa now able to spend freely?

On Monday, completely coincidentally on the final day of their accounting year, the Villans sold their women’s team to themselves, thereby avoiding breaching the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules.

So now, having avoided a potential points deduction, Unai Emery will be looking to bolster his squad, so could Villa land a new striker?

Aston Villa targeting attacking reinforcements

Jhon Durán has to go down as one of the best pieces of business in modern Premier League history, joining Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023 for a reported fee of around £13m, having made just 27 appearances for the Men in Red in Major League Soccer, scoring eight goals.

Well, two years later, following his scoring spree at the start of last season, Durán was sold to Al-Nassr for £71m last January, representing a near 600% return on investment, easing the Villans’ PSR concerns.

Well, the Colombian is back in the news again because, after a miserly 18 appearances in Saudi Arabia, scoring 12 goals, he is reportedly set to join José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, continuing one of the more unique and bizarre career arcs.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, speaking of İstanbul-based giants, a report by TurkishFootball.com claims that Villa are in talks with Beşiktaş over the possibility of signing striker Semih Kılıçsoy, adding that he is valued at €15m (£13m).

Well, the Black Eagles themselves, who are managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjær these days, have just signed Tammy Abraham from AC Milan for the exact same amount, with the England international having been handed Kılıçsoy’s number nine shirt.

In response to this, journalist Fırat Günayer stated that he would be “surprised” if Kılıçsoy was still with Beşiktaş by the end of the transfer window, adding “there are a few offers… on the table”.

So, could the 19-year-old be set to swap the Bosphorus for Birmingham?

Why Semih Kılıçsoy could replicate Jhon Durán's success at Aston Villa

After joining Beşiktaş as an 11-year-old, Kılıçsoy made his Süper Lig debut against Antalyaspor in February 2023, before scoring his first goal for the Black Eagles during a Conference League qualifying victory over KF Tirana five months later.

In total, he has netted 16 times in 85 appearances for the Turkish giants, winning the Türkiye Kupası in 2024, his most notable goal coming against Malmö in the Europa League last November, this coming in a 2-1 victory at Tüpraş Stadyumu.

His performances have earned international recognition too, debuting for Türkiye against Italy at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara last June, subsequently included in Vincenzo Montella’s Euros squad.

Given his performances, analyst Ben Mattinson has dubbed him a “very powerful” forward, while Luis Kircher of Total Football Analysis believes that he is known for his ‘lethal finishing capabilities’ and ‘versatility’, forecasting that he will become a ‘prolific’ goalscorer at the elite level in the coming years.

So, let’s see how Kılıçsoy compares to Durán, prior to his move to Villa from Illinois.

Appearances

85

75

Minutes

4,227

4,182

Goals

16

17

Assists

9

10

Senior international caps

4

3

As the table outlines, Durán, prior to joining Aston Villa, and Kılıçsoy right now boast similar levels of experience, with the Turkish striker actually having accumulated more senior appearances and minutes, scoring just one fewer goal. He also boasts that necessary “selfish” streak that the Colombian possesses, as Mattinson noted.

Also, Durán had played in Colombia’s Categoría Primera A and MLS which, according to Global Football Rankings, are the 32nd and ninth-strongest leagues in the world, with the Turkish Süper Lig somewhere in the middle at 18th.

Thus, it is clear that Kılıçsoy is a high-quality, high-potential player, one that is seemingly on the way out of Beşiktaş, suggesting he is available and more than talented enough to be a star at Villa Park.

Potentially arriving as a relative unknown teenager, in a similar vein to Duran, the promising marksman could be Emery’s next Villa success story.

The next Tielemans: Aston Villa submit bid to sign "incredible" £34m star

Aston Villa fans would love to welcome in this new signing who could be Unai Emery’s next Youri Tielemans.

1 ByKelan Sarson Jul 1, 2025

A drawn series took the gloss off, but given where the squad were 12 months ago, retention was a triumph

Daniel Brettig at The Oval15-Sep-2019A pesky Australian hundred, a fourth-innings collapse, an England team celebrating victory at The Oval to round off the summer. On a sunny Sunday afternoon at Kennington, so much of this looked very familiar for Australian cricketers of recent vintage, right down to the raucous noise emanating from the seats as the final set of the touring side’s wickets fell.What was different, though, arrived at the end of a lengthy presentation ceremony, albeit beneath a backdrop emblazoned with the words “series drawn”. If this sounded uncharitable then it was nothing compared to the four Australian fingers and the clenched English fist that had greeted many of the same players in Sydney a little more than 18 months ago.Tim Paine’s Australian team did not end this ceremony as four before them had done, standing to one side as a group of men in three lions caps lifted the Ashes urn. This time it was their champagne, their streamers, and their reason to be most cheerful, not only for retaining the urn, but being part of the best Ashes series since 2005, and arguably the friendliest since then too.England undoubtedly deserved their final victory, but it was one that the Australians could afford to concede so far as the urn was concerned. Through Edgbaston, Lord’s, Headingley and Old Trafford, when the Ashes were alive, they had played more of the better cricket, boasting in Steven Smith the undisputed dominant force in the series, in Marnus Labuschagne a worthy understudy, and in Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon three of the five leading wicket-takers.It had taken a Ben Stokes miracle in Leeds to keep the Ashes alive for one more Test, and after that crushing moment, the way the Australians recovered their composure and put together a determined and sustained display in Manchester spoke volumes for their resilience but also their perspective: something they had gained in spades in the year and a half since the Newlands scandal that had followed the previous Ashes series.Unburdened by the pressure of the Ashes and the expectation that went with it, England played much the better cricket at The Oval, underlined by the numerous holes that Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer punched in the Australian top-order. Ultimately it meant that both the World Cup and the Ashes would be determined by wildly varying count-back systems. The World Cup final’s, for most boundaries when the Super Over ended in a tie, was among cricket’s newest. The tradition that states that the Ashes stays with the winner of the preceding series is among the oldest and far less likely to ever change. Both sides knew the math entering this series, and Australia did just enough, as England did back in July.Reflecting on the achievement, Paine had little hesitation in pointing out that the foundation for the result had been laid in the first Test in Birmingham, where he and the rest of the team had faced the most raucous crowd in England and run away with a comprehensive victory. For that, they owed plenty to Smith, who rescued the tourists from 122 for 8 on day one and then carved out twin centuries, but also to a far superior series preparation than that enjoyed by England.”Certainly Edgbaston, there was so much talk about that being a fortress and how difficult a place that was going to be for us to start the series, probably by design,” Paine said. “So for us to come over and win that first Test quite convincingly gave us the belief we could do it and gave us a taste that how we wanted to play over here could work. To get that confirmation early made it easier for the guys to stick to what we wanted to do. Getting off to a good start is important when you are overseas.”Matthew Wade celebrates with Pat Cummins after bringing up his ton•Getty ImagesSmith, too, saw Birmingham as the key to all that followed for him, namely 774 runs and an undisputed garland as the player of the series. “That gave me a lot of confidence,” Smith said. “That was my favourite innings of the whole series that I played. The first Test match as we know is always incredibly important in an Ashes series and to pull the team out of what was trouble at the time gve me that confidence straight up that I could slot back in and perform.”Nevertheless, the entry of Archer into the series, at the expense of the injured James Anderson, changed the balance of the remaining Tests. Joe Root and England will be happy in the knowledge that, with their new spearhead helping the other members of the attack, plus the significant addition of Jack Leach in place of the listless Moeen Ali, they won two of the remaining four matches and set down a decent marker for the next Ashes encounter in Australia.It is for that reason, plus the way the Australians twice failed to follow up a victory with an equally staunch performance (Paine notably bowled first at both Lord’s and The Oval and paid for it with a draw and a defeat), the touring side will go home without too great a degree of triumphalism.They will also know, the batsmen in particular, that the imminent start of the Sheffield Shield season, four rounds to take place before the home Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand, will see plenty of jockeying for places.”There’s no doubt every team needs to be improving, we’ve spoken about Steve this series, he is the best player in the world and he is still improving,” Paine said. “The moment we stop or think we don’t have to improve, there is something wrong. We are disappointed the way we played this game but, as a whole series, we had some good moments in a country where Australia hasn’t had some success for some time.ALSO READ: Steven Smith v the world: Where does he rank among the greatest?“We can be proud of that but we’ve got a way to go,” he added. “Steve had an unbelievably good series and won us some Tests by himself so we’ve got some parts we need to improve, but if we click them into gear while he’s at the height of his powers and with the pace attack we’ve got, then in the next few years we are going to be a very hard team to beat.”***There was another kind of perspective to be applied to Australia’s fortunes. Little more than a year ago, the ODI team had arrived in this part of the world, with Paine as captain and Langer as coach, saying all the right things about balancing performance, culture and improved behaviour. Promptly they had been atomised 5-0, and there were other humiliations to be endured against Pakistan, South Africa and India at home before things began to improve.A solid upward path since then was aided, of course, by the return of Smith, and if the final presentation had been something of an anti-climax, then the day’s emotional high point had surrounded his exit. Smith’s score of 23 was his lowest of the series by a distance and more or less guaranteed England’s victory. But he was given the most generous standing ovation of his entire time in England, fitting recognition for a commanding but also graceful performance across the summer.”It was a nice reception when I walked off, it would have been nice if I had a few more runs under my belt in this game … I’ve given it my all since I’ve been here the last four and a half months every Test match we have played and I didn’t have much left to give today,” Smith said. “I’m pretty cooked to be honest, mentally and physically, and I am looking forward to a nice couple of weeks’ rest before getting back into the Australian summer.”This, too, provided a reminder of the lessons from 18 months ago. Back then, Smith had been similarly fried but given only a few days of rest before suiting up again for ODIs and then South Africa where it all went wrong. Australia have not won the series here, but the humbler result is also in keeping with the fact that this is a more humble team learning, day by day, to marry better cricket to better conduct. Paine was able to speak freely about how unlikely this had all been for him, let alone the team.”I didn’t think I’d still be doing it to be honest and here we are,” Paine said. “I’m very lucky as I have said a number of times to be in the position I’m in and now to be captain of a team that has come here and retained the Ashes is something I’m sure I’ll never forget. We’re bringing the urn home and that’s what we came here to do, we’re thrilled by that.”We’re a little disappointed by this game, obviously, it’s put a bit of a dampener on it. But overall, had you said we were taking them home, we would have jumped at it and taken it.”Right now it’s still a bit close to a loss to be absolutely thrilled about what happened. But when you put it in perspective of what we have done in the past 12 months, I think as a group, we can be proud of the way we have come over here. We’ve got a lot right a lot to be really proud about.”In 2019, Australia came to England and did not lose the Ashes. Whatever the whys and wherefores of a first 2-2 series result between these sides since 1972, that statement will sit well with every member of the team that made it so.

Compared to last summer, the left-armer is in a far better place physically and he was impressive against Pakistan

Alex Malcolm04-Nov-2024

There’s always whispers about Mitchell Starc. He is a lightning rod for opinion in Australian cricket. But the whispers going around at the start of this summer are generating some serious excitement.His off-Broadway seven-wicket Sheffield Shield haul at the MCG two weeks ago had set tongues wagging in both the New South Wales and Victoria dressing rooms.Sean Abbott said he was trying to avoid being stationed in the slips because of how quick Starc was bowling. Victoria coach Chris Rogers, with five Test hundreds to his name, briefly joked about joining David Warner in offering a Test comeback before noting that watching Starc bowl made him rethink even joking about it.Related

Australia's ODI questions: Opening 'fireworks', filling Green's spot and the back-up quicks

Cummins denies Pakistan a heist to remember as Australia go 1-0 up

Those whispers became roars on the first day of the home summer for Australia’s men. On another fast and bouncy MCG pitch, Starc had a field day. He took 3 for 33 from 10 against Pakistan, including three maidens. The last time he delivered three maidens in an ODI was on the same ground in 2016.He beat both openers for pace. He lit up the stumps of a tailender. It was Starc at his quintessential best.”It’s always nice to find that rhythm I guess at the front end of the summer,” Starc said after collecting player-of-the-match on Monday. “Probably didn’t have that rhythm in the UK tour, with a few moving parts and a bit of sickness getting around the group.”Twelve months ago, Starc was just limping to the start line of the home summer, having somehow played 10 of 11 games in the ODI World Cup and contributed in the semi-final and final, despite carrying a significant physical issue that he has never wanted to disclose.Saturday’s main training session at the MCG was instructive as to how much better he is feeling compared to this time last year where his preparation was severely limited due to the physical issue he was battling.On Saturday he was in full flow in the nets. There was no inhibition. His only pause was to have a lengthy conversation about his load up with head coach Andrew McDonald and bowling coach Daniel Vettori. There was no angst or concern. He was merely describing a feeling and an internal cue that he wanted.It is a sweet spot for a fast bowler to be. Fit, firing and pain free, with only a simple thought to worry about before letting another rocket fly.”I think more physically, coming off a few issues through the World Cup into last summer in comparison to this summer, I sort of feel like the body is in a good space, and felt like I had really good rhythm, and felt really good last week in the Shield game,” Starc said.”I’m not really tweaking anything, but just focusing on a few things technically. But I think the physical aspect of it, the body is in a much better place than last year.”Starc confirmed he will play the next ODI on Friday in Adelaide but was cagey about whether he would fly to Perth. Josh Hazlewood will join the squad in for the second match against Pakistan after playing a Shield game for New South Wales in Sydney that finished on Monday.It seems more than likely that both Starc and Cummins will avoid the trip to Perth before heading over there the following Sunday to prepare for the first Test against India. A decision on whether Hazlewood plays two games in three days in Adelaide and Perth will be made in due course.”I expect to play in Adelaide, and then we’ll go from there,” Starc said. “It’s a few days between this one and Adelaide, a chance to play the golf and get ready for Friday. Different story between Friday and Sunday in Perth.”

Gaby Lewis’ smashing second T20I century backed up by Orla Prendergast’s all-round show helped Ireland record a close seven-run win in the second T20I against Sri Lanka to level the two-match series 1-1.Batting first in Dublin, Ireland lost Amy Hunter inside the powerplay, but Lewis kept the hosts going. She found an ally in Prendergast with the duo adding 119 runs for the second wicket off 80 balls. Lewis did the bulk of the scoring in the partnership with 78 off 49 balls while Prendergast scored 38 off 31.Lewis reached her fifty off 40 balls with both batters upping their pace after the halfway mark. Prendergast struck Achini Kulasuriya for back-to-back fours in the 12th over before Lewis followed suit in the next striking Shashini Gimhani for two fours of her own. Even with Prendergast not finding the boundaries often, Lewis made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking.Lewis raced to her second T20I century in the 19th over smashing Kanchana for a six and four, getting to the mark in 68 balls. An emotional Lewis hugged her partner and removed her helmet raising her bat to the crowd and her team-mates. She then took three fours off Kulasuriya in the final over and was run out off the final ball for 119 off 75 ball as Ireland raced to 173 for 3, their sixth-highest total in T20Is. Lewis struck 17 fours and two sixes in her innings.Sri Lanka lost Vishmi Gunaratne early in the chase but Harshitha Samarawickrama threatened to repeat her first T20I heroics once again. She started with two fours in the first over against Freya Sargent before hitting Jane Maguire for six.Samarawickrama got good support from No. 4 Kavisha Dilhari with the duo adding 72 off 49 balls for the fourth wicket. Just when things looked to be going Sri Lanka’s way, Jane Maguire struck a telling blow removing Samarawickrama for a 44-ball 65.Dilhari, however, kept finding the boundaries at regular intervals even as Sri Lanka lost wickets at the other end. The visitors required 22 off the last two overs and 16 off six. Dilhari struck a six in the final over to reach her fifty but with eight needed off two, failed to get a clean connection as the hosts managed to level the series.

Short says he is intent on claiming a permanent opening spot ahead of Fraser-McGurk after blasting 41 off 26 in a match-winning opening stand with Head

Alex Malcolm12-Sep-2024

“All yours now champion.” That was the caption David Warner posted on his Instagram Story picture of himself and Jake Fraser-McGurk sharing a drink following his T20I retirement in June.It was assumed by Warner and the majority of Australia that Fraser-McGurk was his natural successor at the top of the order in Australia’s T20I side and possibly the ODI team as well.But Australia’s selectors aren’t so sure at the moment, and Matthew Short is intent on making his case to be the permanent partner to Travis Head after making 41 off 26 in a blistering match-winning 86-run stand off 36 balls to take the opening T20I away from England’s reach before the end of the first powerplay in Southampton.Related

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Bartlett suffers side strain, Dwarshuis called in as cover for ODIs

While Fraser-McGurk’s meteoric star has shot from the fringes of domestic cricket into the stratosphere in less than 12 months thanks to a mind-blowing IPL, Short has been the country’s most consistent all-format batter at Australian domestic level in the past two years and the most dominant opener in the BBL over the past two tournaments, winning back-to-back tournament MVP awards.Short was unsure if he would get the chance to open after missing the Scotland series due to the birth of his first child. But he is intent on taking his chance at the top of the order after being shuffled around in his previous eight T20I innings.”I only found out last night,” Short said following Australia’s 28-run win. “Obviously, with Davey Warner out, you sort of know that the spot’s opened up. But then Jake Fraser-McGurk has been playing the last few games in Scotland, so you never know where you sit. But I’m glad I sort of took that opportunity tonight and played my role to help the team with a win tonight.”It’s a personal sort of goal of mine. I’ve been in and out of the side recently over the last 12-18 months. Now Dave is out, I’m really trying to take this opportunity and cement my spot in this side.”Matthew Short sweeps hard behind square•AFP

The opening spots in Australia’s T20I are the most coveted and the most competitive. Australia have a multitude of players who can do it well. Where the selectors would like to build depth is in the middle order and the death overs. It was an area that won them the 2021 T20 World Cup through Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade, who had been moulded into death batters despite being domestic openers. They have found a world class specialist in Tim David but he has come off the boil slightly since a sizzling start to his career, albeit he is still contributing in the most difficult of batting roles.It was an area Australia fell short in during the recent T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in the losses to Afghanistan and India having been in positions to achieve both chases. They also fell away badly against England in Southampton although it did not cost them the game, turning a powerplay of 86 for 1 into a total of 179, having been bowled out without using all 20 overs.Australia’s selectors want to build flexibility with all their T20I batters, and had tried to give Short some opportunities in the middle order on last year’s five-match T20I tour of India, this year’s tour of New Zealand and also in three of his four ODI appearances. But it has become abundantly clear that Short is most comfortable at the top of the order. In T20s, he averages 29.96 and strikes at 150.09 batting in the top three compared to 14.09 at a strike rate of 113.97 batting at No.4 or lower.The strike rate divergence is even higher in his limited T20I appearances. He strikes at 186 in his seven innings in the top three and just 126.66 in his two innings at No.6.It is clear he has his method worked out at the top of the order, and he fits in seamlessly alongside Head in Australia’s game plan to go as hard as they can in the powerplay.”It’s a pretty clear game plan from the coaching staff,” Short said. “Just go out there with freedom and take the positive options. Trav and I sort of go into the games with that mindset.”Short being preferred to Fraser-McGurk for the opening game of this series is not a guarantor of the selectors’ future thinking as they plan for the 2026 World Cup. Fraser-McGurk’s talent remains a tantalising prospect. But even his IPL coach Ricky Ponting admitted this week on the that his game still needs refining. Fraser-McGurk’s all or nothing showing in Scotland was evidence of that where he faced 17 dot balls in 23 deliveries across three innings.Short, by contrast, scored off the first seven balls he faced in Southampton but did not strike a boundary until his sixth delivery when he launched back-to-back sixes off Reece Topley.Captain Mitchell Marsh said earlier this week there was “no pressure” on Fraser-McGurk to succeed immediately at international level. But Short is applying some pressure of his own to give Australia a wealth of opening options.

Manchester United are ready to conduct several sales this summer and former boss Erik ten Hag has discussed signing two players for Bayer Leverkusen, as per a report.

Man Utd set to enact mass changes under Amorim

Ruben Amorim faces quite the baptism of fire in his first summer window in charge of Manchester United, which arrives amid the backdrop of losing a bounty worth in excess of £100 million for failing to claim the Europa League crown.

Although Matheus Cunha is on his way to Old Trafford, there is no getting away from the fact that big-money sales will be needed to bring quality additions to Old Trafford after a forgettable season that supporters will swiftly want airbrushed from their memory.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes could head for Saudi Arabia if the price is right, signaling that nobody is off-limits in a period where Manchester United are set to put their own financial health before retaining big-money stars.

Arguably, that culture shift should’ve taken place quite a while ago at Old Trafford. However, with the lure of European football no longer an option, there is an opportunity for the Red Devils to streamline costs in an efficient manner.

Currently on a post-season tour of Asia, Manchester United are set to make £7.8 million from their exploits, showing that there are other ways of generating cash flow that can be put back into the playing squad.

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Nevertheless, the primary mode of bringing income to the club will be through trading assets, and they could now have the opportunity to move on two stars who could rake in significant financial capital if reports are to be believed.

Bayer Leverkusen and Ten Hag eyeing £110m+ Man Utd double duo

According to Kicker, Bayer Leverkusen and Ten Hag have held internal talks to sign Manchester United duo Antony and Alejandro Garnacho in the summer window to replace Liverpool-bound Florian Wirtz.

The former has come off the back of a sensational second half of the campaign on loan at Real Betis, while the latter is also attracting interest from Napoli and AC Milan as his future begins to become more precarious at Old Trafford.

Antony – 2024/25 (all competitions)

Appearances: 40

Goals: 10

Assists: 5

Alejandro Garnacho – 2024/25 (all competitions)

Appearances: 58

Goals: 11

Assists: 10

Garnacho is the top target and has been viewed as someone who could be sold in the £70 million bracket. On the same token, it has been claimed Antony could be available for around the £42 million mark.

Of course, the Argentinian international in question is already someone who has expressed a desire to leave Old Trafford that has been mutually reciprocated. Following a similar path, the prospect of Antony having a Manchester United future is viewed as “impossible” as the window nears opening time.

For differing reasons, clearing both from the decks would be a welcome turn of events for Amorim, who will hope to claim back as much money as possible to put back into scaling up ahead of next season.