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Stokes backed for return to form in New Zealand with short turnaround between tours

Matt Roller27-Oct-2024Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, said that Ben Stokes is “hurting” after struggling to make an impact in their 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan, but has backed his “tough bugger” captain to return to his best in New Zealand next month.Stokes returned from two months on the sidelines with a torn hamstring ahead of England’s second Test in Multan last week but failed to contribute as Pakistan staged their comeback. He apologised to his players for losing his temper following a string of fielding lapses in the second Test, bowled 10 wicketless overs in the series, and made 53 runs in four innings, with two slapstick dismissals.After England’s nine-wicket defeat in Rawalpindi, Stokes said that the last three weeks had “felt like a very long tour” due to his intense rehabilitation, which McCullum suggested had inhibited his performance both as a batter and as a captain.Related

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Captain Stokes loses his sheen as Rawalpindi return ends in flat defeat

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“That injury was quite a significant injury,” McCullum said. “He had to work incredibly hard to get back. As the driven athlete he is, he’s all in when he does something. He had to put in a lot of graft there, and subconsciously, it can… not cloud things, but maybe you’re not quite as screwed down as you can be in terms of decision-making.”That’s natural, as long as you learn from that and make sure next time you’re presented with that situation you’re able to block out the noise and stay crystal clear in the moment. He’s disappointed, but he’s our skipper and we know he’s a tough bugger. He’ll make sure he’ll come back and it’s our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way.”The series defeat was only England’s second since Stokes took over from Joe Root as captain two-and-a-half years ago, but both have come in the subcontinent this year. The first, a 4-1 loss in India, prompted McCullum to call for “refinement” ahead of England’s home summer, but this time there is only a short turnaround before their three-match series in New Zealand.Ben Stokes could not exert his usual influence, despite winning the toss in Rawalpindi•Getty Images

McCullum said it would be his own responsibility to ensure that England’s management are consistent in their messaging. “We all know how competitive and driven the skipper is,” he said. “He’ll be hurting right now, with how the series has unfolded. It’s my job to make sure I’m there to support him, and make sure we still remain on-task with what we are trying to do as a collective, and our messaging to the group about how we want to keep playing cricket moving forward.”Sometimes as leaders, if you do suffer a little bit of disappointment yourself, it can be very easy to allow that to permeate through in your messaging to the group. But since Stokesy came on board as captain, he’s been very clear and precise about how he wants his team to play.”What’s really important is to never flinch with that and stay true to it, even if you’re struggling yourself. You’ve still got to keep using the same messaging. He’ll be better for the run, no doubt: a couple of weeks off, freshen up and back to conditions which are a bit more similar to back in England. It’s another opportunity for us.”England have lost six of their eight Tests in Asia this year, and are not due to return to the subcontinent until a two-match series in Bangladesh in February 2027. McCullum said the team would look back with “disappointment” and this tour and that their method in spin-friendly conditions needed to be “a little bit better” than it has been”If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve had opportunities to put up a better record than that, so it’s disappointing,” McCullum said. “You don’t get too many opportunities to nail down big series in the subcontinent. We’ve had those chances, and we weren’t quite good enough.”I know we don’t come back to the subcontinent for a couple of years, but there’s still times even in other countries when we’re presented with spinning wickets, and we’ve got to make sure our approach is a little bit more screwed down, a little bit better than it is. That will be some of the conversations we have.”It’s a matter of trying to get that environment to a place where it’s confident, it’s clear and the messaging is very simple. With failure, sometimes it brings about a little bit of deeper thought and that’s something we’ll have to do over the next little while.”We’ve also got a very quick turnaround for the New Zealand series, but we have to make sure we’ve learned some lessons from this and be better when we get the chance. That’s the nice thing: we do get an opportunity, and it would be nice to bounce back in New Zealand.”

The 2024/25 season was a campaign where West Ham United struggled in front of goal. Of course, it was not exactly plain sailing last season, with two different managers taking charge at the London Stadium. Yet, the 46 goals scored by the Hammers last term is certainly a disappointing figure.

That has not been helped by the fact that the East Londoners lost one of their main creative sources this summer. Mohammed Kudus joined London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a £55m fee. Losing a player as influential as the Ghanaian in the final third was certainly a blow to the Hammers.

After the sale of the versatile attacker, West Ham are linked with a new forward who could step into the shoes of Kudus next season.

West Ham’s Kudus replacement

Although it is a shame that Kudus’ time at the London Stadium has come to an end, it does mean that Graham Potter can sign an attacking player of his own to the Hammers squad, with Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes emerging as a leading target.

The £50m-rated Saints starlet isn’t the only option being considered, however, with Simon Jones of The Mail reporting that the Hammers are one of the sides in the race to sign Brighton and Hove Albion attacker Facundo Buonanotte.

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They are said to be ‘showing interest’ in a move for the forward, who the Seagulls ‘are prepared to allow’ a loan move for.

This will not be a straightforward deal to complete. The 20-year-old is subject to interest from Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Reports earlier in the summer suggested that a €40m (£34m) price was quoted to Dortmund for a permanent move.

However, a loan is more likely now, with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, and Spurs all interested, too.

Why Buonanotte would be a good signing

Despite their relegation last term, Buonanotte spent the entirety of the 2024/25 season on loan at Leicester City. He impressed for the Foxes in spite of their poor form, and it is clear to see why the Hammers would like to add him to their ranks.

The 20-year-old attacker, who can play as a number ten or off the right, played 35 games for the Foxes last term. In that time, he managed to find the back of the net six times and assist a further three goals.

The former Rosario Central star has also shone for the Seagulls in limited opportunities. He’s played 50 times, but featured for just 2493 minutes, the equivalent of 27 full 90-minute games. In that time, Buonanotte has bagged five goals and assisted two.

Replacing Kudus will not be easy for the youngster, but perhaps his “left foot made of gold”, according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, will help him.

Indeed, the former Hammers attacker was praised for his “wand of a left foot” by TNT Sport commentator Don Hutchison back in 2023.

Kudus actually had a similar season to Buonanotte last term. In 35 appearances across all competitions for the Hammers, the 25-year-old scored five goals and grabbed four assists.

Like the Brighton star, he played on the right-hand side, as a number ten and also on the left.

The underlying stats between the two players from last season are neck and neck, too. For example, Buonanotte averaged 1.42 key passes and 3.2 progressive passes per 90 minutes.

In comparison, new Spurs man Kudus averaged 1.08 key passes and 2.74 progressive passes each game.

Buonanotte and Kudus key stats compared

Stat (per 90)

Buonanotte

Kudus

Goals and assists

0.41

0.28

Key passes

1.42

1.08

Progressive passes

3.2

2.74

Goal-creating actions

0.3

0.35

Ball recoveries

4.67

4.79

Stats from FBref

All the evidence suggests that Buonanotte could indeed become Potter’s new Kudus next season. The youngster is remarkably similar when it comes to the data, and the fact that both are number ten’s with a deadly left foot further upholds the comparison.

Even though this is likely to be a loan deal, it could be a fantastic piece of business for the Hammers and the perfect Kudus replacement.

Related Their new Lanzini: West Ham in talks to sign "exceptional" £50m star

The promising talent could become something special for West Ham.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 13, 2025

Only Jake Fraser-McGurk and AB de Villiers have scored faster List A centuries

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2024

Anmolpreet Singh, the Punjab top-order batter, has gone into the record books for hitting the third-fastest List A century, his 35-ball effort putting him at No. 3 on the all-time list. Only Jake Fraser-McGurk (29 balls) and AB de Villiers (31) sit above him.Walking out at No. 3 against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy game in Ahmedabad after the fall of captain Abhishek Sharma in the second over, Anmolpreet got to his century with 11 fours and eight sixes. While all the Arunachal Pradesh bowlers went for plenty – left-arm spinner Hardik Verma was the most economical at 9.52 – he took a special liking to offspinner Techi Neri, who conceded 31 runs in his only over.Thanks to Anmolpreet’s blitz, Punjab overhauled Arunachal Pradesh’s 164 in just 12.5 overs for a nine-wicket win. Anmolpreet finished with 115 in 45 balls, hitting one more six and one more four after crossing the three-figure mark. Abhishek’s opening partner Prabhsimran Singh was the other unbeaten batter with a relatively sedate 35 in 25 balls.De Villiers had broken the record for the quickest List A century – it’s still the fastest ODI century – when he scored 149 in 44 balls for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015. That broke the List A and ODI record of 36 balls, by Corey Anderson of New Zealand against West Indies in 2014. De Villiers’ List A record stood till Fraser-McGurk took just 29 balls to get there for South Australia against Tasmania – in a losing effort – in the Marsh Cup in October 2023.Anmolpreet, who has in the past played for Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL, though with moderate returns, went unsold in the latest IPL auction.

MatériaMais Notícias

A criação da liga de clubes do futebol brasileiro é um dos temas frequentes na Sports Summit, eventoque reúne a indústria do esporte em São Paulo nesta semana. Em palestras distintas nesta quarta-feira, executivos da LaLiga e da Liga Portuguesa falaram sobre o tema e defenderam a importância da união entre os clubes.

Octavi Anoro, diretor internacional da LaLiga, foi o primeiro a falar. O dirigente reiterou não poder fazer uma recomendação sobre o processo que está acontecendo no Brasil, mas argumentou que a venda centralizadados direitos televisivos centralizadas permite um crescimento sustentável para o produto, beneficiando todos os clubes.

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+ Organizador do Sports Summit diz que primeiro dia do evento no Brasil ‘vai além do que sonhava’

– Consideremos que é necessário centralizar os direitos audiovisuais, pensar de forma coletiva.Isso irá multiplicar a arrecadação. É preciso construir um produto digital, adaptado aos novos tempos, com o potencial esportivo que há no Brasil, que lidera o esporte sul-americano nos últimos tempos.A parte esportiva reforçada com a parte de negócios potente e bem estruturada irá criar um coquetel explosivo que potencializará a liga brasileira como uma das melhores do mundo – disse o Anoro.

O executivo também contou como foi o processo de formação e consolidação da liga espanhola, em que há a presença de dois clubes dominantes: Barcelona e Real Madrid. Segundo Anoro, para que o negócio da LaLiga pudesse crescer, foi necessário mostrar aos dois gigantes que o fortalecimento da competição não os prejudicaria, mas sim faria o mercado como um todo crescer em ritmo mais acelerado.

+Estádio, juros e investimentos: entenda como Atlético-MG superou R$ 2 bilhões em dívidas

– Na Espanha, temos sorte de contar com dois dos clubes mais potentes do mundo, Barcelona e Real Madrid, que estão em um nível de negócios distinto em relação aos outros times da Espanha. Entendemos que temos 42 clubes, não só Barcelona e Real Madrid. Acreditamos em trabalhar de forma unificada, para criar um produto muito sólido. Não queremos fazer com que Barcelona e Real Madrid ganhem menos. Queremos que eles continuem crescendo. Mas queremos que outros clubes também cresçam – comentou Anoro.

A visão é compartilhada por Pedro Proença, presidente da Liga Portuguesa. Para ele, a venda centralizada dos direitos de transmissão resulta em uma menor disparidade entre as receitas dos clubes. Ele falou, inclusive, sobre a situação específica do futebol português,no qual o Governo precisou intervir e obrigou unificação dos clubes, prevista para acontecer a partir de 2028.

Por conta da experiência com a liga portuguesa, Proença defende que seja adotado um modelo semelhante no Brasil. Para ele, é inviável exportar a futura liga brasileira se times como Flamengo e Corinthians venderem seus direitos de maneira individualizada.

-A grande razão (para a importância da centralização) é não termos um produto homogêneo. Não temos um modelo, em que o primeiro e o 18º colocado cumprem exatamente as mesmas regras. Não temos um modelo de controle econômico dos clubes que obrigue que as verbas que recebemos sejam investidas nomeadamente em infraestrutura, gramado, iluminação, na qualidade do produto.A recomendação que eu dou para o futebol brasileiro é: quanto mais cedo fizerem, mais cedo haverá o produto – analisou Proença.

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Como estão as negociações no Brasil?

O Brasil vive um processo de formação da liga de clubes desde meados de 2021. A atuação da liga está prevista para começar em 2025, quando o atual contrato de direitos de transmissão da Série A do Brasileirão terá terminado.

Por enquanto, os clubes estão divididos em dois blocos: a Liga do Futebol Brasileiro (Libra), que tem a adesão de 18 times, e a Liga Forte Futebol (LFF), que conta com a participação de 26 equipes.

Ainda não houve entendimento para unificar os dois grupos. Os principais pontos de discordância atualmente são cláusulas de proteção para Flamengo e Corinthians e questões de governança, como a regra de unanimidade presente no estatuto da Libra.

Clubes da Libra (18): Bahia, Botafogo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Grêmio, Guarani, Ituano, Mirassol, Novorizontino, Palmeiras, Ponte Preta, Red Bull Bragantino, Sampaio Corrêa, Santos, São Paulo, Vasco e Vitória.

Clubes da LFF (26): ABC, Athletico-PR, Atlético-MG, América-MG, Atlético-GO, Avaí, Brusque, Chapecoense, Coritiba, Ceará, Criciúma, CRB, CSA, Cuiabá, Figueirense, Fluminense, Fortaleza, Goiás, Internacional, Juventude, Londrina, Náutico, Operário, Sport, Tombense e Vila Nova.

واصل فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، تراجعه في الوقت الحالي بعدما تعرض لهزيمة جديدة وهذه المرة في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، مساء يوم الثلاثاء أمام جالطة سراي.

وواجه ليفربول خصمه جالطة سراي، في ملعب الأخير، في الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رجل مباراة ليفربول وجالطة سراي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وتعرض ليفربول للهزيمة أمام جالطة سراي بهدف دون رد، جاء عن طريق فيكتور أوسيمين من ضربة جزاء في الشوط الأول من عمر المباراة.

وتُعد تلك الهزيمة هي الثانية على التوالي لـ ليفربول، بعدما خسر أمام كريستال بالاس على ملعب “سيلهرست بارك” يوم السبت الماضي بهدفين لهدف، في الجولة السادسة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز. موعد مباراة ليفربول القادمة في الدوري الإنجليزي

ويستعد ليفربول لخوض مباراة قوية أمام فريق تشيلسي، يوم السبت المقبل، في قمة منافسات الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لذلك الموسم.

ويستضيف ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” مباراة فريقي ليفربول وتشيلسي في تمام الساعة 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras segue com sua excelente fase na temporada que chegou a 12 jogos sem derrota somando todas as competições. Com isso e com tudo o que tem acontecido nos últimos anos sob o comando de Abel Ferreira, aumenta o interesse sobre qual seria o segredo de todo esse processo capitaneado pelo treinador português. Ele, porém, não carrega para si esse sucesso e divide com todos os outros agentes envolvidos, como jogadores, funcionários e dirigentes. Mas uma coisa é certa: para trabalhar com Abel não basta ser bom no que faz, é preciso ter caráter.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Contratado em novembro de 2020, o comandante palmeirense já tem dois anos e meio de clube, que lhe proporcionaram uma idolatria incomum, oito títulos conquistados e um time que se consolidou como altamente temido em toda a América do Sul, além de, é claro, marcas e recordes aos montes. E para montar toda essa base nesse tempo, Abel procurou se basear na relação com as pessoas, tanto por ser seu jeito de trabalhar, quanto pela falta de tempo para introduzir outros elementos em maratonas insanas das últimas temporadas.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

– O segredo, a base de tudo, é a relação com as pessoas. É isso que eu faço. Quando eu cheguei, o clube já tinha tudo. Eu trouxe a minha forma de pensar e trabalhar. O clube já tinha toda a estrutura. Eu peguei as peças do quebra-cabeça e juntei. Comecei a montar ele. Essa fotografia, que se sente, é o que o Luan explicou, é o respeito e relacionamento com as pessoas que trabalham contigo. De resto, o conhecimento, está a um clique das nossas mãos – declarou o técnico em sua coletiva pós-jogo contra o Fortaleza.

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Um dos exemplos entre tantos desta era vitoriosa do Palmeiras é a união do grupo, nítida até mesmo para nós que conseguimos ver apenas o que está fora e não dentro do CT. No jogo da última quarta-feira, quando Richard Ríos marca o seu gol, o primeiro desde que chegou ao clube, o colombiano foi comemorar com Endrick, que não estava em campo, mas estava claramente feliz pelo companheiro. Algo parecido aconteceu quando Luan marcou contra o Grêmio, ocasião em que todos os jogadores (até Weverton saiu do gol) foram comemorar com o zagueiro.

– A dancinha a gente já vem falando bastante com o Endrick, se ele tivesse feito ia ser a mesma coisa. Graças a Deus fui abençoado e teve dancinha. O mais importante é a união do grupo, todos são iguais, nos jogos e treinos – declarou Richard na zona mista do Allianz Parque.

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+ Com Marcos Rocha, Palmeiras se reapresenta e inicia sua preparação para o clássico

Dentro desse relacionamento pessoal dito por Abel e dessa cumplicidade dos jogadores, é possível notar que o treinador usou um filtro muito bem preciso para definir quem trabalharia com ele e seguiria nessa jornada vencedora. Para o português, não basta ser bom jogador, é preciso ter caráter. Além disso, ele diz ser um “rapaz de sorte” e não esconde que o respeito entre seus atletas é um motivo de orgulho em seu trabalho.

– Eu não conheço nenhum jogador que trabalhe de forma séria e consistente que não tenha chegado ao seu objetivo. Conheço os outros, que desistem, mas quando desistem a gente manda embora ou troca. Depois é o respeito pelo próximo, isso não tem a ver com ser líder. Às vezes me perguntam “o que é ser líder?” Eu digo que não sei, que é ser eu, que é minha forma de ser, de trabalhar, mas eu acho que eu tenho uma sorte muito grande. Essa galera tem que ter um orgulho muito grande dos pais e das mães, porque são gente de muito caráter, quando se trabalha com gente de caráter, que deixa o ego em casa, que vem para o Palmeiras lutar para um bem maior do que o seu próprio ego, as coisas acontecem de forma natural – disse Abel antes de completar:

– Um dos segredos é exatamente esse: como treina a galera que não joga, quando é preciso ser chamado a jogar, como foi o Luan, como foi o Mayke, como foi o Tabata, eles correspondem e respeitam uns aos outros, me enchem de orgulho, mas tem a ver com o caráter deles, ou tem ou não tem. Eu tenho sorte de ter jogadores de caráter e quem os escolheu, essa é uma regra que vale mais do que só ser bom jogador. Bom jogador é um extra, mas o caráter do homem tem que estar lá, porque quem chuta, quem passa, é o homem, o jogador vem depois.

+ OLHAR DO PORCO: Vantagem construída na Copa pode fazer Palmeiras ter força máxima contra o Galo

Com esse esquema de trabalho e essa exigência pelo caráter, o Palmeiras segue com sua agenda de compromissos cheia e neste sábado, ás 21h, na Vila Belmiro, enfrenta o Santos, pela sétima rodada do Brasileirão. Atualmente, o Verdão é o vice-líder do campeonato com 14 pontos, um a menos do que o Botafogo, que ocupa a primeira posição.

كشفت تقارير صحفية عالمية تطورات جديدة بشأن ما تردد حول رغبة ملاك مانشستر يونايتد في بيع النادي لمستثمر جديد.

ووفقاً ل “talkSPORT” فإن عائلة جلايزر لا تزال تقدر مانشستر يونايتد بأكثر من 5 مليارات جنيه إسترليني وسط شائعات عن استحواذ محتمل من الشرق الأوسط.

وأثار رجل الأعمال السعودي تركي آل الشيخ جنون جماهير مانشستر يونايتد بسبب أنه ادعى على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي بأن الشياطين الحمر على وشك الانتقال لملاك جدد.

وكتب آل الشيخ عبر منصة “إكس” : “أفضل خبر سمعته اليوم أن مانشستر يونايتد في مرحلة متقدمة من إتمام صفقة بيع النادي لمستثمر جديد، آمل أن يكون أفضل من الملاك السابقين”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. حقيقة بيع مانشستر يونايتد لـ تركي آل الشيخ

ويعتقد أن المجموعة التي أشار إليها تركي آل الشيخ مقرها الإمارات العربية المتحدة وقد علم من مصادر مقربة من مانشستر يونايتد أنه تم التواصل مع العديد من أساطير يونايتد بشأن الاستثمار المحتمل.

وكانت عائلة جلايزر قد قامت ببيع حصة أقلية لمجموعة “إنيوس” التابعة للسير جيم راتكليف ولكن هناك بند في الاتفاق يعني أن راتكليف سيجبر على بيع أسهمه أو مطابقة أي عرض تقبله العائلة الأمريكية من الأطراف المهتمة.

وعلى الرغم من ضعف نتائج مانشستر يونايتد وعدم مشاركته في دوري أبطال أوروبا إلا أن عائلة جلايزر مصرة على تقييمها للنادي ويعود ذلك جزئياً للخطط الموضوعة بقيادة راتكليف لبناء ملعب جديد.

وتعتقد عائلة جلايزر أن قيمة مانشستر يونايتد ستستمر في النمو بغض النظر عن نجاحه على أرض الملعب ويتطلع تركي آل الشيخ للاستثمار في نادي لكرة القدم في إنجلترا ولكن ليس مانشستر يونايتد.

جدير بالذكر أن تركي آل الشيخ قد نفى أنه سيكون المستثمر الجديد في مانشستر يونايتد أو أي شخص سعودي لكن ما كتبه عبر صفحته الرسمية جاء بصفته مشجع لمانشستر يونايتد يتمنى أن تتم الصفقة.

“What we’ve been able to achieve together alongside the support staff as well, it’s such a group effort”

Alex Malcolm05-Jan-2025

Australia captain Pat Cummins says he’s immensely proud to claim a trophy that “a few” of his team-mates didn’t have after Australia closed out the Border-Gavaskar series with a six-wicket win in Sydney.”Unreal. This was one that a few of us didn’t have,” Cummins said at the post-series presentation. “It’s been an amazing series. [We’re] immensely proud. We’ve spent a lot of time together as a group over the years, so we knew we weren’t at our best at Perth, but it was never as bad as it seems. So you stick tight and double down on what makes us a really good side.”Scott Boland took 6 for 45 in India’s second innings, and finished with 10 for the Test in a Player-of-the-match display, to set up a chase of 162. The chase had some nervy moments when Australia slumped to 58 for 3 but key contributions from Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Beau Webster guided the hosts home.Related

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Webster hit the winning runs to cap a sparkling debut, making 57 and 39 not out, taking two catches and the wicket of Shubman Gill.The win means Australia reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15. Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are the only members of Australia’s XI in Sydney who played in that series, while Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood also played in both series.The win means Australia’s men hold every bilateral Test trophy they play for, plus the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. The victory also secured Australia’s place in the WTC final where they get to defend their crown against South Africa at Lord’s in June. Cummins, who has never beaten India in a Test series, was ecstatic to finally get over the hurdle.”It’s been such a special group,” Cummins said. “Feel so privileged to first of all have this job. But what we’ve been able to achieve together alongside the support staff as well, it’s such a group effort, families as well. They give up so much. So yeah, really proud with what we’ve been able to achieve.”Cummins was thrilled with the contributions of debutants in the series including Webster, Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney.”We always talk about needing a squad, especially in these five Test match series you’re rarely going to play the same XI and three debutants across series all came in, fitted in really well, and contributed at different times,” Cummins said.”Beau in his debut match this game as well, I thought was fantastic. So yeah, it feels like we’re building something nice.”Cummins was also pleased with his own contributions. He claimed 25 wickets at 21.36 for the series and also contributed 159 runs at 19.87, including match-winning scores of 49 and 41 in Melbourne where he was Player of the Match.”Pretty happy with how I played throughout the series,” Cummins said. “I thought our planning and prep coming in was really good. I was lucky I had a bit of a freshen up leading to the series, and I think that really helped me and a couple of other guys. These are the big series that you try and peak for.”

Newcastle United are set to make a bid “imminently” for one of their top striker targets, as they look to reinforce the front line before the end of the transfer window next Monday.

Howe: Newcastle "running out of attacking options"

Newcastle’s meeting with Liverpool was always expected to be full of drama, but not a single onwatching fan could have predicted the spectacle that took place at St James’ Park. The Magpies, down to 10 men and 2-0 down, valiantly fought back to level at 2-2 courtesy of William Osula from the bench. The young striker, who is full of potential, sent a timely reminder of his quality.

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Ultimately, however, it was a night that saw another young player shine as Rio Ngumoha emerged from the bench to become Liverpool’s youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer in the 99th minute. He was left in dreamland. St James’ Park was left in silence.

Eddie Howe couldn’t hide his disappointment in the result either. Barring the end of the first-half and the start of the second, the Magpies were the side on top. Just like against Aston Villa, however, they lacked a clinical goalscorer to take advantage and Howe admitted that his side are “running out of attacking options”.

Newcastle now have less than a week to solve that attacking problem in a summer that has already seen several targets come and go. That said, one reporter does now expect those at St James’ Park to finally welcome one of their top targets before the deadline.

Newcastle set to make "imminent" new bid for Strand Larsen

Despite reports that their first offer worth £50m was turned down, Jan Åage Fjørtoft now expects Newcastle to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen this week with another bid “imminent”, which “should be enough” to complete a deal.

At this stage of the transfer window, Newcastle have very little time to negotiate small details and simply must go all out to finally welcome a striker.

Strand Larsen’s far from a bad choice, either. Whilst Yoane Wissa has been the name mentioned for most of the summer, the fact that he’s back in Brentford training is not an encouraging sign for Newcastle, who look to be turning to a younger forward with more potential.

Described as “fantastic” by Wolves boss Vitor Pereira last season, Strand Larsen ended the campaign with 14 Premier League goals and could now be on his way to Tyneside as a result.

Axar finished with 2 for 43, and Jaker Ali, the beneficiary of the drop, went on to score 68

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2025

Axar Patel got back-to-back wickets when he sent back Mushfiqur Rahim•ICC/Getty Images

India captain Rohit Sharma rued putting down an “easy” catch at slip to deny Axar Patel a hat-trick in his side’s win against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy.”That was an easy catch, I should have taken that,” Rohit said at the presentation. “The standard I’ve set for myself for standing in the slips… That was a little disappointing, but these things happen, I do understand that. But again, the way these guys bowled that set the game for us.”I know they were 36 [35] for 5 and then they got a big partnership and these things are bound to happen. There will be odd partnerships, credit to [Towhid] Hridoy and Jaker Ali, they played brilliantly to stitch that big partnership. And then with the bat I thought we were very clinical.”Related

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Rohit joked he would take Axar to dinner on Friday night to make it up to him. Axar had sent back Tanzid Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim on consecutive deliveries in the ninth over, and then Jaker edged his first ball behind only to see Rohit shell the chance. Rohit slapped the ground repeatedly in disappointment, while Axar turned back slowly to his mark with his hands on his head.”I was going to celebrate but then I turned around since it didn’t happen,” Axar had said during the innings break, on missing out on the hat-trick. “These things happen, it’s part of the game.”Jaker went on to score 68 in a century partnership with Hridoy, who in turn got to his maiden ODI century. The duo rescued Bangladesh from 35 for 5 to 189 for 6.Axar finished with 2 for 43 from his 10 overs.