England swept aside the challenge of West Indies in a punchy opening Group 2 encounter in Paarl, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight sealing the chase with an unbroken 67-run stand. Hayley Matthews struck the ball cleanly with 42 off 32 for West Indies but a solid total of 135 for 7 was made to look far from adequate by England as the top order dealt in boundaries to hunt down victory with 33 balls to spare.West Indies were buoyed at the toss by the return of Stafanie Taylor and were given a fast start by Matthews, reaching 47 for 0 at the end of the powerplay. But Taylor looked rusty, falling for 3 off 15 soon after, and when Matthews was second out in the 11th over – one of three wickets for Sophie Ecclestone – it was left to Shemaine Campbelle to try and hustle a defendable total.West Indies’ No. 3 made 34 from 37 before falling to some smart glovework from Amy Jones and England pulled off two run-outs to help keep the shackles on through the closing stages. It was, nevertheless, West Indies’ best total batting first in a T20I against England since they made 140 for 6 at Bridgetown in 2013.In reply, England’s spark came from Sophia Dunkley, who belted 34 from 18 as the powerplay yielded 58 runs – their best in World Cups. Both of the openers had departed by then but Alice Capsey continued the freewheeling approach before Sciver-Brunt and Knight ensured there would be no slips-ups in the manner experienced by the hosts, South Africa, during their opening-night defeat to Sri Lanka. Victory was sealed in emphatic fashion by Knight pumping Chinelle Henry over long-off for six.

Slam Dunkley sets the tone

England have talked up the aggressive approach adopted since the arrival of Jon Lewis as head coach, and they walked the walk at the start of what could have been a tricky chase. Dunkley was the aggressor in chief, the opener taking particular liking to Matthews’ offspin when the West Indies captain brought herself on in the third over.Matthews’ first ball was dumped serenely over long-on for the first six of the match, and she proceeded to go over the top twice more with a pair of controlled lofts towards long-off. England had 37 on the board when Danni Wyatt holed out to deep cover in the next over, and raised their 50 from just 29 balls before Dunkley’s fun was cut short by a magnificent reflex caught-and-bowled from Henry.

Sciver-Brunt and Knight keep the foot down

England were already more than halfway to their target when Capsey was stumped yards out of her ground giving Afy Fletcher the charge. After eight overs, the requirement was a comfortable 61 from 72 but Sciver-Brunt and Knight ensured they would not get bogged down by scoring at almost ten an over during their partnership.Zaina James, the 18-year-old spinner playing her second T20I, saw her first ball – a high full toss that was a called a no-ball – swatted disdainfully over the rope at deep square leg by Sciver-Brunt, while Knight brought out the reverse sweep for her first boundary later in the over. In all, there were six overs in which England scored two or more boundaries, and no letting up as West Indies were handed their 14th consecutive defeat in T20Is.Hayley Matthews drives through the covers•ICC/Getty Images

Matthews flies, Taylor stalls

Having won the toss, West Indies sent out their two most-experienced batters at the top of the order. Matthews has been carrying her side in recent times, but the return of Taylor for her first T20I since July 2021 following a back problem came with the promise of greater support – although, in the event, Matthews continued to do the bulk of the hard work.She was in regal touch during the powerplay, during which eight fours flowed off her bat. Matthews got stuck in to Lauren Bell’s wayward third over of the innings, cutting and driving successive boundaries, took a brace of fours off Ecclestone and then three more from Katherine Sciver-Brunt – two deftly steered to deep third, the other a rocket pull – in the sixth to leave West Indies in a healthy position.Taylor had been far less fluent, struggling to get bat on ball and taking 10 deliveries to get off the mark. She was given out in Bell’s first over but successfully overturned Vrinda Rathi’s lbw decision. After six overs, she had 3 off 13 – while Matthews had peeled off 37 from 23 at the other end. But then, to the second ball after the powerplay, Taylor played back to Sarah Glenn and was put out of her misery.

Campbelle keeps Windies out of the soup

The dismissal of Matthews, lbw attempting to sweep Ecclestone, was the point at which England began to exert their grip. Shabika Gajnabi was run out in the next over attempting to come back for two, and West Indies were grateful to Campbelle’s nimble feet and hands during a stand of 41 from 31 with Henry. Campbelle struck four fours and five twos but was brilliantly held by Jones standing up to the wicket, before Knight’s direct hit ran out Henry.Ecclestone helped prevent any lower-order heroics, finish with tidy figures of 3 for 24, as England conceded just one boundary from the final 23 balls of the innings.

Australians Nathan Ellis and Ben McDermott will return to the Ageas Bowl in 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2023Hampshire have confirmed that Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis, their T20 Blast-winning overseas pairing, will return to the club to help their bid to defend the title in 2023.McDermott scored 494 runs in the Blast last season including five centuries, second only to his opening partner and captain James Vince among Hampshire players. He top-scored in the final against Lancashire with 62 – Hampshire’s next-highest score was 22 – and was also involved in 19 dismissals, the second-most in the competition.Ellis, meanwhile, took 15 wickets for Hampshire last year and finished the season with a remarkable economy rate of 6.87, despite predominantly operating as a death bowler.He was involved in a memorable climax to the final: Ellis appeared to have sealed the trophy when he bowled Richard Gleeson, but Hampshire’s celebrations were cut short when replays confirmed he had over-stepped. With three runs to win, he deceived Gleeson with a slower ball, and Lancashire could only manage one bye.Both players were initially signed, in part, through Hampshire’s ties to George Bailey, who captained the club in 2017 and has since become Australia’s lead selector. Bailey has a long-standing connection with Hobart Hurricanes, the Big Bash team that McDermott and Ellis represent.Related

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“Both Ben and Nathan were fantastic for us last year and it’s a great boost to the squad to have them back,” Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said.”They made a big impact at the club and were exceptional on the field. The clarity that comes with continuity will hopefully help in our pursuit of another Finals Day in 2023.”Ellis may miss some early fixtures depending on Punjab Kings’ progress in the IPL. “After the success of last year it was a no-brainer to re-sign with the Hawks for this summer,” he said.McDermott, who does not have an IPL contract, is likely to be available for the whole season. “I’m over the moon to have re-signed with the Hawks and can’t wait to play in front of the Ageas Bowl crowd again,” he said.Both players also represented London Spirit in the Hundred last year, though only Ellis has been retained (on a £100,000 contract). McDermott has entered the draft on March 23 without a reserve price.

Phil Parkinson has revealed that Wrexham are already in transfer “talks”, with hints being dropped at shopping in the Premier League market.

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Red Dragons preparing for the ChampionshipBusy summer on the cards in North WalesContact already made with those on wish listFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons are, courtesy of a historic run that has delivered three successive promotions, just one step away from reaching the top-flight. Plans are being drawn up for life in the Championship.

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Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continue to chase the dream and will – with further investment being invited – help to make the funds available that allow Parkinson to further bolster his ranks.

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Recruitment discussions have been held before and after promotion parties in Las Vegas and Dubai, with Wrexham looking to move quickly in a bid to get bodies on board before a pre-season trip to Australia and New Zealand is enjoyed.

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Parkinson has said of getting that ball rolling: “When the dust settles on a season, you have got to look at the squad going forward. We have been able to sit down as staff and assess what we feel we are going to need going forward. We are just in the normal process for this stage of the summer.

“We have had talks with players but at this stage, it is about assessing the market and what is out there, and making sure clubs are aware of our interest in certain players, and agents know what positions we feel we need to look to strengthen. As the summer goes on, hopefully we get the best players to make us a competitive squad for next season.”

Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has reportedly popped up on Inter's radar ahead of the summer transfer window.

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• Zirkzee had tough first season at Man Utd
• Wanted back in Italy by Inter
• Loan with option to buy considered

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Zirkzee only arrived at Old Trafford last summer from Bologna but could be heading for a swift return to Italy. According to , the Nerazzurri have set their sights on the Dutch star and are plotting a way to make a summer transfer happen. The Serie A giants are considering an initial loan move with an option to buy and feel he could fit into the team well alongside Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.

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  Manchester United splashed out €42.5 million (£36m/$46m) on the 23-year-old but saw him fail to live up to his price tag in a tough first season. The Dutchman managed just three Premier League goals in 32 appearances and saw his campaign seemingly ended prematurely by injury. An uncertain future now awaits as Ruben Amorim looks set to reshape his squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign after a dismal campaign on the domestic front.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Both Manchester United and Inter have European finals to look forward to at the end of the season. The Red Devils will face Tottenham in Bilbao in the Europa League, while Inter come up against PSG in the Champions League final in Munich.

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  Manchester United will aim to end a dismal season on a high by winning the Europa League in Bilbao. Even if they do secure the trophy, an intriguing summer awaits at Old Trafford as Amorim attempts to rebuild a squad currently sitting just two places above the relegation zone.

Earlier, Brett Lee picked up 3 for 18 to restrict Maharajas to a sub-par total

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Chris Gayle’s 46-ball 57 made light work of World Giants’ chase of 137 after Brett Lee (3 for 18) bowled a game-changing penultimate over against India Maharajas on Wednesday. World Giants completed the chase with eight balls to spare to complete a routine win in Doha.Gayle was clear about his intent from the start of the innings. He smashed six boundaries in the first three overs to pile misery on Maharajas’ bowlers, and was particularly harsh on Ashok Dinda. In the sixth over, he hit him for 4, 6, 4 and 4 off consecutive deliveries.Shane Watson added to the momentum with some vintage shots in his quickfire cameo. After taking two fours off Pravin Tambe in the seventh over, he smashed stand-in India Maharajas captain Harbhajan Singh for two consecutive boundaries in the next.Tambe temporarily stalled Giants’ cruise, bowling a dream delivery to dismiss Watson as the ball beat him on the outside edge and dislodged the off bail.That dismissal, along with a few wickets as the innings progressed, forced Gayle to take a cautious approach in the chase. Having reached his half-century in 26 balls, he managed only seven in the next 20. His innings was cut short by Suresh Raina, who surprised him with a length ball that didn’t bounce much and trapped him right in front.Even though World Giants continued to lose wickets after that dismissal, cameos from Samit Patel and Morne van Wyk carried them over the line.Earlier, in the absence of their regular captain and in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, India Maharajas were desperate for a strong start. Robin Uthappa, coming off a spectacular fifty on Tuesday, did not look in control against Samit even though he had found a boundary off his second delivery. Two balls later, Samit dismissed him with an arm ball, with the batter mis-hitting it to Aaron Finch at midwicket.Raina tried to increase the scoring rate, hitting Monty Panesar for two back-to-back sixes in the eighth over. First, he picked up a back-of-a-length delivery and pulled it over deep midwicket and then stepped out to smash the next over the bowler’s head.However, Maharajas’ innings followed the pattern of solid partnerships followed by quick wickets throughout. After a 60-run stand between Raina and Manvinder Bisla, they lost Yusuf Pathan and Stuart Binny off consecutive deliveries.Irfan Pathan’s cameo of 25 off 20 balls carried them for a while but Lee’s two wickets in the 19th over restricted them to a sub-par total.

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss IPL 2023 after being given the option of undergoing a back surgery. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bumrah is yet to completely recover from the back injury which had ruled him out of the T20 World Cup last year, and that he could also possibly miss the World Test Championship final (if India qualify), which starts on June 7 at The Oval.The BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru is treating Bumrah’s case on an urgent basis. It is understood that the staff suggested the surgery option to him following recurring niggles in his lower back which surfaced originally in the form of a stress reaction last August.A final decision on the next step is expected to be taken soon by the BCCI in coordination with the NCA and Bumrah, keeping in mind the ODI World Cup is scheduled in October-November in India.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It has been a frustrating wait for Bumrah, who has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering a back injury last August which had ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury had not seemed too serious as Bumrah was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad on September 12. To mark his fitness, Bumrah even played in the last two T20Is of the Australia series on September 23 and 25.However, three days later, Bumrah did not show up for the first T20I against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram. It was later learned that he had been taken for scans which revealed a stress-related injury. The next day Bumrah was rushed to NCA where further scans confirmed the injury was serious, and he was subsequently ruled out of the T20 World Cup.Related

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Bumrah resumed his rehab in November and started to bowl by mid-December. His progress seemed positive when the selectors belatedly added him for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka more than a week after the Indian squad was picked originally.While Bumrah had performed the match simulation exercises at NCA, he felt discomfort while performing higher workloads during a fitness drill in Mumbai in early January. Scans revealed a fresh niggle had developed, which eventually ruled him out of the Australia Tests. The Indian team management as well as the NCA want Bumrah to return only when he is absolutely fit to perform at his peak, with captain Rohit Sharma also warning India against rushing him back into action.

Offspinner Ashmini Munisar and wicketkeeper Shunelle Sawh also earn maiden call-ups

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2023

West Indies have named fit-again Chinelle Henry in their 16-member provisional squad for the first two ODIs of their three-match series against Ireland. The allrounder has fully recovered from the injury that kept her out of the recent Super50 Cup and T20 Blaze.Offspinner Ashmini Munisar and wicketkeeper Shunelle Sawh have also earned their maiden call-ups. Munisar, West Indies’ captain at the Under-19 T20 World Cup earlier this year, was the joint-third highest wicket-taker in the T20 Blaze with six scalps from five games. Her economy of 3.31 was the best among those who bowled at least ten overs in the tournament.Hayley Matthews will continue to lead the squad; Shemaine Campbelle will be her deputy. The official squad of 13 players will be named ahead of each match.Related

Robert Samuels appointed head coach of WI Women for Ireland series

Business-class flights and single rooms for West Indies women

“The ODI series against Ireland gives a good opportunity for batters to focus and to stay longer at the crease and build an innings,” Ann Browne-John, CWI’s lead selector for women’s cricket, said. “A number of the younger players would be transitioning from the shorter format to the 50-over format. They definitely have the potential, and it is important that the policy of identifying young players and developing the talent pool is continued.”The ODI series is part of the Women’s Championship, where West Indies and Ireland are the bottom-most teams. Both teams have played six games each so far; West Indies have one win while Ireland are yet to open their account.”The squad shows a great balance of batting coupled with a variety of bowling styles, which is something that has been lacking in the recent past,” Browne-John said. “Victory here will provide valuable points as the team attempts to move up in the rankings and qualify for the World Cup.”The ODI series from June 26, West Indies’ first ODI cricket since December 2022, will be followed by three T20Is. All six matches will be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, and for the first time, a full West Indies Women’s bilateral home series will be broadcast live on television.These are West Indies’ only home fixtures this year.Provisional squad for first two ODIs: Hayley Matthews (capt), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Qiana Joseph, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Shunelle Sawh, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams

Middlesex 175 (Simpson 57*, Henry 5-45) and 81 for 1 trail Somerset 404 (Bartlett 121, Abell 77) by 148 runsMatt Henry took centre stage with bat and especially ball as Somerset forced hosts Middlesex to follow-on on day two of their LV = Insurance County Championship clash at Lord’s.The New Zealand paceman, who took 4 for 93 against England in a Test at Lord’s eight years ago, again excelled at the home of cricket, returning 5 for 45 as Middlesex were bundled out for 175 in their first innings.Henry’s heroics with the ball came hot on the heels of a swashbuckling 40 in the day’s first hour which propelled the Cidermen beyond 400.For the Seaxes it was sadly a case of rinse and repeat where their batters were concerned, only a combative half-century from this season’s beneficiary, wicketkeeper John Simpson and a pugnacious 39 from Toby Roland-Jones saving them from greater ignominy. It’s now one batting point in 30 for Richard Johnson’s men this season.Following on, Middlesex lost Sam Robson in reaching 81 for 1, Mark Stoneman having survived an edge to third slip unbeaten on 45. They still trail by 148 and face an uphill battle to avoid a fourth defeat in six games.Somerset soon lost Craig Overton to Murtagh in only the third over the day, but that merely served to bring Henry to the crease and, no slouch bat in hand, he signalled his intent with a brutal drive back past the bowler to get off the mark with a boundary.Thereafter, he struck the ball really cleanly to send six more deliveries to the ropes, though he was helped by some friendly offerings from the home attack.In the blink of an eye Henry had reached 40 in only 22 balls and it needed the introduction of Higgins to end the revelry, the quick hooking a short one into the hands of Ethan Bamber behind square.England spinner Jack Leach came out swinging, before losing his off-stump to Bamber, but Lewis Gregory ensured a fourth batting point.It soon became apparent Henry’s whirlwind innings had merely been an hors d’oeuvre for heroics with ball in hand.He and Overton subjected Middlesex openers Stoneman and Robson to a searching examination with the new ball, Henry in particular beating the bat with monotonous regularity.It seemed as if the hosts had passed the test when with lunch looming Henry produced a Jaffa to get one between Stoneman’s bad and pad flattening the leg-stump. And Henry made that lunch all but indigestible for Middlesex by producing an outswinger first up to Stephen Eskinazi which he nicked through to wicketkeeper Steve Davies.The hat-trick ball was delayed by the interval before Henry came close to the feat with a delivery, left by Robson, which missed his off-stump by the proverbial coat of varnish.If the first two wickets could be put down to Henry’s brilliance the same wasn’t true of those that followed. Max Holden started well enough, twice driving Henry to the cover fence, only to then play no shot to one which came back up the slope and trapped him in front.Robbie White’s first knock of the summer lasted two balls before skipper Lewis Gregory pinned him on the crease and when Robson became the latest Middlesex player this season to be strangled down the leg-side, half their side were gone with just 70 on the board.To his credit Simpson was at his gritty best, driving fluently and briefly threatening a counter-offensive in company with Higgins.However, the latter missed a full toss from Leach (2 for 22) to be leg-before and with the rot set in Luke Hollman inexplicably reverse swept another from the England spinner into the hands of slip.Simpson became becalmed and entrenched, before a seventh four took him to a 92-ball 50, while home skipper Roland-Jones came out firing, hitting cleanly through the mid-on mid-off arc to smite six boundaries in a rapid 39, the pair adding 54 for the eighth wicket.But nemesis Henry returned to remove both Roland-Jones and Bamber to complete a five-for to condemn Middlesex to the follow-on.

Paris Saint-Germain have lost their court appeal against Gianluigi Buffon and must pay the Italian €250,000 due to a tax clause in his contract.

PSG ordered to pay Buffon €250k over tax clauseLegal battle stemmed from goalkeeper’s 2018 contractCourt rejected Les Parisians appeal on July 10Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that PSG must pay Buffon €250,000. The case centred around a clause in Buffon’s spell at the club from 2018-19 when he joined PSG from Juventus. The clause stated that PSG would cover 50 per cent of any tax assessed by the Italian Revenue Agency on income earned in 2018, up to a maximum of €250,000. Buffon triggered the clause after Italy’s tax authority assessed his 2018 earnings at over €1.2 million. The Ligue 1 giants appealed a prior court ruling but lost again on July 10, finalising their obligation to pay the amount.

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Although the 2006 World Cup winner only spent one season at PSG, legal issues stemming from the cross-border nature of his earnings dragged on for years. The clause had been added to ease Buffon's return to Italy, but when the French side contested its enforcement, it resulted in legal battles. Buffon’s legal team sought an additional €25,000 in damages for what they called PSG’s “illegal resistance,” but that request was denied. Still, the main victory went to the goalkeeper, who is now Italy’s national team delegation leader.

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The case dragged on for over five years, during which PSG had previously been ruled against by the French Labour Court. Buffon played 25 games for PSG in all competitions in his single season in the French capital, featuring 17 times in Ligue 1.

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The ruling officially closes the legal chapter between the French club and the Italian legend. For Buffon, it’s a moral and contractual win, underlining the importance of detailed clauses in cross-border sports contracts. PSG, meanwhile, avoid any further penalties but face renewed scrutiny over their handling of contract terms with past players.

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England captain admits she’d have featured in WPL ‘in an ideal world’ but focus is NZ series

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2024Heather Knight says she has no regrets about pulling out of the WPL and missing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s trophy-winning campaign, as she prepares to lead her side in the first of five T20Is against New Zealand in Dunedin on Tuesday.Knight, 33, withdrew from the tournament, which concluded with RCB’s victory over Delhi Capitals on Sunday, when it became clear that the schedule would impinge on her ability to lead England in the T20I leg of the New Zealand tour, which forms a key part of the team’s preparations for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.Her place in the RCB squad was taken by South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk, who featured just once in the campaign, while seamer Lauren Bell also withdrew from the UP Warriorz squad to focus on her England preparations.A core of England’s established T20I players – including Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey and Sophie Ecclestone – chose to stay on in India and will link up with the T20I squad ahead of the fourth and fifth matches later this month. As England captain, however, Knight said she was clear where her priorities lay.”I was always going to come [to New Zealand], so that was quite an easy decision for me,” she said. “As captain, I wanted to be here and I want to be around the team for the build-up, and those three games.”The ideal world would have been to leave the WPL a little early, but that wasn’t an option to do so, because of the rules about replacement players. We wanted to have someone available for the whole competition. Those are the choices that players have to make now, it can be quite tricky, but I think it’s really important that it’s made on an individual level.”Given the timezone difference, Knight said she hadn’t watched the final, in which RCB hunted down Delhi’s target of 114 to win by eight wickets with three balls to spare, but had watched the highlights that morning, and had been kept abreast of the celebrations, not least through her England team-mate Kate Cross, who was an unused squad member.Related

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“I was getting a few messages, from Kate who’s there and obviously some of the overseas [players] as well. I was really pleased for them that they managed to win, after quite a tough year last year. I guess I could have been there, but I’m not really thinking about that. I’m super happy to be here. Obviously the right thing for me, and for the team, was for me to be here.”Despite the scheduling clash, Knight insisted that England would benefit from the split priorities, both from the WPL contingent’s exposure to subcontinental conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September, and from the extra competition for places that will arise in their absence for the first three T20Is.”The right thing for me was to be here, but I still think we’re going to get a really good benefit as an England team,” Knight said. “Alice Capsey playing in a big final yesterday, that’d be a really good experience for her, and hopefully England will benefit down the road, with a World Cup coming up in Bangladesh.”It’s a tricky one. It’s getting a little bit tougher for players to make these decisions because they have so many different options now. In an ideal world, you’d have windows [in the schedule]. There is a little window, but a day in between [games] isn’t realistic, obviously, to fly across the world and play.”But I’m quite an optimistic person, I’m looking at the positives that we’ve got. We’ve got a huge opportunity for some of our younger players to play a really good role [in New Zealand], and by making the choice around the first three T20s to have a different squad, the girls at the WPL have a little bit of a chance to take a few days off as well, and get used to New Zealand and get the flight out of their legs.”It’s not an ideal situation, but I think there’s some really good positives that will hopefully benefit the England team moving forward.”In terms of the challenge awaiting England in Dunedin, Knight admitted that the damp weather meant that the conditions could be similar to early-season England, but expected a good wicket with a bit in it for batters and bowlers alike.”It’s been nice to get acclimatised,” she said. “The weather’s made us feel quite home to be honest, it’s a little bit cold and miserable out there now. But the main thing is just adapting to being on grass again, and getting really clear on our mindset about how we’re going to play tomorrow. We’re obviously excited to get going. It’s been a long build-up.”