All posts by h716a5.icu

Chamari Athapaththu also played a key all-round role as Thunder bounced back from their previous defeat to the same opposition

AAP31-Oct-2024Impressive innings from imports Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu and savvy bowling from Hannah Darlington have helped Sydney Thunder avenge an early season WBBL loss to Hobart Hurricanes.Three days after Hurricanes won by 31 runs in Hobart, Thunder scored a 33-run victory in a match reduced to 17 overs a side after rain delayed the start at North Sydney Oval by 30 minutes on Thursday.Related

Carey and Graham star in Hurricanes' opening win

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Athapaththu (38 off 29) and Knight (48 off 28) helped the Thunder amass 146 for 5. Hurricanes smashed 18 off their first seven balls, but lost 5 for 13 in the last few overs.Darlington claimed the big wickets of Lizelle Lee and Heather Graham and Athapaththu completed a good all-round effort by taking 1 for 11 off three overs of tidy spin, dismissing England star Danni Wyatt-Hodge.England captain Knight, who missed the first game between the two teams, played some handsome shots and added momentum in the second half of the innings.She struck 14 off the last three balls of the one power surge over bowled by Molly Strano, lofting the first over long off and adding two fours in the same area.

INCREDIBLE.

One of the great catches by Molly Strano off her own bowling!#WBBL10 pic.twitter.com/V2d2l2Xmnr

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) October 31, 2024

“It was really nice when you start a competition to hit the ground running and I thought ‘Atta’ was brilliant as well,” Knight told . “We managed to get in a bit of a partnership there and it set up things at the end.”Athapaththu, who was out for a first-ball duck on Sunday, was dropped at deep midwicket on 5. Her innings included sixes over deep midwicket and long off before she fell to a remarkable one-handed low diving return catch by Strano off a fierce drive.”I didn’t have much time to think about it, it was a tracer bullet, so pretty happy it just stuck,” Strano said.In reply, Lee clubbed boundaries off the first two balls of Hurricanes’ chase and three in the over then Wyatt-Hodge belted a six over backward point off the first ball of the second over.Thunder struck back with Athapaththu having Wyatt-Hodge caught at backward point. Nicola Carey, who scored a 50 in last weekend’s game, then chopped a delivery from Shabnim Ismail onto her stumps, a ball after the South African quick struck her on the helmet.Lee couldn’t maintain her early impetus and was adjudged lbw the first ball after the mid-innings break, though if she had used DRS, she would have been reprieved.A brisk fourth-wicket stand of 43 between Graham and Elyse Villani gave Hurricanes hope before they were dismissed in successive overs to trigger a decisive collapse.

For a place where pause pretty much seems to be the default setting, the thirst for Test cricket is still very much there

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo26-Jul-2016When last have you been to Bulawayo?A friend asked me the question fans have been asking Test cricket since the last time either of us was there five years ago, in 2011. So long ago that we were warned that we would face the land that time forgot. Frankly, I couldn’t wait.Like any second city, Bulawayo has had to endure its fair share of shadow-occupancy to its bigger brother Harare, and it’s smaller but more beautiful sibling, Victoria Falls. It’s famous for being the birthplace of royalty – not just the kings the city is named after – but Charlene, Princess of Monaco, and its connections to other notables such as writers Doris Lessing and NoViolet Bulawayo, Olympic medalist Kirsty Coventry, footballers Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari, and cricketers Graeme Hick and Heath Streak. Apart from its people, Bulawayo is a sepia photograph filled with memories. For some, those memories include the last time big cricket came to town.Since Zimbabwe’s 2011 Test matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, Queens Sports Club has hosted 17 ODIs and four T20Is, which does not sound too bad. But in a place where pause seems to be the default setting, there’s a thirst for Test cricket. Finally, it has arrived, and everything from the airport to the Queens clubhouse seems to be quietly celebrating.Joshua Nkomo International Airport has an upgraded terminal to replace the tin shed that welcomed us five years ago. Then, there was one boarding gate, and rudimentary immigration and passport control services. Now, it gleams of newness and the queues to the counters snake around a small room.On Tuesday morning, it had to accommodate Makhaya Ntini, who was returning from CSA’s 25-years anniversary dinner, on the 10:40 flight from Johannesburg, along with several members of the television production company, who were only confirmed at the last minute, and umpire Michael Gough, who arrived in Johannesburg from Newcastle on Monday night. Gough will stand in his first (and second) Tests in Bulawayo, and might be quietly expecting it to be an easing in to officiating at the highest level.Two hours later, Ntini was in his kit at Queens Sports Club, throwing balls. Lance Klusener was already there. At some point, Klusener got into an unusually animated discussion with Ntini, gesturing several times towards the square. There, Fungai Shanganya, Zimbabwe Cricket’s head groundsman, who regularly prepares surfaces for international cricket in Harare, is in his hometown of Bulawayo to get not one, but two Test pitches ready. He’s done this before, in Harare in 2013, when back-to-back matches were played against Bangladesh, so he knows how to handle a quick turnaround.In the middle of the lush outfield, he is preparing the right-most surface from the main grandstand and one in the middle. No one is quite sure which one will be used first. “They’ll be exactly the same, so chances are we’ll just decide on the day,” someone joked.Far more important decisions await Zimbabwe, though, as they enter their first home Tests in almost two years, depleted of their most important bowling resources. Both Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara have been ruled out due to injuries.Brian Vitori, who returned from having his action declared illegal, remodeled and then cleared, in last week’s match against South Africa A, is hanging around. Vitori looks fitter and fresher than ever, but is unsure if he is ready to play at the highest level. “I am getting there, slowly, slowly, I am getting there” he says.If he isn’t quite there yet, Michael Chinouya might be. In all the years I have come across him, he still hasn’t learned to crack a smile, which is completely unlike John Nyumbu. Ever ready for a joke, Nyumbu greets the media with the reality that there will be, “no dancing this time,” when wickets fall because he is also not in the squad. Hamilton Masakadza, who comes to call the stragglers for a meeting, is unlikely to be persuaded to dance, but he is more than likely to stop for a chat and he does.A few meters away, in the president’s suite, two men are putting up a flatscreen television for the VIPs directly above the area where they will look out from. Behind them are an odd collection of trophies – one from an ODI between Zimbabwe and Pakistan in 1998, another from the 1991 Currie Cup – and a photograph of a cap-wearing Peter Pollock, jumping up to defend a ball delivered by Doug Walters at Newlands in 1970. Of all the places in the world to find a picture of that, Queens Sports Club would not have been my guess.To the left of that, in a corporate box, with a luxurious wooden bar top, the seats have not been upholstered in years and the foam from the head rests and seats is peeping through the peeling black covers. Downstairs, a man is washing the window sills, wiping away any dust that may have collected there. Another is watering the grass beneath the open stands. None of them needs do anything to the main embankment. It is as inviting as ever. The trees are the same height as they have always been. The dappled sunlight shines through them, creating golden drops on the grass. Maybe, it will be full at some point over the next two weeks. Maybe.But, maybe not. There are several posters advertising the tickets prices for the two Tests – US$3 for the grandstand and US$2 for anywhere else in the ground. With a severe cash shortage in the country, who knows if people have any to spare. The emptiness of the Queens Sports Bar suggests not. At around 5pm, there is only a small group of people seated inside. They are watching highlights of the recently completed England-Pakistan Test. Time may have forgotten this place, but cricket has not.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is pushing the club to offer a new long-term contract to an “amazing” ace ahead of the summer transfer window opening, according to a new report.

Crystal Palace sail into FA Cup 5th round

The Eagles secured their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday night, as they comfortably beat League Two side Doncaster Rovers 2-0. Goals from Daniel Munoz and Justin Devenny on either side of halftime were enough to get Palace through and book a tie against London rivals Millwall.

Textor could now sell £50m Crystal Palace star with Guehi this summer

It would not be a popular decision at Selhurst Park.

2 ByBen Browning Feb 10, 2025

The Eagles met Millwall not so long ago, as the pair were drawn against one another in the FA Cup in 2022, with Palace winning 2-1, and Glasner has labelled the fifth-round match “even more special”.

“I could feel the excitement in the dressing room,” the boss said after Monday’s victory at Doncaster Rovers. “It makes this game even bigger than it is.

“As long as you are in the competition, you can win it. We will go for it. I don’t know if it will work, but we will go for it – definitely. I’m pleased with the performance [against Doncaster]. Over the first 60 minutes, I think we controlled the game and didn’t give them anything.

“We wanted to give Ben [Chilwell] some minutes. We could see he’s comfortable in possession, in passing – a little bit more attacking than [Tyrick Mitchell].”

Glasner pushing Palace chiefs to offer long-term deal to Mateta

Away from matters on the pitch, according to Football Insider, Crystal Palace are looking to hold contract talks with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, as they look to secure his long-term future at Selhurst Park.

The 27-year-old, who originally joined Palace on loan from Bundesliga side Mainz 05 in 2021 before joining on a permanent basis in 2022, is under contract at the Premier League side until the summer of 2027. The Eagles triggered the one-year option in the forward’s contract in December but are now keen to tie him down to a longer contract, with Glasner desperate for the club to retain his services.

Palace’s urgency to give Mateta a new contract comes as Spanish giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are interested in signing him, as well as Manchester United. 10 goals in 24 league games this season have put him on the radar of some big European sides, and the Eagles will be keen to avoid any transfer speculation when the summer arrives.

Apps

135

Goals

42

Assists

8

Mateta, who has been hailed as “amazing in the box” by Glasner, scored 16 goals in 35 Premier League games last season, becoming a real prominent figure for the South London side. If a new deal cannot be agreed upon, Palace still have time on their hands, as his contract doesn’t end for another two years, but it could become harder to refuse bids, especially if they reach the £50 million price tag that has been reportedly placed on his head.

Geoff Clements, who has been on the job behind the camera for half a century, talks about his career

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2017The 2017 Dunedin Test was probably a success for only one man, and he was not even playing the match.Cameraman Geoff Clements, from Canterbury, celebrated a half-century behind the lens and then signed off on a career that began in the early years of television in New Zealand, when sports coverage was rudimentary.Clements was 18 years old and an occasional cricketer at St Albans Cricket Club when he began work as a cameraman in his home town. His first match was between Canterbury and the touring Australians in 1967. He was part of a simple three-man team who broadcast in black and white to a 50km radius around Christchurch. There were two main cameras trained on the pitch, and Clements, on the grass bank, manned the third.Given that the game took place 50 years ago, it’s understandable he doesn’t remember too much about it, except that his friend, Canterbury bowler Ken Ferries, played in the match, that they drank a beer in the club rooms afterwards, and that, at some point over the course of the three days, Clements fell in love with covering the game with a camera. “It’s like gardening on speed,” he says.

“To do any sport, you’ve got to be able to know the game. If you’ve played the game at any level, you get to understand the parabola of the situation and how a batsman shapes to play the ball and where it’s going to go”

He was soon employed by Television New Zealand, where he did a range of jobs, including studio work and administration, and covered other sports, but he remained a cricket specialist at heart. In particular, he attached himself to the toughest job, working the ball-follow camera – a role that is self-explanatory and a lot more difficult than it sounds.When hit, a cricket ball often moves even faster than when it is bowled, and you have to have both good reaction time and good anticipation if you’re tracking it with a camera. That is why Clements thinks it is essential for a cricket cameraperson to have played the game at some level. “To do any sport, you’ve got to be able to know the game. If you’ve played the game at any level, you get to understand the parabola of the situation and how a batsman shapes to play the ball and where it’s going to go,” he says. “If you’ve played and you have good hand-eye co-ordination, then you must be more capable of doing the job.”His best example of that is also his most memorable match, at his home ground in 2002. Although New Zealand lost that Test at Lancaster Park, Nathan Astle blazed 222 , which remains the fastest double-century in Test cricket. Astle struck 11 sixes in the innings, which was challenging for Clements. “He hit so many balls in the air, and on the ball-follow camera, I lost some of them. Some went on top of the roof and a couple went right over.”Having now retired, Clements hopes to catch up on his gardening and his bowlsLong before Clements was awed by Astle, he was charmed by another cricketer, who he names as the player who impressed him most. “The Nawab of Pataudi. He was a wonderful batsman with a superb cover drive,” Clements, who covered India’s 1968 series to New Zealand, remembers. “I said to one of the guys afterwards, ‘How the hell can that joker see everything so well and still play like a two-eyed human?’ He was wonderful.”Clements also counts Greg Chappell as a favourite. He says he probably has a “hundred other names which I could mention but won’t” when it comes to cricketers he admires. Instead, he concentrates on the nuances of his job, which apart from steady hands, concentration and the wearing of a lot of layers of clothes, especially in Dunedin last week, where he donned five, is based on storytelling.”It’s about not being too tight with your shots,” he says. “A ball going across the ground says nothing. A ball with someone running after it says something. A ball with someone reverse cup underneath it says something; a ball that suddenly two seconds later is caught means nothing.”Clements says the advancements in technology have aided that cause, especially the replay and the increased number of cameras. “Although sometimes we have more replays than are necessary, it really helps you to create a narrative,” Clements said. “Typically we have more than 25 cameras at the match. At this match, we have 28, and I am told that in Wellington next week there will be 30.”

“It’s about not being too tight with your shots. A ball going across the ground says nothing. A ball with someone running after it says something”

He still finds it hard to believe that the pictures he is shooting travel such a great distance in such a short time. “I still can’t understand how it happens,” Clements says. “Well, I know how it happens, but I can’t conceive of the fact that we can portray this beautiful game – this is the beautiful game, not the big round-ball thing – how we can transmit this and 500 million people somewhere can see that three seconds later. It eludes me. But I am only a television cameraman, I am not an engineer.”Soon he will be a retiree. The decision to stop now, at the age of 69, is his own. “As George Harrison, the great Beatle, wrote, all things must pass, and I think that’s a fair thing,” he says. He has been mentoring colleague Karla Underwood for “the last three or four years” to take over from him.In his time, Clements has only covered cricket outside New Zealand twice, in 1997 during the Pepsi Independence Cup in India, and a version of Cricket Sixes in Kuala Lumpur some years later. He has never been hit by a cricket ball, though he had a near miss once at Eden Park No. 2.In his retirement, he hopes to “play a lot more bowls, try and coach the Canterbury women’s bowls team again, if they will let me, dig more gardens and watch a lot more cricket on the telly”.

At face value, David Moyes’ tactical vision doesn’t strain too far from the blueprint that prompted Farhad Moshiri, two years ago, to bring Sean Dyche to the Everton helm.

Frank Lampard had been dismissed, Everton needed greater steel-backed resistance, Dyche fit the bill. It worked, for a time, but the Toffees could only stretch so far under the pragmatic boss’ wing. Thus he departed several weeks ago after reportedly informing the new owners, The Friedkin Group, that he felt he had taken the project as far as he could.

At face value, Moyes also employs a drilled and defence-heavy style, but just ask Spurs about the Scot’s attacking credentials, and they’d be sure to concede that the Blues tore them to shreds with startling bite.

It was hardly the look of a side previously scoring only 15 Premier League goals, the second-lowest tally in the division. Nor was it the feel of a side that had just welcomed a manager with a reticence toward attacking play.

Admittedly, though, 16th-placed Everton need to dip into the January transfer window to maintain enough firepower over the business months of the term.

Everton pushing for January signing

As per The Daily Telegraph, Everton have added Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil to their shortlist of transfer targets, though snapping him up this month may prove difficult.

Moyes, who used to manage the Black Cats, is a big admirer of the 23-year-old and is believed to have tracked his career ever since.

While Everton scouts have been keeping a close eye on Neil, Sunderland are certain to play hardball at the season’s midpoint, especially as they are fourth in the Championship, pushing for promotion.

He’s been priced in excess of £15m, which is big money for an up-and-coming talent in the second tier but a marker of Neil’s quality, and why Everton should pull no punches in getting the deal done.

Why Everton are interested in Dan Neil

Everton clicked together against Tottenham; play like that every single week, and Goodison Park would be throwing down with the best that the Premier League has to offer.

Consistency is key, though, and players like Neil work wonders in knitting fluency into a squad’s fabric to create a ripple effect for players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who snapped a 16-match goalless run in the top flight on Sunday.

Having risen through the Sunderland youth ranks, Neil has chalked up 177 senior appearances for the club, notching 11 goals and 20 assists during his journey so far.

Neil recently dominated for his side as they defeated Derby in the league, keeping their foot on the pedal as they chase automatic promotion.

Reporter Ethan Todd was among those to have been coloured impressed, saying that Nail: “Has absolutely controlled and dictated the whole game, with great forward passing and drives whilst keeping things tight in midfield. Constantly instructing the team, proper captain’s performance.”

It goes to show that Everton would not only be signing a player capable of injecting some dynamic quality into the middle of the park but a leader too, someone who could galvanise and inspire, berate and demand. It’s what Everton need.

Here is a team that has proved its attacking flair has not been negligible under Dyche’s wing, merely latent, languishing in the subterranean part of Goodison Park. The Merseysiders blew Tottenham away; we keep coming back to it but it was such a marvel, such a spectacle, that it revealed the true capacity of this team.

Neil may well be the architect, hailed as a “brilliant footballer” and a “real leader on and off the pitch” by his teammate Patrick Roberts. As you are about to see from his match metrics in the Championship this term, there are few who play a more complete role in the engine room, balancing his product and covering so much ground across the field.

Matches (starts)

27 (27)

Goals

1

Assists

3

Touches*

57.9

Pass completion

84%

Key passes*

0.8

Dribble (success)*

0.8 (51%)

Ball recoveries*

5.7

Tackles + interceptions*

3.2

Total duels (won)*

4.5 (51%)

Moyes might even be able to sign his next version of Mikel Arteta by bringing Neil to the fold, such is the rounded nature of his skill set.

Everton signed Arsenal’s manager during his playing days, bringing him in from Real Sociedad for a £3m fee in August 2005, proving to be one of the finest signings of his distinguished Toffees tenure.

He eventually joined the Gunners in a £10m deal, six years on, but Arteta had already featured 209 times for the Merseyside unit, scoring 35 goals and supplying 36 assists, contributing centrally to the most prosperous era in their modern history.

But hang on a moment, how does this pertain to present interest in Sunderland’s Neil? Well, aside from Moyes repeating his trick by bringing the player to Goodison – as he did with Arteta way back when – Neil has sharp playmaking skills while also excelling across the gamut of midfield duties.

The Spaniard was typically deployed in midfield alongside an anchor, allowing his creativity and ability on the ball to be properly showcased. He would dictate play and control the pace of the game, acting as a metronome of sorts.

Arteta added something different to the Everton midfield, a different dimension that Neil could replicate, sitting alongside players such as Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Moyes once claimed that his former midfielder was “head and shoulders” above his peers, and you just get the sense that Neil could be too, 15 years later, Moyes back in the Everton dugout.

Talk about circularity.

A better signing than Nuamah: Everton make enquiry to sign English talent

Everton are looking at a “Messi-like” star who would be even better than Nuamah

ByConnor Holden Jan 22, 2025

An iffy lbw decision followed by rain left Scotland so near, yet so far away from achieving their World Cup dream. For an Associate side that beat Afghanistan, tied with Zimbabwe and went toe-to-toe with West Indies, it was a cruel end to their qualifying

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2018

There are no words to describe this current feeling… we don’t deserve what’s happened to us in this tournament. Incredibly proud of this @CricketScotland team – shown again what we are about #WeWillComeAgain

— Matthew Cross (@crossy16) March 21, 2018

Amazing efforts by everyone involved with @CricketScotland. Gutted for the tournament to end the way it did after all the effort gone in from the players and staff. Unbelievable support shown from all back home…!! #followscotland

— Mike Jones (@mikejones04) March 21, 2018

Gutted. So close, heartbreaking to have a game and tournament like this decided by rain. Congrats to @westindies #followscotland

— Calum MacLeod (@calummacleod640) March 21, 2018

Gutted doesn’t come close, we played some fantastic cricket this tournament. Pleased to hear the @westindies celebrating dramatically after a game in the balance settled by rain beating us the associate!! I’m a proud of @CricketScotland lads!Thanks for the support!!

— George Munsey (@GeorgeMunsey) March 21, 2018

Thanks to all my family and friends for all the love and support you have shown me and the team throughout this tournament has been really amazing. We are all absolutely gutted for you all! Thanks once again! #followscotland

— Safyaan Sharif (@Safyaan50) March 21, 2018

Devestating to have lost the way we did after such a good tournament. The @CricketScotland team can hold our heads high! Thank you to everyone for your support!

— Brad Wheal (@Brad_wheal) March 21, 2018

I don’t have the words to describe the feeling. Beyond gutted. Thank you to everyone back home for the support. We truly felt it. We will be back stronger!

— Ali Evans (@AliEvans647) March 21, 2018

Gutted doesn’t even come close, the cricket this team has played is this tournament has been amazing, can’t believe it ended like that, @ICC @CricketScotland, thanks to everyone back home for all the support

— michael leask (@leasky29) March 21, 2018

Words can’t describe how heartbroken we all are @CricketScotland ! Congrats to @westindies! Also to everyone at @ICC I’m sure they’ll sleep tight tonight after a todays outcome #SqueakyBumTime #10teamworldcup

— mark watt (@markwatt123) March 21, 2018

Feel absolutely sick for everyone @CricketScotland , players, support staff, administration & supporters. It's all been said before, but this tournament has highlighted (again) so much that is wrong with the management, structure & priorities of world cricket @ICC #notgoodenough

— Craig Wright (@craigwright99) March 21, 2018

.@ICC I think you need to re-address your 'values' below, particularly your final point.

Your actions as a governing body are so misaligned with this it's frightening. pic.twitter.com/yUyu9gTt4c

— Preston Mommsen (@PrestonMommsen) March 21, 2018

“It’s not a matter of what’s happening at the toss as we have struggled to get runs both in the first and the second innings”

S Sudarshanan22-Jan-2023Batting has been West Indies’ Achilles heel in women’s T20Is for some time now. Their middle-order woes have been hampering them for over the last couple of years. Since January 2021, West Indies’ middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) averages 12.12, the lowest among the Full Member teams in T20Is. In their first match of the women’s T20I tri-series against South Africa, Shemaine Campbelle, batting at No. 4, made 11 of the 24 that the middle order scored.While captain Hayley Matthews admitted it was a concern, she said that bigger contributions are needed from the top order, too.Related

Klaas four-for, Marizanne Kapp 52 give South Africa first win in tri-series

“We’re missing a lot of big players,” Matthews said after West Indies’ 44-run defeat. “People like Chinelle Henry, who we usually have in the lower middle order that are capable of hitting the ball out of the park and even Chedean Nation, who played today but just hasn’t been able to get going just yet. So yeah, it’s the same story all around.”We need to improve from the top right down to the bottom of our batting line-up in the way that we are playing at the moment. It’s pretty clear we are not being able to put big enough partnerships. At the same time we have a lot of injuries with key batters out.”Their issues are not just restricted to the middle order. Since Deandra Dottin’s shock retirement last year, West Indies have yet to zero in on an opening batter to partner Matthews. Aaliyah Alleyne, primarily a bowling allrounder, had never batted above No. 7 in T20Is but was pushed up to open in nine matches – four against New Zealand and five against England all at home before the tri-series. The combination had a best partnership of 23 and she was not picked in the XI against South Africa on Saturday.Brittney Cooper, who returned to the squad ahead of the series having last played a T20I in September 2021, opened the batting as West Indies added 32 for the opening wicket in their chase of 142. Cooper looked in fairly good touch, hitting three well-timed fours before being dismissed for 14 off 13 balls. Matthews said that West Indies are still trying to find their best combination at the top and backed Cooper to come good.”At the moment we are trying players and we’re giving players the opportunity to grab that opening spot,” Matthews said. “Britney Cooper didn’t look that bad out there today, so hopefully she’s the one that can come out there and really produce [what we need]. The [T20] World Cup is the main goal for us and we are trying out different options to see what fits best.”Sometimes as international cricket goes, it’s about digging deeper. At the same time we need to get some more runs at the top of the order. It’s not a matter of what’s happening at the toss as we have struggled to get runs both in the first and the second innings.”West Indies also are working around managing Stafanie Taylor, as she makes her return from an injury layoff. She had to retire hurt in the third ODI against New Zealand last September and is working her way to getting back on the field.”For now it’s just about the physio and medical people and the coaches managing the load with Stafanie,” Matthews said. “The T20 World Cup is the main picture for us here in South Africa and we want to try and manage her as best as possible and have her fit and ready for the World Cup.”

The Argentine lifted the club to new heights during his tenure in north London, and really should have been brought back in the summer of 2023

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Time is running out for Ange Postecoglou. If his Tottenham side fail to reach the Europa League semi-finals with victory at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, he will almost certainly not be in charge for the 2025-26 season. He may be lucky to even reach the end of this current campaign.

No party wanted it to end this way. After Postecoglou's first few months in the job, it seemed inconceivable we would reach this place. There was a time when 'Ange-mania' ruled the country and his Spurs side briefly resembled football's Harlem Globetrotters. Alas, that feels like a generation ago now.

Postecoglou previously outlined his confidence in bucking the trend of Tottenham's recent failures by declaring he always wins trophies in his second season. Yet he now stares down the same barrel that took out the likes of Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Mauricio Pochettino. Three of those names were carted out the back door and supporters were glad to see them go, but one stands out still to this day as the outlier.

Pochettino's sacking in November 2019, less than half a year after he guided Tottenham to their first-ever and only Champions League final – a phrase still mental to see, write, hear or say – is still contentious among fans and critics alike. There's no doubt the Argentine's message in the dressing room wasn't being received the same way and he appeared burnt out on some level, admitting before that defeat to Liverpool in Madrid that he would stand down from the job if Spurs were crowned champions of Europe, but it was the first sign of trouble the club had really run in to during the majority of his five-year stay.

What's more, Pochettino was open to returning in 2023 when they instead changed path and picked Postecoglou, while he has spoken lately of his desire to come back to Tottenham. Spurs thought they had closure of this chapter with the early success of the Australian, only to now find themselves in a more visceral crisis than ever. It feels as if the last two years have been wasted.

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWhy Postecoglou got the job

Conte's infamous tirade after what proved his final Spurs game, lashing out at his players, the board and the media, brought to the surface all of the club's underlying issues. The key takeaway was this was not an institution serious about winning, even if the main point of screaming and shouting was to deflect from the head coach's own shortcomings. Both things can be true, mind.

There was still more of the 2022-23 season for Tottenham to stumble through too. They actually sat fourth in the Premier League at the time of Conte's outburst, and though some of the sides below them had games in hand, they were still in a strong position to compete for another year of Champions League football. The club got it all wrong though, deciding to place Conte's trusted assistant Cristian Stellini in caretaker charge. A 6-1 humbling at top-four rivals Newcastle in which the hosts went five goals up in the first 25 minutes was the end of his reign, and so Ryan Mason stepped in for the final few weeks, navigating Spurs to eighth, just outside the European spots altogether.

The mood around the club was mutinous. Matchday protests against chairman Daniel Levy started to grow, while chants to bring back Pochettino grew louder with each passing game. When Spurs' pitch-side host Paul Coyte introduced their season highlights after their final home game, a 3-1 loss to Brentford, the poor man was loudly booed.

Levy and Co knew they had to get the next appointment right, they had to leave behind the idea of finding quick-fix solutions and focus on making Spurs a plucky team who were easy on the eye. They initially looked at Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Arne Slot, but couldn't strike deals for any of them. Pochettino, meanwhile, was at no point under serious consideration despite the public outcry.

Postecoglou, fresh off a successful two-year stint at Celtic where he brought trophies and entertainment in equal amount, was interested though, and in June 2023, he became the Premier League's first Australian manager.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRise and fall of 'Ange-mania'

There was scepticism amongst the Tottenham fanbase even before Postecoglou signed on the dotted line. A short-lived '#NoToPostecoglou' movement on social media was quickly drowned out, though concerns did remain over his lack of experience having only managed clubs in Australia, Japan and Scotland.

Nevertheless, a Spurs fandom desperate for joy went away on a voyage of discovery and found plenty of material, both tactical and personal, to warm to Postecoglou. His footballing philosophy was interesting and unique, while his man-management seemed out of this world. Juxtaposed against the relentless bitterness of Conte and Mourinho, Postecoglou seemed like the everyman.

His first competitive match in charge of Tottenham was a battling 2-2 draw at Brentford, who Spurs finished only one point ahead of in the season prior. It was seen as a sign that they would not necessarily have to forfeit steeliness to play the Aussie's way. The travelling fans chanted Postecoglou's name throughout, even though the man himself was sheepish about it and felt he had to earn that right first: "It means a lot, but I'm not comfortable with it. You love what it means. For the most part it's blind faith. I haven't earned it yet. Hopefully when the day comes that we deliver something it will mean even more. I'm not dismissive of it and I'm very appreciative of it, but it reminds me of the responsibility that I have to repay that faith."

Ten games into the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, there was reason to believe. Tottenham were top of the table and unbeaten, all the while playing the most attractive football in the land. That, though, proved to be the apex of Postecoglou's stint. Up next were Pochettino's Chelsea, who were already veering towards crisis amid the Argentine's flirtations with his former club. Nevertheless, the Blues ran out 4-1 winners on a night where key players James Maddison and Micky van de Ven sustained long-term injuries, while Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were both sent off. The match was also famed for Postecoglou playing the highest defensive line possible with only nine men in order to squeeze the game, leading to his proud "it's just who we are, mate," quote.

In Postecoglou's first 10 league games, he amassed an impressive 26 points. The following 60 have yielded only 77, meaning a quarter of all his total gained came in that whirlwind haze at the beginning of his reign. Teams have also figured out how to play and beat Spurs with relative ease, too – you'll always be able to swarm them, there'll always be space at the back post, there'll always be attackers hiding behind players on the edge of the pitch. What was once an evolution of tiki-taka has become a completely redundant style which forces Tottenham's square stars into round holes.

Spurs had hoped Postecoglou would work out as a long-term solution having handed him a four-year deal, while the 59-year-old admitted he would like to settle down with his family somewhere having travelled all over the world during the last decade. You can dress it up as a gamble worth taking given a club in their position – technically part of the traditional 'Big Six' even if they don't spend or act like it – but they have failed to heed past warnings.

Getty Images SportPochettino's 'sliding doors'

Let's rewind and delve into why Pochettino was not considered a contender for the Spurs job when he was out of work and they needed a manager in 2023. Both he and Levy maintain they still enjoy a good relationship which even borders on friendship. The Argentine was about a year into a sabbatical following his exit from Paris Saint-Germain, where he learnt punching down isn't always as fun as punching up. If you changed his 'Tottenham' experience on his CV to a club of similar standing in another country, say a Borussia Dortmund or a Roma, he would certainly have been an option worth thinking about.

Perhaps Levy was aware that the context was too overpowering, which is admittedly a fair assumption to have made. To go back to Pochettino would have been an easy decision and one that would have widely been viewed as out of emotion and caving to fan pressure. It's the job of the board to remove such sentiment and look at situations more rationally. GOAL understands Pochettino was interested in the job immediately after Conte's sacking, but after several weeks of silence when it appeared the club were looking elsewhere, he tempered down that feeling as well.

Instead, Pochettino, desperate to work in England again and reinvigorated from a year out of the game, took the Chelsea gig to the annoyance of fans from both clubs. Despite a rocky start (as is the case with every team he's managed), he steered the Blues to a Carabao Cup final and a respectable sixth-placed finish in the Premier League. He restored his reputation as one of the best coaches for developing young players, with Cole Palmer his most notable success, and his side ended up only three points behind Spurs despite the vast difference of optics. Days after the season ended, however, Pochettino mutually agreed to leave Chelsea.

That Pochettino, despite fan unrest against himself and Chelsea's relatively new owners, managed to navigate an inexperienced team thrown together haphazardly through such turmoil was a sure enough sign he wouldn't have been overwhelmed by a return to Tottenham, who had consciously refreshed the playing squad and lowered the average age considerably. By the end of 2023-24, the only players on the books at Spurs who Pochettino worked with prior were Son Heung-min, Ben Davies, Giovani Lo Celso, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp. A new cast of front-end stars had been acquired in the half-decade he had been gone, most of them ideal for his brand of football.

Tottenham were on the hunt for a manager of Pochettino's calibre and trajectory when he arrived in 2014, yet maybe the one with all these scars and bruises may have been better after all. Whatever would have happened if he took the role again, it couldn't have gone any worse than it has under Postecoglou.

AFPNever-ending flirtation

Throughout his Chelsea reign, Pochettino played down his emotional connection with the Blues, yet played up that of rivals Tottenham. It made for one of the season's stranger subplots.

After leaving Chelsea, Pochettino agreed to take charge of the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil, giving him another break from the vigorous demands of the club game. Back in March, he agreed to a roundtable interview with the English press, during which he confirmed his ambition to manage Spurs in the future.

"In the bottom of my heart I still feel the same," he said. "I would like one day to come back. Not because of my ego, it's because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham. We were so close. The problem was this type of journey creates a lot of friction for different reasons. Also, I made mistakes, you know? But the good thing is when you are clever you learn from your mistakes. It's like when a relationship finishes, I feel empty, I feel so disappointed, with everyone, but also with myself because I didn't manage well and when that happens it's partly my responsibility.

"I think now Tottenham is a club with an expectation to win because if you see the facilities, the training ground or stadium, now you can see it is about winning trophies. That is why I would like one day to come back, but if that doesn't happen, it doesn’t happen. [There are] all the possibilities again to build something special. That is my feeling and it didn't change."

There were suggestions Pochettino deliberately planted this story amid pressure on Postecoglou, but as explained by ' Tom Allnutt on 'The Tottenham Way' podcast, the topic of Spurs only came up at the very end of the roundtable, with most of the focus on the U.S. and Chelsea. It was nevertheless claimed Pochettino was happy and comfortable to delve into Tottenham, that he was ready to say his piece.

Stats highlights from the one-off Test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, where the hosts chased down 388

Shiva Jayaraman18-Jul-20170:43

By the Numbers: SL’s highest successful chase in Tests

4 Number of higher targets successfully chased in Tests. The 388 that Sri Lanka chased down in this match is the highest any team has successfully chased in Asia. The previous highest in Asia was India’s chase of 387 against England in Chennai in 2008. The previous highest in Sri Lanka was Pakistan’s chase of 377 against the hosts in Pallekele in 2015.352 The highest target successfully chased by Sri Lanka in Tests before this one. It had come against South Africa at the P Sara Oval in 2006. Overall, this is only the third instance of them chasing down a target in excess of 300 runs. The other instance had come against Zimbabwe at the SSC in January 1998.188 Runs added by Sri Lanka for their last five wickets in the fourth innings – the second highest by them in any Test match. This was also the second highest added by the last five wickets in a successful chase and only the third time Sri Lanka had added more than 100 runs.1 Number of fourth-innings totals in Tests in Sri Lanka higher than the home team’s 391 for 6 in this match. New Zealand had made 397 in a losing cause at the SSC in 2009. This is also Sri Lanka’s second-highest fourth-innings total in Tests.653 Balls from spinners played out by Sri Lanka in the fourth innings – the third highest played out by any team in the fourth innings of a Test in Asia. This is also the second-highest number of balls a team has faced from spinners in a successful chase in Asia.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 Number of individual scores higher than Niroshan Dickwella’s 81 in successful chases for Sri Lanka. Aravinda de Silva had made an unbeaten 143 against Zimbabwe at the SSC in 1997-98, which is the highest. Mahela Jayawardene’s 123 against South Africa at the P Sara Oval in 2006 is the only other hundred in successful chases for Sri Lanka in Tests. Asela Gunaratne’s unbeaten 80 slots in at No.5 in this list.5 Number of times before this, teams had won scoring the highest total of the match in the fourth innings of a Test in Asia. The previous such instance too had come in Sri Lanka, in Pallekele in 2015, when Pakistan had made 382 – the highest total in the fourth innings chasing 377.9/275 Match figures by Graeme Cremer – the best by a Zimbabwe captain in Tests. Overall, Cremer’s effort ranks seventh in the list of best match figures by a Zimbabwe bowler in Tests.87.3 Overs sent down by Cremer in this match – the most by any Zimbabwe bowler in Tests. The previous most were the 79 overs bowled by Ray Price in the Bulawayo Test against South Africa in 2001. Overall, Zimbabwe’s spinners bowled 190.2 overs in this Test – the most they have bowled in any match.317 The highest target successfully chased down without an individual hundred in the fourth innings before this match. New Zealand had achieved it against Bangladesh in a Test in Chittagong in 2008. Sri Lanka’s highest individual score in the fourth innings chasing a target of 388 in this match was Dickwella’s 81. Overall, Sri Lanka’s 391 is the fourth-highest score in the fourth innings of a Test without an individual hundred. India’s 445 in the Adelaide Test in 1977-78 is the highest such score.

Liverpool are now likely to pursue a summer move for an “unbelievable” player, at which point his £75m asking price is set to drop, according to a report.

Reds eyeing a centre-back

The Reds had a quiet January transfer window, with Arne Slot perhaps not wanting to rock the boat, given that his side are faring well in their pursuit of the Premier League title.

Having been unable to bring in a new central midfielder last summer, it has been quiet on the transfer front for quite some time at Anfield, but they may be forced into action at the end of the season.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still yet to sign new deals, Slot may be forced to rebuild his squad this summer, while he is also looking for a partner for his captain.

Liverpool are gearing up for a marquee signing in the summer, and they have reportedly identified Nottingham Forest’s Murillo as a concrete target, although the centre-back will not come cheap, with the Tricky Trees looking to hold out for £80m.

Liverpool now closely monitoring summer transfer for £41.5m "joy to watch"

A summer move to Anfield could be on the cards.

ByHenry Jackson Feb 4, 2025

The Brazilian is not the only Premier League defender the Reds are keen on, however, with Football Insider reporting Liverpool are likely to join the race for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi in the summer.

The Eagles were holding out for a fee of £75m in the January transfer window, which was enough to dissuade potential suitors, but Guehi’s price tag is expected to drop at the end of the season, at which point he will have just one year left on his contract.

Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Everton (a)

February 12th

Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)

February 16th

Manchester City (a)

February 23rd

Newcastle United (h)

February 26th

Southampton (h)

March 8th

Most of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ are set to fight it out for the Crystal Palace star in the summer, with Tottenham Hotspur seeing a £70m bid rejected in the latter stages of the winter window.

Guehi has been "unbelievable" for Crystal Palace

It is no wonder the England international is attracting so much attention from the country’s top clubs, given that he has been extremely impressive in a Palace shirt for quite some time.

The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam provides an overview of the 24-year-old’s key strengths, while also relaying a quote from former manager Patrick Vieira.

The only concern over signing the former Chelsea man is the fact he struggles somewhat aerially, given that he is just 6 foot, as pointed out by the BBC’s Alex Howell, but he makes up for that slight weakness with his positional awareness.

Liverpool’s priority should be to keep hold of Van Dijk, but if Slot decides a new centre-back is necessary, Guehi could be an excellent addition.