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Sam Hain continues purple patch but Bears come up short

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2022Derbyshire 160 for 3 (Madsen 55) beat Birmingham 159 for 7 (Hain 73*, Conners 3-25) by seven wicketsDerbyshire Falcons’ Vitality Blast charge continued with a thumping seven-wicket win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston. Falcons lodged their fourth successive victory as they comfortably beat a Bears side which had piled up a Blast record total against Notts Outlaws only two days earlier.This time they were restricted to 159 for 7 by excellent bowing led by Sam Conners and Mattie McKiernan. Sam Hain continued his sublime form with an unbeaten 73 off 40 balls but no other batter escaped the shackles.The visitors made light of the modest target, racing to 160 for 3 with 11 balls to spare. Luis Reece supplied early impetus with 38 off 24 balls before Wayne Madsen, who made 55 off 34, and captain Shan Masood added 89 in 59 balls to seal victory.The win lifts Falcons into the qualification spots while Bears are also still there but remain hit and miss, their record total of 261 on Friday sandwiched between defeats by ten and seven wickets. Another concern for them was Hain’s absence when fielding due to a sore back.Bears chose to bat but soon hit trouble against well-directed bowling. They were 23 for 3 after Connors removed Paul Stirling and Alex Davies, and Rob Yates lifted Mark Watt to long leg.Sam Hain continued his fine form•Getty ImagesHain motored to 50 from 29 balls, but support for him was fleeting. Adam Hose lifted McKiernan for six but edged the next ball to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.The Falcons attack, astutely orchestrated by captain Masood, kept the pressure high. Chris Benjamin, Carlos Brathwaite and Jake Lintott all cleared the ropes once but perished trying to repeat the big blows. Hain found himself too often at the non-striker’s end as Bears came in short.Falcons’ reply was given a flier as Masood and Reece put 50 on the board in 33 balls. A comical mix up, which saw them both at the same end, did for Reece but Madsen hit two sixes from his first six balls and applied measured acceleration while Masood played the perfect anchor role.Bears’ unhappy day continued when they were penalised five runs after bowler Brathwaite, seeing Madsen set off for a single, sent in a throw which would have hit the stumps but struck the batter. The umpires’ bizarre decision to deem it dangerous play summed up a bad day for the home side.Madsen said later: “The umpires deemed Carlos Brathwaite’s throw reckless and that is what it was. I was in my crease and he didn’t even look. I know it’s a competitive game but if that had hit me on the back of the head, like the umpires said, there is real trouble.”Madsen advanced to a 29-ball half-century and Falcons rose impressively into the top four of the North Group.

Plays of the Day from the Asia Cup clash between Bangladesh and India

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Fatullah26-Feb-2014The collisionThe stumps weren’t the only thing Varun Aaron knocked over on Wednesday•AFPHaving opened Shamsur Rahman up with a back-of-a-length delivery that straightened and bounced, Mohammed Shami’s eyes were fixed on the ball looping up off the leading edge. So glued were his eyes to the ball that Shami didn’t notice Ambati Rayudu running in from cover to claim the same catch. The two collided, but Shami’s focus had been so unwavering he came out of it clutching the ball triumphantly. Both bowler and fielder were unhurt.The yorkersIndia have seldom used Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the death. Two days before this match, though, he had been spotted diligently aiming yorkers at a dummy batsman in an open net. All of that practice showed when he came on for the 47th and 49th overs of Bangladesh’s innings and fired eight out of those 12 balls into the blockhole.The forehand swatAnamul Haque had already jumped down the track and smacked Varun Aaron for a six. Seeing him leave his crease once more, Aaron banged the ball in short. It rose shoulder high and on an off-stump line, but Anamul didn’t care, and went through with the shot, swatting the ball hard and high over the deep midwicket boundary.The beamerAaron wasn’t having a good day. He was going at over nine an over, and Mushfiqur Rahim had smashed two fours and a six off his last four legal deliveries. His radar had been all over the place. But now, Aaron’s waywardness went beyond merely line and length. The ball slipped out of his fingers, and struck Mushfiqur Rahim on the chest, on the full. Aaron had already bowled one waist-high full-toss at Anamul. The second meant he could play no more part with the ball.The yorkers (part two)In his fourth over, Rubel Hossain uprooted Shikhar Dhawan’s leg stump with a superbly directed yorker. Unfortunately for the bowler, this was a free hit. Rubel’s efforts would get their reward in due course, however, even if it was too late in India’s innings to make any difference to the result. In his final over, Rubel bowled his second unplayable yorker of the day, a ball good enough to bowl Virat Kohli out for 136.

Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this one has tasted enough recent success to remain confident about its ability to roar back

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington01-Jan-2015Wellington woke bleary-eyed from a year-end party that had stretched late into the night, but the Basin Reserve was tense with purpose and energy early on New Year’s day.Sri Lanka had been relaxed following their eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch. The post-match football game – a tradition in overseas Tests, win or lose – was played in typically high spirits, before the team set out on a farm excursion in Canterbury the day after.Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this is a team for whom the successes of 2014 are fresh in the mind. Their captain is, as ever, a wellspring of zen. “One loss doesn’t suddenly make us a bad team,” is Angelo Mathews’ go-to refrain at these times, and on that count, his team has proved him correct on several occasions over the past six months.Back in the nets after two days of rest and travel, though, Sri Lanka were refreshed and focused. Kumar Sangakkara’s desperation to overcome an awful first Test manifested in a long batting session. Unsurprisingly, he was among the last to emerge from the nets, tired coaches in tow. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva had some extra attention too, and there was a marked collective spring to the fielding session. Had Sri Lanka not spilled four catches on the first day in Christchurch, that Test might have played out a little differently.They were perhaps goaded on by a pitch that appeared greener than even the strip they had encountered at the Hagley Oval in the approach to Boxing Day. Players who looked closely at the pitch reported close to an inch of grass – enough to make the square almost indistinguishable from the rest of the field. But while that could have been a cause for worry, there were no grumbles from the Sri Lanka camp, only acceptance of poor performance, and determination to preserve a reputation as a decent team outside Asia.”We know we didn’t bat well in the first innings,” Lahiru Thirimanne said. “It wasn’t actually that hard to bat on that wicket, but we played some rash shots. So we need to concentrate a little bit more about leaving the ball and playing close to the body. We practiced really hard today, so hopefully we can do those things in the match as well.”Sri Lanka were bolstered between Tests by the arrival of Rangana Herath, who was sufficiently recovered from the hamstring tear he suffered in mid-December to go through an extra fielding session with coach Trevor Penney. Though Brendon McCullum had laid waste to the Sri Lanka attack in the first innings in Christchurch, a quiet confidence has built in the bowling group after their spirited defence of 105 on the fourth day.”In the first Test we saw some green on the surface, but this looks even greener I think,” Thirimanne said. “Our fast bowlers might like it as well because they will look forward to getting some early breakthroughs. Our bowling in the second innings was quite good. We bowled good areas and they couldn’t get runs easily, so we just want to bowl those same areas and make it hard for them to score runs.”Herath’s return is particularly significant, because of New Zealand’s struggles against him in the past. In four matches, Herath averages 19.58 against them – his best against any nation. That figure stretches to 40 in the only Test he played in New Zealand, but he is now a vastly improved bowler since that game in Napier in 2005. In the last three years, he has picked up five-wicket hauls in Australia and South Africa, and made significant contributions in early-summer English conditions in 2014.”I think Herath will play the second Test,” Thirimanne said. “He took wickets in similar conditions in England, so we’re confident about his ability to take wickets here.”Thirimanne’s return to the Test team and move to no.4 in the order has not been immediately successful, as he collected a match aggregate of 49 in Christchurch. Thirimanne said he took plenty of confidence in his long stay at the crease in the second innings, however, when he played out 124 deliveries in over three hours in the middle.”Batting at No. 4 is a big challenge for me, because that was Mahela Jayawardene’s spot. I need to work very hard to live up to that. It’s a position that’s very valuable for the team and we’re used to some top performances from our No. 4 batsman. That’s not an easy loss to fill. But I’m taking it game by game, and I’ve filled my head with thoughts about how the next match should be approached.”In the second innings, what we needed most was for someone to build a partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne. The way I batted in that innings is perhaps not my natural style, but it was good in the sense that I hit a lot of balls in the middle of the bat. I’m happy with that.”

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has been told he "may have to leave the country" if he wants to continue his managerial career.

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• Rooney axed by Plymouth in December
• Managerial future is uncertain
• Told he may need to move abroad

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rooney's latest managerial stint ended prematurely after he was sacked by Plymouth at the end of December. The Manchester United legend lasted just seven months in the job and departed with Plymouth rooted to the bottom of the Championship table and on a run of nine matches without a win.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rooney has come in for plenty of criticism for his time in charge of Plymouth and his future is currently uncertain. The 39-year-old has struggled in impress during managerial stints in England with Derby, Birmingham and now Plymouth and also left MLS side D.C. United after just 15 months at the helm. Rooney has now been told he may have to head abroad again if he wants to continue coaching by former United striker Teddy Sheringham.

• WHAT SHERINGHAM SAID

  He told Boyle Sports: "With Wayne Rooney leaving Plymouth, it does make you wonder what he does from here. I went into management in League Two and if that goes badly, where do you go from there? No one will take a chance in the division above if it didn’t go well in a lower tier. For Rooney it’s tough and it will be interesting to see how will employ him after he struggled in the Championship. But I’m sure he will persevere, he wants to be a successful manager and may have to leave the country to get a new experience and learn his trade."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ROONEY

  Fans will have to wait and see what Rooney does next and whether he's interested in another move abroad. The 39-year-old has plenty of family commitments as he shares four sons with wife Coleen, whose television career is expected to take off after her successful stint on

New Como signing Dele Alli was in the stands on Saturday to watch the Serie A team slip to a 2-1 defeat to high-flying Atalanta.

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Dele has joined Como on 18-month dealYet to make his debut for clubWatched Saturday's defeat to AtalantaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Dele signed for Como earlier in January after being invited to train with the club following his departure from Everton. Manager Cesc Fabregas has said the club "believe in his potential" after handing the 28-year-old an 18-month contract, with an option to extend for an additional 12 months, at the club.

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Dele is yet to debut for Como but will be hoping he can force his way into Fabregas's plans for the rest of the season. The midfielder did not even make the squad for Saturday's match against Atalanta but was in the stands to watch the game alongside new team-mate Sergi Roberto.

DID YOU KNOW?

Como took the lead in the match through former Real Madrid midfielder Nico Paz, but Atalanta hit back to seal the win thanks to two goals from Mateo Retegui.

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The 28-year-old will continue to train at Como and try his best to find some first-team minutes. The midfielder has not played competitively for almost two years but does now have a chance to reignite his career in the Italian top flight. Como are back action on Saturday against Bologna.

Chelsea are ready to sell a £35 million member of their squad, so they can help to back head coach Enzo Maresca with the potential signing of a Premier League star.

Chelsea plotting late defensive reshuffle this summer

Reports have begun to accelerate over a potential new centre-back signing before the transfer window cut-off on August 31, despite Maresca already having a wealth of senior central defenders at his disposal.

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The Blues also signed Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer from Fulham earlier this summer, but versatile defender Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave Chelsea in the coming week after being frozen out of both pre-season and the squad.

Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, a reliable media source, backs reports that Chelsea could look to bring in another defender very soon, with Maresca holding little faith in both Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi.

"While Chelsea’s squad contains six senior centre-backs, Chalobah is up for sale and Disasi is not in Maresca’s long-term plans," wrote Steinberg.

Chelsea's best-performing players in the Premier League last season
Player	Average match rating (WhoScored)
Cole Palmer	7.48
Conor Gallagher	7.13
Nicolas Jackson	7.07
Moises Caicedo	6.85
Noni Madueke	6.84

"Disasi, who missed much of pre-season after having surgery on a hernia, has not convinced since joining from Monaco for £38.5m last year and has interest from Newcastle. The France international, who made 44 appearances last season, has not looked comfortable with the ball at his feet. There are also doubts over how much Benoît Badiashile will play this season.

"Maresca is happy with Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana as his first-choice centre-backs, with Tosin Adarabioyo as the first back-up. But Fofana needs to be managed carefully after returning from a serious knee injury and there is a chance that a new centre-back who can provide more competition and thrive in Maresca’s possession-based system will arrive."

In the last few days, it has been claimed by other members of the media, like respected Chelsea reporter Simon Phillips, that Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is a very realistic transfer target.

Chelsea ready to sell Badiashile and could sign Joe Gomez

This is backed by TEAMtalk in another update, who write that Chelsea have put Badiashile on the transfer list and are ready to sell him. The 23-year-old, who only joined the club for £35 million in January last year, hasn't lived up to expectations at Stamford Bridge.

Those within Chelsea apparently hold this view of the Frenchman too, and it is believed they're considering the signing of Gomez as a replacement for Badiahshile. Maresca is also said to have requested the signing of a new centre-back to Chelsea chiefs, so this could be one to watch.

Arne Slot's centre-back has been regularly linked with an Anfield exit, commanding a price tag of around £34 million. Gomez made 32 Premier League appearances during Jurgen Klopp's final season in charge, starting 17 of them, and has been praised for his quality in recent years.

"He is a sensational footballer, which is good," said Klopp on Gomez in 2020.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good."

What is there to say about Harry Kane that has already been uttered? Quite frankly, very little.

The striking sensation – who famously left Arsenal behind as a boy – is now a Tottenham icon and leads Spurs’ scoring charts.

If ever you needed any further evidence of his goalscoring prowess, the England international is also his nation’s top scorer, topping a certain Wayne Rooney a few years ago now.

Kane continues to go from strength to strength and since moving to Bayern Munich last season after finally leaving Spurs behind, he has been a man-possessed.

Kane’s time at Bayern so far

With Kane in tow, Tottenham failed to win a trophy. With Kane in tow, Bayern Munich failed to win a trophy.

Perhaps it’s just him? Despite all of the goals and indeed the personal accolades, the striker’s misfortune is quite incredible.

He’s lost a Champions League final, two European Championship finals, a World Cup semi-final and he’s not scored in any of them. Perhaps Kane is not made for the biggest of occasions then.

We jest, of course, but it was rather typical that Bayern’s 11-year dominance of the Bundesliga came to an end the campaign Kane joined.

That said, the centre-forward enjoyed a remarkable season himself, scoring a staggering 44 goals in 45 games for the German outfit. Now 31, however, the former Spurs man is showing no signs of slowing down having already found the net on four occasions in three top-flight games this season. It’s safe to say he’s pretty damn good.

On that note, however, there is a player who recently left Spurs who can now boast Kane-like numbers.

Spurs may have sold their next Kane

Over the summer supporters got a wonderful opportunity to watch teenage sensation, Mikey Moore, in action.

Now 17 years of age, the attacker is one of the best young properties in the Premier League right now and actually found the net over pre-season, notably scoring impressively in the clash with Hearts.

Moore looks destined for a bright future in the game but as he will know, plenty have tried and failed to cross the bridge between academy and first-team football.

Dane Scarlett is currently at Championship side Oxford United on loan while a certain Troy Parrott is plying his trade in the Netherlands.

The Irishman was sold in a permanent deal over the summer, a move that was reported to cost Dutch side AZ Alkmaar a paltry £6.7m to finalise.

So, how is the 22-year-old faring in the Eredivisie so far?

Troy Parrott’s time at AZ Alkmaar

Well, it just so happens that the Irishman is one of the most prolific forwards on the continent right now.

Having swapped London for the Zaan district in the Netherlands, the forward has quickly made a name for himself in his new setting.

MK Dons (loan)

47

10

7

Preston (loan)

34

4

0

Excelsior (loan)

32

17

5

Ipswich (loan)

18

2

0

Spurs U18s

15

17

3

Spurs U19s

9

9

2

Spurs U21s

14

5

1

Millwall (loan)

14

0

1

AZ Alkmaar

5

4

0

Spurs first team

4

0

0

Parrott happened to spend last term on loan at Rotterdam club Excelsior where he thrived, scoring 17 times in 32 outings across all competitions. It would appear that he impressed those in the Eredivisie, with Alkmaar shelling out to sign him over the summer.

Since then he’s continued to score on a regular basis, finding the net on four occasions in five matches. That stat might be a tad misleading, however, as all four of those goals came in the same match.

During a staggering 9-1 win for AZ against Herenveen last weekend, Parrott was the main source of goals as he beat the goalkeeper on four occasions. To make this story even more intriguing for those of a Spurs persuasion, who was managing the opposition? A certain Robin van Persie.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United star certainly knows a thing or two about scoring goals but even he would have been blown away by the Irishman’s performance.

Such a tally of goals means that he’s now scored as many as Kane has in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich this term.

Tottenham’s record scorer netted his own hat-trick last weekend, putting Holstein Kiel to the sword in a 6-1 drubbing.

While those incredible results were happening, Postecoglou’s men would go onto lose to their fierce rivals Arsenal. They did not score but you can bet your house on the fact they would have done with Kane in the team.

While they will sill no doubt lust after his return, they can probably be secure in the fact that they sold Parrott at the right time. That’s unless he goes onto become a world-beater in the years to come.

Spurs could axe Johnson by unleashing "outstanding" academy teen instead

The incredible youngster could be something quite special.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 17, 2024

أعلنت رابطة الدوري الإسباني، عن موعد مباراة الكلاسيكو في بطولة الليجا، بين برشلونة وريال مدريد، في الجولة 35 على ملعب مونتجويك.

مباراة الذهاب على ملعب سانتياجو بيرنابيو انتهت برباعية لـ برشلونة، ولكن مواجهة الإياب التي ستجمع بينهما في مايو، ستكون حاسمة للقب الدوري الإسباني بشكل كبير.

برشلونة يتصدر الدوري الإسباني بفارق 4 نقاط عن ريال مدريد، بعد فوز النادي الكتالوني على ليجانيس، وتفوق الملكي أمام ديبورتيفو ألافيس اليوم الأحد.

المباراة التي ستجمع بين الفريقين في مايو، تم تحديد موعدها بالتوقيت، والتي ستجذب أنظار عشاق كرة القدم في كل مكان، حيث يمكن أن يحسم لقب الدوري في تلك المواجهة.

طالع أيضًا.. عقوبة مبابي المحتملة بعد طرده في مباراة ريال مدريد وألافيس وموقفه من مواجهة برشلونة

وستجمع مواجهة بين الفريقين في نهائي كأس ملك إسبانيا يوم 26 أبريل، في نهائي كأس ملك إسبانيا على ملعب لا كارتوخا بمدينة إشبيلية. موعد مباراة برشلونة وريال مدريد في الدوري الإسباني

ستقام المباراة يوم الأحد 11 مايو، في تمام الخامسة والربع بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب لويس كومبانيس “مونتجويك”.

MatériaMais Notícias

da aviator aposta： Agora é oficial: Ayrton Lucas é jogador do Flamengo. O jogador, que chegou ao Rio de Janeiro nesta quarta-feira, foi anunciado pelo clube nesta manhã, após a realização de exames médicos. O lateral-esquerdo chega por empréstimo até dezembro deste ano, vindo do Spartak Moscow, clube que defende desde 2019.

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Antes de Ayrton Lucas, o Flamengo já havia concretizado a chegada de três nomes em 2022: o atacante Marinho e os zagueiros Fabrício Bruno e Pablo.

No último dia 19, Ayrton Lucas lesionou o metatarso do pé esquerdo em jogo contra o Club Nizhny Novgorod, pelo Campeonato Russo. O Fla não viu a lesão (a única sofrida na Rússia) como uma barreira para contratá-lo, mas não deixará de fazer uma avaliação médica minuciosa antes da assinatura.

Foram três temporadas e meia de Ayrton Lucas pelo Spartak, com 108 partidas, sendo que ele atuou como meia 64 vezes, 43, como lateral esquerdo, e foi improvisado na lateral direita em uma oportunidade. Somando todas as competições, são quatro gols e 11 assistências – de acordo com o site “Transfermarkt” – neste período.

Ayrton Lucas, com passagem pela base do ABC-RN, se destacou pelo Fluminense em 2018. O Spartak Moscou investiu 7 milhões de euros pela contratação do lateral à época.

The Victoria pace bowler has a fine record at the MCG and has been in superb form this season

Andrew McGlashan24-Dec-2021Victoria pace bowler Scott Boland has been handed a surprise debut in the Boxing Day Test against England with Australia taking a cautious approach over a minor leg injury to Jhye Richardson.Boland, 32, becomes the fourth Indigenous Test cricketer after Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie and Ashleigh Gardner. He is one of two changes with Pat Cummins returning in place of Michael Neser.”It’s huge,” Cummins said. “Australia, we have a rich history and it’s great that it’s starting to be reflected.”Boland, who previously played 14 ODIs and three T20Is in 2016, has been selected as something of a home-ground specialist having taken 96 wickets at 25.56 in 27 first-class games at the MCG. This season in the Sheffield Shield he has taken 15 wickets at 10.80 which propelled him into the Australia A squad ahead of the Ashes, before he was hastily flown into Adelaide last week after Cummins’ Covid close contact drama.Related

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“The first thing you’ve got to wrap your head around playing at the MCG is you’ll have to bowl a lot of overs more often than not and he does that really well,” Cummins said. “The Shield game they won against New South Wales, think he bowled 50 overs.”His pace stays up, he’s always at you, bowls really well to left handers. Asks a lot of questions around that fourth stump, knee roll, a bit of nibble each way. He’s just really well suited here.””We earmarked him as a chance for SCG and here, we feel he’s really well suited. His record speaks for itself here in domestic cricket.”He gets his chance after Richardson pulled up sore after his efforts in Adelaide, where he took a maiden five-wicket haul in the second innings, with Cummins saying there was “small” leg injury which they did not want to risk.”He’s pretty sore,” Cummins said. “We thought seven days off, give him enough rest…so rather than risking him give him a week off.”Boland’s debut is a further sign of the depth of Australia’s fast-bowling stocks and means that six will now have been used across the first three Ashes Tests. Last summer Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc played unchanged against India while in the previous season the now-retired James Pattinson came in for two Tests.”The biggest factor has been the fitness of the bowlers,” Cummins said. “The fact that Joshy, Starcy and I haven’t missed many games in the last few years has probably been the biggest factor in us not rotating through quick bowlers. Inevitable in a five-Test series that things were going to pop up. It’s probably been a few years in the making where we have six or seven and need to use them.”Scott Boland will be the latest quick used by Australia•Getty Images

Reflecting on his own absence from the second Test after being deemed a close contact for having dined in an Adelaide restaurant next to a positive case, Cummins admitted his frustration at the situation but added that watching from afar gave him a difference perspective.”I said to JL [Justin Langer], I’m really angry but don’t know who at. There was no one to blame. When I left the restaurant I thought, that’s fine, I didn’t get near him and I’ll test negative. Then it became the state rules and you’ve got to follow them.”When I knew I wasn’t playing I thought this would be a good chance to sit back and enjoy it as a fan then after about an hour I was quite angry, wishing I was back out there. It was interesting to listen to some of the commentary, see what the rest of Australia is seeing outside of our little bubble.”