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“If I was really not that loyal I would have done it five years ago when T20 leagues really took off”

Firdose Moonda17-Sep-2023

Quinton de Kock has admitted that the lure of T20 league money influenced his decision to retire from ODI cricket after this year’s World Cup as he looks to “top up” his earnings as his career winds down. Although just 30 years old, de Kock has been playing professional cricket for the last 11 years, retired from Test cricket almost two years ago and will continue playing T20 cricket, both internationally and in leagues around the world, starting with the BBL in December.De Kock made himself available for Australia’s competition even though it will clash with South Africa’s white-ball series against India and shortly afterwards announced his ODI retirement. Asked by the host broadcaster, in an interview ahead of his final home ODI, whether the T20 franchise circuit prompted that decision, de Kock confirmed that they did but maintained that his first priority had been South Africa.”I am not going to sit here and deny that it doesn’t. It helps with my decision. I’ve been around for 10 or 11 years and I’ve tried to keep my loyalty to the team, which I think I’ve done really well. I think I have represented the Proteas badge very well over my career,” de Kock said. “T20 events – I am not going to deny that there is a lot of money and coming to the end of your career, guys want to get their final top-up before their career finishes. Any normal person would do it anyway. If I was really not that loyal I would have done it five years ago when it really took off. Now I am older and with me coming to the down slope of my career, it’s time.”Though still a dangerous batter and lightning quick with the keeping gloves, de Kock’s decision to wind down his career comes from a desire to spend more time with his young family. He stepped away from Tests shortly before the birth of his daughter Kiara and at the time said he and his wife Sasha planned to “grow our family,” in the coming years and he wanted to be a present father. He has now also revealed the longest format lost its appeal for him. “It was a feeling I was getting,” he said. “I remember at the end of my Test career, I was fighting playing Test matches. I only played 50 ([54] Test matches I think. I spoke to the people who I trust in my life and they said if you want to, there’s no shame in it, retire so you can focus on other formats.”In the 21 months since, de Kock has played 21 ODIs and 19 T20Is for South Africa, scored one century in each format and averages slightly less than his overall numbers. He implied the slight dip may come from his changing role in the team – from maverick youngster to senior professional.”When I was younger, it was easier because they knew what I could do and we had senior guys like AB (de Villiers), Hash(im Amla), Faf (du Plessis) and JP (Duminy). They just let me play. They didn’t try and stop me and said I must just keep being aggressive,” he said. “Over time it’s changed. Somehow, I try to play a situation that has been put before us. There’s a time for me to be aggressive but there’s also time just being out in the middle and trusting I can just catch up an innings. I’ve learnt another way to score runs and I had to take control of the senior group. Guys like myself and David Miller – we had to lead the group. Somehow through that process, my game has got a bit more enhanced than being the guy who just smashes it the whole time.”That’s why when asked for his best memories, de Kock doesn’t immediately think of his career-best ODI knock – the 178 against Australia in 2016 – but turns to events like his half-century in a Test in a Galle in 2014 as an example of his grit.”We won in Sri Lanka one-nil, which is never an easy feat for teams not from the subcontinent,” he said, also recalling his first ODI hundred against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and three ODIs hundreds in a row against India in 2013, which helped him make his name.”I’ve had a lot of good memories along the way, things you can’t just forget,” he said. “The guys know I am an elephant, I don’t forget. There are things I don’t forget. I remember every last bit of detail about everything. It’s some skill I have just developed.”His memory may not enjoy the way his final ODI innings at home went. He scored 27 of 39 balls before being caught at slip and walked off to a standing ovation from his home ground at the Wanderers.This was his 144th match and he will add a maximum of 11 more to his name at the World Cup. And what does he plan to do other than play T20 cricket after that? “I will take a gap year for sure and then reassess,” he said. “And then I will just go back into society and be a normal person.”

da esoccer bet： Derby County face Blackburn Rovers in the race to sign a versatile midfielder with the same agent as Craig Forsyth, according to a new report.

Forsyth signs new Derby contract as Eustace targets attackers

da brdice： Earlier this week, Derby announced that experienced defender Forsyth has signed a new two-year contract to remain with the Rams. The left-back’s contract was set to expire at the end of this month, but John Eustace, who was a teammate of Forsyth’s during his playing career, has decided to keep the 36-year-old at the club until 2027.

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Forsyth played 39 times for the Rams in the Championship last season, as they avoided relegation to League One. In those appearances, the defender managed to score an impressive three goals and grab four assists. This latest contract will see Forsyth extend his football career to 20 years, and this contract will also see Derby support him in getting his coaching qualifications.

As Eustace decides to keep valuable experience in his defence, in a fan forum held at Pride Park, the Derby boss has revealed that signing new attackers is a priority for the club this summer, given their lack of goals last season.

Eustace said, via BBC Sport: “I’d love to play a back four, some exciting attacking wingers and two good strikers.”

This comes as the Rams have agreed a deal with Luton Town to sign striker Carlton Morris, who is set to undergo his medical once he returns from holiday.

Derby face Blackburn in race to sign Russell

The arrivals at Pride Park don’t look to be stopping there, as according to Football League World, Derby are keen on signing midfielder Jon Russell from League One side Barnsley.

It isn’t just the Rams looking at the 24-year-old however; Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United and Stoke City are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation ahead of a potential move.

Russell, who is a former Chelsea academy graduate, has been with the Tykes since January 2023, when he joined from Huddersfield Town.

The Jamaica international has been a key contributor for Barnsley in his two full seasons at the club – he played 31 times during the 2023/24 League One season, as Barnsley reached the play-offs. He then bettered that last term, as he played 40 times in the league, scoring an impressive 11 goals, as well as grabbing two assists.

Jon Russell’s 24/25 League One stats

Apps

40

Starts

34

Goals

11

Chance conversion

19%

Assists

2

Touches per game

38.9

Key passes per game

0.8

Big chances created

4

Duels per game (won)

4.0 (50%)

This report doesn’t claim how much the League One side would want for Russell, but given his contract expires next summer, Barnsley may have to consider cashing in on the midfielder now, before he leaves for nothing.

In further good news for Derby, they may hold an advantage in this race, as Russell, who can play in a defensive role as well as an advanced role in midfield, has the same representatives, Two Touch Agency, as Derby defender Forsyth, who they have of course recently concluded positive talks with.

Her 127 is the second Test hundred for India against Australia, and the first in Australia

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Oct-2021127 Smriti Mandhana ‘s score at the Carrara Oval, the highest for a visiting player in women’s Tests in Australia. The previous highest score was Molly Hide’s unbeaten 124, for England, in Sydney in 1949.1 Mandhana’s 127 is the first Test hundred for India in Australia and only their second against Australia. Sandhya Agarwal’s 134 in 1984 was the first Test hundred for India versus Australia. Rajani Venugopal’s 58 in 1991 was the previous highest Test score for India in Australia.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 Women to score a century in both Tests and ODIs against Australia, including Mandhana. She joins the elite list of Enid Bakewell, Debbie Hockley and Claire Taylor . Mandhana, however, is the only woman with Test and ODI hundreds against Australia in Australia, having scored her maiden ODI century in Hobart in 2016.3 First-innings individual scores in women’s Tests that are higher than Mandhana’s 127 after being put in to bat by the opposition. Kiran Baluch ‘s 242 in 2004, the highest individual score in women’s Tests, came after the West Indies elected to bowl first.Related

• Matthew Mott: India 'held all the aces' for the best part in the pink-ball Test

• Smriti Mandhana glides and Punam Raut walks before another storm strikes

• Smriti Mandhana, and the search for the 'feel'

• Smriti Mandhana aces pink-ball test after 'two nets sessions'

• WBBL: Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma sign with Sydney Thunder

51 Number of balls Mandhana needed to complete her fifty, the second fastest recorded half-century in women’s Tests. The fastest is by India’s Sangita Dabir who scored an unbeaten 50 off 42 balls against England in 1995. Dabir’s fifty came in only 40 balls as per the official scoresheet of that Test match. Mandhana’s hundred off 170 balls is also the fastest recorded Test ton for India.74 Percentage of Mandhana’s runs that came in boundaries. From the information available with ESPNcricinfo, Mandhana’s is the second-highest percentage of runs to have come in boundaries in a century innings in women’s Tests. Charlotte Edwards hit 80% of her runs in fours in her score of 105 against India at Taunton in 2006, which is the highest.195 for 2 India’s total at the fall of Mandhana’s wicket, the second-most runs conceded by Australia in a Test innings before the fall of the second wicket. The highest is 228 runs during England’s first innings of the Sydney Test in 1935.

Legspinner suffered muscle strain during England’s Ashes warm-up fixture at Lilac Hill

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2025Rehan Ahmed has been ruled out of any further participation on the England Lions tour of Australia after suffering a right lower leg strain during the Ashes warm-up match against England in Perth.Legspinner Rehan batted at No. 5 for the Lions, making 16 off 41 balls on day one before becoming one of six wickets for England captain, Ben Stokes. He played no part with the ball, or in the Lions’ second innings, with the ECB announcing afterwards that he would return home to begin his recovery.Related

• Rehan, Cox and Fisher in England Lions squad for Australia

• Jhye Richardson's return steps up with Cricket Australia XI outing

• Anderson says 'weak' Australia are still Ashes favourites

Rehan had signed up to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the 2025-26 BBL, but the BBC reported that the injury was not expected to impact his involvement in the competition, which starts in a month’s time.England Lions are scheduled to play another four-day match at Lilac Hill, against a Cricket Australia XI, next week, before a one-off unofficial Test against Australia A in December. The Lions are also expected to be involved in a pink-ball tour game between England and the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra between the first and second Ashes Tests.It had been speculated that Rehan, who missed out on selection as the second spinner in the main Ashes squad to Will Jacks, could stay on with England after the Lions programme concluded.

Gomez said the league is accommodating the Argentine superstar above other considerations, even after recent sanction

• Gomez says Messi basically gets whatever he wants
• Said league is only interested in gaining casual fans
• Argued MLS has a Messi-centric strategy

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  In the wake of the recent Lionel Messi MLS All-Star Game controversy, former USMNT star Herculez Gomez questioned tension between Major League Soccer's treatment of the Inter Miami star and the league's longtime supporters.

  Gomez said the league is accommodating the Argentine superstar above other considerations, even after MLS suspended Messi and teammate Jordi Alba after the pair skipped last week's ASG in Austin, Texas.

  “Nobody should be above the law, but when MLS puts all their eggs in one basket, they've made it very clear who is above the law," Gomez said on his podcast. "I'm here to talk about the pushback. It seems like the hardcore MLS fans, they've taken this stance of 'F-Messi, He's been bad for the league. It's not Messi league soccer, this is Major League Soccer.'

  "It’s Messi this, Messi that….and they’re fed up with it and I sympathize and almost relate to it. But don't for a second, think Major League Soccer has your best interest at heart. They don't. They’ve got your money, they want the casual fans and the casual fan wants Messi… This is a the way they've operated and you should not be surprised."

Advertisement

• WHAT GOMEZ SAID

  Gomez also addressed the MLS roster construction rules that have allowed Inter Miami to assemble an unusually star-studded squad around Messi – including the recent addition of Rodrigo De Paul.

  "It's pretty much a super team to do whatever the hell they wanted to do," he said. "And there's been this push back from the general fan. Well, Zlatan, David Beckham, Chicharito they did a late-night circuit. They did the rounds. Why doesn’t Messi? And you may be right? You may have a point… Major League Soccer doesn't care.

  "And you should not be upset when that happens because we've allowed it to happen. So Messi – the eggs of MLS are all in the Messi basket. And I feel they positioned themselves in a situation where they almost have to see it through. If Leo Messi were to not re-sign through the 2026 World Cup… I don't know where you move forward. It could be a blow, not a death blow, but it's a major blow that sets you back. So, this is the Messi basket that you're in. I think you have to ride it out.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lionel Messi’s current contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of the 2025 MLS season and he is reportedly in negotiations with the club over a new deal.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Inter Miami will face Atlas, Necaxa and Pumas in Leagues Cup, with De Paul cleared to make his debut with the team on Wednesday night.

Arsenal are in advancing talks to sign yet another player for Mikel Arteta, following an already-hectic last seven days when it comes to the club’s recruitment drive.

Agbonlahor slams "very odd" Arsenal transfer decision as Berta agrees deal

The Gunners are shopping “at Asda”.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi was in London this time last week to formalize his transfer to N5 and sign all documents as a new Arsenal player (Fabrizio Romano), with the 26-year-old becoming Andrea Berta’s first signing as new sporting director.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Almost immediately after Zubimendi, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also travelled to the English capital to complete his own Arsenal move, coming after Berta triggered the £5 million release clause in his Chelsea contract.

The Spanish duo were swiftly followed in their journey to N5 by Brentford captain Christian Norgaard as well, with Arsenal agreeing an initial £10 million deal, plus a potential £5 million in add-ons (Ben Jacobs), to sign the Denmark international as a replacement for Thomas Partey.

Norgaard has been authorised to have a medical at Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano), but according to recent reports, Berta may soon add yet another player to their growing list of very recent new additions.

Arsenal "set to sign" Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia

On Thursday afternoon, news emerged that Arsenal have opened talks with Valencia over versatile centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.

The 21-year-old could play at both right-back and at the heart of Arteta’s defence, if the Gunners can agree a potential £17 million deal, with Mosquera up for grabs at a cheap price considering he’s about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

The news was originally shared by X account ‘HandofArsenal’, with credible media sources then reporting that Arsenal are now in pole position to sign the Spaniard ahead of RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

Now, journalist Graeme Bailey, writing in a piece for TBR Football, has shared a further update on the story.

Bailey reports that Arsenal are “set to sign” Mosquera, with talks reaching an advanced stage after “positive” negotiations, but it could spell the end for back-up defender Jakub Kiwior.

The latter impressed alongside William Saliba last season when Gabriel Magalhaes was out injured, but Mosquera’s possible arrival is “set to signal the departure” of Kiwior as he prioritises a return to Serie A.

Called a “sensational talent” by members of the media, Kiwior is apparently preparing to leave the Emirates as a result of this move for Mosquera, with GiveMeSport also reporting that personal terms have already been agreed.

While Mosquera will serve as a back-up option initially, Arsenal are said to believe that the defender has serious potential to become a first-team regular in the coming years.

It’s fair to say Manchester United fans won’t be looking back on the 2024/25 season with any degree of fondness.

A miserable tally of 18 losses in total in the Premier League would see Ruben Amorim’s dismal Red Devils have to make do with an unimpressive 15th spot in the division, whilst a heartbreaking Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur means United won’t even have the joyful distraction of European football to look forward to next campaign.

It’s a huge summer at Old Trafford, therefore, as Amorim attempts to steer the sinking ship back on course, with a whole host of transfer rumours beginning to bubble to the surface involving outgoings and incomings.

The most notable exit that could soon be on the cards is Bruno Fernandes ditching the Theatre of Dreams, with United perhaps having to sell their standout star so they can finance some top-drawer signings through the door.

Man Utd's search for a striker

Although the ex-Sporting boss remains in good spirits that the attacking midfielder could stay put amidst interest from Al-Hilal, it could well be that United’s hand is forced in this regard if they want to upgrade their striker personnel this summer.

Indeed, French outlet Foot Mercato have reported that United will have to get rid of Fernandes and/or Marcus Rashford to try and tempt Galatasaray goal machine Victor Osimhen to England, with his annual wage costs alone coming in at an eye-watering £10m. After all, the Portuguese ace does earn a sizeable £300k-per-week salary in the current camp.

Therefore, the Premier League strugglers might well have to just bite the bullet and allow Fernandes to sadly depart, especially when you consider the Red Devils are crying out for a new, potent goalscorer away from the likes of a goal-shy Rasmus Hojlund.

That’s where the ex-Napoli man could come to the rescue, with Amorim potentially possessing his next Viktor Gyokeres very soon if his side can spectacularly purchase the “world class” – as he was once labelled by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley – menace.

Why Osimhen could become Amorim's next Gyokeres

Before delving deeper into Osimhen’s own unerring ability in front of goal, it’s only right to look at how Amorim had an instrumental part to play in Gyokeres becoming an equally ice-cold finisher of chances in Lisbon.

The Stockholm-born striker would instantly hit the ground running under the 40-year-old’s stewardship in Portugal, with a bumper 43 strikes coming his way across a memorable debut season.

The former Coventry City marksman is now up to a stunning 97 goals from 102 total appearances for Sporting, and whilst there were murmurs Gyokeres could reunite with his former manager in England, a statement move hasn’t yet whirred into motion.

But, the under-fire Red Devils boss can begin to claw his way into the Old Trafford good books by landing Osimhen instead, considering the Nigerian’s explosiveness in front of goal out in Turkey and across his goal-laden career to date means he could be the manager’s next Gyokeres.

Amazingly, Osimhen isn’t a million miles off his Swedish counterpart’s insane Liga Portugal goalscoring numbers, with the Galatasaray number 45 actually boasting 37 goals and seven assists from 41 games in all competitions this season, away from setting the Turkish top-flight alight.

Additionally, away from just twisting and turning Super Lig defences for fun, the 26-year-old target has also proven himself as a clinical threat on the books of Napoli and Lille previously, as seen in his 94 goals for both the Serie A and Ligue 1 titans.

Therefore, whilst it might break United hearts to see Fernandes up and leave, it could well be a momentary, but necessary pain that then results in long-term success, particularly if Osmihen – who could be up for grabs for around £62m – enters the ranks and rips up yet another major league with his goalscoring prowess.

Better than Delap: Man Utd ready to pursue deal for "unplayable" £60m ace

Manchester United are reportedly ready to pursue a deal for this star who is even better than Liam Delap.

1

By
Dan Emery

May 31, 2025

“They took 20 wickets on this pitch, so you can’t say it’s impossible to take 20 wickets on this pitch,” Pakistan captain says

Danyal Rasool11-Oct-2024Shan Masood drew a sharp line between his side’s batters and bowlers after their innings defeat against England in Multan – he defended the batters and criticised the bowlers for failing to do their job. Speaking after the match, Masood lamented their inability to take 20 wickets, largely dismissing the pitch as a mitigating factor for their struggles.”What England showed us is you can find a way. They took 20 wickets on this pitch, so you can’t say it’s impossible to take 20 wickets on this pitch,” Masood said. “We can’t find the easy way out to those 20 wickets, because then we wouldn’t have scored a huge first-innings score. You have to find a way as a team, and the formula of Test cricket is you can’t win a Test without taking 20 wickets. That, and first-innings runs.”We’ve repeated mistakes, by setting up the match and then letting those positions slip. When you score 550 and bat for two days, there’s a human element where there is scoreboard pressure. If in these conditions you are to set up a game, you put up a big score. And then not let the team take too big a lead.”Related

Pakistan, a graveyard for Test bowlers – in numbers

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England further expose Pakistan's fragility

It was a point – Pakistan’s failure to take 20 wickets – Masood repeatedly brought up. There was significantly less introspection about Pakistan’s showing with the bat in the second innings. He admitted losing “one or two fewer wickets yesterday” would have been useful, but that was about as far as Masood went in his evaluation.Much of the wider talk has revolved around the placidity of the surface, and how little it offered the bowlers, even as the game wore on. Chris Woakes, who removed Babar Azam in the first innings and knocked back Abdullah Shafique’s off stump off the first ball of the second, called it “a pitch that offered bu****r all”. Mike Atherton, working as a broadcaster on the game, called it “a shocking pitch”. Masood would have had little pushback if he’d chosen to line up behind them to exonerate his bowlers, but he opted to take a different route.”It was the same pitch for both sides, and both sides were similar – three pacers and two spinners,” he said. “They found a way, and we didn’t execute as well. Conditions change over the course of a Test, and we have to learn to find a way.”We take the discussion of the pitch too seriously. You plan a pitch for your squad and your strategy, but you can’t control every aspect of the pitch. The last Test we played here in 2022, that was a slightly different pitch. England’s squad was different, as was ours. Here, we expected this pitch to break up very quickly. Maybe around the end of Day 2 and the start of Day 3. Which is why we tried to prolong the innings.”Masood, in particular, blamed a “lapse” from the bowlers with the second new ball. By that time, England had gone past 400, with Harry Brook and Joe Root well into the partnership that would become the largest away stand in Test history. Abrar Ahmed had proved ineffectual, perhaps hampered by the illness that put him in hospital the following day. Pakistan did not make any inroads overnight, or the morning that followed.”The pitch today and yesterday wasn’t a Day 1 or Day 2 pitch,” Masood said. “The new-ball bowlers got a spell; there was enough with the new ball and there were open cracks. That was an opportunity the bowlers had to drag the game back to Pakistan. We’ll have to absorb pressure in that period and improve. These lapses have occurred before. You set up a big total and restrict the opposition, so you can drive the game on the third day. The 220 we scored, if we had conceded only a 50-run deficit, then scoring 170 in two sessions would have been a different story.”Masood’s review of that period may come off as harsh, particularly on Naseem Shah. Late on the third day, he had Joe Root trapped in front off a ball that came in, but missed out because of umpire’s call when a fair chunk of the ball was hitting leg stump. The following morning, Root pulled one off Naseem straight to Babar Azam at midwicket, and it went down.There wasn’t much introspection about Pakistan’s second innings on Shan Masood’s part•Getty Images

The hostility of the conditions is unlikely to have helped the bowlers either. The Test has been played with temperatures hovering in the high 30s and the sun blazing down; high-performance coach Tim Nielsen said yesterday “the heat and length of time” Pakistan were out on the field ended up getting to them.Meanwhile, there will invariably be criticism that Masood has been selective in the way he has framed his argument. Slumping to 82 for 6 on a surface England piled on the fourth-highest score in Test history can hardly be seen as spectacular batting, particularly in light of Pakistan’s repeated third-innings failures. It’s also worth mentioning that a 170-odd run fourth-innings target is precisely the situation Pakistan found themselves in during the second Test against Bangladesh, only for the visitors to knock it off with little drama.Masood mentioned the importance of not falling into a huge deficit to help Pakistan’s third innings, but even when that goal has been realised during his tenure, a decent third innings has not. In Sydney, Pakistan managed a narrow lead against Australia before slumping for 115, as they did during the second Test against Bangladesh after sneaking a 12-run lead in Rawalpindi. This is the largest lead they have given up during his time, but as he admitted, a spicier pitch may simply have meant a failure to put up the big first-innings total Pakistan did.”We’ve got into good positions three times, and if you keep in mind the first-innings scores – 448, 274, 556 – you’d have to accept they are good innings scores. We have to look at the batting and bowling effort and how to combine them, and stay in the game. The third and fourth innings will only be match-winning when the bowling and batting innings are in tandem.”

Marnus Labuschagne has reflected on being involved in the extraordinary tied County Championship game earlier this week and admitted Glamorgan thought they were home in their bid for a world-record run chase.They had been set 593 by Gloucestershire and entered the final over of the match needing two to win after centuries from Labuschagne and Sam Northeast. Mason Crane played out four dot balls before taking a single to level the scores leaving No. 11 Jamie McIlroy on strike. He swung hard at Ajeet Dale, edging through to James Bracey who took a spectacular one-handed catch having removed his right glove in preparation for the batters attempting a bye.Related

• Labuschagne gets chance to push captaincy credentials with Queensland

• Labuschagne's stunning catch is one for the ages

• Gloucestershire scramble historic tie as Glamorgan's heroic 593-run chase falls short

“Whenever you are chasing a big score like that it’s always about one step at a time,” Labuschagne told . “But the ground we played at was [a] very fast outfield so you just felt like if you got on top of the opposition and you scored and batted well, things could get out of hand very quickly.”That’s always in the back of your mind but you are just taking it one step at a time. Then when it gets down to 100 you start getting a little more invested and you get a bit more eager, then it gets down to 50, then we lost a couple more wickets and we are like, do we bat the draw or go all in for the win.”So there was heaps of ups and downs and even into the last over, we got a boundary off the last ball of the second last over of the day, then we thought we were home. Needed two runs off the last over, we had Mason Crane the batter in on strike. He ended up facing four dots and then got a single, so it’s over to the No. 11 to get the job done.”Incredible game…we got their score, we just couldn’t get one more.” The match marked Labuschagne’s last County Championship outing of this spell with Glamorgan which concludes with a run of T20 Blast matches before he returns to Australia. He will then be part of Queensland’s pre-season as their new captain ahead of potentially returning to England for the ODI series in mid-September.Labuschagne scored 468 runs at 58.50 in four first-class matches with two centuries which follows a relatively lean period in his Test career where he has made one century in his last 20 Tests, although hit 90 in the previous outing against New Zealand in March.”The ups and downs of the game is part of the challenge,” he said. “For me it was just a good opportunity to review before I came here on how I’ve been successful, what have I done in different time periods that I’ve been batting well… have done a few technical things and worked on a few things and it’s coming together really nicely, so setting up nicely for some one-day cricket and some Test cricket coming up this summer.”I always look at my game from a technical lens, finding out ways to improve and get better, and especially with my technique making sure my alignment is good, moving into the ball well, all those sorts of things [are] really important for me.”Being involved in a 592-run four-day tie has not been the only memorable moment of Labuschagne’s Glamorgan season with him also lighting up social media with his spectacular catch in the T20 Blast.”It’s definitely the best catch I’ve taken that’s been caught on camera, that’s for sure,” he said. “I took a catch in club cricket when I was 18 or 19, the boys that I play with at Queensland always say it was another very good catch, but unfortunately we don’t have that on camera, so as good as it never happened.”Labuschagne could be available for at least the first month of the Sheffield Shield season for Queensland and potentially more depending on how multi-format players are managed around the white-ball series against Pakistan in November. The first Test against India starts in Perth on November 22.”It’s there in the back of my mind stewing along,” he said of the prospect of facing India, “but when you are playing you are always trying to focus on the here and now.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da aposte e ganhe： O São Paulo encara o Tigre, nesta terça-feira (26), pela última rodada do Grupo D da Copa Sul-Americana. Na primeira posição da chave, com 13 pontos conquistados, o Tricolor está a três de distância dos argentinos. Mas há algum risco de eliminação? Quais são os critérios de desempate? Dorival pode se dar ao luxo de poupar jogadores na partida? O Lance! responde.

da apostaganha： Para os tricolores apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!

Como o São Paulo está a três pontos do Tigre, o máximo que o time argentino consegue chegar é o mesmo número de pontos, 13. Portanto, fica a pergunta de quais são os critérios de desempate para definir o único classificado diretamente às oitavas de final da Sul-Americana. A Conmebol define o saldo de gols como o primeiro critério de desempate. Em relação a isso, a situaçâo do São Paulo é muito cconfortável.

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O Tricolor tem 11 gols pró de saldo, contra apenas três do Tigre. Ou seja, para ser eliminado, o São Paulo precisa levar oito gols do clube argentino. Curiosamente, a defesa é um dos pontos fortes da equipe de Dorival Júnior no torneio, já que o time ainda não sofreu gols em cinco jogos disputados.

O outro critério de desempate é em relação ao número de gols feitos, critério que o São Paulo também leva vantagem. O Tricolor fez 11 tentos, já o Tigre balançou a rede em sete oportunidades. Portanto, apenas uma ‘tragédia’ tira a classificação do Tricolor para a próxima fase da Sul-Americana.