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Batsman, captain, innovator, inventor, mentor, commentator and writer – Martin Crowe was all of that during a career that did not end after he retired from the game

Compiled by George Binoy03-Mar-2016Martin David Crowe was born on September 22, 1962 in Henderson, Auckland, to parents Audrey and David Crowe. He had a sister Deb and an older brother Jeff, who played 39 Tests and 75 ODIs for New Zealand. Russell Crowe, the actor, was a younger cousin.In 1968 at the age of around 6, Crowe joined Cornwall Cricket Club in Auckland, the start of a lifelong association. In fact, on February 27, 2015, during his battle with lymphoma, Crowe took part in a match to mark the club’s 60th anniversary. “My dad’s ashes are up there on that bench so I thought it would be nice to bat an over, if I last the over,” Crowe told ONE News ahead of the game “I was going to treat this as my last outing on the old ground.” He made 25 not out off 20 balls in his final innings.Crowe attended Auckland Grammar School as a 13-year old in 1976 and spent five years in the institution. This is what his headmaster Sir John Graham, a former All Black, wrote about him in 1980 (taken from martincrowe.com): “MD Crowe is one of the outstanding young men to have attended Auckland Grammar. He has excelled in every aspect of school life in which he has been involved and no boy in the School’s history has done more for his school’s reputation than Martin Crowe. He is a young man of the highest quality and all-round potential. He is dedicated and determined in all he does, he has the intelligence and the ability to do all things well. His character is strong, dependable and independent. I have the highest regard for him as a young New Zealander.”Crowe was fast tracked in domestic and international cricket. The rapid progress he made, however, wasn’t always beneficial. “From the age of 14 when I was picked for the Auckland under-23 side and then as 12th man for a Shell Trophy final. I was basically given a script that was way beyond my years. Emotionally I was totally unprepared and ever since, I’ve always been playing catch-up with that emotional stability,” Crowe told in 2006. “All I kept feeding was an ego. In terms of my emotional development I was always three years out of my depth and I’ve had issues throughout my career with it.”On January 19, 1980, at the age of 17, Crowe made his first-class debut for Auckland against Canterbury, scoring 51 in the first innings. His domestic career ended in the 1995-96 season and he finished with 19,608 first-class runs at an average of 56 in 247 matches, representing Auckland, Central Districts, Somerset and Wellington. His List A career comprised 261 matches in which he scored 8740 runs at an average of 38.16.The 1992 World Cup was the zenith of Martin Crowe’s career – he led New Zealand to the semi-final and was Player of the Tournament•Getty ImagesCrowe was 19 when he made his ODI debut , against Australia at Eden Park in Auckland, on February 13, 1982. He did not bat in New Zealand’s 46-run victory that day, despite them losing six wickets. Two weeks later, Crowe made his Test debut, at Basin Reserve, where he was run out for 9 in a rain-hit draw against Australia. “When I played for New Zealand when I was 19, against Lillee and Thomson, I rattled off scores of 9, 2, 0 and 9. And then I ran up to the far north of New Zealand to be with my sister. I couldn’t face anyone in public,” Crowe told in 2014. “And then I finally went down to the pub to play a game of pool. At the bar there was this big Maori man, and he said, “Hey, Crowe! I hope you can play pool better than you can play cricket. I was trapped. I couldn’t go anywhere. This was the farthest pub in New Zealand, and in that moment I realised I had to fix this problem of failure.”After seven Tests, in which he scored only 183 runs at 15.25, Crowe made his maiden Test century – a match-saving 100 against England in Wellington. “But Martin, the younger of the Crowe brothers, showed exceptional maturity for a 21-year-old, batting for 276 minutes without making a visible mistake until the stroke that got him out, an edge to slip that gave Gatting his first Test wicket,” reported. “Crowe’s driving, reminiscent of Greg Chappell’s in its rifling precision, accounted for most of his 19 fours.” Crowe went on to make 17 Test hundreds, a New Zealand record that still stands.Between 1984 and 1988, Crowe played county cricket for Somerset, where he replaced Viv Richards. Ian Botham was not happy at losing the West Indian batsman and disparagingly called Crowe “a good club cricketer”. Crowe went on to play 48 matches for Somerset, making 3984 runs at an average of 59.Crowe’s second and third Test hundreds were a brace of 188s in April and November 1985. The second of those came in a famous innings win at the Gabba, where Crowe’s performance complemented Richard Hadlee’s 15 wickets to seal New Zealand’s first Test victory in Australia. “Martin was sublime, really. Watching from the other end I was constantly amazed at the time he had to play his shots,” John Reid, who scored 108 in that innings, told ESPNcricinfo in 2015. “When they pitched the ball up, he drove it well. When they pitched it short he cut, hooked and pulled the ball. He dominated their attack to an extent I could not emulate. I was actually consciously feeding him the strike to ensure that his ability to dominate the attack could be utilised to better the chances of winning.” In contrast, the first of those 188s had been an exercise in patience that helped New Zealand draw a Test in Guyana. Crowe had batted nine and a half hours, longer than any of his previous first-class innings.In 2011, Martin Crowe attempted a comeback to club cricket at the age of 48. It lasted one match•Getty Images”At the age of eight, I said to my dad that I am going to score a century at Lord’s one day,” Crowe told . He made two – the first in July 1986 and the second in 1994.Bruce Reid struck Crowe on the jaw during the Christchurch Test in 1986. Crowe was on 51 when he mistimed the hook and had to leave the field to get ten stitches. He returned with New Zealand 190 for 6 in the first innings, in response to Australia’s 364, and counterattacked to make 137 off 226 balls. “It was a display which drew comparisons with Sutcliffe’s epic innings for New Zealand at Johannesburg in 1953-54,” Wisden reported.Crowe made 1348 first-class runs at an average of 103.69 for Central Districts in the 1986-87 domestic season to help win the Shell Trophy for his team. The 1676 runs Crowe scored that summer remains the New Zealand record for the most runs in a season.In early 1987, Crowe made 119, 104 and 83 in three Tests against attacks comprising Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh and Tony Gray to help New Zealand draw the series against West Indies 1-1. “Sometimes you got too conscious because you tried too hard to deal with the challenge,” Crowe told about what could trip him up in the middle. “And against West Indies you had to accept it was hit or miss. Out of five, you were going to have three failures but if you could have one good innings and a half-good innings, you would average 40 and that would be okay in that era of the ’80s.”Crowe captained New Zealand for the first time in a Test against Pakistan in October 1990. He led his country in 16 Tests – of which New Zealand won two and lost seven – and 44 ODIs (21 wins, 22 defeats). As captain, he averaged 54 with the bat in Tests and 45 in ODIs.Martin Crowe contributed to New Zealand cricket even after he stopped playing, mentoring players such as Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill•Getty ImagesOn February 4, 1991, Crowe made the highest individual Test score for New Zealand – a record that stood for 23 years – but also became the only batsman to be dismissed for 299. He batted 610 minutes in that innings against Sri Lanka, and said after the game: “It’s a bit like climbing Everest and pulling a hamstring in the last stride.” His 467-run partnership with Andrew Jones was also a world record at the time.In February and March 1992, Crowe led New Zealand to the semi-finals of the World Cup, the highlight of his captaincy career. He was Player of the Tournament for being the top-scorer – 456 runs at an average of 114 – and for his innovative captaincy: Crowe used a spinner to open the bowling and restrict batsmen during the fielding restrictions, and also deployed a pinch-hitter to exploit those very restrictions when New Zealand batted. “Marty was a very creative and brilliant thinker, the genesis came from him. Tactically he was light years ahead of anyone else I played under,” former New Zealand bowler Gavin Larsen said in 2014. “He was the boss, he ran the gig. He was like a chess master, the way he moved his players around. He was just clever.” Crowe, however, did not field in the semi-final against Pakistan, and New Zealand failed to defend their total. “With what unfolded, I had made a massive mistake in not taking the field despite a hamstring injury, because I was trying to be fit for the final as opposed to getting the team through to the final,” Crowe said in 2015.His international career ended in India, in November 1995. Crowe’s final innings was 63 off 62 balls in Nagpur, where New Zealand won by 99 runs to draw the ODI series 2-2. Crowe finished with 5444 runs at an average of 45 in 77 Tests, and 4704 runs in 143 ODIs at an average of 38.55.In 1996, Crowe launched his invention, Cricket Max – a shortened form of the game with a funky format and rules. “I invented and designed Cricket Max because I felt it was time to provide to our spectators and TV viewers a game of cricket that was short in duration, very colourful, kept some old traditions and highlighted the best skills in the game,” Crowe said at the time. The format was not played after 2003.Crowe began his broadcast career in 1997, when he joined Sky Television. “Marty embodies the quality that businesses often dislike but desperately need – the desire to change something before it gets stale,” Nate Smith, former Sky TV CEO, said on martincrowe.com. “I saw that way back when he saw the world of cricket needed a shorter formatted game. Did all the ideas tested last? No, but it did move the code forward in its thinking. Marty may not always say what people want to hear, but that is why he would be the perfect choice.”Martin Crowe was inducted into the ICC’s hall of fame during the 2015 World Cup•Getty ImagesCrowe was inducted into the New Zealand sports hall of fame and awarded an MBE for services to cricket in 2001. He had plenty more to give the game. Crowe was a mentor, most notably to New Zealand batsmen Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. “Martin has been a mentor to me for almost my entire first-class career. In both the good times and the more trying times Martin has always been there for me,” Taylor said in a testimonial on martincrowe.com. “His advice, technical understanding and nous, coupled with his unwavering belief and loyalty in me have made my job as a professional cricketer that much easier. I shall always be grateful to him.”At the age of 48, in May 2011, Crowe said he was returning to club cricket at Cornwall with a view to making a comeback for Auckland, 15 years after he had retired. “Every now and then you find yourself drifting along. I needed to do something to stay at the top of things,” Crowe told ESPNcricinfo.” It’s a little bit of fun but it’s based on the need to get off my butt. When you get to my age, you need to do something. Physically, I am a person who needs more than going to gym. I need to fire myself up. I don’t like swimming, cycling, or lifting weights. I can’t climb, I can’t run; why not bat? It’s a serious goal to get fit but it’s a fun and light-hearted attempt to see if a 48-year old can play and at what level. Unless you try you will never know.” A thigh injury ended his comeback in his first innings.Crowe was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2012. “In the past, on travels during my cricket career, suffering salmonella and glandular fever has compromised me,” he said at the time. “The result of a weakened immune system over the last two decades is basically why I have become exposed to this sort of disease.” After going into remission for a while, Crowe revealed the cancer had returned in September 2014. “After a brilliant year of self discovery and recovery, I have more work to do. My friend and tough taskmaster Lymphoma is back to teach me,” Crowe said on Twitter. “To say you can’t beat lymphoma is not quite true, many have. Yet follicular lymphoma is incurable, and can be treated and tamed for many long years.”On February 28, 2015, Crowe was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, during the World Cup. His presence at the final at the MCG was his last public appearance.Martin Crowe died on March 3, 2016, at the age of 53. People around the world paid tribute to him.

Dani Olmo's agent Andy Bara has opened up for the first time about a scary incident that took place at his home in Zagreb.

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• Olmo's agent's house attacked in Zagreb
• Explosives thrown into his garden
• Andy Bara manages Olmo and Morata

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Croatian agent Andy Bara, whose company Niagara Sports agency manages European stars like Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata, has opened up on explosives being thrown into his garden at his home in Zagreb. The incident happened on Tuesday morning when an unknown person threw a firecracker into the garden and immediately disappeared. Bara also clarified that his family is safe, although his dog was injured in the attack.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , who first released the video of the incident, Bara said: "It was not a bomb. And if it had been a bomb, as they say, half the house would probably have disappeared. My family and I are fine and there is no material damage except for the burnt grass where the firecracker fell.

  "It woke my wife, who came down to see what was happening, but not me or the children. If the dog had not been injured, we would not have called the police."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Zagreb police have opened an investigation to trace the unknown entity who threw the explosives. A police officer was quoted saying: "The police left after the investigation on the scene. The security guard next to the house had not noticed anyone. Ten days ago, a similar device had been thrown at a neighbor's house."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DANI OLMO?

  Olmo will be back in action for Barcelona on Wednesday as they take on Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture.

MS Dhoni’s tactical moves could make you pull your hair out but off the field, he brought trust to the Indian dressing room. He could let Test matches drift, but his control of his team was absolute

Sidharth Monga01-Jan-20153:28

The longest reign of a wicketkeeper-captain

There is a little story from the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 that tells you as much as any about MS Dhoni the captain. He was leading a side of young unknowns into the unknown – a format India hadn’t accepted yet – when news came from India that Rahul Dravid had given up the captaincy and that Dhoni had been made the ODI captain. Captains usually publicly accept the job. Steven Smith did four press conferences in the first week of his Australia captaincy. The first two were on successive days: first he was unveiled as captain, and on the next day he showed up for the pre-Gabba Test discussion.Smith is 25. Dhoni was 26 back then. And ODI cricket is big deal in India. You just couldn’t get him to do a press conference or talk about captaincy. He was reluctant to the point of being shy. The team manager tried, some senior journalists tried, phone calls from home arrived, and eventually he gave in, agreeing to read out a statement while coming out of the nets in Durban. He didn’t take any questions.The template was being set. Dhoni was taking up a job that would ask him questions every step of the way, but he wanted to answer few of them. He hadn’t gone out seeking the job. He saw it as any other job that he wanted to end at stumps. He wanted to enjoy the captaincy, not the paraphernalia that comes along with it.Dhoni’s Test captaincy began similarly, without much scrutiny or intrusion, but not by design. Anil Kumble was on his last legs, missing as many Tests as he was playing. Dhoni didn’t even do a press conference on the eve of his captaincy debut, for Kumble pulled out only later. India won easily in Kanpur. To the toss Dhoni wore a blazer two sizes too big. He’d soon get one made for himself, but he was never a blazer man.Later that year Dhoni and Kumble shared the reins in a series once again. The matches that Dhoni captained, India won. Kumble managed draws. It is instructive again that in his first Test as full-time captain, against Australia in Nagpur, Dhoni was hailed as a tactical genius for a move bedded essentially in defence. Australia were trailing in the series, they had to do all the running, and Dhoni gave them an 8-1 off-side field and asked Ishant Sharma to bowl well out of their reach. Frustrated, Australia threw away their wickets, and 1-0 became 2-0.It was a clever move. There are many ways to skin a cat. This one was skinned through denial. Then again this was a finite environment. Dhoni knew if he could deny Australia runs for long enough, he would ensure a series win, and then take the rest as a bonus. Dhoni is spectacular when cricket is finite. Limited to 20 overs. To 50 overs. When there is a result in sight. It was when the possibilities were thrown wide open that he showed he was limited.Dhoni’s ambition was limited too. He showed a great fear of losing. In Wellington, in the last Test of his first away series as captain, Dhoni sat on the series lead again, and set New Zealand 617 to win with forecast of rain on the final evening. Until then New Zealand had scored 600 only three times in their history. And only one team had ever scored 600 in the fourth innings: England in the timeless Test in 1939. In the first innings of this Test, New Zealand hadn’t even reached 200. India had taken eight wickets when rain arrived, giving them just the draw.Dhoni expressed no regret at setting New Zealand such a ridiculous target. Some New Zealanders still rib India about their declaration. This was pragmatism taken to frustrating extremes. This was the story of a majority of Dhoni’s career as Test captain. Too easily he would let games drift, control his only means of taking wickets. Sometimes the batting bailed him out, like at P Sara Oval, when he had let Thilan Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis run away with the game. Sometimes he let golden opportunities go, like at Newlands when he sat back on defence too early in the injured Jacques Kallis’ second dig. Sometimes it worked, but mostly at home, when his spinners and Zaheer Khan provided him the control he was after.Dhoni’s fast bowlers have rarely given him what is required of Test bowlers•Getty ImagesThere would be passages of play when Dhoni would make you want to pull your hair out. In Nagpur, December 2012, India were behind in the series against England. This was the last Test of the series. India had to do everything to force a result. It was a slow pitch that made run-scoring extremely difficult. In response to England’s 330 in 145.5 overs, India were 297 for 8 in 130.1 overs at the end of the third day. We were getting into the moving day, the fourth day. India spent the first hour, 62 golden minutes, scoring just 29 runs. The lack of match awareness was mindboggling. In the previous Test England had brought the fields up for R Ashwin for the last two balls of the over. Here Ashwin said he was surprised they didn’t. The dressing room remained cool.This cool became infuriating. Dhoni had taken India to soaring heights in limited-overs cricket by remaining cool. In Tests, sometimes, you have to make things happen. Under him, India didn’t make things happen. They accepted fate too easily. They accepted too easily that some of the seniors had the right to decide when they wanted to go. They accepted too easily that some players had the right to choose IPL even if it jeopardised their chances of winning or drawing Tests. They accepted too easily that a 1-0 series lead was enough in the West Indies, and they called off a chase with 86 required in 15 overs and seven wickets in hand. You felt like holding Dhoni by the shoulders and shaking him up.There is more, though, to India’s captaincy than just tactics, bowling changes and field sets. The previous long-term captain quit because he couldn’t handle all that. Sachin Tendulkar’s recent book has proved how difficult even such a consummate professional could be to handle at most times. Dhoni managed all that brilliantly. He rid most of his players of any insecurity. Players found it hard to break into the side, but once they did they were assured decent runs before playing themselves out of it. Outsiders ceased to be a factor in the dressing room. Trust was a big factor. A regular occurrence in the past, players now hardly sulked to journalists. A youngster was left out of the side because he leaked what happened in a team meeting to a journalist.Dhoni could demand all this because his control was absolute. He had a board president in whose company he was a vice-president, for whose company’s team he played IPL, and who vetoed a move to sack him as captain after 8-0. Dhoni was untouchable now. He stopped squatting in his wicketkeeping stance. He stopped going for catches between him and first slip. This is not about integrity and commitment, but sometimes you need a nudge from the rest of the team and the selectors. You wondered if he was being reminded of this. Trevor Penney, the fielding coach at one time, said in a press conference that the slips have to realise that Dhoni won’t go for those catches.As a batsman he applied himself much more even though he didn’t seem to always trust himself outside Asia. He showed his more talented batsmen what could be achieved through application. In England, in 2014, he took the responsibility of batting at No. 6 in order to force results, and faced the second-highest number of balls among India batsmen. At home, he could set up declarations, he could counterattack as he did in his superb double-century to take the series decidedly away from Australia in 2012-13. He became a regular No. 6 at home, allowing the luxury of another spinner. That will surely be missed now.**Dhoni was India’s captain. He let others bask in glory when matches were won. He gamely took all responsibility for losses, although he still didn’t answer questions. A lot of it he deserved, but no appraisal of his Test career will be complete without looking at the other side of the story. Since he took over the captaincy full time, against England at home in 2008-09, India have spent 120 overs or more in the field on 36 occasions. That’s six more than the next-worst, Sri Lanka. Over the same period, only Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been more profligate than India.Dhoni’s fast bowlers have rarely given him what is required of Test bowlers. The quick ones don’t remain fit, the fit ones don’t bowl quick, and the in-between ones keep bowling loose balls to release the pressure. His spinners were outplayed by England’s at home. Did they fail to respond because the captaincy was defensive, or was the captaincy defensive because the bowling was ordinary? The circle of Dhoni’s Test life.In a period of seven years, Dhoni has gone up and down in his keeping stance 1,13,120 times with captaincy also on his mind•Getty ImagesNo other wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket has captained in 20 Tests. Dhoni did so in 60. All the while he also captained in as many ODIs, T20Is and IPL matches as he could. In a period of seven years, Dhoni has gone up and down in his keeping stance 1,13,120 times with captaincy also on his mind. Slow fielders at times. Inconsistent bowlers almost always. Fading seniors. Erring juniors. Over-rates. Overenthusiastic sledgers. Around fifty squats per day, without counting IPL matches.No other player has put himself through this strain over the period. The price of this effort is paid by the body. For a long time towards the end of his Test career, Dhoni has been shaking hands softly and carefully so as to not hurt his fingers. His lower back has begun to give him trouble, which he has kept to himself and to the team. He has continued, though. He has maintained he doesn’t want a long career in the sport. He wants to make the most of it while his body supports the strain, play as many games as possible before it gives up.By all means it is a super-human effort. But was it necessary, was he so indispensable in Tests?**On the last tour of Australia, Dhoni was asked pointblank why he was still captaining, what excited him about the job. He had lost seven away Tests in a row. His captaincy was being panned. There were issues in the dressing room. Dhoni didn’t get flustered. He didn’t shoot back. He waited and then said, “It’s an interesting responsibility given to me. The challenge excites me. The challenge to be with the senior guys, the challenge to groom the youngsters, to keep the dressing-room atmosphere good. Leading a side is all about when the team is not doing well.”Dhoni had been inconspicuous as the team rode the success of the seniors and of Zaheer to rise to No. 1 in Test cricket. The foreign tours broke the team’s back. Dhoni had now decided to become more in charge. He wanted to build his own team. To win home Tests and then given a better account of himself and of his side in the next cycle of away tours.Dhoni asked for turning wickets at home. The ordinariness of his spinners cost him the series against England, but they whitewashed Australia. On the away leg he came a desperate man. He pushed himself up to play another bowler, who always turned out to be ordinary. His bowlers weren’t giving him much control, but Dhoni had become too funky. Leg slips, silly mid-offs, fly slips, all kinds of positions would be tried too early in an innings. The bouncer became his new friend. It won him a Test at Lord’s, but cost him two in Australia, including his last. It seemed a bit of an admission that he doesn’t have the bowlers who can win him away Tests in conventional manner.Apart from that he has left a mostly settled team behind him. The last four debutants were signs of desperation, but 10 of the 12 previous ones were and will continue for some time to be part of India’s Test squads. There is continuity to the side. Dhoni deserves credit for facilitating this transition. The near-misses over the last year will rankle him. Maybe they took a heavy toll on his mind. Maybe his body just couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe he wanted to end it after this series, but his body gave him signals he could risk his World Cup prospects if he kept straining his lower back or bad hands for another Test. We don’t know. We have never known with Dhoni.**It was about time, too, many think. India needed newer ideas on the field. They had come as far as Dhoni could bring them. It was now time for someone else to see what he can do with these bowling resources. Resolve the egg-and-chicken situation. Every time India have let a Test slip, every time India have lost an away series, every time there have been tactical errors, we have said to Dhoni what rebellious adolescents say to their parents: you are old school, we can look after ourselves better, we are better off without you. And he has smiled back like all-knowing parents, infuriating us further. He is no longer there now. We’ll soon find out how much better off we are without him, but that smile will be missed.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is now likely to axe an in-form player ahead of their Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City this evening, as team news leaks before Spurs host the Premier League champions in north London.

Tottenham suffer 1-0 Crystal Palace defeat as Postecoglou aims to bounce back

Spurs were on a steady run of good form before their disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace over the weekend, beating West Ham 4-1 in a fierce London derby the weekend prior and clinching victory against Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

Club chiefs convinced their "extraordinary" player is set to join Tottenham

There is a theory growing within the side.

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However, Oliver Glasner managed to upset the apple cart by wrestling Palace’s long overdue first win in the top flight this season, in what was a step back for Spurs who were aiming to go on a winning run and put their abject 3-2 loss away to Brighton firmly behind them.

The Lilywhites’ loss at Selhurst is a stern reminder of Spurs’ shortcomings, with Postecoglou now aiming to bounce right back against a Man City side who pose one of the toughest tests in European football.

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A plus-point for Postecoglou is that Man City have won just twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since it’s opening, with both of those coming last season in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively.

The home advantage and backing of supporters could be crucial for Spurs, especially considering Postecoglou will be forced to cope without star forward Son Heung-min yet again.

Son missed Tottenham’s loss to Crystal Palace with a thigh injury and is set to be absent again tonight as Postecoglou aims to get him back for their home game against Aston Villa this weekend.

Wilson Odobert has also suffered a setback after recovering from a recent hamstring injury, which Postecoglou has described as “serious”.

“Sonny, no. Well he is almost fit but we will probably from our perspective aim him for the weekend,” said Postecoglou on Son’s fitness.

“We’re quite confident he will be right for the weekend. The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson [Odobert]. He’s had a setback during the week and it seems like it’s a serious one, so we’re waiting for more information. And then from the weekend everyone else is okay and Djed’s back training.”

Postecoglou set to drop Mikey Moore for Man City clash

As per GiveMeSport, another player who may not take part is in-form teenage winger Mikey Moore, who has really impressed since being handed regular starts.

The 17-year-old was handed a chance right from the off in each of Spurs’ last two games, putting in a Player of the Match display against AZ Alkmaar in particular, but it is believed Postecoglou is likely to drop Moore for Tottenham’s clash with Man City – in favour of the under-performing Timo Werner.

This could be seen as a surprise decision considering their contrasting fortunes, though Postecoglou apparently doesn’t want to put too much pressure on the youngster at this early stage of his career at N17.

“[He has] that young, fearless mentality and you never want to take that away from him,” said James Maddison to TNT Sports on Moore, following their win over AZ.

“He’s a young kid, a brilliant lad, a lovely boy. He takes in information, and he’s got bags of ability, so I’ll be there as an older player, hopefully with some wise words to help along the way.

“He’s got all the ability. It’s just about knuckling down and working hard, which he does to be fair to him.”

West Indies captain expects resistance from Bangladesh batters, says “first hour on Saturday is crucial”

Mohammad Isam18-Jun-2022In a rare show of emotion, Kraigg Brathwaite slammed the bat on the pitch after getting out for 94. The Khaled Ahmed delivery had surprised him by keeping low as it hit him on the pads Jermaine Blackwood tried to convince him to take the review but Brathwaite knew what had happened. Replays confirmed that it would hit the leg-stump.Captaincy has brought the best out of Brathwaite, who has led West Indies to two impressive series wins in the last 18 months, and has now put his team ahead in the ongoing Antigua Test against Bangladesh as well. “I always enjoy captaining,” he said. “I like the challenge. I like to lead from the front. I am really enjoying it. I want to continue to lead to the best of my ability.”His captaincy is reflected within his batting. He is an accumulator, and takes his time to score runs. On Friday too, Brathwaite batted responsibly, not allowing the impressive Bangladesh pace attack to make any in-roads. He left most of what was bowled to him, scoring off deliveries pitched on the stumps. He made 61 of his 94 runs on the on-side, proving a batter’s discipline does indeed force bowlers into making mistakes.Related

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Report: Brathwaite, Blackwood fifties add to WI dominance

Isam: Bangladesh's fielding is in decline and nobody knows why

Brathwaite was candid about his displeasure at getting out six runs short of a well-deserved Test hundred, though it was a crucial innings on a two-paced track that pushed West Indies to a lead of 162.”When I started the innings, the pitch was a bit slow,” he said. “It got a little harder this morning but still it was on the slow side. But I think it was a decent pitch to bat on. I am obviously disappointed but I am happy that the team has an important lead. I was pleased (with the 94) but the most important thing was to build on a foundation for my team. I was happy with the time I spent. Obviously well done to the team for getting a lead.”Brathwaite added 62 and 63 for the third and fourth wicket with Nkrumah Bonner and Blackwood respectively, partnerships although not too big, were crucial in the context of the game.”The partnerships were really important. I think the Bangladesh bowlers did really well. Even the spinners held their line really well. The pitch was a little slow but it still had something for the pacers off the surface. I think those were crucial partnerships. I thought we did a good job to get a lead.”Bangladesh are 50 for 2 in the second innings, trailing by 112 runs and Brathwaite knows that his team faces a decisive period of play on the third day. “We lost some wickets in a cluster which wasn’t good but that can happen,” he said. The pitch doesn’t have as much moisture as it did on the first day. It is important that we start well (on Saturday).”The first hour is crucial. We have to keep it tight even if we don’t get wickets. Once we build pressure, that’s how we will take wickets. I don’t think we can run them over. We have to bowl well.”

A new primetime free-to-air slot on Thursday evenings and avoiding clashes with Australia’s fixtures in the men’s T20 World Cup are two of the main features in the WBBL08 schedule, while the final is set to be played the same weekend that the AFLW comes to a conclusion.The tournament, which begins on October 13, will return to all states for the first time in three years following the Covid-disruption that forced the entire competition to be staged in a Sydney bubble in 2020-21 and then navigate border closures last season.It means that Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will get to play at home for the first time since WBBL05. Perth Scorchers will begin their title defence against Sydney Thunder in Blacktown on October 16.The shift of the AFLW season to an August-November window means that the two competitions will now go head-to-head. While the overlap has not had a direct impact on the WBBL schedule, the fact both competitions are broadcast by Seven, avoiding Australia’s World Cup matches, and the desire to get more games at peak hours has led to the Thursday slot with overall 17 matches now in primetime.”Our first priority is to get more WBBL matches into primetime…which is where the WBBL belongs as the best cricket league in the world for women,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, told ESPNcricinfo.”Factoring in the men’s T20 World Cup has been one of the considerations, albeit we’ve managed to work pretty well around it and it hasn’t compromised the WBBL schedule much at all given the venues are generally different.”The finals of both the WBBL and AFLW are set to be played on the weekend of November 26-27 with the date for the WBBL decider yet to be locked in. The WBBL finals week will follow the same structure as last season with the team who finishes first in the table getting a direct route to the decider with the Eliminator and Challenger to confirm the other team.”Our starting point is whatever is right for the WBBL is the schedule we’ll put out, but equally there is a pretty interesting opportunity there about a great festival of sport that weekend,” Dobson said. “So if there are opportunities for each competition to leverage each other that’s something we would explore, but our starting point is that the WBBL, as the biggest sporting league for women in Australia, we’ll schedule what is right for the competition.”The festival concept, where a number of teams are based at one venue, has been retained but these are now more concentrated on weekends. There are also matches spread more throughout the week than has previously been the case.”I think that’s the balance that we are looking for, which is big weekends of action in one spot interspersed with primetime games through the week,” Dobson said.Regional venues will also be used; the tournament will begin in Mackay, Moe and Ballarat in Victoria will stage matches as will Nuriootpa in South Australia.Free-to-air broadcaster Seven, which has recently escalated its legal dispute with Cricket Australia largely centered on the BBL, will again show 24 matches live while all 59 games will be available on Foxtel and its streaming platform Kayo.

WBBL08 2022-23 fixtures

October 13: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 14: Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blacktown
October 15: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 15: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 16: Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 16: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 16: Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers, Blacktown
October 17: Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers, Blacktown
October 18: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, Great Barrier Reef Arena
October 18: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Blacktown
October 20: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground
October 21: Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval
October 21: Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers, Karen Rolton Oval
October 22: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder, WACA Ground
October 23: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground
October 23: Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes, WACA Ground
October 24: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades, Karen Rolton Oval
October 25: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder, Allan Border Field
October 27: Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Allan Border Field
October 28: Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers, Allan Border Field
October 29: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers, Eastern Oval
October 29: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars, Eastern Oval
October 29: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, Allan Border Field
October 30: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, Eastern Oval
October 31: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, Eastern Oval
November 2: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars, Blacktown
November 2: Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers, Blacktown
November 3: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Blundstone Arena
November 4: Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat,Blundstone Arena
November 5: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, Lilac Hill
November 5: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers, Lilac Hill
November 6: Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat, Blundstone Arena
November 6: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder, Blundstone Arena
November 6: Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers, Lilac Hill
November 7: Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blundstone Arena
November 9: Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat,Lilac Hill
November 10: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades, CitiPower Centre
November 11: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Karen Rolton Oval
November 12: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre
November 12: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers, CitiPower Centre
November 12: Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes, Karen Rolton Oval
November 13: Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre
November 13: Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, CitiPower Centre
November 13: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, Centennial Park Oval
November 14: Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval
November 15: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, Latrobe Recreation Ground
November 15: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades, Manuka Oval
November 16: Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, Latrobe Recreation Ground
November 16: Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, North Sydney Oval
November 18: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, North Sydney Oval
November 18: Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder, North Sydney Oval
November 19: Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, Ted Summerton Reserve
November 20: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades, Ted Summerton Reserve
November 20: Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes, North Sydney Oval
November 20: Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, Ted Summerton Reserve
November 20: Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, North Sydney Oval
Final series: TBC

The influential coaching program will run a total of seven weeks over an 18-month period from February 2025 to August 2026

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• MLS announced EFCL Class for 2026
• Coaching program is partnership with French Football Federation (FFF)
• Avoid repetition of the same words & topics
• Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  MLS announced the incoming 2026 class for the Elite Formation Coaching License (EFCL) Friday morning. The program, which saw the likes of MLS Cup-winning managers Greg Vanney and Wilfried Nancy used to develop, is one of the world's most elite coaching pathways.

  THE EFCL program runs seven weeks over an 18-month period from February 2025 to August 2026, and includes all of course work, on-pitch projects, film room studies, immersion, classes, and more.

  The program will see the classes begin at the famed INF Clairefontaine outside of Paris, with first sessions beginning on Feb. 4. The EFCL program, which is in partnership with the French Football Federation (FFF), has directly impacted the MLS Player Pathway through the development leagues coaches and players since 2013.

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• Major League Soccer
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The class of 2026, for the first time, will feature five different MLS NEXT Elite Academy coaches, alongside 19 MLS representatives.

  San Jose Earthquakes U16 head coach Erin Ridley became the first woman from MLS to complete the program in August, 2024, and this year, three more women look to follow her lead as part of the program. Cassidy Chriest (Houston Dynamo), Megan McCormick (St. Louis CITY SC), and Tiffany Roberts (Royals Arizona) will all join the program.

  The first week will see coaches observe and learn from some of Europe's top clubs, Arsenal (England), FC Barcelona (Spain), Deportivo Alavés (Spain), Le Havre AC (France), CA Osasuna (Spain), Paris FC (France), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Toulouse FC (France), and Villarreal CF (Spain).

  The entire list of candidates is listed below

  2025-26 Elite Formation Coaching License Candidates
  Club	Name	Role
  Cedar Stars Academy – Bergen (MLS NEXT)	James Barnes	Technical Director/U19 MLS NEXT Head Coach
  Houston Dynamo FC	Cassidy Chriest	U14 Head Coach
  New England Revolution	Lucas Dantas	U15 Assistant Coach/Preformation
  New York City FC	Yannick Diese	U16 Head coach
  Seattle Sounders FC	Matt Dorman	U16 Head Coach
  Bethesda Soccer Club (MLS NEXT)	Pierre Dyer	U15 Head Coach
  Columbus Crew	Shahad Farahani	U16 Head Coach
  Albion SC San Diego (MLS NEXT)	Jorge Garcia	Academy Director
  FC Dallas	Phil Gomez	North Texas SC Assistant Coach/U13 Head Coach
  CF Montréal	Sylvain Hascoet	U15 Head Coach
  Columbus Crew	Eddie Hertsenberg	U15 Head Coach
  Orlando City SC	Bitielo Jean Jacques	Formation Assistant Coach
  Colorado Rapids	Keyon Khalilian	U15 Head Coach
  St. Louis CITY SC	Megan McCormick	U16 Head Coach and Pathway Program Head Coach
  Nashville SC	Rumbani Munthali	Head of Methodology
  Inter Miami CF	Christopher Nurse	U17 Head Coach
  Sporting Kansas City	Angel Rivillo	U16 Head Coach
  Royals Arizona (ECNL Girls)	Tiffany Roberts	Royals Arizona Academy Director/Girls ECNL Director
  FC Cincinnati	Andy Seidel	U14 Head Coach
  Miami Futbol Academy Rush (MLS NEXT)	Renatto Soriano	Academy Director/U14 Head Coach
  Major League Soccer League Office	Paul Templeton	Manager, Coaching Education & Player Development
  Chicago Fire FC	William Thornton	U18 Assistant Coach
  New England Revolution	Abel Wasswa	U14 Head Coach
  Orlando City SC	Edward Wilding	Formation Phase Lead/U16 Head Coach

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Austin FC manager Nico Estevez is also a graduate from the program, as well as San Diego FC assistant coach Kelvin Jones.

• WHAT NEXT FOR MLS?

  The 2025 regular season kicks off on Feb. 22 when Inter Miami clash with New York City FC in a battle of two Eastern Conference heavyweights. Until then, teams will continue their preseason training in preparation for the campaign.

Arsenal have undergone a dramatic transformation in the last five years or so and are practically unrecognisable from the club Mikel Arteta took over in late 2019.

Alongside Sporting Director Edu Gaspar, the Spaniard has completely overhauled the squad, bringing in a swathe of talented players like Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice while getting rid of those who wouldn't help him take the team forward.

However, while there has been so much change at the Emirates since the former Captain returned, a few players have remained and become integral members of this title-challenging team; players like Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Gabriel Martinelli.

That said, while there are no question marks over the future of the Englishman and Frenchman, there are some for the Brazilian, although since the manager took over, his valuation has exploded, per Transfermarkt.

1

Martinelli's market value when Arteta took over

So, on December 20th 2019, Arteta was announced as Arsenal's new head coach, and just ten days earlier, Martinelli saw his valuation rise to €18m, which is about £15m.

It's not an enormous number, but considering he was only signed for £6m from Ituano that summer, it was already a major indication that the club had a special player on their hands.

It was an increase that was more than justified during the season as well.

Despite still being a teenager and suffering a major injury during Project Restart, Martinelli racked up a seriously impressive haul of ten goals and provided four assists in 26 first-team appearances.

2

Martinelli's market value in 2020/21

Unfortunately for the young attacker, his second season in North London was much less spectacular than his first, as he was only able to rack up a total of two goals and two assists in 22 appearances for the club.

However, this disappointing output was mostly due to the severe knee injury he sustained in June, as he didn't even make his first senior appearance until the 19th of December.

That said, as he had still enjoyed a statement season in the campaign prior, his valuation in October 2020 had increased to €25m, which is about £21m, or £6m more than his price tag when Arteta took over.

3

Gabriel Martinelli's market value in 2021/22

The June before the 21/22 campaign saw the dynamic winger's valuation decrease to €22m, about £19m, due to his lack of game time the previous season.

However, this wasn't really an issue as, after a pretty miserable year, the Guarulhos-born gem was able to play some regular football again.

He wasn't just making up the numbers either, as, across 36 matches, the 5 foot 10 ace scored six goals and provided seven assists, meaning that he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 2.76 games.

Moreover, while he didn't play in every game, he remained fit for the entire campaign, giving the manager another option in attack and boosting his reputation in the process.

4

Gabriel Martinelli's market value in 2022/23

Thanks to his impressive displays in 21/22, Martinelli's valuation was once again soaring ahead of the following season. In June 2022, it reached a new peak of €40m or £34m, and over the next ten months, he would more than justify the new price tag.

Arsenal went into the campaign with the goal of finishing in the top four, but fairly early on, it became apparent that they were suddenly in a title race with Manchester City, and a large part of the reason why was the attacking talent in the team, including the then-21-year-old Brazilian.

For example, in his 46 appearances across all competitions, the "unplayable" dynamo, as described by pundit Owen Hargreaves, scored 15 goals and provided six assists, meaning that just a couple of years after suffering a serious knee injury, he was averaging a goal involvement every 1.85 games.

Unfortunately, the Gunners would collapse near the season's end, but Martinelli had now laid down a marker and showed the league just how good he could be.

5

Gabriel Martinelli's market value in 2023/24

So, after such an incredible campaign, the former Ituano gem's reputation was at an all-time high and in June 2023, his valuation would match that fact, with Transfermarkt valuing him at a whopping €80m, which is about £67m.

However, as so many have before him, the 13-capped international struggled to follow up on his barnstorming year, and over the next ten months, he's become a player who increasingly frustrates a fanbase now expecting their team to push for the title.

In his 44 appearances across all competitions, he could only muster up a fairly uninspiring tally of eight goals and five assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every 3.38 games.

Martinelli's Arsenal career
Season	Appearances	Goals	Assists	Goal Involvements per Match
2019/20	26	10	4	0.53
2020/21	22	2	2	0.18
2021/22	36	6	7	0.36
2022/23	46	15	6	0.45
2023/24	44	8	5	0.29
2024/25	3	0	0	0.00
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Now, this wasn't a dreadful return, and some of the discussion around the 23-year-old since has been hyperbolic, but compared to how well he played just the season prior, it was undeniably disappointing.

6

Martinelli's market value in 2024/25

So, we come to this season, and considering the slight step back he took last year, the Gunners' number 11 has unsurprisingly seen his valuation decrease.

Transfermarkt priced him at €70m in May of this year, which is about £59m or 293% higher than it was when Arteta joined the club.

It's set to be a massive campaign for Martinelli this year, as with all the talk of Nico Williams and other talented wingers over the summer, his place in the starting lineup isn't guaranteed anymore.

Worryingly, in his three appearances thus far, he hasn't looked particularly impressive, and when he was substituted off at Villa Park, his replacement, Leandro Trossard, came on and scored with his first touch.

However, Martinelli is still an immensely talented winger, and even though he's been in and around the first team for five years now, he's still relatively young at 23.

Therefore, while his stock might be quite low at the moment, he has all the raw qualities to turn things around and get back to his very best.

How many games Odegaard could now miss for Arsenal after ankle injury news

The Norwegian may be absent for a long while.

By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 11, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

da bwin： Campeão da América em 2019, o atual elenco do Flamengo segue fazendo história na competição sul-americana. Atuando como mandante e visitante, o Rubro-Negro vive suas maiores sequências de invencibilidade na Libertadores: a partidacontra a Universidad Católica, no Maracanã, foi a 16ª consecutiva sem derrota nos seus domínios. Fora de casa, já são 11 duelos sem o Flamengo ser batido.

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da 888casino： ATUAÇÕES: Everton Ribeiro desfila talento em vitória do Flamengo!

Contando com o 3 a 0 desta terça, o Flamengo venceu 13 dos últimos 16 jogos que disputou como mandante, sendo que dois foram no Mané Garrincha e os outros 14 foram no Estádio do Maracanã. As vitórias foram sobre: Universidad Católica, Talleres, Barcelona (2), Olimpia, Defensa y Justicia, Unión La Calera, Junior Barranquilla, Independiente Del Valle, Grêmio, Internacional, Emelec e San José.

O último revés como visitante foi em 17 de setembro de 2020: 5 a 0 para o Independiente Del Valle, pela fase de grupos, em momento que o elenco rubro-negro sofria com um surto de Covid-19. Desde então, são três empates (Racing, Unión La Calera e Talleres) e oito vitórias fora de casa: Barcelona SC (duas vezes), Defensa y Justicia, Vélez Sarsfield, LDU, Olimpia, Sporting Cristal e Universidad Católica.

Neste intervalo, a exceção foi a final contra o Palmeiras, disputada em campo neutro. A decisão da Copa Libertadores de 2021 foi no Centenario, em Montevidéu, no Uruguai, e o Fla perdeu por 2 a 1.

تمكن فريق ليدز يونايتد من تحقيق لقب دوري الدرجة الأولى الإنجليزية وذلك عقب فوزه على فريق بليموث أرجايل بهدفين مقابل هدف في الجولة 46 والأخيرة.

على الجانب الآخر وفي الجولة ذاتها، فاز بيرنلي بنتيجة 3-1 على ميلوول، في اللقاء الذي أقيم على ملعب “تورف مور”.

وقبل بداية الجولة، كان يمتلك كل من ليدز يونايتد وبيرنلي 97 نقطة مع أفضلية فارق الأهداف لصالح ليدز والتي جعلته على صدارة ترتيب “تشامبيونشيب”.

وعلى الرغم من صعود كلا الفريقين إلى منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بشكل مباشر، لكن صراع التتويج باللقب استمر حتى الجولة الأخيرة.

واستمر التعادل الإيجابي بين ليدز يونايتد وبليموث أرجايل حتى الدقائق الأخيرة من عمر اللقاء، إلى أن تمكن مانور سولومون من تسجيل هدفاً بالدقيقة 91، ليتوجه لقب تشامبيونشيب إلى ليدز يونايتد بدلاً من بيرنلي.

وحسم ليدز يونايتد لقب دوري الدرجة الأولى الإنجليزية بفارق الأهداف ليمتلك محصلة تهديفية (+65)، متفوقاً على بيرنلي والذي يمتلك محصلة تهديفية (+53).

وللمرة الأولى في تاريخ مسابقات الدوري الإنجليزي بمختلف الدرجات أن يصل فريق إلى النقطة رقم 100 دون تحقيق اللقب كما حدث مع بيرنلي.

وتمكن 14 نادياً إنجليزياً من تحقيق لقب مسابقة الدوري بالحصول على 100 نقطة فأكثر بمختلف الدرجات ومن بينهم مانشستر سيتي وفولهام ونيوكاسل يونايتد.