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Liverpool have set their sights on signing a “sensation” of a defender, with manager Arne Slot said to be a huge admirer, according to a report.

Liverpool transfer news

With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Reds continue to be linked with new signings, including Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yildiz and FC Porto right-back Martim Fernandes, who could be brought in to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

However, Slot’s most pressing concern is likely to be keeping hold of the star players he already has on Merseyside, and there has recently been a positive update regarding the future of Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy has now dropped a major update, saying: “Talks remain ongoing between Liverpool and the representatives of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold to give them new contracts.

“I’m told the dialogue has been very positive and has been moving forward, and been held in a very respectful manner on all sides.

“Liverpool want to do right by the players, but right by the club too. It’s been very apparent that Salah and Van Dijk want to stay.

Liverpool considering making £8m offer for player who’s "got everything"

He has a massive future ahead of him.

1 ByHenry Jackson Dec 9, 2024 Liverpool keen on Beukema

Although it appears as though Van Dijk could soon sign a new deal at Anfield, that hasn’t stopped Liverpool from looking at other centre-backs, and a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed they are interested in signing Bologna’s Sam Beukema.

Slot is seemingly a big fan of the 26-year-old, having been described as a long-term admirer, and the manager views him as a potential purchase for the summer of 2025, perhaps because Bologna have no desire to let him leave in January.

The Italian club will demand at least £20m to sanction his departure, amid growing interest from a number of Europe’s top clubs. However, the Reds could have the edge in negotiations, as the defender has already admitted he could see himself moving to the club, saying: “I was a fan of West Ham. I once visited Upton Park with my father and I was really impressed, because the atmosphere was similar to that of Feyenoord or Go Ahead Eagles.

“But there are so many fantastic teams in England, so if another great club like Liverpool came along I would be happy to go there one day.”

If Van Dijk does commit his future to the club, it may be difficult for Beukema to break up the Dutchman’s partnership with Ibrahima Konate, but there are signs he could be a quality signing.

The former AZ Alkmaar man was hailed as a “sensation” earlier this season, having cemented himself as a key player for Bologna in both the Serie A and the Champions League, while also captaining the side on two occasions.

The proposed £20m fee seems a little low for a player of the Dutchman’s quality, and the fact that Slot is a big fan is a very good sign that he could be a brilliant addition next summer.

Newcastle United will be hoping for a strong run of form over the festive period. The Magpies have had a poor start to the season, languishing in 12th place in the Premier League after 15 games, with just 20 points to their name.

Certainly, Eddie Howe might be disappointed with the performances of some of his players in front of goal. Not all of his attacking stars have performed, with Alexander Isak the only player to break the ten goal involvement mark so far. Worryingly, centre-back Fabian Schar is their third top scorer in all competitions.

Magpies supporters will surely be desperate for the performance levels of some of his players to pick up soon. Someone else who has underwhelmed when he has played is Miguel Almiron.

Almiron’s stats this season

It has been an incredibly poor campaign so far for Paraguayan winger Almiron. The 30-year-old has been devoid of opportunities this term, playing just eight games in all competitions, and starting once in the Premier League.

The former Atlanta United man has played just 270 minutes in all competitions so far this term. That includes 19 minutes in the top flight, with 68 of those coming in his only start away to Chelsea. Even when the winger gets a chance, he fails to impress; Almiron has yet to score or assist in 2024/25.

It will surely be a concern for Howe that Almiron is not contributing. Although his role is very much as a squad player, he has shown in the past that he can chip in with goals and assists, including scoring 11 times in 34 Premier League games in 2022/23.

Howe will be hoping that Almiron, once the Magpies’ most expensive signing at £21m from Atlanta United, can rediscover his best form.

However, with limited opportunities, it seems like the winger could depart the club, with Newcastle – backed by the Saudi PIF -already focusing on a replacement from within the Premier League.

Newcastle's search for a winger

The player in question here is Nottingham Forest man Anthony Elanga. According to a report from journalist Joel Bland, “it’s pretty likely there’ll be a push made” to sign the Swede in January, should Almiron depart. Bland states that Newcastle “retain interest” in the player after wanting to sign him in the summer.

At this stage, it is unclear how much he would cost, but a bid of £50m from the North Eastern side was turned down on the final day of the summer window. He could cost around the same price as Newcastle’s other right-wing target, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

Interestingly, he and Elanga are statistically similar on FBref, showing exactly what Newcastle’s thinking is when targeting a new right-winger; powerful runners who are creative in the final third and strong ball carriers.

In terms of that statistical comparison, both players have impressive ball-carrying numbers. Elanga averages three progressive carries per 90 minutes, with Mbeumo slightly fewer with 2.82.

The pair will bring a creative influence in the final third, with the Nottingham Forest number 21 playing 1.67 key passes each game, and the Cameroonian winger slightly more, at 1.74 per 90 minutes.

Stat (per 90)

Elanga

Mbeumo

Progressive carries

3

2.82

Carries into final third

1.89

1.74

Carries into penalty box

1.78

1.41

Key passes

1.67

1.74

Passes into final third

0.78

1.41

Passes into penalty box

0.56

1.41

On the face of things, Elanga’s goals and assist numbers are not much better than Almiron’s stats. He has two assists in 15 top-flight games and is yet to score. However, he averages 0.17 expected assists each game and 0.33 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, showing efficiency in the final third.

Should PIF get this deal over the line, it could be an excellent piece of business. Not only would they be signing a player with Premier League quality, but someone who is just as good as Mbeumo and an upgrade on Almiron, as the goals and assist numbers show.

Elanga, called a “frightening” player by journalist Laurie Whitwell, could become an instant success on Tyneside and be a fantastic addition to Newcastle as they look to transform their season.

Newcastle must sell £21m dud who Shearer said would be "absolutely loved"

The Newcastle star has been out of favour this season

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 10, 2024

The tournament CEO Michelle Enright talks about the challenges of putting the tournament on two years later than planned due to Covid

Tristan Lavalette17-Oct-2022

Having navigated major logistical hurdles, including staff redundancies, ticket refunds and implementing a new fixture list, the postponed men’s T20 World Cup is hoped to fulfil its heady vision from two years ago amid more stability in Australia as international cricket emerges from Covid-19 restrictions.After Australia lifted the women’s T20 World Cup on March 8, 2020, in a heaving MCG brimming with 86,174 fans, anticipation was brewing for the second act with the men’s edition to be held in October-November that year.There had been a strong emphasis from organisers on a cross-promotional campaign in the months prior to the women’s event, the first T20 World Cup held in Australia.”It was exciting having two World Cups in Australia in one year, so we had a joint marketing effort around that,” T20 World Cup chief executive Michelle Enright told ESPNcricinfo. “There was great momentum after the women’s final, which was a huge uplift for women’s sport. We were naturally expecting the men’s [T20 World Cup] to have a similar atmosphere and goodwill around it. Then the momentum was lost.”Related

All you need to know about the Men's T20 World Cup 2022

The A to Z of the 2022 T20 World Cup

The women’s T20 World Cup was the last major sports event held in Australia before the world suddenly shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which like almost everyone else caught tournament officials off guard.”Covid was emerging and coming up in our daily briefing, but we were really focused on delivering the women’s event,” Enright said. “No one knew what was going to happen, so we just kept planning for the men’s event. We had regular briefings but were waiting for the ICC’s decision.”In July 2020, the ICC board resolved to postpone the event for two years with India sticking as hosts for the 2021 edition which was later moved to Oman and the UAE.It caused a number of operational changes, including a 65-strong workforce reduced to a skeleton crew of eight while more than 220,000 tickets and corporate hospitality deposits worth AU$14.6 million were refunded.”It was really, really, difficult to make staff redundant,” Enright said with numbers having since been rebuilt to 82. “We have about one-third back from the women’s event. They are all keen to finish what we set out to achieve with these two World Cups.”‘There was great momentum after the women’s final, which was a huge uplift for women’s sport.’•Getty Images

Other challenges included revamping the tournament’s marketing strategy, since the joint campaign had been outdated, amid logo and brand changes which affected event merchandise.”We’ve had to start again but we have a strong campaign and steadily built momentum,” Enright said with more than 550,000 tickets having been sold, including a sell out of Australia’s opening match against New Zealand at the SCG on October 22.Despite the upheaval, a steep initiation for Enright who was the chief operating officer at the women’s T20 World Cup before replacing Cricket Australia bound Nick Hockley in the hot seat, there are silver linings with the long postponement.Australia, which endured strict pandemic rules and border closures for about two years, has eased most restrictions as everyday life starts to resemble pre-Covid.”We are really fortunate the borders are open and crowd restrictions have lifted,” Enright said. “Cities are buzzing and fans are out enjoying live sport again.”An advancement in technology, with ticket holders to receive ICC non-fungible tokens, and the inclusion of the blockbuster India-Pakistan MCG clash, which was not part of the original fixtures, have also helped the event’s revival.”The postponement has allowed some cool things to happen and the extra couple of years to sharpen our focus, so it couldn’t have worked out better given the circumstances,” Enright said.There is, naturally, caution around the still prevalent virus with players reminded to be “self-responsible”, including eating meals outdoors if possible, while the number of fans from overseas is understandably down from the 100,000 spectators who reportedly travelled for the 2015 World Cup.”About 11 percent of ticket sales are from overseas purchases but that doesn’t capture people who are here visiting friends and family and then might attend,” Enright said. “If it hadn’t been for Covid we would have expected more but it’s still a pleasing number.”While the women’s T20 World Cup closed a chapter before the shut down, the men’s counterpart is a new beginning and signals a shift away from bubbles and isolation.It will also be Australia’s biggest sports event since its ironclad hard border came down.”We are hoping to show the world that Australia is up and open for business. It’s a country very good at hosting major events,” Enright said. “What makes cricket great is bringing cultures and generations together. Stadiums really come alive like what we saw during the women’s T20 World Cup.”We have a great opportunity to deliver something special and that’s very exciting.”

Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 42-ball 63 against Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games has taken her one spot up to third in the women’s T20I rankings for batters.Mandhana’s power-packed half-century helped her go past Sophie Devine into the top three, and within two rating points of Beth Mooney, who is placed second. Meg Lanningis top of the pile.Related

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Mandhana has been No. 3 on the T20I batters’ list previously as well – first in 2019 and more recently in October last year.The rankings were updated after six T20Is at the Commonwealth Games. Suzie Bates, on the back of her 91 not out off 64 balls against South Africa, jumped two slots, leapfrogging Alyssa Healy and Chamari Athapaththu to move to sixth place.Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a half-century in the CWG opener against Australia, moved four places to 14th position.Ashleigh Gardner, the Australia allrounder, was one of the biggest gainers, moving in all three T20I lists. Her match-winning 52 not out in the opening game against India propelled her five places to 11th on the batters’ list. She then shone with the ball against Barbados, returning 2 for 6 in a crushing nine-wicket win that saw her jump from 45th to 26th on the bowlers’ list. Gardner also moved to a career-best third on the allrounders’ rankings – a jump of four places.On the bowlers’ table, Jess Jonassen, who returned 4 for 22 against India, moved up two spots to fourth position, with Sophie Ecclestone still in the lead.Megan Schutt and Amelia Kerr have moved up one spot each to seventh and eighth respectively. Hayley Matthews is the lone new face in the top ten of the bowlers’ rankings, replacing Ayabonga Khaka.

Matthew Hoggard, who is taking to the water for charity, talks about the 2005 Ashes, current fast-bowling stocks and whether an old rival should take charge of England

Tim Wigmore06-May-20152:11

‘I can’t swim but at least it doesn’t hurt!’

Ten years on from the 2005 Ashes, Matthew Hoggard is not feeling nostalgic. “No, I’m feeling quite tired,” he says, drawing breath as he gets out of an outdoor pool in Hackney as his preparations for his summer exertions intensify.Starting with the Great North Swim at Lake Windermere next month, Hoggard will complete four of Britain’s five great swims this summer to raise money for Cricket Without Boundaries, a charity that promotes cricket in Africa while promoting HIV/Aids awareness and female empowerment. “It takes money and it’s fantastic to be able to get into some open water and raise money for charity,” he says.”Until a month ago, the last time I swum a length of freestyle or front crawl was about 15 years ago so it’s been a very quick, steep learning curve, but I’m enjoying it – hopefully I can do these 3kms without drowning. Swimming in a wet suit is fantastic – it’s the first time I’ve been able to float in a swimming pool, being rather heavy!”The swims form the backdrop to Hoggard’s summer and, in warmer climes than this choppy morning, he will not lack for chances to reflect on that magnificent series a decade ago: the PCA are taking him to every Ashes Test. A number of dinners are also planned for members of the team, including England’s ‘Fab Four’ bowling attack: Andrew Flintoff and his relentless back-of-a-length hostility, Steve Harmison’s brawn and pace, Simon Jones’ reverse swing and Hoggard’s less demonstrative qualities. His job was to “brush up the debris of the shop floor” as he once put it.Together they formed a formidable quartet, albeit one seen too fleetingly. “We all had different attributes and couldn’t care less who got the wickets. We were a proper team and we just wanted to get off the pitch as quick as possible – whoever got the wickets it was fantastic, and the other three tried to support him. To be able to go into the series and stay a settled side until the last game was brilliant. Every one of us had a brief moment in the sun.”Tim Wigmore joins Matthew Hoggard in the water at London Fields Lido•ESPNcricinfo LtdIf Hoggard always embraced his role as a shaggy-haired shop steward, he was rather better than that, offering not only prodigious new-ball swing and nagging accuracy but also the ability to cut the ball on flat surfaces, as in Nagpur and Adelaide in 2006. He had longevity too – of the quartet, Hoggard ended up as the leading Test wicket-taker. “It’s a good bragging right – but when we do meet up we don’t really talk about cricket,” he says.The combination of the sheer drama of the 2005 Ashes and cricket’s absence from free-to-air TV since means that the series has come to be remembered as the last time when English cricket captivated the nation. But Hoggard is of the view that the benefits of free-to-air coverage risk being overstated.”I don’t think it’s the be all and end all. It’s nice if you can get cricket on free-to-air, but again you need money to grow the game, to put back into grassroots level, to be able to get the next group of youngsters coming through. So you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” he says. “Chance to Shine has been fantastic getting cricket into state schools, so everybody gets a chance to try the game.”Hoggard also thinks that a T20 franchise competition has the potential to galvanise the sport. “England cricket needs a boost – it’s finding that window to do that and finding the right formula that works for everybody.”England may currently seem overly reliant on one quick – James Anderson – but Hoggard avoids criticising the state of English fast bowling, citing Mark Wood and Mark Footitt as men who could provide the attack with extra pace. “We’ve got some good bowlers in the wings they’re just not quite ready for international cricket yet, but are plying their trade in county cricket,” he says. “So I think it’s not all doom and gloom and the next James Anderson is just around the corner.”But Hoggard is rather less positive about England’s current coach Peter Moores. It was Moores who ended Hoggard’s international career when he dropped him for Anderson in New Zealand in 2008 – “he’s been proved right” – but, like many members of the side in Moores’ first stint, Hoggard preferred life under Duncan Fletcher.”Duncan was very much a thinker and very much a strategiser, and would come out with different techniques, with different thoughts and different plans,” Hoggard says. Moores, meanwhile, had “lots of energy, lots of get up and go… completely different styles”.”What made him successful as a coach in county cricket is getting people up and getting people motivated and getting people to be up for the day-in day-out grind of county cricket. Test matches are a little bit different – you shouldn’t have to be motivated to get up for a Test match. You need that fine-tuning, you need to be in the right state of mind, you need to be thinking ‘I’ve got the backing of everybody, I just need to go out and show the world what I’m capable of.'”Hoggard has not been won over by Moores’ second stint either. “He’s just said we had a good tour [of the West Indies] and the young players are progressing – and you think, well, they didn’t blood the young players. Some of the things he says are a little bit baffling, and you cringe at times. Whether he’ll still be there come the Ashes is the new director of cricket’s prerogative.” On Andrew Strauss’ supposedly imminent appointment, Hoggard is unconvinced. “It’ll be tricky knowing everybody intimately.”In fact, it is an Ashes opponent from 2005 who Hoggard suggests England most need. He credits Jason Gillespie, who ended up with 11 more Test wickets than Hoggard’s 248, with Yorkshire’s recent success. “He’s gone out and given the players the power to entertain. He keeps it so simple,” Hoggard says.”He’s done a fantastic job with Yorkshire, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to do a similar job with England. Sometimes they say change is as good as a holiday.”

Real Madrid have sent a letter to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) complaining about refereeing standards after their 1-0 loss to Espanyol.

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• Madrid lost in controversial Espanyol clash
• Club sent letter demanding refereeing reforms
• Called for officials to be removed

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  La Liga leaders Madrid lost 1-0 through a late goal from Carlos Romero, who was lucky to escape a red card earlier in the second half for a harsh challenge on Kylian Mbappe. Espanyol committed 14 fouls to Madrid's three and were given two yellow cards over the 90 minutes at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Madrid have since sent an official letter of complaint to Spanish football's governing body saying that the refereeing system is being "discredited" by decisions that the club argue have gone beyond "human error". The letter also called for the audio recordings of various VAR reviews during the match.

• WHAT REAL MADRID SAID

  "The events that occurred in this match have exceeded any margin for human error or referee interpretation. What happened at the RCDE Stadium represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system, in which decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignored. The two most serious refereeing decisions in this match have once again revealed the double standards with which Real Madrid is refereed," the letter states.

  "The brutal challenge on Kylian Mbappe, from behind, on the calf and with no possibility of contesting the ball, carried out in the 60th minute of the match by the Espanyol player who would later end up scoring the winning goal for his team, deserving of immediate expulsion as highlighted by the world press, ended with the decision of the referee, Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, to only show a yellow card without the VAR, with Javier Iglesias Villanueva as responsible, intervening to correct a manifestly erroneous decision, leaving unpunished an aggression that in any other competition would have been an exemplary sanction."

  The complaint continued: "Real Madrid cannot accept that the competition continues to be governed by a discredited refereeing system, whose main officials, far from being removed, continue to exercise decisive functions in decision-making. It is not enough to make superficial changes or to replace some directors; the only way to restore the credibility of Spanish refereeing requires a comprehensive reform that includes, as an essential element, the replacement of those referees whose connection with stages under suspicion compromises the legitimacy of the system and perpetuates its lack of transparency."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

  The Spanish giants will await a reply from the RFEF and hope that reforms are soon adopted. Despite the controversial loss, Madrid are still top of La Liga and a point clear of Atletico Madrid, who they face on Saturday just three days after they meet Leganes in the Copa del Rey.

Despite going a man down in just the seventh minute, Tottenham Hotspur picked up their third win on the bounce against Qarabağ FK on Thursday night.

Ange Postecoglou’s side had a rough start to the season this year, with just seven points from a possible 15, but following their win in the Europa League, it looks like they may have just turned things around.

Brennan Johnson has found his goalscoring boots, Guglielmo Vicario is back in fine form, and Dominic Solanke is well and truly off the mark.

However, one of the few negatives to come out of the victory against the Azerbaijani champions is that club captain Son Heung-min was forced off in the 71st minute and, according to the manager, could miss out on the game against Manchester United tomorrow afternoon.

While this is far from ideal, Postecoglou has several options to solve this potential issue.

1 Relocate Dejan Kulusevski

Yes, perhaps one of the more likely solutions the Australian could consider tomorrow afternoon is to start Swedish international Dejan Kulusevski off the left of the front three.

Now, it is true that the former Juventus star is far more accustomed to playing off the right and even in the centre, for that matter, but he has played in Son’s position before.

In fact, he has started there 13 times in his career – including twice at Spurs – scoring twice and providing three assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 2.6 games.

Moreover, the “special, special player,” as Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir dubbed him, is naturally left-footed, which should at least help with the transition, which, with his immaculate technical ability, should already be rather easy.

It might not be the perfect solution, but moving Kulusevski to the left certainly seems like it would help keep the quality of the starting lineup relatively high.

2 Hand Mikey Moore his first start

Now admittedly, this one might be a tad unlikely, but if the captain is unable to play and Postecoglou wants to keep Kulusevski either on the right or in midfield, then why not give Mikey Moore his first start?

Yes, given it’s United away, it would be an almighty show of faith in the 17-year-old, but as the saying goes, if they’re good enough, they’re old enough, and by all accounts, it looks like he is.

Appearances

24

4

5

Goals

19

1

0

Assists

13

2

0

Goal Involvements per Match

1.33

0.75

0.00

For example, in just 33 appearances for the club’s various youth sides, the youngster whom U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed was “born to play football” has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists, equating to a mind-blowing average of a goal involvement every 0.94 games.

Moreover, unlike with the first suggestion, the Southwark-born has played plenty of football off the left, meaning he should be able to come into the set-up with minimal fuss and show the league what he is all about.

Ultimately, this would be the bold, perhaps even foolish option, but as Spurs fans will surely attest, to dare is to do.

3 Bring back Timo Werner

The final option, starting Timo Werner, is probably just as likely as the first, if not a little bit more, but we’d hazard a guess about it being the least popular among the fans, and by quite some way at that.

It would be fair to say that since his loan deal was extended for another year, the German international has not impressed in North London.

In his five appearances so far, totalling 131 minutes, the former Chelsea ace hasn’t scored or assisted a goal, and in his one start against Coventry City, he was quite abysmal, picking up a 2/10 match rating from Spurs writer Alasdair Gold for his troubles.

Ultimately, if Son is unable to take part tomorrow afternoon, then Postecoglou is going to have to come up with a solution, and while he might be tempted to bring in Werner for his second start of the campaign, he would be much better off going with Kulusevski, or gambling on Moore.

15x ball lost, 0 key passes: Ange must now boldly drop 5/10 Spurs ace

The experienced international put in an erratic display.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 27, 2024

What does it tell you about a team when they post their highest total in an ODI World Cup in one game and their lowest in the tournament in 17 years in the next? “There’s no explanation,” according to Smriti Mandhana, but it’s clear that India’s batting is inconsistent, an issue that troubled them in the past World Cup cycle too.”Well, if I had an explanation, I would have definitely discussed in the team dressing room, but I wouldn’t say there’s any explanation because you cannot really… there’s no explanation we can give for something like that,” Mandhana said ahead of Saturday’s big contest against Australia.Related

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Going from 317 in a 144-run win over West Indies to 134 in a four-wicket loss to England was bad enough, but made worse by the fact that the defeat has pushed India towards a league-stage elimination.”In the series [against New Zealand last month], our batters were really doing well. We were getting a good total on board,” Mandhana, who scored 123 against West Indies and 35 against England, said. “But, yeah, in the last four matches, our batting unit together hasn’t clicked and that’s something which we all really want to work on, and I’m sure there will be a perfect game for the batters.”Of course, our bowlers are doing [an] amazing job. They just need a little more support from the batters to get the ‘W’ on the board.”In all of India’s four outings so far at this World Cup, two of which they have won, wickets falling in clusters has been a feature. Mandhana stressed the need for set batters, including herself, to show more judiciousness with their approach, something Mithali Raj, too, had underlined ahead of the start of the tournament.”We have been losing wickets back to back and that’s something which we, as a batting unit, want to address,” Mandhana said. “Fifty-overs [cricket] is all about partnerships, good partnerships, so we definitely want to work on it. As set batters, it’s more responsibility on that batter to take the game forward from that time when you know you’re able to time the ball well.”That’s something I’ll be really conscious about, that we don’t lose wickets back to back and develop a partnership from there, because one or two good partnerships [and] we’ll be able to post a total which will be a good one to defend.”Mandhana, like Jhulan Goswami, backed allrounder Deepti Sharma to make bigger contributions with the bat than her returns of 5, 15, and 0 that have followed her 40 in India’s tournament opener.”See, when you come to a tournament or go to [bilateral] series, not all batters are going to be able to bat in a certain way,” Mandhana said. “She [Deepti] scored a good 40 runs in the first match. But yeah, in last three matches, she was not able to contribute. But I’m sure that she’s just one game away from getting a good score.”As a batting unit, we are just there to back everyone because it’s not that every day all the seven batters are going to click. So our thing is, whoever two or three [batters] are getting to time the ball well, it’s their responsibility to play the 50 overs and get to a respectable total.”The Australia vs India game will be the first at Auckland’s Eden Park at this World Cup. Rain is forecast for Saturday, and Mandhana said India have that “at the back of our mind”.1:48

Ellyse Perry: ‘Jhulan’s contribution to the women’s game is unbelievable’

Only a win for India can delay Australia’s entry into the semi-finals, while a loss would further dent, though not entirely wipe out, India’s chances of qualifying. A no-result will leave Australia at the top of the table, while India will remain in fourth place.According to Australia head coach Matthew Mott, it will be a “fast bouncy wicket”, which will mean that the teams will rely heavily on their quicks, especially in the powerplay.”We will certainly be encouraging everyone to be aggressive at the start. We want to take early wickets, which we’ve done pretty well throughout the tournament,” Mott said. “But if they do get on top, there’s some Plan Bs and Cs that we’ve got up our sleeve – whether it’s wide, wide lines or change in pace.”Every bowler in our squad is very different. So when Meg [Lanning, the captain] asks them to bowl, [it’s about] making sure they’re really clear on what their job is at the time. And that’s really important for our structure. So, with a number of bowling options, it does give Meg plenty of opportunity to be flexible – shorter spells, if there’s a wind up, certain bowlers might bowl into it.”Having come in from Wellington in the last couple of days, where the conditions have been quite disruptive at times with big winds and gusts, I think our bowling group are pretty good to adapt to these conditions as well.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da luck： A partida entre Santos x Ceará, válida pela 7ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, foi polêmica. Além da anulação de um gol marcado pelo Peixe, a arbitragem expulsou Richard durante o jogo, que terminou no 0 a 0.

O jogador teria empurrado Jhojan Júlio, do Santos. Neste domingo (22), a CBF divulgou os áudios do VAR e expôs a conversa que o árbitro Savio Pereira Sampaio teve com os árbitros do VAR.

“Eu vejo pegar no rosto e é totalmente circular a disputa. (…) É um empurrão, tá? É um empurrão, ok?”, afirmou o responsável pelo árbitro de vídeo. Ele segue afirmando que recomendava a revisão no VAR para possível vermelho.

“Savio, vou te falar. É fora da disputa. O jogador de preto vira de costas e vai de encontro ao jogador de branco. E tem um contato próximo ao rosto”, explicou o árbitro. Richard, na sequência, foi expulso da partida.

AC Milan have reportedly abandoned their bid to sign Manchester United's Marcus Rashford as the Serie A side prioritise Kyle Walker transfer.

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Milan linked to both Walker & RashfordCould sign only one British playerGoing ahead with Man City star's signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Serie A rules, which allow clubs to register only one British player per season, have forced the Milan giants to choose between the two high-profile English stars. While Milan had expressed significant interest in both players, recent reports suggest that Walker is now the primary target for the Italian side.

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Pep Guardiola had earlier revealed that the veteran right-back had expressed a desire to leave the club in favour of a move abroad. However, Walker, whose contract with City runs until June 2026, will not be available on a free transfer, making negotiations for either a permanent move or a loan deal essential.

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Rashford’s future remains uncertain following Milan's decision. Last month, the Manchester United star openly stated his readiness to seek a new challenge away from Old Trafford. Reports from indicate that Napoli manager Antonio Conte is a strong admirer of Rashford. The Italian club view the forward as a potential marquee signing to win back fans disillusioned by the sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain. Rashford, 27, is reportedly open to a move to Serie A and has expressed interest in joining Napoli.

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The transfer speculation surrounding both players comes at a crucial time, with both United and City set for important league fixtures. Rashford’s participation in United’s clash against Brighton remains doubtful amid ongoing uncertainty about his future. Similarly, Walker is unlikely to feature in City’s match against Ipswich as his move to Italy edges closer.