“Everyone backs everyone, it doesn’t matter which XI is playing”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2021

On a high after their emphatic series win at Edgbaston on Sunday, New Zealand will now have plenty of selection headaches to deal with for the World Test Championship final against India starting June 18 in Southampton. With a combination of injuries and their decision to rest a few players, New Zealand made six changes to their playing XI for the second Test, and still showed enough depth in both batting and bowling to beat England by eight wickets.If most or all of their injured players recover, New Zealand will have numerous options for only a few spots available. How are some of their players on the fringe of a permanent spot in the playing XI coping with that competition?”I try not to put any pressure on myself,” spinner Ajaz Patel, one of the six inclusions for the second Test, said. “Faith is a big factor for me, which allows me to stay grounded and be comfortable with whatever is thrown at me. I make sure I’m still working hard, developing my game and continuing to grow so when the opportunity does come, I make the most of it.Related

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“There is no added pressure, whenever I put the cap on, I look at it as a privilege. [I] try and have fun because that’s why we play cricket. It’s still reliving a childhood dream, representing New Zealand and putting that black baggy on. We take a lot of pride and privilege in that. Every time I get the opportunity, I try to put out there what I’ve been working on while I’ve been away. Sometimes you have to take a back seat, and sometimes you’re thrust in the front.”New Zealand’s incredible discipline on the field, and subsequent success, has roots in the culture that the team has bought into over the last few years.”It was probably six or seven years ago, the leadership group sat down and thought we want to play a brand of cricket that was true to us as Kiwis,” New Zealand’s stand-in captain Tom Latham said. “Something that we could hold our head on. The change came around that World Cup time in 2015. To try and enjoy cricket, enjoy each other’s company. That’s something we hold true to this group.”Patel also alluded to that culture as an influential reason in New Zealand’s recent success. “The culture around this team is very good. Everyone is quite positive, there is no negativity, and that breeds so much success we have. Everyone backs everyone, it doesn’t matter which XI is playing. Everyone has been putting in a 100% and it was from the guys that weren’t playing to the guys that were in the playing XI.”I was carrying drinks last week, there was a different group carrying drinks this week. We had a lot of seniors players carrying drinks and they still did the job for the team and I think that shows our team culture and how we go about our cricket, and what it really means to be a part of this team for everyone. There’s no ranks in here and everyone does what they need to which is a great environment to be in.”Even though the Ageas Bowl in Southampton favours spin as the match progresses, New Zealand will probably have to choose between Mitchell Santner and Patel for the WTC final. “We have some good conversations about spin, a lot of in-depth analysis and tactics that we can use while we’re out there. We have a good healthy competition but at the same time, we work well together as well. Competition is always good, we’re growing together,” he said.”I’ve done my part, my preparation. Now it’s up to the selectors. My foundation of faith allows me to be at peace with whatever happens. For me, it’s about preparing and whatever happens from there, happens from there. I wouldn’t want to be a selector right now because there are some pretty tough decisions. It has been highlighted in the last couple of games how much depth we really have.”Patel took four wickets at Edgbaston, while also performing the role of a holding spinner. He bowled eight maidens in 23 overs with an economy rate of well under three in both innings, and chipped in with the bat as well in the first innings with 20 useful runs at No. 10 which helped New Zealand in taking an 85-run lead.”I tried to make use of whatever was out there. Being able to bat, that was fun. Mark Wood bowling some serious pace, trying to take your block off isn’t the most amusing. It’s something I’ve been working on, it was nice to showcase that. But also doing a job in the second innings where conditions start favouring you a bit more.”

da brwin： Tottenham have now opened talks with a Euro 2024 star, via his reps, and could hijack a major European club's move for him as a result.

Spurs targeting new defender after Postecoglou's admission

da supremo： The north Londoners also completed a deal for Romania international Radu Dragusin for around £25 million in January, but there is a real belief that Ange Postecoglou remains on the hunt for new centre-backs.

Related £113,000-per-week World Cup winner holds talks to join Ange at Tottenham

He’s a pretty big name.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 18, 2024

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were indomitable at times over 2023/2024, forming a crucial partnership at the heart of Postecoglou's backline, and the former's searing pace is a crucial component of the Australian's high line.

However, when either of the defenders are absent or injured, Spurs can seriously struggle. Dragusin's arrival worked wonders to provide Postecoglou with an alternative option, with the 22-year-old's presence even allowing van de Ven to cover for Destiny Udogie at left-back towards the end of last season.

Tottenham's best-performing defenders in the league last season

Average match rating (via WhoScored)

Pedro Porro

7.04

Cristian Romero

7.03

Micky van de Ven

6.79

Destiny Udogie

6.71

Ben Davies

6.62

Despite the signing of Dragusin, though, it is believed Tottenham are still looking at bringing in another centre-half this summer. The Lilywhites head coach, speaking back in March, even admitted that it is one of their transfer aims.

“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, said Postecoglou on signing another centre-back.

“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”

Tottenham have displayed a keen interest in Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori as one potential target, with DAZN (via Il Bianconero) sharing an update on their pursuit of the Euro 2024 ace.

Tottenham open talks for Calafiori and could hijack Juventus

The broadcaster claims Tottenham have spoken with Calafiori's reps and contact has been made with Bologna, as they look to beat Juventus in the race for his signature.

The Italy international, who was praised for his performance against Albania in their opening group game of the tournament, is rumoured to command a price tag as high as £42 million following his excellent Serie A campaign.

It looks as if Calafiori could be at the centre of a tug-of-war between Juve and Spurs, especially if he continues to impress at the Euros.

“He played an extraordinary game, like the whole team in the first 60 minutes," said Italian World Cup winner Gianluca Zambrotta on Calafiori's outing against Albania.

"He played with personality, without fear, perhaps the only flaw was on the long ball where we took a risk with Donnarumma’s exit. But he showed some beautiful things yesterday.”

Twelve overs were still left in the game when umpires called bad light and the players started shaking hands

Annesha Ghosh26-Jun-20214:02

Mithali Raj – ‘The current bowling attack, especially the spinners over the years have won matches for us irrespective of the wicket we played’

Mithali Raj, India’s Test and ODI captain, has expressed surprise at how their one-off Test against England ended last week. According to her, the visiting side wanted to continue batting when play was called off on the final day with 12 overs still left to be bowled. In response to this assertion from Raj, England captain Heather Knight explained that bad light was the reason for the premature close to proceedings in Bristol.Though no result other than a draw was possible at the time, two of India’s five Test debutants, Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia, were batting on unbeaten scores of 80 and 44 respectively, their rearguard ninth-wicket stand having swollen to 104.”We wanted to continue the play and that’s what we informed to the opposite captain, and they continued,” Raj revealed on ahead of the ODI series opener between the two sides. “But then I was told by Sneh Rana because even I was a little on the back foot when I saw the bails coming off and them walking out. So I asked her what happened and she said it was a bad light call taken by the umpire.”That’s what they were told. But then I saw the teams were congratulating [each other], so the umpires told that since both the teams are congratulating, it’s pretty much taken that the match is over. That’s what I was told by Sneh Rana. So that’s what happened.Knight, meanwhile, revealed that Raj was nowhere to be found when England were ready to accept a stalemate.”It became apparent to us that it was going to end in a draw, so we asked to shake hands with the Indian team,” Knight said. “We couldn’t actually find Mithali, so I think eventually a message got back on to us to that we were to carry on, which was fine. And then the umpires [Chris Watts and Sue Redfern] took us off for bad light and then the Indians came over and shook our hands. So that was what happened.”Knight also confirmed that the first ODI on Sunday will be played on a fresh pitch and that Sophia Dunkley, who made a first-innings unbeaten 74 on her Test debut last week, will make her maiden ODI appearance.”Yes, I have [had a chance to take a look at the pitch],” Knight said. “You’ll be pleased to hear it’s a fresh one. It looks pretty good, [with] an even covering of grass. Yeah, [it] looks like a reasonably good batting deck as it usually is with a fresh wicket in Bristol.”The teams head into the three-ODI series, which kicks off the limited-overs leg of the multi-format tour, on an even keel, with two points apiece. Wins in the white-ball games, which also features three T20Is, will be worth two points each.

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t been alien to spending big money in the transfer market over the last couple of years, with the hierarchy evidently wanting to take the club up the Premier League table.

Thomas Frank was the beneficiary in the summer window, as the Dane was handed over £120m worth of funds to make the additions he desired to his Lilywhites squad.

Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons both made moves worth over £50m to North London during the summer, subsequently arriving to strengthen the quality available in the final third.

The pair have registered 13 combined goals and assists between them, with both managing to find the back of the net during Tuesday night’s Champions League win over Slavia Prague.

However, despite the successes of both players in recent weeks, the manager and the board look as though they want to make added reinforcements in the final third this winter.

Spurs’ potential move to land Antoine Semenyo in January

As Spurs fans will have seen over recent years, the Premier League has become one of the most fiercely contested leagues in the world, which could result in any side being punished on their day.

In the early stages of 2025/26, the Lilywhites appear to have forgotten about the struggles of last season, but they have still struggled on home soil – subsequently winning two league games in North London.

However, in an attempt to improve their form in attacking areas this winter, Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as a primary target by the Spurs hierarchy.

The Ghanaian international has been in tremendous form this campaign, as seen by his tally of six goals and three assists in his first 14 league appearances for the Cherries.

As a result, Fabio Paratici has been monitoring the 25-year-old over recent weeks, especially after it was confirmed his £65m release clause becomes active from the 1st of January.

However, such a move could prove to be complicated, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool also closely monitoring the progress of the in-form attacker.

It’s also been suggested that the player would prefer a move to the Emirates if he were to leave Bournemouth this January, which could be Frank’s men on their back burner.

The Spurs star who should be sold to fund Semenyo transfer

Over the years, the Spurs board have made numerous questionable decisions that have proved to be mistakes, which have often resulted in huge sums of money being wasted.

From spending £63m on the signature of Tanguy Ndombele, to allowing numerous high-profile youngsters to leave on a free – it truly has been a period to forget for the board.

However, they do have another chance to redeem themselves in the upcoming winter, with the hierarchy needing to go all out in a bid to land Semenyo’s signature.

If they are to generate the funds needed to complete a move for his signature, they could turn to offload numerous players who are already on the books in North London.

Injury-prone players like Dominic Solanke and Richarlison would likely spring to the mind of many supporters – but midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur should be the first star offloaded.

The Uruguayan originally joined the club from Juventus back in January 2022, with such a move generating excitement at the time, but it’s safe to say that feeling has massively changed in recent times.

In 2025/26 to date, he’s featured in all but one Premier League outing, even receiving a new long-term contract back in October, but he’s struggled to perform since such an occasion.

Archie Gray has been selected ahead of him over the last couple of matches, with the Englishman now seemingly appearing ahead of him after his tremendous Champions League showing.

Games played

14

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

84%

Chances created

0.6

Successful dribbles

0.5

Tackles won

1.1

Aerials won

47%

Interceptions made

1.1

The teenager partnered Joao Palhinha at the base of the side, showing talents way beyond his tender years, which are only going to get better in the years ahead.

As for Bentancur, his recent showings have been nothing short of disappointing, even leading to one analyst dubbing him as “embarrassing” due to his lack of work rate.

The midfielder, who’s currently earning £75k-per-week, has failed to kick on after his contract renewal, with the board potentially hindering the progress of Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Pape Sarr by keeping him.

It’s unclear how much the hierarchy could generate by offloading him in the upcoming window, but it could well prove to be enough to help them in their pursuit of Semenyo.

Whilst the decision may appear harsh, it’s one that needs to be made for the interests of the club if they are to reach the next level during Frank’s tenure in North London.

Fewer touches than Vicario & only 9 passes: Spurs flop must now be dropped

Thomas Frank must now drop one Tottenham Hotspur player after the Slavia Prague victory.

ByEthan Lamb 2 days ago

Kola Bokinni is raring to go amid talk of Ted Lasso returning for Season 4, with the AFC Richmond captain saying “whatever happens, I’ll be there”.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Options taken up on three main stars
• Cast members airing their excitement
• No word on when production may start

• Apple TV
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bokinni plays skipper Isaac McAdoo in the award-winning Apple TV+ show, but appeared to have hung up his on-screen boots for the last time when series three came to a close and Lasso brought his coaching adventure in England to an end.

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• THE GOSSIP

  There is talk of production starting up again, with Warner Bros taking up options on three key characters played by Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift. Stars such as Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple and Lloyd Griffith have also spoken of their excitement at the Lasso franchise potentially being reborn.

• Getty
  

  WHAT KOLA BOKINNI SAID

  Bokinni is ready and waiting whenever the call comes, telling : “Whatever happens, I’ll be there for them, because they were there for me.”

  He added on initially being hesitant to join a show that has “done amazing things” for his life: “I was like, it’s a show about this American guy who comes over and tells us how to play football? But I’ve been playing football my whole life.”

• WHAT NEXT FOR TED LASSO?

  There has been no word in public from Jason Sudeikis – who plays Lasso and is one of the show’s writers – on when or if more episodes could drop. There are issues to be be ironed out behind the scenes before any work can begin in earnest, with some characters – such as Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tart – tied to contracts elsewhere.

MatériaMais Notícias

da brdice： Dias após faturar o título do Campeonato Carioca Sub-17, Eguinaldo de Sousa Lemos, da base do Vasco, mostrou ter estrela e já levantou mais um troféu, o da Recopa Carioca da categoria. E foi com muito estilo: anotando um dos três gols cruz-maltinos sobre o rival Fluminense, no Estádio Nivaldo Pereira.

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da bwin： Estádio este que Eguinaldo conhece muito bem, já que começou a sua carreira no Artsul, proprietário do Centro de Treinamento, e foi pinçado pela captação das categorias de base do Vasco. Ainda tímido com as palavras, o “Maranhão”, como também é conhecido pelo seu estado natal, vibrou com o feito e mostrou que a próxima temporada tende a ser empolgante com a camisa vascaína:

+ Confira a classificação final da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro

– Estou muito feliz. É um sonho que estou realizando em vestir a camisa de um grande clube do país e ainda marcar um gol em uma final. Tenho também que valorizar o grande grupo que faço parte, um grupo muito vencedor. Sem meus companheiros, nada disso seria possível. Só tenho que agradecer a Deus – disse o jogador.

+Experiente, forte na defesa e voluntarioso: as características de Edimar, novo reforço do Vasco

Eguinaldo chegou ao Vasco em outubro, para a disputa do Estadual da categoria. Desde então, o atacante já disputou sete partidas e anotou um gol. Com dois títulos carimbados, surge mais um nome com muito potencial nas categorias de base de um celeiro que revelou atacantes históricos como Roberto Dinamite, Romário e Edmundo.

The Temba Bavuma era of white-ball cricket begins later this week, with a series against Pakistan which is intended to kickstart South Africa’s next three World Cup campaigns. Bavuma has been appointed until 2023 and will be in charge for two T20 World Cups and a fifty-over one, and while it is too early to list things like becoming global champions among his aims, Bavuma hopes to use this series to establish a brand of cricket that South Africa can carry through his tenure.”We have the opportunity now, building up to 2023 to the World Cup, to define our style of play and how we want to go about our business,” he said. “If you look at South Africa, we have always been a more than competitive ODI unit, even to the point where the guys have got to positions of No.1. For me, it’s about trying to define a style of play, create something that makes us accountable, and most importantly, to be able to institute that style of play in any conditions or any occasion.”While Bavuma did not specify what this new strategy will entail – team management has spoken about playing ‘smart but aggressive’ in the recent past – he has identified one area that needs improvement. “Mentally, that’s somewhere we probably need to improve a lot more in terms of getting stronger,” he said.South Africa have become known for crumbling under pressure in big moments at major tournaments but since the 2019 World Cup – where they were the first team to bow out – they have also become known for their rapid decline. They currently sit fifth on the ODI rankings and sixth in T20s and have only won one of their last six white-ball series as administrative chaos has bled onto the field and uncertainty has engulfed their approach.As an indication of the level of experimentation South Africa reached, they have handed out six ODI and seven T20 caps since the 2019-20 summer, and are on to their third captain.After Faf du Plessis was replaced by Quinton de Kock in February last year, de Kock has now been succeeded by Bavuma. None of these appointments appear to have been part of a plan. Du Plessis stood down as Test captain following South Africa’s defeat to England last year and was then stripped of the white-ball leadership. De Kock took over, and was also asked to temporarily lead South Africa in Tests which unfairly overburdened him. He was thensidelined from the leadership role in all formats. It is understood that de Kock wanted to continue the white-ball captaincy but after South Africa’s sorry trip to Pakistan earlier this year, they believed wholesale changes were necessary.Now, they face Pakistan again, having had two months of international inaction thanks to Australia’s cancelled Test tour and they seem to have a clean slate. At least, that’s how Bavuma makes it sound. “The mood is optimistic,” he said. Though the challenge is steep.For a start, South Africa will lose a quintet of key players after the second ODI as Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje head to the IPL. Their absence could well be a major disruption to Bavuma’s first series in charge, but he chose not to see it that way. “It’s not as disturbing now that we are aware of the arrangement that is in place,” he said. “For the first two games, we’ve got all our best players. It’s important that we get positive results. That’s not to say we are conceding the result in the third game. We believe we have got worthy enough replacements. I don’t think it’s that disturbing and we respect the relationship between CSA and the BCCI.”When the big five leave, South Africa are likely to award more new caps, and players like slog-overs specialist Sisanda Magala, seamer Lizaad Williams and allrounder Wihan Lubbe are among those in contention.”The guys who are here can take comfort in the fact that the World Cup squads will be coming from this group, so it’s important that guys acknowledge that there is an opportunity and that they know where they can fit in within that squad,” Bavuma said. “My message to the young guys is that the opportunity is there and make sure you keep churning out those performances.”It will help that Magala and Williams will be used to conditions at the Wanderers and SuperSport Park, their domestic home grounds, because it’s rare to play cricket in South Africa in April. Bavuma expects the Highveld to be even more bowler-friendly than usual. From his recollection of a T20 competition played in April 2018, he said: “it seemed to suit seam bowling a bit more, with the ball swinging. But the wickets still become favourable for batting, so even though the challenge will be a bit more with the seam but I think there’s something in there for the batters.”He also sees it as an opportunity for the team to test their adaptability, knowing that surfaces won’t always suit them. “In the long run we want to test ourselves a lot more in unfavourable conditions and see if we can execute our brand of cricket in all conditions,” he said.At this point, South Africa are still in their short run, with just seven fixtures against Pakistan before a two-month winter break. Their real work will start in June, when they hope to tour West Indies in a series that was postponed from last year, before heading to Ireland and possibly Sri Lanka and India before the T20 World Cup. That will be the first true test of Bavuma’s leadership and so for now his task “is to inspire and try and get the guys in spaces where they can perform as well as they can for the team.”