Bangladesh are wary of the threat Ireland pose but will bank on the confidence of a thumping win over West Indies

The preview by Mohammad Isam08-May-2019

Big pictureBangladesh’s eight-wicket win over West Indies in their tri-series opener was the kind of all-round performance most captains and coaches prefer, and Mashrafe Mortaza and Steven Rhodes would think the same. But, given their indifferent results away from home in the last few years, Bangladesh are aware that even a lesser-known opposition, particularly with a home advantage, can be a handful. They are, therefore, unlikely to take Ireland lightly.The eight-wicket win over West Indies was led by a good fightback by the Bangladesh bowlers, who took the last seven wickets for 56 runs. Mashrafe Mortaza got crucial wickets in his final spell, while Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz helped Bangladesh control the middle overs. The 144-run opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar then set up the 262-run chase, before Shakib ran hard and struck the ball well to complete the win.Against Ireland, Bangladesh will hope their bowling can come together again, particularly Mustafizur Rahman, who has conceded 93 and 84 in his last two ODIs.Ireland, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from successive ODI losses, to England and then West Indies. There was little they could do against Shai Hope and John Campbell’s massive opening stand in the tri-series opener, but against England they did show some fight. The hosts would, however, be a little worried about their batting form, with scores of under 200 in both matches. William Porterfield and Paul Stirling will be tasked with giving them another good start while Andy Balbirnie, their top-scorer in 2019 so far, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson add experience to their middle-order.They could once again play five bowlers, with George Dockrell as the lone spinner. They may choose to go with a bit more pace in their line-up although the Malahide pitches would also suit seamers who can move the ball in the air. Barry McCarthy and Tim Murtagh have taken 13 and 11 wickets at this venue.Form guideIreland LLWLW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLWIn the spotlightPaul Stirling’s first-ball duck shouldn’t be of much concern, given his experience at this level, but there has been a dip in his form over the last couple of months. He didn’t score a fifty for Middlesex in the Royal London Cup, and his last ODI half-century was against Afghanistan in March.Over the last four years, Tamim has scored eight fifties in an ODI chase. Of these, Bangladesh won the match on seven instances. His role as an anchor is crucial to top-order success, but he also has the capability to go all-out if the situation demands.Team newsBoyd Rankin is an option for Ireland, with Mark Adair going for plenty against West Indies. They also have Andrew McBrine and James McCollum to call upon, if they are looking to make more changes.Ireland (probable): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Lorcan Tucker, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 George Dockrell, 8 Tim Murtagh, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Josh Little, 11 Boyd RankinBangladesh are unlikely to change their line-up from the previous game against West Indies.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mohamad Saifuddin, 9 Mehidy Hasan, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsRain is forecast in Dublin, coupled with windy conditions. The Malahide pitches will continue to be helpful to seamers but as with most venues in that part of the world, if the new ball can be nullified, batting is likely to be comfortable.Stats and trivia If they are fit, both William Porterfield and Paul Stirling will play their 61st ODI in a row. Porterfield has also led in every one of these games, having last missed an ODI more than four years ago. Bangladesh have won six out of the nine ODIs against Ireland, with their last meeting also taking place in Malahide two years ago.Quotes”I was playing an international match after six months. There was a bit of nervousness. The practice match helped me get back into the groove. It gave me confidence. But I am relieved to start well. I want to continue this way.”

In a bizarre move on Friday, Mumbai’s entire five-man selection panel resigned hours before the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) ad-hoc committee meeting on Friday that was to decide their fate. Chairman Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues Nilesh Kulkarni, Sunil More and Ravi Thakkar emailed their resignations to the ad-hoc committee and the MCA CEO CS Naik on Friday afternoon. The resignations came after the conclusion of Mumbai’s domestic season even though there had been moves to end their stint mid-season.Creating further chaos, the former Mumbai pair of Amol Muzumdar and Sahil Kukreja, two of the four members on the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) that picked the selection panel, are understood to have tendered their resignations on the same day. The MCA, however, has not made any public statement yet on whether it has accepted the resignations.It is understood that Agarkar told the MCA that he did not wish to continue next season as he wanted to focus on personal commitments. The CIC is scheduled to meet on March 19 to decide on the next step.Although the resignations appear to be a sudden development, the pressure on Agarkar’s selection panel had been simmering for months. It eventually boiled over at a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the MCA in February, where some of the members – the clubs – passed a resolution directing the CIC to remove the selectors. The members said that they had “lost confidence” in Agarkar’s panel, who they accused of not watching enough club games.The CIC, which is headed by former Mumbai and India fast bowler Raju Kulkarni, overruled the resolution “unanimously”, saying the selectors’ commitment was beyond question.This was an unprecedented situation. On one hand, the MCA members were now calling for the selectors to be removed; on the other, the CIC, set up by their own managing committee, was against questioning their commitment. In a bind, the four-member ad-hoc committee, comprising Naik, MCA secretary Unmesh Khanwilkar, Shah Alam, Naveen Shetty and Ganesh Iyer, is believed to have taken legal advice before Friday’s meeting. It is understood the ad-hoc committee conveyed to the selectors they couldn’t set aside the SGM resolution.It is understood the selection committee has not been popular with the MCA members. Parsee Gymkhana vice-president and secretary Khodadad S Yazdegardi sought the removal of selectors through an SGM back in July 2018, but didn’t succeed. The matter also died down as Mumbai began the season by winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The move against the selectors regained momentum when Mumbai failed to make the quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy this season, which led to the meeting in February where the resolution to sack them was passed. Mumbai, however, bowed out of the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a win against UP in the last Super League game on Tuesday, which wasn’t enough to ensure them a berth in the final.

Dougie Brown reflects on poor finish to their batting as one of the turning points

Peter Della Penna13-Apr-2019UAE may have been denied an opportunity to pull off an upset courtesy bad light, but their head coach Dougie Brown feels it was the correct decision to walk off. When the match was decided by DLS method, Zimbabwe needed 25 off three overs with six wickets in hand.Brown felt the light had been deteriorating badly for some time as play continued for several minutes beyond the sunset time of 5.49pm. This extension was largely a result of a two-hour delay for rain in the first innings that resulted in the chase being truncated to 35 overs, off which Zimbabwe were set a revised 210.”It’s not an ideal way to finish a one-day international, because of bad light,” Brown told ESPNcricinfo. “If I’m honest, it was very, very dark. We probably could have come off a couple of overs earlier but we didn’t. The umpires tried to keep us on the field, which I think was the right decision, while spin was being bowled. But the game was still very much in the balance at 25 required off 18 balls.”I think going off because of the light was the correct decision, but it’s really bitterly disappointing for either team that none of us really got a chance to win the game.”Brown gave credit to Shaiman Anwar and Ghulam Shabber giving UAE a chance to win in the first place. The pair offset Kyle Jarvis’ three-for inside seven overs by putting together 131 on either side of the rain break at the 29-over mark.”We lost the toss again and it was very favourable conditions to bowl,” Brown said. “They bowled really well for the first three wickets but thereafter Shaiman and Shabber played exceptionally well and they deserve a hell of a lot of credit for the way that they went about constructing their innings. Disappointing to not finish as well as we could have done, but was wery happy to be defending 209 in 35 overs.”The pitch was still offering a little bit for us although the outfield was wet so we had to try and make sure we dipped in with the new ball. We bowled pretty well. We didn’t quite manage to get too many wickets with the new ball but we chipped away and got ourselves into a winning position at one stage. It was disappointing not to get across the line but you would expect a Full Member like Zimbabwe with experience in their ranks to fight, and fight is exactly what they did.”Even though UAE was in a decent position in the field at 92 for 4 in the 20th over in the field defending an adjusted total of 209, Brown says the Zimbabwean pair of Regis Chakabva and Peter Moor batted exceptionally well to get back in front in DLS before play was called off. Moor in particular boosted Zimbabwe in the waning overs to finish with an unbeaten 45 off 33 balls.”We need to give a bit of credit to Zimbabwe for the way that they scrapped,” Brown said. “They got themselves into a bit of a hole themselves. We dug ourselves out of one and they managed to dig themselves out of one. At 92 for 4, if they lose a fifth wicket, particularly Moor – we know he’s a dangerous player and as captain he feels that he’s got to carry the team’s outcome on his shoulders. We knew we had to get him out but he didn’t give a chance and he played really well.”Brown also underlined UAE’s poor finish to their innings as one of the factors in the loss. In the six overs left to bat after play was reduced to 35 overs, UAE lost six wickets, including 4 for 4 runs in the last 11 balls.”We messed up the last five overs,” Brown said. “We only scored 31 runs and lost six wickets. We probably pride ourselves in being able to finish an innings pretty well but I think they played well. They bowled well, made good plans and we didn’t quite manage to react to the plans that they had. It’s disappointing to come away having only scored the 31 runs off the last five overs but they deserve a bit of credit for the plans they put in place.”

Emma Hayes' final season could yet still end with a trophy as her team took advantage following a big favour from Arsenal earlier in the day

When Emma Hayes walked out at Kingsmeadow for her final home game in charge of Chelsea, she knew that her team were right back in the hunt to win the Women's Super League. Earlier this week, after a shock defeat to Liverpool, Hayes declared the title race over. Manchester City needed four points from their final two games to seal the trophy and she expected them to get them. But Arsenal's dramatic victory over the Cityzens on Sunday afternoon opened the door for Chelsea again – and they took advantage by thumping Bristol City 8-0.

The Robins gave Man City a tough game last weekend, so much so that it took them until after the hour to break the deadlock. That would not be the case seven days on, not when Niamh Charles won a penalty with just a few minutes played and Guro Reiten confidently slotted it home. That the Norwegian quickly collected the ball out of the back of the net and ran to place it back on the centre spot was a message that Chelsea were out to make up that chunk of goal difference between them and Man City, a factor which it will come down to on the final day if the Blues beat Tottenham in their game in hand in 10 days' time.

They did exactly that, especially in the second half, Reiten ending the day with four goals and Aggie Beever-Jones bagging two while both Sjoeke Nusken and Charles also got their names on the scoresheet.

There were a couple of scares for Chelsea, most notably when Carrie Jones' deflected shot forced Zecira Musovic into a big save at 1-0 and Amalie Thestrup couldn't convert the rebound. But after that, the Blues really ran away with it and have given Hayes every hope of saying goodbye with one more trophy in hand.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Zecira Musovic (7/10):

Didn't have lots to do but made an absolutely fantastic stop to deny Jones at 1-0.

Eve Perisset (5/10):

A couple of shaky moments after a few games out of the XI. Off just after the hour.

Nathalie Bjorn (7/10):

Swept up well at the back when Bristol did counter.

Millie Bright (5/10):

Still a little rusty after nearly six months on the sidelines.

Niamh Charles (8/10):

Basically played as a second winger with how well she supported the attack, yet still popped up with some important defensive interventions. Cracking finish for her goal.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Sophie Ingle (7/10):

Did well to always show as an option and keep attacks ticking over.

Erin Cuthbert (8/10):

Played more on the front foot and her clever runs added another element, as shown by her assist for Beever-Jones.

Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):

A scrappy goal for Chelsea's second but impressively taken. Off at the break.

GettyAttack

Maika Hamano (7/10):

Looked lively from the get-go and channelled that energy in her defensive work, not just on the attack.

Aggie Beever-Jones (9/10):

Worked hard, showed good movement and deserved her two goals.

Guro Reiten (10/10):

Fantastic penalty to break the deadlock and that set the tone for her impressive four-goal display, with an assist to boot.

Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Fran Kirby (6/10):

On at the break for her final home game in Chelsea blue and was only a great save away from marking it with a goal. Showed nice glimpses.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (5/10):

Had about half an hour to make an impact but didn't get too involved.

Catarina Macario (8/10):

Got around 30 minutes and used them well, racking up two assists.

Maren Mjelde (N/A):

Another making her final home appearance for the club, she came on for the final few minutes.

Ashley Lawrence (N/A):

On in stoppage-time.

Emma Hayes (8/10):

Freshened the team up without putting out a disjointed XI that struggled in the final third. Used her subs well, too, as Chelsea racked up goals that could be vital in this title race.

Kevin Roberts conceded that further revelations about the scandal 12 months ago would be damaging to the game

Daniel Brettig28-Mar-20194:42

Smith and Warner’s year in cricket wilderness

Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has called for anyone with evidence of the national team tampering with the ball prior to the Newlands Test to come forward. Roberts also conceded that further revelations about the scandal 12 months ago would be damaging to the game.Speaking at the Melbourne Press Club a year on from the Cape Town Test that saw Cameron Bancroft exposed for attempting to use sandpaper to tamper with the ball, as advised by David Warner and tacitly approved by Steven Smith, Roberts defended the swift investigation conducted by the former head of integrity Iain Roy. Roberts also responded to the former CA Board director Mark Taylor’s comments that the limitation of the probe to the Cape Town Test left a “grey area” around whether the Australians had tampered with the ball previously.”There’s no doubt that that would affect the way that cricket fans and the general public views cricket, that’s for sure,” Roberts said when asked whether further revelations would be damaging to cricket. “I suppose we’re dealing with the ‘what is’ rather than the ‘what ifs’. We could jump at shadows, we could react to innuendo. If facts come to light we’ll be addressing those, and if that means there’s issues for us in the short term because we do the right thing then so be it, because it’ll benefit the integrity and reputation of the sport that we love in the long term.”Plenty of questions remain unanswered, with CA caught between preserving reputations and trying to regain trust with the Australian public. Corporate confidentiality clauses have been a feature of settlements for former CA employees connected to the scandal, with the ex-assistant coach David Saker notable for his silence since he resigned his post with the national team at the end of the home Test summer. Saker is believed to be subject to a non-disclosure agreement that will expire after this year’s Ashes series in September.Warner and Smith, meanwhile, have been carefully managed in their comments on their way back to national representation after the bans, though it is believed that Warner in particular has been involved in discussions about writing an autobiography that would shed greater light on his part in the scandal and his role within the team.”All current and former employees, like any organisation, have confidentiality obligations,” Roberts said. “That’s not CA being heavy handed, I’m sure people in the room here have had a look at your own employment agreements and clauses in there so there’s nothing unusual about that. At the same time we don’t want to control or muzzle people in cricket.”The richness of debate in cricket is fantastic … we embrace that passion, we embrace that debate. I guess it’s a balance, we all need to respect our confidentiality obligations but we also need to ensure we’re being fair dinkum towards this notion that we want to enable and empower people in cricket rather than control. It’s not always simple to walk that fine line but it’s something we try to do.”Getty ImagesOn the subject of the investigation conducted over 48 hours between the Cape Town and Johannesburg Tests at the end of the South Africa series last year, Roberts pointed out that there was time pressure created by the need to field a team in the final match, without knowing how many players would be implicated. In contrast to earlier in the summer when he stated that the “thorough” investigation required no more probing, he called upon any member of the Australian cricket community with further evidence to come forward.”If they’ve got any concerns about ball tampering or any concerns about any integrity issue in the game, we’ve invited them to report that through our anonymous integrity hotline or through other means that are available to them,” Roberts said. “We haven’t had any such reports, so we won’t jump at shadows, but if anyone does report concerns about any integrity matter prior to ball tampering or whatever it may be, we’re serious about addressing that, and we have a process to address it.”We’re really serious about addressing any unresolved issues and we’re sincere in the way we’re going about that. So if there are any reports or allegations as opposed to innuendo, then we will investigate that thoroughly.”Certainly the investigation needed to be conducted swiftly, we needed to fulfil our commitment to field a team against South Africa the following week, and we didn’t know whether we’d need to fly 11 new players in to fill that team or no new players. The ultimate answer was somewhere in between. So the investigation was absolutely fit for purpose, but we haven’t rested on those laurels. We’ve made repeated and extensive invitations to anyone to report any integrity matters or concerns about ball tampering ever since.”Following a home summer that presented numerous challenges, not least heavy defeats to South Africa and India before some solace was taken from a pummelling of Sri Lanka, the ODI team under the captaincy of Aaron Finch has run into strong form and growing confidence in India, and the UAE against Pakistan. Roberts denied he was concerned that the returns of Smith and Warner to that team would destabilise what has been building, while also stating that he did not expect the team to be a collection of best mates.”Justin [Langer], the leadership of the Test team and the white-ball teams in the form of Tim [Paine] and Aaron, they’ve had just about a year and they’ve spent a long time together, a lot of time on the road, that’s a whole lot more intense than turning up to a radio station or an office to work with your colleagues,” he said. “A year of this rebuild and a year of doing that together in sport, is probably like three years in the business world or the media or some other world. So I’m not concerned but we are very focused on ensuring that positive momentum continues.”In any workplace we don’t need to be best mates with everyone that we work with. There needs to be a foundation of respect absolutely, and I think there’s growing respect there and we’ll continue to support the players with the right discussions and work those through. As to whether every player in the men’s team or women’s team is best mates with the rest of their team-mates, it’s not different to any other workplace where you’ll have some very close friendships, some cordial relationships and some that are a bit more challenging. But I don’t see it being beyond the realms of any other workplace.”

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has asked fans to get behind Ange Postecoglou as he believes the Australian will lead them to success.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Son asks for fans to rally behind Postecoglou
• Coach criticised fans' weak mentality
• Son believes Australian will lead them to glory

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  When Spurs took on Manchester City earlier this week, a section of fans pleaded for their side to roll over for the title challengers so as to deny bitter rivals Arsenal the chance to win the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years. However, this angered Postecoglou who was spotted confronting a fan during the game and spoke about the club's "fragile foundations" afterwards. However, Son has asked for fans to rally behind the Australian and support the Lilywhites with all they've got.

Advertisement

• WHAT SON SAID

  Speaking to The Standard, Son said: "We should understand it’s the gaffer’s first year and he brought so much positivity and different football. I know it’s early to say, but we’ve got to do so much better for next season, because I still believe he can bring so much success to the club. I’m all in. I’m loving the way he wants to play. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it.

  "Everybody — the club, the players, also the fans — everybody has to step up, because we have to be all together in this. He’s definitely shown he can bring success to the club."

  On the situation surrounding the Man City clash: "As players, we all wanted to do our best for the club and for us [against City]. We really didn’t care about anything else. We only concentrated on what’s best for us, for the team. The players, the staff who have had so many sessions, so many games, so much travelling, we just wanted to do the best for them. We didn’t want to do anything else."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Spurs had a wonderful start to life under the Australian. However, their form tailed away as the season progressed, partly due to injuries to key players like James Maddison, Mickey van de Ven and Cristian Romero. The club have missed out on Champions League football for next season, however, they will hope to make a bigger dent in the Premier League standings next season.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SPURS?

  The Lilywhites will finish off their season with a clash against bottom-of-the-league, Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on May 19.

The opener added that they would be going hard on visitors Pakistan, keeping the points needed for direct 2021 ODI World Cup qualification in mind

Liam Brickhill05-May-2019Vital ranking points that could be crucial in deciding who qualifies for the women’s ODI World Cup in 2021 are up for grabs as Pakistan’s tour of South Africa kicks off with the first of three one-day internationals at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on Monday.Hard-hitting opener Lizelle Lee is delighted with the consistent improvement of the team, and particularly the batting unit, and is cautiously optimistic of their chances against the visitors.Squads

South Africa: Sune Luus (captain), Nadine De Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee (wicketkeeper), Zintle Mali, Mignon du Preez, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt
Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Jaweria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Rameen Shamim, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper) and Omaima Sohail

“There is no better teacher in cricket than game time against good opposition,” Lee said. “We’re really fortunate to be getting more and more time out on the field. It really helps teams grow and ups the competitiveness of women’s cricket around the world.”When we go into game one on Monday, we’re going to go hard because we understand the importance of the World Cup and the points needed for World Cup qualification,” added Lee. “The way we are batting and bowling now and even fielding gives me confidence that we can do well in this series. We’re definitely going out to get those six points, we’re not going to hold back.”Right now, because we’ve played so much cricket we have a team that’s more confident in themselves and their abilities because we’ve been in enough match situations that we don’t panic when things don’t go our way – it’s the healthiest and most competitive that we’ve ever been as a national team.”Hosts South Africa are currently ranked fifth and visitors Pakistan sixth in the women’s championship, with just a single point separating the two teams. The eight-team championship provides the path for direct qualification for the World Cup for four teams, alongside hosts New Zealand.South Africa, on 13 points from 12 matches, would look to improve their points position in home conditions after their recent 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka, while Pakistan would be hoping to keep up the tempo after a 2-1 series win over the West Indies. They are also without captain Dane van Niekerk, who picked up a leg injury during Sri Lanka’s tour earlier this year, with Sune Luus standing in as skipper.Australia have assured themselves of a place in the World Cup as they are at the top of the table with 22 points from 12 matches while England, who have 18 points from 15 games, will get the chance to do so in a home series against the West Indies next month. India and New Zealand are second and third on the table with 16 and 14 points, respectively.There are also personal milestones at stake in the series for both sides. Seamer Marizanne Kapp is South Africa’s top-ranked bowler in sixth position, with an eye on a move into the top five. She is only 10 points behind India’s Shikha Pandey with 678 points. Just behind Kapp with 663 points is Shabnim Ismail in seventh position. For Pakistan, former captain Sana Mir could challenge for the top position among bowlers as she goes into this series in third position, just 12 points adrift of the top-ranked Jhulan Goswami of India.South Africa fought back with Sune Luus’ five-for•ICC/Getty ImagesThe hosts’ squad also includes a couple of fresh faces looking to make a strong impression. Wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta, who is back in the national set-up for the first time in two years, said she is both nervous and excited about her re-call.”I actually thought I got called to be told that I’ve missed out on the call-up, until he [Clinton du Preez, national convenor of selectors] told me that I’ve made it for the tour,” Jafta siad. “I thought it was just for the ODIs because previously, I only ever played ODIs so when he said I was in for the whole tour, inside I was like ‘finally all this hard work has brought me back here.’ It’s taken two years but I’m finally back. It was emotional.”This time around, yes there are nerves, which is good. If I wasn’t nervous I think I would be wasting my time, but at the same time, it’s not overshadowing my confidence.”After a promising spell in the national academy, 23-year-old Nondumiso Shangase could be in line for an international debut against Pakistan. Shangase was the first black African woman to score a hundred for KwaZulu-Natal, a team she also captains, achieving the feat against Mpumalanga in a provincial match last year. Success at provincial level saw her included in the academy intake – alongside the likes of Robyn Searle, Tumi Sekhukhune and Lara Goodall – and she could now be tested in one of the allrounder slots against Pakistan.”I was at Kingsmead practising (with the KZN women’s provincial team) when Clinton (du Preez) called me and told me that I’m gonna be part of the squad in both formats,” said Shangase. “I was so speechless. I froze, I didn’t say anything to him, I kept quiet. I was so excited and emotional. I even cried.””I didn’t think it was gonna happen so fast. I was aiming for maybe after this year’s national academy but I’m grateful,” Shangase added. “By the end of this tour, I’m hoping to be a better player than before. To learn a lot about my batting and bowling because I’m an allrounder and I want to take in as much as I can so that I can get another call-up.”

Xavi could be sacked by Barcelona as president Joan Laporta is miffed with some of his recent statements made to the media.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Xavi was set to continue as Barca coach
• The manager allegedly talked himself into the mess
• Could be asked to leave at the end of the season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Just 23 days ago, Laporta and Xavi held a joint press conference where it was announced that the manager would honour his contract at Camp Nou and would not sever ties with the club at the end of the campaign, as he had wanted to do so back in January. However, Xavi's comments to the press before facing Almeria have seemingly not gone down well with the club's hierarchy, which has put his position at risk, according to

Advertisement

• GOAL
  

  WHAT XAVI SAID

  When asked if Barcelona could compete for major silverware with their current squad, Xavi responded with noticeable scepticism.

  “We are going to try to compete against Madrid. I think that the cule must understand that the situation is very difficult," he had said.

  "Above all, on an economic level. We have an economic situation that has nothing to do with 25 years ago, we can no longer go out and pick and say ‘I want this one, this one, and that one.’ We are not in the same conditions as other clubs with very advantageous economic situations.

  "The Barcelona fans have to understand it. That does not mean that we do not want to compete, but that is Barca’s situation at the moment. We need stability and time, but we will try to compete.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The response reportedly angered Laporta, who felt that Xavi had reneged on their prior agreements. Laporta and the board believed that Xavi’s comments contradicted the confident and triumphant narrative he had shared just three weeks earlier, which had played a significant role in their decision to keep him on as head coach. Secondly, the board feels that despite significant efforts to strengthen the squad, Xavi has failed to maximize the potential of the new signings.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Despite the uproar, Xavi maintained his composure in front of reporters after beating Almeria 2-0. When asked about the recent developments, he claimed that no one within the club had confronted him with the matter. Instead, he emphasised his excitement about planning for the next season alongside sporting director Deco.

  “I am very excited. We are planning the next season with Deco with all the ambition to win titles, which is the main goal of the club,” Xavi stated, signalling a shift in tone.

Chelsea are set to complete the signing of teenage midfielder Julia Bartel from Champions League finalists Barcelona.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Contract expires at end of the seasonBartel has starred at youth level for SpainRecently played 90 mins versus LevanteWHAT HAPPENED?

That is according to The Athletic, with the 19-year-old's contract expiring at the end of the season, meaning the Blues can snap her up on a free transfer. It looks to be an astute piece of business, with Bartel shining at youth level for Spain and in Barca's reserves – where she has helped secure back-to-back league titles.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Due to being part of a dominant Barca side featuring a star-studded midfield, Bartel has not been afforded many first-team opportunities. However, she has shone when asked to make the step up and played the full 90 minutes in the recent 4-2 league victory over Levante – which was ironically just four days after the shock 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League. The Catalan outfit eventually won the semi-final tie 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a memorable Stamford Bridge triumph.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bartel, a Spain Under-23 international, scored a stoppage-time winner in the 2022 Under-19 European Championship final against Norway. She was also part of the La Roja side which won the 2022 Under-20 Women's World Cup.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARTEL?

With a move to Chelsea seemingly on the horizon, Bartel will hope to be given the chance to feature in Barca's exciting end to the season. Jonatan Giraldez's side have already won the league but will compete for more silverware in the next week-and-a-half with a treble up for grabs. Up first is Sunday's Copa de la Reina final against Real Sociedad, before the Champions League final against Lyon on May 25.

With an impressive history of success across all formats, Riki Wessels was not short of possible destinations when he left Nottinghamshire at the end of last season. Yet he chose Worcester, much to the excitement of supporters who had seen his destructive qualities at first hand last summer.Wessels smashed nine sixes in a Vitality Blast T20 match on this ground in August, in an 18-ball 55 that launched Nottinghamshire towards a five-wicket win, a rare setback in a campaign that ended with Worcestershire being crowned T20 champions for the first time.New Road, he said, was his favourite ground outside Trent Bridge, which showed him to be a man of taste. As if to underline his liking for the place, he celebrated his first Championship appearance here by scoring his 23rd first-class hundred.It was a typically energetic Wessels knock, one made with a constant eye for a gap in the field and a willingness to take the initiative. Before his arrival at the crease, Worcestershire were progressing at barely two an over against a disciplined and testing Durham attack. He doubled that almost on his own.That is not intended as a criticism. Having lost Daryl Mitchell to the second ball of the innings on Tuesday evening, Worcestershire quickly suffered two more setbacks as a lively new ball spell from Matt Salisbury accounted for Tom Fell and nightwatchman Charlie Morris, leaving a rebuilding job in the hands of George Rhodes, whose struggle for form last year meant he had not played a Championship match in 11 months, and Josh Dell, a 21-year-old academy graduate making his debut. Their watchful approach was entirely the correct one.Dell made a handsome start, executing a lovely late cut for four off Matthew Potts to get off the mark. The right-hander, born in the county at Tenbury Wells, was given his chance after carrying his bat for 131 in a Second XI match against a decent Lancashire attack last month, but he was never likely to imagine that the transition would be easy.A Worcestershire collapse in the circumstances would not have been at all surprising but Rhodes and Dell stood firm and taking their side to 57 at lunch with no further losses was a commendable effort.They were unable to maintain their defiance far into the afternoon session before Rhodes was pinned leg before by Ben Raine. But Dell was not to be shifted for some while, raising his bat to warm applause after his eighth boundary, steered to third man off Rushworth, took him to his half-century.By this point he was playing second fiddle to Wessels, who had drawn on his depth of experience to take control away from Durham’s quintet of seamers for the first time in the day. He got into his stride with two consecutive boundaries off Salisbury and did the same to Potts in the next over.Durham turned to Liam Trevaskis, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner playing in only his fourth first-class match, at which Wessels’s eyes lit up. Twice in four deliveries, he lofted the ball into the seats at the Diglis End, the second one ending in a dark corner somewhere and needing to be replaced.Wessels was enjoying himself now. His fifty came up off 56 balls, including a third maximum off the unfortunate Trevaskis, and when he and Dell touched gloves to celebrate a 100-stand in 19 overs, Wessels had 73 of them.Dell’s vigil ended on 61 off 175 balls when he was bowled by a ball of full length from Gareth Harte, before Wessels mistimed one to be caught at midwicket for 118 off 133.Durham took the second new ball when it was due but did not profit from it. Instead, Ross Whiteley punished them for dropping him on five, when Salisbury spilled a boundary catch at long leg that sprang out of his hands as he landed, by muscling his way to an unbeaten 62, adding 85 unbroken with Ben Cox to give Worcestershire a lead of 48 to take into the third day.