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da bet sport： CRB e Fortaleza se enfrentam neste domingo (9), pelo jogo de volta da final da Copa do Nordeste. O Leão do Pici tem a vantagem por dois gols e CRB precisa buscar o resultado para impedir o tri do Tricolor. A bola vai rolar a partir das 16h30 (de Brasília), no estádio Rei Pelé (AL), com transmissão da ESPN e Star+.

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da fazobetai： ➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Clique e assista final da Copa do Nordeste na Star+

Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre CRB e Fortaleza (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
CRB X Fortaleza
Final – Copa do Nordeste
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 9 de junho de 2024, às 16:30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Rei Pelé (AL);
📺 Onde assistir: SBT (Nordeste); ESPN e Star+.
🟨 Árbitro: Emerson Ricardo de Almeida (BA);
🚩 Assistentes: Alessandro Álvaro Rocha (BA) e Daniella Coutinho (BA);
🖥️ VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves (RN).

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

CRB (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)
Matheus Albino, Hereda, Saimon, Fábio Alemão e Matheus Ribeiro; João Pedro, Falcão e Gegê; Facundo Labandeira, Léo Pereira e Anselmo Ramon.

Fortaleza (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda)
João Ricardo, Brítez, Kuscevic e Titi; Yago Pikachu, Matheus Rossetto, Zé Welison, Moisés e Bruno Pacheco; Lucero e Pochettino.

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Copa do NordesteCRBFortalezaOnde assistirSTARPLUS

Australia look set to be unchanged again in Jamaica despite Konstas’ struggles at the top of the order

Andrew McGlashan06-Jul-20251:36

Cummins heaps praise on ‘warrior’ Starc and ‘prolific’ Carey

Pat Cummins has urged Sam Konstas not to evaluate his own performances on an innings-by-innings basis as he tries to find his feet in Test cricket. But the 19-year-old needs a strong finish to the tour of the West Indies to avoid Australia’s opening role being clouded in uncertainty for the months ahead.Konstas followed scores of 3 and 5 in Barbados with 25 and 0 in Grenada. He had given himself a platform in the first innings before edging a drive. In the second, he dragged on against Jayden Seales when Australia’s openers only had a short period to bat at the end of the second day.He now averages 18.25 from four Tests and hasn’t passed 25 since his debut innings of 60 against India at the MCG. He is all-but assured of playing the final Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica – which as a day-night encounter will bring another set of challenges – but without a substantial score will be back among a pack of opening contenders for the Ashes during the early stages of the Australian domestic season.Related

• Ashes Slashes: Broad gives 'muddled' Australia top three the thumbs down

• 'Small step forward' for Konstas but 'great opportunity' beckons for domestic batters

• Starc, Hazlewood make quick work of West Indies to help Australia retain Frank Worrell Trophy

• Carey keeps on keeping on as Australia's quiet achiever

• Lights for Sabina Park day-night Test need final approval

“I think for anyone who’s starting out their Test career, you are kind of picked for a reason and you at your best we know is good enough,” Cummins said. “It’s just about concentrating on what makes you a really good player. For someone like a batter, it might be where you score, what tempo do you normally operate at [when at] your best. And just don’t get too caught up in every innings [feeling] like [it’s] the biggest thing in the world.”I think the stat is, even the best batters in the world don’t hit their average three out of four times or something like that. You’re going to fail more often than you’re going to succeed. So just as long as you’re a quick learner, as long as you’re moving well… and judge yourself after a series or so, not innings by innings.”Konstas does have a little experience playing pink-ball cricket, having scored a century for the Prime Minister’s XI against the Indians last season. But the Test at Sabina Park will bring elements of the unknown for everyone as it’s the first to be staged at the ground and will be played using a Dukes ball, which the teams have yet to get their hands on for practice.The new lights at the ground will only get ICC sign-off in the next couple of days and preparations for the match are running very tight to the start of the game. But all indications are that it will take place as planned.”We’ve been trying to get our hands on some [of the pink balls] but we haven’t got some yet. Hopefully they’re waiting for us in Jamaica,” Cummins said. “My experience in pink-ball [Tests] in Australia is you never quite know what you’re going to get. We’ve played a lot, but things can change really quickly so even when you feel like you’re on top things can change quite fast.”Sam Konstas fell for a four-ball duck•Associated Press

Cummins said he expected the incumbent fast bowlers to be good to back up in Jamaica given workloads have not been huge in the series. Mitchell Starc is set for his 100th Test.”He’s bowling 145kph at the end of that game,” Cummins said. “I can’t fathom playing 100 games and keeping that kind of speed. He’s just a warrior. Turns up every week and wants to play no matter what. Such a low fuss kind of guy. So all things going well it’ll be a great week for him.”The World Test Championship means there are no dead matches for those in the tournament, so despite having gone 2-0 up and retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy, it remains an important outing for Australia. But Cummins was able to reflect on securing the series by a convincing margin, although across the first two days of both Tests his team were challenged before pulling away.”Dream start really,” Cummins said. “Two from two, gets us into the cycle. Really pumped with how we bounced back after Lord’s a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a good couple of weeks.”

كشف الجهاز الطبي للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك عن حجم الإصابة التي تعرض لها أحمد شريف لاعب الأبيض خلال مباراة ديكيداها الصومالي اليوم في بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

وفاز الزمالك على ديكيداها الصومالي بهدف دون رد على استاد السلام، في إياب دور الـ32 لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية ليتأهل إلى دور المجموعات بعدما سبق وفاز في لقاء الذهاب بسداسية دون رد.

طالع.. سيف الجزيري: أريد تحقيق إنجاز تاريخي مع الزمالك

وأكد الجهاز الطبي أن أحمد شريف تعرض لإصابة في العضلة الضامة، وسيخضع لفحص طبي غدٍ السبت، للوقوف على حجم الإصابة.

وفي سياق متصل أوضح الجهاز الطبي أن أحمد ربيع لاعب وسط الزمالك يعاني من إجهاد عضلي خفيف وتم الاتفاق مع الجهاز الفني على إراحته من مباراة اليوم أمام بطل الصومال.

His three wickets in four balls extends tally in this year’s competition to 17

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jun-2025

Ben Sanderson sealed an historic, unprecedented sixth straight Vitality Blast victory for Northamptonshire Steelbacks with three wickets in the penultimate over against Birmingham Bears at Wantage Road. Sanderson finished with figures of 3 for 31 as the hosts wrapped up a dramatic 10-run victory.With Moeen Ali well set on 31, the Bears needed 24 off the last two overs before Sanderson broke through, collecting three wickets in four balls, including the dangerous Moeen, to extend his tally in this year’s competition to 17.Justin Broad had smashed 60 off 35 balls to help propel Northamptonshire Steelbacks to 184 for 6. Matthew Breetzke also struck 53 off 36 balls, his first half-century of the season, during a partnership of 59 in six overs with skipper David Willey (34).Birmingham’s Pakistan international Hassan Ali finished with figures of 3 for 42 including two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the Steelbacks’ final over.Dan Mousley led the charge for the Bears with a brilliant 68 off 42 balls, with Tom Latham contributing 34. George Scrimshaw backed up career-best figures at Derby with 2 for 25, while Willey also claimed two.The Steelbacks reached 52 for 1 in the powerplay, losing Ricardo Vasconcelos early, bowled by Hassan before Breetzke went on the charge against George Garton, hitting consecutive boundaries and pulling square for a huge six.Breetzke reached his half-century by swinging Moeen for four and six off consecutive balls but skied another attempted pull off Moeen’s next delivery, Kai Smith running in from deep midwicket to take the catch.At first Willey and Broad found it difficult to force the ball away before Broad broke the shackles, sweeping Moeen for four before Willey swung high over deep midwicket for six. Broad then took three consecutive boundaries off Danny Briggs on both sides of the wicket.Garton finally accounted for Willey who was brilliantly caught by a tumbling Jake Lintott at fine- leg, but Broad continued to play shots before ramping Hassan to bring up his half-century.Saif Zaib (15) smashed a slower ball from Hassan down the ground for six but was caught and bowled by Mousley soon afterwards.Broad pummelled Hassan over deep midwicket but was bowled attempting another big shot. Lewis McManus top-edged Hassan’s next delivery, keeper Alex Davies taking the catch before Luke Procter sent the final ball to the boundary.Chasing, Birmingham lost Davies in the third over off a top-edge against Willey, Scrimshaw holding a diving catch at fine leg.Mousley used his feet well, coming down the wicket to hit boundaries off the seamers and continued to accumulate against the slower bowlers, reverse sweeping Lloyd Pope for six.Latham fell to a well-judged boundary catch by Zaib when he clipped a Scrimshaw delivery off his legs, before Sam Hain gloved the fast man through to the keeper as he backed away.Moeen hooked Scrimshaw high over fine leg for six, but the pacer responded brilliantly, conceding just three runs off his next over.Mousley garnered two boundaries off Procter and with the Bears needing just 53 off the last five, the momentum looked firmly in their favour. But Northamptonshire skipper Willey made the vital breakthrough when he had Mousley caught behind off an attempted hook.Broad was pulled over fine leg for six by Moeen, but he removed Barnard through a dazzling boundary catch from Willey running backwards at long-off.The ever-dependable Sanderson then bowled Garton, trapped Moeen lbw and had Hassan caught at long-on to all but seal victory.

On the evidence of how they lined up at Arundel, Mulder will bat at No. 3, Stubbs at five and Bedingham six with de Zorzi likely to sit out

Firdose Moonda05-Jun-2025

As steady drizzle and fierce wind gusts whipped through Arundel, South Africa made their way from Portsmouth in hopes of continuing their warm-up match against Zimbabwe only to see the best-laid plans go awry. Two of the three days have been lost to the weather and if any play is possible on the fourth, it will likely be used to get miles in the bowlers’ legs. That means the batters will have to make do with their work from day two and upcoming net sessions and for batting coach Ashwell Prince, that should be enough.”We trust the things that we’ve been doing. It’s not as if you’ve got an exam coming up and all of a sudden, you’ve got to cram all these things in, or cram in some new things that you might not have thought of before,” Prince told the media present at the venue. “We trust what we’ve done in the past. It’s worked for us. We’ve deserved the opportunity to have a crack at it in this final.”And this time, that statement applies as much to their batters as it does to their bowlers, who are often credited with being the match-winners. Across 12 Tests, South Africa scored 14 hundreds from nine different players. Of those, six scored a hundred for the first time in Tests. It’s a sign of a maturing line-up that can complement an attacking seam contingent and balance out a team that is sometimes seen as over-reliant on pace.Related

Boucher: 'Winning WTC final could be the turnaround for Test cricket in South Africa'

Arundel rain leaves South Africa banking on pre-tour preparation ahead of WTC final

WTC winners to get USD 3.6 million in prize money

In green Arundel, Zimbabwe quietly help neighbours SA tune up for their biggest Test

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of the WTC final, former captain Graeme Smith, whose full interview will be published later this week, identified a more settled top six as one of the key reasons for South Africa’s qualification to the final. “The part that they got right in the recent run was finding some performance from the batters,” he said. “There’s always been options with the ball and now we’ve seen a little bit more consistency coming from the batting front. What you need to be successful in Tests is a top six that can perform consistently.”In this squad, South Africa have eight batting options which gives them a problem of plenty, as they debate two spots: No. 3 and one spot lower down – either No. 6 or 7. Head coach Shukri Conrad has confirmed that Aiden Markram will open with Ryan Rickelton which means one of Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder will bat at No. 3 while that same trio along with David Bedingham are in line for the No. 6 spot. On the evidence of how they lined up at Arundel, Mulder will bat at No. 3, Stubbs at five and Bedingham six with de Zorzi likely to sit out.Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder got some game-time during the warm-up•ICC via Getty Images

One concern with that set-up is that Mulder is also expected to have a job to do with the ball, especially when it’s swinging, and could end up with a substantial workload. That could prompt Conrad to move Mulder down the order, and shift Stubbs back up – as was initially the case last year – but not everyone thinks that’s a good idea. Zimbabwe, who bowled to South Africa for 79 overs on Wednesday, were particularly impressed by Stubbs’, who Sean Williams told ESPNcricinfo looks like he should stay at No. 5 as “he will score runs for them from there.”Prince would not be drawn into any confirmations. “At the moment, the best way to prepare for us as a squad is to keep all possibilities open,” he said. “We don’t know what the surface is going to look like when we get there. Should it be a case where he’s required to do that job, we want to make sure that he’s at least had some sort of preparation but we don’t know whether he’s going to be required to do that, because we haven’t had a look at the surface. We’ll only be able to tell when we get there.”Mulder is one of the players who has had scant game time in the lead-up to the final. He only played one match at the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where was used as an impact substitute and bowled one over. South Africa will be eager to see him bowl a few more if conditions allow for it on Friday. What they’ve seen from a batting perspective is his confidence in taking on the short ball early on, which Williams also identified as a strength, and solid defences. With Mulder high in the line-up and Marco Jansen lower down, South Africa will have two seam-bowling allrounders in the XI, a luxury they have long-wanted (especially after Jacques Kallis’ retirement) but seldom had.Both Mulder and Jansen are also players that South Africa have long-term investment in. They’re in their mid-20s, play all formats and will form part of the core of the squad in years to come along with Rickelton, Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne and – though not in this squad – Kwena Maphaka. It’s this younger contingent who have inspired a level of hope and positivity in South African cricket as they’ve emerged as what Smith called “new heroes.” His own sons, Smith said, admire the likes of Rickelton and Jansen because they bring a “feel good factor” to the sport.Prince has also been energised by the freshness of the squad, and hopes they can bask in the spotlight that’s been put on them and create their own legacy. “It’s a young group and a lot of them have had some fantastic success over the last 18 months to get themselves into this position. I think there’s a sense of everyone wanting the guy next to them to do well and enjoying each other’s success,” he said. “And it’s just been a fantastic journey to be a part of. Next week is going to be a special opportunity for these guys. Teams of the past have had successes but this is their moment. This is their opportunity to go out and do something special.”

The six Major League Cricket franchises named their retentions ahead of the draft on February 19

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2025Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada and David Miller were among the big names missing as Major League Cricket franchises named their retentions ahead of the draft for the next season on February 19.Defending champions Washington Freedom retained 15 players, the most across all teams, but let go of Head, who was their joint-highest scorer last year alongside captain Steven Smith. Akeal Hosein and Andrew Tye were the other overseas players released by Freedom.San Francisco Unicorns, runners-up in 2024, also kept a majority of their core intact, including their hard-hitting opening pair of Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk, but parted ways with Cummins, Matt Henry and Josh Inglis among others.Seattle Orcas, having retained just seven players – the fewest among the six teams, will go through the biggest squad revamp. They retained just two overseas players – the South African duo of Heinrich Klaasen and Ryan Rickelton, the latter has had a successful run in international cricket since the last MLC season. Among their seven overseas players released were Quinton de Kock, Michael Bracewell, Obed McCoy and Nandre Burger.LA Knight Riders will also face a similar challenge in the draft, having retained just three overseas players in Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Australian left-arm quick Spencer Johnson. Their releases included Miller, Jason Roy, Shakib Al Hasan and Adam Zampa.MI New York, who won the inaugural MLC title, have retained the services of Kieron Pollard – an MI veteran – along with Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran and Rashid Khan. However, they let go of the South African pace duo of Rabada and Anrich Nortje, as well as Tim David and Dewald Brevis.Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway are expected to be back at the top of the order for Texas Super Kings in the new season. They have also retained allrounder Marcus Stoinis and Afghan left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad. Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Mathirana, Daryl Mitchell and Naveen-ul-Haq are among the releases.The notable domestic players who have not been retained include MI New York’s Steven Taylor, Seattle Orcas’ Shehan Jayasuriya and Washington Freedom’s Jasdeep Singh.List of players retained for MLC 2025LA Knight Riders: Ali Khan, Adithya Ganesh, Unmukt Chand, Nitish Kumar, Corne Dry, Saif Badar, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Matthew Tromp, Spencer Johnson, Andre Russell, Sunil NarineMI New York: Ehsan Adil, Nosthush Kenjige, Monank Patel, Heath Richards, Rushil Ugarkar, Sunny Patel, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Trent BoultSan Francisco Unicorns: Corey Anderson, Hassan Khan, Liam Plunkett, Carmi Le Roux, Brody Couch, Karima Gore, Juanoy Drysdale, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Haris Rauf, Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew ShortSeattle Orcas: Harmeet Singh, Cameron Gannon, Ali Sheikh, Ayan Desai, Aaron Jones, Heinrich Klaasen, Ryan RickeltonTexas Super Kings: Joshua Tromp, Calvin Savage, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Zia-ul-Haq, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Noor Ahmad, Marcus StoinisWashington Freedom: Andries Gous, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ian Holland, Amila Aponso, Justin Dill, Lahiru Milantha, Yasir Mohammad, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson, Rachin Ravindra, Steven Smith, Jack Edwards

RCB, who are playing after a six-day break, will need to win their next two games to stay alive in the competition

Srinidhi Ramanujam07-Mar-2025Who’s playing
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs UP Warriorz (UPW)
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST
What to expect: RCB hope to stay aliveThe spotlight is on RCB. Placed fourth, the defending champions will have to win both their remaining games, starting with this contest against bottom-placed UP Warriorz, and then wait for other results to go their way to qualify for the playoffs. Losing even one out of the next two games will put them out of contention. Warriorz, meanwhile, were knocked out by Gujarat Giants on Friday and will look to finish the season on a high.Four straight defeats after two successive wins have left RCB with more questions than answers. The batting has looked overly dependent on Ellyse Perry, with Smriti Mandhana in the middle of a lean patch. The rest of the line-up has been inconsistent. While Renuka Singh, Kim Garth and Georgia Wareham have taken the bulk of responsibility with the ball and have 25 wickets combined, RCB have been found wanting with their fourth and fifth bowling options. Will a six-day break help them bounce back?Warriorz have struggled in all departments, and the constant shuffling of their batting order hasn’t helped. Chinelle Henry, despite being explosive at the death, has not gotten a promotion to address the middle-order woes. Deepti Sharma has also had an underwhelming outing as captain and bowler, picking up five wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.11. Sophie Ecclestone has been the only bowler who has looked threatening.The last time these two sides met, the match witnessed a drama-filled Super Over finish with Warriorz coming on top.Smriti Mandhana has been a disappointment this season•BCCIForm guideRoyal Challengers Bengaluru LLL
UP Warriorz LLLTeam newsRCB are likely to go with the experience of Sneh Rana and Ekta Bisht in the spin department.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Ekta Bisht, 11 Renuka SinghGouher Sultana played two matches in Lucknow but bowled only one over and went for 16 runs. It remains to be seen whether Warriorz bring back Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who has played only one match so far in this edition.UP Warriorz (probable): 1 Grace Harris, 2 Georgia Voll, 3 Kiran Navgire, 4 Vrinda Dinesh, 5 Deepti Sharma (capt), 6 Shweta Sehrawat, 7 Uma Chetry (wk), 8 Chinelle Henry, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Gouher Sultana/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Kranti GoudSophie Ecclestone has been the key player for UP Warriorz•BCCIIn the spotlight: Ellyse Perry and Sophie EcclestoneEllyse Perry has been the in-form batter for RCB this season. She has four-half centuries, the most by a player in this WPL, and has accumulated 295 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 149.74. With Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge struggling for form at the top, the focus will be on Perry. Lucknow has already witnessed three half-centuries in the first two matches, all coming from top-order batters. Perry has to do it again, with RCB’s season on the line.Sophie Ecclestone stunned the Chinnaswamy Stadium with her all-round heroics when RCB hosted Warriorz two weeks ago. She is the only bowler at Warriorz to have bowled her full quota of four overs in all seven matches. That has fetched her six wickets at an economy rate of 6.96.Key stats Warriorz have lost 33 wickets in the middle overs (from 7 to 16), the most by a team in WPL 2025. Perry has struck at 143.42 against Warriorz, her highest strike rate against a team in the WPL. Henry has the highest strike rate in this WPL – at 211.76.

Liverpool could now reportedly complete the signing of an "excellent" transfer target for a cut-price amount in the summer window.

Liverpool summer transfer targets

The Reds spent last summer solely focusing on rebuilding their midfield, and while they now look well-stocked in that area of the pitch, other signings are needed elsewhere at the end of the season. Centre-back looks like a key position to strengthen in, not only because Joel Matip is likely to leave when his contract runs out, but also due to Ibrahima Konate's constant battle to stay fit for long periods.

Sporting CP ace Goncalo Inacio has been continually linked with a move Liverpool this summer, with various rumours emerging throughout this season. The 22-year-old is seen as one of Europe's leading young defenders, playing a key role in his side's likely soon-to-be title-winning campaign in the Primeira Liga.

If Ruben Amorim comes in as Jurgen Klopp's replacement, the chance of the Reds snapping up Inacio could be further increased, and they have also been backed to make a move for his teammate Marcus Edwards. He is seen as a potential replacement for Luis Diaz if the Colombian leaves, scoring four goals and bagging three assists in the league so far this season.

Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has also emerged as a target for Liverpool, with the 28-year-old basking in the glory of being crowned Bundesliga champions over the weekend. His tally of nine goals and 12 assists from his wing-back role in 2023/24 sums up the attacking quality he possesses.

Goncalo Inacio transfer news

According to Football Insider, Sporting would accept a bid from Liverpool of just £40m this summer, despite reportedly having a €60m (£51.2m) release clause in their star defender's current deal. Sporting are renowned for inserting "very high" clauses into deals, but will then negotiate below that figure for a player Amorim starts week in week out.

It does appear as though Inacio is a genuine target for Liverpool, considering the number of times he has been linked with a switch to Anfield, and there are so many positives when it comes to imagining him in a Reds shirt. Perhaps the biggest immediate plus point is the fact that he could join alongside Amorim, with the Sporting boss the red-hot favourite to be Klopp's successor this summer. The pair know each other so well, meaning it could be a seamless transition for both.

Still only 22, Inacio would be viewed as not only a key man from the off, but also Virgil van Dijk's long-term heir in the left-sided centre-back role, gradually growing in influence over time. This season, he has averaged 2.4 clearances per game in the Europa League, as well as scoring three times in the competition for good measure. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has called him an "excellent central defender".

Liverpool could now sign "fantastic" attacking star for just £30m this summer

Potential next Reds manager Ruben Amorim loves him.

By
Henry Jackson

Apr 14, 2024

A classy user of the ball who can also play at left-back, the Portugal international would suit Liverpool's possession-based style, and he could mature into one of the finest defenders in the world, as long as he can avoid picking up serious injuries. The fact that he could even be signed for as little as £40m makes it a no-brainer of a transfer pursuit.

He has put his lean run of scores down to being too eager to cash in on flat pitches, and has learnt form his mistake

Daniel Brettig03-Dec-2020Going to the New South Wales north coast enclave of Byron Bay to find yourself is usually the preserve of musicians, or perhaps a few Superannuated early retirees. Joe Burns, though, may be the first Australian opening batsman to take this road by way of preparation for a Test series.Following a decidedly underwhelming Adelaide block of early season Sheffield Shield games in which he tallied scores of 7, 29, 0, 10 and 11 for Queensland, Burns appeared exceedingly vulnerable to losing his place opposite David Warner to the burgeoning talent of Will Pucovski. But now Warner is likely to be sidelined for at least the first Test against India due to a groin strain, Burns’ Byron Bay escape and return to the fundamentals of opening the batting have shored up his mindset for what is likely to be the commission as senior opener.The Adelaide experience was not a happy one for Burns but it was also an informative one. Confident both in himself and the fact the games were being played with a Kookaburra ball rather than the more bowler-friendly Dukes, he now admits he went out searching for runs rather than simply concentrating on occupation of the crease. Pucovski, by contrast, was largely set on survival, and two double centuries flowed as a result.ALSO READ: Will Pucovski – I’ve put in a mountain of work, I’m ready for Test debut”It’s been a little bit frustrating for me personally. I think back to the back end of last season, the Shield games we played we were playing on green tops with Dukes balls and I felt like it was the best I’ve ever batted in my career,” Burns said ahead of his warm-up match for Australia A against the Indians in Sydney. “I got to Adelaide and was licking my lips, seeing some flat wickets and hoping to make plenty of runs but just found ways to get out.”I was probably just chasing the game a little bit too much after a lay-off during the winter. So the lesson from that is to be a little bit more patient, let the game come and go from there. I feel like my skills are in a good spot, it’s just a decision-making thing and I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing against India.”In a usual season, Burns would have played as many as six Shield games by early December in a range of venues before the Tests began, but the unique nature of 2020-21 was such that he found himself with the chance for what was almost a second pre-season after commencing the summer proper.”The last few weeks I actually got a chance to go away, I was just doing a lot of work by myself,” Burns said. “Fortunately, I was training at some regional clubs and our batting coach from Queensland Adam Hollioake was coming down, we were just training all day. And the key thing I was working on was just patience. It’s just probably when you see a flat wicket and feel like you’re batting well, from the end of last season. you want to get out there and dominate, but as an opening batter sometimes dominating can be batting six, seven or eight hours and getting rewards at the back end of the day.”So I’ve faced thousands of balls and just tried to face each ball like it’s my first one. The real basics of the game – if you do the basics well, you can’t go too far wrong.”Those basics will most probably need to be applied without Warner, although prior to his injury he was one of several key voices around the Australian team to vouch for Burns’ value, and the contributions he had made at the top to blunt the new ball and make life easier for Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and Travis Head to name three.1:08

Don’t need to break something that’s working – Warner

“Me and Davey, first of all we know our games really well and I think our games complement each other,” Burns said. “When we are batting together I feel like we read the game really well, we know when there’s opportunities to take it to bowling attacks but we also realise when there are key moments and we have to knuckle down. What we’ve always done really well and what we’re proud of doing is winning a lot of key moments for the team”Sometimes it’s the first session of a Test match, sometimes the 20 minutes after a lunch break and identifying when key bowlers are on. At the same time I know when he is getting bogged down by a bowler and there’s opportunity for me to score off them.”Weeks like this, the training in the nets together, the Australia A game batting together, provides an opportunity to form those new relationships, especially with young guys who we haven’t all had a great chance to bat a lot with to get to a point where me and Davey get to the crease and are so confident in each other’s games that we can bounce off each other.”This is not to say Burns cannot function without Warner. On the contrary, one of his best innings arrived on the opening day of a Test match in Canberra against Sri Lanka in early 2019 during the 34-year-old’s Newlands ban, when the fall of three early wickets left Burns to usher Head to his first century.”Dave’s such a world class player it’s always a nice luxury to have him at the other end, but at the same time I’ve always said I try to take as much responsibility myself as possible as well,” Burns said. “The game where Dave got out early, I really wanted to perform in those games, and now that he’s out injured or potentially not playing, it’s a great opportunity to play a senior role.”But it’s a huge role to fill if Dave’s not available, and it’s not only one person, but it’s the responsibility of a few guys to step into that position. We’ll make sure we are prepared for a really tough battle, in particular as opening batters; that first session, that first hour, it’s going to be crucial to the game and crucial to keeping the momentum of their bowling attack out. If we can start well it’s going to go a long way to winning the series.”Burns faced India in his first Test series back in 2014, but was quick to note a key contrast. This time he will be doing the hard work for others to benefit from, where six years ago it was the other way around. “It was a little bit different back then,” he said. “I was batting at No. 6, I think one game we won the toss and batted and I didn’t bat until day two.”

Hemp, 49, is presently based in Australia and has worked with Melbourne Stars and Victoria in the Women’s Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2020

Pakistan have hired former Bermuda batsman David Hemp as the head coach of the national women’s side. He takes over from Iqbal Imam, who was temporarily working in the role. Hemp is the second foreigner roped in by the PCB to take charge of the women’s cricket team after New Zealander Mark Coles, who spent two years in the job before resigning in October last year. Since then, the PCB had been bringing in local coaches to fill the vacancy on a series-by-series basis.Hemp, 49, is presently based in Australia and has worked with Melbourne Stars and Victoria in the Women’s Big Bash League between 2015 and 2020. As a cricketer, he played 271 first-class matches and scored over 15,000 runs for Glamorgan, Free State and Warwickshire. He represented Bermuda at international level, scoring 641 runs in 22 ODI innings that included a century and four half-centuries.Hemp is a UK-qualified level four coach who has also held a coaching role with Australia’s team for cricketers with intellectual disabilities, Premier Cricket’s Prahran and was the director of coaching at Scotch College. His first assignment with Pakistan will be the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next year for the event proper that will take place in New Zealand in 2022.”David brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge, more importantly around women’s cricket development, which is extremely critical to our strategy as part of our endeavour to increase the pool of cricketers and rise to the level of the front-running international sides,” Urooj Mumtaz, Acting Head of Pakistan Women’s Wing and Chair of women’s selection committee, said.”I am sure our players will make optimum use of David’s expertise and strict work ethics, while I am sure David will have an enjoyable time when he relocates to Pakistan to join the elite company of illustrious coaching staff of Atiq-uz-Zaman, Grant Bradburn, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Zahid and Saqlain Mushtaq at our National High Performance Centre.”David has worked for five years in Australia with the Melbourne and Victoria women’s sides and he is a perfect fit for the role we were looking for as he will be able to use that experience and knowledge to translate into our system that will ultimately benefit Pakistan women’s cricket.”