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Important stands with Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer prevent Hampshire taking control with ball

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025

Charlie Allison notched another hundred•Surrey CCC/Getty Images

Charlie Allison made it back-to-back centuries as he steered Essex into a commanding position on the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match against Hampshire at Chelmsford.Before his 140 against Surrey last month, Allison’s highest first-class score was 28. But the 20-year-old right-hander followed up his Oval heroics with 101 when the Championship resumed after its break for the Vitality Blast.He was the senior partner in a 107-run seventh-wicket stand with Simon Harmer, 16 years older, that carried Essex towards 292 for 8 at the close after they chose to bat. He also put on 66 for the fifth wicket with Matt Critchley, whose 71 came from 104 balls and included nine fours and a six.Kyle Abbott took his season’s tally to 35 wickets with three Essex scalps, but Hampshire let slip their morning advantage as a blustery, overcast day gave way to bright evening sunshine.Initially, it looked as if Essex’s travails of late – one win across both formats this summer – were being lain bare on a green wicket that gave encouragement to Hampshire’s seam attack. By midday Essex had lost three of their top four. Paul Walter mistimed a flick off his legs low to a diving square leg, Dean Elgar was beaten for pace by James Fuller and Jordan Cox ducked into a short ball from Eddie Jack and spliced the ball high to third slip.The premature departures did not preclude Essex handing county caps to the latter pair during the lunch interval. Former captain Graham Gooch handed one to Elgar while Cox received his from Jason Gallian, previously his cricket master at Felsted School, now chairman of the cricket committee.Back in the middle, Critchley was putting behind him his struggles with the bat in the Vitality Blast. He contributed 38 of the 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Tom Westley that included a six over long leg off Liam Dawson and a well-timed sweep for four, also off the England white-ball spinner.Westley was more circumspect, though the four fours in his 77-ball 28 were venomous in their execution and included one from his first ball through midwicket off Abbott and an imperious pull against Fuller. However, he departed lbw to one from Abbott that might otherwise have just clipped the top of the stumps.Under gathering grey clouds, Critchley reached his half-century from 84 balls amid a flurry of boundaries, the milestone four pulled through midwicket off Felix Organ. Another time he went in tiptoes to late-cut Jack to the third-man rope.Allison kept pace with Critchley and he launched Dawson effortlessly over extra cover for a six that brought up the fifty partnership in 13 overs. Later he hit another straight over the same bowler’s head. However, the stand was worth 66 when the wily Dawson had Critchley playing over a shorter-pitched delivery that looked as if it might have missed leg stump.Abbott had figures of 3 for 12 from 13 overs when he had Michael Pepper edging to the wicketkeeper. But that just brought together Allison and Harmer for a patient partnership that steadied Essex and ultimately gave them a measure of control.Harmer brought up the hundred partnership in 33 overs when he swatted Jack to the midwicket boundary. But with Allison on 99, he turned the ball to square leg, the pair hesitated and Harmer sacrificed his wicket as Jack’s throw went to the bowler’s end.Allison duly reached his century from 188 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, but one run later he dragged on to Organ and was bowled off the last ball of the day.

da apostaganha： West Ham United have now opened talks over a deal to sign a playmaker, who has the same agent as summer signing Kyle Walker-Peters.

West Ham looking to bolster attack with Paqueta's future uncertain

da bet nacional： Karren Brady has previously made it clear that West Ham have no plans to sanction Lucas Paqueta’s departure this summer, saying: “I think he wants to stay and we definitely want him to stay. So the thing is, he’ll be staying.”

However, there have since been widespread suggestions that the Brazilian could be on the move, with the Hammers reportedly willing to consider offers of £60m, amid interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Cashing-in on Paqueta would be a gamble, given that there is no natural replacement for the 27-year-old in the squad, and Graham Potter is already light on options, having lost Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham earlier this summer.

As such, amid the uncertainty surrounding the Brazil international’s future, West Ham have now stepped up their pursuit of a new attacking midfielder, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Taking to X, Plettenberg stated that West Ham are now in ongoing “talks” over a deal to sign Werder Bremen midfielder Romano Schmid, who is also being targeted by Lille and a number of other unnamed clubs.

The Hammers are “exploring a deal” for Schmid before deadline day, and reports from elsewhere indicate that a move would not break the bank, with Werder Bremen thought to be holding out for around £13m.

Related West Ham now suddenly serious contenders to sign "exceptional" £25m maestro

Graham Potter is looking to improve his squad, after an extremely disappointing start to the season.

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund Aug 26, 2025

Interestingly, the 25-year-old is represented by the same agents as Walker-Peters, CAA Base, which suggests a deal could be possible, given that they helped orchestrate the right-back’s move to the London Stadium earlier this summer.

"Super" Schmid could relieve burden on Bowen

West Ham are clearly in need of new attackers, regardless of whether Paqueta leaves, given that they are clearly overreliant on Jarrod Bowen, with the 28-year-old either scoring or assisting half of their 46 Premier League goals last season.

Schmid, who has been described as “talented” by Frank Baumann, could relieve the burden on Bowen, having performed well for Werden Bremen last season, chipping in with 11 goal contributions across all competitions.

Competition

Appearances

Goal contributions

Bundesliga

32

10

DFB-Pokal

3

1

The Austrian has also established himself at international level, scoring his first goal for his country in his side’s 3-2 victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2024, before going on to impress in the UEFA Nations League.

That said, while Schmid could be an exciting addition to Potter’s squad, it is vital to keep hold of Paqueta, given that the West Ham star has already proven himself at Premier League level, and it would be a real blow to lose another key player to Spurs.

“Romario Shepherd, in the death overs, was brilliant. Whatever our bowlers were bowling, he was able to get maximum runs,” Dhoni said

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-20253:10

Is this CSK’s worst-ever IPL season?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has taken the blame for his team not being able to score 35 runs off the last three overs, and 15 off the last over, after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) denied them two points in another thriller at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Dhoni had walked out to bat in the 17th over to join a well-set Ravindra Jadeja, and though he hit a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over, he fell lbw to left-arm seamer Yash Dayal in the final over. He left CSK needing 13 off the last three balls. CSK’s Impact Player Shivam Dube swatted his first ball, a beamer, for six, but he couldn’t get the job done. CSK ended up losing by two runs.”Well, I think looking at [that] over, when I went into that with the kind of deliveries and the runs needed, I felt I should have converted maybe a couple of more shots, and that would have eased the pressure,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “So, I would take the blame for it.”Related

• Brevis wasn't out, but 'lack of awareness' cost him his wicket

• Mhatre has 'everything we like about a modern-day T20 player'

• Dayal trumps CSK in last over again to take RCB to the top

After being asked to bat first, RCB posted 213, with Romario Shepherd smashing a 14-ball half-century at the end. Shepherd helped RCB thump 54 runs off the last two overs, and finished with an unbeaten 53 off 14 balls, including six sixes and four fours.”Other than that, I thought they got off to a good start. In between, we pulled it back,” Dhoni said. “But Romario Shepherd, in the death overs, was brilliant. Whatever our bowlers were bowling, he was able to get maximum runs.”Dhoni felt that CSK’s bowlers needed to execute yorkers better to keep the batters in check during the slog overs.”I think we need to practise more yorkers because if you see more often than not, when the batsman starts to connect, then you have to rely on yorkers and [minimise] the margin of error,” Dhoni said. “So, if you’re looking for a perfect yorker, [and] if that doesn’t happen, a low full toss is the next best thing because it’s one of the most difficult balls to hit. I think that’s where we need to improve.”And somebody like a [Matheesha] Pathirana, you know, if the yorkers are not happening, he has pace. He can bowl a bouncer at the same time, [and] keep the batsman guessing. Because, at times, if he’s looking for the yorker, batsmen try to line him up, and if he misses, the batsman has a chance of hitting.”Yash Dayal did it again in the last over against CSK•Getty Images

Karthik hails Dayal’s ‘outstanding’ effort

RCB’s batting coach Dinesh Karthik praised left-arm seamer Dayal for holding his nerve in the final over, and taking RCB across the line. Dayal defended 14 runs with a dew-slicked ball to put RCB on top of the points table.”Well, it’ll take a humongous effort to stop them scoring the runs that were left in the last over. But Yash being Yash, the way he delivered, [it was] outstanding,” Karthik said. “I think it was a very good team effort. Sometimes these kind of games really uplift the mood and we’re very happy with how it transpired today.”Karthik pointed to Dayal’s “work ethic” as something that stood out.”I think he’s right up there with some of the best that are there in India,” he said. “The one thing that you see with the young crop of cricketers is how much they work hard at their cricket behind the scenes. Yash is again someone who’s very diligent. [He] will come to bowling meetings with a paper [and] write down everything. And he’s very, very sure about what he wants to do.”Yes, the execution could be up and down with him at times. But the one thing that you get, not get less from his effort. He always knows what to do. [He] bowls to a plan. And when he’s able to deliver his yorkers, he feels so good about himself. And that’s one of the reasons why we retained him- because he’s got a special skill. And he’s someone who can handle pressure well. Same game, one year ago, he did it for us. And yet again today, he did a nice job for us.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da betsson： O Cruzeiro venceu o Goiás no apagar das luzes, por 1 a 0, e garantiu um resultado importante na reta final do Brasileirão. Roberte, de apenas 18 anos, fez seu primeiro gol no profissional em ótima ocasião para a equipe mineira.

da cassino online： ➡️ Veja a tabela de classificação do Brasileirão 2023

Com este resultado, o Esmeraldino permanece na 18ª posição e encara situação complicada para se salvar do rebaixamento. Enquanto isso, a Raposa soma 44 pontos e pula para a 13ª colocação.

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

O Cruzeiro foi bem nos 45 minutos iniciais, mas se deparou com o goleiro Tadeu, que estava inspirado e parou finalizações complicadas de Wesley e Bruno Rodrigues.

Na segunda etapa, o Goiás continuou sem causar grandes perigos para o gol defendido por Rafael Cabral. A Raposa dominava as ações e obrigou Tadeu a fazer uma defesa de cinema, no ângulo, para evitar que o placar fosse aberto. Contudo, nos acréscimos, Robert dominou sozinho dentro da área, finalizou cruzado e estufou as redes para fazer o gol solitário da partida.

PRÓXIMO COMPROMISSO!

O Goiás enfrenta, fora de casa, o Grêmio na próxima quinta-feira (30). No mesmo dia, no Mineirão, o Cruzeiro encara o Athletico Paranaense.

ESPNcricinfo presents Plays of the Day from the first day of the first Test between Australia and India in Melbourne

Sidharth Monga at the MCG26-Dec-2011The break
David Warner had just shaken off a nervous start, hitting Umesh Yadav for a four and an emphatically pulled six in the 12th over when a fine drizzle arrived for the second time in the morning. This time it was deemed heavy enough to walk off. Scarcely had the teams made the change-rooms than the covers came off, and out walked Warner and Ed Cowan. Yadav bowled another bouncer immediately after the break. This one was sharper, beat Warner for pace on the pull, lobbed off Warner’s glove, and settled in MS Dhoni’s hands.The start
Ricky Ponting walked out to a rousing reception from the 60,000-plus that had made their way in by the time Australia lost their first two wickets. At the start of the innings he felt his way through on the most familiar of turfs. He slipped, he stumbled, but the most unexpected of the sights came when he faced his second ball. He began with a trademark stride forward and a leave. The second was a bouncer, and he was not going to shy away. He went for the hook, took his eyes off, and was hit on the head – the picture tells the story. However, he was alert enough to kick the ricochet away from the stumps.The landmark
When debutant Cowan, watchful, leaving everything outside off alone, reached six, he had registered the highest score for an Australian opener in his first innings in 18 years. That was only the start, though. He went on and on and on, patiently picking balls to play like he would words to write, and ended on 68, the best maiden effort for an Australian opener since Wayne Philips scored 159 back in November 1983.The debate
It was only a matter of time before this series would see raging debates over DRS. It arrived soon enough, in the final session of the first day. Zaheer Khan had just got Michael Clarke out when he bowled a peach that Michael Hussey fended at. A huge appeal for a catch behind the wicket followed, which was upheld by umpire Marais Erasmus. Hussey looked miffed, and didn’t make an attempt to hide his disappointment at the decision. Which was just as well, because the replays showed the ball had flicked only his shirtsleeve. Minutes later, Cowan fell to a dodgy decision too, when the Hot Spot and Snicko didn’t show an edge. Cue in heated debate. As fans we would love a wise solution to this debate, but as newspapers, TV channels and websites, we are loving it.The modern-captainitis
Zaheer had just taken two in two, the new man Brad Haddin had just walked in, but when he faced R Ashwin in the next over, this was the field: long-on, deep midwicket, fine leg and just one slip. Need more be said?

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Pakistan’s encounter with New Zealand

Osman Samiuddin and Brydon Coverdale in Pallekele 08-Mar-2011Birthday gift of the day
Ross Taylor turned 27 today. Then he came across Kamran Akmal, who gifted him two lives in three balls, on 0 and 4. Then he got a career-best hundred. Happy birthday Ross.Sign of the day
At least one fan in the crowd was prepared for Taylor’s big day, with a computer print-out that was held up as a sign. There was only one problem. It read: “Happy birthday Rose Taylor”. Ah well, a Ross by any other name would smell as sweet.Opening of the day
Pakistan: land of strapping, wicket-taking fast bowlers who blow through you with the new ball and clean up with the old? Perhaps not. Shahid Afridi chose to open with Abdur Rehman for the second over of the innings, the time a spinner had bowled one of the first two overs for Pakistan in an ODI since April 1998, when Mohammad Hussain – another left-arm spinner – did so. And until his last two overs went for 34, he hadn’t done such a bad job of it.Communication failure of the day
The Powerplays often create headaches for captains, but it was even more so for Shahid Afridi during New Zealand’s innings. After 10 overs, he seemed to believe the bowling Powerplay had started, but one ball into the over was in an animated discussion with the umpire Nigel Llong, who had not given the signal. At the start of the next over, Afridi made it clear to the other official, Daryl Harper that he wanted the Powerplay to begin. Remarkably, the same thing appeared to happen with the batting Powerplay. Afridi had only three fielders outside the circle for the first two balls of the 41st over, apparently under the impression New Zealand had taken the Powerplay. Again, Llong clarified matters, and at the start of the next over, Afridi watched closely as Harper signalled that finally the batting Powerplay was under way.Atmosphere of the day
It’s to be expected that not all the neutral matches in this World Cup will be well attended, but the crowd at Pallekele was wonderful. Not for nearly a decade has Kandy hosted a one-day international, and the city’s only international cricket in more than three years was the horribly rain-affected Test against West Indies last year. The locals have clearly been craving the game. A big crowd turned out and cheered vociferously for both teams, roaring their support of Taylor late in the New Zealand innings. No doubt the solid numbers were helped by the price of tickets – the cheapest were only 30 rupees, which equates to approximately 27 US cents.

Ravi Bopara doesn’t have many fond memories of Sri Lanka but hopes to chance that in the World Cup quarter-final

Sidharth Monga in Colombo24-Mar-2011Ravi Bopara has a special bond with Sri Lanka. When he came here four years ago as England’s next middle-order hope, he struggled so badly he scored 42 runs in five innings, including three consecutive ducks, and went back with “SL” written on the back of his bat to remind himself how tough it was.Earlier that year, playing only his fifth ODI, in the World Cup in West Indies, Bopara and Paul Nixon had nearly pulled off a heist against Sri Lanka. From 133 for 6, they took England to needing four off the last ball, only to be denied by Dilhara Fernando, who pulled out of the delivery first to see what Bopara was going to, and then bowled a delivery that hit the top of off.Bopara talks candidly about those two connections with Sri Lanka. “I was quite young then,” he said two days before he renews his relationship with them, in another World Cup match, a quarter-final this time. “Unfortunately then I didn’t know how to hit a six. We didn’t used to practise it back then – clearing the front leg and hitting over mid-on. So I didn’t know what to do. I just carried on what I was trying to do, which was squirt it behind point and through extra cover and that sort of stuff. If I was to face that ball now, four years later, I would try and hit that ball straight over mid-on’s head.”Bopara gives Fernando credit too. “It was a clever move I think [to pull out of the delivery first time around],” he said. “He knew what I was trying to do. I didn’t change what I was going to do. In fact I should have just pulled away when he ran up the second time. But I didn’t think that far ahead. I was just concentrating on trying to hit the ball for at least three.”Although Bopara can afford to look back at that delivery with relative amusement, the Test tour that followed later that year still rankles. He was so down on himself he didn’t want to let himself forget Sri Lanka. Hence the little note at the back of the bat. “Just ‘SL’ for Sri Lanka,” Bopara said. “Just how tough it was. It’s a horrible place to be when you’ve got such high expectations of yourself, and you don’t quite cut it. It’s a horrible place to be.”I don’t write it any more. I did when I went back just to remind myself of how tough it was then, and the feelings I had during that Test series. I was just breaking into the Test team thinking I had 10 or 12 years of Test cricket ahead. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself. When players put a lot of pressure on themselves, sometimes they can buckle, and that’s what I’ve done to myself a couple of times, even during the Ashes. I thought I would have learnt from the Sri Lanka experience, but obviously I didn’t. But I definitely have learnt now. I think a lot comes from expectation, but I’ve found out ways to deal with it as I walk out to bat.”Four years on from those two experiences with Sri Lanka, Bopara was not even an original choice to be at the World Cup. He made it, though, as replacement for the injured Eoin Morgan, and was Man of the Match against South Africa in a low-scoring win that has gone a long way in keeping England alive in this tournament. Right now it is possible that he might be asked to step up and open the innings for England, given how Matt Prior hasn’t been much of a success in that makeshift role so far.Bopara certainly wouldn’t mind the move. “I’d love to open the batting,” he said. “My ambition isn’t to bat five, six or seven for the rest of my career, but let’s just see what happens. I haven’t been told anything, I don’t know if anyone has been told anything, so as far as I know it’s the same.”Bopara had opened on 14 previous occasions for England with a modest average of 29 mirroring that of his career. “I would like to have had a longer run at it,” he said. “I felt the easiest place to open was in India. It’s obviously a bit harder in England because of the new ball up front. That’s something you’ve got to get used to, but the more you open the better you get at it. Some of the best players in the world have spent time at the top of the order, and they’ve got used to it and now the top 10 batters in the world all bat at the top of the order.”There is more happening in the Test side that should excite Bopara. Paul Collingwood’s retirement could open a door for a return, which is Bopara’s ultimate aim. “I want to play Test cricket,” he said. “I don’t just want to play one-day cricket or Twenty20. I enjoy playing Test cricket and playing four days for Essex. Scoring hundreds and taking wickets and that sort of stuff. And that was my ambition as a young boy – to go out and play Test cricket and make a difference for England and be hopefully one of England’s great players.”For now, though, Tests can wait. For now, Bopara is in Sri Lanka, and needs to go back with happier memories.

With the summer transfer window approaching, Newcastle United's search for a new shot-stopper has continued, with an agreement now reportedly reached to land Eddie Howe's preferred choice.

Newcastle transfer news

With Martin Dubravka 35 years old and Nick Pope 32 years old, it's no surprise that Newcastle have turned their attention to signing a future number one for Howe's side. Pope's injury adds a sense of unpredictability when it comes to his form upon his return too, making a new goalkeeper even more important this summer.

Reporter shares what he's now heard on "incredible" Newcastle ace's future

Ruthless from PIF…

ByTom Cunningham May 16, 2024

In that regard, it seemed as though Newcastle's first choice was Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili, with reports suggesting that PIF had overruled Howe to target the 23-year-old, who has impressed in La Liga. Fresh updates even indicated that the Magpies were in pole position to secure his signature. It now seems as though those at St James' Park have opted to listen to Howe's preference, however, and turn their attention elsewhere.

According to Sky Sports' James Green via AFCstuff on X, Newcastle have reached an agreement with Aaron Ramsdale over joining the club this summer, who is Howe's preferred choice.

The Arsenal number two is in desperate need of consistent game time after losing his place to David Raya in the current campaign and now, Newcastle have seemingly offered him the chance to get exactly that in a contract that could match his current reported salary of £120k-a-week.

If an agreement is reached with Ramsdale, Newcastle will now need to turn their attention to finding the right price with Arsenal to secure a summer switch for the England international.

"Exceptional" Ramsdale can succeed Pope

Competition is key for any squad vying for a place in the Premier League's top six and having both Pope and Ramsdale to choose from would be the healthiest form of that for Howe. That said, the latter won't be arriving to sit on the bench in a replication of his current Arsenal role. He'll rightly want to be number, which will make Howe's decision an interesting one should the deal take place. Both shot-stoppers certainly have their strong points.

Saves Per 90

1.50

2.81

Pass Accuracy

69.7%

78.7%

Clean Sheets

2

5

Despite losing his place in the current Arsenal side, Ramsdale earned plenty of praise from Mikel Arteta earlier this season. The Spaniard said via TNT Sport: “He’s been exceptional around the place with the situation. Like everybody. We love him more for sure. We have him every day. We know him, we know his character and we are really happy to have him.

“I don’t think I’m the one to answer the question about Aaron Ramsdale’s quality because I’m the one who signed him when everyone else was questioning that decision. So I don’t think I’m the one to answer that question."

India is due to host the event, but is currently the third-worst-hit country in the world in terms of Covid-19 cases

Daniel Brettig12-Aug-2020Sri Lanka and the UAE are among the back-up venues for the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup, should the Covid-19 pandemic make India an untenable host. The ICC confirmed last week that India will host next year’s tournament as scheduled in the original Future Tours Programme while this year’s postponed edition in Australia goes ahead in 2022.Identifying potential back-up venues is standard practice for every ICC event, but it takes on extra significance in this time because of the nature of the pandemic. India is currently the third-worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, according to most data studies, with over 2 million cases so far and over 45,000 deaths. The current situation has forced the BCCI to relocate the IPL to the UAE, and only tentative plans are in place for the domestic season.ESPNcricinfo has contacted BCCI president Sourav Ganguly about the back-up venues but is yet to receive a response. The BCCI has remained steadfast about hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup instead of 2022 primarily because it does not want to host three big tournaments (including the 2023 IPL and the 2023 World Cup) back-to-back.Much speculation has surrounded the decision around these events, which included postponing the Women’s World Cup to 2022 as well, as well as surprise because Cricket Australia had initially been keen on hosting the event in 2021. But, ESPNcricinfo understands, a recent albeit localised outbreak of Covid-19 within Australia has played a part in CA agreeing to host it in 2022.In May, CA chairman Earl Eddings had written to the ICC asking for the event to be postponed and for Australia to be awarded hosting rights for 2021. At the time Australia was coming out of lockdown, having successfully suppressed the spread of Covid-19. The Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee – on which Eddings sits – drew several options in case of a postponement and, according to one official, had eventually come to the conclusion before last week’s ICC board meeting that staging the postponed event in Australia next year was the option of “least risk”.To what degree those risk scenarios took into account the recent surge of cases in Victoria is not clear. Australia avoided the worst of the pandemic early but has been forced to lock down Victoria recently after an outbreak of cases, and will remain that way until at least September, with its borders shut for inter-state travel. The other states are continuing as normal at the moment and AFL and NRL seasons have been ongoing, playing mainly in Queensland and Western Australia at present with teams in hubs.Discussions during last Friday’s board meeting did get detailed enough to compare caseloads in both India and Australia, as well as look at the professional sport taking place in parts of Australia already. But subsequently, when CA agreed to India retaining the 2021 event – Eddings saying his board could not commit the support of the Australian government to host that tournament – there was, according to several officials, “considerable surprise” in the boardroom.On Saturday Nick Hockley, CA’s interim CEO, said his board had made it “very, very clear to the ICC” that the support of the Australian government had been forthcoming. “Contrary to reports that’s not right. We made it very, very clear to the ICC and we’re extremely grateful from the assurances we’ve had from government at every level about their continued support, whether the event was held in 2021 or 2022. Certainly the support we’ve received, and continue to receive, from federal government and states and territories governments all around the country has been fantastic. I don’t think there’s anything in that.”The situation in Victoria has led to a recognition, however, that the 2021 event will be more difficult because of the pandemic and that it is likely to bring less of a windfall for its host in terms of ticketing and corporate revenue. CA is also likely to have factored in that not hosting a global event next year will lead to a less complex lead-in to the 2021-22 Ashes.”We’d sold hundreds of thousands of tickets for this [2020] World Cup coming up in October and November,” Hockley said. “From a cricket sense, we’ve got incredible communities and supporters for all the competition nations.”In terms of hosting in 2022 we’re all acutely aware of the challenges at the moment with hosting, travel restrictions and the like. So in many ways 2022 gives us an even better chance of putting on the event we all originally planned for and were hoping for. We hope by 2022 that the world’s back and we’ve got some normalcy and I think it’ll be a fantastic event.”There was also believed to have been discussion about delaying the decision on venues until as late as March 2021. That scenario, though, was swiftly dismissed, given that it would have involved leaving major tournament undertakings in more or less suspended animation in both Australia and India at considerable cost, in addition to issues around biosecurity, travel exemptions and the wide variation in what might be expected for crowds and ticketing.

Crystal Palace have identified a potential new addition this summer in the shape of a goalscoring winger, as Oliver Glasner looks to continue his revolution at Selhurst Park.

Olise's future in doubt

One of the biggest question marks for the South London outfit surrounds the future of Michael Olise. The talented winger has suffered another injury-studded campaign this season, but remains a highly-sought after talent across the Premier League and Europe.

Chelsea thought that they had bagged a bargain last summer when they triggered his £35m release clause, only for Olise to opt to stay put and pen a new deal at Selhurst Park, which has reportedly seen that clause jump to £60m.

That is not thought to be a major obstacle though, and all of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United are thought to be interested in signing him this summer, with United in particular having made him a primary target.

It remains to be seen whether or not he will leave this summer, with reports claiming that he is keen to play Champions League football if he were to leave South London ahead of the new season.

Crystal Palace closing in on "wonderful" free agent as first summer signing

He will add plenty of versatility to Glasner’s squad.

ByBen Browning May 1, 2024

He is not the only player who may depart though, with teammate Eberechi Eze also in high demand across the Premier League, amid interest from Tottenham and Manchester City, though Palace have attempted to ward that off by slapping a £60m price tag on his head too.

Now, it appears Palace are already making plans for new life in attack, and are closely monitoring another young gem.

Palace watching Serie A star

That comes as Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness] claim that Glasner's side are one of several Premier League clubs keeping tabs on young winger Matias Soulé. The 21-year-old Argentine is contracted to Juventus, but has spent the season out on loan with Frosinone, where he has managed to grab 11 goals and 3 assists in 33 Serie A outings.

Matias Soule this season

Games

33

Goals

11

Assists

3

Expected assists

6.3

Shots on target per 90

0.54

But he will not be returning to Juventus, the report claims, with the Old Lady looking to cash in on his good form in order to fund their own transfer business. As a result, they 'expect to receive offers' of around 30m-35m euros for his services (£26m-£30m), while Palace and Brentford are named as the two clubs most keen on striking a deal.

And in what could perhaps be a boost for both, Soule has already admitted his dream to play in England's top flight: “If they give me the choice of a league, I would go to England. Everyone knows that it’s one of the best leagues, it would be a dream to play there. I would also like to be able to stay at Juventus.”

The fee represents just about half of what Palace would receive should Olise depart the club this summer, and would allow them plenty of flexibility to strengthen elsewhere ahead of the new season. But they will have to fight off rival Premier League interest should they decide Soule is their man.