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Allrounder flew home before T20I leg of multi-format series in England for family reasons

Valkerie Baynes26-Jul-2022

Marizanne Kapp helped save the Test for South Africa•Getty Images

Marizanne Kapp, South Africa’s in-form allrounder, has been ruled out of the Commonwealth Games after cutting short her participation in the tour of England for family reasons.Kapp returned home before the first of three T20Is last Thursday after her brother-in-law suffered serious injuries in an accident which left him in intensive care.At the time, Cricket South Africa said her availability for the Games, starting in Birmingham later this week, was yet to be confirmed and, as expected, head coach Hilton Moreeng confirmed that she would not return to England for the tournament immediately after the hosts had won the third T20I in Derby on Monday night to win that leg 3-0 and seal a 14-points-to-two victory in their multi-format series.Kapp’s absence is another blow on a difficult tour for South Africa, whose only points from the series came in the rain-affected drawn Test last month, when Kapp scored 150 and 43 not out to keep her side in the contest. She also posted half-centuries in two of the three ODIs, with England also sweeping that leg of the series 3-0.After the Test, South Africa lost explosive batter Lizelle Lee, who stunned the side by announcing her international retirement amid a spat over the granting of an NOC for her to play in the Hundred. Shabnim Ismail, their key pace bowler, took just two wickets for the entire series, one in each of the last two ODIs, after missing the Test with a calf-muscle injury, not playing in the first ODI and then going wicketless in the first two T20Is before sitting out Monday night’s 38-run defeat with a back problem.Sune Luus, South Africa’s captain, also missed the final match in Derby through illness, and she hasn’t bowled since two warm-up games against England Women A in the first week of July – between the Test and the ODIs – because of a finger injury.Moreeng said that Luus and Ismail would be fit to bowl when South Africa open their Commonwealth Games campaign against New Zealand on Saturday.”It’s a precaution from medical to make sure they are 100 per cent for that game and ready for the first game,” Moreeng said. “Yes, they’ll be 100 per cent.”She’s recovering very well, Sune, and she definitely will be able to bowl, yes. Regarding Marizanne, she will be out of the Commonwealth [Games].”Related

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Moreeng denied that the absence of several senior players during the course of the tour had been a disruption to the rest of the squad.”It’s sport,” he said. “These kinds of things happen. Sometimes you have plans as a team, as coaches, as an organisation and then players feel that on certain days they’ve had enough.”You have to respect and celebrate the times that they had with you because they were incredible cricketers and these kinds of things happen because when you look at where they are in their lives, the different stages of their lives, they have to make at times decisions that are good for them, as people first, before they can worry about anything else.”So we respect their decisions but at the end of the day it gave opportunities to youngsters to be able to put up their hands. We’re very excited by what we’re seeing. Yes, the results aren’t there yet but we’re taking a lot of things, a lot of homework to be done, because bilateral tours like this give you an indication of where you are as a squad.”We also are a squad in transition, we’re not going to lose sight of that. If you look at our bowlers, the ages they’re at, youngsters are going to start coming in. They’ve given us good years.”Tazmin Brits, the 31-year-old top-order batter who was called up to the squad following Kapp’s departure and into the team to replace Luus when she fell ill ahead of the final T20I against England, top-scored with 59 off 57 balls, her third-highest score in 24 matches in the format. Meanwhile, Nonkululeko Mlaba, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner playing her 19th T20I took career-best figures of 3 for 22.But there was a sense from the tour of England that the current South Africa squad had peaked at the ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, where they defeated England by three wickets in the group stage, only to lose their semi-final against the same opponents by 137 runs.On this tour, England have looked a cut above, and the sides will once again be pitted against each other at the Commonwealth Games in Group B along with New Zealand and Sri Lanka. England open their campaign against Sri Lanka, also on Saturday after favourites Australia kick off the tournament against India, followed by Pakistan versus Barbados on Friday.

Glasgow Rangers chiefs will not be pleased with the way the season has gone so far as the club already look set to miss out on the Scottish Premiership title.

The Light Blues are 16 points behind rivals Celtic in the top-flight and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will be able to leapfrog their rivals to win a first title since the 2020/21 campaign under Steven Gerrard.

Philippe Clement’s side also missed out on the chance to secure a piece of silverware last month when they lost to Celtic on penalties in the final of the League Cup at Hampden Park.

The Light Blues must, now, focus their efforts on the SFA Cup and the Europa League in terms of ending the season with at least one piece of silverware to show for their efforts.

Clement and Nils Koppen could look to use the January transfer window to improve the squad with a view to giving the team the best chance of competing in those two competitions.

There are still around two weeks or so left to go before the deadline at the start of next month and one thing the Gers could look to do is manage their wage bill.

The highest earners at Rangers

The Light Blues moved on a number of experienced, high-earning, players last summer when they allowed the likes of John Lundstram, Todd Cantwell, Kemar Roofe, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, and Connor Goldson to move on from Ibrox.

Rangers do still, however, have a number of players on significant contracts who have not performed in line with their salary, when you consider the performances of some of the players earning less than them.

James Tavernier

£30k

Cyriel Dessers

£27k

Vaclav Cerny

£27k

Danilo

£26k

Jack Butland

£25k

Rabbi Matondo

£23k

Dujon Sterling

£22k

Tom Lawrence

£22k

Ianis Hagi

£21k

Nicolas Raskin

£19k

As you can see in the table above, a number of duds who do not start for the Light Blues on a regular basis are in the top ten earners at Ibrox, which is something that Koppen and Clement should look to address.

If you exclude Cerny, who is only on loan from Wolfsburg, Ianis Hagi is the only attacking midfielder or winger in that list who has started matches regularly this season, whether through form or fitness.

Hagi and Hamza Igamane, who is reportedly on a weekly wage of £7.2k, have both been standout stars for the Gers in the Premiership with their impressive performances at the top end of the pitch this term.

Igamane and Hagi's form for Rangers this season

Neither of them started the 2024/25 campaign as starters in their respective positions but have catapulted to first-choice status and now seem undroppable.

Igamane joined the club last summer and was initially behind Cyriel Dessers in the pecking order. The Morocco U23 international has plundered an incredible 11 goals and two assists in his last 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues.

As you can see in the highlights above, the 22-year-old centre-forward recently scored his first hat-trick for the Scottish giants in the 3-3 draw with Motherwell.

He has emerged as a consistent and lethal attacker for the Light Blues this season, whilst Dessers – who earns almost £20k more per week – has only scored six goals in 19 league matches.

Appearances

12

18

Starts

9

11

Goals

1

8

Big chances created

4

5

Key passes per game

1.7

1.0

Assists

4

1

As you can see in the table above, Igamane and Hagi have both provided plenty of quality at the top end of the pitch for Clement in the Premiership this term and have emerged as crucial players for the club.

There is an attacker in the squad, however, who earns more than both of them and should be ruthlessly sold by Koppen and the Gers boss before the end of the transfer window – Rabbi Matondo.

Why Rangers should sell Rabbi Matondo

As shown in the table earlier, the Wales international is the fifth-highest earner at the club, excluding loanees, on £23k-per-week and has not done enough to justify that over the last 18 months.

The 24-year-old winger has only started two of his six appearances in the Premiership this season and has been an unused substitute in three of the last four matches, featuring in two of the last six since his return from injury.

Matondo has produced two goals and two assists in those six games, but all four of those goal contributions came in a 6-0 thrashing of Ross County, with zero goals or assists in the other five matches.

The Rangers flop missed 17 competitive games with a hamstring injury before his return to action in December, and that has been the story of his time at Ibrox to date.

Matondo has not offered much in the way of consistent contributions in the final third and has been absent far too often with fitness-related issues, which is why he is not a reliable player for Clement, particularly in comparison to Igamane and Hagi.

Unknown

January 2023 – April 2023

20

Knee

September 2023 – November 2023

13

Muscle

February 2024 – March 2024

6

Hamstring

September 2024 – December 2024

17

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh attacker has missed a whopping 56 competitive games since his move to Glasgow from Schalke in the summer of 2022.

Matondo has also only produced eight goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances for the Light Blues in all competitions during that time, which shows that he has not offered much to the team on the pitch in almost three seasons at Ibrox.

It was recently reported that Torino and Lecce are both interested in signing the forward and that a fee of £2m could be on the cards, and Clement must push for a deal to go through before the end of the window.

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The Rangers boss must ruthlessly ditch the winger from the squad because he has not offered enough, in terms of performances or availability, to justify the high wages he is on.

حدد هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة، نقطة قوة خصمه إنتر ميلان، مؤكدًا أن فريقه يخوض مباراة بمثابة نهائي في قبل نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، وامتدح لاعبه لامين يامال، ووصفه بالموهبة التي تأتي كل 50 عامًا.

وتعادل برشلونة مع إنتر ميلان بثلاثة أهداف لمثلها في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “مونتجويك”.

وقال فليك في مؤتمره الصحفي بعد المباراة: “لم نبدأ المباراة بشكل جيد، استقبلنا هدفين، لكننا قاتلنا بقوة وعدنا إلى أجواء المباراة، كان الشوط الثاني مذهلاً، تبقى مباراة واحدة، وعلينا الفوز بها، أعتقد أن هذا يُناسب وصف -نهائي قبل النهائي!-“.

وأضاف: “عندما كنا متأخرين بهدفين نظيفين، كنت أعلم أن هذه مباراة نصف نهائي بين فريقين عظيمين، وأدركت أن خبرتهم الواسعة تتجلى بوضوح”.

وتابع: “إنهم بارعون في الكرات الثابتة أيضًا، لكن لامين أرشدنا إلى الطريق الصحيح، كان هدفه بتسجيله هدف التعادل 2-1 في غاية الأهمية”.

اقرأ أيضًا | شكوك حول لحاق لاعب برشلونة بالإياب أمام إنتر ميلان وكلاسيكو ريال مدريد

وأكمل فليك: “كان أداؤنا في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا رائعًا، كنا نعلم أن إنتر من أفضل الفرق في الكرات الثابتة في أوروبا، وهم أطول منا قامةً، لكن علينا الدفاع بشكل أفضل؛ علينا تقديم أداء أفضل الأسبوع المقبل، مررنا بموقف مشابه ضد أتلتيكو مدريد في نصف نهائي كأس الملك، وفزنا عليهم!”.

وعن حديثه للاعبيه بعد مباراة الليلة، أوضح: “اليوم، بعد المباراة، لم أتحدث إليهم، أحيانًا يكون من الأفضل أن ننام جميعًا ثم نتحدث، عدنا من تأخرنا بهدفين”.

وأشار: “شعر لامين ببعض الانزعاج أثناء الإحماء، لكننا شاهدناه ومنحناه الضوء الأخضر، كان لامين رائعًا معنا؛ صنع الكثير من الفرص، وسجل هدفنا الأول، إنه لاعب رائع، والجميع يعلم ذلك، في المباريات الكبيرة، نرى جودة هؤلاء اللاعبين”.

وواصل فليك الإشادة بلاعبه: “أنا سعيد جدًا لأن هذه الموهبة، التي تظهر كل 50 عامًا، تلعب لبرشلونة”.

وعن مباراة الثلاثاء الحاسمة، شدد: “في الأسبوع المقبل، لن يكتفي إنتر ميلان بالدفاع فحسب، بل عليهم أيضًا محاولة التسجيل، إنها مباراة نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، وتشارك فيها أفضل أربعة فرق في أوروبا”.

وأكد: “نلعب بأسلوب لعب وثقة، ونعرف ما يمكننا فعله، لدينا 90 دقيقة الأسبوع المقبل، ونأمل أن تكون كافية للوصول إلى النهائي، هذا هو هدفنا، وسنقاتل من أجله”.

وعن مدى تعافي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي وبالدي وجاهزيتهما للمواجهات القادمة، أوضح: “نأمل أن يعودوا، لكن علينا الانتظار، لا يمكننا فعل أي شيء عبثي، علينا الاستماع إلى الأطباء، كما فعلوا اليوم مع لامين”.

Everton could now listen to offers for one of their stars in January, it has emerged, with the club possibly keen to cash in before the end of the campaign.

Everton pick up vital win vs Wolves

Having lost by four goals against Manchester United, Everton responded by thrashing Wolves 4-0 in a game where everything they touched turned to gold.

In a fairly even game between the two Premier League strugglers, goals from Ashley Young and Orel Mangala in the first half were added to by a pair of own goals from the unfortunate Craig Dawson, leaving the Toffees with a scoreline that flattered them but nonetheless a vital three points for Sean Dyche’s side.

Everton vs Wolves: The Match Facts
	Everton	Wolves
Possession	44%	56%
Shots	13	6
Shots on target	4	2
Big Chances	2	2
Expected goals	1.02	0.78

After the game, Dyche was effusive in his praise of the Everton players, admitting he “couldn’t be any more proud” of the way that they had bounced back.

“[There have been] a lot of question marks about what we are trying to achieve here and we had to answer them – I think the players have done. It was a good performance, a committed performance.

“I said in the week to the group that I couldn’t be any more proud of these players. They have been through all sorts and they have kept going.”

The result moves them up to 15th place in the Premier League ahead of the mammoth Merseyside derby clash at Goodison Park on Saturday, which will be the final one played at the current Everton Stadium.

Further ahead, the Toffees could be busy in January as they look to secure their Premier League status for next year, and now one player may well be set to leave.

Everton ready to cash in on forward, claims ex-scout

That is according to former Premier League scout Mick Brown, who has claimed that Dyche and co could now accept offers to sell Dominic Calvert-Lewin in January.

The striker played a hand in the win over Wolves, winning the free-kick that led to their opening goal and leading the line well until he was replaced by Beto in the dying stages.

However, he is into the final months of his £100,000 a week deal at Goodison Park, and though he has been praised for his “fantastic” ability in the air, the Toffees do not want to lose him for nothing in the summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown explained that “if they can sell him for big enough money, they’ll do it”, but warned “it’s got to be enough so that they can take the money and reinvest in a new striker.”

“If not, he’ll probably leave for free, because he’s already turned down contract offers from them and it looks like he’ll be moving on”, he added.

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As a potential free agent, Calvert-Lewin has been linked with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal for a summer move, though it seems unlikely either side would move for him in January.

With money tight on Merseyside, it’s easy to see why Everton may want to cash in while they still can, but they may not be able to find a replacement who can produce what Calvert-Lewin can on such a tight budget.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Agyemang getting back to his best.

The USMNT have a few good strikers to work with. What they don’t have, at least not yet, is a great one. This crop is full of ideas, full of talent, but none of them are the finished product. And that in itself comes with a certain appeal: the familiar excitement around what a player isn’t quite yet, but maybe could be. Could Folarin Balogun become world-class? Possibly. But he’ll need a few tweaks – and a sustained run of fitness – before that conversation gets serious.

That uncertainty is what fuels the weekly churn of the U.S. striker discourse, a position where relevance is gained and lost by the game. Patrick Agyemang was barely mentioned a few weeks ago; now, after a well-taken goal in a defeat, he’s back in the mix. Josh Sargent is still struggling to actually put the ball in the net, but a much-needed assist nudged him into the conversation again. And then there’s the mercurial Ricardo Pepi, who scored and assisted for PSV as his manager shifted to a two-striker system just to get him in the side. 

And even in a week in which Christian Pulisic missed action due to an injury, and Chris Richards misfired for Palace, there remains reason for optimism for USMNT hopefuls and regulars alike. 

GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  More to come from Agyemang?

  Agyemang's signing with Derby was a puzzling decision at the time. He was scoring goals for Charlotte FC, performing at a high level, and at the very least giving Mauricio Pochettino something to think about. Sure, the money was always going to be better in the EFL Championship, but he had things pretty good in MLS.

  Yet when Derby beckoned, Agyemang answered – and saw his income jump dramatically, from $104,000 at Charlotte to a reported $1.5 million. On the pitch, though, the move hasn’t always made sense. Since returning from the injury he suffered in MLS before the transfer, Agyemang hasn’t consistently looked like a natural fit for John Eustace’s side, alternating between No. 9 and No. 10. He’s a fine footballer, but also a fairly one-dimensional presence.

  Still, the form is coming. And on Saturday against Middlesbrough, he scored a truly lovely goal.

  It was a proper striker’s move – reading the bounce, accelerating away from his defender, and shaping the perfect angle to slot past a helpless goalkeeper. Agyemang isn’t quite the finished product yet, but he’s a regular starter and already has six goal contributions for Derby.

  After the match, Eustace praised him. Odds are, there’s more to come.

Advertisement

• Adams defies logic

  Have a hit, yeah, Tyler? Sometimes, watching football is hard to comprehend why, exactly, a player does what they do. Sometimes it's a silly decision: a backpass that goes awry, or an ill-advised attempt at a nutmeg. But on Saturday morning, it was Tyler Adams deciding to shoot from 50 yards. And why? It seemed, in real time, a truly puzzling move. But as the ball floated, and the camera adjusted accordingly, his whack down the field looked a stroke of genius. 

  You will see few better goals this season than Adams' long-range clip, the American midfielder recognizing in an instant that the goalkeeper was 15 yards off his line for no apparent reason. It capped off a fine performance in defeat for Adams. He seems to have three lungs these days, a perfect element in the middle of Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth machine, all whirring legs and instinctive moves. Bournemouth lost 3-2 – but if football is about individual moments, then Adams had the best of the weekend, by far. 

• Getty
  

  Richards fails to deliver against United

  Sunday morning's game against Manchester United felt important for Crystal Palace. It will, in all likelihood, be a tricky season forThey secured European football last year, but didn't invest enough over the summer to prove that they can stay there. But big results, such as a late win over Liverpool earlier in the season, showed that there remains plenty of fight here. 

  And Richards will be central to that effort. He has performed wonderfully on the right side of a back three for Oliver Glasner for over a year now, and has been part of a well-drilled defensive system. Man United seemed to be a good test. These are the kinds of games that Palace should win – especially at home. Instead, they were a little mixed. Richards won his headers, but wasn't quite convincing when the ball was on the ground. To be clear, he can't be totally blamed here, but Palace really shouldn't have conceded twice. And the American was part of that letdown. There will be better days…

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Moments you might have missed

  + Ricardo Pepi scored and assisted in PSV's win over lowly Volendam

  + Brenden Aaronson came off the bench in Leeds' 3-2 loss to Man City

  + Christian Pulisic missed Milan's 1-0 win over Lazio with a knock

  + Weston McKennie played all 90 minutes in Juve's nervy 2-1 win over Cagliari

  + James Sands went the full 90 but couldn't make an impact as St. Pauli conceded a 93rd-minute winner to Bayern Munich 

  + It was a frustrating one for Malik Tillman, who couldn't quite make an impact as Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund 

  + Folarin Balogun was feeding off scraps, but Monaco got the job done in a 1-0 win over PSG

  + Josh Sargent finally found a bit of form and grabbed an assist in Norwich's much-needed victory against QPR 

  + Tim Weah played all 90, but Marseille threw away a late lead against Toulouse 

  + Yunus Musah did not play in Atalanta's 2-0 win over Fiorentina

  + Tanner Tessmann shined in Lyon's 3-0 win over Nantes

“After that I got clear ideas, those things really helped me in the last two-three games,” says India’s vice-captain, who struck a century in the warm-ups

Sruthi Ravindranath02-Mar-20221:38

Harmanpreet: ‘More comfortable batting at No. 4 than No. 5’

India vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has admitted she was “going into my shell” when she was struggling with form, and that speaking to Dr Mugdha Bavare, the mental-health conditioning coach who is traveling with the team, helped her get “clear ideas” ahead of the World Cup. Harmanpreet echoed her captain Mithali Raj’s words, stressing on the importance of having a mental-health professional around, especially before big tournaments.The senior batter had been enduring a rough patch in ODIs in the last few years, making 444 runs in 21 matches since 2019, averaging 31.71 with just two fifties. During the recent series against hosts New Zealand leading up to the World Cup, she made scores of 10, 10 and 13 before scoring a 66-ball 63 in India’s only win in the series in the fifth ODI. She followed it up with a 104 off 114 in the warm-up match against South Africa and did not take part in the next warm-up against West Indies with sore wrists.Related

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Mithali Raj welcomes having sports psychologist on board

“Mugdha ma’am is traveling with us, she has been helping us a lot,” Harmanpreet said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Especially during the last four games which we played against New Zealand when even my performance wasn’t going too well and I was going into my shell. The World Cup was coming up and it is very important, as we all know. After that, she spoke to me and as the talks were happening I realised that I was also looking forward to talking to her. I got the solutions from the talks we had.”There wasn’t a lot of awareness about it before and there was a lot of pressure to put up performances, things were happening around. After that I got clear ideas, those things really helped me in the last two-three games. I think the rest of the players are also getting help because I can see she’s continuously talking to all the players, which is important and that will really help us.”Harmanpreet to bat at No. 5 in the World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur will bat at No. 5 in the upcoming World Cup despite expressing she preferred the No. 4 spot, a position which captain Mithali Raj now occupies. Harmanpreet has better ODI numbers at No. 4, where she batted until recently; she averages 40.45 there for her 1618 runs in 48 innings with a strike rate of 70.22, whereas at No. 5 she averages 26.84 in 38 innings while striking at 66.12. Even her recent half-century against New Zealand came in at No. 4.

“I’m more comfortable at No. 4 than No. 5, but we need to play according to the team’s demands,” she said. “We did discuss on that but as of now I’m going to play at No. 5 only, maybe in the future we can [make changes] according to the match situation but right now I don’t think I’ll be playing at No. 4, No. 5 will be my number.”

Harmanpreet has been copping criticism for not making a mark with big scores since her scintillating 171* against Australia in the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup, most recently from former India captain Diana Edulji who had said that Harmanpreet can’t survive in the Indian team just on that knock. Since that iconic innings, she has averaged just 28.75 with the bat. While she is well aware of the criticism coming her way, Harmanpreet feels it’s because she has set the standard of being a big-knock player and that her smaller match-winning efforts aren’t being highlighted as a result.”I know people talk more about my 171 knock,” she said. “I think I set myself a standard with that knock, I know I can play that kind of cricket. Maybe that’s why my smaller crucial knocks of 30, 40, 50 – for whichever team [I play] are not getting enough importance. I don’t think I judge myself with numbers. For me, what is important is, irrespective of how much ever I score it should be enough for my team, irrespective of whether it is 100 runs or 10 runs. Numbers don’t matter to me, what matters is whenever the team needs me I should be there.”She also expressed her disappointment in not being able to find form in the last few years, calling it “painful” to not being able to make runs despite trying her best.”What’s painful is when I don’t make runs. As a cricketer, you are always looking for runs. Nothing is more painful than getting on the field and you’re trying to give your 200% and unfortunately you’re not able to deliver at that level, as you are expecting from yourself, forget about people who have hopes on me. I think more painful is not getting runs more than other things.”It’s not about a big player or small player feeling – it’s the same for every player. I think when these things happened, Mugdha played a very big role when I was not getting runs. She came to me, she spoke to me about what’s happening and how I can find a way out and my family was supporting me, they were continuously talking to me. Those things helped me a lot.”

Bangladesh crashed and burned in their opening game of the Under-19 World Cup, getting bowled out for 97, as England began their campaign with a seven-wicket win over the defending champions in Basseterre’s Warner Park.Bangladesh were rattled by England’s left-arm seamer Joshua Boyden, who effected four caught-behind dismissals after Bangladesh opted to bat first. He finished with 4 for 16 from his nine overs that also included four maidens.Related

• Benjamin Cliff replaces injured Sonny Baker in England's U-19 World Cup squad

• Memories of 2020 drive undercooked but determined Bangladesh

Boyden, who plays for Lancashire 2nd XI, took the new ball and in the third over of his spell struck with a ball angling across opener Mahfijul Islam as he tried to drive away from his body. Next over, the other Bangladesh opener, Ariful Islam, was sent back in similar fashion, once again pocketed by wicketkeeper Alex Horton.From the opposite end, right-arm seamer James Sales picked off Prantik Nawrose Nabil with another catch to the keeper, and when a direct-hit from William Luxton had wicketkeeper-batter Md Fahim packing for 1, Bangladesh were reeling at 8 for 4.Bangladesh promoted Ashiqur Zaman up the order to up the scoring, but his inexperience with the bat showed when he was out for 9 trying to pull a Thomas Aspinwall ball that got big on him.With England well and truly on top, Bangladesh’s No. 4 Aich Mollah (13) tried to start a rebuilding process alongside Abdullah Al Mamun. But Mollah fell to Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin when his cut behind point went straight to gully.Boyden, returning for a new spell, then brought the wicketkeeper back into play, in the 23rd over, by getting a length ball to nip across left-hander Mamun’s bat, taking a faint edge to Horton. Next over, SM Meherob top-edged a short ball from Aspinwall to Horton for his fifth catch and the score was 51 for 8.Bangladesh captain and bowling allrounder Rakibul Hasan was soon dismissed off the first ball he faed when a full delivery from Boydon angled across him, and the his aggressive-looking drive was edged to Horton.Bangladesh’s final pair, however, dug in to give the team some hope of a triple-digit score. Naimur Rohman made 11 and the No. 11 Ripon Mondol swung his bat around to crack five fours and a six to make 33. Their partnership of 46 runs pushed Bangladesh to 97 for 9 before Rohman pulled right-arm offspinner Tom Prest to a diving James Rew at midwicket.England’s unbeaten duo of William Luxton and James Rew walk back after the win•ICC via Getty

England’s openers were in no hurry to chase the target of 98 down, looking to settle in before opening their arms. In search of wickets, Rakibul rotated his bowling options to find that opening breakthrough, and it came in the ninth over from second-change bowler Mondol when opener George Thomas mistimed a pull to midwicket.Prest, the England captain, then walked in at No. 3 with the score 20 for 1, but he didn’t last long. After taking 15 balls to score four runs, he got tempted to cut one square with a half-tracker from Rakibul, but ended up getting a thick edge to wicketkeeper Mollah. With England at 26 for 2, and Bangladesh lifted following two quick wickets, there was still a chance for the defending champions to make a game of the contest despite the low target.But all those hopes for Bangladesh were dashed by the third-wicket stand between Jacob Bethell and Rew. Despite being in no rush to get his runs, the opener Bethell impressed with his strokes, cracking four fours and two sixes. He made 44 in 63 balls, and held one end up, exactly what England needed at the time. However, he was run out responding to a single from Rew.With England on 91 for 3 and needing only seven more to win, Luxton walked in at No. 5 and played a slog sweep over deep midwicket off his very first ball. Rew then knocked off a single, for his 26th run, to seal England’s win with 149 balls to spare.”That’s probably the perfect start,” Prest said after the game. “For our bowlers to get them out for under 100 was very good. In the end, a good toss to lose.”Boydon was really good doing that for us, good at swinging the ball, especially to left-handers. We fielded very well, we were fizzing around. Fielding has been a big focus of ours.””I think as a batting unit we didn’t do well,” Rakibul said. “We want to come back stronger next game with the batting. We had some good batters at the end and they showed great character. If our main batsmen score some runs, then we can surely come back stronger in the next match. Look, for us, two games remain. We need to win two games to cross the line and we need to play our best cricket.”

Virgil van Dijk provided an update on his future at Anfield as the Liverpool captain nears free agency.

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Van Dijk's update on his futureYet to sign new contract at AnfieldSalah & Alexander-Arnold could also leaveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Van Dijk, who is in the final months of his existing contract with Liverpool, is yet to agree to sign a new deal and extend his stay at Anfield. had earlier reported that in case the talismanic Dutchman becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, he could head to Barcelona, who are keen on bolstering their backline. Amid rising speculations, the Netherlands star provided an update on his future.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT VAN DIJK SAID

Speaking to the 33-year-old said: "In the coming months we just have to give it our all. We are still active on three fronts and that is the primary goal I have in mind. I have very, very big plans in that area.

"Unfortunately I can't talk about personal conversations I have with the club. We've been talking for a while and the only thing I can say now is that I love this club. I'm very calm about the situation. As long as I'm calm about it, the fans can be too. If there's news, you'll hear about it. For now, I really don't know where I will be playing next season, but again: I am calm about it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Along with Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also nearing free agency. The Reds will have to initiate contract talks in the next couple of months to stop their stars from leaving for free. While Alexander-Arnold is linked with a move to Real Madrid, Salah could finally complete his much-hyped move to Saudi Arabia.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

The Merseyside club, who have won just one out of their last three Premier League matches, will be next seen in action on Sunday as they host reigning champions Manchester City at Anfield.

Perth Test still on the cards with plans being still worked through between CA and the Western Australian government

Alex Malcolm18-Nov-2021

Signs are looking promising for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG•Getty Images

There could be 100,000 people at the MCG on Boxing Day after the Victorian government announced all Covid crowd restrictions would be lifted on Thursday following the state reaching its vaccination targets.Victoria’s vaccination rates for people over the age of 12 are about to reach the 90% mark. The state government had previously stated that crowds of upto 80,000 would be allowed at the MCG for the third Ashes Test on Boxing Day.But with the vaccination rates reaching 90%, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews declared that there would be no limits on the number of people who could go to the MCG on Boxing Day.”There are no more caps, there are no more quotients, no more rules in terms of how many people can be in different spaces,” Andrews said in Melbourne on Thursday.”Whether it’s 100,000 at the MCG on Boxing Day or a smaller group standing up at the public bar of their local pub having a beer, this is the COVID normal that every Victorian has built.”People will need to be fully vaccinated in order to gain entry into the MCG for the Test match.But Western Australia’s border remains closed to NSW and Victoria and to internationals due to WA’s slower vaccination rates and the Perth Test remains a work in progress. The WA government has declared its intention to host the Perth Test but conversations are still ongoing between WA Health, WA Police and Cricket Australia.CA chief executive Nick Hockley told 3AW on Wednesday that he was confident the fifth Ashes Test was still on track to be played in Perth.”There’s still a fair amount of detail to be worked through,” Hockley said. “We’re doing that as the moment as a priority.”The arrangements that will be put in place, they are very complicated, there’s a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.”We’re not quite there yet in finalising all the plans but certainly making a huge amount of progress. Certainly, we’re working towards it happening.”

يستعد منتخب مصر، لخوض مواجهة قوية مساء اليوم الأحد أمام جنوب إفريقيا، ضمن تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين.

منتخب مصر يلاقي نظيره جنوب إفريقيا، على استاد هيئة قناة السويس بالإسماعيلية، في لقاء الإياب ضمن التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين.

وكانت مباراة الذهاب بين مصر وجنوب إفريقيا، التي أقيمت الأحد الماضي في جنوب إفريقيا، انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.

طالع أيضاً.. طريق مصر | منتخب مالاوي يفوز على جزر القمر ويتأهل إلى المرحلة الثانية من تصفيات أمم إفريقيا للمحليين

ومن المقرر أن يلاقي الفائز من مجموع مباراتي مصر وجنوب إفريقيا المتأهل من جزر القمر ومالاوي في المرحلة الثانية من التصفيات.

وتقام بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين، خلال شهر أغسطس المقبل 2025، في 3 دول بشكل مشترك، كينيا وتنزانيا وأوغندا. موعد مباراة مصر وجنوب إفريقيا في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين

المباراة تقام اليوم الأحد في تمام الساعة التاسعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، العاشرة والنصف بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وجنوب إفريقيا اليوم

تُنقل المباراة عبر قناة أون سبورت 1.

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