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Captain leads fight in the follow-on as Kent reach close with nine wickets still standing

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2021Kent 169 (Crawley 60, Bailey 4-46) and 209 for 1 (Bell-Drummond 108*, Cox 80) trail Lancashire 525 (Lamb 125, Wood 119, Bohannon 87, Vilas 53) by 147 runsA century from captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has given Kent a fighting chance of a draw against Lancashire, steering them to 209 for 1 in their second innings in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury.The hosts still trail by 147 at the end of day three, but a heavy defeat had looked likely after they slumped to 169 all out in their first innings. Tom Bailey took four for 46 and Luke Wood three for 38 to give Lancashire a lead of 356, but after enforcing the follow on the visitors were frustrated for the final two sessions.Bell-Drummond hit 108 not out and Jordan Cox made 80 in a stand of 176 for the opening wicket that helped take the Group Three fixture to a fourth day.Kent were 85 for four overnight and their worst case scenario occurred when Bailey had Zak Crawley caught behind for 60 off the first ball of the day.Related

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They resisted well for the next hour, until the introduction of Matt Parkinson, who had Heino Kuhn caught by Rob Jones at square leg for 21 in his first over, after a miscued sweep.Darren Stevens was out for just one, having already been given a comical reprieve when he top-edged Parkinson to square leg. The ball was in the air for so long Stevens started walking, but he was dropped by Jones, making the fielder the most relieved man in the ground when he was lbw to Parkinson’s next ball.Bailey then removed Ollie Robinson and Fred Klaassen with successive balls, bowling the former for 21 and getting the latter caught by Keaton Jennings at first slip for a golden duck. The final ball of the session saw Miguel Cummins caught by Dane Vilas for 19, attempting to drive Josh Bohannon through extra cover, leaving Matt Milnes not out on 17.However, the contrast between morning and afternoon could hardly have been starker, as Bell-Drummond and Cox batted through to tea, scoring freely to reach 141 for nought despite constant and increasingly frantic appealing.The partnership lasted for over three hours until Parkinson had Cox caught by a diving Jones at cover but it was a fleeting success for Lancashire as Kent continued to resist. Bell-Drummond reached three figures with a single off a full toss from Parkinson and he was joined by Crawley, who was 13 not out at stumps.

Bayern Munich came close to matching their own record set under Pep Guardiola in 2014 during Saturday's win over Heidenheim.

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Bayern made close to 1000 passes vs HeidenheimSecond to Guardiola's record from 10 years backBundesliga leaders won 4-2 in BundesligaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jamal Musiala came off the bench to strike twice as Bayern clinched a 4-2 win over Heidenheim in a Bundesliga clash on Saturday. During the match at Allianz Arena, Vincent Kompany's side played a whopping 988 passes as they came close to matching their record from 10 years back. In the last two decades, only once had the Bavarian club played more than 1000 passes during a Bundesliga clash – against Hertha Berlin under current Manchester City boss Guardiola's tutelage.

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In March 2014, during Guardiola's maiden season in charge of the German giants, the club played 1109 passes as they outclassed Hertha 3-1 courtesy of goals from Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery. Kompany, who spent three seasons playing under the legendary Spanish manager at City, is heavily influenced by his mentor and is trying to implement a similar possession-based style at Bayern.

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The Bundesliga giants remain unbeaten in the league and are now six points clear at the top of the table. Star striker Harry Kane missed Saturday's fixture due to an injury, but the England captain is inching closer towards a return to action.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

Kompany's men will be back in action on Tuesday as they take on Shakhtar Donetsk in a crucial Champions League clash.

It's not been the summer many Arsenal fans were hoping for this year, as while the team have looked good on the pitch, very little has happened off of it.

Mikel Arteta's side produced the best defence in the league last season but scored five goals fewer than Manchester City. Yet, as things stand, Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori is the only addition Edu Gaspar and Co have made to the first team.

That said, there are still a couple of weeks to go until the transfer window slams shut, and so far, the club have been linked to several strikers this summer, from Napoli's Victor Osimhen to Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres.

However, there was another exciting centre-forward touted for a move to the club earlier in the window, an international who's been compared to Gyokeres and would surely help supercharge Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal's striker search

Of all the goalscorers who have been linked with moves to Arsenal so far this year, Gyokeres has probably been the most prominent.

The stories started coming back in December last year but began to pick up steam in March before becoming impossible to ignore in June.

However, it's now looking unlikely that the former Coventry City ace will be moving to North London this month, with it becoming clear that Sporting are unwilling to budge on their £86m valuation of the player.

That said, while this is far from ideal for the Gunners, they were linked with a striker earlier in the window who'd almost certainly be cheaper and has been compared to the Sporting ace before, Santiago Gimenez.

The Mexican international was touted for a switch to the Emirates from Feyenoord last month for a fee of potentially €50m, which converts to about £43m. Now, the 23-year-old marksman is an exciting prospect regardless of outside comparisons, but interestingly, he has been compared to Gyokeres by FBref.

They compared players in similar positions across the next best 14 competitions over the last 365 days and then created a list of the ten most comparable players for each position. In this case, they concluded that the Swedish ace is the fifth most similar forward to the Feyenoord star.

You can see the similarities best when looking at some of their underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including but not limited to non-penalty goals plus assists, goals per shot and goals per shot on target, progressive passes and passes into the penalty area.

Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

1.03

1.05

Goals per Shot

0.20

0.22

Goals per Shot on Target

0.43

0.45

Progressive Passes

1.41

1.57

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.49

0.59

However, away from what makes him similar to the Sporting ace, the Buenos Aires-born star would be an excellent signing for Arsenal, and in particular, he'd be great for Saka.

Why Gimenez would be incredible for Saka

So, there is one overriding reason why the former Cruz Azul ace would make an excellent teammate for Saka, and it's the same reason he'd be great for the Gunners overall: his output.

The North Londoners' number seven was exceptional last season, racking up an outrageous tally of 20 goals and 14 assists in 47 games, and he did it without a consistent striker to the left of him, which is where Gimenez comes in.

For example, in his 41 appearances for Feyenoord last season, he scored a mammoth 26 goals and provided eight assists to boot, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.20 games.

Appearances

41

51

36

Goals

26

14

8

Assists

8

7

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.82

0.41

0.44

In contrast, Kai Havertz racked up 21 goals and assists in 51 appearances, while Gabriel Jesus managed 16 in 36, equating to an average for the German of a goal involvement once every 2.42 games and an average of one every 2.25 games for the Brazilian.

Now, you have to consider the league in which they play, but even if the "unstoppable" Mexican, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, saw his productivity drop slightly, there's a good chance he'll continue outperforming Arsenal's current striking options. Therefore, he'd be able to put away more of the chances created for him by Saka, thus helping boost his assist tally as well.

Ultimately, time is running out to bring in a new goalscoring centre-forward this summer, and if Gimenez is available for around £43m, then Edu and Co should do what they can to bring him in, as he could help fire the club to the title and supercharge Hale End's favourite son at the same time.

Arsenal hit gold on "sensational" signing who's worth way more than Merino

The versatile pro has a big campaign ahead of him this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 16, 2024

Roy Keane has delivered a brutal verdict on Marcus Rashford and sent a strong warning to the Manchester United star amid talk of a potential exit.

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Rashford dropped from the squad vs Man CityForward confirms he wants a new challengeKeane believes Rashford has "lost his hunger"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford has fuelled speculation about his future after admitting he is ready for a “new challenge" as the 27-year-old striker suggested his departure from Old Trafford is more a matter of 'when' than 'if.' The comments came shortly after Rashford was left out of United’s squad for the Manchester derby by new manager Ruben Amorim.

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Rashford’s on-field performances have waned recently, a stark contrast to his earlier days when he exploded onto the scene as an 18-year-old. This season, however, he has only netted four goals and provided a single assist in 15 Premier League matches and United's overall struggles, languishing in the lower half of the table, have mirrored his personal dip in form.

WHAT KEANE SAID

Speaking on the podcast, Keane didn’t hold back when discussing Rashford’s remarks about his future.

"I don’t actually mind what he said, although it’s a bit long, but it’s spot on," the former United skipper said.

"Sometimes a deal just works for everybody – it’s been going on for a year or two now. There’s obviously a bit of talent there and he’s been at the club since he was a kid. A change would probably do him a world of good, for him and his team and family to go abroad. My only warning for players like that – he [Marcus Rashford] has all those traits as a footballer. If you lose that hunger, it’s hard to get it back. We know that for great players, it’s nothing to do with money – it’s about the next challenge and your pride."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Keane further speculated that Rashford's off-field distractions might be affecting his game.

"Marcus seems to have lost his way, and he’s lost his hunger," continued Keane. "We’ve mentioned watches and all the stuff off the field, and if he’s a bit distracted by that, it might be hard to get it back. He might get it back with a change of club and scenery, but I don’t think he’ll get the hunger back at United."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar named vice-captain, Chetan Sakariya and Nitish Rana among new faces in the mix

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jun-20218:17

Sanjay Manjrekar: Dhawan rewarded with captaincy after longevity in white-ball cricket

Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, K Gowtham and Chetan Sakariya have all received maiden call-ups to the national team, figuring in the 20-man India squad for the white-ball series in Sri Lanka, scheduled for July. The second-string squad – the main team will be in England at the time – will be captained by opening batter Shikhar Dhawan, who has never led India previously, and have fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the vice-captain.India’s Sri Lanka tour comprises six matches: three ODIs (on July 13, 16 and 18), followed by three T20Is (July 21, 23, 25). Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been confirmed as the head coach for the tour, although the BCCI did not announce the entire roster of support staff on Thursday when it made public details of the squad, which will have five reserve bowlers.India will have to field a team in Sri Lanka shorn of its premier players because the main squad, captained by Virat Kohli, is currently in England getting ready for the inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand (June 18 onwards), followed by a five-Test series against England starting in August. That makes this the first instance of two senior Indian men’s teams operating simultaneously in bilateral series.It is no surprise that four of the five uncapped players – Gowtham the exception – all made strong impressions in the last two seasons of the IPL. Padikkal and Gaikwad have been successful as openers at the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings respectively, while Rana has been a regular in the top order at the Kolkata Knight Riders for a few seasons, and pacer Sakariya made an impressive start to his stint with the Rajasthan Royals in the truncated 2021 edition.Padikkal became the first Indian to hit four consecutive List A centuries, while opening for Karnataka during the Indian domestic Vijay Hazare 50-over tournament this year. Padikkal, who made his IPL debut with the Royal Challengers in IPL 2020, has 668 runs in 21 IPL matches at an average of 33.40 and a strike rate of 131.75.ESPNcricinfo LtdGaikwad, who has a healthy average of 47.87 in List A cricket, has scored five half-centuries in 13 IPL matches. As for Rana, the Knight Riders’ regular, he has 13 fifties in the IPL and a total of 1638 runs. He also has three centuries in List A cricket for Delhi in the domestic circuit.Probably the biggest surprise in the squad, though, is Sakariya. The left-arm fast bowler from Saurashtra was bought by the Royals in the auction before the 2021 IPL for INR 1.2 crore (USD 164,000 approx.), which proved to be an inspired investment. Sakariya, 23, has picked up seven wickets in seven IPL matches so far, and his victims include MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and Rana.The India call-up is bound to be a bittersweet moment for Sakariya, who lost his father to Covid-19 immediately after he returned home once the IPL had been suspended indefinitely in early May.For 32-year-old Gowtham, too, the India call-up means a step up from the fringes. He was included as a reserve bowler during the four-match home Test series against England recently and, during that series, he captured the headlines when he became the most expensive uncapped Indian player in the IPL when the Super Kings paid INR 9.25 crore (US$ 1,273,000 approx.) for him, beating bids from the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Knight Riders. In the 2020 IPL, too, Gowtham had bagged a massive sum from the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab), who released him after the season after fielding him in just two matches. Gowtham has 57 wickets in 35 List A matches for Karnataka and has a batting strike rate of 141.26 in List A and 159.24 in T20s respectively.The squad also features spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has been picked for the third time by the selectors since the 2020 IPL. Chakravarthy, who plays for the Knight Riders, had been selected for the T20I series in Australia last year but did not travel because of a shoulder injury, and was again picked for the home T20I series against England earlier this year, but failed to clear the mandatory fitness test.The pair of Shreyas Iyer and T Natarajan were not considered for selection as they are both still recovering from surgeries. Iyer had hurt his shoulder during the ODI series against England and had undergone surgery in April, which had ruled him out of the IPL. Natarajan, who made a fairy-tale debut in Australia in all three formats at the turn of the year, had to abandon the IPL to undergo knee surgery.Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-capt), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan SakariyaNet bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, R Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh

Nottingham Forest have made an offer to sign a 92-career goal striker instead of the heavily linked Santiago Gimenez, according to Sky Sports.

Nottingham Forest searching for late striker signing

The Reds have made a promising start to the Premier League season in what is Nuno Espirito Santo’s first full campaign in charge at the City Ground, and the manager has been backed in the transfer market.

Nottingham Forest signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Elliot Anderson

Newcastle

€41.2m

Nikola Milenkovic

Fiorentina

€14.3m

Ramon Sosa

CA Talleres

€12m

David Carmo

FC Porto

€11m

Jota Silva

Vit. Guimaraes

€7m

Marko Stamenic

Red Star Belgrade

€5.5m

Carlos Miguel

Corinthians

€4m

Eric da Silva Moreira

St Pauli

€1.5m

Alex Moreno

Aston Villa

Loan

So far, Forest have brought in nine new players, spending around £80m in the process. A striker is still wanted before Friday, though, and the club have been heavily linked with a move to sign Feyenoord striker Gimenez prior to the deadline. However, the Mexico international has reportedly rejected a switch to the City Ground, meaning Forest have needed to search for alternative targets.

One of those has been Ajax’s Brian Brobbey, however, an option in the Premier League has now emerged, with Forest making an offer.

Nottingham Forest make Yoane Wissa bid

According to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Nottingham Forest made an offer to sign Brentford forward Yoane Wissa, however, the Bees turned down the proposal from the Reds, which was thought to be worth an initial £15m.

Wissa has arguably gone under the radar with Brentford after joining back in 2021 from FC Lorient, with Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo stealing many of the headlines in recent years.

The DR Congo international, who can play anywhere across the front three, is 27 years of age and has seen his Transfermarkt valuation rocket to a career-high €28m in recent months.

In total, Wissa has scored 92 goals during his career for club and country, 30 of which have come for Brentford in 112 appearances.

He also came in for praise back in 2021 from Thomas Frank after scoring a winner against West Ham, with the manager saying: “When you win a match, a last minute winner, it’s just fantastic. Everything just explodes inside you. He (Wissa) deserves a lot of praise. He started later with his fitness levels because he came late to the club, he worked very hard to get up to speed. It’s very nice to see that he’s scored in Carabao Cup games, scored against Liverpool – all those small bits where he’s getting better and better.”

It remains to be seen if Forest will go back in with an improved offer, as £15m does seem fairly low considering Wissa’s TM valuation along with the fact he still has two years remaining on his Brentford contract.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has explained his European plans for Cole Palmer, with there an option to add the England star to a Conference League squad.

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Playmaker left out of group stage squadBlues have sailed through to last-16Coach wants to manage player workloadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Back in September, as the Blues prepared to open another continental campaign, the decision was taken to leave Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana out of Maresca’s ranks for the group stage of Conference League competition.

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Chelsea’s head coach said at the time of that selection call, with Palmer becoming a talismanic presence at Stamford Bridge: "He had a very busy last year, from City to here, playing many games, then he didn’t come with us on pre-season because he finished quite late [because of Euro 2024]. We are trying to protect the players and give them the right minutes at the right moment."

DID YOU KNOW?

Chelsea have breezed into the Conference League last-16 without the need to call upon Palmer, with maximum points taken from six fixtures. They must now decide whether revisions will be made to their squad heading into the knockout rounds.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT MARESCA SAID

Maresca has told of that poser, with the Italian saying when asked about bringing Palmer in for Thursday night football: "Depends on January. In January we don't want to sell players, but players who are not playing a lot will be a bit unhappy. It depends on what happens in January and then we decide. This competition will be up until March and then we have the FA Cup. The players have to be ready as they are going to play."

Aston Villa are already looking at signing a "faultless" £20 million Premier League player in January, as he considers a mid-season exit.

Nearly £150 million spent during busy summer window at Aston Villa

Club transfer chief Monchi led Villa's charge for new recruits in the summer, with the Champions League outfit spending nearly £150 million on eight major signings in Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene, Cameron Archer, Samuel Illing-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenchea and Ross Barkley.

Coach hails "favourite" Aston Villa gem in "wonderful" ace yet to make his debut

He’s also “very brave” and “very helpful” in defence.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Sep 7, 2024

Villa boss Unai Emery lost key players over the summer, like Douglas Luiz, who bagged 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions last season and played a crucial role during their charge for a fourth-placed finish.

Luiz ended up joining Juventus with both Iling-Junior and Barrenechea coming the other way. PSR concerns meant Emery and Monchi simply had to contemplate these kinds of sales, with star winger Moussa Diaby also sealing a £52 million move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

Aston Villa vs Everton

September 14

Aston Villa vs Wolves

September 21

Ipswich Town vs Aston Villa

September 29

Aston Villa vs Man United

October 6

Fulham vs Aston Villa

October 19

Villa's exit deals, which brought in around £122 million, meant the club managed to register a net spend of just £28 million over the course of the last transfer window. Emery could've made another late signing as well in Lutsharel Geertruida as well, but their proposed deal with Feyenoord was hijacked by RB Leipzig.

In any case, it was still a successful window for Villa, who replaced their departed 2023/2024 stars with real quality, and they weren't afraid to invest in a bid to back Emery for this season.

Aston Villa looking at signing Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior

According to journalist Graeme Bailey and The Boot Room, the Villans already have their sights set on January, with Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior a potential target.

It is believed Villa are one of the few clubs looking at signing Kiwior, as the Poland international considers a mid-season departure from the Emirates Stadium. The 24-year-old, who cost Arsenal around £20 million to sign from Spezia last year, made 20 Premier League appearances under Mikel Arteta last season – impressing in a makeshift left-back role for the most part.

ESPN Chile reporter and Arsenal fan Eduardo Hagn heaped praise on Kiwior even before then, calling him "faultless" in possession after a solid 2022/2023 display against Newcastle United.

The defender was subject to inquiries from many Serie A sides over the summer as well, according to Bailey, with AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma and Bologna all contacting Arsenal over Kiwior's availability.

Banishment of three players leaves tourists in greater disarray after England dominated T20Is

Andrew Miller28-Jun-2021Big pictureWhen the cry went up in the wake of an abject T20I series: “Something must be done about Sri Lanka’s batting”, this probably wasn’t the solution that anyone had envisaged. An evening spent milling about by a bench in Durham’s Market Square for Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka has left the squad in even greater disarray than had been the case after three singularly one-sided encounters in Cardiff and Southampton.Notwithstanding the trio’s lack of substantial contributions in those games, their banishment for the remainder of the tour means that Sri Lanka’s hopes of proving more competitive over 50 overs than 20 would appear to be slim in the extreme.It’s not been a good week for the ECB’s bio-secure protocols – so robust (give or take Jofra Archer’s unscheduled home visit) throughout last summer’s agenda-setting response to the Covid outbreak. Already we’ve had the match referee, Phil Whitticase, test positive for the virus after discharging his duties in the T20Is, while last week’s Edgbaston pitch invasion won’t have done the sport’s lobbying for the return of full crowds many favours.It would be nice to be able to predict a humdinging ODI series to compensate for all the off-field kerfuffle – Tuesday’s match will, after all, be the first 50-over game to have been staged in front of a paying crowd since the emotional scenes at the World Cup final, almost 24 months ago. But in all honesty, the threat of England’s bowling attack, the hunger of their heavy-hitting batters and the timidity of their now-depleted opponents would tend to guard against over-excitement.Related

Positive Covid-19 test among England-Sri Lanka match officials forces changes for ODI series

Avishka Fernando ruled out of England ODIs due to quadriceps tear

Bio-bubble breach: Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella suspended

Rewind those two years, and recall the circumstances in which England last contested an international fixture at the Riverside. It was the final World Cup group game, and a de facto quarter-final for Eoin Morgan’s men following a trio of earlier defeats – including, as a useful reminder not to get too far ahead of ourselves this week, a critical setback against the unfancied Sri Lankans at Headingley.The Durham crowd rose to the occasion then – cheering England on to a thumping victory over New Zealand, with one of their very own, Mark Wood, settling any anxieties with four vital breakthroughs (the first of which came courtesy of his outstretched finger as Kane Williamson was run out at the non-striker’s end). Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett, two other Durham alumni, played their parts as well, as the team was propelled into the semi-finals thanks a very home-grown bowling performance, and the rest thereafter is history.And so here we are. The team is back in its most northern climes, but with the best will in the world, this is not the homecoming that Durham’s organisers had envisaged. Last summer’s rescheduled first T20I against Australia ought to have been the occasion to celebrate the club’s contribution to a famous national victory – but now, Stokes’ recovery from a broken finger means they won’t even get to watch their main man in action. But at least there’s Wood – in tune with his body these days, and all the more ready to bomb in at full tilt again after being rested for Saturday’s match at the Ageas Bowl.There’s another factor set to compete for local attention too. As luck would have it, England versus Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 has been scheduled to kick off at 5pm on Tuesday, which is more or less when the climax of the cricket is intended to take place. The sport has had previous in this regard, of course – at Old Trafford in 2002, Alec Stewart’s century against Sri Lanka was compiled while many of the fans were out on the concourse watching England take on (and beat) Denmark in that summer’s World Cup. England, you suspect, may be extra incentivised to get this contest done and dusted in good time for kick-off.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)England LWLLWSri Lanka WLLLLIn the spotlightEngland’s captain, Eoin Morgan has oodles of credit in the bank in the wake of the World Cup win, but even he will concede he’s not had the greatest time of it of late. His form in T20Is – the version of the game that truly matters right now – has been ropey for some time, with a top-score of 28 in seven innings over the winter, and a strike-rate of 122.05 which won’t set the death overs alight, so these three matches may offer a useful opportunity to get back to some range-hitting form. His mood hasn’t been helped by external matters either, with his implication in the ongoing historical tweets saga, as well as Alex Hales’ irresistible form causing an endless line of questioning on that front.Dushmantha Chameera deserved so much better than to be on the wrong end of a walloping last week. His career-best T20I figures of 4 for 17 were second only to Lasith Malinga among Sri Lankan pace bowlers, which tells one story, although even that doesn’t give the full context of a hugely impressive display – one that began with a restrictive new-ball display as Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan were kept honest in the Powerplay, then blossomed into a run of four wickets for six runs in his final two overs as England’s middle-order were outfoxed by his lithe and whippy pace, and his exceptional arsenal of slower balls. To be fair, there’s not a lot wrong with Sri Lanka’s bowling at present… it’s everything else about their game that is letting them down.Pitch and conditionsThe sun is set to shine, which is the first hurdle cleared. If the venue’s scores for this season’s Vitality Blast are anything to go by, then a high-scoring contest ought to be in store, with Nottinghamshire posting 195 for 5 in their victory last week, but with no team in five completed games yet scoring less than 151.Team newsJason Roy’s tight hamstring is set to keep him sidelined for another game, which means Dawid Malan may get a chance to open once more alongside Jonny Bairstow, after his starring role in the Southampton win. He did play in each of England’s last two ODIs in India – only his second and third caps in the format – and made a half-century in his most recent outing in Pune. Joe Root is back with the white-ball set-up after sitting out the T20Is and will surely feature at No.3, while Liam Livingstone and Sam Billings can expect to be given further game-time in the middle-order, especially in the absence of Jos Buttler – although Moeen Ali is also in the mix. Wood can expect to play in front of his home crowd, while Tom Curran may get a chance to restate his credentials alongside his brother Sam. George Garton, the latest speedster in England’s set-up, might feature at some stage but maybe not yet.England: (possible) 1 Dawid Malan, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone / Moeen Ali, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil RashidChaos in Sri Lanka’s camp, and all manner of upheaval in their batting ranks. Captain Kusal Perera looks set to take on three key roles, opening the batting in Gunathilaka’s absence, and resuming his keeping duties with Dickwella also on a flight home, while Pathum Nissanka is likely to join him at the top given Avishka Fernando’s quadriceps injury – although a highest score to date of 24 in six previous ODIs doesn’t promise riches. In fact, Sri Lanka could be left with a top seven in which four of their batters have played fewer than 10 ODIs. Charith Asalanka could be making his debut.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Kusal Perera (capt, wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Ramesh Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lakshan Sandakan/Binura Fernando, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepStats and trivia England have won eight of their previous 14 ODIs at Chester-le-Street, dating back to their maiden fixture at the venue against West Indies in 2000. Sri Lanka, however, have won both their previous ODIs against England at the ground, by eight wickets in 2006, and by 157 runs in 2014. They also beat West Indies at the 2019 World Cup, but lost to South Africa in the same tournament for a 3-1 overall record. If selected, Joe Root will be playing in his 150th ODI. He currently has 5962 runs at 50.10 in the format.Quotes”We were heavy favourites for that game and we lost, so we can’t drop the ball here. We’ve got to stay on it and make sure that we’re putting in another good performance because they have got some top-class players.”
England fast bowler Mark Wood recalls England’s surprise set-back against Sri Lanka in 2019.“Because we are in a bio-bubble there’s no way we can bring anyone from Sri Lanka. If we lose these players (Mendis, Dickwella, and Gunathilaka) it’ll become a problem for us at selection. We have no choice but to play the younger players.”
Sri Lanka’s captain Kusal Perera

Aston Villa left it late against Wolves, coming back from 1-0 down, to secure a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Matheus Cunha gave Wolves the lead after just 25 minutes, and it took Villa until the 73rd minute to find their breakthrough, with Ollie Watkins scoring his third of the season to make it 1-1.

Villa then managed to continue their momentum, finding two more goals to secure the victory and three points, with both Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran on the scoresheet. This moved Villa up to third in the Premier League, having won four of their opening five games.

But Unai Emery was not happy with his side’s performance, stating “it was the worst we have played” in his interview after the game.

Despite the Spaniards’ disappointment, the Villans secured all three points, and there were some good individual performances.

Watkins and Rogers' performances

Two of Villa’s standout performers were Watkins and Morgan Rogers. Having not scored in his opening three games this season, the former looks bang in form now with the 28-year-old striker on three goals and two assists in his six games played in all competitions.

Rogers has had a stellar start to the new season too, gaining many plaudits, especially for his performance in Villa’s 2-0 loss to Arsenal. However, yesterday was his first two Premier League goal involvements this campaign, getting two assists.

Watkins had minimal involvement outside his goal, only managing 23 touches, eight accurate passes, and 2/5 ground duels. However, the Englishman took his goal well and threatened in and around the box, managing three shots in total, and missing one big chance.

Rogers, on the other hand, was involved in all phases of play, making three key passes, having 50 touches, completing 2/6 dribble attempts, and contesting 14 duels (ground and aerial) throughout the game. All of this to accompany his two assists.

That said, another stalwart deserves praise…

Why Ezri Konsa deserves praise

Konsa, who scored Villa’s second goal to put them ahead in the game, did far more than just scoring the goal, putting in an excellent all-round display for Emery’s side.

The England international won 5/7 ground duels, made two tackles, and completed a seriously impressive 97% of his passes (56/58) during the game.

The 26-year-old has played every minute so far for Villa this season, making six appearances and totalling 540 minutes played.

Goals

0.15

Progressive Carries

0.83

Progressive Passes

3.17

Passes Attempted

50.0

Pass Completion %

93.0%

Passes into Final Third

3.83

Tackles

1.17

Interceptions

0.75

Aerials Won

1.00

The defender is naturally a centre-back, however, under Emery, Konsa played 23 games at right-back last season, and has started once at right-back this season, mainly due to his recovery pace, ability to defend wide spaces, and versatility to become a right centre-back in a back three on the ball.

Konsa is a huge part of the Villa side, both on and off the ball, and he showed that yet again with an imperious performance against Wolves, scoring an extremely important goal to top it off.

Aston Villa have struck gold on £0 signing who could be sold for big profit

He’s been exemplary in the middle of the park under Unai Emery.

ByConnor Holden Sep 20, 2024