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“The way we’re playing at the moment, on our day we can we can still beat a good team,” van Beek says ahead of game against Australia

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Oct-20234:33

Van Beek: ‘We’re very much in the now and what happens in the future’

“It’s the hot question at the moment – how do we ride this momentum and actually put structures in place in the Netherlands so that this run that we’re having can be sustainable.”This is Netherlands allrounder Logan van Beek, wondering how cricket can become a serious sport in his country. Not merely one that has serious money attached to it, which would allow Netherlands players to train year-round, but gets taken seriously by the wider populace too, and not seen as a quaint oddity.”I watched a Dutch sports show this morning and they were talking about cricket and laughing about how it’s pretty similar to a nine-to-five job because of how long it takes, and they were making a few other jokes,” van Beek said ahead of Netherlands’ next World Cup game, against Australia. “I hope that after another couple of wins, they can almost stop joking about cricket in the Netherlands and they start talking seriously about how this is actually one of our best sports teams in the country.Related

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“So that’s our aim: to inspire the next generation but also to change the narrative within Netherlands around [how] we’re actually one of the better Netherlands sporting outfits.”Netherlands have already scored an upset win over South Africa, and also tested Sri Lanka, who had had them 91 for 6 before van Beek was involved in a 130-run seventh-wicket stand with Sybrand Engelbrecht. The chase of 263 was far from straightforward for Sri Lanka, who lost five wickets and got home only in the penultimate over.Van Beek, who plays domestic cricket in New Zealand as well as in England, hoped that competing against these much-better-resourced teams would raise the profile of Dutch cricket and lead to greater professionalism.”So, there’s the attention we’re getting through our performances – through the style we’re playing. Hopefully, there’s more investment into the game from a local point of view, but also international sponsors want to get behind the Netherlands team,” he said. “And that’s all going to kind of have a flow-on effect and result in more contracts, better facilities, more resources, more coaching.”I look at how New Zealand were 20 years ago. Professional cricket actually started around 2000. And see where New Zealand are right now, and the way they play and the way they go about it. We’ve got in the Netherlands just as many players, and I can’t see why in the next five to ten years we can start being more consistent on the world stage.”4:13

Campbell: ‘Netherlands were sick of just competing, they are hungry to win’

Perhaps, van Beek said, the exposure Dutch players receive from competing in the World Cup will also make them more attractive to T20 franchises around the world.”This year, I played T20 at Worcester, and played the [World Cup] qualifiers and I also play in Wellington,” he said. “So, even at a smaller scale, I’ve played in four different leagues. Just that experience from all those different leagues – playing with different players and learning off them and then bringing it back to the Netherlands side only strengthens the team. So, I hope that there’s a number of players from this tournament that will be able to play three or four leagues a year.”Netherlands play Australia on Wednesday – their fifth match of the World Cup. They have only won one and lost three so far, but van Beek is adamant they can still make a charge for the knockouts.”We’ve come here to reach the semi-finals,” he said. “That’s our goal. It’s been pretty clear throughout the whole preparation phase. And the South African win just gave us that extra belief that the way we’re playing at the moment, on our day we can we can still beat a good team.”

Florian Wirtz's journey to Liverpool is backed by belief, ambition and raw talent plus a bold personal mission: becoming the best player in the world.

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Wirtz set sights on becoming world’s best playerFormer Leverkusen scout says he's a generational talentLiverpool move met with total confidence by insidersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wirtz, one of Germany’s brightest footballing stars, has officially joined Liverpool in a £116 million ($156m) deal after a standout spell at Bayer Leverkusen. The move has generated major buzz and one of the men who helped bring him to the BayArena believes he has all the makings of a Premier League star.

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The attacking midfielder played a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning season, impressing with his vision, control, and maturity on the ball. He finished the recent campaign with 16 goals and 15 assists. Now, he continues his career at Anfield, where he’ll be expected to make an immediate impact and eventually lead the midfield into a new era.

WHAT TIM STEIDTEN SAID

Tim Steidten, the former head of scouting at Bayer Leverkusen, recalls how obvious Wirtz’s talent was early on: "There are players you have to scout intensively, and then there are players for whom that's not necessary. If we hadn't known Wirtz as a Koln player back then, it would have been a huge mistake… If you get the opportunity to sign him, you have to do it as a club. Simon [Rolfes, director of sport] and I flew to Portugal because the German Under-16 team played there with Florian. But we actually only flew there to get one last impression of the player. After that, it wasn't a big consideration. He's just a player you don't have to scout – you just have to get him when you get the chance.

"Many people ask me whether he'll make it [at Liverpool]. For me, there's no question about it. My answer is always clear: no question. As far as his footballing abilities go, there's no need to even discuss it. But on a human level, he also has an absolute will to continue developing. I remember our first conversation with him in Simon Rolfes' office well – his parents were there too. Simon asked him: 'Where do you want to go, what do you want to achieve?' And Florian replied: 'I want to become the best player in the world.' There are players from whom you don't immediately believe such a statement. But we immediately believed Florian – and he immediately demonstrated his ambition."

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The German midfielder will now look to integrate quickly into Liverpool’s preseason setup, aiming to earn a starting role under Arne Slot. The club sees him as a long-term pillar of their midfield alongside the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Former Lyon chief John Textor has labelled himself an 'agent of change' as he slammed French football's 'corrupt' governance and watchdog decisions.

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Lyon won its appeal and has been reinstated to Ligue 1Textor criticises the DNCG's decision-making processCrystal Palace's Europa League spot now at riskFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The seven-time French champions have successfully appealed their provisional relegation and have been reinstated to Ligue 1 for the upcoming season. This decision by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG), followed the club's demotion at the end of last season. Textor, whose Eagle Football Holdings owns a majority share in Lyon, had previously resigned from the club's board following the initial relegation, and has criticised the DNCG's decision process as "very subjective" and "not black and white."

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Textor questioned how a financially sound club like Lyon, with significant cash on hand and projected future revenue, could be relegated for sustainability. The Eagle group owner contrasted the DNCG's approach with UEFA's extremely professional sustainability review, which Lyon passed in the same week. Textor further accused the DNCG of being "very subjective," alleging they arbitrarily discounted substantial revenues such as player transfers and multi-club cash flows from Botafogo, claiming the DNCG would effectively count player revenues and transfer revenues as zero.

WHAT TEXTOR SAID

In a conversation with , When asked if he was the reason for Lyon's initial sanctions, Textor said: "I think I'm very much the issue."

The American businessman elaborated on his role, stating: "I'm attempting to be an agent of change. I think the governance in France is not working. We're trying to bring a Premier League model in which every club has a vote. It hasn't been done that way previously. The league is constantly being accused of corruption. There was just a claim against the president."

Textor further went on to criticise the DNCG: "The French Football Federation is trying to take over, which is a huge mistake. And I show up and we have a bunch of panels and I say I'm literally challenging the existence of the DNCG and whether or not they should exist. So if I'm talking about a new model, a reformist model where there is no DNCG but there are black and white rules like we have in the Premier League, I'm probably not the best guy to go in front of that same DNCG and ask their support. So yes, the problem is me."

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Lyon's reinstatement to Ligue 1 clears the path for the club to participate in the Europa League next season. However, this decision has significant ramifications for Crystal Palace. Due to UEFA's multi-club ownership rules, Crystal Palace, despite winning the FA Cup and Textor selling his shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, will likely be demoted to the Conference League. The Eagles will most certainly appeal should they be denied their first European campaign.

The South Africa captain ran a couple of laps around the Eden Gardens outfield, before doing some shuttle runs

Firdose Moonda13-Nov-20231:00

Firdose Moonda’s update on Temba Bavuma’s fitness from Kolkata

Three days before their World Cup semi-final against Australia, South Africa were given a potential boost, as their captain Temba Bavuma took full part in an optional training session, at Eden Gardens, on Monday.Bavuma ran a couple of laps around the outfield, before doing some fitness drills under the watchful eye of the team physiotherapist Sizwe Hadebe and the strength and conditioning coach Runeshan Moodley. He then proceeded to do some shuttle runs, increasing the pace with each lap, and then moved to running drills as he moved forward and backwards. While Bavuma occasionally looked uncomfortable and bent over with his hand on his sides, he did not appear to be at any unease while running. The South Africa captain was seen with a bit of a strapping on his thigh.Later in the session, Bavuma padded up and shadow batted with a stump before having a lengthy conversation with coach Rob Walter. After watching Rassie van der Dussen for a while, Bavuma then padded up and went into a net, where he spent around 50 minutes batting. He even advanced down the track to hit a few balls.Related

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“Temba’s right hamstring strain has shown good objective signs of improvement over the last 72 hours,” said a statement from the South African medical team. ” We will continuously assess his progress through the management plan over the next few days towards giving him the best chance to play on Thursday.” They also clarified that the work Bavuma was putting in on Monday was not for a fitness test but merely “part of the rehabilitation strategies of the recovery plan.”Bavuma had suffered a hamstring injury during South Africa’s league game against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad last week. He left the field after nine balls of the first innings, and returned four overs later but limped as he fielded – mostly at mid-off. He chased balls gingerly and hobbled as he jogged to talk to his bowlers but did not go off again, with his role as opening batter in mind. Had Bavuma spent significant time off the field, he would have only been allowed to bat after the same amount of time had elapsed or until at least five batters had been dismissed, which he did not want to do as he searches for form. To date, Bavuma has a top score of 35 at the tournament, and scored 23 against Afghanistan.CSA had said on Sunday that Bavuma had “shown an improvement” overnight, and that he had not been sent for scans, but did not give an official update on his current condition.If Bavuma is unable to play the semi-final, Aiden Markram is likely to captain South Africa – as he did when Bavuma missed the England and Bangladesh games with illness – while Reeza Hendricks could open the batting.

After losing to Sydney Sixers they were straight on a plane to Perth for Tuesday’s Eliminator final

Andrew McGlashan26-Nov-2023Sydney Sixers 126 for 1 (Perry 82*) beat Sydney Thunder 123 (Knight 38, Litchfield 34, Gardner 4-26) by nine-wicketsSydney Thunder were left having to undertake a hasty cross-country journey in their bid to reach the WBBL final after falling to defeat against local rivals Sixers at the SCG.Victory would have secured Thunder a home Challenger final on Wednesday, but instead they will have to take the long route to the final – in every sense – after Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 82 secured a comfortable nine-wicket win.Thunder will now face Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator on Tuesday at the WACA before the winner backs up against Perth Scorchers a day later in a bid to play Adelaide Strikers in next Saturday’s final.Such is the condensed nature of schedule, the Thunder players boarded a coach to the airport immediately after the Sixers match concluded to catch a five-hour flight to Perth and ensure they had a day to prepare in the city on Monday.Thunder’s regular season has stuttered to a conclusion after they were well placed to push for top spot a couple of weeks ago. Instead, five defeats in their last six games has seen them cling onto fourth place meaning they (and Heat) will have to win three matches to take the title.”It’s frustrating, there was that real carrot of staying in Sydney and having a home semi-final,” Thunder captain Heather Knight said. “But, I’ve just said to the girls now, if you’d said at the start of the year that we were going to make finals after winning just [five] games in two years we’d have taken it.”We are obviously going to have to do things the hard way now with a flight over there and win three games to try and win it. We’ve got to park what happened in the back of the group stages and move on.”Against Sixers, in front of a crowd of 7118 to complete the three days of matches at major stadiums, a batting collapse proved costly as Thunder lost their last eight wickets for 39 including the last five in the space of 11 balls.Although the tempo hadn’t been high, Chamari Athapaththu and Phoebe Litchfield had laid a foundation only for the innings to crumble after they fell. Litchfield was going along nicely when she rifled a drive to mid-off which was well held by Suzie Bates.From there, wickets tumbled against Sixers’ spin duo of Ashleigh Gardner and Linsey Smith while three run outs added to their problems. Knight attempted to hold the innings together with a run-a-ball 38.Thunder thought they had broken through early when Sam Bates had Suzie Bates lbw, but DRS showed there had been a thin bottom edge on the sweep.From there an opening stand of 59, dominated by Perry, set the base for the chase before Bates fell to a brilliant leg-side stumping by Tahlia Wilson. But Perry eased to a 44-ball fifty and finished the game in a rush of boundaries leaving Thunder to collect their already-packed bags and head straight to the airport.