Former England Test captain makes rare foray on to global T20 circuit
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2022
Joe Root made three T20 Blast appearances for Yorkshire in 2022•Getty Images
Joe Root has been signed to play in the International League T20 for Dubai Capitals in January and February. Root, who was left out of the England ODI squad for South Africa announced earlier on Thursday, will be making only his second appearance in an overseas T20 league.England’s leading Test batter, Root has not been involved with the T20I side since 2019 but has made no secret of his desire to continue developing his game in the shortest format. He is on the list for Friday’s IPL auction and the link with Capitals – part of the franchise run by Delhi Capitals joint-owners, GMR Group – will not hurt his chances of being picked up.Root remains a key part of England’s ODI set-up but has been granted some time off the international treadmill ahead of the Test team’s tour of New Zealand in February.
He confirmed his involvement in the IPL auction last month, having previously gone unsold in 2018. Root’s T20 opportunities have been limited in recent years, in part because of the demands of the Test captaincy that he held between 2017 and 2022, with only a BBL stint with Sydney Sixer in 2018-19 to go alongside occasional appearances for Yorkshire and Trent Rockets in the Hundred.Having helped England to the final of the 2016 World T20, scoring an audacious 83 off 44 in a record run chase against South Africa during the group stage, Root fell out of contention due to the rise of Dawid Malan, who plays a similar anchor role in the top order. His last T20I came against Pakistan at Cardiff in the lead-up to the 2019 50-over World Cup.Dubai Capitals announced earlier this week that they had signed former India internationals Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan, and the squad, which will be coached by Phil Simmons, includes current players such as Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen and Sikandar Raza, as well as another Englishman in Dan Lawrence.
O Palmeiras venceu o Cerro Porteño, nesta quarta-feira por 5 a 0, e confirmou sua vaga nas quartas de final da Libertadores. Mas não foi isso, o Verdão também registrou mais um recorde na competição continental e segue fazendo história nesta edição de 2022 do torneio. Agora a marca é de mais vitórias consecutivas, com nove até aqui.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasRony marca de bicicleta, Palmeiras goleia o Cerro e confirma vaga nas quartas da LibertadoresPalmeiras06/07/2022
GALERIA > Relembre a invencibilidade fora de casa do Palmeiras na Liberta
TABELA > Veja classificação e simulador da Libertadores-2022 clicando aqui
> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!
Na verdade, o Alviverde já era o recordista nesse quesito na Libertadores. No entanto, dividia a marca com o Peñarol-URU de 1966, e com o Vasco de 2001, com oito triunfos seguidos cada um, mesmo número que o atual elenco palmeirense atingiu na última quarta-feira, no jogo de ida das oitavas de final da competição.
Com mais essa vitória sobre o Cerro, o Palmeiras passa a ter o recorde de forma isolada, com nove triunfos consecutivos na Libertadores, torneio no qual já tem escrito seu nome com letras garrafais. Trata-se de mais um feito para deixar esse time histórico ainda mais entre os maiores de todos os tempos.
Vale lembrar que essa série teve início na final da edição do ano passado, quando o Alviverde bateu o Flamengo por 2 a 1, na prorrogação. De lá para cá foram oito jogos e oito vitórias na edição 2022 da Libertadores: seis na fase de grupos, em que teve a melhor campanha e o melhor ataque da história, e dois nas oitavas de final, ao bater o Cerro Porteño, dentro e fora de casa no mata-mata.
Um recorde que já era 100% palmeirense é o de invencibilidade como visitante. São 19 jogos seguidos sem saber o que é ser derrotado na casa do adversário na Libertadores. A última vez que isso aconteceu foi em abril de 2019, quando foi batido pelo San Lorenzo por 1 a 0. De lá para cá são 14 vitórias e cinco empates. Isso sem contar as duas finais em campo neutro, disputadas também fora de casa, o que ampliaria o recorde para 21 duelos sem perder.
O Verdão ainda busca um outro recorde, que é o de maior sequência invicta na Libertadores. Atualmente o dono da marca é o Atlético-MG, que ficou 18 partidas sem perder na competição continental. O Alviverde chegou ao 16º jogo seguido sem derrota e precisa de mais dois para igualar o Galo, que teve sua série interrompida neste ano.
Entre os brasileiros, o Palmeiras domina as principais estatísticas da Liberta: mais vezes campeão (três títulos), mais finais disputadas (seis), mais edições disputadas (22), mais edições disputadas consecutivamente (7), mais jogos (218), mais vitórias (125), mais vitórias como mandante (75), mais vitórias como visitante (48), mais vitórias fora do Brasil (44), mais gols (425), mais gols como mandante (251), mais gols como visitante (171) e mais gols fora do Brasil (145).
أعلن نادي توتنهام هوتسبير، تعاقده مع توماس فرانك، مديرًا فنيًا جديدًا للفريق الأول لكرة القدم، خلفًا للأسترالي آنجي بوستيكوجلو حتى عام 2028.
ورحل آنجي بوستيكوجلو، عن الفريق الإنجليزي بعدما توج ببطولة الدوري الأوروبي على حساب غريمه مانشستر يونايتد بهدف نظيف في النهائي الذي لُعب على ملعب “سان ماميس”.
وأنهى توتنهام موسمه بالمركز الـ 17 في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لكنه سيشارك في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا بفضل تتويجه بالدوري الأوروبي.
اقرأ أيضًا | موعد مباراة السوبر الأوروبي بين باريس سان جيرمان وتوتنهام
ونشر نادي توتنهام بيانًا عبر موقعه الرسمي: “يسعدنا أن نعلن عن تعيين توماس فرانك كمدرب رئيسي جديد لنا بموجب عقد يستمر حتى عام 2028”.
وأكمل: “ويملك توماس فرانك، خبرة واسعة في كرة القدم الإنجليزية، إذ انضم إلى برينتفورد عام 2016، ليصبح بذلك أحد أقدم المدربين الحاليين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.
وأردف: “خلال فترة عمله مع برينتفورد، تحول النادي، وصعد به من دوري الدرجة الأولى إلى فريق قوي بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، متجاوزًا التوقعات باستمرار وبشكل ملحوظ لفترة طويلة”.
واستطرد: “نُعين توماس واحدًا من أكثر المدربين المتطورين والمبتكرين في عالم كرة القدم، يتمتع بسجل حافل في تطوير اللاعبين والفرق، ونتطلع إلى قيادته للفريق استعدادًا للموسم المقبل”.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028.
Welcome, Thomas! 🤍 — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 12, 2025
Celtic progressed through to the last four of the SFA Cup on Sunday after they claimed a 2-0 victory over Hibernian in the quarter-final clash at Parkhead.
Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah found the back of the net in either half to secure the victory for the Hoops, who are in search of a domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers.
The Bhoys are 16 points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race and won the League Cup earlier this term, which means that they are, essentially, only the SFA Cup away from clinching all three trophies.
Idah, as you can see in the clip above, made certain of the victory on Sunday with his flicked finish from close range after he came off the bench in the second half.
There was also yet another goal for Celtic’s Japanese dynamo at the top end of the pitch, as Maeda scored his fifth goal in three SFA Cup appearances this term.
Daizen Maeda's goalscoring form this season
The Japan international has racked up a staggering 27 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants so far this season, as he closes in on his first 30-goal season in a Celtic shirt.
His improvement at the top end of the pitch has been a joy to watch from a Hoops perspective this term, after his return of just ten goals and four assists in 36 matches in the 2023/24 campaign.
Maeda has already scored more than twice as many goals as he managed last season and has proven himself to be a reliable presence for Rodgers in the final third, whether he has operated on the left flank or in the middle as a centre-forward.
The 27-year-old star, who is currently valued at £6.7m by Transfermarkt, has vastly improved his output in front of goal in the Premiership, after he only managed a return of six goals in the top-flight last term.
Daizen Maeda (Premiership)
23/24
24/25
Appearances
28
26
Goals
6
12
Goals per 90
0.3
0.6
Big chances created
5
8
Assists
3
7
Key passes
15
32
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Maeda has played two fewer league games than he did last season, but has already scored more goals, created more ‘big chances’, and recorded more assists.
This shows that Rodgers has got the best out of the Japan international and helped him to be more ruthless and creative at the top end of the pitch, which speaks to the player’s desire to improve and the manager’s ability to develop his squad.
The Northern Irish head coach also helped Matt O’Riley to explode as a goalscoring threat after he arrived at Parkhead in the summer of 2023.
O’Riley scored three goals in 38 league matches under Ange Postecoglou in the 2022/23 campaign, before racking up an exceptional 18 goals in 37 Premiership matches from midfield under Rodgers last season.
The former Liverpool and Leicester boss knows how to unlock the goalscoring touch for his players and he may already have his next project, his next Maeda and O’Riley, brewing in Hyun-jun Yang.
Hyun-jun Yang's Celtic potential
The South Korean youngster came off the bench against Hibernian and got himself into a good position to score for the Hoops, but scuffed his effort and failed to find the back of the net.
Chalkboard
67HailHail described him as a ‘supersub’, handing him a rating of 6/10 for his cameo, and it has been clear to see the improvement in his play in the final third this season, even if he did not take his opportunity to score on Sunday.
Celtic winger Hyun-jun Yang.
The 22-year-old, who arrived from Gangwon in the summer of 2023 for just £2m, endured a fairly difficult first season in Glasgow, but has adjusted to football and life in Scotland brilliantly now.
Yang racked up just one goal and three assists in his 31 appearances in all competitions for the Premiership giants, which is far from an impressive return for a winger who is expected to contribute at the top end of the pitch.
Hyun-jun Yang (Celtic)
23/24
24/25
Appearances
31
27
Minutes
1,278
1,041
Goals
1
5
Assists
3
6
Minutes per goal/assist
320
95
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the South Korea international’s form has vastly improved in the current campaign, after having a year to settle in, as he has racked up 11 goal contributions in 27 matches.
A goal or an assist every 95 minutes is a mind-blowing improvement on his return of one every 320 minutes in the 2023/24 campaign and shows that the young attacker is heading in the right direction.
It shows that Rodgers and his coaching team have done a terrific job with him on the training pitch over the last 18 months or so, whilst also showing that Yang is determined to improve and develop as a player by working hard and taking his opportunities when they come.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph described the forward as a “raw” player with “real potential” last month, which is a good way to sum up where he is at in his Celtic career right now.
Yang is behind the likes of Nicolas Kuhn, Jota, and Maeda in the wide areas but he still has plenty of time on his hands, at the age of 22, and his statistics show that the winger is heading in the right direction.
Yang
Rodgers has shown, with Maeda and O’Riley, that he can improve attackers and knows when and when not to unleash them at the right times, which is why patience is required with Yang.
It may not happen this season, or even next season, but if the Hoops are patient and allow the South Korean gem the time he needs to develop and thrive at Parkhead, the club could have their next attacking sensation on their hands.
Worth more than Tierney: Celtic must regret losing "amazing" star for £0
The former Celtic youngster is now worth even more than Kieran Tierney.
1 ByDan Emery Mar 10, 2025
Of course, it is now down to Yang to continue on his path of improvement and ensure that he takes his chances when they come his way, so that Rodgers can trust him in important moments and matches moving forward.
Na última quarta-feira, Nikão fez o que pode ser considerado uma das suas melhores partidas vestindo a camisa do São Paulo. Anunciado como um dos reforços que chegou no começo deste ano, o camisa 10 ainda não havia “desencantado” na equipe.
RelacionadasSão PauloAniversariante do dia, Diego Costa é eleito o ‘jogador de junho’ pelos sócios do São PauloSão Paulo21/07/2022São PauloPor conta da Copa do Brasil, CBF altera data de clássico entre Santos e São PauloSão Paulo21/07/2022São PauloSTJD denuncia São Paulo por supostos atos racistas de torcedores em jogo contra o FluminenseSão Paulo21/07/2022
Galeria >ATUAÇÕES: Em noite péssima de Thiago Couto e do setor defensivo, Nikão desencanta em empate do São Paulo
Tabela > Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro e simule os próximos jogos
Contra o Internacional, no empate por 3 a 3, o jogador voltou a atuar como titular na equipe, após quase dois meses, e balançou as redes duas vezes. Nesta temporada, até então, só havia marcado um gol pelo Tricolor paulista, contra o Cuiabá, em maio.
No Beira-Rio, Nikão atuou em um posicionamento um pouco diferente do que costuma jogar. O jogador estreou como um “centroavante”, e dialogou no ataque junto a Luciano.
Sua atuação contra o Internacional relembrou alguns dos momentos que passou no Athletico-PR, a última equipe onde teve passagem antes de migrar para o clube do Morumbi – e onde guardou uma trajetória memorável.
No Furacão, tinha o costume de jogar em um papel parecido com o que exerceu no último jogo do Tricolor, como um “falso 9”, onde atuava mais centralizado e flutuava entre o meio de campo e o ataque. Assim como foi visto na última quarta-feira.
Com essas características, o camisa 10 marcou a história da sua equipe antiga. Em 314 jogos, foram 49 gols e 47 assistências. Destes gols,21 foram em mata-matas.
No São Paulo, no entanto, a situação desta temporada foi um pouco diferente. O atleta enfrentou uma quadro de dores nos pés que o afastou de campo por dois meses. Neste ano, esteve presente em somente 22 jogos dos 48 disputados pela equipe. Isso chama atenção porque o atleta foi visto como umas contratações de mais peso da última janela de transferências.
Durante a coletiva de imprensa após o empate do São Paulo, Rogério Ceni falou sobre o desempenho do jogador no confronto e sobre o papel exercido em um posicionamento diferente.
– Nikão não é um nove de área, mas já fez essa função e jogando dos dois lados. Eu tenho ele e Luciano como jogadores que gostam dos mesmos lugares. Fizemos o treino ontem com o Nikão, a gente perde referência, mas ganha mobilidade fazendo com que a gente tenha melhor toque de bola. Ele tem a proteção de bola, umas das virtudes, se faz necessário que os meias encostem, o Talles fez muito bem isso, o Nestor fez isso no primeiro tempo. Com dois alas a gente conseguiu fazer isso. Ele foi até o limite que dava – disse o treinador.
Com o bom desempenho e totalmente recuperado de lesão, caso mantenha o ritmo visto no último jogo, pode entrar na luta a fim de recuperar seu protagonismo – tão comum no Furacão – e se firmar ainda mais no elenco de Rogério Ceni.
Van Niekerk did not meet CSA’s fitness requirements as she has been recovering from a broken ankle
Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2023
Dane van Niekerk last played international cricket in September 2021•Getty Images
Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s long-time regular captain, has not made the cut for the T20 World Cup next month. Van Niekerk, who has not played international cricket since September 2021, did not meet Cricket South Africa’s fitness requirements and has been excluded on those grounds. Sune Luus will captain the squad at the tournament.Luus has been leading the side in van Niekerk’s absence, including in the ongoing tri-series at home, involving India and West Indies. South Africa will play the final on February 2 against India in East London after finishing second on the points table between the two visiting sides. Marizanne Kapp, van Niekerk’s wife, has withdrawn from the match on personal grounds.”Dané was given an extensive opportunity to meet the minimum criteria, or the fitness benchmark for eligibility into the World Cup,” Clinton du Preez, women’s selection convener said. “She recently did another fitness test and unfortunately did not meet the minimum criteria, and therefore she’s missed out. It’s purely based on the not meeting of the fitness criteria that she’s missed out.”Related
Dane van Niekerk set to retire from international cricket
When it comes to WPL, CSA unlikely to stand in Dane van Niekerk's way
Pressure of expectations bogs South Africa down; freedom gives Sri Lanka wings to fly
'Leadership came natural to me and it's a role I would like to grow into' – Sune Luus
Kapp expected to join T20 World Cup squad after 'compassionate leave'
South Africa’s fitness standards require female cricketers to run 2-kilometres in 9 minutes 30 seconds, and ESPNcricinfo has learnt van Niekerk was over by 18 seconds, but did achieve a personal best in the test. She was most recently tested on January 27.Van Niekerk has been recovering from a broken ankle and had failed to meet the fitness requirements for the tri-series as well. However, coach Hilton Moreeng had believed at the time that van Niekerk would be ready for the World Cup. Moreeng had said that van Niekerk had been part of the team camp before the tri-series and had trained with them as well. Van Niekerk had lost 10kg at that time since last year’s Hundred and had met all her markers except the 2km time trial.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
When asked whether van Niekerk could have been tested in a different way, du Preez said the strength and conditioning expert had asked if they “could use a different option” to test van Niekerk but when she was tested on the treadmill, van Niekerk did not make the mark there either.South Africa have started rigorously applying fitness standards over the last two years and despite du Preez admitting that her skills as a player and leader will be missed, he said the selection process needed to be applied equitably. “Dané has been an integral part of the team. Her skill-set will always be missed on the field. We’ve had this discussion with her. We’ve extensively reminded her of that, and appreciated the hard work that she’s put in to try to get to the fitness levels,” he said. “It’s about remaining consistent with our decisions. Many other players have gone down this route. Everyone is quite familiar with the situation and what is required.”
Last year, van Niekerk’s team-mate Lizelle Lee was also dropped from the national team after failing her body composition test when her weight was deemed over the standard set for her. Lee retired after that and said she felt victimised and body-shamed at the time, as well as questioned why the standard was not more individualised.Without Lee, van Niekerk, and recently retired Mignon du Preez, South Africa go into the T20 World Cup with less experience than they may have liked but du Preez was confident that the squad they’ve selected has covered all the bases. “We considered everything. We had the discussion around what happens if Dané doesn’t make it; how does that impact us? From a player point of view we’ve created succession in the leadership within the team. The morale of the team is fine. We were out yesterday as a team and they were chatting together nicely. I believe the team have pulled together and that they accept the decision we have made, and that is required for the good of our players.”South Africa will kick-off the World Cup at home in a Group A fixture against Sri Lanka in Cape Town on February 10. Group A also has Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh whereas Group B will feature England, India, Ireland, Pakistan and West Indies.South Africa Women squad for T20 World Cup: Sune Luus (capt), Chloe Tryon (vice-capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Laura Wolvaardt, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Delmi Tucker, Annerie Dercksen. Non-traveling reserves: Micaéla Andrews, Tebogo Macheke, Tumi Sekhukhune
اتخذ مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي قرارًا بتوقيع عقوبات مالية على لاعبي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، عقب توديع بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025 من دور المجموعات، دون تحقيق أي فوز خلال مشوار البطولة.
وتعادل الأهلي مع بورتو البرتغالي بنتيجة 4-4، في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات.
وبهذه النتيجة، ودع الأهلي البطولة من الدور الأول بعدما احتل المركز الرابع والأخير في مجموعته برصيد نقطتين، جمعها من التعادل مع إنتر ميامي في الجولة الأولى، وبورتو في الجولة الأخيرة، بينما تلقى الخسارة الوحيدة أمام بالميراس بنتيجة 2-0.
وذكر أحمد حسن، قائد منتخب مصر السابق، عبر صفحته الرسمية على موقع “فيس بوك”، وفقًا لمصدر داخل القلعة الحمراء، أن هناك عقوبات مالية سيتم تطبيقها على لاعبي الأهلي وفقًا للوائح، بسبب عدم تحقيق أي فوز في كأس العالم للأندية وعدم تخطي دور المجموعات.
طالع أيضًا | “دمي خفيف”.. أفشة يتحدث عن فيديو التعليمات للاعبي الأهلي ولقطة الأوفسايد أمام بالميراس
الجدير بالذكر، أن الجهاز الفني للفريق بقيادة الإسباني خوسيه ريبيرو، قرر منح لاعبي الفريق راحة سلبية طويلة تمتد لمدة 18 يومًا، وذلك بعد انتهاء المشاركة الرسمية في البطولة، على أن يعود الفريق إلى التدريبات لاحقًا لبدء فترة الإعداد للموسم الجديد، خاصة أن الفريق لم يحصل على راحة كافية عقب نهاية الدوري المحلي بسبب الارتباطات القارية.
There has not been much to celebrate for Tottenham Hotspur fans this season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have seriously struggled in the Premier League, were demolished by Liverpool in the League Cup and crashed out of the FA Cup against Aston Villa.
The one competition the fans have been able to really enjoy has been the Europa League, and it’s no surprise that it’s where the club’s brilliant youngsters have made the most impact.
The most exciting academy star is undoubtedly Mikey Moore, but that might not be the case next season, as Hotspur Way might have another superstar in the making for Postecoglou.
Mikey Moore's incredible talent
While he might have been something of an unknown quantity to the majority of fans at the start of the season, Moore certainly isn’t anymore.
The 17-year-old phenom hasn’t played loads of football this term, with Postecoglou opting to ease him in slowly and illness keeping him out of the team for a while, but when he has stepped onto the pitch, he’s looked like he belongs there.
For example, despite not scoring or providing an assist in the first Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar back in October, the Southwark-born gem completely stole the show.
In fact, he was so brilliant to watch that James Maddison compared him to Neymar Jr in a post-match interview, which, as comparisons go, is not a bad one.
So far, the teenage dynamo has scored one goal and provided two assists in 16 first-team appearances, totalling just 632 minutes, meaning he’s chipped in with a goal involvement on average every 210.66 minutes.
Overall, Moore looks like he will become an incredibly important player for Spurs and Postecoglou over the coming years.
Still, he might have some extra competition out of Hotspur Way for the title of best youngster next season.
The prospect who could be better than Moore
The next young superstar in the making to come out of Hotspur Way looks like it could be the incredibly exciting Luca Williams-Barnett.
The 16-year-old phenomenon hasn’t made a first-team appearance yet – although he has featured on the bench – but don’t let that fool you; he appears to have what it takes to be a future world-beater.
In fact, he’s showing it week in and week out at the youth level, and so far this season, he has racked up a truly unbelievable tally of 19 goals and ten assists in 23 games, totalling 1797 minutes for the U18 team.
Williams-Barnett’s record in 24/25
Player
Williams-Barnett
Appearances
23
Minutes
1797 ‘
Goals
19
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
1.26
Minutes per Goal Involvement
61.96 ‘
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That means he’s averaging 1.26 goal involvements every game, or one every 61.96 minutes.
On top of that, the unreal talent can play in attacking midfield, on either wing, in left-midfield and he’s even played up top as well, leading academy expert and pundit John Wenham to describe him as a “cheat code.”
With such an astounding rate of return in the academy, it’s easy to understand why one prominent Spurs content creator asked, “is he a bigger talent than Mikey Moore?”
Ultimately, while that might seem a little premature to some, Williams Barnett has taken the Lilywhites junior sides by storm this season, and we would not be in the slightest bit surprised to see him lining up alongside Moore in the first team next year.
100% duels, 92% passing: Spurs star just showed why he’s so "generational"
Spurs secured their passage into the next round of the Europa League.
Neste sábado (30), a Série C teve três partidas na continuação de sua 17ª rodada. Na primeira partida, Botafogo-PB e Manaus ficaram no 0 a 0 e perderam a oportunidade de se aproximarem dos seus objetivos.
Em seguida, o Confiança bateu o Altos-PI e respirou na luta contra o rebaixamento. Por fim, o Paysandu bateu o Campinense fora de casa e encaminhou a sua vaga.
Veja todos os resultados Manaus 0x0 Botafogo-PB Confiança 1×0 Altos Campinense 1×3 Paysandu
RelacionadasFutebol LatinoÂngelo Araos lidera lista de maiores vendas no Chile; veja top 5Futebol Latino30/07/2022Futebol LatinoRossi, do Boca Juniors, tem negociações avançadas para definir seu futuroFutebol Latino30/07/2022Futebol LatinoEstudiantes contrata dois reforços visando duelo contra o AthleticoFutebol Latino30/07/2022
Arshdeep kept Punjab Kings in the game until the very end during an eventful final over
Sidharth Monga08-May-20233:09
Bishop: Varun doing the job that Narine did for KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders hung on by the skin of their teeth, both in their match against Punjab Kings and in the tournament. Rinku Singh sealed another last-ball win for them, but this was no miraculous comeback from the dead. This was a topsy-turvy contest set up by KKR’s spinners, but even their batters struggled on a slow surface.Rana fined INR 12 lakh
The KKR captain was handed an INR 12 lakh fine after his side were deemed to be maintaining a slow over-rate during their fixture against Kings at the Eden Gardens. This was KKR’s first offence of the season under IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences.
Nitish Rana set up the chase with 51 off 38, but it took Andre Russell to finally turn up and take 20 runs off the 19th over, bowled by Sam Curran, to bring the equation down to six required off the last over. Arshdeep Singh managed to push them all the way to the last ball, before Rinku Singh found the boundary with two runs required.The result left KKR and PBKS level at 10 points from 11 matches. Five teams are currently tied on that points total in the middle of the table, but both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians – who meet on Tuesday – have a game in hand.Rinku Singh leaps in joy after hitting the winning boundary•BCCI
Harshit Rana keeps a check PBKS were always going to target the new ball because they expected the spinners to be effective on this pitch, which is why they batted first. Prabhsimran Singh was up early, using Vaibhav Arora’s inswing to pick up three boundaries in the first over.The impressive Harshit Rana, though, bowled hard lengths and got disconcerting bounce from the pitch. He had both Prabhsimran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught at the wicket while looking to hit big shots. Rajapksa’s return to the side ended with a three-ball duck. Liam Livingstone still kept going hard, helping PBKS take 19 off the fifth over, bowled by Russell, to make it 51 for 2.The spin choke KKR are not shy to use spin during the powerplay or at the death. They had picked three spinners. So they began the spin attack in earnest. Varun Chakravarthy got the first shot, and produced a beautiful legbreak to trap the rampaging Livingstone in front.Having lost a third wicket inside the powerplay, PBKS had to go into rebuild mode especially with the KKR spinners bowling well. Jitesh Sharma then hit Suyash Sharma for a six, and Shikhar Dhawan had just about begun to open up again with sweeps and reverse-sweeps when Varun came back for the 13th over.Once again, Varun produced the breakthrough, spinning the ball away from Jitesh, taking the edge through to the keeper. Nitish brought himself on when two left-hand batters were at the wicket, and got Dhawan for 57 off 47. Suyash proceeded to tighten the screws with the wicket of Sam Curran. In effect, PBKS were tied down on a slow pitch by 13 straight overs of spin, which brought them just 92 runs for five wickets.Varun Chakravarthy picked up three wickets including those of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma•AFP via Getty Images
Pace on, game on As soon as KKR went back to pace for the last two overs, PBKS came back to life and took 36 runs to make it a total of 87 from just seven overs of pace. Shahrukh Khan scored 21 off 8, and Harpreet Brar 17 off 9.Nathan Ellis gives PBKS early lead A similar pattern of batters going after pace followed but Nathan Ellis, deservingly playing ahead of Kagiso Rabada, flummoxed Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his slower one. At 39 for 1 after five overs, with Venkatesh Iyer not allowed to bat at No. 3 at that moment because he had spent time off the field during the PBKS innings, KKR needed something special.Rana attacks Livingstone PBKS went to take pace off the ball, but Jason Roy and Nitish managed to hit Livingstone for a total of five boundaries in his two overs. It softened the blow of KKR losing Roy to Brar with the ball arriving too late for his slog-sweep. The equation had got tricky – 104 from 10 overs on a tricky surface – when Nitish took down Livingstone’s second over, bringing KKR’s task down to 88 from 54 balls.Arshdeep Singh sinks to the ground after conceding a four off the final ball•BCCI
Chahar keeps PBKS in it He might not be having the greatest season, but Rahul Chahar turned up for PBKS with the wickets of Iyer and Rana, earned through the slowing down of pace, which he himself carried out. At the fall of Rana’s wicket, KKR needed 56 off 28, and it was down to Russell and Rinku.The finishing touches Chahar bowled out in the 16th over, leaving KKR 51 to get off 24, but PBKS had a question to answer: bowl four overs of pace or go to Brar’s left-arm spin. They took the safe route. Ellis bowled out in the 17th, but went for 15 as Russell hit a four and Rinku a six. Ellis’ figures of 4-0-29-1 almost made up for the absence of the extra spinner, but KKR were still ahead in the game.With 26 required off two, though, Curran made a couple of errors in execution, and Russell climbed in with two sixes over the bigger boundary. For good measure he skimmed one over the short side too.Arshdeep bowled a superb last over, denying Russell the big hit, and then running him out as he scrambled for a bye to tie the game off the fifth ball. Off the last ball, Arshdeep finally erred, and Rinku flicked the full-toss square of fine leg to get twice the requirement.