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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said the ‘underdogs’ tag should inspire his young side to raise their game against a strong West Indies unit

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said the ‘underdogs’ tag should inspire his young side to raise their game against a strong West Indies unit. Williamson was speaking after his first ODI as New Zealand captain, in which his team slipped to a nine-wicket loss to West Indies in Kingston.”It is disappointing, but we know we are underdogs and hopefully that breeds a fearless attitude in our camp,” Williamson said. “We have to move forward as that is the only thing that we can do in a five-match series.”Williamson said that though he enjoyed the responsibility of leading the team, it was difficult to put the disappointment of the loss aside. The loss in the first ODI was New Zealand’s third on this tour, after losing the Twenty20 series 2-0.”That [winning] has an influence, as a captain it is extremely important and we are yet to have [a win] in the series.”There are a lot of challenges for us in the series, not only the quality of the opposition and the conditions, but more so [after] the injuries we have had to get a consistent side on the park and to have consistent planning to move forward.”In a one-sided match, wicketkeeper BJ Watling’s 60 was the lone positive for New Zealand. Watling, who earned praise from his captain, said it was the batsmen who lost New Zealand the game.”We fell a good 50-60 runs short on that wicket,” Watling said. “My gameplan was to try and stay there for a little while and try to set a little bit of a platform so we could at least bat through to 45-50 overs. I was a bit disappointed not to get 20 more runs and boost the strike-rate up around 80.” Watling finished with a strike-rate of just over 60.The loss, he said, took a mental toll on the team. “Today’s loss isn’t ideal for the confidence. We’re not high in confidence at all and they are, so that’s probably hurting us. We need to find it in the next game or two, otherwise the series will be gone before we even know it.”To turn things around, it is important that the bowlers also come up with a new gameplan, Watling said. “We need to figure out how to take some wickets over here. The wickets are reasonably flat for the quicks – there’s not a lot of swing or seam – so we need to find some ways of restricting and building up some pressure.”

ESPNcricinfo previews Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2012

Nikita Bastian02-Apr-2012

Big pictureRunners-up, semi-finalists, champions, champions. Thus reads Chennai Super Kings’ record across the first four seasons of the IPL. They have been the most consistent and successful team in the league by far, and are the most settled side as well, after retaining most of their squad in last year’s shuffle.That they have a settled line-up was reflected in the 2012 auction, when they were willing to spend their entire purse on a single acquisition: Ravindra Jadeja. They were involved in a fierce bidding war for Jadeja with Deccan Chargers, and eventually beat them in the tie-breaker. Even so, Super Kings cannot afford any complacency and coach Stephen Fleming knows it. “There is a fine line between finishing first or indeed missing out on the finals,” he said in an interview on the franchise’s website. They have tread that line on several occasions – in 2008 and 2010 Super Kings faced a must-win situation in their last league game to make the semis, while last year they almost complicated things for themselves by delaying their launch till the very last moment in a stiff chase in the play-off against Royal Challengers Bangalore.In 2011 the batting was typically solid, with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, S Badrinath and M Vijay all aggregating in the vicinity of 400 runs. R Ashwin, expectedly, led the team’s bowling charts with 20 wickets at 19.40 apiece. If Super Kings have a weakness, though, it is on the fast-bowling front. Their opponents have often got off to fliers against the quicks, before Dhoni has applied the squeeze and invariably turned the match with the spinners. On that count, they will be happy to have the services of Australia’s Ben Hilfenhaus this time around. When he arrives from the West Indies, he should form a solid partnership with Doug Bollinger, Super Kings’ pace spearhead over the last two seasons.Off the field, Super Kings have been at the centre of several controversial issues – including a possible conflict of interest with BCCI president N Srinivasan also managing India Cements, the owners of Super Kings – but their on-field performance has been strong enough to steal the headlines and deflect negative publicity.Key playersThe Dhoni-Raina combine: For Super Kings, when it comes to key performers, it’s hard to look beyond MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. The pair has formed the backbone of the team since the inaugural IPL, with Raina not missing a single match across seasons and captain Dhoni missing just three of Super Kings’ 62 games. Dhoni, with an average touching 40, has scored 1425 runs, while Raina is the leading run-getter in the IPL’s short history with 1813 at 36.26. Add to that Raina’s tidy offspin and electric fielding, and Dhoni’s tactical nous on tweaker-friendly tracks, and you know why Chennai paid big bucks to retain them last season.Dwayne Bravo: Super Kings have a preference for allrounders. The squad is always packed with them, one being Bravo, who Super Kings signed last year. Coming off a long break due to an ankle injury, Bravo was picked in the West Indies squad for the limited-overs games against Australia earlier this month, and took up new-ball duty in the ODIs. If he could do the same, effectively, for Super Kings, it would add better balance to the side. That, plus a few timely cameos down the order, and he could push Albie Morkel for the No. 1 allrounder’s spot in the XI.Big names in Ravindra Jadeja: The only new signing in a well-established squad, Jadeja, as an allrounder, fits Super Kings’ preferred mould. Unlike the overseas allrounders, though, he gives Super Kings a spinning option. Presumably, he has always enjoyed the backing of his captain, Dhoni, but he might still feel the pressure to perform after being the biggest buy at the 2012 auction.Ben Hilfenhaus: A potential answer to Super Kings’ fast-bowling worries. Hilfenhaus was meant to play the 2011 IPL for Chennai, but missed out due to injury. Prior to that, he had had a poor showing in the 2010-11 Ashes, meaning he was out of the Australia team. When he returned, after almost a year, he hit top form – he led the wicket-takers’ charts in the Australia-India Test series, and returned to international limited-overs cricket with a five-for in the tri-series that followed.Big names outTim Southee: The New Zealand quick replaced the injured Hilfenhaus in the squad last season, and began impressively: his inch-perfect final-over yorkers won Super Kings’ the tournament opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs. Thereafter though, he tapered off a bit, finishing with four wickets from five games at 41.50 apiece. He went unsold at the 2012 auction.Below the radar Anirudha Srikkanth: A hard-hitting opening batsman, Anirudha was the Man of the Match in last year’s opener against Knight Riders. Once Michael Hussey arrived though, he, expectedly, was sidelined. This year, fitness and availability issues could mean that Anirudha has a chance to open the innings with M Vijay early in the tournament once again. He showed decent touch in the recently-concluded domestic one-day competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring three half-centuries in five matches for Tamil Nadu. Super Kings will want more of the same.AvailabilityOpening batsman Abhinav Mukund twisted his left ankle during the pre-tournament training camp on Sunday, and will be out of action for ten days. Among the overseas signings, Doug Bollinger, Albie Morkel, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo and George Bailey are all available from the start of the tournament. Offspinner Suraj Randiv is expected to arrive on April 8, following the conclusion of the Sri Lanka-England Tests, and Hilfenhaus and Hussey on April 30, after the West Indies Tests. Sri Lanka seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who is recovering from a hamstring strain, is scheduled to join the squad on April 10.2011 in a tweetThey came, they saw, they scrapped, they conquered … again.

Jodie Fields will lead Australia Women in the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand, while Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Julie Hunter return to the squad. The Australia’s Women’s National Selection Panel (WNSP) announced a 14-player squad that will take on the visiting New Zealand side in three ODIs and five Twenty20s, starting January 20.Alex Blackwell will be Fields’ deputy for the series. Perry was out of the squad last season due to football commitments, while Hunter had an injured shoulder and Healy was out because of indifferent form.”Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Julie Hunter all return to the squad, while Shelley Nitschke, Sharon Millanta and Annie-Rose Maloney are the players out of the team,” WNSP head Julie Savage said. “Shelley has retired from cricket while Annie-Rose and Sharon make way for the experienced combination of Ellyse and Julie.”The WNSP that selected the squad was recently shuffled. Chaired by Julie Savage, it also includes women’s coach Richard McInnes, captain Fields and former Australia bowler Julie Hayes.Squad: Jodie Fields (capt), Alex Blackwell (vice-capt), Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jessica Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Clea Smith, Lisa Sthalekar

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A manhã desta quarta-feira foi de boa notícia aos torcedores do Vasco: o clube acertou a renovação do atacante Andrés Rios até o fim desta temporada. O contrato do argentino, de 28 anos, no Cruz-Maltino, havia terminado no último dia de junho, e desde então ele vinha mantendo a forma treinando com um profissional em academia até que o futuro em São Januário fosse decidido. Com a renovação acertada, Andrés Rios, inclusive, já voltou aos treinos com o elenco e com o comando do técnico Jorginho, no CT das Vargens, em Vargem Pequena, Zona Oeste do Rio de Janeiro, já nesta quarta.

– Estou muito feliz com essa renovação. O Vasco é um time grande, me adaptei muito bem ao clube, e gosto muito de jogar aqui. O que projeto para o segundo semestre é ajudar o Vasco a brigar na parte de cima da tabela do Brasileirão. Vamos em busca de uma vaga para a Libertadores. Na segunda-feira teremos um jogo pela Copa do Brasil e vamos procurar dar o nosso máximo para conseguir a virada – afirmou Andrés Rios ao site oficial do clube.

Contratado junto ao Defensa y Justicia, da Argentina, em 2017, Andrés Rios foi peça importante do Vasco durante a disputa do Campeonato Brasileiro do ano passado. Na ocasião, conseguiu superou os prognósticos e ajudou a carimbar o passaporte para a Conmebol Libertadores de 2018, torneio em que o clube já foi eliminado. Com a camisa cruz-maltina, o argentino já entrou em campo em 53 oportunidades e marcou 11 gols no período.A vontade de Andrés Rios em seguir no Vasco pesou para que a permanência fosse sacramentada.

O que fez a negociação entre o Vasco e Andrés Rios demorar foi o lado financeiro. Martin Guastadisegno, empresário do argentino, relutou em diminuir os termos inicialmente pedidos para a renovação. Para adquirir 50% dos direitos do atacante, o clube tinha de desembolsar 800 mil euros (aproximadamente R$ 3,5 milhões). Mais R$ 700 mil de luvas e um contrato de três anos, com R$ 270 mil de salário no ano inicial e aumento de R$ 10 mil por temporada. O empresário ainda precisaria receber 7% do total do acordo por comissão – quase R$ 1 milhão. Em dificuldades financeiras, o Vasco renovou apenas por seis meses e com valores menores para tanto.

Com a renovação, Andrés Rios deve voltar a assumir o posto de titular do Vasco para a partida decisiva contra o Bahia, na segunda-feira à noite, em São Januário, pela volta das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil. Enquanto não tinha o atacante à disposição, o técnico Jorginho treinou com o meia Evander de maneira improvisada na posição – ele deve voltar ao banco de reservas com o retorno do argentino. E Andrés Rios já volta precisando mostrar serviço, já que neste duelo, para conseguir a classificação, o Vasco precisa tirar um resultado negativo de 3 a 0.

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Ricardo Gomes foi levado na sexta para um tour no Santos, conduzido pelo presidente José Carlos Peres, o gerente de projeto especiais Odir Cunha e o historiador Guilherme Guarche. Novo executivo de futebol do Peixe, o ex-zagueiro foi ao Memorial das Conquistas e ao CT Rei Pelé, onde ele recomeçará uma parceria que se iniciou no Botafogo com o técnico Jair Ventura.

O atual comandante alvinegro foi auxiliar de Ricardo no Fogão entre 2015 e 2016. Com os dois na comissão técnica, o time carioca conquistou a Série B em 2015 e foi vice-campeão carioca em 2016.

Os dois tiveram relação muito próxima neste trabalho, que significou a volta de Ricardo Gomes ao futebol depois de quatro anos. Sempre com elogios ao auxiliar, ele prestou uma homenagem após o acesso à elite e fez Jair dar entrevista no seu lugar antes da partida da última rodada na Segunda Divisão.

Quando o São Paulo contratou Ricardo, o Botafogo logo efetivou seu braço direito e viu a aposta dar muito certo, inclusive conseguindo disputar uma Copa Libertadores, em 2017. Jair Ventura deixou o Bota no fim do ano passado para assumir o Peixe.

Embora ainda vivo na Copa do Brasil e Libertadores, o técnico tem sido bastante criticado pela torcida diante da 15ª colocação no Brasileiro. Ele chegou a ter sua demissão cogitada até a reunião do Comitê de Gestão, na quarta. A decisão de mantê-lo foi confirmada por Ricardo, em sua entrevista de apresentação.

– Sinceramente, na minha cabeça ele é o treinador do Santos. Eu faço parte da diretoria, mas o que eu vejo é um profissional qualificado. Por vezes acontece no futebol de não ter os resultados que a torcida espera. Analisamos tudo, as lesões que teve no elenco, o tempo que ele trabalhou. Não tenho dúvida de que é um treinador qualificado para continuar neste trabalho – justificou o executivo.

Depois da visita que fez na tarde de sexta à estrutura do Santos, Ricardo Gomes se reuniu com Peres para falar de reforços. O dirigente já informou que busca um centroavante, além de três meio-campistas nesta janela de transferências. Ele aprovou a chegada de Carlos Sánchez, meio-campo da seleção uruguaia. Bryan Ruiz, armador da Costa Rica, é outro desejo.

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Ten of the 14 players who played for USA at ICC WCL Division Three in Hong Kong, including vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni, have been replaced for the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament from July 18 to 23 in Florida.”Sushil Nadkarni, for me and the rest of the selectors, is an ODI player, a 50-over player,” chairman of selectors Sew Shivnarine told ESPNcricinfo on Monday. “In T20 you’ve got to have fitness and you’ve got to be strong out there. Sushil is a good batsman. I’m not taking anything away from Nadkarni, but in T20 we need fitness. That’s one of the main reasons.”Nadkarni finished fourth overall on the runs list at the first ever USACA Twenty20 nationals on June 18 and 19 in New Jersey. Last year in Bermuda, Nadkarni, 35, was USA’s leading run-getter when they won the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 Championship.Among Nadkarni’s many astonishing feats was a 54-ball century in 2010 against Cayman Islands, one of USA’s opponents next month. USA will also be squaring off against Suriname in the tournament, a side Nadkarni blitzed for a career-high 197 in 2008.Since making his debut for USA at the ICC Americas Division One tournament in 2006, no one has scored more runs while representing the national team in that time span than Nadkarni. He has 1538 runs in all forms of cricket including four centuries and nine fifties. He was the Man of the Series at ICC WCL Division Four in Italy last August but had a disappointing series in Hong Kong, scoring 105 runs in six innings with a high of 47 against Italy.Among the other players dropped was left-arm spinner Asif Khan, a former first-class cricketer in Pakistan, who made an impressive debut for USA in Hong Kong with six wickets in five innings. He also made a vital contribution with the bat against Oman, scoring an unbeaten 31 as part of an unbroken 71-run ninth wicket partnership in a two-wicket win. At the USACA Twenty20 Nationals, Khan took four wickets in two matches, including three batsmen out stumped. When asked to explain why Khan was left out, Shivnarine responded, “Who’s Asif Khan?” He did not sound as though he was being sarcastic.Japen Patel, Nauman Mustafa, Quasen Alfred, Bhim George and Samarth Shah are the five uncapped players who have been brought into the squad.”I think Shah is a good left-arm spinner. At the trials, he impressed the selectors,” Shivnarine said. “We feel that Shah is fitting in that team as the extra left-arm spinner. The primary left-arm spinner is Bhim George. The coach wanted extra spin so that’s why we have Shah in the team. Japen Patel scores a lot of runs in his league. He’s one of the big run-getters in the Atlanta area. We see a lot of talent in him. We can use him as an allrounder. He’s one of the fittest guys in the team and I think he deserves to be in that 14 because we feel that he has a lot of potential for the future.”Clayton Lambert will return to coach the team in Florida. No captain has been named yet According to Shivnarine, the intention was to select Neil McGarrell, the former West Indies spinner, and make him the captain but he still does not qualify to play for USA because he has not been a resident for a minimum of four years prior to the start of this tournament.USA squad: Quasen Alfred, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Akeem Dodson, Bhim George, Muhammad Ghous, Adrian Gordon, Steve Massiah, Aditya Mishra, Nauman Mustafa, Japen Patel, Gowkaran Roopnarine, Samarth Shah, Usman Shuja.

MatériaMais Notícias

Pressão? Nada disso… O time do Flamengo ignorou os episódios que antecederam a partida contra o Ceará, neste domingo, e venceu por 3 a 0. A vitória foi convincente, com bom futebol do Rubro-Negro e com dois protagonistas: o jovem Vinícius Júnior e o camisa 10 Diego, autores dos gols.

Os dois chegaram para o jogo em momentos diferentes. Diego foi o nome mais cobrado pela torcida nos protestos realizados na sexta-feira. Primeiro no Rio de Janeiro, depois em Fortaleza. A joia, por outro lado, foi “poupada” das críticas.

Com a vitória, o Flamengo chegou aos sete pontos no Campeonato Brasileiro e está na primeira posição. O Ceará, por sua vez, segue sem vencer. São duas derrotas e um empate para o Vozão, que, com apenas um ponto, está no Z4.

Opção de Barbieri funciona
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Everton Ribeiro no lugar de Arão foi a única mudança no Flamengo em relação ao último jogo. Com o camisa 7 aberto na direita, o time voltou a atuar com quatro meias e, Diego e Paquetá, ditaram o ritmo da equipe na faixa central.

Cobrado de forma excessiva no embarque no Rio de Janeiro, o camisa 10 recebeu o carinho da torcida cearense desde o início. Quando finalizou de fora da área, sem perigo, teve o nome gritado pelos 8 mil rubro-negros presentes.

Everton Ribeiro também foi bem na etapa inicial. Ajudou na marcação e criou alguns lances de perigo.Apesar disso, o goleiro Everson demorou a ser exigido de fato. O mesmo pôde ser dito de Diego Alves, do Fla, que pouco trabalhou.

Brilha a estrela do garoto
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Com o Flamengo atuando de forma organizada e leve, sobrou técnica e estrela para Vinícius Júnior decidir. Para abrir o placar, o garoto teve frieza para encobrir o goleiro com um único toque. Destaque para Gustavo Cuéllar, que desarmou o adversário no meio-campo e deu ótima assistência.

A jogada do segundo gol, na etapa final, começou nos pés do próprio Vinícius, que arrancou pela esquerda e chutou. Everson defendeu e a bola ficou com Rodinei. O lateral tabelou com Paquetá e cruzou na medida para Vini: 2 a 0.

O caminho pelas laterais

As principais jogadas do Flamengo tiveram a participação de Vinícius Jr, pela esquerda, e Rodinei, pela direita. O Rubro-Negro soube aproveitar os muitos espaços dados pelo Ceará. No segundo gol, ninguém acompanhou o atacante. Início preocupante para o Vozão, frágil na defesa e improdutivo no ataque.

Diego transforma em goleada

O confronto não poderia ter final melhor para o Flamengo se não com gol de Diego. E foi assim. O camisa 10 desviou escanteio de cabeça e transformou a vitória em goleada.

Dias depois de ser quase agredido no embarque da delegação, o meia atravessou o campo de encontro à torcida, foi para a galera e retribuiu o carinho. Por isso, tomou cartão amarelo. Depois, reverenciou os torcedores.

FICHA TÉCNICA
CEARÁ 0X3 FLAMENGO

Estádio: Castelão, em Fortaleza (CE)
Data: 28/4/2018, às 16h
Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (RS/Fifa)
Assistentes: Rafael da Silva Alves (RS) e Elio Nepomuceno (RS)
Renda/Público: R$ 1.636.169,00 /51.952 pagantes

Cartões amarelos: Luiz Otávio (CEA); Diego e Henrique Dourado (FLA)
Cartão vermelho: Não houve.

GOLS: Vinícius Júnior (0-1, 41’/1ºT e 0-2, 8’/2ºT) e Diego (0-3, 25’/2ºT)

CEARÁ: Everson; Valdo, Tiago Alves (Roberto, 20’/2ºT) e Luiz Otávio; Arnaldo, Juninho, Felipe Azevedo, Romário (Rafael Carioca, 11’/2ºT), Richardson e Reina (Wescley, 11’/2ºT); Arthur Cabral. T: Marcelo Chamusca.

FLAMENGO: Diego Alves; Rodinei, Réver, Juan e Renê; Cuéllar (Jonas, 33’/2ºT), Lucas Paquetá (Jean Lucas, 42’/2ºT) e Diego; Everton Ribeiro, Vinícius Júnior e Henrique Dourado (Lincoln, 38’/2ºT). T: Maurício Barbieri

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Daniel Vettori lamented an unsatisfactory batting effort as New Zealand lost the fourth ODI by two wickets in Napier. The hosts slumped to 79 for 5 on a McLean Park pitch favourable for batting, as they completed yet another top-order capitulation on a tour that has been fraught with dreadful performances from New Zealand’s top five batsmen. A familiar lower middle-order recovery was then launched through half-centuries to James Franklin and Nathan McCullum, and New Zealand posted 262 for 7. The total was not enough to keep Pakistan from going 2-1 up in the series, however, and the visitors chased down the target with an over to spare.”I think we walked off the park thinking 300 was a par score, so we were short,” Vettori said. “We knew we had to scrap pretty hard to give ourselves a chance, which I think we did.”James Franklin made 62 to provide the foundation for New Zealand’s innings. Franklin took New Zealand out of immediate danger alongside Brendon McCullum, as the pair put on a valuable 61-run stand, before he raised another 64 runs with Nathan McCullum, who made an unbeaten 53 from 58 balls to provide impetus to the New Zealand innings towards the end. Their efforts were not enough to compensate for a string of soft dismissals at the top of the order, however, as Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson all got themselves out playing ill-advised strokes.”Five for 80 at McLean Park is unacceptable because it’s a great batting deck. I’m pleased with the way that the two McCullums and James Franklin scrapped to give us a score and give us a little bit of credibility, but 5 for 80 was just not good enough. Some guys got out to balls that you shouldn’t really get out to. I know they’ll be disappointed with themselves and they’ll be looking to rectify it in the next game. “The New Zealand bowlers performed creditably on the flat surface, giving their side a hope of a win with breakthroughs right through to the penultimate over of the match. But Vettori’s gamble of bowling out his strike bowlers in search of wickets backfired when the first three balls 48th over, bowled by Scott Styris, were dispatched for eleven runs, effectively swinging the game in Pakistan’s favour. “The bowlers, particularly Hamish Bennett and Scott Styris, stepped up and gave us a chance of winning and in the end we just ran out of resources really. I hoped to win in the 45th or 46th but it wasn’t to be. Asking the likes of Scotty to bowl in the death, which is not his normal role, is tough. We were looking good up until that over.”Vettori also praised Misbah-ul-Haq, whose 93 not out provided the backbone for Pakistan’s innings for the umpteenth time on the tour. Misbah built steadily alongside Younis Khan during the middle overs, before accelerating towards the end as the asking rate began to climb. His innings in Napier was his highest one-day score. “I don’t think [Misbah] has missed out, he’s got almost over 50 in every match. He’s played well and he’s been their rock really, and that’s what we require – a guy who can bat through the innings and set it up for the big hitters. He’s managed to do that almost every game.”The New Zealand captain was confident his team could bounce back to win the last two games to take the series, but claimed it would take special individual performances to get his side over the line. “There’s still an opportunity to win the series with two games coming up. I think the teams are relatively level. It’s just that one individual performance wins the game and I think Misbah tonight, the way he battled through early on and then finished it off for them – it was a great innings. We need two of those really to give ourselves a chance in Hamilton and Auckland.”He also hoped to play in the fifth one dayer in Hamilton on Thursday despite picking up a hamstring niggle while bowling. “About my third over I twinged my hamstring so I’ll see how I go over the next couple of days. It’s important for me to play [the next game] if I can, but the unfortunate thing about three games in five days is that it makes it difficult to recover.”

Journalist Josh Holland has urged Aston Villa to consider a move for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer. 

The lowdown: Villa’s transfer plans

Wholesale alterations are expected at Villa Park this summer as Steven Gerrard attempts to put his stamp on the squad.

According to Football Insider, Arsenal are lining up a new move for Douglas Luiz, and the Brazilian’s departure could make room for at least one new addition.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-developments/” title=”Aston Villa latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Having already been heavily linked with a move for Leeds United ace Kalvin Phillips, January target Bissouma could also remain on the radar in the Midlands…

The latest: Villa urged to sign Bissouma

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Holland suggested that the 25-year-old Mali international would be the ‘better fit’ for Gerrard’s side out of those two reported targets.

He outlined: “I think them two players would do a perfect job. I think Bissouma is probably a more likely target, I’d say, just because Kalvin Phillips is Leeds through and through, and I think they’re probably going to stay up now.

“I’d say Phillips is better than Bissouma, but Bissouma, I think, would be a better fit for this Villa side.”

The verdict: Bissouma over Phillips

Both players would be superb additions to the Villa squad, but following an injury-hit 2021/22 campaign for Phillips, perhaps Bissouma is indeed the preferred option right now.

One year younger than the Englishman, the 18-cap Mali ace has been hailed as ‘world class’ by Ray Parlour. He has also outperformed his defensive midfield counterpart when it comes to averages for clearances, tackles and interceptions per game this season, whilst earning a 7.00 rating compared to Phillips’ 6.56 (WhoScored).

Furthermore, Leeds will reportedly demand a fee in the region of £50m for the Englishman, whilst Brighton are seemingly willing to consider bids of £40m for their talismanic midfielder. Therefore, you can see why Holland has named Bissouma as the more likely target for Villa.

In other news, journalist confirms Aston Villa are eyeing Ligue 1 star. Read more here.

History beckons Bangadesh’s cricketers, who on Thursday could record their first series win against top-flight opposition

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit13-Oct-2010Match FactsThursday, October 14, Mirpur
Start time 09:00 local (03:00 GMT)Shahriar Nafees has been a revelation at the top of the order in his first ODI series after more than two years•AFP

The Big PictureHistory beckons Bangadesh’s cricketers, who on Thursday could record their first series win against top-flight opposition. A team that has won only 14 of 155 ODIs against the current Test-playing nations, and only once before won two consecutive matches against such opposition (against a second-string West Indies side led by Floyd Reifer), can wrap up the series with a win in the fourth ODI.There seem to be few problems for Bangladesh going into the game. Shahriar Nafees has been a revelation at the top of the order, ensuring that even Tamim Iqbal has not been missed. Shakib al Hasan has contributed with both bat and ball and the spinners have stifled New Zealand on the slow Mirpur surface.While Duckworth-Lewis had a role to play in the first win, what is heartening from Bangladesh’s view is that the victory on Monday was a team performance, the reliance on Shakib much less than usual.This series was supposed to be a continuation of New Zealand’s World Cup build-up on the sub-continent. After the huge victory against India in the first match of the Sri Lanka tri-series, they have lost four games, and two have been washed out. Anything but ideal preparation so far.They failed to bat out fifty overs in the previous match, leaving Ross Taylor stranded. The lower middle order has looked wobbly, and the form of allrounder Grant Elliott, at the key No. 5 position, is a worry. Given that he hasn’t bowled in ODIs this year, the lack of runs is hurting even more.Form guide (most recent, completed matches)
Bangladesh: WWLWL
New Zealand: LLLLW
Watch out for…Shahriar Nafees, back from the ICL and playing his first ODI series in more than two years, has provided good starts in both games, along with Imrul Kayes. He was severe on the New Zealand seamers in the third ODI, getting to his half-century at more than a run-a-ball. Bangladesh appear a different team when they get such starts.Ross Taylor has looked the best New Zealand batsman so far, and is deservedly their top-scorer in the series. You know he is in good touch when he regularly slog-sweeps those sixes over midwicket, which he did four times in the previous game. His team will require more of them if they are to remain alive in this series.Team newsBangladesh should stick to the same side that won a couple of days ago.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Abdur Razzak, 9 Rubel Hossain, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Suhrawadi ShuvoShannan Stewart took a blow to the head while attempting a catch off Imrul Kayes in the first over of Bangladesh’s chase. Kane Williamson could come in for him. BJ Watling kept wickets instead of Brendon McCullum in the previous match, as McCullum was said to be suffering from sore knees. Will Watling continue to keep?New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 BJ Watling, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Kane Williamson/Shannan Stewart, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Andy McKayStats and triviaThe stand of 127 between Nafees and Kayes in the previous match is Bangladesh’s best for the first wicket against the current Test-playing nations, and their third-highest overall.New Zealand’s total of 173 in the third ODI is their lowest against Bangladesh when batting first.Quotes”We always knew it was going to be a tough test coming over here and playing without having any practice matches, coming up against a Bangladesh team that’s good in their own conditions.”
“We are not thinking of anything other than winning the series after the way we played in the first two games.”