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Kent prevail in final-over finish as hosts fall five runs short

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2024

Keaton Jennings scored a century in vain•Getty Images

Rocky Flintoff became the youngest debutant in Lancashire’s 160-year history when he played against Kent in the Metro-Bank One-Day Cup but made just 12 in his side’s pulsating five-run defeat at Blackpool.Flintoff, who is 16 years 113 days old, faced 28 balls for his dozen runs before he was drawn forward by a legspinner from Matt Parkinson and stumped by Harry Finch. And the former Lancashire spinner Parkinson was Kent’s hero when he bowled last man Ollie Sutton in the final over to finish with 4 for 30 off 8.2 oversIt had seemed that Keaton Jennings’ third century at Stanley Park this season would enable Lancashire to get home but Kent battled ferociously hard to defend 209 on a tricky wicket and Beyers Swanepoel’s 3 for 26 off nine overs was another magnificent effort. Jennings finished unbeaten on 107 off 140 balls with 13 fours and a sixFinch had top-scored for the visitors with 48 and Jennings’ one-man effort revived his side after they been struggling on 96 for 5 in the 30th overKent managed only 46 runs in their ten powerplay overs for the loss of Swanepoel, who was caught at cover for 19 off Will Williams. Joey Evison and Ekansh Singh maintained this modest rate of progress until the 15th over when Evison was called for a single to mid-on by Singh and was run out for 22 by Jack Blatherwick’s accurate throw.Debutant Sutton then took a wicket with his first legal delivery for Lancashire when Singh attempted to cut a very wide delivery but only skied a catch to George Lavelle at point. However, Sutton’s joy was short-lived. Two balls later, he had to leave the field with a side strain.Sutton’s replacement, Josh Bohannon, bowled 5.3 tidy overs of offspin for 24 runs but left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard took the next wicket, his first in senior cricket, when Jaydn Denly lofted him to long- on and departed for a pleasant 32 that had included five fours.Moderately placed on 100 for 3 at the halfway point of their innings, Kent searched in vain for the substantial partnership that is so often concomitant with acceleration. Having made 24, Jack Leaning followed Denly’s example in lofting Barnard straight to Green, who then removed Charlie Stobo, caught and bowled for 5.Grant Stewart played on to Williams for nine and it was left to Finch and Parkinson to put on 33 in nine overs before Parkinson was run out for 19 and the innings ended in the 49th over when Green had Finch caught by Lavelle at deep midwicket for 48 and Nathan Gilchrist was caught by Jennings at point for 2. Green ended the innings with 3 for 38, Williams 2 for 41 and Barnard 2 for 47.Lancashire’s pursuit of 210 began poorly when Swanepoel removed both Bell, caught at slip by Stobo for 6, and Bohannon, brilliantly pouched by a diving Evison at cover for five, inside the first eight overs.Jennings and Balderson repaired the damage with a stand of 41 in 11 overs but any thought that Lancashire’s pursuit would be straightforward were removed when Stobo removed them both in the space of three balls to leave the home side on 65 for 4 after 19 overs.The Lancashire skipper then put on 31 in 63 balls with Flintoff and then 24 with Green before the Australian was leg before to Parkinson for 5. Jennings was then given stout support from Blatherwick, who lifted Kent skipper Leaning for two huge sixes, and the home side needed 47 off the final ten overs of a compelling contest.Swanepoel was recalled and almost immediately caught and bowled Blatherwick for 25 and Parkinson had Williams caught behind with 22 still needed off 26 balls. Lancashire needed 15 off two overs and Jennings then reached his century with a straight drive to reduce the target to ten off ten. But Barnard was run out for one and Sutton bowled second ball to spark joyous scenes among the visitors.

PNG’s bowlers gave some hope after they folded for their lowest T20I score ever, but Uganda held their nerve in the end

Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2024

Riazat Ali Shah’s knock calmed Uganda’s nerves in the chase•ICC via Getty Images

A hard-fought three-wicket win on a challenging pitch gave Uganda their maiden win at the T20 World Cup. They beat Papua New Guinea (PNG) in a low-scoring game in Guyana where both teams vied for their first win in the competition. PNG’s batting crumbled to 77 all out after being put to bat, before Uganda, themselves in trouble at 26 for 5, reached home in the 19th over.Riazat Ali Shah, one of Uganda’s rising stars, used a low backlift in his careful 33 off 56 to shepherd them through the tricky chase, falling just three runs shy of Uganda’s target. PNG were left to rue their poor batting, but they also conceded 15 wides, the second-biggest contribution on the scorecard.But the story of the evening was Uganda’s bowling in the first innings, set up by the pair of 43-year old Frank Nsubuga and 21-year old Juma Miyagi.Both vindicated their inclusion in this game with superb spells. Nsubuga bowled the most economical spell (minimum four overs) in T20 World Cup history, with figures of 4-2-4-2. He also became only the second bowler to bowl 20 dot balls in a T20 World Cup game, after Ajantha Mendis in 2012.Ugandan pace rocks PNGAlpesh Ramjani gave Uganda a wicket on the second ball when left-hand batter Assad Vala played back to the left-arm spinner, who angled the ball from around the wicket and on to the stumps. Miyagi and Cosmas Kyewuta then kept PNG on the back foot with their pace.Left-hand batter Sese Bau couldn’t clear Miyagi over mid-off where Roger Mukasa took a tumbling catch going backwards. Kyewuta then got the big one when Tony Ura, PNG’s highest run-scorer in T20Is, also holed out to Mukasa. Lega Siaka was run out for 12 in the seventh over, trying to take a second run as he felt under pressure playing out dots against the two fast bowlers.Nsubuga on targetWhen Nsubuga slid one through Charles Amini’s leg stump in the 11th over, he became the second-oldest bowler to take a wicket in the T20 World Cup. Nsubuga then had Hiri Hiri lbw although on first view it looked like the batter had come too far down the wicket. The review, though, went in Uganda’s favour.Ramjani’s second wicket came when he also trapped Kiplin Doriga lbw for 12. Captain Brian Masaba then got into the act with a topspinner that went through Chad Soper’s defences. Miyagi and Kyewuta took the last two wickets, as PNG were bowled out with five balls to spare.Frank Nsubuga, 43, bowled back-to-back wicket maidens•ICC via Getty Images

Nao hits backAlei Nao gave PNG an identical start to PNG when he removed Mukasa in the first over for a second straight duck. Norman Vanua then removed Robinson Obuya who holed out to mid-on where Vala didn’t have to move to complete the catch.Nao then had Simon Ssesazi lbw in the third over as PNG slipped to a perilous 6 for 3. Ramjani then struck a nice boundary through the off side as he and Riazat tried to get Uganda out of trouble. Soper, though, got the seam-up delivery to scissor through Ramjani in the sixth over. When PNG captain Vala had Dinesh Nakrani caught and bowled, PNG were on the ascendancy.Riazat’s calmness prevailsWhen Uganda were 35 for 5, Amini dropped Riazat when he was on 8. It was a simple chance at point after Riazat had played a false shot, but it turned out to be the turning point in Uganda’s chase. Riazat registered his only boundary in the 11th over when he struck a nice cover drive against Vala.He added 35 runs for the sixth wicket with Miyagi, but the latter was run out after a mix-up in the 14th over. Riazat kept calm despite the dismissal, though PNG also kept helping Uganda. Bau dropped Kenneth Waiswa on 4, although Riazat finally fell in the 18th over. John Kariko took a good catch at deep third, though it was a little too late for PNG.

Tottenham Hotspur are now seen as favourites to appoint an “exciting” manager ahead of a significant Bundesliga side, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy allegedly making plans to potentially replace Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham identify new managers amid Ange Postecoglou uncertainty

Postecoglou could lead the Lilywhites to their first European final since 2019, if they manage to get past Bodo/Glimt at their freezing-cold ground in Norway on Thursday.

Tottenham: £4m-per-year manager who Levy wants is tempted to replace Ange

He’s now open to joining Spurs.

ByEmilio Galantini May 6, 2025

The prospect of a first major trophy since 2008 is also very much alive for Tottenham, but domestically, it’s been a season to forget. The north Londoners could still break their record for most Premier League losses in a single campaign, with Postecoglou’s side tasting defeat on 19 separate occasions already this term.

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

A succession of injuries to key players throughout 2024/2025 have severely handicapped Spurs’ chances of success, but only the three relegated sides (Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton) have lost more games overall, which simply isn’t good enough for a ‘big six’ side.

As a result, Postecoglou has been under the microscope, and there are reports the Australian could part ways with Tottenham regardless of their possible success in the Europa League (The Telegraph).

Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham), Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Scott Parker (Burnley) have all been mentioned as managerial candidates to replace Postecoglou in the last few weeks, alongside more high-profile names like Carlo Ancelotti, Jürgen Klopp and Xabi Alonso (GiveMeSport).

Another name who’s reportedly attracting interest from N17 is Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.

Last month, German media sources indicated that Tottenham have already made contact with Glasner over a potential move (Sport Bild), but the Austrian is also a top target for RB Leipzig amid their hunt for a new manager.

Tottenham ahead of RB Leipzig in race to appoint Oliver Glasner

The Austrian is turning heads after an excellent campaign at Palace, where he’s guided the Eagles to an FA Cup final at Wembley.

The south Londoners have a chance to win their first ever major trophy under Glasner’s watch, after coming very close in 2016, when they lost the FA Cup final to Man Utd under Alan Pardew.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with media outlet Bild now reporting that Spurs are seen as the likelier destination for Glasner ahead of Leipzig, despite the Bundesliga side’s “concrete” talks.

Tottenham are viewed as such favourites to appoint the 50-year-old that Leipzig are already considering other targets, which makes for promising reading if you wish to see Glasner make the move across London.

The tactician also guided Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory before his switch to England, with pundit John Wenham adamant Glasner would be an “exciting” appointment.

“He was flying with Palace last season. I know they made a slow start this season, but they lost some key players. However, since then, he has rebuilt well,” said Wenham to Tottenham News.

“He is far more exciting than most names that have been linked. Therefore, he is someone I would be happy for Tottenham to appoint. I think with better players he would excel, and I find him more exciting than Marco Silva or Thomas Frank, to be honest.”

In the wake of Liverpool’s leave-it-late victory over West Ham United to move within touching distance of claiming the Premier League, both Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk have alluded to a big summer of investment.

The runaway leaders have surprised everyone in ending Manchester City’s four-peat and leapfrogging Arsenal, who look set to complete their third second-place finish on the trot.

However, Liverpool definitely haven’t been perfect, with several first-team regulars struggling to prove themselves under new management and seemingly heading toward a summer exit.

From an attacking sense, Darwin Nunez is the most likely name to be drawn to mind, but he’s not the only one, oh no, Diogo Jota has also flattered to deceive for months and could be sold this summer.

Why Liverpool should sell Diogo Jota

Nunez has been consigned to the margins all season – the Uruguayan wasn’t even a part of Liverpool’s matchday squad against West Ham – but Jota has been utilised in a more important manner.

However, injuries have managed to scupper Jota’s hopes of a standout season. The 28-year-old has only started 13 Premier League matches all year, with the goals drying up since overcoming setbacks across winter and before.

Indeed, the Portugal international has only scored twice across his past 13 fixtures in all competitions, with the combination of injuries and goalscoring impotence highlighting the need for a new centre-forward.

Diogo Jota – Liverpool Stats by Season (all comps)
Season	Apps (starts)	Goals	Assists
24/25	32 (21)	9	4
23/24	32 (19)	15	5
22/23	28 (15)	7	8
21/22	55 (39)	21	6
20/21	30 (19)	13	1
Stats via Transfermarkt

Liverpool need to aim for the stars. Some reports claim that Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak is very much the dream target this summer, but at around €150m (£130m), the Reds might need to part ways with more than just Nunez.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Luckily, Slot knows that he has an up-and-coming star who could take Jota’s place and save Liverpool a whole load of money.

Liverpool already have a perfect Jota heir

Who knows how Liverpool’s transfer window will pan out. In fairness, though, there’s every chance that the Reds could launch a stunning move for a player of Isak’s ilk.

Finances are good at Anfield, but those working away in the offices will always look for a shrewd solution if one presents itself, and promoting Jayden Danns through fire sales of Nunez and Jota could be the perfect, resourceful way to take Liverpool forward next season.

Danns, 19, has suffered with a few unfortunate injuries over the past year, ending his January agreement to move on loan to Championship promotion hopefuls Sunderland before he had even kicked a ball.

But there’s no mistaking the teenage striker is one to watch, with analyst Ben Mattinson already pronouncing him to be “a better finisher than Nunez.”

Based on the evidence of the past three years, this isn’t all that hard, but it does highlight the natural ball-striking prowess that Danns can develop over the coming years, having already scored three times for Liverpool across just nine professional appearances.

Serving as Isak’s understudy, for example, Danns could save Liverpool millions and allow them to stock up the war chest through sales of Liverpool’s existing – and struggling – number nines.

With attention needed across various other areas of the park, this might just be the perfect way to keep Slot’s side firing while strengthening across key areas too.

He could surpass Salah: Liverpool ready £130m offer to sign world-class CF

Liverpool are set to break the bank on a new striker this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Apr 14, 2025

Shan Masood was gushing in his praise of South Africa’s quicks, but extreme pace is currently off the cards for his side

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2025If someone told you Pakistan had lost 20 successive Test matches in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were talking about rugby. But after Pakistan slipped to another Test defeat in the watery evening sunshine of Cape Town, they ensured that ignominious statistic had reached a nice round number.There isn’t a single explanation for a run that stretches back to 2013, but it is possible to be more specific when it comes to this particular Test at Newlands, and Shan Masood certainly was. He paid rich tribute to South Africa’s pace bowlers, acknowledging he was impressed they kept their speeds up, despite bowling 176.3 consecutive overs to dismiss Pakistan twice. Pakistan, meanwhile, had no bowler that truly came close to the pace of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Kwena Maphaka.”SA bowled really well in both innings,” Masood said. “Their pace was up. That has been a key difference in this series. If you look at our first innings, 132-135 [kph] not carrying to the slips compared to 138-144 when Maphaka was bowling. Those are the balls that beat the batter or hit you on the pads. That is a difference and it is something we want to do in Test cricket as well.”Related

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Shan Masood defends spin-it-to-win-it strategy: 'We will do what we need to take 20 wickets'

Pakistan need to know what they want from Test cricket

South Africa seal ten-wicket win despite Pakistan's great resistance

SA's seventh successive Test win, and an unlikely fifty for Rabada

Six years ago in Cape Town, another Pakistan captain sat in the Newlands press box, and was coruscating about his bowlers’ lack of pace. South Africa had just knocked off a routine fourth innings run chase, and Sarfaraz Ahmed compared his own bowlers unfavourably to South Africa’s.”If you talk about our bowling and their bowling, I think there’s a big difference in the two,” Sarfaraz had said. “The way our bowlers are bowling is not up to the mark in this Test match. If you see our bowlers, they’re bowling 128-129, and the average speed is 130, while their bowlers are bowling at 145. If you are going to bowl with that lack of pace here you won’t get wickets.”I don’t know what’s going on there. Previously it happened, too, when I came here in 2013, the same problem occurred. At the time we had [Mohammad] Irfan, Umar Gul and Tanvir Ahmed. Their pace was down too. I don’t know what’s happening here in Cape Town.”But while those comments may have been intended as a public rebuke to Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Afridi, the variance in pace didn’t come as a surprise to Masood. Pakistan opted against playing their only express seamer – Naseem Shah – in Cape Town under circumstances that are, at best, murky, vaguely citing a back issue and chest congestion. It left Pakistan with a bowling attack of four men who could only really be described as medium fast: Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza and Aamer Jamal’s average pace was between 125kph and 132kph, with not a single ball bowled over 140kph.On the second day during the tea break, however, Naseem was on a practice pitch a few strips across from the playing surface, bowling at full pelt – significantly quicker than any of the starting squad, unencumbered by the sorts of fitness issues that ostensibly kept him out. Similarly, Afridi, the other bowler with Test pedigree who could have brought higher pace, was given leave to play the Bangladesh Premier League, despite the PCB insisting national duty took first priority.It remains unclear whether he was dropped or made himself unavailable, but the result remains the same: South Africa had bowlers who ensured their pace remained high, while Pakistan fielded a quartet who physically could not.”The clear difference was the fast bowling where they bowled a lot of overs at decent pace,” Masood said. “We have to look at a lot of other things in our set-up. How to keep the quicks fresh, how to get an extra batter in the squad. Like Aamer Jamal, if we can find another bowler who’s a good bowler and batter. Like South Africa have Marco Jansen. He’s good with the bat and very good with the ball. If we can find a few cricketers like that, it’d be good for our Test make-up as well where we can play that extra spinner.”They were pretty decent with reverse swing, too. Even today, when Maphaka came on before the second new ball, his pace was up. Jansen’s a superb cricketer, Rabada’s one of the greatest bowlers to play the game. On the fast bowling front, in the first Test, they had [Dane] Paterson: a wily customer, clever, skilled and experienced. I thought their fast-bowling department was really good.”It is an unusual position for Pakistan to find themselves in. Having waxed lyrical about the strength and depth of its their pace attack over the years, Pakistan must now contend with the suddenly denuded nature of their Test pace cabinet. While just two months ago, they fielded an electric high pace attack comprising Afridi, Naseem, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf, they find themselves in a situation where their desire to play Test cricket hovers between varying degrees of reluctance. Rauf pushed that recalcitrance to the extreme when he refused to tour Australia for a three-Test series last year, and briefly lost his central contract, while Hasnain has not played first-class cricket since a county stint in 2022.It makes it tricky to work out what a lost series in South Africa means. Pakistan appear to have shifted away from using pace at home, famously defeating England 2-1 in October with a spin-heavy strategy. When West Indies visit later this month for two Tests, a similar strategy will be followed, with high-pace likely non-existent. It may mean Pakistan have reconciled themselves to opting out of matching countries like South Africa for pace when they show up here, or in Australia.This tour of South Africa could end up being a harbinger of that. It remains to be seen whether such a deal – which with their history and culture may be viewed as almost Faustian – is one their supporters will simply have to resign themselves to.

With only 150 to chase, he could have taken a safer route. Instead, he smashed 98 not out off 47 balls to take down KKR

Sreshth Shah12-May-20234:50

Dasgupta: ‘Jaiswal’s innings was absolutely flawless’

On Thursday, if Yashasvi Jaiswal had started his innings with caution, you would have understood why. With only 150 to chase, there was merit in the opening batter to have a watchful start, protect his wicket against the new ball, and get his bearings before cashing in. With Jos Buttler at the other end, there was little reason to go too hard at the top, and in an era of data-driven cricket, even more so against an offspinner who can take the ball away.Therefore, it seemed to be a smart ploy from Nitish Rana to bowl the first over for Kolkata Knight Riders. Rana is a handy part-time spinner with a somewhat golden arm, and the idea to sneak in a quiet first over wasn’t a bad one. Worst case for Rana, if the over didn’t go as planned, at least it was a brave attempt to buy an early wicket since that was the only way in for KKR in their defence of 149. Instead, it turned out to be an expensive decision. Jaiswal hit Rana for 26 runs, the most by a batter in the opening over of an IPL innings.But you can’t blame Rana for bowling that over; you can only praise Jaiswal. The batter came down the track first ball and hit it for a six, and followed it up with another next ball. In all the years of IPL cricket, only once had that been done before – Virat Kohli in 2019 against Varun Aaron in a five-over match – and even after the 12 runs off the first two balls, Jaiswal was only whetting his appetite. Three of the next four balls in the over went for boundaries, the fourth ball very nearly did too.Related

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• Jaiswal and Chahal smash records and KKR

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• Jaiswal takes a big step towards becoming a complete batter

Those six balls showed such pristine form that even Buttler did not hesitate to sacrifice his wicket next over. On zero, Buttler had turned down Jaiswal for a single but the youngster hadn’t spotted it and had run through. Once Buttler noticed that, he made the split-second decision to cross Jaiswal so that Jaiswal would not be out.”When I saw Nitish bowl, I thought that if I can get runs off him with my shots then I should go for it,” Jaiswal said after the match. “You never know how someone will bowl their first ball, but after spotting the field placements, I calculated what my shot options were.”Between Jos and me, I am learning a lot. Today, he sacrificed his wicket because of my error, and I really respect that. We all know that it happens in the game, nobody does it purposely. But that was the moment where I decided to take responsibility, thinking ‘it is okay’ but I need to take responsibility from here on.”

“I also know that I will not bat like this every day. I have to accept that on some days my shots will pay off and on other days they won’t. So it is important to continue learning irrespective of how my innings pans out”Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal did not let Buttler’s sacrifice go to waste. He pulled Harshit Rana for a six, enjoyed some luck to earn four overthrows, and then tore into Shardul Thakur with a hat-trick of fours.He first hit Shardul by moving leg side and driving an inswinger, then by pulling through midwicket and finally following it up with another drive through the covers. On 49 off 12 balls, Jaiswal had very nearly broken the all-time record for the fastest T20 fifty. On the next delivery, he shaved one ball off the IPL record.”I was very excited,” Jaiswal said. “When I reached the 13-ball fifty, for a brief moment I thought there was a chance it was the fastest IPL fifty, but I wasn’t sure till I found out after the game. I enjoyed that moment, I celebrated also, I did this [flexes his right arm] and this [flexes his left arm]. I told myself, ‘Let’s celebrate.'”The quality of the shots he played and the fluency with which they travelled to the boundary was the highlight of Jaiswal’s fifty, but even more impressive was his clear thinking. Jaiswal did not approach his innings based on what the target was. Neither did he change his style in the aftermath of the Buttler dismissal, nor was it a case of ‘see ball, hit ball’. Instead, Jaiswal’s mantra was to scan the field, identify scoring options and then remain wholly committed to it. It is that sort of mindset that has made Jaiswal the frontrunner for the orange cap and the emerging player award, and holistically takes him closer to becoming a complete batter.Coming into the KKR game, Jaiswal’s ball-per-boundary ratio of 3.1 in the powerplay this season was the best. He is also extremely quick off the blocks, possessing the second-best strike rate (175) and an even better ball-per-boundary ratio (2.9) in his first ten balls of an innings. Even though he scores faster against pace bowlers, he is yet to be dismissed by spin in IPL 2023. These quick bursts have set him up for success this season, with the KKR innings now giving him his fifth 50-plus score in 12 innings and very nearly a second IPL 2023 century, having already hit 124 against Mumbai Indians.Yashasvi Jaiswal takes a bow after hitting the winning runs•BCCI”Every wicket has a different behaviour and you play according to that wicket and the ball being bowled,” Jaiswal said on his consistency this season. “I try to understand what they [the bowlers] can do, where they can bowl, and what the field is. And I try to understand the wicket also. Because sometimes that can go in your favour if you understand the wicket. My preparation has been focused around my discipline lately. Because after fielding for 20 overs with high intensity, you have to go bat. That’s why I am working on my fitness and the mental aspect of the game.”I also know that I will not bat like this every day. I have to accept that on some days my shots will pay off and on other days they won’t. So it is important to continue learning irrespective of how my innings pans out. Around me, there are many experienced players and I keep talking to them about how to keep your mindset as a batter. The legends like MS [Dhoni] sir, Virat Kohli sir and Jos and Sanju [Samson] … whenever I meet them, I try to learn what more I can add to my game and how I can control my mind.”In his last 20 balls, Jaiswal caught on to the fact that Samson was timing it better and therefore took a back seat. Samson pumped five sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 29-ball 48, but that also meant there were not enough runs left for Jaiswal to reach his century. Needing six to get the century but only three to finish the game, the winning runs from Jaiswal could only be a four, leaving him stranded on 98 off 47 deliveries. For all intents and purposes, it was a century, with Jaiswal also treating it like that, removing his helmet and bowing to the camera after the game was buried.”I thought that I will go for a six to get the hundred if I could, but it is okay,” Jaiswal said. “The other thing I had in mind was that I have to play long and finish the games, so even at the end, that was the only thought in my mind, to leave the field by finishing the game. I will remember this innings a lot. It was short-lived but also very intense.”

Punjab Kings’ 25-year-old allrounder also made a vital 17-ball 25 in only his fourth IPL game

Vishal Dikshit01-May-20210:59

Harpreet Brar explains how he took down Royal Challengers Bangalore

Who is Harpreet Brar?
A left-arm spinner and a hard-hitting lower-order batter, Brar hails from Moga, a small city in Punjab, which is also the hometown of Harmanpreet Kaur. Brar played age-group cricket and several club competitions in Punjab before he was picked by Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 IPL auction for his base price of INR 20 lakh at the age of 23.Related

• Harpreet Brar's slow road to the top

• KL Rahul ploughing a lone furrow for Punjab Kings

What was Brar’s childhood like?
When he was a kid, Brar saw a flyer for a cricket academy stuck on a wall in a nearby market. Excited with the ambition of becoming a professional cricketer, Brar took the flyer home and showed it to his mother to which she said, “‘See, you can join if you wish, but only if you put your heart into it,” as reported by the Kings website in 2019.She said so because Brar came from a family that played cricket but most of his cousins gave up the sport due to “financial difficulties”. With a lot of pressure on him to make it big once he grew older and started representing Punjab in Under-16 and Under-19 competitions, there was even a time when Brar protested going to marriages because his relatives would tell his mother, “Cricket? The whole world plays cricket, nothing will come of it”.But Brar wanted to prove them wrong. If not cricket, he was destined to either join the Punjab Police, where his father worked as a driver, or move to Canada on a study visa for higher studies. But he decided to give cricket one final shot.How did he make it big?
When he was playing at the Under-23 level in 2018, Brar knew time was running out for him. He had already appeared in two trials for the Mumbai Indians but couldn’t make the cut.It was then that Punjab’s Gurkeerat Singh made Brar represent a Mohali district team where Brar shone with his performances, even though he didn’t have enough money to buy new bats at times. Gurkeerat helped him with that as well.”The bats were expensive, so we had to make them last longer by threading it,” Brar told the Kings website in 2019. “Or hope that a senior hands one down. One time Gurkeerat gifted me one.”The tournament that stamped him as a bowler for the next level was the 2018 Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy in which he ended with a whopping 56 wickets from 11 games at an average of 16.41, that included six five-wicket hauls and best figures of 7 for 23.Not surprisingly, he was handed an IPL contract by the Punjab franchise in November 2018 for the 2019 season.The Punjab Kings left-arm spinner’s match-winning returns•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat has his journey been like so far since 2019?
Brar made is T20 debut in the 2019 IPL against the Delhi Capitals, when his captain R Ashwin described him as a “mystery spinner” at the toss. Brar impressed with an unbeaten 20 off 12, that included a six off a Kagiso Rabada bouncer, but he was given the tough task of bowling in the powerplay. Brar’s spin was struck for a six first ball by Shikhar Dhawan in a 17-run over, and he went on to play just one more game for a wicketless five overs that season.Brar played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy later that year and ended as Punjab’s highest wicket-taker with a tally of 14 and an economy rate of 6.89, in a bowling line-up that also featured Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Mayank Markande. Brar’s victims that season featured a star cast of Devdutt Padikkal, Dinesh Karthik, and Prithvi Shaw, among others.Around 10 months later, he flew to the UAE for the 2020 IPL but got just one game and this time he was taken to the cleaners by Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis for 41 runs off his four overs in a 10-wicket loss.In the Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the beginning of 2021, Brar rose again. This time his seven wickets at an economy rate of just 5.70 from seven games played a pivotal role in Punjab’s run to the semi-final after remaining unbeaten in the league stage. By now Brar was one of the main Punjab bowlers along with Sharma, Kaul, Markande and Arshdeep Singh.The magical IPL night
After losing four of their first six IPL games this season, the Kings made three changes against the Royal Challengers, and gave Brar his fourth IPL game.Brar first batted with his captain KL Rahul to finish on an unbeaten 25 from 17 at No. 7 that included 18 runs off five balls against Harshal Patel, this IPL’s highest wicket-taker, with the help of two sixes and a four, that took the Kings to a challenging 179 for 5.But the real magic from Brar came with the ball. Even though his first ball was struck for a six again, by Kohli, Brar broke the back of the Royal Challengers’ chase with his first two IPL wickets off consecutive balls that had the names of Kohli and Maxwell on them; one losing his leg stump and the other his off.And in his next and last over, he even had de Villiers caught at extra cover for a fairytale ending that left the chase at 69 for 4 from where the Royal Challengers never recovered.His first 11 overs in the IPL starting from 2019 went for a wicketless 106 runs, and his next seven balls didn’t concede a single run while removing not one but three big fish.”My first IPL wicket is Virat ‘s wicket so I was very happy when I got that,” Brar said after receiving his Player-of-the-Match award at the presentation. “Once you get one wicket, the mentality changes a bit, you get confidence that you’re landing the ball nicely, so I got the flow and more wickets.” (It feels like a dream).”

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم لجماهير الكرة المصرية عن الخطوات الرسمية لشراء تذاكر مباريات منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العالم 2026، المقرر إقامتها في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكندا والمكسيك خلال الفترة من 11 يونيو إلى 19 يوليو المقبل.

وتُعد نسخة 2026 هي الأولى التي تشهد مشاركة 48 منتخبًا، مقسمة على 12 مجموعة، حيث أسفرت قرعة البطولة التي أُجريت مؤخرًا عن تواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة السابعة إلى جانب منتخبات إيران وبلجيكا ونيوزيلندا.

طالع أيضًا | بالتوقيتات.. مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر في كأس العالم 2026 بيان الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم

أكد الاتحاد، عبر الدكتور مصطفى عزام المدير التنفيذي، أن التذاكر تُشترى حصريًا عبر بوابة التذاكر الرسمية التابعة للاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم (فيفا)، وذلك وفق الخطوات التالية:

إنشاء حساب على منصة تذاكر فيفا

يجب على كل متقدم إنشاء حساب شخصي على منصة تذاكر فيفا (FIFA TICKETING ACCOUNT) قبل تقديم الطلب، حيث لن يتم قبول أي طلب أو استلام التذاكر دون وجود حساب مفعل.

فترة التقديم

يفتح باب التقديم للحصول على التذاكر من 11 ديسمبر 2025 وحتى 13 يناير 2026، حصريًا عبر بوابة التذاكر الرسمية لفيفا.

السحب العشوائي لتخصيص التذاكر لجماهير مصر

بعد انتهاء فترة التقديم، ستجري فيفا سحبًا عشوائيًا (RANDOM SELECTION DRAW) لتوزيع التذاكر المخصصة لجماهير مصر ضمن حصة EGYPT PMA SUPPORTERS’ ALLOCATION، خلال الفترة من يناير إلى فبراير 2026.

مرحلة السداد

يبدأ سداد قيمة التذاكر مباشرة بعد إعلان نتائج السحب، خلال الفترة من يناير إلى فبراير 2026، ويعد السداد شرطًا إلزاميًا لتأكيد الحجز.

استلام التذاكر

ستُرسل جميع التذاكر المقبولة للجماهير بصورة رقمية عبر البريد الإلكتروني، مع رمز QR CODE معتمد للدخول إلى الملاعب.

إعادة بيع التذاكر

أوضح الدكتور مصطفى عزام أن الاتحاد تقدم رسميًا بطلب إلى فيفا لتفعيل خدمة إعادة بيع التذاكر (RESALE) للجماهير غير القادرة على الحضور، بحيث يمكن استعادة قيمة التذاكر عبر منصة فيفا.

الحد الأقصى للشراء

وفق لوائح فيفا، يُسمح بشراء 4 تذاكر كحد أقصى لكل مباراة، و40 تذكرة كحد أقصى للبطولة لكل أسرة.

ويهيب الاتحاد بالجماهير الالتزام بشراء التذاكر عبر القنوات الرسمية، والبدء مبكرًا في إجراءات الحصول على التأشيرة للراغبين في حضور الحدث العالمي.

Manchester United are now seriously considering a move for a “lightning quick” Paris Saint-Germain star, with a surprise Marcus Rashford swap deal on the cards.

Rashford tearing it up on loan at Barcelona

Rashford has really managed to kick on since joining Barcelona on loan in the summer, amassing six goals and ten assists in all competitions, but it has recently emerged that the forward isn’t expected to make his stay at the Camp Nou permanent.

The Englishman is likely to have plenty of options to choose from next summer, however, with it being revealed Chelsea have held talks over a potential deal, while Tottenham Hotspur are determined to win the race for the 28-year-old’s signature and give him a leading role.

It is difficult to envisage a way back for the United academy graduate at Old Trafford, given his sour relationship with Ruben Amorim, and it has now been revealed the manager could get him off the books in a different way at the end of the season.

According to a report from Spain, Man United are now seriously considering signing PSG forward Bradley Barcola, and a surprise swap deal is possible, with Rashford potentially set to be sent in the opposite direction.

Barcola’s negotiations with the French club over a new contract have now stalled, which could open the door for a move to Old Trafford, although his current employers are very reluctant to sanction a departure.

With a market value of around €70m (£61m), a deal for the Frenchman would be on the expensive side, but there are indications he could be worth every penny…

"Lightning quick" Barcola impressing in Ligue 1 and Europe

Hailed as “lightning quick” by journalist Raj Chohan, the PSG star has put in some top performances in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, regularly contributing with goals and assists.

Competition

Appearances

Goal contributions

Ligue 1

12

6

Champions League

5

2

The 23-year-old also played a major role in the French side winning the Champions League for the first time last season, chipping in with three goals and four assists in 17 appearances.

Man United appear to have recruited well in the summer, with new forward Matheus Cunha grabbing an assist in the 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, while Bryan Mbeumo already has six Premier League goals to his name.

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However, with the Red Devils looking to return to Europe next season, they may need more depth in attacking areas, and Barcola could be a brilliant addition to Amorim’s squad, so they should definitely try to negotiate a swap deal involving Rashford.

Shohei Ohtani has been working his way back to the mound after not having pitched since his last season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of that year, Ohtani was limited to serving as the designated hitter in his first season as a Los Angeles Dodger.

Well, it seems as if he could be toeing the rubber before too long, based on the latest update from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres, Roberts told reporters that there's a "north of zero" chance that Ohtani is able to return to pitching ahead of schedule, via Fabian Ardaya of .

The 30-year-old is currently expected to return to the mound after the All-Star break, but after throwing a few simulated innings on Tuesday, Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior were both impressed with his progress. While Roberts wouldn't commit to Ohtani coming back earlier than expected, he certainly did not rule it out, either.

Ohtani has been hitting leadoff and serving as L.A.'s designated hitter through the first 65 games of the 2025 season. He leads the National League with 23 home runs and a 1.015 OPS, and before long will add his Cy Young-caliber arm to a Dodgers rotation that's been plagued by injury this year.

The last time Ohtani pitched in 2023, he had a 3.14 ERA across 23 starts and struck out 167 batters over 132 innings on the mound.