The Herons have revealed a new slick black kit ahead of the 2025 campaign that will see them compete in the FIFA Club World Cup as well
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Only 10.5 overs of play were possible after a delay of more than four hours
Firdose Moonda24-Mar-2022No result South Africa have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals after rain washed out their match against West Indies in Wellington. Only 10.5 overs were possible after a delay of more than four hours that saw play get underway after 3pm local time and South Africa were in trouble at 61 for 4. But persistent rain meant no further play was possible.West Indies’ hopes of advancing are hanging by a thread after three losses, three wins and a no-result. If either India or England lose a match, West Indies could still advance to the knockouts, but their tournament future is now out of their control. Irrespective of the outcome of their final match against India, South Africa will qualify in second place and have avoided facing table-topping Australia in the final four.South Africa may consider themselves lucky to have got away with the point they needed to break away from the chasing pack after they teetered on 22 for 4 in the sixth over of their rain-reduced encounter. In a match that was cut down to 26 overs a side, South Africa were on the back foot after West Indies’ opening bowlers made good use of extra bounce in the surface to dismiss their top four without any of them getting into double figures.Laura Wolvaardt was out cheaply for the first time in the tournament when she tried to cut a wide Chinelle Henry ball through point but found a flying Deandra Dottin, who took another stunning catch. Dottin dived left and took the catch one-handed, in her right hand. Four balls later, Lizelle Lee’s torrid run continued. She tried to hit a Shamilia Connell delivery across the line and toe-ended it to midwicket. Karishma Ramharack juggled the ball but took the catch to leave Lee with no scores over 36 from five matches in the competition.Connell could have had another off her next ball when Tazmin Brits edged it but Hayley Matthews moved too early at slip and the ball hit her wrist. In Henry’s next over, Brits was dropped at second slip as she jabbed at a ball but Dottin couldn’t hold on. Henry got her reward two balls later when she got a delivery to stick in the surface and Sune Luus lobbed it to Stafanie Taylor. Henry had an opportunity for two wickets in two balls when Mignon du Preez edged her next delivery to second slip but Dottin dropped it again. It only took until her next over for Henry to strike again, when Brits sliced her to Ramharack at cover. Henry finished with figures of 3 for 19.du Preez and Marizanne Kapp were rebuilding the innings and scored 39 runs in 32 balls for the fifth wicket when the drizzle which had hung around throughout the day became harder, forcing the umpires to take the players off the field. du Preez managed her highest score in her last 10 ODIs and was hitting the ball on 38 not out but was unable to continue. Conditions did not improve and the match was called off after another lengthy rain delay.
Pep Guardiola has explained why Manchester City allowed Morgan Rogers to leave after his starring role as Aston Villa beat the English champions.
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Brooke Guest and Leus de Plooy fifties make high-class Notts attack work for rewards
ECB Reporters Network19-May-2022Nottinghamshire 22 for 0 trail Derbyshire 260 (du Plooy 57, Guest 51) by 238Half-centuries by Brooke Guest and Leus du Plooy helped Derbyshire total 260 all out on the opening day of their LV= County Championship match against Nottinghamshire, for whom leading wicket-taker Dane Paterson finished with 3 for 36.After being asked to bat first on a heavily green-tinged pitch, and facing a trio of international fast bowlers in Stuart Broad, James Pattinson and Paterson, Derbyshire will feel they could have done much worse, particularly after leading scorer Shan Masood – who still hopes to become the first player since Graeme Hick in 1988 to aggregate 1000 first-class runs before the end of May – suffered a rare failure.Australian former Test bowler Pattinson, his dander up after twice being hooked for six, bowled with real pace and there was plenty of aggression from Broad in the last of his three Championship appearances before an expected Test recall against New Zealand next month.On the down side for Derbyshire, they are without three senior bowlers, with Suranga Lakmal, Anuj Dal and Ryan Sidebottom all injured. Nottinghamshire began their reply with 22 without loss from three overs, all the runs off the bat being scored by Ben Slater.Pakistan Test opener Masood, whose seven previous innings included three centuries, two of them doubles, and only one score under 62, this time fell on 18, caught behind pushing at a ball from Pattinson that found a thin edge. His dismissal left him on 844 runs for the season, still with an outside chance to make history as the earliest to reach the magical 1000 in May, although he has only the second innings of this match in which to do it because the rest of the month is given over to the Vitality Blast.Were he to make 156 or higher he would better Don Bradman’s 1938 achievement of reaching the milestone by May 27.After Masood’s dismissal, Derbyshire slipped to 41 for 3 when Paterson removed Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen with consecutive balls. Godleman was caught at third slip before Madsen nibbled at one that left him late to be caught behind, yet new man du Plooy helped Guest steer a path to 89 for 3 at lunch, the latter miscuing Pattinson for six over the short boundary on the Bridgford Road side.After the interval, Guest completed a 68-ball half-century but was not able to build on it, losing his middle stump to a quick ball from Broad that deflected off his bottom hand. du Plooy followed Guest in losing his wicket soon after passing fifty, leg-before playing back to a ball from Steven Mullaney, but Derbyshire added 102 runs in the session.Alex Hughes, a late call-up after Dal turned his ankle warming up on the outfield, joined Guest in hooking Pattinson for six, off a no-ball to boot, having been dropped on 6 off Mullaney.Slater took a stunning boundary catch to deny former Derbyshire team-mate Luis Reece a half-century, before being given a rare opportunity to bowl his offspin and claiming his maiden Championship wicket with his first ball as Tom Moores stumped Alex Thomson.After the second new ball was taken, Hughes became a second victim for Broad when he was lbw to a full delivery but he and debutant Liam Hurt – the fast bowler on loan from Lancashire – had added 27 to secure a second batting point. Paterson and spinner Liam Patterson-White picked up the last two wickets.
Less than a week before the head coach’s disciplinary hearing, the board found the charges were no longer sustainable
Firdose Moonda10-May-2022Cricket South Africa has “formally and unreservedly” withdrawn the charges of gross misconduct against men’s national head coach Mark Boucher, less than a week before his disciplinary hearing was scheduled to begin. The board is no longer seeking his dismissal over the tentative findings of the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report, which concluded that Boucher may have engaged in conduct that was prejudicial on the basis of race.Following Paul Adams and Enoch Nkwe deciding to not testify at the hearings, and the outcome of former director of cricket Graeme Smith’s arbitration, which cleared him on all counts, CSA found the charges were no longer sustainable.Related
Boucher's exit after eventful tenure leaves big hole in coaching staff
Bavuma puts spotlight on 'inclusive leadership group' as SA look to move on after turbulent 12 months
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To be meaningful, follow-up to SJN process must go beyond Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher
Graeme Smith cleared of racism charges
Boucher was facing three charges over his handling of historical and current race-based issues during his time as a national player and a coach. This included his role in singing a team song with the words “b**** s***” in it, directed at Adams during their playing days, his handling of the Black Lives Matter movement with the current squad, and his working relationship with former assistant coach Nkwe. Since the SJN report could not make definite findings on the seriousness of these incidents, CSA “was advised by external lawyers that the appropriate formal process to follow in respect of Mr Boucher was a formal disciplinary hearing in front of an independent ombudsman”. However, CSA could find no basis to sustain the charges because of a lack of witnesses.In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, CSA confirmed that Adams’ announcement on Sunday that he would not testify reiterated his initial statement that his testimony at the SJN was about the “overall culture” of the national team in the early 2000s and that he did not want to single out any player. In his oral testimony, Adams had recounted the anecdote which led to him being given the nickname “b**** s****” and it was the ombudsman’s assistant Fumisa Ngqele who then asked him, “When Mark Boucher called you “b**** s***, did you address him personally?” Adams responded: “No, well, I never addressed them personally. Mark was probably just one of the guys that did all that.” Adams’ written statement made no mention of Boucher either.Further, Boucher apologised to Adams and CSA’s lawyers have ascertained that Adams had accepted the apology, which left them with no case to make against Boucher with regards to the song.On the matter of Nkwe, the chargesheet against Boucher claimed that he had not provided “roles and responsibilities” or “meaningful key-performance indicators” for him, did not define his role or any development plans for him, and thus, “allegedly treated Mr Nkwe in a manner unbecoming of a leader in your position”. Nkwe’s unwillingness to testify meant CSA could not pursue this route either.There was no mention of why CSA could not sustain the charge around the handling of the BLM movement other than a comment that they had “engaged with various other potential witnesses over the last month and concluded that none of the three charges were sustainable”. While Boucher had intended to call several current players to testify on his behalf, ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA could not secure the same, and, having noted the outcome of Smith’s arbitration, felt it would not be able to make the charges against Boucher stand.In the case of Smith, who was cleared last month, CSA failed to prove that Smith’s appointment of Boucher as head coach discriminated against Nkwe on the basis of race. CSA’s shortcomings in that case, where it was also unable to prove factual causation that Smith had influenced Thami Tsolekile’s non-selection on the basis of race, and led the board to believe it would not be able to make a strong legal argument against Boucher.With Smith’s case concluded, and his tenure as director of cricket ended, and the withdrawing of the charges against Boucher, CSA’s battles with two of the most influential men in the country’s cricket have ended, and the board is eager to take a big-picture view of the anti-racist process over the last 18 months.Mark Boucher – “The last few months have been extremely difficult to endure for me and my family”•Gallo Images/Getty Images
“The SJN process was never only or even mainly about the conduct of individuals. More fundamentally, it was about providing a platform for persons involved in cricket to share their personal experiences of racial and gender discrimination and to allow for a careful consideration of the systemic measures necessary to redress these issues going forward for the future,” Lawson Naidoo, CSA’s board chair, said. “The Board will in the near future announce further systemic initiatives in this regard. The systemic learnings from the SJN process will provide valuable input into the values, behaviours, culture and strategy of Cricket in South Africa going forward and we thank all participants for their contributions in this regard.”Boucher welcomed the decision and committed himself to the national team for the remainder of his contract, which runs to the end of the 2023 World Cup.”The allegations of racism which were levelled against me were unjustified and have caused me considerable hurt and anguish,” he said in a statement. “The last few months have been extremely difficult to endure for me and my family. I am glad that the process has finally come to an end and that CSA has accepted that the charges against me are unsustainable. I consider that the matter is now finalised and closed and I do not intend on making further statements on this matter. I look forward to continuing to focus on my job and to taking the Proteas men’s team to even greater heights.”Boucher continued to acknowledge the insensitivity of team culture in his playing days and maintained that the environment in the current squad has been healthy.”I stand by my apology to Paul given during the SJN process for the hurt he felt during his time as a Proteas player. As I stated in my affidavit to the SJN process, some of the things that were said and done in those days were totally inappropriate and unacceptable and in retrospect, understandably offensive,” he said. “I am proud to now be part of a team culture that is inclusive and whose objective is to be respectful to every person.”
Stoinis smashed an unbeaten 75 as well to pile on the misery for Hurricanes
AAP19-Jan-2022Glenn Maxwell’s all-out assault on Hobart Hurricanes netted him and Melbourne Stars the highest scores in BBL history, handing Hurricanes a reality check with a 106-run hammering on the eve of the finals.Maxwell thumped an unbeaten 154 from 64 balls at the MCG, smashing 22 boundaries and four sixes in the most brutal display of hitting in the competition’s history.It helped the Stars to a record total of 2 for 273, 41 more than the next best in BBL history and the third highest in any franchise or international T20 game in history. Only totals made by Afghanistan and the Czech Republic have been higher, with those matches against fellow minnows Ireland and Turkey.Maxwell’s score was also the ninth highest in T20 history, after Hurricanes opted to rest Scott Boland and Riley Meredith.He dominated Hurricanes all round the wicket, with the shot of the night an outrageous switch-hit flick over fly-slip for six. His century was the second-fastest in BBL history, coming in 41 balls and just two shy of Craig Simmons’s 39-ball effort in 2014.The right-hander helped take 21 off one D’Arcy Short over, while he hit five boundaries for 22 runs off another from Sandeep Lamichhane.Maxwell was not alone with Marcus Stoinis also finishing unbeaten on 75 from 31 balls. On the same night he lost his record for the highest score in BBL history, Stoinis also showed Hurricanes no mercy.He launched six balls over the rope, also taking 26 from a Tim David over as no Hurricanes bowler went at an economy rate below 10.In reply, Hobart never looked interested in the chase as they finished at 6 for 167 with Ben McDermott top-scoring with 55 from 33.Maxwell’s knock will serve as a great ‘what-if?’ for Stars fans, after they finished the season at 7-7 and with two losses with the bulk of their squad out with Covid-19.”The disappointment of the last week probably culminated in us playing with ultimate freedom,” Maxwell said on Seven’s coverage. “It’s been a real tough year. I have had plenty of injuries, COVID, and pretty much every result go against us.”A lot of things have to go right for that to happen. I had great support the whole way through.”Meanwhile, Hurricanes’ loss means they still finish fifth and face Adelaide in an Eliminator on Friday, but all of a sudden with a serious dent to their momentum.The first three finals will each be played in Melbourne, with the challenger and decider to be at home venues. Perth will use Marvel Stadium as their home, while locked out of Western Australia.
Kings’ forgettable season came to an end as Quetta finished with a win though they are unlikely to progress
S Sudarshanan20-Feb-2022The first match of Sunday’s double-header in the PSL in Lahore was an odd one; neither the winning team nor the losing one would have been happy at the end of it. Quetta Gladiators needed to win their final match of the league stage by a huge margin in order to keep their hopes of qualification alive, mathematically. Kings, who held the upper hand for most parts, skittled away a strong start with the bat to go down by 23 runs.It was a case of old habits dying hard for Kings as a forgettable PSL season came to an end with their ninth defeat in ten matches. Kings lost seven wickets for just 37 runs with Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad picking four on T20 debut, turning the chase on its head. It meant Kings were restricted to 143 for 8 in their chase of the 167-run target.Gladiators chose to bat first and their openers struggled to get going. Will Smeed fell early while Jason Roy made use of the powerplay to get off to a fast start. However, Roy was far from his belligerent self, bringing the edges of his blade into play more often.Imad Wasim and Umaid Asif snuck in some economical overs as Kings captain Babar Azam rotated his bowlers quite regularly. That did not deter Roy and James Vince, who added 90 for the second wicket. Vince’s attempt at upping the scoring rate resulted in his dismissal, as he was bowled by fellow Englishman Lewis Gregory while trying to play a big shot across the line.Roy soon brought up his third half-century in the season but then fell in the final over, holing out to Mir Hamza. Thanks to Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed, Gladiators collected 41 off the last four overs to post 166.Kings were on course for overhauling the target and registering their second successive win when Babar and Joe Clarke, who had a forgettable outing with the gloves, were in the middle. The duo blazed through the powerplay, finishing 51 for none – Kings’ best this season – and added 87 for the opening wicket. Legspinner Ashir Qureshi was taken for 15 in his second over, which signalled the openers’ intent.Player-of-the-Match Shahzad, first got through Azam’s defense before castling Sharjeel Khan, who hit 16 off just seven balls. Clarke then completed his first fifty of the season before missing an attempted heave off Mohammad Irfan to be bowled.Kings never recovered from those setbacks as Gladiators tightened the noose to shut the game. Shahzad’s blows ensured a winning end to Gladiators’ campaign, even though they are likely to be knocked out.
Tottenham Hotspur got their Premier League campaign underway in underwhelming fashion last night with a 1-1 draw away to Leicester City.
Ange Postecoglou's side were far and away the better team in the first half but struggled to put away their chances before Jamie Vardy punished them in the second 45.
There were a couple of good performers for the North Londoners, such as goalscorer Pedro Porro, but there were more disappointing displays, especially in attack.
One of those who failed to provide much was Brennan Johnson, and if the Lilywhites want to get the most out of Dominic Solanke this season, they may want to consider signing a new rightwinger. Interestingly, they have already been linked with someone who'd be the perfect solution this summer.
So, the first thing to point out is that while Johnson is a talented winger, and certainly of the level required to play in the Premier League, there are still question marks over whether he's good enough to play for a top side like Spurs, and unfortunately for him, his performance last night did little to sway those concerns.
In his 79 minutes on the pitch, he struggled to have any impact at all, and aside from a shot in the first half that was straight at the Foxes' keeper, he looked largely clueless on the ball and seemingly unable to time a run off of it.
Unsurprisingly, he failed to impress football.london's Spurs correspondent, Alasdair Gold, who gave him a 4/10 at full-time and wrote that he was 'not decisive enough in his play.'
In contrast, Solanke looked lively on his debut for the club, and while he'll be disappointed that he couldn't put away the chances he had, the signs were positive, and given that it was his first game in about three weeks, the rustiness is entirely understandable.
The £65m marksman looks like he could be the goalscorer that Postecoglou and the fans have been after ever since Harry Kane left last summer, but to get the most out of him, a new rightwinger might be needed, and the ideal candidate was already linked with the club earlier this summer.
Yes, the player in question is Bayern Munich ace Kingsley Coman, who was touted for a move to Spurs earlier this month.
The report revealed that the North Londoners are keen to sign a new wide player this summer, and the Frenchman was one of the players they were interested in.
The good news for Daniel Levy and Co is that other reports from this month claimed that Bayern would be willing to sell the talented winger for just £34m, or better yet, loan him out for the season.
However, would the former Paris Saint-Germain gem really help unlock Solanke more than Johnson? Yes, yes, he would.
The primary reason the "1v1 specialist", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, would be a better teammate for the striker than the former Forest man is that over the last two seasons, he has maintained a more impressive goal involvement-to-game ratio.
For example, in his 62 appearances across the 22/23 and 23/24 campaigns, he produced 24 goals and assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 2.58 games.
In contrast, the Welshman produced 28 goals and assists in 82 games across the same period, which breaks down to a goal involvement on average every 2.92 games.
|
Coman vs Johnson in 22/23 & 23/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
22/23 |
Coman |
Johnson |
|
Appearances |
35 |
44 |
|
Minutes |
2173' |
3303' |
|
Goals |
9 |
10 |
|
Assists |
7 |
3 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.45 |
0.29 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
135.81' |
254.07' |
|
23/24 |
Coman |
Johnson |
|
Appearances |
27 |
38 |
|
Minutes |
1737' |
2506' |
|
Goals |
5 |
5 |
|
Assists |
3 |
10 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.29 |
0.39 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
217.12' |
167.06' |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
Just imagine how much more effective the former Bournemouth ace would be playing alongside the rapid Frenchman, who'd either be able to provide him with a brilliant pass to bury in the back of the net or terrify defenders with his brilliant skills and, therefore, open up more space for the Englishman to exploit himself.
Lastly, the Bayern ace has been playing at the highest level for most of his career, so he could bring a much-needed winning mentality to Postecoglou's squad, which could help them avoid collapses like the one they suffered against Leicester.
9 duels lost: Spurs' 4/10 ace was as bad as Solanke vs Leicester City
It wasn’t the opening game fans were hoping for.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Aug 20, 2024
Ultimately, while Johnson isn't a bad player, he doesn't look like the type of winger who will supercharge Solanke or help Spurs climb up the league. Therefore, Levy and Co should return for Coman before the window slams shut.
It's an understatement to say that the mood at the Stadium of Light was flat come the end of the last Championship season, with Sunderland looking directionless on and off the pitch.
The doom and gloom that ended up engulfing the Black Cats led to a dire 16th placed finish being served up after the 46-game slog was over, as Regis Le Bris now aims to lead Sunderland into a far more positive campaign to come as the new manager in the pressurised hot-seat.
Alexandre Mendy joining the ranks this summer could give the Black Cats some much-needed firepower, but that statement move seems to have now reached a standstill.
Even though last season was one that many on Wearside will want to forget, there are players from that squad that will be expected to perform under the new French boss away from any incomings joining, like this promising midfielder.
Pierre Ekwah, like many of his colleagues at the Stadium of Light, had an up-and-down season on the whole donning a Sunderland strip last time out, but did still manage to show flashes of immense quality.
Only making 14 appearances during his debut season in the second tier, Ekwah became more of a key first-team presence during the following campaign, with 40 second-tier games under his belt.
The former West Ham United youth product would help himself to five goals and two assists, often regularly lining up in the side next to Dan Neil in the holding midfield spots of the starting XI, with two strikes even coming his way during an early season clash against Russell Martin's Southampton.
He was beginning to live up to his billing as an "outstanding" talent that was handed out to him by football journalist Josh Bunting when he was first starting to make an impression on Wearside, but it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the 22-year-old.
The promising Frenchman has found himself struggling for pre-season minutes as of late, owing to injury issues, whilst the Black Cats number 39 faded in and out of games towards the back-end of the gruelling 23/24 season, with his final day display seeing him be substituted off after offering very little in a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Still, the Championship outfit won't be tempted to sell him on – even with Udinese reportedly being a keen admirer – in the hope he has more in the tank ahead of a potential promotion charge to come, despite his value increasing to above Mendy's £4m price tag.
Ekwah's valuation now stands at a pretty £5m, according to Football Transfers, with that £1m more than Mendy's reported price tag.
That's the case despite the current SM Caen man running away with the Ligue 2 golden boot last season in France, with 22 goals next to his name, which must have then piqued the interest of Le Bris' men.
|
Sunderland's top five highest value assets – 2024/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Value |
|
1. Anthony Patterson |
£10.3m |
|
2. Jack Clarke |
£7.1m |
|
3. Jobe Bellingham |
£6.9m |
|
4. Trai Hume |
£5.9m |
|
5. Pierre Ekwah |
£5m |
|
Sourced by Football Transfers |
|
Ekwah's bumped-up value means he just sneaks into the top five most profitable assets in Le Bris' camp currently, with the likes of Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham above him, who have been touted to move to luxurious new locations in the Premier League and beyond.
If Ekwah ends up coming into his own even more this season to come, that £5m price tag next to his name could go up even further, with his importance to the cause at the Stadium of Light potentially heightened if Clarke or Bellingham do move on.
Sunderland were also once in line to make a swoop for a cheaper striker target in the form of free agent Žan Vipotnik over Mendy, before his move to Swansea City was confirmed, but Le Bris will still go about constructing his new-look side, ahead of the new exciting second-tier campaign.
Jobe Bellingham future decided as Sunderland star blocking big money exit
The Black Cats will be desperate to retain his services.
By
Henry Jackson
Jul 30, 2024
Kylian Mbappe has been hailed for displaying “self-criticism” at Real Madrid, with that mentality allowing the Frenchman to show “what he can do”.
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