Neither side can avoid stalemate on a pitch suffering from winter floods and chilly spring

George Dobell02-May-2021When spectators are finally allowed back into New Road, they will be greeted by something of a sad sight. Two of the horse chestnut trees that have overlooked the ground for many years have gone; felled to prevent the disease they suffered spreading to the fortunate remaining tree.As this match has worn on, however, the suspicion has grown that the two trees were the lucky ones. Indeed, an alternate theory is they hacked themselves down as they could no longer bear to watch the grim cricket being played in front of them.That is not to decry the efforts of the two sides in this match. Both fought hard throughout. There was no shortage of skill or commitment on offer in this game.But 40 wickets have now fallen at this ground in eight days of cricket this season. And, while a total of 2,002 runs in that time might make it sound as if there has been a feast of batting, the run-rate has been 2.75 per over. It is not a wicket that is good for batters, bowlers or spectators. At times in this match, there were six fielders on the boundary and batters were more concerned with shovelling out low-bouncing grubbers than thinking of the stokes they might play. You could almost imagine the poor remaining tree calling out for a lumberjack.Such a track has not been designed. Instead, the club are dealing with the consequences of severe winter flooding followed by a dry but cold March. As a result, there has been little grass growth. The groundstaff cannot be blamed.It does make for pretty grim cricket, though. You wonder whether the use of heat lamps – to promote grass growth – or hybrid surfaces – which are now routinely used in limited-overs cricket – might play a part in finding a solution. But Worcestershire are going to find it desperately tough to win games here if the wickets are like this. The extra points provided for a draw this season do little to discourage such tracks.”It was a low, slow, turgid wicket,” Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said afterwards. “It was tough for bowlers and not free-flowing for batsmen. When Simon Harmer isn’t getting any turn at nearly 5pm on the fourth evening, you know things are tough. It’s been a grind. It’s not made for great watching.”I’d be open-minded about trials of hybrid pitches. In some circumstances, like those we’ve seen here, it might be worth experimenting.”Related

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For a moment, in mid-morning, the game briefly flickered into life. Worcestershire, apparently cruising at 313 for 5, were suddenly 326 for 9, with Sam Cook claiming 3 for 1 in 16 deliveries.But a 10th-wicket stand of 38 between Dillon Pennington and Charlie Morris arrested the slide. It wasn’t so much the runs the pair scored as the fact they kept Essex out in the field for an extra 15 overs. Essex had no choice but to enforce the follow-on – there were three overs of Worcestershire’s second innings before lunch on the fourth day – but by then they had already bowled 138.1 overs.Perhaps it showed. While Cook remained dangerous, the rest of attack looked understandably jaded. Peter Siddle bowled three overs before he was taken off with a few to challenges ahead – Essex start their next game at Trent Bridge on Thursday – and Cook had to be rested at some stage. He may well be rested for that match.The result leaves Essex one from the bottom of Group One with one victory in four matches. But though that is an unflattering position, there is little reason for concern. They have dominated long stretches of the last two games and, even now, are only five points from the top spot.Cook, in particular, emerged with great credit from this game. On a surface on which Siddle, for example, finished wicketless, Cook delivered 40 overs (19 of them maidens) and claimed 6 for 67. It was an immense performance which deserved rather better from the conditions.Nagging away like toothache, Cook invariably hits a good length and can swing the ball away. But it was the one that nipped back that accounted for Ben Cox, beaten through the gate, and then, in the second-innings, Daryl Mitchell, leaving one that took his off stump.He is not especially quick – perhaps 80 mph – but, in another playing age, an age when the likes of Steve Watkin, Richard Ellison or Tim Munton were playing for England, Cook might well be close to a national call-up. Right now, with the likes of Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson ahead of him, he seems some way back in the challenge. But he is a terrific bowler and if the chance did come, he wouldn’t let England down.Much the same could be said of Simon Harmer. He has now bowled nearly 100 more overs than anyone else in the County Championship this season (he has bowled 262.4; the next busiest bowler is Jack Carson with 167.2) and in this game alone bowled 73 overs.Worcestershire were, once again, grateful for the solidity of Jake Libby. His half-century here took his season average above 100 and left him as one of only 10 men to have scored 400 Championship runs this season. He has proved an excellent signing.This result leaves Worcestershire third in the table but just two points off the top spot. They play Warwickshire, who are top, at Edgbaston this week with Josh Tongue and Joe Leach in line to freshen up an attack that has spent a lot of time on its feet of late. Jack Haynes may also come in for Gareth Roderick, who looks short of confidence at present.In the end, though, nothing anyone did on this pitch made any difference.

Leicester City would have known, even upon re-entry to the Premier League, that it would still be hard to keep a hold on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after his electric Championship campaign.

The slick midfielder looks to be edging closer to a move to Chelsea, to reunite with former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge no less, as Steve Cooper now aims to pick up his troops from off the floor after such a demoralising loss to the squad.

Dewsbury-Hall's impact last season

The 25-year-old midfielder has been a bright spark for many a campaign now at the King Power, lighting up the Premier League even during Leicester's dismal relegation campaign, with two goals and two assists registered from 31 contests.

Yet, making the drop-down to the second tier, it was clear that Dewsbury-Hall's ceiling was far above playing EFL football on a regular basis.

The homegrown Leicester product would amass a staggering 12 goals and 14 assists from 44 league games, as Maresca relied upon the magic of his number 22 at times to steer the Foxes to the top of the Championship tree, particularly when moments were tense and nervy towards the business end of the gruelling 46-game schedule.

Keeping a firm grip on him, even when dropping a league, must have made those with Leicester connections confident that Dewsbury-Hall would stay put with the club ahead of returning to the top flight, especially after the ecstasy of lifting the Premier League title aloft must have also made the 5 foot 10 gem hungry to succeed at the level again with his boyhood employers.

1. Harry Maguire

£80m

2. Wesley Fofana

£68.1m

3. Riyad Mahrez

£57.5m

4. Ben Chilwell

£42.5m

5. James Maddison

£39.2m

Yet, money always ends up talking, but Leicester will be somewhat deflated that they couldn't drive a larger fee out of the Blues, with a glance at the table above showing that Dewsbury-Hall's exit won't make a dent in the top-five record departures that have left Leicester in recent memory.

Steve Cooper and Co could have well have had their hands tied when it came to his deal, however, when looking at the financial difficulties Leicester are still facing, with the 25-year-old just wanting to move on and shine at Stamford Bridge under a familiar Maresca.

The newly promoted side have still added significant money to their bank when you consider that Dewsbury-Hall was one off the Academy production line. Yet, the recent champions of the second tier have been here before and bounced back when it comes to a major sale leaving a gaping hole in an important area.

The deal to sell Harry Maguire for an eye-watering £80m reigns supreme as a staggeringly excellent bit of business when comparing the two.

Indeed, Maguire's bumper move to Manchester United really hurt those at the King Power Stadium back in 2019, but at least they managed to drain the Red Devils dry of every million they had to make this deal happen, with Dewsbury-Hall departing for far less at a reported £30m.

Selling him on for an arguable low amount will also be a bitter pill to swallow from the perspective of the East Midlands club, with their star number 22 crucial in the Foxes lifting the Championship title last season.

Harry Maguire's time at Leicester

Nobody would have anticipated that Maguire would go on to leave the King Power for such an excessive amount when he joined for what now looks like an understated £17m from Hull City back in 2017.

Joining the club to give Leicester a new rock-solid figure at the back, away from the ageing duo of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan, Maguire provided just that, with the 31-year-old everpresent in the main team during his debut 17/18 campaign in the league, winning a remarkable 6.9 duels on average per game.

The 6 foot 4 colossus was also a reliable source of goals for the East Midlands outfit across his two seasons at the club, as can be seen with his late winner against Southampton above, with five goals registered from 76 clashes.

Yet, his time playing for the Foxes felt like it went by in a blink of an eye, before he was catapulted to new levels of stardom when moving onto Manchester United, with the Red Devils wanting a slice no matter how much it ended up costing them.

It would end up costing the mega-riches of Man United a staggering £80m to land the now much-maligned defender, who has seen his reputation take a battering at the Theatre of Dreams, like so many other high-profile signings that relocate to the red side of Manchester.

Leicester simply just moved on and took the wads of cash whilst they could, with the Foxes very much coming out as winners in this deal.

Why Leicester were the winners of the Maguire deal

Maguire is now only worth £9m when looking at his transfer valuation today as per Football Transfers, with Leicester laughing at the fact they managed to sell on their former defender for £80m when they did.

The towering 31-year-old was even being touted for a move away from the Theatre of Dreams last summer, with West Ham United the most talked about next destination at the time, as his topsy-turvy couple of years playing for the Red Devils looked to be nearing its finale.

2024

£9m

2023

£11.1m

2022

£29m

2021

£50m

2019

£80m

2018

£11.5m

2017

£17m

Maguire's sad decline can be charted looking at this transfer value continually dropping, when looking at the table above, with talk surrounding the 31-year-old being "world class", as he was labelled by football creator Liam Canning once upon time, somewhat of a distant memory now.

It remains to be seen whether Leicester, down the line, will look at the sale of Dewsbury-Hall in a similar light, knowing that they cashed in at the best possible time before the wheels started to fall off.

The 25-year-old could get even better in his new West London location, however, as Leicester aim to keep their heads above water as a minimum back amongst the Premier League elite next season away from talk centring in on Dewsbury-Hall, with Steve Cooper now at the helm.

Cooper must now sell Leicester man who earns 2x more than Dewsbury-Hall

Steve Cooper will be assessing who to offload from his Leicester City squad currently.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 26, 2024

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Pulisic's scoring streak and Adams' return

This much is true for the U.S. men's national team: this roster is pretty beat up right now. Mauricio Pochettino's first camp in charge saw his side limited by injuries. He was missing up to six starters by the time the U.S. lost 2-0 in Mexico, and as a result, there are still many unknowns under the new coach.

All of that extended into this weekend's European club matches, as well. The USMNT storylines were focused on those who are injured and, as important, those who were able to return to the lineup.

There were several key comebacks, which will be good news for Pochettino and his staff. And aside from those injuries, the USMNT headliner continues to be Christian Pulisic, who contributed to another goal for the seventh consecutive game for AC Milan. Who could have seen that coming?

From key returns to more Pulisic heroics, GOAL assesses the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.

• Pulisic's run continues

  Once again, it all starts with Pulisic, who continues to deliver major moments week in, week out.

  Pulisic was the subject of some recent criticism, despite his incredible form. The decision to have him leave USMNT camp early and return to Milan rubbed some critics, such as former USMNT player Tim Howard, the wrong way. Pulisic assisted on a goal in the USMNT's win over Panama, but then – along with Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi and two other players – were released back to their clubs before the U.S. played in Mexico.

  "I did find it strange what (Pochettino) did in the game against Mexico, in terms of sending players back and not keeping those players together," pundit Jamie Carragher told GOAL. "They got beat 2-0, so I don't quite understand that. I understand we might say, ‘Oh, we're managing the minutes.’ But I think sometimes as an international manager you’ve got to be a little bit selfish, because the clubs are being selfish and you’ve got to look after your own situation."

  That was a common theme: How could Pulisic miss the Mexico game? Why should load management take precedence over a match against a rival?

  Well, this is why. Pulisic started and played all 90 minutes in 10-man Milan's win over Udinese Saturday, assisting on Samuel Chukwueze's winning goal. That marked seven straight games with a goal contribution for the American, making him the first player across Europe’s top five divisions to do so in seven straight this season, bettering top performers from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga.

  He's been the best player in Serie A of late, and it doesn't feel particularly close.

  Milan are going to embrace that fact, too. They're going to ride with Pulisic, both in the league and the Champions League. Last season, the world was wondering if Pulisic could hold down a starting spot. Now, the world is wondering what Milan can do to continue building their team around him.

  That's why he was allowed to leave pre-Mexico. He had nothing to prove. For now, the most important thing is keeping Pulisic fit and confident in Milan.

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• Getty
  

  Adams inches closer

  This wasn't THE breakthrough for Adams, but it was at least a major moment. You can't accomplish everything all at once.

  For the first time this season, Adams was named to the Bournemouth bench for Saturday's 2-0 upset of Arsenal. The American midfielder didn't play, remaining among the substitutes, but the fact that he even sat there with his training bib on can be seen as a sign of progress.

  We haven't seen him on the field since the Copa America, when he was clearly less than 100 percent. Bournemouth haven't put him on the field since March, when he made his only three appearances of the 2023-24 season. Since March 2023, Adams has played a whopping 118 Premier League minutes and, because of that, it is somewhat easy to forget how good he is.

  For both the USMNT and Bournemouth, getting Adams back is crucial. Staff on both sides of the Atlanta will have to manage him and his minutes as they look to build him back up to the monster the world saw at the 2022 World Cup. The two years since then have largely been derailed by injuries, but all involved will hope that Adams can put that behind him.

  This weekend was a step towards that. It was a small step, but it was nonetheless a step.

• Getty
  

  Weah's significant cameo

  Yunus Musah ran things from the right-wingback position for the USMNT's 2-0 win over Panama last week – could Tim Weah play there when healthy?

  Weah was an injury absence for the USMNT, but he made his return over the weekend for Juventus after nearly a month on the sidelines. He came into the game in the second half of a 1-0 win for the Old Lady, who needed a late own goal despite being up a man for about 65 minutes.

  The American completed 21 of his 23 passes and created two chances, helping Juve pile on the pressure. He had some decent moments defensively, too, during the few sequences Lazio was able to get forward.

  The USMNT does not have a player like Weah anywhere in the pool. His ability to stretch defenses and make teams uncomfortable opens up space for everyone. After scoring in Juve's season opener, it seemed like this could be a breakout year for Weah, who looked set to add more goals to his game.

  The hope is that'll happen but, for now, it's all about Weah getting his legs back under him after missing signficant time to start the campaign.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Sargent's hysterical assist

  Sometimes, things just don't go your way. Josh Sargent felt that with the USMNT this past week. That said, sometimes things do end up going your way, even in hilarious fashion. Sargent felt that side of the phenomenon this weekend.

  The American striker was credited with an assist in Norwich City's 1-1 draw with Stoke. History will say he set up Ante Crnac's goal. Anyone who watched, though, will know that the actual story is much more humorous.

  Sargent knew nothing about his "assist." His contribution was a clearance smashing off his head and falling right into the path of Crnac. Sargent was as surprised as anyone in the stadium when the ball was in the back of the net, but the record will show that he'd earned an assist, and perhaps an assist bonus, for his role in it all.

  It was exactly the type of bounce Sargent didn't get during the international break. Maybe it's a sign that his luck has turned as he continues the grueling run through the Championship.

In a small chase, they stumbled to 65 for 6 before Agar’s calm helped seal the deal

Andrew McGlashan07-Aug-2021

It may not rank particularly high in Australia’s sporting achievements today as the Olympics draws to a finish, but the cricketers avoided a series whitewash against Bangladesh with a three-wicket win in a low-scoring scrap on a devilishly tricky surface.The home side made them sweat for it, too, and when the chase subsided to 65 for 6 – with 30 of those runs having come when Dan Christian took Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over – it looked like they could pull off an extraordinary victory. However, Ashton Agar produced a calm and clever innings to take Australia to the brink of the target alongside Ashton Turner.This entire series has been hard work for batters, and this match took it to another level. Bangladesh were set back by the excellent Josh Hazlewood, stumbled against the recalled Mitchell Swepson and only crossed three figures in the final over when Mahedi Hasan struck an enterprising 23 off 16 balls.Christian’s promotionWhen Matthew Wade fell in the first over the chase, missing an arm-ball from Mahedi that went between bat and pad, Australia signalled a change of intent. Christian walked in at No. 3 and it was clear from ball one that he was going to play his strokes. He thumped his second ball for four and then the fourth over against Shakib, he unleashed with five sixes in the arc from long-on to deep midwicket. Only the fourth ball of the over did not go over the rope when Shakib manage to toss one wider that spun to beat the bat. At 45 for 1 after four overs the chase was almost half done, but things had changed before the Powerplay was over with Ben McDermott lbw to Nasum Ahmed and then Christian carving Mustafizur Rahman to point as the left-arm started with a wicket maiden.Surely not, AustraliaThe tension started to grow, Bangladesh sensed Australia were vulnerable and it felt like Australia knew it themselves. Except for a thumping inside-out drive by Mitchell Marsh, he and Moises Henriques were cautious. There was no rush, of course, given the required rate but it did not feel convincing. Then a moment of fortune for Bangladesh when Marsh’s firm drive clipped Shakib’s fingers and went onto the stumps with Henriques short of his crease. Alex Carey was kept quiet by Mahedi and then pinned lbw by another superb cutter from Mustafizur. Five balls later, Marsh played inside one from Mahedi and Bangladesh were favourites before Turner and Agar combined. The tension was broken somewhat when Agar slog-swept Nasum with just enough power to clear deep midwicket in what became a little gem of an innings under pressure.Shakib’s tough nightAside from the finger-tip run out, it was not a night that Shakib will remember too fondly but it can happen to the best of them. Like most batters he could not get going, labouring to 15 off 26 balls after Bangladesh had made a relatively and deceptively brisk start. He was kept quiet by Agar, Turner and Andrew Tye before eventually falling when he tried to cut Hazlewood. With the ball, he responded well from going for 30 in one over but figures of 4-0-50-0 in a low-scoring match certainly stood out.Swepson grabs his chanceThis was just Swepson’s second outing of the twin tours to West Indies and Bangladesh but he took his chance to make a mark with his best figures of a short T20I career. He trapped Mahmudullah lbw sweeping then pinned Nurul Hasan first ball with a googly although couldn’t join Nathan Ellis with a hat-trick. But he did claim a third when Mohammad Naim, who top scored with 28 off 36 balls, top-edged a slog sweep. If a third frontline spinner is needed for the World Cup he should be locked in.

يستعد فريق نادي الزمالك لملاقاة نظيره زد إف سي، غدًا الخميس، في مباراة قوية ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة عشر من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، والمقرر إقامتها على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

ويدخل الفريقان اللقاء بطموحات متباينة، حيث يسعى الزمالك إلى العودة لسكة الانتصارات بعد تعادله مع الأهلي في الجولة الماضية، بينما يأمل زد في تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية تعزز من موقفه في جدول الترتيب.

يحتل الزمالك المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 28 نقطة، جمعها من 15 مباراة، حيث حقق 8 انتصارات، وتعادل في 4 مباريات، بينما تلقى 3 هزائم. ويسعى الفارس الأبيض إلى تحقيق الفوز لمواصلة الضغط على فرق المقدمة، والاقتراب أكثر من صدارة الترتيب.

رسميًا | الأعلى للإعلام يتلقى شكوى الزمالك ضد قناة الأهلي وشوبير

ويدرك الجهاز الفني بقيادة مدربه أن المباراة لن تكون سهلة، خاصة أن الفريق يعاني من بعض الغيابات والإجهاد بعد مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي، لكنه سيعتمد على أسلحته الهجومية بقيادة سيف الدين الجزيري وأحمد سيد “زيزو”، إلى جانب صلابة خط الوسط بقيادة نبيل عماد “دونجا” ومحمد شحاتة.

على الجانب الآخر، يدخل زد اللقاء وهو في المركز التاسع برصيد 19 نقطة، بعدما خاض 15 مباراة، فاز في 4 منها، وتعادل في 7، بينما خسر 4 مواجهات. ويأمل الفريق الصاعد حديثًا إلى الدوري الممتاز في مواصلة عروضه القوية أمام الفرق الكبرى، كما فعل في لقاءاته السابقة أمام الزمالك.

ويملك زد عناصر شابة مميزة، بالإضافة إلى جهاز فني يسعى لاستغلال نقاط ضعف الزمالك، خاصة في الجانب الدفاعي، من أجل تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية تعزز من موقفه في جدول الترتيب. مواجهات متكافئة

تشير الإحصائيات إلى أن المواجهات السابقة بين الزمالك وزد شهدت ندية كبيرة، حيث تواجه الفريقان في خمس مباريات رسمية، انتهت اثنتان منها بالتعادل (1-1 و0-0)، بينما حقق الزمالك الفوز في مواجهتين، إحداهما في كأس مصر بنتيجة 2-1، وأخرى في الدوري المصري بهدف نظيف، فيما تمكن زد من تحقيق انتصار وحيد بنفس النتيجة (2-1) في الدوري.

ويدخل الزمالك المباراة تحت ضغط تحقيق الفوز للحفاظ على حظوظه في المنافسة على اللقب، بينما يسعى زد إلى استغلال أي تعثر للأبيض لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية، ومع التكافؤ الذي شهدته المواجهات السابقة، تبدو المباراة مفتوحة على جميع الاحتمالات، مما يزيد من إثارتها وترقب الجماهير لها.

Islamabad United have received a boost in their challenge for the PSL title this season with the news that fast bowler Hasan Ali will, after all, be available for the rest of their campaign. Ali was due to fly back on Sunday evening to attend to a personal family situation in Pakistan but decided against it after the matter was resolved.”I was going through a personal family issue, which has been resolved thanks to my wonderful wife,” Ali said in a statement. “She assured me she will take care of it and wants me to concentrate on my cricket and my career. Hats off to such a wonderful partner. She has always stood by me through the hardest times and after consulting with her, I have decided to stay on with Islamabad United for the remainder of the PSL 6.”Two-time winners United moved to the top of the table on Sunday evening after a convincing, come-from-behind win over Lahore Qalandars. United were 20 for 5 at one point before recovering to 152 for 7, thanks to 75 from Asif Ali and 49 from Iftikhar Ahmed. Their bowlers then blew apart Qalandars as Musa Khan, Shadab Khan and Fawad Ahmed induced a collapse from 86 for 2 to 100 for 9.Despite missing a game, Ali is United’s top wicket-taker this season – and fifth in the league – with 10 wickets. His PSL returns have been in line with his performances since he returned to cricket this season after a series of injuries derailed his career. He was the highest wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy where he also led Central Punjab to the final (which ended in a historic tie). He then took a ten-wicket haul against South Africa in his second Test back and has since picked up wickets in all formats on Pakistan’s tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe.Since Ali didn’t leave the bubble, he will not need to re-enter and undergo quarantine. United are scheduled to face defending champions Karachi Kings on Monday.