New structure diminishes representation and power of Members’ Council, body made of provincial presidents who had resisted a majority independent board for almost a decade

Firdose Moonda17-Jun-2021CSA has ushered in a new, majority independent board to bring an end to the tenure of the ministerially appointed interim board, which has been in charge since November last year. The new board comprises eight independent directors and five non-independents – who were chosen from the provincial presidents that sit on the members’ council – but a chair has yet to be confirmed.The other independent directors are former CSA president Norman Arendse, former convener of selectors Andrew Hudson, advocate Steven Budlender SC, Lawson Naidoo, the executive secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Dugmore Lushaba, who has experience on several boards, marketing and communications expert Andisa Ntsubane, former Multichoice (sub-Saharan African video entertainment company) CEO Mark Rayner, and Muditambi Ravele, a sports administrator previously involved in boxing, netball and tennis. Daniel Govender of Kwa-Zulu Natal, John Mogodi of Limpopo Province, Craig Nel of the Mpumalanga Cricket Union, Tebogo Siko of Northerns and Simphiwe Ndzundzu of Border make up the non-independent directors. CSA’s acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki and acting CFO Christelle Janse van Rensburg make up the last two positions on the 14-member board, which will serve till September, when CSA is due to hold its scheduled AGM.The new structure diminishes the representation and power of the members’ council, the 14-member body made of provincial presidents who had resisted a majority independent board for almost a decade. However, the CSA president and vice-president, largely ceremonial roles and individuals who will not sit on the new board, were chosen from the members’ council. Rihan Richards, who has been acting president of the council throughout the interim board’s tenure, was elected president and Donovan May, from Eastern Province, his deputy.CSA also reported a loss of Rand 250 million (US$ 17.8 million) in the 2020-2021 financial year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and tour cancellations. England left South Africa last December after playing three T20Is but the three ODIs did not go ahead as scheduled after breaches of the bio-secure environment. Australia, who were scheduled to play two Tests in South Africa in March, did not tour at all. South Africa were also hopeful of hosting India for three T20Is last August, which did not happen. Those matches are due to take place in India in September this year, ahead of the T20 World Cup, but that might depend on the schedule for the resumption of the IPL. However, CSA is hopeful of a full summer schedule this year, which should see India visit for three Tests over the festive period.Perhaps more importantly, CSA can look forward to a more stable period of governance with the new board adopting a memorandum of incorporation, which guarantees the independent component of the board and chair.”It is highly appropriate that we have reached this historic moment in the transformation of our governance model as we prepared to celebrate the 30th birthday of Cricket South Africa (CSA) or the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) as it was originally known in just over two weeks’ time,” outgoing interim board chair Stavros Nicolaou said. “Our new Memorandum of Incorporation is a document we can all embrace with pride as it puts us in a position to execute the best governance practices that will make CSA able to stand comparison with any other sporting organisation around the globe. It is a world-class document.”Among the new board’s most pressing tasks will be to oversee the conclusion of former acting CEO Kugandrie Govender’s disciplinary proceedings and to advertise for and appoint a permanent CEO. CSA have not had a permanent CEO since Thabang Moroe was suspended in December 2019. They are on their third acting CEO since.

Mike Hesson couldn’t stay as coach of Kenya for long enough to make enough of a difference, but he is confident the side has a bright future

Firdose Moonda11-May-2012Mike Hesson started driving around himself three days after he moved to Nairobi. It may not sound like a significant achievement but it was.Considering he had arrived from Dunedin, a place known as a ten-minute city because that is how long it takes to get from any one place to another, Kenyan traffic was, in Hesson’s own words, “a decent challenge”. The trip from his apartment to his workplace, a distance of around five kilometres, took almost two hours, mostly because of the slew of roadworks. But by the time Hesson resigned his post, ten months later, though, the drive took less than ten minutes.Hesson announced this week that he was stepping down as Kenya national coach, and said security concerns were the only reason for his decision. “I want to stress that this has absolutely nothing to do with any issues relating to my role as national coach and is not cricket related in any way,” his statement read. “This is purely a decision about the safety of my family and quality of life.”In recent years Kenya, known as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, has earned a reputation as unsafe. Two grenade attacks in as many months in Nairobi, one on a bus, the other in a church, resulted in seven deaths. Foreigners have been kidnapped and held for ransom. The United States embassy issued a warning that terror attacks on prominent government buildings and hotels in the capital could be imminent. The United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had strict guidelines for travel, instructing people to stay away from the coastline along the Kenya-Somalia border.Kenya’s military has become increasingly involved in Somalia and mounting fears of more violence caused Hesson to make the difficult decision to leave. Kenya had become his home and in his time there, transport was not the only thing he saw change for the better. Having taken the job at a time when Kenya Cricket needed someone to usher in good fortune, he believed he “had just started something” and says he is sad that the situation made it impossible for him to continue.Hesson is not the typical Westerner who has had enough of deep, dark Africa. He is well travelled, having lived in Buenos Aires in 2004, when he coached Argentina, and put a lot of thought into his move to Kenya. He chose the country a year after resigning the position as head coach of Otago in New Zealand, where he had been for six seasons.”It was a good opportunity for the family to experience a different country and a different culture,” Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. “We travelled quite a lot as a couple but not with the kids. And professionally, with Kenya cricket not going so well, it was a real opportunity to push them forward.” In July last year, Hesson, his wife Kate and their two daughters, aged two and five, packed up their lives in relatively quiet Dunedin and moved to bustling Nairobi.The family was put up in a furnished apartment in a large, secured complex. Kate started work with a number of charity organizations, while the two girls went to school. “We lived in a good location. We had a gym, pool and playing ground for the kids, so it was really nice,” Hesson said. “Our girls went to a local school that they thoroughly enjoyed. They leant many valuable life lessons and quite a lot of Swahili.”Hesson went about trying to understand the ins and outs of Kenyan cricket, a task that would prove more complicated than merely getting to grips with another country’s sporting culture. “My initial ideas were to observe and see how they go about things, see how things were done in the past, what worked and what hasn’t, and try and put my own stamp on things,” he said.When he arrived, though, eight national players, including the much lauded batsman Alex Obanda and the experienced Maurice Ouma were on strike, demanding better pay and work conditions. A makeshift Kenya side played the UAE in an Intercontinental Cup match and lost by 66 runs. The immediate challenge Hesson faced was getting the core of the squad back.By the time of his first assignment, against Netherlands in September, the issue was still unresolved. Kenya were forced to name a fairly inexperienced side but came close in the first game, losing by only two wickets. It was only in October, when the players and the board agreed on a solution, that Hesson felt his job had actually started to take shape.”When we got our full squad back, it was like real coaching again. There was a larger group of players needing guidance tactically and technically, and that was why I was attracted to the job. It took about four months to get the whole squad together but we got there,” he said. Results, though, took longer to change. Kenya lost 6-2 in an eight-match Twenty20 series against Namibia in November, having at one stage been 5-0 down.It was only in February this year that a dramatic improvement could be seen. In Mombasa, Kenya came within ten runs of beating Ireland in an Intercontinental Cup game, a thrilling low-scorer that could have been one of the biggest upsets of the year.

“There’s a lot of skill, but what needs to be worked on is the experience. Things like decision-making under pressure is where Kenya have got a lot of work to do”

Hesson was pleasantly surprised, having thought Kenya would fare worse. “We were playing against the top Associate in the world, so the expectations were low,” he said. “We started the game so well and in such a low-scoring game to lose by nine runs was a top effort. But we we’re still very disappointed we didn’t win.” Kenya went on to beat Ireland in a World Cricket League one-dayer, becoming the first Associate to beat Ireland in a 50-over match in over a year.A respectable performance at the World T20 qualifiers followed. Kenya finished fourth in Group B, with four wins from their seven matches, and missed out on the next stage by 0.007 of a run. More heartening were the individual efforts, which highlighted some of the promise Kenya has within their ranks.”Alex Obanda had an extremely good tournament,” Hesson said. Obanda scored 298 runs at a strike rate of 146. “Duncan Allen is only 19 and he is a talented and determined cricketer. Rakep Patel is certainly a player to watch, especially in the shorter versions as he is an explosive strokeplayer. There are also a number of quality spin bowlers to choose from, like Hiren Varaiya, who took 12 wickets against Ireland, and the Ngoche brothers, Shem and James.”What’s keeping Kenya’s results from reflecting their talent, according to Hesson, is only a matter of time and more matches. “There’s a lot of skill, but what needs to be worked on is the experience,” he said. “Things like decision-making under pressure is where they have got a lot of work to do.”Having seen the team perform in a range of formats, Hesson had developed ideas on how they could improve. “In 2003, for example, none of the Associates played first-class cricket and now all of them do, within Test-playing nations’ programmes,” he said. All the sides we play against are under pressure every week. We are in a changing landscape now and we’ve got to try and get exposed to those playing programmes, whether that be in South Africa or Zimbabwe.”Hesson, his family and the Kenyan players are all disappointed that their time together had to end. While Hesson is going back to New Zealand without any firm arrangements on a job, he believes that the team he leaves behind in Kenya can be certain of a bright future.Far from being unrealistically optimistic, though, he said it is important that they build on the structures that have been put in place if they hope to see success. “It will take time and this group of players have only been together four months as a whole squad. They have to be allowed time to develop,” he said. “What I will say is that the players I am working with now are extremely proud of playing for Kenya and they work extremely hard. Unfortunately, we’ve just started.”

Both teams have selection issues to resolve although the weather could spoil the first two days

Andrew McGlashan29-Sep-20213:31

Raj: Will be great if Tests become a regular feature in bilateral series

Big PictureThis has been a long time coming. It was 2006 when these two sides last met in a Test match. The one-day series has whetted the appetite for what could come on the Gold Coast, particularly with the added element of the day-night pink-ball factor – just the second such Test in the women’s game.It is India’s second Test of the year after their encounter against England in Bristol where they fought hard on the final day to secure a draw. Australia have not played since the 2019 Ashes – England have been their only opposition since that Adelaide Test 15 years ago. Preparation has been a challenge for both teams, although the Australian players have at least been able to practice with pink balls in pre-season. For many, though, it will be learning on the fly – even the home side will only have four players who appeared in the 2017 Test at North Sydney Oval.The multi-format series stands at 4-2 after India’s streak-ending victory on Sunday. There are four points available for the Test, so should Australia win, they will take an unbeatable lead ahead of the T20I series. Matthew Mott, Australia’s head coach, has said that his side will play “one-day cricket for four days”.The previous day-night was a high-scoring draw on a docile surface. There is the hope that this encounter will be a more even contest with the start of Australia’s chase in the second ODI, albeit with a white ball, where it nipped around considerably for Jhulan Goswami and Meghna Singh a hopeful indicator. Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath also swung the ball during the one-day series, although they struggled for control at times.Related

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Both teams should bat deep with a strong group of allrounders to select from. In the final ODI, Australia had Sophie Molineux at No. 10 and something similar could happen in this match, although the loss of Rachael Haynes with injury is significant. Against England, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana added 167 in the first innings (with Verma making 96 and 63 on her Test debut) but the experienced duo of Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur produced a combined tally of just 18 runs.It remains to be seen when India will next play Test cricket after this series, but for Australia, they have the Ashes in January. However, the four days of play out there shouldn’t be 15 years until the two teams meet again. “Hopefully, it’s the first of many and not just a one-off and we can go and play a Test over in India in the next few years, think that would be a really cool thing to do,” Meg Lanning said.In the spotlight Ellyse Perry’s Test record is astonishing: a batting average of 78.00 and bowling return of 18.19. Her last three Test innings have been 213*, 116 and 76*. However, the last 12 months have not been easy for her, especially with the ball, after the injury at the T20 World Cup in 2020. Last season’s tentative return could largely be put down to the recovery but, while a lack of match practice and 14 days hard quarantine made the build-up to this series difficult, her ODI returns were very unconvincing. With the strength of pace bowling coming through the Australia game, it could be that her batting becomes the central role, although never rule out a champion.Jhulan Goswami is one of two survivors from the 2006 Adelaide Test along with Raj. With the ODI World Cup next year a likely end point for her outstanding career, this is shaping as a 12th and final Test match. She bowled superbly in the ODI series, particularly the final two matches (barring that final over with a wet ball), with her seam and swing troubling Australia’s top order. The ball to remove Alyssa Healy was a classic.Meg Lanning did not play the previous day-night Test in 2017•Getty Images

Team news Haynes being ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury means Beth Mooney will open the batting, something she did on her Test debut in 2017. If Australia want a specialist batter to replace Haynes, they have Georgia Redmayne in the squad, but the more likely route would appear to be another allrounder. Annabel Sutherland impressed in the last ODI. At least one of Darcie Brown and Stella Campbell is expected to debut while both could play.Australia (possible): 1 Alyssa Healy (wk), 2 Beth Mooney, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Tahlia McGrath, 6 Ash Gardner, 7 Annabel Sutherland, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Georgia Wareham, 10 Darcie Brown, 11 Stella CampbellHarmanpreet has been ruled out having not recovered from her thumb injury. That could be a spot for Punam Raut, who played against England, or Yastika Bhatia after an impressive ODI series. India also need to decide on the balance of their side from one of Pooja Vastrakar or Shikha Pandey for a seam-bowling allrounder option, though Vastrakar has fared far better than Pandey with the bat this year. Taniya Bhatia is expected to regain the gloves from Richa Ghosh.India (possible): 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Mithali Raj (capt), 4 Punam Raut/Yastika Bhatia, 5 Deepti Sharma, 6 Sneh Rana, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Pooja Vastrakar/Shikha Pandey, 9 Jhulan Goswami, 10 Meghna Singh, 11 Rajeshwari GayakwadPitch and conditions Two days out there was a healthy covering of grass on the drop-in wicket although it was likely to have had a cut before the game. The weather forecast could be a problem with showers and storms forecast for the first two days.Quotes”There’s some weather around but we are focusing on what we can control. Sounds like there’s a decent storm coming but we’ll just play with what we’ve got and hopefully, we don’t lose too much time.”
Meg Lanning”It will be my first experience with the pink ball. I’m quite curious to see around that [night] period and they say it will be a little difficult.”
Mithali Raj

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet nacional： Segundo informação publicada pelo portal ‘GaúchaZH’, o meio-campista Bruno Gomes chegou à cidade de Porto Alegre nesta segunda-feira (14) para finalizar os trâmites relacionados a sua chegada para o Internacional.

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da bet sport： >Aplicativo de resultados do LANCE! está disponível na versão iOS

Atleta de 20 anos de idade, Bruno é cria das categorias de base do Vasco e chega ao clube de Porto Alegre em negociação que também envolveu a ida de Zé Gabriel para o time do Rio de Janeiro.

Em relação a maiores detalhes que foram acertados verbalmente entre as partes, Bruno Gomes retirou a ação judicial que movia contra o Vasco na justiça, cobrando indenização de R$ 300 mil, e ainda teve seus direitos econômicos divididos em 50% para as duas equipes.

Enquanto isso, Zé Gabriel chega ao clube da capital carioca tendo 70% dos direitos econômicos ligados ao seu atual clube, ficando os outros 30% com o Colorado.

تحدث رئيس باريس سان جيرمان، ناصر الخليفي، عن نجاح فريقه في إقصاء ليفربول من منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتغلب باريس سان جيرمان على ليفربول بركلات الترجيح، وحسم تأهله إلى دور الـ 8 بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وفي مقابلة مع شبكة “سي بي إس سبورتس”، أشاد ناصر الخليفي بالشخصية التي أظهرها لاعبو باريس سان جيرمان أمام ليفربول.

وقال الخليفي: “ليفربول هو أفضل نادٍ في أوروبا حاليًا، وقد احتل المركز الأول في مرحلة الدوري، وهو متصدر الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.

وأضاف: “نحن فخورون جدًا، بصراحة، مع كل الاحترام لليفربول، الفوز عليهم في آنفيلد أمرٌ مذهل، أظهر اللاعبون شخصيتهم المميزة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أليسون بعد توديع دوري أبطال أوروبا: كنا بحاجة للحظ.. وليس لدينا وقت للشكوى

واستطرد: “لدينا واحد من أكثر الفرق الشابة، إن لم يكن أكثرها شبابًا، في أوروبا، لذا فإن بناء فريق قوي هنا وإظهار هذه الشخصية أمرٌ مذهل”.

وواصل: “اليوم وفي العامين الماضيين، وخاصةً هذا الموسم، لأكون صادقًا، النجم هو الفريق، الجميع يُكرر ذلك؛ المدرب واللاعبون مذهلون، إذا سألتني من هو أفضل لاعب أمام ليفربول، فأنا لا أعرف، سأقول جميعهم”.

وشدد: “صدقني، حتى لو خسرنا هذه المباراة، فسيكون كلامي هو نفسه، نحن في ربع النهائي، ولن نقول إننا سنفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا اليوم، لكن مباراةً تلو الأخرى، نبني شيئًا للمستقبل، هذا هو الأهم”.

وأتم الخليفي: “انتقدنا الجميع في بداية الموسم، قائلين إننا لن نتأهل، لكن عقلية اللاعبين والمدرب هي أننا سنفوز أينما ذهبنا، نريد أن نلعب بطريقة هجومية، ونريد أن نلعب بأسلوبنا ضد أي فريق”.

Iftikhar blasted KP to the final in a thriller against Northern, while Central Punjab secured a more routine win against Sindh

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2021Sahibzada Farhan’s half-century followed by a blistering 17-ball 45* from Iftikhar Ahmed saw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa storm into the final of the National T20. The title defenders looked like they might stutter midway through the chase, only for Iftikhar to bail them out.Put into bat first, Northern had a cautious start, scoring 48 in the Powerplay with no batter really able to capitalise on their start. Nasir Nawaz (27 off 18), Ali Imran (24 off 24), Umar Amin (22 off 18) and Zeeshan Malik (29 off 21) all failed to build on their innings, and Northern looked vulnerable at the 15-over mark, going at under seven an over. But 52 runs were scored in the last five overs to put on enough to give their bowlers something to defend. Arshad Iqbal was most prolific for KP, taking three wickets for 35, while Iftikhar Ahmed kept the runscoring down.KP started off the pursuit with Farhan played a steady knock to lay a solid foundation with 53 off 39 balls. Kamran Ghulam who scored an unbeaten 110 last night put together a more measured knock, managing 35 off 29. KP were 107-5 when before Zaman Khan and Sohail Tanvir allowed just ten runs in the following two overs, meaning KP required 40 in the final three. But for a dialled in Iftikhar, it proved only too easy. 44 runs were plundered off the next 13 balls as KP sealed their place in tomorrow’s final.Central Punjab stormed into the final by beating Sindh in a one-sided affair by seven wickets. They will take on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tomorrow at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.CP, chasing a moderate target of 142, made a wobbly start, losing Mohammad Akhlaq in the second over, but Ahmed Shehzad (49 off 46) and Kamran Akmal (51 off 36) shared an 88-run stand for the second wicket to keep the pursuit on track. It broke the back of the chase, with Hussain Talat and Qasim Akram finishing the job with more than two overs to spare.CP had put Sindh into bat first, who made a decent start thanks to aflying start from Sharjeel Khan, who blazed 32 off 19 deliveries. Khurram Manzoor at the other end struggled for fluency, scoring 34 in 40 balls, while the middle order fell apart somewhat cheaply. After stumbling to 107 for 6, Sohail Khan tried to stabilise the innings with 21, while Mir Hamza struck a couple of sixes, but the 141 they managed felt distinctly below par.Akram and Zafar Gohar were the pick of the bowlers, each conceding just 15 in their allotted four overs, picking up three and two wickets respectively. Those overs of spin told much of the tale of Sindh’s struggles to ensure it’ll be Central Punjab to try and dethrone KP from pole position in the final tomorrow.

After securing promotion to the Premier League last season, Ipswich Town are looking to use the summer window to build a squad capable of competing with the big boys.

McKenna looks to build top flight ready team

Following their exceptional second-placed finish in the Championship last season, the Tractor Boys are now making sure that their team is ready to stave off relegation in the next campaign.

Ipswich could smash transfer record to sign star who's perfect for McKenna

Ipswich Town could show they mean business moving up to the Premier League with this record purchase.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 25, 2024

Ipswich's recent retained list saw a number of out of favour players shown the door at Portman Road in order to make room for new signings.

In regard to incomings at Ipswich the most recent rumours have linked the Tractor Boys with moves for new defenders. Hull City's Jacob Greaves has long been a target for McKenna with the Tigers' vice-captain also attracting interest from numerous Premier League clubs.

Joining Greaves on Ipswich's shopping list is West Ham full back Ben Johnson. The 24-year-old has rejected multiple contract offers from the Hammers as he looks set to become a free agent this summer.

With shoring up their defence clearly a priority for Ipswich this summer, the club now look close to signing a highly rated shot stopper from a fellow Premier League outfit.

Ipswich set to complete deal for goalkeeper this week

As first reported by HITC, Ipswich Town are confident of getting deal done for Carl Rushworth this week. The 22-year-old is currently on the books at Brighton & Hove Albion, who are seemingly eager to move the Englishman on this summer.

The outlet understands that the one time England under 21 player is the Tractor Boys' number one target between the sticks as they look to sign a goalkeeper that they think is ready to compete in the Premier League.

Rushworth spent last season on loan at Swansea City, where he played in all 46 of the Swans' league games, keeping ten clean sheets in the process. The 22-year-old's performances in South Wales saw him earn significant praise from manager Luke Williams who waxed lyrical about the keeper back in February, telling the press: "Rushy is incredible – I think he is going to be a top keeper

"I think he is going to be with us next season of course, but after that he is going to go on and be a top Premier League keeper I am sure because of the quality he has but also the personality he has to go with it."

Whilst Williams' prediction of Rushworth playing Premier League football appears to have come true, the Swansea boss will not get his wish to keep the shot stopper for another year. Instead, Ipswich will allow Rushworth to leapfrog another season in the second tier and become McKenna's number one as they look to make a good account of themselves in the topflight.

India were looking forward to having a good crack at the remaining 157 runs needed to cross the line to win the first Test, Virat Kohli said at the end of the Trent bridge stalemate. He also said that he felt India had batted with intent on the fourth evening, attacked with the ball all along, and set markers for the rest of five-match series. And, that the XI picked for the first Test could well “be a template going ahead in the series”, though calls would be taken based on conditions.Chasing 209, India started solidly courtesy KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. This seemed to rub off on Cheteshwar Pujara, who signed off the penultimate day with a square-driven boundary off Stuart Broad. It wasn’t just Pujara showing intent, it was also a mark of confidence from the Indian top order, which had shown courage, good technique, and solid mindset to tackle the most difficult batting conditions – the final hour (as it turned out) of this rain-affected, but absorbing Test, where nearly two days were lost to rain.”We were expecting rain on day three and four, but it chooses to arrive on day five,” Kohli told the broadcasters after the final day’s play was called off late afternoon on Sunday. “We thought we were in a good position to have a crack at the target. This is exactly what we wanted to do: we wanted to start strong.”Heading to day five, we had our chances right in front of us. One good partnership and then you know what happens when there’s only 150 on the board to defend. We certainly felt like we are on top of the game. We bowled well enough and batted well enough to stay in the contest and then getting that lead was crucial which kept us on top throughout the game.”India had been dealt a blow two days before the Test after Mayank Agarwal – the preferred opener in Shubman Gill’s absence – was ruled out because of concussion. Rahul, who stepped in as replacement, did not show at any stage that he had not been considered Test-cricket material since August 2019.Rahul, in the company of Sharma, who was opening for the first time in England, was impressive as he kept India in the game on the second day with his innings of 84. Not just the runs, but Rahul kept the Indian dressing calm despite failures of Pujara, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.India needed that assured start again on an overcast Saturday evening when James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson steamed in under lights. India still ended the day at 52 for 1. Rahul the only batter to fall. Kohli agreed that it was a vital phase of play that India had won.”And to get to 50 overnight is a big positive for us. It wasn’t about survival; it was about getting the boundaries where the opportunity presented itself,” he said. “Our intent is what kept us ahead in the game. Even today the start would have been the same.”Will Shardul Thakur have a big role to play in the series? Virat Kohli thinks so•PA Photos/Getty Images

But the fact that India took a 95-run first-innings lead was not all Rahul’s doing. The credit for that belonged to Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 56, and then Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj added 46 more after he was dismissed.”It’s a hard work of three-odd weeks now,” Kohli said of the last three. “They have been in the nets regularly, wanting to contribute regularly, wanting to contribute to the team. Getting 50-plus runs from those three bowlers was like gold dust for us – we would have been talking about a lead of 40-odd and then we got to a lead of 95 purely because of their efforts.”Just the grit and determination… you know, as opposition, when the bowlers gets runs it can be annoying.”The lack of runs from the bottom order has been an issue for India, and a prime reason for India to tinker with the team combination.In the World Test Championship final, in June against New Zealand, India had fielded two spinners in R Ashwin and Jadeja to have more batting depth. For this Test, they dropped Ashwin, and brought in Shardul Thakur, who had played a winning hand with both ball and bat during the triumph in Brisbane against Australia in January.While he didn’t contribute with the bat, Thakur grabbed four wickets in the Test, key ones at that.Asked whether India would persist with a similar template of five bowlers including one spinner for the remainder of the series, Kohli said it was a possibility. “Most likely it will be a template going ahead in the series, but again, adaptability has been a strength of ours as well,” he said. “This looks like the right template for us moving forward.”

Potentially adding to what has already been a busy summer of arrivals, Unai Emery now reportedly wants to sign one particular Aston Villa target after Amadou Onana.

Aston Villa transfer news

Just when it seemed as though Emery would be forced to replace Douglas Luiz internally this summer, reports emerged that Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Everton's Onana. According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal will be worth £50m plus add ons and the Beglian is set to undergo a medical ahead of officially completing a move to the Midlands.

The midfielder is set to join the likes of Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley and three others in Villa's list of incomings this summer as they prepare for life in the Champions League come August. But even after Onana, the Midlands club may yet welcome another fresh face who Emery reportedly personally wants to sign.

Aston Villa now submit player plus cash offer to sign £15m gem for Emery

The Villans are willing to lose a player in the deal.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 12, 2024

According to AS via Sport Witness, Emery has already told Viktor Tsygankov that he wants to sign him this summer and Aston Villa are now drawing up their plans to sign the Girona winger who has a €30m (£25m) release clause.

Girona reportedly want to keep hold of the 26-year-old, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to turn down the temptation of Premier League football next season. Given recent doubts over Moussa Diaby's future in the Midlands following links to Saudi Arabia, it's no surprise that the Villans have reportedly set their sights on another winger in the prime of his career and off the back of an impressive campaign.

"Outrageous" Tsygankov can replace Diaby

Like Villa, Tsygankov and Girona enjoyed a season of upsets last time out in La Liga to qualify for the Champions League in a similar tail of underdog heroics. Now, however, the Spanish club could lose one of the most prominent figures behind that success as Villa continue to plot their move. And if Diaby does choose the riches of Saudi over staying put at Villa Park, then Girona could be left resigned to losing one of their star players.

The Ukraine international enjoyed a similar season to Diaby's too, scoring eight goals and assisting a further seven in La Liga to better the Villa star's six goals and eight assists in his debut Premier League campaign. It's a rise that Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig saw coming, given that he dubbed Tsygankov's numbers at 22 years old as "outrageous".

For just £25m, Villa could be getting themselves quite the bargain for a player who Emery, himself, is reportedly keen on signing.

Another series of Ted Lasso is on the way, with Season 4 being “green-lit” but one popular character is still waiting on a call from Jason Sudeikis.

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Writers ready to start working on scriptProcess set to begin in early 2025Unclear whether Jamie Tartt will be backFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Speculation regarding a return to Apple TV+ for AFC Richmond has been raging for some time. Warner Bros executives are among those to have hinted at production starting early in 2025. It has now been confirmed that script writing should start “next year”.

AdvertisementGettyTHE GOSSIP

Leading members of the cast and crew have been quick to air their excitement at news of Ted Lasso and Co coming back, with the likes of Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift said to have seen options taken up on their respective contracts.

WHAT PHIL DUNSTER SAID

Phil Dunster, who plays enigmatic striker Jamie Tartt, is yet to discover whether he will be involved in Season 4. He has, however, informed fans that more Lasso escapades are on the way, telling the podcast: “It’s been green-lit to write another series. It’s been announced that series 4 is going to be a thing. There’s been a commission to write the fourth series, whether that ends up being a show, I don't know. I don't know any of that stuff. I don't know if I'll be in it. There are certain members of the cast who have been re-upped, as it were. But yeah, I mean it's pretty good news I think in that it looks like it will happen. Season 4 is going be a thing. They start writing next year, I think. But yeah, other than that I don't really know anything.”

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Dunster added on the uncertainty surrounding his role: “Well, I'm doing a comedy with Bill Lawrence, who was one of the creators of Ted. So I'm doing that next. That's my next thing over on HBO. So I’m not one of those people who’s been re-upped. But also I say that with total love and acceptance that shows move on and things happen. I think that there was some belief at this time that it's because I had booked something else, that was [the reason] that I wasn't doing it. That wasn't the case.

“I would always pick up that phone and I would always say ‘How high?’ if Jason said ‘jump’. But yeah, so I don't know. Who knows? I think that there is a world where something like that happens. I don't know which direction they're taking the show in, but there's lots of favourites of the characters who will still be in it. ‘We move’, as the kids say these days.”