Australia have been bowled out for 191, 195 and 200 in three of their four innings so far this series

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2020Australia captain Tim Paine lamented his side’s ongoing batting woes after they sank to an eight-wicket defeat at the MCG against India, which put the series on an even footing at 1-1 with two Tests to go.The home side scraped to 200 – for the first time in the series – in their second innings, but could go no further than that, setting India a target of just 70, which was achieved with ease. That followed first-innings totals of 191 and 195 in the two matches, with Melbourne being the first time since 1988 that Australia have not had an individual half-century in a home Test.Tim Paine congratulates Ajinkya Rahane after India’s win•Getty Images”We are very disappointed, we played pretty poor cricket, pretty sloppy cricket, for the majority of the match,” Paine told the host broadcaster after the match. “That’s to take nothing away from India; they put us under pressure and forced us into making a number of mistakes, especially with the bat, and in the field, and when you do that against good side it makes it very hard to win.”You’ve got to give the Indian attack credit, they’ve bowled beautifully to us, there’s no doubt about that. We haven’t adapted as well as we would have liked. As a batting group, there’s no doubt we are very disappointed with what we’ve put up in the first two Test matches, but there’s still two to go so we’ll work hard and try to rectify it for the next Test.”Related

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Australia would be desperate for the return of David Warner, who has spent time netting at the MCG during this match while he awaits his return to the bio-secure Test bubble, as he continues his recovery from the groin strain suffered in the ODI series. During the Test, Australia coach Justin Langer said Warner was not certain for the third match but the continued batting problems of the incumbents may force the selectors’ hands.One glimmer for Australia was the performance of Cameron Green in the second innings, as he made a composed 45 in nearly three hours at the crease.”Think he’s started his career really well,” Paine said. “We knew the talent he’s got, we can see the temperament he’s got, and with more and more Test cricket he’s going to blossom into a pretty outstanding player, which is exciting for us as a team and the Australian public to watch.”

Punjab Kings suffered a six-wicket defeat in Mumbai, their 196 target proving insufficient

Hemant Brar18-Apr-20213:05

Ian Bishop: ‘Shikhar Dhawan just looks like a man on top of his game’

Shikhar Dhawan’s 49-ball 92 outshone Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul’s half-centuries as the Delhi Capitals beat the Punjab Kings by six wickets in a run-fest at the Wankhede Stadium.After being sent in, Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul gave the Kings a blazing start of 122 in 12.4 overs. Agarwal was the aggressor, hitting seven fours and four sixes in his 36-ball 69, while Rahul played second fiddle with 61 off 51 deliveries.The Kings posted a formidable 195 for 4 but Dhawan and Shaw laid the platform for the Capitals’ chase with a start of 59 in 5.3 overs.After that it was the Dhawan show. Targeting primarily the leg side, the opener struck 13 fours and two sixes and kept the Capitals on par with the required rate. For the second time in three games he had a chance to score a hundred. He failed once again but his knock had put the Capitals ahead. So much that when Marcus Stoinis hit the winning boundary, there were still ten balls left.Related

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Match highlights: Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings

Agarwal, Rahul provide dream start
Chris Woakes conceded only five in the opening over but a 20-run second over opened the floodgates for the Kings. That over, left-arm seamer Lukman Meriwala’s first in the IPL, featured a dropped catch, a misfield, a no-ball, three fours and a six. By the end of the fifth over, Agarwal and Rahul had added 50, of which the latter’s contribution was a run-a-ball 18.Kagiso Rabada was introduced into the attack in the sixth over; Rahul greeted him with a four through point but largely looked subdued. Agarwal, meanwhile, was batting on a different plane. With a four off Avesh Khan, he raced away to his fifty in just 25 balls.The harshest punishment was perhaps meted out to arguably the best bowlers in the Capitals’ side. On the first ball of the 11th over, Agarwal cleared his front leg and launched Rabada over long-off. Rabada responded with a bouncer but erred down the leg side. Agarwal swivelled and pulled it over fine leg for another six. A ball later, Rahul too joined in with a six over deep square leg.Meriwala eventually broke the stand when Agarwal holed out to sweeper cover trying to reach out for a wide delivery.Shikhar Dhawan’s half-century powered the Delhi Capitals chase•BCCI/IPL

Gifts aplenty for birthday boy Rahul
It was Rahul’s 29th birthday and it looked like the Capitals’ fielders didn’t want to spoil his day. Smith dropped him in the second over, Shaw failed to hold on to a screamer in the 12th and Stoinis grassed a regulation chance in the 15th. Rahul was on 9, 42, and 50 respectively; Meriwala the unlucky bowler on the first occasion, Avesh on the next two.Stoinis eventually made amends when he caught him off Rabada in the 16th over.Hooda, Shahrukh take Kings close to 200
Deepak Hooda continued his good form with an unbeaten 22 not out off 13 balls. Coming in at No. 4, he smashed Rabada for six off the first ball he faced. Later, he went down on one knee to carve Avesh over the extra-cover boundary for another.Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran fell in search of quick runs, leaving the Kings 179 for 4 after 19 overs. Shahrukh Khan, though, muscled Woakes for two fours and a six in the final over to take the side close to 200.Dhawan-Shaw onslaught
Chasing 196, Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw didn’t waste any time and gave their side an even better start than the Kings had got. Rahul tried four different bowlers in the first four overs – Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Jalaj Saxena, and Jhye Richardson – and each one of them went for at least ten in their respective overs.When Shami returned in the fifth over, Dhawan creamed him for three fours. By the end of the fifth over, the Capitals were for 57 for no loss.Dhawan continues the carnage
The Capitals openers were running away with the game, just like they had done against the Chennai Super Kings while chasing 189, but Shaw ended up miscuing a pull against Arshdeep and fell for a 17-ball 32. Steven Smith laboured for a 12-ball 9 before his ugly swat against Riley Meredith was caught at third man.Dhawan, though, kept batting in the same vein. Having reached his fifty in 31 balls, he stepped out against Shami and hit him for a six over long-on.But it was the 14th over, bowled by Meredith, that turned the game decisively in the Capitals’ favour. Dhawan started the over by hitting the first three balls for fours. The next delivery went for five wides down the leg side. By the time the over ended, Dhawan had moved into the 90s and the Capitals needed 53 off 36 balls with eight wickets in hand.Stoinis sees the Capitals home
Dhawan fell eight short of a hundred when he was bowled while trying to swipe Jhye Richardson fine. From the other end, Arshdeep bowled a quiet over to make it 36 needed from 24 balls. But Stoinis quelled any hopes the Kings may have developed by hitting two fours and a six off Shami in 17th over. He also hit the winning runs, dispatching Meredith to the midwicket boundary for four to finish with an unbeaten 27 off 13 balls.

Smith’s new role as opener has created an unbalanced batting order with an uncertain top order and too much aggression in the middle

Ian Chappell24-Mar-2024Australia’s bowling, which features a settled and successful top four, is a major plus, but the batting is a concern for the current World Test champions.They are missing the ebullient David Warner’s ability to harass opponents with his aggression as an opener. There is no like-for-like opener to replace Warner and what Australia have now is an unbalanced batting line-up.By promoting Steven Smith to open so they could include two allrounders, they are now left with a query at the top and an overabundance of aggression in the middle order.The preference is to have a strong top six, but it’s ideal when that batting order is balanced.Smith is still Australia’s best batter but at No. 4, not opening. As former Australian captain Tim Paine wisely noted: “If I’m the opposition, I want him [Smith] opening.”Related

• Is Steven Smith's best cricket behind him?

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Smith, like all players, is more vulnerable against the new ball. He’ll occasionally succeed because he’s a very good player, but he’s unlikely to produce the consistently high scores he did in his heyday in the middle. An Australian order with Smith at No. 4 has the solid look that provides confidence that things will still be okay even if they go astray at the top.The problem is if Smith bats at No. 4 where do you play Cameron Green, who is a must for Australia? Who would then open? Australia’s most perplexing selection headache is the opening situation – there are no obvious replacements for Warner.Test opener Usman Khawaja, who bats in the middle order for Queensland, is proof there is a paucity of top-order candidates at state level. However if you pick a new opener and play Green while batting Smith at four, then the likelihood is you have to omit Travis Head. Head has had success in the Test side but Green is a better proposition both for the present and the future.The pairing of Head and Mitchell Marsh means Australia’s middle order is heavily reliant on attacking batting. The fall-back position that Smith provided – an ability to rebuild methodically – is missing.

Australia’s most perplexing selection headache is the opening situation – there are no obvious replacements for Warner

The reason both Marsh and Head vigorously attack the opposition is because their aggression covers up their technical failings. Their aggression has worked against the lesser sides, but will it succeed against strong sides like India?If Marsh and Head have to try and dig Australia out of trouble against Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, that will be a concern. Rest assured a vulnerable Australian top order will find itself in trouble if that Indian trio is fit and firing.This is a situation with which the modern bowlers have to cope. They are going to face more aggressive batting from the opposition and that is a part of a modern Test bowler’s life. At the moment the best bowlers are most likely to cope, but teams need to focus on unearthing lesser performers who have found a method that deals with the aggressive approach.Relentlessly attacking the new ball and succeeding against good bowlers is an extremely rare skill and this was one of Warner’s strengths. That’s why Australia are desperately missing his undoubted talent.Another aspect of the Australian team that will encourage opponents was their batting failure against the West Indies pace attack, especially newcomer Shamar Joseph. Once that type of susceptibility is established, it’s very difficult to reverse the trend as it encourages opponents. This was a situation that rarely existed when Smith (at No. 4) and Warner were dominating Australia’s batting.The Test success of India, Australia and, more recently, England highlights the financial problems that torment the long form of the game. If the Big Three are able to continue rewarding their Test players handsomely but the remainder struggle financially, it does nothing for the competitiveness of an already ailing long form of the game.The World Test Championship is a grand idea. However it will quickly lose glamour status if the Big Three dominate the coveted battle for the winner’s mace.

Captain leads fight in the follow-on as Kent reach close with nine wickets still standing

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2021Kent 169 (Crawley 60, Bailey 4-46) and 209 for 1 (Bell-Drummond 108*, Cox 80) trail Lancashire 525 (Lamb 125, Wood 119, Bohannon 87, Vilas 53) by 147 runsA century from captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has given Kent a fighting chance of a draw against Lancashire, steering them to 209 for 1 in their second innings in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury.The hosts still trail by 147 at the end of day three, but a heavy defeat had looked likely after they slumped to 169 all out in their first innings. Tom Bailey took four for 46 and Luke Wood three for 38 to give Lancashire a lead of 356, but after enforcing the follow on the visitors were frustrated for the final two sessions.Bell-Drummond hit 108 not out and Jordan Cox made 80 in a stand of 176 for the opening wicket that helped take the Group Three fixture to a fourth day.Kent were 85 for four overnight and their worst case scenario occurred when Bailey had Zak Crawley caught behind for 60 off the first ball of the day.Related

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They resisted well for the next hour, until the introduction of Matt Parkinson, who had Heino Kuhn caught by Rob Jones at square leg for 21 in his first over, after a miscued sweep.Darren Stevens was out for just one, having already been given a comical reprieve when he top-edged Parkinson to square leg. The ball was in the air for so long Stevens started walking, but he was dropped by Jones, making the fielder the most relieved man in the ground when he was lbw to Parkinson’s next ball.Bailey then removed Ollie Robinson and Fred Klaassen with successive balls, bowling the former for 21 and getting the latter caught by Keaton Jennings at first slip for a golden duck. The final ball of the session saw Miguel Cummins caught by Dane Vilas for 19, attempting to drive Josh Bohannon through extra cover, leaving Matt Milnes not out on 17.However, the contrast between morning and afternoon could hardly have been starker, as Bell-Drummond and Cox batted through to tea, scoring freely to reach 141 for nought despite constant and increasingly frantic appealing.The partnership lasted for over three hours until Parkinson had Cox caught by a diving Jones at cover but it was a fleeting success for Lancashire as Kent continued to resist. Bell-Drummond reached three figures with a single off a full toss from Parkinson and he was joined by Crawley, who was 13 not out at stumps.

GOAL analyzes the biggest storylines of the Americans playing abroad this weekend

While MLS is pacing towards the postseason, the European seasons – where most of the U.S. men's national team plays – is still in the early phases.

Despite just a few weeks into the European season, there are numerous storylines to follow.

Weston McKennie, after almost leaving Juventus this summer, has done enough to play his way back into Thiago Motta's setup. Antonee Robinson continues to impress for Fulham. Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun might just be finding some form for Monaco after a slow start.

And further down the European leagues, there's plenty to look out for. This feels like a crucial week for some of the top players in the setup, who don't have long left to impress Mauricio Pochettino ahead of his first camp as the USMNT's head coach.

Here is a look at some of the biggest names and the biggest games ahead of what will be another full weekend of action for Americans Abroad.

GettyWhat's next for McKennie?

How confusing must it be to be McKennie? The USMNT midfielder seems to go through the same cycle every year: Manager tries to exile him, he works his way back into the side, and stays there on the back of a string of strong performances.

The same pattern seems to be forming again here, with the American now starting in the last two matches for Thiago Motta's side. He was excellent in his first start of the year against PSV in the Champions League, and solid in the drab draw with Napoli last weekend. This weekend, he figures to have a bit more room to play against a struggling Genoa side that has won just one of their last five.

After tallying 10 assists in all competitions last year, he has shown that he can be the creative influence that an otherwise static need.

AdvertisementGettyCan Antonee Robinson show he's one of the Premier League's best?

It has suddenly become quite a quiet era for left backs. Once a great position of strength in the Premier League, there are fewer and fewer traditional full backs in England's top flight. Robinson, though, is steadily becoming one of the best at that position. After an impressive campaign for Fulham in which he was named the team's player of the season, he has started this one in equally impressive fashion.

He already has two assists to his name and is in the 99th percentile among full backs in interceptions per 90 minutes, according to . A fixture against Nottingham Forest, and the in-form Callum Hudson-Odoi, should be a real challenge. But he's risen to meet every single one so far.

AFPFolarin Balogun to hit his stride?

Two weeks ago, it was all doom and gloom with Balogun. The striker hadn't scored a goal for Monaco before the international break, and a couple of underwhelming showings for the USMNT, and there was already scattered talk about his questionable fit for Monaco.

Well, goals are the currency of success for strikers, and he's finally off the mark. Balogun took his first of the season well, bagging against Le Havre to draw Monaco level on points with PSG and Marseille atop Ligue 1.

That would seem to be enough to earn him another start, as his side take on Montpellier on Saturday evening. He has already developed a good understanding with Nigerian teenage sensation George Ilenikhena. This weekend, Balogun has further opportunities to show how good he can be.

USA Today SportsGaga Slonina faces a tough opponent

Barnsley have quietly negotiated their way to a solid start in League One. The Yorkshire side are third in the table after seven match weeks. And although the duo of Birmingham and Wrexham is already pulling away atop the league, Barnsley seem to be among the glut of teams that will fight for a spot in the playoffs.

And this week could be a busy one for USMNT goalkeeper Gaga Slonina in goal for the promotion hopefuls. He will face Stockport County, paced by the lethal Louie Barry. A player once lauded by Jude Bellingham, the tricky winger has been a menace thus far this season. He is among the league's top goalscorers and is a lethal finisher on his day. It will, of course, be a team effort to limit the winger. But Slonina will need to be as error free as possible against a real dangerman.

It will be a real test for the goalkeeper, who doesn't have long to impress ahead of the USMNT's first camp with Pochettino.

Manchester United have now set their sights on signing Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, according to recent reports, with talks over Casemiro’s contract beginning to drag on.

Ruben Amorim’s side entered the international break off the back of an impressive run rather than a crisis for the first time in the manager’s Old Trafford tenure. Their last-gasp draw at Tottenham Hotspur summed up their recent change in belief and featured yet another impressive display from Casemiro at the heart of their midfield.

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It wasn’t so long ago that Jamie Carragher infamously told the Brazilian to “leave the football” before it leaves him, but it turns out that the former Liverpool defender couldn’t have been more wrong. Casemiro has rediscovered his best form under Amorim and now regularly keeps the likes of Manuel Ugarte out of the side.

Former Man United defender Rio Ferdinand recently hit back at Carragher’s comments following the midfielder’s return to form this season, claiming that he thought the comments were “disrespectful” at the time.

Now, reports are indicating that Amorim wants to keep hold of Casemiro — sparking what are proving to be complicated contract talks as the midfielder suddenly becomes an important player at Old Trafford.

Man Utd now eyeing Tchouameni move

If INEOS fail to agree a new contract with Casemiro at Amorim’s request, which would present a fresh midfield worry, then Man United will target a move for Tchouameni at Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain.

The French midfielder is valued at as much as €100m (£88m) by the Spanish giants and has clearly impressed those at Old Trafford as they aim to strengthen their midfield.

As things stand, however, there’s nothing to suggest that Tchouameni is looking to leave Real Madrid anytime soon and reports have claimed that he’ll only head for the exit door at the request of his club. Of course, if that does change, then the fact that he shares an agent with Bryan Mbeumo could provide United with an instant boost.

Minutes

874

614

Progressive Passes

5.88

4.41

Tackles Won

0.82

1.76

Ball Recoveries

4.23

5.74

The statistics suggest that Amorim is right to have some hesitation about letting Casemiro’s contract run down. The Brazilian has so far outperformed Tchouameni in a number of areas.

It highlights just how impressive he’s been in recent months rather than indicating anything major about Tchouameni’s form. The Real Madrid man is just entering the peak of his powers and has impressed the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, who previously dubbed him “fantastic”.

Amorim can axe Dorgu for one of Europe's "most exciting teens" at Man Utd

A bowler of Sinhalese origin playing for a Tamil Nadu franchise to raucous applause at the Chepauk: things are changing, for the better

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Apr-2024At the cricketing heart of it, Matheesha Pathirana is Chennai Super Kings’ sweet revenge.No bowler had wrecked CSK batting orders on the scale Lasith Malinga managed. With 37 wickets against CSK in 23 games, he is by a distance their biggest destroyer.But, oh, what’s that? There’s a young slinger that CSK have had eyes on first? Someone who has an even lower arm action than Malinga and more explosive pace? Okay, less control, less swing, not nearly as much general mastery… but still, CSK’s own ? It sounds almost too good to be true, right?Snap him up. Get him in as a net bowler. Have your legendary captain slap eyes on him. Promote him to the main team. Follow him as he becomes one of the best death bowlers in the league. Then on 14 April 2024, watch him rip Mumbai Indians to shreds, taking 4 for 28, while Malinga, in Mumbai Indians colours, watches on.Related

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Pathirana's four-for overshadows Rohit's ton as Mumbai go down

Pathirana the point of difference against Malinga's Mumbai

In a more perfect world, Pathirana’s cricketing rise, and the CSK vs Mumbai Indians vengeance arc, would be the only stories. But this is a world in which a 27-year-long civil war was fought in Sri Lanka, where for most of Sri Lanka’s and India’s post-Independence decades, the governments of Tamil Nadu and the Sinhalese-led government of Sri Lanka have been vehemently opposed. A world in which, only 11 years ago, the IPL’s governing council ruled no Sri Lankan players could play in Chennai for any IPL team over security concerns, such was the ferocity of political opposition.Against that history, Pathirana’s rise at CSK, and to a lesser extent that of Maheesh Theekshana, has been almost startlingly smooth. Pathirana showed promise at the end of the 2022 season, when Theekshana was more useful to the franchise. But then, with the onset of the Impact Player rule in 2023, Pathirana has become a go-to death bowler on account of his ultra-specialised skill set, MS Dhoni prodding him forward like a bird its fledgling chick. Pathirana has not merely been accepted, he has been embraced by CSK’s yellow army, and wildly cheered for at Chepauk.It is not certain exactly what political shifts have enabled this, but deductions may be made. Sri Lanka’s colossal protests of 2022, which culminated in the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, are significant in the timeline. The Rajapaksas were understood regionally to be champions of Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism, and had also overseen the vicious conclusion to the war, which substantially deepened an already profound divide with Tamil Nadu. But that family having been so chastened by a movement produced largely by the southern (mostly Sinhalese) population likely cast Sri Lankan southerners in a mellower light in Tamil Nadu.Around this time, Sinhalese animosity towards Tamil Nadu began to abate too. Through the worst of those crisis months of 2022, when the island was cripplingly short of fuel, power, medicines and food, the government of Tamil Nadu came through with humanitarian aid worth around 3.4 billion Sri Lankan rupees.

It is no surprise that the Chepauk fans who first bellowed for Pathirana are people roughly his age – Gen Z and young millennials, who tend to pack out the C, D and E stands. If you can make it there, Chepauk veterans say, you’re the rubber-stamped next big thing

Where previous decades had been characterised by a vortex of escalating tensions, here was a mutual softening, and in Sri Lanka at least, long-overdue introspection. It was in that year that Theekshana, then Pathirana, made their debuts for CSK, though there were no home games for the side in 2022.Additionally, there is the passage of time. Theekshana was ten when the war ended. Pathirana was seven. While injustices persist in Sri Lanka, and the kind of accountability Tamil Nadu has called for remains barely even a promise, there is also the simmering sense that these many years on, people need to move on.It is no surprise that the Chepauk fans who first bellowed for Pathirana are people roughly his age – Gen Z and young millennials, who tend to pack out the C, D and E stands. If you can make it there, Chepauk veterans say, you’re the rubber-stamped next big thing. Enmity, it turns out, does not have to be passed down through the generations.It’s worth clocking too that part of Pathirana’s rise among the CSK faithful is down to Dhoni’s vocal support of the bowler. When Dhoni struck that 91 not out and sealed one of Sri Lanka’s most painful cricketing memories with a six at the Wankhede, who could have guessed what he’d be capable of in the future? Since then, he has graduated from to in the Tamil imagination. And now he is – however unwittingily – playing a role in a Tamil-Sinhalese connect.Hurtbringer: for years, as Mumbai Indians’ bowling spearhead, Lasith Malinga was a thorn in Chennai Super Kings’ side•BCCIThere is also beautiful history here. Pathirana is far from the first Sri Lankan to feel the love at Chepauk, and in fact, Muthiah Muralidaran, in CSK’s early years, wasn’t either. In the pre-civil war decades, the Tamil Nadu state side was Ceylon’s (as Sri Lanka was then known) biggest regular opponent. In 1947, M Sathasivam – a Ceylonese Tamil, if you’re keeping track – hit a 215 against them that glittered by all accounts with delectable late cuts, fine glances, and spectacular drives. Right into the 21st century, old-timers who watched that innings would swear it was the greatest ever witnessed at Chepauk.There is no more legendary Sri Lankan cricketer of the pre-Test era than Sathasivam, and Chepauk was likely the scene of his crowning triumph. Whether or not Pathirana and Theekshana are aware, this too is a story to which they belong. Where their boots now tread, Sathasivam’s went first.These are victories worth celebrating, because despite what nationalists of any stripe would have you believe, hatred is not intractable. Neither, then, is cohesion. If there are many in the world intent on fanning flames, it is vital that when green shoots emerge from the earth, they are seen as worth protecting too.Right now, one of the brightest fast-bowling prospects Sri Lanka has produced, quite possibly the island’s fastest ever bowler, a man of Sinhalese origin, is being invested in and developed by a franchise side in Tamil Nadu. Across Sri Lanka, families turn their televisions on in the evenings and hear entire stands in a Chennai stadium scream “PA-THI-RA-NA”.You’d be foolish to think a few stump-splaying yorkers and stadium chants can heal grievances collected over decades. But you’d be naïve to think they mean nothing.

da betsson： West Bromwich Albion are currently competing to climb back up the Championship table in an attempt to join the race to gain promotion to the Premier League this season.

da marjack bet： A 3-2 win over Swansea last time out has the Baggies in 12th place in the table, four points off the play-offs, and there is plenty of football left to be played.

Aune Heggebo, who joined the club in the summer, scored twice to take his tally to six goals in the Championship this season, per Sofascore, and he is currently one of the most valuable players in the squad.

West Brom's most valuable players

Per Transfermarkt’s valuation system, West Brom’s current first-team squad has a combined value of roughly £71m, and Heggebo contributes to around £5m of that total.

The most valuable player in the squad, unsurprisingly, is central midfielder Isaac Price, who has scored five goals and provided two assists for the Baggies in the league, per Sofascore.

Transfermarkt value the Northern Ireland international at around £10.5m and there have been no recent reports to suggest how much the club value him at internally, amid reported interest from Leeds and Crystal Palace.

West Brom’s most valuable players

Player

Market value

Isaac Price

£10.5m

Samuel Iling-Junior

£8.8m

Josh Maja

£7.9m

Aune Heggebo

£5m

Toby Collyer

£4.4m

Market values via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, loanees Samuel Iling-Junior and Toby Collyer both rank within the top five most valuable players in the squad, whilst Josh Maja, who has only started four league games this season, ranks in third place.

Whilst the Baggies appear to be lacking in highly valuable players who could be sold for big money in the future, there is a former player who could be sold for more than the combined worth of the current squad in January.

The former West Brom player who is now worth more than the entire squad

In the summer of 2019, 16-year-old forward Morgan Rogers opted to move on from The Hawthorns at the end of his contract to sign for Manchester City.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

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The Cityzens reportedly paid a compensation fee of near £4m to sign the England youth international, who had made one first-team appearance for the Baggies in the FA Cup against Brighton.

That outing in the FA Cup made Rogers the fourth-youngest player in the club’s history, and the youngest ever in the FA Cup, per Transfermarkt, and Manchester City clearly took note of that.

West Brom’s youngest-ever players

Player

Season

Age

Izzy Brown

2013

16 years, 3 months, 27 days

Jonathan Leko

2015

16 years, 4 months, 30 days

Kane Wilson

2016

16 years, 5 months, 12 days

Morgan Rogers

2019

16 years, 6 months, 11 days

Bobby Hope

1960

16 years, 7 months, 5 days

Via Transfermarkt

Things did not work out for the attacking midfielder at The Etihad, unfortunately, but he has since made his way to Aston Villa, via Middlesbrough, and is now a fully-fledged England international.

Rogers has scored 20 goals and provided 21 assists in 89 appearances for Villa, per Transfermarkt, and has scored one goal in 12 caps for the Three Lions.

Because of his impressive form for club and country, the former Baggies youngster is attracting interest from elsewhere and has been given a mammoth valuation.

TEAMtalk reported in November that Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Tottenham have all registered interest in the attacker and claimed that Villa offered Rogers a new deal with a £100m release clause, shortly before it became official that he had put pen to paper on an improved contract.

Towards the end of November, The Mirror reported that the Villans are said to value the England international at a whopping £100m, although they did not mention it as part of a release clause.

Whether you take it to be a release clause or how much Villa will demand from any interested clubs, Rogers appears to be valued at nine figures by the Premier League club, whilst West Brom’s squad is only worth around £71m between every first-team player.

There is no guarantee that he would have gone on to fulfill his potential at The Hawthorns, but it must be bittersweet for the club to see that one of their former players, who they lost for £4m, is now being valued at a staggering £100m, whilst their most valuable player is valued at just over a tenth of that.

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The Baggies can only hope that they are able to persuade the next Rogers, should such a talent come through the academy again, to stay at the club, rather than pursue a move elsewhere.

Berhalter, who coached the national team for six years, will take over for the MLS side starting at the end of the season

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Berhalter to oversee all first team operations for the FireRelieved of USMNT duties after Copa America exitPreviously coached Crew, made MLS Cup Final in 2015Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After extensive speculation, Gregg Berhalter finally has a new job.

The former U.S. men's national team boss has accepted an offer to take over as the Chicago Fire's head coach and sporting director at the end of the season, the club announced Tuesday.

Current head coach Frank Klopas will leave the position as head coach and assume the role as Vice President of Football following the conclusion of the season. Berhalter had also been linked with multiple vacancies in MLS following his firing as U.S. head coach this summer.

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Berhalter will now undergo his second stint in MLS as a manager. He coached the Crew from 2013-2018, leading them to the playoffs in four of his five years at the helm. The manager achieved a 74-49-70 record during his time there.

His reputation with the USMNT was admittedly mixed. He achieved success at the World Cup, and won the Nations League twice. But his failure to get out of the group at Copa America cost him his job in July.

WHAT BERHALTER SAID

Berlater expressed his excitement to take on the role in an official statement: “I’m honored to be named Director of Football and Head Coach of the Chicago Fire, and I would like to thank Joe Mansueto for his trust," said Berhalter. “Chicago is an incredible city, built on communities of hard-working and passionate people who truly love soccer. I look forward to working alongside our staff and players to transform the Fire into a world-class organization that all our fans and the city can be proud of and will support.”

WHAT THE FIRE OWNER JOE MANSUETO SAID

“His previous success in MLS, where he thrived in a dual role, and his experience leading the U.S. Men’s National Team over the last six years make him an ideal fit for our vision for the Club moving forward.”

“I’m confident that under his guidance, we will build on the foundation that has been laid over the past five years and be an organization that Chicago will be proud of and reflects the values of our city. I expect that Gregg will create a competitive culture and return our Club to its winning ways,” added Mansueto. “I also want to sincerely thank Frank Klopas for all his hard work this season. His love for this Club and city is unparalleled, and he played a key role in helping to recruit Gregg to become our new Director of Football and Head Coach.”

Gujarat and Karnataka became the first teams to qualify for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21 semi-finals, with convincing wins against Andhra and Kerala respectively on Monday. Both victories were fashioned by opening batsmen.While Priyank Panchal made 134 off 131 to power Gujarat to 299 for 7, Karnataka’s opening duo of R Samarth and Devdutt Padikkal continued their irresistible form during the tournament as the side piled on 338 for 3. Samarth, the new Karnataka captain, smashed a career-best 192 (off 158 balls), while Padikkal made a 119-ball 101. Kerala mounted a challenge of sorts but subsided to 258 all out in 43.4 overs with seamer Ronit More taking 5 for 36 in nine overs, as Karnataka wrapped up an 80-run win.Gujarat’s victory was even bigger, as Andhra were bowled out for 182 in 41.2 overs. Left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla took 4 for 28.Karnataka and Gujarat now await the winners of the quarter-finals between Mumbai-Saurashtra and Uttar Pradesh-Delhi, which will both take place on Tuesday.Related

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Karnataka v Kerala

Samarth and Padikkal have both piled on runs in the tournament, and they proved unstoppable once again. Padikkal made his fourth consecutive century – having hit 152 against Odisha, 126* against Kerala in the league game, and 145* against Railways coming into the game. He thus became the first Indian player to hit four consecutive List A centuries. Only two other players have hit four consecutive centuries in one-dayers: Kumar Sangakkara for Sri Lanka in the 2015 World Cup, and Alviro Petersen later that year in the Momentum One-Day Cup 2015-16 for the Lions.Samarth, meanwhile, pressed on, and was in sight of a double-hundred when he fell with ten balls remaining in the innings. He hit three sixes and 22 fours, while accelerating at pace during his innings. His first fifty took 59 balls, and he reached a century in 112 balls. He then plundered 91 runs off his last 46 balls. Samarth has been only marginally less prolific than Padikkal, having not scored below 60 in his last five innings, which include two scores of 150-plus.Both Padikkal (673 runs) and Samarth (605 runs) sit comfortably atop the run-getters list for the tournament, with no other batsman having crossed even 450 yet.All of Kerala’s bowlers came in for heavy punishment barring Jalaj Saxena, who took the new ball against Karnataka’s marauding openers but ended up conceding a mere 34 runs in ten overs, finishing the tournament with an economy rate below 3.75. Nedumankuzhy Basil, the right-arm medium pacer playing only his fifth List A game, took all the wickets to fall, ending with 3 for 57 in eight overs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kerala’s reply suffered an early jolt when the in-form Robin Uthappa was lbw for 2 against his home state, More making his first breakthrough. Vathsal Govind, the 21-year-old left-hand batsman playing his debut one-day season, made 92 off 96 while Mohammed Azharuddeen smashed 52 off 34, but with none of the rest of the top order crossing 30 and More striking regularly, Kerala’s task was always a difficult one. Saxena added to a good all-round day with a 23-ball 24 from No.8, until he was the last man out.More, who had not been picked in the XI for Karnataka’s last three games, got his opportunity due to a niggle to Abhimanyu Mithun, and made the most of it.

Gujarat v Andhra

Panchal joined Samarth in both captains being the top run-scorers in their matches, holding Gujarat’s innings together till he fell in the 49th over. Panchal maintained a brisk pace throughout his innings, accelerating after his century, which took 114 balls. He hit 10 fours and two sixes during his innings, and was the fulcrum around which Gujarat built their total. The rest of the top order all got into double figures, but Gujarat’s second highest score was 36, by No.3 Rahul Shah.Priyank Panchal’s 134 off 131 balls was too much for Andhra•PTI

Ripal Patel, the hard-hitting pace-bowling allrounder who was signed by Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2021 auctions, provided some ballast in the second half with a 24-ball 35 that pushed Gujarat along, but it was Panchal who carried the innings on his bat.Andhra’s most successful bowler was right-arm medium pacer Harishankar Reddy, snapped up by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021 auctions, who took 3 for 60 in ten overs including the wicket of Panchal. KV Sasikanth and debutant Lalith Mohan both took 2 for 55, though Mohan bowled only nine overs.Andhra’s reply was derailed early by Nagwaswalla, who has now become the top wicket-taker in the competition. Nagwaswalla has 19 scalps from six games at an average of 12.00. He struck in the second, fourth and sixth overs – his third wicket being that of Hanuma Vihari for a duck.Ricky Bhui continued his good form with 67 off 76 from No.5, but with the rest of the top order falling cheaply, Andhra were always behind. Some lower-order runs meant they recovered briefly from 58 for 5 in the 16th over, but that only narrowed the margin of defeat.