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The Lionesses' forward is in superb form right now, helping to make her side a genuine Women's Super League title contender

As the clock ticked into the 82nd minute, Manchester City must’ve worried that their Women’s Super League title challenge was going to suffer another unwanted setback. The Cityzens have been talked up by many this season, but they’ve been doused in cold water a few times along the way, leaving Chelsea in pole position. On Sunday, it looked like Leicester were going to be the next team to put the flames out.

But then Lauren Hemp, somehow, in rather unorthodox fashion, stoked the fire. She fizzed the ball into Bunny Shaw on the right wing, darted into the box, and when the Jamaica international delivered her cross, Hemp adjusted to backheel the ball into the bottom corner on the volley and finally break the deadlock. “I’ve just managed to see it again. I think it’s outstanding. It’s one of the best goals I've seen,” City head coach Gareth Taylor said after the game.

It’s been eight years since City last won the WSL title, but for a brief moment on Sunday, until Chelsea’s win over Everton later that evening, they were top of the pile. With others faltering, Taylor’s side appear to be the biggest obstacle between the reigning champions and a fifth successive league triumph. Central to that is Hemp and her truly wonderful form.

• Something special

  Hemp was typically modest about her contribution on Sunday, which set City on their way to a 2-0 win. “I just didn’t really want to use my right foot to be honest!” she said afterwards. "I don’t know, I think it hit around [my calf] but whatever it was it trickled in. A goal’s a goal!”

  Taylor, meanwhile, was more than happy to play up the 23-year-old’s crucial strike. “When I saw it in the moment, I didn't realise how much she had to do to get the ball in the goal,” he said. “The way she's been able to manoeuvre that is incredible. It’s a magical goal. Honestly, when I saw it after, I was like ‘wow’. That’s a world-class goal. We needed something like that.”

  It's not the first time the coach has used superlatives to describe Hemp this season, or the first time the player herself has been keen to downplay her actions after a big result. Her two “tap-ins” rescued City in a clash with Aston Villa just before Christmas, prompting Taylor to note the "new, new levels" the winger has hit this season.

  With six goals and three assists in her 12 WSL appearances this season, and the third-most chances created from open play of any player in the league, the role Hemp has been playing in City’s title challenge has been integral and that looks set to continue given the confidence and momentum she oozes.

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  Talented trident

  Hemp’s threat is only enhanced by the players around her, particularly the other two who help make up the front three. There have been a lot of stand-out performers in City’s team this season: Jill Roord made a real impact before a devastating ACL injury; Laia Aleixandri has been truly marvellous in defence; Alex Greenwood remains one of the best centre-backs around and Yui Hasegawa keeps things ticking over remarkably well in midfield. But if you’re an opponent analysing this City team, it’s the front three of Hemp, Shaw and Chloe Kelly that is going to concern you the most.

  Shaw leads the Golden Boot race in the WSL this season with 13 goals in just 12 games, and the attention she draws from defenders means that even if she isn’t able to get on the scoresheet herself, she creates space for those around her to thrive in. Kelly, meanwhile, leads the league in chances created and is a genuine menace out wide with her ability to use both feet. There is seemingly no situation from which she cannot carve out some sort of opportunity for a team-mate.

  Now in their second full season as a regular trio, the chemistry between the three is excellent. It makes City a truly potent outfit and helps to maximise the talents and contributions of each player. On Sunday, it was Shaw’s cross to Hemp that broke the deadlock and Kelly’s ‘Olimpico’ that sealed the three points. One of them will eventually hurt you – or, as is often the case, all three of them will.

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  Chelsea’s main threat

  Hemp’s crucial deadlock-breaker came on a big weekend, too, one which saw Arsenal drop even further off the pace in a shock defeat to West Ham. The Gunners had never lost to the Hammers before, but let a 1-0 lead slip on Sunday to fall six points off the pace with nine games to go.

  It meant that City, kicking off in the early afternoon, went to the top of the table on goal difference for a few hours before Chelsea’s win over Everton later that night. With Manchester United having long fallen behind in the title race, only the team in the blue corner of the city remains capable of putting real pressure on the reigning champions at this moment.

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  Bright future

  There’s excitement beyond this season for those at City, too. After all, only five players in the squad have celebrated their 30th birthday, and the club spent the January transfer window focusing on the future, recruiting three extremely-talented youngsters in Tara O’Hanlon, Poppy Pritchard and Laura Blindkilde Brown.

  "They're so confident in what they do, coaching-wise on a day-to-day basis within the methodology of the football club, that those players will definitely get up to speed quickly,” Izzy Christiansen, the former Man City and England midfielder, told GOAL last week. “I think it's exciting times ahead for City. I think that they're really starting to turn a corner and they're going to be the closest ones to challenge Chelsea all the way.”

  Shaw is still only 27 years old. Kelly is a year younger and Hemp is 23, the same age as Aleixandri. Throw in the likes of Khiara Keating, the 19-year-old starting goalkeeper, and the majestic Mary Fowler, who is 20, and this team is not only producing exciting performances right now, it has the potential to grow together and get better and better.

Sunday's 0-0 draw on Merseyside was a forgettable affair that leaves Mikel Arteta's team top of the Premier League table

'Walk in the park'. 'Bloodbath'. 'Non-competitive'. Just some of the phrases you might have read in match previews ahead of Sunday's clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. And yet, as Michael Oliver blew the final whistle at Anfield, the two old rivals shook hands with the spoils shared; their 0-0 draw one of the more forgettable meetings between these two teams in their vaunted histories.

For Liverpool, this was a game that was meant to cement their place atop the Premier League table after they had risen to the summit last week. Instead, they now sit second, one point behind leaders Arsenal, who they host next Saturday in what promises to be a Christmas cracker.

For that to come true, though, then the Reds attack will need to sharpen itself. Jurgen Klopp's side have relied upon late goals to get the job done in recent weeks, but their profligacy in front of goal proved costly this time around, with a number of their star forwards and creative midfielders coming up way short of their usual levels.

From the United perspective, though, this was at least some kind of positive response after a week that saw them suffer damaging home defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich. It wasn't a particularly forward-thinking display, and fans will want to see more from Erik ten Hag's team going forward, but from a defensive point of view, they stood up well to Liverpool's much-heralded forward line.

There have been plenty of false-dawns already this season for United, so no one will be getting carried away with a battling point on the road against a superior team, but supporters can at least come up for air after another embarrassing chapter in their recent history.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Anfield…

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  WINNER: Raphael Varane

  Although he has a lot of fitness issues, Raphael Varane still is a world-class defender on his day, and he proved that with a sensational performance here. It's no coincidence that he is a four-time Champions League winner and World Cup champion, and here he managed to keep Darwin Nunez in his pocket while ensuring Mohamed Salah had a rare quiet day against United at Anfield.

  It was the first time Varane had been paired with Jonny Evans, but the two veterans looked as if they had been playing together their whole careers and became the first team all season – in any competition – to prevent Jurgen Klopp's side from scoring.

  The defender's exile from Erik ten Hag's side for so long was baffling, and his two superb displays since returning to the fold merely underline how bad a decision it was from the manager to discard him for so long.

  Ten Hag has always insisted he never had a personal problem with Varane and that he only excluded him from the team – giving him no starts for six weeks – for tactical reasons. Instead, Harry Maguire's resurgence and the Dutchman's preference for having left-footed players in the left centre-back position were cited as the reasons he had cast the serial winner out.

  After a display like this, Maguire might struggle to usurp Varane from the team when he returns from his groin injury.

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  LOSER: Liverpool's misfiring forwards

  If you had told any Liverpool fan before kick-off that their team would manage 34 shots to United's six, 12 corners to the visitors' zero, and more than double the attempted passes of their opponents, and most would have found themselves imagining a repeat of last season's 7-0 victory at Anfield.

  Instead, the Reds were wasteful with the chances they did create, and most of the shots they did take were desperate efforts as United's defence held up well to wave after wave of pressure from the home side. Andre Onana was barely stretched, with his best save coming in the first half as he tipped over Virgil van Dijk's header from a corner.

  That it was left to the centre-back to come closest tells the story of Liverpool's attackers, who for the most part looked well off the level required to make the breakthrough. Nunez's goal drought has now stretched to nine games, with the Uruguay striker again constantly flagged for being offside while struggling to find the space to get into the game.

  Over on his right-hand side, Dominik Szoboszlai and Salah constantly seemed to be on different pages from one another, with both players guilty of numerous misplaced passes, and it was telling that the Hungary captain was the first player replaced by Klopp after the hour-mark. Salah stayed on, but his shots became more and more fanciful.

  In recent times, Klopp's substitutions have sparked some attacking fluency, but even the likes of Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott were unable to create much of note during their second-half cameos. A repeat performances next week, and Arsenal will feel pretty comfortable about coming into a stadium that they have struggled at under Mikel Arteta.

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  WINNER: Arsenal & the title challengers

  This was a massive opportunity for Liverpool. With Arsenal due at Anfield next week, victory here would have set the Reds up to potentially take control of the Premier League title race if they could then handle the Gunners as well.

  Manchester City dropping yet more points against Crystal Palace on Saturday in what was their final league game before Christmas due to their participation in the Club World Cup opened up an even wider window for Liverpool to climb through, but they were unable to do so.

  Arsenal's victory over Brighton earlier on Sunday means it is instead they who finish the weekend sat top of the table, though it might actually be Aston Villa who lead the way by the time next Saturday's game at Anfield kicks-off, with Unai Emery's side hosting 20th-placed Sheffield United on Friday. Tottenham are also showing signs of life again, meaning the top five are separated by just six points after 17 fixtures.

  All this is setting us up for a fascinating title race, but Liverpool undoubtedly will feel that this was a game that should have put them back in front of the chasing pack.

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  LOSER: Diogo Dalot

  When you're in added-time at Anfield and on track for a brilliant result, you need to keep your cool. What you absolutely do not need to do is get sent off for arguing with the referee about a throw-in. Pick your battles.

  Although his sending off felt harsh, Diogo Dalot should know that officials are clamping down on dissent this season. Players were warned of the fact by the Football Association at the start of the season, and only last month, Brighton captain Lewis Dunk was shown a straight red card for dissent. Given the rise in abuse of referees and the shocking attack on an official in Turkey last week, the clampdown is well overdue.

  Dalot's senseless sending off ended up having no real impact as it happened in added-time, but he still left his side a man down and risked ruining all their hard work. The Portuguese is now suspended for next week's visit to West Ham, offering Aaron Wan-Bissaka the chance to win his place in the side back.

Jack Leach began the season with a remodelled action and doubts about his effectiveness. He finished it with 50 Championship wickets as he bowled Somerset to safety

George Dobell at Taunton28-Sep-20171:11

ECB officer explains ‘below average’ Taunton pitch rating

Of course it was spin that sealed Somerset’s victory. And of course it was Jack Leach who took the final wicket.Less than a year after his career was threatened by suggestion that his action was not legal, Leach clinched his fourth five-wicket haul of the campaign to secure his side’s third victory in the final four games of the season. As a result, he passed 50 wickets in the season and Somerset avoided relegation. Matt Maynard, Somerset’s departing director of cricket, said he “couldn’t make sense” of the decision not to take him to the Ashes.Leach wouldn’t see many pitches like this in Australia, of course. Pitches where spinners open the bowling in three of the four innings and take all 10 wickets in the fourth innings. Somerset have made a point of preparing such surfaces in the last couple of years and, in Leach and Dom Bess, they have two bowlers well equipped to take advantage.The Somerset players took a lap of honour at the end of the game. It wasn’t so much a sign that they were content with their low position in the table; more a reflection of their relief in retaining their decade-long stay in Division One (no side in the land will have been in the top division so long when the 2018 starts) and gratitude to their 2000 supporters. Cricket still matters in Taunton.This pitch was marked “below average” by the Cricket Liaison Officer (CLO), Wayne Noon, as it showed signs of “excessive turn” from the start. Crucially he could not see any uneven bounce on days one or two. As a result there will be no points deduction and Somerset’s place in Division One is assured.That isn’t quite the get out of jail free card it might appear. The ECB regulations state that, should a pitch be marked “below average” twice within a 12-month period in the same competition, penalties can be applied. While Somerset have not had another such mark this season, they will, Noon said “have to be very mindful” of their surfaces in 2018.There is a slight caveat to all this. Phil Whitticase, a senior CLO, will arrive in Taunton on Friday and conduct a further investigation into the pitch. He will, as part of that investigation, speak to the umpires and the groundsman and it remains theoretically possible that he will increase the penalty. He could also decrease it.But it would be a major surprise – and an astounding own goal from the ECB – if they should, for the second season in succession, alter the table after the campaign has finished and change the relegation positions. But, not so long ago, it seemed impossible that a hotel magnate with comic hair would become US president; life is full of surprises and not all of them are good.Adam Voges, the Middlesex captain, was frank in his assessment of the pitch. “We knew we’d get a spinning wicket,” he said. “And I’ve no problem with teams preparing pitches to suit their strengths.”But we were surprised by how much disturbance there was before a ball was bowled. There was excessive spin from ball one. There were rake marks at both ends. There should be a line and whether that line was crossed is the match-referee’s decision.”He remains more upset by the two-point deduction for a slow over rate following the crossbow incident at The Oval last month. He feels his team were assured by officials at the time that the nature of the incident would be taken into account and no penalty levelled.”It was such an extraordinary circumstance,” he said. “We had every intention to rectify our over rate and were assured at the time that it wouldn’t be an issue. Whether there is anything that can be done now is up to the administrators.”Voges admitted, though, that to leave themselves in a position where they were hurt by such moments was a reflection of their disappointing cricket over the course of the season. Champions in 2016, they end 2017 with rumours of deep dressing-room discontent. They still look a very strong side on paper, though, and might reflect in time that they have simply been victim to a league which relegates a quarter of its participants a season. Over-reaction would probably be an error.”You look at the season as a whole and it’s obviously been disappointing,” Voges said. “It’s not just the last week or the last month.”It took less than two hours to wrap-up victory on the final day. Leach and his fellow left-arm spinner, Roelof van der Merwe, utilised the conditions expertly with the latter finishing with career-best figures. Leach, in particular, bowled beautifully with his subtle and wonderfully disguised changes of pace causing many of the problems. And, for all the talk about this pitch, it wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow in Asia. England really don’t play spin very well.Marcus Trescothick salutes the crowd after Somerset secured Division One status•Getty Images

Leach may yet feature in the Ashes. He can expect to be named in the Lions party that will train in Perth as the Test series is played and, should anything befall Moeen Ali, could well be called into the Test squad if required.”I’d prefer to see him there instead of Mason Crane,” Maynard said. “Crane can’t get into the Hampshire side all the time. I can’t understand it. If he gets called into the team he won’t know anyone there. They’ve missed a trick in not picking him”One thing is sure: for Leach to recover from the low he was in only a few months ago is testament to impressive resilience. To re-model an action without missing a game and then emerge as a better, more skilful, more mature bowler bodes well for his future.He had, he admits, some “dark moments” on the Lions tour of the UAE last winter. There were times, as he tried to bowl with his new action, when he feared he might never recapture the bite and consistency of previous days. Just nine months later, he is back to winning games for his side and pushing for an England spot.”I’ve shown good resilience,” he said. “Something like that can’t be fixed overnight and, from a mental perspective more than technical, there were some dark moments on that tour. I wanted to make a really good impression but it was hard.”Now I look back on it as part of the journey. I think I’m probably a better bowler now. I can bowl a bit quicker and I’ve learned a lot. About myself and my action. At the start of the season I wasn’t sure if I could keep doing this, so to have finished with more than 50 wickets…. Yes, I’m proud of how I’ve reacted to the challenges. It was tough.”Leach was one of eight academy products in this Somerset side. Well, academy or equivalent. They didn’t have academies when Marcus Trescothick was growing up. Hell, they didn’t even have the Quantocks. But it means that Maynard’s successor – and it still seems likely that Andy Hurry will be named as such next week with Jason Kerr as his deputy – inherits strong foundations ahead of next season.”I’d love to have stayed and seen the project through,” Maynard said. “We did have discussions about me doing the head coach role, but decided there could be friction if I didn’t agree with the new director of cricket. So a settlement was agreed and we part very amicably. The club have handled it well.”The club have undergone quite a transition under Maynard. The over-reliance upon imports has improved and the trust in home-grown youth has improved. And it was his idea that Trescothick, at slip, should field on his knees to the spinners in certain circumstances. “When the ball is dying, we felt he could get that bit lower,” he explained. It wasn’t, perhaps, a perfect stay but the club went within an ace of winning that elusive first Championship title a year ago. Memories in cricket have never been shorter.It transpires the review of the club structure was led by James Taylor, the England batsman who retired through illness at the start of last season, who felt it was necessary to employ a head coach and director of cricket. Maynard, who described cricket as his passion, will now consider more “backseat” roles such as batting consultancy positions. He is unlikely to be without offers for long.So, Somerset will play in Division One in 2018. And that means Trescothick could yet fulfil that Championship-winning dream. If he does, it would be a success popular far beyond the borders of the county.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been mocked by his PSG counterpart after the Spaniard posted a video about the European Super League.

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• PSG chief mocks Perez over Super League
• Real Madrid president praised project
• Real Madrid support The Super League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  On Thursday, Real Madrid published a video in which club president Perez praised the return of the European Super League project, organised by A22. In response, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock the Spaniard, as Perez chose to make his speech while standing in front of some of the Champions League trophies his club has won.

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• WHAT PEREZ AND AL-KHELAIFI SAID

  In the video, Perez said: "This day will mark a before and after. It is a great day for the history of football and for the history of sport."

  In response, Al-Khelaifi said: "Strange to talk about the Super League with the UEFA Champions League trophies behind you."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On Thursday, A22 relaunched its Super League project after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that UEFA and FIFA and unlawfully blocked the competition when it tried to launch in 2021. Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only two clubs that still back the competition, while PSG has publicly come out in opposition to it. UEFA has issued a firm stance against the Super League.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID AND THE SUPER LEAGUE?

  Without the support of clubs from the Premier League, Serie A, and Bundesliga, the launch of a European Super League seems an impossibility. However, Perez will be hoping that his club will still receive a pretty healthy windfall for their support.

The Zimbabwe opener revived his team with Peter Moor, who was “quite surprised to be in the XI” after Sean Williams pulled up unwell

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo29-Oct-2017Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor’s 142-run stand revived Zimbabwe on the first day of the second Test in Bulawayo, but while Masakadza was pleased to finally convert a good start, Moor was surprised to be batting at all.”It was great to manage to convert,” Masakadza said, who made scores of 42 and 57 in the first Test. “I had been thinking about those starts [in the previous test], and I was just hoping that if I did get another start I would push through. I’m happy to still be out there.”Moor only found out that he was playing when he arrived at the ground, coming in to the team for Sean Williams, who was reportedly “unwell”.”To be honest, this morning when I pitched up I was quite surprised to be in the XI,” Moor said. “So, everything caught me a bit by surprise. I just knew that I’ve got a chance now, I’ve got to try to make the most of it. I think maybe that’s why I was a bit more reserved today. Trying to fight for that position and get a more regular spot.”The situation required me to be a little bit more reserved,” he said. “And Hamilton was scoring much faster than I was, so that took some of the pressure off.”Moor may also have benefited from watching the way West Indies’ batsmen went about their work in the first Test, displaying both patience and a penchant for keeping his shots in the V. “Definitely [watching West Indies helped] in terms of hitting a lot straighter. We played a lot of cross-bat shots, and I know that’s the way we play, but in my mind I was thinking let me try and play a bit more straight. And it worked for me.”Moor also had the advantage of batting with a veteran of 262 international matches at the other end to offer advice. “We spoke about tactics, discussing what the bowlers were trying to do, what we were trying to do to counter it,” Masakadza said. “I actually had quite a bit of fun batting with PJ today, because he brought a lot of energy and he was very positive. I fed quite a bit off that. Between overs I had to stay calm, and keep us both focused.”Masakadza was fortunate early in his knock, when he was caught off a Shannon Gabriel bouncer, but reprieved by a no-ball. Masakadza had started to walk when West Indies asked for a review, despite being given not out.”The boys were laughing at me in the changerooms for that,” Masakadza said. “As it hit me, when it looped up I said to myself ‘please don’t carry’. When I saw it carry to the fielder I said to myself ‘please don’t give it’. When they didn’t give it, I was saying ‘please don’t review’. And then when they reviewed I thought, ‘ah, they’re obviously going to see it on TV, I might as well go’.”Masakadza’s continued contribution on the second day will be vital to Zimbabwe’s hopes of levelling this series. “I’ll try and build another partnership with Raza and see how deep we can take it,” he said. “It’s going to be very important to get whatever amount of runs we can get in the first innings, so without looking too far ahead I think anything over 350 will be good for us. I think it is still going to turn, much like the last Test, so it’s going to be very important to score big in the first innings.”

A round-up of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge’s opening round of games, which included big wins for Knights and Titans, while the Cobras were beaten by Dolphins

Firdose Moonda13-Nov-2017Results summaryKnights opened the Ram Slam T20 Challenge with a straightforward win, chasing 154 against Warriors in Port Elizabeth. Warriors were left to rue their mid-innings collapse in which they lost five wickets for 30 runs between the 5th and 11th over, caused largely by pace off the ball from Shadley van Schalkwyk. Christiaan Jonker’s 61 off 38 balls kept them in the hunt but the quality of international batsmen in the Knights side meant the total, though slightly above par for the venue, was never enough. Theunis de Bruyn’s 78 off 48 balls and David Miller’s 62 off 47 balls took Knights home with two overs to spare.Rain affected double-header Sunday but Dolphins made a strong statement against Cape Cobras, putting on 231 for 2. Sarel Erwee became the first centurion of the competition with 103 off 58 balls while Khaya Zondo contributed 67 off 34 balls. Vernon Philander conceded 49 runs, while Dane Paterson went for 44 runs in their respective four-over quota. In response, Cobras’ superstars could not withstand the pressure. Richard Levi nicked off against Robbie Frylinck, Temba Bavuma scooped a catch to point off Keshav Maharaj and JP Duminy was run-out. Hashim Amla was on 52 not out when lightning stopped the chase after 8.3 overs. Cobras finished on 108 for 3 in 10 overs, 15 short on the DLS method.The lightning eventually turned into a storm and reduced the match between Lions and Titans to 15 overs-a-side. Albie Morkel took 3 for 12 to keep Lions to 127 for 6, with Reeza Hendricks’ 67 off 42 the only score over 20. Then, Morkel scored 41 off 16 balls and shared an 85-run third-wicket partnership with AB de Villiers, who blitzed a 19-ball 50, to give Titans victory with 22 balls left in their innings.International incidentsDe Villiers takes the honours for the most impressive performance by a national player, not least for the back-to-back sixes he hit off Kagiso Rabada to end Titans’ innings. He did not, however, score as many runs as either de Bruyn or Miller. De Bruyn’s contribution may be particularly noteworthy, considering his struggle to find a spot in the Test team. This innings showed he could start making a case for consideration in shorter formats.Among the bowlers, Maharaj, who opened the bowling for Dolphins and took 1 for 23 in three overs, would have caught the national selectors’ eyes. Maharaj started ahead of Imran Tahir, and showed the same control he has become known for in Tests.There will be concern over Duminy’s start as Cobras captain. He bowled three overs and cost his side 40 runs, and was then run-out for 1, at a time when Cobras desperately needed a partnership.Domestic dreamersLook no further than Erwee for a domestic player who has made an impact in the opening week. Erwee, a 28-year-old opening batsmen from Pietermaritzburg, has had a stunning summer so far. He was the leading run-scorer in the Africa T20 Cup for champions Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland.He also scored two hundreds for the Dolphins in the first-class competition, but was forced to miss two of the remaining three matches. Erwee could not play mid-way through the first half because he went to France for the wedding of England’s Jason Roy, a friend from his club cricket days in the UK, and then could not play the final round before the break because he was part of South Africa’s victorious Hong Kong Sixes squad.Beyond the boundaryBoth venues, St George’s Park and SuperSport Park, saw fairly good crowds attend the opening week, with the Port Elizabeth band in full voice and a Sunday afternoon crowd braving the Highveld storms to braai on Centurion’s grass embankments.Three members of the crowd took one-handed catches, in a competition for a share of R2 million (US$139,290) but only two of them are eligible to win. The third is an employee of the Gauteng Cricket Board, one-half of the Lions franchise, and so had to be disqualified.

Worcestershire have signed Nathan Lyon, the Australia offspinner, as a replacement overseas player to cover for John Hastings during the Champions Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2017Worcestershire have signed Nathan Lyon, the Australia offspinner, as a replacement overseas player to cover for John Hastings during the Champions Trophy.Lyon, who is Australia’s most successful finger-spinner with 247 wickets from 67 Tests, will also provide a frontline spin option in the absence of Moeen Ali who will be with England.”If you look at top international bowlers who are available while the Champions Trophy is going on – plus those with West Indies and Afghanistan – you don’t seem to see many who are available,” Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, said.”Nathan has never played county cricket and I really try to get overseas players who are looking for a challenge and are hungry to succeed. He is a great competitor and to get someone like Nathan is really important for Worcestershire.”Rhodes also sees Lyon playing an important role with Worcestershire’s young spinners. “Nathan is also a very committed dressing room man and our young spinners like George Rhodes and Ben Twohig will have the opportunities to pick his brains over that period. That will be fantastic for them and a big boost to those two players.”

USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter is set to poach another dual-national from England, with Aston Villa youngster Declan Frith in his sights.

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• Berhalter to poach England youngster
• Declan Frith to snub Southgate, apply for USA Visa
• Follows in footsteps of Balogun & Musah

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per The Evening Standard, the 21-year-old is applying for a USA passport to play through his grandmother's lineage. Berhalter and co. have been tracking the youngster since 2021, recently being impressed by his 12-goal season from a wide role, where he also notched eight assists in his final season for Aston Villa. He joined Valencia this past summer, with two goals and one assist in his first two matches for the club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report adds that there is an expectation that Frith is brought into the Valencia first-team in the coming months. He has played three matches for their 'B' team in the third division, and a promotion could be on the horizon. The expectation from the USMNT is that Frith would initially be incorporated into their U-23s, and with the Olympics on the horizon, he could be a shout for a possible roster spot.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Both Yunus Musah and Folarin Balogun both had England eligibility, but instead, opted to represent the USMNT.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FRITH AND THE USMNT?

  Valencia B next take the pitch against Alzira on Saturday, with Firth in contention to play. Meanwhile, the USMNT are not back in action until January 20 – when they take on Slovenia in an international friendly.

Ravi Bopara and Mohammad Amir bowled typically miserly four-over spells to keep alive Essex’s outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of NatWest T20 Blast

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2017Adam Wheater got the Essex innings off to a fast start•Getty Images

Ravi Bopara and Mohammad Amir bowled typically miserly four-over spells, conceding just 24 and 25 runs respectively, to keep alive Essex’s outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of NatWest T20 Blast.Essex’s fourth win of the season moved them off the foot of the South Group, but they require wins from their final three games to stand any hope of a quarter-final spot. Bopara and Amir, who both claimed two wickets each, were well supported in the parsimonious stakes by Dan Lawrence and Simon Harmer as Middlesex were pulled up nine runs short in their pursuit of 173.Legspinner Nathan Sowter blasted a hole in the middle of the Essex innings with career-best T20 figures of 4 for 23, but Adam Wheater’s 21-ball 43 laid the foundations for the home win.Essex, put in, raced past 50 in the fifth over but lost Varun Chopra when he chipped at catchable height to James Franklin at midwicket. Wheater maintained his sharp upturn in form and lofted Ryan Higgins for two sixes in an over to long leg. But he departed when he tried to chop Sowter’s first ball to third man and was bowled.Dan Lawrence tried to lift Sowter over long leg for six but was comfortably caught by Tim Southee, and Ashar Zaidi then received a reprieve first ball when he pulled Sowter to midwicket where Tim Helm dropped the chance. It was not too costly as Zaidi attempted the same against Higgins and was caught by a tumbling Stevie Eskinazi.Bopara thumped Paul Stirling for six over the press-box stand and into the river behind but, after contributing 27 from 25 balls, he was caught on the long-leg boundary by Franklin. Sowter added a fourth wicket in the same over when he had James Foster lbw first ball attempting to sweep.Ryan ten Doeschate fell to a running catch on the cover boundary by George Scott, having made 25 and Simon Harmer followed, giving Southee another catch at long leg. Amir was run out from the last ball, leaving Paul Walter on a pugnacious 20 not out.Middlesex lost Stirling in the second over of their reply when the Irishman holed out in deep midwicket where substitute fielder Callum Taylor claimed the steepler. That brought in Eskinazi to join John Simpson and the pair hit five boundaries off seven balls against Matt Dixon and Paul Walter.But the return of Amir ended the second-wicket fun when Eskinazi chopped him straight to Taylor at point. Simpson didn’t stay much longer, misjudging Lawrence’s first ball and going lbw for 30 from 19 balls. Lawrence’s first over, the last in the Powerplay went for just two and stalled Middlesex’s early charge.Middlesex reached the halfway point on 79 for 3 and, though Eoin Morgan survived a drop by Taylor on 21. His fourth-wicket partnership with George Scott reached 56 when Morgan miscued sufficiently high to wide mid-on that Bopara had time to race back and take a memorable caught and bowled.Lawrence’s impressive figures were ruined when Scott clubbed his final ball for six over long off to leave the off-spinner with one for 29 from his four overs. But Amir came back and conceded just two runs from third to leave Middlesex needing 10 an over from the last five. It rose to 47 needed from the last four overs.Franklin was caught at deep midwicket by Harmer off Bopara and Scott bowled by Zaidi for a 36-ball 34 after an ungainly swish. A faster ball from Amir accounted for Southee to leave Middlesex needing 26 from the final over with three wickets left. Higgins hit a six off Walter’s penultimate ball, but with 12 required from the last ball the result was not in doubt.

Hashim Amla, who scored fifties in each innings in Trent Bridge, returned to the top ten rankings for Test batsmen

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-20170:57

Quick Facts – The rise and rise of Herath

Rangana Herath has leapfrogged R Ashwin to be ranked as the No. 2 bowler in Tests, following his match haul of 11 wickets against Zimbabwe in the one-off Test at Khettarama.Herath claimed his eighth ten-wicket haul and also passed the tallies of Waqar Younis (373), Malcolm Marshall (376) and Ian Botham (383) in Colombo. All of that contributed to Sri Lanka achieving the highest successful chase in Asia, beating Zimbabwe by four wickets.Ashwin, as a result, moved down to third place while James Anderson, who took seven wickets in the Trent Bridge Test, climbed one place to be tied with Josh Hazlewood on fourth.Hashim Amla, who made fifties in each innings in Trent Bridge, returned to the top ten rankings for Test batsmen. He moved six spots up to seventh. Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza, who struck centuries in the Khettarama Test, were also major gainers, achieving career-best rankings. Ervine moved up 20 places to 40th while Raza vaulted 28 places to 48th.Vernon Philander continued his steady rise towards the top in the allrounders’ rankings. Philander’s Man-of-the-Match performance at Trent Bridge – he scored 96 runs and took five wickets – saw him rise two places to break into the top five. He also moved to ninth in the bowlers’ rankings.Other significant movers were Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer, whose nine wickets against Sri Lanka helped him gain 20 places to a career-best 53rd while South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj rose 12 spots to 26th after claiming six wickets against England at Trent Bridge.